Jan 10-16, 2018
Town Historical Societies Preserve Vermont’s Past; Burlington Free Press Editor Fired for Controversial Tweets; Ariel Zevon Makes a Rebellious Record
Cover Story
Vermont’s Tiny Historical Societies Have a Big Mission: Preserving the Past
A movie-ready 19th-century drugstore, a hornet’s nest, Pectoral Elixir, an accordion, a wedding dress, a camera that belonged to “Snowflake” Bentley and a quilt made by that lifelong bachelor’s mother. What do these items have in common? Each is an artifact tended by one of Vermont’s historical societies. Waitsfield Historical Society Jericho Historical Society Stowe…
Seriously: Show Me a Sign; The Tweetpocalypse
In this episode, Weed returns to sing a song for the Governor and Bryan examines the Twitter scandal that stunned Vermont journalists. Featuring Michael Frank as “Frankie.” CREDITS: Written, filmed and edited by: Bryan Parmelee Artwork/photography courtesy of: Waitsfield Historical Society, Kymelya Sari, Sadie Williams, Steve Earley/The Virginian-Pilot, Bryan Parmelee, Dreamstime.com, Archive.org Logo/art direction by:…
Obituary: John W. Hennessey Jr., 1925-2018
John W. Hennessey Jr., age 92, of Shelburne, Vt., and formerly of Hanover, N.H., died of natural causes on January 11, 2018, at the Wake Robin Continuing Care Retirement Community. Hennessey was a much beloved and respected academic. He had a great love of teaching and was a mentor and adviser to his students, colleagues…
Memoriam: Diane Gabriel
To the many friends of DIANE GABRIEL who have written, called, donated, or come to see and comfort me: Thank you so, so much. I wanted to write to each of you but simply cannot do so. Just know that I am grateful beyond words for your love and concern. She was very special. And…
The Cannabis Catch-Up: Legal Vermont Pot No Longer a Pipe Dream
Vermont marijuana legalization has gone from a slow burn to full-on blaze. Approximately 24 hours after the Vermont Senate voted Wednesday to legalize marijuana, Gov. Phil Scott said publicly what many have waited years to hear: He’ll sign the bill. It’s hard to overstate what a milestone this is. Only about eight months earlier, Scott…
![From News to Nature, the Photography of Rob Swanson [SIV517]](https://i0.wp.com/www.sevendaysvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/episode517-4.webp?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
From News to Nature, the Photography of Rob Swanson [SIV517]
1/2/18: For more than three decades, Rob Swanson was a news photographer covering the state of Vermont. He documented the people, places and moments that resonated in our state – including that iconic snap of Bernie Sanders celebrating his 1981 mayoral win. Rob is retired from professional photography now, but he hasn’t slowed down much.…
Hackie: Seventeen in ’18
In my considered opinion, the single best buy in modern America is the shopping mall easy-chair massage. For one measly dollar, you get to sink into a cushy seat and enjoy a three-minute, startlingly effective mechanical back massage. I grab one every chance I get. I got such a chance on New Year’s Day at…
Laura Roald Takes Leading Role at Off Center
At the end of 2017, Off Center for the Dramatic Arts announced that Paul Schnabel was handing over the reins. One of four founders, in 2010, of the 65-seat black-box space in Burlington’s Old North End, he had held those reins almost single-handedly for the past five years. Over the past year or so, however,…
Anti-Social Media: Burlington Free Press Editor Tweets Himself Out of a Job
It took just 72 hours for a Friday night tweet to cost the Burlington Free Press’ top editor his job. Three days after executive editor Denis Finley suggested on Twitter that recognizing a third gender option on Vermont driver’s licenses “makes us one step closer to the apocalypse,” his corporate bosses summoned him to a…
Page 32: Short Takes on Five New Vermont Books
Seven Days writers can’t possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a colony of penguins. So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to five books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book just a…
Album Review: Plastique Mammals, ‘The Best Of’
(Self-released, cassette, digital download, vinyl) Plastique Mammals have hardly been around long enough to rack up the cachet — let alone the catalog — required for a “greatest hits” retrospective. So, by titling their debut full-length The Best Of, the new-ish Burlington duo scoffs at the recording industry’s capitalistic habit of distilling a selection of…
Free Will Astrology (1/10/18)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Three centuries ago, Capricorn genius Isaac Newton formulated principles that have, ever since, been fundamental to scientists’ understanding of the physical universe. He was also a pioneer in mathematics, optics and astronomy. And yet he also expended huge amounts of time and energy on the fruitless attempt to employ alchemy to…
Art Review: ‘Painting as Language’ by Matthew Monk, College Hall Gallery
The Vermont College of Fine Arts’ spacious College Hall Gallery has undergone a transformation since its days as the T.W. Wood Gallery. Sporting a new maple floor, and no longer darkened by partitions, the high-ceilinged room is now fully illuminated by daylight entering the tall, arched windows on either end. It’s among the grandest spaces…
Jaclyn Major Is New Head Chef at Butch + Babe’s
In 2014, when the team at Butch + Babe’s was preparing to open in the Old North End of Burlington, they interviewed Jaclyn Major for the job of sous chef. At the time, Major had a 9-month-old baby, and the job wasn’t a good fit for her. But Major was a good fit for the…
Album Review: Ariel Zevon, ‘The Detangler’
(Thunder Ridge Records, CD, digital download) Ariel Zevon lives off the grid in Peacham with her sons and goats. Before discovering the freedom of rural Vermont 20 years ago as a student at Marlboro College, she grew up between Paris and Los Angeles, becoming self-reliant and inventive as the only child of a single mother.…
Eat This Week, January 10, 2018: Getting Wasted
Each year, in America, we throw away approximately 400 pounds of food per person, yet 42 million Americans are food insecure. At this multifaceted event, participants can check out City Market, Onion River Co-op’s new South End location, watch the co-op’s Michael Clauss and Shelburne Farms’ Jim McCarthy demonstrate how to cook with foods that…
When the Bedbugs Bite, Vermont Officials Are Ill-Equipped to Respond
As Chester’s health officer, Leslie Thorsen is responsible for enforcing Vermont’s rental housing code, meant to protect tenants from inadequate plumbing and heating, contaminated water, rodent infestations, and other health-threatening conditions. Thorsen, an operating room nurse, does all this in her spare time, for just $1,000 a year. And when she responds to a tenant’s…
A New Photography Zine Explores Concepts of Home
Artists’ books, true to their makers and the genre, come in myriad sizes and formats and with their own truths. Some are handmade in limited editions, signed and numbered by the artist. Others are commercially oriented, mass-produced endeavors. Photographer Mary Zompetti’s new publication, 45 Degrees North, straddles the line between those extremes: It’s both precious…
Ask Athena: My Husband’s Rough Nails Scratched Me ‘Down There’
Dear Athena, My hubby is wonderful, but he is a farmer and his nails are always rough. Sometimes they scrape the outside of my vagina, and it’s sore for days. What can I use to heal the scratch quickly? Thank you. Signed, Nailed Dear Nailed, Ouch! Sometimes it’s fun to mix pleasure and pain during…
Book Review: ‘Heart Spring Mountain’ by Robin MacArthur
Robin MacArthur resides on the hillside in Marlboro where she was born. She is a third-generation Vermonter and granddaughter of legendary folk-music collector and performer Margaret MacArthur. Robin MacArthur is also an impressive singer and songwriter, as well as cocreator with her husband, Tyler Gibbons, of three tart and moody albums released under the band…
Let’s Talk Affordability: Parsing Scott’s Favorite Word
If you created a word cloud of Gov. Phil Scott’s collected speeches, “affordability” might be the biggest word of all. It’s the foundational premise of his administration: Vermont is too darn expensive, and that depresses our economy and hinders population growth. But the governor has a narrow vision of affordability; he views it mainly in…
Soundbites: State of the Onion (City); You Say Tomato
Howdy, folks! I hope you all had a restorative and satisfying holiday season. Now that we’re into the second week of the New Year, you’ve probably settled into your routine and are sick of reading the never-ending parade of annual recaps and prognostications about the year to come. I apologize for stretching it out a…
Movie Review: ‘Molly’s Game’ Should Have Kept Its Cards Closer to the Vest
Aaron Sorkin likes to explain things. The writer behind “The West Wing,” The Social Network, “The Newsroom” and a host of other acclaimed projects has seldom allowed his themes to remain implicit when a smart character could be unpacking them for us. So it’s no surprise that Sorkin’s directorial debut, Molly’s Game, leaves little unsaid…
After Police Shootings, Vermont Cops Are Slow to Provide Statements
A fatal Burlington police shooting four years ago might have played out differently than initially reported, according to documents recently filed in federal court. In November 2013, Burlington police responded to a call regarding a mentally disturbed man, Wayne Brunette, in the city’s New North End. During a brief encounter, then-officer Ethan Thibault fatally shot…
Burlington Officials Chill Out About Idling During Cold Snap
The recent run of bruising cold temps broke records and burst pipes — but did not bust the bank for anyone caught idling their car engine in Burlington. In an effort to reduce air pollution, the Queen City has an ordinance on the books that prohibits idling for more than three minutes. During the two-week…
Movie Review: Spielberg’s Journalism Tribute ‘The Post’ Offers Inspiration But No Scoops
Richard Nixon didn’t tweet. He just looked into the TV cameras and lied. Donald Trump doesn’t secretly record meetings and telephone conversations. Yet the first thing out of his mouth after James Comey dropped the Michael Flynn bomb last May was a threat that he could prove Comey was fibbing. He had a tape. As…
Lady Moon & the Eclipse on Her ‘Cosmic Soul’
One of the most memorable events of 2017 was August’s much-hyped total solar eclipse. A portion of the United States was lucky enough to be situated in its path of totality. All of a sudden, “eclipse tourism” was a thing, and people flocked to the Midwest — the country’s prime viewing location. In the weeks leading…
Vermont Cured Meat Entrepreneurs Do It Euro-Style
What isn’t better with a little bit of bacon? Strips of cured and smoked pork belly show up on nearly every restaurant menu: in breakfast sandwiches, as a crunchy topping on burgers and as a necessary ingredient in pasta carbonara. Over the last few years, bacon — sometimes called “the gateway meat” for its ability…
Beau Drops Cocktail Program, Kate Wise Moves On
Kate Wise, who ran the cocktail program at Beau, left her job there at the end of December when the butcher shop and deli at 207 Barre Street in Montpelier stopped serving cocktails. Wise, 34, of Stowe, has started a consulting company, Wise Consulting, to assist bar managers and restaurant owners with staff training and…
With Stowe’s Tres Amigos, Local Restaurateurs Make It a Trio
A few days before Christmas, a friend and I kicked off the holiday season in festive fashion at Tres Amigos, a Mexican restaurant that opened last September on Mountain Road in Stowe. We drank $6 house margaritas and ate a selection of appetizers that left us too full for a main course, though I eyed…
In Ludlow, Homestyle Hostel Adds Bar and Motel
Ludlow’s Homestyle Hostel has a full restaurant but not much room to sit and have a drink. So owners Eliza Greene and Justin Hyjek, who opened the hostel in 2013, decided to open a bar and 13-room motel across the street at 112 Main. Mid-December, the crew at Main and Mountain Bar + Motel shook…
