Seven Days, January 28, 2026 by Seven Days

BERNiE’S BURLiNGTON

ANNUAL WINTER CLEARANCE EVENT

Photos: Renée Greenlee

JANUARY 21-28, 2026

VOTERS TO CONSIDER COP, FIRE TAX

e Burlington City Council voted on Monday to put a 5-cent increase to the police and fire tax on the ballot in March, one of several strategies that officials are considering as they try to fill a multimillion-dollar budget gap for a third straight year.

e vote came at the end of a long meeting during which the council also grappled with two resolutions that prompted contentious debate. One, about putting an “apartheid-free community” pledge on the ballot, was rejected by the council’s seven-member Democratic majority. Another, about “promoting community dialogue,” was approved over the objections of the council’s ﬁve Progressive members.

mismanaging an inﬂux of one-time COVID-19 relief funds. Councilor Becca Brown McKnight (D-Ward 6) took issue with his claim, noting that Weinberger is long gone.

“We are all in charge. Here. All of us,” McKnight said, gesturing to her colleagues. “We need to start taking ownership of this situation.”

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SLICK SURFACES

Ahead of last weekend’s storm, Vergennes o cials warned that a road salt shortage is a ecting municipalities. And there’s plenty more winter left…

That’s how many inches of snow fell on Northﬁeld — the highest total in Vermont, per NBC5.

TOPFIVE

DOGGIE’S DAY

A black lab named Cypress who sni s bags at BTV airport is now Mr. November in a calendar of dogs that work for the TSA. That’s a good boy!

MELTING ICE

2. “Vermont Chefs and Industry Pros Named 2026 James Beard Award Semiﬁnalists” by Jordan Barry. e awards known as the “Oscars of the food world” recognized Vermonters in national and regional categories.

3. “Gov. Scott Says ‘Enough’ After Federal Agents Kill Minneapolis Man” by Sasha Goldstein. Gov. Phil Scott’s statement was a ﬁery — and striking — departure from his public stance toward the Trump administration.

4. “Vermont Border Crossings Are Dropping — but Not All Is Quiet” by Lucy Tompkins. Apprehensions along the 295-mile Swanton Sector have plummeted. But now, the Border Patrol is assuming a harsher and more expansive approach to its duties.

The Williston Selectboard passed a resolution condemning the federal agency ICE, which has facilities in the town. The measure isn’t binding but was meant to make a point.

LAST JAB

5. “Mothership Brewery Launches in Burlington; Broken Hearts Burger Closes in Fairlee” by Jordan Barry. A staple of the Burlington beer scene gets a new name after 20-plus years, while an Upper Valley burger joint cryptically ends its run, at least for now.

TOWNCRIER

LOCALLY SOURCED NEWS Neighbors Sue Bagel Shop

Howard Center said that, as of June, it will no longer operate a free needle exchange for drug users. Neighbors of the Burlington program were pleased.

Two South Burlington residents have sued Myer’s Bagels, saying the Shelburne Road shop’s wood-fired oven is producing “noxious and potentially toxic” smoke that blows onto their property, the Other Paper reported. Robert Payson and Kathy Brunette first brought the issue to city officials, then sued in 2024. A judge dismissed two complaints, but a third, a nuisance claim, is pending.

GO FISH

Vermonters with developmental disabilities are now eligible for free lifetime fishing licenses thanks to Raymond Bapp of East Middlebury. Bapp, 58, caught the fishing bug as a young adult, but he has intellectual disabilities and lives on a fixed income with scant room for extras, such as the $28 annual license fee.

“He loves nothing more than to sit at the edge of the water with his pole casted out, smoking his pipe,” said Bapp’s home care provider, Lynda Bushman. “Raymond thought more people could enjoy ﬁshing if they could have access to free ﬁshing.”

Bapp came up with the idea himself, Bushman said, and started his effort back in

2017 by writing to his legislators and knocking on neighbors’ doors. He eventually gathered 500 signatures.

Sen. Ruth Hardy (D-Addison) lives near Bapp and recalled him showing up at her door in summer 2020 to advocate for what he proudly calls “my bill.” He kept at it during the pandemic. “His persistence is really admirable,” Rep. Robin Scheu (D-Middlebury) said.

Hardy invited Bapp last spring to testify before the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. He demonstrated contagious enthusiasm for ﬁshing and for helping others share in its rewards, such as a meal of freshly caught northern pike. “I told them — nicely — the bill needed to get passed because all of the disability people don’t make too much money,” Bapp explained.

Bapp said he was tickled to receive the pen that Gov. Phil Scott used to sign the bill — plus a congratulatory pair of ﬁsh-printed socks from Hardy.

Hardy said she recently ran into Bapp at the post office, and he invited her to fish with him this summer. His care provider, Bushman, said Bapp’s angling destinations include Fern Lake, Lake Dunmore and Lake Bomoseen. Like all avid fishermen, she said, Bapp’s got a couple of favorite spots, too, but “only him and his fishing buddy know where those are.”

MELISSA PASANEN

INFO

Learn more from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department licensing ofﬁce at 828-1190 or anr.fwlicensing@vermont.gov.

COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY

Raymond Bapp FILE: MATT MIGNANELLI

REVEAL THE BERN.

Paula Routly

Cathy Resmer

Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

NEWS & POLITICS

Matthew Roy

Goldstein

Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page

Hannah Bassett, Colin Flanders, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak, Lucy Tompkins

ARTS & CULTURE

Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox

Chelsea Edgar, Margot Harrison, Pamela Polston

Jen Rose Smith

Alice Dodge

Chris Farnsworth

Rebecca Driscoll

‘SOMETHING

TO CROW ABOUT’

I feel encouraged and inspired when I read about Seven Days’ Super Readers. You proudly listed nearly 70 brand-new Super Readers in your January 7 issue [“Welcome, New Super Readers!”]. That’s really something to crow about!

Jordan Barry, Mary Ann Lickteig, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard

Alice Dodge, Angela Simpson

Martie Majoros, Elizabeth M. Seyler

DIGITAL & VIDEO

Eva Sollberger

Je Baron DESIGN

Don Eggert

Rev. Diane Sullivan

John James

Je Baron

MARKETING

Colby Roberts

Robyn Birgisson

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka, Kaitlin Montgomery

Maguire

Marcy Stabile

Gillian English

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jordan Adams, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Erik Esckilsen, Anne Galloway, Steve Goldstein, Amy Lilly, Bryan Parmelee, Suzanne Podhaizer, Samantha Randlett, Jim Schley, Carolyn Shapiro, Xenia Turner, Casey Ryan Vock

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Luke Awtry, Daria Bishop, Sean Metcalf, Tim Newcomb, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur

FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly

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Lois Price COLCHESTER

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MEDIA

In the September 17, 2025, issue, Seven Days ran a blank centerfold to show what the news would look like without an independent, free press. It would look like No News.

At the time, Congress was stripping public broadcasting of its federal funding in the hope that it would just fade into nonexistence. Since then, more local, independent media have been taking a beating as the mainstream media are gobbled up by billionaires who homogenize voices, opinions, ideas and stories to narrow and blur what we get to read and hear.

CORRECTIONS

There were several errors in last week’s paper. The cover story, “Dividing Line,” included incorrect information from Migrant Justice about the estimated number of people who were detained by immigration authorities in Vermont in 2024. It was 10.

A news story, “Proposed Vermont Budget Could Lead to a 6 Percent Tax Hike,” misstated the size of Gov. Phil Scott’s proposed budget. It is $9.4 billion.

The review of Vermont poet laureate Bianca Stone’s new book, The Near and Distant World , headlined “No Memory Palace,” misstated where Stone lives and her role at the Ruth Stone House. She lives in Brandon and is creative director at the Ruth Stone House.

Now, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, whom President Donald Trump appointed in 2017 and who wears a Trump lapel pin, is threatening to mess with licensing while he seeks to limit free-speech protections. He told senators in a recent hearing that it should be no surprise that he is aligned with Trump on policy. And when a senator pointed out that the FCC’s website described it as an “independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress,” the website was suddenly changed and the word “independent” removed from its mission statement.

Where does that leave the public? No independent, nonpartisan FCC; more corporate-owned markets; fewer diverse, independent media outlets; and more AI. This should have us all in a panic.

But with so many urgent Trumpgenerated distractions hitting the headlines every day, it’s easy to lose sight of what is quietly disappearing behind the scenes. Speak out for public, independent media.

Sally Ballin SOUTH BURLINGTON

ESSAY ‘RINGS HOLLOW’

[Re “Farm Porch Politics: An Essay on Pleasantries, Plurality and a Path Forward,” January 7]: To tell a story holding up neighborliness as a cure for division, yet omitting any mention of the issues dividing us, rings hollow in this time when we are seeing more clearly than ever how some people are denied the right to even be neighbors on equal footing.

Yes, we need relationships across differences. But good relationships require respect and understanding in both directions. Tell me a story about your neighbor who supports President Donald Trump defending his trans nephew’s right to own a gun. About your neighbor chewing out his son’s buddies for writing slurs on a Black family’s mailbox. About your neighbor hosting his cousin’s daughter from Texas so she can get an abortion. About your neighbor helping the Afghan family down the street dig a hole to bury their beloved dog.

We have a common enemy: Trump and the rest of the ultrarich who squeeze more and more proﬁt from regular folk and provoke us into ﬁghting each other over the scraps. But as long as your neighbor believes Trump that our collective problems are the fault of the immigrants, or the trans people, or the liberals, a majority of Vermonters are in danger.

Having an identity separate from politics is the privilege of those who are

not being politically persecuted for who they are. Author Lucas Farrell sounds like a wonderful neighbor, but please don’t add his voice to the long, long list of white men asking the rest of us to play nice as we are stripped of our rights.

Marisa Keller MONTPELIER

‘REAL NEIGHBORLINESS’

[Re “Farm Porch Politics: An Essay on Pleasantries, Plurality and a Path Forward,” January 7]: Why is it that calls for finding common ground, reaching across the aisle and “neighborliness” are always about accommodating supporters of President Donald Trump? Where are the essays about white neighbors listening to Black neighbors fearful of hate crimes, or to immigrants fearful of deportation?

The author claims to uplift “eclectic” voices yet names only business owners, teachers and doctors — no LGBTQIA, BIPOC or other folks explicitly targeted by Trump.

Pleasantries can build trust, I agree. But if they never lead to grappling with real conflict, they simply reinforce the status quo. The author’s claim that we merely inhabit “different realities” falsely equates conspiracy theories and lies with facts. These are not equal narratives. As journalist Maria Ressa reminds us: Without facts there is no truth. Without truth, no trust; without trust, no democracy. The internet has deepened divisions, but it has also supercharged misinformation — central to Trump’s movement — through algorithms that profit from fear and rage.

It’s ironic that the author invokes Simone Weil and Hannah Arendt — both

fierce critics of fascism. Arendt’s warning about the “banality of evil” is especially relevant: In fascism, harm toward the marginalized is enabled by people who do not look like monsters or villains but are nonetheless complicit in the erosion of democratic norms, the normalization of political violence and the targeting of vulnerable communities.

If we want real neighborliness — and a functioning democracy — we must build deeper, more honest connections and coalitions, especially with those most at risk, and move forward together.

Rebecca Jones BRATTLEBORO

SCHOOLS ARE COMMUNITY CENTERS

[Re “Lawmakers Plan to Tackle Education Reform, Health Care,” January 6]: Instead of closing rural schools, what if we open them? In these times, we need more community interaction. What if,

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Settling the Score

NEWS+POLITICS 14

An equal pay lawsuit against the Burlington School District ends in a nearly $500,000 award

All Wet?

Sky Barsch to Step Down as CEO of VTDigger

Gov. Phil Scott wants to relax wetlands regs to spur housing construction. Critics say the change would endanger the environment — and homes.

BERNiE’S BURLiNGTON

FEATURES 26

Pedal to the Medal Meet the Vermont-connected Olympians who are going for gold at the 2026 Winter Games

ARTS+CULTURE 42

Hearts of the West eater review: Fool for Love, Shaker Bridge eatre

An Apple a Day Vermonters are struggling with the rising costs of health insurance, and some are choosing to go without

We Are the Champions Kent Monkman paints history at monumental scale with a queer, Indigenous brush in Montréal Get Bach

Christopher O’Riley and Matt Haimovitz decode the master of Baroque with their Bach Dialogues

Saving Grace

Burlington singer-songwriter Grace Palmer embraces authenticity in her music as she gets ready to drop a new record

is Valentine’s Day, express your love — or whatever’s in your heart — to someone special in the pages of this ﬁne newspaper.

Surprise your partner, pal, parent or pet with a personalized and public Valentine’s post printed in Seven Days on February 12. All messages from simple props to marriage proposals are encouraged!

Order your Cardy-o-grams ($14/message) by noon on Friday, February 6, at: sevendaysvt.com/heart

MAGNIFICENT

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK BY REBECCA DRISCOLL

Submit your upcoming events at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

THURSDAY 29

Group Project

Queer performing arts company Between the Willows summons theatergoers to Burlington’s Radio Bean for e Newest Plays You’ve Never Seen. e hourlong showing of freshly minted works — created in the course of one day by local theater groups — sparks artistic cross-pollination, encourages creativity and cultivates community for folks both on and off the stage.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 58

SATURDAY 31

Biting Tongue

ONGOING LEGENDS OF THE WALL

Rarely quiet, often problematic and always fearless comic Kathy Grifﬁn delivers jaw-dropping bits and sharp wit at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington. In “New Face, New Tour,” the outspoken Emmy winner and Guinness World Record holder — for 20 televised standup specials! — reminds the audience why she’s remained ﬁrmly planted in the popculture zeitgeist for more than 40 years.

SEE CLUB LISTING ON PAGE 55

SATURDAY 31

Powder to the People

FRIDAY 30 & SATURDAY 31

What the World Needs

Nothing says amour quite like a candlelit dinner with Burt Bacharach’s rich, lilting vocals in the background.

e Mark Morris Dance Group taps into that timeless romantic energy with its heartfelt homage “ e Look of Love Hopkins Center for the Arts in Hanover, N.H. e music icon’s chart-topping tunes ﬁnd new life with dreamy choreography and soaring live accompaniment.

Vermont Center for Photography’s “Icons in Hand: Masterworks From a Local Collection” boasts 37 museum-caliber black-andwhite photos by 31 inﬂuential artists. e must-see Brattleboro exhibition stuns with remarkable original prints by lionized visionaries of the ﬁeld, including Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Dorothea ” at the Lange and Robert Mapplethorpe.

Head for the chills! Sleepy Hollow Inn’s annual Full Moon Ski Party beckons snow sports enthusiasts to Huntington for a lunar-lit run to remember. A free Nordic ski lesson kick-starts the al fresco evening, followed by a treasure hunt on the trails, live music and food trucks. A steamy spiked cider awaits rednosed revelers 18-plus, while s’mores and hot cocoa keep kiddos’ hands warm around the bonﬁre.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 60

SATURDAY 31 & SUNDAY 1

What You Sow

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 58

Billings Farm & Museum’s Woodstock Vermont Film Series continues with weekend showings of Brittany Shyne’s deeply moving 2025 documentary Seeds. Fresh off the festival circuit, the acclaimed ﬁlm — shot in striking black-and-white — serves as both a sobering requiem and an emotional celebration of the long-standing legacy of Black farmers in the American South.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 60

SUNDAY 1

Polar Party

Eagerly awaited outdoor festival Ice on Fire heats things up with the warmth of community at the Montpelier Country Club. Midwinter’s deep cold is no match for an exuberant potpourri of events, including a costume- and puppet-filled parade, live music, dancing, storytelling, theater, and poetry. e frosty fête wraps up with a closing ceremony, fire spinning and a blazing bonfire.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 61

From left: Photos by Emmet Gowin, Ruth Orkin and André Kertész

‘Don’t Watch If This Will Upset You’

On Saturday morning, at 10:58 a.m., my friend Jackie in Minneapolis texted me a video headlined “Another ICE murder in front of Glam Doll Donuts.” A local citizen had ﬁlmed and posted it on the social media platform Reddit.

Jackie followed up with a number of individual texts: “don’t watch if this will upset you”

“they just executed someone”

“that is 2 blocks from Than’s waldorf school”

“happened about an hour ago”

“crowds are gathering”

“the civil war could start right here”

Almost two hours after my friend sounded the alarm, I got the ﬁrst breaking-news alert from the Boston Globe, which linked to an Associated Press report on the fatal encounter between a protester and federal agents — the second this month in the Twin Cities.

The AP found another eyewitness video that showed more angles of the incident, which involved an agent from the U.S. Border Patrol, not Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Over the next 48 hours came a barrage of stories, updates, follow-ups and statements. Perhaps most extraordinary among them was the official response of the administration of President Donald Trump.

videos — primary-source documents — have as much power to check the president as the Wall Street Journal. Its Sunday editorial online called for Trump to “pause” ICE action in Minneapolis, noting that “Americans don’t want law enforcement shooting people in the street or arresting ﬁve-year-old boys.”

By Sunday night, the Journal was promoting an exclusive interview with Trump in which he said his administration was “reviewing everything” about the shooting.

Meanwhile, “people are enraged, stressed, heartbroken — but maintaining their commitments to neighbors and to vulnerable people here,” according to another friend in Minneapolis, Philip Bither, who left Vermont, and a top job at the Flynn, in 1997 to join the Walker Art Center. He and his wife marched in the citywide strike the day before the shooting. “We know these intersections, blocks and neighborhoods well — shocking to see them on international news sites.”

My friend Jackie was more direct: “If this doesn’t change something, we are doomed.”

IN THIS CASE, THE REAL HEROES AREN’T JOURNALISTS; THEY’RE BYSTANDERS WITH PHONES.

Anti-ICE protesters

Waterbury on Sunday

Instead of promising an investigation using neutral language to lower the temperature — as law enforcement agencies routinely do after an o cer shoots someone — the White House amped up the rhetoric, defaming the victim as a gun-toting domestic terrorist whose goal was to “massacre” federal agents.

The videos tell a di erent story, of a man coming to the aid of another protester who had been pushed to the ground. Shortly after Alex Pretti, 37, was killed, his parents weighed in, calling out the administration’s “sickening lies” about their son. Using the video footage for reference, they insisted that Alex was not holding a gun but a phone in his right hand. They noted that his empty left hand was raised above his head and he was trying to protect a woman on the ground, “all while being pepper sprayed.”

“Please get the truth out about our son,” they said. “He was a good man.”

The truth is a hard thing to ﬁnd in the hours immediately after an event like this. I turned to a variety of sources, including a new one for me: Heather Cox Richardson, a Boston College history professor with a Substack newsletter, Letters From an American, about “the history behind today’s politics.” I tuned in to her 36-minute video on “The Killing of Alex Pretti: What we know so far.” Seated before a nautical chart of the Maine coastline, with frameless specs and her hair pulled back tight, the historian carefully shared only the facts she had been able to conﬁrm.

I found her sober lecture to be oddly comforting.

Like it or not, this is how national news breaks and spreads in today’s chaotic and dangerous world. In this case, the real heroes aren’t journalists; they’re bystanders with phones. Those amateur

Journalists can’t be everywhere, all the time, but even if we miss the action in real time, we can help make sense of it. Trustworthy, fact-checked reporting is more important than ever.

On Sunday morning, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott put out a statement condemning the federal immigration operations in Minneapolis. The Republican expressed uncharacteristic outrage, saying, “Enough … it’s not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights to protest their government.”

Seven Days deputy news editor Sasha Goldstein interrupted his weekend to write a breaking story about the gov’s reaction, and reporter Kevin McCallum added photos and quotes from a protest in Waterbury. News editor Matthew Roy edited and published the post.

Have no doubt: If anything like what’s happening in Minneapolis should go down here, Seven Days will be on the ground, covering it.

Paula Routly

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KEVIN MCCALLUM

EDUCATION

Settling the Score

An equal pay lawsuit against the Burlington School District ends in a nearly $500,000 award

BY ALISON NOVAK • alison@sevendaysvt.com

In fall 2019, the Burlington High School girls’ soccer team went viral. After scoring a game-winning goal against South Burlington, the athletes lifted up their jerseys to reveal shirts emblazoned with the phrase #EQUALPAY. They’d designed them over the summer to raise awareness about the wage gap between men and women.

The feel-good story was picked up by Anderson Cooper, National Public Radio and others. The team was recognized in a resolution by the Burlington City Council. Pro soccer phenom Abby Wambach gave the young women a shout-out on Twitter.

As Burlington High School’s athletic director at the time, Jeanne Hulsen had a front-row seat for the fanfare. She was proud of the players and shelled out $25 for her own #EQUALPAY jersey.

Behind the scenes, though, Hulsen felt conﬂicting emotions. Four years earlier, she had learned she was underpaid

compared to other athletic directors in Chittenden County, all of whom were men. She presented her ﬁndings to the Burlington district leadership, to no avail.

Then, in 2020, less than a year after the soccer team stood up for #EQUALPAY, Hulsen was dealt another blow. She

WOMEN OFTEN DON’T SPEAK UP, LET ALONE FILE A LAWSUIT, WHEN THEY LEARN THEY’RE BEING PAID LESS.

received an email from the human resources department saying her position was being eliminated in favor of a new one: head of athletics for the district. Hulsen, then 59, applied for the role, but it went to a man who was decades younger — at

Sky Barsch to Step Down as CEO of VTDigger

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM kevin@sevendaysvt.com

e top executive at online news site VTDigger is stepping down after about three years on the job. Schuyler “Sky” Barsch will remain CEO until June 1. Digger announced her departure in a story it published on Tuesday.

Barsch joined the outlet in April 2023 after working as a vice president of sponsorships and market strategy at Chalkbeat, an education news nonproﬁt. Before that she had stints in local and national media, including roles at the Burlington Free Press, the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and the Nation magazine.

Barsch took the helm of Digger after founder Anne Galloway left in 2022. Over 13 years, Galloway grew the online organization into the largest newsroom in the state.

Barsch told Seven Days that the decision was a difﬁcult one.

“ ere is never a good time to leave, but I feel like we’re in such a stronger position than we were three years ago,” she said.

a starting salary substantially higher than Hulsen’s pay after 22 years on the job.

That sent her on a five-year fight to right what she perceived as the wrong done by her longtime employer. Last November, the district agreed to pay Hulsen $475,000 to settle the lawsuit she filed in U.S. District Court in November 2020. Hulsen’s lawyer, John Franco, said his research indicates Hulsen’s is likely the nation’s largest equal-pay settlement case in the public sector for a single plainti .

District o cials still believe Hulsen’s claim was “baseless” and were conﬁdent about prevailing at trial, according to spokesperson Russ Elek. But the district’s insurance company made the decision to settle the case.

For Hulsen, the result feels like justice, as well as a symbolic victory for the many women who have been subject to pay discrimination.

When Barsch took over in 2023, the organization had just lost more than $1 million, she told Seven Days on Tuesday. In response, the outlet didn’t ﬁll some open positions, closed its satellite Burlington ofﬁce in 2023 and moved its main digs in Montpelier to smaller quarters, she said. at helped shrink the loss to about $700,000 in 2023 and $100,000 in 2024, she said. A similar loss was anticipated for 2025, she said.

Barsch gave credit for the organization’s turnaround to its “dynamite” board and committed journalists, particularly Pulitzer Prize-winning editor-in-chief Geeta Anand.

Digger and the union that represents 14 editorial staffers have been in negotiations for nearly a year. Staffers are concerned the organization wants the right to use artiﬁcial intelligence in the production of news stories.

Barsch said Digger already uses AI for limited tasks, such as transcribing interviews, but everything is reviewed by humans who are and will remain integral to the organization.

“I just want to keep an open mind about technology for the future,” Barsch said. ➆

Sky Barsch

Jeanne Hulsen

All Wet?

Gov. Phil Scott wants to relax wetlands regs to spur housing construction. Critics say the change would endanger the environment — and homes.

BY JOHN DILLON

Gov. Phil Scott has proposed rolling back some state wetlandprotections to spur housing development — a move critics say would be bad for the environment and impede efforts to make Vermont more flood resilient.

The changes would be the most significant overhaul of wetland regulations in decades. They stem from Scott’s September executive order aimed at what he called “well-intentioned, but now counterproductive” environmentalprotection measures.

ENVIRONMENT

He’s proposed two major changes: First, he wants to reduce the size of the required buffer zone between a housing development and a protected wetland from 50 to 25 feet.

Second, he’d allow housing to be built on unmapped wetlands in specified growth areas and on land exempt from the Act 250 development review law. The “unmapped” part is key: This change would allow residential development on significant wetlands that have been identified by field studies — but haven’t yet been protected by inclusion on the state’s official maps, known as the Vermont Significant Wetlands Inventory.

Developers often order the field surveys as part of the pre-permitting work for major projects. As those rules now stand, any significant wetland found in such a field survey is protected from being drained or filled even if it is not yet included on the state inventory maps. Those maps, originally drawn from high-altitude photography, are constantly being updated.

“Having the [wetlands] determination based solely on how well the maps were drawn based on aerial survey is a very large change,” said Laura Lapierre, the state’s wetlands program manager at the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Scott’s proposed rule changes are being fast-tracked by the Agency of Natural Resources and have been endorsed enthusiastically by developers, who say they would make the permitting process speedier and more predictable.

Environmentalists and wetland scientists have criticized the changes. They say wetlands benefit both humans and the ecosystem, including for drought resilience and flood prevention.

A proposed housing development in Barre, where the governor grew up, offers a real-world example of what could happen on the ground with the weaker wetland rules. Under the administration’s proposal, wetlands that are now protected in Barre could be drained and filled for house sites.

As the name implies, Prospect Heights is planned for a hilly, undeveloped 34-acre parcel that sits high above downtown Barre. The site includes three wetland areas. One that stretches across the length of the property has been “field

WE’RE VERY SENSITIVE TO THE NEED FOR HOUSING, BUT BUILDING IN WETLANDS IS NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BUILD HOUSING. JON GROVEMAN

delineated” — meaning the project’s environmental consultants have documented it through field visits. But it’s not yet on the map of the state’s significant wetlands inventory.

Indeed, 66 percent of the known wetlands on Prospect Heights aren’t on the state’s map, Lapierre said. If the rules took effect, a developer could build on them.

Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon, a major booster of the project, said the changes proposed by the governor mean more housing for the city.

DISCOVER THE PEACE OF MIND of being outside of the city in a neighborhood that oﬀers a rare blend of convenience and tranquility. Schedule your tour of Village at Autumn Pond and see why our residents love it here.

“We were around 90 units under the old rules. That could be expanded to around 110 units with the new rules,” Lauzon said. “This project would clearly beneﬁt from the implementation of these [new] rules. No doubt about it.”

Lauzon is a longtime ally of Gov. Scott, a friend from high school days, and has contributed to his campaigns. He said he did not speak to the governor about the wetlands issue affecting Prospect Heights before the proposed rules were released. But Lauzon said he did lobby in the legislature last year for a bill to reduce the bu er size. That bill didn’t pass. He said he’s also talked to Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore about shrinking the required wetlands protection bu er zone to allow more housing on the property.

“I spoke to the secretary about that, and she did not have an objection,” he said. “She said that she thought a 25-foot bu er is appropriate.”

Moore said she does not recall that speciﬁc conversation, though she did talk to the mayor about the rule change in general.

In Moore’s view, the governor’s wetlands proposal provides a needed rebalancing as the state seeks to build more housing in designated growth areas.

“The current framework really puts wetlands first and everything else as a follow-on consideration,” she said.

Concentrating housing in designated areas like Prospect Heights is good for the environment overall because it reduces sprawl, she said. And building more housing there would lower the per-unit cost and make the homes more a ordable, she added.

Prospect Heights is planned as a partnership between the City of Barre and a private developer who has not yet been selected. But city o cials working with a nonproﬁt community development corporation have done the bulk of the prep work. They’ve won about $9 million in state and federal grants to buy the land and to pay for needed infrastructure such as sewer and water lines. The public funding requires about 40 percent of the units to be built as a ordable housing.

Lauzon is described on the project’s website as a mayor “with a history of making big things happen.” As a hustler and a visionary with a mission to reinvigorate Barre, Lauzon often lives up to that billing. Under his leadership — he served six terms as mayor from 2006 to 2018 and returned to office in 2024 — Barre has attracted new state o ces downtown and planned a number of housing projects, including Prospect Heights.

Wetlands Changes and a Barre Project

Proposed changes to the state’s wetland regulations would allow developers to build on land previously mapped as wetlands by wetland consultants. e proposed Prospect Heights development in Barre offers an example of how the rule change will affect development.

EXISTING VT. WETLANDS RULES

Proposed Prospect Heights housing development in

A 50-foot no-build buffer exists around wetlands. A professional reviews sites in the ﬁeld to determine where wetlands are.

PROPOSED VT. WETLANDS RULES

e buffer would decrease to 25 feet. Builders would rely on Vermont Agency of Natural Resources wetlands maps, not an in-person site review. If wetlands aren't on the maps, the restrictions wouldn't apply.

Lauzon owns and develops commercial property in Vermont and beyond. But he said he doesn’t focus on residential construction and won’t bid to develop the Prospect Heights project.

“That is way out of our wheelhouse,” he said. He noted that he’s “lobbied tirelessly” for the project, adding: “I’ve got enough controversy in my life.”

Of course, the changes in wetlands rules would a ect projects statewide. Patrick O’Brien, vice president of S.D. Ireland, a Williston development and construction

BARRETOWN

Wetlands included on current state maps

Additional wetlands documented by a consultant. Because they aren’t on state maps, they would not be protected from development.

company, said the governor’s proposal would add predictability to the process and save developers both time and money.

The most important changes concern the state’s wetland maps, he said. That’s because if Scott’s proposal goes forward, developers could simply rely on those maps — rather than conducting field surveys to identify any areas that haven’t been mapped. “That alone, just being able to have a mapping tool that the [Agency of Natural Resources] has already blessed, will be a huge help,” he said.

S.D. Ireland is perhaps best known for its shamrock logo and company cement trucks festooned with Christmas lights during the holidays. It’s also a major home builder. O’Brien said the rule changes would mean his team could save valuable time by using the state map to sketch site plans.

“If they’re not adopted, I would have to wait until around the middle of May to have the consultant delineate the wetlands, have the surveyor put those wetlands on the map, then commence my drawing and permitting process,” he said.

Barre

SOURCES: CITY OF BARRE; VERMONT AGENCY OF NATURAL RESOURCES

site of the proposed Prospect Heights housing development in Barre

PHOTO BY JOHN DILLON; GRAPHIC BY JOHN JAMES

O’Brien said the rule changes are an example of the kind of compromise society has made over the years as it weighs environmental protection versus the demand for new housing.

“I think the world has been balancing the need for housing and the need for protection of resources for centuries,” he said. “I think this is a small step that doesn’t overstep Mother Nature’s needs.”

But what O’Brien sees as a needed compromise, others call a rollback of important environmental protections.

Dori Barton, a wetlands scientist with Arrowwood Environmental in Huntington, spoke at a December hearing on the rule changes.

ﬂooding,” he said, noting the importance of wetlands in soaking up ﬂoodwaters.

Groveman said the state lacks the legal authority to declare housing an “allowed use” in wetlands. He said the proposed rules — if they took e ect — could be challenged in court. But he said VNRC would prefer to work with the Scott administration to ﬁnd ways to build more housing without damaging valuable natural resources.

“We’re very sensitive to the need for housing, but building in wetlands is not where you want to build housing,” he said. “That will put development in harm’s way. And they don’t have the authority to do it.”

Groveman said allowing development in known but unmapped wetlands would run counter to both the science and the law. “It’s a giant departure for how we protected wetlands for the last 30 years,” he said. “There’s not a systemic problem that calls for blowing a hole in the wetlands protection statute in the state of Vermont.”

PATRICK O’BRIEN

“I think we’re going to see increased flooding from fill, loss of flood storage capacity, loss of wildlife habitat for food, nesting and shelter,” she said. “We will have increased erosion. We will have decreased water quality from stormwater and sediment.”

Barton has 30 years of experience in identifying wetlands. She also made the perhaps more obvious point that it’s simply not wise to build on wet ground. “Building in wetlands most often results in structural problems for landowners,” she said, including rot, mold and basement ﬂooding.

“I can’t tell you how many projects I’ve been pulled in on where I’ve seen the impacts of building on wetlands from years ago. And I thought we were kind of past that as a state,” she said. “It’s really disappointing to see that we are turning the clock back in terms of actually suggesting that building in wetlands is a good idea to address this housing crisis.”

Barton and others said the proposed rules conflict with a law the legislature passed in 2024 after catastrophic flooding. That law calls for a net increase in wetlands statewide, citing their importance in flood prevention.

Jon Groveman, policy and water program director at the Vermont Natural Resources Council, called the proposed wetlands rules a “shocking overreach” by the administration.

“We just passed a law to have a net gain of wetlands because we’re getting all this

George Springston, a wetlands scientist and assistant professor at Norwich University, said the maps are incomplete.

“Although they have been substantially improved in recent years, these maps ... are completely inadequate substitutes for on-the-ground wetland delineations,” he said.

Lapierre, the wetlands program manager, said officials are now sifting through numerous comments on the proposed changes. Many were critical and pointed out the disconnect between the 2024 law that says the state needs more wetlands and potential new regulations that could lead to wetland destruction.

The proposed rules will have to be considered by a joint legislative committee before they are enacted. If the committee rejects the rules, environmentalists would have a stronger legal argument in a court challenge.

Meanwhile, Lapierre’s office has delayed for now its work on rules that would implement the 2024 ﬂood mitigation law and its mandate for a net gain in wetlands.

“We received the executive order and had to pivot,” she said. “And that’s part of the job.”

In Barre, Mayor Lauzon said the rule change would be welcome but isn’t a make-or-break issue for the new neighborhood above Prospect Street.

“Regardless of what happens, Prospect Heights will move forward,” he said. “Whether it’s 90 or 110 [units], it’s going to make 90 or 110 couples and singles and families very happy. We need the housing.” ➆

“This is a common story, but to fight it is very uncommon,” Hulsen said. “It’s so hard to do.”

Though some see gender inequality as a problem that’s been solved, data suggest it’s still pervasive. A report released last month by Vermont Works for Women and two partner organizations found that in 2023, women working full time in the state earned 86 cents for every dollar paid to men, which translates to $9,000 less in annual earnings. The gap is even larger between women and men with advanced degrees.

But women often don’t speak up, let alone file a lawsuit, when they learn they’re being paid less, often for fear of retaliation. University of Vermont professor emerita of economics Stephanie Seguino, who served as an expert witness for Hulsen, said “societal gender bias” in the workplace persists despite laws to address it.

“Women are constantly given the message that they’re not as productive, not as good and deserving as men,” Seguino said.

Hulsen is used to operating in maledominated spaces. A multisport athlete who grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., she was the only girl on the varsity boys’ tennis team in high school and has coached at Middlebury College and the University of Vermont, where she earned her master’s degree in recreational management. When she was a high school athletic director — first in Herkimer, N.Y., then in Burlington — most of her counterparts were men. Nationally, just 12 to 15 percent of school athletic directors are female, according to the Vermont Principals’ Association.

When Hulsen was hired by the Burlington School District in 1998, her salary was $30,000, or about $48,000 in 2020 dollars, according to her lawsuit. Despite her low pay, she said she was proud of what she accomplished in Burlington: helping to bring in new sports including lacrosse, volleyball, ultimate frisbee and girls’ ice hockey, and overseeing construction of a multimillion-dollar outdoor athletic complex with a turf field, bathrooms and a concession stand.

she would need to reapply for the job if it had higher compensation — and might not be rehired.

At the end of the 2014-15 school year, Hulsen’s full-time assistant retired, and the district hired a replacement in a halftime role. That meant Hulsen had to take on extra administrative duties without more pay, she said.

This phenomenon, in which women are given additional responsibilities in the workplace and at home without compensation or recognition, is referred to by feminist economists as “invisible work,” Seguino noted.

After her request for a raise was rebuffed, Hulsen said she came to believe there was nothing she could do. When the pandemic hit in March 2020, she busied herself with online meetings and trying to learn the changing guidelines for school sports.

THOUGH SOME SEE GENDER INEQUALITY AS A PROBLEM THAT’S BEEN SOLVED, DATA SUGGEST IT’S STILL PERVASIVE.

She assumed work would look different when she returned in fall 2020. But in June, weeks before her contract expired, she received the email that said her position would be terminated in favor of a new district-level head of athletics, who would also oversee sports at the district’s two middle schools.

Elek, the district spokesperson, said the high school’s sports parent-teacher organization, Seahorse Pride, had started advocating for a change in the athletic director position years earlier. But it took until 2020 for the administration and school board to agree to restructure the job.

Hulsen applied and had what she described as a “pro forma” virtual interview that went nowhere. According to Elek, the hiring committee determined she was not among the three strongest candidates.

say you saw it in

In spring 2015, Hulsen said, she enlisted the help of the high school’s then-principal, Amy Mellencamp, to advocate for a raise. Mellencamp and Hulsen met with the interim superintendent, Howard Smith, to present to him the salary comparison of athletic directors in Chittenden County.

According to Hulsen, Smith rejected the idea of a pay increase, warning that

In the middle of the pandemic and at nearly 60 years old, Hulsen found herself with no job or health insurance. She said she was particularly hurt that no one from the district thanked her for her 22 years of service.

“Quite frankly, I was traumatized,” she said.

What spurred Hulsen to sue the district, though, was learning that the person who got the job, Quaron Pinckney

— a man in his late twenties with just a few years of relevant experience — would be paid almost $96,000 to start. That’s on par with other area athletic directors, but substantially more than the $70,000 Hulsen had earned in her final year. The athletics assistant position was also bumped up from half- to full-time after Hulsen left, according to court documents.

Pinckney still works for the district and made more than $117,000 in fiscal year 2024, according to the city’s most recent annual report.

To prove a claim of an equal pay violation, one must show that a man is being paid more than a woman to do a comparable job, explained Franco, the Burlington attorney who represented Hulsen. It is not necessary to prove discriminatory intent — only a discriminatory result.

Still, it felt to Hulsen and Franco that they were up against long odds. The school district argued that the pay differential had to do with the addition of more responsibilities in the newly defined role, including oversight of middle school sports and more administrative and supervisory duties.

“Clearly, based on the significant expansion of responsibilities, an increased rate of pay was appropriate and necessary,” Elek said in a statement.

Hulsen and her legal team, meanwhile, maintained that her workload was comparable to the new director of athletics and that she worked more days per year.

Hulsen and Franco were both particularly incensed when the school district’s lawyers, in a motion filed last October, implied that gender-based discrimination was largely a problem of the past, stating that the district could not be held responsible for “general societal ills.”

But just weeks before the case was set to go to trial, on November 12, Hulsen

and the district reached a settlement.

The district’s insurer will pay $295,000 directly to Hulsen for lost wages and benefits, and $180,000 to cover her legal fees. The district’s legal expenses — in excess of $150,000 — were also covered by the insurer, according to Elek, the district spokesperson.

Had the district rejected the insurance company’s decision to settle, Elek said, it would have been on the hook for all legal fees associated with fighting the lawsuit in court, rather than just the $5,000 deductible and payroll taxes it paid as part of the settlement.

Under the agreement, “no party makes any admission concerning the strength or weakness of any claim or admits any liability,” the settlement states.

But the district has softened its stance on that inflammatory court filing last fall.

Tom Flanagan, the current Burlington superintendent, said in a statement that the district “recognizes that the gender wage gap is a real, prevalent issue in society, and we regret that the motion submitted by our legal team was not clear on this.”

“Our equity policies lead our HR team to review salaries annually for equity,” Flanagan’s statement read. “If we identify a pay discrepancy, we correct it as promptly as possible.”

Today, Hulsen works part time at the EDGE and is still playing competitive tennis and pickleball at age 65. She regrets the way her career ended but said she hopes her story will encourage other women to advocate for themselves in the workplace, just as she was inspired by the women who fought for equal pay before she did.

“It’s so important to keep walking that path,” Hulsen said. “You can lose rights, you can lose opportunities, if you don’t keep walking that path.” ➆

The Burlington High School girls’ varsity soccer team in 2019

BOH PRESENTS

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like Hardwick’s Civic Standard, we work to build ways to get people together?

What if rural school buildings become multiage community centers? Kids wouldn’t have to spend hours on buses; older folks could read and discuss Goodnight Moon or Shakespeare, whittle, and crochet.

Rather than closing low-enrollment schools, let’s make them stronger. Imagine a community center for everyone! Imagine activities, educational opportunities and supportive programs for all. Our rural schools could receive broader financial support and become vibrant centers in our small towns.

I can hear the chorus of “no” and warnings of insurance, policies and regulations. But what if we turned those noes into yeses?

Imagine transforming space without spending millions. Close one door, open another. Imagine transforming our schools into multiage community centers.

Let’s not destroy the schools we spent decades building.

Think of your communities and the incredible resources we have here. Imagine the possibilities. Have fun; get together! Make that list of ideas! A child and senior daycare center, Friday night jam sessions, Saturday morning coffee and cartoons, Meals on Wheels, lawn mower and generator maintenance workshops ... School buses are last-mile transport.

Community is about building and opening, sharing and bonding. It is not about closing our rural schools. Don’t throw away the jillions of dollars and jillions of hours invested. Open up. Dream big!

Lori Barg COLCHESTER

NO-PHONE ZONE FOR COUNCILORS

Whether legal or not, the fact that Burlington’s Democratic city councilors were texting with each other during a meeting is unprofessional and alarming. They were caught by Seven Days reporter Courtney Lamdin [Backstory: “Best Seat in the House,” December 24, 2025; “On Message? Democrats on the Burlington City Council Talked Business — and Gossiped — in a Group Text Chain,” March 26, 2025].

I propose Burlington city councilors turn over their cellphones and tablets to a lockbox before the meeting, just as many students are required to do, so that they can pay attention to what they are there for.

Steph Holdridge BURLINGTON

‘SHOPPING AROUND’

So, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont says Vermonters have a “personal responsibility” to become “savvier consumers” in light of Vermont’s “health care affordability crisis” [“Manage Your Care: To Lower Health Costs, Vermont’s Largest Insurance Company Is Urging Patients to Shop Around,” January 14].

How odd to think that responsibility for the affordability crisis falls on the 600,000plus individual Vermonters who actually pay for every single health care dollar through premiums, taxes and out-of-pocket payments. What about the several institutions that comprise and control health care — the hospitals, the insurance companies, the regulators, the legislators?

And let’s see an example of what health care shopping might look like for a patient who needs some nonemergency surgery.

Drive 35 miles from home to get the cheapest blood work at hospital A. Drive back home. Next day, drive 20 miles to hospital B for the cheapest lung X-ray. Drive back home. Next week, drive 70 miles to hospital C for the cheapest surgery’s pre-op exam. Drive back home. Next week, drive 70 miles to hospital C for the surgery. Drive home after recovery.

That’s 390 miles round trip, assuming you don’t need to return to hospital C for problems or follow-up. Add in the hours spent locating the best “value” for each procedure. Add in the fact that there is no electronic records connection between hospitals A, B and C.

If that’s the solution, we are doomed. We need one of the universal care systems operating elsewhere around the planet. My preference is for a single-payer system.

Lee Russ BENNINGTON

FILE: DIANA BOLTON

about the running part. It was actually the motivation I needed to start experimenting — first, for a few days; later, a week; etc.

Unlike Flanders, it took me a few years to be able to forgo alcohol for an entire month. I definitely appreciate the achievability of a short-term health-promoting goal, like Dry (or dryish) January, and most years I participate in that goal.

My longer-term goal is to improve my skill at estimating how many U.S. standard drinks I’m consuming. Dietary guidelines used to say no more than one per day for women — which strikes me both as pretty low and really hard to estimate without servings somehow listed on labels or menus.

DON’T TRUST BCBS

[Re “Manage Your Care: To Lower Health Costs, Vermont’s Largest Insurance Company Is Urging Patients to Shop Around,” January 14]: Urging Vermonters to compare health costs is an excellent recommendation, but the company encouraging this activity cannot be trusted. Blue Cross Blue Shield is highly biased to urge lower-cost care; it pays for the medical care. It is unlikely BCBS cares about patients’ finances over its own economic issues.

BCBS recently dropped Medicare Vermont Blue Advantage for most of the state’s counties, leaving older Vermonters scrambling for health care. BCBS didn’t care about Medicare patients.

My husband, with brain cancer, has had many MRIs. As a physician, I trust all Vermont medical centers for imaging. We go to UVM Health, as his oncologist works there. But I do not trust BCBS expressing “concerns” about patients. It is all about money to them.

Julia V. Johnson NORTH HERO

DRINKING PROBLEMS

I really liked Colin Flanders’ reflective article about drinking [Backstory: “Biggest Eye-Opener,” December 24, 2025; “Vermont’s Hangover: The Green Mountain State Has Long Had a Drinking Problem. It’s Time to Talk About It,” March 19, 2025].

I’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about my drinking habits. Twelve years ago, a friend told me that they weren’t drinking for a month in order to prepare for a running race. I remember thinking to myself, I could never do that — and it wasn’t

As long as you know the number of ounces in your cup and the alcohol by volume of your drink, you can calculate it, but many times we don’t have those two pieces of information. Other countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom label standard drinks per container, which seems like a logical way to help people make informed choices about their drinking.

Why don’t we do the same here?

Marielle Matthews BURLINGTON

PRO TIP FOR BORDER CROSSERS

Last week’s “Dividing Line” [January 21] has a picture of a U.S. Border Patrol officer with an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror, in violation of 23 V.S.A.1125, which prohibits placing anything on or over transparent parts of a car’s windshield, except the rearview mirror itself or specific items like inspection stickers or toll transponders.

This may be a minor point, but violation of said statute is often used as a pretext for a traffic stop. If you are at all concerned or have friends who should be concerned about being stopped, hang your air freshener, fuzzy dice or whatever somewhere else.

MORE AFFORDABLE NEST

In theory your Nest supplement [January 21] sounds nice. Warm, fuzzy, possibly some great ideas. However, what I’ve witnessed are articles about people with six-digit incomes able to hire their own architects and potters who make teapots that sell for $180 to $250 [“World Cuppa: Getting the Tea on a Globally Brewed Beverage and Locally Crafted Pots,” January 21].

Come on, Seven Days ! Aren’t you aware that these are things the average

Mike Lamp BARNET

‘ORDER THE VERMONT BEER’

I want to extend a sincere thank-you to Jordan Barry for the depth of reporting behind [“New Beer Resolutions,” January 7]. The piece captures the real pressures facing breweries right now: rising costs, tari uncertainty, shifting drinking habits and broader economic challenges. Over the past year, small breweries producing fewer than 2,000 barrels annually have experienced average raw material increases of roughly 17 percent, squeezing already-thin margins across the country and here in Vermont.

At the same time, this moment reﬂects a period of adjustment rather than decline, as breweries respond to changing tastes and economic realities. Barry’s reporting shows how many are doing just that — focusing on quality ﬂagships, strengthening taproom experiences and expanding options such as nonalcoholic beer — while remaining rooted in their communities.

vernacular, the article about the Department for Children and Families’ main data systems noted that the failure was “triggered when a system was updated” [“Computer Outage Disrupted Tracking of Children in DCF Care,” January 13, online].

The computer hardware didn’t fail; something about the update — incompatibility, perhaps, or how it was applied — caused a software crash. A more speciﬁc headline might have been: “Software Update Disrupted Tracking of Children in DCF Care.”

It would be interesting to dig into the cause a bit more. Why was the update applied? Is the antiquated hardware unable to accept OS updates? Are the technicians in charge insu ciently trained? Why couldn’t the update be immediately reversed?

The proposed $30 million to $50 million “to develop a new child welfare information system” seems like a very expensive outlay to “track adoptions, placements, and basic child and family information.” Perhaps some of this money could be better spent in more direct ways?

Vermonter can’t a ord? What about some articles about a ordable things we can do to spruce up our own nests? What about interviewing people with more realistic incomes that have done cool things with their homes on a budget?

So far, your Nest issue reads more for the likes of Stowe than it does for the rest of us. In the last issue, all we could do personally is “For the Birds,” and I guess that says it all.

Kelly Quenneville WOLCOTT

ADVICE FOR BREWERS

Thanks for the insightful cover story

[“New Beer Resolutions,” January 7]. Just to add what I hope is a reassuring

note: For better or for worse, the food and beverage industries are subject to the same market dynamics and whims as the worlds of fashion, automobiles, technology and tobacco.

I cut my teeth in the microbrewery industry, promoting beer and cider brands that were mostly unknown in the Boston area and beyond. Budweiser was king; dry beer and Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers were on their upward swing; Jim Koch of Samuel Adams and Boston Beer was himself conducting beer tastings in 80-seat restaurants; and Harpoon Brewery had just invested in a used bottling line in South Boston, while Catamount Brewery invested in all-new brewing equipment for its plant in White River Junction, since purchased by Harpoon.

Fortunately, there are now more adventurists willing to try new products, but we are still outnumbered by those who prefer to go with the latest popular wave: “I’ll have what they’re having.”

Keep your flagship going while innovating on new fronts to meet changing tastes and the next generation of consumers. Looking at mass-market analogies from the past — even our grandparents’ No. 1 beer brand, Schlitz, fell flat. Don’t abandon classic Coke for the New Coke.

With a foot ﬁrmly planted in each of two canoes, ﬁgure out a way to lash them together, and be ready to pivot!

Alain McMurtrie GREENSBORO

In Vermont, what’s at stake is bigger than any one trend. In 2024, Vermont’s breweries generated an estimated $460 million in economic impact — the highest per capita in the nation — supporting nearly 2,800 jobs. As Barry’s reporting makes clear, breweries are also vital community spaces that support tourism and local culture.

If this story makes you think about the last time you visited your neighborhood brewery — or the next time you’re at a restaurant deciding what to order — consider it a call to action. Buy the four-pack. Order the Vermont beer. Bring a friend to a taproom event. Those small choices matter, and they help sustain the independent breweries that contribute so much to Vermont’s culture and economy.

Emma Arian MONTPELIER

Arian is executive director of the Vermont Brewers Association.

CAN’T READ THE CROSSWORD

Could you kindly print the clues for the Seven Days crossword in larger type? Not necessarily huge, as in large-print books. The same size as the type in regular articles would su ce.

Maybe you could poll readers on their preference, if any — same type size or larger type size.

Sharon Faelten UNDERHILL

SOFTWARE CRASH COURSE

While I understand that the term “computer outage” is generally accepted

WEEKLY BLISS

When I was a kid, the newspapers all had the “funny pages.” That’s where we turned for “Peanuts” and “Beetle Bailey” and the rest of the comics, which were actually funny. Post-newspaper age, I pick up Seven Days most weeks because it’s free and the closest thing to a newspaper left. I still turn to the “Fun Stu ” ﬁ rst. Sadly, the comics are rarely funny. There is almost always a bitter political edge to all of them.

In the issue of January 14, Harry Bliss stepped out of the goo and gave us the dog in heaven greeting his human.

Greg Burbo MILTON

‘MADE MY DAY’

This was such a wholesome article that made my day [True 802: “An Apple a Day,” January 14]! The idea of Chris Edmunds painting every day has inspired me to sketch every day — a practice I’ve been very inconsistent with.

But more importantly, I would love to see a gallery of all of Chris’ paintings and have a fun time finding the apple in each painting. Like an I Spy book. Would be fun.

Steve Levy BURLINGTON

Claudia Dabrowski DUXBURY

lifelines

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

Beebe Callahan Gregoire

JANUARY 7, 1932-

JANUARY 8, 2026

ESSEX JUNCTION, VT.

Beebe Callahan Gregoire

passed away on January 8, 2026, one day after celebrating her 94th birthday.

Born in Montpelier, Vt., on January 7, 1932, to Edwin and Dorothy Callahan, Beebe was a loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

After her devoted husband, Donald, passed away in 1997, she lived on her own for the ﬁrst time in her life, managing her home independently and life with determination. While she tackled many of her home repairs, she needed to be convinced to stop climbing trees for limbing or ladders for gutter cleaning!

She also loved safer activities like sewing play clothes for her kids and baking chocolate chip cookies and apple pies. She and Donald were talented “do it yourselfers” and always were ready with a hammer and paintbrush as the children and later grandchildren began living in their own homes.

Beebe had beautiful gardens and shared many

Edward Alan Kazan

OCTOBER 22, 1946-JANUARY 17, 2026

SUNSET BEACH, N.C.

“Courage does not always roar; sometimes it’s a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying I will try again tomorrow.”

Edward Alan Kazan was born on October 22, 1946, in Woonsocket, R.I., the son of Stephen and Marie Kazan. He passed away on January 17, 2026, in Sunset Beach, N.C., where he and his wife, Lorraine, retired in 2004.

Edward married his childhood sweetheart on October 28, 1967. ey recently celebrated their 58th anniversary together. eir union was blessed with two children, Kevin and Kim.

perennials with friends and family over the years. She could work in her garden for hours. Anyone who knew Beebe well knew that weeds, especially creeping Charlie, were the bane of her existence. She found boundless joy in creating those beautiful gardens but only recently downsized to proliﬁc window boxes.

for the U.S. Navy. Upon retirement he received the Navy’s meritorious service medal.

As a youth, Ed was a member of the Order of DeMolay and served as a junior counselor until he attained the majority age of 21. He then joined his father as a Master Mason in Morning Star Blue Lodge in Woonsocket, R.I., at which time he also became an adviser to the youth in DeMolay.

Edward retired in 2004 after 27 years of federal government service. His last duty station was at the Naval Station in Newport, R.I., where he was the chief contracting ofﬁcer. He also served in Burlington, Vt., for the Defense Logistics Agency and in Groton, Conn.,

Ed was a spiritual man. He was a member of the board of directors at Central Baptist Church in Westerly, R.I., as well as a two term elder at Dunn’s Corner Community Church in Westerly. He was so proud to create and chair Shallotte Presbyterian Church’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament, which raised a total of $85,000, all of which was used to help those in need in the community.

Ed was a Vietnam veteran in the 4th Infantry Division, serving in the Central Highlands and Saigon areas. He was a lifelong member of the VFW and Disabled Veterans. His hope is that he left this life doing something to help those less

Beebe and her son, James, were loyal Celtics fans. During games, they could be heard jumping and shouting when the team was winning. In addition to being a devoted Celtics fan, she was very proud of her Irish heritage. Her home was decorated with little shamrocks, Irish blessings and quotes throughout. She grew nostalgic when she heard the old Irish ballads such as “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.”

Beebe’s love of music extended through many genres. She was fond of opera, especially Luciano Pavarotti. His “Nessun dorma” was her favorite song, both to listen to as well as to conduct from her armchair. Music moved her and made her happy all of her life and through her ﬁnal days.

While she cherished all of her children, she had

fortunate and also that he made his father and mother proud.

Ed loved playing basketball as a youth, and in retirement he enjoyed playing golf with his wife and many friends at Sea Trail. He was an avid Boston Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan and attended each team’s games in his younger years.

Ed’s brother preceded him in death in 1984; his son, Kevin, in 1995; and his sister in 2018. Ed is survived by his best friend, soulmate and loving wife, Lorraine, of 58 years. He is also survived by his loving daughter, Kim, in Providence, R.I., and her spouse, Stuart Linacre. He is further survived by his cousins, Sandra, Judy, Ginger, Greg, Kathy and Glenn. He has two godchildren, Ted Kazan and Wendy Casey, as well as a niece, Meg Kazan. He has a lifelong best friend and brother from another mother, Elliot Douglas, of Colchester, Vt.

His life was made complete when he fell in love with his wife, Lorraine, and he cherishes every moment they spent together. He is very proud of his daughter, Kim, and hopes that he had a small part in helping her to grow up to be a wonderful young lady. He is thankful for all the friends he made, especially in his retirement years living and playing golf at Sea Trail.

an unbreakable bond with her son, James. In recent months, her dementia began to cloud her sign language or ﬁnger spelling skills. Simply holding hands became enough.

Beebe showed much love for the partners her children brought into our lives. Jon Nealy, Kevin Gilbert and Doug Millette were much loved and like her sons. She is survived by her children, Marianne (Jon Nealy), Laurie (Kevin Gilbert), Barbara Gregoire and James Gregoire; her grandchildren, Allyson Shaloohey (Sebastian Bariteau), Derek Gilbert, Lauren Nealy (Lucas McLean) and Jacob Nealy; and her great-grandchildren, Gabriel and Clara Bariteau, Joseph and Lacey Gilbert, and Tully McLean. She is survived by her brother Ed Callahan of Peterborough,

Shirley Logan

MAY 29, 1950JANUARY 17, 2026

BURLINGTON, VT.

N.H., and many beloved nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Donald; brother Richard Callahan and his wife, Gerry; sister-in-law eresa; and friend Doug Millette. e family would like to thank hospice staff for their knowledgeable, kind and loving support. We are grateful for each of the nurses and caregivers at Our Lady of Providence Residential Care, who cared for Beebe like loving family.

A graveside service will be held on May 16, 2026, 11 a.m., at Fairview Cemetery in Essex Junction. A reception will follow the interment, with details to come. In lieu of ﬂowers, please send donations to a charity of your choice or to the University of Vermont Home Health & Hospice, 1110 Prim Rd., Colchester, VT 05446.

Shirley Logan of Burlington, Vt., died on January 17, 2026, in Granville, N.Y. Shirley was born in Philadelphia at Hahnemann Hospital to James and Lucille Harris on May 29, 1950. She attended Ludlow Elementary School and William Penn High School, where she graduated on June 21, 1967. Moving on with her life, she worked in the nursing field at nursing homes in Philadelphia. She attended Temple University for two years and became an office manager in the medical field for 20 years, working for Dr. Robert Kaplan.

Shirley moved to Vermont with her husband, David Logan, and was a beloved member of the First Baptist Church of Burlington, Vt. She was predeceased by her husband, David Logan, and her sister, Gwendolyn Harris. She leaves behind her sons, Acel, Myron and Donald, and her granddaughters, Nicole and Aiyana. Everyone loved Shirley. She was kind and would give her heart if she could.

“Sleep on, Shirley, get your rest;

We all loved you, but God loved you the best.”

Shirley’s memorial service will be on Friday, January 30, 2026, 2 p.m., at the First Baptist Church, 81 St. Paul St., Burlington. A visitation time will precede the service at 12:30 p.m. at the same location.

Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

OBITUARIES

Patricia Mosley

SEPTEMBER 7, 1947-JANUARY 18, 2026 ESSEX JUNCTION, VT.

In loving memory of Patricia Mosley, devoted mother, grandmother and longtime community therapist. Patricia died peacefully at home on January 18, 2026, at the age of 78.

Patricia was born on September 7, 1947. She was the eldest of three children of Charles and Margaret Katan. Her family resided in Flushing, Queens, for the first seven years of her life, where she formed lifelong cherished memories.

In her later childhood, the family moved to Danbury, Conn. She and her sister, Pam, had a special relationship that bridged into adulthood, and her brother, Gene, was forever her cherished “baby” brother. Patricia’s time in Connecticut was marked with frequent trips to the beach and time spent at Camp Mohawk — a tradition that her granddaughter has since carried on.

James “Jim” Conrad Bremer

MARCH 9, 1960JANUARY 20, 2026

SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

James “Jim” Conrad Bremer, 65, of Executive Drive in South Burlington, died on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at the University of Vermont Medical Center, following a short illness.

Jim was born on March 9, 1960, at Fort Benning, Ga., the son of Conrad “Dutch” and Pat Petrich. He spent his younger years in the Bronx but later moved to Vermont with his family. He graduated from Essex Junction Educational Center in 1978.

that captured his wonder and curiosity about the world.

Jim’s passion for rock and roll and blues music was evident in every part of his life. He loved attending live shows and traveling to see his favorite artists.

Patricia married John Mosley in 1967. They welcomed their firstborn son, Michael, while living in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Their second son, James, was born when the family moved to Essex Junction, Vt., where they became lifelong residents. The family’s first home was on Park Avenue, and from there they moved to the family homestead on Main Street. Raising Michael and James was filled with countless joyous years and memories of sports, camping and time spent by the water.

Besides Patricia’s deep devotion to her family, she had a rich and varied career. Before marriage, she spent time in New Jersey and New York, working in a nursery. Then, while raising her sons, she was employed by a bank, owned a bookstore, worked in the field of nutrition, and was an aerobics instructor at Fun & Fitness. After her children were raised, Patricia returned to college to obtain her bachelor’s degree, as well as receive her master’s degree in mental health counseling from Antioch University. She initially worked at Washington County Mental Health, supporting youths in schools. From there she went on to start her own private practice, which she remained devoted to for over 20 years. Patricia specialized in the areas of relationships, ADHD, trauma and anxiety. The work was deeply meaningful to her, and she was dedicated to growing as a therapist to best serve her clients.

Patricia’s purest joy was brought to her by her grandchildren. The development and growth of each of her four grandchildren was a strong focus and of immense importance to her. She marveled in their success and loved nothing more than making memories with them.

Patricia is predeceased by her mother, Margaret; father, Charles; sister, Pamela; brother, Eugene; and daughter-in-law, Sarah.

She leaves behind her sons, Michael and James Mosley (Michele); granddaughter, Stella Mosley; and grandsons, Evander, Frederick and Malcolm Mosley. Patricia leaves behind a legacy of determination, love and strength.

The family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Dr. Julian Sprague, the University of Vermont Cancer Center, Miller 5 Staff, and UVM Home Health & Hospice.

Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

Jim’s love for cars led him to a career in the automotive service industry, becoming a service manager and later managing rental equipment deliveries. Most recently, he worked as a limousine driver, using his easygoing personality to connect with others.

Jim found happiness in every aspect of life. Football

Miles Dragonfly Anthony Trombley

SEPTEMBER 26, 2002JANUARY 11, 2026

BURLINGTON, VT.

Miles Dragonfly Anthony Trombley was a force to be reckoned with. He loved fiercely, fought bravely and burned brightly. He was a son, brother, grandson, cousin and nephew — he shall be sorely missed by all.

and the Giants were his first loves. He enjoyed attending Rangers games with the Petrich family. Jim was a devoted NASCAR fan, always cheering for his favorites. His love for sports cars and motorcycles became more than a hobby when recent summers were filled with car shows. The centerpiece: his prized 2013 60th Anniversary Edition Corvette.

When he wasn’t discussing cars or racing, Jim enjoyed fishing, finding peace by the water. As an amateur photographer, he created images

Miles was an amazing artist and a brilliant thinker. He had extraordinary friendships and a uniquely warped sense of humor. He was an excellent cook and a magnificent joint roller, who enjoyed imbibing in good spirits, with good spirits — especially fine whiskeys. He loved Spice, his snake, and the many cats that helped him grow from baby to boy to man. For those

Jim was a shining light in the lives of all who knew him. He greeted everyone he met with a huge smile and an even bigger hug. He held a deep love for his family, friends and community. Always the first to lend a hand, Jim dedicated himself to helping others. He will forever be remembered for his generosity and genuine care for those around him.

He is survived by his sisters, Jen (Scott) Armstrong and Susan (Scott) Cohn; his cherished niece, Aislynn; and his nephews, Corey, Declan and Kelley. He is also survived by many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins and devoted friends who were his chosen family, including his closest friend, Steve Baker, whom he lived with for years; Steve’s

who really knew him — he was extremely sensitive underneath his tough-guy exterior and felt, loved and cared deeply for those in his family, in his pack and in the world at large.

The tumultuous nature of the world of late had a catastrophic effect on our beloved Miles Dragonfly — it was

children, Emily (Bobby) Myers, Jeret (Katelyn) Bushey and Katie (Justin) Thigpen; and their mother, Stacie Baker. Jim was predeceased by his parents, Pat and Dutch Bremer; aunts Marie Petrich, Carol Bremer, Nancy Bremer and Jeri Loughlin; uncles George Petrich, Carl Bremer and Craig Bremer; cousin Dana Bremer; several cherished friends, including Tom Cook, Jim Rice and Craig Eschelback; and beloved dogs Neeko, Midnight and Budie.

Friends and family may call on Thursday, January 29, 2026, 5 to 7 p.m., at Ready Funeral Home South Chapel, 261 Shelburne Rd., Burlington, VT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, January 30, 2026, 11 a.m., at Holy Family Catholic Church, 30 Lincoln St., Essex Junction, VT.

Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To share online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.

painful, and he felt it deeply. Life is beautiful, terrifying, uplifting, overwhelming, ecstatic, lonely and sacred. It is also fleeting. And our sweet, fleet-footed warrior son chose to ascend from this world swiftly and, I’m told, painlessly, alone and by his own hand. We are shocked by the realization and the suddenness of this transition. The repercussions and the depths of our sorrow shall be felt for always, though in time we hope that the weight we bear shall lighten — from earthen to air — like the fluttering of a winged and wondrous creature — a messenger between worlds: our beloved Miles Dragonfly.

lifelines

OBITUARIES

Margery

Keasler

NOVEMBER 19, 1959JANUARY 11, 2026

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

Margery Keasler, 67, of Burlington, Vt., passed away on January 11, 2026. Margery is remembered as a world traveler, an exceptional cook, a talented writer and a devoted acupuncturist. She took her greatest pride in being a mother to her children, Brennan, Colin and Caitlin, and an Oma to her grandchildren, Zora and Aria. She ﬁlled their lives with books, song, travel, stories and laughter. She will be missed deeply by her family and all who knew her.

Margery was born on November 19, 1959, in Miami to John and Margery Keasler. She was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings John Michael Keasler and Kathleen Nance; and her son Brennan. She is survived by her life partner, Robert; her children Colin Dekeersgieter and Caitlin Dekeersgieter-Millet; her grandchildren; and her siblings Mark Keasler, Laura Keasler and Joseph Keasler.

Margery was driven by the search for knowledge

Paul Henry Magnant

JUNE 27, 1953JANUARY 23, 2026

WEST GLOVER, VT.

Paul Henry Magnant was born on June 27, 1953, at Heaton Hospital in Montpelier, Vt., to Leon Royce Magnant of Franklin, Vt. and erese Marie Coutu Magnant of North Troy, Vt.

Paul grew up in a lively and close-knit family, the second of seven children: Michael (1951-2025), Charles (1955), Patrice (1956), John (1958), William (1961) and Marie (1963).

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

and love for the world. She traveled throughout the U.S., South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia, living for many months in India. Her travels strengthened her commitment to openness, compassion and curiosity and led to a lifelong devotion to healing.

After studying acupuncture in Florida and China, Margery practiced for 25 years in Burlington, Vt. Margery loved her work and built lasting relationships with patients who valued her kindness, attentiveness and the opportunity to be seen. A constant advocate for the power of Traditional Chinese Medicine, she lectured at local colleges

He leaves his wife of 46 years, Jayne; son, Christopher (Tina), and daughter, Stephannie (Michael) Van Nostrand; grandchildren, Hudson and Everest Van Nostrand and Christian and Charlotte Magnant; ﬁve

and published over 15 articles on the subject. Margery also loved animals and treated them as well, bringing understanding, gentleness and respect to every creature she encountered.

In 2013, Margery’s life changed with the death of her eldest son, Brennan. She found ways to carry grief alongside love and service. She opened a grief counseling chapter in Burlington to support parents who had experienced the death of a child. She returned to India with her son Colin, where they spread Brennan’s ashes in places that held deep meaning for her. She later traveled to Nepal with her daughter, Caitlin, where they worked with Quilts for Kids, supporting women through stable income and helping expand educational opportunities for their children. In these ways and more, she responded to loss by helping others feel less alone.

In 2021, Margery began a new chapter, moving to North Carolina to be closer to her family. While there, she embraced life with energy and joy, bringing that spirit to everyone around her. Her new

siblings, Charles (Hank) of California and Isle La Motte, Patrice (Mark) Maloney of Williston, John of Burlington, William (Judy) of Burlington, and Marie (Alfred) omas of South Burlington; motherin-law, Audrey Richardson, of Worcester; aunt Joyce Coutu of Essex Junction; nieces, Cameron (Dan)

O’Shaunessy of Williston and Elise Magnant (Kagan) of Plainﬁeld; brothers-in-law Bruce (Judy) Richardson, Brian (Judy) Richardson and Barry (Andrea) Richardson; sister-in-law, Janet (Joseph) Staub; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins from his and Jayne’s families. He was predeceased by his

home was filled with family and friends old and new. It was a place to gather for shared meals, conversation, music and humor. During this time, she took singing lessons, completed a memoir and did improv, always finding new ways to express herself and to keep creating. Known for her bright presence and boundless affection, Margery met everyone with open-hearted enthusiasm and kindness. Her laugh filled a room, and her attention made people feel valued and understood. She loved deeply, and she was deeply loved in return.

A celebration of life will be held on February 28, 2026, noon to 4 p.m., at Meach Cove Farms Gathering Space (formerly All Souls Interfaith Gathering). Please use the following physical address when searching for the venue: 291 Bostwick Farm Rd., Shelburne, VT 05482.

A GoFundMe has been established to help cover expenses related to Margery’s celebration of life and to support her children with the legal fees involved in keeping her home: gofundme.com/f/ remembering-margery-keasler.

parents, his brother Michael, and numerous aunts and uncles in both the Magnant and Coutu families.

Paul also leaves many special, close friends whose relationships were cherished by him, especially Dan and Karen Fossi of Glover and North Carolina; John and Shirley FitzGerald of Alburgh and Florida, whose friendships go back over 45 years; and his high school best friend, Dorsey (Cindy) Holsinger of Texas.

Calling hours are on February 7, 2026, 1 to 3 p.m., at Guare & Sons Funeral Home in Montpelier, Vt. Online condolences can be made at guareandsons.com.

Iris McDonald

DECEMBER 4, 1942DECEMBER 30, 2025

SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

Iris (Shmurak) McDonald set off for her next sojourn on December 30, 2025, after an incredible 83-year journey that changed lives across Vermont, throughout the U.S. and around the world.

Family, friends and countless strangers beneﬁted from her endless compassion, trademark candor, and exceptional skill as a nurse, leader and educator.

She is most deeply missed by her children, Mike, Karen and Julie Mazza; and grandchildren, Haley and Gabe Mazza, and Ben and Sam Mazza-Bergeron.

For a full obituary, please visit tinyurl.com/irismcdobit.

Andrew L. “Bud” Knauf

MARCH 4, 1947-JANUARY 22, 2026 NORTHFIELD FALLS, VT.

Andrew L. “Bud” Knauf was a loving husband and father and professor of English at Norwich University for 43 years.

e son of Andrew E. and Katherine C. Knauf, he grew up in Irondequoit, N.Y., and attended St. Bonaventure before joining the U.S. Army and serving in Alaska. After returning to civilian life, he earned his PhD from the University of Detroit, married and joined the faculty at Norwich.

A beloved teacher of writing, speech and American literature, Bud returned often to favorite stories and poems to foster an appreciation for the written word in his students. Devoted to Norwich, he gave generously of his time and attention to generations of advisees. He was a talented administrator, acted as dean for the school of humanities and served on various committees.

Bud traversed his adopted state of Vermont in search of trout, sometimes while giving book talks at small-town public libraries. He loved scenic drives, historic hotels and college football. He was an active parishioner of St. John’s Church, serving as a lector and teaching religion.

In his ﬁnal years, Bud endured declining health with characteristic positivity and fortitude, cared for by his wife of nearly 53 years. We remember his hard work, discipline, and the love and encouragement he gave his family. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

He is survived by his wife, Kathleen; his daughters, Anne and Martha; his daughter-in-law; and siblings-inlaw, nieces, nephews and cousins.

William “Bill” John

Norton Sr.

OCTOBER 22, 1942JANUARY 24, 2026

LINCOLN, VT.

William “Bill” John Norton Sr. passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family, on January 24, 2026.

Born on October 22, 1942, to parents

Reuben Norton of Bristol, Vt., and Alta Butterfield of Lincoln, Vt., he graduated from Bristol High School in 1960 and went on to attend Champlain College in Burlington, Vt., graduating in 1963. Bill met the love of his life, Linda Goodyear of Lincoln, Vt., and was married on June 18, 1962. After marrying, they raised their three children. He then went on to have a long and successful career working in Montpelier in the auditor’s office

Ruth Marion Lougee

MARCH 31, 1944JANUARY 21, 2026

GEORGIA, VT.

as an auditor and chief auditor from 1963 to 1998. Then he moved over to the Vermont treasurer’s office as the director of audit compliance, where he worked from 1998 to when he retired in 2004, after 41 years of service.

He also was a longtime member, trustee, deacon and treasurer of United Church of Lincoln, from 1979 to 2017.

Bill and Linda were also founding members of Lincoln’s Weathervane United Inc. in 1983 and served on the board of directors and as the treasurer. Bill also served with the Lincoln Fire Department from 1970 as their business manager and … you guessed it, the treasurer. As if he wasn’t busy enough, he also served as Lincoln’s auditor from 1966 to 1978 and a selectman from 1978 to 1981 and was a member of the Mount Abraham Union High School, director and treasurer,

appreciating the beauty of the world.

in 1967 and the director of New England States Municipal Finance Officers Association from 1976 to 1977.

During his life Bill devoted himself to many projects — not just the “honey do lists” that Linda would frequently make for him. He could frequently be found putting up his winter supply of wood, playing his weekly cribbage games, brook fishing with his grandkids, making maple syrup and maple cream with his son and grandsons, and attending the many sporting events of his grandchildren. He also was a longtime fan of the UConn women’s basketball team and would be highly invested in watching NCAA women’s basketball.

Bill is survived by his brother Wayman Norton; children, William (“Chuck”) and Kim, Charles (“Chip”) and Vaneasa (Norton), and Dan Stearns; and grandchildren, Alyssa Spafford (m. Steven), Lydia Euber (m. Jordan), Nicholas Norton, Ross Norton, Joseph Norton (m. Kristine), Dana Norton, Erik Norton and William Norton. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren, Hugh Spafford; Eleanor Norton; George

Albert Roupp

Ruth Marion Lougee, née Braman, joined her heavenly father and parents, Phillip and Violet Braman, in Heaven on January 21, 2026. She leaves her dearly beloved sister, Ginny (Barbara’s wellspring); daughter Barbara and her “Wonderful Guy” Dale; daughter Kori; son, Daniel; grandchildren, Gary, Heather, Alexendra and Emily; goddaughter, Deb; and so many loved cousins, extended family and dear friends. She also leaves Leigh Ann, her dedicated companion and health care provider through her final years, and Stacey, who cared for her in her final days.

Ruth’s family also extends its thanks to the kindness of strangers. Kindness is real and abundant. It is in the small things, like holding the door for a frazzled woman escorting a slow, elderly lady. It is in the large things, like moving a piano in minus 20-degree wind and pulling over and caring for that confused elderly lady walking down the road alone.

Ruth’s love of animals was well known. She always had a dog and/or a cat. She adopted whales and wolves and was greeted by manatees while swimming in Florida. She would be thrilled if, in lieu of flowers, people did the same.

Norton; Megyn, Jacquelyn, Madison and Bianca Spafford; Camille Euber; Oliver Provencher; and Henry Malloy. He is also survived by his great-great-grandchild, Adeline Chadburn; his many sisters- and brothers-in-law, Bruce and Roberta Goodyear, Gilbert Goodyear, Lorraine and Robert Patterson, Lenore and Russell Gates, Lisa GoodyearPrescott and Reed Prescott; and a multitude of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Bill is predeceased by his loving wife, Linda Norton (Goodyear); parents, Reuben Norton and Alta Norton (Butterfield); brother Charles Norton; and father- and motherin-law, Paul Goodyear and Wanda (Thompson) Goodyear.

A service will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2026, 2 p.m., at United Church of Lincoln, with a reception to follow at Burnham Hall. A private family burial service will be held at a later date.

The family would like to thank Addison County Home Health & Hospice for their spectacular care and help getting him home. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to United Church of Lincoln.

IN MEMORIAM

Lori Marie Bullock Sullivan

1962-2025

Ruth’s family extends its heartfelt gratitude to the health care providers of Addison, Chittenden and Franklin counties, from EMS to ER to OR to ICU to assisted living to home care, and all of the support people who provided care that ensured that Ruth spent more days than not being able to experience joy in life and

The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 11 a.m., at St. Ambrose Church in Bristol, Vt. A time of reflection will be held on February 3, 2026, 4 to 6 p.m., in the Brady & Levesque Funeral Chapel.

Arrangements are entrusted to Jeffrey Levesque and the Brady & Levesque Funeral Home, where fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with her family and friends at bradyandlevesque.com.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1930JANUARY 19, 2026 COLCHESTER, VT.

Susan Roupp

JULY 5, 1941-MARCH 15, 2025 COLCHESTER VT.

Albert Allen Roupp and Susan Carol (Nagy) Roupp, beloved husband and wife of 59 years, died in Vermont after long, full lives.

Sue was born in Chicago and later made her home in Evanston, Ill., where she and Al raised their children. Sue had a deep love of poetry, cooking, writing, women’s rights and liberal politics. Later in life, she discovered a passion for memoir writing and taught classes encouraging others to tell their stories. She also had a lifelong soft spot for animals, especially cats.

World War II, he traveled with PAX, a Mennonite service organization, helping rebuild Europe. He later studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology and spent his professional life in commercial property review in Chicago, including work on major downtown buildings. He was known for his dry humor and constant projects, whether gardening, restoring woodwork or building for his family.

Al and Sue married in 1966. In 2021 they moved to Vermont to be closer to family. Sue died on March 15, 2025, and Al followed on January 19, 2026, both at the Miller McClure Respite House.

They are survived by their children, Aimee Roupp Loiter (Jeffrey) and Chris Roupp (Daniella), and their grandchildren, Zachary, Talia, Cecilia, Caroline and Augie.

Al was born in Hesston, Kan., to Walter and Bertha Roupp and was raised in Elkhart, Ind. After

Donations in Sue and Al’s memory may be made to the Miller McClure Respite House, Colchester, Vt.

The children of Lori Marie Bullock Sullivan warmly invite family and friends to join them in a celebration of her life on Saturday, February 28, 2026, 2 p.m. ET. The service will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Society Meeting House, 152 Pearl St., Burlington, VT. A reception with light refreshments will follow.

In keeping with the spirit of the event, guests are encouraged to wear pink, pastel, floral or sparkly attire. All are welcome to attend.

IN MEMORIAM

Tobias “Toby” Andros Tomasi

1973-1990

In loving memory of Tobias “Toby” Andros Tomasi

Born February 3, 1973, in Decca, Bangladesh. Died December 28, 1990, in Williston, Vt.

Meditation XVII

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main ... Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind...”

—John Donne

For his family, from Alice Siegriest and Ruth Furman

BERNiE’S BURLiNGTON

A new biography by Queen City native Dan Chiasson chronicles the rise of the “people’s politician”

BY KEN PICARD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

Dan Chiasson was 9 years old in 1981, when Bernie Sanders won his first race for mayor of Burlington. He was 17 when Sanders left city hall in 1989 and 19 when Sanders was sworn in as Vermont’s lone U.S. House representative in 1991. A Burlington native who grew up on Colchester Avenue, Chiasson had a front-row seat to watch the improbable political rise of the avowed socialist from Brooklyn who transformed the Queen City physically, culturally and economically.

As mayor, Sanders enacted policies aimed at benefiting people such as Chiasson, the son of a single mother from a struggling, working-class household. As Chiasson explores in a new, unauthorized biography, Bernie for Burlington: The Rise of the People’s Politician, Sanders championed tenants’ rights, revitalized Church Street and transformed the waterfront from an industrial wasteland into an international tourist attraction. His administration established some of the most impactful agencies and programs in the city’s history, including the Community & Economic Development Office,

Burlington City Arts and Champlain Housing Trust.

Sanders made the “People’s Republic of Burlington” — a slogan once used by an opponent to deride his politics — into a more diverse and inclusive place, one with its own foreign policy. (At the height of the Iran-Contra arms trafficking scandal, for instance, he flew to Nicaragua to meet with then-president Daniel Ortega.) Sanders backed the city’s first-ever Pride parade and signed an ordinance banning discrimination against gay people, welfare recipients, the elderly and the disabled. He also created the Mayor’s Youth Office and 242 Main, a teen center and all-ages music venue beneath Memorial Auditorium that spawned countless local bands.

Under Sanders’ stewardship, Burlington’s arts and entertainment scene flourished. He brokered a deal to host the Atlantic Theater Company, created by playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy, in Burlington City Hall one summer. He brought a minor-league baseball team to town, the aptly named Vermont Reds. For the young and painfully shy Chiasson, an aspiring poet who lived

and a Pushcart Prize. His work, which is regularly published in the New Yorker, the New York Times and the New York Review of Books , was described by the Times ’ Daisy Fried as “genially brainy, jokey, casually formal, sometimes essayistic and humorously oracular.”

Throughout his career as a professor, poet and critic, Chiasson always had a nonfiction book gestating. As Sanders gained national prominence in the 1990s and became a household name beyond Vermont’s borders, Chiasson was frequently asked by people who knew that he grew up in Burlington, “What’s Bernie really like?”

Beginning in 2022, after decades of recounting his Bernie stories, Chiasson began compiling them in earnest, along with hours of interviews with Sanders’ longtime friends, colleagues and associates. Bernie for Burlington tracks, as Chiasson writes, “a change within a change: the evolution of Bernie Sanders within the shifting political and cultural landscape of his adopted state of Vermont.”

across the street from the team’s stadium at Centennial Field, it was all exhilarating to watch.

Chiasson, 54, is now a successful poet, professor and chair of the English department at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. (His mother still lives in Burlington, so Chiasson routinely returns to the city.) The author of five books of poems and a sixth of poetry criticism, he’s won a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Academy Award in literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters,

As Sanders’ origin story — and Burlington’s as a modern progressive city — the book ends in the 1990s and doesn’t explore Sanders’ career in Congress or his presidential bids in 2016 and 2020. But as it traces the ideological roots of the most influential leftist in modern American history, the book — part biography, part firstperson memoir — highlights why Sanders’ policy positions, largely unchanged for decades, continue to resonate with Americans.

Born just a few blocks from Sanders’ first apartment in Burlington, Chiasson tells the kind of stories that old-timers might share over breakfast at the Handy’s Lunch counter or beers at the St. John’s Club. He describes his first brush with Bernie, at age 9, when the then-mayoral candidate knocked on his door looking for votes. Chiasson’s grandparents, who considered Sanders a communist, were horrified — “Fidel Castro,” he writes, “in a household that revered General Patton.”

Chiasson first spoke to Sanders in September 1985 while hanging out with

Dan Chiasson

Bernie Sanders and Dan Chiasson in Stannard, Vt., July 2024

THE BOOK

iS NOT A CANONiZATiON. HE’S NOT THE HERO OF EVERY STORY. BUT HE STiLL COMES OUT LOOKiNG GOOD.

DAN CHIASSON

some of his skateboard buddies on Church Street.

“I think it was the first time Sanders had seen a skateboard, because he seemed genuinely curious and surprised,” Chiasson writes. “Within a year skaters were bounding off of every curb and platform on the Church Street Marketplace, and merchants led a crackdown. ‘Tell your parents to vote,’ Bernie said, waving off our teenage nonsense.”

Chiasson recalls another Sanders encounter, in June 1986, at Norwich University. Then a rising high school sophomore, Chiasson was participating in Green Mountain Boys’ State, a teen leadership program. Sanders was running for governor at the time, “shaking our hands and quizzing us about civics with a sarcastic attitude, and I was proud to tell my roommates that I’d often mixed it up with him.”

Sanders, 84, still lives in Burlington’s New North End, where he can be spotted strolling the bike path, roaming the aisles of Hannaford supermarket or engaging a constituent in a debate as spirited as any on cable news. He occasionally lives up to comedian Larry David’s portrayal of him as the grumpy great-uncle who, during a bar mitzvah toast, will unleash a tirade against the billionaires who are screwing over the working class. But Sanders rarely engages with the Vermont press or weighs

EXCERPT FROM BERNIE FOR BURLINGTON: THE RISE OF THE PEOPLE’S POLITICIAN

When clips from the old public access cable program Bernie Speaks: The Mayor’s Show went viral early in Bernie’s second run for president in 2020, I started to see the faces of people I’d grown up with again, for the first time in decades, frozen as they were in the 1980s. Because the clips were so moving to me, I found the discourse surrounding them to be very annoying. Millennials and Gen Z Bernie supporters had constructed the historical Sanders as an adorably cantankerous young fogey, already the ranting uncle at the seder or birthday party. “That’s him in the middle?” Mero, of the late-night talk show Desus & Mero, asks his cohost. “Damn, he was one hundred then?” Sanders was an athletic-looking forty-five, and sitting, elbows resting on knees, on top of a picnic table surrounded by summer campers.

in publicly on local issues anymore, though he supported his stepdaughter, Carina Driscoll, when she ran for mayor in 2018.

More often, he’s outside Vermont, banging the drum for the same populist agenda — universal health care, campaign finance reform, tuition-free education — that he’s espoused for more than half a century, while supporting the next generation of leaders who share those priorities.

For nearly a year, Sanders has been zigzagging the country on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, most recently stopping in Wayne, N.J. Last week, he joined union nurses on a New York City picket line in their fight to maintain safe staffing levels in the city’s largest hospitals. Then he held a town meeting with Dr. Stephen Leffler, CEO of University of Vermont Health, on the state’s health care crisis. And this week, following the tragic shootings of Minnesotans Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, he called for, among other things, withdrawing “Trump’s domestic army” from Minnesota, repealing funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and redirecting the money to health care. Lest anyone think that Chiasson’s retrospective book marks the end of Sanders’ career, the ornery octogenarian shows no signs of slowing down.

In the viral clip, Sanders asks the kids, who range from five to fourteen or so, about life back home at Franklin Square. “What about drugs, is that a problem?” Bernie asks. This was 1987, during Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s “War on Drugs.” Ostensibly to discourage us from a life of addiction, classrooms were plastered with images of fresh, deliciouslooking scrambled eggs in a cast-iron skillet, below the slogan “This is your brain on drugs.”

One wiseacre sitting at Bernie’s ankles pipes up, “I LIKE COKE!” to a chorus of groans and guffaws from the other campers. This was a stock joke in classrooms and playgrounds in the 1980s, meant to trigger in adults Bernie’s stock response: “Who said that?”

The scoundrel — I think it’s my friend John Abair’s little brother Scott — then deals his final card, the standard coup de grâce: “What? I like Coca-Cola!”

“This is Bernie Sanders, the city’s socialist mayor,” Holly Otterbein wrote in Politico. And in the “at times startling” videos, “for some reason, he wants to talk about drugs.”

I can supply a few reasons. The kids are at day camp at the Ethan Allen Homestead, a few miles from their troubled home of Franklin Square, because Sanders and his administration scavenged the money to run the camp while heavy machinery built and installed the long-promised playground back home. That playground was the fruit of a yearslong battle that

Bernie joined in part as a shrewd political gambit, in part because the development brought to mind the opportunities that such public works provided to his family in 1950s Brooklyn.

If you watch the whole clip, you see Sanders acting as an educator. His method is the opposite of Nancy Reagan’s see-ya-wouldn’t-wannabe-ya Just Say No campaign. Some kids lean on him. He tousles one boy’s hair. He joshes with them and, when they become a little bananas, he sharpens his tone.

Sanders hands them tools for thought: “Are there any problems at Franklin Square?”

The kids, in unison: “NO.”

“Does everybody have enough money?”

More quietly, the children reply, “No.”

“And is that a problem?”

“Yes.”

There are then lessons in Vermont history, some light class analysis, and a pep talk about the importance of reading.

“Be sympathetic to your counselors,” Sanders tells the squirming kids. “I was a counselor once.” It is easy to believe.

Then one kid exclaims, “You look like that guy in Back to the Future! Not Michael J. Fox, the other one!”: Christopher Lloyd, in the role of “Doc” Brown, the wild-eyed scientist who retrofits a DeLorean to travel back to the year 1955.

The “Bernie video” that delighted his fans in 2020 is also a time machine. For it was at Franklin Square, on Halloween night in 1980, that Sanders’s political life started over.

Sanders at Burlington City Hall

BERN AFTER READiNG

Book review: Bernie for Burlington: The Rise of the People’s Politician, Dan Chiasson

BY KEVIN J. KELLEY

Early on in Bernie for Burlington, author Dan Chiasson reveals that the subject of his nearly 600-page volume declined to be interviewed. That central absence would seem certain to weaken what amounts to a Bernie Sanders political coming-of-age story.

Defensively, Chiasson spins his main character’s nonparticipation as a positive feature, suggesting that Sanders’ cooperation would actually “interfere” with the narrative. “This skein of historical fact, local lore, best-guesswork, and poetry that I’ve created and titled Bernie for Burlington depended on its subject’s remaining silent and on the sidelines. One peep from him, and my whole composition might have unraveled.”

Chiasson doesn’t explain why Bernie’s participation would have “unraveled” his narrative, but if this apologia comes across as less than clear and convincing, Chiasson’s deep research and graceful writing do vindicate his at-a-distance approach. Despite the book’s unnecessary length, the author’s sprightly style keeps readers mostly interested and occasionally entertained. Bernie for Burlington will be seen years hence as the definitive origin story of a unique political career.

More novelistic than journalistic, the narration is textured with the touch of a poet (Chiasson has written five books of poetry) but not with the leaden hand of an academic (he teaches English at Wellesley College). The book also benefits from the easy intimacy of a homeboy (the 54-yearold author grew up in Burlington).

But in addition to being exhaustive, Bernie for Burlington could prove exhausting for some readers. Chiasson doesn’t focus on Sanders’ time as mayor until the book’s halfway point. Its first 24 chapters set forth a perceptively compiled context for the hero’s slow rise to electoral success. Much of this will already be familiar to politically sussed Vermonters. The influx of hippie back-tothe-landers and the founding of Liberty Union — Sanders’ first and still only political party allegiance — are reviewed in what may strike noninitiates as TMI.

Persistence does bring rewards, however. One gem of a scene is set in the laundry room of the low-income Franklin Square housing project on a fateful Halloween night in 1980. Chiasson here

demonstrates an ability to conjure a specific scene at which he was not present, subtly using sources to make readers feel as though they are real-time witnesses.

That October night Sanders was persuaded to run for mayor of Burlington. The persuaders were his closest friend, Jim Rader; his sometimes-roommate and confidante Richard Sugarman; Franklin Square resident and activist Dick Sartelle; and leftist lawyer John Franco. It was Franco who described the venue not as the classic smoke-filled room but a “Downyfilled room.”

The you-are-there illusion is achieved through details: “Outside, teenagers aimed Roman candles at each other. Inside, their parents fed quarters into the clothes dryers. A dog barked incessantly at the commotion.” Only an exceedingly adept narrator would think to include that dog.

Sugarman, an electoral numbers nerd, convinced Sanders that the local results of his failed 1976 run for governor outlined a possible path to victory in the 1981 mayoral race. He might be able, Sugarman suggested, to assemble a coalition of poor people, leftist yuppies and disaffected Democrats. Incumbent Democratic mayor Gordon Paquette, an old-school pol, could be beaten by such an unlikely amalgam, Sugarman argued.

“When the men and women of Franklin Square roused for their daybreak shifts … the laundry room conspirators packed up and left,” Chiasson continues. “Bernie stopped the men, as they wandered out: ‘One last thing,’ he said. ‘What the fuck happens if I win?’”

The balance of the hefty book answers that question. Sanders’ many accomplishments, along with the means leading to those ends, are explored — once more, in considerable detail. Chiasson guides the reader as the Sanders administration creates the Burlington Community Land Trust, attracts a professional baseball team, amps up Burlington’s art scene, establishes an urban revitalization office and gooses the city’s mopey economy.

It’s enough to make Chiasson wax rhapsodic: “By the end of his eight years [as mayor], many of us realized we’d played a role in a one-of-a-kind, historic inquiry into the possibilities for human happiness in an American city.”

While Sanders declined to speak with Chiasson, he clearly made no effort to stop

any of his friends, associates and allies from doing so. Indeed, the author cites “hundreds of hours of conversations with dozens of individuals,” including Sanders’ brother, Larry.

And while the book uncovers no scandals, it’s full of telling anecdotes and presents an in-depth study of Sanders’ personality as well as his politics.

Examples abound of the populist socialist’s “cantankerousness.” This “counter-charisma,” Chiasson notes, “has been very easy to sentimentalize, especially for the young.” But, he adds, “it scalded and confused many throughout his political rise.”

Chiasson quotes “a confrontational memo” delivered to Sanders by a coterie of insiders in 1982. “You are not nice to people — you see people on the street and walk right past them — no hello, handshake, or acknowledgment that they exist,” declared the critique’s signers, who included Rader, Franco and Sanders’ future wife, Jane Driscoll. “Your bias against young people, women, and wealthy people shows through here — people get really insulted and complain to us.”

Sanders emerges in this composite montage as irascible, of course, but also self-doubting, self-protective and vulnerable. His philosophical attachment to the 20th-century Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich is likewise shown to have

had a persistent influence on his ideology and personal views on sexual and emotional fulfillment. Reich’s effort to meld Freud and Marx helped form “the basis for policy ideas about reproductive freedom, community health care, affordable day care, family leave, and other priorities that Sanders espoused,” Chiasson finds.

Reich’s strong emphasis on individual autonomy may also be reflected in the libertarianism that colors Sanders’ version of democratic socialism. The Brooklyn native’s ornery Yankee streak appealed to longtime Vermont Republican senator George Aiken. The two icons got along glowingly, Chiasson notes.

Cops also liked Bernie. The Burlington police officers union’s endorsement may have been decisive in the 10-vote victory that installed him in city hall. The officers regarded as genuine his empathy for their status as workers in dangerous jobs. Sanders “thought of the Burlington police the way they thought of themselves: Officer Friendlies, bighearted working stiffs.” Sanders’ disdain for alleged government overreach was on full display during his resoundingly unsuccessful 1986 campaign for Vermont governor. In Morrisville, the left-wing politician told a crowd of farmers and laborers that he was “‘opposed to gun control, period,’” Chiasson relates. In Swanton, Bernie for Burlington informs its readers, Sanders declared his opposition to mandatory seat belt laws: “‘I don’t think government should tell you what to do … in the area of individual and civil liberties,’ Sanders explained, to loud applause.”

That hostility toward Washington and Montpelier also found purchase among “Reagan Democrats” in Burlington. Sanders owes his initial — and ongoing — electoral success partly to his appeal to working-class voters who might otherwise favor Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump. He projects a fighter’s aggression toward effete elites. Included in that category are liberals as well as plutocrats.

Chiasson transports us to a room at the University of Chicago in 1960 where undergraduate Bernie Sanders and some friends were watching the presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. “The urgent issue was what to do about Soviet incursions into Cuba,” Chiasson recounts.

“Bernie’s classmates, mostly fellow Jews from New Deal Democratic households, had lined up behind Kennedy.” But Bernie “‘almost got out of the room to go puke’” when he realized that both candidates agreed that the Cuban revolution should be snuffed and a pro-U.S. government installed in Havana.”

His Chicago friends recalled that Sanders “targeted his indignation not at Nixon, who seemed distasteful but at least not hypocritical, but instead at Kennedy, whose ‘liberalism’ struck Sanders as a nauseating deception,” Chiasson writes.

A vaguely similar scenario, in which Sanders’ ideals might be seen as conflicting with one another, played out 23 years later in Burlington at the General Electric weapons factory that employed several hundred union workers. Peace activists planned a civil disobedience action

just as well. In Chiasson’s hands, a narrative covering the subsequent 35 years would have surpassed the dimensions of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. But it’s unfortunate that he made no attempt to link the present with the past.

Burlington, we are reminded, experienced an acute homelessness crisis in the mid-1980s. Mayor Sanders responded compassionately by opening a 100-bed shelter. “Word spread across the region’s homeless communities that Burlington had beds available,” Chiasson writes. But today, the author does not observe, some critics of progressive policies maintain that the availability of services and permissive attitudes account in part for the current influx of unhoused outsiders. Similarly, several pages of Bernie for Burlington are devoted to the twisty tale of the city’s waterfront development. After voters rejected a Sanders-backed

BERNiE FOR BURLiNGTON WiLL BE SEEN YEARS HENCE AS THE DEFiNiTiVE ORiGiN STORY OF A UNiQUE POLiTICAL CAREER.

outside the plant to protest its production of what Chiasson describes as guns “designed for indiscriminate mass killing of the poor.”

Burlington peace activists comprised a not insignificant part of Bernie’s electoral base, but he also drew crucial backing from the GE trade unionists to whom the peace protests were an affront. Notwithstanding presumptions that the mayor was facing an agonizing choice of allegiance, “few who knew Bernie well doubted that he would stand with the workers,” Chiasson notes.

Earlier, Chiasson writes, Sanders had said of the peace protesters, “The result of what they are doing is to point the finger of guilt at working people. Not everybody has the luxury of choosing where they are going to work, or the money not to work.”

Sanders’ comments and (in)actions in regard to the GE protests left lasting wounds among anti-war activists. The late anarchist philosopher and resident guru Murray Bookchin accused Sanders of “acting as a publicity man for GE, not the socialist mayor of Burlington.”

Bernie for Burlington ends with Bernie’s victory in the 1990 race for Vermont’s lone U.S. House seat. That’s

plan to build condos, offices, a hotel and stores on the waterfront, the mayor reversed himself and launched the plan that ultimately kept most of the waterfront open as a public park. Chiasson could have asked whether Burlington missed an opportunity, as cities of similar size transformed undeveloped scenic parcels into tasteful tourist attractions that swell municipal coffers.

As mayor, Sanders prided himself on a foreign policy that featured enthusiastic support for Fidel Castro’s Cuba and for the Sandinista revolution that overthrew a long-standing tyranny in Nicaragua. Today, the dictatorial Sandinista regime presides over one of the world’s most impoverished and repressive countries. Have Sanders and his Sanderistas condemned that devolution or the complete denial of human rights in Cuba? Chiasson doesn’t say.

The failure to acknowledge misfires, or at least engage in some self-critical or self-questioning reflection, may also be part of Sanders’ makeup, and a legacy of Bernie’s Burlington. For all its strengths, Chiasson’s book suffers this weakness: It could have been less worshipful and more skeptical. ➆

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BERNIE BITS: QUIRKY FACTS ABOUT SANDERS FROM BERNIE FOR BURLINGTON

Sanders first learned of his future home state as a 13-year-old in 1953, when his older brother, Larry, took him to a Vermont information bureau in midtown Manhattan that marketed “the virtues of Vermont.”

Sanders attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, whose other notable alumni include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Chuck Schumer and Carole King. When he ran for class president, he finished last among three candidates, running on a platform of aiding orphans from the Korean War. But he was a standout student athlete, especially in track. His best time for the mile was 4:37, the third fastest in New York City in those years.

One of Sanders’ major influences as a young man was Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich. Coiner of the phrase “the sexual revolution,” Reich marketed a pseudoscientific “orgone accumulator” that he claimed collected and focused libidinal life energy.

Sanders bought his first property in Vermont in 1964 for $2,500: 85 acres in Middlesex that included several outbuildings, including a sugarhouse. There, he often cooked over an open fire or improvised Sterno rig, igniting T-shirts in an old coffee can — what his friends called “Berno.”

In the 1970s, Sanders founded the American People’s Historical Society, a small but successful media company that produced filmstrips for schools and libraries throughout New England. He hired Canadian First Nations actor Jay Silverheels, who played Tonto in the television series “The Lone Ranger,” to narrate them.

Sanders, who was notorious for driving old and unreliable vehicles, was a frequent hitchhiker. He once thumbed a ride from Burlington to a commune in West Glover to report on the phenomenon of home births.

In 1972 as the Liberty Union Party candidate for U.S. Senate, Sanders once gave a stump speech to just one student, a reporter, at Castleton State College. That year, he won 2.2 percent of the vote.

In the 1970s Sanders coached a Little League baseball team in Burlington made up of kids from mixed socioeconomic backgrounds.

Sanders got involved in tenants’ rights in 1977, after getting his own eviction notice when his Burlington rent more than doubled and he withheld his checks in protest.

Sanders earned statewide recognition in the 1980s, in part by recording and distributing a spoken-word album, called We Shall Overcome, backed by a gospel chorus. According to Chiasson, it “received generous, bemused airplay.”

In 1976, when Sanders ran as the Liberty Union candidate for governor, he listed his total assets as $1,100, including his car and savings account.

As mayor, Sanders often invited Bread and Puppet Theater to perform in Burlington. The troupe’s founder, Peter Schumann, once launched a papier-mâché effigy of Sanders out of a cannon.

KEN PICARD

BERNiE’S BURLiNGTON

Chiasson, meanwhile, is laid-back, erudite but humble, with the rugged, tousled look of a guy who just returned from a fishing trip to the Upper Peninsula. His vibe is that of your favorite college professor whose morning class you never missed, even with a hangover.

He arrived for a Seven Days interview, at Burlington Bay Market & Café on the waterfront, sporting a blue ball cap emblazoned with the name “Zohran,” swag from the political campaign of Zohran Mamdani.

At 34, New York City’s newly elected democratic socialist mayor seems to be Sanders’ heir apparent. The Vermont senator officiated at Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony earlier this month, highlighting his continued relevance as the elder statesman of American progressive politics.

Bernie for Burlington comes out on February 3 and features a cover illustration by Bolton cartoonist Alison Bechdel. At nearly 600 pages, it’s a long but lively read (see Kevin J. Kelley’s review on page 28).

In an interview, Chiasson described the book as “a work of literature, not a work of reportage.” And, given its personal tone, it was a passion project, too, with enough references to local friends and colleagues that the New Yorker’s recent book review referred to the author as “the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon of Burlington.”

Many people probably will be surprised that a poet wrote a Sanders biography.

The poet is surprised as well. You don’t associate poets with 600-page nonfiction books. But I see the fact that I became a poet from a working-class background to be a direct outcome of Bernie’s transformation of this city. There was so much support for the arts here. The book has a lot of personal memoir in it because I see myself as an outcome of this American experiment.

What policy or program of Sanders had the biggest impact on you?

The obvious answer would be the arts office [later Burlington City Arts] and the Mayor’s Youth Office. I partook in a lot of things, including the early days of 242 Main. But as a single narrative moment, it would be going to hear Allen Ginsberg read in Memorial Auditorium in February 1986, which was the first poetry reading I ever attended, sponsored by the Mayor’s Council on the Arts. Ginsberg, who was doing a chanting, spoken-word style of poetry, was backed by musicians that included a couple of the guys from Phish. That was when I was just taking an interest in poetry, so it was a direct intervention in my life from Sanders’ city hall.

Were there things that Bernie did as mayor that you disagreed with?

I was, of course, a teenager and very wrapped up in the glamour and romance of what was happening in the city. But in the book I’m occasionally critical of things he did. The Alden Plan [in the mid-1980s] was going to transform the city and privatize a lot of the waterfront —and Bernie definitely supported it.

Did you ask Bernie to sit down for an interview for the book?

We made a couple of half-hearted attempts early on, but it’s a little hard for me to imagine him having been involved. And I don’t know what we would have done if he had said yes, because it would have been a very different book. I don’t think he’s interested in framing politics biographically.

Why not? Many politicians use their own rags-to-riches story for political gain.

Absolutely. Even stories about his own mother’s congenital heart condition could have really breathed life into some of his long-standing policy positions. I really don’t know. His older brother, Larry, who was a source for me and a wonderful, open-hearted person, is so nostalgic that he can barely get a sentence out without weeping. He’s kind of the caretaker of the family stories. But Bernie is not interested in being known that way.

It’s often said that Bernie’s politics haven’t changed over time. Did you find things about him that have changed?

I think so. He had some pretty eccentric policy positions when he was a Liberty Union Party candidate. Today, for example, I don’t think he would argue for children’s suffrage, which he used to argue for.

Bernie now works within the Democratic Party fold, which he never would have done in the ’80s. There was a moment where it looked like he was going to be brought into the Democratic Party through the Rainbow Coalition, who backed his 1986 and ’88 campaigns for governor and then for U.S. House. He didn’t do it, but when he got to Washington, I think he realized that to get anything done, he had to work with somebody. The main thing is: He has very intelligently optimized his message for national and eventually digital politics.

What did you learn about Sanders that surprised you?

His arguments about economic fairness are part of a much larger argument about human prosperity. He said in an

Sanders and Burlington city attorney Joseph McNeil in the 1980s

THE TiDE HAS COME AROUND TO BERNiE’S WAY OF THiNKiNG.

interview — not with me — that it wasn’t his parents’ precarious economic state that troubled him. It was all the fighting and the way it eroded their relationship. His brother told me that their apartment was so tiny, with three and a half rooms, that the boys didn’t have any privacy and the parents didn’t have any, either. The implication was they really couldn’t have an intimate life as adults. So his economic justice arguments also imply a larger argument about the design for human happiness.

Bernie’s affinity with flinty Yankee Republicans I found very interesting and surprising. There’s a story about him as a young man going to Washington as a freelance writer for Vermont Life magazine and interviewing George Aiken, Vermont’s legendary U.S. senator. They got along great. Aiken really admired Bernie’s passion and loved the fact that Vermont was attracting talented and idealistic young people.

When did Sanders realize that he had to run for office in order to effect change?

I think from the start he was insistent that if you wanted to make change in the country, you had to be involved in electoral politics. He was very suspicious of performative activism. There are stories in the book about him showing up at a commune in the Northeast Kingdom

and telling the strung-out hippies, “Man, you guys gotta clean up and run for the selectboard.”

Sanders was never a hippie himself. But you make the case that, had there not been the counterculture and Vermont’s back-to-the-land movement, his politics might have been different — and their politics wouldn’t have permeated the mainstream the way they did.

Vermont is unique in the country. You could go to Berkeley, Calif.; the Berkshires; West Virginia; and all the other places the hippies went. But Vermont is so small that you can go from school board to state rep and end up in the U.S. Senate, with an equal share of power as somebody who represents 20 million people.

There was a real opportunity when liberal Vermont Republicans found themselves without a home in the national Republican Party. That’s when Bernie’s independence from the Democratic Party made a real appeal to those mostly rural people. So the hippies played a role, but so did the disenfranchised Yankee Republicans.

Do you think Bernie would have gone further nationally had he not embraced the democratic socialist label?

I would have said so — until the rise of Mayor Mamdani in New York City. It appears that the tide has come around to Bernie’s way of thinking. “Democratic socialism” is not a term he always used. He always described himself as a socialist. But it was cut with a little bit of Yankee pragmatism and almost libertarian “Live and let live” stuff, which strategically he could have stressed a little more. I think he could have stressed in his campaigns what a pragmatic executive he was in the city of Burlington. He was a person that the business community trusted. They didn’t always see eye to eye, but they liked sitting down at the table with him and thought he was a straight shooter.

Did you seek out Sanders’ critics for the book?

I sought out some of his opponents. I spoke to former governor Howard Dean, who’s had a complicated relationship with him over the years. I spoke to former representative Peter Smith, who was his opponent in 1988 and defeated him just narrowly, and then Bernie won in a rematch in 1990. What’s interesting about those two guys, particularly Peter Smith, is that in some ways they’ve come around to Bernie’s way of seeing the world and his critique of power and inequity.

There were things about Bernie’s management style that come out in the book. There’s a memo that was given to me that was drafted by his entire administration in 1981 or ’82, confronting him about some of his interpersonal flaws. “Item one: You don’t smile at meetings.” So, he had his internal critics.

One reason I wasn’t disappointed to not have Bernie’s participation is that the book is not a canonization. He’s not the hero of every story. But he still comes out looking good.

Explain how you went about writing this book, which you’ve described as a collection of stories, not a work of history.

My method had to be personal. I tell a story in the book about [political columnist] Peter Freyne, who ate breakfast most mornings at Sneakers in Winooski, where I worked from the age of 12 on. Eventually I bused tables and would see and talk with Freyne. I guess I was 15 or 16. That’s very weird and hard to incorporate into a narrative that really is about Bernie Sanders. But I felt I had to try, and I’m happy with how it came out.

How can you tell the story of cultural and political transformation, for example, without talking about something like Bread and Puppet? Puppetry is a form of testimony, witness and political action. So is poetry. I have several passages in the book that consider poems as documents of the time, including some of my own, but also poems about Bernie’s Burlington by people like Allen Ginsberg.

The main sources for the book — people like [Jim] Rader, Richard Sugarman, Debbie Bookchin, Peter Clavelle, Peter Smith — I had multiple conversations with, in some cases hours and hours. Those conversations inevitably spawned others.

How did you approach the structure of the book?

I am an English professor, so I set out to write a work of literature. To represent a city as a dynamic organism, I revisited the Dublin of James Joyce’s Ulysses

To write sentences with lots of detail and information but a rhythmic shape and arc, I read Edmund Wilson’s To the Finland Station and stuff by Henry Adams.

There are narrative challenges and opportunities in the story that I had to process. How do you tell a story with so many election-night scenes? There are, I believe, 10 chapters that revolve around elections. I realized that election-night scenes are great because they bring a lot of the cast together, a little like a ball in Tolstoy.

I tried to remember that I was writing a comedy, not in the sense of hilarious, but in the structural sense: obstacles, follies, mishaps, false starts and a big cast of vivid characters. I use Bread and Puppet as a kind of chorus. And it resolves not with a wedding, as in Shakespeare, but in an election-night scene.

At 84, Sanders likely won’t run for president again. Why do you think this book matters now?

The book ends with Sanders at his 1990 victory party predicting that “one small city, one small state” might lead a political revolution. We’re seeing that prediction play out now on the big stage in New York City and everywhere young democratic socialists are winning elections. So, Sanders’ movement traveled underground and now appears to be flowering in some exciting ways. There is no book yet about the astonishing campaign of Zohran Mamdani, which Sanders and his aides very closely mentored. But as a grassroots campaign story about energizing the electorate and building coalitions, mine has a lot to say about that New York City miracle.

What do you think other politicians can learn from Bernie Sanders?

Consistency, integrity, authenticity and a moral vision. Peter Clavelle, who was his successor [as mayor], told me that a city needs a moral visionary, and Bernie was a moral visionary. ➆

This interview was edited for clarity and length.

INFO

Bernie for Burlington: The Rise of the People’s Politician, by Dan Chiasson, Alfred A. Knopf, 592 pages. $35.

Bernie for Burlington Book Launch and Community Celebration with Dan Chiasson in conversation with author Chris Bohjalian and special guests Alison Bechdel and Jym Wilson, on Tuesday, February 3, 7 p.m., at Burlington City Hall Auditorium. $14.54. Visit phoenixbooks.biz for tickets.

DAN CHIASSON

Bernie Sanders, 1981, with Bill Sessions and Jim Rader

Pedal to the Medal

Meet the Vermont-connected Olympians who are going for gold at the 2026 Winter Games

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG & KEN PICARD

Vermont has few homegrown assets that are instantly recognizable worldwide. Among them are Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Burton snowboards and a certain cantankerous U.S. senator with a Flatbush accent (see page 26). But once every four years, the Green Mountain State shines on the global stage and demonstrates that its elite winter athletes can compete against the best of the best. Vermonters work hard and play hard — and we’ve got the trophies and Olympic medals to prove it.

SPORTS

By now, avid fans of the Winter Olympics likely know the names of Vermont’s most famous Olympians who are headed to Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy: Jessie Diggins, the most decorated cross-country skier in U.S. history; Ryan Cochran-Siegle, an Alpine skier and member of the “Skiing Cochrans” Olympic dynasty; and Mikaela Shiffrin, arguably the greatest Alpine skier of all time. (Shiffrin was born in Vail, Colo., but honed her skills at Burke Mountain Academy, so we claim her.)

But Vermonters will also be cheering on some lesserknown competitors in medal contention. Sean Doherty is a Vermont National Guard member who trains in Jericho

for biathlon, a sport that looks like it was conceived for a James Bond movie, combining cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. Freestyle skier Mac Forehand is essentially a gymnast who transferred his hotdogging aerial skills to a terrain park. Julia Mesplède is a University of Vermont

Cross Paths

South Burlington’s Kevin Drury prepares for what may be his last Olympics with the Canadian Ski Cross Team

BY KEN PICARD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

When Kevin Drury enters the starting gate in a ski cross race, he’s typically the smallest of the four competitors in his heat. Standing five foot seven and 180 pounds, Drury is also dwarfed by his own teammates, all of whom are at least six-two and outweigh him by more than 20 pounds. In downhill ski racing, larger body mass often equates to greater momentum and stability, so Drury has to rely on his skills, athleticism and years of experience to give him an edge.

Clearly, Drury’s smaller size hasn’t been a hindrance to the 37-year-old Toronto native who now lives in South Burlington and competes for the Canadian Ski Cross Team. On January 18, he notched his first FIS Ski Cross World Cup win in five years in a thrilling, come-from-behind victory in his final run in Val Thorens, France. On February 21, “Coach Kevin,” as his teammates call

him, will race for gold in his third, and likely last, Winter Olympics.

Ski cross is a relatively new downhill sport, having made its Olympic debut at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Borrowing elements from boardercross, motocross and BMX biking, a ski cross racecourse features jumps, rollers (or bumps), banked turns and straightaways. In each heat, four racers start simultaneously on the same course, then jostle for the lead position. The skiers hug tight turns and soar through the air, often inches apart like fighter jets in formation, at speeds exceeding 65 miles per hour. The first two racers to cross the finish line advance to the next round.

As Drury told Seven Days in a video interview from Innichen, a town in the Dolomites of northern Italy where he was training for another World Cup race, the most daunting challenge of ski cross is learning to ski and jump at high speeds

senior and ice hockey player who skates for the Catamounts. Landgrove’s Ben Ogden looks to break a 50-year medal drought for the U.S. men’s cross-country ski team (page 35). Nordic skier Julia Kern, of Richmond, aims to medal for the U.S. women (page 33).

Not all of Vermont’s Olympians will represent the Stars and Stripes. Mesplède and fellow stick handler Chloé Aurard-Bushee both skate for Team France; Vermont Academy graduate Kristýna Kaltounková and UVM alum Natálie Mlýnková skate for Czechia’s hockey team; former Catamount Sini Karjalainen will skate for Finland. Kevin Drury (this page), of South Burlington, skis for Team Canada.

The Winter Games begin on Friday, February 6. By the time of the closing ceremonies on Sunday, February 22, Vermont could have a few more precious medals to boast about.

INFO

The 2026 Winter Olympics begin Friday, February 6, and will be broadcast on NBC and can be streamed on Peacock and NBCUniversal channels.

with three other skiers alongside you. While some athletes gets panicky, “I love it!” he said.

Why? “It’s that direct feedback,” he explained about the close proximity of his opponents. “I’m going to out-pump you. I’m going to out-turn you. And I’m going to out-ski you. And you know immediately that I did better than you.”

Drury is a Canadian citizen who moved to Burlington to attend, and ski for, the University of Vermont. It was there he met his wife, Rutland native Mary Kate

I’M GOING TO OUT-PUMP YOU. I’M GOING TO OUT-TURN YOU. AND I’M GOING TO OUT-SKI YOU.

KEVIN DRURY

“MK” Drury, a Nordic skier who owns HIIT Performance Training in Burlington. Kevin Drury competed in both the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics. Unlike the U.S. ski cross team, the Canadian one financially supports its athletes, so skiing has been his full-time job for more than a decade.

“There are so many variables in ski cross,” he said. “You can be in first and someone taps your [ski] tails and you crash and your day is done.”

Indeed, something similar happened to him in the 2018 Winter Games in South

Sean Doherty

Korea, where he placed fourth, just missing a podium finish.

“It stings a little,” he said, especially because he had won every heat that day but the last run, during which he collided midair with a Russian competitor. “I lost my ski, but he didn’t, and he skied down to win the bronze.”

For the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Drury was satisfied just to qualify, as he had broken his leg the previous year. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals and finished 12th overall. “It wasn’t a great course for me,” he said. “Not a lot of passing opportunities.”

Drury prefers runs that are more open, with a lot of technical challenges and more places to pass. He likens the less desirable courses to Formula 1 racing, in which a driver can be slow but hold the pole position and still win by boxing out their opponents.

One advantage he has over his younger rivals: the experience of having competed in two previous Olympics, he said, especially as it relates to calming one’s nerves.

“So much of that pressure you put on yourself,” said Drury, whose aunt, Marion Lay, was an Olympic swimmer who won bronze in a 100-meter freestyle relay in Mexico City in 1968. “There’s something different about an Olympics that I’ve been able to tap into, which is: Once racing starts, somehow I’m able to turn off the part of my brain that is in any way scared of injury. We’ve made it here. Let’s give it everything we have. If I break my legs, I break my legs.”

Like most Olympians, Drury wouldn’t comment on recent political tensions between his native country and his adopted one. As he put it, “I’m always very, very proud to be Canadian. I love having the leaf on my chest.” ➆

INFO

Follow Kevin Drury on Instagram: @drury.kc.

Fun and Games

Vermont Nordic skier Julia Kern aims for camaraderie along with the Olympic podium

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG • maryann@sevendaysvt.com

Alate afternoon snowfall dusted her hat and shoulders as Olympian Julia Kern stood in the meadow at Huntington’s Sleepy Hollow Inn talking cross-country skiing with 100 local kids.

Kern, who is 28 and lives in Richmond, skied with a club when she was growing up because her high school didn’t have a team. “You guys are really lucky,” she told the young athletes, who ski for Mount Mansfield and Champlain Valley union high schools and in the Bill Koch League program at Sleepy Hollow. Kern answered their questions about her training regimen, warm-up routine and how many pairs of skis she owns — “I don’t technically own any of them,” she said, but racing on the FIS Cross-Country World Cup circuit, she has between 40 and 50 from which to choose. Then she signed autographs on various articles of clothing, in addition to the posters and postcards she had brought.

Williston fifth grader Nico Coleman asked for signatures on his coat, buff, a poster, a postcard and his classic skis. “And I want it on this one, too,” he said after Kern autographed the first ski. Seemingly unpressed for time despite the fact that she was flying to Europe three days later, Kern happily obliged.

She laughed with the kids, asked them how their season was going and replied to each autograph request with, “Yeah, of course.”

For Kern, the best part of skiing has always been sharing it with other people.

Before she could walk, her parents pulled her on a sled. When she was 15 months old, she started skiing and gives much credit to her grandparents for teaching her. Her grandmother bribed her with gummy bears and sang to her so she would ski to a rhythm.

Kern’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Germany. She was born in Berkeley, Calif., and grew up in Waltham, Mass., but the rest of her relatives live in Germany. For years, Kern and her entire family — her sister, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins — skied together there on Christmas morning.

At home in Massachusetts, Kern skied on the Weston Ski Track, 15 kilometers of trails on a Weston, Mass., golf course. She played with an Olympics Swimming Champion Barbie and dreamed of going to the Olympics herself — but not necessarily as a skier. She also ran track, swam, and played soccer

IF YOU DON’T HAVE PEOPLE TO CELEBRATE IT WITH AND YOU DON’T ENJOY WHAT YOU’RE DOING, IT’S NOT GOING TO BE THAT FUN.

and basketball; the latter was her first love. Her mother, Dorothee, was a captain of the German national basketball team.

Julia Kern set her sights on the WNBA. Then, when she was 14, she competed in a ski race in Estonia. “I thought it was pretty cool to get to travel internationally to ski,” she told her Sleepy Hollow audience. She played other sports after that but focused on skiing.

At 17, just after her 2015 high school graduation, Kern made the U.S. Ski Team. She studied economics at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., while racing on the World Cup circuit. In 2019 in Slovenia, Kern, then 22, finished third in the freestyle sprint, becoming the youngest American to podium in a World Cup race.

Now a six-time World Cup medalist, Kern won a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships and a silver in 2025. At the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, she placed 18th in the sprint freestyle and 53rd in the skiathlon.

She trains with SMS T2 Team, the professional cross-country ski team at Stratton Mountain that includes three other Olympics-bound skiers: Americans Jessie Diggins and Ben Ogden and Canadian Rémi Drolet. At Sleepy Hollow that January afternoon,

kids weren’t shy about stepping up to the microphone to ask Kern questions. “Have you won any gold,” the first asked, “and if so, how many?”

“Great question,” Kern said amid audience chuckles. “I have not yet won any gold.” There are six women’s races at the Olympics, so only six people can win gold medals, she explained. When you get to the top in ski racing, “It’s really hard to win,” she said, “and as fun as that is, if you don’t have people to celebrate it with and you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, it’s not going to be that fun.”

After the questions and autographs, while Kern sat talking, Nico came running back toting a pair of skis. “I also want my skate skis signed,” he said.

“Oh, yeah,” Kern said, and she pulled out a silver marker — perfect for the mostly black skis, she and Nico agreed. With that, he was all set. As Nico turned to leave, Kern wished him luck and dispensed what may have been her best advice of the day: “Have fun.” ➆

INFO

Learn more at juliakernski.com.

JULIA KERN

Kevin Drury

VERMONT OLYMPIANS TO WATCH

Vermont is sending an impressive cohort of athletes to the 2026 Winter Olympics. Here are several to keep an eye on over the next two weeks. More may join them as teams are finalized.

Name: Nina O’Brien

Age: 28

Sport: Alpine skiing

Vermont connection: Attended Burke Mountain Academy

Fun facts: After suffering a serious crash at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing that left her with leg and foot injuries requiring surgery, O’Brien stunned the skiing world by returning to competition just nine months later, completing a slalom run in the first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race of the 2022-23 season.

Name: Sean Doherty

Age: 30

Sport: Biathlon

Vermont connection: Serves in the Vermont National Guard and trains at Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho Fun facts: An avid hunter, archer, fisherman and woodworker who lives off the grid, the New Hampshire native and four-time Olympian took up biathlon, a sport that combines cross-country skiing and riflery, at age 12. At 18, he was the youngest member of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team.

Name: Mac Forehand

Age: 24

Sport: Freestyle skiing

Vermont connection: Winhall native Fun facts: Forehand is a six-time X Games medalist who competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Forehand made history in 2019 when, at just 17, he won the prestigious Slopestyle Crystal Globe, awarded to the top-ranked male and female skiers and snowboarders on the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup circuit. The highflier is also a self-described World War II history nerd.

Name: Ben Ritchie

Age: 25

Sport: Alpine skiing

Vermont connection: Lives in Waitsfield and trained at Green Mountain Valley School

Fun facts: Last year, the Williston native had a breakout season, with five top-15 World Cup finishes and a national championship. When he’s not training or chasing snow around the world, Ritchie volunteers with Golden Huggs Rescue, a Waitsfield shelter that finds new families for homeless dogs.

Name: Ryan Cochran-Siegle

Age: 33

Sport: Alpine skiing

Vermont connection: Grew up in Starksboro in the third generation of Vermont’s “Skiing Cochrans” Alpine skiing dynasty

Fun facts: One of six Cochran Olympians, Cochran-Siegle won a silver medal in the super G in the 2022 Olympics and now heads to his third Olympic Games. The son of 1972 slalom gold-medal winner

Barbara Ann Cochran still trains at the Richmond ski area his grandparents started in 1961. His lone World Cup win, in the super G in 2020, came at the 2026 Olympic venue, Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio.

Name: Chloé Aurard-Bushee

Age: 26

Sport: Hockey, for France

Vermont connection: Attended

Vermont Academy

Fun facts: The Villard-de-Lans, France, native’s identical twin sister also played hockey at Vermont Academy. AurardBushee ranks fourth in Northeastern University history for career points scored, 204, and tied for third in assists, with 115. Vermont Academy teammate and current VA hockey coach Maddie Paydos said, somewhat jokingly, that all of her goals at the school were assists from Aurard-Bushee: “She had this superpower of just being able to find you and set you up perfectly every time.”

Name: Julia Mesplède Age: 23

Sport: Hockey, for France

Vermont connection: University of Vermont senior and Vermont Academy alum

Fun facts: The five-foot-two forward from Bordeaux, France, scored three goals against fifth-ranked Cornell in a pair of games for UVM in November. She tallied 13 goals and 11 assists in her single year as a Vermont Academy Wildcat.

Name: Kristýna Kaltounková Age: 23

Sport: Hockey, for Czechia

Vermont connection: Vermont Academy

Fun facts: “Kalty” and Chloé AurardBushee were teammates when Vermont Academy won the 2018 New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Championship. In five seasons at Colgate University, the forward recorded 233 points in 171 games, the secondhighest career point total in Colgate history, and became the first player from outside North America to be selected first overall in the Professional Women’s Hockey League draft when the New York Sirens signed her to a three-year commitment in 2025.

Name: Margie Freed Age: 28

Sport: Biathlon

Vermont connection: University of Vermont and Craftsbury Green Racing Project

Fun facts: The Minnesota native, who started cross-country skiing in sixth grade and competed for UVM, joined Craftsbury Green in 2020 as a Nordic skier. Friends there said, “Hey, come try shooting with us,” Freed told Minnesota Public Radio. She never stopped. She transferred to the biathlon team last year and makes her Olympic debut. Her least favorite part of being an athlete: clothing management.

Name: Luke Brown Age: 30

Sport: Biathlon

Vermont connection: Craftsbury Green Racing Project

Fun facts: As the youngest of three brothers, Brown’s bio on US Biathlon’s website says, “Luke learned about competition, tenacity, and the quest to keep up from a young age.” The Dartmouth College 2018 physics grad from St. Paul, Minn., earned two NCAA All-American skiing titles and credits watching German biathlete Sven Fischer race without gloves in the 2002 Olympics for sparking his interest in the sport.

Name: Jack Young Age: 23

Sport: Cross-country skiing

Vermont connection: Jay native, Craftsbury Green Racing Project

Fun facts: Young was a high school quarterback and baseball player when he began to get serious about cross-country skiing — and earned five state championship titles. In Davos, Switzerland, last month, he won a career-best fourth place in his first-ever World Cup skate sprint final. He didn’t break into the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, the US Ski Team posted on Threads; “he stormed onto it.”

Name: Paula Moltzan Age: 31

Sport: Alpine skiing

Vermont connection: Skied for University of Vermont; lives in Waitsfield Fun facts: Minnesota native Moltzan joined the U.S. Ski Team just after her 17th birthday and was the first U.S. woman to win a slalom gold medal at the Junior World Championships. Last week, she won her fourth World Cup podium this season. She won bronze in the giant slalom at the World Championships last year. Husband Ryan Mooney is her ski tech.

Name: Laurence St-Germain Age: 31

Sport: Alpine skiing, for Canada Vermont connection: University of Vermont

Fun facts: The Québec City native heads to her third Olympics hoping to top her prior Olympic best, a 2018 ninth-place finish in the mixed team event. The 2019 UVM computer science grad became the first skier in school history to sweep the slalom and giant slalom titles at the NCAA championships. She beat Mikaela Shiffrin at the 2023 world championships to win the slalom gold.

M.A.L. & K.P.

Nina O’Brien

Ryan Cochran-Siegle

Margie Freed

Balancing Act

Landgrove Nordic skier Ben Ogden welds, knits and wins races

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG • maryann@sevendaysvt.com

At the Beijing Olympics four years ago, race start lists looked surreal to Ben Ogden. His name appeared alongside the world’s best cross-country skiers — Norwegian star Johannes Klæbo and Italy’s Federico Pellegrino — “all these guys who have been on World Championship podiums,” Ogden said. “They’ve been on Olympic podiums. They’ve won the podium in numerous, countless World Cups.”

He was a 21-year-old University of Vermont student from tiny Landgrove, Vt., who had grown up idolizing them. “I didn’t 100 percent think of myself as being one of that group,” he said.

But now it’s 2026. This time, Ogden knows he belongs. When the New York Times asked if American men can end a 50-year drought and win an Olympic cross-country skiing medal, it answered its own question by naming two athletes most likely to do it: Alaskan Gus Schumacher and the 25-year-old, six-foot-four mustachioed Vermonter. Ogden was the fastest male skier age 23 or under on the FIS Cross-Country World Cup circuit in the 2022-23 season. He has won three World Cup podiums, the most recent last Friday, when he and Schumacher placed third in Goms, Switzerland, to win the U.S. men’s first team sprint World Cup podium. Ogden is ranked among the top five sprinters in the world.

He will face his idols again at these Olympics. “They’re still legends, and I still give them the utmost respect,” he said. But in the past four years, he has proven to himself that he can contend with them. When online publication FasterSkier asked him in November to name his biggest goal this season, he answered unequivocally: “An Olympic medal, for sure.”

Ogden was destined to ski. His father, John, had skied at Middlebury College and loved the sport — more deeply than even his wife, Andrea, had realized when they married. The family moved from Seattle to Landgrove, population 177, when she was pregnant with Ben, their second child. Boxes weren’t even unpacked, she said, when her husband announced one day that he was “gonna go to practice.”

John had signed on to coach West River Sports’ Nordic Ski Club in Londonderry, a member of the Bill Koch Youth Ski League.

Ben and his sisters joined when they were old enough.

At home, their dad groomed the field around their house for skiing.

“There was certainly no growing up as an Ogden child without skiing,” Ben said. “That was just what we did.”

Nothing about Ben’s childhood, however, indicated to his mother that he would one day ski in the Olympics. He was a “happy-go-lucky, goofy kind of

THERE WAS CERTAINLY NO GROWING UP AS AN OGDEN CHILD WITHOUT SKIING.

BEN OGDEN

a kid … just having a lot of fun,” she said. He and his sisters and their two cousins who lived across the road built ski hills off of the cousins’ front porch and jumps in the yard, with which they entertained themselves for hours.

Ben; his sisters, Katharine and Charlotte; and all of their friends ski raced. The Ogden kids attended high school at Stratton Mountain School, one of the premier ski academies in the country. But his parents didn’t pressure him to race, Ben said.

“We were never obsessed with results,” Andrea said. Driving home from a race, she was more likely to ask her daughters how they felt about their ponytail swing than dissecting the way they attacked a hill. John, who died of cancer in 2023, took the same approach, his wife said. It was less

about teaching the kids how to ski than modeling skiing as a fun pursuit.

Still, all three competed in college, Ben at the University of Vermont. “He definitely skis with his heart, and he enjoys it,” said UVM head Nordic coach Patrick Weaver, who coached Ben at UVM for five years and remains on his coaching team. “He’s just a really gritty skier,” Weaver continued. “He just goes out and gives it his all.”

Ben completed his college career with 17 Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association wins and three individual NCAA titles. Weaver, who helps Ben develop his overarching plan, attributes his success partly to the fact that he has interests outside of skiing. The mechanical engineering graduate is a self-taught welder and mechanic who is restoring a 1973 Series III Land Rover and designing a mini timber-frame sauna.

“Being in the ski racing mindset, 24-7, 365 days a year, can be really, really exhausting,” he said. The projects provide something else to focus on. His latest: knitting. Thanks to YouTube tutorials and the encouragement of Minnesota biathlete Luci Anderson, Ben has nearly completed a merino wool sweater, which he displayed during a video call. “I’m working on the last arm,” he said.

Guilford native Bill Koch won the American men’s last cross-country skiing Olympic medal, a silver in the 30-kilometer race in 1976. Fellow Vermonter Ogden could be the next, Weaver said: “On the right day, yes.”

Though not favored to medal, Ben has the ability, said Weaver, a two-time Olympian himself and the guy Ben calls when he’s struggling. Weaver won’t travel to Italy due to his coaching responsibilities, but Ben’s mother and about 30 others who live in and around Landgrove will be in Tesero, Italy, to cheer him on.

In his conversations with Ben in the run-up to the Games, Weaver has tried to downplay the spectacle of the Olympics. Focus on the things that affect your race, Weaver advises. It really is just another race. ➆

INFO

Follow Ben Ogden on Instagram: @ben.0gden.

Gus Schumacher (left) and Ben Ogden

Ben Ogden as a child

food+drink

Catch a Chill

Ice ﬁshing and cooking with Jimmy Kennedy on the Waterbury Reservoir

STORY MELISSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

PHOTOS JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

Jimmy Kennedy grew up ﬁshing in his native Mississippi and in neighboring Louisiana. When he moved to Vermont 40 years ago, he was skeptical of the northern practice of ice ﬁshing — to say the least.

The idea of waiting patiently in subzero temps to catch ﬁsh through holes cut into pond or lake ice elicited a strong what-the-heck reaction, Kennedy said. He recalled thinking, “I’m not going out there, you crazy people.”

FISHING

Kennedy soon joined the crazy.

The southerner said he regularly treks out on frozen ponds near his Plainfield home with his dog and his fishing gear during the deep-cold season. “It’s a great way to spend time outdoors in winter,” said Kennedy, 65. The eating can be really good, too, added the professional bass fisherman and chef.

Kennedy now owns JDK Catering, competes in about six fishing tournaments annually and travels to do cooking demonstrations for national food brands. He helmed the kitchen at Plainfield’s River Run Restaurant for 18 years until he sold it in 2009. At the Southern-accented eatery, Kennedy fried a ton of catfish. During Vermont’s ice fishing season, he’s always ready to fire up a portable propane burner or his wood-fired grill on the ice to cook brown trout, pike and

FOOD LOVER?

Jimmy Kennedy setting up tip-ups while ice ﬁshing on the Waterbury Reservoir

Crappie sandwiches with maple-glazed carrots

SIDEdishes

SERVING UP FOOD NEWS

Sweetwaters Will Reopen on Burlington’s Church Street

SWEETWATERS is making a comeback.

DAVID MELINCOFF, owner of the downtown Burlington ﬁxture for half of its 41-year tenure, said he is working with several investors and hands-on partners to reopen the 120 Church Street restaurant. Former executive chef JESSEE LAWYER is among those who will return, now as a co-owner and managing partner. The team aims to open what Melinco described as “a new Sweetwaters with a twist” by late April.

Sweetwaters closed in September 2022 to make way for PASCOLO RISTORANTE, which relocated from 83 Church Street to the larger space. After a three-year run, Pascolo owner JED DAVIS returned his downtown Italian restaurant to its original home, leaving the lower Church Street restaurant empty.

The long-term lease reverted to Melinco , 68. At the time, he told Seven Days, “All ideas are on the table — including the possibility of bringing back Sweetwaters in some form.”

Melinco described his role in the new iteration of Sweetwaters as more

that of a “guiding light” than a hands-on presence. “It needs new blood,” he said. He is working with Lawyer and other team members on minor renovations to elements of the 168-seat restaurant such as the seating layout and lighting.

Lawyer, 38, cooked at Sweetwaters for nine years before it closed. Employed for the past year and a half at EDELWEISS MOUNTAIN DELI in Stowe, he said he’s missed the energy and immediate feedback of a full-service restaurant.

The chef plans to tighten the lunch and dinner menus, keeping fan favorites such as the cornflake-and-almond-crusted chicken fingers and the Shirt Sleeve wrap in which they figure.

“It screams 1980s, but people love them,” Lawyer said. He will also bring back a smoker for chicken wings, pulled pork and brisket.

“Sweetwaters always felt like my home,” Lawyer said. “I’m excited to come back home.”

MELISSA

PASANEN

CONNECT

Avery Garson

2012-2026

More than a heart-dog, Avery was a lifesaver

As a puppy, Avery sported a white tail tip and comical “Flying Nun” ears. Before long, those wonky baby ears transformed: His right stood tall, while the left ﬂopped down.

Seven years later — after moving to Vermont — his left ear mysteriously perked straight up to match.

Avery loved vacations in Provincetown, where he cruised Bayside beach and trekked across the West End breakwater. He wore purple Carnival beads to pose with drag queens on Commercial Street and snacked on pink-frosted Scott Cakes.

Trained for hearing alert, with guidance from a dear friend, Avery learned over 30 tasks. He’d nudge his nose into my shoulder when the morning alarm droned on too long or whenever I had nightmares. He

alerted for phone rings, text tones and smoke detectors. His quick interventions helped kitty Rudy during seizure episodes. Twice, he prevented me from being struck by a car.

More than a heart-dog, Avery was a lifesaver, supporting me through the darkest period of my life, which, without him, I couldn’t have conquered.

At 14, Avery still enjoyed forehead snowplowing. Diving joyfully into the fresh fallen snow, he’d twist upside down to make snow angels. Unexpectedly, on January 14, 2026, several days after making his last angel, Avery became one.

Seven Days Pet Memorials

SIDE DISHES » P.41

Chef Jessee Lawyer in the Sweetwaters kitchen in 2019

e bar at the renovated Sweetwaters restaurant when it was Pascolo in 2023

crappie, or a mess of smaller panﬁsh such as yellow perch.

At 6 a.m. on January 19, the temperature was creeping toward 20 degrees when Kennedy arrived at the Waterbury Reservoir’s Blush Hill boat access. He and a ﬁshing buddy, Monkton resident Ben Cayer, schlepped sleds full of gear and a portable shanty across the thick, snowfrosted ice to the far edge of the reservoir.

“Ice ﬁshing is gear-heavy,” said Cayer, 34. “If you’re gonna cook, it’s even more gear-heavy.”

By 8 a.m., Kennedy, Cayer and a friend of Cayer’s — Jordan Koper of Stowe — had used power augers to drill 12 holes in the ice and set fishing devices called tip-ups in eight. Each wooden contraption held a baited hook at the end of a reel. When a fish bites, the action triggers a little orange flag to pop up. That alerts the angler to come check the line and potentially reel in a catch — ideally, a larger fish such as a trout or northern pike.

Fisher’s eyes are constantly peeled for popping ﬂags. After a long day on the ice, Kennedy said, “all you see is orange ﬂags everywhere.”

Cayer and Koper were also actively jigging through a couple of holes, gently moving their lines like puppet strings to make the bait look appetizingly alive.

An hour into the day’s fish, Cayer’s bucket held about half a dozen good-size, 10- to 12-inch gold-and-gray-striped perch, but the group was really hoping the tip-ups would yield trout.

The larger, sweet-ﬂeshed ﬁsh, Cayer said, “you just slap on the grill whole.” Perch, he said, are tasty deep-fried or fried in butter, and he really likes his wife’s Cajun perch chowder with potatoes, corn and bacon.

Cayer kept jigging, and Kennedy started cooking. The chef regularly glanced over at the small flock of tip-ups for sprung flags as he started seasoning some crappie fillets from a previous ice-fishing expedition.

“It’s the best freshwater ﬁ sh to eat, so tender,” he said. Then he interrupted himself. “We got a tip-up!”

The flag turned out to be one of many false alarms that morning: Line checks repeatedly revealed that either a fish had successfully snagged the baitfish and escaped the hook or the fish on the line was yet another perch.

Kennedy put the ﬁllets on the grill and sprinkled them liberally with his go-to Cajun spice blend of paprika, cayenne, thyme, black and white peppers, and salt. He threw half a stick of butter into

a cast-iron pan and added bias-cut carrot chunks with a slug of maple syrup.

Set up against the outside wall of the shanty, the chef’s mise en place sat on two wooden folding tables, his great-aunt’s TV trays. In addition to fresh sourdough rolls, baked by his wife, Kennedy had brought three spreads to dress the ﬁsh sandwiches: a Louisiana-inspired remoulade sauce, a chimichurri herb sauce and a diced-tomato bruschetta-style topping.

Simple garnishes don’t work out on the ice, Kennedy said: “Every time I bring lettuce and tomato out here, they freeze.”

“Jimmy doesn’t mess around,” Cayer said approvingly as he bit into a crusty roll stu ed with ﬁsh and ﬂavor.

The friends recalled another meal

SAFETY ON THE ICE

Corey Hart of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department cautions that those trying ice ﬁshing should take safety seriously. “Ice does not form uniform, so it’s important to check ice as you go with either an auger or spud bar. We recommend four inches of clear/black ice for walking out,” Hart said. “White ice or snow ice is about 50 percent the strength… so it’s important to look at the layers when you measure.”

In addition, Hart advised, “Always tell someone where you’re going and when you plan to return, and carry basic safety equipment such as ice picks and a throw rope.”

Learn more about ice fishing safety, fishing licenses and regulations at vtfishandwildlife.com.

Cayer waiting for a bite

Ben Cayer holding a perch

Jimmy Kennedy cooking crappie on a grill

Catch a Chill « P.36

ICE FISHING IS GEAR-HEAVY.

IF YOU’RE GONNA COOK, IT’S EVEN MORE GEAR-HEAVY.

BEN CAYER

made with fresh-caught crappie out on Lake Iroquois in Hinesburg. For a recipe Kennedy dubbed Shanty Sushi, he lightly steamed skewered fish nuggets over oolong tea before wrapping them in seaweed.

Cayer and Kennedy fish together yearround, including competing as a tournament team. But ice fishing’s the most fun, Cayer said: “There’s more camaraderie.”

In another shanty across the reservoir, there was camaraderie to spare — though the trout were similarly making themselves scarce.

Snug as bugs in an insulated shanty with a propane heater, Eric Calacci of Jericho and his twin brother, Matthew, of Georgia, Vt., were shooting the breeze with their friend Rob Schantz, also from Jericho.

The trio had set up their shanty over a set of six holes they’d augured into the ice. They sat in camping chairs, a line in each hand, jigging as they chatted while keeping an eye on their tip-ups out the tent windows. Eric, 55, got a bite on one of his jig lines and pulled up a small perch. He gently removed the hook from its mouth and slipped it back into the chilly water. “That one’s going back to get bigger,” he said.

The Calaccis grew up ice fishing in the Northeast Kingdom with their grandfather, from whom they inherited a beautiful wicker fishing creel, or basket, and learned tricks, such as using a button threaded on their tip-up line to help measure its depth in the water. Matthew said they

also learned not to keep everything they catch — even when their haul falls below state fishing limits — “to let other people have a chance at filling a creel.”

The brothers often cook up their catch or bring fish from a previous outing, but on January 19, the planned menu

mule cocktails. Sometimes they get more elaborate, starting with Jamaican jerk shrimp, for example, Eric said, and moving on to dust just-caught smelt with flour and pan-fry them.

The small ones can be eaten bones and all, Eric said. You pop them into your mouth whole “like French fries,” said Schantz, 72.

their forays “are more of an eating trip interrupted by fishing.”

The trio had successfully jigged a bunch of smelt that morning, but instead of cooking them, they were using the fish to bait their tip-ups. Their hope was that trout might make a final meal of smelt and, in turn, provide the anglers with a fresh feast.

Back at Kennedy’s shanty, he and Cayer had decided to move a couple tip-ups to holes closer to the center of the lake. They’d heard the trout might be chasing smelt down the channel.

A flag popped, but when Kennedy got to the tip-up, the reel was quiet. He pulled up the line to confirm. “Bait’s gone, dammit,” he said.

From a bucket of water equipped with a bubbler to prevent it from freezing solid, the angler scooped up a few minnows and picked a fat one to rebait the line.

Sometimes, the fish only start biting when you’re ready to call it quits. Kennedy recalled a long ago ice-fishing trip with his older daughter, who was begging to go home. They checked one last tripped tip-up, and she reeled in a huge pike. ➆

INFO

Free Ice Fishing Day and the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department’s Ice Fishing Festival are on Saturday, January 31. The festival is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Lake Elmore at Elmore State Park. Vermont Fish & Wildlife will also host an introduction to smelt fishing on Thursday, February 26, 5 to 8 p.m., at the Waterbury Reservoir Blush Hill Access. Learn more at vtfishwildlife.com.

Read about free permanent fishing licenses for Vermonters with developmental disabilities on page 5.

Rather than fishing trips, Eric joked,

Chef Jimmy Kennedy is doing a series of popup breakfasts this winter and spring at the Farnham Farm sugarhouse in Plainfield. Learn more at jimmydk.com.

Experience 16 years of expertise in body inclusivity and traumainformed waxing at our new

Burlington location.

Kennedy building a fish sandwich

Kennedy augering an ice-fishing hole

AGRICULTURE

Home Grown

A new farm-based seed company launches in Northﬁeld

BY JORDAN BARRY jbarry@sevendaysvt.com

Vermont’s growing season is short. Unless you’re comfortable tempting the fates that bring late frosts, common wisdom is to hold off on planting warm-weather crops until mid-to-late May. at doesn’t leave much time for something like a watermelon — which can take 90 days to reach maturity — to grow and ripen before the threat of frost returns.

In my zone 5a garden, Royal Golden watermelons stubbornly remain green. is year, I’m hedging my bets with the Bozeman watermelon from Homecoming Seeds, a new farm-grown seed business in Northﬁeld. e variety’s description in the online seed catalog promises “a great tasting and productive watermelon variety for our short and cooler seasons, fully ripening faster than most other watermelons of this size.”

Homecoming Seeds founder Charlie Watt launched his catalog right before midnight on January 17. On the 19th, he started packing the ﬁrst orders to ship around Vermont and to customers in New Jersey, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Watt grows roughly 80 percent of the new company’s open-pollinated vegetable, ﬂower and herb seed stock himself at Flytree Farm in Northﬁeld, where he lives with his wife, Madi, and daughter, Fia. e rest is grown locally at farms he contracts with, such as Small Axe Farm in Barnet.

with Austin, a local gardener, seed keeper and community elder.

“I was doing a presentation about my tomatoes,” Watt recalled, “and he comes up to me and says, ‘It’s so nice to meet a young person who’s interested in tomatoes.’”

e two became close friends, and Austin introduced Watt to the seedkeeping world, sharing stories behind the seeds and the signiﬁcance they hold for those who steward them — particularly within Indigenous communities.

at relationship, as well as Watt’s work with the Montana Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative, “really opened my eyes to the cultural and spiritual nature that seeds have and their relationship with humans,” he said.

e seasonal rhythms of seed farming differ slightly from those of farming, in which high-season produce is the goal. With seeds, Watt explained, the farmer is involved in the plant’s full life cycle.

“ ere isn’t that market hustle, that weekly hustle of harvest, wash, pack, go to market,” Watt said. During the growing season, “it’s a little bit more chill, and you can just focus on growing happy, healthy plants.”

He also selects for different characteristics than a market farmer might. Aesthetics aren’t a big deal, but ripening time is. If you grow a Maria Amazilitei’s Giant Red or dehybridized Sungold Select from Homecoming Seeds, Watt said, “you will probably be the ﬁrst person in your neighborhood with ripe tomatoes.”

In the depths of winter, Watt’s work continues with seed processing and order fulﬁllment. Homecoming Seeds are available only through the online shop for now, though he hopes to attend a few farmers markets in the coming year.

I placed my Homecoming Seeds order last week: Brown Goldring lettuce, Merlot lettuce, Candy Mountain sweet corn and the Bozeman watermelon ($5 each). Months will pass before I plant them, but I can already taste that ripe melon. ➆

Many of the varieties — including the Bozeman watermelon — were shared with him by his mentor, John Austin. Others come from Vermont seed-saving legend Sylvia Davatz, the retired founder of Hartland’s Solstice Seeds. Each is adapted to our region’s short growing season; they’re fast maturing and cold hardy.

“And they taste good,” Watt said with a laugh.

A self-described “ecologist who likes eating,” Watt, 32, came to farming postcollege as a way to work outside and keep winters for skiing. While getting his doctorate at Montana State University in agriculture and education, he had a fortuitous encounter

Learn more at homecomingseeds.com.

Clockwise from top: Charlie Watt with Sungold Select tomatoes; Flytree Farm; packets of seeds COURTESY

SIDEdishes

Vermont Chefs and Industry Pros Named 2026 James Beard Award Semiﬁnalists

The James Beard Foundation kicked o its annual awards season on Wednesday, January 21, with the announcement of semiﬁnalists for its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Several Vermonters in the restaurant industry were recognized.

CAFÉ MONETTE in St. Albans was one of 30 restaurants around the country named in the Best New Restaurant category. LESLIE MCCROREY WELLS — co-owner of Burlington’s PIZZERIA VERITÀ, TRATTORIA DELIA and SOTTO ENOTECA — is a semiﬁnalist for Outstanding Restaurateur.

KATE WISE, bar manager at Burlington’s JUNIPER BAR & RESTAURANT, was recognized in the nationwide Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service category. Wise has been behind Juniper’s copper bar since 2018. In 2021, she spearheaded a statewide #drinkitforward fundraising campaign; that e ort continues at the bar inside Hotel Vermont, where $1 from each sale of a selected beverage on the Juniper menu is donated to a new nonproﬁt every two months.

Three Vermont chefs made the regional Best Chef: Northeast list: TIARA ADORNO of the CROOKED RAM in Manchester, PAUL TROMBLY of FANCY’S in Burlington and MAX VOGEL of ONDIS in Montpelier.

Adorno — a Johnson & Wales University graduate who has run the kitchen at the Crooked Ram since July 2021 — was with her team at their newest addition, BONDVILLE BODEGA, when she heard the news. The grab-and-go spot at the foot of Stratton Mountain opened over the weekend.

“Southern Vermont has a lot to o er,” Adorno said. “We’re just super stoked to see our little corner ... get a bit of recognition.”

In 2024, Trombly opened Fancy’s in the cozy Old North End restaurant space he shares with lunchtime counterpart POPPY café and market. The former HONEY ROAD chef and Mister Foods

Fancy food truck owner puts vegetables at the center of most of his plates, spotlighting local produce with global techniques and ﬂavors gleaned from his two-decade-plus culinary career.

Vogel, a longtime area chef and New England Culinary Institute grad, has been the chef at Ondis since the tiny Montpelier spot opened in December 2023. “The business runs with him, because of him. He’s super talented,” co-owner CHRISTOPHER LEIGHTON told Seven Days in 2024.

St. Albans is by far the smallest city represented in the nationwide Best New Restaurant category, which honors places that “[seem] likely to make a signiﬁcant impact in years to come, and [demonstrate] consistent excellence in food, atmosphere, hospitality, and operations.”

Chef-partners ADAM MONETTE, TYLER COMEAU and HENRY LONG opened their chic

French-ish restaurant on North Main Street in August.

“It’s overwhelming,” Monette said. “This is one idea, lots of hands, and it’s incredible just to be in the conversation.”

Wells was also quick to acknowledge the sta at her Burlington restaurants.

“I’ve been working at this for a really long time ... and it’s always been about my team,” Wells said. “The last two years, they’ve really stepped up to give me the opportunity to do other things.”

Those other things include launching ALIMENTARI, an Italian café and market tentatively planned to open at 196 St. Paul Street by the end of February.

“It’s such a di cult time for restaurants,” Wells said. “Every restaurant should be applauded for keeping their sta employed and their doors open.”

James Beard Award semiﬁnalists will be whittled into a short list of nominees on Tuesday, March 31. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on June 15.

JORDAN BARRY

Leslie McCrorey Wells

Tiara Adorno (right) with Crooked Ram pastry chef Alli Ford

Compressed watermelon at Ondis

Paul Trombly at Fancy’s

From left: Henry Long, Adam Monette and Tyler Comeau at Café Monette

Kate Wise FILE: DARIA

FILE: LUKE AWTRY

culture

Hearts of the West

eater review: Fool for Love, Shaker Bridge eatre

BY ALEX BROWN • alex@sevendaysvt.com

Throughout his work, playwright Sam Shepard’s subject boils down to the ache of human need. His dialogue rarely reveals what someone’s thinking but always hints at the weight of it. It’s the stare of the cowboy, the silence of the woman spurned. In his acclaimed Fool for Love, Shepard trains his gimlet eye on human passion, pushing stayor-go opposition to the snapping point.

The solid performances in the Shaker Bridge Theatre production crackle with tension. Director Adrian Wattenmaker emphasizes precise movement, building scenes that ripple along the edges of attraction and aggression. But the action resolves nothing — here, need is never quenched.

In a shabby motel room near the Mojave desert, May (Sarah Killough) lives with little but a job as a cook, a small suitcase for moving on and a hot red dress. Eddie (Jacob A. Ware), a past love who’s been in and out of her life since high school, tracks her down and asks her to move with him to a trailer in Wyoming. He’ll settle down, maybe leave his rodeo career. The topic is essentially

reconciliation, but this couple operate at an archetypal level. They’re testing whether love is possible.

The play opens with Eddie working resin into his bronco-riding gloves and May sitting on the edge of the bed, head hanging straight down. When he stands up, she wordlessly collapses at his feet, wrapping her arms around his leg. It’s sweet for a moment, but when he tries to sway himself loose, her silent grip won’t yield. They are stuck between escape and connection.

They rattle themselves free to argue. May says she’s waiting for a man to come over that night. Eddie doubts it, threatening to leave and threatening to stay. They pitch words like daggers and tear at each other with movement that is on the brink of exploding but always held back. The deliberate pace allows us to see their thoughts form and to recoil as they try each surprising choice.

Shepard’s language constrains them to implications. They cannot say what hurts; they can only lunge at each other when it does. Understatement is a kind of cruelty, and Eddie and May hover at a breaking

performed without intermission, Fool for Love sits somewhere between tragedy and comedy. The laughs are few but solid; the sense of loss is ever present. It won the 1984 Obie Award for Best New American Play.

Performing the 40-year-old play now brings it to audiences less attuned to the power of the silent male stare, the exhilaration of escaping relationships, the yearning for connection expressed in a hand spinning a waist into a clutched embrace. The play’s powerful archetypes trade in an older vocabulary. Yet Shepard’s characters remain majestic and frightening. When they close a door, a sound e ect ampliﬁes the slam into a boom. Even the bed is attacked, with Eddie stomping through the sheets in his boots and May entombing herself in a pillow.

Audience and actors today live in a world less populated with surly men and desperate women, and the culture Shepard saw so keenly is one most people would reject now. Does the play still work if Eddie doesn’t employ a brutal swagger or May doesn’t lean toward abject surrender?

For this reviewer, a loss of machismo weakened the production, but the key missing piece was an all-encompassing private world that swallows May and Eddie. Both actors conveyed their wounds with arresting power but stopped short of showing me why the characters keep reaching for what destroys them.

point. The past won’t allow the present to start; there is never a future.

Quietly onstage throughout is the Old Man (Mark S. Cartier), who observes and comments, perhaps only in the other characters’ heads. He tells anecdotes marinated in peculiar details, and through them we slowly piece together a disturbing truth about Eddie and May. Shepard’s story is about love’s impossibility and its necessity. The Old Man is a parent, unwilling to communicate anything directly but content to ﬁll his o spring with stories that suggest he’ll always have control over them.

Outside the motel room, headlights and sounds in the parking lot hint at other trouble stalking Eddie. He and May are under a kind of siege. Her possible date proves real when Martin (Nick Sweetland) actually arrives and at ﬁrst appears to be a physical rival to Eddie. But while Eddie and May live in a heightened world, Martin schlumps in from his lawn-care job, unable to comprehend the wild tension surging in the room.

Running a gripping 85 minutes,

Ware’s performance is too tender to carry the dangerous desire the character can’t shuck, but he is also hypnotic onstage. Killough’s plaintive evocation of a woman on the edge of collapse is too haunted to leave her open for more, but she is also a powerful force in every scene. Their work is impressive, as is that of Cartier, who is e ortlessly riveting as he unspools the Old Man’s stories.

Shepard typically crosses into unreality, and the trick is making that world feel more true than the real one. I recommend seeing this production and its solid portrayals of characters down to their very last chance. Wattenmaker and the actors understand the work well. But the dark turn in the story feels less like a fable than an ugly event best hushed up. We want to turn away, not understand.

Though the performances don’t elevate the play into myth, they do deliver theater worth knowing. Fool for Love is about people in need, bleached dry from desperation, considering, of all things, another trip through the desert. ➆

INFO

Fool for Love, by Sam Shepard, directed by Adrian Wattenmaker, produced by Shaker Bridge eatre. rough February 8: ursdays through Saturdays, 7 p.m.; Saturday, January 31, 2:30 p.m.; and Sundays, 2:30 p.m., at Briggs Opera House in White River Junction. $25-45. shakerbridgetheatre.org

Sarah Killough and Jacob A. Ware in Fool for Love

An Apple a Day

Vermonters are struggling with the rising costs of health insurance, and some are choosing to go without

Kathleen Gill, 35, and her husband, Daniel Fiﬁeld, 38, have dangerous jobs working with large animals: She is a mobile equine veterinarian; he’s a dairy farmer. The Cornwall residents have both been hurt on the job and need health insurance. But monthly premiums for the family of four rose from 23 cents last year to $2,622.15 this year. They will pay $31,465.80 in premiums in 2026 — more than their mortgage.

A number of factors have led to the sharp increase. A ordable Care Act subsidies, which began during the pandemic, have expired. Though Democratic legislators fought for an extension during the longest federal government shutdown in American history, it wasn’t enough. And in Vermont, health insurance premiums have skyrocketed annually — 40 to 60 percent over the past ﬁve years, according to Owen Foster, chair of the Green Mountain Care Board.

plan on Vermont Health Connect, with an out-of-pocket limit of $20,300 for the family. That means if two family members have an expensive medical emergency, they will pay $51,765.80 in premiums and deductibles before the insurance kicks in fully. That’s about a third of the couple’s combined income. As painful as the new premiums are, Gill and Fiﬁeld refuse to be uninsured and risk losing their home due to high medical bills.

In the latest episode of “Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger met the family in Cornwall and learned about Gill’s experiences navigating the complex health care landscape.

I’M REALLY JUST PAYING FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE A HUMAN RIGHT.

KATHLEEN GILL

A week later, she was in pain and had her cast reset at Fanny Allen Urgent Care in Colchester for $169, reduced to $92.95. Robinson has not yet received the ambulance bill. Her health insurance starts in mid-February at her new job — she’ll be making meals for preschool kids.

Sollberger spoke with Seven Days about ﬁlming the episode.

What made you want to explore this topic?

Health insurance is front of mind for many of us this year as the premiums take such a big leap. I put out a call on Facebook for people facing large price increases. Dozens of folks got in touch. Americans are angry and frustrated.

How do these spiking costs affect Vermonters?

People are avoiding health care due to the cost — even insured people can’t pay their deductibles. Gill’s family has a history of breast cancer, and her doctor advises her to get an annual breast MRI with contrast. Because she is at high risk, this is a diagnostic procedure, which means she has to pay out of pocket. When Gill had her babies and hit the family’s deductible, she got the procedure. But she can’t a ord the cost annually — despite paying over $31,000 in premiums. This is ridiculous. We should all be able to get the tests our doctors recommend to keep us healthy.

It sounds like we have a lot of work ahead to ﬁx health care in Vermont. In order for the fragile health care system to work, we all have to shoulder the cost. But it seems absurd that these prices are so high and arbitrary, depending on where you go, and that you get a huge discount when you are an out-of-pocket customer. And don’t even get me started on how complicated health care billing can be. But as Foster makes clear, it is a delicate balancing act to make sure our hospitals stay open, providers are paid and our insurers stay solvent. And don’t forget providing excellent care to Vermonters. It’s like a high-wire act.

This year, Gill and Fifield chose a bronze Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont

Sollberger also caught up with Jo Robinson, 43, a Burlington resident who works in school nutrition. She did not have insurance on January 9 when she slipped on ice and broke her ankle and foot. After an ambulance ride to the University of Vermont Medical Center, she was billed more than $4,000 for treatment. Because she was paying out of pocket, the cost was reduced to $2,385.25.

Sollberger then talked with Ellen Repstad, a 48-year-old self-employed therapist from Bristol. Repstad is going without health insurance this year due to the high cost. She has type 2 diabetes and will pay for her monthly medications out of pocket. Repstad plans to shop around for the least expensive care and will consider traveling abroad to save money on procedures. She says she is not giving up on health care, just on health insurance.

How many people did you talk to? I spoke to a lot of people for this story that you won’t see featured. They all agreed that the situation is untenable. As Gill stated, “To pay $51,000 for something seems like you’re paying for a luxury or a privilege, when I’m really just paying for something that should be a human right.” ➆

759: Health Care Quagmire

Kathleen Gill, Daniel Fiﬁeld and family

on screen

The Testament of Ann Lee ★★★★ All That’s Left of You ★★★★★

This week I want to recommend two period pieces that share all-too-relevant themes of fear, oppression, faith and moral courage, despite very di erent subjects and styles. Both are playing in Vermont theaters.

Since garnering praise at ﬁ lm festivals last fall, The Testament of Ann Lee has received a Golden Globe nomination for Amanda Seyfried’s intense performance as the title character, a founder of the religious sect popularly known as Shakers (aka United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing). As of press time, see it at the Savoy Theater in Montpelier, Essex Cinemas and Majestic 10 in Williston.

REVIEWS

Rather than depicting the life of Ann Lee (1736-1784) in standard biopic format, director-cowriter Mona Fastvold (The World to Come) has herself created something of a “testament,” immersed in the fervor of its characters. Ann’s friend Mary (Thomasin McKenzie) narrates with breathless reverence, telling us how the daughter of a Manchester blacksmith became a renowned visionary.

Raised on manual labor in a straitened, smoke-grimed world, young Ann is enraptured by a group of “shaking Quakers” who allow women to preach and include song and dance in their worship. After she marries, her life is defined by her husband’s sexual appetite, resulting in four children who all fail to survive their first year. Small wonder, perhaps, that when Ann is imprisoned for her unorthodox faith and experiences a spiritual revelation, her new doctrine decrees celibacy for everyone. With her younger brother (Lewis Pullman), she leads her followers to America. There, the pacifist, egalitarian Shakers will gain 6,000 adherents at their peak (according to the film).

Less an inspirational tale than a study of the primal need to believe, Testament doesn’t ask viewers to share Ann’s faith. Fastvold nudges us to note how her visions serve her personal thirst for autonomy — particularly the celibacy doctrine, which is tricky to enforce.

Stylistically, Testament could almost be mistaken for the ﬁrst folk horror musical.

The woodprint title cards have a Midsommar vibe, as do the scenes of Ann and her friends beating their breasts and whirling orgiastically in worship. The interiors are dark; the birth scenes, gory. The score by Daniel Blumberg (who also wrote the songs, incorporating real Shaker tunes) strikes as many ominous notes as celebratory ones.

If this is a horror story, however, the terror comes from unbelievers who attack Ann for her radical claim to speak the word of a bigender God. Even as Fastvold hints at cracks in the Shakers’ faith, she sincerely celebrates their hard work, tenacity and commitment to an emotionally charged form of worship that will thrill the theater kids in the audience. Witch-hunting Puritans get all the press, but Testament reminds us that early American believers could also be progressives with ideals that still resonate today.

While the conﬂicts of Testament belong to this nation’s heritage, the history depicted in All That’s Left of You is essentially still unfolding. Written and directed by Palestinian American Cherien Dabis ( Amreeka ), who also stars, this drama short-listed for the Oscars tells the story of three generations of a Palestinian family.

It starts a run at Burlington’s Partizanﬁlm this Friday, January 30.

Early in the film, after a prologue packed with chaotic action, Dabis faces the camera and speaks in English. We may assume she’s addressing us, the viewer, as she gently notes her listener’s ignorance and o ers a primer on her people’s history. In a graceful sleight of hand, however, the true context and weight of her story emerge only once we’ve watched it to the end.

That story begins with the Nakba of 1948, when the family of Sharif (Adam Bakri), an orange grower in Ja a, loses its gracious home and freedom to the Israeli occupation. The narrative then jumps to 1978, when the family lives in a West Bank refugee camp. While the aging Sharif (Mohammad Bakri) bitterly cherishes his memories of a better life, his son, Salim (Saleh Bakri), takes a stoic, pragmatist approach.

A ﬁssure opens between Salim and his own son, Noor (Sanad Alkabareti), after the boy witnesses his father’s humiliation by Israeli troops. Inspired by his grandfather to resist the occupation, the teenage Noor (Muhammad Abed Elrahman) joins a protest. The boy’s action will force his

father and mother (Dabis) to a heartrending dilemma that tests their capacity for forgiveness.

The framing of All That’s Left of You suggests it was designed, at least in part, to educate viewers on the Palestinian plight. While the ﬁlm succeeds in that, the script and performances have an absorbing heft and complexity that lift it far above exposition or didacticism.

Playing opposite his real father, Saleh Bakri gives Salim the world-weariness of one who has labored most of his life to accept dispossession as his lot. Salim’s eyes light up when he teaches Palestinian schoolchildren, yet he can’t reach his own son. While Noor’s actions propel the plot, it’s his father’s journey — from resignation to despair to a form of ambivalent agency — that we’re invested in.

Tears flow when the narrative comes full circle, because Dabis has infused one fictional family’s story with the grief of many more. When we’re all riveted to a brutal news cycle, it’s easy to be cynical about the power of fiction to awaken empathy. But All That’s Left of You exemplifies that power in the best way.

MARGOT HARRISON margot@sevendaysvt.com

Playing a founder of the Shakers, Amanda Seyfried fully captures the fervor of an unconventional form of devotion.

NEW IN THEATERS

ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOUHHHH1/2 Cherien Dabis (Amreeka) wrote, directed and stars in this acclaimed portrait of a Palestinian family through three generations. (145 min, NR. Partizanfilm; reviewed 1/28)

ARCO: A girl shelters a boy who has the power of time travel in this Oscar-nominated hand-drawn animation from France. (88 min, PG. Partizanfilm)

IRON LUNG: A convict explores a blood ocean in a submarine in this postapocalyptic horror film from Mark Fischbach. (127 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Welden)

MELANIA: Brett Ratner directed this documentary about the First Lady. (104 min, PG. Majestic)

A PRIVATE LIFE: Jodie Foster plays a psychiatrist convinced her patient was murdered in this French psychological thriller, also starring Daniel Auteuil. (103 min, R. Partizanfilm)

SEND HELP: An employee (Rachel McAdams) and her obnoxious boss (Dylan O’Brien) find themselves stranded on a desert island in Sam Raimi’s horror thriller. (113 min, R. Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Star, Welden)

SHELTER: A hermit (Jason Statham) with a violent past is called back into action in this one-person-army flick from Ric Roman Waugh. (107 min, R. Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic)

CURRENTLY PLAYING

28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLEHHHH

Residents of the quarantined UK continue to fight for their lives in Nia DaCosta’s horror sequel. (109 min, R. Bijou, Majestic, Stowe)

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASHHHH Pandora faces a conflict between Na’vi tribes. (195 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic)

CHARLIE THE WONDERDOG: Owen Wilson voices a dog with alien-endowed superpowers in this animated adventure. (95 min, PG. Paramount)

THE CHORALHHH A controversial choral director (Ralph Fiennes) must recruit teenage singers during World War I in this drama from Nicholas Hytner (The History Boys). (113 min, R. Catamount)

HAMNETHHHH1/2 William and Agnes Shakespeare (Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley) grapple with loss in the adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel. (125 min, PG-13. Big Picture, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Playhouse; reviewed 12/10)

THE HOUSEMAIDHHH1/2 A young woman’s dream job has a dark side in Paul Feig’s adaptation of Freida McFadden’s thriller. (131 min, R. Bijou, Essex, Majestic, Star, Stowe)

MARTY SUPREMEHHHH1/2 A young man (Timothée Chalamet) sets out to be a table tennis champion in Josh Safdie’s comedy-drama. (150 min, R. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Partizanfilm, Stowe; reviewed 1/7)

MERCYH1/2 A detective (Chris Pratt) has 90 minutes to prove to an AI judge that he didn’t kill his wife in this sci-fi thriller. (100 min, PG-13. Bijou, City Cinema, Majestic, Paramount, Star, Welden)

NO OTHER CHOICEHHHH1/2 A laid-off manager (Lee Byung-hun) would literally kill for another job in this acclaimed dark satire from Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). (139 min, R. Majestic, Savoy; reviewed 1/14)

SONG SUNG BLUEHHH Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson play a married Neil Diamond tribute band in this fact-based drama. (133 min, PG-13. Big Picture, Star)

THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTSHHH1/2 A ghost pirate leads SpongeBob to the ocean’s depths in this animation. (96 min, PG. Welden)

THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEEHHHH Mona Fastvold tells the story of the founder of the Shaker movement). (137 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Savoy; reviewed 1/28)

ZOOTOPIA 2HHH1/2 Disney’s animated critters return for another mystery. (108 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Star)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (Big Picture, Sat only)

CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Catamount, Sun only)

DEAD RECKONING (Catamount, Wed 28 only)

GLORY (Catamount, Wed 4 only)

THE HARDER THEY COME (VTIFF, Sat only)

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (Big Picture, Thu only)

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING — EXTENDED EDIT (Essex, Fri & Sat only)

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING — EXTENDED EDIT (Essex, Thu, Sun & Mon only)

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS — EXTENDED EDIT (Essex, Sat & Sun only)

MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART 1 — LAST AIR IN MOSCOWHHHHH (VTIFF, Sun only)

PILGRIM, FAREWELL (Partizanfilm, Wed 28 only)

THE PRINCESS BRIDE (Savoy, Sat only)

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (Playhouse, Sun only)

THE WIZ (VTIFF, Fri only)

OPEN THEATERS

(* = upcoming schedule for theater was not available at press time)

BIG PICTURE THEATER: 48 Carroll Rd., Waitsfield, 496-8994, bigpicturetheater.info

*BIJOU CINEPLEX 4: 107 Portland St., Morrisville, 888-3293, bijou4.com

CAPITOL SHOWPLACE: 93 State St., Montpelier, 229-0343, fgbtheaters.com

CATAMOUNT ARTS: 115 Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 748-2600, catamountarts.org

CITY CINEMA: 137 Waterfront Plaza, Newport, 334-2610, citycinemanewport.com

ESSEX CINEMAS & T-REX THEATER: 21 Essex Way, Suite 300, Essex, 879-6543, essexcinemas.com

*MAJESTIC 10: 190 Boxwood St., Williston, 878-2010, majestic10.com

MARQUIS THEATER: 65 Main St., Middlebury, 388-4841, middleburymarquis.com.

PARAMOUNT TWIN CINEMA: 241 N. Main St., Barre, 479-9621, fgbtheaters.com

*PARTIZANFILM: 230 College St., Unit 13, Burlington, 276-4588, partizanfilm.org

PLAYHOUSE MOVIE THEATRE: 11 S. Main St., Randolph, 728-4012, playhouseflicks.com

SAVOY THEATER: 26 Main St., Montpelier, 229-0598, savoytheater.com

THE SCREENING ROOM @ VTIFF: 60 Lake St., Ste. 1C, Burlington, 660-2600, vtiff.org

STAR THEATRE: 17 Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 748-9511, stjaytheatre.com

*STOWE CINEMA 3PLEX: 454 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-4678, stowecinema.com

WELDEN THEATRE: 104 N. Main St., St. Albans, 527-7888, weldentheatre.com

EXPRESS

We Are the Champions

Kent Monkman paints history at monumental scale with a queer, Indigenous brush in Montréal

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

In his recent push to acquire Greenland, President Donald Trump said that just because someone landed a boat there 500 years ago doesn’t mean they own the place. Cue the enraged, hysterical laughter of Indigenous people across North America.

The moment we’re living in, full of big actions and big emotions, ridiculousness and terror, national tragedies perpetuated on a human scale — you know, history — is hard in part because no response (let alone an artistic one) seems adequate or even possible. The exhibition “Kent Monkman: History Is Painted by the Victors,” on view at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts through March 8, proves otherwise. It is funny and grandiose, intimate and political, deadly serious and delightfully queer. And it is very, very big.

The show, coproduced with the Denver

Art Museum, is Monkman’s largest solo presentation to date and the ﬁrst major exhibition by a living Indigenous artist at the MMFA. Monkman is a member of ocêkwi sîpiy (Fisher River Cree Nation), located in “Treaty 5 Territory” (Manitoba) and now works in Toronto and New York City. Visitors may recognize “The Great Mystery,” which the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., commissioned for a 2023 exhibition, or the two monumental paintings he presented in the Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City from 2019 to 2021, which are being shown in Canada for the ﬁrst time. But the exhibition is far more extensive than either and well worth the trek north.

Monkman turns history painting on its head, subverting prevailing colonial narratives by giving us new, often absurd stories set in the kinds of landscapes imagined by 19th-century American art, as well as

“mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People): Welcoming the Newcomers”

multi-figure compositions reminiscent of Théodore Géricault or Jacques-Louis David.

Many Vermonters have likely seen Albert Bierstadt’s 1867 painting “The Domes of the Yosemite” at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, a wall-size scene of a raging waterfall and craggy, distant mountains. Like similar works by Hudson River School painters, it conveys that the West is large, majestic and uninhabited.

Monkman’s “History Is Painted by the Victors,” which greets visitors and sets the tone for the exhibition, gives Bierstadt a run for his money. Snowy peaks and giant redwoods tower dramatically over a glassy lake. Young, naked men lounge about and wrestle and swim, reminiscent of ﬁgures from Thomas Eakins’ paintings. They have cast o their uniforms, which are from George Armstrong Custer’s regiment. An artist at an easel paints the scene, but instead of mountains, the canvas shows

Lakota artist Red Horse’s drawing of Custer’s defeat at the Battle of Greasy Grass (Little Bighorn). The ﬁctitious painter, a genderfluid Indigenous transperson wearing fabulous red thigh-high platform stiletto boots and nothing else, is Monkman’s alter-ego: Miss Chief Eagle Testickle. Miss Chief (get it?) acts as a kind of trickster-narrator in Monkman’s work, much as Coyote or Raven do in some traditional First Nations stories. He has described her as a time traveler who’s able to turn the settlers’ gaze back on Europeans, and who represents a nonbinary concept of gender common across Indigenous cultures but erased by colonizers. The paintings in the show include many such people, described as kâ-wâsihkopayicik — “sparkly ones.”

Miss Chief both observes and takes part in the action. In the pair of paintings commissioned by the Met, “mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People),” each of which is

11 by 22 feet, she offers a hand to shipwrecked immigrants in one and assumes George Washington’s role crossing the Delaware in the other, leading a boatful of families past a group of armed white men, threatening but isolated on a shoal. She floats like a Renaissance archangel over incarcerated Indigenous women in “The Madhouse,” seemingly protecting them from violent guards. In “The Storm,” she deploys her sheer red polyester shawl — one place where Monkman’s nearphotographic attention to materials and textures is spot-on — to shield herself and a Canadian Mountie from the rain, her arm around his waist.

Miss Chief doesn’t appear in every painting, but Monkman uses her very effectively as a way to bridge his styles and subjects. In works such as “Artist and Model” and “The Triumph of Mischief” she’s painted almost cartoonishly. She often takes the part of defending Indigenous culture from appropriation by Western artists — in one case, by tying up a white cowboy-hatted photographer who is punctured with arrows Saint Sebastianstyle, though he doesn’t look like he’s complaining.

Yet in other works, Monkman’s sense

of scale and photorealistic style come to the fore to give Miss Chief and his other figures a real sense of pathos. “The Deluge,” for instance, portrays her clinging to the side of a cliff, rescuing children and returning them to their parents, an allegory for those who have worked to uncover and repair the damage done by the residential boarding school system.

It’s an entry into a suite of paintings that portray events from what the curators rightly and boldly describe as “the harrowing, traumatic experiences of the attempted genocide of Indigenous people in North America.” That includes “The Scream,” in which priests and Mounties literally rip children from the arms of mothers, and “The Going Away Song,” which documents an 1885 event in which First Nations children in Saskatchewan were forced to watch a mass hanging of men who rebelled against the Canadian government, some of whom were their relatives.

The most recent paintings in the show cast the present as history and offer viewers a needed dose of hope. In addition to portraits of living Indigenous activists, elders and educators, Monkman gives us works such as “Victory for the Water Protectors.” He composes the scene as a violent, balletic dance between police kitted out in riot gear and activists protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline on the Standing Rock Reservation. It’s an image that wouldn’t look out of place in recent news coverage of Minneapolis. Many of the protestors lie prone on the ground, seemingly defeated, but Monkman characterizes their collective action as a victory.

Some of these works are credited not to him alone but as “Kent Monkman Studio.”

A video produced alongside the exhibition shows Monkman creating the work with his team of assistants and discussing their process, something few artists talk about openly. “It’s a way to challenge the authorship of history,” Monkman said in the video. Doing so in a major solo museum show gives the work an added subversive twist and reminds the viewer that there isn’t ever only one story, or one voice speaking. ➆

INFO

This article is part of a travel series on Québec. The province’s destination marketing organization, Bonjour Québec, is a financial underwriter of the project but has no influence over story selection or content. Find the complete series plus travel tips at sevendaysvt.com/quebec.

“Kent Monkman: History Is Painted by the Victors,” on view through March 8 at the Montréal Museum of Fine Arts. mbam.qc.ca/en

From top: “The Deluge”; “The Storm”

OPENINGS + RECEPTIONS

‘THE VERMONT FIRSTS COLLECTION’: An exhibition of Bruce Mitchell’s 1976 paintings depicting notable “Vermont Firsts,” created for the U.S. bicentennial and revisited for the 2026 semiquincentennial, along with objects from the Vermont Historical Society’s collection and curatorial text that provides additional context for many of the claims and assumptions made by the original series. Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, through June 30. Info, 479-8500.

MARK LA ROSA AND MATT DELLIGATTI: “Zooming In,” an exhibition of photographs that use macro techniques to look closely at insects and flowers and traditional black-and-white darkroom processing to illuminate detailed leaves. Reception: Thursday, January 29, 4-6 p.m. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, through March 27. Info, 229-6206.

PAUL KEENE: “The African American Experience,” an exhibition of works by the late painter, who advanced awareness of African American art and culture in the 1950s and ’60s and whose work was influenced by experiences in Haiti and Paris and his love of jazz. J. Kenneth Fine Art, Shelburne, February 1-28. Info, jkennethfineart@gmail.com.

SUZANNE REXFORD-WINSTON: “Change: An exploration through collage,” a first solo exhibition exploring themes of nature through the use of bold patterns and colors. Reception: Thursday, February 5, 4:30-6 p.m. CVMC Art Gallery, Berlin, through March 14. Info, kate.arslambakova@cvmc.org.

MATTHEW AND MCKENNA DICKERSON: A show of photographs and paintings by the father-in-law and daughter-in-law, including images of wildlife in Alaska and Glacier National Park and close views of the abstract patterns and textures nature has to offer. Reception: Friday, February 6, 5-7 p.m. Jackson Gallery, Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, February 3-March 14. Info, 382-9222.

STUDENT ART SHOW: A show of works by young artists chosen by art educators from Lothrop School, Otter Creek Academy, Barstow Memorial School, Neshobe School, and Otter Valley Union Middle and High School. Reception: Friday, February 6, 5-7 p.m. Brandon Artists Guild, February 3-28.

EVAN KENNEDY: “Eros II,” a senior capstone project featuring figurative works by the artist. Reception: Friday, February 6, 6 p.m. McCarthy Art Gallery, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, February 2-8. Info, bcollier@smcvt.edu.

JOHN CLARKE-OLSEN: “From Field to Village,” realistic views of quintessential Vermont, including barns, churches, farmhouses and bridges. Reception: Saturday, February 7, 1-3 p.m. Bryan Fine Art Gallery, Stowe, February 4-March 29. Info, 760-6474.

ART EVENTS

HOOD HIGHLIGHTS TOUR: An in-person tour of the museum’s galleries. Gather in the Russo Atrium five minutes prior to the start time. No registration necessary. Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., Wednesday, January 28, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Free. Info, 603-646-9660.

‘CURRENTLY SPEAKING: FLOODING PREPAREDNESS, RESPONSE AND RECOVERY’: A moderated panel discussion and Q&A with Matthew Ward of the Vermont Department of Health and Sarah Henshaw of the Lamoille Area Recovery Network, who discuss flooding and climate change in the context of the current exhibition. The Current, Stowe, Thursday, January 29, 5 p.m. Info, 253-8358.

LIFE DRAWING AND PAINTING: A drop-in event for artists working with the figure from a live model.

EXHIBITION

Character Study

What does it mean to break character? In acting, it’s when you drop an assumed role by accident, often forgetting what you’re supposed to say. In photos and videos at Extra Special With Cheese in Burlington’s Soda Plant, Naomi Moser interprets and interrogates the concept, especially as it relates to the way women are seen and the way they present themselves. In her sometimes pixelated, DIY-style videos, she layers images to create funny, unsettling narratives. From a ship’s figurehead questioning why it’s her job to seduce (and thus calm) the ocean to an exploration of the levels of performance and deception inherent in being a “ghost sexter” for someone else’s OnlyFans account, Moser’s takes are strange but relatable. In lenticular photos — which seem to move as you do — she presents self-portraits made while in and out of character. See if you can tell the difference.

‘BROKEN CHARACTER’

On view through February 7 at Extra Special With Cheese in Burlington. extraspecialwithcheese.com

T.W. Wood Museum, Montpelier, Thursday, January 29, 7-9 p.m. Free; $15 suggested donation. Info, 222-0909.

ARTIST TALK: MICHAEL POSTER: A discussion with the photographer about his two-part exhibition, “Bewitched,” on view in January, and “Bewildered,” on view in February; the stories behind the work; and his process and ethics in developing close relationships with his subjects, whose narratives include addiction and recovery, labor, community, and aging. Vermont Center for Photography, Brattleboro, Friday, January 30, 5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 251-6051.

SOCIAL SUNDAY: An opportunity for children and caregivers to stop in and complete a 15- to 30-minute activity during the two-hour workshop. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, Sunday, February 1, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

ARTIST TALK: ELIZABETH NELSON: A discussion with the artist of her work, on view in “Meanwhile,” a solo show of paintings and drawings. The Front, Montpelier, Sunday, February 1, 3 p.m. Free. Info, info@thefrontvt.com.

PORTRAIT DRAWING AND PAINTING: A drop-in event where artists can practice skills in any medium. T.W. Wood Museum, Montpelier, Monday, February 2, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; $15 suggested donation. Info, 222-0909.

OPEN STUDIO: A guided meditation followed by an hour of art making in any medium and concluding with a share-and-witness process. Many art materials available. In person and online. Expressive Arts Burlington, Tuesday, February 3, 6:30-8:30 p.m. By donation. Info, 343-8172.

‘UNDERSTANDING COLOR’: A hands-on workshop with Sabrina Fadial exploring color in gouache,

watercolor, pencil or collage. Open to all levels. T.W. Wood Museum, Montpelier, Tuesday, February 3, 7-9 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Info, 222-0909.

‘NATURE DRAWING FOR ALL’: The first in a four-part virtual drawing series that explores the natural world through creative expression in a friendly and informative structure. Shelburne Museum, Wednesday, February 4, noon-1 p.m. Free; registration required. Info, 985-3346.

CALLS TO ARTISTS

‘MILK CANS, BEES AND MAPLE TREES’: Seeking entries for a show that explores both the romantic and realistic aspects of farming in Vermont. Exhibition will run April 29 to June 13. Studio Place Arts, Barre. Deadline: March 14. Info, submissions. studioplacearts@gmail.com.

‘MUD (SEASON) EXHIBIT’: Seeking submissions of works that celebrate Vermont’s iconic, cautiously optimistic season. Exhibition runs from March 13 to April 18. Submit works online at artistreevt.org. Artistree Community Arts Center, South Pomfret, Deadline: February 27. $15 submission fee. Info, 457-3500. ➆

Still from “Take Me Underground”

music+nightlife

Get Bach

Christopher O’Riley and Matt Haimovitz decode the master of baroque with their Bach Dialogues BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH • farnsworth@sevendaysvt.com

In many ways, Johann Sebastian Bach paved the way for the likes of fellow legendary composers Felix Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. The latter even referred to Bach as the “original father of harmony.”

The German-born Bach, who rose to fame in the early 1700s, represents the apotheosis of the baroque period. He was a master of developing new compositional techniques. His use of inversion, rhythmic modiﬁcations and transposition all contributed to what’s been described as an “organic” sound, fusing of the intricacy of Renaissance composers with the emotive harmonies of the baroque era.

He was also a teacher who was obsessed with new technologies in music and sound. Pieces such as his Brandenburg Concertos have been used for centuries as models to teach orchestration and instrumental technique. Yet Bach was also something of a mystery, and he didn’t leave many clues about how to perform his compositions.

“From Beethoven on, you have composers who were aware of their lasting appeal and were giving you a lot of information on how to perform these

pieces,” Grammy-nominated cellist Matt Haimovitz said. “But Bach precedes all that. When you look at the score, it’s just a sea of notes with very few dynamic markings.”

Haimovitz, 50, along with frequent collaborator, pianist and former host of NPR’s “From the Top,” Christopher O’Riley, 69, think they may have decoded Bach’s true sound at long last through intensive study and the use of periodaccurate instruments that Bach cherished: the cello piccolo and the clavichord.

The duo releases a new record titled The Bach Dialogues this week. To celebrate, the musicians are hitting the road for a fourdate mini-tour that includes a performance at Radio Bean in Burlington on Friday, January 30.

WE CAN TRY TO FIND FORMULAS AND CONTINUE A DIALOGUE WITH HIS MUSIC, BUT IN THE END, IT’S ABOUT THE MUSIC BEING UNIVERSAL.

appearances were in more classical musicfriendly environments than the Bean, one of Burlington’s most eclectic venues. In a recent interview with Seven Days , O’Riley and Haimovitz, who live in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, respectively, said performing Bach in a club doesn’t faze them.

“We’ve both been doing our thing for a long time. Matt was taking Bach music into clubs while I was taking Radiohead into concert halls,”

O’Riley said, referring to his 2003 album, True Love Waits: Christopher O’Riley Plays Radiohead

had a work experience like that. I learned to trust him, which is fundamental to the process; our collaboration is a matter of ultimate trust.”

“There’s just no ﬁlter or ego attached at any stage,” Haimovitz added. “It’s pure immersion in the art, which is rare. And a lot of that is down to just throwing ourselves o of a cli with these kinds of projects.”

Haimovitz points to their embrace of baroque instruments as an example of the high-wire techniques they employed on their new record to get as close as possible to Bach’s original sound.

“It’s unbelievable what Chris can do with these historic instruments,” he said. “The keys on a clavichord are spaced di erently, the touch and feel is so di erent … I don’t know how he gets those articulations out of it. I really don’t.”

The clavichord forms the backbone of The Bach Dialogues. A stringed rectangular keyboard, it was by most accounts Bach’s preferred means of composing. But the tiny instrument isn’t loud enough to be played live, and using a microphone to amplify it only results in feedback and distortion.

While recordings of solo clavichord music do exist, such as the work of the late Ralph Kirkpatrick, recording a clavichord at the same time as any other instrument is much trickier. So the duo tracked at Skywalker Sound in California, ﬁlmmaker George Lucas’ state-of-the-art recording studio. O’Riley and Haimovitz laid down the clavichord and cello piccolo tracks simultaneously to achieve a synthesis of historical instruments and modern recording techniques.

Haimovitz and O’Riley have endlessly studied Bach’s work. O’Riley posts videos on his YouTube channel about his deep dive into Bach’s 1722 sprawling, educational collection, The Well-Tempered Clavier. And Haimovitz has been playing from Bach’s own handwritten scores, scouring them for the scant clues the composer left about how to reproduce his work.

MATT HAIMOVITZ

The two friends ﬁrst started collaborating together on the 2011 double album Shu e. Play. Listen., which combined classical pieces with modern indie-rock songs.

“I tell my students who are playing Bach: It’s not the age of the iPhone,” said Haimovitz, who teaches at the University of Minnesota. “With modern tech like the iPhone, everything is about consistency. There shouldn’t be variety or change. But in baroque music, you have to embrace nature and the variety of our human experience. There’s a beautiful tension between the notes and the bow strokes and the way that as each note is brought up, another one is being put in relief. It’s endlessly human to me.”

Both musicians have visited the Queen City before, though their previous

“The ﬁrst time we played together, we rehearsed for 12 hours straight and never broke a sweat,” O’Riley recalled. “I’d never

Since making the record, O’Riley and

Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O’Riley

Saving Grace

Burlington singer-songwriter Grace Palmer embraces authenticity in her music as she gets ready to drop a new record

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH • farnsworth@sevendaysvt.com

When singer-songwriter Grace Palmer released her debut record, I’ll Be Somebody, in 2021, she had only recently moved to Vermont after a short stint in Nashville. Nineteen at the time, the Connecticut native had wanted to soak up Music City lessons like a sponge, but not all the advice she got was good.

“One of the ﬁrst things another musician down there said to me was: ‘Don’t talk about politics,’” Palmer recalled.

Palmer is now 25 and living in Burlington, where she is a rising name in the local music scene. It’s taken her a while to disregard the well-intentioned tip. “As a songwriter, it just feels so inauthentic to beat around the bush if I’m saying things like, ‘Hey, we shouldn’t be stealing people from their homes in the dead of night,’” she said. “Maybe the way to get people to care about me and what I’m singing about is to actually say what I’m thinking.”

Palmer is putting that thesis to the test as she readies a slew of new singles ahead of a full-length LP expected to drop this spring, tentatively titled Everybody Is Somebody. The new tunes are rooted in subjects near and dear to her heart: social justice and climate change. “How

Many People Equal a Person” comes out this Friday, January 30, an opening salvo from an artist looking to establish a clear identity after some years of growth.

Raised in Ellington, Conn., Palmer cut her teeth playing Christian rock with her family before graduating high school in 2019. Though she was accepted at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, she decided to go all in on music and move to Nashville instead. It turned out to be just a six-month sojourn: COVID-19 hit, and she lost her job and apartment. Palmer was left to choose between returning to Connecticut or giving Vermont a try.

“It was initially my plan B to go to college, but I’m so glad it worked out the way it did,” Palmer said of enrolling at St. Mike’s. “Vermont has become my home, and I can’t see myself leaving.”

A big reason the Green Mountains feel so good to Palmer has been her acceptance into the local music scene. While studying political science and philosophy, Palmer started singing with several jam and funk outﬁts, including Lazy Bird and Small Talk, that took quick notice of her powerful, soulful voice.

music+nightlife

“I learned a lot playing with those guys,” Palmer said. “They taught me about music theory, and they were connected to other college musicians and the Burlington scene. It was super formative for me.”

Palmer soon outgrew the confines of those bands, however, in which she was largely expected to, as she said, “be a girl in a sparkly outfit who hits a big note and then dances around to hype them while they play their solos.” Any time she expressed a desire to do something more, she said, she was met with resistance. And her bandmates weren’t comfortable with her sharing her political views from the stage.

“All respect to them, but I realized that my role would never evolve, and I wanted to be writing and singing my own songs,” Palmer said.

As she was winding down her time in those bands, Palmer met guitarist and producer George Walker Petit, who noticed her playing at Red Square in Burlington. Petit, who has produced or engineered for the likes of Boz Scaggs and Will Lee, tapped Palmer to sing for his funk tribute project, Power of Tower. He also took on producer duties for her forthcoming record as Palmer began another phase of her sprawling music education.

“Moving over to playing with George and the band was a big step up for me,” she said. “The rehearsals were like nothing I’d ever experienced before! It’s the difference between being around people making a living off of their music and treating it professionally versus someone who maybe is more inspired by the party aspect of it all.” She realized she needed to “recalibrate” with a more professional approach.

Part of that process involved clearly defining her sound. Though she sings

MAYBE THE WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO CARE ABOUT ME AND WHAT I’M SINGING ABOUT IS TO ACTUALLY SAY WHAT I’M THINKING.

GRACE PALMER

INFO

Grace Palmer plays on Wednesday, January 28, 6 p.m., at Two Heroes Brewery in South Hero. Free. Learn more at gracepalmermusic.com.

rock, funk and jam music with other bands, her own style hews much closer to Americana. Credit Petit for advising her to focus on voice and guitar to establish a sonic identity.

“It’s a genre that feels freeing and expansive to me,” Palmer said. “I always say: If you like Jim Croce and Miley Cyrus, with Fleetwood Mac as a babysitter, that’s where I’m at.”

Palmer feels the new record serves as a personal statement, and she performs its songs with that theme in mind. “The first few songs are all about how I came to have the beliefs I hold — how I came to care about social justice,” she explained. “The

main meat of the record is about those beliefs themselves, and then I end it with a few fun party dance songs because life can’t just be doom and gloom.”

The year started with a slate of local gigs and the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to help finance the record’s eventual release, hopefully in late May. After dropping “How Many People Equal a Person,” Palmer will tour solo throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut in February before returning to Burlington in March to debut her new backing band.

“It feels like I’m coming into a really authentic moment with what I’m doing and the songs I’m writing,” she said. “As a songwriter, responding to the world is sort of a responsibility, as far as I see it. We don’t live in a rainbow sunshine circus, and not turning away from that fact means everything to me.” ➆

Haimovitz have learned even more about Bach’s compositions that they’ll get to share with audiences on their four-date tour, which also includes stops in Hanover, N.H., and Newton and Amherst, Mass. “I think we will have a different performance for Burlington than you even get on the record,” O’Riley said.

The Radio Bean show will highlight the sonatas on The Bach Dialogues. As our interview went on, though, O’Riley and Haimovitz started playfully debating what else might make the set list.

“We haven’t really ironed the set out totally,” Haimovitz admitted. “Maybe we’ll do some Philip Glass as well.”

“We should really do ‘Pyramid Song,’” O’Riley added, shouting out the duo’s previous recording of the cut from Radiohead’s Amnesiac. Whatever they perform, the show promises to be a unique experience, particularly at a club more accustomed to hosting EDM, indie rock and drag shows than a project with the heft of The Bach Dialogues.

“I hope when people come to the show or listen to the album, they’ll experience the affect and emotional impetus of Bach’s genius,” Haimovitz said. “We can try to find formulas and continue a dialogue with his music, but in the end, it’s about the music being universal. He was just so skilled at putting you in an emotional state, even with just a single note.” ➆

INFO

Christopher O’Riley and Matt Haimovitz perform The Bach Dialogues on Friday, January 30, 6 p.m., at Radio Bean in Burlington. $15. radiobean.com

Eye on the Scene

Recent highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

THE VOLCANOS, LIGHT CLUB LAMP SHOP, BURLINGTON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 17: If my grim reaper came in the form of the last good show I saw, death by Burlington band the VOLCANOS wouldn’t be an awful way to go. With a sound the band describes as Jimi Hendrix meets Elliott Smith, the songs build up until exploding from the dual tube amps of guitarists ROB VOLAND and TYLER GEORGE-MINETTI. The Volcanos’ emotive vocals and melancholic meanderings reveal a heavy Smith influence, and Voland’s wah pedal work alone could explain the nod to Hendrix. But while both Voland and George-Minetti are accomplished and capable guitarists, their jams flow less like Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption” and more like Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer.” Like lava, the Volcanos’ songs darken quickly when they hit the cool air, their power hiding below the surface, slowly rolling over an awestruck crowd.

CLUB DATES

live music

WED.28

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been (indie) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Dean Johnson, Lily Seabird (singer-songwriter) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $32.22. Dobbs’ Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $12.19.

Grace Palmer (singer-songwriter) at Two Heroes Brewery & Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free. Jazz Night with Ray Vega (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Jazz Sessions (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

THU.29

Bluegrass & BBQ (bluegrass) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Dan Tyminski (singer-songwriter) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $46.28.

Eric George (folk) at the Skinny Pancake, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. Febuary, padgaf (punk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $15/$20.

Ghostface Killah, Dirty Durdie, Mister Burns & Friends (hip-hop) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $59.16.

Jaded Ravins (Americana) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

Joe Samba (rock, reggae) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 8 p.m. $18.92.

Lincoln Sprague (piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free.

Mitch Terricciano (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 6 p.m. Free.

Red Hot Juba (jazz, funk) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.30

The Apollos (rock) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free. ‘The Bach Dialogues’ with Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O’Riley (classical) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. $15.

The Balconiers (funk, jazz) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 4 p.m. Free.

Bob & Shane (acoustic) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

D Davis (blues, folk) at the Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free. Driftwood, Forest Station (folk, bluegrass) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $19.94.

Four Sticks (Led Zeppelin tribute) at the Stone Church, Brattleboro, 7 p.m. $31/$36.

Find the most up-to-date info on live music, DJs, comedy and more at sevendaysvt.com/music. If you’re a talent booker or artist planning live entertainment at a bar, nightclub, café, restaurant, brewery or coffee shop, send event details to music@sevendaysvt.com or submit the info using our form at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

Man As a founding member of the legendary

KILLAH managed to stand out in a crew of heavy hitters such as Method Man, RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard — no mean feat. Considered one of hip-hop’s great storytellers, the Staten Island rapper has dropped some of the most respected records in the game, from 2000’s Supreme Clientele to the concept record Twelve Reasons to Die in 2013. The ever-innovative lyrical chameleon released his most recent record, the sequel Supreme Clientele 2, in August. He performs at the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington on Thursday, January 29, with support from Vermont rapper MISTER BURNS & FRIENDS.

Groundhog Fest (indie, EDM) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m.

$32.08/$52.68.

Groundhog Fest: Danny & the Parts, Tallgrass Getdown (Americana, folk) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. $32.08/$52.68.

Gunnar Bohne, Las Brujas Bonitas, Enemy of the People (rock) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 7 p.m. Donation.

Jonah Kagen, Vincent Lima (singer-songwriter) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. SOLD OUT.

Josh Panda (singer-songwriter) at Citizen Cider Press House Pub, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Kilgore Trout (indie rock) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8:30 p.m. Free. Kowalski Brothers (acoustic) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

Liquid A (covers) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 8 p.m. $10.

Live Band Karaoke (karaoke) at Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, 6 p.m. Free.

Monachino, Jarrett & Stats (jazz) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Moonbird (folk) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Named by Strangers, Steep Creek Frenzy, Morgan Lamphere (jam, rock) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $12.19.

Nathan Michaud (instrumental guitar) at the Clubhouse Grille, Jay, 5 p.m. Free.

Radio Cowboy (rock) at Burlington Odd Fellows Hall, 6:30 p.m. $10.

Rap Night Burlington (hip-hop) at Drink, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5.

Sanctuary (rock) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

She Was Right (acoustic) at Two Heroes Brewery & Public House, South Hero, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Switchel (folk) at Switchback Beer Garden & Smokehouse, Burlington, 5:30 p.m. Free.

Timothy James (acoustic) at Gusto’s, Barre, 6 p.m. Free.

SAT.31

Acid Wash (jam) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Blackwolf (acoustic) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Bob Cotton (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

Charlie Mayne, SINNN, DJ Warco (hip-hop) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9:30 p.m. $10.

Fare Thee Well, Bobby with Dead Sessions (Grateful Dead, Bob Weir tribute) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $19.94.

Gnomenclature (rock, funk) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 4 p.m. Free.

Groundhog Fest (indie, EDM) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. $32.08/$52.68.

Groundhog Fest: The Wormdogs, Heavy Nettles (bluegrass) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. $32.08/$52.68.

Happy Spangler, Dad?!, Wiseacres, Sad Turtle (indie rock) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 7 p.m. Donation.

HiFi (house, funk) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 5 p.m. Free.

Krishna Guthrie (singersongwriter) at the Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

The Last Revel (Americana) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $23.55/$29.75.

Liquid A (covers) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 8 p.m. $10.

Mark Burds & Asa Skinder (bluegrass) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

Marxist Jargon, Sean Duck, Kason (punk) at Burlington Odd Fellows Hall, 7 p.m. $10.

Minced Oats (folk) at Two Heroes Brewery & Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Named by Strangers, Steep Creek Frenzy (jam, roots rock) at Moogs Place, Morrisville, 7 p.m. Free.

Ripple: A Tribute to Bob Weir (tribute) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Skylark (string ensemble) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. $15.

Soaking Wet Wratchit (punk) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8:30 p.m. Free.

The Suitcase Junket, Louisa Stancioff (indie) at the Stone Church, Brattleboro, 7 p.m. $31.

Tim Comings (singer-songwriter) at the Clubhouse Grille, Jay, 5 p.m. Free.

Venna, maari (jazz, hip-hop) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $26.68.

SUN.1

Collie Buddz, Nesta (reggae) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $37.40.

Giovanina Bucci (singersongwriter) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free.

Laundry Day, Satchel Shure (indie, pop) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $26.50.

Seth Yacovone (acoustic) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 4 p.m. Free.

Sunday Brunch Tunes (singersongwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 10 a.m.

MON.2

Explosions in the Sky, Dutch Experts (indie) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $52.94.

TUE.3

Big Easy Tuesdays with Jon McBride (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

Dead Is Alive with Dobbs’ Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 8 p.m. $15.

Honky Tonk Tuesday with SWAMPYTONK (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

Irish Night with RambleTree (Celtic) at Two Brothers Tavern, Middlebury, 7 p.m. Free.

Retail Drugs, Funeral Date (indie rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

WED.4

Big Thief Night (tribute) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Jazz Mandolin Project (jazz fusion) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. SOLD OUT.

Jazz Night with Ray Vega (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Jazz Sessions (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Ryan Sweezey (singer-songwriter) at American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, 6 p.m. Free.

Skunk Sessions (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $12.19.

WED.28

DJ Chalango, DJ Tarzana Salsa Night (DJ) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.29

For the Record with DJs Colin Hagood, Bobby Hackney Jr. and Mike Frank (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free. Vinyl Night (DJ) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.30

DJ Dance Night (DJ) at Stowe Cider, 8 p.m. Free.

DJ NewCity (DJ) at Rí Rá Irish Pub & Whiskey Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15.

DJ Two Rivers (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

Friday Night at Specs (DJ) at Specs Café & Bar, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Groundhog Fest (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 10 p.m. $10.

SAT.31

DJ Ronstoppable (DJ) at Rí Rá Irish Pub & Whiskey Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free. Matt Payne, DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

TUE.3

Bashment Tuesday (DJ) at Akes’ Place, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. open mics & jams

WED.28

HOT DAMN! A Nightlife Arts Open Stage (open mic) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.29

Open Mic (open mic) at the Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

SUN.1

Olde Time Jam Session (open jam) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, noon. Free.

MON.2

Bluegrass Etc. Jam with Ben Kogan (bluegrass jam session) at Ottauquechee Yacht Club, Woodstock, 6:30 p.m. Free. Monday Night Open Mic (open mic) at Pearl Street Pub, Essex Junction, 6 p.m. Free.

Iron

Wu-Tang Clan, GHOSTFACE

THU.29 // GHOSTFACE KILLAH [HIP-HOP]

Job of theWeek

IRON WORKERS & WELDERS

CCS Constructors, LLC

Get the scoop on CCS Constructors, Inc. from HR and Safety Director Zarah Bradford

Tell us something unique about CCS.

REVIEW this music+nightlife

Ben Patton, Dinner (SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Ben Patton has established himself as a sort of musical molecular geneticist — working with a guitar instead of a microscope. A superb and proliﬁc composer with roots in British Invasion and power pop, the Burlington songwriter is also an evercurious and learned devotee of all sorts of styles, including jazz manouche, children’s songs, medicine show revivalism and playful folk.

collar hurdles rockers face en route to the top. These tunes are funny, quick and energized.

But Patton is at his best on the earnest “girl songs.” In “Sweet Sweet Person,” over a choppy, ebullient chord pattern, Patton is on top of the world, even if he has a hard time believing a cool relationship is actually happening to him. “Love Her So Much” bounces between major and minor ﬂourishes, and the Brian Wilson-style keyboard touch provides the sort of bounce that beautifully turns back the clock to the heyday of sixties AM radio.

CCS was started by Raymond Chauvin in 1967 with one crane, an 11-ton Bucyrus-Erie. Today, we have a ﬂeet of cranes: rough-terrains, allterrains, hydraulics, conventional lattice boom truck cranes and crawlers. We perform quality crane service, steel and precast installation, and steel and wooden bridge construction all over New England and northern New York. CCS is proud to be an ESOP, and our safety program is second to none. We take great pride in our “Advanced Certiﬁed Steel Erector” status with the American Institute of Steel Construction. Headquartered in Morrisville, Vt., we focus on delivering high-quality projects and have established a strong reputation for being a dependable workforce and a valued partner in building and infrastructure projects for the region.

What are some speciﬁcs about this position?

On his latest album, Dinner, he boomerangs back to his pure guitar-pop base camp, wryly and optimistically chronicling his own romantic and musical endeavors over 11 concise, instantly hummable tunes. The overarching lesson seems to be, as the title of his “If I Can be Saved Then Anyone Can” suggests, that Patton believes in the power of love and guitars — despite his own oft-bumbling attempts at the former.

Maybe the best and most representative tune on the album is “Oh Don’t Blow It,” in which Patton dares to believe he’s on the verge of … whatever he’s dreamed about. It’s a tune Badﬁnger or Jellyﬁsh could’ve given a coat of multi-harmony lacquer, but it works best with Patton delivering his plaintive lines alone, like a guy giving himself a pep talk in the mirror.

Dude, you got this.

Dinner is available at benpatton. bandcamp.com and on major streaming services.

Part of the fun with an artist such as Patton is seeing how skillfully he’s learned from a choice array of clever and like-minded musicians. Front and center is Patton’s sardonic but self-e acing wit, sprinkling his vocal melodies and musings with echoes of Ben Folds, Fountains of Wayne, dada and They Might Be Giants.

RICK KOSTER

Against this backdrop, it would be disappointing to discover Patton didn’t write and assemble Dinner in a motor oil-soaked garage with the equipment set up around a lawn mower, a few boxes of holiday decorations, a washing machine and dryer, and a large cooler full of cheap beer.

is is a full-time, on-site role for iron workers. e position involves assembling, installing and reinforcing structural frameworks using iron and steel materials, at varying levels of height. Daily tasks include cutting, welding, and shaping metal components; installing iron or steel structures; and safely operating power tools and equipment. Iron workers are also required to follow all safety protocols, including the use of fall protection, and may engage in rigging work as needed for lifting and positioning heavy materials.

Apply for this great local job and many more: jobs.sevendaysvt.com

In fact, in the song “Guitars Are Fun” — which would have been my choice for the album’s title — Patton uses the ﬁrst verse to establish the veracity of the song title, then, in the second verse, adds to the recipe:

“Find someone / Who can rock the drums / And ﬁnd some sorry sap / Who’s willing to play the bass / Design an awesome logo / Get a gig someplace / But don’t forget who you are / You play guitar.”

“There’s a Mop and a Bucket,” the take-me-or-leave-me ultimatum of “This Is What’s for Dinner,” and “Clown School” seem to celebrate the blue-

SONG” by Blueberry Betty 4. “MAGIC BOY” by Robin Gottfried 5. “BRICK & MORTAR” by Greaseface 6. “HOG ISLAND BLUES” by Allie Bourgeois 7. “FORGIVENESS” by Vacationist League

TUE.3

Doug’s Open Mic (open mic) at Two Heroes Brewery & Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Open Mic Tuesdays with Dan and Dan (open mic) at Jay Peak Resort, 5 p.m. Free.

WED.4

Open Mic (open mic) at Moscow Mill Studios, East Calais, 6 p.m. Donation.

Open Mic (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

The Ribbit Review Open Mic & Jam (open mic) at Lily’s Pad, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

comedy

WED.28

$5 Improv Night (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $5.

THU.29

Chloe Radcliffe (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $25.

FRI.30

Chloe Radcliffe (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 & 8:30 p.m. $25.

SAT.31

Chloe Radcliffe (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 & 8:30 p.m. $25.

Fruity Business: A Queer Comedy Show (comedy) at Double E Performance Center’s T-Rex Theater, Essex, 6 p.m. $15/$18. Kathy Griffin (comedy) at the Flynn, Burlington, 7 p.m. $47-$89.25.

SUN.1

Rhys Nicholson (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $28.49.

Strange Days

Psychedelic jam act NAMED BY STRANGERS were a big part of the early 2000s Green Mountain music scene. The band released several albums and was even pegged for success by Relix magazine in 2004 but decided to call it quits just two years later. Following the tragic death of drummer Ian Lamphere in an avalanche in 2013, the group began to reunite periodically to honor its lost bandmate, and the tradition has continued over the years. Named by Strangers return once again for a show at Zenbarn in Waterbury Center on Friday, January 30. It’s a family affair, with both openers being Stranger-related: Multi-instrumentalist MORGAN LAMPHERE plays a solo set, and Strangers singer and guitarist Andrew Lafrenz’s other project, STEEP CREEK FRENZY, join the bill.

TUE.3

All That Jazz Open Mic Comedy (comedy) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

trivia, karaoke, etc.

WED.28

Charlie-O’s World Famous Drag Show (drag) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 7:45 p.m. Free.

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with Autumn (karaoke) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 9 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Rí Rá Irish Pub & Whiskey Room, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.29

Country Line Dancing (line dancing) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Historically Close Friends Presents: ‘The Newest Plays You’ve Never Seen’ (theater) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10/$15.

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

WGDR Music Bingo (music bingo) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

FRI.30

Boogie Bingo (bingo, DJ) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 5 p.m. Free.

Cherry Pop Open Drag Stage (drag) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Viewing Party (watch party) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

SAT.31

Queeraoke with Goddess (karaoke) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

SUN.1

Family-Friendly Karaoke (karaoke) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 5 p.m. Free.

Sunday Funday (games) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, noon. Free.

Sunday Night Trivia (trivia) at the Lazy Goat Tavern, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 5:30 p.m. Free. Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.2

Retro Game Night (gaming) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Monday (trivia) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Monday with Top Hat Entertainment (trivia) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free. Trivia with Brain (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Craig Mitchell (trivia) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.3

Karaoke with DJ Party Bear (karaoke) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Taproom Trivia (trivia) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Gusto’s, Barre, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Tuesday (trivia) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.4

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with Autumn (karaoke) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 9 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Two Heroes Brewery & Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Rí Rá Irish Pub & Whiskey Room, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. ➆

Vermonters are experiencing huge cost increases in health insurance premiums this year, and some are going without. Seven Days’ Eva Sollberger met a family of four in Cornwall whose premiums are almost $32,000 this year and two uninsured people — one of whom had a recent accident.

calendar

JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 4, 2026

WED.28

activism

VERMONT WOMEN’S MENTOR TRAINING:

Mercy Connections facilitates this five-week program for prospective mentors seeking to provide guidance, encouragement and support to women affected by the criminal justice system. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-7164.

community

CURRENT EVENTS: Neighbors have an informal discussion about what’s in the news. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.noon. Free. Info, 878-4918.

crafts

YARN & YAK: A weekly club for fiber fanatics of all skill levels makes knitting and crocheting more sociable. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 999-0516.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: A drop-in meetup welcomes knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers and other fiber artists. BYO snacks and drinks. Must Love Yarn, Shelburne, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 448-3780.

education

ALL IN VERMONT EDUCATOR WORKSHOP: Attendees learn

about a statewide, placebased learning opportunity for students that encourages the study of community lore in partnership with local historical societies. Vermont History Center, Barre, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 479-8522.

etc.

TOASTMASTERS OF GREATER BURLINGTON: Those looking to strengthen their speaking and leadership skills gain new tools. Virtual option available. Generator Makerspace, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 233-4157.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING:

Helping hands join up with the nonprofit’s staff and volunteers to make a yummy meal for distribution. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

CUPPA ON CAMPUS: Community members mingle over tea and coffee, swapping bright ideas for the property. The Creative Campus at Goddard, Plainfield, 8-10 a.m. Free. Info, 821-0741.

health & fitness

BLOOD DRIVE: Participants part with life-sustaining pints at this American Red Cross donation event. South Burlington

These community event listings are sponsored by the WaterWheel Foundation, a project of the Vermont band Phish.

LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE FOR FREE!

All submissions must be received by Thursday at noon for consideration in the following Wednesday’s newspaper. Find our convenient form and guidelines at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

Listings and spotlights are written by Rebecca Driscoll Seven Days edits for space and style. Depending on cost and other factors, classes and workshops may be listed in either the calendar or the classes section. Class organizers may be asked to purchase a class listing.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

Rutland Area Christian School, 7-9 p.m. Free for first two sessions; $30 annual membership. Info, 247-5913.

talks

Public Library & City Hall, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home participants in gentle stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

RECOVERY DHARMA: Those struggling with addiction gather weekly for an evening of meditation, topical readings and open discussion in a supportive environment. First United Methodist Church, Burlington, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 825-1815.

language

ELL CLASSES: Fletcher Free Library invites learners of all abilities to practice written and spoken English with trained instructors. 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@ burlingtonvt.gov. lgbtq

HECK YEAH PARTY: Folks craft sweet notes of affirmation for queer youths — aka “heck yeahs” — and share them anonymously in paper bags. Materials provided. Outright Vermont, Burlington, 3:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 865-9677.

music

FARMERS NIGHT CONCERT

SERIES: ALLISON MANN & COLIN MCCAFFREY: Two Vermont musicians interpret folk and jazz standards with sensitivity, humor and candor. House Chamber, Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 279-5558.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: Ping-Pong players block, chop and lob in singles and doubles matches.

FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS IN THIS ISSUE AND ONLINE: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art. film

See what’s playing in the On Screen section. music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/music.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

NATURALIST JOURNEYS SERIES: SHAYNE JAQUITH: A river scientist dives into the history of watershed management across the Green Mountain State in “To Dredge or Not to Dredge: River Management and Flood Disasters in Vermont.” Virtual option available. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 229-6206.

REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HEALTH EQUITY LECTURE: TIMOTHY P. LAHEY: In “Code Blue! Resuscitating Trust in Medicine,” the school’s director of medical ethics fleshes out hot-button topics such as the politicization of health, the misinformation crisis and lingering reactions to the pandemic. Given Medical Building, University of Vermont, Burlington, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 656-2276.

tech

‘ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SOCIETY: UNDERSTANDING THE TRANSFORMATION’: Expert Brandon Tieso explores the profound impacts of AI on work and culture, examining both opportunities and challenges. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

theater

‘URINETOWN: THE MUSICAL’: Middlebury College students stage the Tony Award-winning satire set in a dystopian future where water — in all its forms — is worth its weight in gold. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 7:30 p.m. $8-25. Info, 382-9222.

words

THE HUMP DAY WRITING GROUP: Wordsmiths who delight in nonfiction convene for company, accountability and support in achieving their writing goals. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, nathaniel.eisen@gmail.com.

WINTER SPEAKER SERIES: JUAN DAVID CORONADO: An author and associate professor shares oral histories from his award-winning 2018 book, “I’m Not Gonna Die in this Damn Place”: Manliness, Identity and Survival of the Mexican American Vietnam Prisoner of War. 7-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 262-2626.

THU.29 activism

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY

DAY: NAMI Vermont provides a platform for community members to share their personal experiences with legislators. See namivt. org for full schedule. Vermont Supreme Court, Montpelier, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 876-7949, ext. 101.

agriculture

RAISING DAIRY GOAT

BUCKLINGS: University of Vermont Extension hosts farmers, agricultural service providers, policy makers and interested civilians for an info-packed webinar on the French model for raising young male goats. 11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 656-2990.

business

BUSINESS, BAGELS & BIG IDEAS:

The Shelburne Business Network invites local business owners, entrepreneurs and curious community members to a morning of networking over breakfast goodies. Connect Church, Shelburne, 7:30-10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, info@createchangelab.com.

community

FRIENDS OF THE ATHENAEUM MEETING: Interested folks link up with a volunteer group that promotes the library’s resources and services, provides hospitality for programs and events, and helps with fundraising efforts.

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 9:3010:30 a.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

crafts

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS: All ages and abilities knit or crochet hats and scarves for the South Burlington Food Shelf. Materials provided. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KNITTING GROUP: Knitters of every experience level get together to spin yarns. Latham Library, Thetford, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

WOODWORKING LAB: Visionaries create a project or learn a new skill with the help of mentors and access to makerspace tools and equipment. Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center, Middlebury, 5-8 p.m. $7.50. Info, 382-1012.

dance

‘FROM AFRICA TO THE AMERICAS’: Dance Company of Middlebury mounts a stirring performance highlighting the ongoing contributions of African traditions to contemporary American landscapes. Dance Theatre, Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, 7:30 p.m. $515. Info, 443-6433.

environment

BTV CLEAN UP CREW: Good Samaritans dispose of needles, trash and other unwanted objects. BYO gloves encouraged. Top of Church St., Burlington, 7:30-10 a.m. Free. Info, 863-2345. etc.

APRÈS SKI FASHION SHOW: Stylish ensembles from Archery Close, Well Heeled and other local shops accentuate this fun-filled fundraiser for the museum. Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, Stowe, 6-9:30 p.m. $50. Info, abby@vtssm.org.

ASTROLOGY MEETUP: Beginners and advanced practitioners parse the rapidly changing landscape of our times through the lens of

celestial bodies. Bristol Village, 5:30-7 p.m. $5 suggested donation; preregister. Info, welcome@ home-body.co.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: Audience members are guided through an exploration of stunning animal worlds, from frozen snowy forests to the darkest depths of the ocean. Dealer.com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $20-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

HOP FILM: ‘IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT’: Jafar Panahi’s 2025 action flick follows an Iranian man who bumps into the person he believes to be his former torturer. Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7 p.m. $9. Info, 603-646-2422.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: Viewers travel to the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean for a glimpse into the pristine environments vital to our planet’s health. Dealer.com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $20-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: Footage of paleontological digs from around the globe tells a compelling story of scientists working as detectives to answer questions about an ancient and mysterious ocean world. Dealer. com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $20-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: Astrophiles witness history in the making — from launching rockets without fuel to building the Lunar Gateway — in this 2024 documentary narrated by Chris Pine. Dealer.com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $20-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

games

BRIDGE CLUB: A lively group plays a classic, tricky game in pairs. Waterbury Public Library, 12:304:30 p.m. Free. Info, 522-3523. CHESS FOR FUN: Players of all abilities select an opening gambit, go on the attack and protect their king in friendly competition. Cobleigh Public Library, Lyndonville, 5-8 p.m. Free. Info, lafferty1949@gmail.com.

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: Snacks and coffee fuel bouts of a classic card game. Burlington Bridge Club, Williston, 12:30 p.m. $6. Info, 872-5722.

FRIENDLY GAME OF BRIDGE: Strategic thinkers have a blast with the popular card game. Heineberg Senior Center, Burlington, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 233-4395.

PEER SUPPORT DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Beginners wanted! Players get lost in the fantasy-filled tabletop roleplaying game while focusing on teamwork, connection and community building. Morgan House, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 777-6185.

SOLARPUNK BOOK CLUB & GAME NIGHT: Neighbors convene to dream up a socially conscious, ecological future with readings and a short round of Solarpunk Futures. Peace & Justice Center, Burlington, 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-2345.

WEEKLY CHESS FOR FUN: Players of all ability levels face off and learn new strategies. United Community Church, St. Johnsbury, 5:30-9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, lafferty1949@gmail.com.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY

MINDFULNESS: Volunteer coach Andrea Marion guides attendees in a weekly practice for stress reduction, followed by a discussion and Q&A. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, andreamarion193@gmail.com.

SEATED TAI CHI: Adina guides at-home participants — including those with limited mobility or difficulty standing — through a sequence of slow, connected movements. Sponsored by the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. 1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

language

ENGLISH CONVERSATION GROUP: Practitioners make strides — and new friends — at a stress-free discussion circle. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP: Parla Italiano? Language learners practice pronunciation and more at a friendly gathering. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SPANISH CONVERSATION: ¿Hablas español?

Conversationalists of all levels practice the romance language in a stress-free environment. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

music

SANCTUARY MUTTS: Tim Jennings’ local folk trio plays lively Irish and Americana toe-tappers. Haybarn Restaurant and Lounge, Plainfield, 6-8 p.m. Free; cost of food and drink. Info, eat@ haybarnrestaurant.com.

outdoors

RIDING WITH RESEARCHERS: Avian aficionados join the institute’s research team out in the field as they search for raptors and attempt to trap and band hawks. Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Quechee, 8 a.m.4 p.m. $115-128; preregister. Info, 359-5000.

seminars

STEPS TO HOMEOWNERSHIP:

Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity hosts an informative session on the homebuying process, covering

FAMI LY FU N

Check out these family-friendly events for parents, caregivers and kids of all ages.

• Plan ahead at sevendaysvt.com/family-fun Post your event at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

WED.28

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: Curious minds dive into the science and history of Vermont’s most iconic legend at this family-friendly exhibit featuring interactive games, a design studio, multimedia displays, a 30-foot sculpture and photo ops. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $20-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: Young explorers take an unforgettable journey through a hands-on prehistoric world where life-size animatronic dinosaurs

The Right Track

It’s hard to imagine that someone with the nickname “the Great Stone Face” could also be a pure comedic genius — yet that’s exactly the case with silent film stalwart Buster Keaton. Find out why the physical-comedy paragon commanded Hollywood’s pre-talkie era at a screening of the 1926 slapstick masterpiece The General at Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro. Composer Jeff Rapsis’ accompaniment, played on the venue’s historic Estey pipe organ, reinvigorates the riotous railroad adventure flick set during the Civil War. This rare viewing allows modern moviegoers to experience early cinema as it was intended: on the silver screen, with a live score and plenty of audience interaction.

‘THE GENERAL’ Friday, January 30, 6:30 p.m., at Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro. $25. Info, info@epsilonspires.org, epsilonspires.org.

come to life. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $20-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

LIBRARY LITTLES PLAYGROUP: A weekly program brings babies, toddlers and their caregivers together for songs, stories, play and community building in a nurturing environment. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:45 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

MAGNATILE MASTERPIECES: Future architects ages 3 and up build imaginative creations with magnetic toys. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

OPCS IN THE COMMUNITY: A

WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS: Reps from Dad Guild and Bella Fearn of Vermont Harm Reduction Advocates host a town hall-style info session on overdoseprevention centers. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 318-4231.

STEAM SPACE: Youngsters in grades K through 5 explore science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

ART LAB DROP-IN: SEEDPOD

EXPLORATION: All ages practice

observational drawing with fountain pens using an object found in nature. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

BABY TIME: Infants and their caregivers enjoy a slow, soothing story featuring songs, rhymes and lap play. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

GAME ON!: Kids take turns collaborating with or competing against friends using Nintendo Switch on the big screen. Caregivers must be present to supervise children below fifth grade. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

HAFTY CRAFTY: Kiddos ages 6 and up partake in a fun-filled hands-on activity. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PLAY TIME: Little ones ages birth to 5 build with giant blocks and read together. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1010:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

THE GREAT JIGSAW PUZZLE RACE: Teams of one to three race to complete a 500-piece puzzle the fastest for a chance to win prizes. Ages 10 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAYS: Architects ages 6 and up build imaginative

creations with colorful Legos. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

BABY & CAREGIVER MEETUP: Wiggly ones ages birth to 18 months play and explore in a calm, supportive setting while adults relax and connect on the sidelines. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:3011:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

FAMILY CHESS CLUB: Players of all ages and abilities test their skills with instructor Robert and peers. KelloggHubbard Library, 2nd Floor, Children’s Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

THU.29

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.28.

BABY & ME CLASS: Parents and their infants ages birth to 1 explore massage, lullabies and gentle movements while discussing the struggles and joys of parenthood. Greater Burlington YMCA, 9:45-10:45 a.m. $10; free for members. Info, 862-9622.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: See WED.28.

key topics such as how to choose a lender and prepare for a meeting. 6-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 860-1417, ext. 112.

talks

CURRENTLY SPEAKING: MATT WARD & SARAH HENSHAW: In “Flooding Preparedness, Response and Recovery,” two experts dive into their organizations’ missions and impact on communities affected by the natural disaster. The Current, Stowe, 5-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 253-8358.

GROW PRESCHOOL YOGA: Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga leads kids ages 2 to 5 in songs, movement and other fun activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

ART LAB DROP-IN: SEEDPOD EXPLORATION: See WED.28, 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

PRESCHOOL MUSIC WITH LINDA BASSICK: The singer and storyteller extraordinaire guides wee ones ages birth to 5 in indoor music and movement. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

PRESCHOOL PLAY TIME: Pre-K patrons play and socialize after music time. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

STORY TIME: Little ones ages 2 to 5 learn from songs, crafts and picture books. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1010:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

TODDLER TIME: Wiggly wee ones ages 1 and up love this lively, interactive storybook experience featuring songs, rhymes and finger plays with Miss Valerie. South

Buster Keaton in The General

HULA STORY SESSIONS:

SPECTRUM YOUTH & FAMILY

SERVICES: Listeners learn about how the social services organization has staunchly supported at-risk unhoused youths in the community since 1970. Hula, Burlington, 4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 540-8153.

JOAN H. YOUNG: In “The North Country Trail: The Way Too Fast Version,” an avid hiker and guidebook author shares stories of the 4,800-mile path spanning eight states. Hosted by Green Mountain Club. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7037.

tech

TECH THURSDAYS: SMARTPHONE SERIES:

Participants learn how to get the most out of their iPhone and Android mobile devices. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 865-7217.

theater

‘FOOL FOR LOVE’: Shaker Bridge Theatre presents Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard’s psychological drama about an explosive, incestuous relationship between half-siblings. Briggs Opera House, White River Junction, 7-8:30 p.m. $25-45. Info, 281-6848.

‘MURDER ON THE ORIENT

EXPRESS’: The world’s greatest detective searches for clues before the killer can strike again in Vermont Stage’s production based on the classic Agatha Christie whodunit. Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $39-59 sliding scale. Info, 862-1497.

‘THE NEWEST PLAYS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN’: Between the Willows promotes artistic cross-pollination at this hourlong showcase of short plays written and performed by ensembles from local theater groups. Radio Bean, Burlington, 7-8 p.m. $10-15. Info, 363-7790.

words

GEORGE’S MYSTERY BOOK GROUP: Patrons chat about Archer Mayor’s twisty page-turners with resident whodunit expert George Spaulding. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 6:15-8 p.m. Free. Info, gspaulding@kellogghubbard.org.

TURNING PAGES WITH MARY: Lit lovers join Star 92.9’s Mary Cenci to discuss Liz Moore’s 2024 mystery novel, The God of the Woods Phoenix Books, Essex, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 872-7111.

FRI.30

agriculture

INTEGRATED PEST

MANAGEMENT WEEK:

HEATHER DARBY & KATJA

MORCINIEC: Two experts provide updates on neonicotinoid

research in Vermont and New York. Hosted by the University of Vermont Extension. Noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, susan. brouillette@uvm.edu.

dance

‘FROM AFRICA TO THE AMERICAS’: See THU.29.

‘THE LOOK OF LOVE’: Mark Morris Dance Group presents a dazzling tribute to the timeless songs of Burt Bacharach. Moore Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7:30-9:30 p.m. $40-60. Info, 603-646-2422.

fairs & festivals

GROUNDHOG FEST: Musicians and bands of all stripes take over Queen City venues for a wintry weekend of performances to remember. Various Burlington locations. $30-50. Info, 865-7300.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.29.

‘THE GENERAL’: Accompanist Jeff Rapsis improvises a live score on the venue’s Estey pipe organ for this 1926 silent film starring Buster Keaton as a hapless Southern railroad engineer during the Civil War. See calendar spotlight. Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, 6:30 p.m. $25. Info, info@epsilonspires.org.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.29.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.29.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.29.

‘THE WIZ’: Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway smash, this 1978 pop musical follows a Harlem schoolteacher who is miraculously whisked away to an urban fantasyland called Oz. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

food & drink

ADVENTURE DINNER COZY & CANDLELIT: ITALIAN NIGHT: Diners feel themselves transported to il bel paese via five indulgent courses, passed appetizers and wintertime bevvies.

Adventure Dinner Clubhouse, Colchester, 6-9 p.m. $75. Info, sas@adventuredinner.com.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.29, 10 a.m.

health & fitness

BLOOD DRIVE: Participants part with life-sustaining pints at this American Red Cross donation event. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of St. Albans, noon-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 800-464-6692.

GUIDED MEDITATION

ONLINE: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites

JAN. 31 | TALKS

One Man’s Trash

Saint Albans Museum’s SAM Talks lecture series continues with an eye-opening presentation by local ecologist and oral historian Ginger Nickerson. In “Trash Talk: Inside Stories From Vermont’s Solid Waste Workers,” Nickerson breaks down what happens to garbage after it’s left curbside. For most households, it’s “out of sight, out of mind,” but discarded items pass through an entire network of meticulous operations before their journey ends. Using stories and photographs from interviews with people on the front lines — from compost collectors to e-waste workers — Nickerson provides a behind-the-scenes look at the human side of our state’s waste system.

SAM TALKS: GINGER NICKERSON

Saturday, January 31, 1-3 p.m., at Saint Albans Museum. Free; preregister. Info, 527-7933, stamuseum.org.

attendees to relax on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@ damlvt.org.

IN-PERSON MORNING

MEDITATION: Expert Zac

Ispa-Landa helps participants gain tools to quiet their minds, slow down and reset. Outright Vermont, Burlington, 8-8:45 a.m. Free. Info, 825-1815.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION: Community members gather for an informal session combining stimulating discussion, sharing and sitting in silence. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 1:15-2:15 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

language

FRENCH SOCIAL HOUR: The Alliance Française of the Lake Champlain Region hosts a rendez-vous over cocktails. Hilton

Garden Inn Burlington Downtown, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; cash bar. Info, bbrodie@aflcr.org.

lgbtq

RPG NIGHT: Members of the LGBTQ community get together weekly for role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Everway. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

music

ANA GUIGUI: An acclaimed pianist and vocalist entertains listeners with a wide variety of styles and genres. The Brandon Inn, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 747-8300.

LANE SERIES: BADI ASSAD: A virtuoso singer and composer combines technical mastery and creative innovation, pushing the boundaries of what the guitar is capable of. The University of

Composting at Hudak Farm in Swanton

Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5-32. Info, 656-4455.

SINGER-SONGWRITER

SHOWCASE: A double bill features southern Vermont musicians

Jason Scaggs, Emily Margaret and Michael Roberts in an intimate in-the-round set, followed by Nashville folk duo Paper Wings. Virtual option available. Next Stage Arts, Putney, 7:30 p.m. $10-25. Info, 387-0102.

outdoors

WINTERDEEP: Guests follow a magical walking trail replete with ambient music, poetry projections and giant paper lantern sculptures. Proceeds benefit Treewild’s scholarship fund. Meach Cove Farms Gathering Space, Shelburne, 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. $10-20. Info, treewild. inc@gmail.com.

talks

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE + ART LECTURE SERIES: MEGAN NEDZINSKI: A Vermont Integrated Architecture partner and project architect presents on design work that embodies the value of strong communities and healthy natural environments.

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

FAMI LY FU N

Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 9:15-9:45 & 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

IMAGINARY PLAY STORY TIME: Dressup, stories, treats and adventure await the library’s littlest patrons. KelloggHubbard Library, 2nd Floor, Children’s Library, Montpelier, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

POKÉMON CLUB: I choose you, Pikachu! Elementary and teenage fans of the franchise — and beginners, too — trade cards and play games. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME: Kids and their caregivers meet for stories, songs and bubbles. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 2nd Floor, Children’s Library, Montpelier, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

stowe/smuggs

WEE ONES PLAY TIME: Caregivers bring kiddos under 4 to a new sensory learning experience each week. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

mad river valley/ waterbury

BUSY BEES PLAYGROUP: Blocks, toys, books and songs engage little ones 24 months and younger. Waterbury Public Library, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

champlain islands/ northwest

DADS’ NIGHT OUT: BOARD GAMES: Rad dads show up ready to play at this spirited evening of friendly competition and fun hosted by Dad Guild. Guardian Cards & Comics, St. Albans, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 318-4231.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: Youngsters 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and color. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:3011 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

outside vermont

‘AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE’: The Hanover High School Footlighters present Henrik Ibsen’s classic drama about corruption and the fight for truth against a manipulative majority. Hanover High School, N.H., 7 p.m. $5-12. Info, 788-4611.

FRI.30

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.28.

‘GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE LIVE!’: All ages delight in this a-meow-zing musical show inspired by the magical world of the global preschool sensation from DreamWorks Animation. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 6 p.m. $32-68. Info, 863-5966.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: See WED.28.

DROP-IN: An afterschool hangout space invites teens ages 13 to 19 to relax, connect, grab a snack or browse the nonprofit’s clothing closet. Outright Vermont, Burlington, 2:30 p.m. Free. Info, programs@outrightvt.org.

KINDERGARTEN TOWN HALL FOR

DADS: Dad Guild hosts a casual info session for local fathers with children entering kindergarten this fall. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 318-4231.

chittenden county

ART LAB DROP-IN: SEEDPOD

EXPLORATION: See WED.28.

DAN NOTT: A local author and artist sheds light on his nonfiction graphic novel Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

FRIDAY LEGO BUILDERS: Mini makers explore and create new worlds with stackable blocks. Recommended for ages 6 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

BASEMENT TEEN CENTER: A dropin hangout session welcomes kids ages 12 to 17 for lively games, arts and crafts, and snacks. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 2-8 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

LEGO CLUB: Budding builders create geometric structures with snap-together blocks. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP: Participants ages 5 and under enjoy themed science, art and nature activities. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

upper valley

STORY TIME: Preschoolers take part in tales, tunes and playtime. Latham Library, Thetford, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

northeast kingdom

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Youngsters and their caregivers delight in beautiful books, silly songs, creative crafts and unplugged play in the library’s cozy children’s room. Craftsbury Public Library, Craftsbury Common, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 586-9683.

outside vermont

‘AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE’: See THU.29.

SAT.31

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.28.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: See WED.28.

FAIRYTALE MUSEUM: Very Merry Theatre actors portraying Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan and other beloved characters interact with guests of all ages. Center of Recreation & Education,

O.N.E. Community Center, Burlington, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 355-1461.

FAMILY PLAYSHOP: A range of themes and rotating activities promote school readiness and foster creativity. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

LEGO TIME: Mini makers ages 4 to 11 design and build original, colorful creations. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 863-3403.

VERMONT PUBLIC KIDS DAY: Families have fun with themed crafts, story time and photo ops with beloved PBS character Buddy from Dinosaur Train. A sensory-friendly hour is offered at 9 a.m. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Regular admission, $20-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 540-6882.

chittenden county

ART LAB DROP-IN: SEEDPOD

EXPLORATION: See WED.28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

barre/montpelier

VERMONT’S GOT TALENT: YOUTH TALENT SHOWCASE: Accomplished middle, high school and college-age performers dazzle with a variety of jaw-dropping acts. Barre Opera House, 7-9 p.m. By donation. Info, 476-8188.

middlebury area

THE POSTPARTUM CARE SWAP: Moms and moms-to-be exchange lightly used items, including recovery essentials, breastfeeding and pumping supplies, and maternity clothing. Bristol Federated Church, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 373-2989.

upper valley

PHENAKISTOSCOPE WORKSHOP: Families learn about animation by making optical toys that create the illusion of movement from a series of static images. Norwich Public Library, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 295-6688.

brattleboro/okemo valley

QUEER DANCE: LGBTQ+ youths and allies boogie down at a community-building evening complete with refreshments and photo booth ops. Brattleboro Union High School, 7-10 p.m. Free. Info, rdavidson@wsesdvt.org.

outside vermont

‘AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE’: See THU.29.

SUN.1

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.28.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: See WED.28.

GLOW STICK DANCE PARTY

BREAKFAST: Dad Guild invites families to a morning of cartoons and pancakes, followed by an opportunity to burn off all that maple syrup to kid-friendly tunes played over the speakers. Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 9-10:30 a.m. By donation. Info, 318-4231.

chittenden county

SOCIAL SUNDAYS: All ages participate in fun and educational art activities with diverse mediums and themes. All supplies and instruction provided. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

barre/montpelier

COMMUNITY VISIONING EVENT: Attendees meet the founders and envision what Vermont’s first freestanding natal facility could be at this fundraiser kickoff for Green Mountain Birth Center. Emerge With Amy LePage, Montpelier, 2-4 p.m. By donation. Info, info@ emergewithamylepage.com.

outside vermont

‘AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE’: See THU.29, 2 p.m.

MON.2

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.28.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: See WED.28.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Bookworms ages 2 to 6 and their caregivers enjoy a fun-filled reading session with an artistic twist. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TODDLER TIME: Little kids ages 5 and under have a blast with songs, stories, rhymes and dancing. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

upper valley

STORY TIME WITH BETH: An engaging bookseller and librarian reads picture books on a different theme each week. The Norwich Bookstore, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

TUE.3

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.28.

BUILD IT BIG! RIGAMAJIG WORKSHOP:

Budding engineers ages 7 to 12 work together to create towers, forts, vehicles and anything else they can dream up with the library’s building tool. Fletcher Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-3403.

DADS’ NIGHT OUT: BOARD GAME NIGHT: See THU.29. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 7-9:30 p.m.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: See WED.28.

MINECRAFT MEETUP: Fans of the sandbox game from ages 7 to 12 gather with fellow enthusiasts to play on the library’s private server. Snacks provided. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5-6:15 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with the local musician. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

CRAFTYTOWN: Kiddos express their inner artist using mediums such as paint, print, collage and sculpture. Recommended for ages 8 and up, or 6 and up with an adult helper. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

READ WITH SAMMY: The Therapy Dogs of Vermont emissary listens to kiddos of all ages practice their reading. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

STORY TIME: Youngsters from birth to 5 enjoy a session of reading, rhyming and singing. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

barre/montpelier

BASEMENT TEEN CENTER: See FRI.30, 2-6 p.m.

THE NEST: Good Beginnings of Central Vermont hosts a baby-friendly space where prenatal and postpartum families can connect. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

northeast kingdom

LAPSIT STORY TIME: Babies 2 and under learn to love reading while singing and playing with their caregivers. Siblings welcome. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: See FRI.30.

WED.4

CO-PARENTING DADS: Experiencing separation, divorce or long-term co-parenting? Fathers assemble virtually to connect, build community and share experiences in a supportive environment. Hosted by Dad Guild. 8-10 p.m. Free. Info, 318-4231.

burlington

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.28.

DINOSAUR SAFARI EXHIBIT: See WED.28.

LIBRARY LITTLES PLAYGROUP: See WED.28.

STEAM SPACE: See WED.28.

chittenden county

BABY TIME: See WED.28. GAME ON!: See WED.28. PLAY TIME: See WED.28.

barre/montpelier

BABY & CAREGIVER MEETUP: See WED.28.

FAMILY CHESS CLUB: See WED.28.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TEEN QUEER READS: LGBTQIA+ and allied youths get together each month to read and discuss ideas around gender, sexuality and identity. Waterbury Public Library, 6-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036. K

Chaplin Hall Gallery, Northfield, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 485-2000.

theater

‘FOOL FOR LOVE’: See THU.29. ‘MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS’: See THU.29.

SAT.31

community

REPAIR CAFÉ: Experts troubleshoot a wide array of broken items — and teach patrons how to fix their things themselves. Saint Albans Museum, St. Albans, 9 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 527-7933.

SISTERHOOD CAMPFIRE: Women and genderqueer folks gather in a safe and inclusive space to build community through journaling, storytelling, gentle music and stargazing. Leddy Park, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, sisterhoodcampfire@gmail.com.

dance

‘THE LOOK OF LOVE’: See FRI.30, 2-4 & 7:30-9:30 p.m. etc.

BEARY MAGICAL LIGHTS TOUR: Festive music accentuates this glowing winter paradise, complete with special 3D glasses that transform illuminated displays into shimmering teddy bear shapes. Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, Shelburne, 3:30-6 p.m. $10. Info, 985-1319.

GREEN MOUNTAIN CLUB ANNUAL

MEETING: Accomplished thru-hiker Tori Constantine keynotes this gathering of the Long Trail maintenance group’s Burlington section. Potluck dinner provided. Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 5-8 p.m. $5; preregister. Info, events@ gmcburlington.org.

JAM SATURDAY OPEN HOUSES: Upper Valley creatives enjoy introductory presentations by area experts and media workshop activities that reflect their interests. Junction Arts & Media, White River Junction, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 295-6688.

RAFFLE & FUNDRAISER: Dad Guild — the official Dolly Parton Imagination Library affiliate for Winooski — hosts a fundraiser to help support program costs. Mule Bar, Winooski, 3-6 p.m. By donation. Info, 318-4231.

WINTER GATHERING: Sierra Club Vermont executive director Loren Blackford and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch keynote this annual opportunity to connect with passionate advocates, learn about pressing environmental issues and discover actionable ways to make a difference. Burlington Elks Lodge, 4-7 p.m. $10; cash bar. Info, 505-1540.

WINTER MEETING: What’s all the buzz? The Vermont Beekeepers Association beckons folks to an info-packed day of workshops, keynote speeches and an annual honey show. Champlain Valley

Union High School, Hinesburg, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. $15; free for members. Info, 247-3323.

fairs & festivals

BROOKFIELD ICE HARVEST & WINTER FEST: Revelers of all ages celebrate the frigid season with ice block cutting, skating, broomball and other adventurous activities. Floating Bridge, Brookfield, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 276-3260.

GROUNDHOG FEST: See FRI.30.

ICE FISHING FESTIVAL: Vermont Fish & Wildlife staff teach anglers of all ages the basics of snagging swimmers from freezing waters — from tip-ups to filleting. Elmore State Park, Lake Elmore, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 505-5562.

MONTPELIER WINTERFEST: Horse-drawn wagon rides, sledding, Nordic skiing and other family-friendly activities make for a wintry weekend to remember. See montpelieralive. com for full schedule. Downtown Montpelier, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Free. Info, 262-6265.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.29.

‘GONE GUYS’: The eye-opening documentary spotlighting the struggles of young men draws on Richard V. Reeves’ 2022 nonfiction book, Of Boys and Men. A community discussion hosted by Dad Guild staff follows. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 318-4231.

‘THE HARDER THEY COME’: An aspiring reggae singer takes on corruption in the music industry in this 1972 Jamaican crime flick. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.29.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.29.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.29.

WOODSTOCK VERMONT FILM SERIES: ‘SEEDS’: Filmed in black and white, this 2025 lyrical portrait of Black generational farmers in the American South reveals the enduring strength of memory, legacy and hope. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 3 p.m. $12-15. Info, 457-2355. games

CHESS CLUB: All ages and abilities face off and learn new strategies. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

D&D & TTRPG GROUP: Fans of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games embark on a new adventure with a rotating cast of game masters. Virtual option available. Waterbury Public

JAN.

31 & FEB. 4 | MUSIC

Musical Mélange

Banish your cabin fever at Haybarn Theatre in Plainfield, where a cross-cultural collaboration by multi-instrumentalists Ablaye Cissoko and Cyrille Brotto heats up the night with singularsounds. Cissoko, a Senegalese griot — or community storyteller — is widely regarded as one of the finest kora players of his generation. Used throughout West Africa, the 800-year-old instrument marries features of the lute and the harp to deliver a bright and resonant sound. French accordionist and composer Brotto adds his distinguished performance style, serving up a unique sound that’s both deeply traditional and undeniably modern.

ABLAYE CISSOKO & CYRILLE BROTTO

Saturday, January 31 (sold out), and Wednesday, February 4, 8 p.m., at Haybarn Theatre, the Creative Campus at Goddard, in Plainfield. $39-49. Info, 821-0741, thecreativecampus.org.

Library, 1-5 p.m. Free. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

WINTERFEST PUZZLE RACE: Teams of four in beginner and advanced categories race against the clock to complete the challenge at hand for bragging rights and prizes. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 223-3338.

music

ABLAYE CISSOKO & CYRILLE BROTTO: SOLD OUT. A Senegalese griot master and a French accordionist take the stage for an uplifting concert melding the deep traditions of their different musical cultures. See calendar spotlight. Haybarn Theatre, the Creative Campus at Goddard, Plainfield, 8 p.m. $39-49. Info, 821-0741.

ANA GUIGUI: See FRI.30.

EDGAR MEYER, MIKE MARSHALL & GEORGE MEYER BLUEGRASS TRIO: Three virtuosic musicians join forces for a genre-bending show, including works from Meyer’s 1999 album, Short Trip Home. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $47.80-63.85. Info, 760-4634.

NORTHERN ITALIAN CUISINE & WEST AFRICAN MUSIC: Osteria Chiara hosts a culturally rich evening featuring a four-course dinner by chef Steve Ferraris and a performance by internationally renowned balafon masters Mamadou Diabaté and Balla Kouyaté. BYOB. Thetford Community Center, Thetford Center, 6-10 p.m. $125; preregister. Info, 683-0006.

hook some denizens of the deep. Various locations statewide. Free; preregister. Info, 505-5562.

talks

‘HISTORY OF US-VENEZUELA RELATIONS AND OIL TRADE’: All questions and perspectives are welcome at this discussion about the history of oil exploration in Venezuela and its long-standing relationship with American oil companies. Peace & Justice Center, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 863-2345.

SAM TALKS: GINGER NICKERSON: In “Trash Talk: Inside Stories from Vermont’s Solid Waste Workers,” an ecologist and oral historian shares details from interviews she conducted with people working on the front lines of waste management. See calendar spotlight. Saint Albans Museum, 1-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 527-7933.

theater

‘FOOL FOR LOVE’: See THU.29, 2:30-4 p.m. and 7-8:30 p.m. ‘MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS’: See THU.29, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

RISING PHOENIX CABARET: A night of fiery entertainment awaits attendees ages 18 and up, including burlesque and other nightlife arts by the Accaliae, Juni P and Chia. Proceeds benefit Rainbow Bridge Community Center. Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 7-9 p.m. $20. Info, 279-0526.

words

TRAVELING BOOK CLUB: Adventure-loving readers convene to swap thoughts on James Nelson’s 2006 book, Benedict Arnold’s Navy: The Ragtag Fleet That Lost the Battle of Lake Champlain but Won the American Revolution. Virtual option available. Lake Champlain Maritime

FOMO?

outdoors

FULL MOON SKI PARTY: Nordic skiers traverse lighted trails, followed by live music and nourishment around the fire. Sleepy Hollow Inn, Huntington, 4-9 p.m. $13-38; free for kids 6 and under; cash bar. Info, 434-2283.

WATERBURY WINTERFEST: ICE

SKATING DISCO: Locals don funky outfits for a fun-filled evening of dancing, karaoke, costume contests and prizes. Proceeds benefit Waterbury Common Market. The Ice Center, Waterbury, 6-8 p.m. Free; donations of nonperishable food items accepted. Info, waterburywinterfest@gmail.com.

WINTERDEEP: See FRI.30.

sports

FREE ICE FISHING DAY: New and seasoned anglers with or without a license get outside to

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

Museum, Vergennes, 1-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 475-2022.

WRITE NOW!: Wordsmiths of all experience levels hone their craft in a supportive and critique-free environment. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

SUN.1

community

ENDLESS BUTTER: A COMMUNAL FEAST OF POETRY & MUSIC: Neighbors bring their fiber arts projects to a midwinter celebration featuring verse, live tunes and storytelling by local talent. Refreshments provided. Next Stage Arts, Putney, 1-4 p.m. $1020 suggested donation; free for students. Info, 387-0102.

etc.

TAIZÉ MEDITATION FOR CANDLEMAS: All are welcome at this hourlong candlelit service combining song, spoken prayer, meditative readings and silence, allowing space to slow down and reflect. Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 864-0471.

fairs & festivals

GROUNDHOG FEST: See FRI.30.

ICE ON FIRE: A sunset bonfire ends a day stacked with winter games, theater, storytelling and music. See alltogethernowvt. org for full schedule. BYO mug. Montpelier Country Club, 2-5 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Info, info@alltogethernowvt.org.

MONTPELIER WINTERFEST: See SAT.31, 2-5 p.m.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.29.

HOLLYWOOD, VT SERIES: ‘THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY’: Trivia, archival images and works by local artist Rachi Farrow accentuate a one-night-only screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 dark comedy, filmed on location in Vermont. Playhouse Movie Theatre, Randolph, 6-8:30 p.m. $7-10. Info, 728-4012.

‘MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART I — LAST AIR IN MOSCOW’: Julia Loktev’s 2025 documentary follows independent journalists

facing government crackdown as Russia invades Ukraine. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 11 a.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.29.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.29.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.29.

WOODSTOCK VERMONT FILM SERIES: ‘SEEDS’: See SAT.31.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.29, 1 p.m.

health & fitness

KARUNA COMMUNITY

MEDITATION: A YEAR TO LIVE (FULLY): Participants practice keeping joy, generosity and gratitude at the forefront of their minds. Jenna’s House, Johnson, 10-11:15 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, mollyzapp@live.com.

NEW LEAF SANGHA

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE: New and experienced meditators alike sit together in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Hot Yoga Burlington, 6-7:45 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

music

VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA: In “Charting a Course,” the talented ensemble delights with works by Ethel Smyth, Johannes Brahms, Miklós Rózsa, and

student composer and orchestra member Holden Friesel. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 3 p.m. $21-24. Info, 863-5966.

WINTER SUNDAY SERIES:

MIRIAM BERNARDO & MICHAEL CHORNEY: A vocalist and a multi-instrumentalist team up to perform a dynamic program of works by Paul Bowles, Sun Ra, Llasa de Sela and Chorney himself. Adamant Community Club, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 454-7103.

outdoors

BURNT ROCK VIA HEDGEHOG BROOK HIKE: Adventurers join the Green Mountain Club for a challenging, moderately paced hike to the summit. Microspikes, snowshoes and poles required. Email for start time. Hedgehog

Brook Trail, Fayston. Free; preregister. Info, jillghiker@gmail.com.

tech

DROP-IN TECH SUPPORT: Techsavvy library staff provide oneon-one guidance and support in 30-minute sessions. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

TECH SUNDAYS: LEARN GOOGLE

EMAIL: Attendees learn how to optimize their use of Google Workspace. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 10-11:15 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 865-7217.

theater

‘FOOL FOR LOVE’: See THU.29, 2:30-4 p.m.

‘MURDER ON THE ORIENT

EXPRESS’: See THU.29, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

MON.2

activism

TOWN HALL: Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark shares details of her ongoing efforts to preserve birthright citizenship, challenge federal regulatory rollbacks and prevent youth vaping. Dion Family Student Center, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 654-2588.

community

VERMONT CAREGIVER

LISTENING TOUR: The Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association raises awareness about caring for people with dementia. American Legion Post 5, Brattleboro, 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 343-2604.

crafts

FUSE BEADS CLUB: Aspiring artisans bring ideas or borrow patterns to make beaded creations. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.29.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.29.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.29.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.29.

games

BURLINGTON ELKS BINGO: Players grab their daubers for a competitive night of card stamping for cash prizes. Burlington Elks Lodge, 6 p.m. Various prices. Info, 862-1342.

MAH JONGG MONDAYS: Tile traders gather for friendly bouts of the ancient game of skill, strategy and luck. St. Albans Free Library, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 524-1507.

language

GERMAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: Willkommen! Speakers of all experience levels brush up on conversational skills over bagged lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

lgbtq

BOARD GAME NIGHT: LGBTQ tabletop fans bring their own favorite games to the party. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

music

ONION RIVER CHORUS

REHEARSAL: The non-auditioned community ensemble conducted by Richard Riley invites interested vocalists to join in spirited song. Bethany United Church of Christ, Montpelier, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 476-2541.

TUE.3 community

CURRENT EVENTS

DISCUSSION GROUP: Brownell Library holds a virtual roundtable for neighbors to pause and reflect on the news cycle. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

crafts

ALL HANDS TOGETHER

COMMUNITY CRAFTING GROUP:

Marshfield spinning maven Donna Hisson hosts a casual gathering for fiber fans of all abilities to work on old projects or start something new. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.29.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.29.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.29.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.29.

food & drink

COOKBOOK CLUB: Cooking enthusiasts bring a dish to share from Kiano Moju’s AfriCali: Recipes From My Jikoni (A Cookbook), then chat about their inspiration. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5:30-6:45 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, sbplprograms@ southburlingtonvt.gov.

games

BOARD GAME NIGHT: Neighbors show off their skills at an evening of friendly competition playing European tabletop staples such as Catan, Splendor and Concordia. Waterbury Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, ken_boring@yahoo.com.

GAMES GALORE: Library patrons of all ages gather for bouts of

board and card games. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MEDITATION: All experience levels engage in the ancient Buddhist practice of clearing the mind to achieve a state of calm. First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, 5:15-6 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 862-5630.

TAI CHI: Practitioners get a feel for the Chinese martial art combining controlled breathing, meditation and slow, gentle movements. Ida Boch Park, Bradford, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 304-0836.

language

ITALIAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: Speakers hone their skills in the Romance language over bagged lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

PAUSE-CAFÉ FRENCH

CONVERSATION: Francophones and French-language learners meet pour parler la belle langue Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 343-5493.

music

FLOW SINGING: Singers both new and seasoned intertwine music and mindfulness while learning a sequence of five or six songs by ear. Heineberg Senior Center, Burlington, 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Free. Info, patricia@juneberrymusic.com.

seminars

TENANT SKILLS WORKSHOP: The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity brings renters up to speed on the fundamentals of tenant rights and responsibilities. Noon-1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 660-3456.

sports

OPEN GYM BASKETBALL FOR DADS: Fathers and masc-identifying caregivers team up for a low-key pickup game. Mater Christi School, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 318-4231. tech

DROP-IN TECH SUPPORT: Library staff answer questions about devices of all kinds in face-to-face chats. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 12:30-2 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403. theater

CIRQUE MECHANICS: The celebrated circus troupe transports audience members to a world of mechanical wonders and aerial feats in “Tilt.” Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 6 p.m. $45. Info, 863-5966.

words

BURLINGTON LITERATURE GROUP: Over the course of five weeks, bookworms analyze Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, a

landmark novel about a woman who escapes her provincial life through adultery. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@nereadersand writers.com.

DAN CHIASSON: A Queen City native launches his new book, Bernie for Burlington, exploring the early days and inexorable rise of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, in conversation with Chris Bohjalian, Alison Bechdel and Jym Wilson. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 7-8 p.m. $12. Info, 448-3350.

WRITING CIRCLE: Words pour out when participants explore creative expression in a low-pressure environment. Virtual option available. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

WED.4 activism

DISABLED ACCESS & ADVOCACY OF THE RUTLAND AREA MONTHLY ZOOM MEETING: Community members gather online to advocate for accessibility and other disability-rights measures. 11:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 779-9021.

VERMONT WOMEN’S MENTOR TRAINING: See WED.28.

business

‘LEGAL STRATEGIES FOR SEPARATING BUSINESS & PERSONAL LIFE’: Experts from the Vermont Small Business Law Center at Vermont Law & Graduate School outline how to keep affairs in order using tools such as contracts and insurance. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 860-1417, ext. 112.

VERMONT WOMENPRENEURS BIZ

BUZZ ZOOM: A monthly virtual networking meetup provides a space for female business owners to connect. 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 870-0903.

community

FARMERS NIGHT CONCERT SERIES: ‘STORIES FROM THE WOODS’: Listeners get carried away by a curated story hour focusing on the great outdoors. House Chamber, Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 279-5558.

crafts

YARN & YAK: See WED.28.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.28.

dance

‘DANCING UPHILL’: Dance program students take the stage for a stunning exploration of the rigor and collaboration that goes into choreography. University of Vermont, Cohen Hall for the Integrative Creative Arts, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $10-15. Info, theatreanddance@uvm.edu. etc.

CHAMP MASTERS

TOASTMASTERS CLUB: Those looking to strengthen their

speaking and leadership skills gain new tools. Virtual option available. Dealer.com, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, cdmvt47@yahoo.com.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘GONE GUYS’: See SAT.31. A community discussion follows. Bennington Theater, 6-8 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 500-5500.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING: See WED.28.

CUPPA ON CAMPUS: See WED.28. WEDNESDAY SMASH BURGER NIGHT: See WED.28.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.28.

DAD GUILD FITNESS NIGHT: Fathers stretch, exercise in a gamified fitness session, earn points as a group, then stretch again and talk about what hurts. Bring sneakers, exercise clothes and a water bottle. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 318-4231.

RECOVERY DHARMA: See WED.28.

language

ELL CLASSES: See WED.28.

SPANISH CONVERSATION: Fluent and beginner speakers brush up on their vocabulario with a discussion led by a Spanish teacher. Presented by Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. 5-6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org.

music

ABLAYE CISSOKO & CYRILLE BROTTO: See SAT.31.

APRIL VERCH & JOE NEWBERRY: A traditional music duo

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

masterfully blends harmony singing, breathtaking instrumentals and dancing for a concert experience to remember. A vegetarian potluck is offered at 6 p.m. Treewild House Concerts, Shelburne, 7-9 p.m. $25. Info, treewild.inc@gmail.com.

ORPHEUS CHAMBER

ORCHESTRA: Pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins the Grammywinning ensemble for a bold program reimagining classics by Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Schubert. Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7:30-9:30 p.m. $40-65. Info, 603-646-2422.

ST. J BLUEGRASS JAM: Players and fans get together for some old-time picking and fiddling. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church of St. Johnsbury, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 748-2600.

outdoors

TREE ID & NATURAL HISTORY

TOUR: Naturalist Gene O. Desideraggio guides attendees in identifying local flora. Audubon Vermont Sugarhouse, Richmond, 10 a.m. $10-15; preregister. Info, info@citymarket.coop.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: See WED.28.

talks

NATURALIST JOURNEYS SERIES:

KASSIA RANDZIO & ERIN DE VRIES: In “River Conservation in a Floodier Future,” two reps from Vermont River Conservancy offer a behind-the-scenes look at the science, mapping and stories behind protecting the state’s waterways. Virtual option available. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 229-6206.

WINTER SPEAKER SERIES: KATE MASUR: A Northwestern University professor illuminates how constitutional changes of the Reconstruction era shaped aspects of our lives today in “The Surprising History of An American Founding Concept.” 7-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 262-2626. theater

‘THE WORLD IS NOT SILENT’: Northern Stage mounts Don Nguyen’s funny and poignant play exploring the profound ways in which language can both divide and unite us. Byrne Theater, Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, 7:30 p.m. $10-80. Info, 296-7000. words

THE HUMP DAY WRITING GROUP: See WED.28. ➆

classes

THE FOLLOWING CLASS LISTINGS ARE PAID ADVERTISEMENTS. ANNOUNCE YOUR CLASS HERE FOR AS LITTLE AS $21.25/WEEK (INCLUDES SIX PHOTOS AND UNLIMITED DESCRIPTION ONLINE).

NEWSPAPER DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 3 P.M. POST CLASS ADS AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTCLASS. GET HELP AT CLASSES@SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

arts & crafts

DAVIS STUDIO ART CLASSES:

Discover your happy place in one of our weekly classes. Making art boosts emotional well-being and brings joy to your life, especially when you connect with other art enthusiasts. Select the ongoing program that’s right for you. Now enrolling youths, teens and adults. Join and restore your faith in humanity. Info: 802-425-2700, info@davisstudiovt.com, davisstudiovt.com.

dance

BEGINNING SWING DANCE CLASS SERIES: Learn the basics of jitterbug dancing. is four-week series covers basic footwork, partner connection and a bunch of fun moves. No partner necessary. You can try it out by attending just the ﬁrst class. Please preregister at vermontswings.com.

allergies in the ticket registration. Note: We are not an allergen-free facility. Date: Fri., Feb. 13, 6-7:30 p.m. Cost: $85. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, 1 Elm St., Waterbury. Info: 203-400-0700, sevendaystickets.com.

BEEF WELLINGTON AND CHOCOLATE POT DE CREME

Dates: Every Tue., Feb. 3-24, 7-8 p.m. Cost: $15/per class; $50 for 4-week series. Location: North Star Community Hall, 20 Crowley St., Burlington. Info: Terry Bouricius, 802-8648382, terrybour@gmail.com, vermontswings.com.

food & drink

A CHEESE-MAKING WORLD

TOUR: Trevor Warmedahl, the “Milk Trekker,” is a nomadic educator, cheese maker and researcher who documents traditional dairying and cheese-making practices around the world. His work explores the relationships between people, landscapes, microbes and traditions. Enjoy a globe trekking dinner from Eastern Europe and beyond, along with a talk with Trevor about his explorations. Note: e dinner will be from 5-6:30 p.m., followed by the talk at 6:30 p.m. Date: Wed., Feb. 4, 5-8 p.m. Cost: $45. Location: Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro. Info: highlandartsvt.org.

LOVE & LIBATIONS

COCKTAIL CLASS:

Bring your valentine, your bestie or your favorite excuse to drink cocktails. Learn how to shake, stir and sip your way through two Valentine’s Day-ready cocktails,

made with our spirits. We’ll handle the recipes; you handle the fun. Light snacks included. Date: Feb. 12, 5:30-7 p.m. Cost: $35/person, plus tax & tip; 2 cocktails incl. Location: Mad River Distillers, 137 St. Paul St., Burlington. Info: tinyurl. com/4wac8uky.

VINTAGE PIPING CAKE

DECORATING CLASS: In this workshop, learn to frost a cake with trendy vintage-style piping! The two-layer six-inch cake serves eight. Cake kits are available in gluten-free, vegan or both. Please disclose all

FEATURING CHEF JIM

MCCARTHY: Chefs will walk you through their recipes with hands-on help from our attendees every step of the way. They will break down the techniques of classic beef Wellington and stovetop chocolate pot de creme. This class cannot be gluten-free (except the dessert), dairy-free, vegan or vegetarian. Date: Wed., Feb. 11, 6-8 p.m. Cost: $100. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, 1 Elm St., Waterbury. Info: seven daystickets.com.

THE ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE TASTING: Indulge your senses in the ultimate chocolate tasting at the Lake Champlain Chocolates ﬂagship store on Pine Street in Burlington. Join a chocolate expert for a fun and interactive experience. Explore how chocolate is made, discover what goes into crafting high-quality chocolate and learn how to taste chocolate like a pro. en put your skills to the test as you enjoy a ﬂight of chocolate confections. Are you ready for the ultimate chocolate experience? Get your tickets today! Dates: Feb. 14 or Feb. 15, 2 p.m. Cost: $16. Location: Lake Champlain Chocolates, 750 Pine St., Burlington. Info: 802-864-1808, info@ lakechamplainchocolates.com, lakechamplainchocolates.com/ chocolate-tastings.

healing arts

SEMESTER OF SOUND HEALING:

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced sound healer, level up your knowledge and skills with one or up to seven weekend courses and learn to lead transformational one-on-one and group sessions with bronze singing bowls, crystal bowls, tuning forks, gongs and more! Add new skills and insights to your professional practice or to healing yourself or family. VSAC grants are available, or receive a discount for taking multiple classes. Dates: Jan. 24 & 25; Feb. 7 & 8; Feb. 28 & 29; Mar. 14 & 15; Apr. 11 & 12; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: $599 per 16-hour course. Location: e Wellness Collective, 875 Roosevelt Hwy., Colchester. Info: Kirk Jones, 510-697-7790, love@evolvlove.com, evolvlove. square.site.

home & garden

GALENTINE’S FLOWERS AT FIG: Celebrate Galentine’s Day and receive a cocktail or mocktail with your ticket purchase and all of the supplies needed to create a beautiful ﬂoral arrangement. Date: Sun., Feb. 8, 5 p.m.. Cost: $75. Location: Shelburne Fig. 5573 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne. Info: sevendaystickets.com.

martial arts

AIKIDO: THE POWER OF HARMONY: Adult introductory class begins Feb. 3 at 7:15 p.m.; Tuesdays, basics at noon. Beginners’ classes five days a week. Cultivate core power, aerobic fitness and resiliency. e dynamic, circular movements emphasize throws, joint locks and the development of internal energy. Join our community and find resiliency, power and grace. Inclusive training, gender-neutral dressing room/bathrooms and a safe space for all. Visitors are always welcome to watch a class! Vermont’s only intensive aikido programs. Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: bpincus@ burlingtonaikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

music

TAIKO TUESDAYS, DJEMBE WEDNESDAYS!: Drum with Stuart Paton! New sessions each month. Community Taiko Ensemble Beginner’s Class, Mon., 5:30-7 p.m. Taiko on Tue.: Kids & Parents Taiko, 4-5:30 p.m.; Adult Intro Taiko, 5:30-7 p.m.; Accelerated Intro Taiko, 7-8:30 p.m. Djembe on Wed.: Intermediate Djembe, 5:30-7 p.m.; Beginner Djembe, 7-8:30 p.m. Drums provided. Cost: $92/4 weeks; 90-min. classes; $72 per person for Kids & Parents class. Location: Burlington Taiko, 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3-G. Info: Stuart Paton, 802-448-0150, burlingtontaiko.org.

sports & ﬁ tness

RAR DEEP DIVE SERIES IN ADVANCED BICYCLE CARE — FOR WTNB: is new class series offers an in-depth look at the inner workings of your bicycle! We’ll skip over the basics and dive into some of the more complicated topics such as how to adjust disc brakes, what’s up with bearings and how to true a wheel. With a 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio, this class is designed to empower participants by helping them understand the more intricate parts of their bicycles. ese Wednesday Deep Dive classes are intended for women, trans and nonbinary students. Dates: Wed., Feb. 11, Feb. 18 & Feb. 25, 8 p.m. Cost: $150. Location: Old Spokes Home, 331 N. Winooski

Ave., Burlington. Info: 802-8634475, sevendaystickets.com.

DEEP DIVE SERIES IN ADVANCED BICYCLE CARE: is new threeclass series offers an in-depth look at the inner workings of your bicycle! We’ll skip over the basics and dive into some of the more complicated topics such as how to adjust disc brakes, what’s up with bearings and how to true a wheel. With a 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio, this class is designed to empower participants by helping them understand the more intricate parts of their bicycles. Dates: u., Feb. 12, Feb. 19, & Feb. 26, 8 p.m. Cost: $150. Location: Old Spokes Home, 331 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington. Info: sevendaystickets.com.

wellness

REST, RELAX, RECHARGE: ENERGY CLEARING WITH AROMATHERAPY: Celeste Hartwell will guide you on a journey to resting, relaxing and recharging your own battery for your body and mind during this energy-clearing and healing class. is relaxing atmosphere will cocoon you with dim lighting and comfy blankets while reclining in zero-gravity chairs, creating the ideal environment for releasing negative energy to help you fully recharge your own battery so you can show up fully in your own life. Date: Wed., Jan. 28, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Cost: $60, incl. workshop & aromatherapy session. Location: Ladies Social Group, 11 Pearl St., Ste. 206A, Essex Jct. Info: sevendaystickets. com.

FLOW SINGING: A presence practice of community singing, ﬂow singing lowers stress, increases lung capacity, creates connections and supports healthy thought patterns. Sing four to six songs with harmonies and

layers over a month; somatic awareness helps you ﬁnd your voice. All are welcome; songs are gently taught by ear. Feb. includes songs from Minnesota Singing Resistance. Please register ahead at juneberrymusic. com/ﬂow-singing.html. Dates: Tue., 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., or u., 7-8:30 p.m. Cost: $80 for 4 weeks. Location: Heineberg Community Senior Center, 14 Heineberg Rd., Burlington. Info: Patricia S. Norton, 802-4784440, patricia@juneberrymusic. com, juneberrymusic.com.

writing

DECLARE YOUR LOVE WRITING WORKSHOP: PROSE: Jeanne Beckwith PhD, professor, novelist and playwright, will help you ﬁnesse the story, letter or abandoned whimsy that lives in your heart. Bring your ideas, your momentos, your journal & your heart. Jeanne will meet you where you are in your process to help you create what you need to share your expression. Coaching for delivery on Feb. 14 will be part of the process. Dates: Sun., Feb. 1, & Sat., Feb. 14, 2 p.m. Cost: $45. Location: Grange Hall Cultural Center, 317 Howard Ave., Waterbury. Info: 802-244-4168, sevendaystickets.com.

Buy & Sell »

ANTIQUES, FURNITURE, GARAGE SALES

Community »

ANNOUNCEMENTS, LOST & FOUND, SUPPORT GROUPS

Rentals & Real Estate »

APARTMENTS, HOMES, FOR SALE BY OWNER

Vehicles »

CARS, BIKES, BOATS, RVS

Services »

FINANCIAL, CHILDCARE, HOME & GARDEN

Musicians & Artists »

LESSONS, CASTING, REHEARSAL SPACE

Jobs » NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

Bop-It

AGE/SEX: 1-year-old neutered male

ARRIVAL DATE: December 17, 2025

SUMMARY: Bop-It is a handsome young cat with a big personality and endless playful curiosity. He came into our care after having a hard time living with other cats, and he’s been thriving as he settles into a routine in his foster home. He is social, busy and happiest when he’s right in the middle of whatever his people are doing. He would thrive with cat-savvy people who enjoy playful cats and can help channel his energy in positive ways. If you’re looking for a fun, social, energetic cat who’s ﬁnding his groove and ready to keep growing with the right guidance, Bop-It could be the purrfect match for you!

DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Bop-It would thrive as the only cat in his home. He has no known experience living with dogs. Bop-It is best suited for a household with teenagers or adults who are cat-savvy and enjoy a playful cat companion.

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday-Wednesday 1-5 p.m., ursday-Friday 1-6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

DID YOU KNOW?

If you have a particularly active or restless cat, food puzzles are a great way to keep them entertained and prevent destructive behaviors. Some great options include treat mazes, feeder balls and interactive treat dispensers.

PETS & SUPPLIES

VOLUNTEERS

LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR OUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

Buy y & Se

HOME & GARDEN

PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES

Prepare for power outages today w/ a Generac Home Standby Generator. Act now to receive a free 5-year warranty w/ qualifying purchase. Call 1-866-381-0627 today to schedule a free quote. It’s not just a generator. It’s a power move. (AAN CAN)

MISCELLANEOUS

MERITS POWER WHEELCHAIR

Durable Merits

Vision Sport power wheelchair in very good condition. 300-pound capacity. Comes w/ original manual, 2 sets of fenders (red or blue), charger, & cords. Works great. Call or email w/ questions. Must pick up

AKC PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI PUPPIES

Breeding Pembrokes for almost 30 years. All vaccinations & potty training. Raised in our home, well socialized. Free delivery. $2,500. Info, 607-760-5867, huntervalefarm@gmail. com, huntervalefarm. com.

Communit y ommunit

RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL

CHURCH ELDER

Religious & spiritual. Info, 802-417-6360, spirit@jesushn.life, churchatprison.com.

Hi, everyone! We’re Aging in Place With Pets. Our unique nonproﬁ t organization is dedicated to helping older adults & other vulnerable populations throughout our greater Burlington community to take care of, & keep, their pets. Our kind, compassionate & nonjudgmental volunteers (who we refer to as “coaches”) provide participants in our Tuesday & ursday Program w/ social, emotional & physical support to help them & their pets stay together. Please email our founder & director, Dr. Blake Randell, if you’re interested in & avail. to become one our coaches. Info, blake@ aginginplacewithpets. org, aginginplacewith pets.org.

MUSIC LESSONS

GUITAR INSTRUCTION

All styles/levels. Emphasis on building strong technique, thorough musicianship, developing personal style. Paul Asbell (Big Joe Burrell, Kilimanjaro, UVM & Middlebury College faculty, Seven Daysies winner). Info, 802-233-7731, pasbell@ paulasbell.com.

Info, 802-318-6075, 86lafountainstreet@ gmail.com.

1-, 2- & 3-BR

BURLINGTON APTS. AVAIL. NOW, NO PETS, 1-YR. LEASE

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and similar Vermont statutes which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitations, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, handicap, presence of minor children in the family or receipt of public assistance, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or a discrimination. The newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate, which is in violation of the law. Our

ART LESSONS

SATURDAY ART WORKSHOP SERIES AT ALYSSA DELABRUERE STUDIO IN MIDDLESEX

Saturday Art Workshops for adults at Alyssa DeLaBruere Studio at Camp Meade in Middlesex! 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $125/workshop, materials incl. Feb. 7: Exploring Pastel Landscapes. Feb. 14: Intro to Collage. Feb. 28: Intro to WatercolorSkyscapes. To register: 802-323-3355, alyssa delabruere@gmail.com, alyssadelabruere.com.

readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any home seeker who feels he or she has encountered discrimination should contact:

HUD Ofﬁce of Fair Housing 10 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02222-1092 (617) 565-5309 — OR — Vermont Human Rights Commission 14-16 Baldwin St. Montpelier, VT 05633-0633 1-800-416-2010 hrc@vermont.gov

R R eal Estate ent als &

APARTMENTS & HOUSES FOR RENT

1-, 2- & 3-BR APTS. AVAIL. NOW

31 S. Willard St., Burlington. Unfurnished 1-BR, $900/mo. We pay cold water, haul trash & deal w/ driveway. 2-BR, $1,600/mo. Heated, off-street parking for 1 vehicle in driveway. We pay cold water; tenant pays other utils. Extra-roomy 3-BR, $1,700/mo. Heated. We pay cold water; tenants pay other utils. $1,700/ mo. Call Joe at 802-318 8916.

2-BR/1-BA APT. FOR RENT

86 Lafountain St., Burlington. Unfurnished 700-sq. ft. 2-BR, 1-BA avail. for rent in the Old North End. Spacious BRs, large kitchen, lots of storage & full of natural light. 2 porches for plenty of outdoor enjoyment. Fantastic neighborhood w/ ﬁ rst-ﬂ oor living. Close to the bus line. Heat, HW & gas incl. Street parking. NS. Pets negotiable. 1st month’s rent & sec. dep. req. 1-year lease req. $1,800.

Unfurnished, 1-BR, 1-BA apt. on Hyde St., $995/mo. Tenants pay all utils.; we pay cold water, haul the trash & take care of the driveway. Heated 2nd-ﬂ oor 2-BR, $1,950/ mo. Tenants pay utils. Heated 2nd-ﬂ oor 3-BR w/ laundry, $2,250. Call 802-318-8916 or email jcintl0369@gmail.com.

HOUSEMATES

SHARE LOVELY

S. BURLINGTON TOWNHOME

Attractive townhome to share w/ well-traveled senior woman who enjoys ﬁ lm, volunteering, exercise & educational events. Hoping to ﬁ nd a housemate to cook a meal or 2 each week & enjoy dinner together! $650, all utils. incl. A small dog would be considered. Info, 802-863-5625 or homesharevermont. org for application. Interview, refs. & background checks req. EHO.

HOUSING WANTED

WE BUY HOUSES

We buy houses for cash as-is! No repairs. No fuss. Any condition. Easy process: Call, get cash offer & get paid. Call today for your fair cash offer: 1-877-9391331. (AAN CAN)

ELECTRONICS SERVICES

AMERICA’S PREMIER MOBILE MEDICAL ALERT SYSTEM

MobileHelp, America’s premier mobile medical alert system. Whether you’re home or away. For safety & peace of mind. No long-term contracts. Free brochure. Call today! 1-877-667-4685. (AAN CAN)

All your entertainment. Nothing on your roof! Sign up for DIRECTV & get your 1st 3 mos. of Max, Paramount+, Showtime, Starz, MGM+ & Cinemax incl. Choice package, $84.99/mo. Some restrictions apply. Call 1-855-6064520. (AAN CAN)

WIRELESS HOME INTERNET

Connect to the best wireless home internet w/ EarthLink. Enjoy speeds from 5G & 4G LTE networks, no contracts, easy installation, & data plans up to 300 GB. Call 855-873-2215. (AAN CAN)

AFFORDABLE TV & INTERNET

If you are overpaying for your service, call now for a free quote & see how much you can save: 1-844-588-6579. (AAN CAN)

FINANCIAL & LEGAL

TIME-SHARE CANCELLATION

EXPERTS

Wesley Financial Group, LLC, time-share cancellation experts.

Over $50 million in time-share debt & fees canceled in 2019. Get free informational package & learn how to get rid of your time-share! Free consultations. Over 450 positive reviews. Call 888-9601781. (AAN CAN)

STOP OVERPAYING FOR AUTO INSURANCE

A recent survey says that most Americans are overpaying for their car insurance. Let us show you how much you can save. Call now for a no-obligation quote: 1-833-399-1539. (AAN CAN)

GET DISABILITY BENEFITS

You may qualify for disability beneﬁ ts if you are between 52 & 63 years old & under a doctor’s care for a health condition that prevents you from working for a year or more. Call now: 1-877-247-6750. (AAN CAN)

CAREGIVING

Sudoku

CLASSIFIEDS » Show and tell. View and post up to 6 photos per ad online.

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, ll the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

Complete the following puzzle by using the numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

Open 24/7/365. Post & browse ads at your convenience. Extra! Extra! There’s no limit to ad length online.

WANT MORE PUZZLES?

Try these online news games from Seven Days at sevendaysvt.com/games.

NEW ON FRIDAYS:

Put your knowledge of Vermont news to the test.

CALCOKU BY

JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. The numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A one-box cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column.

1 2 6 5 3 4 4 6 1 3 5 2 5 4 2 1 6 3

SUDOKU BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers one to nine. The same numbers cannot be repeated in a row or column.

ON P.68

See how fast you can solve this weekly 10-word puzzle.

Please call Shawn at 802-660-2645.

RESTORATIVE CLEANING SERVICE FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES

Legal Notices

OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 121.

INTEGRATIVE

COACHING

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Kick-start 2026 w/ me as your board-certiﬁ ed wellness coach! We will connect over 3 mos. for 6 sessions. is package is ﬂ exible, virtual & client-driven. Email me directly for a free consultation to get healthier & get glowing! Info, lucybcustomer service@gmail.com, lucysbodaciousbeauty. com.

HOME & GARDEN

INTERIOR PAINTING SERVICES — GREATER BURLINGTON AREA

Interior painting services offered in the greater Burlington area. Very meticulous work done respectfully in your home/space. Also offering painting services for rental units. 20 years’ experience w/ this specialty painting. Stellar refs. avail. upon request. Free estimates gladly offered!

Has a tenant left your unit in an undesirable state? is is a “1-time” deep cleaning & restorative service exclusively for rental units. Very thorough work done & stellar refs. avail. upon request. Free estimates gladly offered! Please call Shawn at 802-660 -2645.

STOP HOME BREAK-INS

Home break-ins take less than 60 seconds. Don’t wait! Protect your family, your home, your assets now for as little as 70 cents a day. Call 1-833-881-2713. (AAN CAN)

PEST CONTROL

Protect your home from pests safely & affordably. Roaches, bedbugs, rodents, termites, spiders & other pests. Locally owned & affordable. Call for a quote, service or an inspection today: 1-833-237-1199. (AAN CAN)

NEED NEW WINDOWS?

Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames?

Need outside noise reduction? New, energyefﬁ cient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & free quote today: 1-877-2489944. (AAN CAN)

IN ACCORDANCE WITH VT TITLE 9 COMMERCE AND TRADE CHAPTER 098: STORAGE UNITS 3905.

Enforcement of Lien, Stuff-It Self-Storage LLC shall host a live auction of the following unit on 02/10/2026 at 4:45 pm:

Location: 930 Main St, Fairfax, VT 05454

Cary Snow, unit #9: household goods

Naomi Shaw, unit #101: household goods

Ashley Lynn LaPlante, unit #129: household goods

Contents sold as is, and need to be removed within 48 hours at no cost to Stuff-It Self-Storage LLC. Purchase must be made in cash and paid in advance of the removal of the contents of the unit. A $50 cash deposit shall be made and will be refunded if the unit is broom cleaned. Stuff-It Self-Storage LLC reserves the right to accept or reject bids.

TOWN OF RICHMOND SELECTBOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

e Richmond Selectboard shall hold a public hearing on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. to hear public comment on proposed amendments to the Trafﬁc Ordinance.

is hearing may be attended in person at the Richmond Town Center located at 203 Bridge St. Richmond, VT or by phone or online via Zoom

Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87685379786?pwd=Z GHalq8HCeYNOsiFaHaNFc5sGaSwly.1

Meeting ID: 876 8537 9786

Passcode: 102798

Join by Phone: +1 929 205 6099

Copies of the proposed ordinances are available at the Town Clerk’s Ofﬁce, 203 Bridge Street Richmond, or by calling 434-5170, and under “Ordinances & Policies” at www.richmondvt.gov.

All interested persons may appear and be heard. Persons needing special accommodations or those interested in viewing the ordinance should contact the Richmond Town Manager’s Ofﬁce (802) 434-5170.

Summary of Changes to Trafﬁc Ordinance

• Changes to Section 9

• Adds judicial bureau penalty schedule.

• Increases parking ticket penalties from $50 to $150 on certain roads and adds a Waiver Penalty:

• $150.00 ($100.00 Waiver Penalty) for each violation occurring in the following areas

• TH #03 (Cochran Rd.) from the entrance to Overrocker Park east to the intersection with US Route 2 (East Main St.)

• e entirety of TH #07 (Dugway Road)

• TH #05 (Duxbury Road) from the intersection with TH #03 (Cochran Rd.) east to the intersection with Jack Jump Lane

• TH #30 (Wes White Hill) from the intersection with TH#03 (Cochran Rd.) south to the intersection with Robins Mountain Road.

• $50.00 ($30.00 Waiver Penalty) for each violation on any road not named in Section 9, D, 1.

• Adds authority for a Richmond Community Service Ofﬁcer to issue parking tickets:

• Parking tickets may be issued by a Certified Vermont Police Officer, the Richmond Constable, or a Richmond Community Service Officer

• Changes to Section 10

• Adds information about the waiver penalty:

• e defendant may pay the waiver penalty for the cited violation within 30 days of the citation for a parking violation and waive the right of appearance and arraignment in court which will dispose of the obligation to pay the full ﬁne.

• Adds information about appeal process:

• A decision by the Town Manager upholding the parking violation may be appealed pursuant to Rule 75 of Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure.

STATE OF VERMONT

SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.: 25-PR-07452

In re ESTATE of BONSON P.S. HO

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Bonson P.S. Ho, late of Shelburne, Vermont

I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the date of this publication of this notice. e claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. e claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: January 14, 2026 s/ Cassandra Ho Ventrone, Executrix c/o Harry C. Parker, Esq. Parker Law, PLLC 38 Community Lane, Suite 4 South Hero, VT 05486 harry@parkerlawvt.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 01/28/2026

Name of Probate Court: Chittenden Probate Court 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401

BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2026, 5:00 PM PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Hybrid & In Person (at 645 Pine Street) Meeting

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83225696227 pwd=SGQ0bTdnS000Wkc3c2J4WWw1dzMxUT09 Webinar ID: 832 2569 6227 Passcode: 969186

Telephone: US +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900

1. ZP-26-18; 125 Lakeside Avenue (E-LM, Ward 5) Ride Your Bike, LLC / Andrew Foley Proposed construction of a mixed-use residential and commercial development with related site infrastructure improvements.

2. ZP-26-19; 125 Lakeside Avenue (E-LM, Ward 5) Ride Your Bike, LLC / Andrew Foley Preliminary plat for 3-lot subdivision and area for future road right-of-way.

Plans may be viewed upon request by contacting the Department of Permitting & Inspections between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Participation in the DRB proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal. Please note that ANYTHING submitted to the Zoning office is considered public and cannot be kept confidential. is may not be the final order in which items will be heard. Please view final Agenda, at www.burlingtonvt.gov/dpi/drb/ agendas or the office notice board, one week before the hearing for the order in which items will be heard.

e City of Burlington will not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious afﬁliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, crime victim status or genetic information. e City is also committed to providing proper access to services, facilities, and employment opportunities. For accessibility information or alternative formats, please contact Human Resources Department at (802) 540-2505.

e programs and services of the City of Burlington are accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals who require special arrangements to participate are encouraged to contact the Zoning Division at least 72 hours in advance so that proper accommodations can be arranged. For information call 865-7188 (TTY users: 865-7142).

STATE OF VERMONT

SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL DIVISION

CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO. PENDING

IN RE: ABANDONED MOBILE HOME OF BERNARD R. CROWLEY

VERIFIED COMPLAINT FOR ABANDONMENT PURSUANT TO 10 V.S.A. 6249i (UNINHABITABLE)

NOW COMES Plaintiff North Avenue Cooperative, Inc. by and through counsel Steven J. Kantor, and hereby makes this complaint:

1. Plaintiff North Avenue Cooperative, Inc, is a Vermont Cooperative Housing Corporation which was formed by the owners of mobile homes to own and manage the North Avenue Mobile Home Park (the “Park”).

2. Bernard R. Crowley (deceased) (“Defendant”) is the record owner of a certain 1965 mobile home with a total of 928 square feet located in the Park at 30 Avenue C in Burlington, Vermont.

3. Defendant’s last known mailing address is 30 Avenue C in Burlington, VT.

4. Defendant leased a lot in the Park under the terms of a written uniform Mobile Home Lot Lease. He passed away on December 13, 2025 and no one has resided in the mobile home since that time.

5. The last known resident at the mobile home was Defendant Bernard R. Crowley.

6. Defendant’s sister Laurie Sabens confirms that surviving family members have abandoned any interest in the mobile home. No petition to open a probate estate has been filed for Bernard Crowley per confirmation from the Chittenden Probate Division on January 14, 2026.

7. No liens or encumbrances appear of record with respect to the mobile home.

8. The mobile home is unsafe and unfit for habitation. The Affidavit of Timothy Seagroves, filed herewith, verifies the uninhabitable condition of the mobile home.

9. Mobile home lot rent has not been paid since November, 2025 and continue to accrue at the rate of $430.00 per month. Court costs and attorneys’ fees incurred by North Avenue Cooperative, Inc. continue to accrue.

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff respectfully requests that the Honorable Court enter an order as follows:

1. declaring that the mobile home has been abandoned; and

2. declaring that the mobile home is unfit for human habitation pursuant to 10 V.S.A. §6249(i); and

3. approving transfer of the mobile home to the Plaintiff without a public sale in “as is” condition, free and clear of all liens, taxes and all other encumbrances of record pursuant to 10 V.S.A. 6249(j).

DATED AT Burlington, this 15 day of January 2026. NORTH AVENUE COOPERATIVE, INC.

/s/ Steven J. Kantor

Steven J. Kantor, Esq.

Doremus Kantor & Zullo

346 Shelburne Road, Suite 603

P.O. Box 445 Burlington, VT 05402-0445 (802) 863-9603

Attorney for NORTH AVENUE COOPERATIVE, INC.

VERIFICATION

I understand that the statements in the above Complaint are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.

DATED AT Burlington, Vermont this 15 day of January 2026

/s/ Timothy Seagroves

Timothy Seagroves, Duly Authorized Agent of NORTH AVENUE COOPERATIVE, INC

STATE OF VERMONT

CHITTENDEN COUNTY, SS.

At Burlington, in said County and State, this 15th day of January 2026, personally appeared Timothy Seagroves, Duly Authorized Agent of NORTH AVENUE COOPERATIVE, INC., and he swore to the truth of the foregoing.

Before me,

/s/ Jack M. Kantor

Notary Public State of Vermont

JACK M. KANTOR

Notary Pubilc, State of Vermont

My Commission Number: 157.0015206

My Commission Expires: Jan. 31, 2027

VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL DIVISION

CHITTENDEN UNIT CASE NO. 26-CV-00376

175 Main Street Burlington VT 05401 802-863-3467 www.vermontjudiciary.org

Date: January 16, 2026

NOTICE OF HEARING

North Avenue Cooperative, Inc. v. Bernard Crowley

This is to notify you to appear at the Court named above in connection with the above- named case on:

DATE: February 11, 2026

TIME: 9:30AM

DURATION: 15 Minutes

HEARING RE: Motion Hearing - Abandoned Mobile Home

A hearing on North Avenue Cooperative, Inc.’s verified Complaint to declare abandoned the mobile home of Bernard R. Crowley located at the North Avenue Mobile Home Park (a 1965 mobile home with a total of 928 square feet) at 30 Avenue C in Burlington, Vermont to approve the transfer of the mobile home to the Plaintiff without a public sale in “as is” condition, free and clear of all liens, taxes and all other encumbrances of record, has been set for February 11, 2026 at 9:30 am.

“YOU MAY ATTEND THIS HEARING IN PERSON AT THE COURTHOUSE OR REMOTELY. See attached instructions for remote appearance.”

Electronically signed 1/16/2026 12:16 PM pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9(d)

Sebastian McCabe Judicial Assistant – Chittenden Civil Division

Any individual with a disability requiring assistance accessing the services, programs, and/or activities at the Courthouse should contact the Clerk’s office at the above address for further assistance.

Remote Hearing Instructions

To join a Webex Hearing:

https://vtcourts.Webex.com

Webex Meeting ID No. (Access code): 129 647 6521

Webex Meeting Password: Civil 2

Smartphone App: Download “Cisco Webex Meetings”. Tap “Join Meeting” and enter information above.

Phone: Dial 1-802-636-1108. When promoted, enter information above followed by the pound (#) key.

PUBLIC HEARING

WINOOSKI DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

A public hearing will be held by the Winooski Development Review Board on Thursday, February 19, 2026 beginning at 6:30 p.m. to consider the following:

Final Subdivision Application – 219 Hickok St.

Applicant has submitted a request to create a two-lot subdivision. This property is located in the City’s Residential C (R-C) Zoning District. Subdivision Review under Section 6.2 of the ULUDR is required for subdivision proposals.

This hearing will begin at 6:30pm. Members of the public that are interested in participating in this hearing can do so by attending in person at Winooski City Hall, 27 West Allen Street, Winooski, VT; or electronically by visiting https://us06web. zoom.us/j/82129899225 or by calling (301) 715 8592 and using Webinar ID: 821 2989 9225. Toll charges may apply.

Members of the public interested in participating in the above captioned hearing are requested, but not required to make their intentions known by completing the public comment request form located on the City’s website at https://www. winooskivt.gov/FormCenter/Human-Resources-6/ Public-Comment-Request-Form-61 at least 24 hours in advance to ensure this information is included

in the record of the hearing. This will also allow the chair to recognize participants to provide testimony at the appropriate time during the hearing.

The Development Review Board will hold a public hearing on this matter before rendering a decision. Decisions of the Development Review Board can be appealed by “interested persons” (as defined by 24 V.S.A. § 4465) to the Environmental Division of the Vermont Superior Court.

Questions or comments on this matter can be directed to Ravi Venkataraman, AICP, CFM, Director of City Planning by calling 802.655.6410 or visiting Winooski City Hall at 27 West Allen Street during normal business hours. Information related to this matter will also be available on the City’s website at https://www.winooskivt.gov/229/ Development-Review-Board.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BID TOWN OF COLCHESTER PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT

80 DICK MAZZA DRIVE, COLCHESTER, VT 05446

Sealed BIDS for the Bayside Park Hard Court Construction Project, retrofitting and construction of new tennis, pickleball and basketball courts on the existing sites. Bid Documents may be purchased from BluePrints, Etc., 20 Farrell Street, Suite 101, South Burlington, Vermont 05403, 802-865-4503, www.blueprintsetc.com

Bids will be received by: Derek Mitchell, Assistant Parks Director, Town of Colchester Parks & Recreation Department, 80 Dick Mazza Drive, Colchester, VT 05446 until 1:00pm on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, and then at said office publicly opened and read aloud.

Each BID must be accompanied by a certified check payable to the OWNER for five percent (5%) of the total amount of the BID. A BID bond may be used in lieu of a certified check

A Performance BOND and a Payment BOND each in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the contract price will be required. (40 CFR §31.36(h))

A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting for prospective bidders will be held at 9:00am on Wednesday, February 4th. Any bidder interested should come to the Bayside Activity Center, located at Bayside Park, 36 Blakely Road, Colchester, VT 05446. Questions regarding the Bid are due by end of day on February 18, 2026. All bidders must notify Greg Dixson, P.E., Krebs & Lansing Consulting Engineers of their intent to bid so they can be placed on a Bidders List to receive any issued addenda or other pertinent information. Please notify the Project Manager, Derek Mitchell, if email is not an acceptable method for receiving information and provide alternate means of contact.

TOWN OF RICHMOND SELECTBOARD PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

FEBRUARY 17, 2026 AT 7PM

PURSUANT TO 24 V.S.A. §4385, THE TOWN OF RICHMOND SELECTBOARD WILL BE HOLDING THE FINAL PUBLIC HEARING ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2026, AT 7:00 PM, IN THE RICHMOND TOWN CENTER MEETING ROOM AT 203 BRIDGE STREET TO RECEIVE COMMENT REGARDING THE FINAL DRAFT CHANGES OF THE UPDATED TOWN PLAN.

TOWN PLAN UPDATE DRAFT SUMMARY:

PURPOSE: THE TOWN OF RICHMOND IS STATUTORILY REQUIRED TO HAVE A NEW/UPDATED TOWN PLAN EVERY EIGHT YEARS AND POSSESS AN ACTIVE TOWN PLAN IN ORDER TO UPDATE OR AMEND CURRENT ZONING REGULATIONS. THE CURRENT TOWN PLAN WAS APPROVED ON NOVEMBER 6, 2018 AND EXPIRES ON NOVEMBER 5, 2026. THIS NEW TOWN PLAN DRAFT, IF ADOPTED, WOULD FULFILL THE REQUIREMENTS OF 24 VSA §§§§4302, 4382, 4384, 4385.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA AFFECTED: The Town of Richmond and Environs.

SECTION HEADINGS: Introduction, Technical

Plans and Associated Maps (Sections below), Implementation Plan, Appendices. Technical Plan sections include the following: (1) Community Development, (2) Economic Development, (3) Education, (4) Emergency Resilience, (5) Energy, (6) Future Land Use (FLU), (7) Historic Resources, (8) Housing, (9) Natural Resources, (10) Transportation, (11) Utilities and Facilities.

THE FULL TEXT OF THE DRAFT 2026 TOWN PLAN ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION ON THE TOWN OF RICHMONDS WEBSITE AT WWW.RICHMONDVT.GOV AND AT THE RICHMOND TOWN CENTER OFFICES AT 203 BRIDGE STREET BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00am and 4:00pm, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE RICHMOND PLANNING/ZONING OFFICE AT 802-3362289 or koborne@richmondvt.gov

POSTED: 1/26/2026

RICHMOND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD MEETING AGENDA

FEBRUARY 11, 2026, AT 7:00-9:00 PM THIS IS A HYBRID MEETING WITH ON-SITE & REMOTE ACCOMMODATIONS.

Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. § 312(a)(2), this meeting will be held in the three following locations: (1) in person; (2) electronically via Zoom; and (3) by phone call. You do not need a computer to attend this meeting. Calls can be placed by using the “Join by Phone Call” number below—this is a toll-free number. Your participation in this hearing process is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal. For more information or accommodations to improve the accessibility of this meeting, please contact Danté DeNault at (802) 556-4959 or ddenault@ richmondvt.gov.

Join In Person: 3rd Floor Room A, 203 Bridge Street, Richmond, VT 05477.

Join Electronically via Zoom: https://us02web. zoom.us/j/89057870483.

Join by Phone Call: +1 (305) 224-1968 (US) // Meeting ID: 890 5787 0483.

PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS:

Materials: https://www.richmondvt.gov/calendar/ meeting/development-review-board-2-11-26.

1. SP2026-001 Vermont Land Trust Parcel ID: BR0266

Applicant seeks site plan approval to repair & renovate the 2nd floor of an existing accessory structure at 266 Bridge St. for converted use as an infrequent meeting space.

2. SK2025-008 Lands of Copp/Weaver & Downer Parcel ID: HV1950

Applicant seeks input on plans to further subdivide 1950 Hillview Dr., an existing 137-acre parcel into two (2) parcels of 109 acres (Lot 1) and 19.1 acres (Lot 4). The remaining acreage will be associated with a boundary line & building envelopment adjustment for Lot 2.

3. PS2026-001 Trunk Beach, LLC Parcel ID: BC0030 Applicant seeks preliminary approval to subdivide 30 Browns Ct., an existing 0.47-acre parcel into two (2) parcels of 0.23 acres (Lot 1) & 0.24 acres (Lot 2). Lot 1 will get a new relocated driveway. Lot 2 will get a 6-bedroom duplex & shared driveway.

4. CR2026-001 Trew Stone, LLC Parcel ID: RG0088 Applicant seeks conditional use approval to expand storage and laydown areas at 88 Rogers Ln., including enhancements to existing landscaping & screening.

5. CR2026-002 Matthew Parisi Parcel ID: EM0122 Applicant seeks conditional use approval to modify a building restraint at 114 West Main St.

Legal Notices

CHITTENDEN SOLID WASTE DISTRICT

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

A Public Hearing will be held at 9:00 a.m. on February 11, 2026 at the Chittenden Solid Waste District Administration Office at 19 Gregory Drive in South Burlington, Vermont or via Zoom conference online. Registration is available in advance of the hearing on our website. A hearing is scheduled for the purpose of reviewing the Preliminary FY27 Budget for the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD). Copies of the preliminary draft budget are available at the CSWD Administration Office.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS INVITATION TO BID

Greenprint Partners, acting as Project Manager, seeks qualified contractors for multiple Vermont Schools Green Infrastructure Stormwater Improvements for the locations listed below.

Federal Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE), Women-Owned, Veteran-Owned, Minority-Owned contractors and suppliers, and Small Businesses are strongly encouraged to submit a bid proposal.

Project Description: The project consists of stormwater improvements at various schools to meet the Vermont Stormwater Rules. Locations of the work are as follows:

Bid Opening Thursday, February 26, 2026

• Hazen Union School – 126 Hazen Union Drive, Hardwick, VT

• Otter Valley High School – 2997 Franklin Street, Brandon, VT

• Middlebury Union Middle School – 48 Deerfield Lane, Middlebury VT

• St. Albans City School – 29 Bellows Street, St. Albans City, VT

Support Groups

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS SUPPORT GROUPS

Please join our professionally facilitated, peer-led support groups designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org/ family-support-programs.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

If you want to drink, that’s your business. If you want to stop, that’s ours. Call the Vermont statewide anonymous hotline: 802-802-2288. Alcoholics Anonymous holds daily meetings all over Vermont, both in person & online. For meetings & events throughout Vermont, see aavt.org.

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION SUPPORT GROUPS

Support groups meet to provide assistance & info on Alzheimer’s disease & related dementias. They emphasize shared experiences, emotional support & coping techniques in care for a person living w/ Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Meetings are free & open to the public. Families, caregivers & friends may attend. Please call in advance to confirm the date & time. The Williston caregiver support group meets in person on the 2nd & 4th Tue. of every mo., 5-6:30 p.m., at the Old Brick Church in Williston. Contact support group facilitators Molly at dugan@ cathedralsquare.org or Mindy at moondog@ burlingtontelecom.net. The Middlebury support group for individuals w/ early stage dementia meets on the 4th Tue. of each mo., 3 p.m., at the Residence at Otter Creek, 350 Lodge Rd., Middlebury. Contact is Daniel Hamilton, dhamilton@ residenceottercreek.com or 802-989-0097. The Shelburne support group for individuals w/ early stage dementia meets on the 1st Mon. of every mo., 2-3 p.m., at the Residence at Shelburne Bay, 185 Pine Haven Shores, Shelburne. Contact is support group facilitator Lydia Raymond, lraymond@ residenceshelburnebay.com. The telephone support group meets on the 2nd Tue. of each mo., 4-5:30 p.m. Preregistration is required (to receive dial-in codes for toll-free call). Please dial the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24-7 Helpline, 800-272-3900, or visit alz.org for more info. For questions or additional support group listings, call 800-272-3900.

ANXIETY RELIEF GROUP

Anxiety Relief Group is a safe setting for relaxing & exploring your feelings w/ others through gentle socialization & self-expression, building up what makes you centered & strong. Wed., 4-5:30 p.m. Both in-person & Zoom options avail. In-person

meetings are held at the Fletcher Free Library’s Fletcher Room in Burlington. Email us for the Zoom link & more info: pvcc@pathwaysvermont. org.

BRAIN INJURY SUPPORT GROUP

Vermont Center for Independent Living offers virtual monthly meetings, held on the 3rd Wed. of every mo., 1-2:30 p.m. The support group will offer valuable resources & info about brain injury. It will be a place to share experiences in a safe, secure & confidential environment. To join, email Linda Meleady at lindam@vcil.org & ask to be put on the TBI mailing list. Info: 800-639-1522.

BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR DRAGON BOAT TEAM

Looking for a fun way to do something active & health-giving? Want to connect w/ other breast cancer survivors? Come join Dragonheart Vermont. We are a breast cancer survivor & supporter dragon boat team who paddle together in Burlington. Please contact us at info@ dragonheartvermont.org for info.

BURLINGTON MEN’S PEER GROUP

Tue. nights, 7-9 p.m., in Burlington. Free of charge, 30 years running. Call Neils, 802-877-3742.

THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP

The Compassionate Friends international support group for parents, siblings & families grieving the loss of a child meets every 4th Tue. of the mo., 7-8:30 p.m., at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 160 Hinesburg Rd., S. Burlington. Call/email Alan at 802-233-0544, alanday88@gmail.com, or Claire at 802-448-3569.

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SUICIDE

Conversations About Suicide is a judgment-free & open space to talk about personal experiences of suicidal ideation. The group is facilitated by peer support staff w/ lived experience of suicidality. Thu., 4-5 p.m., at Vermont Wellness Collaborative, 125 College St., 3rd Floor, Burlington. Email us for more info: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

DISABILITY SUPPORT GROUP

Our group is a space for mutual support, open to anybody who identifies as disabled, differently abled or having a disability. Whether your disability is visible, invisible, physical or cognitive, this group is for you! The group meets every Mon., 1:15-2:15 p.m., at Fletcher Free Library’s Pickering Room in Burlington & online on Zoom. Email us for the Zoom link & more info: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

Schedule: Construction is generally scheduled to begin in June 2026 and be substantially completed by the end of August 2026.

The construction work involves installing various stormwater improvements, including, but not limited to, gravel wetland, underground storage facilities, disconnection areas, dry wells, storm sewers, paving, erosion control, and landscaping, depending on the location.

These projects are subject to Davis Bacon wage rates compliance and with Build America Buy America provisions.

Any interested subcontractors and suppliers should visit the following website after January 28, 2026, for information on obtaining bidding documents: www.questcdn.com under Greenprint Partners or https://www.greenprintpartners.com/resources and click on Bidding opportunities.

For additional information, please send an email to the construction project manager: hkillian@ greenprintpartners.com

CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM OR 802-865-1020 EXT. 115 TO UPDATE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP

FOOD ADDICTS IN RECOVERY ANONYMOUS (FA)

Are you having trouble controlling the way you eat? FA is a free 12-step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, under-eating or bulimia. Local meetings are held on Mon., 4-5:30 p.m., via Zoom. For more info & a list of additional meetings throughout the U.S. & the world, call 603-630-1495 or visit foodaddicts.org.

GRIEVING A LOSS SUPPORT GROUP

A retired psychotherapist & an experienced life coach host a free meeting for those grieving the loss of a loved one. The group meets upstairs at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne. There is no fee for attending but donations are gladly accepted. Meetings are held on the 1st & 3rd Sat. of every mo., 10-11:30 a.m. If you are interested in attending, please register at allsoulsinterfaith. org. (More information about the group leader at pamblairbooks.com.)

HEARING VOICES SUPPORT GROUP

This Hearing Voices Group seeks to find understanding of voice-hearing experiences as real lived experiences that may happen to anyone at any time. We choose to share experiences, support & empathy. We validate anyone’s experience & stories about their experience as their own, as being an honest & accurate representation of their experience, & as being acceptable exactly as they are. Tue., 2:30-4 p.m. Vermont Wellness Collaborative, 125 College St., 3rd Floor, Burlington. Email us for more information: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

KINDRED CONNECTIONS PROGRAM OFFERED FOR CHITTENDEN COUNTY CANCER SURVIVORS

The Kindred Connections program provides peer support for all those touched by cancer. Cancer patients, as well as caregivers, are provided w/ a mentor who has been through the cancer experience & knows what it’s like to go through it. In addition to sensitive listening, Kindred Connections provides practical help such as rides to doctors’ offices & meal deliveries. The program has people who have experienced a wide variety of cancers. For further info, please contact info@vcsn.net.

LIVING THROUGH LOSS

The Volunteer Chaplaincy Program of Gifford Medical Center sponsors a weekly meeting of its “Living Through Loss” grief support group. Anyone who has experienced a significant loss over the past year or so is warmly invited to attend the free weekly meetings every Fri., 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For info, contact the Rev. Tim Eberhardt, Gifford’s spiritual care coordinator, at 802-728-2107.

MYELOMA SUPPORT GROUP

Area myeloma survivors, families & caregivers have come together to form a Multiple Myeloma Support Group. We provide emotional support, resources about treatment options, coping strategies & a support network by participating in the group experience w/ people who have been through similar situations. 3rd Tue. of every mo., 5-6 p.m., on Zoom. Info: Kay Cromie, 655-9136, kgcromey@ aol.com.

NARCANON BURLINGTON GROUP

Group meets every Mon. at 7 p.m., at the Turning Point Center, 179 S. Winooski Ave., Suite 301, Burlington. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. Info: Amanda H., 338-8106.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS

Narcotics Anonymous is a group of recovering addicts who live without the use of drugs. It costs nothing to join. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. Held in Burlington, St Albans, Morrisville, Barre & Stowe. Info, 833-4366166 or cvana.org.

NEW (& EXPECTING) MAMAS & PAPAS & EVERY PRIMARY CAREGIVER TO A BABY Drop-in play every day: The Children’s Room in Waterbury is open Mon.-Fri. for anyone w/children ages 0-6 to come & play. Check the TCR calendar for hours & school closure days. Caregiver & Baby Circle: Weekly drop-in on Mon., 11 a.m., at the Children’s Room. We are pleased to offer a weekly gathering for babies (0-18 mos.) & their caregivers, sponsored by Good Beginnings & hosted by the Children’s Room. Nature Explorations: Tue., 10-11:30 a.m., at various trailheads in the area. Get outside for some fresh air & fun! Every week we go to a different trailhead or natural area to explore. Ages 0-6; carriers are helpful for little ones. Email childrensroom@huusd.org to sign up; enrollment is always open. Music & Movement: drop-in, Wed., 10:30-11:30 a.m., at the Children’s Room in Brookside Primary School. We begin by singing songs & moving together & allow time at the end to play w/ instruments, as well as time for adults & kids to socialize. Ages 0-6. Exploration & Art Fridays: drop-in, Fri., anytime from 9 a.m.-noon at the Children’s Room in Brookside Primary School. We’ll be engaging in different hands-on explorations & using various mediums every week — sometimes combined. Come to TCR to explore, play & create! For info, email childrensroom@ huusd.org.

Readers help pay for the production of this award-winning weekly newspaper. Thousands have made one-time or recurring donations to sustain Seven Days. Their support — along with advertisers’ — allows us to keep delivering breaking news and thoughtful long-form journalism to Vermonters.

Support local journalism — make a contribution today!

If you like what we do and can a ord to help pay for it, please become a Seven Days Super Reader. Your donation will help to keep our community informed and connected.

Join the Super Readers at sevendaysvt.com/super-readers.

Or send a note (and a check) to: Seven Days c/o Super Readers PO Box 1164 Burlington, VT 05402 Contact Gillian English at 865-1020, ext. 115 or superreaders@sevendaysvt.com.

Seven Days on the press in Mirabel, Québec

BETA Technologies Is Hiring — Apply Today!

Come build electric airplanes with us in Vermont.

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

POST YOUR JOBS AT: JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB PRINT DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) FOR RATES & INFO: MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

At BETA Technologies, we’re growing our hands-on team of technicians, manufacturers, and assemblers—and we’re looking for people who love working with their hands and building something that matters. Every role at BETA is mission-critical, and you’ll be surrounded by smart, supportive teammates who care deeply about the work and each other. We offer competitive pay, equity for full-time team members, free flight lessons, onsite lunches, access to a health clinic, and a truly people-first culture. Starting at $26 per hour plus equity. Join us as we shape the future of aviation. Learn more and apply at beta.team/careers

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT

Looking to work with a fun, driven and hard-working team whose mission is to help animals?

CVHS is looking for a Development Assistant who is responsible for operational and administrative support of our annual fundraising program so we can continue to help animals and their people. Key duties involve donor database management, processing gifts and acknowledgments, event coordination, and development support, requiring strong organization, attention to detail, and communication skills.

Salary commensurate with experience, range $18-$22 an hour, 40 hrs a week. Position created with the possibility for advancement.

This position is based in East Montpelier, Vermont.

For more info please visit our website: centralvermonthumane.org/ we-are-hiring-2/

Registered Nurse, Infusion Therapy Department

Make a Real Difference in the Community! Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) is seeking a compassionate Registered Nurse to join our dynamic Infusion Therapy Department in St. Johnsbury, VT. The Opportunity: Provide direct patient care in a rewarding role serving 15-20 patients daily. Administer IV therapies, coordinate care, and educate patients in our collaborative, patientcentered environment.

RN License (VT or compact state) BSN degree

Leading construction company is seeking Carpenters and Lead Carpenters in the Addison & Chittenden County area.

We offer a rewarding work environment with comprehensive compensation packages ranging from $65,000/yr to $95,000/yr based on experience. Benefits include paid holidays, 3+ weeks paid time off, 401k, employer healthcare contribution, profit sharing, bi-annual bonuses, and more.

Scan the QR code below to text your contact info and experience or email us at admin@smithmcclain.com Come build with us!

years RN experience Current BLS certification

Apply Now! nvrh.org/careers. Why NVRH? Student loan repayment Tuition reimbursement Competitive pay/comprehensive benefits Free gym membership 401(k) with company match Serve 33,000+ community members WHAT YOU NEED:

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Executive Director

MHIR-Home Repair Technical Assistance Specialist

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The MHIR-Home Repair Technical Assistance Specialist will primarily administer technical and application assistance to park owners and residents who have unmet needs that affect habitability leading to unsafe and unhealthy housing living conditions and/or displacement. This position requires supporting applicants through their financial assistance requests process including follow-up support, referral and reporting services as needed.

The Technical Assistance Specialist will provide application assistance to Mobile Home Parks owners and residents which may include connecting applicants to relevant translation services, and documentation gathering support. They will connect applicants to appropriate vendors or contractors to address their housing repairs needs and conduct outreach and distribution of communication materials and market the MHIR program to manufactured home park owners and residents.

Rate of Pay: $23.78 - $24.75 an hour

Please visit our company website to view the full job description and submit an application: cvoeo.org/careers

Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) is seeking a seasoned executive who will partner with the board and staff and lead the organizational change process to build on past accomplishments and further expand the impact of providing critical services to older Vermonters in CVCOA’s service area. Reporting to the board of directors, the executive director will provide leadership to the organization and manage its day-to-day affairs. The executive director will also be responsible for working closely with the community, cultivating financial and other support, managing the programs and overseeing paid and volunteer staff.

Salary range $108,000 - $120,000.

To apply, please email your resume and cover letter to cvcoaedapplication@gmail.com by February 22, 2026.

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Development Manager

The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is seeking a full-time Development Manager. This role is responsible for planning and executing fundraising efforts that support the organization’s mission and long-term sustainability, including donor relations, grant writing, corporate sponsorships, and community engagement. This job is ideal for a highly organized, self-motivated professional who enjoys both relationship-building and handson administrative work in a small non-profit environment. 5+ years of experience in fundraising, strong writing skills, and familiarity with CRMs is required.

Apply at: laura@clifonline.org

Deputy Director

Of Communications & Legislative A airs

The Legislative support oﬃces are currently hiring. The nonpartisan oﬃces are an interesting, challenging, and exciting place to work.

You will be part of a highly professional and collegial team that is proud of, and enthusiastic about, the mission of the state legislature.

To apply, please go to 'Career Opportunities' at legislature.vermont.gov.

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR

Vermont-NEA, the state’s largest union representing 16,000 school educators, is seeking a Membership Coordinator who is committed to advancing union advocacy and supporting the collective power of educators. In this role, you’ll coordinate membership operations, maintain database systems, and work directly with members and local leaders to ensure accurate enrollment and smooth processes. The ideal candidate will have strong administrative and technical skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and database management, as well as the ability to process financial transactions and produce accurate reports. This full-time position, based in Montpelier, offers a competitive salary range of $52,399–$88,065 and a comprehensive benefits package under a collectively bargained agreement. If you’re passionate about union work and public education, and have strong organizational and technical skills, visit vtnea.org/careers for the full job description and application instructions. Applications must be received by February 4, 2026, at 4:30 p.m.

our Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehab program!

This position is PART-TIME, Mon/Wed/Fri—no weekends. Accepting applications from Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Exercise Physiologists, Respiratory Therapists, and Physical Therapists

For more information or to apply visit copleyvt.org/careers or contact Kaitlyn Shannon, Recruiter, at 802-888-8144 or kshannon@chsi.org.

HOUSING DIRECTOR

The Housing Director leads Vermont Housing & Conservation Board’s (VHCB) innovative affordable housing programs, managing state and federal funding initiatives, complex project underwriting, and strategic policy development. This senior leadership role oversees the full project lifecycle while championing housing affordability, community development, and Vermont’s non-profit housing delivery system. The position supervises program staff, ensures grant compliance, and drives organizational development support for regional partners. It represents VHCB with municipalities, state agencies, and federal intermediaries to advance housing policy and address Vermont’s diverse affordable housing needs.

VHCB is an E.O.E., and we strongly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply. To learn more, visit vhcb.org/careers

To apply, send cover letter/resume

Vacation Ambassador

Compensation: $50k - $75K/Y plus beneﬁts

As a Vacation Ambassador, you will manage your own portfolio of luxury vacation homes and host hundreds of families who visit them. This is a groundﬂoor opportunity to learn the vacation rental industry inside-out while wearing many hats: concierge, media maker, manager of staff, and always a problem solver. You’ll have tons of responsibility and plenty of opportunities to grow with ﬁnancial upside. Who are you? You like people, are hardworking, can write well, are comfortable with technology, and aren't afraid of responsibility. Please send your resume and a brief cover letter that answers these two questions: "What about this job excites you most?" and "What about you will excite us the most?" Please title the subject line "Vacation Ambassador position." Email your application to: Jolene at jwalker@vacationhospitality. Vacation Hospitality Inc. is an E.O.E. and is proud to be a veteran and LGBTQ-owned business.

Youth Program Coordinator

Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community is seeking a team player to coordinate activities that inspire and empower middle and high school-aged youth to make healthy choices and be changemakers for reducing substance misuse and improving health and wellness in their community. There is an opportunity for some remote work although the ideal candidate will work mainly from our office in Burlington and within the Burlington schools.

- $21-23 hourly pay, 28 hrs/week

- Opportunity for hybrid remote work

- Dependent Care Account, Critical Illness, 403B

To Apply: https://7dvt.pub/BPHCjob

Learn more at: burlingtonpartnership.org

OFFICE MANAGER

Are you a proactive professional looking for a role you can truly make your own?

Sugarbush Soaring is seeking a full-time, seasonal office manager (Mid-May – October) to serve as the heart of our operations during an exciting period of transition and growth.

You’ll be part of a friendly, supportive team in a unique aviation setting with a growing youth program. This isn’t just about keeping the office running; we’re looking for a partner to help modernize our systems as we plan for the future. There is potential for growth in the position (including part-time, year round work) for the right person. If you thrive on organization, work well independently and want to be the "central hub" for our community, we want to hear from you! An aviation background is helpful but not required. Find the full job description and application instructions at sugarbushsoaring.com/job-csr

28-FEBRUARY 4, 2026

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

MUNICIPAL MANAGER

Town of Rockingham & Village of Bellows Falls, Vermont

The Town of Rockingham and the Village of Bellows Falls seek an experienced, collaborative, and community‑focused Municipal Manager to lead a historic, culturally vibrant, and civically engaged community in southeastern Vermont. With a combined population of approximately 4,800, Rockingham/Bellows Falls offers a unique blend of small‑town character, strong arts and cultural assets, and excellent transportation access including Amtrak, I‑91, and regional transit.

Rockingham/Bellows Falls is known for its revitalized downtown, thriving arts scene, historic architecture, and strong volunteer spirit. Recent accomplishments include consolidation of the municipal Fire & Rescue Department, major infrastructure improvements, and successful grant‑funded development projects. The community values transparency, collaboration, and long‑term thinking.

Position: The Town Manager oversees all municipal operations, implements board policies, manages staff and budgets, and works for two governing boards: the Rockingham Selectboard and the Bellows Falls Village Trustees. They also work collaboratively with the Saxtons River Village Trustees. The Manager must be an effective communicator, a steady leader, and a skilled administrator capable of managing complex projects and fostering a positive organizational culture. The ideal candidate is approachable, humble, organized, and community‑minded, with a commitment to transparency, responsiveness, and long‑term planning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and direction to municipal departments with approximately 100 employees

• Manage $8.8 Million in budgets, financial planning, and capital projects

• Support development initiatives and grant administration

• Maintain strong communication with boards, staff, and the public

• Oversee labor relations and personnel management

• Advance ongoing infrastructure and development projects

• Ensure efficient, transparent, and responsive municipal operations

Qualifications:

• Three years’ experience in municipal administration, five plus years preferred

• Strong skills in finance, budgeting, labor relations, and project management

• Experience with grant writing and administration

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and conflict‑resolution abilities

• Ability to lead staff, build morale, and foster teamwork

• Understanding of infrastructure systems (highway, water, sewer)

• Bachelor’s Degree required, MPA or comparable degree preferred

Compensation:

Salary range is $130,000 to $140,000 annually commensurate with qualifications. The Town/Village provides a full benefits package. For informational brochure, see: rockinghamvt.org

Applications must be submitted electronically to bfraser@vlct.org (clearly marked Rockingham/BF) and will be accepted until Friday, February 27th.

INFORMATION OFFICER – THRIVING COMMUNITIES SPECIALIST

Seeking a skilled communicator and collaborator to assist with outreach activities and stakeholder engagement for environmental and cultural heritage initiatives around the Lake Champlain basin.

More information: neiwpcc.org/about-us/careers

To apply: send a cover letter, resume and writing sample to: jobs@neiwpcc.org

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PHILO RIDGE FARM is a nonprofit

501(c)(3) working farm located in Vermont’s Champlain Valley. We are currently hiring:

Market Manager

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to jobs@ philoridgefarm.com

For full descriptions, visit: philoridgefarm.org/join-our-team

Qualified candidates will be contacted directly. No phone calls

Salary Range: $50,300.00 To $58,700.00 Annually

ACCOUNTANT Part Time Salary Range: $26.73 To $31.44 Hourly

More openings and to apply: vermontpublic.org/careers E.O.E.

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Front Office Coordinator

We’re looking for a friendly, highly detail-oriented front office coordinator to help manage the daily operations of our busy chiropractic office. The ideal candidate will be the first point of contact for patients, providing exceptional service and support in a fast-paced medical office environment. This role requires strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently.

The position is initially designated as part-time/full time.

Resume by email only please: vtsportsdoc@gmail.com.

Ellis Music is a family music store located in central Vermont serving the region with instrument rentals and sales, repair services, supplies, and sheet music. The store is currently seeking:

Bookkeeper

($22-$26 per hour, pay commensurate w/ experience)

Institutional Accounts Manager ($20-$24 per hour, pay commensurate w/ experience)

Beneﬁts include 100% employer-paid individual health insurance premium, paid time off, and SEP-IRA.

For details or to apply, visit ellismusic.com /t-employment.aspx

Data & Impact Analyst

The Data & Impact Analyst is responsible for providing data collection management, entry, analysis, visualization, and reporting for Vermont Afterschool. You will design, collate, and report data to help inform and enhance the work of the org and of the afterschool, summer, and youth-serving field. A special emphasis in the first year will be to work closely with the ED to lead a study, in partnership with the Child Development Division and Agency of Ed, to assess capacity and before- and afterschool and summer care needs for 3- to 5-year-olds, which will inform Universal Prekindergarten planning and Vermont’s ongoing education transformation.

If you love data and you want to use your data powers for good, this is the job for you!

Apply online: vermontafterschool.org/ employment/

Care Coordinator/ Case Management

Case Managers support older Vermonters in the community to stay as independent as possible in the environment of their choice by promoting health, rights, independence, and economic well-being.

This position is based in our Barre office, combined with in-home field visits. Staff are never asked to be on-call or work weekends.

Pay Range: $24-$26 per hour. Generous benefits including 401(k), health insurance, and paid time off.

For the full job description and to apply, please visit: cvcoa.org/employment

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Fine Gardening & Landscaping Assistant

Gardening assistant for a private residence with extensive perennial garden beds, a formal kitchen garden and substantial edible landscaping crops. We are in search of a fine gardener/ landscaping assistant to aid the property caretaker in the maintenance of these areas. The primary role of this position is as a gardener, however, the assistant may be asked to perform occasional property management and farming tasks. In addition to the primary residence, the gardening assistant will help in the care and maintenance of the landscape at a seasonal lakefront property. This is a part-time, seasonal position. The duration of the position is weather dependent, but anticipated to begin in mid-late April and run through mid-late November. This position is for 15-20 hours per week, however, additional hours are available doing trail maintenance or forestry work for the right candidate.

Skills and Qualifications:

• A strong interest in gardening.

• A minimum of 1 year of experience.

• Basic plant and weed ID and basic gardening skills.

• A desire to perform physical work outside, even in adverse conditions.

• Ability to stand, bend, stoop, squat for long periods and ability to lift up to 50lbs.

• Must be a quick learner and able to work well both independently and with a team.

Contact: Tacy Lincoln | Email: vtacy.lincoln@gmail.com

Grants Coordinator

Town Administrator

Town of Charlotte Salary Range $80,000 to $90,000

Director of Finance

Part-Time Assistant Clerk/Treasurer Town of Peru Salary Range $20 to $22 per hour

Watersheds United Vermont (WUV) is seeking a full-time Grants Coordinator to play a key role in supporting watershed restoration e orts across the state. WUV administers multiple block grant programs that provide funding to watershed groups and partner organizations for the development, design and implementation of restoration projects as well as education and outreach and capacity building e orts. The Grants Coordinator will be at the core of these programs, supporting the administrative and ﬁnancial management of these grant programs while also contributing to communications that support the work. The Grants Coordinator is responsible for leading project and ﬁnancial tracking and will assist in all aspects of grant management work, including developing grant agreements and supporting documents, communication with subgrantees around grant invoicing, tracking and deliverables, and communicating with project funders around reporting and requirements. The Grants Coordinator will also guide WUV’s communications around both grants and other programmatic goals.

The Grants Coordinator is a full-time salaried position. The salary range for this position is $58,000-$62,000 per year, based on experience. Beneﬁts include vacation, sick and holiday leave, as well as an employer stipend towards both health insurance and retirement. The Grants Coordinator will work remotely from a home o ce. Candidate must be based in Vermont.

Send a cover letter, resume, and the contact information for two references to Lyn Munno, Director, Watersheds United Vermont, lyn@watershedsunitedvt.org by February 9, 2026.

Please visit here for the full job description: watershedsunitedvt.org/news-calendar/news

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ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

HIRING MULTIPLE POSITIONS!

At Lund, we believe in building a workplace where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to make a difference every day. We believe that when our staff thrives, our children and families thrive. Whether your passions and professional experiences lie in direct service work or behind-the-scenes operations, and whether you’re looking for full-time work, part-time, or substitute positions, there’s a place here for you to bring your talents, creativity, and heart to the work we do serving Vermont children and families.

Regional Partnership Program Coordinator: Northern VT Region, Full-Time, Salary Range: $60,000 - $65,000

Regional Partnership Program Coordinator: Southern VT Region, Full-Time, Salary Range: $60,000 - $65,000

Residential Case Manager: Full-time, the Hourly Rate is $25/hr

Residential Shift Supervisor: Full-Time, Hourly Rate is $27/hr

Residential Counselor: Full-time, Part-time, and Substitute, the pay rate is $24/hr for PT or FT roles, and $21 for substitutes. $2.50 shift differential for overnight and weekend shifts.

Early Childhood Educator: Substitute, the Pay Rate is $21/hr

“Seven Days sales rep Michelle Brown is amazing! She’s extremely responsive, and I always feel so taken care of. I can only imagine how many job connections she has facilitated for local companies in the 20 years she has been doing this.”

CAROLYN ZELLER, Intervale Center, Burlington

Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Help us create the operational foundation that will allow VCJR staff and programs to thrive. Lead operational systems development, support staff in day to day operations needs and steward operational readiness for growth.

Job Type: In person (Burlington, VT) with potential for hybrid.

Anticipated compensation: $45,000-$55,000/year plus benefits.

Please request a full job description or submit a cover letter and resume to Tom Dalton at tom@vcjr.org.

SERVICE COORDINATOR

Provide case management and related services for people living with substance use disorders. Some driving required with mileage reimbursement provided.

Job Type: Full-time in person (Burlington, VT).

Anticipated starting salary: $43,000 - $45,000 per year, plus benefits for full-time 40 hour per week employment.

Please request a full job description or submit a cover letter and resume to Jess Kirby via email at jess@vcjr.org.

Help Wanted!

We are a well-established, family-owned restaurant located in the foothills of Jay Peak, seeking an experienced cook/chef to join our team. We have a strong local following year-round, with a busy seasonal inﬂux.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced kitchen, works well under pressure, and values collaboration within a tight-knit crew.

Lodging is available if needed. Experience required. Competitive pay based on experience.

Send us a message via email: thesnowshoevt@gmail.com

Fulfillment Position

Director of Early Childhood Programs

We’re seeking a collaborative, mission-driven leader to coordinate our Early Childhood licensure and endorsement programs and support professional learning across Vermont. The Director oversees all aspects of program development and improvement to ensure high-quality, inclusive learning opportunities for Vermont’s early childhood workforce.

If you’re an educator at heart who is excited to work with higher education partners, contracted instructors, candidates seeking licensure, and their VT-HEC colleagues, we’d love to hear from you.

To see the full job description and apply, use QR code:

We own and operate two synergistic businesses in Shelburne Vermont: A Time to Heal & Qi Veterinary Clinic.

ATTH is a distributorship with a loyal clientele of 2000+ Holistic Veterinarians across the US who practice an integrated approach to medicine as we do at Qi Vet Clinic: atimetohealherbs.com and www.Qivet.com

We are looking for the right person to help us run the fulfillment side of our business. This is a fun and unique job for the right person.

Are you a creature of habit? Do you like routines? Are you conscientious and good with details? Do you like to get up early and finish work by 3:30-4pm? Then this might be the job for you.

The job entails arriving around 8am to pick and pack orders and process them for afternoon drop offs to UPS and USPS. Afternoons are spent restocking shelves, reordering supplies, and checking in new inventory.

You get to work in a beautiful, recently renovated building with huge windows to the outdoors that let in lots of natural light and the companionship of our four-legged mascots.

We offer competitive wages, great benefits, which include healthy homemade meals cooked onsite and holistic veterinary care for two of the four-legged creatures in your household.

If interested, contact Therese Fafard, tfafard@comcast.net Please, write a personalized cover letter to accompany your resume. Thank you!

Cabinet Finisher/Painter

Join our small team of dedicated craftspeople.

Requirements include:

• Positive attitude

• Ability to maintain a clean and organized workspace

• Team player

• Attention to detail

• Patience

• Ability to lift 50 lbs

Desired:

• Experience with spray finishing equipment or other detailoriented painting/finishing work

Send resumes to: ben@woodenhammer.net

Evernorth, Inc is seeking an experienced New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program Manager to lead the day-to-day execution of our NMTC program and advance high-impact community development projects across northern New England in either our Burlington, VT or Portland, ME office. In this role, you’ll manage the full lifecycle of NMTC investments—from pipeline development and underwriting through closing, compliance, and unwind. The ideal candidate brings 3+ years of direct NMTC experience (or strong related CDFI/ community development finance experience), expertise in complex financial modeling, underwriting, and compliance and a passion for mission-aligned work and strong relationship-building skills.

Evernorth’s mission is to work with partners to connect underserved communities in the northern New England region with capital and expertise to advance projects and policies that create more inclusive places to live. Evernorth is an E.O.E.

To apply, go to evernorthus.org/careers

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Burlington Housing Authority (BHA)

Are you interested in a job that helps your community and makes a difference in people’s lives every day? Consider joining Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) in Burlington, VT to continue BHA’s success in promoting innovative solutions that address housing instability challenges facing our diverse population of low-income families and individuals.

We are currently hiring for the following position:

Co-Resident Manager at Decker Tower: Position requires living on-site and being on-call outside of regular BHA business hours to respond to resident requests, site-based emergencies, light maintenance, cleaning of common areas, and other duties as assigned. In exchange for these duties, Resident Managers receive a free apartment with utilities included. Please note this is an unpaid, non-benefited position.

Candidates must meet the physical requirements of the position including moving in different positions to accomplish tasks, ascending or descending stairs, adjusting or moving objects up to 50 pounds, and repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, and fingers. This position also works in outdoor weather conditions.

For more info about these career opportunities please visit: burlingtonhousing.org

Interested in our career opportunity? Send a cover letter and resume to: humanresources@ burlingtonhousing.org

Human Resources 65 Main St, Suite 101 Burlington, VT 05401

Burlington Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer

JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 4, 2026

Market Development Associate

Community Heart & Soul® is a national nonprofit organization whose namesake program engages residents and local leaders to shape the future of their communities. We’re looking for a talented market development professional to help expand our partnership base across the U.S.Basedin Shelburne, VT we seek candidates with strong business acumen who enjoy building relationships. This role works closelywith ourVP of Market Development to connectwith community foundations and local leaders across the countrywho want to bring the Heart & Soul process to their communities.

Travel: About 30% nationally, mostly during spring andfall.

You might be a great fit if you:

· Have experience in building partnerships in business or nonprofit work.

· Communicate clearly and comfortably with a wide range of people

· Enjoy representing an organization and its mission

· Have experience with HubSpot as a CRM and Marketing tool

What we offer:

· Competitive salary, benefits and paid time off

· Support forlearning and professional growth

Salary range based on experience: $70,000 to $85,000.

Apply online: communityheartandsoul.org/careers

NOW HIRING: INFANT & SUPPORT TEACHERS

Kids & Fitness | Essex & South Burlington

Do you love working with children? Kids & Fitness is seeking nurturing, energetic Infant Teachers (Full-Time, ASAP) and Support Teachers (Flexible hours) to join our early childhood team.

What You’ll Do:

Care for and engage young children, support daily routines and curriculum, collaborate with co-teachers, and build positive relationships with families — all in a fun, active environment.

Requirements:

Must be 18+, high school diploma required. Classroom experience preferred. ECE coursework encouraged — we’ll support continued education for the right candidate!

Pay & Perks:

- $18–$25/hr to start

- Up to $1,000 sign-on bonus

- 4+ weeks paid vacation (year one!)

- Health Insurance & 401(k)

- FREE Edge Family Membership

- Generous childcare discounts (often 50%+!)

Make a difference every day—apply now! sarahc@edgevt.com

Join the Flynn & be part of a team striving to make the community better through the arts. All backgrounds encouraged to apply. This is a full-time, exempt, benefit eligible position.

PRODUCER

The Flynn seeks an experienced Producer to lead the creation of ambitious, artist-driven work on campus and across Vermont. With a strong focus on public-space and site-responsive projects, this role shapes meaningful connections between artists, audiences, and communities, ensuring work is realized with artistic integrity, production excellence, and deep public engagement.

For complete job description and to apply, please visit: flynnvt.org/About-Us/Employment-and-InternshipOpportunities

No phone calls, please. E.O.E.

Thurs, Fri, Sat days 6:00am-6:30pm Every other Wed 6:00am-2:30pm $28-$34 / hour plus 5% differential

Disability Support Staff

Seeking compassionate and dependable individuals for a fulfilling position assisting a developmentally disabled gentleman. Part-time and substitute positions available.

Responsibilities vary by day and may include; providing support at place of employment, at home with daily living activities, community interaction, recreation, and assistance with medication. Dependable transportation and background check required. If interested in this rewarding position, e-mail letter of interest to: cvcsinfo@myfairpoint.net

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CLIENT SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

This systems administration position is part of PCC’s Client Technical Services (CTS) team and focuses on maintaining our clients’ servers and network infrastructure. The position is integral to a dedicated, client-focused technical services team and requires technical expertise coupled with exceptional customer service and communication skills.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Troubleshoot and resolve client problems with PCC-provided hardware, operating systems, networks, and related products

• Coordinate, schedule, and perform server and other network hardware upgrades at client offices and/or remotely.

• Travel to client offices to install servers, networks, and perform necessary upgrades.

• Configure and ship physical servers and network hardware

• Provision and administer cloud-hosted servers on Google Cloud Platform and/or AWS

• Assist in administering warranty contracts on client hardware

• Perform preventative maintenance on client servers and networks

• Assist in receiving and shipping client hardware

• Provide friendly, professional technical support to PCC clients via phone, email, and support tickets.

• Support PCC Technical Specialists by handling escalated client tickets as needed.

• Assist clients in coordinating PCC and third-party vendor activities

• Advise clients in areas such as hardware selection, Internet and wide-area connectivity, remote office installations, and network planning

INTEGRATION DEVELOPER

PCC, a private, Winooski-based healthcare IT Benefit Corporation, seeks an Integration Developer to join our team. If you are interested in strengthening pediatric practices by connecting them to their care delivery partners throughout the healthcare ecosystem, we would love to hear from you. This is a versatile technical role with elements of software development (focused on API, web services, etc.), operations (deployment, monitoring, issue remediation), and project management (working with 3rd party technical teams to bring solutions from specification to production).

CORE TECHNICAL SKILLS:

• Unix/Linux environments including CLI experience for filesystem navigation, monitoring, and administration

• Familiarity with web and application communication protocols including TCP/IP, sFTP, REST, SOAP, ETL, etc.

• Familiarity with healthcare domain concepts and applications (either as a user, support, development, etc.)

• Experience on a technical team in either a development, operations, or systems administration capacity (or some combination thereof).

• Experience with any modern software development language/framework

• Document work activities via help-desk support tickets and PCC’s Tuleap project management application

• Maintain effective technical documentation for our staff and our clients by adding and updating our Intranet Wiki

• Ensure the confidentiality of sensitive and protected information

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience as a systems administrator of mission-critical systems

• Experience supporting and maintaining business-class network equipmentfirewalls, switches, wireless

• Solid understanding of TCP/IP networks and network services (DHCP, DNS, VLANs, etc)

• Desktop support experience and a good working knowledge of Windows and MacOS.

• A collaborative work style and the desire to be part of a team

• Positive, effective, written, and verbal communication with clients, coworkers, and leadership

• Appropriate sharing of knowledge and information

• Strong attention to detail

• Commitment to PCC’s mission and the mission of our clients

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE IS A PLUS:

• Administration of Linux servers, especially. Red Hat / CentOS / Rocky Linux

• Familiarity with Linux Bash, Perl, and/or Python scripting

• Experience with Proxmox virtualization and the ZFS filesystem

• Familiarity with Git version control

• Experience with any modern RDBMS

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS/ EXPERIENCE:

• Healthcare integration engine experience (Mirth Connect/Open Integration Engine, Corepoint, Rhapsody, Healthshare, etc.)

• Experience with clinical data exchange standards (HL7 v2, C-CDA, FHIR, eRx/NCPDP Script, etc.)

• Experience with API testing tools (Postman, SoapUI, cURL, etc.)

• Experience with one or more of the following languages/frameworks: Javascript, Java, Perl, shell scripting, php (Zend/ Laravel), Ruby on Rails, C++ (Qt), Python

• Experience with one or more of the following RDBMS: MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL

• Experience with one or more of the following Version Control Systems: Git, Subversion

• Don’t worry if you don’t check all the boxes here; the most important factor is your ability to pick up new skills and seek out robust technical solutions for the challenges of healthcare interoperability. If this sounds like your realm, our team would love to meet you!

PCC’S BENEFITS:

In addition to health, dental, vision, 401k, and life insurance for employees, PCC offers medical insurance for domestic partners and civil union couples, as well as reimbursement for home internet, cellular plan, laser eye treatment, fitness and wellness expenses, charitable donation matching, AAA Plus membership, frequent catered lunches, and more. PCC supports families with an adoption assistance program, extended paid holiday time off, and paid family leave options.

PCCers currently enjoy a hybrid workplace model with the options of meeting remotely and on-site at PCC’s office in Winooski, Vermont. Applicants should expect to be based in Vermont, within commuting distance of Winooski. No phone calls, please. AA/EOE

To learn more and to apply, please visit at www.pcc.com/careers!

Data Manager & Research Analyst

Energy Action Network (EAN) is seeking a skilled project manager with expertise in data collection, research, analysis, and reporting to become a core part of our non-profit staff team in a permanent, full-time position. Learn more & apply by February 5, 2026: eanvt.org/data_manager

Senior Assistant Librarian, Technical Services

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

MONTPELIER, THE CAPITAL CITY OF VERMONT, is seeking a Director of Finance. The Director of Finance reports to the City Manager and has primary responsibility for financial management and information technology for the City of Montpelier. This position directly supervises 5 employees, oversees financial services contracts, and has responsibility for the complete budget. The City of Montpelier employees 121.2 FTEs and has a general fund budget of $16.1M.

GO HIRE.

BA/BS in Finance, Public Administration, or related fields is required. MA preferred. Significant experience in key administrative position within a public/non-profit agency with responsibility for budget. Direct experience in municipal government is preferred. Familiarity with Vermont municipal regulations/policies a plus.

The annual salary is $113,360, commensurate with qualifications. This is an exempt, salaried position and includes benefits in accordance with the City’s Personnel Plan. The position is open until filled, with initial résumé review beginning February 20, 2026. Pracademic Partners, an executive search firm, is assisting the City with this recruitment.

Additional information about the position, including a direct application link to apply, is available at pracademicpartners. com/current-recruitments. Questions, nominations, or recommendations should be directed to Gary Evans at gary@pracademicpartners.com. The City of Montpelier is an equal opportunity employer. A full job description can be found at montpelier-vt.org/Financedirector.

Job Recruiters:

• Post jobs using a form that includes key info about your company and open positions (location, application deadlines, video, images, etc.).

• Accept applications and manage the hiring process via our applicant tracking tool.

• Easily manage your open job listings from your recruiter dashboard.

Job Seekers:

• Search for jobs by keyword, location, category and job type.

• Set up job alert emails using custom search criteria.

• Save jobs to a custom list with your own notes on the positions.

• Apply for jobs directly through the site.

Get a quote when you post online or contact Michelle Brown: 865-1020, ext. 121, michelle@sevendaysvt.com.

fun stuff

“Fresh ground cartilage?”

CALCOKU & SUDOKU (P.67) CROSSWORD (P.67)

JULIANNA BRAZILL

HARRY BLISS JAMES KOCHALKA

fun stuff

RUSTY EPSTEIN

JEN SORENSEN

AQUARIUS

(JAN. 20-FEB. 18)

In ecology, there’s a concept called “keystone species.” This refers to organisms that have a huge effect on their environment relative to their abundance. Remove them, and the whole ecosystem shifts. I bring this up, Aquarius, because I believe you are currently functioning as a keystone species in your social ecosystem. You may not even be fully aware of how much your presence influences others. And here’s the challenge: You shouldn’t let your impact weigh on your conscience. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself as you carry out your service. Instead, ask how you can contribute to the common good while also thriving yourself. Ensuring your well-being isn’t selfish; it’s essential to the gifts you provide and the duties you perform.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): In 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal became the first climbers to trek to the summit of Mount Everest. They both said later that the climb down was as important and challenging as the ascent. The lesson: Achievement doesn’t end when you reach the peak. Aries, you may be nearing or have just passed a high point of effort or recognition. Soon you will need to manage the descent with aplomb. Don’t rush! Tread carefully as you complete your victory. It’s not as glamorous as the push upward, but it’s equally vital to the legacy of the climb.

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): Aurora borealis occurs when highly charged particles from the sun strike molecules high in the Earth’s

atmosphere, causing them to glow. The display that looks like gorgeous magic is actually our planet’s invisible magnetic shield and upper atmosphere lighting up under the pressure of an intense solar storm. Dear Taurus, I think your life has a metaphorical resemblance. The strength you’ve been quietly maintaining without much fanfare has become vividly apparent because it’s being activated. The protection you’ve been offering and the boundaries you’ve been holding are more visible than usual. This is good news! Your shields are working.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): “Nothing in excess” was the maxim inscribed on the ancient Temple of Apollo at Delphi. “Moderation is a chief moral virtue,” proclaimed the philosopher Aristotle. But I don’t recommend those approaches for you right now, Gemini. A sounder principle is “More is better” or “Almost too much is just the right amount.” You have a holy duty to cultivate lavishness and splendor. I hope you will stir up as many joyous liberations and fun exploits as possible.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): When sea otters sleep, they sometimes hold each other’s paws to keep from drifting apart. This simple, instinctive act ensures they remain safe and connected. I suggest making their bond your power symbol for now, Cancer. You’ll be wise to formulate a strong intention about which people, values and projects you want to be tethered to. And if sea otters holding hands sounds too sentimental or cutesy to be a power symbol, you need to rethink your understanding of power. For you right now, it’s potency personified.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): To be healthy, we all need to be continually in the process of letting go. It’s always a favorable phase to shed aspects of our old selves to make room for what comes next. The challenge for you Leos is to keep showing up with your special brightness even as parts of you die away to feed new growth. So here are my questions: What old versions of your generosity or courage are ready to compost? What fiercer, wilder, more sustainable expression of your leonine nature wants to emerge? The

JANUARY 29-FEBRUARY 4

coming weeks will be an excellent time to stop performing the hero you used to be and become the hero you are destined to become.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): The Haudenosaunee people practice “seventhgeneration thinking”: making decisions based on their impact seven generations into the future. You would be wise to incorporate the spirit of their visionary approach, Virgo. Here’s the problem: You’re so skilled at fixing what needs urgent attention that you sometimes neglect what’s even more important in the long run. So I will ask you to contemplate what choices you could make now that will be blessings to your future self. This might involve ripening an immature skill, shedding a boring obligation that drains you or delivering honest words that don’t come easily. Rather than obsessing on the crisis of the moment, send a sweet boost to the life you want to be living three years from now.

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): Are you open to the idea that new wisdom doesn’t always demand struggle and strain? In the days ahead, I invite you to move as if the world is deeply in love with you; as if every element, every coincidence, every kind pair of eyes is cheering you forward. Imagine that generous souls everywhere want to help you be and reveal your best self. Trust that unseen allies are rearranging the flow of fate to help you grow into the beautiful original you were born to be. Do you dare to be so confident that life loves you?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist James Pennebaker did studies showing that people who write about traumatic experiences for just 15 minutes a day show improved immune function, fewer doctor visits and better emotional health. But here’s a key detail: The benefits don’t come from the trauma itself or from “processing feelings.” They come from constructing a narrative: making meaning, finding patterns and creating coherence. The healing isn’t in the wound. It’s in the story you shape from the wound’s raw material. You Scorpios excel at this alchemical work. One of your superpowers is to take what’s dark, buried or painful and transform it through the

piercing attention of your intelligence and imagination. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to do this.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Jewish mysticism, tikkun olam means “repair of the world.” This is the idea that we’re all responsible for healing what’s broken. But the teaching also says you’re not required to complete the work; you’re only asked not to abandon it. This is your message right now, Sagittarius: You don’t have to save everyone. You don’t have to heal everything, and you don’t even have to finish the projects you’ve started. But you can’t abandon them entirely, either. Keep showing up. Do what you can today. That’s enough. The work will continue whether or not you complete it. Your part is to not walk away from your own brokenness and the world’s. Stay engaged.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Talmud teaches that “every blade of grass has an angel bending over it, whispering, ‘Grow, grow.’” I sense that you are now receiving the extra-intense influence of your own guardian angels, Capricorn. They aren’t demanding or threatening, just encouraging. Please tune into their helpful ministrations. Don’t get distracted by harsher voices, like your internalized critic, the pressure of impossible standards or the ghost of adversaries who didn’t believe in you. Here’s your assignment: Create time and space to hear and fully register the supportive counsel. It’s saying: Grow. You’re allowed to grow. You don’t have to earn it. Just grow.

PISCES

(Feb. 19-Mar. 20):

I foresee a dose of real magic becoming available to you: equivalent to an enchanted potion, a handful of charmed seeds or a supernatural spell. But owning the magic and knowing how to use it are two different matters. There’s no promise you will instantly grasp its secrets. To give yourself the best shot, follow a few rules: 1) Keep it quiet. Only share news of your lucky charm with those who truly need to hear about it. 2) Before using it to make wholesale transformations, test it gently in a situation where the stakes are low. 3) Whatever you do, make sure your magic leaves no bruises behind.

YOUNG WRITER

Writer with a soft spot for doomed love stories, marginalia and conversations that accidentally last until 2 a.m. I split my time between literature, chemistry labs and overthinking sentences until they finally tell the truth. I believe romance should be intense but intelligent and that wanting meaning isn’t the same thing as being naïve. mentalis 21, seeking: W, l

ONWARD AND UPWARD

WOMEN seeking...

WANNA JUMP IN THE RIVER?

I love being outside year-round, wandering the forests and wondering at their whimsy and beauty. Balancing that out with cozy time inside, I love a good cup of tea, a book, and attempting/ collecting random craft projects, usually made with nature or textiles. Building intentional community is something I am very dedicated to and consider very important, especially right now. ForestFairy 32 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP

LIVING FOR TODAY

I’m a creative person who is always on the move, never out of sight in a crowd and exemplifies the concept of an entrepreneur. A dog lover and lover of old, pretty things to my core. Looking for someone who enjoys sharing the things in life that make their life as happy as mine is for me. LabLover 63, seeking: M, l

HOPEFUL ROMANTIC

Warm, grounded and quietly adventurous. I love nature, deep conversations, spiritual exploration and a good deadpan joke. I’m a hopeful romantic who values honesty, compassion, presence and intention. I’m happiest paddleboarding, hiking, wandering museums, traveling and discovering something new. Looking for a kind, emotionally aware, openhearted man — romantic, grounded, curious, and ready to grow, explore and build something genuine. Grateful18, 51, seeking: M, l

WANT TO RESPOND?

You read Seven Days, these people read Seven Days — you already have at least one thing in common!

All the action is online. Create an account or login to browse hundreds of singles with profiles including photos, habits, desires, views and more. It’s free to place your own profile online.

l See photos of this person online.

W = Women

M = Men

TW = Trans women

TM = Trans men

Q = Genderqueer people

NBP = Nonbinary people

NC = Gender nonconformists

Cp = Couples

Gp = Groups

POSITIVE, WELL-BALANCED MUSICIAN

I’m positive, bighearted, kind and helpful to others. Music is my passion, along with my pets and especially Friesian horses. Would love to see more of Vermont, as its mountains are breathtaking. Love to meet new people here. So far it’s been quite a whirlwind for me in Vermont. Ask me, and I’ll tell you why. Pianofairy 73, seeking: M

MUST LOVE DOGS

I live on the New York side. My daughter went to UVM. I fell in love with Vermont. I hope to retire in five years. It would be wonderful to find a future partner in an area where I hope to move. Although I need to find a dog person: My favorite activity is hiking with my dog. ScaryLibrarian, 60, seeking: M, l

FAMILY FIRST, DOGS, GRANDKIDS

To be honest, I have no idea how to write about myself. I worked in the music industry out of Nashville most of my life. Life has thrown me some hard curves the last four years, and I need a redo. I love my dogs and would like someone to start something casual with and see where it leads. Jleemusic, 65, seeking: M, l

FUNNY, CONSIDERATE NATURE LOVER

I am looking for something that feels natural and effortless but keeps me coming back for more. I rarely take life seriously but also know when to be serious, if that tracks. I want happiness, peace and the company of someone who warms my soul! 98% content with my life, just missing my person. VTgirl06 33, seeking: M, l

FIT, GROUNDED, NOT DONE DANCING

Finishing grad school in mental health and currently working as a wellness coach. I’m 5’7”, fit, grounded and fun-loving, with a good life, close family and supportive friends. I enjoy hiking, XC skiing, gravel rides, dancing, cooking simple whole-food meals, and meditation, yoga and Qi Gong. Seeking companionship for adventure, deep conversation and easy time together. soulshine1975 50, seeking: M, l

WANT SOME COMPANIONSHIP?

Kind and nice. Looking for one special friend to enjoy the fun: There is so much to do. Share life’s journey. I look and feel years younger. Somehow, I got to be 75. Amazing. Maybe because I split my fantastic adventures between Vermont and South Florida. Road trip! Let’s explore. We need not be perfect, just perfect for each other. Companion4U, 75 seeking: M

TRUTHFUL, CURIOUS WANDERER

SEEKING SAME!

I’m a caring, thoughtful person who loves to laugh. I like intelligent, stimulating conversations; enjoy nature, travel and learning new things. Hoping to find a nice companion to explore the world. I have only been to Italy once and want to go back and sip ripasso! daylily 64, seeking: M

DANCING, CUDDLY, SEXY, FUN-LOVING

I am kind, helpful, like people, enjoy my job; am not willing to leave my family, friends or my job. I have a good sense of humor and like to laugh. I don’t want someone who is a downer. T1lc_ 69 seeking: M

SEEKING FUTURE CO-PARENT

29-y/o woman seeking a man in his 20s or 30s who wants to raise kids. I’m an aspiring therapist (in grad school), farm worker, off-grid cabin dweller. Interests include: aikido, hide tanning, ritual gatherings, sewing, reading. Looking for someone who values authenticity, clear communication and reliability. Spirituality and carpentry skills a plus. I live in southern Vermont but could move north. WildFox, 29, seeking: M, TM, NBP, l

GREAT COFFEE DATE? MAYBE MORE?

I would like to meet a man for dating, possibly a partnership. I love to laugh; and my ideal person would be someone playful. I’m made happy by reading, socializing, hanging out at cafés or with dogs, walking, museum-ing, music, movies, No Kings! rallies, painting, gardening. Bonus points if you like to watch silent films or slow-paced, talky foreign ones. Pointer, 69, seeking: M, l

FRIENDLY, CREATIVE AND FUN

Looking forward to more traveling. I like the outdoors but am not an athlete. Looking for a local, easygoing, like-minded guy who is in his 50s or 60s. Let’s enjoy playing cards with friends, dinners out, campfires, gardening, cooking together, a cruise, RVing (I don’t have an RV), cocktails on the porch (I do have a porch), road trips. ginger2468, 61, seeking: M, l

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Eager to see if I can find a good man once again, now that I have been a widow for a few years. I am ever curious, active, attractive and well educated. I take good care of myself physically, emotionally and spiritually and am hoping for another chance at love. Intentional 68, seeking: M, l

EXCITEMENT WANTED IN LIFE

I am looking for friendship and companionship. I also want to show my partner that I will love and cherish him for the rest of my life. Would like to do some traveling or just staying at home, reading or doing my knitting, crocheting or playing cards or Wii bowling. Also like boating and fishing. Just want to be happy. DebbieSmith 82, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

EDUCATED, OPEN-MINDED ARTS LOVER

Sensitive, unique, well-rounded guy looking to meet intelligent, insightful, interesting women to befriend and date. Vermonter forever but traveler, humanist, and lover of the outside and the arts; and kids, old people, food, the water and the mountains. You are comfortable being yourself, enjoy the good life and are looking for an interesting sidekick with whom to find your way. 3baldman, 54, seeking: W, l

I live a healthy life cooking nutritious food. Outdoor enthusiast, physically fit. I’m present, love to laugh; seeking same. Outwardbound, 69 seeking: W, l

FUN-LOVING VERMONT BOY!

I’m a native Vermonter who loves adventures, hiking the woods, camping, kayaking, bonfires. I’m new to this, so I’m trying it out. I am looking for my ultimate goal of a long-term relationship. I do know I need to form connections to build a foundation to stand on so that I can achieve that goal. Vtboy75, 50, seeking: W, l

DISABLED, FUNNY, LOVING

I’m a laid-back guy. I have a dark sense of humor, and I often joke about my disability and health issues. I’m also a bit nerdy: I love horror, science fiction, fantasy and history. I’m hoping to find a fellow homebody to share my time with. (I also have muscular dystrophy, and I’m bedbound, FYI). dystrophydude, 33 seeking: W, l

HUMORISTIC AND HYPERACTIVE LATINO

I like soccer (It’s called “football”), movies, being immature sometimes and Catan. I’m looking for some casual sex. Mine is six inches: I want to be honest. Jake3249 18, seeking: W

PEACEFUL

Life is good; just looking to find someone that will help make it even better. I have/had many interests: fusing glass, pottery, massage, fixing up houses. I also enjoy the outdoors: hiking, kayaking, concerts, exploring new places. I don’t take things to the extreme. I’m pretty laid-back. Also I’m financially and mentally stable; looking for the same. livnlife 56, seeking: W, l

CURIOUS

I recently decided to leave work, take a break, and see where my energy and interests take me. In the meantime, I would love to meet someone with similar interests who is open to wonder and is curious, interested in deeper meaningful conversations, as well as light banter and playfulness, travel, road trips here and abroad. better2b 69, seeking: W, l

POLITICAL AND SOCIALLY ACTIVE

I love the pleasure of nature-working, gardening, birding, walking and sitting. I have a large swimming pond, pick fruit, make good things to eat and share. Music is crucial to me, and I sing in many wonderful groups. I love sports and follow it avidly. I am very political and involved in liberal causes. lowbass, 85, seeking: W

THOUGHTFUL, ACTIVE, VERMONTER BY CHOICE

MWM, 77, BS/MS, average build, liberal. Skier and sailor. Open to other pastimes, active or otherwise. Daily coffee shop habit gets me out and engaging year round. History of volunteerism and civic engagement. Wife in memory care. Looking for age-appropriate companionship with an unknown destination. Live in rural central Vermont, an hour from Burlington; an easy drive. HSV2(G). Paprika2587, 77, seeking: W, l

I AM A STRIDENT SEEKER

Looking for my mistress, my muse. DonQuixote 70, seeking: W

BUSY FUN CARING

I’m looking for someone compatible to spend the rest of my time here on Earth with. Jammer 66 seeking: W

ALIVE AND WELL, LOVING LIFE

Trying this for the first time. I am happy and in good shape in all ways: body, mind and spirit. Homesteading in the kingdom for 46 years now. Love to be outside, ski, swim, garden, hike, sit by the fire. Looking for a new woman to explore, love, grow friendship, homestead, discover. Let’s see how it feels! charlesinwoods, 65 seeking: W

ACTIVE, SENSITIVE MAN

I am an active man who is comfortable in my own skin. Appreciate good conversation and women who value understanding, more so than judgement. I believe in second chances and living in the moment. Noonmark, 70 seeking: W, l

HAPPIEST IN SNOW

I’d really like to meet someone with common interests. We’d have a wonderful time together. I live in the mountains and love it. Travel, though: New York City and London are very important to me. French school in Québec City several weeks each year. And a sailing partner! Overnights sailing to Basin Harbor! Why do it alone? My hope is for a friend, maybe a partner. Blakely408 67, seeking: W, l

TRANS WOMEN seeking...

NERDY LADY SEEKING ESCAPADES Nerdy trans lady looking for movie buddies and activity partners, maybe something more depending on chemistry. A work in progress, still taking shape thanks to the wonders of modern medicine. Single parent of three, so must be understanding of other demands on my time. Mostly interested in women, trans or gender nonconforming folks. stardustvt, 53 seeking: W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp, l TRANS WOMAN LOOKING

I am not your typical transgender woman as I’m a MAGA Republican, unvaccinated, goth, redneck, Christian metalhead. Call it a contradiction if you want — you simply don’t understand the complexity of who I unapologetically am. I am searching for the one forever woman with core values in common who is loyal and honest. TransRebecca 32 seeking: W, l

GENDER NONCONFORMISTS seeking...

FRIENDS AND A REAL PARTNER

Never seen the other side, but want to. Married twice, 56 years total, miss it a lot. Want adventures and real closeness. Working on MFA with ’60s psychedelic art with a spiritual focus. Love to meet open-minded women, transwomen who haven’t had the package deal but are very feminine. Love “Star Trek” and Star Wars. Hard left in politics. jemd 82, seeking: NC, l

COUPLES seeking...

CURIOUS COUPLE LOOKING FOR FUN

Honest, hardworking married couple who love passion and soft touches. Looking for woman to fulfill lustful fantasy of woman-on-woman playtime. CplSeeking 41 seeking: W

LADYBUG COLLECTIVE

Dylan, you felt so familiar, like we had seen each other so many times before. I was busy with some work calls and didn’t want to disturb anyone. When I returned, you and your friends were having such a good conversations. You were pretty and funny. I left without asking for a way to connect again. Find me here? —C When: Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Where: Ladybug Collective. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916537

GUTTERSON FIELDHOUSE

You: woman, purple socks, boots with good traction. Me: man, I have you by a few, a bit scruffy with light blue coat. We shared a smile, and it felt nice. Would love to share a walk or coffee; if it was just a smile, that was lovely. When: Friday, January 23, 2026. Where: UVM hockey game. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916536

SKI SHOP GAL

You came into the ski shop where I work on Fridays. You were with your dad and looking for a used pair of XC skis for him. You are in the area for the winter, staying at your grandmother’s place. I couldn’t stop thinking about your smile all day. I’m hoping you’ll visit again some Friday. When: Friday, January 23, 2026. Where: small ski shop. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916535

CORTADO IN MIDDLEBURY

I don’t want to compromise your privacy, since you’re dealing with the public, but you looked out the window and said, “ e sun’s out, but it’s snowing.” I was glad it was crowded; it gave me more time to enjoy your lovely smile. And yes, as you said, I did have a wonderful day, indeed. When: ursday, January 22, 2026. Where: Middlebury. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916534

If you’ve been spied, go online to contact your admirer!

CHATTED AT TRADER JOE’S

We have spoken a few times at TJ’s, ﬁrst over the summer and most recently on MLK Day. We talked about riding bikes in Burlington and how you work at a brunch place. You’ve got me curious. I’d like to hear more. How about a snowy stroll? When: Monday, January 19, 2026. Where: Trader Joe’s. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916533

CHEF’S MARKET, RANDOLPH

While having a cup of soup, I saw you and a young man take a table and have lunch. We made eye contact several times, and then I left. If you read this and would like to meet, please reach out. When: Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Where: Chef’s Market, Randolph. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916532

BEAUTIFUL MAN WITH BEAUTIFUL DOG

I spied you at River Cove Animal Hospital with your black dog. e vet tech called her Helen. You had a nurturing way with her that only real men do. You were clad in a gray sweatsuit with a Buc-ee’s beaver logo on it. I gazed at you longingly, dreaming of a day when you might explore my Buc-ee’s beaver. When: Friday, December 19, 2025. Where: Williston. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916531

1 S. PROSPECT WAITING AREA

I noticed your mysterious eyes, high cheekbones and dark brown hair in the waiting area of the UVM phlebotomy lab. You wore a dark red ﬂeece vest and light shirt. I was the tall guy on the phone in a black puffy coat, salt-andpepper beard, winter hat. May I buy you a coffee? When: Monday, January 12, 2026. Where: 1 S. Prospect Street, UVM phlebotomy lab waiting area. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916528

Sixteen years ago, my sister and I got matching tattoos as a memorial for our brother, who passed away. Hers still looks great, but mine has faded a lot and looks so bad that I’m embarrassed to show it. It’s too far gone to get touched up, so I’d like to cover it with something new, but I’m worried my sister will be upset. Should I ask her if it’s OK?

GRIEVES

You try to kill me every time you mess up, because you don’t listen. e damage you’ve done may not be ﬁxable when your ﬁve-year time is up. Or is that the whole point? When: ursday, July 31, 2025. Where: Grieves. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916530

BIG SMILES ON PERU ST.

You were walking by as I brought in my recycling bin. We both had on ﬁtted blue puffy jackets; yours had orange, too. When we made eye contact, we both got big smiles. I hope to meet up and share more smiles! When: Wednesday, January 7, 2026. Where: Peru St.. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916529

WILLISTON FOLINO’S BENCHWARMERS

ey forgot to put yours in; they failed to tell me mine was ready. Your smile truly made my day, and it had been the kind of day that needed making. I hope you didn’t wait long for your pizza. If you ever need a smile, let me know. I owe you one. When: Friday, January 9, 2026. Where: Folino’s Pizza. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916527

I HOPE FOR YOU

You persisted, though I told you my heart was closed / but once you had my love, you let it languish / now you’ll take all I gave and give it to someone else / you lied and betrayed and you broke me / I hope for you the kind of heartbreak you left me with / because I will never love again. When: Tuesday, October 14, 2025. Where: for the last time. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916526

BRITISH COLUMBIA NUMBER

Texted me in the afternoon, and it went to spam. I only just found it yesterday. Who are you, and why did you say I was getting? Why can you not speak to me to my face? When: Tuesday, December 16, 2025. Where: spam folder. You: Group. Me: Woman. #916525

WE MADE EYE CONTACT VSF

You were the older brawny guy on the treadmill. I was also working out, right behind you. Truth be told, I was checking you out because those jeans looked very nice on you. After your workout, you looked at me, and you gave me this gesture like you were exhausted. You also smiled at me. I would like to get acquainted. When: Saturday, January 3, 2026. Where: Vermont Sport & Fitness, Rutland. You: Man. Me: Man. #916524

De Mi Ink,

NEXT ROUND

So many near misses. He said it wouldn’t be easy. Since we never were, could we try to be this year? Too many have claimed to be who they’re not, causing more chaos and harm. I never went into the woods, and you never came to me. Marco Polo, never hide-andseek. When: ursday, December 31, 2026. Where: everyone else. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916523

THE OFFICIAL END

It’s time to face my fear. / I’ll never forget that early love you showed. / e look on your face where we ﬁrst met. / How you made me feel / you loathed my existence. / Nothing more than a body. / Life’s too short to stay in torture. / Please don’t try to pull me back. / You know I’d die for you a million times. When: Monday, October 13, 2025. Where: Cambridge. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916522

NYE — ECHO

Saw you at ECHO NYE around 9:30. You were near the front left of the stage. I was near the back wearing a brown checked coat. We caught eyes, but I had to leave. If you’re single, it’d be great to ﬁnd out more about you. When: Wednesday, December 31, 2025. Where: ECHO. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916521

BOLTON VALLEY L ONG SHOT

It being the New Year and all, I ﬁgured I would take a long shot. On Labor Day 2025, I was trail running at Bolton Valley and met a fellow crazy person doing the same. We had a short conversation on the way down and in the parking lot. It would be great to reconnect. When: Monday, September 1, 2025. Where: Bolton Valley. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916520

FLY GIRL FLYING

You were in a Subaru, with a trout plate: FLYGRL, driving north on 89. Sensible haircut. Eating carrot sticks or some other sensible snack. I saw my best possible future flash before my eyes, embodied by the scene in your car. Teach me your sensible ways and also maybe your fly-fishing tips and tricks? Kindly, an aspiring fly girl. When: Sunday, December 28, 2025. Where: 89 North (Waterbury to Burlington). You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916518

KELLY, 58, SHELBURNE AREA?

Someone showed me your proﬁle. I’m wondering if you might be feeling adventurous? You’re super cute, and I’m super curious. When: Friday, January 2, 2026. Where: online. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916519

BTV NARROW CATCH! is is a long shot for sure, but it may be worth a shot! We both barely made the ﬂight into BTV last night and were equally relieved. I had to catch my Uber, and you were working on yours. Hope you made it home safe. If you see this and remember, let me know! When: Sunday, December 28, 2025. Where: BTV Airport. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916517

SNAKE MOUNTAIN HIKER, TAKE TWO

You: getting out of your car to hike with a friend and her dog. Me: ﬁnishing a hike with a friend. When: around noon. You said hello. I looked up, surprised, and said hi back. Your eyes made me want to ask you out right then, but I chickened out. Can we have a second chance? When: Saturday, December 27, 2025. Where: Snake Mountain. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916515

CANELÉS CO-OP ENCOUNTER

We met at the co-op’s baked goods. I was charmed. You gracefully accepted the suggestion to try a canelé. I got tonguetied. Would you be interested in a coffee? I am glad to be a friend. When: Monday, December 22, 2025. Where: by the canelés. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916514

BACKWARDS WALKER AT THE YMCA

I noticed you doing your own thing on the treadmill at the YMCA. Walking backwards and sideways. Very sweet. I was intrigued. We had a nice conversation. Your smile is delightful. You mentioned that I was ﬁt. Wish I had returned the compliment. How about we continue the conversation over coffee or in the sauna or after an exercise class? When: Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Where: YMCA. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916513

LONG TIME NO SEE

It was early afternoon and I was leaving the store and you were heading in. We said, “long time no see!” and you wished me a Merry Christmas. I can’t remember where we ﬁrst met or if you are married, but if this sounds familiar and you wish to follow up, let me know. When: Saturday, December 20, 2025. Where: Milton Hannaford. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916512

Tattoos are permanent, but there’s no guarantee they’ll look fantastic forever. ey are a form of living art, and many factors play into their staying power. ese include the design, the artist’s technique, sun exposure, friction, aging and even your own immune system.

While you and your sister started off matching, it’s not surprising that your tattoos have aged differently. You’re two separate people, after all. It’s your body, so you can do whatever the heck you want with it. However, it would be considerate to let your sister know of your plan. If you explain your reasoning for wanting to cover the tattoo, I can’t imagine that she would be upset with you.

If you’re worried about losing the match factor, perhaps there’s a way to incorporate something from the original design into the new one so that your tattoos still relate to each other. Or who knows? Your sister may also want to refresh hers, and you can still be twinsies.

A memorial tattoo should make you remember who you got it for, not make you feel embarrassed. You shouldn’t have any guilt about doing something new, because the old ink will still be there even if you can’t see it. I’m also certain that more than just the tattoo is keeping your brother’s memory alive. Whatever you do, moisturize and use sunscreen to help keep your new tattoo alive, too. Good luck and God bless,

I’m a 72-y/o male seeking a female, 30-60. Looking for times together. Lunch, dinner, heels a plus at times. I can be a good listener; caring, sensitive. Phone number, please. #L1910

BiWM seeks steady blow job. Single, bi, gay, Black, married, trans. Age no problem. My place and private. Phone number. I’m horny. Women, apply! Good head! #L1909

Retired, healthy, active, ﬁrst, fun-loving queer male seeking female friend to share merry minge, happipenis and much, much more. #1907

65ish woman seeking 65ish man. Friendship/dating. Wholesome, good-natured fun, laughter and conversations. Cribbage, other games. Attend music shows and events, leisurely walks. Sightseeing, café outings. Sound good? Drop me a line. I’m in the NEK. Namasté. #1906

Single woman, 60. Wise, mindful. Seeking tight unit with man, friend, love. Country living, gardens, land to play on. Emotionally, intellectually engaged. Lasting chats. Appreciation for past experience. Please be kind, stable and well established. Phone number, please. #L1908

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I’m a 29-y/o woman seeking a man in his 20s or 30s who wants to start a family. My interests: aikido, hide tanning, fermentation, creative mending. I value authenticity, emotional awareness and intentionality. I’m in southern Vermont but could relocate. #L1905

I’m a 68-y/o woman seeking a 60- to 70-y/o gent. Must enjoy comedy movies, occasional deep conversations, deep thinking and cats. Must be located in the Northeast Kingdom. #L1904

I’m a 31-y/o man, ﬁt, 6’1” tall, dark skin, looking for a woman between 45 and 70. I like to work out, do outdoor activities, cook and craft, and learn new skills. I have a lot to teach. I’m independent and respectful. #L1899

If you are a gentle and kind man and would enjoy written intercourse for play and fun with a lady wordsmith, write! I have snail mail only. No strings attached! #L1901

Imagine all the wonderful things you could have spent that $5 on. Hmm, yeah, inﬂation. Might as well see what I’m all about. No sales tax. Seeking Y/O/U. #L1898

I’m a 72-y/o SWF seeking a 60- to 70-y/o man. I live in Woodstock, Vt. I want a serious relationship with a man. Phone number, would meet in person. #L1891

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to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness le ers. DETAILS BELOW.

30-y/o lady ISO independent, slightly sarcastic, progressiveminded man. Someone who can entertain complex emotional and ethical thoughts. No boys necessary: Clean up your own mess. I’m a skier, thru-hiker and nature lover. #L1897

I am a 49-y/o woman seeking a 38- to 52-y/o man. I am ready to meet a life partner to grow a kind, conscious family with. Are you ﬁt, curious, ecologically and socially attuned? Let’s meet for tea, a pedal or hike. #L1896

I’m a 70-y/o male, 6’1”, 265 lbs., seeking a woman between 60 and 79 y/o who smokes cigarettes. I am looking for a long-term relationship. Drives, meals, cuddles, watching movies. #L1893

Open-minded SWM, 60s, 170 lbs., 5’8”, seeks similar for friendship and more. Openminded, intelligent, liberal, slim males into fun activities and exploring various types of fun. #L1894

Describe yourself and who you’re looking for in 40 words below: (OR, ATTACH A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.)

I’m a

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL) seeking a

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

I’m a 65-y/o woman seeking a ﬁt, 45- to 70-y/o man. I am a woman with a lot of energy! Clean houses. Love the outdoors, swimming, rides and Maine. I’m 5’2”, 130 lbs. Love to laugh! #L1892

Very discreet bi guy loves the outdoors: camping, hiking, ﬁshing, etc. Looking for other guys with similar interests to share fun times and have good times with. Hit me up! #L1890

Male looking for female, age 59 to 69. I am disabled but still get around on my own. Looking for someone to hang with, since I am all alone and hate it. My partner passed from cancer. #L1888

I’m an 81-y/o woman seeking a male. I am a widow of ﬁve years. Looking for companionship. Love music, reading, knitting, crocheting and playing card games, etc. #L1887

Gracious, attentive, educated, humorous soul seeks a ﬁt, tender and unassuming female counterpart (58 to 68) for woodland walks, shared meals and conversation. #L1885

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Rest, Relax, Recharge: Energy-Clearing with Aromatherapy

WED., JAN. 28

LADIES SOCIAL GROUP, ESSEX JUNCTION

Hula Story Sessions: Spectrum Youth & Family Services

THU., JAN. 29

HULA, BURLINGTON

NWSWD Repair Café

SAT., JAN. 31

SAINT ALBANS MUSEUM

SAM TALKS // Trash Talk with Ginger Nickerson

SAT., JAN. 31

SAINT ALBANS MUSEUM

Declare Your Love – A Writing Workshop: Prose

SUN., FEB. 1

GRANGE HALL CULTURAL CENTER, WATERBURY

Valentine's Day Cookie Decorating Class

SUN., FEB. 1

QUEEN CITY BREWERY, BURLINGTON

'Gone Guys' Film Screening & Discussion

WED., FEB. 4

BENNINGTON THEATER

Late to the New Year Hip-Hop Show

FRI., FEB. 6

THE UNDERGROUND-LISTENING ROOM, RANDOLPH

Bob Marley B-Day Bash Featuring Mighty Mystic

FRI., FEB. 6

STOWE CIDER

Winter Renaissance Faire

SAT., FEB. 7

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY EXPO, ESSEX JCT.

Joe's Big Band Winter Burner

SAT., FEB. 7

ST. JOHN'S CLUB, BURLINGTON

Lieder by the Lake — Burlington Schubertiade

SUN., FEB. 8

COLLEGE STREET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, BURLINGTON

Galentine's Flowers at Fig

SUN., FEB. 8

SHELBURNE FIG

RAR Deep Dive Series in Advanced Bicycle Care — for WTNB

WED., FEB. 11

OLD SPOKES HOME COMMUNITY WORKSHOP, BURLINGTON

Beef Wellington and Chocolate Pot De Creme featuring Chef Jim McCarthy

WED., FEB. 11

RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY

Vintage Piping Cake Decorating Class

FRI., FEB. 13

RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY

TURNmusic presents Michael Chorney's Freeway Clyde w/ Sadie Brightman

FRI., FEB. 13

THE PHOENIX GALLERY & MUSIC HALL, WATERBURY

Barn Owl Needle Felting Workshop

SAT., FEB. 14

BIRDS OF VERMONT MUSEUM, HUNTINGTON

Heartbeats Silent Disco: Move. Create. Connect. Feel Alive.

SAT., FEB. 14

DAVIS STUDIO, SOUTH BURLINGTON

HeartBreakers: Burlesque Valentine's Variety Show

SAT., FEB. 14

MONTPELIER PERFORMING ARTS HUB