Lemon Fair Sculpture Park Credit: Ken Picard

With more than 50 large-scale sculptures scattered atop picturesque fields, Lemon Fair Sculpture Park “is a hidden gem in Addison County,” wrote one Seven Days reader. East Shoreham residents and art enthusiasts Frank and Elaine Ittleman first opened their property to the public in 2016 for free, self-guided tours along a mowed path — and they’ve continued to welcome visitors, in season, throughout the pandemic. One Vermonter summed up the experience: “Being able to walk with a friend outdoors amongst these giant art installations was a wonderful way to be able to socialize safely.” (East Shoreham • lemonfairsculpturepark.com)

Highland Center for the Arts Credit: File: Amy Lilly

From January through March 2021, Highland Center for the Arts hosted a trailblazing art experience — literally. Its Open Air Gallery Ski & Snowshoe Trail invited visitors to walk, snowshoe or cross-country ski a 1.8-mile path past 17 works of locally made art. To counter the cold, the center’s café offered hot chocolate, spiked coffee and grilled cheese sandwiches by socially distanced bonfires. “This winter we snowshoed to look at art [and] ate outdoors sitting on a log around a fire,” reminisced one reader. It was “a safe, normal-feeling atmosphere” and “a reason to get out of the house,” noted two others. (Greensboro • highlandartsvt.org)

Editor note: To choose Vermont’s Pandemic All-Stars, we surveyed our readers on the people, places and programs that kept them going — and going — during the COVID-19 pandemic. Space limitations prevented us from recognizing every pick worthy of public praise.

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Celebrating the ‘Pandemic All-Stars’ Who Helped Vermont Through a Less-Than-Stellar Time

This special issue highlights consensus favorites alongside unknown individuals quietly doing an outstanding job. We sought out Vermonters who went above and beyond in roles that became more difficult or dangerous during the pandemic — from the chefs and community volunteers who creatively kept us fed to the wastewater managers who tested our poo for viral markers. We also surveyed our readers on the people, places and programs that kept them going — and going.

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Carolyn Fox is Seven Days’ culture coeditor, overseeing coverage of Vermont books, destinations, events, films, food, music, performing arts, visual arts and more. She is the editor of All the Best: The Locals’ Guide to Vermont, aka the Seven Daysies,...