Aug 2-8, 2023
The Vermont Summer Bucket List; A Conservative Legal Group Has Filed a Flurry of Lawsuits in Vermont; Seven Sweet Summery Spots for Frozen Treats; A Theft at Radio Bean
Cover Story
Wish I Were Here: The Vermont Summer Bucket List
There’s no getting around it: 2023 has been a cruel summer — hat tip to Bananarama. Even before historic flooding washed out a good chunk of the state last month, the season’s early going was marked by weird cool stretches, uncomfortable heat waves, beach closures from cyanobacteria (or worse) and asthma-triggering smoke from the Canadian…
All-Star Vermont Musicians Channel Bob Dylan for Flood Relief at the Flynn
An all-star cast of Vermont musicians is coming together to aid local farmers affected by the July floods. And they’re paying tribute to the music of Bob Dylan while they’re at it. On Thursday, September 7, at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington, guitarist Bob Wagner (Kat Wright, Dark Side of the Mountain) leads a…
Vermont Board of Education Launches Search for New Top Education Official
The State Board of Education has launched a search for Vermont’s next top education official, almost five months after former Vermont education secretary Dan French announced that he was stepping down. At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, the eight voting members of the board agreed to establish a search committee made up of chair Jennifer…
Westfield-Based Butterworks Farm and Dairy Products Business for Sale
Butterworks Farm, the pioneering Westfield farm with a line of regionally distributed organic dairy products, is for sale, according to co-owner Christine Lazor. Her parents, Jack and Anne Lazor, cofounded the farm and business in 1976. Christine, 44, and her husband, Collin Mahoney, 50, began running Butterworks Farm with a small team as Jack became increasingly…
Burlington Has Surpassed Last Year’s OD Tally — and It’s Only August
The number of overdoses that Burlington police responded to this year has already surpassed last year’s total, city data show, as the drug crisis continues to reach unprecedented levels. Burlington police answered 265 overdose calls through July 23, compared to 252 during all of 2022, according to figures released on Friday. The vast majority have occurred…
A Conservative Legal Group Finds Plenty to Litigate in Vermont
Alliance Defending Freedom’s name conjures an image of patriotic superheroes clad in stars and stripes, ready to smack down anyone who tramples on their rights. But to those who stand by inclusive values, the well-funded conservative legal advocacy group represents something else: a threat to the secular, pro-LGBTQ+, pro-abortion rights laws and policies long cultivated…
Debate About ATVs on Public Roads Creates Acrimony in a Small Town
A recent selectboard meeting in the town of Washington ended not with a bang of the gavel but with an angry f-bomb shouted from a corner of the room. It was fresh evidence of the emotions that have roiled the town for months during a heated public debate about where all-terrain vehicles should be allowed…
Letters to the Editor (8/2/23)
Water Woes [Re “Water Flows Again in Marshfield, and a State Official Apologizes,” July 20, online]: My thanks to Seven Days and Anne Wallace Allen in particular for your excellent reporting on the flood, especially in connection with the towns I represent in the legislature — Plainfield, Marshfield and Calais. The people of these three…
Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ Delves Into the Contradictions of the ‘Father of the Atomic Bomb’
I’m glad I didn’t make a double feature of Barbie and Oppenheimer. While the box office synergy that appears to have lifted both movies is a wonder to behold, each one needs its own mental space. That’s especially true of Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the so-called “father of the atomic bomb,” which weighs in at…
Now Playing in Theaters: August 2-8
new in theaters MEG 2: THE TRENCH: Erstwhile experimentalist Ben Wheatley (Kill List) directed this sequel to the summer hit in which Jason Statham aids deep-sea researchers as they battle various menaces, including prehistoric sharks. With Jing Wu and Cliff Curtis. (116 min, PG-13. Essex, Majestic, Palace, Roxy, Sunset) TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM:…
From the Publisher: Best of Montpelier
Like almost every downtown Montpelier storefront that was inundated in last month’s flood, Bear Pond Books is closed until further notice. Approximately 3,000 sodden books have been cleared out of the retail space near the corner of State and Main streets, along with piles of fixtures and furniture accrued over its 50-year life. On Monday…
Eben Schumacher, ‘Restless Days’
(Self-released, CD, digital) Exploring contrasting themes across a record might seem like a risky endeavor, but one local musician has taken on the task with courage and imagination in his compelling debut album. Burlington’s Eben Schumacher spent the past five years writing the 10 songs that compose his first solo offering, Restless Days. The time…
Five Artists Play With Form in ‘Art Is Candy’ at the Phoenix
At the Phoenix, a gallery and music hall in Waterbury, the graphic quality of the current exhibition suits the sleek new venue. Each of the five exhibiting artists plays with line, form and color in ways that substantiate the first sentence of Joseph Pensak’s curator statement: “Art is candy for the child within us.” (The…
Town Of Huntington Notice Of Development Review Board
Zoom Meeting* Applications under review for August 15, 2023 – 7pm The Huntington Development Review Board (DRB) will meet via Zoom to conduct the following business, pursuant to the Huntington Land Use Regulations. Variance Ralph, Rachel, Peter and Tracy Towers seek a Variance for a Principal Dwelling on a 7.1 acre lot. Property is located…
Free Will Astrology (8/2/23)
LEO (Jul. 23-Aug.22): In 1811, Leo scientist Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856) formulated a previously unknown principle about the properties of molecules. Unfortunately, his revolutionary idea wasn’t acknowledged and implemented until 1911, 100 years later. Today his well-proven theory is called Avogadro’s law. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Leo, you will experience your equivalent…
Aurora Robson Turns a Ubiquitous Material Into Unique Artworks in ‘Human Nature Walk’
In the classic film The Graduate, young Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) receives a succinct career tip from an older businessman: “Just one word … plastics.” But in 1967, neither of them could have fathomed how far beyond Tupperware plastic production would go. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, more than 400 million…
State of Vermont Superior Court Probate Division Chittenden Unit Docket No.: 23-PR-03616
In re Estate of Betty Brown Notice To Creditors To the creditors of: Betty Brown, late of Winooski, Vermont I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the date of the first publication of…
Soundbites: A Theft at Radio Bean
I’m sure I’m not the only one guilty of this, but whenever something bad happens to people or places I love, I immediately access some kind of revenge fantasy. I become a hybrid of Sherlock Holmes and Django in Django Unchained, ready to solve crimes and take names. In my imagination, I start asking big…
My New Guy Spits. A Lot.
Dear Reverend, I’ve been casually dating this guy for about six months. We recently started seeing more of each other and I’ve noticed a habit that he has: He spits. A lot. We’ll be walking down the street and he’ll spit with barely a break in the conversation. I think it’s disgusting, but I don’t…
On the Beat: Festival of Fools Kicks Off and Luke Awtry Keeps an Eye on the Scene
It’s that time of year when Burlington abandons reason and gives in to total foolishness. No, I’m not a Fox News anchor* getting angry about socialists — I’m talking about the 16th annual Festival of Fools. Taking place in downtown Burlington from Friday through Sunday, August 4 through 6, the festival brings a healthy dose…
Q&A: Meet a Married Couple Who Are Wild for Barbie
Peter Harrigan grew up playing with his sister’s Barbie dolls. As an adult, he let go of doll playtime. That is until 1993, when his partner, Stan Baker, gifted him a Costume Ball Barbie for his birthday. Thirty years and 600 Barbie dolls later, the rest is history. Harrigan is a theater professor at Saint…
Mad, ‘Mad’
(Self-released, digital) There’s been an understandable dearth of fun in contemporary music in the past decade or so. The world ain’t doing so great, and its sickness is reflected in the zeitgeist. Hell, Burlington’s Waterfront Park just hosted a string of huge, big-selling concerts last week featuring the Backseat Lovers, Gregory Alan Isakov and Noah…
Queer Theater Company Between the Willows Makes Its Debut
Ry Poulin and Nicole Dirmaier are making up for lost time. Three years ago, they were Essex High School seniors with major roles in the school’s student-run production, Beauty and the Beast. Poulin was directing; Dirmaier was choreographing. But COVID-19 upstaged their plans, and the show was canceled about two weeks into rehearsals. Poulin felt…
Theater Review: ‘Over the River and Through the Woods,’ Saint Michael’s Playhouse
An Italian American family, served up with all the food clichés you can eat, is portrayed with warmth and wit in Joe DiPietro’s Over the River and Through the Woods. In a charming production at Saint Michael’s Playhouse, viewers will find sharp humor and a chance to bask in nostalgia while watching four grandparents dote…
A Guilford Mom Deters Car Break-Ins With Cooked Noodles
When Gregory Urban woke up last Friday, he found himself in a pasta maze: Nearly every door handle of his Guilford home was covered in a wad of limp, cooked spaghetti. Some noodles were carefully knotted around the handle, while others were haphazardly attached with tape. The culprit? Gregory’s wife, Carol Anne Urban, who “glutened…
Vermont 211 Struggled to Keep Up With a Deluge of Flood Calls
For weeks, Vermont officials have been urging residents to call 211 to report damage from this month’s historic flooding. The hotline is crucial for both documenting the extent of flood damage and connecting people with resources they desperately need to recover, officials said. But in recent days, there’s been growing criticism about the 211 system,…
Young Venezuelan Chef Launches Arepa Truck in Burlington
Juan Mejias has a tattoo of his native city, Caracas, Venezuela, on his right inner forearm. But the 25-year-old does not anticipate returning to the troubled country anytime soon. For now, Mejias honors his hometown with a new Burlington-based food truck called the Caracas. The pink paisley truck is at the Pinery’s seasonal beer garden…
Seven Sweet Summery Spots for Frozen Treats
No one ever said ice cream was just for summer, but hot days do seem to call for cold treats. Thanks to continued innovation from Vermont’s food entrepreneurs, cool new places are always popping up. Here’s a fresh crop of frosty, creamy indulgences, from farm-fresh ice creams to milkshakes — straight up, boozy and vegan.…
Switchback Brewing to Build Larger Burlington Taproom
On August 1 Switchback Brewing was scheduled to present plans to Burlington’s Development Review Board for a relocated and expanded taproom and restaurant in the historic brick building to the north of its production facility at 160 Flynn Avenue. Gretchen Langfeldt, Switchback’s plant engineer, said the proposal will more than double the size of the…
Mad Rose Cocktail Lounge Opens in Rutland
Brooke Lipman, who has owned Center Street Alley bar in Rutland for more than a decade, added a second downtown bar with the late June launch of the Mad Rose, a cocktail lounge at 42 Center Street. Lipman said her new venue is “more upscale, with a different vibe for downtown Rutland.” She developed the…
Entrées and Exits: Onsen Ramen in Essex Junction Closes Temporarily: Tomgirl Kitchen Opens Outpost in Stowe; Kismet Closes Permanently in Montpelier
After closing Onsen Ramen in Essex Junction for vacation in July, husband-and-wife co-owners Neil and Perry Farr reluctantly decided to keep the restaurant closed until October due to staffing issues. Neil Farr said the couple was essentially the only staff at the ramen business, and they realized they wanted to enjoy the rest of the…
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, August 2-8
Had Me at Cello Starts Wednesday 9 The Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival’s 31st season kicks off at Randolph’s Chandler Center for the Arts with a special performance of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor by Peter Sanders, in honor of his late teacher Fred Zlotkin. Other highlights of the 10-day festival include…
Obituary: Ann Harold McCullough Leary, 1937-2023
Mother of eight children was active in the community and had many friends
Obituary: Joyce Freundlich, 1935-2023
Voracious reader and curious soul was the quintessential lifelong learner
Did Your Garden Flood? Here’s What to Know
Just as Vermont’s home gardeners were gearing up to harvest their much-anticipated July bounty — tomatoes, peppers and zucchini — a historic deluge hit the state. Floodwater can be tainted with parasites, bacteria and heavy metals, meaning for many, a plentiful summer harvest isn’t likely. In Burlington’s Intervale, an incubator for local food projects, hundreds…
