Aug 13-19, 2014
Living on the Lake: Tracking Champlain’s Toxic Algae; Meet the “Mayor” of D-Dock; Thompson’s Point Community; Tubes, Skis and Dragons, Oh My!
Cover Stories
A High School Senior Finds Lake Champlain Is Rising
When Brendan Murphy faced the prospect of choosing his individual graduate challenge — a prerequisite for all seniors at Hinesburg’s Champlain Valley Union High School — he suggested perfecting a recipe for barbecued pulled pork. His father was underwhelmed by the idea. As other CVU students were learning new musical instruments and volunteering with local…
Hanging With the ‘Mayor’ of Burlington’s D-Dock
Kent Cassella has played 11 characters over 226 episodes of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” an analyst in 2001’s Oscar winner A Beautiful Mind and a smattering of other supporting roles in television and film. Each summer, though, he returns to his favorite role: the “mayor” of D-Dock at the Burlington Boathouse. He’s among…
History, High Prices and Community at Thompson’s Point
Not long after Susan and Jim Fitzpatrick first visited Thompson’s Point more than three decades ago, the South Burlington educators began daydreaming about acquiring a lakeside camp of their own in the sleepy, rustic Charlotte community. A friend issued a wake-up call: “She said, ‘Forget it, because nothing ever goes for sale,'” Susan Fitzpatrick recalls.…
Public Water Systems Watch for Toxic Algae in Lake Champlain
For three days earlier this month, officials in Ohio warned a half-million residents not to drink their tap water. The reason? Water samples had tested positive for a toxin due to the massive blue-green algae bloom that hovered over Toledo’s public drinking-water-intake pipe in Lake Erie. The proliferation of blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria,…
How to Get in the Water When You Don’t Own a Boat
Lake Champlain, at about 1,200 square kilometers, is the 13th-largest lake in the U.S.; its 25 cubic kilometers of fresh water ranks it 17th in volume. In other words, it’s a big enough lake to accommodate just about everyone on its shores who might want to swim, kayak, parasail or otherwise engage in aquatic activity.…
Williston’s Maple Tree Place Gets Vietnamese Restaurant
A new Vietnamese restaurant is coming to 121 Connor Way in Maple Tree Place in Williston. Khanh Le and his wife, Khanh Pham, have been hard at work renovating the 1,500-square-foot space between Yogurt City and Asian Bistro and hope to open Pho K&K by the end of the month. The moniker is a play…
Obituary: Harold C. Luce, 1918-2014, Chelsea
Harold C. Luce, 95 passed away Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. after a brief illness. Born on October 11, 1918 in Chelsea, VT Harold was the son of Ernest E. and Lizzie L. (Dickinson) Luce. He attended school in Chelsea. On February 8, 1939 he married Edith Keyes…
Obituary: Sheldon “Kip” Meaker, 1949-2014, Burlington
Sheldon “Kip” Meaker, 65, of Burlington died August 8th after a long illness. A native of Barre, Kip was widely known as an elite singer-guitar player whose unique style bridged the genres of rock, blues and early jazz. Kip Meaker’s long history as a musician included performances with numerous musicians known locally, nationally, and worldwide.…
The Hundred-Foot Journey
In a recent New York Times piece, A.O. Scott argued that “a self-conscious foodie culture” is one of the last bastions of the middlebrow. His point was to emphasize the democratic virtues of middlebrow culture and lament its recent decline, but The Hundred-Foot Journey won’t help his case. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey,…
Into the Storm
Let’s be honest: They should’ve just called the thing Twisters. Because that’s pretty much what this is — a rehash of the 1996 Bill Paxton-Helen Hunt effects-fest with fewer flying cows and more tornadoes. Way more. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Some of the most enduring movies are about bad weather. I’m a…
Lit Notes: Cheryl Strayed at VCFA, Katherine Paterson at Book Fest
The literary heavy hitters keep coming at Vermont College of Fine Arts. This Friday, VCFA welcomes best-selling author Cheryl Strayed, whose memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is now a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and due for an Oscar-courting December release. For more details, see our Calendar section. Looking further…
Party Hopping: Corvettes, Shrimp Scampi and Phil Scott
Amidst a collection of lustrous Corvettes and cardboard racecar-driver replicas, Vermont Democrats schmoozed last Wednesday evening in a Colchester garage. They were there to raise money to reelect the state’s highest-ranking Republican, who is also a real-life racecar driver. Sen. Dick Mazza (D-Chittenden) hosted the fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Phil Scott — Republicans could come,…
The St. John’s Club: A Lakefront Club for the Average Joe
On the morning of my off-hours visit to Burlington’s venerable St. John’s Club, an Adirondack thunderstorm rolls and booms across the lake, threatening to disrupt the club’s vaunted view of Lake Champlain. But the massing thunderheads and occasional stabs of lightning only add to the beauty of the scene. Few forces on Earth could spoil…
Gallery Profile: The Marble House Project, Dorset
On an idyllic summer evening last weekend, cars streamed down Dorset West Road and up a swooping drive to a hillside barn. There, long tables stood laden with locavore fare, a bluegrass band was set up in the corner and, on the veranda, a bartender offered up wines, beers and iced water flavored with lemon…
Soundbites: This Week in Music Festivals
This is a rare week on the summer calendar, because, unlike virtually every other week from June to mid-September, no huge music festivals are on the docket. But those of you experiencing withdrawal symptoms from last weekend’s monster Lake Champlain Maritime Festival need not fret. A bundle of smaller, down-home music festivals are scheduled for…
Opinion: To Stop Campus Rape, Let Kids Grow Up
“Parietal hours perpetuate the whole clumsy American system of dating: of choosing a movie you don’t really want to see … of sitting for hours in an uncomfortable restaurant just to be with a girl that you like. They reinforce the notion that women are some sort of special object, to be seen at certain…
News Quirks (8/13/14)
Curses, Foiled Again Police in Bloomsburg, Pa., arrested Jacob Close, 25, for jumping bail after he took part in the local newspaper’s “Your Opinion” feature and allowed his photo to be published. An officer noticed Close’s photo and tracked him down. (Associated Press) Getting to Be a Habit Engine trouble forced the pilot of a…
Woodchuck Hard Cider Celebrates New Home
Last Thursday, August 7, Woodchuck Hard Cider opened its new cidery at 1321 Exchange Street in Middlebury, among a growing array of food businesses. The 100,000-square-foot facility doubled the company’s production capacity, from about five million cases per annum to nearly 10 million. Visitors can observe production in action from an overhead tour corridor, and…
Letters to the Editor (8/13/14)
Hanna Is Not Alone I have to respond to the brave announcement from Paul Henninge that the death of his wife, Cheryl Hanna, was indeed a suicide and that he shared her journey through depression [“Cheryl Hanna’s Suicide Confirms Mental Health Problems in Vermont,” August 6]. Depression and other psychiatric illnesses still live in the…
Slip Into an Elegant Meal, or a Pirate’s Bay, in Essex, N.Y.
The hostess rushes in. She leans on the bar and beckons to the bartender, a skull and crossbones on the back of her T-shirt. “There’s gonna be 20 people on a boat here in five minutes,” she says. “They just wanna eat.” The bartender regards her with a look that says, “Seriously?” but he nods…
A Fish Story: The Battle to Remove Swanton Dam
For 50 years, the Swanton Dam has been of almost no practical use. That is one of the few points of agreement between a group of environmentalists and locals who have been sparring for more than a decade about the future of the eight-foot-tall span across the Missisquoi River. Organizations including Lake Champlain International and…
The Woman I’m Dating Wants Me to Smack Her, and I Don’t Want To
Dear Athena, I started going out with this really awesome woman and I totally dig her. We had a great thing going, but she recently asked me to smack her across the face while we were having sex. At first I sort of pathetically swiped her face and she let it go. I thought that…
![Making a Splash [SIV365]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/episode365.webp?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
Making a Splash [SIV365]
8/9/14: Vermont is well known for its beloved swimming holes. These hidden spots are the best way to stay cool during our short summers. On a steamy Saturday, Eva and Michael take the plunge at Bristol Falls, Warren Falls and Lareau Hole in Waitsfield. And remember to always play it safe when swimming in these…
Free Will Astrology (8/13/14)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Researchers in Peru have recently tracked down many previously unknown varieties of wild cacao plants. What that means is that there are exotic kinds of chocolate that you and I have never dreamed of, and they will be commercially available within a few years. As delicious as your Chocolove XOXOX Extra…
BCA’s Visiting Critic Program Matches Critics and Artists
Artists are really asking for it. Critical appraisal of their work, that is. So says BCA Center curator DJ Hellerman, whose job often takes him to artists’ studios around the state. “People ask, ‘How do I get people to write about my work? How do I talk to a gallerist? How do I get my…
Wave of the Future, Wave of the Future
(Self-released, CD) Full disclosure: If your band is founded on a gimmick based on a 1980s movie, two such film franchises will make this critic love you unconditionally. The first is The Karate Kid. I loved me some Sweep the Leg Johnny. And if you started a band called, say, the Crane Technique or the…
WTF: Why Is There a Dry-Docked Ferry at Shelburne Shipyard?
If you’ve recently taken a walk past Red Rocks Park, curving around Shelburne Bay, you may have spied it from afar. Or if you’ve explored the reaches of Shelburne Farms, wandering down Harbor Road until you could go no farther, you may have seen it up close: a dry-docked ferry bellied up to Shelburne Shipyard.…
Red Clover & The Hermit Thrush, Red Clover & The Hermit Thrush
(Self-released, CD, digital download) Iconic New York City rock club CBGB opened its doors in 1973 in the East Village. The name was an acronym that stood for country, bluegrass and blues. Punk and new-wave bands quickly invaded, and it became a staple for hardcore punk bands. Over the years, bluegrass and country have been…
Quick Lit: Reviewing The Hour of Parade
The Hour of Parade, by Etna, N.H., author Alan Bray, is a psychological novel on par with Irvin D. Yalom’s When Nietzsche Wept. Both writers have used their experience in the field of psychotherapy to enrich and complicate their fictional characters. (Bray retired to New Hampshire from a psychotherapy career in Michigan.) Both writers also…
Accessibility: Not All of Burlington Measures Up
Nothing’s been over easy for Henry’s Diner this summer. The Burlington restaurant has been closed since mid-July for a makeover that will make it accessible to people with physical disabilities. Among them: Brad Stephenson, who has muscular dystrophy, a degenerative genetic disease that landed him in a wheelchair seven years ago. The 42-year-old somehow managed…
Theater Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Vermont Shakespeare Co.
From the young Athenian lovers who pair and re-pair under magical influences to the overblown mythical lovers Pyramus and Thisbe depicted in a badly acted play-within-the-play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream contains seven couples and, magically, time enough to unite them all. Shakespeare intermingles four worlds to show us the nature of love by pushing, tugging…
Burlington Hardcore Icons Drowningman Reunite
Burlington, Vt., has long had a vital heavy-music scene. Though often overlooked by mainstream crowds, the bruising strains of hardcore, punk and metal form the backbone of Queen City rock. Yet only a handful of heavy local bands has made an imprint beyond the Green Mountains over the years. One of those acts, and perhaps…
Discovering Lesser-Known Eats in the Champlain Islands
Ask most Vermonters outside the Champlain Islands what they eat when they visit the area, and they’ll tell you it’s a wasteland. Sure, they may recall, with the misty glow of a vacationer, a particularly fine meal at the North Hero House Inn & Restaurant or Blue Paddle Bistro. But these same informants might be…
Little Red Kitchen and Swingin’ Pinwheel Open in Burlington
Burlingtonians looking for new daytime dining options can double their pleasure this week. The Little Red Kitchen opened on Monday, while the Swingin’ Pinwheel Café & Bakery debuted on Tuesday. Located in the old Sugarsnap building at 505 Riverside Avenue, the Little Red Kitchen (open on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) welcomed a steady…
Farm to Food Truck Debuts This Weekend
This weekend, Leslie Thompson’s Farm to Food Truck will take its maiden voyage. With dates at Burlington Beer Company (Saturday, August 16) and Shelburne Vineyard (Sunday, August 17) and additional visits to area breweries, farmers markets and events to be announced, Thompson says she’s excited to get started. Farmers market regulars may recognize Thompson; she’s…
