DestinationVT Winter 2016

DESTINATIoN VT www.destinationvt.com

WINTER EDITION 2016

MONEY AND POWDER PEACE PUPS SKIING COCHRAN’S BILLSVILLE HOUSE CONCERTS VT’S CANNABIS CONUNDRUM HILARY ANN LOVE GLASS

ART // CULTURE // FOOD // MUSIC // PEOPLE

206 College Street, Burlington VT 05401 1.888.425.8838 | vermontfarmtable.com

WINERY | CIDERY | DISTILLERY EXPERIENCE THE MANY FLAVORS OF VERMONT TASTE our Award-Winning Wines, Ciders, and Spirits.

TOUR the Winery in Cambridge.

SAVOR a Gourmet Cheese Plate on our patio overlooking the picturesque Vermont Landscape.

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64 Vermont Route 104, Cambridge, Vt 802-644-8151 TASTING ROOM ANNEX at Cold Hollow Cider Mill: 3600 Waterbury-Stowe Rd., Waterbury Center, Vt 802-241-3674 2

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WINTER // 2016 Destination VT

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DestinationVT is produced in Shelburne, Vt. by Wind Ridge Publishing, Inc. along the shores of Lake Champlain. We strive to provide for Vermont natives and transplants, day-trippers and vacationers, a snapshot of the Green Mountain State’s artistic and cultural landscape.

Please direct all inquiries to: PO Box 752, Shelburne, VT 05482 (802) 985-3091 advertising@windridgepublishing.com

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DESIGN GREG FORBER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CHEA WATERS EVANS JESSICA HELLA LIN STONE PHYL NEWBECK GENEVIEVE HABECK LETTIE STRATTON KEITH MORRILL CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS BEN SARLE BOB LOCICERO CRAIG THOMAS KEN HAGGETT PENNIE RAND CHRISTIAN THORNE JESSICA HELLA Printed by Dartmouth Printing Co. COVER IMAGE // Ben Sarle

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CONTENTS WINTER // 2016

Calendar.......06 Money and Powder.......12 BYOBiz.......16 Hilary Ann Love Glass.......17 Woolly Bear Winter.......20 Peace Pups.......22

24.......Skiing Cochran’s 28.......City Market 30.......InnovateHER 31.......Cannabis Conundrum 32.......Billsville House Concerts 35.......Puzzle Photo by Ben Sarle

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WINTER 2016

Photo by Ben Sarle

January DEC 24 TO JAN 3

HOLIDAY WEEK, Sugarbush Celebrate this holiday season in the beautiful Green Mountains with Sugarbush. A week full of great food, drink, and events is sure to keep the whole family smiling. www.sugarbush.com

JAN 2

BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY- GREEN MOUNTAIN MAHLER FESTIVAL, Stowe The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “the

Choral,” is one of Beethoven’s greatest works, and many consider it among the finest achievements of western music. Join the Green Mountain Mahler Festival for a festive New Year’s concert when conductor Daniel Bruce leads the orchestra and chorus along with four area vocal soloists. The Green Mountain Mahler Festival, founded in 2002, is dedicated to providing an opportunity for local area musicians to experience and enjoy the works of Gustav Mahler and other great Romantic composers, and to bring this music to the public. 7:30pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

JAN 16

CHAD HOLLISTER BAND, Stowe The Chad Hollister Band returns to SPPAC for the third year in a row. The signature 10-piece ensemble blends hear tfelt and honest songwriting with catchy melodies, lyrics and grooves. Chad has opened for Paul Simon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and recently Brett Dennen. He has shared the stage with Warren Haynes, every PHISH member and Blues Traveler. The Jason Spooner Band will be the opening act. sprucepeakarts.org

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JAN 16

CASTLEROCK MUSIC SERIES FT. JOSH PANDA, Castlerock Pub, Lincoln Peak Let après roll into late night at Vermont’s favorite slopeside bar. Castlerock Pub serves up Vermont’s finest beers and music to ensure you will have a great night after a day on the hill. Josh Panda headlines the night with his powerhouse vocals, unique sensibility and laid-back vibes. A front man and entertainer reminiscent of influential greats such as Mick Jagger and Otis Redding, Panda’s exceptional combination of rock ‘n roll and soul is bound to keep the party rolling well into the night. 9pm - 12am www.sugarbush.com

CALENDAR JAN 21

21st ANNUAL WINTER TRAILS DAY, statew ide W inter Tr ail s offers children and adults new to snow sports the chance to try snowshoeing and cross country skiing for free, and to discover the great fitness and social benefits of these easy-to-learn winter sports. The event includes almost 100 resorts and Nordic centers nationwide and gets 11,000 kids and adults on the snow each year. www.snowlink.com

JAN 17

WARREN MILLER’S FILM CHASING SHADOWS, Stowe Warren Miller’s 66th ski film explores what it means to be inspired, and what it is about exotic locations and snow-covered summits that keep us searching for more.

Watch JT Holmes, Seth Wescott, Caroline Gleich, Steven Nyman, Marcus Caston and more as they pursue turns on the mountains of our dreams: Chamonix, Alaska’s Chugach, the Chilean Andes, Utah’s Wasatch and the mightiest range of them all: the Himalaya.

In cooperation with the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum. 7pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

JAN 17

WINTERVALE, The Intervale, Burlington Come join friends and family for an afternoon of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. There will be music, local hot food and drinks to purchase, and indoor activities for the little ones. Skis and snowshoes will be available for free, or bring your own. www.enjoyburlington.com

JAN 23

NOBBY REED PROJECT, Stowe Nobby Reed, guitarist extraordinaire, plays and sings the blues.

Reed makes the guitar sing and cry from the depths of his soul and then rejoices with the angels.

Since 1997, NRP has recorded 10 CDs and has shared the stage with Blues Traveler, Dickey Betts, James Cotton, Mighty Sam MacLain, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers, Leon Russell, Johnny Winter, Little Feat and many other blues legends. 7:30pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

Winter Trails Day. Courtesy photo

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JAN 17 TO 24

STOWE WINTER CARNIVAL, Stowe Stowe comes alive with great winter fun featuring over ten exciting events, from the silly to the sublime. Events include the Kids Carnival Kaos, the always hilarious Snowgolf & Snowvolleyball tournaments and the exciting NICA sanctioned Ice Carving Competition. www.gotostowe.com

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WINTER 2016

JAN 23

16th ANNUAL NICA ICE CARVING COMPETITION, Stowe The country’s best amateur and professional ice carvers compete by creating frozen masterpieces in the Spruce Peak Plaza at Stowe Mountain Resort. 11am – 3pm. www.stowe.com

JAN 28

COMEDIAN ETTA MAY, Stowe When Etta May takes the stage, it is as the reigning Queen of Southern Sass. Etta May won the prestigious American Comedy Awards “Stand-Up Comic of the Year,” and has appeared on Oprah, Comic Strip Live, MTV and as a guest commentator on “CBS Sunday Morning.” She headlines the “Southern Fried Chicks Tour,” selling out theaters all over the country. Think Blue Collar Comedy Tour with better hair! 7:30pm. www.sprucepeakarks.org

Annual Penguin Plunge. Photo by Ben Sarle

JAN 30

CR AF TSBURY MAR ATHON, Cr af tsbur y Join us for the largest nordic ski event in the east! Come challenge yourself to skiing either 25 or 50k on some of the most scenic ski terrain in New England with up to 1000 competitors of all ages. www.craftsbury.com

February

JAN 31

JAN 30

ROMEO AND JULIET BY STATE BALLET THEATRE OF RUSSIA, Stowe The State Ballet Theatre of Russia makes a triumphant return to Stowe after last season’s Swan Lake and 2013’s Sleeping Beauty. Fifty-five of Russia’s brightest ballet stars passionately deliver William Shakespeare’s timeless tale of tragic love onto the stage and into our hearts. This full-length ballet in three acts is set to the music of Sergei Prokofiev and choreography of the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet’s Michael Lavrovsky. 7pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

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V YO WINTER CONCERT, Burlington The winter concert includes some of the most popular works found in the symphony orchestra repertoire. The exciting rhythms and well-known melodies of Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story opens the concer t. Continuing this season’s theme of great Russian masterpieces, the V YO performs the Suite from Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird. Finally, hear the V YO joined by a massed choir of the V YO Chorus and area high school choruses per forming Antonin D vor ak ’s Te Deum, Op. 10 3, a spectacular work that marks the beginning of Dvorak’s musical period influenced by American music. Joining the massed choir are soloists Sarah Cullins, soprano, and Erik Kroncke, bass. 3pm. www.flynntix.org

FEB 5 TO 7

WINTER LIGHTS, Burlington Celebrate winter, celebrate light! Join us for Winter Lights, Church Street’s and Burlington, Ver mont’s ongoing w inter event, pre sented by Citizens Bank. Winter Lights is comprised of a number of new light installations on the Church Street Marketplace.

Enjoy the magical display of lights and light canopies on Church Street’s intersections as well as colorful spheres hanging in our trees. Join us as we kick off Winter Lights with Burlington Winter Weekend. www.churchstmarketplace.com

CALENDAR FEB 6

THE MICHELE FAY BAND, Stowe The Michele Fay Band is energetic and unpretentious, a compelling and captivating ensemble featuring original and Americana music from Vermont. Fay’s heartfelt lyrics are woven seamlessly together as she delivers with a crystal-clear, authentic voice.

Her crack backing band, a perfect match for Fay’s talent as a singer-songwriter, adds to the charm and sincerity of these songs without detracting from their earnest message. 7:30pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

FEB 6

20TH ANNUAL PENGUIN PLUNGE, Burlington Join Special Olympics Vermont for the 20th Annual Burlington Penguin Plunge at Burlington’s Waterfront Park. Invite your friends, co-workers, family or classmates to brace the icy waters of Lake Champlain with you to raise awareness and funds for 900+ athletes of Special Olympics Vermont. 11am plunge time. www.penguinplunge.org

FEB 7

15TH ANNUAL NORTHERN VERMONT SNOWSHOE RACE AND FAMILY SNOWSHOE FESTIVAL, Smugglers’ Notch Smugglers’ and TSL Snowshoes present this exciting day of treks, walks and races on snowshoes. There’s something for everyone: a 1/2K kids’ fun run, a 4K fun run/walk, and an 8K race that is a qualifier for the 2016 US Snowshoe Association National Championship. Rentals are available at the Nordic Center. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington, Vermont and the food shelf in Cambridge, Vermont. www.smuggs.com

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North East Kingdom Sundog. Photo by Annette Dalley

FEB 13

IGLOO BUILD, Norwich Come exper ience Igloo Build, one of the longest-running traditions at the Montshire Museum.

Learn how to build an insulated, sturdy house, strong enough to support the weight of a polar bear. Dubbed the #1 Way to Winter Fun by Yankee Magazine (Jan ’09) and a “Top 10 Winter Event” in 2014/2015 by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Igloo Build is fun for the whole family. 10:30am - 2pm. www.montshire.org

FEB 13 TO 21

60th ANNUAL BRATTLEBORO WINTER CARNIVAL, Brattleboro Fun for all ages at locations all acros s tow n: kids’ activities, live music, sporting competitions, comed y, pancakes and other comfort foods, skating, skiing, sleigh rides and more! www.brattleborowintercarnival.org

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FEB 16 AND 19

PHOTOGRAPHY OUTBACK SNOWSHOE TOUR, Sugarbush Experience and capture the beauty of Sugarbush and the Mad River Valley with our guided photo tour through the Slide Brook Basin. Our photography workshops are centered on the incredible landscapes that we hike through at our mountain. Enjoy our favorite snowshoe trails equipped with a DSLR or an iPhone, while our experienced guides teach you the ins and outs of digital photography. 2pm - 1pm. www.sugarbush.com

FEB 17

LEO, THE ANTI-GRAVITY SHOW, Stowe What would happen if the law of gravity were to suddenly change? LEO leaves you wondering which way is up and which way is down. This theater piece challenges the senses and tests perceptions of reality through the interplay of live performance and video projection.

Directed by the Montreal actor and director Daniel Brire and based on an original idea

by Tobias Wegner. 7pm.

2/13/15 10:14 AM www.sprucepeakarts.org

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WINTER 2016

FEB 18

FEB 27

FAMILYFUN MAGAZINE WINTER CARNIVAL, Smuggler’s Notch Always a family favorite. FamilyFun magazine teams up with Smugglers’ for this special Winter Carnival on the Village Green featuring music and live entertainment plus face painting, games, a bonfire, giveaways and an outdoor barbeque. 2:30pm. www.smuggs.com

FEB 20

FEB 20

DAN LIPTAK’S APEX ENSEMBLE, Stowe APEX is a 10-piece horn-driven musical experience sure to invigorate your mind, body and soul with an energetic mix of 60’s San Francisco Bay Area funk, rock, fusion, world music and jazz. For this concert, APEX will feature special guest vocalist Lloyd Dugger interpreting Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life.” APEX is an all-star line-up of the best large band musicians Vermont has to offer from the Big Bang Bhangra Brass Band, Saturn People’s Sound Collective, Movement of the People, Afinque, Kat Wright’s Soul Band and others. 7:30pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

FEB 26

HARLEM QUARTET, Burlington The Harlem Quartet’s mission is to advance diversity in classical music, engaging young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire that includes works by minority composers. Since its public debut in 2006 at Carnegie Hall, the New York-based ensemble has performed throughout the US as well as in France, the U.K., Belgium, Panama, Canada and South Africa. 7:30pm. www.flynntix.org

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FEB 26

DEL & DAWG (featuring Del McCoury and David Grisman), Burlington Del McCoury met David Grisman at the first show McCoury ever played (on banjo) with Bill Monroe in the spring of 1963 at New York University in Greenwich Village.

Three years later, Del & Dawg played their first gig together in Troy, NY at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. They both celebrated the arrival of first-born sons, Monroe Grisman and Ronnie McCoury, within a month of each other.

Through the years, they have shared the stage at venues and festivals across the country and in 2012 released Hardcore Bluegrass, a unique collection of bluegrass classics, made at two Dawg studio jam sessions in the 1990s. Del & Dawg celebrates the nearly 50-year bluegrass friendship that these two legendary musicians have shared. 8pm. www.flynntix.org

FEB 26

STEPHEN KELLOGG, Burlington Stephen Kellogg has performed more than 1,500 concerts in more than a dozen countries in the last decade, both solo and with a band. In 2013 Kellogg gave a TEDx Talk about job satisfaction. Recently on a tour of Europe, he made a detour to play the Middle East, Africa and on an aircraft carrier for the Armed Forces. Upon returning to the USA, he started his annual lyric-writing campaign to raise money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer. “The music I make is a reflection of how I spend my time and what I care deeply about,” he says. 7pm. www.highergroundmusic.com

SEE PAGE 35 FOR PUZZLES

ABSTRACT PAINTING WORKSHOP, Stowe Get unstuck and feel your creative flow!

Paint big, paint fast, paint deep, paint strong.

Surprise yourself. Learn how to get out of your own way and access your subconscious, which is the source of your best and most satisfying painting. Through exercises and experimentation with various techniques and materials, painters in this workshop will gain insight into the blocks that keep them from doing their strongest work. www.helenday.com

BELLE STARR, Stowe Stephanie Cadman, Kendel Carson and Miranda Mulholland play blazing fiddles, sing like no others, and excel at step dancing. The band’s namesake outlaw is a stereotype-flaunting renegade who did hard time for horse theft. Perhaps the fugitive Belle Starr is an extreme role model, but for a group that spent one of their first music video shoots learning how to hotwire a car, the bandit queen provides a cer tain kind of rebellious inspiration.

P ar t tr aditional , par t pop, steeped in Americana, Belle Starr is a band that defies expectations.7pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

FEB 27 AND 28

THE Y ING QUA R TE T W ITH HOS T SO OVIN KIM, Burlington Soovin Kim joins the acclaimed Ying Quar tet to explore Beethoven’s string quar tet Op. 131, a dense and remarkable piece, in the concluding installment of The Beethoven Project. Kim and the Grammy-winning Ying, quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music, illuminate and contextualize the piece in the first half, then the Yings play the piece straight through in the second half. It’s a work that blooms even more with context. Don’t miss this opportunity to see an elite quartet play one of classical music’s greatest works in the intimate confines of FlynnSpace. Feb 27 at 8pm, Feb 28 at 2pm. www.flynntix.org

CALENDAR FEB 28

MARCH 9

THE STOWE DERBY, Stowe The challenge is the same today as it was at the Derby’s inception in 1945 – a race from the top of Mt. Mansfield to the historic village of Stowe.

Attracts recreational skiers and professionals alike. www.stowederby.com

MOLLY ROWLEE BENEFIT RAIL JAM, Smugglers’ Notch This event benefits the Molly Rowlee Fund, which supports families with children undergoing treatment for cancer. The event includes music, giveaways and a raffle. www.smuggs.com

march

YAMATO, Burlington Japan’s Yamato is a wildly entertaining group of drummers that combines the high-energy exhibitionism of a rock show with samurai-serious percussion playing. Yamato uses a massive drum—six feet in diameter and made from a 400-yearold tree—as their centerpiece, along with 40 taikos of various sizes. Trained in the ancient Japanese art of taiko, these 17 master drummers deliver a spectacle of athleticism, superhuman coordination, and heart-pounding intensity that the The Scotsman calls “Pure energy meets spiritual high.” 8pm. www.flynntix.org

MARCH 11

MARCH 5

DISTANT MIRRORS, AN EVENING WITH HELIAND CONSORT, Stowe Heliand Consor t presents “Distant Mirrors - Music between the Wars, 1918 – 1939,” music from the Interwar period including novelty piano, French Impressionism, the American songbook and Poulenc’s spectacular Sextet for piano and winds. This vibrantly creative program captures the dramatic contrasts of the period from the heights of the Roaring Twenties to the depths of the Depression.

Join us for this dynamic evening of chamber music with Vermont’s own piano and woodwind ensemble. Heliand Consort is Berta Frank, flute, Katie Oprea, oboe, Elisabeth LeBlanc, clarinet, Joy Worland, horn, Julian Partridge, bassoon, and Cynthia Huard, piano. 7:30pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

MARCH 4 TO 6

21st ANNUAL MAGIC HAT MARDI GRAS WEEKEND, Burlington Join a warming swarm of raucous revelers in Burlington, Vermont for a weekend of bountiful bacchanalia and splendiferous philanthropy.

The icy avenues of downtown Burlington will momentarily melt to accommodate all comers, new and old, from here and afar. The Magic Hat Mardi Gras spreads its warming arms over three full days, and they urge you to come and experience ever y thing Mardi Gras and Burlington have to offer. www.magichat.net

MARCH 5

AN EVENING WITH JOAN BAEZ, Burlington Joan Baez has been as busy as ever in the five years since she celebrated the landmark years of 2008-2009, the 50th anniversaries of her legendary residency in 1958 at the famed Club 47 in Cambridge, and her subsequent debut at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival. 8pm. www.flynntix.org

MARCH 11

DE TEMPS ANTAN, Burlington Each member of the Québécois trio De Temps Antan was a leader in the multi-platinum super group La Bottine Souriante. Playing the uniquely regional music that has become a beloved form throughout the world, De Temps Antan are virtuosic musicians who give a fresh, yet traditional interpretation. Rhythmically anchored by the “tac-tic-a-tac” of les pieds (a form of seated clogging found only in French Canada), the fiddle playing of Andre Brunet, the accordion playing of Pierre-Luc Dupuis, and the pristine voice and exquisite guitar accompaniment of Eric Beaudry will bring us out of the late winter/mud season doldrums for some seriously joyful music. 7:30pm. www.flynntix.org

MARCH 11

80S WEEKEND SKI BALLET AND RETRO JAM, Stowe Break out those one-pieces, stretch pants and straight skis and come join us in the Midway Park to bust out your 80s moves and tricks to win prizes and celebrate the 80s with DJ Mashtadon. www.stowe.com

MARCH 12

MARCH 5

CA STLE ROCK E X TREME CHALLENGE, Sugarbush Expert skiers and riders are invited to charge the cliffs and drops of Sugarbush’s toughest terrain in the 19th Annual Castlerock Extreme Challenge. A stop on the Ski the East Freeride Tour with a cash purse of $1,000, the Castlerock Extreme is the ultimate challenge. Awards for top three men and women competitors, and Big Air winner. SEFT/IFSA judging criteria will be used. www.sugarbush.com

POSSUMHAW, Stowe With the drive of bluegrass and the original lyricism of folk, delivered by one of the finest female vocalists in the region, PossumHaw has stunning vocal harmonies, stellar acoustic instrumentation and a sound all their own. Singer-songwriter Colby Crehan’s song “Road to Mora” was named Vermont Song of the Year, and she was named Vermont Vocalist of the Year (Tammie Awards, Times-Argus). Formed in 2004 by husbandwife team Ryan (banjo) and Colby Crehan with their lead guitarist Charley Eiseman, the band also includes Stephen Waud on mandolin and Mitch Barron on upright bass. 7:30pm. www.sprucepeakarts.org

WINTER // 2016 Destination VT

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VT BUSINESS

Money and ONE WAY TO START UP: The elevator pitch, Vermont-style, on the slopes

words // Chea Waters Evans Photos // Bob LoCicero

Vermont is known more for syrup and ski hills than technological innovations.

But recent entrepreneurial successes (Ben and Jerry, Dealer.com, anyone?), and an influx of entrepreneurs means that though the Green Mountain state is far from Silicon Valley in miles, it’s a lot closer in spirit. Money, ideas, and the desire to connect those two things has become an important and vibrant part of Vermont’s economic future. With a groundswell of financing, networking opportunities, and government and educational support, it’s a good time to be an entrepreneur in our state.

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Winning pitcher, Todd White of Agrilab Technologies makes turns at Sugarbush Resort during Fresh Tracks Capital Peak Pitch 2015.

Cairn Cross is the fairy godfather of Vermont entrepreneurs; his FreshTracks Capital venture capital firm focuses almost solely on Vermont businesses, and has invested in many well-known companies including Eating Well and Vermont Teddy Bear. His annual summer Road Pitch puts investors on their motorcycles, and a winter version, Peak Pitch, brings the classic elevator pitch outside to the ski lift. Cross is also one of the founders of StartupVT, which connects entrepreneurs with local mentors, potential backers, and peers who might be able to share their own knowledge and experiences.

Cross knows his startups. “Things are different and more positive today than they have been in my whole career,” he says.

Technology enables businesses to get started without millions of dollars up front, and products and services can be tested in the market a lot easier than they used to be. “You can be a lot more capital efficient,” Cross says. “Twenty years ago, if I saw a business plan for a software startup venture, generally the company was looking for millions of dollars and would have to hire dozens of programmers and take multiple years to develop a product.”

Now the financial risk is smaller for investors, and the intense pressure isn’t on entrepreneurs to make those millions pay off, he says.

Citing Green Mountain coffee and Burton snowboards as perfect examples of recent trends in entrepreneurship and startups in Vermont, Cross explained that they didn’t improve on something that already existed, they changed the way a product or service was delivered to consumers. “I think Vermont has always been particularly good at that,” he says.

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Andrew Mosedale of Mosedale Integrated Solutions and Adam Bouchard of Agrilion.

So how does a Vermonter who wants to run a startup actually start it up?

Charlie Nagelschmidt, professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Champlain College, is a member of the StartupVT advisory council. He regularly meets and advises budding businesspeople. He says that though much is made of having a “passion,” that only takes an entrepreneur so far.

for students at Champlain College.

Vermont is unique because here, “everyone is approachable and they want startups to succeed,” he says. “People make time for each other and people seem to be very willing to help the new entrepreneur with time and advice.”

“I believe that passion is better described as timing, location, persistence and focus plus that all important a little bit of luck,” he says.

This ecosystem is supported on a state level, too. Linda Rossi, the state director of the Vermont Small Business Development Center, is also a StartupVT advisor. Her center offers free advice and guidance to those both starting a business and those who are already up and running. “We have seen the difference between those doing it alone, or those who start and grow within the support of the ecosystem or ‘network’ of mentors, and peers,” she says.

He also says that focus shouldn’t lead to inflexibility. “Believe in yourself, but don’t be close-minded to feedback from customers and mentors,” he says.

Nagelschmidt also shares his expertise and advice through BYOBiz, a startup incubator that he co-founded

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This, he says, “provides a very dedicated ecosystem for emerging businesses.”

The Startup Chris Patton is the founder and CEO of Punchpass, an online business solution that enables users – like yoga teachers, fitness studios, or doggie daycares – to manage everything from online class registration to client communication to financial reports. His business got a huge jumpstart earlier this year when he came in second place in the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual LaunchVT competition, which awarded him $15,000. The pitch competition aims to give startups in their early stages education, financial support, and exposure that they might not be able to secure on their own.

Patton says that though there can be uniquely Vermont-related challenges for a more tech-based startup, like the smaller in-state hiring pool, for instance, the benefit is that “everybody just

Tim Kearns of Swing Kiosk pitches Cairn Cross of Fresh Tracks Capital on the chairlift.

has more of a Vermont-y attitude about everything.”

As the winner of the LaunchVT competition, he benefitted from the local support offered to entrepreneurs, and is now approaching some networking events from a different perspective. He says, “If I had to hire a developer I would prefer to hire someone local, and going to those meetings is one way to make that happen.”

Vermont may not have been the first choice for an entrepreneur or a tech startup a decade ago, but technology has brought the rest of the world closer. After success stories like Dealer.com, MyWebGrocer, and the booming craft beer industry, the state’s appeal to entrepreneurs is growing, and the support system offered with varied entrepreneur networks means that starting and growing a business here is a great option for anyone with a great idea and that “Vermont-y” attitude.

Fresh Tracks Capital Peak Pitch Vermont, founded in 2006, is a skiing, networking and pitching event organized on the slopes in March each year. Entrepreneurs seize the opportunity to deliver their “elevator pitch” to investors while riding the chairlift throughout the morning, after which everyone meets for a networking luncheon and a “pitch off” in the afternoon. There is a limit of 150 people and registration is required ahead of time.

them to the office manager who keeps a tally. The top five money winners get to pitch to the entire crowd in the lodge after lunch.

Peak Pitch fun facts:

A few entrepreneurs have learned to ski or board specifically so they can pitch at peak pitch.

Each investor and advisor gets 3 million “peak pitch” dollars to invest in the pitch or pitches they like most.

The entrepreneurs bring their peak pitch dollars into the lodge and give

FreshTracks has invested in 7 companies that have pitched at Peak Pitch (Mamava is the latest example). Peak Pitch offers a substantial opportunity for entrepreneurs to begin to build a relationship with Fresh Tracks and other investor/advisors or to expand and deepen their existing relationships.

For more information about this year’s Peak Pitch visit http://www.freshtrackscap.com/event/peak-pitch/.

WINTER // 2016 Destination VT

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VT PEOPLE

FINDING THE HEART AND SOUL OF ENTREPRENEURIAL INNOVATION

BYOBiz Director Robert Bloch.

Words and Photo // Jessica Hella In February, LaunchVT, an entrepreneurship program led by the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, will host their first collegiate pitch competition at Champlain College. Cash prizes and an opportunity to participate as a finalist in the formal LaunchVT competition in May 2016 will be awarded.

LaunchVT opened up the competition as the result of an entrepreneurship education program at Champlain College called BYOBiz (Bring Your Own Business). The program’s director, Robert Bloch, has changed the way students are viewed in the Burlington community.

He’s garnered attention for their entrepreneurial gumption by helping to develop their ideas into private-enterprise success.

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Bloch wrote the books Outside the Box and My Own CEO, published by Champlain College Publishing in 2011 and 2013, about his innovative students. Each chapter features a different BYOBiz success story, which include fundraising for Sudanese refugees, ski and snowboard tuning, and game animation, just to name a few.

Champlain College president David Finney began BYOBiz shortly after taking the position in 2005. After a series of conversations with students, he found an overabundance of young entrepreneurs on the campus. Inspired by these findings, Finney hired Bloch as a full-time director for BYOBiz. Bloch begins his mentoring by proposing three critical questions:

Is the idea a good business idea?

Is it a good business idea for you?

And is it a good business idea for you right now?

If the answer to all three questions is “yes,” then Bloch proceeds with his individualized mentoring, taking in to account the timing and stages of development of each idea.

Bloch, who received a BA in government from Cornell University, and an MBA from Harvard University, was just the person BYOBiz needed to successfully foster the student entrepreneurs on Champlain’s campus. His office, centrally located on the campus, is a hub for innovation, a place where students can drop in to express their aspirations and make their dreams a reality.

VT ARTISTS

HILARY ANN LOVE GLASS: balancing life and art, the natural world and the world of her imagination

Words // Chea Waters Evans Photos // Craig Thomas

A cheeky owl with one eye cocks his head and gives a look; a delicate-looking fish sprouts legs and seems like it’s ready to run; a squid bubbles thoughtfully underwater. Vermont artist Hilary Ann Love Glass draws animals—or just as often, fanciful creatures—who bare their souls through their eyes, their posture, or the reach of an arm or a wing. Dancing on the line between reality and imagination, her etchings, collages, and pen and ink drawings are fun, elegant and uniquely her own.

Glass splits her work time between her home in Northfield and her studio in Burlington, where she works on her many independent projects and does animal portrait drawing. The mix of reality and fancy comes through in her work whether she’s drawing from a photo of someone’s beloved pet or creating a magical

creature from her own mind. When she’s working on her original pieces, she says she has to “try to grasp this hard to see [the] shimmer of an image coming to me from a gut level. It is a slow process but feels really connected to the kid version of myself that knows there are secret worlds within worlds.”

As a child in growing up in Vermont, Glass started drawing when she was “tiny,” she says. She has lived her whole life here, with the exception a six-year stint in Philadelphia after she graduated from the University of Vermont. Though that time was valuable for her growth as an artist, and she spent a lot of time making prints in a printshop down there, she moved back to Vermont, “because I knew I needed to live close to mountains and spend winters near a wood stove,” she says.

For many artists, marketing, money and self-promotion are unsavory necessities of making a living as a creator and a dreamer. Glass says that for quite some time she worried about, and resisted, truly pursuing a professional life as an artist because she was afraid her passion for art and her work would diminish. She has, however, always taken jobs that allow her time to create, including working as an after-school art teacher, a seasonal employee at Chapin Orchard, and a tax-season fill-in at H&R Block. This coming winter, she will be a lift operator at the Sugarbush ski resort.

Though it’s not always something artists are encouraged to think about, she says, “I am very interested in thinking about the business side of making a living as an artist. One: because it is something

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there is very little training or support for and I want that to change. Two: because I like to geek out about organization and how to improve my own business systems and creative decisions.”

Balancing her creative needs and the practicalities of real life takes thought and planning, but Glass says that as time goes by, she’s able to live a more “art-focused” life, picking up work when she feels financially insecure, but making her art a priority. Vermont’s culture has everything to do with her success, she says. “The art community in this state is 100 percent of the reason I’ve been able to do this work part-time, and maybe fulltime in the future.”

Daily life in Vermont also informs Glass’s work in that “studying the world around me always shows me what kind of magical worlds exist in my own imagination,” she says.

She draws on her natural surroundings to influence her more surreal

drawings, and says “the more literal, realistic types of projects have an emphasis on technical detail which I experience as a really meditative process … the realistic work is an absolutely essential half of the balancing act for me.”

Glass has big plans for the future; she is finishing up a calendar of seasonal Vermont images and activities (including the all-important wood stacking and creemee eating) and is working on a children’s book.

In the future, she’d like to start an artist-in-residence farming program, where artists milk goats or do chores in exchange for room and board. Like her collages, her life and work is a mix of the practical—a datestamp card from a library book, a piece of corrugated cardboard— and the fantastic—tiny little grinning monsters with pointy ears and teeth. She says, “In the grand scheme of things I have so many dreams. It goes on and on...”

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VT AUTHORS

WOOLLY BEAR WINTER A Children’s Tale by Two Sisters Written by Cam Sato, illustrated and additional text by Abbie Bowker

Interview by Lin Stone

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isters and native Vermonters, Cam Sato and Abbie Bowker, wrote and illustrated a children’s picture book, Woolly Bear Winter, soon-to-bereleased by Voices of Vermonters Publishing Group, Inc., Wind Ridge Books imprint, that will inspire woolly-mittened nature adventurers out into a February-flaked, snowy winter.

The author and illustrator were born in Williston in an 142-year-old, 500-acre historic family farm, a diverse landscape of rolling terrain—from forest and steep rocky trails to flat open land. Sato and Bowker’s gr e at- gr e at- gr a n d f ath e r, an inventor and gentleman farmer, maintained the property as a producing dairy farm until the barns burned down when their father was still in high school.

That was a turning point: the family decided it would be too much to rebuild and then try to eke out a living through farming. Instead, they chose to turn the land over to recreational use and begin what they referred to as the “farming of fun,” a place now known as the Catamount Outdoor Family Center.

The transition from working farm to recreational area gave Sato and Bowker rather different childhood experiences. Sato remembers pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, sheep and lambs raised in the kitchen, one old paint pasture pony and clacking antlers together in the forest to call for deer. Bowker recalls exploring trails and wilderness, camping and woodland adventures. However, both sisters shared

childhoods connected to nature and the land with an intimate awareness of place.

“I learned a lot about nature and animal lore from my family stories—a special kind of folklore,” Bowker says. “Whether the land was used for recreation or for farming, our family needed to read nature’s signs so they might know what to expect. Our mother’s Aunt

“And if we saw hornets’ nests built way up high, we could safely predict that we would have deep snow that year,” Sato says.

animals directly from nature is a bit of a challenge though because bears and bunnies just can’t be made to sit still.”

Bowker says, “There is science in some reading of those signs in nature, although sadly, I found that the woolly bear’s stripes come from what it’s been eating and how many times it’s molted—but it’s still

Sato’s love for language came from her parents reading to them. Two A.A. Milne books were her favorites, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Later, Sato had an eighth grade English teacher, Mrs. Wright, who showed her how to make beautiful sentences, she says. “ At the end of the schoolyear there was a utopian writing contest and I won.” Sato says.

“From that moment on, I was hooked.”

G A Woolly Bear A Winter

A

A

Woolly Bear Winter emerged when Sato wanted to enter a contest for writing a story in verse. “I take daily walks with my dog on the bike path and saw tons of woolly bears,” she says.

“I heard the ‘woolly bear, woolly bear’ refrain in my head and it just wouldn’t let me go.”

G A

Poem by Cam Sato

Illustrations and Words

by Abbie Bowker

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Grace once said that because our family lived off the land, we needed to cue in to nature in ways that other people don’t pay attention to anymore. Signs indicating changes in weather, storms, dry or wet summers and snowy winters. As children, one clue we’d love to chase were the woolly bear caterpillars. We’d look at their stripes to try to tell whether it was going to be a good snowy winter.”

a favorite tale, although probably not the most reliable snow predictor.”

Eventually, their childhoods led them to become an illustrator and poet. Bowker drew a lot as child and set up a special place in a doorless cupboard to draw while her parents were at work.

“Now I am a high school art teacher and I draw from all of my life experiences—my imagination and from nature,” she says. “To draw

Bowker says Sato sent the poem to her for feedback. “I kept that email starred and in my inbox for four years,” Bowker says. “I could see what a wonderful children’s book it would be. Then I took a children’s picture book illustration class at the Writers’ Barn in Shelburne and used that opportunity to prepare my work. We’re all such global tumbleweeds today that Cam and I wanted to share just Vermont animals in Woolly Bear. It’s wonderful to have a good sense of where you are—or in our case, a place you and your family have been for 142 years.”

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Siberian Huskies: sledding for peace

words // Phyl Newbeck Photos // Courtesy of Peace Pups Ken Haggett adopted his first Siberian husky in 2001, and that was the beginning of the end of his woodworking career. Soon one dog became four, and he and his wife began skijoring (Norwegian for ski driving) with them.

Haggett bought a used sled, hooked the dogs up as a team, and began to educate himself about the sport. Haggett also learned about breeding. His first litter of four was born, and in 2005 Peace Pups Dogsledding opened its doors. Last year, his original breeding pair had another litter of four, so now Haggett is up to 28 dogs.

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Haggett had the good fortune to enter the dogsled business just as his friend Bruce Linton was closing down his company to move to Alaska. Haggett took over Linton’s touring terrain in Stowe and also began to run dogs on his land at Lake Elmore.

Peace Pups Dogsledding runs evening tours twice a week at Stowe and day tours four days a week at Lake Elmore. In a good year, the tours start a few weeks before Christmas and end in late March but the weather is always a variable “More often than not, I have to shovel snow from the woods onto the trail in the early season,” Haggett says ruefully. “At that point it’s frustrating because people are disappointed if they’ve made reservations and there isn’t enough snow.”

In addition to the regular tours, Haggett offers Mush-

ing 101, a four-hour outing with an instructional component. Customers get to sit in a heated tent and learn dog sled basics like equipment, dog care and training. Then they set up their own lightweight four-dog sled and harness their dogs. Haggett goes out in front with his own team and the customers follow with their sled.

All of Haggett’s dogs have their own page on his website listing their name, age, weight, place of birth, favorite movie, likes and dislikes. Arctic’s favorite movie is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Froome likes giving kisses, napping on the tile floor and pizza crust night, and Pegasus dislikes having his picture taken and election years.

Peace Pups Dogsledding’s business plan requires Haggett to donate 10 percent of his profits to peace-related charities. Those donations

have varied over the years.

There have been years when Haggett donated the money in $50 increments to local organizations that approached him, and other years he has donated larger sums to nonprofits like Bikes not Bombs or the Archimedes Project, which does water purification work in Haiti.

While some people find joy in racing sled dogs, Haggett prefers to run tours. “This will be my tenth winter doing it full-time,” he says. “While the physical part has gotten pretty rote, there’s always

something to learn about dog psychology.”

Haggett enjoys meeting new customers and chatting with those who return year after year. Still, the biggest draw for Haggett is the chance to spend time with his dogs. “I truly feel like our dogs are a part of me,” he says. “We are one big cohesive unit and I love spending time with them, whether it’s running or just hanging out and petting them. I know I would have a hard time going through this life without a dog – or 28 – as companions.”

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Nonprofit ski area turns no child away: sustaining Cochran’s traditional business model Words // Genevieve Habeck Photos // Courtesy of Cochrans and Pennie Rand Photography

Classic Vermont scenery and a quaintly bustling Main Street give way to a hidden treasure and unexpected training ground for Olympic athletes: Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond.

North America’s first nonprofit ski area.

This stretch of Green Mountains is no stranger to visitors and locals trekking to its bounty of outdoor adventures: the Long Trail runs through the mountains surrounding the town, the Winooski River flows through its heart, and the more well-known and larger ski resorts are a short drive away down I-89.

But the unassuming yet solid character of Cochran’s Ski Area—combined with a unique non-profit mission that turns no child away—has placed them firmly among the must-ski slopes of worldwide skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts.

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Cochran’s Ski Area was established during a time when small ski hills used to be the norm, especially in the premier conditions of the Green Mountains. In 1961, Mickey and Ginny Cochran purchased an old farmhouse for $10,000 in rural Richmond; Mickey, a former schoolteacher and engineer, had one caveat during their home search: it must have a sloped hill on the property where they and their growing young family could ski to their heart’s desire. The traditional, modest parcel of farmland was transformed into a genuine ski area with backyard trails and the famous rope tow—and with their Richmond neighbors joining in, the first iteration of Cochran’s Ski Area was born.

The Cochrans became the patriarch and matriarch of generations of legendary skiing racers known as the “Skiing Cochrans.” Mickey and Ginny’s children—Marilyn, Barbara Ann, Bob and Lindy—all made the United States ski team and each raced in the Olympics. Photo previously ran in Yankee Magazine in the 1980s

Located on the eastern side of Lake Champlain, Richmond and its close-knit community have bolstered Cochran’s into a timeless Vermont success story.

In a world where mom-and-pop shops and small businesses are giving way to larger corporations, this hometown ski hill with global impact has become part of the fabric of Vermont’s tourism and business identity, with the twist of being

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Cochran’s Ski Area—combined with a unique non-profit mission that turns no child away—has placed them firmly among the must-ski slopes of worldwide skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts.

Mickey and Ginny, who met while skiing, quickly saw the opportunity to spread their love of skiing beyond their four children.

Throughout the next decade, thousands of local schoolchildren and their parents would flock to the Cochran’s hill to receive free lessons. The family was as inclusive as their skiing style: their hills and their home were open to all, and the kitchen of the Cochran farmhouse served as the warming hut for all skiers and riders.

The Cochrans soon became the patriarch and matriarch of generations of legendary skiing racers known as the “Skiing Cochrans.” Mickey and Ginny’s children—Marilyn, Barbara Ann, Bob and Lindy—all made the United States ski team and each raced in the Olympics.

Barbara Ann won a gold medal in slalom in the 1972 Games in Sapporo, Japan, and she continues her family’s legacy as the director of the ski school to this day. Over the years, the Cochran family expanded their site’s features and increased recreational programs to help bring the community together on the slopes, all at an extremely affordable cost. Their mission states, “No child will be denied the opportunity to ski or ride.”

Just how does a small nonprofit stay viable with some fierce competition out there? “It’s been an ongoing learning process and we’ve learned a lot,” says Barbara Ann. “Dad passed away in 1998, at which point we knew we needed to officially become a nonprofit. Once Mom died in February 2005, a lot of changes happened pretty quickly after that.”

After the death of their matriarch, the family held their first capital fundraising campaign. “The community loves Cochran’s, always has,” Barbara Ann says. “No one wanted to see it fall apart, and we badly needed new snowmaking equipment and the machines Dad had installed simply weren’t efficient enough.

We needed snow to survive.”

The board of directors approached one or two major philanthropists for the money needed to keep the ski area viable, but it just wasn’t working, Barbara Ann says. The breakthrough came when

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they realized that to keep their slopes open, they’d need a plan as communityminded as they are.

The Cochran family started a grassroots fundraiser by asking families to give $2,000 each to make their way to the $50,000 they needed. And that worked.

In 2007, they purchased the critical new snowmaking equipment that could draw water from the Winooski River, had some new pipes placed under their road, and with help from Vermont’s ski resort community, this powerhouse of a small ski hill was reborn.

“It’s incredible how the ski industry has rallied around us,” Barbara Ann says.

“Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts donated snow guns; Smuggs and Jay

Peak have been so helpful all along; Killington loaned us a groomer when ours finally died, and then sold it to us at an extreme discount. Bolton Resort has helped us, particularly one time when we had an important race coming up. It’s just been extraordinary.”

In the past year, the board has taken another look at the operating budget, expenses, and the way they do business.

“We’re now looking to transition to a model where we aren’t using fundraising or capital campaigns for so much of the day-to-day stuff,” Barbara Ann says. “We looked at all costs--tickets, rentals--and discovered that our prices were far too low and we were losing money regularly.”

They made the decision to bump up pric-

es slightly—for example, a family season pass now costs $400 instead of $365—in order to simply stay open for business.

These tiny changes are ones they’re hoping will make a big impact.

When asked what makes this ski area clearly so different, Barbara Ann says, “A lot goes back to my parents’ philosophy: it’s the Cochran Way. Dad always said ‘I just want to make skiing a heck of a lot of fun,’ and that’s how we do it. That’s just our motive in everything, even financially.”

In her current role in charge of the ski school, Barbara Ann sees her father’s legacy in every ski that hits the slopes.

With obvious pride, Barbara Ann says, “Cochran’s just becomes like family. Dad always said that and it’s still true today.”

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Community-owned co-op City Market expands to Burlington’s South End Words // Lettie Stratton The only thing that could be better than one City Market is two. And that’s exactly what Burlington residents will be getting, with a target opening of spring 2017, as the store adds a new location in the South End on the corner of Briggs Street and Flynn Avenue.

Allison Weinhagen, director of Community Engagement at City Market, says the project has been in the works for several years. A market study was completed years ago to look at where to expand, with the major goal of alleviating pressure on the downtown location, Weinhagen says.

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Photos // Craig Thomas

“We did some surveying and we looked at demographics,” she says. “At the time there wasn’t too, too much going on in the South End, although there’s been a lot of changes now.”

The South End location will boast 14,000 square feet of retail space, compared to the downtown location’s 12,000. City Market has been a Burlington icon since its downtown location opened in 2002. The new location will make room for more products, as well as extra space in the aisles and produce department.

“We want to make it more comfortable for staff and shoppers,” Weinhagen says. “We’ll also have some products and services that we haven’t had before. We’re looking for ways to bring in an espresso bar, maybe a juice or smoothie bar, and maybe a growler fill station.”

But eating, drinking and purchasing won’t be the only things you can do at the South End store. The new store will include a robust teaching kitchen and community gathering space. The 800 square foot, multi-purpose space will have not only kitchen equipment, but also mobile furniture that can be moved aside when other events are being hosted.

“In this location we have an opportunity to create the community education kitchen that we’ve wanted,” Weinhagen says. “We’ve done community engagement in the area, talking to businesses, artists, and SEABA (South End Arts and Business Association), about what their feelings are and what they’re looking for.

What we heard is that there’s not a lot of space beyond ArtsRiot for community gathering.”

Since City Market’s new store will be a bookend for the South End Arts District, the building itself will reflect the community it’s in with outdoor artwork and community space for music shows, poetry readings, and other gatherings, in addition to classes in the teaching kitchen, Weinhagen says.

Current City Market members need not worry—the membership process is staying the same. Membership grew seven percent this past year and may jump up into the double digits with interest in the new store, Weinhagen says. “We try to introduce people to the benefits of membership, and I anticipate that we will have sizeable growth in membership. With greater sales, our opportunity to give back to the community grows.”

City Market’s Rally for Change program, for example, offers customers the opportunity to round up their payment at the register and donate to nonprofits.

The store sells $15 million in local produce alone. Seventy percent of sales are to members. The Policy Governance Board is entirely member-run, and City Market sent 11,000 checks to members totaling $926,000 through the patronage refund program.

A full share of equity at City Market is $200, but to lower the barrier, the total can be paid off yearly in $15 increments.

“Investing in the co-op means we have cash on hand to work on different projects,” Weinhagen says. “Who doesn’t want to own the store where they shop?”

Last year’s total community donations were $286,000 while donations to the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf were $84,000. “The financial success of the coop means we’re able to have that impact on the community,” Weinhagen says.

Keep an eye out for community engagement forums at ArtsRiot in the spring, with opportunities to share out information about City Market’s South End location and hear back. For FAQs and more information, visit www.citymarket.coop/southend.

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Women take the lead in Queen City pitch competition Words // Keith Morrill

Co-founders Christine Dodson and Sascha Mayer.

Ribbon cutting with the Minnesota Vikings.

In the spacious Juniper Hall & Common at Hotel Vermont, dozens gathered to munch hors d’oeuvres, sip drinks, and hear the ideas of some of Vermont’s most promising innovators—or rather innovateHERs— last fall.

problems. At the outset of the evening, Branbury remarked on the diversity of startups in Vermont, saying that “the breadth, the scope, the stage was upstanding.”

The event was dubbed the InnovateHER Vermont Challenge, a Shark Tank-style competition in which Vermont entrepreneurs pitched their startups to a panel of judges in hopes of scoring a $10,000 prize.

The twist was that each business had to, in some way, empower women, either because the company was helmed by women or because it in some way benefited the lives of women.

The competition, a part of Burlington Startup Week, was organized by the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET), and underwritten in partnership with Vermont EPSCoR. The competition was announced a mere week prior to the event, yet David Branbury, VCET president, who played host and MC for the evening, pointed out that 37 startups had entered submissions.

The pool of applicants was winnowed to six startups, each of which tried to propose a unique business solution to interesting

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One startup sought to provide quality temporary housing for patients going through physical rehabilitation so that they could live with loved ones without disrupting lifestyles. Another, ReContext Data Solutions, took aim at helping schools effectively manage and use data from standardized testing. Yet another focused on combating distracted driving; Middlebury College seniors Terry Goguen and AnnaClare Smith created JoyRyde, a smartphone app that rewards drivers for not diddling their phones while on the road.

Teams had five minutes to present to a trio of judges: Mary Evslin co-founder of NG Advantage, Rick Gibbs, co-founder of Dealer.com, and Kelly Scannell, COO of Reading Plus. Each pitch provided an overview of the startup while addressing concerns such as industry competition and marketability, and ultimately justifying their need for the prize money.

In the end, it was the evening’s first pitch, presented by Sascha Mayer of Mamava,

which brought home the prize. Mayer is the creator of innovative lactation suites, which are freestanding stations or pods placed in public and work venues that provide women private, convenient and comfortable spaces to breastfeed or pump. Plus, they look fairly swanky—the sort of futuristic pod that the Jetsons might have lying around.

The company has proven potential for commercial success, considering they’ve already sold 59 units since July of 2014, with suites placed in locations as far-flung as Fenway Park, the Milwaukee Airport and a private school in California. To top it off, Mamava has also created an app that helps users find nearby units as well as 600 other lactation places. Mayer says the prize money will go in support of media marketing and direct sales to get more units placed and to spread the word to mothers in need.

Despite the trend toward normalizing breastfeeding, no other company is providing public safe havens for mothers and their infants. Ultimately Mamava, a company run by and for women, stands poised to empower the lives of women in a unique but essential way.

VERMONT’S CANNABIS CONUNDRUM Words // Keith Morrill

There is no denying that interest in and debate about legalizing marijuana in Vermont is growing. So what’s the hold-up?

As the home of Ben & Jerry’s, Phish, and Groovy Uvy, and as a state interested in leading the charge on so many progressive social issues, it seems that Vermont would be eager to legalize.

In truth, a cannabis economy already exists in Vermont. The 2015 RAND report, an intensive study into the potential consequences of legalization in Vermont, uncovered some interesting statistics.

In 2014 Vermonters consumed between 33,000 and 55,000 pounds of marijuana, spending between $125 and $225 million. It turns out that more than half of Vermont adults have smoked before, and more than 12 percent having smoked in the last year. The trick comes in figuring out how to bring that shadow economy into the light of day.

If legalization were to move forward, what might a cannabis economy in Vermont look like? To help answer that question, a number of Vermonters, some very prominent in the business community, came together in January 2015 and

formed the Vermont Cannabis Collaborative (VTCC). The group spent the year traveling the state, holding so-called Cannabis Conversations with Vermonters, meeting with Vermont lawmakers, and bringing in experts from Colorado, California, and Oregon — states that have legalized or are moving toward legalization — in an effort to learn from their experiences.

The group held a press conference in Burlington to coincide with the release of their report, What Cannabis Can Do for Vermont, a detailed account of their findings and conclusions drawn from their year of explorations and discussions on Nov. 18. The report is intended to provide a comprehensive structure for lawmakers to move forward with legalization.

The VTCC report envisions an industry where home, craft, and industrial growers produce an adequate market supply, creating an industry supported by co-ops, testing, and research, and which gives rise to rich job opportunities and profitable business ventures for Vermonters.

The group sees legalization as a potential solution to some problems currently

plaguing the state, arguing, in particular, that ending prohibition would create exciting jobs opportunities for millennials, perhaps reversing the flow of their outof-state exodus in pursuit of careers.

Furthermore, it could grant current Vermont farmers access to a high-margin crop that would help sustain their way of life.

Yet VTCC would like to see Vermont avoid the missteps and mistakes that other states have made. While they acknowledge that risks are involved in legalization, they say those can be counteracted by keeping Vermonters involved in the conversation and by enacting smart legislation. In particular, VTCC says it is essential that legalization reflects Vermont values, an our-way-or-the-high-way approach that applies the same level of integrity that Vermont has bought to the organic- and local-food movements.

In this way, Vermont could emerge as a leader in an industry that is still is in its infancy and still sorting itself out, positioning itself to shape the industry rather than wait to be shaped by those that came before.

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Billsville House Concerts:

big name bands at the living room level Words // Lettie Stratton

Photo // Christian Thorne

Grace Potter at Billsville

The term “house concert” conjures images of a few people sitting around a living room listening to an unknown local band trying to make it in the music industry. But that is not the case with Southern Vermont’s Billsville House Concerts (named after their roots in Williamstown, MA).

Go to a Billsville show at Doug Hacker’s Manchester home and you will see a nationally touring musician or band like Grace Potter, Lissie, Lucius or Lake Street Dive—just to name a few.

Hacker, a lifelong music fan, started hosting house concerts in 2011 when he and his wife had kids and moved to a rural area. “It became increasingly difficult and expensive to get out and see music,”

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Hacker says, joking that once the gas tank was filled and the babysitter hired, he was out $75 before even leaving the front door.

The first Billsville show was Maryland singer-songwriter Joe Pug, and it came together easier than you might think.

Hacker simply emailed Pug’s manager and asked if Pug would like to play his living room as he traveled between Boston and Toronto on tour. Two hours later, Hacker checked his email and found that yes, one of his favorite musicians would soon be performing in his living room.

“This was at a time when the independent music scene was popping up,” Hacker says. “Musicians were willing to try different things to help their careers.”

Nearly 50 people showed up to hear Joe Pug on a rainy Tuesday night. “I was sitting on my couch surrounded by a large group of friends and one of my favorite musicians,” Hacker recalled, “and Joe [Pug] says, ‘Doug, what song do you want to hear?’ The show went really well and I thought, ‘This is the way to do this—look for musicians you like and just invite them.’”

So what makes a well-known musician want to play a show in some guy’s living room? “They want to be heard,” Hacker says. “They want to express their art.”

Often times in a bar or club setting, not everyone is there to hear the music, and a house concert gives musicians an opportunity to be in front of a crowd they can connect with. “Everyone watches

and pays attention, and interacts with the artist afterward,” Hacker says. “They often play songs they can’t play in a club.”

Billsville is coming up on their 80th show, and Hacker and his family have fine-tuned the process of hosting a show. Not only do artists get nearly 100 percent of profits (with just $100 being withheld to pay the sound engineer), they also receive a home-cooked meal, a place to stay, and even an opportunity to do laundry.

Radio Bean:

Don’t forget to tip the band!

Words and Photo // Jessica Hella

And it truly is a family affair. Hacker’s 16-year-old son Ethan runs sound, engineering, and digital recording (and has been doing so for three years, operating up to four monitor mixes and 16 channels of sound), while his youngest son Kai, 13, operates an electronic ticketing system as the doorman and sells merchandise.

Hacker and his wife Caroline Schneider take care of booking, promotion, hospitality, and production. “About 40 hours of labor goes into a show,” Hacker says.

“Our quality level is incredible. We want to do the best job for musicians we can.”

Billsville hosts one show every three weeks, on average, and has expanded to hosting events at other venues when the capacity of a living room just isn’t enough to meet demand. “Ideally we’d do everything at our house, but some bands are popular enough to bring in more people,” Hacker says. “Sometimes we want to have something that feels more like a party than a listening show.”

Recently, Billsville partnered with Earth Sky Time Community Farm in Manchester to host Spirit Family Reunion. “We built a stage out of hay bales and plywood,” Hacker says. “We had 175 people there. It was fantastic.”

Other memorable shows include Brown Bird, which resonates with Hacker and the Billsville clan on an emotional level.

“They’ve played the most for us—five times over the course of three years,” Hacker says. “They became an audience favorite. They would show up early to jam with Ethan and his friends.”

Fans may know that Dave Lamb (one half of the Brown Bird duo) passed away from Leukemia in 2014. “They’ll always remain the special band,” Hacker says.

On another special occasion, Grace Potter showed up to play her smallest gig in maybe eight years, celebrating Billsville’s 75th show. “It’s an interesting economic time for musicians to be out there in an industry that doesn’t appear to want to support them very much,” Hack-

It was the first Thursday evening of November at Radio Bean, and the mood was warm and welcoming. People from all walks of life gathered to welcome back Burlington’s prodigy Kat Wright and her band, the Indomitable Soul Band, for their monthly soul session. The Indomitable Soul Band is a group of eight talented artists who call Vermont home.

Their musical abilities encompass the mastery of Funk, R&B, Jazz and Blues, and their self-proclaimed genre is love.

Since 2010, the band has occupied Radio Bean’s venue each week, although as a result of their popularity within this past year, the band now only preforms the first Thursday of every month. They spend the rest of their time working on exposing their music around the country. You may recognize Kat from the Syracuse music festival, or from her various appearances with Vermont’s own, Grace Potter, at Grand Point North.

On one particular night, the lights were dimmed low, and red bulbs lit the small stage and heated the entire room. Many er says. “It’s really great and rewarding and we are always appreciative of the community that helps us do this. If the community wasn’t there and coming out for shows, they wouldn’t happen.”

of the attendees appeared to be regulars at Radio Bean’s Soul Sessions, as they made themselves at home at the various booths and benches. Many caught up about last week’s performer, while others guessed what songs Kat would dare to cover this week. When the band took the stage, the crowd rose from their seats, and with Kat’s first words the audience was captivated. Known for her eccentric style, the vocalist donned a felt hat with a small cat face made of fabric perched on the brim, a reflection of her free spirit, as well as her love for cats. Her upbeat tone, and incomparable vocals had the crowd dancing for the entirety of the evening.

At the front of the stage was a large tin bowl with a sign that read “Show some love! Tonight’s act is playing for tips! If you like what you hear, please donate $3-$5.” This showcased the sense of community that Radio Bean encompasses. By the end of the night, the bowl was overflowing with appreciation in the form of single dollar bills.

So next time you’re searching for a place to see high-quality, high-profile bands, look no further than your neighbor’s living room. To learn more or buy tickets, visit www.billsvillehouseconcerts.com.

WINTER // 2016 Destination VT

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estinationVT distributes 20,000 copies to residents and travelers throughout the greater Burlington area and beyond. Vacationing couples pick it up where they dine and shop, in the lobby of their favorite hotel, and at rest areas across the state. Millennials sipping coffee in downtown cafes read it between classes. Young families browse the glossy pages before jumping into their car, boat, or hiking shoes for weekend adventures. Each issue features activities, talented artists and writers, socially-responsible Vermont companies, and a calendar of Vermont happenings that can also be followed online at destinationvt.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

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PUZZLES & STUFF CROSSWORD

THEME: MYTHICAL CREATURES

DOODLES BY JAMES LASELL MORSE

Art is truth posing as a lie.

Jim Morse has lived in Vermont since 1958 and resided in Charlotte since 1971. He has been married for 47 years and has two daughters and five grandchildren.

A Vermont Supreme Court justice for 14 years, Jim captures life’s Zen, irony and wit in observations and sketches on topics from art to war. His sayings are philosophical, skeptical, practical and funny.

SUDOKU

ACROSS

1. Gang 6. “Back To The Future” actress 9. Femme fatale 13. Bader Ginsberg and Babe 14. Like Mother Hubbard 15. Small, olive-gray bird 16. Abraham’s sacrifice 17. E.T. transporter 18. It happens at a given place and time 19. *Mythic oceanic temptress 21. *Flying stallion 23. Heat unit 24. Doe’s mate 25. *Number of heads on Ravana in Hindu mythology 28. Dripping faucet sound 30. Worn by train station porter 35. Done after you sow?

37. Curved molding 39. Voice of Lamb Chop 40. Face-to-face exam 41. Shamu and such 43. Highest point 44. Flax flower genus 46. Republic of Ireland 47. Laughing on the inside via text 48. Class action 50. ____ a coin

52. *A Cyclops does it out of only one eye 53. Like a gossipmonger 55. Last letter 57. *Much-hunted ungulate 61. *Only half man 65. Green side 66. Hole puncher 68. *Witch’s condemnation 69. Serpentine 70. Civilian aviation agency 71. Utopia, e.g.

72. One of three Rs 73. Funerary vase 74. Like kale and spinach greens

DOWN

1. “____ and proper” 2. British river 3. Night shooter 4. Emotional punishment 5. Protective embankment 6. *Like the voice of mythic Greek Stentor 7. *Pointy-eared creature 8. Choose and follow 9. ____ la Vida 10. *God of war, son of Zeus 11. Carte du jour 12. Chef’s vessel

15. Chills on the couch 20. Inuit shelter 22. *A Hobbit’s is slightly pointed 24. Point out 25. *Big-haired Scandinavian 26. Like Halloween night 27. Indian breads 29. *Manlike man-eater 31. Lentil soup 32. Head of crime syndicate, pl.

33. Mountain ridge 34. *Dust-sprinkler 36. Positive sign 38. ____ of Sandwich 42. Carpe in “Carpe diem” 45. Poet’s death lament 49. And not 51. Writing implement 54. Mix-up 56. Chopin’s composition 57. Brezhnev’s domain 58. Back of the neck 59. Pelvic bones 60. Joker, e.g.

61. Reunion group 62. A in A = b x h 63. Sky defender 64. Count on 67. *The son of Hera was the god of ___

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 10 WINTER // 2016 Destination VT

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