Mar 16-22, 2022
Fourteen Years Sober, Chef Frank Pace Juggles Two Busy Burlington Eateries; Push to End ‘Qualified Immunity’ for Vermont Police Falls Short; Rent the Chicken Helps Vermonters Raise Backyard Hens
Cover Story
Fourteen Years Sober, Chef Frank Pace Juggles Two Busy Burlington Eateries
The tip for finding Frank Pace arrived by text on a snowy Friday night in late February. The message came from a Goshen innkeeper, who knew where the on-the-go restaurateur would be the next day. “Chef will be out on the trails so bring your skis or snowshoes!” Shari Brown advised. Saturday turned out to…
For Fundraiser, Mark Daly Performs the Music of Madaila and Brings the Comedy
Mark Daly will return to ArtsRiot this Saturday, March 26, to continue his monthly residency at the South End venue. Daly will perform as Madaila, formerly a psych-pop ensemble composed of some of the best musicians in the area. It’s a solo enterprise these days, though that doesn’t mean Daly will be pulling the singer-songwriter routine.…
Obituary: William J. Claussen, 1939-2022
Claussen’s founder created one of the leading and most respected horticultural businesses in New England
Obituary: Libby Ruth (Kaplan) Serota
UK woman enjoyed traveling the world, but Vermont was always in her heart
Clean: ‘Handling Criticism’ (3/21/22)
My forehead burned with fiery tension as I stared at a luminous computer screen. I was three years sober, and I was in the midst of reading a short and harsh email containing feedback from a music review website. It had been two months since I had released my debut album, and profound feelings of…
Obituary: Christine Dewhurst, 1972-2022
Burlington-born woman fought a valiant fight against breast cancer
Obituary: Matthew Scott Emerson, 1981-2022
“Department head of patience and kindness” led by example
Free Will Astrology (3/16/22)
PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): “Never underestimate the wisdom of being easily satisfied,” wrote aphorist Marty Rubin. If you’re open to welcoming such a challenge, Pisces, I propose that you work on being very easily satisfied during the coming weeks. See if you can figure out how to enjoy even the smallest daily events with blissful…
Mimi Cave’s Dark Comedy About a Dating Nightmare Is Surprisingly ‘Fresh’
This week the top item on my watch list is Turning Red, the Pixar movie that everybody’s talking about despite its absence from theaters. While I mulled over the prospect of shelling out for Disney+, I watched a movie that’s about “turning red” in a decidedly more R-rated sense. Spurred by #MeToo, overtly feminist horror…
Now Playing in Theaters: March 15-21
new in theaters THE GUIDE: Oles Sanin’s 2014 drama takes place in 1930s Soviet Ukraine, where an American boy is on the run after acquiring explosive evidence of political repression. Proceeds from screenings go toward Ukraine relief efforts. (122 min, NR. Essex) JUJUTSU KAISEN 0: THE MOVIE: In this spin-off of the anime series, a…
A Mental Health Counselor Finds Stress Relief in Turning Old Clothes Into Floor Coverings
The beige sweater didn’t look much like an old rag until Julie Reville put it on the table and shredded it, using a rotary cutter as if she were slicing up a pizza pie. Cutting the garment into two- to three-inch-wide strips created stretchy loops of fabric, which Reville knotted into a chain. She wove…
My Partner Wants to Party, but I’m Still COVID-Cautious
Dear Reverend, My partner and I used to love going out on Saint Patrick’s Day — before COVID-19 happened and we turned into hermits, that is. He’s excited that things are getting back to normal, and he really wants to head downtown this year. Although I want to get out into the world again, I’m…
After More Than 1,700 Hikes Up Mount Mansfield and Camel’s Hump, Mark Kelley Is Still Going Strong
Even an expert hiker can take a tumble. Mark Kelley is more seasoned than most, so on a recent mild, sunny day on a flat trail, he was quick to point out an icy patch. “Don’t fall,” he cautioned. “That’s one thing I’ve learned: You can fall anywhere. I’ve fallen everywhere on the mountain. It’s…
From the Publisher: Desk Duty
Like so many offices frozen in time by the pandemic, Seven Days’ has been mostly unoccupied for the past two years. Per safety protocols, almost all of our staff have been working from home, where, in my case, I did most of my writing and editing already. Along with an old photocopier — which still…
Beau Ties of Vermont Uses Blue and Yellow Fabric for Ukraine Fundraiser
Late last year, Greg Shugar ordered blue fabric with yellow stripes for the spring collection of his Middlebury-based company, Beau Ties of Vermont. When Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February, he saw the fabric in a new light. “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, there’s the Ukraine colors right in front of us,'”…
New Rules Require Publicly Funded Independent Schools to Accept Special-Ed Students
After more than a year of painstaking deliberations, last week the State Board of Education adopted rules it says will prevent Vermont private schools that receive public dollars from discriminating against students with disabilities. That means so-called independent schools that accept state funds will not be allowed to deny enrollment to students based on their…
Murad’s Indefinite Role as Burlington’s Acting Police Chief Raises Questions About Mayoral Authority
While announcing acting Police Chief Jon Murad as his pick for Burlington’s top cop in January, Mayor Miro Weinberger said the city needs a permanent police chief to carry out vital reforms. Murad, the mayor said, deserved a chance to succeed “in a way he’s been unable to as an acting chief,” a role Murad…
Bill Mares and Don Hooper Chronicle Vermont Humor in ‘I Could Hardly Keep From Laughing’
Ask a friend from away to describe Vermont, and the word “funny” is not likely to be part of their answer, unless they mean “funny strange” instead of “funny ha ha.” “Earnest,” “hippie,” “liberal” and “rural” are more likely responses, concepts not generally associated with belly laughs. Vermont is … different, and so is its…
Letters to the Editor (3/16/22)
Mom Approves Thank you for publishing the article “Irons in the Fire” [March 2], which accurately described the passion and hard work that have gone into creating my son’s business, Alder Hardt Ironworks. I want to clarify a quote in the article that stated, “Most of the stuff I make, you could go on Amazon…
Push to End ‘Qualified Immunity’ for Police in Vermont Falls Short
Vermont police reform advocates began the year with one main legislative priority: ending the legal doctrine that shields cops from lawsuits. At press conferences and public rallies, they argued that “qualified immunity” undermines public trust because it allows abusive cops to go unpunished. The advocates earned support from national figures and won over some of…
Waterbury-Based SunCommon Holds Climate Crisis-Themed Film Festival
A Vermont-based solar energy company believes that storytelling has the power to bring people into the movement for climate action. Films about sustainability are an effective way to spread that message, according to Tavit Geudelekian, integrated marketing director of Waterbury-based solar energy installer SunCommon. “We have always relied on the power of storytelling to bring…
Notice to Creditors: Estate of Kathleen E. Lord
State of Vermont Superior Court Probate Division Chittenden Unit Docket No.: 21-PR-00428 In re ESTATE of Kathleen E. Lord NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the creditors of: Kathleen E. Lord, late of Colchester, Vermont I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims…
Shanta Lee Gander’s Multimedia ‘Dark Goddess’ Exhibition Reclaims the Sacred Feminine
Hecate is the Greek goddess of magic, the night, the moon, necromancy. The Morrígan is the Celtic goddess of transformation, witchcraft and war. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty. These powerful females are among more than a dozen depicted — or rather, reimagined — for the exhibition “Dark Goddess: An Exploration…
Soundbites: ArtsRiot Throws a Benefit for Ukraine; the Young Guns of VT Hip-Hop Take Their Shot
Other than a certain tangerine-skinned former U.S. president, most of the planet is royally pissed off at Russian President/mob heavy Vladimir “I share a face with Dave Mustaine” Putin. The former KGB spy has really leaned into the current resurgence in ’90s pop culture by starting up European land wars — namely, invading Ukraine. (Thanks,…
Six Quick-Hit Reviews of Local Albums
Vermont musicians aren’t letting up in 2022 — the records keep coming, flying onto the music desk as if I had an army of interns to catalog it all. Well, I don’t! So it’s spring cleaning week, when I check in on new releases, some records I’ve been meaning to get to and a few…
John Cameron Mitchell Reflects on Hedwig, Playing Joe Exotic and Cancellation
When John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask brought Hedwig and the Angry Inch to the stage in 1998, they couldn’t have anticipated the impact their rock musical would still have nearly a quarter-century later. The story of a genderqueer East German rock singer who’s touring while chasing down the ex-lover who stole her songs, Hedwig…
Obituary: William Lovett, 1926-2022
95-year-old Shelburne man is survived by wife and children
In Memoriam: Julian Lamb Orgel, 1992-2018
This March 16 would have been the 30th birthday of our son, Julian Lamb Orgel, who died on July 6, 2018, at the age of 26. We miss him terribly and wish he had had more life, more time to adjust to becoming an adult, more time to make music, more time to be with…
Rent the Chicken’s Seasonal Rentals Help Vermonters Raise Backyard Hens
Jillian Turner got her first chickens as an antidote to puppy fever. She wanted another dog, but her then-boyfriend — now husband, Sy Reaves — said, “Absolutely not. No puppies.” Turner, 37, has chronic Lyme disease and had read that chickens were good for tick control. “I used that as leverage,” she said. In 2018,…
Four Northern Vermont Fish and Chips Restaurants to Try for Lent and Beyond
The restaurant’s name alone indicates that Union Jacks at 370 Shelburne Road in Burlington will deliver excellent fish and chips in the British tradition of the corner “chippy.” If I had any doubt, I would have needed only to read the online review posted by 16-year-old Noah Carmona of Colchester, excerpted here with his permission.…
University of Vermont Students From Iran Cook and Share Their New Year Traditions
This week, the dining services kitchen at the University of Vermont’s Dudley H. Davis Center will be filled with the unusual aromas of floral saffron and tart barberries. The cooking crew will be different, too. After a two-year break, the Iranian Student Association at UVM will once again cook and host its Persian New Year…
Williston Cookbook Author Molly Stevens Collaborates on New Podcast
Award-winning cooking instructor and cookbook author Molly Stevens of Williston has partnered with three longtime friends and colleagues to produce a podcast called “Everything Cookbooks.” The first episode drops on Wednesday, March 16, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. The inaugural season will offer a step-by-step insiders’ guide to developing and publishing a…
Vermont Food and Drink Businesses Offer Customers Chance to Support Ukraine
When Maryam Counter first heard news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, her heart sank, like that of so many people around the world. But for Counter, who co-owns Good Times Café in Hinesburg with her husband, Travis, worry about the conflict is multilayered. Counter came to the U.S. from her native Russia on a…
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, March 16-22
Zydeco Zazz Thursday 17 Two of New Orleans’ most influential ensembles, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (pictured) and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, stop by St. Johnsbury Academy’s Fuller Hall for Mardi Gras Mambo, a show bursting with sizzling Louisiana soul. Blending blues, Cajun, R&B, and zydeco — a Creole fusion genre — the…
Montpelier-Based ‘Russian Life’ Magazine Suspends Publication Due to the War in Ukraine
On the war in Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the stance of Russian Life’s publisher is as clear as vodka: “We condemn the Kremlin aggression,” reads the website of the Montpelier-based magazine. “Love the people. Loathe the state.” Russian Life, a bimonthly, English-language publication that covers the people, history and culture of Russia, has become another…
Parkway Diner in South Burlington to Reopen Under New Ownership
After being closed for almost two years, the landmark Parkway Diner in South Burlington has a new owner and a reopening date of mid-April. Chef-restaurateur Brian Lewis of Fayston said he has signed a lease to open a new version of the Parkway in the classic Worcester diner car that has served up hearty helpings…
