Jul 12-18, 2017
Funny Females Are Driving Vermont’s Comedy Scene; In Charlotte, an African American-Owned Farm Becomes Heritage Site
Cover Story
Funny Females Drive the Vermont Comedy Scene
In the last several years, comedy has exploded in Vermont. That trend is consistent with a wider surge of interest in the art form — witness the overload of new comedy specials in your Netflix queue. But compared to the well-established comedy scenes in urban areas such as New York City, Boston and Chicago, Vermont’s…
Obituary: David J. “Sully” Sullivan 1963-2017
David J. “Sully” Sullivan, noted wine-enthusiast, world-traveler, beach bum and overall bon vivant, departed this Earth from the island of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, on July 6, 2017. He will be, and is already, sorely missed by one and all. David’s World Tour began on Groundhog Day, 1963, in Binghamton, N.Y., as the seventh…
Seriously: Let’s Talk About Sexism, Baby
In this week’s episode host Bryan Parmelee talks with comedian and co-owner of the Vermont Comedy Club Natalie Miller about how to identify and avoid sexism. Disclosure: Bryan is a frequent performer and former employee at Vermont Comedy Club. CREDITS Written by: Bryan Parmelee and Natalie Miller Filmed and edited by: Bryan Parmelee Photography/artwork courtesy…
The Parmelee Post: Vermont Socialist Gets Equal Share of Credit for Wife’s Career
A self-described democratic socialist has once again proven that Americans are willing to accept the core tenants of socialism, if only in specific instances. Jane O’Meara Sanders’ husband, Bernard, has received credit from Americans across the political spectrum for the work she completed as president of a private liberal arts college in Burlington. “I think…
![The Bristol Band [SIV497]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/episode497.webp?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
The Bristol Band [SIV497]
7/5/17: Since about 1870, the Bristol Town Band has been bringing free music to local audiences every week. Although its name has changed over the years, their commitment to entertaining the community has remained the same. For the past few decades, the Weston family has been a big part of the band. Ken Weston started…
Art Review: ‘Wild Spaces, Open Seasons,’ Shelburne Museum
In an eloquent article for the summer issue of Antiques & Fine Art magazine, Shelburne Museum head curator Kory Rogers makes this pronouncement: “Suspense-filled depictions of close calls, tight spots, and struggles to the death enjoyed great popularity in American art during the second half of the nineteenth century.” His essay is about the museum’s…
Soundbites: Kiss and Tell; Dancing in the Street
It’s been 12 years since folk-rockers Peg Tassey and the Kissing Circle performed live. But for three nights this week, David Symons, Indigo Ruth-Davis and Tassey reunite to perform opening duties for formerly local klezmer band Inner Fire District. (IFD is another Symons project. He also founded Burlington’s radical street band Brass Balagan and performed…
A Print News Distributor Gets Leaner — and More Creative — to Survive
A sign hangs upside down near the idle conveyor belt at the Burlington News Agency’s warehouse. Faded but still legible, it reads: “Each Magazine is Money. Count Accurately.” The Colchester-based company once rented 33,000 square feet in an industrial park off Route 2 to store and sort the newspapers and magazines it supplies to stores…
Selling Vermont: Vergennes Market to Focus on Local
Provisionary Market, a food shop specializing in Vermont products, will open in Vergennes by the end of July, according to owner Mona Sullivan. The 400-square-foot storefront will be located at 7 South Maple Street. Provisionary Market is an offshoot of Sullivan’s online business, provisionarybox.com, a mail-order enterprise that aggregates and ships Vermont food products and…
Out of My Orbit
A big man approached my cab at the taxi stand on lower Church Street. With one steady hand he was maintaining the stability of the chunky woman at his side — all blond hair, boobs and too much makeup. I recognized the man as one of the friendly and competent bouncers who work the front…
Ask Athena: Everyone Has a Problem With Me Being Single
Dear Athena, I have no problem being single, but everyone else in my life does. That includes my parents and my friends — even my sister is always trying to set me up. My parents are very traditional, and they think I should be married and a mother by now. I am only just 30!…
Tax Department Shuts Down Sugarhouse Bar & Grill
Sugarhouse Bar & Grill in South Burlington was shut down on June 26 by the Vermont Department of Taxes for “noncompliance of meals and room tax,” according to the department. A public notice of the closure is posted on the door of the bar at 733 Queen City Park Road. Sugarhouse is scheduled to have…
Essex Fire Department Rescues Boy Trapped in Mud
A 12-year-old boy found himself waist-deep in trouble after he got trapped in a mud pit behind the Sand Hill Park swimming pool in Essex last week. It took a team of 14 Essex Fire Department members about 45 minutes to finally free the preteen, Chief Charles Cole told Seven Days. The boy, his younger…
Theater Review: ‘Miracle on South Division Street,’ Saint Michael’s Playhouse
The breezy Miracle on South Division Street, written by Tom Dudzick, is the lightest of comedies, with humor coasting on simple stereotypes about religion and ethnicity. In the Saint Michael’s Playhouse production, four engaging professional actors bring out the warmth of this situation comedy, but the play itself is but a mild diversion. Clara Nowak’s…
An African American-Owned Farm Becomes a Heritage Site
When young photographers Zymora Davinchi and Audrey Grant spoke at the opening of their exhibit “POC: Power of Color” at the Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte last week, they included a special tribute. “We’d like to take a moment for Philando Castile,” 17-year-old Davinchi said to some 30 people, mostly white, who gathered under a…
St. J to Get New Café in Neko Case Building
A new breakfast and lunch café, Bread&Butter, will open this fall at 139 Eastern Avenue in St. Johnsbury in a building owned by singer Neko Case. The previous occupant of the space, Dylan’s Café, closed last September. Searching for a new operator, Case checked in with Matthew Laughton, a partner in the Café at Gatto…
Theater Review: ‘Once,’ Weston Playhouse
In staging the exultant musical Once, the Weston Playhouse doesn’t just present an evening of toe-tapping music. It also aims to overfill our glasses, as if we’re all together in an Irish pub listening to songs, with Guinness dripping from our pints. Guitar, fiddle, cello, bass, accordion and percussion (from spoons to drums) fill the…
Page 32: Short Takes on Five Vermont Books
Seven Days writers can’t possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a crash of rhinoceros. So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to five books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book just a…
Hot Ticket: A Potentially Lively Race for Lieutenant Governor
Vermont’s 2018 campaign season may turn out to be a dud. Republican Gov. Phil Scott is widely seen as unbeatable, so top Democrats and Progressives may well take a pass. The only question about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) reelection is whether he chooses to run. And Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.), as usual, is likely to…
Tiki Time: A Cocktail Trendlet in Vermont
Everybody’s getting lei’ed at the back door of Juniper at Hotel Vermont. It’s Tiki Tuesday, a new collaboration of Stonecutter Spirits and the Burlington hotel, and an employee named Carly Freeman is handing out ersatz Hawaiian leis to the slow stream of guests finding their way to the outdoor patio. “People are a little hesitant…
Album Review: The Bonnets, ‘Broke & Ugly’
(Self-released, cd, digital download) One of my all-time favorite adages is “It’s funny because it’s true.” The Danish American comedian/musician Victor Borge summed it up nicely: “Humor is something that thrives between man’s aspirations and his limitations … Because, you see, humor is truth.” The Bonnets’ debut album, Broke & Ugly, beautifully illustrates this concept.…
Mann Overboard? Critics Say New Vermont Judge Is Too Lenient
Robert Rohaley was in Caledonia Superior Court on March 6 because he’d been arrested on a warrant for missing prior court dates. Such a case wouldn’t normally attract a lot of attention — even though Rohaley, 21, allegedly bit the cop who took him into custody. During a brief court hearing, Judge Elizabeth Mann rejected a…
Album Review: Pensive & LoKi, ‘Avanti’
(MilkHaus Records, digital download) Pensive & LoKi, two young, prolific artists from central Vermont, have been building a collaborative catalog under their Milkhaus Records imprint for years. Much of their work has a homemade-tape vibe, but their craftsmanship has been improving and their latest, Avanti, is a big step forward. As ever, the work is…
Eat This Week, July 12 to 18, 2017: Vermont Cheesemakers Festival
It’s a fact that Vermont has more cheesemakers per capita than any other state. On Sunday, show up at the Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms for a meet-and-eat with more than 40 of Vermont’s 50 cheese producers. Attendees can sample 200-plus of the state’s finest cheeses and other artisan products, plus beer, wine and cider.…
Movie Review: Sam Elliott Gets the Role of His Life in ‘The Hero’
One of my favorite films is Thank You for Smoking (2005), a satire about a Big Tobacco spokesman who spins for a living. And my favorite part of that film is the sequence where Aaron Eckhart visits the ranch of a character played by Sam Elliott. It’s so rich and vivid, I always wish the…
Four More Local Albums You (Probably) Haven’t Heard
Seven Days is perpetually on the receiving end of a nonstop parade of local album submissions. On one hand, this trove of local artistry is a testament to the boundless, prolific nature of our community. But it also means that we’ve got our work cut out for us. We try our damnedest to review every…
Free Will Astrology (7/12/17)
CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. “All life is an experiment.” I’d love to see you make that your operative strategy in the coming weeks, Cancer. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, now is a favorable time to overthrow your habits,…
Movie Review: Marvel’s Web Slinger Comes Home in the Surprisingly Fresh ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
The world has seen six Spider-Man films starring three different actors in the past 15 years, including two versions of the web-slinger’s origin story. If you’re not a die-hard fan of Marvel Comics’ gee-whiz teen superhero, it may seem like time to sweep this tangled web out of the rafters. Not so fast! This year,…
Beloved Burlington Historian Honored in New Book
In the words of poet Naomi Shihab Nye, “Everything is famous if you notice it.” Over nine well-lived decades, late Burlington resident and prolific historian Lilian Baker Carlisle earned local fame by noticing, and documenting, the relatively mundane. In 1951, Carlisle became Shelburne Museum founder Electra Havemeyer Webb’s right-hand woman. She cofounded the Chittenden County…
Sunlight and Scandal: GOP Lawyer Brady Toensing Stirs Up Vermont Politics
No public official is too big or too small to escape the attention of Brady Toensing. Three years ago, Vermont’s most prominent muckraker launched a crusade against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that landed his wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, in the middle of an FBI investigation. That same year, Toensing sought to oust a selectboard member in…
‘Artist as Designer’ Revamps the Craft Show
This Saturday, July 15, visitors will descend on Waterbury for the town’s annual Arts Fest and Mini Maker Faire. Alongside those festivities, another, brand-new party will take place: Local ceramicist Jeremy Ayers will host “Artist as Designer: Exhibition, Demonstrations & Sale.” In his studio, 10 artists invited by Ayers and his wife, Georgia Ayers, will…
Letters to the Editor (7/12/17)
Headline Rx The headline for your cover story “Just What the Doctor Ordered” [June 28] is cute but misleading. The new regulations constrain doctors, in some cases overriding their reasonable medical judgment with that of politicians and bureaucrats. Personally, I’d rather take the medicine my doctor orders. No more, no less. Don Loeb Burlington …
New Name, Location for Former Pearl Street Diner
Pam Scanlon, who owned neighboring businesses on Pearl Street in Burlington, recently opened Malletts Bay Diner & Bakery in Colchester. Scanlon relocated to Malletts Bay in June after a decade at the helm of Radio Deli and five years running Pearl Street Diner. She closed Pearl Street Diner in the spring and started to look…
Stone Soup, Beloved Burlington Café, Turns 20
It was 20 years ago today, more or less, that Avery Rifkin and Tim Elliott opened Zabby & Elf’s Stone Soup, their restaurant on College Street in Burlington. A customer at Origanum Natural Foods, the long-gone store on Main Street, brought them together. Elliott ran the café there and, with that business nearing its end,…
