Lucinda Williams Credit: Courtesy

American Dream

Thursday 8

Straight off a successful summer tour with Bob Dylan, ’90s Americana pioneer Lucinda Williams makes her way to New Hampshire’s Lebanon Opera House for a performance of new and nostalgic hits. Combining the heart of folk with the grit of blues-rock, the three-time Grammy winner continues to prove why Rolling Stone crowned her one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

Biscuits With Jam

Thursday 8
The Disco Biscuits bassist Marc “Brownie” Brownstein Credit: Courtesy of Tara Grace Photo

Rave culture collides with free-form improvisation when trance-fusion trailblazers the Disco Biscuits come to Paramount Theatre in Rutland. The long-running purveyors of “jamtronica” — and one of the first-ever jam bands to incorporate techno beats and synthesizers into its live shows — hypnotize with fan faves such as “World Is Spinning” and “Portal to an Empty Head.”

Toe the Line

Saturday 10
The Haskell Opera House Credit: Courtesy of Louise Abbott

At Cross-Border Poetry afternoon, 19 Canadian and American bards — including former Vermont poet laureate Chard deNiord — bridge the divide at the Haskell Free Library & Opera House, uniquely situated in Derby Line, Vt., and Stanstead, Québec. Timely verse reflects on the profound ties shared by the two nations and strives to ease tensions through the power of the written word.

Sweat for Sweets

Saturday 10
5K Cider Donut Dash Credit: Courtesy

Will run for doughnuts! At Billings Farm & Museum’s 5K Cider Donut Dash in Woodstock, costumed racers get their steps to the beat of live music, peeping the leaves along the property’s pastoral paths before enjoying a finish-line reward of apple cider and doughnuts. Just want to cheer on the runners and walkers? The seasonal snacks and stunning scape are available to spectators, too.

Light Up the Room

Saturday 10
Lightfoot Band Credit: Courtesy

If you could read our minds, then you’d already know that the Lightfoot Band are coming to Barre Opera House. The folk-rock veterans — all members of late, great music legend Gordon Lightfoot’s original outfit — channel decades of touring history into a retrospective concert packed with timeless tunes, forgotten deep cuts and behind-the-scenes tales from the road.

Bill of Health

Saturday 10 & Sunday 11
“A Little Unwell” Credit: ourtesy of Mikhail Lipyanskiy Photography

New England Center for Circus Arts and the Brattleboro Retreat team up to present “A Little Unwell” at NECCA’s trapezium in Brattleboro. The cabaret-style variety show features visiting and local circus entertainers in a high-flying display designed to flip the script on mental health stigmas. Expect vulnerable, raw and jaw-dropping performance pieces inspired by the artists’ personal struggles.

Immoral Beloved

SATURDAY 10
“TEETH” by Kayley Kemp Credit: Courtesy of Mikhail Lipyanskiy Photography

Spiral House Art Collective’s group exhibit “Body Horror: Immoral Feast III” brings visceral subjects such as mutation, decay and transhumanism to Burlington. A gallery opening on Saturday invites macabre minds ages 21 and up to get the first glimpse of local artists’ interpretations of the theme, including works that might be censored elsewhere. Enter, if you dare…

Rebecca Driscoll joined Seven Days as calendar writer in 2024. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in art history and theater performance at Marymount Manhattan College and previously worked as senior coordinator for the Oscars’ library in Los Angeles.