The Cartoon Issue 2022
The Story of Rutland’s Legendary Halloween Parade; What Does a Bygone Vermont Music Festival Have to Do With a Netflix Hit?; Peter Schumann Turns Sketches Into Comics — and Comics Into Street Theater
In Memoriam: Thomas Henning Jr., 1970-2021
A celebration of life in honor of Thomas Henning Jr., who passed away on December 27, 2021, will be held on Sunday, July 24, 1 p.m., at 422 Winhall Hollow Road in Bondville, Vt. Please join us in celebrating Thomas’ life and sharing memories and stories with each other. Food will be provided; please BYOB. If…
In Memoriam: Patrick Finnigan, 1955-2022
You are welcome to join us to celebrate the life of Patrick Brennan Finnigan. We are having an informal gathering on July 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the St. John’s Club in Burlington, to remember Pat, a wonderful brother, uncle and friend to many. Related Stories
Obituary: Michael Zebrowski, 1949-2022
Johnson man was an avid photographer, thinker and observer
Obituary: Helen Douglas, 1942-2022
Lifelong Vermonter will be remembered for her kindness and unconditional love
Obituary: Pamela Brady, 1948-2022
Moretown woman used her gift of healing to serve people in Vermont and internationally
Obituary: Rosanne Fredriksen, 1957-2022
Lincoln woman brought joy, kindness and a sense of humor everywhere she went
Clean: ‘Loosening Up’ (7/1/22)
My shoulders and hands were painfully tense as I sat in front of a large grand piano. I was four years sober, and I was in the middle of a fast-paced and lively recording session at a music studio in East Arlington. I had been called in to play piano parts for multiple songs that…
Obituary: Bryce M. Bludevich, MD, 1989-2022
Young woman’s short life was characterized by an inquisitive and adventurous nature
Birth announcement: Henry John Meserve Schumer
Welcome, Henry! Proud parents Christopher and Amy and grandparents Peter, Lucy and Jessica joyfully welcome Henry John Meserve Schumer, who was born on June 2, 2022, and weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces.
I Quit Shaving Everything in the Pandemic
Dear Reverend, Over the course of the pandemic, I quit shaving my legs — and everything else. Now that bathing suit season is upon us, I feel like I should start again, but I really don’t want to. The hair on my legs and armpits is pretty light, but I’m concerned about my pubes. I…
From the Publisher: Woe Is ‘Roe’
Last Thursday was the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that, among other things, guarantees women equal opportunities in sports. The U.S. Supreme Court waited until the next day to steal the ball from the girls’ team and kick it out of the stadium. By overturning Roe v. Wade, it snuffed…
Soundbites: A Conflicted Independence Day for Musicians; New Music From Guthrie Galileo and More
Whenever I think of patriotism, I flash back to that scene in Rocky IV when Carl Weathers’ Apollo Creed comes out to fight the Russian baddie, Ivan Drago. James Brown’s “Living in America” is playing, there are flags everywhere, and Apollo has those stars-and-stripes trunks on: It’s the perfect encapsulation of Reagan-era America, full of…
Willverine, ‘Who Can Wave Me to the Way Out’
(Self-released, digital) For Will Andrews, aka Willverine, less is more. On the electronic pop artist’s new album, Who Can Wave Me to the Way Out, he uses negative space as a focal point. Throughout the LP’s eight tracks, he frequently pulls a sonic drain plug. Only the chunkiest bass and synth lines survive the evacuation…
The Mountain Says No, ‘Unemployer’
(Self-released, digital) Hidden deep in the wooded realm of Enosburg Falls is a cave. Not unlike a necromancer’s sanctum or the meeting grounds for a coven of witches, this cave serves as a place of power from which its inhabitants can experiment with their sorcery. Of course, to the eyes of those dwelling in the…
Peter Schumann Turns Sketches Into Comics — and Comics Into Street Theater
Five o’clock in the morning is a “preferred time” for Peter Schumann to make comics, he said. Ideas can come from just about anywhere: the weather in the Northeast Kingdom, where he lives, or a piece in the Monthly Review, a long-running socialist publication. “I go by what’s happening in the world,” he said. Schumann,…
A Hike in the Woods to See the State’s Newly Discovered Endangered Orchid
The mood was festive as a quartet of botanists made its way toward Vermont’s newly discovered rare orchid, the small whorled pogonia. Though the hilly, wooded terrain of the Winooski River Valley was typical Vermont topography, this was no ordinary day of fieldwork. Botanists tend go out alone to identify plants, take samples and carry…
Free Will Astrology (6/29/22)
CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard believes there’s only one way to find a sense of meaning and that is to fill your life to the bursting point, to be in love with your experience, to celebrate the flow of events wherever it takes you. When you do that, Godard says, you have no…
Drawing Conclusions in the 2022 Cartoon Issue
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Seven Days Cartoon Issue. Those early issues were especially ambitious. Originally conceived by cofounder Pamela Polston, the Cartoon Issue was meant to encompass nearly the entire paper: news, features, arts, food and music. Basically, anything that wasn’t syndicated or a column (or already a cartoon) was cartoonified.…
In St. Albans, Ron Snapp Revives His Art Career With a Timely Installation
If Ron Snapp looks like a westerner dropped into northern New England, that’s because he is. Last weekend, the Colorado-born artist was likely the only guy walking around St. Albans sporting a cowboy hat and boots, turquoise jewelry, and a black T-shirt that read, “Fear No Art.” And he was definitely the only person with…
Vermont Is Racing to Build Housing — Often With Fossil Fuel Heating Systems
When residents of a new apartment building in Morrisville turn up their thermostats this fall, the warm air that flows into their bedrooms will be some of the cleanest heat produced in Vermont. Superefficient electric heat pumps, working like refrigerators in reverse, will draw heat from the air outside and pump it through ceiling ducts…
Comic Newspaper the ‘Ladybroad Ledger’ Returns Under New Leadership
Each time Teppi Zuppo taught a workshop at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, the Vermont cartoonist and CCS grad told students about the Ladybroad Ledger. Zuppo hoped someone might express interest in taking the reins of the comic newspaper for femme- and nonbinary-identifying cartoonists that Zuppo and others had launched in…
A Free Montpelier Garden Grows Produce — and Community
When Lillian Ecklund Gustavson decided to create a community garden in Montpelier, she envisioned a place near the downtown gazebo on Main Street where locals, especially those experiencing homelessness, could spend time gardening and enjoying the fresh veggies it produced. All that changed in late April when the city council voted to remove the parklet,…
Theater Review: ‘Twelfth Night, or What You Will,’ Vermont Theatre Festival
Everyone has choices, but some people have fewer than others. The concept of choice is likely to be on people’s minds this week. It certainly was on mine last Friday while watching Vermont Theatre Festival’s production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Gender roles and class conflict are some of the classic…
Guilty Pleasure Watches: A Summer List
When I started reviewing movies at Seven Days, we only reviewed newly released theatrical feature films. The rise of streaming and the takeover of Hollywood by franchises (do you really need a review of the umpteenth Minions movie?) changed that. The closure of theaters during the pandemic delivered the coup de grâce to our old…
Theater Review: ‘Wait Until Dark,’ Dorset Playhouse
Two of the great pleasures in a thriller are knowing exactly who the bad guys are and getting a chance to feel a whisker of fear while avoiding personal danger. Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark offers these exact gratifications, plus some surprises for the viewer. The Dorset Playhouse staging has great production values and two…
Now Playing in Theaters: June 29-July 5
new in theaters THE BAD GUYS: In Pierre Perifel’s animated caper starring the voices of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson and Awkwafina, several reformed yet misunderstood criminal animals attempt to become good — with some disastrous results. (100 min, PG. Bethel) THE LOST CITY: A reclusive romance novelist (Sandra Bullock) on a book tour…
Letters to the Editor (6/29/22)
Respect for Childcare Workers I am writing in response to Alison Novak’s excellent article, “Help Needed: Chronic Staffing Problems Stress Vermont’s Childcare Centers — and the Families They Serve” [June 8]. I am glad the problem is getting some attention and that the legislature responded by allocating funds. As the article pointed out, much more…
New Burlington-Based Company Plink! Makes a Splash in the Beverage World
What sound does a drink make? Often, it’s the pop of a bottle top or the crack of a can, followed by the hiss of gas rushing out. Now, a new company based at Hula in Burlington is offering a fresh, onomatopoeic answer: Plink! Cofounders Max Luthy and Luke Montgomery-Smith launched Plink! in May, hitting…
Dining on a Dime: Bessery’s in Burlington Sizzles Up Meats and More
The Bessery family has owned a butcher shop at 1398 North Avenue since before its current co-owner, Bryan Bessery, was born. His grandfather, Peter Bessery, opened Bessery’s Quality Market in 1963. Bryan, the youngest of eight kids, joined the clan in 1974. When Bryan, now 47, took over the family business about 20 years ago,…
Schmetterling Wine Shop and Calvi’s Ice Cream Stand to Open in Middlebury
This summer, Middlebury will gain a natural wine store and a seasonal ice cream stand, both funded by grant money through the Better Middlebury Partnership. In late May, Erika Dunyak and Danielle Pattavina received a Kick Start Middlebury grant of $20,000 for Schmetterling Wine Shop at 48 Main Street, which they plan to open by…
Jr’s Original in Winooski to Become Jr’s Original Peking Duck House
It’s a long way from Italy to China, but Jr’s Original in Winooski is going to make the trip. Next month, the restaurant at 348 Main Street will switch cuisines and become Jr’s Original Peking Duck House. The restaurant’s second location, Jr’s Williston, will continue to serve Italian and Italian American dishes. The new menu…
Colchester’s Guilty Plate Diner to Reopen Under New Ownership
Chef Darrell Langworthy confirmed that he and his wife, Sarah Langworthy, have signed a deal to take over the Guilty Plate Diner in Colchester. Darrell and his team currently operate three food destinations in Essex Junction: Mark BBQ, Heart n Soul by Mark BBQ and the recently launched Skreet Doggs, a seasonal food truck. Sarah…
The Magnificent 7: Must See, Must Do, June 29-July 5
Stranger Than Fiction Friday 1 & Saturday 2 Stowe Theatre Guild presents Tru, Jay Presson Allen’s witty and tragic one-man play about the last, lonely years of Truman Capote’s life, at the Stowe Town Hall Theatre. John Weltman plays the title character, who ruminates on the loss of most of his friendships after the publication…
Crime Seen: Long-Term Data From Burlington Police Show Overall Decline
It seems like everyone in Burlington is talking about crime these days. The discourse started two years ago, when George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police sparked a nationwide reckoning with racial justice. In Burlington, city councilors swiftly voted to reduce the Queen City’s cop count by 30 percent through attrition. Since then, the department has…
