Sep 2-8, 2020
How COVID-19 Is Changing the Places Where Vermonters Work, Shop and Live; Political Parties Jockey for Power in Legislative Races; Introducing a New Series on Foods To-Go; Tenor Joshua Collier Launches Socially Distant Opera
Cover Story
How COVID-19 Is Changing the Places Where Vermonters Work, Shop and Live
The Church Street Marketplace in Burlington showed promising signs of life on a recent drizzly afternoon. Business wasn’t booming, but given the weather and the paucity of foot traffic in the last six months, retailers took what they could get. Ordinarily on a late August day BC (before COVID-19) the brick-lined pedestrian mall would have…
In Memoriam: Toni Stone, 1944-2020
Toni A. (Acker) Stone of Fairfax, Vt., passed away peacefully at home on August 26, 2020. She was born on September 28, 1944, to Antonio and Helen Federico of South Boston, Mass. She is survived by her husband, Steve Overton; daughter Noelle; grandson Antonio; and brother Michael.
Obituary: Judy Wizowaty, 1930-2020
Burlington woman was “a true intellectual” and lover of chamber music
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, September 3 to 9
1. Pups & Pints What better way to unwind from a work day than by sipping a cold one in the company of your canine companion? This year, the Humane Society of Chittenden County’s Bark & Brew fundraiser went virtual with a series of livestreams from Vermont breweries. On Thursday, September 3, at 5:30 p.m.,…
A Stowe House Republican Clings to a District That’s Shifting Left
George Lewis was in a panic. The coronavirus shutdown in the spring and strict travel restrictions through the summer had devastated business at his Brass Lantern Inn, a nine-room guesthouse in Stowe. He and his wife, Mary Anne, were banking on the state’s low infection rate and natural beauty to draw at least some autumn…
A Student’s Arrest in St. Albans Fuels Debate Over Police in Schools
Facing scrutiny from parents over the summer, leaders of the Maple Run Unified School District defended a program that puts St. Albans cops in its schools. In a July letter to a group of critics, superintendent Kevin Dirth described the three uniformed officers working in district schools as the “creme de la creme” of the…
Joshua Collier Launches Socially Distant Opera, Online and Outdoors
The pandemic cannot bring Joshua Collier down. The jocund tenor and founder of Barn Opera admits he had to cancel the small Brandon company’s entire third season of four full-length operas. And he laments that the coronavirus has taken away singers’ “entire industry, their artistic outlet and their financial security.” Nevertheless, Collier is all about…
Learning to Fly Program Offers Free Music Lessons to Vermont Youth
A new collaboration between the Friends for A_Dog Foundation and the Burlington Music Dojo has received $20,000 in grants to provide free music education to kids in Vermont. Called the Learning to Fly Program, it will offer up to 24 local children private instrument lessons over the course of four years. The grant money comes…
Dave Kleh, ‘Speaking in Logistics’
(Self-released, CD, digital) It would be so easy to dismiss Dave Kleh with a simple “OK, boomer.” The quirky singer-songwriter was indeed born in the baby boom that followed World War II. And he clearly has a lot of deep-seated opinions about the world. Kleh boldly proclaims them within some of the strangest music made…
Humble Among, ‘Fear of a Wack Planet’
(Self-released, digital) Humble Among is a rapper who proudly represents Bellows Falls. That’s a sentence I never thought I would live to write, but it’s true. He’s been on the margins of the Vermont hip-hop scene for a long time and in recent years has grown into a prolific contributor and ardent supporter, one of…
How Does a 70-Year-Old Woman Respond to Male Advances?
Dear Reverend, How does a woman at the sagely age of 70 respond to male advances when the intention is “just for fun,” one-time-only sex? My reputation (and theirs) in my rural Vermont community and STDs are my concerns. Sex to me is sacred. How do I say “Non, merci” and not get mocked? Am…
The North Country Trail Finally Reaches Into Vermont
Ever considered walking to North Dakota? Ambitious Vermonters can now trek the whole way on the nearly 5,000-mile North Country National Scenic Trail. It was officially extended into the Middlebury area in 2019 after decades of advocacy efforts and now winds through eight states in total. The trail, commonly called the North Country Trail, or…
Why Does the Electric Bill Have an Emerald Ash Borer Charge?
Anyone who’s ever looked at a power bill knows it’s filled with acronyms and obscure charges. There’s “total KWH” and “storm adjustment” and numbers with five decimal places. But one unusual line item in particular caught Chris Tan’s eye as he reviewed his July bill from Green Mountain Power: a 41-cent “emerald ash borer charge.”…
Vermont Founder of a Website Dedicated to Good News Writes a Book
From the start of the pandemic, this space has been dedicated to positive stories. This week, it’s about someone who’s written the book on tales of kindness — literally. Fairfield resident Lynda Ulrich is the brains behind Ever Widening Circles, a website with millions of followers that publishes only good news. That’s right — no politics,…
Vermonting: Exotic Trees and Inspired Sculpture in Woodstock
On several Vermonting excursions this summer, I sought places that offer a mix of recreation with art or history. On this quest, and by this measure, I struck gold at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock. Hello, Vermonting Even as Vermont gradually opens up from the pandemic shutdown, Gov. Phil Scott still encourages residents to…
Letters to the Editor (9/2/20)
Unsafe Selfie? I was appalled to find that the rules of the Seven Days MASKerade Contest, explained on page 47 of your August 26 issue, require contestants to travel to the South End Art Hop so they can take a selfie at the event. A contest that encourages and promotes mask use? Excellent. One that…
Free Will Astrology (9/2/20)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Like any art, the creation of self is both natural and seemingly impossible,” says singer-songwriter Holly Near. “It requires training as well as magic.” How are you doing on that score, Virgo? Now is a favorable time to intensify your long-term art project of creating the healthiest, smartest version of yourself. …
Bottom Line: With Walmart Order, Burlington Business Mamava Is Pumping Again
Mamava cofounder and CEO Sascha Mayer initially thought her company might get a boost from the pandemic — albeit one with a nine- to 12-month gestation. The nationwide lockdown, she imagined, would give couples more time together. “I was optimistic about a baby boom,” Mayer explained. More babies would mean more potential users of Mamava’s…
Page 32: Short Takes on Five New Books by Vermont Authors
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 zeal of zebras. So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to a handful of books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book…
Two Comedians Tackle TV Classic ‘MacGyver’ in New Podcast
Growing up in the Northeast Kingdom in the 1980s and ’90s, Nathan Hartswick didn’t have many TV channels to choose from, nor the parental permission to watch “Beavis and Butt-Head” or “The Simpsons.” Enter “MacGyver,” a major-network show about a casually cool hero — played by a mulleted Richard Dean Anderson — who used science…
Dems, GOP and Progs Jockey for Power in Legislative Races
The coronavirus pandemic compelled Vermont lawmakers to set aside their partisan differences and swiftly respond to a once-in-a-lifetime challenge. The cooperative spirit stood in contrast to the sparring of their federal counterparts and sent a reassuring message to Vermonters in a time of crisis. It was also fleeting. As they campaign to win additional seats…
Obituary: A. Clement Holden, 1923-2020
In retirement, Burlington native returned to Vermont and maintained trails at Bolton Mountain
Good To-Go: Farm-Fresh Breakfast Tacos at Blank Page Café
I’ve ordered a lot of takeout since Seven Days launched Good To-Go Vermont on March 17. Until last week, none of it was for breakfast. There are plenty of restaurants offering eggs, pancakes and pastries in our online directory of takeout, curbside pickup and delivery options throughout the state, and I wasn’t ignoring them on…
Winooski’s Morning Light Bakery Shares Asian Favorites
Ken Liu moved with his family to Vermont from Hong Kong when he was 12. A decade later, he still remembers his favorite childhood breakfast of a hot dog bun and boxed chocolate milk bought from one of the Asian city’s countless little bakeries. “I would grab it on the way to school,” said Liu,…
Capital City Farmers Market Parks in a New Lot
The Capital City Farmers Market has a new home — again. The weekly Montpelier market, which moved to 2 Taylor Street in May, will be held at 133 State Street for the remainder of its summer season. Construction along Taylor Street and in the current lot prompted the location change. The market’s members voted to…
New Farms for New Americans Lands Competitive Grant
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week that New Farms for New Americans in Burlington was selected as one of 10 nationwide awardees from among 500 applicants to a new urban agriculture grant program. New Farms for New Americans is a 13-year-old gardening and agriculture program run by AALV, a Burlington nonprofit serving refugees…
