Seven Days, April 16, 2025 by Seven Days

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SHELL HELL

Vermont o cials say zebra mussels — small, invasive shellﬁsh — have been detected for the ﬁrst time in the U.S. waters of Lake Memphremagog. Gulp.

SCHOOL’S OUT

32,000

That’s how many people signed up for insurance through the Vermont Health Connect marketplace this year — a record high.

DIY DEI

Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders has informed the U.S. Department of Education that Vermont schools do not discriminate based on race, rejecting the Trump administration’s claim that diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — initiatives are racially discriminatory.

In Vermont, diversity, equity and inclusion practices — such as afﬁnity groups, teaching about the history of racism and school district DEI coordinators — “are supportive of all students, and aim to create and sustain positive, welcoming learning environments,” she wrote.

Saunders’ letter responds to a federal directive issued on April 3 that calls on states to afﬁrm their compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars federally funded programs from discriminating based on race. e Trump administration has said DEI practices potentially advantage one race over another and therefore may be illegal.

After receiving the directive, Saunders initially asked superintendents to sign and return the form indicating compliance with Title VI. But once education leaders

pushed back, Saunders reversed course and told them that Vermont would send a “single statewide letter” outlining its position.

While not outright deﬁant, Saunders’ letter clearly indicates that Vermont is at odds with the U.S. Department of Education. It states that Vermont has previously afﬁrmed that it does not discriminate based on race.

“We are disappointed that recent executive orders and [federal education department] guidance materials have attempted to cast ‘DEI’ efforts as ‘veil[ed] racially discriminatory practices’ that assign less value to certain students because of their race,” Saunders wrote. “ at is not what takes place in Vermont classrooms, and does not accurately reﬂect the goals, practices, or beneﬁts of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.”

With the missive, Vermont has positioned itself with Democrat-led states — including New York, Minnesota, Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan and California — that have pushed back on the compliance form.

Read Alison Novak’s full story at sevendaysvt.com.

The Champlain Islands Uniﬁed Union School District voted to close the North Hero School. That’s a blow to the rural district.

IN THE MIX

Cabot Creamery issued a recall for 1,700 pounds of butter over concerns about an “elevated level of coliform bacteria.” No one has been reported sick.

HEADLINER

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took the stage at Coachella as part of a surprise leg of his Fight Oligarchy tour.

Dude’s a rock star.

2. “Modern Anxieties Fuel a New Wave of Vermont Homesteaders” by Hannah Feuer. Another generation of homesteaders is embracing self-reliance.

3. “Main Street Construction Is Hurting Burlington Businesses” by Courtney Lamdin. e roadwork is needed to redevelop the “Memorial Block.”

4. “Palestinian Activist Detained by Immigration Ofﬁcials in Colchester” by Kevin McCallum. Mohsen Mahdawi, a pro-Palestinian activist at Columbia University, was taken into custody on Monday.

5. “An Art Deco Tour of Montréal, Including the Rebirth of Eaton’s Restaurant” by Alice Dodge. Restaurant Île-de-France Le 9e reopens the ninth ﬂoor of Eaton’s department store in restored art deco style.

TOWN

CRIER

LOCALLY SOURCED NEWS

Waitsﬁeld Woman Dies in Palisades Tahoe Ski Accident

A Waitsﬁeld native died after a ski crash at the Palisades Tahoe ski resort in California, according to the Valley Reporter. Ellery “Ellie” Curtis, 26, was an NCAA All American ski racer at Dartmouth College. She was living in San Francisco at the time of her death, though family members still live in Vermont.

PUTTING DOWN ROOTS

A new teaching greenhouse has opened in Winooski’s Landry Park as a community resource and base for gardening education.

e partnership between the City of Winooski and the Vermont Garden Network, a statewide nonproﬁt that supports Vermonters growing their own food, is already offering several programs. is Saturday, April 19, it’ll host a free microgreens-growing workshop. Future events include instruction on pest management and garden-fresh cooking with kids. A giveaway of plant starts is scheduled for May 24.

“It’s a great way to bring in some real gardening expertise,” said Ray Coffey, Winooski’s community services director. He noted that the city has lim-

ited capacity to support residents who rent plots in its four community gardens.

It turns out that planting a greenhouse takes as much work as cultivating vegetables. Vermont Garden Network’s co-executive director Carolina Lukac said the organization received $20,000 for a Burlington-area community greenhouse from the Vermont Foodbank in 2022. But it was not easy to ﬁnd a secure site for the greenhouse with water and electric hookups near a city center and on public transportation routes, Lukac said. Everything eventually came together when Winooski moved an unused greenhouse from near the O’Brien Community Center to Landry Park and contributed about $7,000 previously allocated to park programming. e spacious, enclosed gardening space opened in late March next to the Myers Memorial Pool.

Lukac said the greenhouse is the nonproﬁt’s ﬁrst dedicated space for growing about 6,000 plants for its programs. ose include long-season crops, such as African eggplant and Bhutanese chile peppers, that are staples for many immigrants.

Carolyn Goodwin Kueffner signed up for the greenhouse’s 10-week, fee-based early bird gardening course. e 68-year-old Colchester resident said she had been starting seeds “in a vacuum for years” and was excited to learn new techniques. An unanticipated beneﬁt, Goodwin Kueffner said, has been learning alongside gardeners of all ages and backgrounds. She’s planning on growing the fragrant Asian herb shiso for the ﬁrst time.

Learn more and register for the microgreens workshop at vtgardens.org.

MELISSA PASANEN

COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY

Carolyn Goodwin Kueffner thinning her plant starts in the new Landry Park greenhouse

NEWS YOU CAN REUSE.

Paula Routly

Cathy Resmer

Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

NEWS & POLITICS

Matthew Roy

Sasha Goldstein

Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page

Hannah Bassett, Derek Brouwer, Colin Flanders, Rachel Hellman, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak

ARTS & CULTURE

Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox

Chelsea Edgar, Margot Harrison, Pamela Polston

Jen Rose Smith

Alice Dodge

Chris Farnsworth

Rebecca Driscoll

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

Alice Dodge, Angela Simpson

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros

DIGITAL & VIDEO

Bryan Parmelee

Eva Sollberger

James Buck

Je Baron DESIGN

Don Eggert

Rev. Diane Sullivan

John James

Je Baron SALES & MARKETING

Colby Roberts

Robyn Birgisson

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka, Kaitlin Montgomery

Carolann Whitesell ADMINISTRATION

Marcy Stabile

Matt Weiner

Andy Watts

Gillian English

COUNCIL NEEDS UNITY

[Re “On Message? Democrats on the Burlington City Council Talked Business — and Gossiped — in a Group Text Chain,” March 26]: While our federal government gets dismantled by oligarchic pillagers, it is the mandate of local government to protect our residents — especially unhoused neighbors and immigrants who now call Burlington home.

This should be possible among our city council, composed of elected o cials committed to labels about democracy and progressivism. But text message threads revealed by Seven Days demonstrate that the Democratic caucus is more interested in disparaging its own constituents and council colleagues; comparing conversations about cats to Gaza, where ongoing genocide has taken countless lives; and writing o anyone with the audacity to hold a di erent opinion. In 171 pages of vitriol, there is little dissent; the Democrats just egg each other on.

Madison Storm CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jordan Adams, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Erik Esckilsen, 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, James Buck, Tim Newcomb, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly CIRCULATION: 35,000

Seven Days is published by Da Capo Publishing Inc. every Wednesday. It is distributed free of charge in greater Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, the Northeast Kingdom, Stowe, the Mad River Valley, Rutland, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury and White River Junction. Seven Days is printed at Quebecor Media Printing in Mirabel, Québec.

DELIVERY TECHNICIANS

Harry Applegate, Joe Bou ard, Pat Bou ard, Colin Clary, Julie Copley, Elana Coppola-Dyer, Matt Hagen, Russ Hagy, Karissa Hummel, Nat Michael,Frankie Moberg, Liam Mulqueen-Duquette, Dan Nesbitt, Dan Oklan, Ezra Oklan, Matt LaDuq Perry, Danielle Schneider, Andy Watts, Tracey Young With additional circulation support from PP&D.

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We are lucky to live in a small place where people are civically engaged. When those elected to represent our community talk about us behind our backs, relationships are harmed, as is the idea that elected o cials respect and care about their constituents. Among other negative impacts of these messages, it is the relational harm that hits hardest.

Burlington deserves a city council whose members work together in service of a thriving city. For the sake of Burlington’s civic health, it is past time for conﬂict mediation and relationship repair between the caucuses on city council. It is truly absurd that as the right dismantles our democracy, we cannot ﬁnd unity around the obligation to keep Burlingtonians safe and well. We hope that relational repair is a top priority of the incoming council.

Lena Greenberg & Andrew Simon BURLINGTON

‘SO UNPROFESSIONAL’

[Re “On Message? Democrats on the Burlington City Council Talked Business — and Gossiped — in a Group Text Chain,” March 26]: I am writing to express my outrage that the Democrats on the Burlington City Council chose to take my voicemail and phone conversation with Joan Shannon and use it as fodder for their group texts. I left voicemails and talked with some council members after they had voted for the second time in a year to not let democracy

happen. This was for the “apartheid-free community” pledge that more than 5 percent of registered voters signed to bring it to the voters on Town Meeting Day. Their texts back and forth to each other about my voicemail and my conversation with Joan were so unprofessional. I almost thought I was reading a group text between middle schoolers. Shame on you! Aren’t you all embarrassed? Now the question might be: What else have you been saying behind people’s backs?

Sally Lincoln NORTH FERRISBURGH

WHAT’S REALLY WRONG

The alcohol article [“Vermont’s Hangover: The Green Mountain State Has Long Had a Drinking Problem. It’s Time to Talk About It,” March 19] was yet another dismal reminder of how American culture and society are such grim failures for so many of us. It’s not that so many drink here: I’ve been in cultures where they imbibe far more liberally than here and do not have half the problems that we do with alcohol. What’s di erent here is that so many in America feel as though they have to resort to drinking like this just to make it through the day. Some years ago, a legislator in Vermont made a remark at a public forum that I have not forgotten. She said, in e ect, that “Americans live under pressures that are unknown in the rest of the democratic world.” The simple stress of living here, the enormous pressures thrust upon us by the nonsense of the American dream, and our hypercompetitive and destructive neoliberal society that does not believe in social safety nets and treats the failure to be a material success as a moral failing

It’s so discouraging when we see the Muskovite take healthy food away from kids. I believe others will read your article, and perhaps some will rethink.

Paul Ralston MIDDLEBURY

Ralston is the founder of Little Village Acres, an Addison County farm that gives away produce to Vermonters facing food insecurity.

PRAISE FOR PARENTING POEMS

With all due respect, I believe Jim Schley’s review of Julia C. Alter’s book Some Dark Familiar [“Reviews of Three New Books by Vermont Poets,” April 9] grossly misses the mark. Alter’s motherhood journey is not some ﬂimsy muse she uses to create her poems. It is an inescapable identity that can be, at times, overwhelming and all-consuming.

literally drive us to seek solace in the bottle or whatever else.

When we talk about alcoholism, drug addiction, housing and so on, we should also look at how American society itself produces these addictions. They are a sign of how much, and how deliberate, a failure the American society and its political system are.

Walter Carpenter MONTPELIER

LOCAL GROWERS LOSE

[Re “Local Losses: Federal Cuts, Funding Freezes and Uncertainty Threaten the Momentum of Vermont’s Local Food Movement,” April 2]: Thank you for a comprehensive and data-rich article. These programs have been so important for kids’ nutrition and learning, and they were the start of what could have been a reliable revenue source for local growers.

However, my experience reading this book of poetry was not grim; it was empowering. The reigning tenor for me was hope. I read her book while clutching my own new baby in my arms. Her poems helped me feel not so alone in the middle of the night. Her poems gave me strength. I felt seen in the myriad ways she honors the experience of parenting a small person.

I wish Schley’s review had honored her journey instead of attempting to diminish it to the realm of the “casually sordid.” Parenting isn’t some binary experience; it is a kaleidoscope, and this book is a gift for those navigating it.

Vanessa Compton BURLINGTON

CORRECTION

Last week’s story “Main Concern” incorrectly described Front Porch Forum as a nonprofit. The social media company is a for-profit Vermont public beneﬁt corporation.

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Thrifty BUSINESS

NEWS+POLITICS 14

Flowing Downhill

In Panton, the Vorsteveld dairy farm has struggled to address pollution issues. Now, its owners want to add another 580 animals to their herd.

Burlington Adopts

Zoning to Encourage Higher Ground Move

Prime Real Estate?

Amazon wants to build a warehouse in Essex. Vermonters aren’t pleased.

House Approves Sweeping

Education Reform Bill

State of Deportation

Federal action against foreign students reaches Vermont

FEATURES 28

Catching On Hinesburg’s Graham Walker, half brother of pro football player Patrick Mahomes, is closing in on his own NFL dream

ARTS+CULTURE 42

Living Between the Lines Abby Paige explores cross-border cultural identities in a new book of plays

Spreading the Word Weybridge Haiku Contest entrants share poems for our times

Page 32

Short takes on ﬁve Vermont books

Big Sky Country Claire Van Vliet’s pulp paintings bring clouds down to earth in Lyndonville

HERVermont Unveils Mural for Reproductive Justice

Nuovo Toscano

e son of the owners of the original Mediterranean bistro in Richmond has opened a Williston version

Tasty, Tried and True

Burlington’s Henry Street Deli doubles down on sandwiches to keep the neighborhood well fed

Find a new job in the classiﬁeds section on page 79 and online at jobs.sevendaysvt.com.

Seven Days freelance photographer Daria Bishop has been collecting PEZ candy dispensers for 20 years. She has about 600 and displays them on shallow shelves that she had specially built. Seven Days Eva Sollberger visited Bishop’s Burlington apartment to see her colorful collection.

MAGNIFICENT

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK COMPILED BY REBECCA DRISCOLL

Submit your upcoming events at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

FRIDAY 18 & SATURDAY 19

KEY PLAYERS

Renowned headliners and emerging artists — including Sean Mason (pictured) — hit all the right notes at the Vermont Jazz Center’s annual Solo Jazz Piano Festival in Brattleboro. A stacked lineup of master classes, performances and interviews brings to light the instrument’s vital impact on the genre’s history — and alludes to the endless melodic and rhythmic possibilities those ivory keys hold for the future.

SATURDAY 19

May the Forest Be With You

At the Montshire Museum of Science’s Earth Day Festival in Norwich, families reconnect with the great outdoors after a seemingly endless hibernation. Activities include a tour of the museum’s “compost plaza,” where tireless critters turn food waste into rich soil, and a guided forest walk that engages the senses and encourages mindfulness.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 66

SATURDAY 19

Some Bunny to Love

Springtime revelers from near and far ﬂock to Hop Into Spring at the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington. Kiddos nab holiday photo ops with seasonal folkloric icon the Easter Bunny — made all the more sweet by free treats from Lake Champlain Chocolates — while grown-ups browse egg-cellent deals at participating businesses all along the eclectic brick blocks.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 68

TUESDAY 22

Baroque and Beyond

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 65

WEDNESDAY 16

Early music meets modern American roots when collaborative ensemble Ruckus perform at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Hanover, N.H. One of the only period instrument rock bands, the group brings a playful, shape-shifting approach to the genre, revitalizing works of the Renaissance and early Baroque periods through an injection of spirit and ingenuity.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 68

Stop and Smell the Rosé

Here for the right Rieslings! e J Vineyards Wine

Dinner at the Essex Resort & Spa’s Junction restaurant features an exquisite three-course meal paired with four glasses from the California winery. Executive chef Gregory J. Lang marries palate pleasers such as fresh oysters and olive oil cake with complex, nuanced vinos introduced by vineyard expert Kylee Moffat.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 62

WEDNESDAY 23

Melodies of Madagascar

Self-taught Malagasy musician Mikahely kicks off Bread & Butter Farm’s Silo Sessions spring series in Shelburne. e singer-songwriter uses traditional East African instruments such as the 18-stringed valiha and 22-stringed marovany to perform original tunes inspired by the soothing folk music, lullabies and ceremonial rhythms of his native country.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 69

ONGOING

Shufﬂe It Off

e ﬁgure-focused “Mortal Coil” exhibit at K. Grant Fine Art in Vergennes showcases gripping works by artists such as Austin Furtak-Cole, Suzy Spence and Corrine Yonce. rough sundry mediums and vantage points, the show zeroes in on the grievances and entanglements of the human experience — particularly the vulnerability and intimacy of the physical form.

SEE GALLERY LISTING AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ART

Budding Industry

You’ll find two compelling business stories in this week’s Seven Days. Derek Brouwer’s colorful cover feature explores the thrift-store shopping trend and, in particular, the way the nonprofit ReSOURCE has successfully tapped in to it. Derek, a seasoned thrifter, calls its Williston store his “second home.”

This is also the week Seven Days publishes a guide to another rapidly expanding business sector: legal cannabis. Find the inaugural Vermont Cannabiz Guide inside this issue. It’s timed to arrive just before 4/20.

While our writers have been covering cannabis for years, we stepped it up with an entire publication because dispensaries and new cannabis-infused products are popping up everywhere. When it became legal to sell cannabis in Vermont for recreational use, or “adult use,” on October 1, 2022, there were just three dispensaries in the state where customers over the age of 21 could buy it. Two and a half years later, there are more than 100 of these operations, all mandated to sell only cannabis products that have been grown and manufactured in Vermont.

what I found, down to the stuffed buds crocheted by an employee that were for sale at the front counter.

But Sweetspot in Essex Junction totally surprised me. I had no idea what to expect from the nondescript, farmhouse-like building down the street from the Champlain Valley Exposition. There’s no windowshopping at these businesses; dispensaries can’t have anything inside visible to the outdoor public. Often, the only way to find out about their products and vibe is to walk inside.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

In fiscal year 2023, the cannabis sector reported more than $58 million in sales, according to data from the Vermont Department of Taxes. In fiscal year 2024, that number spiked to $128.5 million, which generated more than $18 million in tax revenue for the state.

The first time I bought cannabis, I got it from a medical marijuana dispensary in Burlington — I qualify to be a patient because I have multiple sclerosis. After filling out a ton of paperwork, paying $50 for a stateissued ID card that took forever to arrive and waiting months for an appointment at the dispensary, I finally purchased a tincture and a small bag of weed, which I barely touched.

Truthfully, I only persevered through the process so I could write about the experience for Seven Days’ 2016 Wellness Issue. At the time, journalists weren’t allowed to tour dispensaries, but I had an unusual way in. Lucky me!

My next foray into legal weed began a few weeks ago as I did research and sourced products for this guide. I visited several dispensaries for the first time, some I’d noticed before and one I found by looking through a spreadsheet we got from the state’s Cannabis Control Board.

I was surprised by how different, and frankly how interesting, these visits were.

Based on the name and signage, I was expecting Winooski Organics to be similar to a crunchy food co-op, full of educational materials about local producers and discerning but enthusiastic young staffers. Indeed, that’s

Entering Sweetspot felt like stepping into a spa. The sparse, tastefully appointed space is suffused with natural light; a mural in soothing colors dominates a back wall. To make purchases, customers approach an uncluttered counter that supports a bank of iPads. The welcoming attendant, or budtender, I spoke with proved eager to listen and offered nonjudgmental guidance. It was almost the opposite of what I found the few times I walked into “smoke shops,” filled with overstimulating, trippy tapestries and tie-dyed apparel, where employees would give you the side-eye if you didn’t look like a member of the canna club.

Over 21? It’s worth visiting your local dispensary, if only to experience this unusual retail environment that didn’t exist a few years ago.

Just be ready with your photo ID. You have to present it when you enter and again if you buy something. That’s one of several tips we included in the guide. In it, you’ll find a directory of licensed dispensaries, a glossary of terms, a few product recommendations — for cannabisinfused items such as beverages, edibles and whipped body butter — and some safety tips. The most important: Keep this stuff locked up and away from kids — and pets.

We hope this resource helps you better understand a relatively new sector of Vermont’s economy — and maybe find a way to chill out about the stressful state of the world, at least temporarily.

Cathy Resmer

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EDUCATION REFORM BILL ADVANCES

FEDS START DEPORTING STUDENTS

ENVIRONMENT

Flowing Downhill

In Panton, the Vorsteveld dairy farm has struggled to address pollution issues. Now, its owners want to add another 580 animals to their herd.

BY JOHN DILLON

Owners of a large Addison County dairy farm already found liable for polluting a neighbor’s land want to expand, raising concerns that increased runoff could damage a public water supply and worsen water quality in Lake Champlain.

The Vorsteveld brothers want to add another 580 animals to their Panton herd of about 1,500 mature cows and 1,500 young stock. The new animals would produce an additional 6.1 million gallons of liquid manure annually, according to the farm’s application.

About 60 people crowded into the Panton Town Hall on a blustery weekday morning earlier this month to hear details of the proposal, now under review by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Many residents spoke about pollution

problems in Lake Champlain and the farm’s record of environmental violations.

That history includes dredging and filling wetlands without a permit and

I USED TO SWIM IN THE LAKE. IT WAS PRISTINE, CLEAN WATERS ON ARNOLD BAY. AND NOW WE’VE GOT ALGAE BLOOMS.

PAULETTE BOGAN

allowing agricultural waste to ﬂow into a tributary of Dead Creek. In 2021, the farm agreed to pay $21,750 to settle the combined state enforcement actions.

Burlington Adopts Zoning to Encourage Higher Ground Move

BY COURTNEY LAMDIN courtney@sevendaysvt.com

Higher Ground is one step closer to moving to Pine Street in Burlington, thanks to a zoning change adopted by city councilors on Monday night. e new rules remove the previous 5,000-square-foot size limit on performing arts centers on Pine Street. e restriction would have prevented Higher Ground from considering a move, as the company previously eyed a space more than twice that size. e proposal passed unanimously, though newly elected Councilor Allie Schachter (D-East District) — who works as the development director for the Flynn — recused herself for a professional conﬂict of interest.

Monday’s vote was nearly delayed after a small hang-up on the ordinance’s wording. e proposal deﬁnes performing arts centers as “conditional uses,” a designation that requires a closer examination into whether a project could create undue noise or trafﬁc. Higher Ground, however, asked for the centers to be considered “permitted uses,” which would bypass some of that review.

After some debate, councilors decided to keep the wording as is.

“I would be very happy to entertain it and to deal with that when it comes,” Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 2) said of Higher Ground’s request. “But right now, I think that it’s appropriate for us to get this in place.”

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency last summer also sued the Vorstevelds, saying the farm destroyed wetlands and discharged pollutants in violation of the Clean Water Act. The case is pending in federal court. The Vorstevelds, through their attorney, have denied the civil charges.

Locals said they’ve seen the water quality worsen over time. They blame the farm for degrading the lake.

“I used to swim in the lake,” Paulette Bogan of Panton said. “It was pristine, clean waters on Arnold Bay. And now we’ve got algae blooms. We have this gigantic, brown, bubbly runo directly into the lake ... And we never had that 20 years ago.”

Higher Ground has been looking to abandon its current digs on Williston Road in South Burlington for years now. e company contacted Burlington ofﬁcials after plans to relocate to Burton Snowboards’ South End campus fell through last summer.

e company hasn’t revealed where on Pine Street it wants to move, but one possibility is Burlington City Arts’ headquarters at 405 Pine Street. e city department only uses a fraction of the 33,000-square-foot building, and the entities have worked together on that very site: For two years starting in summer 2021, Higher Ground hosted a weekly event series in the BCA Studios parking lot.

Councilors have enthusiastically supported the proposal, only raising some concerns about how the venue could draw trafﬁc to nearby residential neighborhoods. e council’s Ordinance Committee has suggested that staff look into creating resident-only parking zones on event nights. ➆

Workers at the Vorsteveld Farm in 2019

Prime Real Estate?

Would you trade your soul to get faster delivery of that touchscreen toaster you ordered?

Those are the stakes at play, opponents say only half-jokingly, as online retail giant Amazon eyes an expansion into Vermont. The Town of Essex is reviewing the company’s proposal to build its first-ever warehouse in the state, a 107,000-square-foot depot that would serve as a way station between Amazon’s larger regional distribution centers and Vermonters’ doorsteps.

Company officials say it would bring jobs and faster delivery times to a state not known for either. But residents and business owners who consider Amazon an affront to Vermont values are mounting spirited opposition. They bristle at the anticipated environmental and traffic impacts, as well as what they say Amazon and its billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, represent: corporate bullies willing to squeeze employees and pummel competition in their quest for endless profits.

“Vermont prides itself on strong labor protections and thriving small businesses. Amazon’s model undermines both,” said Bill Calfee, who has tried to take on the company with his Burlington-based e-commerce startup, Myti.

The debate over whether to welcome a controversial corporation for the sake of convenience is reminiscent of the

drawn-out and ultimately unsuccessful fight to keep Walmart out of Vermont in the 1990s. What’s different is that Amazon’s proposal comes at a time when anti-billionaire sentiment is growing.

“We already see what’s happening with Elon Musk and DOGE,” said Leah Beckhoff, 32, of Montpelier, during a rally against the Amazon proposal earlier this month in Essex. She was referring, of course, to Musk’s haphazard cuts of jobs and programs funded by the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency, which he heads.

Beckhoff held a cardboard sign that read “F*ck You Bezos.” Allowing Amazon to expand unabated, she said, would only further consolidate money and power in America.

Flowing Downhill « P.14

Panton resident Eileen Brennan said the Vorsteveld operation is not “an old nostalgic Vermont farm” with cows grazing on verdant hillsides. “We’re talking about a big business,” she said. “I think, in the interests of the town, we ought to consider this a business [that] could potentially have negative effects on the environment.”

One aspect of the Vorstevelds’ plans has residents particularly worried. The farm, which encompasses about 2,500 acres across multiple parcels, uses 119 miles of buried tile drains to divert water from its crop fields. The farmers are under a court order to stop the outflow from eroding and damaging a nearby property. They now hope to pipe that water downhill to nearby Arnold Bay, from which the Vergennes-Panton Water District draws water for about 5,100 households.

The problem, as many at the meeting saw it, is that the district’s water already fails health standards. It has exceeded limits for potentially carcinogenic chemicals formed when organic material reacts with chlorine used for disinfectant. Brennan and others worry that the Vorstevelds’ runoff could exacerbate the problem.

“We have an issue with our water supply,” Brennan said, turning to speak directly to farm owners Hans and Gerard Vorsteveld. (Rudy Vorsteveld, the third owner, was not present.)

“And I think about you every day when I have a glass of water or I cook my food or I brush my teeth, to think about my body in terms of absorbing contaminants. Now we don’t know that the runoff has been the cause. But we do know the runoff has been very proximate to the water facility.”

The pipeline project is not part of the farm expansion proposal under review by the ag agency. The Agency of Natural Resources said in an April 2 letter that no work should begin on the pipeline until “regulatory issues are resolved.”

The Vorstevelds’ farm expansion project falls under state antipollution regulations that have been found wanting by the EPA and are being revamped.

The state divides regulatory authority between the Agency of Agriculture — which also has the mission of promoting agriculture — and the Agency of Natural Resources, which is authorized by the feds under the U.S. Clean Water Act to regulate water pollution. In essence, the ag agency regulates farm practices to prevent polluted water from flowing from farms. ANR is supposed to step in if polluted water reaches a stream or lake.

That’s the theory. The system doesn’t work in practice, the EPA said in September, noting that farm pollution continues with little enforcement to curb it.

“The flaws in this program are preventing Vermont from adequately controlling phosphorus discharges from CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) which contribute to severe water quality problems in Lake Champlain,” the EPA said.

Phosphorus is the prime pollutant in Lake Champlain. A natural fertilizer found in organic matter, it fuels the toxic cyanobacteria blooms that foul the water and close beaches.

The EPA pointed out that Vermont has never issued a permit for a “concentrated animal feeding operation” even though there are 37 large operations in the state.

“The effect of the farm’s contempt over the last two years has been to continue using [the neighbor’s] land as a disposal site for its agricultural waste, thereby causing continued trespass, nuisance, and permanent injury to the land,” she wrote in a September ruling.

The farm’s neighbor says the damage continues. The Vorstevelds say they have complied with the court’s order by plugging the tile drains. The judge says the farm has to prove that, and a hearing is scheduled for April 24.

I CAN SEE THAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED. I DON’T HAVE ANSWERS FOR THEM WE’RE DOING WHAT’S REQUIRED BY THE STATE.

GERARD VORSTEVELD

The administration of Gov. Phil Scott hopes to address the EPA’s criticism with legislation and a plan that clarifies the role of the two state agencies. The legislative fix is attached to bills pending in the House and Senate. ANR Secretary Julie Moore said she’s hopeful lawmakers will act this session.

In a letter to Moore earlier this month, the EPA said the legislation shows the state has made progress in mending the bureaucratic divide. But the EPA has also repeatedly stressed that ANR needs to take the lead in controlling farm pollution, noting that Vermont has been on notice about its deficiencies for more than a decade.

At the meeting in Panton, resident Skip Masback said the EPA had rightly called out the “dysfunctional” relationship between ANR and the ag agency. He also questioned why the Vorstevelds should get a permit to expand when a state court has found that they have failed to address the runoff that’s damaged a neighbor’s land.

Judge Mary Miles Teachout has twice ruled the farm is in contempt of court for failing to stop the runoff as she ordered.

Masback asked the state to pause its review of the proposed farm expansion until the legal problems are sorted out. “You’re being asked to approve a scalingup of the farm, which is not in compliance with the [court] order,” he said. “You say it’s not your business because it’s not in the regs you apply. But I don’t understand why scaling-up their operation when the operation is in violation of a state judge’s order is not something you should take into consideration. Nor why you shouldn’t take into consideration that our water is not healthy.”

The bifurcated state oversight was on full display at the Panton meeting. Almost every time a resident raised concerns about water quality, Laura DiPietro, the ag agency’s director of water quality, directed the question to ANR. But no staffer from that agency was present.

When Masback asked whether the Vorstevelds needed a CAFO permit, for example, DiPietro said that’s not her call. “That is, again, the process of the Agency of Natural Resources,” she said. “I’m sorry. I feel like I keep saying that. But the reality is, when we do a consultation with ANR, that is their decision to make.”

DiPietro said Vermont is actually a national leader in farm regulation. She said the ag agency conducts frequent inspections of farms — a level of oversight she likened to a cop car at a speed trap that forces all the drivers to slow down.

As DiPietro explained, the agriculture agency’s review is not based on water quality testing. Instead, it relies on the numbers and models in a farm’s “nutrient management plan” to determine whether it could handle the amount of manure produced.

In the Vorstevelds’ case, the agency has already signaled approval. “Yes, they have adequate land base and adequate storage for the increase, plus what they currently have in their permit,” Brittany Cole, a water quality specialist at the agency, told the Panton crowd.

From left: Farm consultant Matthew Kittredge; Gerard Vorsteveld; Vorsteveld Farm’s lawyer, Miles Stafford; and Hans Vorsteveld

JOHN DILLON

Gerard Vorsteveld drinking water from his farm

Right to Harm?

Farmers seek protection from rare lawsuits

Panton dairy farmer Gerard Vorsteveld and his brothers lost in court three years ago after a neighbor sued them over polluted runoff. So now they’ve taken their argument to a new venue: the Vermont Statehouse.

The Vorstevelds and other farmers are urging lawmakers to make it harder for neighbors to sue over the sights, sounds and smells common in Vermont agricultural operations. They argue that the state should beef up legal protection in its existing rightto-farm law.

The legal battles that the Vorstevelds have faced have been emotionally and financially draining, and they don’t know if the farm can survive, Gerard Vorsteveld recently told lawmakers.

“The neighbor has way more resources to throw at this case than we do,” he said. “We have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on this, and the end is nowhere in sight.”

His voice at times choking with emotion, the Addison County farmer told the House Judiciary Committee during a public meeting that the pressure has been so intense and the potential $1,000-per-day penalties for contempt of court so frightening that he has considered selling his property to a developer. He’s even contemplated suicide, he said.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Vorsteveld said. “We do a good job farming. We’re good people. We work hard.”

The state’s current right-to-farm law contains language to protect farmers from nuisance suits when they are following the law and operating “consistent with good agricultural practices,” which are not defined. Critics say this unfairly puts the

burden on the farmer to prove they deserve the legal exemption.

“The law is completely confusing and inefficient and really doesn’t accomplish its goal” of protecting farmers, one of the Vorstevelds’ attorneys, Claudine Safar, told lawmakers.

The bill, S.45, would offer protection not just from nuisance suits but also from trespassing claims. In 2022, Judge Mary Miles Teachout ruled that the torrents of brown water that gushed off the Vorstevelds’ fields and onto neighboring lakefront property on its way into the lake was a form of trespassing and ordered the farm to put a stop to it.

The bill would protect farms from such suits if they follow state rules for things such as buffer zones around waterways and safe application of pesticides, and if they operate “consistent with proper and accepted customs and standards.”

Importantly, the bill would shift the burden onto the neighbors bringing the lawsuit to prove that a farmer was operating outside those standards.

The Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets strongly supports the change.

“Agriculture really is the backbone of Vermont, but the backbone is breaking,” Steve Collier, the agency’s general counsel, told lawmakers.

Vermont’s small dairy farms are struggling, and farmers such as the Vorstevelds have been running ever-growing operations in order to survive. The number of dairies in the state has decreased from 4,000 in the 1970s to 439 today.

As more former agricultural land is used for housing, the potential for conflicts between new residents and remaining farms increases, Collier said.

“No one is saying a farm should be

protected from a legitimate lawsuit,” Collier said. “What we’re saying is the ground rules should be clear, and they should be protected from frivolous lawsuits.”

Senators strongly supported the bill on a vote of 25-5. The proposal is facing a tougher time in the House, however.

Members of the House Judiciary Committee expressed sympathy with Vorsteveld for what he’s been through.

“I’m so sorry. This sounds really wild,” Rep. Angela Arsenault (D-Williston) told him.

But some committee members are hesitant to extend legal protections to farmers accused of trespass. It’s one thing to shield farmers from suits over dust or a stinky manure pit. It’s another when someone’s drinking water is being contaminated or their property physically damaged, said Rep. Martin LaLonde (D-South Burlington), chair of the committee.

In the Vorsteveld case, Teachout ruled that muddy water flowing off the farm was a direct result of the installation of a tile drainage system covering hundreds of acres of fields. The network of 119 miles of underground pipes discharges that turbid water downhill at high velocity “in a manner that physically invaded my client’s property,” said the neighbor’s attorney, Merrill Bent.

She shared with lawmakers photos and videos of the brown water running across her client’s land, known as Aerie Point, and the gullies left behind. She also showed images of foamy brown runoff flowing into Lake Champlain and the shoreline choked with a blue-green algae.

The Vorsteveld case was “an extreme outlier” and the only example Bent could find in the past 20 years of a farmer being sued over a nuisance or trespass claim, she said. That leads her to believe that the bill’s goal is not really to protect all farmers — just the three brothers in Panton.

In an interview last week, Vorsteveld said the bill was “not necessarily” related to his farm’s legal troubles.

But Bent contends otherwise. If farmers get immunized from trespassing claims, she’s certain the Vorstevelds’ attorney would immediately target Teachout’s judgment.

“That’s why the change is being pursued,” she said.

LaLonde said the bill needs input from the House committees on agriculture and environment before his committee can weigh in, a requirement that complicates its path to passage this session.

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EDUCATION

House Approves Sweeping Education Reform Bill

BY ALISON NOVAK alison@sevendaysvt.com

The Vermont House passed an education reform bill last Friday that takes a slower, more measured approach to reforming school funding and governance than the plan Gov. Phil Scott unveiled in January.

But it borrows several ideas from the governor’s proposal, including fewer school districts, class size minimums, universal graduation requirements for high school students and a shift to a foundation formula to fund schools.

While Scott’s proposal recommends that the more than 100 school districts in Vermont be consolidated into five regional school districts, the House bill calls for the creation of a subcommittee, made up of members with “deep experience in public education in Vermont,” that would meet this summer and fall and present three proposals for new school district boundaries to the legislature by December 1.

The legislature would finalize district boundaries during its 2026 session. The next year, the legislature would create voting wards within each school district for the election of school board members. The first elections for the new districts would occur in 2028.

The bill would end the practice of sending public dollars to independent schools outside of Vermont. In order to continue to be eligible to receive state dollars, independent schools in Vermont would have to show that at least 51 percent of their students were publicly funded as of July 1, 2025.

The bill calls for shifting funding for schools by 2029 to a foundation formula — which allows the state, not taxpayers, to determine how much it costs to educate each student. While the governor’s plan proposes a base funding rate of $13,200 per student, the House plan allocates $15,033 per student, with higher amounts for students living in poverty, those who qualify for special education and English language learners.

The measure is now in the Senate, where it is expected to face strong headwinds. ➆

But some farm experts doubt that assessment. “If farmers are operating within their regulated nutrient management plans, yet the water quality of Lake Champlain continues to decline, maybe it is time to question the effectiveness of the regulations,” said Meghan Sheradin, executive director of the Vermont Grass Farmers Alliance.

In an interview, Gerard Vorsteveld said they would build up the herd over time, not add 580 cows at once. “I can see that people are concerned. I don’t have answers for them. We’re doing what’s required by the state,” he said.

Some farmers at the Panton meeting praised the Vorsteveld operation as well run and technologically advanced. “These guys have done a great job for a very, very long time,” said Loren Wood, whose family owns three farms in the area. “They’ve got you folks from the state looking over their shoulder. And if they had done something wrong, you would have done something by now.”

But looming over the Vorsteveld’s operation is the EPA review, which is likely to change which state agency regulates the farm in the future.

Moore said that once lawmakers pass the enabling legislation to give her agency more regulatory control, ANR would clarify rules and rewrite permits. Soon, she said, her agency will have muck boots on the ground to check out farms. That work will “enable us to participate, or lead, I should say, farm inspections this summer on some highpriority farms, and kind of getting that part of our house in order.”

Moore said she would “hazard a

guess” that the Vorsteveld farm would be among the 10 slated to be inspected this summer.

Meanwhile, an environmental group that brought the legal action that led to the EPA’s review said the state’s proposed fix is still inadequate. Scott Sanderson, director of the farm and food program at the Conservation Law Foundation, said “shared jurisdiction” is the root cause of Vermont’s broken regulatory system. Yet the plan proposed by the state would continue to give the agriculture agency a major role in oversight.

Sanderson said that’s a mistake. “Consolidated authority can deliver what split jurisdiction couldn’t: effective, fair and predictable regulation that benefits water quality, communities and farmers alike,” he said.

The EPA said in January that the state’s “corrective action plan” should clarify that the agriculture agency “does not have authority to regulate farms pursuant to the Clean Water Act … ANR is the only state entity … authorized to determine, for Clean Water Act purposes, whether a discharge to a surface water has or is occurring.”

But ag agency Secretary Anson Tebbetts pointed out that the Vorsteveld expansion is being reviewed under Vermont’s current regulatory regime, which gives his agency the lead in permitting large farms.

“The thing that’s before us today is an application. And they are asking the Agency of Agriculture, ‘Can I build some structures, and can I add some more animals?’ And that’s what we’re dealing with,” he said.

The agency has 45 days to rule on the brothers’ application. ➆

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Prime Real Estate? « P.15

“I’m worried about what that could mean for what’s left of our democracy,” she said.

Amazon’s public relations team declined an interview request but said in a statement that the proposal was still in the “early planning stages.” A company rep who attended a meeting in Essex last month said it would benefit Amazon’s “many” customers in Vermont.

Exactly how many is hard to know. Vermont for years relied on consumers to self-report online purchases in order to collect the 6 percent state sales tax. That changed in 2017, when Amazon agreed to start collecting the levy on its end — a move that state economists estimated then would bring in more than $5 million in new revenue each year.

Asked about the current figures, the state tax department said it could not disclose the dollar amounts it collects from individual businesses. But sales spiked during the pandemic, when housebound shoppers were lured by two-day delivery and endless streaming options available through paid Amazon Prime accounts.

The Vermont warehouse is part of Amazon’s plan to hasten shipments. The company used to rely entirely on thirdparty distributors to deliver its packages. That began to change after a massive backlog at UPS during the holidays in 2013 meant many gifts ordered from Amazon arrived after Christmas.

The resulting blow to the company’s reputation prompted Bezos to begin building his own distribution network, one that would put goods closer to customers, said Marc Wulfraat, who closely tracks Amazon’s growth as president of the Montréal-based firm MWPVL International.

The company started by putting warehouses in some of America’s largest cities, then expanded into rural areas, including parts of New England, using smaller buildings such as the one now proposed in Essex.

Nearly 600 so-called “delivery stations” have been built to date, including about 100 in low-population, rural areas, Wulfraat said, and the company has revealed plans for another 100 in the near future.

While Amazon still has contracts with UPS and the U.S. Postal Service for “lastmile” service, Wulfraat estimates that the company will eventually be able to deliver about 95 percent of its own orders. He said it’s already on track this year to deliver some 500 million orders that UPS would have previously.

Wulfraat isn’t surprised by Amazon’s foray into Vermont. The company is

essentially taking a list of American cities, sorting by descending order of population and plopping down a new warehouse wherever it can, he said. With more than 100,000 people, the Burlington metropolitan area has been “long overdue,” Wulfraat said.

The Vermont warehouse is proposed for a 23-acre parcel off Thompson Drive in Essex’s Saxon Hill Industrial Park, where large manufacturers and distributors — including Autumn Harp, Blodgett and Performance Foodservice — are located. The park is removed from large residential areas, though some who live nearby have complained about the flow of big-truck traffic between the park and Interstate 89, several miles away.

VERMONT PRIDES ITSELF ON STRONG LABOR PROTECTIONS AND THRIVING SMALL BUSINESSES. AMAZON’S MODEL UNDERMINES BOTH.

BILL CALFEE

Company officials estimate that one or two tractor trailers would arrive at the Amazon facility each hour between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. to deliver packages from bigger warehouses, most likely those in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Workers would sort the packages and load them into a fleet of Amazon-branded vans to be delivered to homes and businesses in a 70-mile radius.

Amazon warehouses of this size haven’t always been well received by locals. In Milford, Mass., where the company opened one of its first rural delivery stations in 2016, neighbors reported that drivers were urinating behind shrubbery, speeding down quiet streets and crashing into other motorists.

Labor unions point to such concerns when trying to convince cities and towns to block Amazon’s proposals. The coordinated efforts are meant to protect unionized UPS jobs and foster support for future campaigns to organize labor unions at Amazon facilities, the financial news outlet Bloomberg has reported. But the development plans often go unnoticed until it is too late to mount a meaningful opposition.

The Vermont proposal came to light last month during a meeting of Essex’s Conservation and Trails Committee, which vets all development plans and

offers recommendations. News quickly spread, and members of the town’s Development Review Board, which must sign off on projects before they can break ground, arrived at a March 20 hearing to find a standing-room-only crowd of 80, with dozens more watching virtually.

When it was their turn to speak, opponents attacked the proposal from every angle. They raised traffic and environmental concerns, highlighted the well-documented poor working conditions at other Amazon warehouses, and questioned the company’s long-term commitment to Vermont. Earlier this year, Amazon announced that it was shutting down seven facilities in Québec after workers at one of them unionized.

The hearing dragged into the late hours of the night, prompting board members to postpone a decision until their May 1 meeting. That’s been moved to Essex High School in anticipation of another large, contentious crowd.

Whether the opposition can actually kill the project is unclear. Towns must vet development proposals based on their preapproved zoning codes, which mostly deal with “geometric considerations” such as building size, setbacks and stormwater mitigation measures, Essex town planner Kent Johnson said.

“They do not involve criteria about business practices or labor issues or how that company competes with other companies,” Johnson said.

Opponents have tried to find reasons the project may run afoul of local zoning codes, such as a somewhat vague requirement that developments be kept “in harmony with nature.” But a staff report from Essex’s planning department suggests the project mostly passes regulatory muster.

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The one area where it doesn’t — a required 50-foot buffer between the road and building — has been waived for previous applicants, including one just weeks ago. Ignoring that precedent because people don’t like Amazon could open the door to litigation.

Among those planning to attend next month’s meeting is Renee Reiner, the cofounder of Phoenix Books, which has storefronts in Essex, Burlington and Rutland.

Reiner bought her first bookstore with her husband in 1995, the year after Bezos launched Amazon as an online bookseller. Even then, Reiner said, she recognized that the platform would one day hawk more than just hardcovers and paperbacks. Yet she never thought she’d see the day that Amazon would be plotting to blanket Chittenden County — and beyond — with its own delivery vans.

The company’s presence would lead more people to buy from Amazon, she opined, dealing yet another blow to local businesses such as hers. Phoenix Books recently relocated its Burlington shop to Church Street, a high-traffic location with an equally high rent. Even a small drop in business could spell doom, she said.

Wulfraat, the Montréal consultant, doubted that the warehouse would pose much of a threat to the local economy. “Mainly because that threat happened a long time ago,” he said. If a bookstore is still in business in 2025, he added, it’s because its owners are “doing a good job.”

But Reiner worries her efforts eventually won’t be enough. She vowed to fight the company until the bitter end.

“Jeff Bezos wants to wipe me off the face of the planet,” Reiner said. “I just want to do the same to him.” ➆

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State of Deportation

Federal action against foreign students prompts call to declare Vermont prisons off-limits to ICE

BY COLIN FLANDERS, KEVIN MCCALLUM & ALISON NOVAK

Hundreds of activists on Monday shut down Elmwood Avenue in Burlington to protest outside the federal building as a judge considered the case of a Tufts University grad student who was plucked off the street outside Boston by ICE agents.

Even as those protesters sang and waved signs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents in Colchester, some of them masked, detained a Palestinian man who is a legal resident of the U.S. and who led demonstrations at Columbia University.

In response to the arrest, Senate leaders on Tuesday called on Gov. Phil Scott to cancel Vermont’s agreement allowing immigration officials to house detainees in state prisons for $180 a day. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth (D/PChittenden-Central) said “masked snatching” by agents in unmarked vehicles is causing Americans to lose trust in federal authorities.

Scott didn’t address the use of state prisons. But he did call for more information about the arrest.

“What cannot be justified is how this action was undertaken,” he said. “Law enforcement officers in this country should not operate in the shadows or hide behind masks.”

Also in Vermont, two Nicaraguan students attending high school are headed home before the end of the school year, after President Donald Trump’s administration revoked their legal status.

These cases show how Trump’s approach to immigration enforcement has played out so far in Vermont. Here are excerpts from breaking stories that Seven Days reporters filed about each situation; you can read the full versions at sevendaysvt.com.

DIPLOMA TO GO

Two Champlain Valley Union High School students will head home by the end of April after the Trump administration revoked the legal protections they had been granted.

The siblings, both seniors, won’t legally challenge the order and will return to Central America soon, according to Christina Daudelin, a district employee. Before that, though, the school will host a private graduation ceremony this week for them.

They have enough credits to graduate, Daudelin said.

Homeland Security has terminated humanitarian parole status for people from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The order affects around 532,000 people who came to the U.S. since October 2022, according to the Associated Press. Former president Joe Biden had instituted the program — which allowed up to 30,000 to come each month — to encourage legal immigration.

A judge has paused the Trump administration’s revocation, but the students still plan to leave the country, school officials said.

The district’s superintendent, Adam Bunting, announced the news in an email to the community. He noted that the students had come to the U.S. legally.

“To deport these students is not only heartbreaking for those of us who know them personally — it also contradicts the very values Vermonters work to instill in our young people,” he wrote.

A.N.

DEPORT VIA VERMONT?

Monday’s rally in Burlington was to draw attention to the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish doctoral student who was arrested near Boston last month by masked ICE agents.

Federal authorities have accused the Tufts University grad student of engaging in activities “in support of Hamas” without citing evidence. Ozturk’s attorneys say she was targeted for cowriting an op-ed in a student newspaper criticizing the university’s response to the war in Gaza.

In an affidavit, Ozturk says she believed she was being abducted, not arrested, on March 25, and that she feared for her life. She was unaware that the government had revoked her visa, she said, or that the men who put her into a van were immigration authorities. She was denied a call to a lawyer, she said.

She was driven to New Hampshire and later to Vermont, then flown to Louisiana, where she remains in custody.

Ozturk described conditions at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile as “unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane.” She and 23 others share a cell meant for 14 people, she said. She has been suffering from asthma attacks, and her requests for medication she’s prescribed have been denied. So have her requests for a Quran and a prayer rug, she said.

“I pray every day for my release,” she said.

She has been in Tufts’ Child Study and Human Development program and said she is eager to complete work on her PhD, which she has been pursuing for five years.

A judge is expected to rule soon on whether her case will be heard in Burlington.

C.F.

ACTIVIST DETAINED

The arrest of the Palestinian activist on Monday prompted an outcry from supporters and elected officials, including a state senator who took video of him being led away.

Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal U.S. resident and one of the leaders of the pro-Palestine movement at Columbia University, had been called in for a “naturalization

interview” at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Office and was promptly arrested, according to his attorneys.

Vermont Sen. Becca White (D-Windsor), who posted videos of the incident to social media, called his detention “outrageous.” U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said in a statement it was “immoral, inhumane, and illegal.”

“This is a violation of everything that America stands for,” White said.

White, who referred to Mahdawi as a constituent and a friend, recorded him being led out of a building in handcuffs by escorts who wore hoods and face coverings. They placed Mahdawi in an unmarked SUV.

“Our friend Mohsen is being taken by whoever these people are,” White says in the video. “They say they are diplomatic security services. This is very concerning.”

Mahdawi grew up in a refugee camp in the West Bank and moved to the U.S. in 2014, receiving his green card in 2015.

IMMIGRATION

He was a student at Columbia University and was planning to graduate next month before starting a master’s degree in the fall, according to legal filings.

He cofounded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia in 2023 to “celebrate Palestinian culture, history, and identity,” according to legal filings. The group later advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mahdawi’s supporters were worried that he would be arrested, so he went to Monday’s interview with an attorney. After his arrest, his legal team filed an emergency motion in U.S. District Court demanding he be kept in Vermont.

Judge William K. Sessions III signed an order on Monday afternoon that says Mahdawi must not be removed from the U.S. or Vermont “pending further order of this Court.”

In their motion, Mahdawi’s attorneys argued that his arrest was part of an effort to “retaliate and punish noncitizens for their speech and expressive conduct related to Palestine and Israel.”

As of Monday, Mahdawi was being held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, according to one of his attorneys, Andrew Delaney.

Mohsen Mahdawi during a 2023 “60 Minutes” segment

Rumeysa Ozturk

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‘WHY DID THEY WAIT SO LONG?’

[Re “Bern Rekindled: In a New Trump Era, Bernie Sanders’ Crusade Against Oligarchy Is Resonating With Americans Once Again,” February 26; “Vermont’s Congressional Delegation Vows to Fight On Against Trump,” February 26, online; “Sanders to Kick Off Round Two of His ‘Fight Oligarchy’ Tour,” February 28, online]: It’s good to see our elected officials stirred up, but we should be asking ourselves: Why did they wait so long?

Why didn’t they get stirred up when Americans were telling them that they were struggling to make ends meet; or when tens of thousands of illegals were streaming over our southern border, bringing with them rapists, murderers, gang members and drug dealers; or when women’s and girls’ sports were being threatened by men and boys pretending to be women and girls and taking home the trophies because, after all, they’re men and boys; or when our constitutional right to free speech was being denied us as we were bullied by the so-called “woke agenda”? It’s astounding that the majority of voters found the direction of the Democratic party so ludicrous that they looked to Donald Trump as a point of sanity.

Even locally, why did it take the loss of their supermajority in Montpelier for the Dems to finally announce, “We hear you!” Why didn’t you hear us before?

Another question we should ask is: Why are we presented with only these two choices: the manic slash-and-burn policies of the self-made royal Donald Trump or an administration of do-nothings who allow their political friends to walk all over the American people?

Sanders and his buddies may not like what the president is doing, but if their alternative is simply going back to the way things used to be, we just might have a Trump presidency through 2032.

Douglas Hoffman BURLINGTON

‘STANDING

UP FOR IMMIGRANTS’

[Re Feedback: “Word Missing,” March 19]: Letter-to-the-editor writer Brenda Waters thinks the placard of a “Powder to the People” protester was missing the word “illegal.”

Perhaps the protester was standing up for immigrants who have contributed hugely to the U.S. economy for generations by harvesting food, milking cows and processing chickens to feed us.

Maybe the protester was voicing support for the hundreds of Afghan people who have immigrated to Vermont to avoid

being killed for working with American troops in their homeland.

The protester might have been supporting the nurses, doctors, technicians and nursing assistants who have immigrated to the U.S. to work in hospitals, nursing homes and home care.

Waters did not mention that, in 2024, there was a bipartisan immigration reform bill that would have supported repairing our broken immigration system. What happened? Republicans blocked passage of the bill in order to satisfy then-candidate Donald Trump’s wish to abuse the issue in his campaign.

Republicans in Congress seem content to sit back while President Trump continues to break laws with impunity. That is what I mean when I say illegal.

Sally Cook BURLINGTON

LEADERSHIP, NOT SILENCE

[Re “Lying Low: Gov. Phil Scott’s Subdued Response to President Donald Trump Is Frustrating Some Vermonters,” March 12]:

We have been warned by historians and scholars that the slide into authoritarianism begins with people who give power away freely.

We are just over two months into this new administration, and the consequences are undeniable. This isn’t like last time. Anyone paying attention knows that. Vermonters are paying attention, as evidenced by the continuous protesting and the rise of grassroots groups across the state.

Vermont will not be immune to the turbulence gripping the nation. The stress felt by individuals around the state is palpable.

The people of Vermont deserve to hear from their governor. Gov. Phil Scott should

Participate in any way you can. Through our united actions, “We shall overcome.”

David Rosen BRISTOL

ON TO SAUNDERS

I can see exactly what Education Secretary Zoie Saunders is doing [“Public Education: Zoie Saunders Would Prefer to Lead Vermont’s Schools From Behind the Scenes. But She Can’t Escape the Spotlight,” March 26]. She is manufacturing the corporate takeover of Vermont’s public schools. This is evident as Saunders hired an outside company, Denver-based APA Consulting, to develop her proposal. Being a Democrat means nothing when you favor corporate schemes over local knowledge and culture.

convene a town hall. A town hall isn’t just a political courtesy; it’s a moral obligation. His job is not to stand up to the president, but it is to stand up for Vermonters. And if the policies coming out of Washington, D.C., harm our communities, our environment or our values, then silence should not be an option.

He needs to be transparent about where he agrees with his Republican Party and where he does not.

Vermonters are angry. Vermonters are afraid. And we are right to be. Scott can either acknowledge that reality and lead — or he can continue and watch as his party takes the state and the nation down a dangerous path.

Karen Cotrone NEW HAVEN

‘DON’T MOURN; ORGANIZE’

[Re “Thousands of Vermonters Turn Out to Protest Trump, Musk,” April 5]: As I prepared for the Hands Off demonstration on April 5, thoughts of August 28, 1963, came to mind.

As a 17-year-old part-time employee at the Smithsonian Institution, while sitting on a bench eating lunch, I watched thousands of people march down the National Mall on their way to the Washington Monument to hear Martin Luther King Jr. speak. Seeing the March on Washington showed me the power of being united for a cause. That day sparked the work that influenced the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“Power to the people” and “Don’t mourn; organize” are more than phrases. We must remember that evil wins when good people do nothing.

Join protests or drive by and honk, as both show support for one another.

I appreciate the quote from Don Tinney, president of the Vermont-NEA teachers’ union. It’s very telling. If Saunders truly valued the unique culture of Vermont’s public schools, she would develop a plan that supported them and ensured their survival for current and future children, not one that will decimate them while boosting corporate profits.

If Saunders truly listened to Vermonters, she would address skyrocketing health insurance and construction costs, more money leaving communities and lining the pockets of greedy corporations at the expense of local schools.

Ethan Stein BURLINGTON

‘MORE THAN PLAYGROUND LIGHTS’

Thank you, Seven Days, for an inclusive article about Vermont education [“Public Education: Zoie Saunders Would Prefer to Lead Vermont’s Schools From Behind the Scenes. But She Can’t Escape the Spotlight,” March 26]. Educators have created innovative and affordable curricula and learning styles. Sports, music, drama and the arts complement academics. During COVID-19, educators were asked to do many additional tasks. We all learned how critical a school community can be.

Vermont is rich with learning models. The $400,000 paid to Denver-based APA Consulting would have gone a long way for our schools. Retired-teacher associations throughout Vermont are structured to provide useful information. Enlisting classroom teachers — experience — is a good way to embrace the future education of all students. It is more than benches and playground lights.

Ruth Furman JERICHO

Protesters in the Mad River Valley

COURTESY OF ERIN MINICHIELLO

lifelines

OBITUARIES

The Rev. Janet K. Brown

AUGUST 1, 1942-APRIL 5, 2025

JERICHO, VT.

e Rev. Janet Kelly Brown, Vermont’s ﬁrst woman to be ordained an Episcopal priest and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Milton and Burlington for 29 years, died on April 5, 2025, after a brief illness. She was 82. A service in celebration of her life will be on May 10, 2025, 11 a.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington, with the Right Rev. Tom Ely presiding. A reception will follow at St. James Episcopal Church in Essex Junction.

Janet was extraordinarily kind and an attentive listener. She

Cynthia Dudley Case

1951-2025

GRANTHAM, N.H.

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

found great joy in her love of God and brought an assurance of God’s love to her preaching and her life. “St. Patrick’s Breastplate,” sung at her ordination ceremony, was her favorite hymn, rooted in her deep fondness for her Irish heritage. She was born in Queens, N.Y., on August 1, 1942, and moved with her parents to Barre at the age of 11 and subsequently to East Calais. A 1960 graduate of Spaulding High School, she received a degree in British literature from Swarthmore College in 1964. In 1965 she received a master of arts degree in teaching from Wesleyan College. at September, she married John R. B. Brown. John and Janet settled in Montpelier and subsequently bought a house in Woodbury. She taught English at Spaulding

Cynthia Copello Dudley Case passed away on February 19, 2025, at the age of 73 at her winter home in Juan Dolio, Dominican Republic. Born in 1951 in Washington, D.C., to Robert W. Dudley and Argentina Copello Dudley, she was the third of six children. She attended the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Chatham Hall, a boarding school in Virginia. Cynthia completed her undergraduate degree at Tufts University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1978. She went on to enjoy her time working at Design Research in Cambridge, Mass., but spent most of her career in electronic banking. She spent many years working for Automatic Data Processing (ADP), rising to the position of one of the ﬁrst female VPs before starting her own consulting business with her business partner and longtime friend, Jean Woodworth Sorem.

High School, where her younger brother, Brian T. Kelly, was a student. John and Janet’s ﬁrst child, Michael David, was born in December 1969. ey moved to Williston in 1970 and had a daughter, Deborah Jean, in September 1971. Janet began graduate-level studies in the 1980s and subsequently received a master of arts in counseling psychology from Antioch University New England in Keene, N.H.

Janet trained for the priesthood by reading for orders. ree priests supported her studies and discernment process: the Rev. George Anderson (St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, Hardwick), the Rev. David Brown (Christ Episcopal Church, Montpelier) and the Rev. Alexander J. Smith (St. James, Essex Junction). Father Smith was Rector at St. James, from which she was ordained.

Janet made Vermont history on January 6, 1977, when she became the second woman nationwide to be “regularly ordained” under the national Episcopal Church’s ordination canons, which were

with encouragement and support, she looked to see where she could make a difference.

After losing her own mother to cancer, Cynthia became even closer to her aunt Margarita and her Dominican family, ultimately buying an apartment there and spending winters in paradise, as she called it. She had a great love of milk chocolate, a superb head for business and a big heart.

Cynthia — Cindy, to some — was a generous spirit who loved to hear people’s life stories, even after only knowing them for a few hours. She delighted in making sure that everyone felt seen and valued, recognizing their strengths and potential. Always excited to identify opportunities to provide people

After the passing of her friend Minnie Waddell, she quietly founded the nonproﬁt Minnie’s Helping Hand, which is dedicated to supporting organizations that improve the lives of kids with autism. Cynthia also enjoyed spending time with friends, playing merciless backgammon, envisioning and bringing to fruition various renovation projects, reading on the porch, helping those in her orbit, and watching hummingbirds in her backyard.

Cynthia loved her family and friends deeply, as they did her. She leaves behind her loving husband of almost 37 years, David W. Case, of Grantham, N.H.; her beloved daughter, Jen Dudley-Gaillard, and son-in-love, Rob Ricketson; and treasured granddaughter, Rosa Ricketson, of West Bolton, Vt.; as well as numerous cherished family and friends throughout the world. A celebration of life will be held in November in the Dominican Republic. In lieu of ﬂowers, please make a donation to the nonproﬁt Minnie’s Helping Hand, PO Box 1075, Grantham, NH 03753.

amended late in 1976 to apply equally to men and women.

During her career, Janet served Vermont parishes in many different capacities for nearly 50 years — in Richford, Milton and Enosburg Falls; and at Grace Episcopal Church in Sheldon, where she served as a priest for more than 20 years. She also was an interim priest for several churches in Vermont and a longtime supply priest. After her retirement in 2023, she returned to St. James as a parishioner.

Janet was integral to several Christian education programs, including Cursillo and the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont’s Rock Point Summer Conferences in Burlington.

Janet is survived by her partner of 37 years, Jean Townsend; her son, Michael Brown, of Jericho; and her daughter, Deborah Brown, and a grandchild, Ell Stryker, of Portland, Ore. She was predeceased by John Brown and her brother, Brian.

In lieu of ﬂowers, the family requests donations be made to local food banks and food shelves.

CELEBRATION

Honoring Mark Utter

Join us Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Main Street Landing Film House, Burlington. Desserts at 1 p.m.; program at 2 p.m. Celebrate Mark Utter’s life through stories, videos and laughter. Actor Paul Schnabel will emcee. ank you to Main Street Landing for hosting.

For more details or live stream info, contact Emily at emily@gmsavt.org.

IN MEMORIAM

Roland Vautour

1929-2024

Please join his family and friends for a celebration of life for Roland R. Vautour on Sunday, May 4, 2025, 1 p.m., at the Meeting House at the Village at Smugglers’ Notch Resort. All are welcome. Reception to follow.

Adrian Vittorio Languasco

FEBRUARY 14, 1932APRIL 11, 2025

COLCHESTER, VT.

Adrian Vittorio Languasco of Colchester, Vt., passed away peacefully on April 11, 2025, at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Adrian Languasco’s life epitomizes the Italian concept of living la dolce vita. He always savored the simple pleasures, with a smile on his face. He danced through raindrops and lived a remarkable life.

Adrian was born in Imperia Oneglia, Italy, on St. Valentine’s Day in 1932, a most ﬁtting day for someone who had so much love to share. Adrian spent his younger years in Italy during World War II. Even in a time of war, Adrian found the beauty that surrounded him by traveling the Italian foothills past occupying army soldiers to visit neighboring rabbit farms. He loved the time he got to spend with his sisters,

Stephen MacCausland

MARCH 20, 1944FEBRUARY 16, 2025 FAIRFIELD, VT.

Steve grew up in Newton, Mass., where his siblings (Sandy, Janet and Diane) had to live with all forms of lepidoptera, reptiles and amphibians. To be his roommate meant living with Steve and his snakes. His childhood on the Cape fostered a lifelong craving for oyster stew and quahogs.

Julie and Mirella, and would happily play any games they chose. e love and respect he had for his sisters and his mother were formative and something that he would carry with him throughout his life. He would always remark on the power of women and how he believed that they could do anything.

Adrian and his family left Italy for the U.S. when he was 17 years old. ey entered the U.S. through Ellis Island in New York, settled in Hackensack, N.J., and then moved to Forest Hills, N.Y.

Adrian proudly served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He made the most of his time, trading his rations for money to be able to travel during his R&R. After his military service, Adrian explored different jobs, from bike delivery to the Fiat factory, but knew that these types of jobs would not make him happy. He studied Romance languages, receiving his BA from New York City College, followed by his master’s degree from Columbia University and his doctorate from Ca’ Forscari, University of Venice. Adrian found one of his true loves — teaching through language.

Adrian returned to Italy and in his travels saw a beautiful woman sitting on the shoreline of Diano Marina. is woman was Ingeborg, who would later become his wife. ey built their lifelong relationship on language, with French being their language of love. ey would later move to New York City together and then settle in Vermont.

Steve roamed America with his lifelong friends from Newton and the University of Vermont, creatively keeping his commitment to the Marine Reserves to avoid going to war. In 1975, he settled

on Fairﬁeld, Vt., in search of maple trees to tap.

Steve moved to Northrop

Adrian taught Romance languages at Saint Michael’s College for 52 years. He truly embraced every moment of his teaching career. He taught his students with passion and humor — making sure that every student knew how to say in Italian, “Waiter, this tastes like the leather on the bottom of my shoe.”

Adrian made lifelong friends at Saint Michael’s College who he cherished through his ﬁnal days. His love of the college would translate in naming his only child — Michael.

Adrian loved his son and his family with all of his heart. He brought his family to amazing places in the world. He made sure they climbed every mountain. When home with his family, one of his favorite pastimes was to tell stories of the past. Adrian was a gifted storyteller and could weave a story for hours.

Adrian is survived by his wife, Ingeborg; son, Michael; daughter-in-law, Deborah; grandson, Leonardo; sister Julie Languasco Foley and her husband, Lieutenant General Retired Robert Foley, and their children, Mark, David and Sara; and niece, Cinzia Berletti, her husband, Lorenzo Papa, and their children Luca, Vanessa and Alessia. Adrian was predeceased by his mother, Maria Carmen Languasco; his father, Bernardo Languasco; and his sister Mirella Berletti.

Adrian’s friends who were by his side during his adventures, your support and impact will not be forgotten.

At the age of 52, Adrian decided he would like to run marathons. He found great joy in running and would go on to run 25 marathons plus many other races around the world. He spent his retirement on the bike path of Burlington along the beautiful shore of Lake Champlain; he was either on his bike or his cross-country skis. When not on his bike path or exploring, he could be found watching his favorite soccer team, Sampdoria.

Road in 1979 with his life partner (Julie Wolcott), two children (Seth and Naomi), seven draft horses, ﬁve goats, and a dog, dreaming of sugaring and homesteading. His family grew to six with the addition of two (Phoebe and Zena). With Steve’s vision, high standards, attention to detail and work ethic, Green Wind Farm evolved into a special place. It grew to include multiple post-and-beam buildings, a sugar bush, a Jersey dairy, a fruit orchard and a productive garden. His mediums were the raw materials of wood, stone and soil. He embraced traditional ways of working and living. He was most comfortable in the woods and

working with wood, raising cecropia caterpillars, and exploring Tiffany’s pond with his grandchildren (Jasper, Tye, Emilio and Lila).

Steve exhibited his beliefs, values and preferences in all situations. He listened to Stan Getz while milking, watched Bergman films, and read works of nonfiction for himself and Mother Goose to the kids. He had a mischievous grin that often turned into a story, song or game. At the Raw Milk Theater, he was a weaver of tales of fact and fiction. He entertained the crowd with a frog chorus. He was a dreamer, homesteader, historian and romantic.

In lieu of ﬂowers, please consider a contribution to the Saint Michael’s College Romance Language Scholarship Fund in honor of Adrian Languasco.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, April 21, 2025, 4:30-7 p.m., at Ready Funeral Home, 216 Shelburne Rd., Burlington, VT. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 10 a.m., at Saint Michael’s College, the Chapel of the Archangel Michael, with interment to follow at Saint Michael’s College Merrill Cemetery, followed by a reception. School is in session; allow extra time for parking.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To send online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.

To the people who made his ﬁnal years, months and days so wonderful, we sincerely appreciate you. To honor the memory of Adrian — wear something colorful, go outside and enjoy the day, skip a responsibility, and take that trip you always wanted to!

Steve was a self-taught old-school farmer and lifelong teacher. Friends have commented: “Everything I know (about sugaring) I learned from Steve;” “There are very few, if any, who have affected me as much as Steve.” He was a keeper of rituals, always making a butternut pie for Thanksgiving.

Steve passed listening to John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” with his partner and children by his side. He is still present for all who knew him. His work and character are embedded throughout Green Wind Farm, where he is buried. A celebration of life will be held in July.

We’re here to help. Our obituary and in memoriam services are affordable, accessible and handled with personal care. Share your loved one’s story with the local community in Lifelines. Post your obituary or in memoriam online and in print at sevendaysvt.com/lifelines Or contact us at lifelines@sevendaysvt.com or 865-1020 ext. 121.

Thrifty BUSINESS

ReSOURCE’s growing reuse empire looks a lot like Vermont

Full disclosure: ReSOURCE is my second home.

More precisely, the stuff I’ve acquired from Vermont’s largest homegrown thrift-store chain fills much of my actual home. The store’s never-ending stream of affordably priced, donated goods has supplied the scuffed-up oil painting that hangs on my apartment wall and the plastic storage containers I use to organize my pantry.

I wear $3 button-up shirts to the office and, last summer, attended a wedding in $2 leather shoes that I plucked from the repurposed meat coolers where ReSOURCE displays footwear at its flagship store in Williston. The soles fell apart soon thereafter.

I’ve purchased a steel bicycle as a gift ($40) and an illustrated manual on how to give a good massage ($1). To save money, I recently gave up weekend trips to local coffee shops by buying a used $50 Nespresso machine. ReSOURCE functions as the enabler of my growing collection of ceramic dog figurines and a means by which I, at age 35, try to pull together the trappings of a middle-class life when that is more expensive than ever.

The Burlington area, where I live, boasts many sources for secondhand scores. Several houses of worship run small charity shops. More than a dozen consignment stores and vintage markets offer curated selections of used goods at higher prices. Some people sell their possessions — or resell their ReSOURCE

finds — on Facebook Marketplace, Front Porch Forum and Poshmark. Others donate items directly to their neighbors through “Buy Nothing” groups on Facebook or by placing them on the curb. Nonprofits such as ReSOURCE form the base of this ecosystem. They are the photosynthesizing agents that convert

piles of cast-offs into appealing displays of goods for purchase at prices almost anyone can afford. This engine of reuse has been dubbed the “circular economy” and promoted as one antidote to the many ills, environmental and otherwise, that are typically linked to modern consumerism.

In recent years, thrift stores have found themselves perfectly positioned to capitalize on the vintage tastes of many young people and serve as a haven from the inflated prices of new products. The especially high cost of living in Vermont buoys demand for thrifted goods, while an aging population of wealthier residents supports an ample supply of donations. The dawn of a global trade war and the prospect of an economic recession will only nourish the thrift bonanza.

ReSOURCE was founded in Burlington in 1991 with a mission of poverty relief, environmental stewardship and job training. The nonprofit’s reuse division now operates four stores, in Burlington, Barre, Morrisville and Williston. The Williston site, which opened in 2018 on Harvest Lane, is by far the largest. The donation and reuse center is a rambling assemblage of warehouse and sorting space, administrative offices, and two floors of retail that together encompass 47,000 square feet, more than an acre.

A similarly sized Goodwill operates just around the corner, and Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity, the local arm of a national nonprofit focused on homebuilding, runs a large, unaffiliated Re Store a couple miles down Route 2A.

The trio comprise a Williston shopping district that offers a commercial counterpoint to the Walmart and other big-box stores nearby. This industry has roughly doubled in size in the past five years. Sales at ReSOURCE’s thrift shops increased from $1.9 million in 2019 to almost $3.2 million last year. Similarly, Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity reported on tax forms a doubling of revenue at its Williston, Milton and Swanton ReStores — close in name to ReSOURCE, but an independent operation — between 2018 and 2023, the most recent year available, from $1.3 million to $2.6 million.

ReSOURCE has managed to maintain the largest thrift-store footprint of the big three in north-central Vermont, even though Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill have wider name recognition and national blueprints for how to run their local businesses. Every day, ReSOURCE showrooms look less like the rummage sales of generations past and more like department stores, if a bit scruffier.

In recent weeks, I restrained my shopper’s impulse in order to get a reporter’seye view of ReSOURCE’s Williston operation. Managers at the nonprofit seemed a little nervous about letting

STORY DEREK BROUWER | PHOTOS DARIA BISHOP

Mia Marjerison shopping for kitchen utensils

ReSOURCE in Williston

me shadow employees in the sorting warehouse and on the showroom ﬂoor. Thrifting may be a nonproﬁt endeavor, but it’s also a messy, competitive, delicate business.

Far from the boutiques of Church Street or the tony gift shops in Stowe, ReSOURCE reﬂects Vermont as truly as any other shopping destination. At the donation bay, in the sorting room and on the showroom ﬂoor, it’s where people of widely di ering means and circumstances come together — indirectly, at least — through one of the things that really binds us: our stu .

‘CLOTHES MOUNTAIN’

Kelly Grimes pulled into the donation bay around noon on a recent Tuesday. She popped open the hatchback of her black BMW, and within seconds, ReSOURCE employee Kylee Clayton was standing near the trunk. She carried a couple bags of Grimes’ belongings into the receiving area. The drop-o lasted less than a minute.

Grimes told me that she had sold her Colchester home and was planning to move to New Hampshire the following week to be closer to her kids.

She’d made a point to donate the items she was leaving behind so that someone else could use them. “We all came from somewhere,” she said.

But Grimes was careful not to overstate her generosity. She rubbed her ﬁngers across the windowsill of her pristine Beamer. “I like some luxuries,” she said, “as you can see.”

Grimes was beginning to tell me about her daughter, who she said “thrifts a lot,” when Clayton politely broke in to point out that my interview was holding up the line. Three more cars were idling behind us.

Last year, ReSOURCE took in nearly a million donated items at its four locations. That’s nearly double the 500,000 it received in 2019. The actual number is higher, because a box of books or bag of clothes is typically counted as one item.

There is no shortage of stu . You can shop at ReSOURCE in Williston seven days a week, but the donation center closes on Mondays so the sorters can catch up on what invariably becomes a backlog of goods. Employees refer to the piles of apparel that can stack up in the warehouse as “clothes mountain.”

“Mountain” season is nearing. As the ﬁckle April weather gives way to warmer temperatures, residents’ spring cleaning will direct mounds of new products to ReSOURCE and other thrift stores. The spring rush then gets new energy from Chittenden County’s annual turnover in rental properties, partly driven by college students, which takes place in May and June.

Every day, ReSOURCE showrooms look less like the rummage sales of generations past and more like department stores, if a bit scrufﬁer.

ReSOURCE asks its donors to bring only “gently used” goods. Its website lists more than 140 categories of items that it does or does not accept. But for donors who are parting with their belongings, convenience trumps the details.

money; thrift stores take them for free. So occasionally sorters will open a bag of clothes and catch a whi of something rancid. ReSOURCE also receives plenty of stu that its customers aren’t interested in buying. The nonprofit’s employees then have to ﬁgure out what to do with pit-stained T-shirts or 1,000-piece puzzles with only 997. The thrift store, Williston store assistant manager Jim Cavoretto emphasized, is not “a dumping ground for junk.”

Employees ﬁll industrial-grade laundry hampers, dollies and shopping carts with the donated goods, then roll them into the main warehouse. There, "reuse specialists" inspect and price each item. In one corner, employees plug in and test small appliances, such as toasters. Vinyl records, CDs and cassettes are diverted to a separate room until 76-year-old Andy Meilleur, a longtime volunteer and music aﬁcionado, has a chance to inspect and price them. Housewares, o ce supplies and knickknacks are arranged in rows of carts. Apparel is sent up to a mezzanine level where a team of specialists sorts and prices items.

It’s fast-paced, demanding work in a clamorous warehouse that is subject to temperature swings and the tang of old shoes, lacks high-tech e ciencies, and where the pay starts at around $16 per hour. The unpredictable ﬂow of products adds to the challenge. Eric L’Esperance, who runs the Williston store's computer and electronics department, maintains a shelf of orphaned televisions and computer monitors that were donated without a power cord. He keeps the devices around in case a compatible cable comes through the doors, so that he can save them from the e-waste stream.

While I interviewed one reuse specialist, another let out a shriek upon discovering a spider crawling through a box of o ce binders that she was pricing.

“Tough guys wilt over there,” Cavoretto said of the warehouse.

“We want to give the donor a good experience,” operations director Garth Allen told me. “We’re not going to look at every single item.”

The system works, most of the time. Disposing of items at the landﬁll costs

ReSOURCE takes its reuse mission seriously, but there are limits. On a recent Tuesday morning, a man piled bags of clothes into a box truck stationed in a far loading bay. Donated apparel that is stained or threadbare or doesn’t sell by season’s end gets bagged and picked up by a company that “grades” and redirects clothes that retail thrift stores can’t sell. As much as one-third of donated apparel ends up as rags or is shipped overseas to developing countries, part of a tide of discarded clothing from around the world that has swamped some African countries. The week before I’d arrived, the Williston ReSOURCE sent away 438 bags of clothing. Come May, that ﬁgure will double.

Computer and electronics department supervisor Eric L’Esperance

Kylee Clayton (left) accepting a donation

‘WE CAN STILL MAKE IT LOOK GOOD’

Vince Knecht, the store’s 61-year-old merchandising lead, peered down into one of the glass display cases that encircle the cash registers.

“Somebody bought the Care Bear!” Knecht, 61, yelled.

ReSOURCE was selling a stash of collectibles that Cavoretto, the assistant store manager, had set aside from the sorting carts in the warehouse. Knecht had just placed a talking Woody doll, of Toy Story fame, onto a nearby shelf alongside some other vintage toys. Woody still had his cowboy hat and pull-string mechanism, but his one-liners (“There’s a snake in my boot!”) now had a balky quality, making him sound tipsy. He wasn’t quite good enough for the glass cases. ReSOURCE would try to sell him for $9.99.

Knecht’s job is to make all the other misfit collectibles look appealing to ReSOURCE’s customers, because the organization needs to sell its products quickly. Prices are low, space is limited, and new donations come through the doors every few minutes. “It’s all about the turn,” operations director Allen told me.

Knecht, who moves constantly about the store with an eye on a display or some object in hand, has a doctorate in special education. He moved to Vermont in 2023 after retiring from public schools in eastern Pennsylvania, then took a job at ReSOURCE.

Each product display in the show room should convey a story, Knecht said. The glass cases near the register projected an air of childhood nostalgia. Among the treasures were an early hardback copy of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, a “Barbie and the Rockers” play set from 1985 in the original box, and a Buzz Lightyear doll made of clear plastic, which, unlike his pal Woody, warranted presentation in the display case.

“It’s usually grown men” who show interest in the vintage figures, front end lead Gwen Mathews, 22, has noticed. “They’re really excited about it.”

This emphasis on “merchandising,” as product presentation is known among retailers, is a recent development in the organization’s 34-year-old history. I’ve noticed it during my own shopping trips at all four ReSOURCE locations. Manager Deb Kelly is chiefly responsible for the more polished look at the Williston store. She joined in 2023, after spending most of her nearly 40-year retail career at the Country Christmas Loft in Shelburne, where visual product appeal is imperative.

So be it that it’s in the grocery coolers. We can still make it look good.

JEN LACASSE

On a mission to make the thrift store “clean, neat and presentable,” Kelly put in place professional signage throughout the store. “I categorized and grouped things. I did eye-level. I did clear, concise presentations,” she said. Employees got trained on different types of glassware, so they can keep the pilsner glasses separate from the pint glasses.

“Sales have gone through the roof,” Kelly boasted. She showed me the recently reorganized office-supply department. Binders, rid of their cobwebs, were stacked in rows on shelves, spines facing the customer. “I tripled — tripled! — sales in a month,” she said, flashing me the office department data on her cellphone to prove it.

When ReSOURCE recently received a taxidermied bust of a mountain goat, employees mounted it on a wall with a $199.99 price sticker. It sold in about a week.

On a recent Thursday, I took note of a number of unusual objects for sale, curious to see how many would sell during one weekend rush. Days later, a modern gray

Clothing department lead Jen LaCasse

couch ($164.99), a vintage Timex watch ($4.99), a stainless-steel French press ($7.99) and a pig-shaped ceramic platter ($2.99) had been sold. Still awaiting a new home were a Popeye VHS tape (50 cents), a ceramic cookie jar shaped like a designer handbag ($9.99) and a red leather ottoman with squeaky wheels ($19.99).

Taming the mess helps ReSOURCE appeal to more customers and provides a more dignified shopping experience. It’s also a matter of staying competitive. As Knecht was arranging the collectibles in display cases, cashiers across town at the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity ReStore were handing out 25 percent-off coupons for that shop’s new online boutique.

The merchandising transformation at ReSOURCE has been most dramatic in the store’s huge clothing department, located on the ground floor. Apparel represents one of the largest thrift markets in North America, yet ReSOURCE only started selling clothes a few years ago, during the pandemic. The department swelled in size after ReSOURCE’s ground-floor tenant, Natural Provisions grocery store, went out of business in 2020, leaving the nonprofit without crucial rental income to help pay its mortgage.

To make up for the shortfall, ReSOURCE piled the heaps of donated clothing it was amassing and offered them for sale to customers who were willing — or desperate enough — to brave the bins. Other items were stuffed into the commercial display coolers that had previously held vegetables and prepared meats.

Today, the clothes are carefully arranged by size and type on chrome display racks, with sections for infants, preteens and more. Prices range from 25 cents for a baby bib to $6.99 for a winter coat. At season’s change, clothing lead Jen LaCasse organizes a weeklong sale where everything is $1. During the most recent event, in March, she sold 1,500 pieces in a single day.

“We’re able to have higher sales now without inflating our pricing by making it a more shop-able, organized, homey place,” LaCasse said.

ReSOURCE still uses the old Natural Provisions coolers to display luggage, footwear, stuffed animals and other textile products.

“So be it that it’s in the grocery coolers,” LaCasse said. “We can still make it look good.”

BEHIND THE BOOM

Demand for ReSOURCE’s goods has surged in almost every department. The same has been true at Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores, that organization’s CEO, David Mullin, told me.

His thrift stores, which support the nonprofit’s homebuilding work, have never been busier. Its Williston store opened 13 years ago with 7,000 square feet. “I thought, Oh, my God, how are we ever going to fill this space?” Mullin said. Habitat has since taken over thousands more square feet.

“If I had another 5,000 square feet in Williston, I’d take it in a heartbeat,” Mullin said.

Yet this boom in thrifting does not seem to have reduced the state’s waste stream. Consider textiles, which make up more waste in Vermont, by weight, than electronics and furniture combined. The amount of textiles, including consumer apparel, that went to the landfill jumped from 18,000 tons in 2018 to 24,000 tons in 2023, according to a state study.

“While Vermont has seen some increase in convenient clothing recycling options in the past few years, domestic and global textile recycling options are limited, and reuse options are hampered by the lower quality of clothing and textiles being produced,” the Vermont materials management plan states.

Thrift stores are helping to mitigate Vermonters’ wastefulness and the rise of an industry of cheaply made, quickly dated apparel known as fast fashion, but they can’t solve it.

I asked ReSOURCE’s longtime executive director, Tom Longstreth, what is driving the thrift industry’s growth here. Longstreth cited the popularity of thrifting among young people, which has helped remake its image as a fashionable lifestyle. He noted, too, its attractiveness to environmentally conscious shoppers and donors.

In the broadest sense, though, thrift stores offer a snapshot of economic inequality, Longstreth said.

“Our economy is being driven by consumer spending,” Longstreth said. “So consumers — those who can afford it — are buying brand-new stuff. Often, they don’t keep it very long. They move, they pass it on to reuse stores.”

At the other end, reuse customers are more likely to be people who are pinched by the high cost of living, the housing shortage and inflation.

If ReSOURCE were to open a fifth location, Longstreth said, “we’d go to a community that has really poor areas, who need our stuff, and then really rich people who can afford to keep buying brand-new stuff and, in turn, passing stuff on.”

Longstreth, 58, is a cheery, unimposing guy with narrow eyes and white hair. He’s been running ReSOURCE for nearly 30 years, growing it from an appliance repair

Reuse specialist Peter Hunton and assistant lead pricer Paula Lavery

Executive director Tom Longstreth

and resale shop with eight employees called Recycle North when he joined in 1996 to the 140-person thrift and jobtraining enterprise that it is today. He works above the Williston store in an office with an awkwardly slanted ceiling and exposed sprinkler heads. He attended Dartmouth College and later got a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.

Longstreth made $118,000 in 2023, a fraction of what his counterparts elsewhere make. Goodwill Northern New England, the Maine-based arm of the national nonprofit that operates 31 stores, including locations in South Burlington and Williston, paid $442,000 to a pair of CEOs last year.

The thrift business isn’t Longstreth’s primary passion. He’s drawn to ReSOURCE’s interconnected mission of poverty relief, environmental stewardship and job training. In the early days, ReSOURCE trained technicians to repair appliances, which it would then sell cheaply at its small reuse store in Burlington to people who needed them.

The work has many other dimensions today. ReSOURCE trains more than 300 people each year in the trades, including at six-week intensive courses that focus on job placement. It also sends young people to help build houses in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, its thrift competitor. ReSOURCE still maintains an appliance repair shop. High school students with disabilities come to ReSOURCE’s Williston store during the day to learn practical skills from training manager Ari Anaya. Anaya helped improve the social confidence of one student by assigning them to greet customers at the front door.

ReSOURCE also functions as an employer of second chances. LaCasse, the clothing lead, started in Williston as a volunteer, earning service hours that she needed as part of her residence at a sober house. Sixteen months later, LaCasse — who had fashion merchandising experience before alcoholism derailed her life — still lives at the sober house, but she’s been promoted at ReSOURCE, twice.

ReSOURCE’s tripartite mission isn’t always easy to explain to donors and customers. While I shopped at the Barre store last month, a recording of Longstreth’s voice played over the showroom floor. He encouraged customers to support ReSOURCE by posing a question that most customers had probably never asked themselves: “How are we going to weatherize 80,000 homes without a trained workforce?”

ReSOURCE tells its shoppers and donors that their support helps the

nonprofit fulfill its job-training mission. But Longstreth admits that financial connection remains largely aspirational.

Even with the surge in sales revenue, the stores are “basically break-even.”

‘ALL THE DEALERS COME HERE’

When the Williston ReSOURCE opened its doors on a recent Tuesday, at 10 a.m., half a dozen customers were already huddled beneath the front awning, waiting to shop.

One of the door-busting shoppers, a man in a red jacket, bought a few things.

Gwen Mathews was working the register. “Do you sell jewelry?” she asked her customer, taking note of his purchases.

After paying for his items, the man, who wouldn’t give his name, told me he maintains a booth at nearby flea markets. He visits several thrift stores in the area in search of cheap treasures that he can resell.

“All the dealers come here,” he told me.

Resale is pervasive in the thrift industry. Even if you haven’t shopped at ReSOURCE, you may have purchased one of its products somewhere else. That same Tuesday, while wandering through the shop, I inspected an ornately framed reproduction of a Rembrandt painting, titled, per the faded label on the back, “Young Girl at Open Half Door.” I think it cost $20. Two days later, while perusing Facebook Marketplace, the same painting with the same label appeared as one of “today’s picks.” Someone was offering it for $50.

Consumers — those who can afford it — are buying brand-new stuff. Often, they don’t keep it very long.

TOM LONGSTRETH

Longstreth sounded a sanguine note about resellers. Serving as a wholesaler for pickers and side hustlers, he said, is just part of the thrift stores’ niche as a “firstlevel” reuse marketplace.

But all the big thrift stores, ReSOURCE included, have made an effort to identify and more accurately price the collectibles that come their way. They do this both to preserve some of these choice finds for customers who intend to keep them and to capture a larger portion of that resale value for their nonprofits.

Reuse specialist Tammy LaCroixHopkins spearheads part of this effort at the Williston store. LaCroix-Hopkins recently took on the role of overseeing the clothing department’s new “specialty

Reuse specialist Tammy LaCroix-Hopkins

priced” racks for well-known brands that are especially coveted by discerning Vermont consumers. Now, other sorters set aside all Carhartt clothing for her review, even if the item has stains or small tears.

LaCroix-Hopkins works at her own station in the warehouse, alongside a Radio Flyer wagon she’s dubbed her “awesome employee.” Her work area features a plastic replica of Thing, the severed “Addams

Family” hand, and a graveyard of eight worn-out pricing guns.

When I interviewed her, LaCroixHopkins was puzzling over a rabbit fur jacket, in near-mint condition, if somewhat gaudy. “That’s going to be a very high-end piece,” she said.

LaCroix-Hopkins searched the garment on Google, which turned up online prices ranging from $30 to several hundred dollars. She eventually settled on $185.

from the Williston store for 50 cents. The record was sheathed in a crumpled, blackand-white sleeve that had a tantalizing title, Phonopoetica, and appeared to be inscribed by the artist. It turned out to be a rare, experimental work from the ’70s by a renowned Hungarian poet and performer, Katalin Ladik.

I kept the record in my collection for months, but earlier this year, some bills stacked up, and I needed extra cash. I took the rare disc, along with a stack of others, to a local record store. The shop, in turn, listed my sound-poetry record for sale through an online record marketplace. Asking price: $259.

DUST TO DUST

Even with all the added foot traffic, a trip to ReSOURCE almost always delivers a surprise. Usually that comes in the form of some small delight — snail-shaped saltand-pepper shakers, for example.

Sometimes, things get weird.

Last year, while shopping at the Burlington store, my partner and I noticed a floral-patterned ginger jar on a shelf. It was still in its original box and priced at less than $10. Score!

My partner pulled the box from the shelf, opened it and removed the lid from the jar. Inside, we discovered a plastic bag filled with ashes. A taped label read, simply, “Ralph.”

Striking the right balance on valuable items proves tricky: Thrift customers are price-sensitive. I spoke with Sherry and Jan Morin, former Bristol residents who moved to Crown Point, N.Y., years ago because the cost of living there was lower.

Sherry had a dental appointment in Burlington, so the couple made a point to swing through ReSOURCE while in town. Sherry bought some clothes.

The Morins don’t shop at the nearby Goodwill — prices there are too high, they said. Local thrift stores such as ReSOURCE, Jan complained, are “getting expensive,” too.

“If it’s used clothing, I’m not gonna pay what I would have to pay at Walmart or somewhere,” Sherry said.

ReSOURCE offers an “essential goods” program in which it provides shopping vouchers to social service agencies, which in turn pass the vouchers — gift cards, basically — to their clients. Its electronics department offers refurbished laptops for as low as $80.

But there’s no way around it: Reselling is one of the reasons that thrift-store prices have gone up for the rest of us.

I say “the rest of us,” but I, too, have flipped a ReSOURCE find. A while back, I picked up a tattered 7-inch vinyl record

We took “Ralph” — what was left of him, anyway — to the cashier, who was horrified and apologetic. She placed the jar behind the counter.

I wondered how Ralph ended up on the sales floor and figured someone in the sorting room, probably wading through a donation “mountain,” hadn’t thought to check inside the jar.

Other questions followed close behind. Did the donor forget to look, too? How long did Ralph sit in someone’s garage or basement before his beloveds forgot where they’d placed him? Was Ralph a person or a pet?

One lesson, it would seem, is that in the thrifting biz, you never know what, or who, will come to rest there.

Not long ago, the Williston ReSOURCE received a high-end urn for human remains in its donation bay. According to employees, the name of said human was still printed on the bottom. (There was some dispute as to whether the ashes had been fully removed before drop-off). Staffers placed the urn — which normally sells new for more than $500 — in one of the glass cases by the register.

Some customers became upset, and ReSOURCE pulled it from the floor.

A perfectly good urn. ➆

DAYS APRIL 16-23, 2025 33

Gwen Mathews (right), ringing up Gwen McArdle

Catching On

Hinesburg’s Graham Walker, half brother of pro football player Patrick Mahomes, is closing in on his own NFL dream

BY CLAYTON TRUTOR

The Green Mountain State has never been a hotbed of football talent. While many Vermonters have played small college football at the NCAA Division II and III levels, very few have cracked Division I, the sport’s highest collegiate level. It doesn’t help that the state’s lone D-I school, the University of Vermont, hasn’t fielded a football team since 1974.

The ranks of Vermonters who’ve made the pros are even slimmer. The most successful was Bob Yates, a Montpelierborn offensive lineman who played for the Boston Patriots in the 1960s, just before the merger of the American and National football leagues in 1966. The last Vermonter to be drafted into the NFL was Brattleboro quarterback Joe Shield in 1985.

Hinesburg’s Graham Walker could well be next.

In January, Walker, 24, declared for the NFL Draft, to be held later this month in Green Bay, Wis. According to draft pundits, the six-foot-three, 230-pound tight end out of Texas’ Rice University may be selected in the later stages of the seven-round draft. Even if he isn’t, Walker will almost certainly be signed by an NFL team as a free agent soon after the threeday televised event.

Every year, NFL teams sign dozens of undrafted players to compete for positions at preseason training camps. Plenty will make the cut — every NFL roster includes numerous undrafted players. More than a few clubs will be intrigued by Walker’s blend of size and speed, not to mention the former wideout’s NFL pedigree. You might have heard of his half brother: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Walker and Mahomes share a father, Pat Mahomes Sr., who pitched in Major League Baseball for 11 seasons. Both Mahomeses have been supportive of Walker’s pursuit of a professional football career. Like his older half brother, Walker is represented by Equity Sports and has been training six days a week at APEC, an elite facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where Mahomes Jr. and other NFL players have also worked out.

But unlike the two-time NFL MVP, who grew up in football-obsessed Texas, Walker was raised by his mother, Jessamyn Walker, and stepfather, Gerry

Howatt, alongside two half sisters in Vermont. Graham’s father and half brother have played a more pronounced role in his life as he has pursued a pro football career.

Graham credits his upbringing in a close-knit Vermont family and community with keeping him grounded amid the rarified air of big-time athletics. “Growing up here taught me to get along with the person next to you,” Graham said by phone from Texas, “which really is a Vermont thing on a grander scale.”

Growing up in Shelburne and Hinesburg, Graham knew early in life that he wanted to play professional sports. His first love was baseball, followed by basketball and football.

Gerry realized that Graham was a special athlete from the time they started throwing the ball around in the yard. Despite Gerry being a self-professed “lousy thrower,” he said, Graham caught virtually every pass.

“He was wearing me out, and he was, like, 5 years old,” Gerry said.

During one backyard session, Gerry decided to throw a deep pass for Graham to chase down, with Jessamyn filming.

“He ran as fast as he could, and I put a little mustard on it,” Gerry recalled. “He was looking for it over his right shoulder,

I LIKE TO THINK THAT I AM A TIGHT END WHO HAS THE SKILLS OF A WIDE RECEIVER.

GRAHAM WALKER

but I threw it over his left shoulder. He just spun and caught it with one hand and didn’t break stride.”

Unfortunately, the camera wasn’t working. Still, that was the moment his parents realized the kid could catch anything. To this day, when their family and friends are watching a football game and a receiver

drops a pass, someone will inevitably say, “Graham would have caught that.”

Graham’s first taste of organized football was in fifth grade with the Chittenden South Buccaneers, a youth team he played for through eighth grade. Practices were held “out in the cow pasture,” as Graham put it, on Shelburne Falls Road in Hinesburg. Graham played wide receiver for the Buccaneers, putting his great hands to good use.

Graham entered Champlain Valley Union High School in fall 2015, the same year Mike Williams took over as varsity head football coach of the school’s Redhawks. The new coach had heard rumors of a phenomenal athlete coming up from middle school, but Williams didn’t realize what he had until Graham moved up to varsity his sophomore year.

Graham was a two-way standout almost immediately. On defense, he started at free safety and used his athleticism and football smarts to regularly make big plays. On offense, Williams moved Graham from wide receiver to quarterback, initially as

Graham Walker playing quarterback at CVU

a backup. When the starting quarterback suffered a season-ending injury in the season’s second game, Graham took over.

CVU played a run-oriented triple-option offense with little passing. On most plays, the quarterback would either hand the ball off to one of two running backs or hang on to it and run himself. Keeping the ball in the hands of the ultra-athletic sophomore seemed like a sound coaching strategy.

“He did an outstanding job running our offense,” Williams said. “He was the best athlete on the field.”

Displaying impressive football savvy, Graham led the Redhawks to the state semifinals, where they lost by one point to St. Johnsbury Academy.

The following season was a down year for the team, which posted a 3-6 record. But Graham starred again at quarterback and free safety while asserting himself as a team leader.

Graham was also a standout basketball player. He made varsity as a sophomore and, in his junior year, led the team in scoring and rebounding while earning an All-State honorable mention.

But football was clearly his path forward, athletically. Going into his senior year of high school, Graham and his parents started looking for opportunities to increase his chances of playing major college athletics. One such route was transferring to a prep school, where he would be more likely to gain the attention of college scouts.

“There isn’t really a big emphasis on football in the state of Vermont,” Williams said. “You always have good athletes; you always have tough kids. But it’s a state where there’s only 30 teams that play. It’s a numbers game.”

“I believed I had a better opportunity of getting recruited if I went to prep school,” Graham said.

Graham visited Avon Old Farms, an elite New England prep school near Hartford, Conn. Avon players regularly go on to Division I college football programs, and the school currently has two alumni on NFL rosters. Avon’s football team employed a pass-heavy spread offense that provided Graham with more opportunities at wide receiver, his preferred position. He excelled on the football field and in the classroom there for the next two years.

“What really made him stand out was his positive attitude,” Avon wide receivers coach Shelton Magee said. “It was infectious, and that carries over into big spots in the game.”

The coach cited Graham’s gamewinning catch on a Hail Mary pass against the Williston Northampton School and his overtime touchdown catch against the Brunswick School, both in 2019, as two of the biggest plays in recent Avon football history.

“He was a team leader by example and attitude,” Magee said. “He wasn’t really a rah-rah, get-everyone-going kind of guy.”

Graham earned all-conference football honors at Avon and twice was named the school’s athlete of the year. He landed on the dean’s list, too, making him particularly attractive to Ivy League institutions, which recruit heavily from New England prep schools.

Among numerous suitors, Graham accepted a scholarship to play football at Brown University. The Providence, R.I., Ivy League school’s academic reputation goes without saying. The Brown Bears football team, too, offered Graham an

Bunker said Graham became a genuine student of the game at Brown, putting significant effort into watching the game film of his opponents as well as his own team.

“He always wanted to get better, all year round,” Bunker said.

Graham earned All-Ivy League honors in all three of his varsity seasons. And he took his studies as seriously as his football.

Initially, Graham considered studying archeology before venturing into political science. He landed in the philosophy department, which fostered his interest in ethics, particularly as it pertains to ques-

excellent opportunity to maximize his talents. Brown ran a passing-oriented spread offense like the one at Avon.

Neither Graham nor his classmates played a down of football during his first autumn at Brown, as the pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 Ivy League season. He didn’t even practice until the following spring.

But once he got on the field, Graham turned heads. He was the most productive first-year receiver in the Ivy League in 2021, earning him Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors from esteemed college football writer Phil Steele.

“Any ball up in the air is his,” said Eric Bunker, Graham’s wide receivers coach at Brown. “That’s Graham’s superpower: His size and athleticism enable him to box guys out and get the ball.”

Graham prepared for the rigors of major college football with an offseason workout program aimed at increasing his size and muscle. Since high school, Graham has added approximately 60 pounds to his frame.

At Rice, Graham volunteered to move to tight end to contribute to the team’s pro-style offense, which features the position more prominently than Brown’s system. Graham embraced the role and called the season a “crash course in tight end training.”

Last season, Graham was named AllAAC honorable mention at tight end, catching 24 passes for 252 yards while providing support for the Rice Owls running game as a blocker.

“I like to think that I am a tight end who has the skills of a wide receiver,” Walker said.

During his time at Rice, Graham said his famous half brother offered guidance and encouragement.

“I know Patrick has been watching the games, and he’s reached out and said the good things that I’ve been doing,” Graham said. “When someone who’s accomplished so much can say you’re doing well, it really feels good.”

Graham’s friends, family and coaches universally described him as fun, easygoing and kind. He’s also grounded, which will serve him well in his professional life, football or otherwise.

“He knew what he wanted ever since he was really young,” his mother, Jessamyn, said. “He’s never stopped working for it. He’s never gone off the path.”

And she’s been right there with him, stride for stride.

At Graham’s games, she said, her husband is “jacked” but she’s a wreck.

tions of fairness and equal opportunity. He cites Immanuel Kant and John Locke as among the classic authors in philosophy whose ideas he finds particularly relevant to present-day concerns. Graham graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in spring 2024.

After finishing his degree, Graham had remaining eligibility as a college player. He considered opportunities to play for a higher-profile school against stronger competition, which would improve his chances of making the NFL. He toured Rice University in Houston with his father, Pat Mahomes Sr., who has mentored him in his pursuit of a professional sports career.

“Rice was open to giving me an opportunity, and I seized on it,” Graham said of the American Athletic Conference school.

“I am so nervous,” she said. “It’s hard for me to get through a game because I love everything about Graham catching the ball and anything he does, but I’m so terrified of him getting hurt.” One imagines she’ll feel a similar mix of excitement and anxiety come draft day.

As for where he might go in the NFL, Graham will likely find out while back in Vermont. He’s coming home to watch the draft with family. If he is signed as an undrafted free agent, it may well happen in the immediate aftermath of the draft, as teams scramble to secure the many talented players still available to sign.

Said Jessamyn, “The only thing he is more devoted to than football is his family.” ➆

INFO

The NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 24, at 8 p.m. It continues Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, April 26, at noon. nfl.com

Graham Walker at Rice University in 2024

COURTESY

Nuovo Toscano

e son of the owners of the original Mediterranean bistro in Richmond has opened a Williston version STORY MELISSA PASANEN • mpasanen@sevendaysvt.com | PHOTOS DARIA

Max Fath had no plans to open a new version of Toscano Café Bistro, the Mediterranean restaurant in Richmond that his parents had owned for 14 years. For years after its 2017 closure, if anyone asked him about relaunching the business, where he’d worked full time for a decade, “It would have been a resounding, ‘Hell, no! I would never own a restaurant,’” Fath, 35, said with a laugh.

He recounted this last week while sitting at a white linen-draped table in his own Toscano Bistro, which — despite previous emphatic declarations — Fath opened in December in Williston.

The sign from the Richmond Toscano hangs in the center of the new restaurant, which seats 110, double the original. The same decorative painter did

FOOD LOVER?

the warm marbling on the walls of both restaurants. Aside from those details, the concrete-ﬂoored, high-ceilinged, suburban venue feels very di erent from the intimate, century-old, small-town home of its predecessor. But fans of Jon Fath and Lucie Bolduc-Fath’s Richmond spot will ﬁnd the menu largely familiar.

Rich mushroom ravioli ($29) still swims in an indulgently creamy roasted garlic-and-gorgonzola sauce. Pasta Bolognese ($32) retains a notable smokiness thanks to the “healthy hit of bacon” included in his father’s recipe, Max said. The classic shrimp and scallop fra diavolo ($34) comes with a moderately devilish kick to its marinara.

That continuity is partly thanks to the new Toscano chef, 36-year-old Dan Gutches, who learned from Jon, now 70, while cooking by his side in Richmond. Gutches is one of the reasons that Max ended up doing what he swore he’d never do.

Max was 13 when his parents launched the original Toscano. Jon had started out as a drummer on the bar-and-wedding band circuit, his son said, but decided to apply his creative energy to a New England Culinary Institute degree to provide a more stable family income.

The middle of three sons, Max bused tables as a young teen and rose to become “Mom and Dad’s main guy” after he graduated from high school, he said. Though he enjoyed working in the cozy eatery, he didn’t have the same passion for restaurants as his father.

“I deﬁnitely don’t possess the artistic gene that my father does,” Max said. “I’m numbers. I’m business.” After his parents retired, he got his real estate license. “When I was a kid, I watched Scrooge McDuck dive into his pool of gold coins and thought, Wouldn’t it be cool to be that rich someday?”

Max knows that few restaurateurs these days are awash in gold, but his priorities have shifted. “I’m glad I took seven years to grow up,” he said, noting that he’s now more aware of the impact a small, well-run business can have on the local economy and the people it employs.

A year ago, Max was selling real estate and working for Jr’s Williston and the

BISHOP

Max Fath and Dan Gutches

Crab cakes at Toscano Bistro

SIDEdishesSERVINGUPFOODNEWS

Sand Bar Restaurant Makes a Comeback in South Hero

After being vacant for close to two decades, the South Hero Causeway location of the former Sand Bar Inn will be a restaurant once again. The SAND BAR RESTAURANT is scheduled to open midMay in a new two-story building with a large second-ﬂoor deck that o ers sweeping views of Lake Champlain, co-owner PIERRE LEBLANC said.

The 75-seat restaurant will be open daily year-round, serving what LeBlanc described as “familiar food with a twist,” such as burgers, steaks and salmon. Dinner is likely to be the ﬁrst meal on o er, followed by lunch and probably brunch. The venue also has a 50-seat private function room.

The president and CEO of Engleberth Construction in Colchester, LeBlanc purchased the 4.7-acre South Hero property at 59 Route 2 in October 2021. The prime lakeside spot had hosted lodging since 1900 and operated as the Sand Bar Inn from 1923 to 2007.

LeBlanc removed the derelict motel, designed a restaurant building and sought an operator. None surfaced, so LeBlanc, his wife, DONNA, and their son, KYLE, and daughter, NICOLE HIER, decided to open the restaurant themselves. They have hired seasoned Champlain Islands hospitality professional RICK BELLOWS as their general manager.

Pierre and Donna have lived in Grand Isle for more than two decades and missed the Sand Bar Inn restaurant, Pierre said. “When they tore it down, we were all saddened — the whole community was,” he recalled. “I kept driving by and saying, ‘Man, somebody’s got to buy that property.’ I don’t know why the heck it had to be me,” he added with a chuckle.

Melissa Pasanen

So-Full Sisters to Park at Oakledge in Burlington This Summer

The concession stand at Burlington’s Oakledge Park is getting a beachy upgrade. In late May or early June, local food trailer biz SO-FULL SISTERS will open at the park, serving iced lattes, breakfast sandwiches, salads, snow cones and its popular wa e bowls.

Since 2021, twin sisters LEAH and RACHEL KLATZKER, 40, have operated a food trailer at Rikert Outdoor Center in Ripton in the winter and at Paddy’s

CONNECT

associated Sidebar, which together occupied the space he now leases. Shortly after the two venues closed in July, Gutches’ place of employment, McKee’s Pub & Grill in Winooski, also shuttered. (It has since reopened.)

Max and the former Toscano cook had stayed in touch. Over the years, Max recalled, “We’d joke about it, like, ‘Hey, how you doing? You ready to open up the old shop?’”

Then, last summer, they both were.

Max knew he had the skills to manage a restaurant, and now he had a chef. Working for himself was appealing, Max said, and he enjoys many elements of the hospitality industry: hosting community gatherings and working with lots of different people. With the full support of his parents, he decided it was time for Toscano 2.0.

The business side of Max knew it would be easier and more lucrative to open a sports bar with a menu of fried foods bought frozen and cooked on “a line with 10 fryers,” which require minimal culinary training. “It’s high profit, and people eat it up,” Max said, “but it doesn’t make my heart sing.”

He saw an opportunity for an elegantly appointed restaurant with white tablecloths, cushioned chairs and complimentary baskets of locally baked bread.

“I’m trying to bring back that leisurely enjoyment of a meal, like a dinner party,” Max said.

Despite its larger, contemporary space, the Williston restaurant feels warm and comfortable, with interior half walls that divide the main dining room. Area rugs

soften the concrete floor and help dampen noise.

As for the menu, Max saw no reason to reinvent a well-tested wheel. He and Gutches have made a few tweaks, such as subbing a cider-brined pork chop ($37) for the pork tenderloin his dad served with garlic mashed potatoes and maple-bacon Brussels sprouts. Among the few

completely new dishes is a seasonal vegetable risotto ($27) with fresh herbs, roasted red pepper coulis, garlic confit and crispy leeks, though Max said his father’s pasta primavera might make a spring return.

While the menu is heavy on pasta and other Italian-accented dishes, it also includes grilled beef tenderloin ($44) and duck confit on a salad ($27) or as part of

a mixed grill ($35). At dinner, all mains include a side salad, for which a small Caesar can be subbed for $5. At lunch, sandwiches come with fries or salad; pasta and other hot entrées come in slightly smaller portions than at dinner, without salad, and cost several dollars less.

The kitchen turns out a solid Caesar ($16) with broad ribbons of Romano

Clockwise from front: Shrimp and scallops fra diavolo, Caesar salad with anchovies, and chicken piccata

Nuovo Tuscano « P.36

cheese, croutons from Middlesex’s Red Hen Baking and, for $2, the refined addition of white anchovies. Other crowd-pleasing starters include generous piles of crisply fried artichoke hearts ($14), served with a lemony aioli; and fried calamari ($17, tentacles included, as they should be), spangled with tangy banana peppers and served with both house tomato sauce and the aioli.

Less successful for me was the appetizer of seared sea scallops ($19), which were sadly overcooked, oversalted and overwhelmed by butternut squash purée and the cured pork jowl bacon called guanciale. I should have picked the crab cakes ($20), which I had on my second visit for lunch, in a sandwich ($21). I pulled the crab-heavy, well-seasoned patty from its bulky roll to savor it fully.

Michael Hebert. “Happy spouse, happy house,” Max said.

Of the four entrées I tried over two meals, the chicken piccata ($29) reigned supreme, despite my general lack of excitement about boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I could see the appeal of the cream sauce-drenched mushroom ravioli, but it was too much for me, and I found the bacony smokiness of Toscano’s Bolognese a little off-putting, wishing for slightly more cream to mellow it out.

I’M TRYING TO BRING BACK THAT LEISURELY ENJOYMENT OF A MEAL.

MAX FATH

The crab cakes were an early Richmond menu item that Jon removed toward the end, Max said. “I brought them back because I love crab,” he added. “My father was like, ‘Make sure your restaurant resembles who you are as a person, because that’s part of what your business should be.’”

Another non-Mediterranean offering that made the new Toscano’s cut for personal reasons is the kale and quinoa salad ($17) with roasted butternut squash, dried cranberries and Vermont Creamery goat cheese.

The salad was on the chopping block, but it’s a favorite of Max’s husband,

The piccata, which includes artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes along with the standard capers, more than satisfied my acid- and umami-loving palate. The pounded breast was tender and the linguine perfectly al dente. As a friend later said of her husband’s order, the dish is “his Italian restaurant go-to, and it didn’t let him down.”

That friend, Jacky McCue, 58, said the couple dined at the original over the years and were happy to hear of the new Toscano opening closer to their Williston home. She raved about the housemade ricotta gnocchi ($29) with optional housemade sausage ($6) and the seasonal vegetable risotto.

South Burlington resident Milissa O’Brien, 52, recalled teaching her four kids how to eat out at the Richmond Toscano. “We loved it there,” she said, noting that the original left “big shoes to fill.” The vegetarian said she appreciates the atmosphere in Williston, different as it is. But

she does miss the pasta primavera, finding the current veggie options heavier than she prefers.

Her husband, by contrast, enjoyed his recent shrimp and scallop fra diavolo so much that, O’Brien said, “I think he may have licked the bowl.”

Portions are ample, but if you manage to save room, do so for cakes ($12 per slice) baked by Lucie, 67. They include a flourless chocolate cake and rotating cheesecake flavors, such as maple, amaretto and chocolate-peanut butter. Lucie also does the restaurant’s books, her son said with gratitude.

His mother and father have been supportive with advice when asked, Max

said, while giving him space to do his own thing. When Jon and Lucie come to eat, he noted, his dad often chooses the tenderloin and his mother leans to cream-sauced pastas.

When Max dines at the end of a shift or comes in with Michael on his day off, his thrifty Scrooge McDuck persona sometimes surfaces, the restaurateur admitted. Though he loves the crab cakes and the tenderloin, Max said, “Being a little type A and money-focused, I don’t eat our expensive stuff.” ➆

INFO

Toscano Bistro, 32 Cottonwood Dr., Williston, 876-7184, toscanobistro.com

Cappuccino chocolate mousse and cheesecake du jour served with an espresso

DINING ON A DIME

Tasty, Tried and True

Burlington’s Henry Street Deli doubles down on sandwiches to keep the neighborhood well fed

BY MARIN WARSHAY

As much as most people enjoy sampling new restaurants, many of us have a few go-to eateries in our rotation. Henry Street Deli is among those for countless Burlingtonians. Perhaps a cheesesteak craving or a friend’s devotion to the Greek chicken wrap initially got them through the door, but what keeps them coming back until they’re regulars?

Henry Street co-owner Mojo Hancy-Davis, 33, believes the answer is consistency. Keeping prices affordable is also key, he added. Even as ingredient costs have risen dramatically, he has inched up sandwich prices only slightly and refused to skimp on quality ingredients, such as local rolls and housemade sauerkraut.

“It matters because they’re better,” Hancy-Davis said. Before he and his partner, Jordan Lewis, 35, bought the business in June 2023, HancyDavis cooked in restaurants. He plied his culinary skills at Winooski’s Misery Loves Co. and Burlington’s May Day, where he was named a 2022 semifinalist in the James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Northeast. Settling into the deli experience, Hancy-Davis said, has meant “finding an appreciation for consistency.”

The 90-year-old storefront blends in with the neighborhood, where single-family homes coexist with student apartments. College kids pop in for breakfast sandwiches on the way to class,

and grade schoolers grab snacks on their way home. “We kind of fall under daily staples and find a lot of strength with offering that,” Hancy-Davis said.

I’d been hearing about Henry Street Deli since I moved to the Old North End six months ago but only recently ventured in. Why? I’m a vegetarian, and standard delis tend to disappoint. It’s hard to find a veggie sandwich that checks all the boxes: flavorful, satisfying and affordable.

But one day, ravenous and unmotivated to walk far, I climbed the deli’s wooden steps feeling like I was entering someone’s home for a meal. As I scanned the chalkboard menus, my veggie radar began to ping happily. The

words “Sub marinated tofu on any sandwich” were music to my ears — and also to my wallet when I learned there was no extra charge. That option is new and part of the couple’s decision to build up the deli’s sandwich business.

The menu includes typical deli finds, globally influenced combinations and a build-your-own option. All are substantial, well made and fall under our “Dining on a Dime” series budget of $15. Starting at $3.60, breakfast sandwiches are served all day and top out at $11 for the Flattop Pastrami on thick Texas toast with a fried egg, griddled onions and cheese. The remaining roster of nearly a dozen sandwiches — from pesto grilled chicken to a classic Italian — run $9.99 for a seven-inch sub or wrap and $12.99 for an 11-inch sub.

I decided on the bánh mì with tofu subbed for roasted coriander pork belly and no paté. It was layered with pickled carrot and daikon, mayo, cilantro, and mint on a crusty roll from Stewart’s Bakery in Williston. Hancy-Davis later told me the tofu is marinated in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, garlic and Cajun seasoning before roasting. The sweet-salty combo worked perfectly in the Asian-inspired sandwich but was mild enough that I’m looking

forward to tasting it in other menu items.

To test the meat options, I chose the Belly Up breakfast sandwich ($9) for an omnivorous friend. The stacked pork belly, fried egg, sweet chile mayo, cucumber, pickled red onion and cilantro are usually paired with American cheese, but I swapped in cheddar thanks to an employee’s suggestion. My friend said the cucumbers and pickled onion added a fresh, tangy bite to the crisp pork belly. The Stewart’s brioche roll nicely absorbed the pork fat and mayo.

Hancy-Davis said structural integrity and layering ingredients and textures take a sandwich from good to great. Even though the chef has left restaurants for now, he’s still using his skills to feed the neighborhood well. ➆

“Dining on a Dime” is a series featuring well-made, filling bites (something substantial enough to qualify as a small meal or better) for around $15 or less. Know of a tasty dish we should feature? Drop us a line: food@sevendaysvt.com.

INFO

Henry Street Deli, 11 Henry St., Burlington, 862-1754, henrystreetdeli.com

Bánh mì with marinated tofu and a Belly Up sandwich at Henry Street Deli

Mojo Hancy-Davis and Jordan Lewis

SIDEdishes

Beach Club in Westerly, R.I., in the summer. They have a second trailer that travels to festivals and farmers markets, including the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival and concerts at Shelburne Museum.

This year, Leah will keep the trailer that used to go to Rhode Island closer to home “without missing the beach,” she said. She’ll park it beside the concession stand near Oakledge’s entrance and use both the stand and the trailer, with bistro tables available for seating.

Grafton Village Cheese Sold to Vermont Farmstead Cheese

So-Full Sisters’ summer menu will include treats such as frozen banana coffee, smoothies, and the popular Belgian waffle bowl filled with popcorn chicken, honey mustard, maple syrup and microgreens. Vegetarian and non-waffle options will also be available, Leah said.

Hours are TBD, but Leah plans to be open for coffee in the mornings and — if a liquor license is approved — to close late enough to serve beer and cider for the park’s adult kickball and bocce leagues. Also the owner of a yoga business, she’s brainstorming events such as morning yoga classes, live music and movie nights. Learn more at sofullsisters.com.

Jordan Barry

The WINDHAM FOUNDATION announced on Monday that it has sold its historic GRAFTON VILLAGE CHEESE business for an undisclosed price to VERMONT FARMSTEAD CHEESE, based in South Woodstock. The two award-winning artisan cheese lines will continue to be sold under their brand names while benefiting from joint distribution and other operational efficiencies, said KENT UNDERWOOD, 45,

food+drink

president, chief operating worker and co-owner of Vermont Farmstead Cheese. Underwood said Grafton Village Cheese will still make cheese in Grafton and run its packing, shipping, cheese-smoking and retail location in Proctorsville. Its 22 employees, including head cheesemaker MARIANO GONZALEZ, will join 13 at Vermont Farmstead Cheese. Both operations source milk largely from Vermont, with a little coming from New Hampshire and New York.

Grafton Village Cheese began in 1892 as a farmer cooperative. In 1967, the Windham Foundation acquired and reinvigorated the business as part of its mission of supporting local economic vitality.

In 2023, the board hired CEO Curt Alpeter to evaluate the business, which had not recovered from pandemic distribution losses. Board member TIM BRIGLIN, 58, said the foundation could not make the necessary investment and began seeking a partner or buyer. It continues to own the GRAFTON INN.

Vermont Farmstead Cheese was established in 2009 and now sells its cheeses and CASTLETON CRACKERS in about 30 states. Over the years, it collaborated in various ways with Grafton Village Cheese, Underwood said. Although both cheesemakers have flagship cheddars, he sees the businesses as complementary and targets 15 percent growth for Grafton over the next 18 months.

“To get Grafton back to being a national brand, it needs salespeople and distributors and resources,” Alpeter, 57, said. “That’s what Vermont Farmstead is really positioned very well to do.”

M.P.

Chicken and waffle bowl from So-Full Sisters

SERVING UP FOOD NEWS « P.37

COURTESY

Rachel and Leah Klatzker

Kent Underwood and Mariano Gonzalez

culture

Living Between the Lines

Abby Paige explores cross-border cultural identities in a new book of plays

BY HANNAH FEUER • hfeuer@sevendaysvt.com

When Abby Paige started writing and performing plays about Vermonters with French Canadian ancestry in 2009, she had no idea how fraught relations would become between the U.S. and Canada.

Tensions began brewing in December, when President Donald Trump suggested he would make Canada the 51st state and insultingly referred to then-prime minister Justin Trudeau as “governor.” In March, the U.S. government announced it would limit Canadians’ access to the Haskell Free Library & Opera House, which straddles the border between

Derby Line, Vt., and Stanstead, Québec, and is a long-standing symbol of cooperation between the two countries. And then there’s the ongoing backand-forth over tari s, leading to widespread Canadian boycotts of American goods.

Paige, who lived in Montréal for more than a decade and now lives in Burlington, knew she had just the right stories to meet the moment. Her new book, Piecework / Travail à la pièce, published earlier this month, contains two scripts for plays about Franco-American identity and the history of the borderlands between Canada and northern New England. The 50-year-old hopes her work will remind the two countries of their record as friends, not foes.

Rowland Foundation by day, first performed Piecework: When We Were French in 2009 and Les filles du QUOI? in 2022. Now, she is reviving the works for a book tour across New England, including a trio of Vermont dates in the coming month, during which she will perform excerpts from the plays. Fittingly, one appearance will be at the border-straddling Haskell Free Library. Over coffee at Scout in Burlington, Seven Days spoke with Paige about her work and its resonance with current events.

The first play, Les filles du QUOI? (“Daughters of the WHAT?”), is based on Paige’s experience returning to Canada a century after her great-grandparents left for the U.S. The one-person show intersperses monologues by a ghost and one of the ghost’s descendants, a FrancoAmerican living in present-day New Brunswick.

The second play, Piecework: When We Were French , is also meant to be performed solo. The script consists of 10 monologues featuring Franco-Americans reﬂecting on their ethnic identity, based on Paige’s interviews with Vermonters of French Canadian heritage. Many of the characters speak about feeling cultural a nity with both sides of the northern border while also not fully belonging in either.

Paige, who works as an executive assistant for the education nonproﬁt the

What inspired you to write about French Canadians living in Vermont? I had grown up being told that I was French Canadian. I had this sense that that’s what I was, but when somebody was like, “Write about it,” I was like, “Well, I don’t know. I’m not that French Canadian.” So I decided doing interviews would be a really good way to learn. The Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury gave me recording equipment, and I started talking to people, asking them about their family histories.

A really interesting pattern developed where everyone said, “Well, I don’t really know anything. I’m not really French Canadian. So you should talk to so-and-so — they’re way more French Canadian than I am.” That emerged as a theme, that people feel like they don’t have a sense of authority about their culture, at least in Vermont. At the time, I was figuring that out, because I was living in French Canada, and my French was really limited. I was getting curious: How are we telling our own stories about who we are?

Abby Paige performing Les ﬁlles du QUOI?

GROWING UP HERE, I HAD A SENSE THE U.S. WAS SOUTH OF ME.

The plays often switch between French and English, and there’s even a little bit of Spanish. For audience members who only speak one language, is not understanding some of the dialogue part of the point?

Yeah. The work privileges multilingualism, and I wanted to see how people would react to the experience of not understanding. It’s an experience that non-English speakers are pretty used to. But English speakers get really anxious. I was curious to see if I could create an experience in the theater where people would be willing to go along with the feeling of, like, What is going on here? This is weird, and I want to know more.

One of the themes in your work is how language can be a barrier for Americans of French Canadian heritage from feeling connected with their French identity. In that spirit, the book is available in both French and English. Yet in the prologue to the second play, you write about the “awkwardness of presenting French in a text where one of the primary themes is not speaking French.” Can you expand on the tension there? It’s a unique translation problem where the topic that the people are talking about is not something that you would talk about in the language that you’re translating into. That sort of

awkwardness, it’s one of the reasons why I don’t know if the first play in particular would ever be performed in French — because the people are talking about not being able to speak French. I sort of love that idea, though.

Loss of a native tongue over generations can sometimes feel like a deeper cultural loss. How do you think about the balance between assimilation and cultural preservation?

Sometimes things like language get too favored as expressions of culture. Culture is also how we move through the world, how we express ourselves, how we feel our feelings, how we welcome strangers. It’s more subtle cultural norms, and those things, I think, actually persist through assimilation.

Amid growing tensions between the U.S. and Canada, do you see your work resonating in new ways?

Yeah. I say in one of the plays that, growing up here, I had a sense the U.S. was south of me — which doesn’t mean that I didn’t think I was in it. But I still have that sense, that down there is a little bit different from up here

A lot of us [Vermonters] do look north when we’re thinking about who we are. I think our culture is actually, with the exception of language, a lot more similar to Québec culture. There’s a sugar shack culture and a traditional culture of hunting and agriculture. When I was growing up, it was very common to be anywhere along the route to the North and hear French spoken. I remember our car breaking down in the winter once and knocking on a farmhouse door, and it was a couple who didn’t speak English. I just feel like the Republican administration is so confused if they think that they can tell us stories about who people in Canada are to us or that they’re our enemies. They’re really, really mistaken and underestimating our bonds with those people. It’s upsetting. ➆

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.

INFO

Piecework / Travail à la pièce by Abby Paige, translated with Grégoire Chabot and Agathe Anne, University of Maine Press, 185 pages. $20.

Piecework book launch, Thursday, April 17, 7 p.m., at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts in Burlington; Saturday, April 26, 4 p.m., at Haskell Free Library & Opera House in Derby Line; and Thursday, May 15, 7 p.m., at Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier. Free. abbypaige.com

180 Market Street, South Burlington April 25–26 | 5:00–9:00p | FREE Admission Food Trucks, Live Music, Crafts, and More! www.illuminatevermont.com

ABBY PAIGE

Abby Paige

Spreading the Word

Weybridge Haiku Contest entrants share poems for our times

BY CAROLYN FOX • carolyn@sevendaysvt.com

At a recent political protest in Vergennes, Julia Alvarez took special note of the handmade signs. “I love the creativity of some of the signs,” the Weybridge writer said, “the sense of driving home a message and having some fun.”

And fitting choice words onto a cardboard scrap, she reflected, is not unlike crafting a haiku — the three-line poem traditionally written in a five-, seven-, five-syllable structure.

Alvarez would know. The author of novels including How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and a National Medal of Arts recipient under president Barack Obama, she is also co-poet laureate of Weybridge, along with author Jay Parini. Together, they conceived the Weybridge Haiku Contest, which champions the Japanese verse form and in this seventh year attracted 420 poems from 108 writers, ages 7 to 90. Judges and contest administrator George Bellerose announced the winners and honorable mentions — and highlighted other poems in four thematic categories — in early April as part of National Poetry Month.

POETRY

As with signs at a protest, many of the haikus speak to turbulent modern life.

“Fear is unveiling / Democracy is failing / Justice is ailing,” wrote Pam Quinn of Middlebury in a poem selected as part of the “Haikus for Our Times” collection. “Seek out those hurting / Those with desperation / Lift them with kindness,” wrote Tunbridge’s Chuck Howe, whose poem was recognized under “Best Hopeful Haikus.” Such recurrent concerns arose organically, Alvarez said.

“Some years — without even having a theme, like this year — you notice that there’s a zeitgeist, there’s a communal feeling or disquiet going around, and it’s reﬂected in the haikus,” she said. “That means that we’re paying attention closely to the times that we’re living in.”

Finding out that others are chewing on similar ideas is part of the community building that Alvarez appreciates about

Haikus for Our Times

the contest. “It’s a way that we can talk to each other underneath all the vitriol and the shouting and the us-and-them-ing.”

If there has been any us-and-them-ing about the Weybridge Haiku Contest, it occurred in the early years, when organizers considered whether participating poets must reside in their tiny Addison County town. The debate was short-lived.

“We said, ‘To hell with that. Some people are Weybridge at heart,’” Alvarez recalled. “We don’t have any walls. We don’t deport anybody if they try to sneak in as a Weybridge writer. They don’t have to show us any green cards. They just have to show us their haikus.”

To that end, here are some of our favorite poems from this year’s Weybridge Haiku Contest. ➆

Executive pens can’t touch Orion — unbound, knowing, gleaming, free

Social justice is a bit like a kite; hold strong, the winds are vicious.

PETER LANGELLA, MORETOWN

Drifts when I was young Were great for making tunnels; Now there is not enough snow.

JOHN BURBANK, BRISTOL

Weybridge — Adults

Outpourings of books into little libraries sing out resistance.

T.M. BAIRD (FIRST PLACE)

Low temperatures

Skating for twenty-eight days Old fashioned winter

SPENCE PUTNAM (SECOND PLACE)

Best Hopeful Haikus

“Flower and Rock” I saw a ﬂower growing out of a hard stone soft pink against grey.

PATRICIA NOLIN, JERICHO

Humanity is not everything that exists. Nature is magic.

All gardeners know that what you focus on grows. Cultivate some calm.

MARIA GENOVESE, BURLINGTON

Julia Alvarez

Weybridge and Vermont Youth

Oral stories form into myths, legends, and lore the words transform worlds

ROSIE BARRY, WEYBRIDGE (FIRST PLACE)

The whoosh of the wind The crackle of the campﬁre Ah! Look out! A bat!

Vermont — Adults

I grabbed a big load Of sunrise and carried it With me all day long.

WILLIAM GRAHAM, STOWE (FIRST PLACE)

EMRYS METCALF, MIDDLEBURY (HONORABLE MENTION)

Best Haikus About Getting Older

“Turning 80” Ninth decade begins Curious, open…aware Living fully now.

KAREN HEIN, JACKSONVILLE

An outcrop of half written thank you notes grows glacially on my desk.

MICHAELA STICKNEY, HUNTINGTON (HONORABLE MENTION)

Best Haikus About Haikus

Massage and torment box, wrestle to 5/7s some words won’t submit

CAROL CALHOUN, WEYBRIDGE

five seven five five seven five five seven five five seven five done

MASON SINGER, CALAIS

spreading forget-me-not seeds on land I’ll leave behind aging

TRICIA KNOLL, WILLISTON

Short Takes on Five Vermont Books

Seven Days writers can’t possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a plague of locusts. So this feature is our way of introducing you to a handful of books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book just a little and quote a single representative sentence from, yes, page 32. ➆

Turning the Soil: 250 Years of Vermont Agriculture

Roger Allbee, White River Press in cooperation with the Center for Research on Vermont, 167 pages. $21.

The Vermont legislature passed an act in 1835 to encourage the growing of silk.

Roger Allbee, son of Vermont hill farmers and a former state secretary of agriculture, has written a valuable primer on the ups and downs of farming in the Green Mountains over the centuries. Turns out the current decline of dairying is the 21st-century version of the involuntary changes forced again and again on Vermont’s small farmers by powerful external forces.

Potash, wheat, sheep, butter, milk — each of these made small farmers sturdily independent, if not rich. But their proﬁts evaporated under the weight of competition, federal regulation, changing public tastes and more. is book is not light reading, and Allbee’s writing becomes dry when he delves into state and federal policy. Nevertheless, it is a good starting point for anyone who wants to put the current hand-wringing over the fate of Vermont farming in a historical context.

CANDACE PAGE

Orient: Two Walks at the Edge of the Human David Hinton, Shambhala, 104 pages. $18.95.

What is sight but occurrence gazing out at itself?

Walking through the desert, staring at sagebrush and stars and circling hawks overhead, David Hinton ponders existence, the cosmos and the nature of time. A collection of ruins spurs him to ponder “earth’s forgetfulness.” e sound of his heartbeat against the stillness and silence of the desert makes him think of dry grass in the wind.

Nature and the state of zen are at the forefront of Hinton’s latest collection of poems and prose. e Vermont poet and translator continues his study of Chinese philosophy, translating and interpolating the works of Taoist sages and Ch’an masters. His ruminations are set against a series of walks in the desert, seeking out thousand-year-old ruins while questioning what life is without stories and a communal past. In that space of lonely wilderness and ethereal silence, Hinton takes a philosophical journey, meditating on the concept of perception. A sort of poetic thesis of his 40 years immersed in Chinese philosophy, the book is a metaphysical travel guide to stepping outside Western beliefs.

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

e Promise of Sunrise: Finding Solace in a Broken World Ted Levin, Green Writers Press, 400 pages. $21.95.

A pissed-o woodpecker ﬂies in and screams...

When COVID-19 crashed into his life in 2020, naturalist Ted Levin began taking a walk each day at sunrise through the woods and wetlands around his home in etford. His walks begat a daily blog and now a lyrical book that brings to life the world of efts and otters, warblers and wrens, chickadees and coyotes. Engaging natural history lessons — loon semen and mammoth bones make an appearance — weave through the daily entries, and slowly the reader also learns the story of the author’s life.

Levin’s writing can be extraordinarily vivid: Coyotes “hurl their voices at the crescent moon”; a bobcat has a face “like a soiled, fraying softball”; chickadees are “four maestros working on a score.” Writing such as this demands to be read as one reads poetry, in small sips, to be fully savored.

CANDACE PAGE

Remote: e Six Eric Rickstad, Blackstone Publishing, 306 pages. $28.99.

“To me, the term ‘serial killer’ is outdated.”

e Tableau Killer has left a trail of carnage from coast to coast, captivating the country and ﬂummoxing authorities. Why does he murder entire families? And why are his victims always posed in weird, meticulously arranged scenes? ose questions haunt FBI special agent Lukas Stark in Remote: e Six, the ﬁrst in a new series by Vermont author Eric Rickstad. Stumped at every turn, Stark reluctantly partners with Gilles Garnier, a loner who can see things that happen far away — remotely, get it? But when Garnier’s gift fails, Stark is left alone to confront an unstoppable killer and the conspiracy that surrounds him.

Fans of James Patterson’s Alex Cross series will ﬁnd a lot to like in Rickstad’s white-knuckle thriller, whose clairvoyant elements are inspired by real-life CIA experiments. e best-selling author unspools a wire-taut mystery rippling with atmosphere and tension. And you won’t need to wait long for a sequel. Remote: e Five comes out in July.

DAN BOLLES

Kingdom Con: A (Mostly) Fictitious Tale Based on a True Story Tracy Russell, Lift Life, 337 pages. $19.99

Jay Peak President Bill Stenger greets the buses as the students ﬁle out... In April 2022, Bill Stenger, the Jay Peak developer who promised to bring prosperity back to the economically depressed Northeast Kingdom, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement in the largest fraud in Vermont history. e scheme, which hoovered up millions in investors’ dollars and left behind a huge vacant lot in downtown Newport nicknamed “the Hole,” is the visual metaphor at the center of Kingdom Con: A (Mostly) Fictitious Tale Based on a True Story, by Newport native Tracy Russell. Kingdom Con tells the story of Gina and Trina, childhood friends who struggle to carve out lives in their blue-collar community. e author, a retired nurse turned tattoo artist, clearly was inspired to heal her hometown’s still-gaping wound. Ostensibly a parody, Kingdom Con would have beneﬁted from a seasoned editor. It takes too long to strike its intended targets and ultimately fails to deliver. Too bad, because that boil deserves to be lanced.

KEN PICARD

Job of the Week

Programs Manager & Seasonal Positions

Local Motion seeks a complete streets advocate with grant and personnel management experience to join our fun, values-driven team based on Burlington’s beautiful waterfront. Leading the Program Team of our non-proﬁt organization, you will help fulﬁll our mission to make it safe, accessible, and fun for everyone to bike, walk, and roll in Vermont.

For info and to apply, visit: localmotion.org/join_our_team

The Scoop on Local Motion

Christina Erickson, PhD, Executive Director

What are some speciﬁc challenges of this position?

e Programs Manager position has a lot of components to it, so no two days will be the same. Ideally, we ﬁnd someone who cares deeply about making Vermont safer and more accessible for biking, walking and rolling. We are looking for someone with at least some advocacy experience at the state or local level. is person doesn’t need to be a trafﬁc engineer, but being able to read and decipher complex transportation plans would be very helpful. We are looking for someone who will guide and coach a small team at the heart of our mission-oriented work. We want someone who builds and maintains relationships with our many partners across the state.

What is unique about working for Local Motion?

We are fun! In fact, it’s in our mission statement. We care deeply about our work and each other. We have an amazing location on Burlington’s waterfront while also working across the state with many partners. is work is stimulating and dynamic. Every week brings another challenge that we get to address. And the size of our team is neither too big nor too small. It’s just right for fostering creativity, growth and knowing each other well. .

on screen

Misericordia ★★★★★

Looking for an uncommon take on small-town life? While the autumnal mountain village depicted in Misericordia could sometimes be mistaken for Vermont, you’ll ﬁnd no folksy stereotypes in this movie that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was named the top ﬁlm of 2024 by Cahiers du Cinéma. Writer-director Alain Guiraudie made waves in France’s gay cinema with 2013’s Stranger by the Lake. See his new noir-ish effort at a Vermont International Film Foundation screening on Friday, April 18, 7 p.m., at Main Street Landing Film House in Burlington. And be sure to put the organization’s upcoming Made Here Film Festival (April 24 to 27 at Burlington Beer) on your calendar.

The deal

Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) drives from Toulouse to his rural hometown for the funeral of the local baker. The bereaved widow, Martine (Catherine Frot), welcomes the younger man’s company and asks him to stay on and consider taking over the ailing bakery. Noticing Jérémie’s fascination with a swimsuit photo of her late husband, she calmly inquires if he was in love with her spouse and gives him some of the man’s clothes to wear.

Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand), Martine’s hotheaded son and Jérémie’s former schoolmate, ﬁnds the whole situation creepy. Accusing Jérémie of having designs on his mom, he demands the guest leave town.

After the tension between the two men comes to a head, the rest of the village gets involved, including a mushroom-foraging priest (Jacques Develay), a misanthropic farmer (David Ayala), and two deadpan cops (Sébastien Faglain and Salomé Lopes). Misericordia or mercy ( miséricorde in French) may be a church-approved virtue, but just how far can sympathy for sinners extend?

Will you like it?

From the opening credits of Misericordia, we know we’re in good hands. Guiraudie puts us in Jérémie’s point of view as he drives back home, the burnished hills of the director’s native Aveyron unfolding before him. Marc Verdaguer’s subtly sinister score promises the kind of grounded intrigue we expect from classic noir.

When our protagonist arrives at his destination, the music is replaced by a naturalistic soundscape: the seething of insects, the whine of distant machinery. The spare dialogue forces us to deduce the characters’ relationships and motivations for ourselves. Jérémie seems to ﬂoat through life, his expression guarded and his intentions hidden behind hooded eyes. We follow him with equal interest and trepidation because it’s never clear what he might do next.

To the extent that Misericordia is a thriller, it’s not for genre fans who crave big performances, floridly evil villains or elaborate set pieces. This film does have moments reminiscent of No Country for Old Men, including a what-is-the-worldcoming-to monologue and one scene of shocking violence. But its overall mood is mellower and more improvisational, if you will. Halfway through, you may find yourself realizing that it’s actually a comedy, albeit not a lighthearted one.

Kysyl’s physical presence and ambiguous affect might remind Anglosphere viewers of Irish actor Barry Keoghan, especially his performance in Saltburn as an omnisexual young man who invades a weird little social bubble with an agenda of seduction. But Jérémie is an even more mysterious figure. Guiraudie’s screenplay (based on his own novel) keeps us

wondering whether this semi-outsider has any control of the narratives he’s entered. In a recurring gag, Jérémie can’t seem to roam the woods without running into the villagers, who also disrupt his slumber in increasingly invasive ways.

Guiraudie has sly methods of conveying just how small a small town can feel. The vibrant 35mm cinematography of Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) turns the countryside itself into a character, capturing the autumn forest in such deep focus that we might imagine we can spot the priest’s prized porcini and morels. No mere bucolic backdrop, these are the woods of folktales, where a seemingly innocent drink or wrestling match with an old friend might suddenly take a dark turn.

One of the most refreshing aspects of Misericordia is its approach to romantic and sexual desire: Anyone in the story might be into anyone else, regardless of age, gender or degree of conventional attractiveness. While this is no fantasy version of smalltown life (homophobia still exists), the characters discuss their loves and lusts with admirable matter-of-factness, as if self-consciousness and labels were fancy urban inventions.

Misericordia may not be as ﬂoridly outrageous as its glossier cousin, Saltburn, but its earthy realism and refusal to meet genre expectations are arguably more subversive.

Guiraudie’s rural thriller that evolves into a dark comedy.

I look forward to the befuddlement when TikTok teens eventually discover it.

MARGOT HARRISON margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY…

STRANGER BY THE LAKE (2013; Kanopy, Strand Releasing, rentable): Guiraudie won the Queer Palm at Cannes for this sort-of thriller about a man cruising by a lake who has dark suspicions about his new hookup. e ﬁlm received attention for integrating realistic sex scenes into the story — in contrast to Misericordia, which features no onscreen intimacy.

“RIPLEY” (2024; Netﬂix): is gorgeously shot new adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic grifter tale e Talented Mr. Ripley has a vibe similar to Misericordia, contrasting the stunning Italian settings to the grubby smallness of the protagonist’s struggle to get away with a single crime.

THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022; fuboTV, rentable): While Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-nominated dark comedy is more theatrical and heavily scripted than Misericordia, it taps a similar vein of small-town oddness, with Catholic guilt for ﬂavor (each features a pivotal scene in a confessional).

A priest offers unusual forms of mercy in Alain

Landscape Award Winners

MERIT AWARD

Ginkgo Design,LLC / ginkgodesignvt.com

Cottage on the Lake

David Burton / Underhill, VT

VT Nursery and Landscape Association Annual Awards 2024-2025

Horticultural Achievement Award

Peter Hausermann Shelburne, VT

Environmental Awareness Award

Marijke Niles

Marijke’s Perennial Gardens Plus Starksboro, VT perennialgardensplus.com

Retailer of the Year Award

Golden Russet Farm & Greenhouses Shoreham, VT goldenrussetfarm.com

vnlavt.org. P.O. Box 92, N. Ferrisburgh, VT 05473 Local: 802-425-5117

Allen B. Crane Horticultural Employee Acknowledgement Award

Todd Bailey

Cobble Creek Nursery / Monkton, VT

Young Nursery Professional of the Year Award

Danielle Norris

Greenhaven Gardens & Nursery New Haven, VT greenhavengardensandnursery.com

2024 Student Merit Awards

Kaleb Swett / VTSU Stella Shaw / UVM

ABOUT THE VERMONT NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION

The Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association is a non-pro t trade organization representing Vermont’s green industry professionals since 1964. Our mission is to support & strengthen the horticultural industry of VT through programming, certi cation and community engagement while fostering greater awareness of the value of landscaping and promoting the professional products, plants & services of our members.

ABOUT THE VERMONT CERTIFIED HORTICULTURIST PROGRAM

The VNLA initiated this certi cation program in 1988. The VCH program is designed to provide the public with professionals who have undergone a rigorous certi cation process and who must earn continuing education credits each year. These certi ed professionals subscribe to a code of ethics that promotes high ethical standards and keeps them on the forefront of the green industry. When visiting a garden center or hiring a landscaper, ask to speak to a “Vermont Certi ed Horticulturist.” You can view a complete listing of VCH professionals at www.vnlavt.org.

THIS IS WHO WE ARE. . .

WE ARE THE PRODUCERS OF THE VERMONT FLOWER SHOW!

Thank you to all who joined us at the 2025 Vermont Flower Show in March and thank you to all the volunteers that made it happen!

WE’RE IN YOUR COMMUNITY!

WE VOLUNTEER TO LANDSCAPE!

Over the last 7 years our members have collaborated with Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity and Habitat for Humanity of Addison County on 5 landscape design and installation projects. These projects have been a volunteer effort and funded by VNLA members and associates through their donation of time, plants, materials, and labor.

In 2020, the VNLA launched the Vermont Blooms Initiative, a planting program dedicated to beautifying our civic landscapes. We have completed 9 projects, our most recent at Shoreham Town Green. This all-volunteer endeavor, funded by donations from VNLA members and associates, seeks to improve/enhance public outdoor spaces across our towns throughout Vermont. Please visit our website to learn more.

NEW IN THEATERS

THE BALLAD OF WALLIS ISLAND: A lottery winner hires his favorite folk musicians for a private performance in this comedy starring Tom Basden, Tim Key and Carey Mulligan. James Griffiths directed. (99 min, PG-13. Savoy)

ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL: A funeral in Zambia become an occasion for unearthing family secrets in this dark comedy from Rungano Nyoni, starring Susan Chardy and Elizabeth Chisela. (99 min, PG-13. Catamount)

ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO: Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards’ documentary about John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1972 "One to One" charity concert features previously unseen footage. (100 min, R. Essex)

SINNERS: In this supernatural horror film set in the 1930s, twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to find unexpected evil. With Hailee Steinfeld and Miles Caton. Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) directed. (137 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Stowe, Sunset)

SNEAKS: A designer sneaker in search of his sister experiences new walks of life in this animated comedy with the voice talents of Anthony Mackie and Martin Lawrence, directed by Rob Edwards and Christopher Jenkins. (92 min, PG. Essex, Majestic)

THE WEDDING BANQUET: In this remake of the 1993 rom-com, a traditional Korean wedding celebration complicates a gay man’s plans for a green card marriage. Bowen Yang and Lily Gladstone star; Andrew Ahn directed. (102 min, R. Savoy)

CURRENTLY PLAYING

THE AMATEURHH1/2 Rami Malek plays a CIA tech guy who becomes an action guy after terrorists kill his wife in this spy thriller. With Rachel Brosnahan. (123 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic)

DROPHHH1/2 A widow (Meghann Fahy) on a date starts getting threatening messages from an unknown number in this thriller directed by Christopher Landon (Freaky). (100 min, PG-13. Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Star, Welden)

THE FRIENDHHH1/2 A woman adopts her recently deceased mentor’s Great Dane in this drama adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s novel, starring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts. (120 min, R. Majestic)

THE KING OF KINGSHH Oscar Isaac voices Jesus in this animated retelling of the gospels, also starring Pierce Brosnan and Kenneth Branagh and directed by Seong-ho Jang. (104 min, PG. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Star)

A MINECRAFT MOVIEHH1/2 Jack Black plays an “expert crafter” who gives his assistance to four oddballs trapped in a cubic wonderland in this video game adaptation. (101 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Playhouse, Star, Stowe, Sunset, Welden)

SECRET MALL APARTMENTHHHH Jeremy Workman’s documentary tells the true story that became an urban legend: how eight artists lived and filmed illegally for years inside their local mall. (91 min, NR. Savoy [ends Thu])

SNOW WHITEHH1/2 Marc Webb depicted Disney’s live-action version of its classic “princess movie,” starring Rachel Zegler as the title character and Gal Gadot as the evil queen. (109 min, PG. City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Sunset, Welden)

WARFAREHHHH Navy SEALs go on a mission in Iraq in this real-time war film directed by Ray Mendoza (who based it on his own experiences) and Alex Garland. D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai and Will Poulter star. (95 min, R. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic)

THE WOMAN IN THE YARDHH1/2 A mysteriously appearing figure terrifies a family in this horror film starring Danielle Deadwyler and Okwui Okpokwasili and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Carry-On). (88 min, PG-13. Majestic)

A WORKING MANHHH Jason Statham plays a construction worker dad who pulls out his particular set of skills to fight human traffickers in this action flick from David Ayer (The Beekeeper). (116 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Sunset)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

BEAVER MEDICINE (Savoy, Wed 23 only)

BOOM TOWN (Catamount, Wed 16 only)

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (Catamount, Tue only)

MEMORIES OF MURDER (VTIFF, Sat only)

MISERICORDIA (VTIFF, Fri only; reviewed 4/16)

THE MONKEY (Sunset)

MUFASA: THE LION KING (Sunset)

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE: 20TH ANNIVERSARY (Essex)

SAN FRANCISCO (Catamount, Wed 23 only)

TAKE OUT (VTIFF, Sat only)

WOODSTOCK (Welden, Wed 16 only)

OPEN THEATERS

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

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. Closed for construction.

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

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

SAVOY THEATER: 26 Main St., Montpelier, 2290598, 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

SUNSET DRIVE-IN: 155 Porters Point Rd., Colchester, 862-1800, sunsetdrivein.com

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

REVIEW

Big Sky Country

Claire Van Vliet’s pulp paintings bring clouds down to earth in Lyndonville

BY ALICE DODGE •

In 1966, Claire Van Vliet moved to the Northeast Kingdom to be close to the sky.

The book and paper artist, who turns 92 this summer, has won many accolades over a long career that shows no signs of slowing. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, known as the “genius grant,” in 1989; her work has been exhibited at and acquired by institutions such as the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts and, last fall, the Boston Athenaeum. So it’s surprising and wonderful that it’s also on view in “Sky and Earth” at the Satellite Gallery in Lyndonville through May.

Van Vliet founded Janus Press in 1955, when she was living in San Diego. The press became known for inventive, elaborately folded artists’ books and broadsides, many produced in collaboration with other artists. Janus Press was especially noteworthy because of Van Vliet’s innovations in papermaking and the way she connects paper, book and text.

“Sky and Earth” doesn’t include artists’ books or poetry broadsides. Instead, it treats the viewer to what Van Vliet calls “pulp paintings.” In 1976, she received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and began experimenting with pigmented paper pulp at Twinrocker

Handmade Paper in Brookston, Ind., eventually developing the process she still uses.

After putting down an initial layer of beaten cotton pulp in a paper mold, Van Vliet adds pulp mixed with natural pigments — she describes it as “a bit like ﬁnger painting with applesauce” — before pressing the paper in a 20-ton press to create an ionic bond. Over the course of almost ﬁve decades, she has used the technique to make works of art that are, as Boston Athenaeum curator John Buchtel writes in his essay on her recent show, “embedded in the paper, not just on it.”

The results are intensely colored works with a heavy, velvety texture. Some are

framed behind glass, while others are varnished with a clear acrylic ﬁnish, placing nothing between the surface and the viewer. What Van Vliet presents in the exhibition is, so to speak, exactly what it says on the tin: sky and earth, no frills attached.

THIS IS THE MEDIUM THAT THE CLOUDS NEED.

The works reﬂect the nonagenarian’s warm but no-nonsense personality. She is one of those rare people who exude practicality and radically creative intellect in equal measure. Born in Canada, Van Vliet moved to San Diego when she was orphaned at 14 years old and separated from her siblings. She later lived in Europe, Philadelphia and Madison, Wis., making art and teaching, though she said she couldn’t stand the politics of academia.

She considered a move to Denmark — home of famously good skies — where she had trained as a printmaker. But then she and her glassblower husband, Michael Boylen, decided they wanted to live somewhere “actively depopulating,” where they’d have enough room for studios and equipment. When Boylen suggested Vermont, Van Vliet replied, “OK — if we can ﬁnd good clouds.”

Newark, which according to Van Vliet had a population of 290 at the time, fit the bill perfectly: on a high plateau between rivers and mountain ranges, with flat fields and plenty of light. Van Vliet was undaunted by the isolation. She spent summers as a child with her mother’s family in Fort Frances, Ontario — the town just north of International Falls, Minn., known as the coldest place in the lower 48 states. “It was 10 miles by water to the nearest road and 15 miles by land,” Van Vliet said. Given that experience, the prospect of moving into a 150-year-old Vermont house with no plumbing wasn’t a big deal.

Van Vliet’s pulp paintings mostly depict the sky over the crest of a ﬁeld with a gentle downward arc. Several of these are called “Earth Curve,” with the same geometry playing out in di erent colors and conditions of light. In one, it’s a paperwhite snowy ﬁeld under a sky that looks like veined gray marble; in another, a mud season view of foggy greenish browns under a rainy blue. In “Tur eld at Sunset,” the same landscape is lit by an orange sky with deep gray thunderheads, the brown earth cracked through with orange veins. It looks like the surface of Mars.

CLAIRE VAN VLIET

"Blood Moon"

Van Vliet’s works convey two opposing but equally present threads of the Vermont landscape: its unembellished plainness and its tendency toward melodrama.

“Blood Moon” pictures only sky, where a glowing red orb rises behind charcoal shadows and frothy pink clouds. Yet there’s no less drama in “Earth Curve — Spring 8,” a triptych that gives most of the composition over to a furrowed field, leaving just a glimpse of storm clouds moving in across a salmon sunset.

Thank you to everyone involved in the Community Health Centers’ 11th annual “Salud” event!

Our event raised funds in support of CHC’s important mission to provide quality health care to ALL within our community.

Presented by

From top: "Turffield at Sunset"; “Earth Curve — Spring 9”

"Storm Clouds” BIG SKY COUNTRY » P.53

HERVermont Unveils Mural for Reproductive Justice

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

“It began as a little idea,” Ella omas said, “maybe a painting on the wall of our high school — and then somehow it grew into a 9-by-12-foot mural with an organization to go with it.”

omas, a junior at U-32 Middle & High School in East Montpelier, spoke at the March 29 unveiling of a mural celebrating reproductive justice that she painted with fellow student Annaliese Eckhaus. Together with classmates Una Liebermann, Mayla Landis-Marinello and Leela McCann, and their mentor, reproductive health educator Kayla Becker, they have formed HERVermont, an organization spreading awareness about reproductive health, rights and history.

e group grew out of a self-directed learning project in lieu of health class, which the students started as sophomores in fall 2023 with Becker as their teacher. In addition to biology, they studied the 20th-century history of reproductive rights, including how it affected Black and Indigenous women. eir studies spurred them to action, starting with the mural.

en, in a display of extreme event-planning prowess, the teens arranged a mural unveiling that packed the Montpelier Performing Arts Hub despite a late March snowstorm. An impressive lineup of activist speakers included former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin, former gubernatorial candidate Esther Charlestin, and, via video, U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) and historian Scott Stern.

e students read Stern’s book e Trials of Nina McCall as part of their curriculum last spring. It investigated the largely unstudied history of the American Plan, which the author described as “a largely forgotten U.S. government program under which women suspected of promiscuity or of having sexually transmitted infections were incarcerated, without due process, in what some women call concentration camps.”

Stern went on to say that tens of thousands of women in the ﬁrst half of the 20th century were affected, but because the decentralized program was implemented by local law enforcement, many had no idea that anyone else had been arrested. He also highlighted a history of resistance: “Women locked up under the plan routinely escaped, sued their captors, assaulted their captors and burned their sites of incarceration to the ground.”

Eckhaus, one of the student artists, said the mural was created as a memorial to these women. “As we studied this history,” she said, “we realized that it was too big to leave in historical documents and academic papers, because reproductive justice affects everyone here.”

e mural depicts a female figure kneeling at the edge of a body of water, raising her hands in what seems like a magical gesture. ree moons behind her represent the pagan triple goddess of Mother, Maiden and Crone; flowers and healing herbs grow up her body. A giant uterus floats above her as though summoned. Women’s names — of actual people who were incarcerated and some representing unknown victims — are written in white on a black sky like little stars.

It is remarkably proportional and beautifully painted, though omas and Eckhaus said the unveiling was the first time they were seeing it upright. Over the course of several months, they worked on the piece on whatever floor they could find, rolling it up between sessions.

e imagery recalls a 1970s Judy Chicago brand of feminist art, updated for Gen Z. Notably, the ﬁgure is brown, as were many of the women who were incarcerated under the American Plan. Eckhaus said they decided on the imagery as a way of destigmatizing and honoring the female body.

More than unveiling the artwork, the event was a launch for HERVermont. e students don’t have a permanent home for the mural but hope to travel with it to schools and other venues as part of a campaign of education and activism.

During the event, Kunin lauded the teens for their work, describing their journey as mirroring her own start in the political sphere. First, she said, she got angry. “ e anger turns into imagination,” she said. “Anger, imagination and then action.” ➆

INFO

Learn more at hervermont.weebly.com.

From top: HERVermont members Una Liebermann, Annaliese Eckhaus, Kayla Becker, Mayla Landis-Marinello, Leela McCann and Ella omas; the HERVermont mural

VISUAL

CALLS TO ARTISTS

‘LIGHT AND SHADOW’: An invitation to artists to share up to four works in any medium depicting light and shadow for an exhibition opening May 24. RSVP via email. Deadline: May 12. Chandler Gallery, Randolph. $10 registration fee. Info, gallery@ chandler-arts.org.

‘SHARPEN YOUR PENCILS!’: Seeking submissions of drawings, assemblages, prints and other works made using pencils (including charcoal or colored pencils) and erasers for a summer 2025 exhibition. Deadline: May 17. Studio Place Arts, Barre. $10 nonmember applicants. Info, 479-7069.

CALL FOR VENDORS - EAST POULTNEY DAY: Seeking vendors for the Poultney Historical Society’s 90th Annual East Poultney Day celebration on Saturday, August 9. The theme is the commemoration of America’s semiquincentennial. Deadline: July 1. East Poultney Green. $35; $15 for nonprofits. Info, info@poultneyhistoricalsociety.org.

OPENINGS + RECEPTIONS

WILLOW MORIN: “Color Me Hungry,” a solo show presented by the artist as part of a senior capstone project in the Art and Design program. Reception: Wednesday, April 16, 6:30 p.m. McCarthy Art Gallery, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, through April 18. Info, bcollier@smcvt.edu.

BFA EXHIBIT: An exhibition of drawing, painting, photography and ceramics by graduating artists Sydney Arczynski, Annika Cooper, Savannah Kelley and Bug Pericles. Reception and artist talks: Thursday, April 17, noon-2 p.m. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Vermont State University-Johnson, through May 2, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Info, 635-1469.

WHITNEY BARRETT: An exhibition of paper collages and mixed media paintings featuring intricate line drawings of anamorphic female figures, handstamped papers, gel prints, colored tissue paper, found words and book pages from romance novels. Reception: Friday, April 18, 5-7 p.m. Canal Street Art Gallery, Bellows Falls, April 18-June 14. Info, 289-0104.

MARY ADMASIAN: “Past is Present,” an exhibition of past works from “The Y-Con Series” (1983-1989) and

“Peering Through” (2007-2013) by the Montpelier artist. Reception: Friday, April 18, 6-8 p.m. Waterbury Studios, Waterbury, April 18-June 20. Info, 355-5440.

‘PAINTER’S ETHOS’: A group exhibit featuring paintings by David Brewster, Jim Giddings, Petria Mitchell, David Rohn, Donald Saaf, Joseph Salerno, James Urbaska and Dan Welden. Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, Brattleboro, April 19-June 15. Info, 251-8290.

CATHY CONE: “Garden of Dreams,” an exhibition by the multidisciplinary photographer celebrating spring through ethereal imagery. CVMC Art Gallery, Berlin, April 22-May 17. Info, 371-4464.

RICH COHEN: “The Garden at the End of the Rainbow,” an exhibition of floral photography. Reception: Friday, May 2, 5-7 p.m. Long River Gallery, White River Junction, through June 30. Info, art@ longrivergallery.com.

ART EVENTS

‘MIND YOUR OWN (ARTS) BUSINESS’ SEMINAR: A Vermont Crafts Council seminar of panels and workshops on teaching art, photographing your work, using social media and other topics in the business of art. Preregister online. White River Craft Center, Randolph, Wednesday, April 16, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 279-9495.

DRINK & DRAW: A drop-in event organized by the T.W. Wood Gallery; no experience necessary; drawing materials provided. Purchase drinks from the bar. Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, Wednesday, April 16, 5-7 p.m. Free; $10 suggested donation. Info, 262-6035.

ARTIST TALK: MOLLIE MCKINLEY: An artist talk on their recent work in sculptural photography, salt, light and blown glass. Informed by disability studies and post-humanism, McKinley explores the gloop phenomena that exist at the edges of streams and caverns. They will share their studio processes and discuss the perception and consciousness of nonhuman intelligences. Williams Hall, University of Vermont, Burlington, Wednesday, April 16, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Info, 656-2014.

ARTIST TALK: MAHWISH CHISHTY: An artist discussion of her work, which combines new media and conceptual approaches with materials and techniques of South Asian art and craft traditions. Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Wednesday, April 16, 8-9 p.m. Free. Info, 635-2727.

LIFE DRAWING AND PAINTING: A drop-in event for artists working with the figure from a live model. T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, Thursday, April 17, 7-9 p.m. Free; $10 suggested donation. Info, 262-6035.

‘FREE SELF-EXPRESSION’: An open forum where the public is invited to celebrate community by sharing performance, music, reading, speaking, dancing, and take-home art and writing. Canal Street Art Gallery, Bellows Falls, Friday, April 18, 5-8 p.m. Info, 289-0104.

ARTIST TALKS: HEIDI BRONER AND CHRIS PAPA: A tour of the exhibitions, in which the artists discuss process, practice, and materials. Broner talks from 2:00-2:30 p.m. and Papa from 2:45-3:15 p.m. AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH. Free. Info, 603-448-3117.

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, April 20, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

PORTRAIT DRAWING AND PAINTING: A drop-in event where artists can practice skills in any medium. T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, Monday, April 21, 10 a.m.noon. Free; $10 suggested donation. Info, 262-6035.

WINTER WATERCOLORS WITH PAULINE NOLTE: Weekly workshops for painters of all abilities; no experience necessary. Register via email. Waterbury Public Library, Tuesday, April 22, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com. ➆

Big

The medium is partially responsible for this vivid effect. Van Vliet pointed out that while paint can get muddy as colors mix, different shades and values of pulp layer over each other, maintaining each color’s integrity and mixing only in the eye of the beholder. “It’s the way it is in the actual sky,” she said.

Van Vliet also uses her vista of a field, the same one she has looked at for 60 years, to place the viewer in the landscape. It isn’t distant or safe: “The ground is going below you, and the sky is going over you,” she said. “You’re in a middle distance.” It’s something she loves about Winslow Homer’s paintings, she said, where the viewer seems about to fall off a precipice into the ocean.

Van Vliet enjoys collaborating on book projects, which she said pushes her in unexpected directions. She has also made overtly political work — she scoffed at a Tesla that drove by during our conversation and, struggling with resurgent polio in one leg, said she has no patience for anti-vaxxers. But unlike her books and broadsides, which use words and images to express an idea, the paintings speak for themselves.

Back in Denmark, Van Vliet said, she made painstaking lithographs of fields and the sky. But integrating the images into the structure of the paper felt better to her, she said: “This is the medium that the clouds need.” ➆

INFO

“Claire Van Vliet: Sky and Earth,” on view through May 31 at the Satellite Gallery in Lyndonville. thesatellitegalleryvt.weebly.com

music+nightlife

S UNDbites

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH

Exiled on Main Street: 24 Years After They Were Banned, moe. Return to the Flynn

In rock and roll, getting banned from a place is a badge of honor. Think JOHNNY CASH being blacklisted at the Grand Ole Opry after smashing out the lights with his mic stand or BJÖRK becoming persona non grata in, well, all of China. (Turns out the Chinese government doesn’t love when you talk about Tibet.) Sure, it probably stresses out promoters and agents to no end, but nothing boosts outlaw rocker cred like getting booted from a venue — or an entire country.

It’s not easy to get banned in Vermont. My favorite ban of all time: When the folks at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival clearly didn’t do their homework and in 2005 booked indie-rock outﬁt the JAZZ GUYS, whose chaotic set resulted in them being barred from ever again playing the Church Street Marketplace.

So I was shocked to learn that in 2001 the jam band MOE. were banned for years from performing at the Flynn in Burlington. The jam scene doesn’t scream “unruly” to me, but I don’t know, maybe someone ate a bad goo ball and put a GRATEFUL DEAD sticker on a urinal?

Not quite; moe. drummer VINNIE AMICO

recounted the real story in a phone call from his home in upstate New York. “Before everybody started vaping, we had a lot of fans who decided to smoke cigarettes inside the Flynn,” he said. “Somebody burned one of their nice seats, and the folks at the theater were none too pleased about that. So we got the hook and couldn’t come back for years.”

Fortunately, moe.’s long, dark exile from Burlington’s swankiest concert venue has come to an end: The band is set to return this Saturday, April 19. And it’s not just any show, but part of the band’s 35th anniversary tour and a celebration of sorts for their latest album, Circle of Giants, recorded at Tank Recording Studio in Burlington with local producer and engineer BEN COLLETTE.

“Burlington has deﬁnitely become a kind of second home,” said Amico, who joined moe. 29 years ago. He’s somehow the band’s ﬁfth drummer, but he’s stuck around for the long haul, helping moe. avoid the SPINAL TAP curse of a revolving drum seat. (And no spontaneous combustions, thankfully.)

IF YOU’RE GOING TO STICK AROUND AS LONG AS WE HAVE, YOU HAVE TO KEEP MAKING MUSIC THAT PEOPLE STILL WANT TO HEAR.

VINNIE AMICO

Amico says the Queen City is an almost yearly stop for his band, which played at the now-defunct Memorial Auditorium after the Flynn ban, before moving on to multiple-night stands at

Higher Ground in South Burlington. Guitarist AL SCHNIER has a place in Stowe as well, further connecting moe. to the Vermont scene. After the band’s gig at the Flynn on April 19, Amico is even playing an aftershow at Nectar’s with a crew of local musicians, including SETH YACOVONE and ALEX BUDNEY.

It’s the Tank that really keeps moe. coming back to Vermont, though. Amico raved about Collette’s studio, where moe. also recorded their previous LP, This Is Not, We Are

“It’s such an amazing studio,” Amico said, noting that moe. were the ﬁrst band to record at the Tank after Collette moved the studio to its current Old North End location in 2019. “It wasn’t even fully done yet, but we just love working with Ben. He’s so good at getting the exact sounds you want.”

Amico reckons that one reason moe. have existed for 35 years — no mean feat for a band — is their drive to evolve and continually create new, original music. Circle of Giants, which dropped in January, pushes deeper into the band’s arena-rock DNA, as evidenced by album opener “Yellow Tigers,” a big ri -rocker that features Amico doing some cowbell work that would make Christopher Walken salivate.

“If you’re going to stick around as long as we have, you have to keep making music that people still want to hear,” Amico said, noting that longtime fans have brought their kids to shows, who then grow up to be fans. “We’ve become one of those generational bands, which kind of blows my mind.”

to hiatus

Any band that clocks the miles moe. have also experiences its share of adversity and heartbreak. They went on a brief hiatus after bassist and vocalist ROB DERHAK was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer in 2017. They returned to the stage in 2018 after Derhak was declared cancer-free, but then guitarist CHUCK GARVEY su ered a stroke in 2022 that left him having to relearn how to speak and play guitar.

“We’ve always been a tight band, but Rob’s cancer and Chuck’s stroke really brought us closer,” Amico said. “We’re all attached at the hip now.”

It’s deﬁnitely not the norm for a band to be hitting its stride 35 years in, but moe. might be doing just that. They’ve got a rocking new album and are entering a new phase after a few years of setbacks and tragedies. They just have to hope their fans, now older and maybe wiser, behave themselves at the Flynn and don’t get the band kicked out again. It’s 2025; they’re all vaping now, right? For more info or to purchase tickets, visit ﬂynnvt.org. ➆

On the Beat

Montpelier singer-songwriter and country musician MARK LEGRAND died on April 8, two years after he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He was 72.

LeGrand was a prolific songwriter of the outlaw country variety, drawing inspiration from musicians such as WAYLON JENNINGS. Similar to Jennings, LeGrand wrote often and candidly about his past struggles with alcoholism, as on his 2006 album Cold New England Town

A fixture of the Montpelier music scene, LeGrand — often alongside his partner, SARAH MUNRO — played at Capital City venues such as the now-defunct Sweet Melissa’s and its successor, Bent Nails Bistro. The latter held a benefit last year to help LeGrand recover from cancer surgery.

“Each person is a world unto themself,” LeGrand’s friend and fellow musician DAVE KELLER wrote in a social media tribute on April 9. “A dear friend who dies is like the loss of an entire library. Mark was more than that … He was no simple library — but an Alexandria, full of Merle and Johnny and Hank and Willie, and his own hardwon wisdom. His life was not easy. Far from it. But it was beautiful. He made it into something beautiful. Forged with just a few simple chords.”

No details on a celebration of LeGrand’s life had been released as of press time. But we’ll have them here when they’re announced. Rest easy, Mark.

Burlington pianist and singersongwriter TYLER MAST released a new single last week titled “Patterns of Our Lives.” The upbeat tune is chock-full of horns and stabs of organ, with an overall retro-psychedelic vibe that Mast occupies with relish.

Channeling GEORGE HARRISON’s “What

Is Life” and JERRY GARCIA’s “Rhapsody in Red,” Mast’s new song brims with earworm melodic lines and a ’60s-style rave-up energy perfect for blasting from car speakers on a sunny Vermont country drive.

Mast is backed on the track by an all-star local outfit, including trumpeter CONNOR YOUNG and GOOSE drummer COTTER ELLIS

According to Mast, the tune is about “a woman who has a voice in her head that influences the way she thinks and acts, and this creates long-term patterns when she looks back on the path her life has taken.”

“Patterns of Our Lives” is streaming now on major services.

It’s Daysies time again, when Seven Days asks locals to nominate their favorite people and places in Vermont. This generates lots of excitement among local businesses and so, so, so much bitching from the music community.

Every year I get the same three emails: “You dudes don’t know real hip-hop from your asshole,” “[Fill in the blank] isn’t really a folk band!” and, my favorite, “How much did [fill in the blank] pay you to win?”

Seriously, the notion of local musicians bribing me to win a popularity award is fucking hilarious, but if any of you indie musicians want to start funneling a trust fund my way to win the Daysie for best cover band, hit me up on Venmo. I could use the cash.

Obviously, I’m joking about taking bribes. And since I don’t play a part in picking winners, or any facet of the readers’ choice awards in general, that would be a waste of money. So let me tell you something that will actually help: If you’re a music fan and you think the Daysies music finalists suck, it’s totally your fault.

That’s right, I said it. Right now, this very second, you can nominate whatever artists you want for multiple Daysies music categories. The Daysies can accurately reflect a very healthy and vibrant local scene — if the local scene engages with it. Seriously, that’s all it

Mark LeGrand

Tyler Mast

COURTESY

music+nightlife

takes. Is there a band you’re passionate about? Nominate it and get your friends to vote, too.

Vermont is currently enjoying one of its best music scenes in decades, with the likes of ROBBER ROBBER, THUS LOVE, the DEAD SHAKERS, LILY SEABIRD and plenty of other excellent artists putting out phenomenal original music. The hiphop scene is thriving, with great new records coming out from rappers such as ROBSCURE and OBI THE VOICEGOD. We’re brimming with excellent bluegrass outﬁts — look at the TENDERBELLIES and the WORMDOGS. Our DJ culture is going strong, with legends such as TAKA and newer faces such as KATE KUSH. Even the cover bands and tribute acts are stepping it up — we now have a NO DOUBT cover band, Burlington’s BATHWATER And that’s just the music I know about. Maybe you know something I don’t — nominate ’em!

Local Music Competition

The Daysies should reﬂect our robust scene. But it’s on you, the local music fan, to make that happen. Stand up for your favorites and vote now. And if it sounds like I’m begging you, well, I am. I really want the Daysies music categories to shout out the best of our scene. And I really, really want people to stop complaining to me.

Eye on the Scene

Listening In

(Spotify mix of local jams)

1. “WHEN WILL MY VEINS RETURN?” by COOKED

2. “THERE ON THE HILL” by Fisher Wagg

3. “PEOPLE AGAINST AN EMPIRE” by Hana Zara, Kelly Mulhollan

4. “ROCK RIVER” by King Tuff

5. “DEFCON 1” by Robscure, Locksmith

6. “UNTIL I CAN SEE YOU AGAIN” by Molly Millwood

7. “HAPPY NEVER AFTER” by Another Sexless Weekend

Scan to listen sevendaysvt. com/playlist

Let’s make our dreams come true: Vote in Round 1 through April 28 at ballot.sevendaysvt.com. ➆

Highlights from the music scene from photographer Luke Awtry

JUKEBOX: “HEAVY METAL STRINGS,” ARTSRIOT, BURLINGTON, FRIDAY, APRIL 11: It’s been more than three weeks since the ofﬁcial start of spring, but I wasn’t convinced until I caught my ﬁrst outdoor show of the year — kind of. I knew the VERMONT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’s JUKEBOX quartet had sold out both of its “Heavy Metal Strings” shows last Friday at ArtsRiot, and though I had a very busy night on the books, I hoped to sneak in and catch a few bangers. Jukebox is made up of four of the VSO’s top bow-wielding shredders: BROOKE QUIGGINSSAULNIER and JOANA GENOVA on violin, STEFANIE TAYLOR on viola, and JOHN DUNLOP on cello. ey perform previously unimagined classical takes on pop and rock hits — including NIRVANA’s “In Bloom.” at was one of two KYLE SAULNIER arrangements for this season’s touring program, curated by VSO artistic adviser MATT LAROCCA. With only a few minutes to spare, I never made it into the venue but found the perfect line of sight to enjoy the quartet from my own private outdoor viewing area — the otherwise empty Pine Street sidewalk. And I didn’t even buy a ticket. How metal is that?

CLUB DATES

live music

WED.16

Adirondack Jazz Ensemble (jazz) at Olive Ridley’s, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. Free.

BBQ and Bluegrass (bluegrass) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Brother Ali, DJ Abilities, Jabee (hip-hop) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $22/$25.

Irish Night with RambleTree (Celtic) at Two Brothers Tavern, Middlebury, 7 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.

Michael Hartigan (piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10.

THU.17

3T Hip-Hop: Brzwoski, Box Guts, Big Homie Wes with Samuel Guihan, Open Cyphers (hip-hop) at the Green Door Studio, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

Badfish, Grateful Dub (Sublime tribute) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $25/$30.

DC and the Disconnects (rock) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Dead/Not Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 7 p.m. Free.

The Faerie Godbrothers (folk) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

George Murtie (singer-songwriter) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free. Jazz with Alex Stewart and Friends (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free. Reprise (Phish tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $20.

Shakedown Sessions with Pappy & Friends (Americana) at Stowe Cider, 7 p.m. $15.

Thanya Iyer, Acqua Mossa (indie folk) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $12/$15.

The Soda Plant Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Vermont Jazz Trio (jazz) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Zach Nugent Dead Set (Grateful Dead tribute) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 8 p.m. $12.

FRI.18

420 Fest: Hobo Wizard, Evil Bong, Holy Bowl (rock) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

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.

Jazz Jukebox

TUE.22 // IN THE POCKET [JAZZ]

Burlington six-piece IN THE POCKET cover a wide swath of jazz and blues history, from the 1930s to today. Led by vocalist Taryn Noelle, the group interprets music by everyone from Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra to modern acts such as Pink Martini. A fixture on the Green Mountain jazz scene, the band seems to pop up everywhere, whether nightclubs, weddings or the occasional beer hall. This Tuesday, April 22, it brings its big sound and collection of jazz and blues standards to Lawson’s Finest Liquids in Waitsfield as part of the brewery’s Tuesday Tunes series.

Bad Horsey (rock, country) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Bob and Mona (acoustic) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7 p.m. Free.

The Bresetts (folk) at Gusto’s, Barre, 6 p.m. Free.

Brzowski, Vast & Slade, Agent 8 (hip-hop) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

The Edd, Night Protocol (jam, synth) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

George Nostrand (acoustic) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

John Lackard Blues Band (blues) at Moogs Place, Morrisville, 8 p.m. Free.

King Me (rock) at Vermont Cider Lab, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Lost Ape (acoustic) at Switchback Brewing’s Beer Garden & Tap House, Burlington, 5:30 p.m. Free.

Padded Waltz, A Band Called Sundown (indie rock, psych funk) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $10/$20.

Paul Webb (piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Pluto Rising (new wave, reggae) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Purple: A Tribute to Prince (tribute) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $20/$25.

Rap Night Burlington (hip-hop) at Drink, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5.

Ryan James & the Cryin’ Shames (singer-songwriter) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Shane Murley Band (Americana) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Sibling Reverie (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

Songwriter Sessions with Aaron Flinn, Braden Winslow & Joe Adler (singer-songwriter) at Shelburne Vineyard, 6 p.m. Free.

Sticks & Stones (rock) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

The Stragglers (bluegrass) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

Trojan Horns Brass Band (brass band) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15.

Two for Flinching (acoustic) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Undercover (acoustic) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Vecchio Stile (Italian folk) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

Waiting on Mongo, Japhy Ryder (funk) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $15/$18.

SAT.19

420 a Day Early: Lazy Bird, Waiting on Mongo (funk, jam) at Double E Performance Center’s T-Rex Theater, Essex, 10 a.m. Free.

Bethany Conner (folk) at Vermont Cider Lab, Essex, 6 p.m. Free. Bloomfest (indie rock) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, noon. $15.

Carl Anton (acoustic) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

Dan Parks (acoustic) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

DINOS, Neato, Tabarnak, Rubber (indie) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $10/$15.

George Murtie (singer-songwriter) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Groundhog (jam) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10.

Gzilith, Laces (indie rock) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

The Hitmen (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Homemade Special (Americana) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

Jon Wagar & Friends (rock) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Kat Wright & Brett Hughes (folk, country) at Shelburne Vineyard, 8 p.m. $25.

Lil Sickles & Jeff Baron (acoustic) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Live Music Saturdays (live music series) at Dumb Luck Pub & Grill, Hinesburg, 7 p.m. Free.

Marc Delgado (singer-songwriter) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

Oh What? Wow! (disco) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11:30 p.m. $10/$15.

Paul Webb (piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Philip Hyjek Trio (jazz) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7 p.m. Free.

Pluto Rising (pop, reggae) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. $10/$15.

Pretty Privilege, Blossom, Tub Time! b2b missandri (punk, DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 10 p.m. $10.

Ripe, Dylan Chambers (indie) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $25/$28. Rootbound (folk) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Steady Betty, North Beach Dub All-Stars (soul, funk) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $30.

The Tenderbellies, Forest Station (bluegrass) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $15/$18. Tsunamibots, Model 97 (surf rock) at Afterthoughts, Waitsfield, 8 p.m. Free.

Tyler Wescott, Ditrani Brothers (blues, jazz) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free. The Wormdogs (bluegrass) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

SUN.20

The Ballroom Thieves (folk) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 7 p.m. $18/$20.

Chris Cain (blues) at Olive Ridley’s, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 2 p.m. $20. Dan Ryan Express (jazz) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free. Kind Bud & Nug (acoustic) at Afterthoughts, Waitsfield, 7 p.m. $10.

Ranking Joe, Satta Sound, Green Lion Crew (reggae) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $20. Rough Francis, DJ Lucas, Mysunderstood, Charlie Mayne, Pleasant Street (punk, DJ, hip-hop) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 4 p.m. $10.

Sunday Brunch Tunes (singersongwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 10 a.m. Wine & Jazz Sundays (jazz) at Shelburne Vineyard, 5 p.m. Free.

TUE.22

Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free. Grateful Tuesdays (Grateful Dead tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Honky Tonk Tuesday with Wild Leek River (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10. In the Pocket (jazz) at Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, 5 p.m. Free.

Olivia Ellen Lloyd, Olivia Lurrie (singer-songwriter) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

WED.23

BBQ and Bluegrass (bluegrass) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6:30 p.m. Free.

live music

WED.23 CONTINUED FROM P.57

The Brokes (Strokes tribute) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $15/$18.

Giannina Sol, Natalie Palmer (singer-songwriter) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $5/$10. 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.

Jeff & Gina (acoustic) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Lara Cwass Band (indie) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10.

Yung Gravy (hip-hop) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $29.50/$34.50.

djs

WED.16

The Mid Week Hump with DJs Fattie B and Craig Mitchell (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.17

DJ Chaston (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ JP Black (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

DJ Two Sev (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Revival (DJ) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.18

August Monday & DJ Weck (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10/$15. Blanchface (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Dierkes (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

DJ CRE8 (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

DJ CRWD CTRL (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

DJ Rice Pilaf (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15.

Emo Night Brooklyn (DJ) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $20/$25.

John’s Jukebox (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

Mason (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

New Wave Night (DJ) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 8 p.m. Free.

Ron Stoppable (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Season in the Sun

On their latest LP, Sundust, Boston indie-folk band the BALLROOM THIEVES react to a world on fire. The duo of bassist and cellist Calin Peters and guitarist Martin Earley crafted a collection of songs centered on the concept that for all our digital connections these days, there’s a lack of tenderness between humans. With a gorgeous blend of locked-in harmonies and lush instrumental interplay, the Thieves strive to reconnect and recalibrate on their fifth LP, taking on trauma and heartbreak directly with songs of healing. They celebrate their new album with a show at Light Club Lamp Shop in Burlington on Sunday, April 20.

SAT.19

Crypt Goth Night (DJ) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

DJ Ara$ (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. Glow Party (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 8 p.m. $22.50/$30.

Matt Payne (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Mr Cheng (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. Sparkomatik (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. $10.

SUN.20

Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae, dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

open mics & jams

WED.16

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.17

Open Mic with Artie (open mic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

SUN.20

Olde Time Jam Session (open jam) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, noon. Free.

MON.21

Bluegrass Etc. Jam (bluegrass jam) at Ottauquechee Yacht Club, Woodstock, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Despacito, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.23

Irish Trad Jam (Celtic, open mic) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

comedy

WED.16

Standup Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

THU.17

Live, Laugh, Lava: A Comedy Showcase (comedy) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5.

Nico Carney (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $25.

Standup Comedy (comedy) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Strapped-In: A Queer Comedy Showcase (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$15.

FRI.18

Kingdom Kids & Friends (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7:30 & 9 p.m. $20.

Max Higgins (comedy) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 7 p.m. $15.

SAT.19

Good Clean Fun (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 5:30 p.m. $5/$10.

TUE.22

Open Mic Comedy with Levi Silverstein (comedy open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.23

Standup Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

trivia, karaoke, etc.

WED.16

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Rock N’ Roll Bingo with Miss Jubilee (music bingo) at CharlieO’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Super Hero Trivia (trivia, benefit) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. Donation.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub and Grill Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.17

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with Matt Mero (karaoke) at Olive Ridley’s, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Radio Bean Karaoke (karaoke) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Essex Free Library, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Vermont Cider Lab, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

FRI.18

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with DJ Big T (karaoke) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

SAT.19

Green Mountain Cabaret (drag) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

SUN.20

Karaoke with DJ Coco Entertainment (karaoke) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 5 p.m. Free.

Sunday Funday (games) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, noon. Free.

Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.21

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 Night (trivia) at Barr Hill, Montpelier, 5:30 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.22

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 Tuesday (trivia) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free.

Tuesday Trivia (trivia) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.23

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Rock N’ Roll Bingo with Miss Jubilee (music bingo) at CharlieO’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub and Grill Winooski, 7 p.m. Free. ➆

SUN.20 // THE BALLROOM THIEVES [FOLK]

WIN FREE TICKETS TO GREAT CONCERTS

BILLY JOEL

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN GILLETTE STADIUM, FOXBORO

ROLLING STONES

SOLDIER FIELD, CHICAGO & GILLETTE STADIUM, FOXBORO

ELO TD GARDEN, BOSTON

ELTON JOHN SUNRISE, FLORIDA

SHOWS AT LOCAL VENUES LIKE THE FLYNN, BARRE OPERA HOUSE, STRAND CENTER & THE DOUBLE E – ESSEX

THE MONKEES

LITTLE FEAT

BRUCE HORNSBY

LOS LOBOS

MICHAEL MCDONALD

GORDON LIGHTFOOT

GLADYS KNIGHT

NEIL YOUNG

MELISSA ETHERIDGE

BONNIE RAITT

BOZ SCAGGS

THE RASCALS

TOM RUSH

JORMA KAUKONEN

MAVIS STAPLES

LADYSMITH BLACK MOMBAZO

DWEEZIL ZAPPA

GRAND POINT NORTH

BRIT FLOYD

MANIA ALMOST QUEEN TUSK

EAGLEMANIA HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS

RUMOURS OF FLEETWOOD MAC

YESTERDAY KASHMIR

LIVE FROM LAUREL CANYON

BRITAIN’S FINEST

FLOYDIAN TRIP

THE SIXTIES SHOW FOREIGNERS JOURNEY

THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY

GET THE LED OUT

BIG YELLOW TAXI

ALL NIGHT BOOGIE BAND CREEDENCE REVIVED

HARVEST & RUST

ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN

SPACE ODDITY FAB FOUR

INTO THE MYSTIC

ARRIVAL FROM SWEDEN

SHADOWS OF THE SIXTIES

MERSEY BEATLES

CLASSIC STONES

MAGICAL MYSTERY DOORS

DYLAN & THE DEAD BOOKENDS

THE WIZARDS OF WINTER

ZACH NUGENT’S DEAD SET

JERRY DUTY

JOHN DENVER CHRISTMAS

PRESLEY, PERKINS, LEWIS & CASH

REVIEW this music+nightlife

Robscure, FIRE: Forged in Rare Ethos

(MUSIC LAB RECORDS, DIGITAL, LIMITED VINYL) Robscure is a rapper and producer who reps Washington, Vt., a tiny town in the hills of Orange County. Naturally enough, he’s since moved to New York City, but he’s remained a constant presence in the Green Mountain hiphop scene that raised him. (In fact, he was in Burlington over the weekend opening for R.A.P. Ferreira at Light Club Lamp Shop.)

His latest album, FIRE: Forged in Rare Ethos, marks the end of his “element series,” a thematic quadrilogy he started in 2021 with EARTH: Eventually All Returns to Here. With 2022’s AIR: Answers in Release, the young artist reached a new level of quality control — and sheer songwriting ambition. 2024’s WATER: We Are the Eternal Ripple pushed the envelope even further with a newfound musicality that drew from jazz and R&B in equal measure.

No stranger to the indie hustle, Robscure hyped his latest LP with a downright professional cross-platform rollout that included some outstanding music videos. The e ort was worth it: FIRE is a short, potent set of nothing but polished bangers. It also features some incredible guest artists, including West Coast battle legend Locksmith, superhuman Kansas chopper Seuss Mace and a long-overdue collaboration with Vermont’s own fast-rap champion, Jarv.

earnest young man with a troubled conscience. His raps are both political and philosophical, but he’s savvy enough to let his wordplay speak for itself without resorting to the kind of moralizing clichés that tend to make “conscious rap” so painful to listen to. Whether he’s grappling with media addiction (“NEON SIGNS”) or the looming threat of nuclear war (“M.A.D. WORLD”), his trains of thought are genuinely compelling rides. He is also more creative than ever with his ﬂow patterns, crafting rigorous puzzle boxes that demand repeat listens.

For my money, though, nothing hits harder than the closing track, “CAMPFIRE STORY,” which attempts nothing less than a retelling of human history in a little under four minutes. It’s a stroke of genius that elevates an already powerful project.

Robscure has never sounded so good on the mic. In fact, he’s never sounded better period, courtesy of expert mixing and mastering work from Ethan Wilson of Grove Studios. (Robscure is a highly competent DIY engineer, but it always helps to hand your ﬁnal product over to a fresh set of ears.) Crucially for a concept album, the production suits the theme, thanks to a well-curated bricolage of beats.

As a writer, Robscure remains an

Success in the music business is a mysterious thing, and New York City has swallowed many millions of dreams. It’s impossible to say what kind of impact this latest LP will have on Robscure’s budding career. But at the very least, he has pushed himself to new heights and delivered his best work to date. If you have somehow managed to sleep on his brilliance, now is the ideal time to ﬁx that.

FIRE: Forged in Rare Ethos is available on major streaming platforms.

JUSTIN BOLAND

Robscure

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Seven Days on the press in Mirabel, Québec

calendar

APRIL 16-23, 2025

WED.16

agriculture

SEED-STARTING WARM

WEATHER CROPS: Expert grower and educator Cedar Schiewetz teaches participants how to use a calendar to identify ideal dates for starting tomatoes, peppers, basil, zinnias and cucumbers. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 4 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING

INTERNATIONAL GROUP: Savvy businesspeople make crucial contacts at a weekly chapter meeting. BCA Center, Burlington, 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 829-5066.

community

FAIR HOUSING MONTH: Inperson and online workshops, neighborhood discussions, virtual panels, and art activities raise awareness about housing discrimination in Vermont. Various locations statewide, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info, fhp@ cvoeo.org.

crafts

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. etc.

CHAMP MASTERS

TOASTMASTER 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, champmasterstm@gmail.com.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

FILM SERIES: ‘FASHION REIMAGINED’: Becky Hutner explores how the clothes we buy today will shape the world of tomorrow in this eye-opening 2022 documentary. Virtual option available. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 6 p.m. Free. Info, adfilmseries@gmail.com.

‘CLAIM THE LANE: BECOMING ROXY’: Cinephiles attend a sneak peek screening of Jesse Huffman’s documentary about Roxy Bombardier, an Iraq veteran and amateur cyclist who came out as transgender at 51. A Q&A follows. See calendar spotlight. Sugar Maple Ballroom, Dudley H. Davis

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.

health & fitness

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.

Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, claimthelanefilm@ gmail.com.

GREAT ART WEDNESDAY: ‘VISUAL ACOUSTICS’: Dustin Hoffman narrates this 2008 documentary about architectural photographer Julius Shulman, who catapulted the modernist movement into the mainstream zeitgeist. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 11 a.m. $15. Info, 388-1436.

‘INCENDIES’: Viewers take in Denis Villeneuve’s 2010 suspense flick following young adult twins who journey to the Middle East to fulfill their mother’s last wishes. French with English subtitles. Haskell Free Library & Opera House, Derby Line, 7 p.m. $5. Info, cinemahaskell@gmail.com.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING:

Neighbors 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.

J VINEYARDS WINE DINNER:

Foodies indulge in a thoughtfully curated three-course meal crafted by executive chef Gregory J. Lang, paired with four exceptional vinos from the California winery. The Essex Resort & Spa, 6-9 p.m. $109-119. Info, 764-1489.

games

ADULT PUZZLE SWAP:

Participants leave completed puzzles (250-plus pieces only) in a ziplock bag with an image of the finished product, then find something new to take home. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

language

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

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE & URSA MAJOR: One of today’s leading jazz bassists puts on a powerhouse performance with his band of rising-star instrumentalists. Hanover Inn, N.H., 7:30-9 p.m. $40. Info, 603-646-2422.

SHIRE CHOIR SPRING MINI-

SESSION: Neighbors band together and raise their voices in sweet harmonies, taught by ear. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 6-7:30 p.m. $5-20. Info, wilsonheidiann@gmail.com.

outdoors

WOMEN WHO HERP: Budding herpetologists explore the places that reptiles and amphibians journey to, such as ponds and brooks. Nets, cups, ID books and guides provided. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, 5-7 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: Ping-Pong players swing their paddles in singles and doubles matches. Rutland Area Christian School, 7-9 p.m. Free for first two sessions; $30 annual membership. Info, 247-5913.

talks

CAROL RIFELJ FACULTY

LECTURE SERIES: JODI RODGERS: The college’s curator of collections explores the American Renaissance — a pivotal yet neglected period that inspired artists to develop a movement in mural painting. Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest, Middlebury College, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

stewardship in Vermont. New Haven Town Hall, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 363-4789.

BOOK DISCUSSION: ‘ON THE HOUSING CRISIS’: The South Burlington Housing Committee invites community members to chat about Jerusalem Demsas’ 2024 novel concerning the causes and effects of homelessness.

South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

NOT THE END OF THE WORLD

BOOK CLUB: Neighbors meet monthly over tea and cookies for a thoughtful conversation about books on the environment and climate change. Virtual option available. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister for Zoom link. Info, bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov.

THU.17

business

APRIL MIXER: Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce hosts an evening of networking, refreshments and community engagement. Empower MedSpa, St. Albans, 5:30-7 p.m. $10-15; preregister. Info, 524-2444.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS: Shelburne BNI invites local professionals to exchange referrals and build meaningful connections at a weekly meeting. Connect Church, Shelburne, 8:30-10 a.m. Free. Info, 377-3422.

HIRING2DAYVT VIRTUAL

JOB FAIR: Time for a new gig? The Vermont Department of Labor offers a meet and greet with employers from around the state. 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 828-4000.

climate crisis

GEORGE SPRINGSTON: In “Water, Boulders and Mud: The July 2024 Great Brook Flood in Plainfield,” the local resident and Norwich University professor wades into the rainstorm’s significant repercussions. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

community

FAIR HOUSING MONTH: See WED.16.

crafts

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

STEPHANIE YU: In “Vermont School Funding: Equity and Affordability,” the Public Assets Institute executive director explores the purpose of public education and outlines the history of the state’s system. Virtual option available. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 262-2626.

words

ARMCHAIR NATURALIST SERIES: ETHAN TAPPER: The Bolton author discusses his latest book, How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, which outlines the importance of forestry and

dance

QUAHOG DANCE THEATRE: Community members try out everything from ballet to Pilates in this group dedicated to movement and expression. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 1011:30 a.m. Free. Info, 748-2600.

environment

VERMONT GREEN BUILDING

CELEBRATION: Vermont Green Building Network hosts a joyful evening honoring the inspiring commercial, residential and net-zero structures creating a new standard for environmental responsibility in the state. Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 5:30-8 p.m. $25-45. Info, 735-2192.

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, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: Never-beforeseen footage brings audience members to the farthest reaches of the coldest, driest, windiest continent on Earth. 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, $16.5020; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘MICROPLASTIC MADNESS’: Environmentally minded neighbors honor Earth Day

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR: 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 all experience levels 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 tools and equipment in the makerspace. Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center, Middlebury, 5-8 p.m. $7.50. Info, 382-1012.

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

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.16

ZOOM HUMP DAY CHECK-IN:

Dad Guild staff member Marlon Fisher hosts a casual monthly drop-in for Vermont fathers to bring topics they’d like to unpack with other dads to the table. 8:45-10 p.m. Free. Info, 318-4231.

burlington

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.

RUBE GOLDBERG WEEK: Guinness World Record holder Zach Umperovitch captivates attendees as he builds a machine right before their eyes. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $16.50-20; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

STEAM SPACE: Kiddos in grades K to 5 explore science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics with fun and engaging activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

TODDLER TIME: Librarians bring out books, rhymes and songs specially selected for young ones 12 to 24 months. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1111:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

‘UNDERSTANDING DYSREGULATION: A DAD GUILD PARENTING WORKSHOP’: Local author Alex Shevrin Venet sheds light on the “window of tolerance” and helps parents better understand why and how their child is expressing big feelings. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 6:45-8:15 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 318-4231.

chittenden county

BABY TIME: Infants and their caregivers gather for a gentle story session with 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, 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KIDS PUZZLE SWAP: Participants leave completed kids’ puzzles (24 to 300 pieces only) in a ziplock bag with an image of the finished product, then find something new to take home. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PLAY TIME: Little ones ages birth to 5 build with blocks and read together. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1010:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

Knight Moves

Bernie Sanders needs your help — not only in dismantling the oligarchy, but also in supporting local kids in grades 1 through 12 at Youth Chess Day at Vermont State University in Randolph. The annual event from the beloved U.S. senator and all-around national treasure helps youths boost confidence, hone intellectual skills and build community through one of the oldest games in human history — and no experience is necessary to attend. The day commences with a learn-to-play session, ushering newbies into the clever world of castles, combos and checkmates, followed by a free lunch and threehour recreational tournament for more advanced players.

BERNIE SANDERS’ YOUTH CHESS DAY

Saturday, April 19, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at Vermont State University-Randolph. Free; preregister. Info, 862-0697, sanders.senate.gov.

PLAYGROUP & STORY TIME: Caregivers and kids through age 5 listen to stories, sing songs and share toys with new friends. Richmond Free Library, 10 a.m.noon. Free. Info, 434-3036.

READ TO A DOG: Kids of all ages get a 10-minute time slot to tell stories to Emma the therapy pup. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, sbplkids@southburlingtonvt.gov.

barre/montpelier

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.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TEEN HANGOUT: Middle and high schoolers make friends at a no-pressure meetup. Waterbury Public Library, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

THU.17 burlington

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.

BABY TIME: Pre-walking little ones experience a story time catered to their infant interests. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

BLACK DAD HANG: Dad Guild development director Marlon Fisher hosts a casual monthly gathering for Black fathers looking to build community and connect with others. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 318-4231.

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.

RUBE GOLDBERG WEEK: See WED.16.

chittenden county

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 birth to 5 learn from songs, crafts and picture

middlebury area

MIDDLEBURY UNION MIDDLE SCHOOL

TALENT SHOW: Theatergoers help the school’s eighth graders reach their fundraising goal for a trip to Boston while enjoying a night of entertainment as students show off their skills. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 6 p.m. $5-25. Info, 382-9222.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: Youngsters 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and color. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:1510:45 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

FRI.18 burlington

RUBE GOLDBERG WEEK: See WED.16.

chittenden county

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.

STEM CHALLENGE DROP-IN: MARBLE

MECHANICS: Future Einsteins pop by the library for assistance with designing a marble run that brings physics to life. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

barre/montpelier

LEGO CLUB: Budding builders create geometric structures with snap-together blocks. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

PHOTOS WITH THE EASTER BUNNY: Little ones hop to an entertaining afternoon with the fluffy holiday icon, including photo ops, face painting and a coloring station. Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Berlin, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, 229-5711.

books. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

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.

SIGN LANGUAGE STORY TIME: Special guest Nora leads little library patrons in stories and songs using sign language. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 2nd Floor, Children’s Library, Montpelier, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME: Kids and their caregivers meet for stories, songs and bubbles. Kellogg-Hubbard 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.

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

LITTLE FARM HANDS: Children ages birth to 4 explore farm life in a way that’s just their size at this touch-friendly exhibit that sparks curiosity and builds confidence. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular admission, $12-19; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 457-2355.

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.

with a special screening of the award-winning 2019 documentary, followed by a Q&A with author Eve O. Schaub. Manchester Community Library, Manchester Center, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 362-2607.

‘THE REWIND’ & ‘NOT FADE AWAY: A CELEBRATION OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD LEGACY’: A doubleheader featuring ﬂicks about a magical VHS player and an iconic American jam band highlights the work of independent ﬁlmmakers from New Hampshire and Vermont. Bellows Falls Opera House, 7 p.m. $15. Info, 463-3964, ext. 1120.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER

3D’: Viewers 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 eater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: Incredible CGI and revelations in tyrannosaur paleontology help to chronicle a remarkable discovery in the badlands of Hell Creek. Dealer.com 3D eater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

VERMONT SHORT FILMS NIGHT: Culture coalesces in rural Vermont at this screening of ﬁve shorts freshly released by local ﬁlmmakers. A Q&A follows. Spiral House, Burlington, 7-9:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Info, spiral. house.collective@gmail.com.

games

BLOOD ON THE CLOCKTOWER:

Katharine Bodan leads players in a thrilling social deduction game of lies and logic, in which no one is ever truly ruled out. Waterbury Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: Snacks and coffee fuel bouts of a classic card game. Burlington Bridge Club, Williston, 12:30-4 p.m. $6. Info, 872-5722.

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.

language

ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP:

Semi-ﬂuent speakers practice their skills during a conversazione with others. Best for those who can speak at least basic sentences. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

MANDARIN CONVERSATION

CIRCLE: Volunteers from

Vermont Chinese School help students learn or improve their ﬂuency. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 846-4140.

lgbtq

EMPOWERING SKILLS FOR ALL RELATIONSHIPS:

Pride Center of Vermont hosts a virtual support group for LGBTQ+ folks to explore relationship dynamics in a trauma-sensitive safe space. 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-0003.

music

ALLISON MANN & IRA

FRIEDMAN: A musical duo serves up popular and lesser-known jazz standards with a soulful, playful rapport. Positive Pie Tap & Grill, Plainﬁeld, 6-8 p.m. Free; donations appreciated. Info, 454-0133.

PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE:

Professor D. omas Toner directs the students in diverse works, featuring everything from the rhythmic structures of Indian music to traditional songs of the Ewe people of Ghana. University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3040.

seminars

FEELING TAXED DURING TAX SEASON?: Stressed-out individuals learn transcendental meditation techniques to dissolve anxiety and improve focus. Vermont Transcendental Meditation Center, Williston, 7-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 923-6782.

RECORDING AUDIO: An informative evening examines the latest audio techniques and equipment, from microphones to boom poles. e Media Factory, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 651-9692.

talks

CELEST DIPIETROPAOLO & MARIE DICOCCO: Two teachers with a lifelong interest in their cultural heritage explain the difference between traditional and folkloristic music and dance in Italy. Hosted by the Vermont Italian Cultural Association. 7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, vtitalian culturalassoc@gmail.com.

HUGO MARTÍNEZ CAZÓN: In “ e Lumière North American Company 1901: Burlington’s Role in the Development of Color Photography and Early Cinema,” a local expert transports listeners back to the ﬁrst days of the 20th century, when daguerreotypes gave way to motion pictures. Burlington Beer, 6 p.m. Free; cash bar. Info, 233-8587.

RANIA MATAR: A Lebanese American photographer shares the stories of young women through portraits taken in Lebanon, France, Egypt and the U.S. Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

Spokes Person

“Ride fast. Ride strong. Ride proud,” affirms soft-spoken transgender athlete Roxy Bombardier, the subject of filmmaker Jesse Huffman’s poignant new documentary, Claim the Lane: Becoming Roxy Local audiences preview the soul-stirring humanist portrait of identity at the University of Vermont’s Dudley H. Davis Center in Burlington — and again later this month at Main Street Landing’s Film House — before it enters this year’s rigorous festival circuit. e made-in-Vermont flick follows Bombardier, an Iraq War veteran and cyclist training for the state’s most demanding gravel race, as she risks relationships with friends and family to live her truth and transition at age 51.

‘CLAIM THE LANE: BECOMING ROXY’

Wednesday, April 16, 5:30-7 p.m., at the Dudley H. Davis Center, University of Vermont, in Burlington; and Friday, April 25, 6-8 p.m., at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Film House in Burlington. Free. Info, claimthelaneﬁlm@gmail.com, claimthelaneﬁlm.com.

SPRING SPEAKER SERIES: JULIE

SILVERMAN: Exploring what new legislation means for our waterways, the Conservation Law Foundation’s lakekeeper speaks to “Marine Debris and Toxic Dock Foam in Lake Champlain: What Can We Do?” Virtual option available. Community Sailing Center, Burlington, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 864-2499.

words

ABBY PAIGE: A Vermont playwright and performer launches her bilingual collection of plays, Piecework/Travail à la pièce, capturing the Franco-American experience. Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, theoffcenter@ gmail.com.

BAILEY SEYBOLT: A local author shares her debut thriller, Coram House in conversation with fellow writer Miciah Bay Gault. Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 448-3350.

KERSTIN LANGE: e writer and journalist reads from Phantom Border: A Personal Reconnaissance of Contemporary Germany, which explores migration, identity and belonging in relation to militarized borderlands. e Norwich Bookstore, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

MADISON RENE AND COURTNEY & CLARKE COLLINS: Fantasy authors delve into worlds they’ve created in Legends of Danaeca and Vows & Valor, captivating listeners with romance, intrigue and adventure. Phoenix Books,

Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 8 p.m. $41.50. Info, 863-5966. NER ULYSSES READING SERIES: Noah Warren, Rage Hezekiah, Trish Dougherty and Regan Olusegun get literary at a National Poetry Month gathering, complete with light fare and mocktails. Humanities House, Middlebury College, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 443-5075.

OPEN BOOK: Readers join up with the shop’s book buyer for a lively discussion about Rebecca Makkai’s transﬁxing mystery novel, I Have Some Questions for You. Phoenix Books, Essex, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 872-7111.

SAM TALKS: J. KEVIN

GRAFFAGNINO: e historian discusses his latest book, Ira Allen: A Biography, shining new light on the politician’s prominent role in Vermont’s formative years. Saint Albans Museum, St. Albans, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 527-7933.

VERMONT READS BOOK

DISCUSSION: Vermont Humanities scholar Dr. Alan Berolzheimer leads a community discussion about Kenneth M. Cadow’s celebrated coming-ofage novel, Gather. St. Johnsbury Community Hub, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

WRITERS ON WRITING: DAN O’BRIEN & J.M. TYREE: Two Middlebury alums read from their latest books — From Scarsdale: A Childhood and e Haunted Screen — then engage with listeners. Axinn Center, Starr Library, Middlebury College, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

FRI.18

business

GLOBAL TALK, LOCAL TASTE: e Vermont Council on World Affairs invites neighbors to come together and discuss worldwide

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Rutland, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 855-8078.

MORNING BOOK GROUP: Readers swap thoughts on youth climate activist Dara McAnulty’s Diary of a Young Naturalist described by the Daily Mail as “a strange and magical experience.” South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

MORNINGS, MUFFINS & MYSTERIES: Lit lovers link up to discuss the month’s twisty page-turner. St. Albans Free Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 524-1507.

THE MOTH GRANDSLAM: Storytellers compete to be declared the champion of telling tales and tugging heartstrings in this battle of wits and words.

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

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. =

Roxy Bombardier

issues over brews and bites.

Burlington Beer, 4:30-6:30 p.m. $15; free for VCWA members; preregister. Info, 557-0018.

community

FAIR HOUSING MONTH: See WED.16.

dance

CHOREOGRAPHY & CARDBOARD:

Vermont Dance Alliance resident artist Michael Bodel leads attendees in an interdisciplinary movement workshop using cardboard as a performance partner. Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 603-646-2422.

etc.

DISCOVERY AFTER DARK: The Junior League of Champlain Valley hosts science and nature lovers for an evening of interactive exhibits, including a Rube Goldberg machine, plus live music and ax throwing. Ages 21 and up. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 6-9 p.m. $40; cash bar. Info, oitaylor19@ gmail.com.

fairs & festivals

SOLO JAZZ PIANO FESTIVAL: Concerts, workshops and presentations celebrate everything to do with tickling the ivories. Vermont Jazz Center, Brattleboro, 7:30 p.m. $26-131. Info, 254-9088.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.17.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.17.

‘MISERICORDIA’: Alain

Guiraudie’s 2024 French neo-noir follows the story of Jérémie, an unemployed baker who returns to his hometown after the death of his former boss. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.17.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.17.

food & drink

ADVENTURE DINNER: VEGAN

MUSHROOM FARMER’S TABLE DINNER: FUNJ Shrooming brings the local bounty for a six-course feast with a pop-up farmstand. Bet you’ve never had a fungi-infused cocktail before! Adventure Dinner Clubhouse, Colchester, 6-9 p.m. $85. Info, sas@adventuredinner.com.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.17, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

MAH-JONGG: Tile traders of all experience levels gather for a game. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

health & fitness

GUIDED MEDITATION

ONLINE: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites attendees to relax on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@ damlvt.org.

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.

PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS CAN EXERCISE: Folks get their bodies moving with a low-impact program that keeps joints flexible and muscles strong. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 241-4840.

language

CLUB FRANCOPHONE: Folks fascinated by French-speaking culture grow their language skills while making new friends and sharing enthusiasm. À bientôt! Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 5-6:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 533-2000.

ENGLISH CONVERSATION

CIRCLE: Locals learning English as a second language gather in the Digital Lab to build vocabulary and make friends. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 846-4140.

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

DWEEZIL ZAPPA: The Grammywinning guitarist — and son of iconic musician Frank Zappa — weaves together elements of rock, fusion and experimental sounds to create his signature style. See calendar spotlight. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 8 p.m. $49.50-77.75. Info, 863-5966.

MEHRNAM RASTEGARI: A virtuosic kamancheh player known for pushing the boundaries of Persian music blends traditional sounds with modern rock elements. Virtual option available. Next Stage Arts, Putney, 7:30 p.m. $10-25. Info, 387-0102.

‘THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST’: An octet of vocalists and instrumentalists performs Franz Joseph Haydn’s poignant musical portrayal of Christ’s final hours on the cross. Proceeds benefit local community assistance. Williston Federated Church, 7 p.m. By donation. Info, 603-448-4281.

SPRUCE PEAK UNPLUGGED:

STEVEN PAGE: An iconic voice delivers an acoustic performance that showcases witty lyricism and evolving artistry. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $40-65. Info, 760-4634.

talks

JOE CRUZ: A bicyclist inspires listeners with thrilling stories of his travels in “Two Wheels Toward Adventure.” Virtual option available. Alumni Auditorium, Champlain College, Burlington, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 861-2700.

tech

MORNING TECH HELP: Experts answer questions about phones, laptops, e-readers and other devices in one-on-one sessions. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140. PHONE & TECH SUPPORT: Perplexed patrons receive aid from library staff on a first-come, first-served basis. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 863-3403.

words

APRIL OSSMANN: An author reads selections from her new novel, We then invites attendees to share short personal stories about their own positive interactions in the community. Norwich Congregational Church, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

A LITERARY EVENING: Bookworms gather for readings and a stirring Q&A with this year’s Vermont Book Award finalists. Camp Meade, Middlesex, 4-7 p.m. Free. Info, info@ campmeade.today.

SAT.19

bazaars

MISSISQUOI VALLEY

MUD SEASON HANDMADE

MARKET: Shoppers browse an array of thoughtfully crafted art and goods, plus vintage and upcycled items. Proceeds benefit the MVU National Arts Honor Society’s spring trip. Missisquoi Valley Union Middle & High School, Swanton, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, 868-7311.

cannabis

MAGIC MANN’S 6TH

BIRTHDAY: Party people fly high with a packed lineup of free movies, live funk tunes by Waiting on Mongo and Lazy Bird, and refreshments curated by Black Flannel. Ages 21 and up. The Double E Lounge at Essex Experience, noon-1 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4200.

community

ECOGATHERING: WORK: Community members engage in the opposite of small talk, connecting as they confront the fall of natural and human systems — and consider the shared labor ahead of us. Hard-Pressed Community Print Shop & Zine Library, West Danville, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, ncoit@sterlingcollege.edu.

FAIR HOUSING MONTH: See WED.16.

OLD NORTH END REPAIR

CAFÉ: Volunteers troubleshoot computers, bikes, furniture and beyond — and teach locals how to fix their things themselves. Old North End Repair Café, Burlington, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 540-2524.

crafts

Son of Mr. Green Genes

APR. 18 | MUSIC

fairs & festivals

KINGDOM MAPLE FESTIVAL:

The “Maple Center of the World” celebrates Vermont’s signature sweet, complete with a pancake breakfast, street fair and history tours. Various St. Johnsbury locations, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Free; preregister for tours. Info, 748-8575.

SOLO JAZZ PIANO FESTIVAL: See FRI.18, 10 a.m. film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.17.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.17. ‘MEMORIES OF MURDER’: Bong

Joon Ho’s 2003 police procedural drama follows two detectives struggling with a case in a small Korean province in 1986. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.17.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.17.

‘TAKE OUT’: An undocumented Chinese immigrant falls behind on smuggling debts in this 2004 drama directed by Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 3 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

food & drink

CAPITAL CITY WINTER FARMERS

MENDING KNITS: Sarah Graves of Magic Bean Farm demonstrates the basic skills for repairing and restoring worn items to their former glory. Supplies provided. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 2-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 426-3581. dance

BERLIN CONTRA DANCE: Dancers of all ages and abilities learn at a gathering that encourages joy, laughter and friendship. Bring clean, soft-soled shoes. See website for callers and bands. Capital City Grange, Berlin, 8-11 p.m. $5-20 sliding scale. Info, 225-8921.

Grammy-winning guitarist and pioneer of sound Dweezil Zappa lights up the room at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington. Son of iconic artist Frank Zappa, Dweezil continues the zany luminary’s legacy through masterful performances of his sophisticated yet outlandishly satirical songs. With more than 2,000 concerts under his belt, Dweezil exemplifies true artistry in his own compositions, traversing musical landscapes from rock to experimental while maintaining an unmistakable style all his own. His indelible mark on the industry includes collabs with music legends from Eddie Van Halen to Herbie Hancock. As papa Zappa once declared, “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”

DWEEZIL ZAPPA

Friday, April 18, 8 p.m., at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington. $49.50-77.75. Info, 863-5966, flynnvt.org.

environment

BACKYARD COMPOSTING

WORKSHOP & TOUR: For Earth Month, the eco-minded follow kitchen scraps and yard waste as they’re processed into a key ingredient for nutrient-rich soil. CSWD Organics Recycling Facility, Williston, 9:30-11:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 872-8100.

EARTH DAY FESTIVAL: Passionate about the planet? Connect with Mother Nature through hands-on activities, from a guided forest walk to a tour of the Compost Critters Petting Zoo. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Regular museum admission, $17-20; free for members and kids under 2. Info, 649-2200. etc.

DAZED & DEFROSTED: On-snow demos, cold brews and plenty of live tunes make for a memorable spring festival. Killington Resort, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 422-6201.

GARRISON KEILLOR TONIGHT: One man, one mic! The humorist, author and radio personality assumes the spotlight for an evening of storytelling, song and poetry. Paramount Theatre,

Rutland, 7 p.m. $40-60. Info, 775-0903.

MUD SEASON VARIETY SHOW:

From skits to tutus to piano solos, a community talent showcase puts smiles on faces of all ages. Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, 7 p.m. $10-40 sliding scale; free for kids under 12. Info, 728-9878.

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.

MARKET: Locavores sip cocktails while perusing root veggies, honey, crafts and maple syrup at an off-season showcase of locally grown food. Barr Hill, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 472-8000.

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.

Dweezil Zappa

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 Library, 1-5 p.m. Free. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

language

CROISSANTS ET CONVERSATION: Novice French speakers meet up to practice the language of love over refreshments and games. Alliance-Française of the Lake Champlain Region, Burlington, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, info@ aflcr.org.

music

COLD CREEK PICKERS: A Vermont country-roots folk band plays crowd-pleasers and original songs with banjos, fiddles, mandolins and storytelling. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

COMMUNITY COFFEEHOUSE

CONCERT SERIES: Beloved local musicians Bob Amos, Patti Casey, Tom MacKenzie and Linda Warnaar perform acoustic folk tunes in an intimate setting. St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church of St. Johnsbury, 7 p.m. $15-20 suggested donation. Info, 748-2600.

MOE.: Heralded as a “legendary jam band” by Rolling Stone the veteran progressive rockers bring more than 20 years of touring experience to the stage. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 8 p.m. $41.50-62.50. Info, 863-5966.

québec

FESTIVAL DE LA VOIX: The human voice gets its time in the spotlight with a packed schedule of astounding concerts, workshops and seminars. See festivaldelavoix.com for full schedule. Various Québec locations. Various prices; preregister. Info, 514-758-3641.

seminars

BACKPACKING 101: Outdoor enthusiasts learn about gear selection, trip planning, first aid and nutrition at an introductory workshop. Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7037.

MEDIA FACTORY ORIENTATION: Curious creatives and multimedia enthusiasts get a tour of the facilities and check out available gear. The Media Factory, Burlington, 1-3 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 651-9692.

talks

RAD HISTORY: THE SITUATIONISTS: Locals

learn more about a group of avant-garde artists and radical philosophers who rallied against the “society of the spectacle” from 1957 to 1972. Peace & Justice Center, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-2345.

words

MICHELLE B. SLATER: An author and scholar of comparative literature reads a chapter from her debut fiction novel, The Lunatic, set against the backdrop of the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011. Hepcat, Montpelier, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, thelunaticanovel@proton.me.

POEMTOWN: Readings from local wordsmiths and open mics punctuate National Poetry Month. See poemtown.org for full schedule. Various Randolph locations, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 728-5073.

WRITE NOW!: Lit lovers of all experience levels hone their craft in a supportive and critique-free environment. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10 a.m.noon. Free. Info, 223-3338.

WRITERS’ WERTFREI: Authors both fledgling and published share their work in a nonjudgmental setting. Virtual option available. Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

SUN.20 community

FAIR HOUSING MONTH: See WED.16.

HUMAN CONNECTION CIRCLE: Neighbors share stories from their lives and forge deep bonds. Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, humanconnectioncircle@ gmail.com.

crafts

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.16, 1-3 p.m. film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.17.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.17.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.17.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.17.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.17, 1-4:30 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 practice together in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Hot Yoga Burlington, 6-7:45 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

music

ALEDA BLISS: New songs emerge in real time as the artist and musician immerses the audience in a three-part series, The Growing Season BALE Community Space, South Royalton, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, 498-8438.

words

POETRY READING: Vermont poets Vievee Francis, Jody Gladding and Carlene Kucharczyk mark National Poetry Month with inspired selections from their collections.

A Q&A follows. Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 635-2727.

MON.21

community

FAIR HOUSING MONTH: See WED.16.

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.

HAND-STITCHING GROUP: Embroiderers, cross-stitchers and other needlework aficionados chat over their latest projects. Waterbury Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, northwaringa@gmail.com.

dance

WEST AFRICAN DANCE & DRUM CLASS: Participants learn songs, rhythms and movements to the beat of live music. Ages 13 and up. Wilson Hall, McCullough Student Center, Middlebury College, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

environment

ELECTRIFY VERMONT SUMMIT: Researchers, installers, policy makers, businesses and nonprofits come together to edify attendees about the latest technologies — from electric lawn mowers to e-bikes. University of Vermont Alumni House, Burlington, 1-5 p.m. Free. Info, 656-0802.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.17.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.17.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.17.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.17.

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, 802-862-1342.

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.

words

SCRIPTWRITERS’ GROUP: Got a story to tell? Talented local writers swap techniques and

constructive critiques. Junction Arts & Media, White River Junction, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 295-6688.

TUE.22 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.

FAIR HOUSING MONTH: See WED.16.

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.

dance

ILUMINATE: Dancers boast customized LED suits with wireless lighting programs that

create extraordinary effects with each choreographed move. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7 p.m. $45-55. Info, 775-0903.

QUAHOG DANCE THEATRE: See THU.17.

SWING DANCE PRACTICE

SESSION: All ages and experience levels shake a leg in this friendly, casual environment designed for learning. Bring clean shoes. North Star Community Hall, Burlington, 8-9:30 p.m. $5. Info, 864-8382.

fairs & festivals

SPRING CAREER & INTERNSHIP

FAIR: Looking for a change?

Students and community members discover a wide range of professional opportunities while networking with area employers. Spartan Athletic Complex, Vermont State UniversityCastleton, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 728-1100.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.17.

barre/montpelier

COOPERATIVE EGG HUNT: Little tykes search high and low for hidden Easter treasures, then spend time with baby bunnies and goats. Old Schoolhouse Common, Marshfield, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

SAT.19

burlington

FAMILY PLAYSHOP: Wee ones ages birth to 5 explore a range of themes and rotating activities designed to promote school readiness and foster creativity. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1011:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

HOP INTO SPRING: Get egg-cited! The Easter Bunny hands out Lake Champlain Chocolates sweets and poses for pics as local businesses offer shopping deals. Church Street Marketplace, Burlington, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 863-1648.

RUBE GOLDBERG WEEK: See WED.16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

chittenden county

HOCUS POCUS MAGIC SHOW: Abracadabra! Audience members of all ages remark at a beguiling performance that defies reality. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

KIDS’ CHESS CLUB: Young players ages 5 and up make strategic moves and vie for the opposing king. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

SNAP CIRCUITS: Curious minds learn more about what makes a light turn on, an alarm sound and even a fan lift off. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

upper valley

LITTLE FARM HANDS: See FRI.18.

northeast kingdom

‘WHAT MAKES A FAMILY A FAMILY?’: Vermont Institute of Natural Science staff demonstrate the familial dynamics of falcons, hawks, owls — and even some fabulous reptiles. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 533-2000.

randolph/royalton

BERNIE SANDERS’ YOUTH CHESS DAY: The U.S. senator invites young folks from across the state to learn and play one of the oldest games in human history. See calendar spotlight. Vermont State University-Randolph, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 862-0697.

SUN.20 burlington

EARTH & SPACE-TACULAR FESTIVAL: Visitors fling mud and fly through the solar system during a week of out-of-this-world activities honoring Earth Day. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $16.50-20; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

FAM JAMS: Musician and early childhood educator Alex Baron facilitates

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.17. ‘E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL’: Folks cozy up on the patio for Steven Spielberg’s 1982 blockbuster about a gentle alien who befriends a young boy named Elliott. Switchback Brewing’s Beer Garden & Tap House, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 651-4114.

‘HIGH FIDELITY’: Stephen Frears’ 2000 feel-good rom-com stars John Cusack as a record store owner recounting his top five breakups. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 540-3018.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.17.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.17.

games

BOARD GAMES FOR ADULTS: Locals ages 18 and up enjoy the library’s collection or bring their own to share with the group. Light refreshments provided. Essex Free Library, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.17.

an interactive morning of music and casual play. The Guild Hall, Burlington, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 318-4231.

chittenden county

SOCIAL SUNDAYS: Families participate in fun and educational art activities with diverse mediums and themes. All supplies and instruction provided. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

stowe/smuggs

EASTER BRUNCH: Family-friendly activities such as an all-ages egg hunt add fun flair to a celebratory springtime meal. The Lodge at Spruce Peak, Stowe, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $45-90; free for kids under 5. Info, 760-4700.

upper valley

LITTLE FARM HANDS: See FRI.18.

MON.21 burlington

EARTH & SPACE-TACULAR FESTIVAL: See SUN.20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Bookworms ages 2 to 5 enjoy a fun-filled reading time. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403. TEEN DROP-IN VOLUNTEERING: Helpful adolescents stop by the library to lend a hand with tasks such as book inventory, tidying or dusting, and preparing brochures and flyers. Snacks provided. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:304:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

MASON BEE HOUSES: Teens ages 13 to 18 craft habitats for pollinators using recyclable materials. South Burlington

GAME NIGHT: Folks drop in to play fun-filled board and video games using the center’s consoles. Junction Arts & Media, White River Junction, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 295-6688.

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.

language

FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP: French-speakers and learners meet pour parler la belle langue Burlington Bay Market & Café, 5:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 343-5493.

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.

music

CHROMATICATS & JAZZ VOCAL ENSEMBLE: Tom Cleary and

Public Library & City Hall, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4041.

SWITCH: Newcomers and pros alike take turns playing multiplayer games on the library’s Nintendo system. Recommended for students in grades 3 to 8. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TODDLER TIME: Little tykes 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

LITTLE FARM HANDS: See FRI.18.

TUE.22

burlington

EARTH & SPACE-TACULAR FESTIVAL: See SUN.20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with Linda. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1111:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden

county

SCHOOL VACATION CRAFTYTOWN: Kiddos express their inner artist using mediums such as paint, print, collage and sculpture. Recommended for ages 6 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

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.

Amber deLaurentis direct the students in “Swingin’ in Harmony,” a tribute to the Count Basie Orchestra and vocal harmony groups of the era. University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3040.

MARCO MOTRONI: Listeners enjoy a senior student’s showcase of the various works that impacted his life, from classical music to traditional pop and Cuban salsa. Robison Concert Hall, Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, 7:30-9 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

RUCKUS: A collaborative ensemble with a playful approach to early music dazzles listeners with a unique sound the New Yorker calls “rough-edged intensity.” Our Savior Lutheran Church, Hanover, N.H., 7:30-8:30 p.m. $30. Info, 603-646-2422.

VERMONT’S FREEDOM & UNITY CHORUS: Singers come together for a weekly rehearsal inspiring positive change through the power of music. Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 7-9 p.m. $35 annual dues. Info, vermontsfreedomandunity chorus@gmail.com.

TEEN RÉSUMÉ WORKSHOP: Attendees learn how to stand out with a CV that effectively showcases their skills and experiences. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4 p.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. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 9:15-9:45 & 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

STORY TIME: See THU.17.

northeast kingdom

LAPSIT STORY TIME: Babies 2 and under learn to love reading, singing and playing with their caregivers. Siblings welcome. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391. PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: See FRI.18.

WED.23 burlington

EARTH & SPACE-TACULAR FESTIVAL: See SUN.20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

STEAM SPACE: See WED.16.

TODDLER TIME: See WED.16.

chittenden county

BABY TIME: See WED.16. GAME ON!: See WED.16.

PLAY TIME: See WED.16.

PLAYGROUP & STORY TIME: See WED.16.

SCHOOL VACATION CRAFTYTOWN: See TUE.22.

barre/montpelier

FAMILY CHESS CLUB: See WED.16. K

seminars

COMPOSTING & REDUCING

FOOD WASTE: Chittenden Solid Waste District community outreach coordinator Kat Moody enlightens attendees about the global issue and offers practical solutions for curbing it. Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 1 p.m. Free. Info, djvanmullen@gmail.com.

EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE: ACHIEVE

YOUR FINANCING GOALS TODAY:

In honor of Financial Capability Month, Vermont Jump$tart

Coalition members Erin Perrins and Kellsie Shedrick lead an informative webinar covering topics such as consolidating debt and purchasing a new home. Noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, vtjumpstart@comcast.net.

MAKING MAGIC WITH COMPOSITION & LIGHTING: Filmmakers move beyond the basics and learn how to frame shots, light subjects and incorporate camera movements.

South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 651-9692.

tech

AFTERNOON TECH HELP: Experts answer questions about phones, laptops, e-readers and other devices in one-on-one sessions.

South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 1-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

words

BURLINGTON LITERATURE GROUP:

Bookworms analyze Thomas Pynchon’s postmodern epic Gravity’s Rainbow over the course of 14 weeks. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@nereaders andwriters.com.

READER’S ROUNDTABLE BOOK CLUB: Bookworms gather to gab about Meg Shaffer’s clever and hopeful love letter to reading, The Wishing Game Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

RELEASE PARTY: Fans of best-selling author Emily Henry grab a copy of her new novel, Great Big Beautiful Life, while enjoying themed snacks, a scavenger hunt, photo ops and exclusive merch. Phoenix Books, Essex, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info, 872-7111.

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.

WRITING FOR FLOOD RECOVERY: Documentary filmmaker Bess

O’Brien leads a creative writing workshop to provide space for locals to process their thoughts, share with others, remember and heal. Peacham Town Library, 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, bobrien@ pshift.com.

WED.23

agriculture

ASK ME ANYTHING: ORGANIC MARKETS FOR DAIRY FARMERS: Farmers, buyers and economic experts connect, learn and dialogue about the industry in the final session of this three-part virtual series. Hosted by NOFA-VT. 2-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 434-4122.

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL GROUP: See WED.16.

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. FAIR HOUSING MONTH: See WED.16.

crafts

FLOWER-MAKING WORKSHOP: Participants channel spring while learning how to create lapel pins in the colors associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 1-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 316-3839.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.16.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING: See WED.16.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.16.

music

SHIRE CHOIR SPRING MINISESSION: See WED.16.

SILO SESSIONS: MIKAHELY: A singer-songwriter transcends musical boundaries with Malagasy rhythms played on the guitar, marovany and valiha. Bread & Butter Farm, Shelburne, 7-9:30 p.m. $15-18. Info, 985-9200.

STUDENT RECITALS: The university’s music undergrads assume the spotlight for solos, duets and group performances, spanning genres from classical to contemporary. University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 7:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3040.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: See WED.16.

talks

CHARLIE NARDOZZI: A horticulturist digs into topics such as ecological gardening, adaptation to climate change and all things pollinators. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

N.O. BONZO & WILLIAM GILLIS: Two artists and thinkers discuss the intersection of creativity, radical history and anarchism. A Q&A follows. Williams Hall, University of Vermont, Burlington, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3166.

theater

‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’: Thespians flock to the Tony Award-winning smash hit the Washington Post called “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history.” Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 8 p.m. $66.66-100. Info, 863-5966.

words

KERSTIN LANGE: The Vermont writer and journalist reads from Phantom Border: A Personal Reconnaissance of Contemporary Germany, which explores migration, identity and

belonging in relation to militarized borderlands. Virtual option available. Burnham Memorial Library, Colchester, 5-6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 262-2626. ➆

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

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

SPRING INTO CLARITY VISION BOARD WORKSHOP: Spring is the season of renewal, when nature blossoms and we feel called to do the same. In this three-hour hands-on workshop, you’ll tap into the energy of spring to refresh your goals and intentions and craft a personalized vision board to keep or display as a source of daily inspiration. Sat. Apr. 19, 9 a.m.noon. Cost: $70. Location: Ladies Social Group, 11 Pearl St., Suite 206, Essex Jct. Info: 316-8885, sevendaystickets.com.

DAVIS STUDIO ART CLASSES: Discover your happy place in one of our weekly classes, where joy and community blossom. Art is a powerful way to connect, express and grow — together. We offer afterschool and weekend classes for youths and specialized drawing, painting and fused-glass classes for adults. Enroll today and let your creativity shine! Location: Davis Studio, 916 Shelburne Rd., S. Burlington. Info: 425-2700, davisstudiovt. com.

PERFUME BLENDING WITH BLOOM LAB: Discover the art of botanical perfumery at this Bloom Lab botanical perfume blending event at Talta Lodge. Learn the basics of perfumery while creating your own custom eau de parfum that is hand-blended to reﬂect your unique personality. Arrive early or stay late and indulge in the included on-site spa amenities. Sun. May 18, noon-2 p.m. Cost:

$135. Location: Talta Lodge, 3343 Mountain Rd., Stowe. Info: 3553336, bloomlabvt@gmail.com, sevendaystickets.com.

food & drink

HEALTHY KIDS KITCHEN COOKING CLASS: ASIAN-STYLE

TAKE-OUT: We take playing around very seriously. We manage to squeeze in some learning, too! And of course, we make super-tasty food. is month we’ll be cooking up “better than takeout” Asian-style favorites with a menu of veggie fried rice, sesame chicken and garlic-broccoli stir-fry. Sat. Apr. 26, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Cost: $48. Location: e Kitchen at Mission Farm, 367 Mission Farm Rd., Killington. Info: 265-1857, sevendaystickets.com.

TAPAS DATE NIGHT COOKING CLASS: Spring is in the air, and it’s time to get out of the house

and do something fun! Grab your favorite someone and cook up some delicious tapas. You’ll meet nice people and enjoy a night out. Bring a friend or bring a date — and do bring your favorite beverage. Sat. Apr. 26, 6-9 p.m. Cost: $200/couple. Location: e Kitchen at Mission Farm, 367 Mission Farm Rd., Killington. Info: 802-265-1857, thekitchen@missionfarmvt.org, sevendaystickets.com.

kids

KIDS CORNER AT RED WAGON PLANTS: We’ll be uncovering the magic of playing in the soil and potting up seasonal plants! Your kiddo will decorate a pot and ﬁll it with a variety of starts to take home while learning about the life cycle of plants, how to care for their new green friend & more! Ages 3-8. Mon., Apr. 14, Apr. 21, May 5, Jun. 2, 9 & 10 a.m. Cost: $25/child. Location: Red Wagon Plants, 2408 Shelburne Falls Rd., Hinesburg. Info: 802-482-4060, info@redwagonplants.com, redwagonplants.com.

martial arts

AIKIDO: THE POWER OF HARMONY: 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. Basic classes 5 days/ week. Membership rates incl. unlimited classes 6 days/week. Contact us for info about membership rates for adults, youths & families. Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: Benjamin Pincus, 951-8900, bpincus@burlington aikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

music

TAIKO TUESDAYS, DJEMBE

WEDNESDAYS!: Drum with Stuart Paton! Walk-in classes in Apr. Sessions begin May 6, Jun. 10, & Sep. 9; 4-week classes. Drop-ins welcome. Taiko on Tue.: Kids &

Parents Taiko, 4-5:30 p.m.; Adult Intro Taiko, 5:30-7 p.m.; Light Saber Taiko, 7-8:30 p.m. Drums & light sabers provided. Djembe on Wed.: Intermediate Djembe, 5:30-7 p.m.; Beginner Djembe, 7-8:30 p.m. Drums provided. $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.

spirituality

EXTRAORDINARY REALITIES INTRO TO SHAMANISM WORKSHOP: Extraordinary Realities offers an experiential introduction to the essentials of compassionate spirit relationship, communication, healing and divination. e workshop is based on the practice of shamanic journeying, which can lead to a more integrated, empowered and sustainable life with direct access to divine healing and wisdom. Learn how to journey into the compassionate spirit realms; meet your power animal and helping spirit teacher; gain spiritual power; and experience and learn about spiritual healing. May 17 & 18, 9:30

a.m.-5 p.m. Cost: $225. Location: Shaman’s Flame, 644 Log Town Rd., East Calais. Info: Peter Clark, 802-249-2922, peterclark13@ gmail.com, shamansﬂame.com.

sports & ﬁtness

SPRING TUNE-UP WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN/TRANS/ NONBINARY IDENTITIES: is three-week series is for folks who would like a little more time, detailed instruction and hands-on experience. With a 3:1 student-to-instructor ratio, this class is designed to empower participants by helping them understand and care for their bicycles. Wed. Apr. 9, 16 & 23, 6-8 p.m. Cost: $150 for 3 2-hour classes. Location: Old Spokes Home, 331 North Winooski Ave., Burlington. Info: 863-4475, info@oldspokeshome.com, sevendaystickets.com.

FIRST STRIDES VERMONT:

Women who are beginning or returning to running and/or walking are invited to join us in this 12-week program based on mentoring, peer support and lifestyle habits. Every Wed., May 7-Jul. 23, 5:45 p.m. Cost: $45 preregistration rate for 12-week program. Location: Williston Village Community Park, 250 Library La. Info: Kasie Enman, 802-2380820, ﬁrststridesvermont@gmail. com, ﬁrststridesvermont.com.

wellness

ALCOHOL AWARENESS CLASS

— FIND YOUR BALANCE: April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Are you curious how alcohol shows up in your life? Looking for a compassionate, safe space that offers a different approach than traditional recovery programs? Join Free Spirits

AF for an eight-week alcohol-free course based on is Naked Mind by Annie Grace. is class offers a supportive, nonjudgmental environment to explore your relationship with alcohol using powerful mindset tools and science-backed insights. e course includes weekly 90-minute live group sessions; access to a private learning platform; weekly journey prompts to guide your reﬂection; a group forum for connection & support; and coaching opportunities in each session. Apr. 22-Jun. 10, 7-8:30 p.m. Cost: $74.95. Info: lauri@ freespiritsaf.com, freespiritsaf.com.

Buy & Sell »

ANTIQUES, FURNITURE, GARAGE SALES

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ANNOUNCEMENTS, LOST & FOUND, SUPPORT GROUPS

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APARTMENTS, HOMES, FOR SALE BY OWNER

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NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

Whiskey

AGE/SEX: 6-year-old neutered male

ARRIVAL DATE: March 3, 2025

SUMMARY: Whiskey is a sensitive, soulful pup who has gone through several transitions in his life. ough his past has left him a bit wary, with patience, guidance and support he will blossom into a loyal and loving companion. He enjoys the simple pleasures of peaceful walks, playtime and quiet cuddles with his people. His loyal and loving personality will shine through once he feels safe and secure. If you’re looking for a constant companion, visit Whiskey at HSCC to see if he could be your new best friend!

DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Whiskey is seeking a home where he can be the only pet. He may be most successful in a home with teens and adults who understand his need for patience and a calm environment.

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. or Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

DID YOU KNOW?

Behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated! Training is all about bridging a communication barrier with your dog, and HSCC recommends using positive reinforcement training. Using rewards such as treats, toys and attention is always the best way to help your dog learn!

WANT TO BUY

TOP CASH PAID FOR OLD GUITARS

Buy y & Se

GARAGE & ESTATE SALES

WEEKLY AUCTIONS FRI. NIGHTS

12 Prince St., Suite 2B, Randolph. Fri., Apr. 11, 5-8 p.m. Pictures posted on u. at rumorhasitvt. com.

HOME & GARDEN

TREES/SHRUBS FOR SCREENING & LANDSCAPING

Apple, fruit, evergreen, hardwood trees, berry plants, rose & lilac bushes. Large ﬁ eld-grown & container-grown. All grown outdoors in Eden, Vt. State inspected, 1-year warranty. $20. Call 802-309-4063 or visit arborhilltreefarm@ outlook.com.

Looking for 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico & Stromberg guitars + Gibson mandolins & banjos. ese brands only! Call for a quote: 1-855-402-7208. (AAN CAN)

DW dishwasher

OBO

refs.

W/D

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). Info,

HDWD hardwood

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

southburlington.com/ service.

DEREKCO LLC

802-233-7731, pasbell@ paulasbell.com. R R eal Estate ent als & e ate

HOUSEMATES

HOMESHARE & GARDEN IN MONTPELIER Professional couple interested in social justice, animals & gardening seeking COVID-19-cautious housemate who takes COVID-19 prevention seriously. $650/mo. Help w/ physical & outdoor tasks a plus. Private BA. Must be cat-friendly. Call 802-863-5625 or visit homesharevermont. org for application. Interview, refs. & background checks req. EHO.

ELECTRONICS

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

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)

STOP OVERPAYING FOR AUTO INSURANCE

DerekCo Carpentry & Excavating has all of your carpentry & excavating needs covered! Visit our website & contact us for a free estimate. Info, 802-310-4090, derek@derekco.com, derekco.com.

NEED NEW WINDOWS?

Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energy-efﬁ cient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & free quote today: 1-877-2489944. (AAN CAN)

WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION

Eden. State inspected. 1-year warranty. Info, 802-309-4063, arborhilltreefarm@ outlook.com.

GET TAX RELIEF

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)

A small amount of water can lead to major damage & mold growth in your home. We do complete repairs to protect your family & your home’s value! For a free estimate, call 24-7: 1-888-290-2264. (AAN CAN)

MOVING & HAULING

MOVING

AGING ROOF? NEW HOMEOWNER? STORM DAMAGE?

BEAUTY

Seer ices

PASSION NAIL & SPA:

Feeling like a little pick-me-up to make it through the day more smoothly? Make your way to Passion Nail & Spa to feel better! Our top-class nail treatments are designed to kick your mood up a notch. We only use techniques & products that are proven safe & effective worldwide. You’ll be getting the highest standards of service, attention & care. For beautiful results, Passion Nail & Spa is the place for you. Info: 802-800-1584, pleikupho12345@gmail. com, passionnailspa

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:

Do you owe more than $10,000 to the IRS or state in back taxes? Get tax relief now! We’ll ﬁ ght for you! Call 1-877-703-6117. (AAN CAN)

HOME & GARDEN

COMMUNITY

PROPERTY MANAGER

Multigenerational eco-community in Johnson, Vt., seeking a property manager w/ eco-conscious/ community living property maintenance skills. For detailed description of skills req., see Seven Days online ad. Beautiful living space perfect for single or couple in exchange for 12-hour workweek. Refs., trial period req. Contact: soothinglife18@ gmail.com.

TREE REMOVAL & TRIMMING

Serving Chittenden County & beyond! Working all year round, fully insured, free estimates. Call or text 315-420-6859 & ask for Evan.

ROOF REPAIR & SIDING

Slate, shingle & metal repair & replacement. Good refs. & fully insured. Chittenden County. Call for free estimate: 802-343-6324.

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 Buy

You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind its work. Fast, free estimate. Financing avail. Call 1-888-292-8225. (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)

BEAUTIFUL BATH UPDATES

Beautiful bath updates in as little as 1 day! Superior quality bath & shower systems at affordable prices. Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Call now: 1-833-4232558. (AAN CAN)

24-7 LOCKSMITH

We are there when you need us for home & car lockouts. We’ll get you back up & running quickly! Also, key reproductions, lock installs & repairs, vehicle fobs. Call us for your home, commercial & auto locksmith needs: 1-833-237-1233. (AAN CAN)

ARBOR HILL TREE FARM

Live trees. Potted & ﬁ eld-grown. 2 to 20 feet. Hardwood, evergreen, fruit trees, berry plants. Grown in

Markoski’s has established a local reputation for being a team of friendly professionals who treat their customers like family. Based out of Chittenden County, we go across Vermont & out of state. Contact Rick at rickmarkoski@ gmail.com, & please browse our reviews & jobs on Facebook & Front Porch Forum.

Vehicles

CARS & TRUCKS

1937 FORD Mild street rod, 1937 Ford. 2-door slant-back sedan. Updated w/ ‘53 ﬂathead & ‘39 syncro tranny. Tube shocks, sway bars front & rear. 60K original miles. Solid, reliable driver. Asking $20,000. Contact Mr. T at 802-472-7045.

GOT AN UNWANTED CAR?

Donate it to Patriotic Hearts. Fast, free pickup in all 50 states. Patriotic Hearts’ programs help veterans ﬁ nd work or start their own business. Call 24-7: 1-855-402-7631. (AAN CAN)

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill 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.

WANT MORE PUZZLES?

Try these online news games from Seven Days at sevendaysvt.com/games.

Put your knowledge of Vermont news to the test.

CALCOKU BY JOSH

REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

SUDOKU BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HH

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. ANSWERS ON P.74

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.

See how fast you can solve this weekly 10-word puzzle.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

DOCKET NO.: 25-PR-01478

In re ESTATE of Jeanie MacDonough

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Jeanie MacDonough, late of Charlotte, 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 the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: April 8, 2025

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Eric Cannizzaro

Executor/Administrator: Eric Cannizzaro 1603 Lime Kiln Rd., Charlotte, VT 05445

Email: oporornis.p@gmail.com Phone: (360) 528-1952

Name of Publication: Seven Days

Publication Date: 04/16/2025

Name of Probate Court: State of VermontChittenden Probate Division

Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401

FOR AUCTION,

John Deere 1570 6 ft deck finishing mower will be auctioned off at fair market value on April 24 at 8am - 7 Commerce Ave South Burlington, VT.

IN ACCORDANCE WITH VT TITLE 9 COMMERCE AND TRADE CHAPTER 098:

Storage Units 3905. Enforcement of Lien, Champlain Valley Self Storage, LLC shall host a private auction of the following unit on or after 4/26/25:

Contents: household goods

Location: 485 Nokian Tyres Dr. Colchester, VT

Dylan Ploof: #2258

Location: 2211 Main St. Colchester, VT

Bobbi Jean Tatro: #703

Auction pre-registration is required, email info@ champlainvalleyselfstorage.com to register.

OFFICIAL WARNING

TOWN OF UNDERHILL — SPECIAL TOWN

MEETING

MAY 6, 2025

The legal voters of the Town of Underhill, in the County of Chittenden, State of Vermont are hereby NOTIFIED AND WARNED to meet for a Special Town Meeting at the Town Offices in Underhill, Vermont on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, between the hours of seven o’clock (7:00) in the forenoon (a.m.), at which time the polls will open, and seven o’clock (7:00) in the afternoon (p.m.), at which time the polls will close, to vote by Australian ballot upon the following Articles:

Article 1 Shall general obligation bonds or notes of the Town of Underhill in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed Eight Hundred Seventy-eight Thousand and 00/100 Dollars ($878,000.00), subject to reduction from available state and federal construction grants in-aid and other financial resources, be issued to finance the removal and replacement of Bridge #7 on Pleasant Valley Road?

Article 2 Shall the voters of Underhill authorize the acquisition of a new tandem axle dump truck, with plow package, at a cost not to exceed $305,000.00 to be financed over a period not to exceed five (5) years?

The legal voters of the Town of Underhill are further notified that voter qualification, registration, and absentee voting relative to said Special Town Meeting shall be as provided in Chapters 43, 51 and 55 of Title 17, Vermont Statutes Annotated.

The legal voters of the Town of Underhill are further notified and warned that a public informational meeting will be held on Thursday,

May 1, 2025, at Town Hall and electronically on the GoToMeeting platform beginning at seven o’clock (7:00) in the afternoon (p.m.), for the purpose of explaining the two Articles above and the financing for them.

Adopted and approved at a meeting of the Selectboard of the Town of Underhill duly called, noticed, and held March 27, 2025.

Dated: March 27, 2025

TOWN OF UNDERHILL SELECTBOARD

/s/ Robert N Stone

Robert Stone, Chair

/s/ Patricia H Richards

Patricia Richards, Vice Chair

Absent

Dan Steinbauer

/s/ Maureen CollinsKolb

Maureen CollinsKolb

/s/ Shara Tarule

Shara Tarule

Received for record this 28th day of March 2025. /s/ Sherri Morin

Sherri Morin, Town Clerk

An informational meeting will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025 from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Underhill Town Hall located at 12 Pleasant Valley Road. Remote options are available: Special Town Meeting Informational Meeting

5-1-2025

May 1, 2025, 7:00PM (EST)

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.

https://meet.goto.com/592270917

You can also dial in using your phone. Access Code: 592-270-917

United States: +1 (224) 501-3412

Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://meet.goto.com/install

Additional information can be found on the Town of Underhill website: https://www.underhillvt. gov

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL – DESIGN & BUILD EMBANKMENT SLIDE REPAIRS – DUXBURY ROAD, BOLTON, VT

The Town of Bolton is seeking design-build proposals to repair two embankment slides along a stretch of Duxbury Road adjacent to the Winooski River. The bid period runs from 4/7/25 to 4/28/25. Site visits may be scheduled upon request between 4/14/25 and 4/18/25. Bids will be opened at the first Select Board meeting following the deadline. Questions or site visit requests should be directed to: townadmin@boltonvt.com.

Proposals may be mailed to: Bolton Town Office

3045 Theodore Roosevelt Hwy Bolton, VT 05676

Attn: Town Administrator

Physical bid packets are preferred; digital submissions may be arranged by contacting the Town Administrator.

To view the full RFP, visit www.boltonvt.com (Announcements section) or email the address above.

TOWN OF RICHMOND NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PURSUANT TO 24 V.S.A. §§4441 (d) AND §4444 (a)(b), THE TOWN OF RICHMOND SELECTBOARD WILL BE HOLDING A PUBLIC HEARING ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2025 AT 7:00 PM, IN THE RICHMOND TOWN CENTER MEETING ROOM AT 203 BRIDGE STREET TO RECEIVE COMMENT REGARDING A PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENT:

PURPOSE: The purpose is to modify the Richmond Zoning Regulations (RZR) to include revisions to §3.9, the Jolina Court Zoning District, §5.12, Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Residential PUD, §7, Definitions, and the introduction of new sections §6.15, Residential Density Bonus Plan and §6.16, Affordable Housing.

GEOGRAPHIC AREA AFFECTED: All parcels within the Jolina Court District and all parcels in the Town of Richmond that are eligible to utilize the new §6.15 Residential Density Bonus Plan and §6.16, Affordable Housing. Change to §5.12, Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Residential PUD is relegated to the Jolina Court District (JC0013, JC0074) and is focused on the removal of commercial requirements for buildings not fronting on Bridge Street.

SECTION HEADINGS: The following sections are proposed to be amended or added: AMENDED SECTIONS §3.9, Jolina Court District, §5.12 Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Residential PUD, §7, Definitions. NEW SECTIONS §6.15, Residential Density Bonus Plan and §6.16, Affordable Housing.

THE FULL TEXT AND MAPS OF THE PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENT ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT THE RICHMOND TOWN CENTER OFFICES AT 203 BRIDGE STREET BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00am and 4:00pm, MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY STARTING 4/14/2025. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE RICHMOND PLANNING/ZONING OFFICE AT 802-336-2289 or koborne@richmondvt.gov

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION ADDISON UNIT DOCKET NO.: 25-PR-01803

In re ESTATE of John Andrew Gargano NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: John Andrew Gargano, late of Monkton, Vermont

forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: April 9, 2025

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Stephanie Gargano

Executor/Administrator: Stephanie Gargano

c/o Lynch Legal Services, PLLC

28 Day Lane, St. 20, Williston, VT 05495

Phone: 802-658-6415

Email: david@lynchlegalservices.net

Name of Publication: Seven Days

Publication Date: 04/16/2025

Name of Probate Court: Vermont Probate Court, Addison Unit

Address of Probate Court: 7 Mahady Ct #1, Middlebury, VT 05753

NOTICE OF SELF-STORAGE LIEN SALE

CHIMNEY CORNERS SELF STORAGE

76 GONYEAU ROAD, MILTON VT 05468

Notice is hereby given that the contents of the self-storage units listed below will be sold at public auction by sealed bid. This sale is being held to collect unpaid storage unit occupancy fees, charges, and expenses of the sale. The entire contents of each self-storage unit listed below will be sold, with the proceeds to be distributed to Chimney Corners Self Storage for all accrued occupancy fees (rent charges), late payment fees, sale expenses, and all other expenses in relation to the unit and its sale.

Contents of each unit may be viewed on April 30th, 2025, commencing at 10:00 am. Sealed bids are to be submitted on the entire contents of each self storage unit. Bids will be opened one half hour after the last unit has been viewed on April 30th, 2025. The highest bidder on the storage unit must remove the entire contents of the unit within 48 hours after notification of their successful bid. 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. Chimney Corners Self Storage reserves the right to accept or reject bids.

The contents of the following tenant’s selfstorage units will be included in this sale: Alexia Metivier, Unit 331 Thomas Millette, Unit 306 Jessica Ferrecchia, Unit 633

NOTICE OF SELF-STORAGE LIEN SALE

VITAL SELF STORAGE - FAIRFAX

64 HARVEST ROAD FAIRFAX, VT 05454

Notice is hereby given that the contents of the self-storage units listed below will be sold at public auction by sealed bid. This sale is being held to collect unpaid storage unit occupancy fees, charges, and expenses of the sale. The entire contents of each self-storage unit listed below will be sold, with the proceeds to be distributed to Vital Self Storage for all accrued occupancy fees (rent charges), late payment fees, sale expenses, and all other expenses in relation to the unit and its sale.

Contents of each unit may be viewed on April 28th, commencing at 10:00 am. Sealed bids are to be submitted on the entire contents of each self- storage unit. Bids will be opened one half hour after the last unit has been viewed on April 28th. The highest bidder on the storage unit must remove the entire contents of the unit within 48 hours after notification of their successful bid.

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. Vital Self Storage reserves the right to accept or reject bids.

The contents of the following tenant’s selfstorage units will be included in this sale:

Kyle Bean, Unit 232

Shannen Fortner, Unit 536

Lisa Therrien, Unit 538

TOWN OF RICHMOND

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA

APRIL 30, 2025, AT 7:00 PM

Location: 3rd floor meeting room Richmond Town Offices, 203 Bridge Street Richmond VT, 05477

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/84763276351

Meeting ID: 847 6327 6351

Call-in: 1-929-205-6099 US (New York)

Application materials may be viewed at http:// www.richmondvt.gov/boards-minutes/ developmentreview-board/ before the meeting. Please call Tyler Machia, Zoning Administrator, at 802-434-2430 or email tmachia@richmondvt. gov with any questions.

Public Hearing Item 1.

CU2025-01 Vermont Youth Conservation Corps

Parcel ID#EM1949

Project Location: 1949 East Main Street

1. Project Description: The Applicants, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC), are seeking to apply for conditional use review to expand VYCC’s Richmond campus. Some of the changes to the campus include the addition of a new dorm, 6 cabins, outdoor kitchen, and other facilities. The Applicants are also seeking to continue to be classified as an education facility, which is an allowed use in the commercial district.

2. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest or ex parte communication.

ACT 250 NOTICE

MINOR APPLICATION 4C1362

10 V.S.A. §§ 6000 - 6111

Application 4C1362 from South Burlington School District, 577 Dorset Street, South Burlington, VT 05403 was received on March 31, 2025 and deemed complete on April 7, 2025. The project is generally described as a stormwater treatment and attenuation project involving proposed upgrades to five discrete areas of the project tract. The project is part of the Green Schools Initiative and is located at the Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School and South Burlington High School campus on Dorset Street and Kennedy Drive in South Burlington, Vermont. The application may be viewed on the Land Use Review Board’s website (https://act250.vermont. gov/) by clicking “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C1362.”

No hearing will be held and a permit may be issued unless, on or before April 30, 2025, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c) (1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://act250. vermont.gov/documents/party-status-petitionform, and email it to the District 4 Office at: Act250.Essex@vermont.gov. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

For more information contact Stephanie H. Monaghan at the address or telephone number below.

Dated this April 10, 2025. By: Stephanie H. Monaghan District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-261-1944 stephanie.monaghan@vermont.gov

Vermont Agency of Transportation Public Notice: Herbicide Spraying

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has requested from the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets, a permit to apply the following herbicides: Garlon 4 ULTRA, Garlon 3A, Oust Extra, Escort, Krenite S, Polaris, and Roundup Custom to control unwanted vegetation along all State highways. Operations are authorized to start approximately May 15th, 2025, but will not begin until the appropriate notification requirements are completed. The application will be made by certified pesticide applicators using mechanically controlled equipment and hand-controlled methods. The methods employed are intended to avoid or eliminate drift. Residents along the rights-of-way (ROW) are encouraged to protect sensitive environments or water supplies within 100 feet of the ROW limits, and to avoid entering the ROW as spray trucks pass and until products dry. Residents should notify VTrans of the existence of any water supplies within 100 feet of the State’s ROW. Citizens wishing to inform VTrans are urged to contact the nearest District Transportation Administrator as follows: District 1 - Bennington - (802) 447-2790, District 2 - Dummerston - (802) 254-5011, District 3 - Mendon(802) 786-5826. District 4 - White River Junction - (802) 295-8888, District 5 - Colchester - (802) 655-1580, District 6 – Berlin – (802)-917-2879, District 7St. Johnsbury - (802) 748-6670, District 8 - St. Albans – (802) 524-5926, District 9 – Derby – (802) 334-7934. The contact person at the State Highway Department Headquarters is Brandon Garretto, Vegetation Management Admin, 2178 Airport Rd, Dill Bldg Unit A, Barre, VT 05641 or brandon.garretto@vermont.gov. Contact can also be made using the VTrans web page at vtrans.vermont.gov/operations.

The appropriate place to contact with comments other than VTrans is the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, Public Health & Agricultural Resource Management Division at 116 State Street Montpelier, VT 05620, 116 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828-1732. The link to their web page that would describe the VTrans herbicide application permit request can be found at agriculture.vermont.gov

4t-VTAgencyTransportation041625.indd 1 3/19/25 11:48 AM

ACT 250 NOTICE

MINOR APPLICATION 4C0219-61,4C1057-7 10 V.S.A. §§ 6000 - 6111

Application 4C0219-61,4C1057-7 from City of South Burlington, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, VT 05403; Burlington UMall Owner LLC c/o Taconic Capital Advisors LP, 280 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017-1220; and Larkin Family Partnership, 410 Shelburne Road, Burlington, VT 05401-5039 was received on April 1, 2025 and deemed complete on April 8, 2025. The project is generally described as construction of shared use paths, infrastructure, and landscaping in conjunction with a pedestrian bicycle bridge across I-89 at Exit 14 in South Burlington, Vermont. The project is located at 1, 3, 5, and 155 Dorset Street in South Burlington, Vermont. The application may be viewed on the Land Use Review Board’s website (https:// act250.vermont.gov/) by clicking “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0219-61,4C1057-7.”

No hearing will be held and a permit may be issued unless, on or before May 2, 2025, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c) (1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or subcriteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://act250.vermont. gov/documents/party-status-petition-form,

and email it to the District 4 Office at: Act250. Essex@vermont.gov. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

For more information contact Stephanie H. Monaghan at the address or telephone number below.

Dated this April 10, 2025. By: Stephanie H. Monaghan District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-261-1944 stephanie.monaghan@vermont.gov

BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2025, 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 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799

1. ZP-25-92; 24 Grant Street (RM, Ward 3) 24 Grant Street, LLC / Doug Viehmann Post fire rehabilitation, creating one additional residential unit as allowed under the Historic Building Rehabilitation Bonus. Project review under Planned Unit Development (PUD) standards.

2. ZP-22-199; 51 Elmwood Avenue (RH, Ward 3) City DPW / CEDO

Legal Notices

Proposed time extension request for the establishment of emergency shelter and associated site improvements.

3. ZP-25-43; 29-35 Church Street (FD6, Ward 3) Nick & Morrissey Development, LLC / Ryan Nick Continuation of proposed variance request for after-the-fact installation of loading dock gate.

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. This 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.

The 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. The 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.

INVITATION TO BIDDERS

The Food Service Directors Association, in conjunction with the Vermont School Purchasing Group and The Abbey Group will receive electronic bids from full-service food/supply distribution companies, on or before, but no later than, 10:00 AM, Monday, May 26th, 2025 at dougdavisvt@gmail.com

The proposals will be opened at the same time and location. Notification of the award, if any, will be made no later than 60 days from the date of opening.

Please follow the submission directions in the Bid Packet. Anyone interested in receiving a full bid packet or more information, contact Doug Davis, Co-Chair of The Food Service Directors Association at the email address above.

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATIONS FOR ENGINEERING SERVICES

The Cooperative Development Institute’s Water Infrastructure Support Program is seeking Statements of Qualifications from qualified engineering firms on behalf of The Housing Foundation, Inc. (HFI) to improve the drinking water infrastructure at Sandy Pines Mobile Home Park in East Montpelier, VT. Procurement of said services will be in accordance with 40 U.S.C. § 1101-1104. Required professional services will include, but are not limited to, design- and construction-related services, preparation of bidding and contracting documents, participation in evaluating bids received, and construction administration to ensure compliance with plans and specifications. Qualified entities interested in being considered must submit (1) a letter of interest; (2) a statement of qualifications and experience of the firm and associates to be involved with the project; (3) references; (4) related prior experience, including similar projects; and (5) experience with funding sources including SRF, CDBG, and RD. Please submit the requested information to wisp@cdi.coop by 5 p.m. Friday, May 16, 2025, to be considered. Please visit https://cdi.coop/rfqhfi/ to view the full Request for Statements of Qualifications.

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE NOTICE AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LEGAL-NOTICES OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 142.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING TOWN OF UNDERHILL DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD (DRB)

Site Plan & Conditional Use Application, DRB Docket No. DRB-25-03

Site Visit & Hearing: On Monday, May 5, 2025, at Moore Park, across from Town Hall in Underhill, a site visit will commence at 6:00 PM followed by a hearing at 6:30 PM which will be held at the Underhill Town Hall, 12 Pleasant Valley Road, Underhill, VT. Remote participation options will also be available, see below.

The Underhill Development Review Board will hold a Site Plan and Conditional Use Review Hearing per the Town of Underhill Unified Land Use & Development Regulations adopted March 1, 2011, and last amended March 3, 2020. The purpose of the hearing is to consider an application submitted by the Town of Underhill for a proposed open public pavilion in Moore Park which is located directly across Pleasant Valley Road from the Underhill Town Hall. The property is in the Underhill Center Village Zoning District.

Application submittals, including information to access the public meeting via the Go-To-Meeting platform or by telephone, may be obtained on the Town’s website calendar under May 5, 2025, or by contacting the Zoning Administrator. The hearing is open to the public. Pursuant to 24 VSA § 4464(a)(1)(C) and 4471(a), participation in this local proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to make any subsequent appeal. If you cannot attend the hearing, comments may be made in writing, prior to the meeting, and mailed to: Brad Holden, Interim ZA, P.O. Box 120 Underhill, VT 05489 or emailed to: bholden@underhillvt.gov

OPENINGS

BURLINGTON CITY COMMISSIONS/BOARDS

Airport Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Two Openings

Cemetery Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Two Openings

Chittenden County Regional Planning Comm.

Term Expires 6/30/27 One Opening

Chittenden County Regional Planning Comm.-alt

Term Expires 6/30/27 One Opening

Church Street Marketplace Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Four Openings

Conservation Board

Term Expires 6/30/27 One Opening

Conservation Board

Term Expires 6/30/29 Four Openings

Design Advisory Board

Term Expires 6/30/28 Two Openings

Development Review Board

Term Expires 6/30/28 Three Openings

Electric Light Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Two Openings

Fence Viewers

Term Expires 6/30/26 Three Openings

Fire Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Two Openings

Green Mountain Transit Board

Term Expires 6/30/28 One Opening

Green Mountain Transit Board – alternate

Term Expires 6/20/28 One Opening

Board of Health

Term Expires 6/30/28 Two Openings

Housing Board of Review

Term Expires 6/30/28 Three Openings

Library Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 One Opening

Parks and Recreation Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Four Openings

Planning Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 One Opening

Police Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Four Openings

Public Works Commission

Term Expires 6/30/26 One Opening

Public Works Commission

Term Expires 6/30/28 Two Openings

Retirement Board

Term Expires 6/30/28 One Opening

Board of Tax Appeals

Term Expires 6/30/28 One Opening

Board for Registration of Voters

Term Expires 6/30/28 One Opening

Board for Registration of Voters

Term Expires 6/30/30 Three Openings

Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board

Term Expires 6/30/27 One Opening

Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board

Term Expires 6/30/28 Three Openings

Applications may be submitted to the Clerk/ Treasurer’s Office, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Attn: Lori NO later than Wednesday, May 14, 2025, by 4:30 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Lori at (802) 865-7136 or via email lolberg@burlingtonvt.gov.

City Council President Traverse will plan for appointments to take place at the June 16, 2025 City Council Meeting/City Council With Mayor Presiding Meeting.

TOWN OF ESSEX DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

MAY 1, 2025, 6:30 PM

Hybrid & In Person (Essex High School Cafeteria, 2 Educational Dr, Essex Jct.) Meeting. Anyone may attend this meeting in person at the above address or remotely through the following options:

Join Online: Zoom Meeting ID: 821 7131 4999 | Passcode: 426269

Join Calling (audio only): 888-788-0099

Public wifi is available at the Essex municipal offices, libraries, and hotspots listed here: https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/ public-wifi-hotspots-vermont

1. Continued from 3/20/25 meeting: Site Plan –Scannel Properties LLC is proposing a +/- 107,000 square foot distribution facility with associated parking located at 637 Kimo Drive (FKA Saxon Hill Industrial Park, Parcel B, Lot 13) Parcel ID 2-074-004-013 in the Resource Preservation Industrial-District (RPD-I). Included in the application is a waiver request for the RPD-I 50’ buffer (ZR Table 2.14(9)(c)).

2. Consent Agenda Item – John and Meredith McClellan are proposing a 2-lot simple parcel subdivision at 56 Tanglewood Dr (Parcel ID 2-044-059-002) located in the Medium Density Residential (R2) district. Lot 1 will be 3.21 acres and contain the existing single-family home. Lot 2 will be 1.00 acre for future residential development.

3. Consent Agenda Item – Jeffrey and Estelle LeClair are requesting a Final Plan Amendment to slightly shift the building envelope at 126 Towers Rd (Parcel ID 2-010-056-601) located in the Low Density Residential (R1) and Scenic Resource Protection Overlay (SRPO) Districts.

Application materials may be viewed before the meeting at https://www.essexvt.org/182/ Current-Development-Applications. Please call 802-878-1343 or email COMMUNITYDEVELOPMENT@ESSEX.ORG with any questions. This may not be the final order in which items will be heard. Please view the complete Agenda, at https://essexvt.portal.civicclerk.com or the office notice board before the hearing for the order in which items will be heard and other agenda items.

CITY OF ESSEX JUNCTION REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS REBRANDING INITIATIVE

The City of Essex Junction is seeking a qualified graphic designer, design firm, or agency to develop a long-standing, clearly recognizable brand identity and brand style guide. The project will include visual elements, messaging, and guidance on incorporating sub-brands for departments. One objective of the project is to create a logo that has a wide appeal and reflects the community as a whole. The chosen designer or firm will also provide a style guide for graphics, templates to meet the necessities of day-to-day operations (e.g., letterheads, memos, report covers, and city apparel), signage, and banners.

Proposals are to be submitted by 4:00 PM (local time) on May 5, 2025, at the City Office, 2 Lincoln Street, Essex Junction, Vermont, 05452. Proposals shall be marked to the attention of

Ashley Snellenberger, Communications and Strategic Initiatives Director. Digital proposals may be submitted via email to asnellenberger@ essexjunction.org, but the City assumes no responsibility for formatting or transmission errors.

The complete RFP may be obtained, without charge, on the City of Essex Junction webpage at www.essexjunction.org/news/invitationto-bid, at the City Office, or by calling (802) 878-6944. Please direct all questions regarding this request for proposals by April 28, 2025, to Ashley Snellenberger, Communications and Strategic Initiatives Director, at asnellenberger@ essexjunction.org or 802-878-6944 EXT 1601. All answers to questions received will be posted to the City’s website by April 29, 2025. The City of Essex Junction, through its Authorized Representative, reserves the right to waive any informalities in or reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part, or to accept any proposal deemed to be in the best interest of the City of Essex Junction.

NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS STATE OF VERMONT

April 14th, 2025, Jeremiah Ward WISP Director

Cooperative Development Institute P.O. Box 1051 Northampton, MA 01061-1051

Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development Grace Vinson, Environmental Officer 1 National Life Drive Montpelier, Vermont 05620 (802) 622- 4336

Request for Release of Funds

These notices shall satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by the Cooperative Development Institute and the State of Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (Agency).

On or about May 3rd, 2025 the organization of Cooperative Development Institute will submit a request to the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (the Agency) to release the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (PL 93-383), the National Affordable Housing Act, as amended, to undertake a project known as the North Avenue Co-op Infrastructure Improvement Project for the purpose of replacing and upgrading drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to help preserve affordable housing. The project is located at 4 Avenue A, Burlington, VT 05408. The total estimated cost of the project is $5,133,862, which includes approximately $1,302,000 (ARPA HH), $255,000 (Burlington Housing Trust Fund), $500,000 (VHCB), $1,800,000 (Congressionally Directed Spending), $49,999 (3-Acre Permit Obtainment Program), and $1,066,827 in CDBG funding.

There are no mitigation factors.

Finding

of No Significant Impact

The Cooperative Development Institute and Agency have determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Review Record (ERR), which will be made available to the public for review either electronically or by U.S. mail. Please submit your request by U.S. mail to Environmental Officer, Department of Housing and Community Development, National Life Building, One National Life Drive, Davis Building

6th floor, Montpelier, Vermont 05620 or via email at Grace.Vinson@vermont.gov.

Public Comments

Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the Agency, Attn: Environmental Officer, Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Housing and Community Development, One National Life Drive, Davis Building, 6th Floor, Montpelier, Vermont, 05620 or via email at grace. vinson@vermont.gov. All comments received by May 2nd, 2025, will be considered by the Department prior to authorizing a request for release of funds. Comments must specify which Notice they are addressing—the Finding of No

Significant Impact or the Request for the Release of Funds.

Environmental Certification

The Agency is certifying to HUD that Ann Kroll, in their official capacity as Director of Federal Programs, consents to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied. The Agency’s approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under NEPA and related laws and authorities and allows the Agency to use the CDBG funds.

Support Groups

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS FOR SINGLE MOTHERS

Please join our parent-led online support group 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. We will be meeting weekly on Thu., 5:15 p.m. on Zoom. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt. org/family-support-programs.

AL-ANON

For families & friends of alcoholics. Phone meetings, electronic meetings (Zoom) & an Al-Anon blog are avail. online at the Al-Anon website. For meeting info, go to vermontalanonalateen.org or call 866-972-5266.

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. See burlingtonaa.org for meetings, news & events in Chittenden & Grand Isle counties. For meeting & 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, 800-2723900, 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

Objections to Release of Funds

The Agency will accept objections to its release of funds and the Agency’s certification for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officer, Ann Kroll, Director of Federal Programs; (b) the Town has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by the

CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM OR 802-865-1020 EXT. 115 TO UPDATE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP

Agency; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality.

Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to the Attn: Grace Vinson, Environmental Officer, Agency of Commerce and Community Development, One National Life Drive, Davis Building, 6th Floor, Montpelier, Vermont 05620. Potential objectors should contact the Agency to verify the actual last date of the objection period.

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 Pathways Vermont Community Center at 279 N. Winooski Ave. 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.

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 Pathways Vermont Community Center, located at 279 N. Winooski Ave. in 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 279 N. Winooski Ave. in Burlington & online on Zoom. Email us for the Zoom link & more info: pvcc@pathwaysvermont. org.

FCA FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP

Families Coping with Addiction (FCA) is an open community peer support group for adults (18+) struggling with the drug or alcohol addiction of a loved one. FCA is not 12-step-based but provides a forum for those living the family experience, in which to develop personal coping skills & to draw strength from one another. Our group meets every Wed., 5:30-6:30 p.m., live in person in the conference room at the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County (179 S. Winooski Ave., Burlington), &/or via our parallel Zoom session to accommodate those

who cannot attend in person. The Zoom link can be found on the Turning Point Center website (turningpointcentervt.org) using the “Family Support” tab (click on “What We Offer”). Any questions, please send by email to tdauben@ aol.com.

FIERCELY FLAT VT

A breast cancer support group for those who’ve had mastectomies. We are a casual online meeting group found on Facebook at Fiercely Flat VT. Info: stacy.m.burnett@gmail.com.

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.

FRESH START: A TOBACCO/VAPE QUIT WORKSHOP

Join a free 4- or 5-week group workshop facilitated by our coaches, who are certified in tobacco treatment. We meet in a friendly, relaxed & virtual atmosphere. You may qualify for a free limited supply of nicotine replacement therapy. Info: call 802-847-7333 or email quittobaccoclass@uvmhealth.org to get signed up, or visit myhealthyvt.org to learn more about upcoming workshops.

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS

Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice in Berlin offers 2 6-week support groups. Surviving the Loss meets on Mon., 4-5:30 p.m. There are 4 different 6-week offerings: Feb. 3, 10, 17, 21, Mar. 3, 10; May 5, 12, 19, Jun. 2, 9, 16; Sep. 15, 22, 29, Oct. 6, 13, 20; Nov. 17, 24, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22. Spouse/Partner Loss meets on Wed., 10-11:30 a.m. There are 3 different 6-week offerings: Apr. 16, 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21; Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27, Sep. 3, 10; Nov. 12, 19, 26, Dec. 3, 10, 17. They also offer an 11-week Journaling Through Grief support group. Please call 802-2242241 to preregister. For any questions, contact Diana Moore at 802-224-2241 or dmoore@cvhhh. org. Groups may meet in person or over Zoom.

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. Pathways Vermont Community Center, 279 North Winooski Ave., Burlington. Email us for more information: pvcc@ pathwaysvermont.org

INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS/PAINFUL BLADDER SUPPORT GROUP

Interstitial cystitis (IC) & painful bladder syndrome can result in recurring pelvic pain, pressure or discomfort in the bladder/pelvic region & urinary frequency/urgency. These are often misdiagnosed & mistreated as a chronic bladder infection. If you have been diagnosed or have these symptoms, you are not alone. For Vermont-based support group, email bladderpainvt@gmail.com or call 802-735-5735 for more info.

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

Gifford Medical Center is announcing the restart of its grief support group, Living Through Loss. The program is sponsored by the Gifford Volunteer Chaplaincy Program & will meet weekly on Fri., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., in Gifford’s Chun Chapel. Meetings will be facilitated by the Rev. Timothy Eberhardt, spiritual care coordinator, & Emily Pizzale MSW, LICSW, a Gifford social worker. Anyone who has experienced a significant loss over the past year or so is warmly invited to attend & should enter through the hospital’s main entrance wearing a mask on the way to the chapel. Meetings will be based on the belief that, while each of us is on a unique journey in life, we all need a safe place to pause, to tell our stories &, especially as we grieve, to receive the support & strength we need to continue along the way.

MARIJUANA ANONYMOUS

Are you questioning the role marijuana plays in your life? Check out Freed From Weed, a free Marijuana Anonymous 12-step group. Mon., 7 p.m., at First United Methodist Church (Red Door Church), 21 Buell St., Burlington. Contact: jointsession@newenglandma.org.

Support Groups

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.

NAMI SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS

e National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Vermont offers several Connection Peer Support Groups & Family Support Groups that meet virtually &/or in person throughout the state. All groups are conﬁ dential, volunteer-led & 100% free. Find a group that suits your needs at namivt.org/support-groups.

NARCANON BURLINGTON GROUP

Group meets every Mon. at 7 p.m., at the Turning Point Center, 179 S. Winooski Ave., Suite 301, Burlington. e 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. e only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. Held in Burlington, St Albans, Morrisville, Barre & Stowe. Info, 833-436-6166 or cvana.org.

NEW (& EXPECTING) MAMAS & PAPAS & EVERY

PRIMARY CAREGIVER TO A BABY

Drop-in play every day: e Children’s Room is open Mon.-Fri. for anyone w/children ages 0-6 to come & play. Starting Tue., Sep. 3! 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!

OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS (OA)

A 12-step program for people who identify as overeaters, compulsive eaters, food addicts, anorexics, bulimics, etc. No matter what your problem w/ food, we have a solution! All are welcome, meetings are open, & there are no dues or fees. See oavermont.org/meeting-list for the current meeting list, meeting format & more, or call 802-863-2655 anytime!

PARKINSON’S MUTUAL AID GROUP

For individuals & caregivers dealing w/ the challenges of Parkinson’s, we meet to share resources & practical ideas for improving quality of life. is in-person group is free & open to the public. Every 2nd Tue. of the mo., 2-3 p.m., at the Old Meeting House, 1620 Center Rd., East Montpelier. Please contact admin@oldmeetinghouse.org or 229-9593.

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

e Champlain Valley Prostate Cancer Support Group meets online on the 2nd Tue. of the mo., 6-7:30 p.m., via Zoom. Whether you are newly diagnosed, dealing w/ a reoccurrence or trying to manage the side effects of treatment, you are welcome here! More info: Andy Hatch, group leader, ahatch63@gmail.com.

RECOVERY DHARMA

Recovery Dharma uses Buddhist practices & principles to help people recover from all kinds of addictions & addictive behaviors. is peer led, non-theistic group offers opportunities to deepen understanding, explore personal inquiry & connect w/ others. We meet every Wed., 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church in Burlington (the Red Door Church, 21 Buell St.). Enter through the administrative ofﬁ ce door (at far left when viewed from Buell St.) No meditation experience required; all are welcome. Email rd.burlington.vt@gmail.com for more information.

SMART RECOVERY

We welcome anyone, including family & friends, affected by any kind of substance or activity addiction. SMART Recovery is an abstinenceoriented program based on the science of addiction treatment & recovery. Online: Sun., 5 p.m. Info: meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/1868. Face-to-face: u., 1:15 p.m., & Fri., 5:30 p.m., at the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County. Family & Friends online, Mon., 7 p.m. Info: meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/6337. Volunteer facilitator, Bert: 399-8754. You can learn more at smartrecovery.org.

SEX & LOVE ADDICTS ANONYMOUS

12-step recovery group. Do you have a problem w/ sex or relationships? We can help. Info: Shawn, 660-2645. Visit slaafws.org or saa-recovery.org for meetings near you.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE SUPPORT

HOPE Works offers free support groups to women, men & teens who are survivors of sexual violence. Groups are avail. for survivors at any stage of the healing process. Intake for all support groups is ongoing. If you are interested in learning more or would like to schedule an intake to become a group member, please call our ofﬁ ce at 8640555, ext. 19, or email our victim advocate at advocate@sover.net. Visit hopeworksvt.com for more information.

STEPS SUPPORT GROUP

Steps offers a weekly support group w/ drop-in options for those who have experienced or who have been affected by domestic violence. Women’s Support Group meets virtually every Tue., 5-6:30 p.m. Gender Inclusive Support Group meets virtually every u., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Both groups offer a safe, supportive & conﬁ dential place to connect w/ others, heal & recover. For more info, call us at 658-1996 or email steps@ stepsvt.org.

STUTTERING SUPPORT GROUPS

We offer 3 monthly National Stuttering Association (NSA) stuttering support groups for adults, teens & school-age children (7-12). Meetings take place monthly at UVM & by Zoom. Contact burlingtonstutters@gmail.com for more information.

SUICIDE HOTLINES IN VT

Brattleboro, 257-7989; Montpelier (Washington County Mental Health Emergency Services), 2290591; Randolph (Clara Martin Center Emergency Service), 800-639-6360.

SUPPORT GROUP FOR WOMEN Group for women who have experienced intimate partner abuse. Facilitated by Circle (Washington Co. only). Please call 877-543-9498 for more info.

SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE: SOUTH BURLINGTON is group is for people experiencing the impact of the loss of a loved one to suicide. 1st Wed. of each mo., 6-7:30 p.m., at the Comfort Inn & Suites, 3 Dorset St., S. Burlington. Info: Bob Purvee at 922-4283 or ripurvee1@yahoo.com, or Aya Kuki at 881-3606 or ayakokuki@gmail.com

THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP

e 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

CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM OR 802-865-1020 EXT. 115 TO UPDATE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP

at 802-233-0544, alanday88@gmail.com, or Claire at 802-448-3569.

TRANS & GENDER-NONCONFORMING SUPPORT GROUP

As trans & GNC people in the world, we experience many things that are unique to our identities. For that reason, the Transgender Program hosts a support group for our community on the 1st & 3rd Wed. of every mo., 6:30-8 p.m., virtually & on the 2nd & 4th Wed. of every mo., 6:30-8 p.m. at Pride Center of Vermont. e Trans & GNC Support group is for Vermonters at all stages of their gender journey to come together to socialize, discuss issues that are coming up in their lives & build community. We welcome anyone whose identity falls under the trans, GNC, intersex & nonbinary umbrellas, & folks questioning their gender identity. Email safespace@pridecentervt. org w/ any questions, comments or accessibility concerns.

TRANS PARENT GROUP

is support group is for adult family members & caregivers of queer &/or questioning youth. It

is held on the 1st Mon. of every mo., 6-7:30 p.m., online, & on the 3rd Mon. of every mo., 6-7:30 p.m., at Outright Vermont, 241 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington. is group is for adults only. For more info, email info@outrightvt.org.

TRANSGUARDIANS SUPPORT GROUP

We will be in community w/ parents of trans kids of all ages & supporting each other w/ storytelling, listening, learning & love. If we want to protect our trans kids, our 1st line of defense is uplifting their parents & guardians! is is a peer-support group & will be facilitated by Alison & Shawna. 4th Tue. of every mo., 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Rainbow Bridge Community Center. Contact 622-0692 or info@rainbowbridgevt.org. or go to rainbowbridgevt.org.

TRAUMA SUPPORT GROUP

Our group is a space for mutual support for everyone who is living w/ mental/emotional trauma. e group meets every Fri., 2:15-3:15 p.m., at 279 N. Winooski Ave. in Burlington & online on Zoom. Email us for the Zoom link & more info: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

•

Are you looking for an innovative,

Join

FIREFIGHTER/EMT ADMINISTRATOR

The Underhill Jericho Fire Department is looking for an experienced Firefighter/EMT Administrator. This is a full-time position with competitive pay and benefits.

Hours, full job description and requirements can be found at ujfd.org/employment. If you would like to join our team, please e-mail cover letter and your resume in .pdf format to chief@ujfd.org

Position will remain open until filled.

The UJFD is a EOE.

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

Study Away Coordinator

Automotive Technician

We are a busy independent shop specializing in European car diagnosis and repair. We take pride in our work, providing the highest level of service to our valued clients. We also take pride in our team, offering a competitive salary, benefits that include 401(k) with company match and available health insurance, a generous holiday schedule and a supportive, collaborative, relaxed environment. If this sounds like a good fit give a call at 802-489-5950, shoot us an email or stop by: mike@sterlingmotorwerks.com.

Graduate Nurse Residency Program

Build your skills – with support.

Kickstart your nursing career with the support you need at our not-for-profit, rural critical access hospital. Apply for our Summer 2025 program on the Medical-Surgical Unit. Receive hands-on training with experienced preceptors, exposure to diverse patient populations, and education on essential nursing skills in a mentorship-driven atmosphere. Why NVRH? Collaborate with a dedicated team, gain valuable experience, and enjoy work-life balance in a welcoming rural community while making a meaningful impact on patients’ lives.

Requirements: Enthusiastic new graduates with a Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degree in Nursing and eligibility for a Vermont or multi-state Compact RN license. Benefits Include: Competitive compensation, student loan repayment, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, and more. About Us: Located in St. Johnsbury, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital serves over 30,000 people in a picturesque, bustling community. Apply Now! nvrh.org/careers.

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Ecological Restoration Fellow

VNRC is seeking a passionate Ecological Restoration Fellow to support our work around floodplain and wetland restoration as well as on-the-ground implementation of river reconnection projects. Through planning, problem solving, and partnerships, the Fellow will build capacity for our dam removal and clean water programs, and also provide strategic support for VNRC's healthy forest and sustainable communities initiatives.

Preferred qualifications include: a degree in environmental science, ecology, land use planning or natural resources; two or more years of professional experience in river, wetland or other aquatic ecology and/or hydrology; and demonstrated skills in raising public awareness and building community support for restoration projects.

The Fellow is a full-time, one-year contractual position with the possibility of extension and involves a hybrid schedule of field work, office work and remote work. Pay is commensurate with experience with a minimum hourly rate of $25/hr. Travel is reimbursed at the IRS rate. Read the full job description and apply at vnrc.org

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Volunteer Coordinator

White River Junction Full-Time, In-Person, Non-Profit

At COVER, we foster hope and build community through critical home repairs and our vibrant reuse store — and volunteers are the heartbeat of it all.

What You’ll Do: Cultivate and grow a strong volunteer network and manage volunteers for our home repair program and store; create a welcoming experience for every volunteer.

Why COVER? We’re a volunteer-driven, community-based nonprofit making a real difference every day. Whether we’re repairing a leaking roof or unsafe stairs, and building community in the store, our work is grounded in housing security, community resilience, and sustainability. GENEROUS BENEFITS. For details, visit: coverhomerepair.org

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Director of Legacy Giving

Create a Lasting Impact at UVM

Are you a passionate fundraising professional eager to make a meaningful di erence? The University of Vermont Foundation is seeking a Director of Legacy & Planned Giving to lead and expand our planned giving program, inspiring donors to leave a lasting impact.

In this dynamic role, you’ll develop and execute innovative strategies to cultivate and steward donors, collaborate with major gift o cers, and drive transformational philanthropy. You’ll engage directly with supporters, craft compelling gift proposals, and elevate legacy giving across our community. If you thrive on building relationships, shaping strategy, and making a tangible di erence, this is your chance to help secure UVM’s future.

Based in Burlington, this full-time role o ers a competitive salary ($125,000–$145,000) plus outstanding beneﬁts, including comprehensive healthcare, generous paid time o , and immediate 403(b) vesting. If you’re ready to lead with vision, innovation, and impact, apply today and help shape UVM’s legacy for generations to come!

Visit uvmfoundation.org/careers to read a complete job description and apply.

Assistant Public Works Director

Capital Projects

The Town of Stowe Public Works Department is seeking an experienced and motivated Assistant Public Works Director to become a member of our Public Works team, with a primary focus on planning, permitting, development, management and delivery of General Fund capital improvement projects.

Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or construction management preferred with a minimum of 5 years of progressive responsibilities, including at least 3 years as a Project Manager associated with Public Works projects, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. Working knowledge of Vermont regulatory and permitting requirements and stormwater rules would be a plus. The ideal candidate will be personable, have excellent verbal and written communication skills with attention to detail and followthrough. Must possess a valid State of Vermont driver’s license.

Salary Range: $85,000 - $100,000 DOQ

The Town of Stowe offers a robust benefit package including health and dental with low premium share, generous paid leave, VMERS pension, and more!

More information can be found at stowevt.gov/jobs

Submit cover letter and resume to recruit@stowevt.gov

Position open until filled. The Town of Stowe is an equal opportunity employer.

The Facilities Department at Saint Michael’s College is inviting applications for a full-time Carpenter. This position supports the department in maintaining a comfortable, safe, and efficient environment by maintaining the functionality and appearance of all campus buildings. The successful candidate will provide general repairs and maintenance to campus buildings and components, paint interiors and exteriors, perform small carpentry projects, and identify issues that need carpentry attention around campus. The ideal candidates should have 3-5 years of carpentry and painting experience, a valid driver’s license, and the ability to pass a driving record check.

This position will require regular work hours, as well as occasional on-call evening, weekend, and holiday times.

For a complete job description, please visit: https://bit.ly/3XGXC51

RADIOLOGY DIRECTOR

• Multimodality, preferred

• Safety Officer status or training, preferred

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible, onsite position.

For more information visit copleyvt.org/careers or contact Kaitlyn Shannon, Recruiter, at 802-888-8144 or kshannon@chsi.org.

Assistant Federal Public Defender

Federal Public Defender Office, District of Vermont

The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Vermont is accepting applications for the position of Assistant Federal Public Defender. This is a full-time position. The position has provisional funding, but we anticipate permanent funding very soon. Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications within the guidelines set by the Judiciary salary scale for Assistant Federal Public Defenders, at a scale equivalent to that of Assistant United States Attorneys. Submit cover letter, resume with summary of trial and appellate experience, and 3 professional references to stephanie_baer@fd.org with “2025-02 AFPD Application” in subject line. The Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Trusted, local employers are hiring in Seven Days newspaper and online. Browse 100+ new job postings each week.

See who’s hiring at jobs.sevendaysvt.com Follow us on Facebook /sevendaysjobs for the latest postings

Cabin Counselor

YMCA Camp Abnaki Cabin Counselors mentor, inspire, and create unforgettable memories with campers who have completed grades 1-10. You’ll lead cabin life, run awesome activities, and build a tight-knit camp community—all while perfecting your cannonball skills. Spend your days on the shores of Lake Champlain, paddling canoes, conquering the climbing wall, launching water balloons, and battling for glory in capture the flag. If you’re ready to make a real impact while having the best summer ever, we want you on our team! The contract for this seasonal, full-time position is from June 12 through August 16. Possibilities of part-time pre-season and post-season work are also available. The starting rate salary is $500/weekly with housing and meals included in compensation. Apply online: recruiting. paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/ Details/3098199

Beloved MRV Restaurant is looking for a NEW HEAD CHEF

One of the most beloved restaurants in the Mad River Valley is looking for a new head chef/kitchen manager.

We are looking for an experienced, committed and reliable addition to our team. 5 nights a week. Competitive pay, creative freedom.

Do you have a true love for food, a great skill set and a positive attitude? Are you looking to find a long term home at a place that has heart and soul? As a family owned business we are known for food and service that come from the heart, a dedication to being a community hub and a great team that works closely to achieve a smooth and friendly operation that provides a great product. Send resume and references to km7985@gmail.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, hourly ($28.38), benefits eligible, IATSE union position.

HEAD THEATER ELECTRICIAN

The Flynn is looking for a Theater Electrician to be the working head of the department performing the duties related to the operation of the electrical and lighting systems used for productions while supervising all other electricians working on productions or maintenance. Prior experience working as a theater electrician, practical knowledge of theater production, and management required. The Flynn values all staff to provide a positive & professional experience for coworkers, tours, & patrons.

For a detailed job description: flynnvt.org/About-Us/ Employment-and-Internship-Opportunities

Email materials to: HResources@flynnvt.org

No phone calls, please. E.O.E.

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Communication Director

Burlington City Arts seeks an enthusiastic, collaborative team member to serve as its Communication Director. The Communication Director is responsible for the development and implementation of the organization’s ongoing communication plan, builds brand and general awareness for BCA’s many programs and service, implements campaign strategies for all BCA programs, and provides communication support for broader City collaborations.

The ideal candidate will have a desire to connect people of many backgrounds to the arts and appreciate the role of an arts organization in a municipal setting. Agility with digital media management and experience working with fundraising organizations is preferred, and onsite attendance is needed. This position offers an opportunity to join an inspired team and has a great benefit package.

For more information & to apply: burlingtoncityarts.org/join-bca

Associate Director of Gift Administration

The University of Vermont Foundation is seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented professional to serve as our Associate Director of Gift Administration. In this vital role, you will ensure that philanthropic gifts are accurately recorded, managed, and reported—helping donors’ generosity directly support the University’s mission. Working at the intersection of finance and donor stewardship, you will use your advanced excel skills to maintain integrity across multiple systems, reconcile contributions, and generate reports that drive strategic decisionmaking. Your expertise will play a crucial role in ensuring that every gift makes a lasting impact. If you have a strong background in data, a keen eye for detail, and a commitment to higher education, we invite you to apply and be part of a team that transforms philanthropy into opportunity.

Salary: $65,000–$85,000 plus exceptional benefits. Position based in Burlington, VT. Visit our website for a full job description and application instructions: uvmfoundation.org/careers

MU LTIPLE POSITIONS OPEN!

Are you our next Guest Services Representative? Buyer? Produce Associate?

Veterinary Client Care Coordinator

HSCC’s Client Care Coordinator is responsible for providing an excellent customer experience for our Community Pet Clinic clients. They share HSCC’s commitment to providing high-quality, low-cost veterinary care to under-resourced populations, and the humane treatment of animals. They perform daily customer service duties, including scheduling, client check-in and check-out, and answer clinic inquiries both via email and phone. The position requires excellent written and verbal communication skills, the ability to juggle tasks, and a friendly customer service demeanor. Experience in a veterinary clinic or animal care facility is helpful but not required. The pay range is $20-$23/hr depending on experience, and the position includes paid vacation, sick, and holiday time, as well as access to health, dental and vision benefits. Visit our online application for a full job description and to apply: hsccvt.org/Join-Our-Team

RECRUITERS:

When you work for the State of Vermont, you and your work matter. A career with the State puts you on a rich and rewarding professional path. You’ll find jobs in dozens of fields – not to mention an outstanding total compensation package.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT – MONTPELIER

The State of Vermont Human Rights Commission is seeking a creative, mission-driven, and highly skilled communicator to fill the position of Director of Community Engagement. This position is crucial to helping the HRC fulfill its mission of advancing full civil and human rights for all Vermonters. Major responsibilities include Communications, Relationship Building, Community Outreach, and Strategic Planning. Starting salary is $60,000-$70,000 depending on experience with generous SOV benefits. For more information, contact Big Hartman at big.hartman@vermont.gov. Location: Montpelier. Department: Human Rights Commission. Status: Exempt, Full Time. Job ID #52454. Application Deadline: April 28, 2025.

SENIOR CLAIM REPRESENTATIVE, MULTI-LINE (Remote)

The Vermont League of Cities and Towns seeks a licensed claim professional to serve our membership of Vermont municipalities. This is an outstanding and rewarding career opportunity for a skilled multi-line property and casualty claims adjuster. The successful candidate will join our long-term property and casualty claims team and handle auto, property, general liability and a variety of professional liability claims. The position performs a wide range of duties, including handling moderately complex claims, conducting thorough investigations, and evaluating damages. This position works directly for VLCT’s Property and Casualty Intermunicipal Fund (PACIF) which is a self-insured insurance association providing coverage to Vermont cities, towns, and other municipal entities.

Requirements:

• Current State of Vermont property and casualty adjuster’s license required, plus seven to ten years of property casualty claims adjusting experience.

• Ability to understand the claims adjudication process.

• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills and the ability to analyze information.

• A valid driver’s license.

• Experience working with self-insurance programs, public or governmental entities, and reinsurers desirable.

• Legal experience or possession of a Juris Doctor is a plus.

• Possession of or progress toward attaining an Associate in Claims (AIC) designation strongly preferred.

The successful candidate will be offered the position within a salary range of $70,000 –85,000 depending on experience. To learn more, see full job descripton and apply, visit: vlct.org/careers

In addition to an excellent salary, VLCT also provides an exceptional benefit package, an option for remote work, a convenient downtown Montpelier office to work at if desired, an enjoyable work environment, and great colleagues.

Application deadline is April 25, 2025. Resumes will be reviewed as they are received. Interviews will be conducted remotely via Zoom. Position is open until filled.

VLCT is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages all individuals to apply.

Sta Accountant

Provide accounting and analytical support to various departments within the agency using Excel. Conduct monthly analysis of financial statements. Review of General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP), and Accounts Receivable (AR) transactions. Perform fixed asset analysis and reconciliation. Prepare annual budget preparations. Allocate monthly payroll expenditures. Create, maintain, run, and distribute various financial reports. Provide Ad hoc analysis and support. Monitor monthly analysis of aged accounts receivables. Oversee monthly management of grants & contracts. Perform cash management & banking functions. To apply, contact Dan Errico: recruitment@wcmhs.org

Washington County Mental Health Services: PO Box 647 Montpelier, VT 05601. Reference job ID: WCMH24.

School Engagement Specialist

LRC is hiring a 32-40 hr/wk School Engagement Specialist (SES). SES apply restorative case management practices to help children/youth and their families struggling with school attendance navigate multiple systems of support to address barriers to school engagement. They build relationships with youth and families and utilize established and collaborative connections with school personnel, DCF, and human services providers in the community, to help families to develop and implement plans for improved school attendance. The SES uses methodologies rooted in restorative practices, whereby parents and children feel heard and acknowledged, and their dignity and resilience are upheld.

This position is ideal for someone with an understanding of restorative work in schools, excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills, and those who are interested in a workplace that promotes employee well-being and is known for its inclusive and collaborative work environment. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required and position is anticipated to begin late June.

The hourly pay rate is between $23.31 and $24.52. A generous benefits policy provides $13,000 annually for each employee to pay for the benefits they need, such as: medical, dental, vision, and supplemental insurance, and retirement. Additional benefits include 27 paid days off and 17 paid holidays, pre-tax dependent care deductions, paid family medical leave, an annual training stipend, and life insurance.

Please submit a cover letter & resume to: info@lrcvt.org

LRC is an equal opportunity employer and invites applications from professionals with lived experience. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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Developmental Educator/ Service Coordinator

The Lamoille Family Center seeks an organized and team-oriented individual to provide home visits with families of children (Birth-3 years) with developmental delays. This 40 hour/week case manager position is part of the Early Intervention team within the Children’s Integrated Services program. Vacation time, sick time, and single person health insurance benefits are included in this position.

This is a rare opportunity to be part of a dynamic and supportive agency which is committed to collectively integrating its core values of Integrity, Respect, Compassion, Inclusivity, Collaboration and Positivity into its work.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in early/special education, social work, psychology or related field. Comprehensive understanding of child development and social work practices. Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with multiple community partners. Since travel throughout the Lamoille Valley is required, a valid Driver’s License and reliable, insured transportation are necessary.

Please send cover letter & resume to: Angela Mendieta, Lamoille Family Center, 480 Cadys Falls Road, Morrisville, VT 05661 or amendieta@lamoillefamilycenter.org

Marketing Coordinator

This role is pivotal in driving brand visibility, generating leads, and authentically representing ALN’s services and mission. The ideal candidate will be driven to excel in the hands-on execution of designing, writing, and copyediting impactful marketing content.

Please send your resume, cover letter and an example of your marketing writing, design, or other work and a statement explaining why you think it is relevant to christahagan-howe@ alllearnersnetwork.com

Office Manager

Fast paced construction office is looking for someone to oversee data entry, accounts payable, payroll, and Human Resources. This is a full-time position with flexible hours and generous benefits in a dogfriendly office. QuickBooks and QuickBooks Time experience is preferred. Human Resources background is a plus. Willing to train the right person.

Send resumes to chris@ redhousebuilding.com

Attorney

Firm Overview: Bauer Gravel Farnham, LLP is an established law firm primarily located in Colchester, VT, serving the legal needs of Northern Vermont for over 45 years. Committed to providing quality legal services with professionalism and integrity, our firm has earned a reputation for excellence in various practice areas.

Job Description: Bauer Gravel Farnham, LLP is seeking an experienced Corporate Law attorney who desires to continue the firm’s tradition of providing quality legal services in a professional manner. The ideal candidate must be licensed in Vermont with a desire to work in a professional & collaborative firm setting, where both what we do and how we do it is equally important. The candidate should possess strong writing and oral advocacy skills, and be adept and competent in Business Formation, Asset Purchases, and various Corporate Filings. Bringing a current client base to the firm is not required but would be a plus.

Please email cover letter and resume to bgfinfo@vtlawoffices.com, ATTN: Daniel N. Farnham.

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NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR

We are seeking a skilled Network Administrator to join our dynamic IT team. We are looking for a candidate with experience configuring, troubleshooting, and maintaining firewalls, VPNs, routers, switches, wireless access points, and Ethernet technologies. Position will be based at The Vermont State University’s Castleton campus & a hybrid work option is available.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related discipline and three years of experience in design, troubleshooting, and management of medium- or large-sized enterprise TCP/IP networks required.

• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex network problems.

• Effective communication skills and the ability to work as part of a cross-functional team required.

For details and to apply, please click QR code:

CANOPY IT SUPPORT TECHNICIAN

Have fun and delight clients!

As a member of our top-flight CanopySM team, you will be a go-to for products and applications that clients rely on every day. The team handles support requests, monitors network components, configures workstations and users, automates service delivery, reports on system health, resolves issues, and visits client sites. Requires 1 year+ full-time IT experience or degree. Salary $50,000 - $65,000. tinyurl.com/NPI-CAN7-SD

IT SECURITY ADMINISTRATOR

Help keep computer users safe!

You will lead planning meetings, create and edit security policies, train users, assist in product evaluation, and administer programs that enhance security. Requires writing samples, presentation skills, and IT background (security experience desirable). Salary $60,000 - $80,000. tinyurl.com/NPI-SA2-SD

NPI appreciates its staff, and offers a pet-friendly office, profit-sharing, company-paid dental/vision/disability/ life, matching 401k, family health coverage, profitsharing, Flex Spending and Dependent Care Accounts, open-book management, generous time off, and hybrid work-from-home opportunities for selected positions after training period.

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Join NPI, Vermont’s premier Technology Management firm

Union Organizer

The Vermont State Employees’ Association Seeks Experienced Union Organizer

Join Vermont’s most dynamic independent statewide union. VSEA is a democratic and increasingly activist union, where 18 dedicated union staff work hand in hand with more than 6,000 members across Vermont to confront and combat workplace and contract injustice. The important and meaningful work is conducted in one of the nation’s most politically progressive states, and the workload is manageable. VSEA’s headquarters is located in beautiful Montpelier, Vermont.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY INCLUDE:

Leadership Development: Identify existing leaders within VSEA and build relationships with those members through the work of building the union; Identify and recruit members to fill leadership roles within the structure of VSEA; Educate members on ways in which they can talk to their colleagues about: the union, effective strategies for identifying issues, and using direct action to make workplace improvements

Support VSEA’s Broader Organizational Goals and Activities: Facilitate turnout to events, trainings and meetings; Support key legislative, political, and community or workplace actions as outlined by the VSEA Strategic Plan

Identify Issues with Members and Move a Plan of Action: Meet with members to discuss current issues that are of importance; Work to develop and execute a clear work plan around the issues.

Increase Union Membership:

Demonstrate success in signing up non-members and new employees as VSEA members while engaging union activists and leaders in the recruitment process.

Communication with Members:

Have a regular and frequent presence in worksites, holding face-to-face conversations with VSEA leaders, activists, and rank-and-file members; Provide the VSEA Communications Department with regular updates on internal and external organizing efforts; Update VSEA bulletin boards in worksites by providing activists and leaders with updated materials as often as possible.

VSEA seeks to interview dynamic candidates with a track record of commitment to the labor movement and preferably two (2) years of experience as a union or political organizer.

Any applicant must have reliable transportation as daily instate travel is expected. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to submit their resume, salary requirements, and a cover letter detailing their labor or political experience to vsea@vsea.org

Exceptional candidates will be scheduled for an interview.

Salary range is $62,940.80-$70,512.00.

Vermont Housing & Conser vation Board

Communications Director

Join our innovative and award-winning team!

Responsible for the development and implementation of VHCB’s public relations strategy and creation of outreach materials, the Communications Director supports efforts to educate Vermont’s Legislature on how VHCB’s work impacts their communities, increases public awareness of VHCB programs and accomplishments, and coordinates VHCB’s engagement with the press and public affairs.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer

Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. We offer a comprehensive benefit package and an inclusive, supportive work environment.

For full job descriptions, salary information, and application instructions please visit vhcb.org/about-us/jobs

Town Administrator

Town of Highgate, Vermont

The Town of Highgate seeks a personable and collaborative individual to serve as Town Administrator. He or she must enjoy engaging with people and marshaling resources to solve problems, complete projects, and deliver services. A strong sense of humility and a commitment to public service are essential ingredients for this front facing position.

Highgate is attractive to those who enjoy a rural lifestyle in a stable community. The outdoor recreation opportunities are numerous and include fishing and boating on Lake Champlain and biking the 26 mile Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail. The Town is positioning itself for future economic and community development by investing in infrastructure. Current initiatives include expansion of the State airport and Town industrial park, redevelopment of the village core, and expansion of water / wastewater utilities.

The Selectboard anticipates applicants with public sector experience though the board is open to non-traditional candidates as well. Prospective candidates should be able to demonstrate: working knowledge of local government; ability to manage projects to successful completion; budget development and management experience; personnel experience; and a willingness to become part of the fabric of the community. A full job description and position posting is available at highgatevt.org under announcements.

The anticipated starting salary is between $75,000 and $85,000 depending on qualifications and experience. The town offices are closed on Fridays and employees may work from home if they wish. To apply, please send a resume and cover letter via email to dcloud@vlct.org. Resume review will begin on April 25, 2025.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Capstone Community Action (Capstone) is seeking a new Executive Director (E.D.) to lead the organization with overall strategic and operational responsibility. Visit capstonevt.org to learn more. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the E.D. will oversee the organization’s mission-driven programs, staff, and business affairs while fostering community impact and growth. They will also help advance the organization’s commitment to improving the lives of Vermonters in need by providing opportunities, education, and vital assistance.

Role Summary: Capstone’s next E.D. will lead Capstone’s committed and talented staff into its next phase of impact serving the most vulnerable Vermonters in our service territory and ensuring our long-term sustainability during a time of great need and signiﬁcant challenges. Capstone’s next E.D. will advance the organization’s mission, vision, and programs by:

• Leading the development and implementation of the organization’s strategic direction and growth.

• Sustaining and strengthening a culture that supports employee well-being and fosters engagement in serving individuals and families.

• Expanding and engaging with external partners and funders alongside organizational leaders, evolving our organization and capturing new opportunities during a time of change.

• With the leadership team and board, bolstering the strengths of the organization’s ﬁnancial health and operations.

• Developing /deepening relationships across private, public, and non-proﬁt sectors.

The board welcomes and encourages applications from both ﬁrst-time and experienced Executive Directors.

Please click bit.ly/BGcapstoneED to apply and/or view the complete posting and access a 4-page PDF describing this leadership opportunity.

Application guidance: Applications submitted through Friday, May 16, 2025, will be considered for interviews this spring and a late summer start date. Prospective applicants seeking additional insights before applying may contact Capstone’s executive search partner at bethgilpin.com

Employment Specialist

Why not have a job you love?

Join our award-winning supported employment program working with individuals to develop career goals, seek and secure employment, and build partnerships with local businesses for long term employment. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills, enjoy working in a collaborative environment and have the desire to make an impact on their community.

This is an excellent position for someone who is looking for the next step in their career or to continue their work in this field.

Compensation is $21 per hour plus $1,000 sign on bonus. Benefit package includes comprehensive and affordable health insurance, 29 paid days off in the first year, retirement match, tuition reimbursement and so much more.

And that’s on top of working at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont” for seven years running.

Make a career making a difference and apply today. Send resume to staff@ccs-vt.org

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Development Director

Join our ambitious wilderness team! Northeast Wilderness Trust seeks an experienced fundraising professional for a new position aimed at fueling organizational growth, managing development program activities, & leading our development team. Visit newildernesstrust.org/about/employment to learn more.

Line Cook

Positive and motivated, willing to get trained & take responsibility of the stations. Tuesday through Saturday evenings. Chiuhos@asinglepebble.com

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 positions:

Housing Retention Services – Site

Based: Responsible for supporting those who have mental health and substance use challenges and/or who have moved from homelessness to Bobbin Mill, Wharf Lane, and other BHA properties. The position works closely with property management and other site-based staff to identify challenges and respond with appropriate direct service and coordination of community services, with a goal of eviction prevention and facilitating a healthy tenancy.

Offender Re-entry Housing Specialist: Provides support to men and women under the VT Department of Corrections supervision from prison back to Chittenden County. The ORHS focuses on high-risk men and women who are being released from jail and graduating transitional housing programs and in need of permanent housing. The ORHS provides intensive retention and eviction prevention services and works collaboratively with the Burlington Probation and Parole Office. Additionally, the ORHS works with various case workers, Re-Entry staff and the Administrative Staff from the VT Department of Corrections and the broad network of COSA staff, as necessary, throughout Chittenden County.

Permanent Supportive Housing

Specialist : Provides assistance to community members within Chittenden County who are without housing and have significant medical/mental health barriers to locating and securing housing in Burlington Housing Authority’s service area.

Preventative

Maintenance

Coordinator: Administers and implements comprehensive preventative maintenance activities at all BHA properties, ensuring the systematic upkeep of building components. The PMC will establish a maintenance

schedule, as well as oversee and coordinate with contractors for key building systems and areas related to the upkeep of buildings.

Rental Assistance Specialist

II: Processes the annual & interim recertifications for tenant and project-based vouchers and grant-funded rental assistance programs. The RAS also provides help, when needed, with other rental assistance programs administered by the Burlington Housing Authority.

Resident Manager at South Square:

Attends to various resident requests, assisting with emergency service, and light cleaning duties. The Resident Manager is required to live on property. The Resident Manager is provided with an apartment along with free utilities in exchange for being on call after BHA business hours and on weekends.

For more info about these career opportunities, our robust benefit package, and to apply, please visit: burlingtonhousing.org jobs.appone. com/burlingtonhousingauthority

Burlington Housing Authority

Human Resources

65 Main Street Suite 101 Burlington, VT 05401-8408

P: 802-864-0538

F: 802-658-1286

BHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

INVEST IN YOURSELF

Our apprenticeship program is a paid opportunity to become a phlebotomist with no experience required.

APPLY NOW www.iaahitec.org/phlebotomy

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

Wednesday, April 30th, 2025

$2,000 SIGN ON BONUS

External candidates are eligible for a one-time sign-on bonus paid over 3 installments. Amounts reflect gross pay, prior to applicable tax withholdings and deductions required by law. Current University of Vermont Health Network employees are excluded and additional terms and conditions apply.

Questions? Call or Email 802-399-8243 lida.hope@vthitec.org

• Guaranteed paid employment on day one of training

• Direct patient care

• Team environment

• Full Benefits

• Dedicated support during the 5-week program

• Paid Certified Phlebotomy Technician Exam

Programs Manager & Seasonal Positions

Local Motion seeks a complete streets advocate with grant and personnel management experience to join our fun, valuesdriven team based on Burlington’s beautiful waterfront. Leading the Program Team of our nonproﬁt organization, you will help fulﬁll our mission to make it safe, accessible, and fun for everyone to bike, walk, and roll in Vermont. For info and to apply, visit: localmotion.org/join_our_team. 2v-LocalMotion041625.indd

Finance Director

The Town of Northfield is accepting applications for the position of Finance Director.

GIV

Nurses

Mental Health Counselors

Various

The Finance Director coordinates and directs the financial activities of the Town of Northfield. The Finance Director reports to the Town Manager.

The Director of Finance leads a team of two that provides payroll and accounting services, grants management and financial internal controls for Town government and the Water, Sewer, and Electric Departments. This position provides oversight and direction, ensuring that the financial practices of the Town and Utilities are in compliance with State and Federal laws and regulations as well as local policies. Experience with Vermont municipal finance and the ability to work with others is highly desired.

Qualifications: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in accounting or business administration preferred. Significant experience in a key administrative position in a Municipal government a plus. Experience may be substituted for the degree.

Compensation is commensurate with experience.

To obtain a copy of the job description or more information, please visit northfield-vt.gov or contact the Northfield Town Manager Jeff Schulz at 802-485-9822

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter by email: jschulz@northfield.vt.us, or mail: Finance Director Position, ATTN: Town Manager, 51 South Main Street, Northfield, VT 05663 or in person at the same address. The Town is accepting applications until the position is filled. The Town of Northfield is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits from Day 1 include:

• 37.5 hour Work Week with 40 hour pay

• On-site Primary Care for employees & eligible dependents

• Employee Medical, Prescription and Vision coverage – $9/ Per Pay

• Profit Sharing and 401(k) with 100% matching up to 4% and no vesting period

Hiring for 2nd & 3rd Shift Operators in St. Albans, VT $22 – $25 per hour to start

Plus, for a limited time, offering a $5,000 Sign On Bonus to eligible new hires

• Family Medical & Prescription Coverage –$18 Per Pay with Vision – $1.50 Per Pay

• Generous Time Off programs (including personal, vacation and company holidays)

Other benefits include:

• Annual Bonus and merit increases (starting at $3,000)

• Education Assistance up to 100% of the cost of tuition, books and lab fees

Start your career in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry today. Learn more about VIATRIS and come join our team here at MTI. View our opportunities here: Viatris.com/careers

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

POST YOUR JOBS AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTMYJOB PRINT DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) FOR RATES & INFO: MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

I started advertising with Seven Days back when it was rare to see businesses outside of the food and beverage, entertainment, or hospitality industries in these pages. I did it because it was the only paper I read. Also, it was important to me that it was free for everyone. Since then, it has become the main print advertising we do, and I couldn’t be happier to be associated with Seven Days. We are a tire store and an auto shop, but we are a family-owned and -run business that is a staple in the community. I feel that Seven Days helps to convey that.

Mark Rochefort President, Vermont Wholesale Tire, Montpelier

Reach 178,000+ readers each week in the newspaper and online.

fun stuff

“You’re getting very slee— Hey! Quit it!”

JEN SORENSEN

HARRY BLISS

fun stuff

KRISTEN SHULL

KYLE BRAVO

ARIES

(MAR. 21-APR. 19)

I am always surprised when there appears yet another authoritative article or book that implies there is one specific right approach to meditation. The truth is, however, that there are many ways. Here’s teacher Christopher Bamford: “Meditation is naturally individual, uniquely our own. There are no rules. Just as every potter will elaborate their own way of making pots, so everyone who meditates will shape their own meditation.” This is excellent counsel for you right now, Aries. The planetary alignments tell me that you have extra power to define and develop your unique style of meditation. Key point: Have fun as you go deeper and deeper!

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): From 1501 to 1504, the artist Michelangelo worked to create a 17-feet-tall marble sculpture of the biblical king known as David. Today it stands in Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia and is one of the most famous statues in the world. But the block of marble from which it was carved had a troubled beginning. Two other artists worked on it but ultimately abandoned their efforts, regarding the raw material as flawed. Michelangelo saw potential where they didn’t. He coaxed a masterpiece from what they rejected. Be like him in the coming weeks, dear Taurus! Look for treasure in situations that

others deem unremarkable. Find the beauty hidden from the rest of the world.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): The Judean date palm was considered extinct for more than 800 years. Then scientists germinated a 2,000-year-old seed discovered in the ancient fortress of Masada. That was 20 years ago. Today, the tree, named Methuselah, is still thriving. Let’s regard this as your metaphor of power, Gemini. You, too, are now capable of reviving a long-dormant possibility. An old dream or relationship might show unexpected signs of life. Like that old seed, something you thought was lost could flourish if you give it your love and attention.

CANCER

(Jun. 21-Jul. 22): In more than a few ancient cultures, dolphins were regarded as playful allies that would guide lost ships and assist sailors in stress. In ancient Greek myth, dolphins were sacred companions and agents of the sea god. In Maori culture, dolphins were thought to deliver important messages that were unavailable any other way. Many modern Westerners downplay stories like these. But according to my philosophy, spirit allies such as dolphins are still very much available for those who are open to them. Are you, Cancerian? I’m pleased to tell you that magical helpers and divine intermediaries will offer you mysterious and useful counsel in the coming weeks — if you are receptive to the possibility.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): Do you know about the Leo liberator Simón Bolívar (1783-1830)? This Venezuelan statesman and military officer accomplished a cornucopia of good works. Through his leadership, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Bolivia and Ecuador gained independence from the Spanish Empire. He was one of history’s greatest crusaders for liberal democracy. I propose we make him one of your inspiring symbols for the next 12 months. May he inspire you, too, to be a courageous emancipator who helps create a better world.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): Virgo conductor Leonard Bernstein was a global superstar because of his stellar musicianship, activism, philanthropy and teaching. He transformed classical music by dissolving barriers between

“high” and “low” culture, bringing elegant symphonies to popular audiences while promoting respect for jazz and pop. He wanted all kinds of music to be accessible to all kinds of listeners. I think you are currently capable of Bernstein-like synergies, Virgo. You can bridge different worlds not only for your own benefit, but also others’. You have extra power to accomplish unlikely combinations and enriching mergers. Be a unifier!

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): A rainbow is gorgeous, with its spectacular multihued arc sweeping across the sky. Here’s another element of its poetic appeal: It happens when sunlight and rain collaborate. In a sense, it’s a symbol of the sublimity that may emerge from a synergy of brightness and darkness. Let’s make the rainbow your symbol of power in the coming weeks, Libra. May it inspire you to find harmony by dealing with contrasts and paradoxes. May it encourage you to balance logic and emotion, work and rest, light and shadow, independence and partnership. I hope you will trust your ability to mediate and inspire cooperation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You now have more power than usual to transform ordinary things into extraordinary things. Your imagination will work at peak levels as you meditate on how to repurpose existing resources in creative ways. What other people might regard as irrelevant or inconsequential could be useful tools in your hands. I invite you to give special attention to overlooked assets. They may have hidden potentials waiting for you to unlock them.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you google the term “the religion of work,” many critical references come up. They condemn the ways humans place an inordinate importance on the jobs they do, thereby sacrificing their health and soulfulness. The derogatory English term “workaholic” is a descriptor for those whose are manically devoted to “the religion of work.” But now let’s shift gears. The artist Maruja Mallo (1902-1995) conjured a different version of “the religion of work.” Her paintings celebrated, even expressed reverence for, the agricultural laborers of rural Spain. She felt their positive attitudes toward their tasks

enhanced their health and soulfulness. In the coming weeks, Sagittarius, I invite you to explore Mallo’s version of the religion of work.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Astrologer Aliza Kelly likes Capricorns for their “fearless ambition, limitless resilience, and ability to keep pushing forward, even in the face of challenging adversity.” But she also praises their “secret wild side.” She writes, “Inside every earnest Capricorn is a mischievous troublemaker” that “loves to party.” I agree with her assessments and am happy to announce that the rowdier sides of your nature are due for full expression in the coming weeks. I don’t know if that will involve you “dancing on tables,” an activity Kelly ascribes to you. But I bet it will at least include interludes we can describe as “untamed.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 1922, Aquarian author James Joyce published Ulysses, a novel recognized as one of the masterworks of 20th-century world literature. Seventeen years later, he produced Finnegans Wake, an uproarious experimental novel that was universally reviled when it first emerged because of its wild wordplay, unusual plot and frantic energy. In the ensuing years, though, it has also come to be regarded as a monument of brilliant creativity. It’s one of my favorite books, and I’m glad Joyce never wavered in his commitment to producing such an epic work of genius. Anyway, Aquarius, I’m guessing you have been toiling away at your own equivalent of Finnegans Wake. I beg you to maintain your faith! Keep going!

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): Years ago, in the early days of my infatuation with a new lover, she put a blindfold on me and ushered me around the city of Columbia, S.C. The goal was to enhance my nonvisual senses. The experiment worked. I heard, smelled and felt things I would never have noticed unless my dominating eyesight had been muffled. Ever since, my nonvisual senses have operated with more alacrity. This fun project also improved the way I use my eyes. The coming days would be an excellent time for you to try a similar adventure, Pisces. If my idea isn’t exactly engaging to you, come up with your own. You will benefit profoundly from enhancing your perceptual apparatus.

Seven Days freelance photographer Daria Bishop has been collecting PEZ candy dispensers for 20 years. She has about 600 and displays them on shallow shelves that she had specially built. Seven Days’ Eva Sollberger visited Bishop’s Burlington apartment to see her colorful collection.

OLD SCHOOL

Looking for love. Tarzansboymon 40 seeking: W, l

ENERGETIC COMPASSIONATE CARPE

DIEM IDEALIST

WOMEN seeking...

MOUNTAIN GAL

Curious, crunchy, adventurous and independent. You can find me outdoors exploring the woods, wandering up streams, saying hey to all the plants and critters. I love to learn and care deeply about community. Looking for someone who is intelligent, goofy, resourceful, engaged in their community, and is actively pursuing their passions — be that through work or extracurriculars. spottedsalamander 28 seeking: M, l

RELAXING FORMER

MULTITASKER

Native Californian, Vermont resident for 10 years. Came to retire, found myself working at the college nearby. I live in a rural area outside Middlebury; mom to two dogs, like bird-watching. I revel in nature that is all around me on my little farmlet. Also enjoy the city, good restaurants, fine wine, nightclubs. Always happy traveling to distant lands. Chamois009 69, seeking: M, l

FUN WOMAN SEEKING PLAYMATE

Sixty and new to Vermont, looking for other fun women for hiking, kayaking, exploring; or music, films and dinner. I live globally but am also a rooted, down-to-earth former organic farmer. Teacher, learner, avid environmentalist. In need of new buddies for fun and adventure, and if the vibes are right perhaps a lover. Friends first. Majinamwezi, 61, seeking: W

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

YOUTHFUL OLD SOUL AWAKENED HEART

Awakening heart, discerning mind, joyful lens, justice orientation with homesteading tendencies welcomes aligned connections to explore: meditation, cultures, nature, inner outer landscapes, diverse languages, grow compassion culture. Ready to meet life partner, grow chosen family. Inquisitive, playful, kind, adventurous, content, open. Conscious communication. Speed of trust. Grateful to connect, tend, nurture, hold, be held, offer, share. youthfuloldsoul 49, seeking: M, l

LAID BACK OLE GAL

Recently found myself by myself, and I am my own best company! Can’t wait for dirt racing to start, want to chat with others and see where it goes. My hobbies are chatting with others, watching people and doing my diamond art. Not into games, so please don’t play. Notgoing2 68, seeking: M, l

NATIVE VT COUNTRY WOMAN

Youthful, fit, 57 y/o, attractive, downto-earth, sense of humor, always looking forward in life, growing and learning along the way. Into simple living, family, friends, the outdoors, self-care. I’m a great workmate around the homestead. Adaptable and open to trying new hobbies. Looking to meet men (50 to 65) with similar lifestyle. Hoping to make a connection to build upon. ironbelle 57 seeking: M, l

GLASS HALF FULL, WILLING TO SHARE

Kind, smart, intuitive, SWW, 63, with a wry sense of humor. Financially independent and resourceful, civicminded, and involved in the community. Health conscious in body, mind and spirit. Work part time at a job I love and am ready for more. More travel, more play and deeper connection. Seeking meaningful relationship with vital, active, emotionally available and intellectually curious man. Is that you? Love2Read 63, seeking: M, l

EXPLORER

Creative, reflective, edgy, sarcastic, traveler, independent, generous, fair. titanbuff, 77, seeking: M, l

WARM, WATER SIGN, WORDS MATTER

I’m a people person and love connecting on a deep level. I would like to find someone to read and talk about books with, to laugh, to sail, to swim, to eat well, to listen to music, to walk and bike and enjoy small adventures, and to find comfort together, despite the current insanity. Connecting, 65 seeking: M, W, l

CREATIVE, GROWTH-ORIENTED NATURE LOVER

I figure I have likely about 20 years left on the planet, and I would love to spend them in an enjoyable partnership with an active, caring and compatible man. I am tall, slim, fit and active. Artist and craftsperson, gardener. Spiritually oriented, vegan nature lover. Not retired, may never be, but enjoy a balanced life. Positive outlook always. dancer9 74, seeking: M

OPEN TO MOST THINGS

I work a great deal because it is also my passion and purpose. I care about doing what is right even if it’s harder. I’m patient, to an extent, and can be coaxed into having fun. Cleeb4381, 43 seeking: M, l

SUPER CHILL, FRIENDLY LADY

Recentish divorcée after long marriage seeking friendship to start, perhaps morphing into more. Have been out of dating game for 30 years, give or take. Looking to make new connections, maybe drink some coffee or wine or both. Whoreallyknows, 50 seeking: W

FUN-LOVING MUSIC NATURE LOVER

Fun, casual, honest music and nature lover. I also enjoy photography, walks, long drives and good food. Looking for a good friend to enjoy life with. What is on your bucket list? Casualinthemountains 41, seeking: W

YOUNG SENIOR SEEKING MALE FRIEND

Active introvert seeking man for friendship and/or casual dating. I love walking my dogs, e-biking, walking and bird-watching. aquarius, 80 seeking: M, l

GREAT SMILE

I am looking for someone to spend time with. I work a lot and have a successful business, so I am not looking for money or for someone to take care of me. I want a personal connection. I love the outdoors, country lifestyle. I hate the city. Horselady, 54, seeking: M

BUBBLY, ADVENTUROUS FOODIE

I love meeting new people and trying new things. On a given Saturday night you can either find me dancing the night away at bars or staying at home in my PJs, reading a thriller. murphjo99 25 seeking: M, l

LONELY LOOKING FOR ?

Looking for someone kind. I know no picture. Life’s a gamble. Self-sufficient woman here, at least I think so sometimes. I enjoy nature and good sex, like I can remember. Physically active. Not perfect. Silly_wabbit, 54, seeking: M

MEN seeking...

CONTAGIOUSLY ENTHUSIASTIC, LOVES SNACKS

Unapologetically excited about the little things. Will always stop to read those historical plaques. Currently, I’m a struggling plant dad, full-time environmental advocate and weekend ice cream chef. Hiker, skier and general outdoorsy person, too. Seeking a long-term relationship with someone who’s always up for an adventure and goes after what they want from life. IceCreamFan, 29 seeking: W, l

HONEST, LOYAL, CREATIVE, RESPONSIBLE, CARING

I am looking for a partner who enjoys taking rides to nowhere — someone who is adventurous and enjoys all aspects of life. Please, no liars or drama. LuckyGuy9 74, seeking: W, l

I am a lifelong learner, especially of science and nature, with energy to play racquetball, dance, hike and make love. I’m an idealistic, intense, warm, compassionate intellectual with a wry sense of humor. I live in a cohousing community. I seek a bright, fun-loving, attractive, independently minded woman who loves herself, has a good sense of humor and enjoys intimacy. communityguy, 84 seeking: W, l

FUNNY, FUN AND FANTASTIC

Smart, funny guy who’s left the rat race, looking to find a woman with whom I can connect. I am financially and emotionally stable, keep in shape, and show up on time. Warmth and kindness are important to me. I am very curious and have many hobbies which keep me busy (gardening, pickleball, reading, etc.). What are you up to? Ouroboros 56, seeking: W, l

HONEST, KIND, CREATIVE

Hello, let’s have fun together! Please get in touch if you like to ski, hike, boat, bike, see live music and eat yummy food. I have two kids in their twenties, who mostly are doing their own thing. I work part time for myself, so have some flexibility with my schedule. Looking forward to traveling more in the coming years. AltaOne 58 seeking: W, l

LONG-DISTANCE WANDERER

Looking for a partner who likes to put on their backpack and explore. Most people click the hiking box, but are you thinking a few hours or a few months? I enjoy live music festivals and museums. I enjoy sewing and woodworking. Bonus if you are an introvert like me. eternalhiker, 61, seeking: W, l

HONEST, HARDWORKING AND OLDSCHOOL

I’m content with life as it is, but missing that special person in my life. Just in search of one sweet and honest lady to see where things go. Perhaps a ski, camping or hiking buddy. I would really like to start as friends; not just looking for a hookup. vermonter4ever 59, seeking: W, l

THEY’RE MAKING ME DO THIS

Sven sent someone into town wearing his clothes and walking his dog, just so that I would smile at a stranger. That’s why I am now looking for love. A fool I am, to have walked into such a simple gambit. Now I need allies for my phoenix-like rebirth. Potentially powerful wizard seeking loyal followers, friends for long journey. reginaldgatorade 26, seeking: W, Q, l

OLD SCHOOL IS THE WAY

Looking for an honest, loyal woman. My heart’s too big to share alone. I’m tall, great-looking, ready to have some fun — just an Irish man looking for his lucky charm. I’m a cook, artist, construction worker, plumber, all by trade. It’s been broken one too many times. Love fun and excitement — oh, yeah, and I’m a sex addict. Mainsouthmiz76, 48, seeking: W, l

GENTLE, OPEN-MINDED GUY

I’m a laid-back engineer looking for a serious connection with a woman around my age who is kind and empathetic. I spend my time making little crafts like cards, slowly building my tiny house, running with friends, contra dancing and enjoying slow weekend mornings. Let’s get together for a walk, drink or coffee! urbanforager, 27, seeking: W, l

LOOKING FOR FUN

Looking to experience the pleasures there are in the world. Jiraiya84 41, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp

STUDIOUS, DOG DAD, RUNNER, ROMANTIC (HOPELESS?)

I have a wonderful dog, a blossoming career, and a lot of care and energy I’d like to invest in another person. The apps are tiring. This seemed like a quirky way to approach finding the One. I build my life around social groups, run/hike often and generally try to be outdoors with a book in my hand. EveningRedening 29, seeking: W, l

ATHLETIC ANTI-INTERVENTIONIST

MOUNTAIN RUNNER

Looking for an athletic mate who loves to be physically active and likes to pitch in on creative projects and exploring the far corners of the Northeast’s mountains and woodlands. I have a wicked yet gentle sense of humor about the world, which really needs some changes if we are to survive as a civilization. Wamsutta, 63, seeking: W, l

SEARCHING FOR LOVE

I’m a hopeless romantic of a man who likes to have fun. I don’t think that just because you believe in romance, everything has to be all sappy and mushy all the time. I definitely feel that if you’re romantically involved with someone, you should be able to share your thoughts and feelings on an array of topics. Michtheman, 60 seeking: W, l

AM I ALONE?

Are you like me? The apps and bars aren’t for you or me? We’d like to be noticed — not the ones to break the ice. I’m interested in a relationship, not into hookups or older men. Looking for that special someone who would like to spend some time with me. I enjoy the outdoors, cooking, good movies and more. Simpleguy 48 seeking: M, l

HERE I GO AGAIN

Just moving back to the Burlington area, been away a long time. Looking for a serious partner who I can cook for and then snuggle up on the sofa with. Not into any drama — I’m loyal and kind. Take a chance, I might surprise you. Diesell67 57 seeking: W, l

NONBINARY PEOPLE seeking...

OUTDOORSY, TALKATIVE, CREATIVE Hi, I am pretty fun. I listen to a lot of music. I hike a lot, backpack and garden in the summers. I’m intersex, so I’m double-gendered totally and prefer men. I like to draw a lot. I’m very creative; think of myself as a drawer of African animalistic settings, Vermont animals and astrology.

Hailuithair, 30, seeking: M, l

COUPLES seeking...

LOOKING FOR FUN PEEPS

Fun, open-minded couple seeking playmates. Shoot us a note if interested so we can share details and desires. Jackrabbits 61, seeking: W, Cp

FUN COUPLE LOOKING FOR EXPLORATION

We are a secure couple who enjoy the outdoors, good wine, great food, playing with each other, exploring our boundaries and trying new things. We are 47 and 50, looking for a fun couple or bi man to play and explore with us. We are easygoing, and we’d love to meet you and see where our mutual adventures take us. vthappycouple, 51, seeking: M, Cp, Gp

LAUNDROMAT READING

i SPY

SWEET SMILE BY SALAD GREENS

First saw you in the parking lot as I ran back to the car for the shopping list. Bumped into you again in front of the leafy greens. You had on a hat, glasses and the sweetest smile. I was on the phone having a conversation about bok choy. Lettuce connect again sometime? When: Sunday, April 13, 2025. Where: City Market SE. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916294

SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN ESSEX

You caught my eye, several times. You were with your mom (and dad, I assume). Chinese buffet. I should have stopped and said hi. You were in the back of your car feeding your dogs; I was leaving with my mom. I came back to see if you were still there, but I was too late. When: Saturday, April 12, 2025. Where: Essex Junction, Pearl St. parking lot. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916293

HIKER, GREEN JACKET, LITTLE RIVER

You posted in the I Spy column after spotting me hiking at Little River Park — green jacket, tortoiseshell glasses. You said the day was beautiful and so was I. It stuck with me. Six months later, your post is gone, but I remember. I’d be open to that hike. Maybe we’ll cross paths again? When: Saturday, October 19, 2024. Where: Little River State Park. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916292

DIVINE CREATURE AT A CROSSROADS

Mouffette. Never doubt. You are love, light and divinity in a frail, temporary vessel. Know that I will help light the darkness when I’m healed and capable of honoring your radiance. Forgive me my rage and pettiness. Intertwined we shall always be. I am better for it. The future is uncertain. My love is not. Thank you for holding space. When: Thursday, April 10, 2025. Where: in my heart. You: Gender nonconformist. Me: Gender nonconformist. #916291

Dear Reverend,

If you’ve been spied, go online to contact your admirer!

BRAKE LIGHTS BREAK LIGHTS

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you on the road. Even though we are both taken, you still run through my mind all the time with your brake lights. Everything happens for reason, and who knows? Reach out to me if you want. I screwed everything up a few years ago. When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Where: everywhere. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916289

MYSTERIOUS BROKEN GROCERY BAG GIRL

Noticed you in the checkout line, and then your bag conveniently broke outside right as I was leaving. Helped you put things back — but, wow, was I shy and blew my chance to get your name. You: wearing some very classy clogs and a very cozy-looking orange puffy jacket. Me: very underdressed in shorts and a T-shirt. When: Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Where: City Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916288

HEAT HEAT HEAT

It’s been 15 laps around this track with you. There’s no one else I’d want to double shift up and go careening around hairpin turns but you, my ride-or-die babe, and get our picture taken. Remember, there’s no prize for finishing in a pristine car, so let’s put the pedal to the metal! When: Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Where: over the board. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916287

PRODUCE SECTION

ENCOUNTER

Ran into you in the produce section. You apologized for your cart being in my way. I told you it was all right. Beautiful eye contact. Saw you again as I headed down to frozen foods. Seemed like a conversation could have happened. It can happen now. When: Sunday, April 6, 2025. Where: grocery store. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916286

My mother is turning 90 this year. Going to Hawaii has always been a dream of hers, and my sister thinks we should surprise her with a trip. She’s in pretty good health for her age, but I’m concerned about the toll the travel could take. Could it be too much for her, or am I being nervous for no reason?

LET THE UNIVERSE DECIDE

I spy with my little eye… / A special guy / But I need to let the Universe decide / If he is worthy of another try / Three years has quickly flown by / Ups and downs on this bumpy ride / When the good is good / Oh my, oh my /But the bad makes me sigh. / Say goodbye / Or give it one final try. When: Friday, October 22, 2021. Where: on and off. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916285

D&D

Death may have tried to stop for me, though he’s decades early. Makes me wonder who told him to show up and for what purpose, as it wasn’t for innocent pure love. Even those who claim to be holy have fallen into lust only when leading with love was truly leading with exploitation and false pretense. When: Saturday, March 22, 2025. Where: their “stage,” as there is no more curtain. You: Group. Me: Woman. #916284

INTRIGUING ALLEY CIGAR-SMOKING DUDE

Coming back soon, I hope? Haven’t seen you in a hot minute. Been able to spy you from across the street and often see you with an older guy with an exuberant laugh. You seem chill, cheerful and easy to talk to, based on all the passersby who stop. I’d like to share a smoke sometime. When: Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Where: College Street near Ceres. You: Man. Me: Man. #916283

CUTE (SINGLE?) MOM IN SHAW’S

You were busy, I didn’t want to intrude. Can’t stop thinking about you now. I like your hat. When: Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Where: Shaw’s pharmacy. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916282

YOU SENT ME TO MORNINGSIDE

You have a beautiful, rose-colored aura. It’s the first aura that I’ve ever seen, but it was unmistakable, almost palpable and far more stimulating than any espresso that I’ve ever had. When: Friday, March 28, 2025. Where: Café Provence, Brandon. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916281

CROSSWALK ENCOUNTER

I was carrying a ball and you were running. I have seen you around, and your smile gets me every time. Damn! When: Tuesday, March 25, 2025. Where: top of Granite Street, Montpelier. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916280

Dear Worried Wahine,

Funny you should ask, because I happen to have a brother who lives in Hawaii. When my mother turned 80, my other Vermont siblings and I went there with her to celebrate. She had been before, but that time was special. My mom lived to be 86, and that big birthday trip was a highlight of her golden years.

Getting to Hawaii from Vermont is a trek, even when you’re young and spry, so you aren’t wrong to be concerned. Even if your mom is in good health, you should consult with her doctor before booking the trip. If she has any health issues that might be exacerbated by a long flight, the doctor can advise about necessary precautions. If she gets the green light to go, keep in mind that traveling with an elderly person might require extra planning. Make sure your

BARISTA BABE

Can’t tell if you were flirting or just being nice. You were the cute blonde barista who asked me if I liked the “Cha Cha Shuffle,” but I was too much of a caffeine-deprived space cadet to think of anything to say. I was the brunette in big sunglasses and a striped scarf. When: Saturday, March 22, 2025. Where: Birchgrove Bakery. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916279

PATRICK FROM THE Y

We met a couple of weeks ago. I think you’re cute. Would love to get to know you more if you are up for a low-pressure hang! When: Sunday, March 2, 2025. Where: Out and about! You: Man. Me: Woman. #916278

SILVER FOX AT EB STRONG’S!

We were having dinner with friends — near each other, but at separate tables. As I stood up to leave, we held a few moments of intense eye contact. I want to know who you are! Me: Tall, gray blazer, white T-shirt, smile. You: Silvery curly hair, super handsome, smile. When: Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Where: EB Strong’s. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916277

WATERBURY CENTER GAS

You were getting gas. I was spying you. You are cute and sexy. When: Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Where: gas station. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916276

SUNBEAM OR SOMETHING

Bus down Shelburne Rd. You were dressed in yellow. Your hair, blonde? Red? Maybe still is, maybe you’ve dyed it black — who knows? No way to know. I sat near front. Long brown hair. Didn’t speak. Figured I’d write a note asking you to contra! Realized I had no paper or pen. Weird sorry. Reimburse the $7 if you choose to reply. When: Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Where: the bus. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916275

COOPERATIVE KINDNESS

Thanks to all the folks who removed the downed tree on Malletts Bay Ave. It was in a bad spot on a curve, and three or four separate people stopped to help. Didn’t matter who you were; we all pitched in and took care of our community. Thank you. When: Sunday, March 16, 2025. Where: Malletts Bay Ave. You: Group. Me: Trans woman. #916274

You were reading Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker. You looked up when I entered, with your gorgeous eyes, and said my dog was beautiful. I thought the same of you. We read beside each other for a while. I was shy. I wouldn’t tire of reading beside you, if you’d like to make it a date? When: Sunday, March 16, 2025. Where: King Street Laundry. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916273

WOODCHUCK EYE CANDY

You were walking on Brooklyn St. in Morrisville around 4:30 p.m. This woodchuck noticed you instantly. You had green LaCrosse rubber boots on with your pants tucked into them and a red plaid jacket on. Glad to see some Vermont women still know how to dress sexy. Keep it up! When: Friday, February 28, 2025. Where: Morrisville. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916272

LEDDY PARK TENNIS PLAYER

You are stuck in my mind. This was months ago I saw you playing tennis at Leddy Park in your bikini. Keep it up! When: Friday, October 4, 2024. Where: Leddy Park. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916271

TACOBOUT LOVE

What’s love got to do with it? I saw you slamming a Gordo Burrito and some margaritas at Chico’s Tacos in Middlesex. It was so impressive! I look for you here every time I come in. The tattoos drew me. When: Friday, March 14, 2025. Where: Chico’s Tacos. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916270

LUNCHTIME READING

You: reading Chris Whitaker novel while enjoying salad at the bar around noon. Me: wearing a reddish knit hat, asking about the book from a few seats to your left while doing my own reading. You said it was “fine” - maybe you could tell me more? When: Thursday, March 13, 2025. Where: Farmhouse Tap & Grill. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916269

CAMEL’S HUMP POWDER LOVER

Hi P — I missed my opportunity to ask you out a couple times as we both enjoyed the powder by Monroe trail. I was the guy hiking and hooting. Now it looks like the powder is done for a bit so I don’t know if I’ll get another chance. Beer and a soak soon? Hope you see this! — R When: Monday, February 17, 2025. Where: Camel’s Hump, Monroe trail. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916268

tickets are refundable in case anything comes up. You might even want to look into getting comprehensive travel insurance. Allow for extra time to get places. Make sure your accommodations will be accessible and comfortable for her.

When you get to Hawaii, plan your excursions around your mom’s capabilities and interests. I’m sure you will find plenty of activities that fit the bill. Whatever you do, remember that it’s a tropical climate: Make sure everybody stays hydrated, and find some shade when the sun is at its peak.

Life is short, even when it’s long. Quit worrying, and go for it. The memories you make with your family last forever.

Good luck and God bless, The Reverend

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. #L1849

I’m a happy, healthy, ﬁt 29y/o female med school student described by the friends penning this submission as “adorable, hot, with a great sense of humor.” Seeking a 26to 28-y/o male who is athletic, sweet and kind but also “cool.” Looking for fun on the lake, not to be confused with lakeadjacent activities. #L1847

I’m an active, ﬁt male. Recent status change, plus vasectomy. Seeking a female friend for a walks on the “wild side.” #L1846

I’m a 34-y/o man seeking a woman 19 or older. Avid journalist, songwriter, into poetry, sports, driving, hiking. In search of humor matching mine and a new attraction, that’s lasting, in a set of an open arms. #L1845

I’m a vibrant, creative fairy and forester seeking a dance partner for elaborate home-cooked meals, nude figure drawing, line dancing and massage. Proficient swimmer, enthusiastic figure skater. Queer freaks only, come kiss. #L1843

HOW TO REPLY TO THESE LOVE LE ERS:

Seal your reply — including your preferred contact info — inside an envelope. Write your pen pal’s box number on the outside of that envelope and place it inside another envelope with payment. Responses for Love Letters must begin with the #L box number.

MAIL TO: Seven Days Love Letters PO Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402

PAYMENT: $5/response. Include cash or check (made out to “Seven Days”) in the outer envelope. To send unlimited replies for only $15/month, call us at 802-865-1020, ext. 161 for a membership (credit accepted).

PUBLISH YOUR MESSAGE ON THIS PAGE!

1 Submit your FREE message at sevendaysvt.com/loveletters or use the handy form at right.

We’ll publish as many messages as we can in the Love Letters section above. 2

Interested readers will send you letters in the mail. No internet required!

I’m a SWF, 71 y/o, seeking a white or Black man. Longterm relationship, cook; warm, open, caring, friendly. I live in Woodstock. Phone calls only. #L1844

I’m a 62-y/o female seeking a 58to 66-y/o male for companionship and conversation. Might grow into something more, or not. No pressure. Looking for an honest, kind person. I love walking, hiking, traveling and eating out. No drugs/smoking. #L1839

Brown-eyed lady seeking tall man, 62 to 71 y/o, for romance, conversation, sensual rendezvous. You’re caring, empathetic and non-MAGA with a sense of community and humor. Ready to spoil the right man. Waiting for you. #L1838

I’m a 20-y/o trans man seeking folks my age or older. Looking for good conversation, FWB. I’m introspective and an old soul. I love meeting people. Buy me lunch and tell me a story. #L1836

Busy, independent, healthy, kind, funny, curious, creative 36y/o woman seeking connection, laughter, affection, conversation and reciprocity from like-minded, respectful 30- to 50-y/o man. Loves outdoors, music, art, food, books, animals. Enjoys talks, walks, naps. A balance of adventure and being a homebody. #L1837

Int net-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness le ers. DETAILS BELOW.

I’m a male, 70, seeking a female, 30 to 60. Looking for passion together. I will treat you right in every way. #L1842

I’m a GWM bottom looking for fun with other GM or Bi. Prefer NSA but would consider FWB if chemistry is there. #L1841

I’m a woman, 80 y/o, seeking a man, 70 to 80 y/o. I’m a widow and Burlington resident. I was a gardener and I like to ﬁsh. Interested in dinner, movies, events and nice conversations. #L1835

Bist du mein B.G.G (Big Gentle German)? I am a 40-y/o female, auf der Suche nach meinen Deutschen Traummann. Du solltest respektvoll, bewusst sein, ehrlich sein, liebevoll, geduldig, freundlich, gesund und entspannt sein. Eine zweisprachige Familie zwischen den Vermont und Deutschland gründen. I am direkt, playful, kreativ, honest, healthy and kind. I love to be in the Nature und ein bissel sportlich (aqua ﬁtness, pilates). #L1834

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)

In quest of a gentle woman (58 to 68). Come sit here beside me, on the lush mossy bank near the river’s edge. We will share our joys and sorrows. Be ﬁt, wholesome, happy and humble. I will wait for you. #L1833

Seventy-y/o divorced male, retired entrepreneur looking for a lady to start a long-term relationship with; must be willing to get to know each other ﬁrst. Good conversation, laughing, warm and open, caring, friendly, and talkative. Please send phone number. #L1832

City girl loves Vermont. Well traveled and will go nearly anywhere. Happy! But looking for love. You are a sincere older gentleman, serious but can laugh at yourself and lovingly at me. Socially conscious, aesthetic, intellectual, despise this administration. Sexy. #L1830

Looking for a femboy or a transgender woman, the more female, the better. I’m straight but comfortable. Can we chat and see if we are a ﬁt? anks. #L1831

Required conﬁdential info:

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PHONE

MAIL TO: SEVEN DAYS LOVE LETTERS • PO BOX 1164, BURLINGTON, VT 05402 OPTIONAL WEB FORM: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LOVELETTERS HELP: 802-865-1020, EXT. 161, LOVELETTERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

THIS FORM IS FOR LOVE LETTERS ONLY. Messages for the Personals and I-Spy sections must be submitted online at dating.sevendaysvt.com.

SAM Talks // Ira Allen: A Hard Founding

Father to Love

THU., APR. 17

SAINT ALBANS MUSEUM

Two Wheels Towards Adventure

FRI., APR. 18

CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE ALUMNI AUDITORIUM, BURLINGTON

Spring Into Clarity: Vision Board

Workshop

SAT., APR 19

LADIES SOCIAL GROUP, ESSEX JCT

Uplift 2025

SAT., APR 19

LOST NATION BREWING, MORRISTOWN

Chris Cain

SUN., APR 20

OLIVE RIDLEY'S RESTAURANT, PLATTSBURGH, NY

Spring Slam Tour

FRI., APR 25

O.N.E. COMMUNITY CENTER, BURLINGTON

'Claim the Lane: Becoming Roxy' Sneak Preview Screener

FRI., APR 25

MAIN STREET LANDING PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, BURLINGTON

SAM Americana Sampler // Chris Staples

FRI., APR 25

SAINT ALBANS MUSEUM

Parents Night Out

FRI., APR 25

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, BURLINGTON

The Peavine Boys w/ Jennings and McComber & Katie Dobbins

FRI., APR 25

THE UNDERGROUND - LISTENING ROOM, RANDOLPH

SAT., APR. 26

Healthy Kids Kitchen Cooking ClassesAsian Style Take-Out

THE KITCHEN AT MISSION FARM, KILLINGTON

Vermont Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Expo

SAT., APR. 26

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY EXPOSITION, ESSEX JCT

Date Night Cooking Class - Tapas

SAT., APR. 26

THE KITCHEN AT MISSION FARM, KILLINGTON

Danielle Nicole Band with opener Kandrah and Petrashune

SAT., APR. 26

RETRO LIVE, PLATTSBURGH, NY

Burlington Choral Society Concert: Handel's 'Saul'

SAT., APR. 26

ELLEY-LONG MUSIC CENTER, COLCHESTER

Isabel Wilkerson presents Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

WED., APR. 30

HOTEL CHAMPLAIN, BURLINGTON

Pea Pod Crochet Workshop

WED., APR. 30

RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY

Jaded Ravins w/ Red River North and Sarah King

FRI., MAY 2

THE UNDERGROUND - LISTENING ROOM, RANDOLPH

Masterclass Series - Tiered Cakes

SAT., MAY 3

RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY

Raise the Roof Annual Fundraiser 2025

SAT., MAY 3

STOWE CIDER

Earn a College Degree for FREE at CCV!

The Vermont high school class of 2026 is eligible for a free college degree at CCV through the Early College program and the Free Degree Promise.

1. Join the Early College program at the Community College of Vermont. Complete your senior year of high school and first year of college at the same time. The application deadline is August 9.

2. Complete Early College, continue at CCV with the Free Degree Promise, and earn your degree at no cost.