The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, October 13 to 19

Untitled Queen Credit: Courtesy of Mettie Ostrowski

Queen of Arts

Saturday 16 & Sunday 17

Drag queen, artist and activist Untitled Queen presents a Drag Show in conjunction with “Untitled (Reading Rainbow),” her new exhibition at White River Junction’s Kishka Gallery & Library. Jess Ramsay and Vermont drag artist Rhedd Rhumm also perform music and spoken word during the weekend of events. The immersive installation explores queerification and decolonization through works in paper, sculpture and textile.

Trans Literation

Thursday 14

Torrey Peters Credit: Courtesy of Torrey Peters

Torrey Peters visits the Vermont Studio Center’s virtual stage for a special reading and conversation with journalist and VSC alum Naomi Gordon-Loebl. This year, Peters’ debut novel, Detransition, Baby, became the first book by an openly transgender woman to be long-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Creature Crawl

Saturday 16

Ooky Spooky 5k Credit: Courtesy of Fritz Senftleber

Ghouls, goblins and grim reapers of all ages gather at Burlington’s Rock Point School for the annual Ooky Spooky 5K Race to Benefit COTS. Costumes are encouraged, especially for anyone angling for the Best Costume Prize, and all funds raised benefit the Committee on Temporary Shelter and its advocacy for long-term solutions to homelessness.

You Can Jive

Saturday 16

Silent Disco Credit: © Krutenyuk | Dreamstime

For those who have never attended a silent disco, here’s how it goes: You don a pair of wireless headphones, DJ Sean beams his beats straight into your ears, and worries of noise complaints become a distant memory. Lebanon Opera House’s Silent Disco With LIVEMIXKINGS takes place in Colburn Park for a late-night dance party under the stars.

Earth Day

Sunday 17

Artists Uniting for Wildlife Credit: © Dmcdesign | Dreamstime

At Greensboro’s Highland Center for the Arts, Artists Uniting for Wildlife brings together beloved musicians to raise funds for the Vermont Wildlife Coalition and various Lake Champlain conservation groups. On the docket are troubadour Dave Mallett, roots rockers the Mallett Brothers Band and Americana mainstay Tish Hinojosa.

Saving the World

Monday 18

Bill McKibben Credit: Courtesy of Nancie Battaglia

As part of its 2021 fall conference This Mazéd World: The Humanities and Climate Change, Vermont Humanities presents an energizing evening with Bill McKibben. In his virtual talk, the 350.org founder and author of the seminal book The End of Nature illuminates how the arts are just as crucial as the sciences in the fight against the climate crisis.

Hair-Raising History

Tuesday 19

Dr. Lindsay Houpt-Varner Credit: Courtesy of Rokeby Museum

For much of the 19th century, ghosts were having a moment. The Robinsons of Ferrisburgh, whose farm is now the Rokeby Museum, were especially keen on séances and kept records of many of their sojourns into the spine-chilling. Rokeby Museum director Dr. Lindsay Houpt-Varner dives into the Robinsons’ papers, on long-term loan at Middlelbury College, for a creep-tastic virtual history lesson.