Sep 4-10, 2019
From Campus to Politics to Business, Memes the Word; Meet Shannon MacVean-Brown, Vermont’s First African American Bishop; Kristian Brevik’s Giant Whale Sculpture Illuminates a Crisis
Cover Story
From Campus to Politics to Business, Vermonters Use Memes to Get the Word Out
Katie Corrigan really just wanted a place to kvetch. It was the spring of 2017, and Middlebury College was all over the national news. On March 2 of that year, social scientist Charles Murray, who had written “widely discredited race-based theories of intelligence,” as the New York Times put it, visited campus for a speech.…
Vulgar Display of Poutine Opens in Island Pond
Hand-cut fries, local cheese curds and scratch-made gravy form the foundation of the food at Vulgar Display of Poutine, a poutinerie that opened over Labor Day Weekend at 69 Cross Street in Island Pond. Chef-owner Ryan Fisher builds on that base to create a variety of poutines. “It’s like pizza,” he said. “You can put…
In Memoriam: Kenneth Fishell, 1931-2019
Please join us for a celebration of Ken’s life. Sunday, September 22, 2019, at 3 p.m. UVM Alumni House, 61 Summit Street, Burlington. Reception to follow.
In Memoriam: R.F. Glenn Ravdin, 1952-2019
A Quaker Meeting for Worship to memorialize Glenn Ravdin will be held in the manner of Friends at the Burlington Friends Meeting house, 173 N. Prospect Street, Burlington on Saturday, September 21, 2019, at 11 a.m. Family, friends and work associates of the Ravdin family are warmly welcomed.
Birth Announcement: Lydia Anne Curtis
On September 4, 2019, at Porter Medical Center, Morgan (Lacillade) Curtis and Dana Curtis welcomed a girl, Lydia Anne Curtis.
Birth Announcement: Knox Clarence Scott Snyder
On September 3, 2019, at Porter Medical Center, Miranda Snyder Cary and Clinton Snyder welcomed a child, Knox Clarence Scott Snyder.
Eat This Week, September 4 to 10, 2019: Barrels of Fun
Mill River Brewing BBQ & Smokehouse in St. Albans is hosting a fundraiser for Friends of Northern Lake Champlain called Project: Rain Barrel, featuring an auction of rain barrels painted by Vermont artists. Proceeds from the sales of special brew Lake Dayz will also benefit the organization, which works to improve water quality.
Kristian Brevik’s Whale Sculptures Illuminate a Crisis
Kristian Brevik says he started making art “as far back as I can remember.” Recently, at his family’s home in Port Townsend, Wash., he unearthed a drawing of a plesiosaur he’d made as a preschooler. No one knew at the time that the drawing — or his childhood obsession with prehistoric creatures — was a…
Shannon MacVean-Brown Is the First Black Woman to Lead Vermont’s Episcopal Church
By the time she entered an Episcopal seminary in 2004, Shannon MacVean-Brown thought she knew what sort of priest she wanted to be. In her 30s and pregnant, the seminarian had already run a design business, taught elementary school art and become a preacher at her unconventional childhood church in Detroit. She saw full priesthood…
Theater Review: ‘A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins,’ Grange Theatre
The story of a tone-deaf socialite who gives singing recitals could be a one-note joke, but the Grange Theatre’s production is a funny and sweetly moving duet for two engaging characters. Souvenir: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins is Stephen Temperley’s dramatization of the real-life vocalist’s tragically bad performing career, as told…
Howard Center Uses Grant to Buy Solar Lanterns for Burlington’s Homeless
A new program will allow some of Burlington’s less fortunate to see better at night and recharge. The Howard Center plans to use a $2,500 grant to buy about 50 solar lanterns for homeless folks in and around the Queen City. Funded by the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation, the powered-by-the-sun light sources will also have…
Steven Yardley Examines Love and Romance on the Pyros’ New EP, ‘Christian Mingle’
Depending on how you look at it, being single rules, or it sucks. Most uncoupled people would likely agree that singlehood is a balancing act between perks and pitfalls. Steven Yardley might tell you that, single or partnered, it’s all about the journey. The Burlington sound engineer and front person for garage-rock band the Pyros…
Photographer Dona Ann McAdams Considers Her Remarkable Career
What do goats, Pride paraders and porn stars have in common? The answer is photographer Dona Ann McAdams, who always has her subjects’ backs while capturing their fronts — and sometimes affronts. McAdams’ remarkable career of agitprop and empathy takes center stage in “Performative Acts,” an exhibition curated by Vermont State Rep. John Killacky (D-South…
Hackie: The Scent of Marinara
“Jernigan, do you remember Sharon?” It was Greg on the line. In my Stable of Loyal Customers, he was a member in good standing. Greg’s a hardworking guy employed by one of the many local breweries that have sprung up over the last few years. Apparently, sales of suds rise dramatically in the summer, so…
Jenna Rice, ‘Bottle Collection’
(Self-released, CD, digital, vinyl) Southern Vermont songwriter Jenna Rice’s debut LP, Bottle Collection, speaks (and sings) to the bravery of seeing through a labor of love — by itself, a praiseworthy accomplishment. However, for all of the good ideas and clever aesthetic choices Rice makes on her inaugural effort, she struggles at times to land…
A Green Mountain Gathering Performs and Celebrates Monteverdi
It’s September, so it must be time for a concert by the Green Mountain Monteverdi Ensemble of Vermont. Once a year, founder and bass singer Stephen Falbel gathers a handful of singers and instrumentalists for an early-music concert featuring his favorite composer, Claudio Monteverdi. Fittingly, the Italian composer’s last name means “green mountains.” So, yes,…
The Stranger Play Festival Focuses on Works by Women Playwrights
As the bell-voiced Vermonter Neko Case once crooned, “The most tender place in my heart is for strangers.” These words could be a mission statement for the women playwrights behind the Stranger Play Festival, a showcase of new works that debuts later this month at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington and the…
The Red Newts, ‘This Lonesome Town’
(Self-released, CD, digital) The Red Newts are a Burlington outfit with an interesting sound that’s equal parts straightforward Americana and bluesy bar rock. Their debut studio EP, This Lonesome Town, is a humble affair. But it’s also a strong introduction to a tight group that has been honing its sound for quite some time. In…
Letters to the Editor (9/4/19)
Cherish Your Co-op I need to call out reporter Courtney Lamdin on her cheap shots at our Onion River Co-op in her August 28 article “Union Pushes for $15-an-Hour Wages at City Market” — including dragging up the old misnomer “City Markup.” When the Burlington Free Press last did an annual market basket comparison, City…
Issue Drama ‘Luce’ Tries to Push Buttons But Gets Nowhere
You know what’s not helping with global warming? Director Julius Onah’s latest. It’s so overloaded with hot-button topics that it threatens arctic ice, tropical rainforests and the viewing pleasure of anyone who thinks message movies should be clear about what they mean to say. Luce is played by Kelvin Harrison Jr. He’s a valedictorian, track…
Free Will Astrology (9/4/19)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I don’t know if the coming weeks will be an Anaïs Nin phase for you. But they could be if you want them to. It’s up to you whether you’ll dare to be as lyrical, sensual, deep, expressive and emotionally rich as she was. In case you decide that yes, you…
‘American Factory’ Offers an Enlightening Look at Culture Clash and the Future of Work
In 2014, China’s Fuyao Glass opened a branch near Dayton, Ohio, in a former General Motors factory. The gigantic plant, where as many as 10,000 were once employed, had stood empty since the 2008 recession. While politicians blustered about Chinese investment in the U.S., Fuyao quietly got under way. Chinese supervisors received tutorials in American…
Soundbites: Some Thoughts on Pinegrove
Pining Away One of the oddest revelations during the 2017 peak of the #MeToo movement was that of Evan Stephens Hall, front person of Pinegrove. The New Jersey-based band took some time off after Hall’s bizarre online confession of “sexual coercion.” The group returns to Vermont for the first time in two years on Friday,…
I’m Looking for Love but Self-Conscious About Neuropathy
Dear Reverend, I’m divorced, 67 and have neuropathy in my feet that makes me self-conscious about trying to find another woman for a relationship. How or where do I find someone? The dating sites are full of scammers and cost too much money. Tingly Toes (male, 67) Dear Tingly Toes, I’m not a doctor, nor…
27th Annual South End Art Hop Goes ‘Flynn to Flynn’
This has been a watershed year for Burlington’s South End Arts and Business Association. In late 2018, executive director Adam Brooks stepped down after about seven years at the helm; assistant director and curator Sarah Drexler soon followed. Around the same time, the organization lost its lease — and its highly visible headquarters — at…
Burlington 101: High Schoolers Use the City and Lake Champlain as a Classroom
Two dozen people sat in neatly arranged folding chairs at Burlington’s Old North End Community Center. One by one, they aired city-related grievances: Why are Burlington’s public transit options so limited? Why is there so much traffic? Why are some sidewalks replaced before others? Why can’t the city just fix the sewer system already? The…
Martin Philip Talks Baking, Conversation and Humanity
Would you let a stranger into your house if he offered to make you biscuits? Martin Philip, baker and author of Breaking Bread: A Baker’s Journey in 75 Recipes, is banking on people answering yes. Philip’s newest project, which he alternately calls the Baker Maker Roadshow and Biscuits for Strangers, has him biking door-to-door with…
At Kismayo Kitchen, Somali and American Fare Share the Menu
The jasmine rice at Kismayo Kitchen is long grain and speckled with color: glints of orange, yellow and green light up the dish. The grain is cooked with herbs and seasonings used in Somali cuisine, including cumin, cardamom, basil and pepper. The extra color is derived from bits of dried vegetable, but the chef-owner of…
Michael’s on the Hill Is Open and for Sale
Michael and Laura Kloeti, married restaurateurs who opened Michael’s on the Hill in June 2002, are selling their restaurant at 4182 Route 100 in Waterbury Center. The Kloetis, who met in a restaurant kitchen in Michael’s native Switzerland, said they are in no rush to sell their business. Michael’s on the Hill, which serves European…
Bucky’s Pub Is Open in Hinesburg
Bucky’s Pub is now open daily and serving drinks and pub fare at 104 Ballards Corner Road in Hinesburg. Ruchel St. Hilaire, who owns the pub, said her husband, Tony, purchased the building on May 10. Bucky’s opened quietly on July 27 after a complete renovation to the space, which was formerly Travia’s Bar &…
