Showing His Stripes
Wednesday 15
Grungy garage-rock god Jack White takes the stage at the Champlain Valley Exposition’s Midway Lawn in Essex Junction for an unmissable performance of chart-topping hits and deep cuts. The unapologetically eccentric singer and guitarist — best known for his roles in the White Stripes and the Raconteurs — shows why he’s amassed a whopping 34 Grammy noms and 12 wins.
All Stars
Saturday 11
National Life Group knows how to get the party started — for a cause! The annual
Do Good Fest transforms its sloping Montpelier lawn into a natural amphitheater and music mecca to benefit youth mental health. This year’s jaw-dropping roster includes performances by multiplatinum hitmakers Augustana, Smash Mouth, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Neon Trees (pictured). Now that’s a good thing.
Art of the Matter
Friday 10 & Saturday 11
The Waterbury Arts Fest draws foodies and aesthetes downtown for two days of community-centered outdoor revelry. Friday night’s block party boasts a beer garden, belly-filling food offerings, trivia and live tunes, while Saturday’s arts market transforms the town into a massive wall-free gallery packed with exhibitors, street performances and a hands-on creation station.
Magic Mountain
Friday 10 & Saturday 11
Nothing sounds as Vermonty as the Jeezum Crow Festival, a weekend of live performances, craft vendors and local eats at Jay Peak Resort’s Stateside Amphitheater. Double stages eliminate downtime between sets and keep the good vibes rolling with a standout lineup, including jam kings the Disco Biscuits, country-blues artist Charlie Parr and bluegrass fusion outfit Railroad Earth.
A Bug’s Life
Saturday 11
From canopy walks and safaris to beekeeping demos and crafting stations, Vermont Institute of Natural Science’s Incredible Insect Festival delivers entomological excitement in Quechee. The buggy bash nods to all things winged and wriggly, turning the spotlight on Earth’s most crucial and misunderstood creatures and reminding all ages that good things can come in small packages.
Purple Haze
Saturday 11
At Sunshine Village Lavender Farm’s You-Pick Lavender Fest in Pittsford, visitors pluck their own aromatic bundles straight from a field of dreams. The scent-sational summer celebration satisfies all five senses with farm tours, a local artisan market, herbaceous workshops, a bouncy house and a beer garden. Relax and let go of any election-year divisions of red and blue: Here, purple reigns.
Different Strokes
Ongoing
At Edgewater Gallery on the Green in Middlebury, Helen Shulman and Julia Jensen’s two-person exhibit “Where We Find Ourselves” delivers meaning through ambiguity. The abstract artists channel their lived experiences into deeply atmospheric, gestural, evocative paintings that inspire dreamlike feelings and memories rather than concrete observations.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
