Jul 14-20, 2021
Joshua Sherman Spearheads an Arts-Led Revitalization in Norman Rockwell’s Arlington; Does Big Cannabis Have a Stranglehold on Vermont’s Budding Industry?; 251: Civil War Memorabilia and a Jump in the Lake in Alburgh
Cover Story
Joshua Sherman Spearheads an Arts-Led Revitalization in Norman Rockwell’s Arlington
As you crest a hill heading west along Old Mill Road in East Arlington, an almost-too-perfect Vermont scene unfolds below. On the left, Peter’s Brook ripples past the namesake mill, whose rough-hewn timber appears to have survived centuries. Across the street sits a cluster of well-kept colonial-era houses. Farther down are more houses, a post…
In Memoriam: Robert A. Cioffi, 1931-2020
In the rising of the sun and in its going down, we will remember him. In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter, we will remember him. In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer, we will remember him. In the rustling of the leaves and in…
In Memoriam: “Pepper” Sweeney, 1938-2021
Family and friends are invited to Pepper’s celebration of life on Friday, July 30, 2021, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Barn at Boyden Farm, 44 Route 104, Cambridge, VT 05444. Goss Life Celebration Homes is the area’s exclusive provider of life celebration events. Please visit our website for a full obituary and to…
Obituary: Carla Joy DenHartog, 1969-2020
Technical writer competed on “Jeopardy!” and advocated for size acceptance
Obituary: Scott Thomas Fusare, 1963-2021
UTC Aerospace engineer was a key team member in research and development
Does Big Cannabis Have a Stranglehold on Vermont’s Budding Industry?
Arantha Farrow’s business plan never included selling marijuana products, but the Northeast Kingdom entrepreneur has recently come around to the idea. The 29-year-old owner of Caledonia Cannabis has sold cannabidiol (CBD) joints, tea and flower since 2018 and says adding marijuana to her product line would help her compete once Vermont’s adult-use market opens next…
City Confidential: Weinberger Fails to Promptly Notify Officials That an Administrator Is on Leave
Miro Weinberger needs to do a better job of being transparent. The Burlington mayor recently took five days to let city leaders know he’d put airport aviation director Gene Richards on paid administrative leave as part of an investigation. Two years ago, he put then-police chief Brandon del Pozo on administrative leave, and then medical…
Soundbites: The Return of Summervale; New Music From Peg Tassey and Babehoven
Every disaster movie has that montage toward the end — you know, where we see food being grown again, society rebuilding, the romantic couple we’ve followed the whole film having a baby … that sort of stuff. Oh, and there’s always the slowed-down cover version of a classic rock song playing, because Hollywood is super…
Book Review: ‘Lieutenant Dangerous: A Vietnam War Memoir,’ Jeff Danziger
For years, acclaimed editorial cartoonist Jeff Danziger spoke little about his combat tour in the Vietnam War. He expected he’d think less and less about that experience as the years passed. “The opposite is true,” Danziger writes in Lieutenant Dangerous: A Vietnam War Memoir. “These days I wonder how such a thing could have happened,…
Rapper Benjamin Lerner Champions Recovery on Debut Record ‘Clean’
“Only One Left,” the penultimate track on Benjamin Lerner’s 2020 album Clean, begins with a chilling intro. “I’m 27 and half of my homies are dead,” Lerner says ruefully over an ascending progression of sustained piano chords. Then the song begins in earnest, and the rapper, now 29, wonders what happened to the other half:…
Charlotte’s Zach Pollakoff Inspires Creatives to Make Work — Including Adorned Painter’s Pants
Artists pictured at work in their studios often share a striking similarity: Their pants are coated in splotches and swirls of paint. “It’s such an iconic artist look,” said Charlotte-based artist, musician, DJ and advertising professional Zach Pollakoff. In photos of famous people such as Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as artist friends…
Kaifa Dennis Sought Info About a Notable Ancestor in Rutland. He Found a New Home
Last December, community organizers in Rutland were searching for descendants of Martin Henry Freeman, a city native who in the 19th century became the first Black college president in the United States. The city was dedicating a sculpture of Freeman as part of a project that honors distinguished locals. Around the same time, and 500…
At New Summer Academy, Burlington Students of Color Share Stories and Learn Leadership Skills
In late spring, Najd heard fellow students of color at Burlington High School talking about a new summer program called the Racial Justice Academy. “I was like, Oh, my God, this sounds so fun,” Najd, who came to the United States from the Middle East when she was in elementary school, remembered thinking. The rising…
Letters to the Editor (7/14/21)
Try Dartmouth-Hitchcock It was unfortunate to read Paula Routly’s recent editorial about her inability to see a doctor at the University of Vermont Medical Center until February of next year regarding her extremely serious migraine attack in May [From the Publisher: “Brain Drain,” July 7]. Our family has encountered many fine doctors and nurses at…
From the Publisher: Working Nine-to-Nine
In the past month, I’ve been twice to the Northeast Kingdom — once for a wedding; the second time, to report a story. I found that, like all over the country, many businesses are struggling to hire employees so they can resume normal, pre-pandemic operations. The owner of the Willoughvale Inn and Cottages at Lake…
Guthrie Galileo, ‘Balladeer’
(Winedark Sound, digital) Guthrie Galileo is a true crooner. Blessed with a hypermobile singing voice, the Bay Area transplant (whose real name is Guthrie Stoltzfus) is Vermont’s answer to Justin Timberlake, vocally speaking. He flexes his upper register regularly as he floats through romantic, uplifting tunes. Everything Stoltzfus creates is pure loveliness. His former house…
Tree Huggers: A Pride Month Display Sends a Message of Love
In 2013, London Kaye was working at an Apple store in New York City, feeling unfulfilled in her job. So, in search of a creative outlet, she wrapped a tree outside of her apartment in a scarf she had made. She didn’t think it would last long. “But it stayed up,” Kaye said, “and a…
Free Will Astrology (7/14/21)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet Linda Hogan says she doesn’t like to be parched. She wants to be like “a tree drinking the rain.” I think every Cancerian has similar dreams: to be steadily immersed in engrossing feelings, awash with intimate longings, flowing along in rhythm with the soul’s songs. The coming weeks will…
Giovanina Bucci, ‘Storytellers’
(self-released, digital) I first encountered Giovanina Bucci’s songs three years ago. The Plattsburgh, N.Y., native was singing and playing rhythm guitar with Nina’s Brew, an acoustic trio that had just put out its debut record, Don’t Tell Mama. Solid, if not spectacular, that album hinted at the trio’s potential. Bucci’s talent was evident, but the…
She Doesn’t Like My Dog. Should I See Her Again?
Dear Reverend, I met a woman online a few months ago, and we finally started getting together in person. I had told her all about my dog, but when she came to my house she asked if I would put him in another room while she was there. He’s 6 years old and very mellow…
Teen Soaps Get Structurally Daring With the Hit ‘Cruel Summer’
While Marvel’s Black Widow set a box office record this weekend, I stayed home and checked out a less flashy form of Disney girl power. The first season of “Cruel Summer” recently finished airing on the Mouse-owned cable network Freeform (where you can stream it, as well as on Sling and Hulu). According to the…
251: Civil War Memorabilia and a Jump in the Lake in Alburgh
Last month, Seven Days launched the online series “251.” Named for the number of towns and cities in Vermont, it aims to highlight interesting, entertaining or worthwhile stories reporters seek out in each place. If we visit one locale per week, we’ll cover them all in about five years. But who’s counting? In the first…
Art Review: ‘Bubblegum Pop,’ BCA Center
On a recent visit to the BCA Center, a girl no older than 6 gazed through the window and exclaimed, “Don’t you just want to live in it?” She was referring to Pip & Pop’s “Where the Sun Shines Every Day,” an installation in the downtown Burlington gallery’s new group exhibit, “Bubblegum Pop.” Pip &…
Take the Heat: Seven Days Staffers Sample Five Local Hot Sauces
Hot peppers may not be the first crop associated with Vermont’s northern climate, but many varieties grow well here, and at least half a dozen companies have sprung up to produce an array of hot sauces using local ingredients. On an informational page for vendors, Burlington’s City Market, Onion River Co-op lists hot sauce as…
It’s the Season of Charitable Bake Sales to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth
As memories of social distancing recede, Vermonters can again experience the delight of summer bake sales. After eyeing a sea of flaky crusts, oozing berries and swirly meringues, I like to select the most appealing slice and say, “Ma’am, could I have that one, please?” (Nothing makes me drop “ma’ams” like the presence of women…
Jones the Boy Bake Shop and South Mountain Tavern Open in Bristol
Independence Day is a big deal in Bristol. And this year, two new businesses added to the festivities as they opened over the July 4 weekend. Jones the Boy Bake Shop opened on July 2 at 28 North Street. Owners Ash Allison and Ryan Kick had been seeking a production facility to expand their wholesale…
Vermonter Founds Fliptable Restaurant-Staffing App
The pandemic shuttered restaurants nationwide, with employees laid off in droves. Now that Americans are eager to dine out again, many of those same restaurants are scrambling to rehire in an exceedingly tight job market. A growing number of them, including Leunig’s Bistro & Café and Sherpa Kitchen in Burlington, are seeking help from Fliptable,…
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, July 14-20
Future Visions Friday 16-Sunday 18 For members of the Loom Ensemble, moving past the trauma of 2020 is not about getting back to normal but steering toward a better world. To that end, the Dubai- and New York City-based interdisciplinary collective gathered Vermont performers to create the dance-theater work “Twenty Twenty / Twenty Twenty-One.” Held…
