

Cover Story
A New Heyday: How Shelburne Farms Went From Gilded Age Estate to a Beacon of Sustainability Education
Once a private estate, today Shelburne Farms is open to all. After the loss of a founder, the nonprofit looks to a sustainable future for itself and the world.
News
Trump’s Attack on Renewable Energy Has Solar Installers Scrambling and Fearing for the Future
The loss of a key tax credit and cancellation of a $62.5 million solar program are viewed as assaults on a signature industry in Vermont.
A ‘Restorative Process’ Is Underway for Former Staff of Woodside
Workers who want to talk about how the notorious juvenile lockup operated and its 2020 closure can attend the confidential sessions. Abuse victims are not invited.
Random Holes Keep Opening Up in Yards on a Burlington Street
Residents of Tracy Road keep finding covered six-by-six-foot holes in their yards. The mystery likely dates back 70 years.
Driver Ed Classes Are Hard to Get Into for Vermont Teens
With tight school budgets, a shortage of driver ed teachers and no in-state program for training new ones, many youths must wait to get their driver’s licenses.
From the Publisher: Love Letter to the Editors
Seven Days publisher Paula Routly gives credit to an unsung group at the paper: the editors who quietly toil to make stories accurate and a pleasure to read.
Letters to the Editor (9/17/25)
A Voice for Wagner I am writing to ask why the Wagner in Vermont festival in the lovely town of Brattleboro was not on your Magnificent 7 list [August 20]. I attended Die Walküre and Siegfried on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. This struggling festival presents first-class performances every year in the month of August and…
Arts+Culture
Stuck in Vermont: An Archaeological Dig Uncovers Native American Artifacts
Episode 750: A team from the University of Vermont’s Consulting Archaeology Program found 400- to 1,400-year-old artifacts at Sand Bar State Park in Milton.
Kate Swanson’s New Burlington Design Gallery Features Functional Art
The interior and architectural designer curated a collection of contemporary furniture, lighting and décor for her first show at Gallery Nurture by Nature.
The Memory Palace: Art at the Kent Holds Remembrance and Loss
This year’s version of the much-anticipated annual exhibition takes on memory, forgetting, and how we hold both at once through objects and absences.
New Dance Project ‘The Institute for Folding’ Explores Human Knowledge
Choreographer Michael Bodel’s new dance work with Caitlin Morgan and Hanna Satterlee uses cardboard as a metaphor for intellectual evolution.
TURNmusic Celebrates Composer Erik Nielsen’s 75th Birthday
The cutting-edge classical music ensemble is one of several Vermont organizations toasting the Brookfield composer this year.
Book Review: ‘The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life,’ Helen Whybrow
Through gripping anecdotes and thought-provoking meditations, this superbly crafted memoir recounts a quarter century of raising sheep at Fayston’s Knoll Farm.
Farm to Fashion: Meg Knudsen Reimagines Restoration
The Burlington designer created a runway line of looks inspired by the rooms at the Shelburne Farms Inn and the idea of restoration.
Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, September 17-24
Explore our editor’s picks for must-do events in Vermont this week, including comedy legend Jim Gaffigan at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington.
Food+Drink
Chef Matthew McClure Levels Up at Woodstock Inn & Resort
With a mandate for sustainability, the seven-time James Beard Award semifinalist melds hyperlocal ingredients with elegant technique.
Quality Bake Shop in Essex Junction Marks Decades of Doughnuts
For 70 years, the family-run bakery has turned out fresh doughnuts, pies, bread and old-school treats like fruit-filled cookies and Hermit bars.
Whizbangs Candy Lab Opens on Burlington’s Church Street
The bright new store in the former Dear Lucy shoe shop makes fudge and chocolate confections on-site. It also offers viral hits, retro classics and novelties.
Weenies Hot Dogs Closes in Downtown Burlington
The takeout-only spot opened in November in a Church Street Marketplace former ATM location. The same owners will open a toy store there.
Music+Nightlife
Soundbites: The Music Scene Is Hopping at Foam Brewers
The Burlington brewery has steadily become a fixture in the Queen City, filling the gap as other clubs disappear, with an expanded musical menu.
On the Beat: New Vermont Releases, POP Montréal Returns
Ali McGuirk, the Dead Shakers and Grace Palmer all drop new tunes, and POP Montréal returns for its 24th edition.
Album Review, ‘To the Moon,’ Lizzy Mandell and Colin McCaffrey
The central Vermont Americana duo’s new album is a lovingly nuanced effort that shows there is plenty of frontier left for them to explore.
Album Review: Danny & the Parts, ‘Mona Lisa’s Eyes Are Blue’
On its latest LP, the Burlington Americana act treats the corner stage like a confessional, and the effect is nothing short of a breakthrough.
On Screen
Desperate Americans Take ‘The Long Walk’ in a Chilling Adaptation of a Timeless Tale
Stephen King’s 1979 dystopian novel finally comes to the screen in an effectively stark vision from Francis Lawrence of ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise.
Now Playing in Theaters: September 17-23
In addition to Twinless, here’s what is playing in Northern and Central Vermont movie theaters this week. Listings include new movies, vintage films and a directory of open theaters.
Fun Stuff
Ask the Rev: I Met a Man Who’s Perfect for Me — Except for His Teenage Son
After raising her own family, a widow has no interest in raising a new beau’s son. Honesty and resetting expectations could help a promising relationship.
Free Will Astrology (9/17/25)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): A supple clarity is crystallizing within you. Congratulations! It’s not a brittle or rigid certainty but a knack for limber discernment. I predict you will have an extra-potent gift for knowing what truly matters, even amid chaos or complication. As this superpower reaches full ripeness, you can aid the process by…
Life Lines
Obituary: Paul Joseph “Pablo” Gervais, 1952-2025
Entrepreneur, sailor and racer was known for his generosity and his passion for living life in full gear
Obituary: Gary Bates Bell, 1931-2025
Life of Jericho resident to be celebrated in October
Obituary: Donald G. Morin
Construction company owner was a storyteller, a connector and a builder who cared deeply about sustainable practices
In Memoriam: Kristy Charlebois, 1978-1995
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Kristy. More than 30 years have passed, but you remain forever young in our hearts, forever loved and forever missed. Our love, Mom, Dad, Randy and Kate
Obituary: Joseph Wayne Roberge, 1948-2025
Proud Air Force and National Guard veteran of 37 years loved boating, hunting and creating keepsakes for family
Obituary: MaryBeth Hibbert, 1948-2025
As a pastor’s wife, her boundless love overflowed into her children, artwork, cooking and gardening
Obituary: Celia Marie Asbell, 1955-2025
Longtime organist and choir director was beloved by thousands of parishioners over the years







