

Cover Story
New Restaurateurs Press On With Grit, Passion and Flexibility — Even In a Pandemic
On Friday, August 6, Claudia Amparo was sitting in a booth at her Parkside Café in Hinesburg making calls to suppliers of the small eatery she bought 10 months ago. While she coordinated incoming orders of tomatoes, bread and paper goods, employees served outgoing orders of crispy chicken wraps and her signature Baba’s Tacos with…
In Memoriam: Barbara Rose Jordan, 1935-2020
A celebration of the life of Barbara Rose Jordan of South Burlington will be held at Williston Federated Church (44 N. Williston Rd.) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 18. Masking and social distancing will be in effect. Seating is limited and carpooling encouraged. Please join our Facebook group for further details, including a livestream…
Obituary: Linda Smith, 1942-2021
Active community member and paraeducator never stopped teaching and learning
Obituary: Helen Tyndall, 1938-2021
Devoted member of the Burlington Friends Meeting was generous in supporting the community
In Memoriam: Kira Jaye Serisky (KJ), 2003-2021
Celebration of Life Saturday, September 18, 2021 Kira Jaye Serisky (KJ) July 9, 2003-February 7, 2021 On Saturday, September 18, 2021, from 4-7:30 p.m., Pete and Marge Serisky invite all who knew and loved Kira to celebrate Kira’s life with us at All Souls Interfaith Gathering. The event will be held at Meach Cove Farms,…
Obituary: Robert Steven Brace, 1960-2021
Freedom fighter achieved progress for folks living with disabilities in Vermont
Monarch & the Milkweed to Reopen With Pizza
Burlington’s Monarch & the Milkweed, which has been closed to the public since the start of the pandemic, will reopen September 1 — with one major change. The small restaurant and bar at 111 St. Paul Street will once again offer beautifully crafted cocktails, an eclectic wine list and a retail case containing Milkweed Cannabis…
Obituary: Tommy Wheeler, 1984-2021
Loyal friend and brother was a part of Vermont’s food and arts scene
In Memoriam: Martin S. Tierney, 1941-2020
Martin S. Tierney Remembrance Celebration Friends and family are invited to a remembrance celebration of Martin S. Tierney on September 11, 2021, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., at the Breeding Barn at Shelburne Farms, 1611 Harbor Rd., Shelburne, Vt. Check Facebook event page “Remembering Martin S. Tierney” for details and updates regarding venue and parking. Masking…
As Kids Head Back to Class, Vermont School Boards Take Heat Over Masking Policies
Amy Wood stepped to the microphone at the Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union school board meeting last week and slammed officials’ plans to require her kids to wear masks when they start school. “We’re here today to say, ‘No more. We’ve had enough!'” the Richford resident said, wagging a finger toward board members. “We pay taxes.…
Free Will Astrology (8/25/21)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “I sing like the nightingale whose melody is crowded in the too narrow passage of her throat,” wrote author Virginia Woolf. That was an insulting curse for her to fling at herself. I disapprove of such behavior — especially for you in the coming weeks. If you hope to be in…
Vermont Works for Women Program Helps Participants Break Into Male-Dominated Industries
On a Saturday morning in late July, seven adult students gathered in a South Burlington garage for a lesson on bending conduit. Wearing steel-toed boots, work pants and bright-orange Vermont Works for Women T-shirts, the group encircled instructor Danielle Bombardier, an experienced electrician, as she demonstrated the process. Conduit, Bombardier explained, is just a fancy…
Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Reminiscence’ Is All Too Forgettable
There was no box-office gold this past weekend for Reminiscence, a sci-fi spectacular from writer-director Lisa Joy (cocreator of HBO’s “Westworld” series) about a futuristic device that enables people to relive their memories in cinematic detail. But the high concept was irresistible to me, so I checked out the film, currently playing at many local…
Letters to the Editor (8/25/21)
A Different Kind of ‘Gun Guy’ I’m sorry you were the target of so much ire at the hands of “gun guys” [From the Publisher: “Sounding Off”; Feedback: “Easy Target,” August 18]. I thought the offending piece [“Shots Fired,” August 4] by Kevin McCallum was balanced and fair. I visited Parro’s range after the article…
From the Publisher: Tall Order
Seven Days is lucky to be able to publish the work of seasoned writer Melissa Pasanen, who draws on a seemingly bottomless supply of intel to explore all aspects of Vermont’s food scene, from agriculture to food service. In this week’s cover story, she found a fresh way to write about the pandemic-era challenges facing…
Highh Def, ‘Darren to Be Different’
(Write Hooked Records, digital) South Hero native Darren Gardner, who performs as Highh Def, made a name for himself in the local hip-hop scene with his 2019 single “Floetic.” It was a knockout slice of country rap with real heart and soul, showcasing his tightly written bars and warm, confident singing. His debut album, Darren…
My Partner and I Don’t Have Sex Anymore. Should I Get It on the Sly?
Dear Reverend, I’ve been with my partner for eight years. We love each other very much, and our relationship is great in every way — except we don’t have sex anymore. I can’t remember the last time we were intimate, but it must have been at least a year ago. I don’t want to ruin…
The Seventh Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival Is Bigger Than Ever
It’s not often these days that gatherings expand rather than shrink. The seventh annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is an exception. The festival will have more days, more venues, more screens and, most importantly, more films than in years past. The five-day celebration of first- and second-time filmmakers will fan out across Middlebury from Wednesday,…
Now Playing in Theaters: August 25-31
new in theaters CANDYMAN: Jordan Peele cowrote this “spiritual sequel” to the urban legend-based horror series that began in 1992. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Teyonah Parris star. Nia DaCosta (Little Woods) directed. (91 min, R. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Roxy, Star, Sunset, Welden) EMA: Pablo Larraín (Jackie) directed this Chilean film about a fiery dancer (Mariana…
Lavenderlux, ‘Nest Inertia’
(Self-released, digital) Listening to Nest Inertia, the new EP from Lavenderlux, is a lot like watching an “overstuff” scene in a television sitcom: Picture a closet jammed with junk, closed with a full-body, butt-to-door bump. The latch clicks, and everything’s calm. Until it isn’t. Sparked by something small — a sudden sneeze, a cat’s meow…
Theater Review: ‘Shakespeare: Completely Unbound!,’ Vermont Shakespeare Festival
At a rate of one show per month, it would take more than three years to see every William Shakespeare play. But the Vermont Shakespeare Festival has found a clever way to present the entire lot in one night — kind of. Over four one-acts, Shakespeare: Completely Unbound! offers new stories that combine themes and…
Theater Review: ‘Queen of the Night,’ Dorset Theatre Festival
The play Queen of the Night, by queer Black playwright travis tate, is a conventionally heartwarming story of reconciliation between a father and son, but it’s told in a convention-defying style that stretches theatrical norms. Dorset Theatre Festival is presenting the world premiere at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester. The situation is nothing…
Arrival of the F-35 Sowed Division, Hurt Morale in the Vermont National Guard
When the National Guard Bureau released the damning results of its investigation into the Vermont Natural Guard two weeks ago, news coverage focused on how poorly the Vermont unit had handled allegations of sexual assault and harassment, and how a “good old boy” network allowed those problems to flourish. Unfortunately, that’s only part of the…
Art Review: “New England Now: People,” Shelburne Museum
The pandemic forced the Shelburne Museum to close last fall, but it reopened in June with an appropriately celebratory exhibition. “New England Now: People” features positive representations of all sorts of humans. Ten artists created these mostly large-scale works in a variety of mediums. In a series of black-and-white photographs, drag queens help each other…
Waterbury to Commemorate and Celebrate, 10 Years After Tropical Storm Irene
Waterbury residents are commemorating and celebrating a decade of regrowth and recovery on the 10th anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene. In late August 2011, the storm dumped 11 inches of rain in Vermont in a 24-hour period, killed six people, destroyed 500 miles of roads, damaged or washed away 277 bridges, cut off access to…
Colchester’s Vernal Biosciences Manufactures the mRNA That’s Revolutionizing Medicine
Five years ago, when Christian Cobaugh had the idea of starting a biotech company to manufacture mRNA, the genetic term wasn’t in the vernacular of most nonscientists. COVID-19 changed that and much more for Cobaugh, a 49-year-old pandemic refugee from Massachusetts. Given the groundbreaking success of mRNA-based vaccines in protecting against the virus, he had…
Scammers Use Burlington Addresses on Phony Weed Websites. Customers Come Knocking.
Over time, baristas learn to decode the signs of a customer in need — the searching squint for the Wi-Fi password, the meandering quest for the sugar station. At Onyx Tonics, the specialty coffee shop in downtown Burlington, staff have also learned to spot what owner Jason Gonzalez dubs “the Mega Marijuana look.” Mega Marijuana…
Community College of Vermont Makes Higher Education More Accessible and Affordable
For more than 30 years, Carley Stevens-McLaughlin worked full time as a photographer and high school teacher. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she decided to retire and seek a part-time job to supplement her social security income. But she found that options were limited for someone with her background, particularly during lockdown. This fall, at…
Tom Pearo Searches for Sounds in the Deep
When Tom Pearo texted me one night after an early dinner, I had to reread the message several times. “We’re at the lake, come on down! Recording underwater.” I read the text aloud, a note of incredulity in my voice. A stranger walking by looked at me oddly. I repeated the word “underwater,” as if…
Obituary: Terence Dempsey, 1955-2021
“Saint Dempsey” was an artist and artisan loved by many Burlingtonians
Learning the Art of Pie Making in Gary Stuard’s Winooski Kitchen
Gary Stuard maintains the tidiest kitchen I’ve ever seen, down to the nearly crumb-less interior of his oven and the orderly row of some three dozen cookbooks and food magazines standing sentinel on the countertop. So I was a little surprised when he forgot to add the cornstarch to our blueberry pie filling, which was…
Dining, Traveling and Seeing Friends in Québec Again
Most picnics are casual affairs. The one I had with four friends in June was anything but. These close friends live in Montréal; after the Canadian border was closed to most Americans for more than a year, I was desperate to see them again. I scouted out the area around the Haskell Free Library &…
Tale of Two Restaurants: Butch + Babe’s Closes While Penny Cluse Fights On
Last Thursday, Kortnee Bush, owner of Butch + Babe’s in Burlington’s Old North End, announced via email newsletter and social media that the restaurant had permanently closed due to “operational challenges.” Butch + Babe’s had operated on a takeout-only model from early May 2020 until this past July 8, when it reopened for seated dining.…
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, August 25 to 31
Love and Lyrics Sunday 29 Robert Schumann, it appears, was a true romantic. The pieces he wrote for his beloved wife, Clara, take center stage at the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival’s concert “Love Songs.” Soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and instrumentalists Gloria Chien, Soovin Kim, Misha Amory and Zlatomir Fung (pictured) bring Schumann’s songs and…






