Nov 1-7, 2023

Nov 1-7, 2023 / Vol. 29 / No. 4
Burlington’s Vacant Commercial Buildings Are Eyesores and Safety Hazards; Youth Soccer Comes of Age in Vermont, But the Playing Field Is Hardly Level; ‘What We Ask of Flesh’ Explores the Burdens We Carry in Our Bodies; In Newbury, Calabash Gardens Pioneers Vermont Saffron Farming

Cover Story

Blight Sites: Burlington’s Vacant Commercial Buildings Are Eyesores and Potential Safety Hazards. Some Remain in a State of Ruin for Years.

For four years, a demolished downtown mall and a series of broken promises left a gaping wound in the center of Burlington. The three-acre block walled off with concrete barriers was synonymous with urban blight, an object of frustration and derision that earned the property its own moniker: “the Pit.” In November 2022, bulldozers and…

Soundbites: Going Home With Myra Flynn

There aren’t many people more suited to having an open, frank and insightful conversation about the Black experience in Vermont than musician and journalist Myra Flynn. The bicoastal Vermonter — she lives part of the year in Los Angeles — made local waves over the summer with a headlining spot at the Burlington Discover Jazz…

From the Publisher: Don’t Stop Shopping

Marc Sherman cofounded Burlington’s Outdoor Gear Exchange in 1995 — the same year Pamela Polston and I started this weekly newspaper. He’s been a regular Seven Days advertiser since. For almost three decades, I’ve watched OGE grow and prosper, in the real world and online. That it reliably wins a pile of awards in our…

Book Review: ‘The Book,’ Mary Ruefle

When Mary Ruefle of Bennington was chosen in 2019 as Vermont’s ninth poet laureate, she followed the lead of many of her predecessors and devised a special project. Instead of vowing to give a reading at every library in the state, as Sydney Lea did, or coediting an anthology of Vermont poets, as Chard deNiord…

Lavenderlux, ‘Enjoy Your Dream’

(Self-released, digital) “Pair with cheap red wine,” reads a caption on indie-pop duo Lavenderlux’s Bandcamp page. Since it’s not responsible or legal to do so while taking a rainy fall drive, consider some cheap gas station coffee instead. It worked well for me. But it doesn’t really matter what you enjoy with the band’s debut…

La Force, ‘XO Skeleton’

(Secret City Records, digital, vinyl) One of Canada’s most sought-after collaborators has deftly positioned herself as a visionary and the purveyor of a unique style of electro-pop on her second studio album, which shows her daring and vulnerable self-examination. Montréal native Ariel Engle earned a reputation as an innovator on the city’s experimental music scene…

Free Will Astrology (11/1/23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Who would have guessed that elephants can play the drums really well? On a trip to Thailand, Scorpio musician Dave Soldier discovered that if given sticks and drums, some elephants kept a steadier beat than humans. A few were so talented that Soldier recorded their rhythms and played them for a…

Now Playing in Theaters: November 1-7

new in theaters THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER: Born to a kidnapper and his captive, a woman (Daisy Ridley) must hunt down her father after he escapes from prison in this thriller directed by Neil Burger (Divergent). With Ben Mendelsohn and Garrett Hedlund. (108 min, R. Majestic) WHAT HAPPENS LATER: Meg Ryan directed and cowrote this…

Letters to the Editor (11/1/23)

‘Grace’ Land Excellent reporting by Joe Sexton detailing the painful experience of young Grace Welch while being held at Vermont’s Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center and the sad ending of her life [“The Loss of Grace,” October 25]. It is, sadly, a very familiar story to me after nearly 30 years working in public schools as…

New Owner Revamps Charlotte’s Old Brick Store

When Jolene Kao moved to Charlotte with her family in August 2022, she thought she’d take at least a year to get her bearings and figure out where she might fit in. Only 11 months later, she bought the town’s iconic Old Brick Store. Kao, 39, had long envisioned a change. It took motherhood and…

Marco’s Pizza Moves to Burlington

After almost 30 years on Williston Road in South Burlington, Marco’s Pizza has moved to downtown Burlington. A planned October 31 opening was delayed due to equipment issues, but fans will soon be able to find Marco’s pizza, calzones and sandwiches on house-baked ciabatta bread at 177 Church Street, the former location of Big Daddy’s…

The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, November 1-7

Lady Sings the Blues Thursday 2 Acclaimed blues singer Shemekia Copeland takes the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center at Stowe Mountain Resort by storm. Declared one of her generation’s most accomplished artists by multiple critics, the daughter of Blues Hall of Famer Johnny Copeland shows off her impressive pipes and soul-stirring sensibilities. Peaks My Interest…


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