Seven Days, October 15, 2025 by Seven Days

Now Showing

Dirty ScoundrelRotten

ORDER IN THE CITY: State Announces New Court

emoji that

DRY SUPPLY

2.6

To address concerns over persistent low-level crimes and “disorder” in Burlington, Gov. Phil Scott announced last Friday that he will appoint a special prosecutor to focus on cases involving “service-resistant” repeat offenders.

Defendants awaiting trial on five or more criminal cases in Chittenden County will be sent to a specific courtroom and a dedicated judge. e goal of this “community accountability court” will be to reduce the backlog of criminal cases currently plaguing Vermont’s largest county, Scott’s announcement said. It represents the first step of a multipoint plan that Scott will explain this week to address what he’s described as Burlington’s public safety “crisis.”

“By surging resources over a 3-4month period towards reducing the backlog, we can hold repeat offenders

accountable, while also connecting people to the services they need,” Scott said in a statement. e announcement comes as Burlington ofﬁcials confront mounting complaints from residents and business owners over a sense of lawlessness in the Queen City. Much of the frustration stems from the perception that repeat offenders go unpunished — a phenomenon that local prosecutors say has a lot to do with the backlogs.

After trading barbs in the media, Burlington Mayor Emma MulvaneyStanak and Scott met last week to discuss how the state can better support the city’s effort to tackle its seemingly intractable problems.

Both sides identiﬁed the rapidintervention court as a possible shortterm solution. Mulvaney-Stanak said

in the statement: “I am grateful to Governor Scott and his team for their work to bring this online.”

Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George also endorsed the idea. She estimated that many of the low-level crimes in Burlington are committed by 50 to 70 people who fail to succeed in existing diversion programs.

“When a handful of people are cycling through the system with multiple pending dockets, we must pivot from simply delaying accountability to providing quick, meaningful court interaction paired with necessary treatment,” George said in the statement. “ is intervention is critical to public safety and reducing the massive strain these cases place on our resources.”

COLIN FLANDERS

Due to a lapse in state funding, Howard Center’s Safe Recovery program in Burlington will no longer give out pipes to drug users. Needles will still be available.

STICK SEASON

Most of Vermont is now past peak foliage, with many trees already leaﬂess. The show came earlier — and was less vibrant — this year because of drought.

NOEM DICE

Burlington International Airport o cials say they won’t play a video in which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blames Democrats for TSA-related delays. Turned o .

FLIGHTS OF FANCY

Hundreds gathered in Stowe for the 16th annual Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival. Competitors build trebuchets — a type of catapult — to huck the gourds as far as they can.

That was the magnitude — on the Richter scale — of a Monday night earthquake centered in Chazy, N.Y., that was also felt in northern Vermont.

TOPFIVE

TOWN

CRIER

LOCALLY SOURCED NEWS

Backcountry Bailouts e Waterbury Backcountry Rescue Team is experiencing a record year of helping stranded and injured people in the woods, the Waterbury Roundabout reported. By early October the group had responded to 15 calls compared to just 10 in all of 2024. And the busiest season is just getting under way, the outlet reported.

DADDY HAIR CARE

Ten dads sat amid a sea of combs, brushes, spray bottles and elastic bands last ursday night in an upstairs room in Burlington’s Soda Plant. Clamped to the tables in front of them were mannequin heads with different shades, lengths and textures of hair.

e men were taking part in a 90-minute

“Hairdos & Don’ts” workshop sponsored by local nonproﬁt Dad Guild in order to learn the elusive craft of taming little girls’ locks. eir trusty guides were Dani Diallo, a hairstylist of 24 years who owns Next Level Barbers on Pearl Street, and her 14-year-old daughter, Aissa, who plans to pursue a career in cosmetology.

“My daughter screams every time I brush her hair,” a ﬂannel-clad dad lamented as the class got

under way. Another said he struggled to secure his daughter’s tresses before gymnastics class.

Diallo assured them that she’d provide an arsenal of techniques to smooth the process. She started with the basics: detangling, center parts and lice management. en came ponytails.

One dad sporting a beanie and a beard told the group that every time he tries to achieve the style, his wife said his daughter looked like George Washington. e key, Diallo told him, was pulling the ponytail tighter.

As the difﬁculty level progressed — from buns to braids to French braids — the men’s concentration increased, and the room quieted.

One dad broke the silence. “It’s like hair juggling,” he said while attempting to weave together three strands of the mannequin’s mane.

Keegan Albaugh, executive director of Dad

Guild, likened the French-braiding process to defusing a bomb.

Diallo assured the men that the more they practiced, the easier it would get.

As participants returned their mannequin heads, Jon Kohler said learning to do his daughter’s hair felt like one small but meaningful way he could share the parenting load with his wife. He’d watched YouTube hairstyling tutorials but said the hands-on experience was much more effective.

When he’d told his daughter he was going to a hairstyling class, Kohler said, “she was jazzed.” He couldn’t wait to get home and show her what he’d learned.

For more information on upcoming events, visit dadguild.org.

ALISON NOVAK

COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY

From left: Zach Sullivan, Dani Diallo and Drew Bahrenburg

Gov. Phil Scott

Northwood School OPEN HOUSE

KEEPING IT REEL.

Paula Routly

Cathy Resmer

Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

NEWS & POLITICS

Matthew Roy

Sasha Goldstein

Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page

Hannah Bassett, Derek Brouwer, Colin Flanders, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak, Lucy Tompkins

ARTS & CULTURE

Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox

Chelsea Edgar, Margot Harrison, Pamela Polston

Jen Rose Smith

Alice Dodge

Chris Farnsworth

Rebecca Driscoll

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

Alice Dodge, Angela Simpson

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros

DIGITAL & VIDEO

Bryan Parmelee

Eva Sollberger

Je Baron DESIGN

Don Eggert

Rev. Diane Sullivan

John James

Je Baron SALES & MARKETING

Colby Roberts

Robyn Birgisson

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka, Kaitlin Montgomery

‘MY

HEART BREAKS’

My heart breaks for everyone involved in this tragic episode [“‘I’m Not Well’: A Young Man’s Battle With Mental Illness Led to a Spasm of Violence in Milton,” October 1]. Another horriﬁc act of gun violence. There has to be a way to balance Second Amendment rights without losing another life to gun violence. The system is not working. Someone with such a clear, well-documented mental health history should not be able to pay cash for guns. It’s the guns.

Emily Wheeler Reynolds GRANITEVILLE

‘SAME DOLLARS, SAME RULES’

H.454 at the end of the last legislative session.

Enough is enough. It is past time to level the playing ﬁeld for all students and taxpayers in Vermont.

Ken Fredette WALLINGFORD

IN-OFFICE MANDATE IS A STEP BACK

[“Remote Control: State Employees Push Back Against Gov. Scott’s Plan to Make Employees Who Work at Home Return to the Office,” October 1]: Gov. Phil Scott’s new requirement that state employees return to the office three days a week risks undermining one of Vermont’s biggest workforce strengths: remote work.

Marcy Stabile

Gillian English

Sam Hartnett

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

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

FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly

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

Joe Abraham, Harry Applegate, James Blanchard, Joe Bou ard, Pat Bou ard, Colin Clary, Elana Coppola-Dyer, Matt Hagen, Penny Libercent, Nat Michael, Frankie Moberg, Dan Nesbitt, Dan Oklan, Ezra Oklan, Matt LaDuq Perry, Danielle Schneider, Andy Watts, Tracey Young With additional circulation support from PP&D.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

$158.

$250.

Please call 802-865-1020, ext. 132 with your credit card, contact circ@sevendaysvt.com or mail your check to: Seven Days, c/o Subscriptions, 255 S. Champlain St., Ste. 5, Burlington, VT 05401

Seven Days shall not be held liable to any advertiser for any loss that results from the incorrect publication of its advertisement. If a mistake is ours, and the advertising purpose has been rendered valueless, Seven Days may cancel the charges for the advertisement, or a portion thereof as deemed reasonable by the publisher. Seven Days reserves the right to refuse any advertising, including inserts, at the discretion of the publishers.

[Re “School Speculation: Cabot and Danville School Boards Feel Pressure to Act on State Senator’s Advice,” October 1]: Thanks to Alison Novak for her gritty reporting on the astoundingly inappropriate behavior by Vermont Sen. Scott Beck (R-Caledonia), which unfortunately has come to be expected from him. After my colleague on Friends of Vermont Public Education, Geo Honigford, filed an ethics complaint against him in June, Beck was quoted in a story by Lola Duffort on Vermont Public as saying: “Guilty as charged. I stuck up for my kids in my area.” This flies in the face of the Common Benefit clause of the Vermont Constitution: Any government service — education being the only one singled out in our Constitution — must provide benefits equally to all Vermonters, not any select group such as “my kids in my area.”

Remote work has proven its value. It expands access to state careers for rural residents and Vermonters with mobility challenges. It supports gender equity by helping parents — especially women — remain and advance in the workforce. It also keeps employees living and spending

It shouldn’t be much of a stretch to presume Beck is familiar with our Constitution, so the inescapable conclusion is that he chooses to ignore that clause. Friends’ mission is to ensure that any school receiving tax dollars must adhere to the same rules as others — “Same Dollars, Same Rules” — such as accepting all students, regardless of needs, and showing the public how our tax dollars are being spent. Yet Beck and fellow Sen. Seth Bongartz (D-Bennington) blatantly and successfully pushed for huge carveouts for private schools — with which they have long-standing strong ties — while serving on the conference committee of

in towns across the state, while cutting carbon emissions.

From a hiring standpoint, remote work makes Vermont competitive even when salaries aren’t. We recently hired a senior analyst from Walmart who took a 50 percent pay cut — because ﬂexibility mattered more than money.

Research shows high performers are between 400 and 800 percent more productive in complex roles — and they thrive when given autonomy and trust, which remote work provides. Vermont cannot a ord to lose these top contributors.

The stakes are high: By fiscal year 2029, more than 20 percent of Vermont’s classiﬁed workforce will be retirementeligible. We can’t a ord policies that push people out just as we need to retain talent.

During and after COVID-19, Vermont showed remote work could succeed in government. Rolling it back now is a step backward. Remote work isn’t a perk — it’s a ﬁscally responsible, equity-driven strategy that strengthens Vermont’s public service and future workforce.

Rebecca Fairchild MIDDLEBURY

Fairchild is a compensation analyst for the Vermont Department of Human Resources.

THE POWER OF THEATER

Vermont has a robust history of spirited, creative and relevant-to-its-time community-based theater dating back more than a century. A once-vibrant Montpelier Theater Guild, of which I was a member, claimed that it vied with Providence Players (circa 1915) to be the oldest “guild” in the nation. Where the old impulses wind down, the new spring up. We are lucky for this bounty.

Thank you for your publication of regional theater reviews. I read them to make a decision about what to attend. Sometimes I read them simply to enjoy the prose of your reviewers, such as Alex Brown, as she navigates a play’s unfolding with speciﬁcity and depth [Theater Review: Come From Away , October 8; Theater Review: The Garbologists, October 1].

Theater binds actors to one another and reaches out to conjoin an audience,

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

STUDIO

a benison when so much now pulls us apart. Seven Days is a nexus that helps to make that happen. Please keep the reviews coming.

Sarah Brock MONTPELIER

THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Thanks for “Ways and Means: Legislation, STAT!” [September 3]. This focused on how health care legislation not being the main show in the building last year allowed the House and Senate health care committees to quietly get through several bills to hopefully lower our crazy-high health care costs — things like reference-based pricing, the cap on hospital outpatient prescription drug prices and more regulatory authority for the Green Mountain Care Board.

These excellent bills will no doubt slow down the blackmail of our atrocious costs. I applaud both committees and their chairs for the rare courage of standing up to the seemingly omnipotent power of the hospitals and insurance

SAY SOMETHING!

Seven Days wants to publish your rants and raves.

Your feedback must...

• be 250 words or fewer;

• respond to Seven Days content;

• include your full name, town and a daytime phone number.

Seven Days reserves the right to edit for accuracy, length and readability. Your submission options include:

• sevendaysvt.com/feedback

• feedback@sevendaysvt.com

• Seven Days, P.O. Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402-1164

7PM, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3 LYNDON INSTITUTE

The Hair You Had

Remember that full head of thick hair you once had? You can have it again! Cheeks Luxury Skin Clinic offers Juvasonic hair restoration, a noninvasive treatment that boosts your hair’s fullness, thickness, and resilience. Now you can turn back time with Juvasonic hair restoration treatment featuring exosomes.

NEWS+POLITICS 14

Culture of Care

A home care program for older adults is popular in the Bhutanese-Nepali community

Leaders Call on Sen. Douglass to Resign After Leak of Racist Chats

Lesson From the Past

A 7-year-old law could improve Vermont’s ailing system for students with special needs

State Suspends License of Rutland Childcare Center

Charlie’s Boathouse Property Hits Market for $2.5 Million

Loss of Pride

e sudden closure of a prominent LGBTQ advocacy org leaves supporters wondering what happened — and what comes next

FEATURES 28

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

VTIFF headliner John Waters talks

Female Trouble, ﬁlm controversies and why crumbling cities are good for the arts

Flick Tips

A quiz to guide you through the weird and wonderful offerings of VTIFF

ARTS+CULTURE 42

Truth Be Told

Hamilton alum Renée Elise Goldsberry reveals it all in a new documentary, album and live performance

SEABA Center to Open at Former ArtsRiot

Building in Burlington

Page Visits

Dueling book festivals in Burlington and Brattleboro deliver impressive lineups of national-caliber authors

Side E ects

eater review: Next to Normal, Lost Nation eater

Modalities of Mourning

Susan Smereka processes loss with “constant continuum”

Think Inside the Box: ‘The Parcel Project’ Art Installation at the Flynn

COLUMNS

Since May, volunteers have met at the top of Church Street every ursday at 7:30 a.m.

Castel’s Jerk Joint brings “bang-on”

See What’s Next.

INSTANT HEADSHOT LOUNGE

Come camera-ready and get a professional proﬁle pic by StoryWorkz. Book by 10/24 for a discounted $15 session. Limited walk-ups.

At this annual career and tech expo, talk with dozens of exhibitors, including Vermont colleges and universities, about a wide array of tech-related opportunities.

FREE PRESENTATIONS

Taking the FIRST Step (11 a.m.)

Vermont robotics teams and local tech companies show o their robots and discuss their winning collaborations. Moderated by FIRST-alum Jaine Perotti from Greensea IQ and Laura Treers from UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

The AI Will See You Now (1 p.m.)

Can AI help cut health care costs or improve patient outcomes? Artiﬁcial intelligence is transforming the medical profession as we speak. What are some of the challenges and opportunities for patients and providers? Hear how researchers and representatives from local companies are navigating this rapidly changing ﬁeld. Moderated by Ken Picard of Seven Days

RÉSUMÉ REVIEW

Drop in at the Targeted Resume and get some free advice from Sue Schlom for your job search. Don’t forget your résumé!

MAGNIFICENT

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK

BY REBECCA DRISCOLL

THURSDAY 16-SATURDAY 18

NEVER MORE TIMELY

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 66

You can quoth us: Local performer Alex Nalbach transforms into 19th-century master of the macabre Edgar Allan Poe with his one-man performance, . is ﬁctional imagining of the horror writer’s life captivates audiences at Pierson Library in Shelburne with a dreamlike journey through the inspiration behind his work, spanning subjects from obsession to terror.

THURSDAY 16

Conjured Cackles

Fresh from the release of Netﬂix’s ﬁrst-ever magic-fueled comedy special, “Magic Lover,” critically acclaimed TV star a spell on viewers with his One for the Ages tour at Paramount eatre in Rutland.

the people want this spooky season: an immersive

ECHO After Dark: e Science of Fear in featuring creepy-cool offerings, from insect tastings

Waterbury. ese

two of whom are also members of indie-rock group

are ﬁnally picking up where they left off, with their First Sounds

e Magician delivers classic mad scientist vibes at Brandon

Invigorated by a haunting live score Frankenstein adaptations follows questionable quest to create life. Viewers beware:

— even makeup and hair

— all curated and crafted by

Peter Harrigan’s “Halloween Barbies”

Harrigan, who has

Players’ reimagining of Noël Coward’s perfectly paranormal comedy Blithe Spirit in Waitsﬁeld.

— à la 1940s cinema. is

Town Hall.

Sarah Neufeld, Richard Reed Parry & Rebecca Foon win over hearts and ears

ﬁrst-rate Montréal musicians —

Justin Willman casts

humorous tricks that “must be seen Poe: An Adaptation

Movie Nights

I understand the appeal of streaming a movie at home. I can pause the action whenever I want. The snacks are free, and so are the throw blankets. There’s no driving in the dark — just a shuffle to bed.

And yet I still prefer to sit in a room full of strangers to watch a film.

The endurance of movie theaters, and the persistence of annual events such as the Vermont International Film Festival, suggest I am not alone. In this week’s issue, we preview the forthcoming 10-day celebration of global cinema, which has been around in various forms for four decades. More newsworthy, though, is the fact that VTIFF’s steady flicker has grown brighter since last November, when Burlington’s only commercial movie theater closed. In “Now Showing,” Mary Ann Lickteig explains how executive director Steve MacQueen, who once chose acts for the Flynn, has artfully expanded local movie-viewing options to help fill the void.

Nothing beats having a pro do the picking. The irony of living in a digital world of limitless options is that it is limited — polarizing, even. Your streaming algorithm serves up just what you like, but as they say: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

THE MOVIE WAS NOT SOME KUNG FU CLASSIC BUT AMIN: THE RISE AND FALL — THE CINEMATIC RENDITION OF A BLOODY CHAPTER

IN

THE HISTORY OF OUR HOST COUNTRY.

A great movie can open your mind — especially one you’ve never heard of and had no plans to see.

Just as important is the communal aspect of moviegoing. Absorbing new information this way is a perfect mirror of the human experience. We’re both alone in the dark and together.

That was true, too, when I lived in Uganda from 1988 to 1990. Hungry for a view of the wider world, people there would assemble before a television set — some in simple chairs, others sitting on the ground — while a generator powered the VHS. There was no electricity in our town, Arua, so neighbors happily gathered for these outdoor screenings whenever and wherever they happened.

Judging from some of the questions that came up, not all the viewers understood that what they were watching was fiction, a staged narrative for their amusement; action flicks worked best. For many, it was their first glimpse of this art form.

I’ll never forget one movie night on the road between Arua and the country’s capital of Kampala. There was a problem en route, so my husband at the time and I had to overnight in a tiny town near Lake Albert. Our accommodations were in a single-story compound that looked like a prison: three-quarter walls between rooms; thin, stained

bare mattresses; no indoor plumbing. After the equatorial sunset, it got dark fast.

It would have been a very long 12 hours if someone hadn’t organized a pop-up screening right outside our window. Grateful for the entertainment, we joined the audience and stood out for being the only two white people in the crowd. Back then, the farther you got from cities, the more likely it was that Ugandans would stare, point or laugh hysterically at “mzungus” like us.

We were already feeling conspicuous when we realized the movie was not some kung fu classic but Amin: The Rise and Fall — the cinematic rendition of a bloody chapter in the history of our host country. The former dictator Idi Amin, aka “the Butcher of Uganda,” had been ousted only a decade before.

The 1981 movie reenacts real events from his eight-year reign of terror with “a lot of gruesome violence,” as film critic Roger Ebert noted in a review at the time, but is neither a documentary nor a drama. He wrote: “It’s sort of a biographer’s notebook, a strung-together series of anecdotes in which the former Ugandan dictator emerges as a man with many personalities, all of them out of control. The movie itself is also out of control.”

The depiction of several incidents from the early 1970s — Amin exiled Uganda’s South Asian residents and had a British journalist arrested for an unflattering portrayal — caused a stir in the audience. Lots of people turned around to look at us. It was unclear whether they were familiar with this recent history or thought the events on the screen were happening, in real time, as we sat there, nervously, experiencing the awesome power of a moving picture.

Paula Routly

If you like Seven Days and can help pay for it, become a Super Reader!

Look for the “Donate” button at the top of sevendaysvt.com. Or send a check with your address and contact info to:

SEVEN DAYS, C/O SUPER READERS P.O. BOX 1164

BURLINGTON, VT 05402-1164

For more information on making a financial contribution to Seven Days, please contact Gillian English:

VOICEMAIL: 802-865-1020, EXT. 115

EMAIL: SUPERREADERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

The audience at VTIFF in 2024

IMMIGRATION

Culture of Care

A program that pays people to care for older adults at home is especially popular in Vermont’s Bhutanese-Nepali community

BY LUCY TOMPKINS • lucy@sevendaysvt.com

As the only living son in his family, Hemant Ghising, who came to Burlington as a BhutaneseNepali refugee in 2011, is dutybound to care for his aging father.

Ghising’s father, 73, fell o a moving truck in his native Bhutan in 1976 and never fully recovered from his injuries. He now has diabetes and high blood pressure and struggles to walk unsupported.

“He needs help with everything,” said Ghising, 52. He helps his father dress, walk and eat. He takes him to medical appointments and keeps track of his medication.

The work competed with the demands of Ghising’s job as an education counselor at the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation. Yet there was never a

question of whether he would care for his father. In their culture, “it’s a must,” Ghising said. “There is no option.”

But thanks to a program called Vermont Comforts of Home, Ghising is now compensated for that caregiving.

Funded by Medicaid and the state, the program pays people to provide nursing home-level support so that patients can remain in their homes. The annual, tax-free stipend that caregivers receive can range from $29,000 to more than $70,000 per year, depending on the patient’s needs, according to Mary Mougey, the program’s intake and outreach coordinator.

While the program is available to any adult who has Medicaid and needs this level of care, it has been especially popular in Burlington’s tight-knit

POLITICS Leaders Call on Sen. Douglass to Resign After Leak of Racist Chats

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM kevin@sevendaysvt.com

State leaders on Tuesday called for Vermont Sen. Sam Douglass (R-Orleans) to resign after the ﬁrst-term lawmaker was outed as a participant in a racist chat involving Young Republican leaders who made hateful comments about people who are Black, Jewish and gay.

Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, and Senate President

Pro Tempore Phil Baruth (D-ChittendenCentral) both called on Douglass to step down after Politico published a story about leaked Telegram chats on Tuesday. Also recommending his ouster were Senate Minority Leader Scott Beck (R-Caledonia) and House Minority Leader Pattie McCoy (R-Poultney).

“ e hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable,” Gov. Scott said in a statement. “ e vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. ere is simply no excuse for it.”

Scott endorsed Douglass in his ﬁrst run for ofﬁce in 2024, appeared at campaign events with him and contributed to his campaign. In an October 2024 social media post, Scott called Douglass a “common sense candidate.”

Douglass, the head of the state’s Young Republicans, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Bhutanese-Nepali community. Of 126 total participants in the northern half of the state, 84 are Bhutanese-Nepali. Ghising and his father enrolled in 2021.

“It’s a win-win for me,” Ghising said. “I’m more focused on my dad because I’m getting paid for looking after him. The other part is, culturally, there is a strong expectation for sons to take care of their parents, so I’m fulﬁlling that duty.

“I think that’s why this program seems to be very successful in my community,” Ghising said. “Because it is culturally very, very relevant for us.”

Vermont Comforts of Home opened in 2017 as part of Upper Valley Services, a state-designated agency that administers

In one of the freewheeling chats, according to Politico, Peter Giunta, the former chair of the New York State Young Republicans, joked that someone referred to as an Indian woman “was not Indian.”

“She just didn’t bathe often,” Douglass replied, according to the outlet.

In another instance, Douglass described how a Jewish colleague of Hayden Padgett, chair of the Young Republican National Federation, may have made a procedural error related to the number of Maryland delegates permitted at the national convention.

“I was about to say you’re giving nationals to [sic] much credit and expecting the Jew to be honest,” Douglass’ wife, Brianna Douglass, replied to her husband’s message, according to Politico. She is a Vermont Young Republicans national committee member, the publication reported. She could not be reached for comment. ➆

Sen. Sam Douglass

Dil Rai with her son Bidur Rai at their home in Burlington

Lesson From the Past

A 7-year-old law could improve Vermont’s ailing system for students with special needs

BY ALISON NOVAK • alison@sevendaysvt.com

Areport released by the Agency of Education last month paints a troubling picture of the state of special education in Vermont. The number of pre-K through 12 students on individual education programs, or IEPs — the personalized plan required by law for all students who qualify for special education — has increased since 2018 despite a decline in the total student population. And special-education students are placed in alternative schools at more than twice the national rate.

That’s led special-ed spending to go up, with the highest increase in a category that’s known as “extraordinary costs” — those for students with complex needs who require more than $66,000 a year to

STUDENTS IN VERMONT ARE PLACED IN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS

programming [and] have a whole cluster of services in ways that our smaller districts [are] challenged to do,” Vermont Education Secretary Zoie Saunders said last week.

But some Vermont educational leaders say a previous piece of education reform, passed by the legislature in 2018 but not yet fully implemented, could be key to addressing the state’s specialed woes. The measure, Act 173, aimed to support struggling students while also tamping down special-education costs. Seven years later, though, districts have made varying degrees of progress, and the state has acknowledged shortcomings in carrying out the law’s mandates.

EDUCATION

MILES FROM ORDINARY

JUST A SHORT DRIVE from downtown Burlington and the University of Vermont, The Village at Autumn Pond offers more than a home—it offers a way of life. Nestled among maples, birch, and beech trees, our tranquil community lets you trade noise for birdsong and traffic for rustling leaves.

educate. The state spent $473.8 million on special education in fiscal year 2024 compared to $397.2 million for about 1,000 fewer students in fiscal year 2018.

State officials believe Vermont’s new education reform law, Act 73, could help improve both the quality and cost of the special-education system. The measure will change the way the state pays for special education by providing school districts a certain amount of money for each student based on their specific disability. It also calls for consolidating school districts into larger ones, which could make it easier to hire specialized staff and provide in-house special-education support.

Larger districts can “pool a lot of different resources, establish new

“Let’s look at what has already been passed,” said Mary Lundeen, executive director of the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators, “and let’s focus on implementing it with fidelity and finish the work that we haven’t been able to finish, that may not even have been started in some places.”

State officials say they are still committed to implementing that law. But whether it goes anywhere amid the broader push to overhaul Vermont’s education system is an open question.

The 2018 law calls for Vermont’s schools to use a “multi-tiered system of supports” in which all students receive high-quality classroom instruction from a well-trained teacher who is able to adapt lessons to meet different needs. If students still struggle, they would be given additional small group or one-on-one support.

The legislation also had a secondary purpose: to bring down special-education costs. If students were well supported by teachers and specialists, the thinking went, academic or behavioral challenges would be identified and addressed

CHILDCARE

State Suspends License of Rutland Childcare Center

BY ALISON NOVAK alison@sevendaysvt.com

State regulators suspended the license of a childcare center in Rutland after finding serious violations that the state contends endangered the 13 children who attended.

In an October 9 letter to Sycamore Tree Child Care Center, which is part of Mission City Church, Janet McLaughlin, deputy commissioner of the Department for Children and Families, said the state took action after a regulator found that the center had broken multiple rules. An October 10 report obtained by Seven Days through a public records request shows that site visits on October 8 and 9 turned up 13 violations, including mistreatment of children.

The state discovered that seven to eight months earlier, a staffer had “tapped” an infant’s face with four fingers, leaving a red mark, after the infant bit the staff member on the heel, a report states. The incident was reported by the staff member to the program’s director, according to the report, but the staff member did not complete an incident report or inform the infant’s family, which is required in statute.

A regulator also overheard staff speaking to children in harsh tones and saying inappropriate things to them, including, “If you don’t lay down, you will be sorry” and “You were running around, you hit yourself in the head. That’s your problem! Sit down!”

Sycamore Tree began operating the program for children 6 weeks to 5 years old in fall 2020 at Mission City Church’s Rutland location.

In an email to Seven Days , Mission City’s director of operations Tom Tench wrote that the church takes “full responsibility” and said it was “committed to addressing these matters with utmost urgency.”

“We are genuinely sorry for any worry, confusion or inconvenience this has caused the families involved,” Tench wrote. He said Sycamore Tree Child Care Center would resume operation only if it could “get back to … the original vision for this program.” ➆

SPECIAL-NEEDS EDUCATION IN VERMONT AT A CROSSROADS

early instead of snowballing into costlier problems.

Katie Ballard, a mom of two and chair of the state’s Special Education Advisory Panel, thinks early intervention would have made a di erence for her older son, who attended Essex Westford schools. In kindergarten, he was classified as having an emotional disturbance — a disability category used in Vermont three times more frequently than the national average. All through elementary school, he struggled both behaviorally and academically.

When her son was in seventh grade, Ballard pushed to have him evaluated by an outside organization. The results found previously undiagnosed academic struggles, and the school subsequently paid for private tutoring. It worked: His behavioral issues dissipated, and, last year, he graduated from high school as a member of the National Technical Honor Society.

Ballard believes that if educators had been trained to recognize her son’s challenges early on through the multitiered system support that legislators called for in 2018, he wouldn’t have su ered as much academically and emotionally — a result that research supports. And, she said, the costly, intensive services he received in his later years wouldn’t have been necessary.

“When students are identiﬁed appropriately and given appropriate interventions early enough, costs don’t escalate,” Ballard said.

From the 2018-19 school year to the 202324 school year, pre-K through 12 student enrollment in Vermont declined by 6.4 percent, while the percentage of students on individualized education programs, or IEPs, increased by 7.5 percent. In the most recent year for which there is data available, Vermont ranks seventh in the nation for its percentage of students who qualify for special-education services.

Special-education experts and administrato rs largely agree that’s the right approach. But a lack of leadership from the Agency of Education, the disruptive pandemic and a resulting teacher shortage impeded the reform e orts, they say.

In recent years, the number of teachers on provisional licenses — which means they are not fully qualified to teach in their subject area — has spiked. The highest number have gone to special educators, who need “an additional layer of support and mentorship,” according to Slate Valley Unified School District superintendent Brooke Olsen-Farrell. That means “experienced staff members must dedicate significant time to supervision, coaching and documentation, all of which place added strain on an already stretched system,” she added.

Kris Benway, Slate Valley’s director of special services and board president of the Vermont Council of Special Education Administrators, called the 2018 measure “really good legislation without a good implementation plan.” In the absence of statewide leadership and training to enact it, each school district was left to ﬁgure it out on their own, Benway said. She thinks the state should recommit to the approach, even as the broader education overhaul gets under way.

In its September report, the Agency of Education acknowledged that it did not sufficiently help school districts implement the measure. A “ﬁeld guide” it created “was not presented adequately statewide” in the year before the pandemic hit, the report states, and its support was

limited to written guidance rather than more intensive training on the pedagogy behind the law.

“The state still lacks measures of ﬁdelity, quality and e ectiveness of highquality instruction and intervention,” the report states.

In a meeting of the Special Education Advisory Panel last week, Saunders said her agency is developing a strategic plan for special education and has restructured its special-ed division — two measures designed to address shortcomings. She expressed a commitment to following through on the work of the 2018 law. That might mean additional teacher training and better monitoring of schools to make sure they’re following through.

“The best practices that were identiﬁed in Act 173 were the right best practices,” Saunders said. “We don’t want to throw those out.”

But with complicated school district mergers and a totally new system for funding education looming on the horizon, coupled with recent mass layo s in the U.S. Department of Education’s special-ed division, it remains to be seen whether the agency can follow through on Saunders’ commitment.

No matter what happens, reform tends to “create chaos, and it’s di cult to implement in chaos,” said Meagan Roy, a former superintendent who chaired an advisory group for the 2018 measure. “I worry about causing more destabilization in the system, which is just going to make it harder to do things we haven’t been doing well for a while.”

Charlie’s Boathouse Property Hits Market for $2.5 Million

BY COURTNEY LAMDIN • courtney@sevendaysvt.com

The iconic Auer Family Boathouse property on Burlington’s northern shore is on the market for $2.5 million.

Located on Lake Champlain in a peaceful enclave at the very end of North Avenue, the property was home to a seasonal bait shop, snack bar and boat rental store for decades. Locals called it “Charlie’s Boathouse,” and it was run by Charlie Auer Jr. and his sister, Christine Auer Hebert.

Charlie died in 2021, and his sister died last year. That’s when her husband, Ken, took ownership of the property. He’s 98 and ready to sell.

“Taxes are high, and he doesn’t want to deal with it anymore,” said the Heberts’ daughter Karen Fay. “At this point, I want someone to love it, and if they’re willing to pay for it, then so be it.”

The listing was worrisome news for some neighbors, who would like the flood-prone parcel to be conserved. But the property is being advertised as a development opportunity — and is priced accordingly.

Whatever happens, longtime neighbor John Shappy II said, “it’s gonna take somebody with deep pockets to make it work.”

Charlie Auer Sr. built the boathouse in the 1920s at the mouth of the Winooski River. The ramshackle shop near the Burlington bike path was beloved for its cheap eats — including the $5 “Charlieburger” — and its easygoing owners. Following their dad’s tradition, Auer Jr. and Hebert would encourage people to come and enjoy the view even if they weren’t paying customers.

The siblings, who took over the operation in the 1990s, kept the business going through droughts, floods and the pandemic. But Hebert closed the boathouse after her brother’s death, letting people use the property as a park.

Visitors would stick cash under the door, an unexpected charity that helped pay the property taxes.

City records say the property is worth $461,300, which includes the red, barnlike boathouse and nearly three acres of land. Fay said the $2.5 million asking price reflects both an appraisal and the value of owning lakefront property. The Zillow listing highlights the lake access, describing the plot as offering “unmatched privacy at the end of a quiet road.”

“Opportunities like this are vanishingly rare,” the ad says. “A lakeside sanctuary with commercial potential and deep roots in Vermont’s heritage.”

But developing it would be tricky. Much of the property is in a flood zone, and it has flooded.

“It’s really up in the air as to what someone can do with it,” said Cheryl Boissoneault, a real estate agent whose firm listed the property earlier this month. “There’s a lot of possibilities, but they’d have to jump through the hoops.”

Once a welcoming spot, the property is now closed off with a metal gate. Just beyond is the boathouse, its iconic green sign visible through the changing autumn leaves. The windows are boarded up. A few weeks ago, vandals broke in and caused more than $7,000 worth of damage, according to Fay.

Neighbors, including Shappy, try to keep an eye on who comes and goes. On a recent afternoon, a cyclist paused by the boathouse to put on a dry jacket after a pouring rain. She didn’t give her name but told Shappy she’s a family friend, an apparent acknowledgement of the fact that where she was standing was technically off-limits.

“I know Charlie wouldn’t mind,” she said.

And Shappy agreed. Charlie wouldn’t mind at all. ➆

the Medicaid Choices for Care Program, a long-term program for people who need nursing home-level care. A separate nonprofit in Springfield serves the southern half of the state.

The program has grown quickly from an initial annual budget of $85,000 to $11 million today. Word spread rapidly in the Nepali-Bhutanese community, where families often balance the work of caring for older relatives with other jobs.

“I realized quickly we needed to hire Nepali staff,” said Marie Zura, the program’s director. Most of the case managers at Vermont Comforts of Home charged with supporting care providers and patients in the program are now Nepali, as is the business manager. But Zura says the program is available to all who need it.

In Vermont, which has one of the oldest populations in the country, finding long-term care is a huge and growing challenge.

an ideal solution to the long-term care crisis and a more affordable alternative to housing people in nursing homes, which in Vermont costs Medicaid $164,000 a year on average for a shared room.

“There are many families taking care of parents that don’t know this program exists and that they could get the support and potentially the income to help them stay home and care for a relative,” she said. “Some people say, ‘Well, I would do it, but I’ve got to work.’ This is the possibility of doing both.”

CULTURALLY, THERE IS A STRONG EXPECTATION FOR SONS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR PARENTS, SO I’M FULFILLING THAT DUTY.

HEMANT GHISING

Not

A January 2025 report by the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which oversees the quality of long-term care in the state, found that while most older adults prefer to remain at home as long as possible, staffing shortages for home-based care have made that “extremely difficult.”

Instead, people are forced into nursing homes, where staffing shortages of their own can harm the quality and availability of care. Complaints to the ombudsman’s office jumped by almost 40 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, and most were about residents’ struggles to get basic needs met.

every participant is being cared for by a relative. The program also helps match people with caretakers from the general public, who sometimes host patients in their own homes. In every case, the provider must pass a background check and a housing inspection.

Providers don’t have to be medical professionals, but they receive mandatory training from Vermont Comforts of Home staff in CPR and other skills as needed to meet the needs of their particular patient.

The report recommended several avenues of relief, including supporting “family caregivers as much as possible.”

Zura, the director of Vermont Comforts of Home, sees the program as

A case manager from the nonprofit stays in regular touch with both patient and provider and does a home visit at least once a month. A nurse on staff keeps track of each patient’s medical appointments

Culture of Care « P.14

Dil Rai

and medication schedules and is available for consultations.

“We provide a lot of support, because we don’t want people to get overwhelmed,” Zura said.

Providers are expected to be available 24-7, but they also receive a respite budget to pay for someone else to take over when they need a break or go on vacation. Some people work other jobs part time, but caregiving “has to be their primary focus,” Zura said.

Vermont is home to roughly 2,000 Bhutanese-Nepalis who resettled here as refugees starting around 2008. Most have since obtained U.S. citizenship.

Many had lived in refugee camps in Nepal for decades after being forcibly expelled from Bhutan in the 1990s. That’s when King Jigme Singye Wangchuck implemented the “One Nation, One People” policy that stripped ethnic Nepali residents of their Bhutanese citizenship and banned their language and cultural practices.

said. A friend recommended Vermont Comforts of Home.

Bidur quit his job as a family support consultant for the Vermont Family Network. He now cares for his mother full time. Every month, he submits a report on her medications and hospital visits.

“What I really appreciate with this organization is that for the first time, I got training on how to take care of my mom,” Bidur said.

Aside from tending to her medical needs, Bidur often takes his mother on drives along the Winooski River, which reminds her of Bhutan. She’ll sometimes ask him to stop so she can walk out and look at the scenery. She was a farmer back home, and she advises Bidur and his family on how to tend their backyard garden.

They take several walks a day, and she prays morning and evening to the Hindu gods arranged at an altar in her bedroom. He feeds her the familiar food of her home country: rice, vegetables, lentil soup.

Bidur Rai remembers being beaten in school in Bhutan for speaking his native Nepali. He and his family fled to a refugee camp in Nepal and lived there for 23 years, holding onto hope that one day they would be able to return to Bhutan.

But as his relatives resettled in the U.S. and the prospect of returning home faded, Rai finally decided to leave. In 2015, he arrived in Burlington, where he now lives with his wife, their four children, his sisterin-law and his 93-year-old mother, Dil.

Bidur’s mother lived for years with her other son, in Pittsburgh. But she was spending too much time alone while her son and his family worked. After a visit to see Bidur in Burlington last year, she decided to move to Vermont.

Shortly after she arrived, she had a stroke. At the time, she was receiving care from another home-based program that did not meet the family’s needs, Bidur

“That’s something she would miss” if she had to be in a nursing home, Bidur said.

On a recent weekend, relatives from all over the U.S. came to his home to celebrate Dashahra, a festival in which elders bless the younger generations. Nearly 20 people crammed into Bidur’s home. One by one, Dil blessed them all.

“I like it here because I have my son and family around me,” Dil said on a recent afternoon, speaking through an interpreter. “I forget a lot; I keep forgetting things. But I’m happy now.” ➆

Lucy Tompkins covers immigration, the border and new American communities in Vermont for Seven Days. She is a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Find out more at reportforamerica.org.

Introduce yourself to reps from these ﬁne local organizations at Tech Jam!

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

• BETA Technologies

• Data Innovations

• GBIC

• GlobalFoundries

• Hula

• Marvell

• Northﬁeld Savings Bank

• Norwich University

• UVM O ce of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

• Vermont Technology Council

• VTel

• VIP

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

• The Targeted Resume

• Vermont Technology Alliance

OTHER EXHIBITORS

• Accessible Web

• Burlington Telecom

• Canna Planners

• Champlain Cable

• Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman

• Community College of Vermont

• Creative Micro

• Dynapower

• Fluency

• Governor’s Institutes of Vermont

• Green Mountain Power

• Greentime.ai

• Hayward Tyler

• Hazelett

• Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC)

• Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce

• Launch VT

• NDI

• OnLogic

• Orion Global Talent

• OVR Technology

• PayMore

• PCC Pediatric EHR Health Solutions

• Prime Engineering

• simpleroute

• Simmonds Precision

• State of VermontAgency of Digital Services

• UVM Advance

• VELCO

• Vermont State University

• Waitsﬁeld and Champlain Valley Telecom

• Wildlife Imaging Systems

Ashok Rai, case manager for Vermont Comforts of Home

Loss of Pride

The sudden closure of a prominent LGBTQ advocacy org leaves supporters wondering what happened — and what comes next

BY COLIN FLANDERS • colin@sevendaysvt.com

The queer community was stunned last week by news that the Pride Center of Vermont is closing indefinitely in the face of serious financial problems.

A statement from the nonprofit’s board of directors blamed a “critical funding shortfall” and said it will embark on an emergency fundraising campaign in hopes of eventually reopening the center.

The abrupt closure blindsided the nonprofit’s seven staff members, who learned about it only a few hours before the public did. And it raised questions about how a valued community resource — one of the biggest LGBTQ organizations in the state — could go belly-up with little warning.

“We’re still trying to catch up to the news,” Dana Kaplan, executive director of Outright Vermont, said last Friday. His organization supports LGBTQ youth. “It was a very sudden announcement without a lot of specificity on what the plan is moving forward, as well as what happened.”

$175,000 in 2020. It has since struggled to pay down its debt amid lackluster philanthropic support and unreliable grant funding.

In May, the center learned it will no longer receive a state-administered federal grant for its HIV programs. The grant of nearly $200,000 represented about 25 percent of the center’s annual revenue and had been used to help pay four staff members, Allard said.

“We made an appeal to the community when we lost that HIV funding,” Allard said. “We also explored other options to reduce our overhead and operating expenses and to apply for additional funding.”

A PILLAR OF THE VERMONT QUEER COMMUNITY DOESN’T SINK OVERNIGHT.

MONICA ALLARD

But the center could not close the gap, Allard said, and by last week, it was clear the organization could no longer juggle its debt payments and dayto-day expenses. The board notified staff last Thursday that the center would close effective Friday and issued a public statement several hours later.

Founded in 1999, the Pride Center reaches thousands of LGBTQ people annually through programs, support groups, and its annual Pride Parade & Festival, held every September in the Queen City, where the center is based.

While its services remain in high demand, a “perfect storm” of challenges has been brewing for years, according to board cochair Monica Allard.

“A pillar of the Vermont queer community doesn’t sink overnight,” Allard said. The American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont attorney joined the center’s board nearly two years ago and is one of its longest-tenured members.

After multiple years of losing money, the center took out loans worth about

“The board really wishes that there had been more time, and that’s something we have to take responsibility for,” Allard said.

The center’s financial challenges have played out amid tensions over political stances taken by its staff.

In March 2024, three members of the nonprofit’s board resigned following a statement the center’s staff released about the war in Gaza. The board members, all Jewish, said they were ignored and silenced when they tried to raise concerns about the statement, which they felt marked an inappropriate departure from the center’s mission. Staff responded by accusing the board members of “ongoing patterns of harm” that included persistent misgendering of staff and racial microaggressions.

Then, in May 2024, Burlington resident Isaac Dayno learned that he was no longer welcome to participate in a Pride panel the following month because the center’s staff had learned he worked for the Department of Corrections. Dayno, who works in the DOC’s communications department, was scheduled to co-facilitate the panel in his personal capacity and planned to speak about his experiences organizing on LGBTQ issues such as fighting a North Carolina bathroom bill.

He requested to meet with the center’s staff to discuss the decision and said he was told that no DOC employees would be welcome at the event.

He followed up in an email to express his disappointment. “Being queer has not always been easy, and at times particularly painful,” he wrote. “It has been in these moments I find support and comfort in the LGBTQ+ community, a community that celebrates diversity and inclusion. It saddens me that this year the Pride Center’s actions do not reflect those ideals.”

The Vermont State Employees’ Association decided that it would no longer sponsor nor participate in the Pride parade because of the center’s stance toward DOC employees, according to the union’s executive director, Steve Howard. Dayno was not surprised to learn about the center’s closure. “That kind of behavior — of determining insiders and outsiders and who is worthy of belonging to this community — is really damaging,” Dayno said. Vermont’s queer community is only so large, he added: “After a while, who is left?”

On Monday, the nonprofit’s board said in a statement that laid-off staff would be paid for up to two weeks of accrued time off in addition to receiving health care benefits through the end of October at minimum. At least two staffers have created GoFundMe campaigns that have amassed thousands of dollars in donations.

“We recognize that this does not provide enough support for some staff and are exploring additional ways to reduce the harm of this sudden crisis,” reads the statement. It goes on to say the board is working “around the clock” to conduct a “full financial assessment, evaluate what went wrong, and create a roadmap forward.”

Any path to reopening would need to include a substantial cash infusion. Allard said last week that the board hopes to raise $350,000, which would allow it to clear the center’s debts and “move forward in a more financially responsible way.”

“It would be a reset,” she said.

The board raised about $50,000 over the weekend, mostly from small donors, according to Allard. Ben & Jerry’s has also agreed to match up to $10,000 in donations to support the center.

The board’s statement released on Monday sounds an optimistic note. It reads: “The outpouring of support has given us hope that the Center can be relaunched in the future with stronger accountability, governance and sustainability from the ground up.” ➆

for the perfect summer camp for your kiddos? Come explore Vermont camps! Free admission!

Followed by family-friendly comedy show at 5pm, tickets $5/kids, $10/adults. Proceeds help fund annual scholarship to a VT camp.

Asymmetry: One side does not match the other

Border: Edges are irregular, ragged, blurred, etc.

Color: Multiple colors in one lesion

Diameter: Larger than the head of a pencil eraser

Evolution: Any change in size, shape, color etc.

Be alert! If you notice a mole or spot that seems unusual — dark, irregular, or changing — don’t wait! Early detection saves lives. If you see something suspicious, show it to your healthcare provider — or call us! We’ll be here to help.

Avoid

FEEDback

companies to get their way like they usually do, courtesy of these atrocious fees and rates they charge us.

Yet we should remember that these bills do not address the most basic and fundamental ﬂaws of our perverted health care nonsystem. That Rep. Alyssa Black (D-Essex), chair of the House Health Care Committee, is “bracing to go without health insurance next year ... because of high monthly premiums” is because we have consigned our health care, and thus our lives, to the inhumanity of proﬁt and monopoly power.

Someday, I would love to see that same courage displayed once again to do what we’ve perennially tried to avoid doing to favor the industry: a publicly ﬁnanced health care system that covers all Vermonters.

Walter Carpenter MONTPELIER

POOR SPOKESPERSON

I found the quote from the Department for Children and Families regarding compiling legislative reports very concerning [“Filed and Forgotten: Years After Trying to Cut Back on the Number of Reports It Commissions, Vermont’s Legislature Is Ordering Up More Than Ever,” August 6]. Under no circumstances should compiling a legislative report have any impact on the ability of DCF to investigate cases of child maltreatment in a timely manner. If an active DCF child maltreatment investigator were also assigned to compiling a legislative report, that would raise questions about DCF’s present organizational structure. I think the same could be said for the SNAP example. I hope this is nothing more than a couple of not-so-great examples to show the challenges agencies and departments face in compiling legislative reports.

A better example might have been if DCF sta have less time working on a new juvenile justice facility to replace Woodside or less time to participate in e orts to improve access for SNAP recipients to buy products at their local farmers market. Let’s not blame the messenger here. You have to wonder how this got past the DCF commissioner, Agency of Human Services secretary and the o ce of Gov. Phil Scott, which strikes me as a lack of support for the person interviewed.

DCF is one the most challenged departments in state government. We should hope that its administrative time is not being spent compiling legislative reports that are no longer useful or not read.

Russell Frank MONTPELIER

‘ADOPT’

A HOMELESS PERSON

[Re “Scott Vows to Help Burlington Amid Public Safety ‘Crisis,’” September 11, online; “Is Homelessness a Local Matter? Many of the People Evicted From the State’s Motel Program Now Live in Tents. The Governor Says That’s a Municipal Issue,” August 27; “Burlington Council Approves Plan to Step Up Enforcement in City Hall Park,” August 26, online; “Tent City,” August 13]: There are thousands of homeless people in Vermont — millions across the country. The cost of living is so high the numbers will only increase. It’s not just the responsibility of politicians and social workers; we citizens can generate many ideas.

Some countries have converted old train cars into housing, and others have made comfortable homes out of shipping containers. In Vermont, there are many trailer parks, and nearly every one of them has empty trailers in it, not to mention the number of empty houses throughout the state. People need a roof over their heads and an address before they can find work.

I’ve heard of programs where a person can adopt a star or adopt a highway. How about adopt a homeless person? He or she doesn’t have to live with us — we don’t even need to know their names or stories — but we can help.

An old student of mine is homeless, living in a car with his mother and their four beloved dogs. Once a month my friends and I bring them gift cards, dog food, snacks. They don’t think they can survive another Vermont winter. He says, “If only we had a garage to park the car in.” My elderly friends and I don’t have that to o er, but someone in Vermont might.

Linda R. Murray ESSEX JUNCTION

DEAL WITH DRUGS

I’ve been reading Seven Days’ coverage of homeless issues over the past few years with interest. One thing that seems to be missing is a strategy to block, or at least slow, the ﬂow of drugs into Vermont. Drug use is constantly mentioned as something that creates and maintains homelessness, causes many deaths, and undermines public safety and order.

So, what is being done about the availability of illegal drugs? Obviously, with the high rate of deaths from drug use, drug dealers need to keep recruiting new users to maintain their business, so drugs aren’t just a threat to current users.

Deborah Kahn WAITSFIELD

‘WORKING’ FARM

A New Heyday

and openness engaged all of us in warm and intelligent conversation. Later, my personal friendship allowed me more insights into the family and Marshall’s ideas about the future of the farm.

I read your article on Shelburne Farms [“A New Heyday,” September 17]. I was born on the Webb estate in 1954, when it was still a “working farm.” My father was a herdsman/ groomer for the Webbs. We lived next to the Breeding Barn in a small row of apartments that was provided by the Webbs.

My mother is 95 years old and probably one of the last to remember our life on the farm. I remember my dad telling stories about life on the estate. I am not sure how many people were employed by the Webb estate, but it was an opportunity for many people. The Webbs were good people who truly cared about the livestock and environment.

I now live in Charlotte, N.C., but every trip I make to Vermont, I go back to my roots being born on the most prestigious farm in the country. My mom still tells me stories of that time. Thank you for this article.

Jill Besaw Homer CHARLOTTE, N.C.

SHELBURNE FARMS IS A ‘MASTERPIECE’

I thank Seven Days for highlighting the work of the later Webb family to transform Shelburne Farms into a masterpiece of environmental conservation, sustainable living and conscious farm practices [“A New Heyday,” September 17]. As the writer alludes, there was the public perception that the family has endless wealth and could take care of the land without public involvement.

Back in 1975 or 1976, Vermont’s cadre of several dozen artists-in-residence were invited to Shelburne Farms for a weeklong creative retreat at the partially repaired Big House. I was surprised that Emily Wadhams Webb did most of the cooking and that she and Marshall Webb were totally hands-on from early morning until the end of the day. Their generosity

Michael Cerulli Billingsley PLAINFIELD

GRAFFITI COVER-UP

[Re “Tag, Who’s It?: Burlington City O cials Have Few Strategies to Crack Down on Unsightly Gra ti,” October 8]: I support fining the property owners if they don’t remove the tags within a short number of days. Initially it will be costly, however as it continues and tags repeatedly get covered up, taggers will start to bear the cost of buying spray paint, and they won’t want to bother much anymore. I lived in the downtown core of Burlington for eight years, in a building that had repeated tags. However, there was a cleanup crew that would paint over it every time I reported it to SeeClickFix. As it got repeatedly covered up, the tagging became less frequent.

The reasons for these tags are not just to be mischievous but also to signal drug turf to each other, which is a major reason they should be eliminated. This is not just “street art.” It’s establishing territory for

crime. This is why I knew the wall across from Memorial Auditorium would be tagged very quickly, because it’s been used for so long for this reason.

If you decide to deal with this problem, it deﬁnitely needs to be a new normal that you incorporate into your daily life as a property owner: Expect that your property will be tagged, and go out with paint and paint over it immediately. That’s the only way this will be solved — a daily e ort that becomes routine, not an afterthought. If every business owner and property owner did this, it would be successful.

Alexandria Dooley

‘Distinguished’ Reporting

Seven Days has been named a Distinguished Newspaper of the Year by the New England Newspaper & Press Association. The award, which acknowledges the best large-circulation weeklies in the region, was presented at the organization’s fall conference in Northampton, Mass., at the end of September.

Sta writer DEREK BROUWER won third place in the A-Mark Prize for “Bilked and Bereft,” a 2024 cover story about an increase

ABOUT “AXED OUT” BY JONATHAN MINGLE:

“Most people might not think a lot about the importance of maintaining — and culling — trees to keep forests healthy, but Seven Days recognized how important the vast woodlands of Vermont are to residents. Well researched and written.”

in cyber scams targeting older Vermonters. This statewide competition recognizes outstanding investigative journalism.

NENPA also gave out 14 “Publick Occurrences” awards — named for the ﬁrst newspaper in the American colonies — that celebrate individual and team merit. Seven Days won ﬁve of them, more than any other news outlet in New England. We’re honored and moved by this recognition. Thanks to all of our readers, advertisers and donors who made it possible!

Here’s what the NENPA judges had to say:

KEEP IT COMING

ABOUT “URGENT SCARE” BY COLIN FLANDERS:

“Great but scary information [about our health care system] wrapped up in a complex story told in easily digestible form — and a warning to all states. Excellent explanatory journalism.”

ABOUT “FROM THIS DAY FORWARD” BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG:

“A pointed reminder of the tears and sweat spent to make civil unions a reality in Vermont, spotlighting what we now recognize as the ﬁrst step to push this country’s acceptance of marriage equality. For those who didn’t live it, this project is a must-read.”

ABOUT “A WORLD AWAY” BY COLIN FLANDERS, ALISON NOVAK AND KEN PICARD:

“This is a top-notch human-interest story that explores the aftermath of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and its failures. The interviews and the rest of the reporting are ﬁrst-rate and bring the story’s subjects to life for the reader.”

Seven Days just turned 30. If you value rigorously reported local news, give us a birthday gift to help us pay for it! Become a Super Reader or increase your monthly contribution. Details at sevendaysvt.com/donate or just scan the code at left.

ABOUT “THE STRAW MAN” BY JOE SEXTON:

“Well-researched and compelling. Sexton goes the extra mile by using in-depth reporting to tell the story of Dylan Russell and his repeat purchases of a wide variety of guns for others, acting as a ‘straw man’ for drug dealers.”

lifelines

OBITUARIES

Gertrude McArdle

OCTOBER 21, 1935OCTOBER 6, 2025

MONTPELIER, VT.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Gertrude “Trudy” McArdle (Hammond), a beloved mother, grandmother, nurse and friend, who left us on October 6, 2025, just a couple of weeks shy of her 90th birthday. Born in Chicago, Ill., on October 21, 1935, Trudy brought warmth and kindness into every life she touched.

She was our icon and our leader. Trudy was the heart and soul of the family. Anyone who knew her loved her deeply. Her laugh was infectious, her stories unforgettable — the kind that left us in tears from laughing so hard. She had an incredible gift for storytelling and for bringing people together with warmth, humor, boundless love, a great faith and wonderful homemade food, including awesome gravy

Bonita

“Bon Bon”

Cummings

NOVEMBER 26, 1959OCTOBER 6, 2025

BARRE TOWN, VT.

Bonita Marie “Bon Bon” Cummings, 65, passed away peacefully on October 6, 2025, in Berlin, Vt. Born on November 26, 1959, in Burlington, Vt., Bonnie lived a life deﬁned by resilience, generosity and an unwavering positive spirit that left a lasting impression on all who knew her.

A proud graduate of Winooski High School, Bonnie went on to serve her country with distinction in the Vermont Army National Guard as part of Company D, 50th Medical Division. Her time in the military was just one example of her lifelong

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

and delicious pies. She never missed a child or grandchild’s sporting event, concert, graduation or any special occasion. She planned and hosted birthday parties for everybody. To round out her interests, she enjoyed college basketball games (go Syracuse!) and loved the Red Sox too!

She lived with grit, grace and deep compassion. Trudy gave so much of herself and was always ready to listen, offering a kind word, a hug and a helping hand. She led by example and taught us the value

commitment to service and strength.

Bonnie’s professional journey was as diverse and unique as her personality. She drove buses and taught children to swim as director of Summer Girls Camp through Burlington Boys & Girls Club. She worked at IBM, Ricoh and Ubeo as a printer technician while

of strength, generosity, forgiveness, understanding and resilience. The memories she made with us are too many to count, and the mark she left on our lives is permanent. Though our hearts are heavy with grief, we are truly grateful for the time we shared with her and the love she so freely gave. She was, and always will be, unforgettable.

Trudy’s educational journey began at East Chester School in Scarsdale, N.Y., where she sparkled academically and formed lasting friendships. She later earned her bachelor’s degree with honors from Syracuse University, where she took on the role of tutor for fellow students, including her future husband, Jerome “Jerry” McArdle, formerly of Bellows Falls, Vt. They were happily married on December 28, 1957, and shared a life full of love and laughter until Jerry’s passing on May 16, 2006. Jerry brought his bride and young family back to his home

simultaneously dedicating herself to helping others through her work at multiple homeless shelters across Vermont. Whether in a corporate setting or on the front lines of community support, Bonnie brought the same ﬁerce dedication, compassion and relational approach to every role she held. Her customers, oncology staff and all who met her loved her. To know her was to not be a stranger to Bon.

She was a woman who could ﬁx anything — literally and ﬁguratively. Known for her ability to come up with a solution to all broken things, Bonnie was the go-to person when something needed mending. Her hands were always busy — whether repairing what was broken or reaching out to help someone in need.

Bonnie’s love for the outdoors was legendary. She

state in 1961 when he began his career with the state of Vermont.

After moving to Montpelier, she dedicated her life to caring for others. As a school nurse for several area schools, including Rumney and Berlin Elementary, where she also taught health sciences, Trudy was a comforting presence to countless children. She never forgot a child’s name and would often encounter one even years later who would warmly greet her with a smile and warm hug. She initially worked as an RN at Central Vermont Medical Center, the Macfarlan House and Woodridge Nursing Home, where her compassion and expertise made a true difference in the community.

Trudy is survived by her loving children: Michael and his wife, Amy, and their sons, Ellis (Jamie) and Jake (Amanda); omas and his wife, Sharon, and their son, Sam; John and his son, Anthony, and

found joy in fishing, hunting, swimming and adventuring with her beloved partner, Tina Bleau. ese moments spent in nature were among her happiest — filled with laughter, exploration and connection. She also cherished quiet times reading or simply being surrounded by friends and family. To those who knew her best, Bonnie was “Honest Bon” — raw and hardheaded, with a heart as big as the sky. Her colorful language often came wrapped around words of wisdom or fierce loyalty. She had a constant smile and an unmatched willingness to give the shirt off her back. Bonnie didn’t need accolades; she let her actions speak volumes. From a young age, she paved the way for other women through sheer determination and quiet strength. And damn, what a softball player she was!

stepdaughter, Summer; Kathleen and her children, Brittany (Anthony) and Ben (Danielle); Christeen; and Chanra and her husband, Josh, and their children, Lana and Luke; guardian daughter, angrath; as well as nine great-grandchildren.

She poured her full being into raising her children and creating a close-knit family full of holiday traditions that will carry her legacy forward. Besides her husband, she was predeceased by her cherished sister Marcia Gillcrist, loving brother Dean Hammond, lovely niece Bernadette Gillcrist, her parents J.D. and Marsha Hammond, son-in-law Ted Beery, brother-in-law Walt Gilcrist, and her foster son, Kerry Shuttle. In addition to her children, she is survived by her devoted sister Peggy Hammond, her wonderful brother “Big” Jim Hammond and his wife, Louise “Weezie,” her sister-in-law Gail Hammond, the Kathan family, formerly of Bellows Falls, Vt., and the numerous

Bonnie is survived by her daughters, Sophia and Maya Kotkes-Cummings; her partner, Tina Bleau; brothers John Cummings, Bernie Cummings (Linda), Robin Cummings (Lisa) and Glenn Cummings (Ronalynn); sisters, Cindy Parizo (Homer) and Judy Reed (Damon); sister-in-law Sue Cummings; Tina’s children, Jacob and Nick Bleau (mother truckers); and nieces and nephews too numerous to mention — each of whom adored their “coolest aunt ever.”

She was predeceased by her brother Dan Cummings and parents, Anita and Bernie Cummings.

A big thanks to the staff at Central Vermont Medical Center Oncology/ Hematology, nurses/doctors at CVMC medical, her family, Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, and

fun-loving Gillcrist and Hammond nieces and nephews and all their children who she somehow never forgot to send birthday greetings to.

Calling hours were held on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at the Guare & Sons Funeral Home. A funeral mass for Trudy was celebrated at St. Augustine’s Catholic Church in Montpelier, Vt. Family and friends gathered in her memory to share stories, laughter and love — just as she would have wanted — at her celebration of life in the Montpelier Room of the Capitol Plaza Hotel, 100 State St., Montpelier, VT. Trudy McArdle’s spirit will forever live on in the hearts of her family, friends and all those whose lives she touched. Rest in peace, Trudy — you will be deeply missed. Donations in her memory may be made to the Lamoille Valley Family Center in Morrisville, Vt., or the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Vermont Forest Cemetery staff, for loving her through and brightening our lives through such a hard time. To Doctor Ospina, she loved you, and you fought hard with her.

May the memory of Bonita Marie “Bon Bon (Aunt Bon Bon), Mummy, Nob, Nerdy Nerd, Bon Seron and My Big, Big Love” Cummings bring comfort to those who loved her and inspiration to all who carry forward her legacy of honesty, strength and boundless generosity. A burial was held on October 9, 2025, at Vermont Forest Cemetery, 750 Beaver Meadow Rd., Roxbury VT. A reception followed at Bon and Tina’s home. A celebration of life will happen at a later date, where stories will be shared, laughter will echo, and memories will be honored — as she would have wanted.

Rosaire John Fournier

AUGUST 28, 1975-

SEPTEMBER 24, 2025

HIGHGATE, VT.

Rosaire John Fournier, lovingly known as “Rogie” to his family, passed away on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, from complications after surgery. Born in Burlington on August 28, 1975, he was the son of Patsy N. Miller and David L. Fournier, and he proudly carried his grandfather’s name.

Rosaire graduated from Essex High School and attended Johnson State College, where he earned his BA in psychology. He was most recently employed by TDI Towing. This past year at TDI, backed by unwavering support from his TDI teammates and owner Herb, Rosaire loved the work; he showed up with a smile, lifted spirits and did whatever it took to take care of the customer. Earlier in his life, he devoted himself to helping young people through roles at Northwestern Counseling and Support Services, BFA Fairfax, and Laraway Youth & Family Services.

Each summer for 19 years, he headed off to Camp Daybreak, where he rekindled his purpose: lifting up kids and, in turn, being changed by them. Friends remember him as incredibly intelligent

Marjorie K. Dickstein

1967-2025

Marjorie K. Dickstein, 58, of Starksboro, passed away on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester. Arrangements are in the care of PruneauPolli Funeral Home, 58 Summer Street in Barre.

and a gentle giant who created remarkable connections with campers and volunteers alike. He later brought that same heart and energy to Camp Thorpe.

Rogie’s passions were many. He treasured time outdoors, hunting and fishing with his dad and brothers. A devoted Boston Bruins fan, he shared countless evenings with his mom, and with Dustin and Sam, cheering on the Bruins over pizza.

Rosaire is survived by his father, David L. Fournier; his siblings: Tammy (Glenn) Fournier Johnson of Milton, Nicole (Fred) Fournier

Grisgraber of Jeffersonville, G. Dustin (Melissa) Bates of Colchester, Samantha Miller of St. Albans, Jesse Hendee Fournier of Swanton, Devin Fournier of South Burlington, Joseph Bates of Highgate and Joshua Bates of Highgate. He is also survived

by his cousin, Stacie Bilodeau, with whom he shared a special friendship fostered through their years together at Camp Daybreak, as well as many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was predeceased by his mother, Patsy N. Miller (June 27, 2020); his brother, David L. Fournier II (November 15, 2001); his grandparents, Rosaire J. Miller (September 30, 1997), Veronica T. Miller (January 3, 2004) and Marion A. Gratton (January 11, 2011); stepmother, Linda J. Fournier (April 16, 2021); uncle, Peter M. Fournier (November 23, 2009); and cousin, Peter M. Fournier Jr. (September 18, 2020).

Rosaire gave the gift of life by being an organ donor.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Stop Soldier Suicide in memory of Rosaire. By mail, make checks payable to Stop Soldier Suicide, Inc. and send to PO Box 670212, Dallas, TX 75267-0212, or give online at stopsoldiersuicide.org (select “Dedicate this donation Rosaire Fournier”).

Please join us for a celebration of life on Saturday, October 25, 2025, 1 to 4 p.m., at TDI, 50 Babbie Blvd., Swanton. Inurnment at St. Luke’s Catholic Cemetery (996 Main St., Fairfax, VT) will take place at a later date. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

William D. Barnes

JUNE 27, 1942-SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 COLCHESTER, VT.

William D. Barnes, 83, of Colchester, died unexpectedly at his home on Birchwood Drive on September 16, 2025.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, October 17, 2025, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Ready Funeral Home Mountain View Chapel, 68 Pinecrest Dr., Essex Junction. There will be a celebration of Bill’s life on Friday, October 24, 2025, 11 a.m., at St. Andrew’s Church, 1061 Prim Rd., Colchester, with a lunch to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Vermont Parks Forever, PO Box 815, Montpelier, VT 05601, or Age Well, 875 Roosevelt Hwy., Ste. 210, Colchester, VT 05446.

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

Ernest “Bill” Billings III

JUNE 30, 1957-OCTOBER 9, 2025

WINOOSKI, VT.

Ernest “Bill” Billings III, 68, partner of Cathy Langlais, passed away on October 9, 2025, at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

He was born on June 30, 1957, in Burlington, Vt., the son of the late Ernest (Jr.) and Jacqueline (Jackie) Billings. Bill was married to the late Doreen Newton Billings.

Bill was a jack-of-all-trades who worked in various capacities, including meat cutter, auto mechanic and at Woodbury Lumber Yard. He was best known for working at Bob’s Bike Shop.

Bill was a father, grandfather, brother (He always referred to himself as “This is Big Brother Bill” to his brothers and sisters) and friend to many.

He loved to cook and was known for his baked beans. He loved going to his good friend Earl’s house. He also loved fishing, football, racing and wrestling. His passion was to fix many of his family’s and friends’ cars.

husband Scott; and sister-in-law Julie. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Bill is also survived by many friends — too many to mention — but we would like to mention some: Stevie Billings (cousin), Buddy Lawrence, Bobby Miller and Tammy Richie, and we cannot forget to mention his dog Chico (who was his companion through this hard-fought battle).

He is predeceased by his parents, Ernest and Jackie Billings; wife, Doreen Newton Billings; brother Bruce Billings; brother David Billings; sister-in-law Kim Limoges Billings; best friend, Earl Richie; and Cathy’s sister Carol. He is also predeceased by his dogs Harley and Buddy.

He is survived by his partner and caregiver, Cathy Langlais; son Bill Billings and fiancée Melissa Cote; son Shayne Newton and wife Heather; daughter Brandi Austin and husband Seth; daughter Jenn Billings and partner Mike Steel; son Tyler Brandon; and daughter Sara Langlais. He also leaves behind his grandchildren, Jacob, Will, Caleb, Keegan, Randall, Brianna, Bentley, Kalub and Sophia; great-grandchildren, Perth, June and Riverah; brother Rod Billings and his dear friend Marianne; former sister-in-law Marianne; Brian Billings and wife Natalie; sister Kim Billings; brother Tom Billings and former wife Vickie; John Billings and wife Bev; sister Holly Wells and

The family would like to give a special thanks to Cathy Langlais for taking care of him and for advocating for him while he could not do that.

The family would also like to thank his brother Rod for the countless hours and days that he would spend doing for Bill and Cathy at a moment’s notice. He would get a call, and he would drop everything and run over there. Thanks Rod, we appreciate you!

The family would also like to thank Jason Barnier and brother Tom for getting that phone call and running over to help take care of whatever needed to be done. Also, a huge shout-out to Miller 5th floor staff for the care and support they gave to Bill and family during this difficult time.

Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, 5 to 7 p.m., at LaVigne Funeral Home, 132 Main St., Winooski, Vt. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, October 16, 2025, noon, at the funeral home, with burial to follow at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington. To send condolences to his family, please visit vtfuneralhomes.com.

Sanford “Sandy” Ladd II

JUNE 17, 1964-OCTOBER 13, 2025, ALBURGH, VT.

Sanford “Sandy” Ray Ladd II, 61, died on Monday, October 13, 2025, surrounded by loved ones and his ﬁre family, after a courageous battle with esophageal cancer.

Calling hours will be on Friday, October 17, 2025, 5 to 7 p.m., at the Minor Funeral Home, 237 Route 7 South, Milton, VT. On Saturday, October 18, 2025, 1 p.m., a celebration of Sandy’s life will be held at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel at Saint Michael’s College, 810 Campus Rd., Colchester, VT, with full ﬁreﬁghter burial to follow at the Old Methodist Cemetery, 45 Main St., Colchester. For the full obituary, please visit minorfh.com.

W. Landon Dennison Jr.

JANUARY 22, 1936OCTOBER 10, 2025

HINESBURG, VT.

W. Landon Dennison Jr. died at his home in Hinesburg, Vt., on Friday, October 10, 2025. He was 89 years old.

Known to all as Lanny, he was born in Princeton, N.J., on January 22, 1936. He attended Deerﬁeld Academy, graduated from Princeton University in 1958 and was a proud Princeton Tiger ever after.

In 1957, while working at the Lake Placid Club, Lanny Dennison met the love of his life, a beautiful Canadian woman named Alison Elizabeth Holland. ey married on July 4, 1960. After graduating from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Lanny served as the medical ofﬁcer for extendedlength patrols aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, SSBN-602, out of Groton, Conn.

outdoors, leading to summer jobs as a ranger in Yosemite National Park and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. An avid ﬂy ﬁsherman and hunter, Lanny loved his annual trips to deer camp and teaching his children and grandchildren to hunt.

In 1970, after completing his residency at Mary Hitchcock Hospital in Dartmouth while living in Norwich, Vt., Lanny and his young family moved into a ramshackle farmhouse on Town Road #8 in Hinesburg. Over the next 55 years they restored the house to its original 1789 condition (with the much-appreciated addition of central heat).

Lanny tied his own flies and took up horology in his later years to keep the family antique clocks working. He was a voracious reader, starting and ending his days with a book on diverse subjects, with his most recent read about an 18th-century Scottish philosopher.

Lanny and Alison spent their summers on their sailboat, exploring the bays and islands of Lake Champlain. ey also adventured with friends in Europe, Greece, Panama and Nova Scotia, among other places.

His Vermont connections started early in life and ran deep. He spent summers as a camper and counselor at Keewaydin Camp on Lake Dunmore, where his parents worked each summer. is ignited his lifelong love of the

e young doctor opened his dermatology practice, now Four Seasons Dermatology, traveling to the Northeast Kingdom, Middlebury and St. Albans. He never turned away a patient, taking payment in eggs, crocheted afghans and even feed for his daughter’s horse. Lanny was a sole practitioner his entire career, which he said allowed him to spend more time with his patients than a modern group practice would allow. It wasn’t unusual for him to stop by a patient’s home after church on Sunday.

A true Renaissance man,

Lanny leaves behind his wife of 65 years, Alison Holland Dennison; four children and their spouses, Meg Dennison and Tim Peek of Santa Cruz, Calif., Bill and Deb Dennison of South Burlington, Vt., Andrew and Alison Dennison of Hinesburg, Vt., and Michael and Tiffany Dennison of Lincoln, Vt.; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and brother, Tom and Marianne Dennison of Farmville, Va. He is predeceased by his parents, W. Landon and Louise Dennison Sr.

A celebration of Lanny’s life will be held on Sunday, October 26, 2025, 2 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne, Vt., with a reception to follow.

In lieu of ﬂowers, contributions in Lanny’s name may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, 5171 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne, VT 05482, or Hinesburg Community Resource Center, PO Box 444, Hinesburg, VT 05461.

1956-2022 “Gone but not forgotten.”

1955-2024

Stephen M. Milizia, 69, passed away peacefully at home on December 9, 2024. A service for family and friends will be held on Friday, October 24, at 11 a.m. at St. John Vianney Church on Hinesburg Road in South Burlington.

OCTOBER 12, 1956 Happy birthday, Thomas Ralph LaPointe Forever my friend. You are so missed. Love, Bug

OBITUARIES

Judith K. Duval

MARCH 31, 1944SEPTEMBER 23, 2025

JERICHO, VT.

Judith Kirkland Duval, 81, born March 31, 1944, passed away on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at the UVM Medical Center after a short illness. Judy was born in Claremont, N.H., the youngest child of four siblings, to Arthur H. Duval and Alice B. Fowler. In 1956, Alice passed away when Judy was only 12 years old. After graduating from Windsor High School in 1962, Judy attended the University of Vermont, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1966. Sadly, her father passed away unexpectedly in 1965. After leaving UVM, Judy moved to Boston, Mass., where she lived in a beautiful brownstone and worked for the

Jeremiah Beecher

NOVEMBER 4, 1937OCTOBER 8, 2025

SHELBURNE, VT.

Jeremiah “Jerry” Beecher of Shelburne, Vt., passed away on October 8, 2025, at Helen Porter Rehabilitation and Nursing Home.

Jerry was born on November 4, 1937, in Middlebury, Vt., to Henry and Evelyn Shea Beecher. He graduated from Middlebury High School in 1956. After high school Jerry entered the navy in the administrative command and served until 1960. Upon discharge he refined his trade and became a journeyman carpenter.

On May 18, 1963, he married Claire Vaillancourt at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Burlington, Vt. He worked on many commercial projects while building our family home and finished his career at Fletcher Allen UHC Campus, though he always remained active with carpentry for loved ones. In

Jordan Marsh Company. Judy loved her time in the city and was very much a fashionista. In or around 1968, Judy returned to UVM to earn a master’s of education in special education. Judy loved to travel and was lucky enough to go to Europe on at least four different occasions, which included

his free time, Jerry enjoyed all sports, especially local college basketball, and made a hobby of refereeing CYO and high school games. He was a member of the Carpenters Union, IAAB 105 Basketball Official Organization and the Rutland Elks 345. He will be remembered for his love of sports, passion for polka music and insatiable sweet tooth.

Jerry leaves behind his wife of 62 years, Claire; and his three children, Melissa Bonebo Hensen (William Hensen), James Beecher

visiting Ireland, Greece, Denmark and everything in between. She spent more than 30 years vacationing along the East Coast, including Bangor, Maine; Cape Cod, Mass.; Cape Hatteras, N.C.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C. Judy also loved the beach at the ocean, sitting out on her deck enjoying her view of Mount Mansfield, tending to her garden and flowers, and spending quality time with family.

Not long after receiving her master’s degree, Judy started her career as a special education teacher at Chamberlin Elementary School in South Burlington, Vt. In 1976, Judy purchased her first home in Jericho, Vt. It was around this same time that she began opening her heart and home to local foster children in addition to foreign exchange students.

(Caroline Daniels) and Betsy Beecher. He also leaves his three grandchildren, Olivia Bonebo, Vanessa Bonebo and Reid Atwood (Erin Langevin); his sister Marge Beecher Cole; brother-in-law David Vaillancourt (Annie Audet); nephew Christopher Cole (Rose Burroughs); and niece Alison Vaillancourt Telgenhoff (Michael Telgenhoff and children, Jacob, Emily and Joshua).

He was predeceased by his daughter Sarah Beecher; parents, Henry and Evelyn Beecher; sister Ellen Beecher; and brothers-in-law Paul Vaillancourt and Phillip Cote.

The family is very grateful to the staff for the care given to Jerry in the Memory Care Unit. They treated him like he was a member of their own family.

There will be a graveside service at the family’s convenience.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Helen Porter Memory Garden at Helen Porter Nursing Home, 115 Porter Dr., Middlebury, VT 05753.

In between caring for many children who needed a home, Judy adopted three boys. Two as a single mom, Travis and Colin; and then Chris, shortly after marrying Ralph Colt in October of 1988. Through this marriage, she gained a son, Rick Colt, whom Ralph had adopted prior to their marriage.

Judy did everything for her family and her children. She loved their Saturday night dinners and hosting huge Thanksgiving gatherings. Judy never missed an opportunity to travel with her sister Mary, who was her best friend. The two of them experienced many great trips and countless laughs together. After her husband passed in 2016, Judy moved back to her favorite place, the “little red house” on Hanley Lane in Jericho, Vt.

Judy absolutely loved

teaching and giving to the less fortunate. After 40 years of teaching, she retired from the Burlington School District, but she never retired from taking care of others. Following retirement, Judy worked closely with Howard Services, who provided respite care for her autistic son, Colin. She later became a home health care provider and again offered her services to several young adults in need of a home. Judy was such a generous and giving mother, wife, sister, aunt, friend and caregiver. She definitely believed that if you love what you do, it will never feel like work.

Judy is survived by her three sons, Christopher Duval Colt of Calais, Vt., Colin M. Duval of Jericho, Vt., and Travis Duval of Winooski, Vt.; her stepson, Richard Colt; her sister Mary

Robert J. Beaulieu

MAY 4, 1940-SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 ESSEX JUNCTION, VT.

Robert J. Beaulieu was born in Barre, Vt., on May 4, 1940, the son of Rene and Cecelia (McGoff) Beaulieu. Bob grew up in Barre and enjoyed the ideal small-town life. Summers were spent at the family cottage at Woodbury Lake.

He graduated from Spaulding High School in 1958 and Clark University in Worcester, Mass. In 1962 Bob married the love of his life, Patricia (Bunny) Delahanty, and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served as a special agent in the counterintelligence corps and was stationed in Concord, N.H.

Lachance of Brewer, Maine; her two nieces, Denise A. Duval of Somersworth, N.H., and Stephanie Lachance of Brewer, Maine; her sisterin-law, Sally Duval of Essex Junction, Vt.; her nephew Jason Duval, of Philomath, Ore.; six grandchildren; many foster children; and two cats. Judy is predeceased by her parents; her husband, Ralph Colt; her older sister, Eugenia L. Duval; her older brother, Alfred Duval; her two brothers-in-law, Wilfred A. Duval and Edgar A. Lachance; and her two nephews, Peter and Colin Duval.

A celebration of life took place on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 1378 VT Route 109, Waterville, Vt. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a local SPCA in Judy’s memory. Please visit awrfh. com to share your memories and condolences.

Bob and Bunny happily moved back to Vermont in 1968 and settled in Montpelier, where he joined the state as a budget analyst for several years. Always independent, Bob later pursued a career in real estate, opening his own agency called the Property Mart. He served as president of the Central

Vermont Multiple Listing Service and on the board of directors of the Vermont Association of Realtors. In the 1980s Bob sold the Property Mart and became a real estate appraiser with the Vermont Tax Department. Always a traveler and never a tourist, Bob delighted in traveling the world and exploring all 50 states. Bob was a member of the Mutuo Society and the 55+ Ski Club of Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Ever the optimist, Bob will always be remembered for his honest opinions, incredible bravery, joy of travel, love of New Orleans jazz and delight in Vermont’s four seasons. He was kind, adventurous and generous. Bob is survived by his son Jim, daughter-in-law Jamie, granddaughter Annalee, son-in-law Miles, granddaughter Samantha and her fiancé, Andrew. After Bunny passed, he enjoyed several wonderful years in the company of his close friend, Sandy Rasco. He is predeceased by his wife, Bunny; son Eric; and his sister Mary Jane Induni and brother-in-law, Steve Induni.

NowShowing

After 40 years, thousands of movies and a near-death experience, the Vermont International Film Foundation is helping fill a cinematic void in Burlington

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG • maryann@sevendaysvt.com

The 1954 horror flicks Godzilla and Creature From the Black Lagoon drew controversy when they played at the Vermont International Film Festival in 2004. Some believed that the Burlington event should remain true to its roots, which for nearly two decades prior had meant screening films to promote peace, justice and environmental preservation. Former festival director Kenneth Peck recalled making a speech in response, explaining how Godzilla , the sci-fi classic about a giant radioactive monster in postwar Japan, “really was a film about the environment and nuclear bombs and things.”

Creature From the Black Lagoon appeared to have even less social significance. Thenboard president Barry Snyder defended it, telling Seven Days at the time that “a connection can be made to Cold War paranoia.”

It’s the major force for film culture, certainly in Chittenden County, and one of the leading forces in the state.

JAY CRAVEN

No such kerfuffles are expected this week, as the 40th-anniversary edition of the Vermont International Film Festival opens its 10-day run. When executive director Steve MacQueen booked campy cult filmmaker John Waters to give live commentary during a screening of his outrageous 1974 romp Female Trouble , no one asked MacQueen to connect the dots between the “Prince of Puke” and human rights. The headliner event sold out an hour after tickets went on sale to the general public.

Clearly, much has changed at Vermont’s oldest film festival. While traditional themes are represented in this year’s lineup — expect documentaries on war-torn Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, along with one about an effort to protect snow leopards in Nepal — the 80 festival films were not selected for their subject matter. Rather, members of the programming committee combed the globe in search of cinematic excellence to meet the fest’s current mission: “bring the world to Vermont through film.”

The Vermont International Film Foundation, a nonprofit started in 1985 to promote world peace, has grown from

VTIFF staff, from left: Steve MacQueen, Gail Clook and Oliver O’Sullivan in the Screening Room

the host of a grassroots biennial film fest devoted exclusively to documentaries into a thriving year-round operation. Most recently, it has stepped up to help fill the void left by the November 2024 closure of Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas, Burlington’s last commercial movie theater.

“It’s the major force for film culture, certainly in Chittenden County, and one of the leading forces in the state,” said Peacham filmmaker Jay Craven, cofounder and artistic director of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival.

In addition to its 10-day flagship festival, VTIFF collaborates with Vermont Public to produce the Made Here Film Festival, an April event featuring films from New England and Québec. Throughout the year, the film foundation plays movies in the 220-seat Film House at Main Street Landing and its own 34-seat Screening Room in the same building. The latter microcinema has hosted 132 screenings since opening in March 2024.

VTIFF’s Film House showings started out monthly but increased in frequency and broadened in scope after the Roxy closed. The 22 films shown so far this year include art-house and mainstream hits that distributors previously would not have made available to VTIFF if they played at the Roxy: Sean Baker’s Anora; Queer, starring Daniel Craig; Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, from French writer and director Laura Piani; and Highest 2 Lowest, Spike Lee’s latest release, starring Denzel Washington. Sold-out shows, formerly “a wonderful surprise,” according to VTIFF associate director Gail Clook, have become a more regular occurrence. On average, the Film House is nearly 75 percent full.

The signature fall festival, which runs October 17 to 26 this year, remains VTIFF’s largest event. The fact that it still exists is, in itself, remarkable.

The movie industry continues in a downward spiral sparked by Hollywood’s dual writers’ and actors’ strikes that ended two years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported this month. Though American movie theaters’ box office earnings hit $9 billion in 2024 — up 20 percent from the year before — they remained $2 billion shy of their pre-2020 numbers, market research database IBISWorld reports.

In Burlington, vandalism, open drug use and homelessness compounded those national pressures, forcing Merrill Jarvis III to close the Roxy one year after shuttering Palace 9 Cinemas in South Burlington. The Jarvis dynasty, which once operated 13 theaters, now owns one: Majestic 10 in Williston.

VTIFF has a different business model. It doesn’t have to fill seats seven days a week, which makes the enterprise less risky. But the nonprofit has faced its own challenges.

The steady buffet of heady documentaries it once offered earned it a dour image, dampening ticket sales and forcing a painful, prolonged identity crisis that pushed it to the brink of closure in the early 2010s.

And yet, it has emerged larger and stronger. As the film foundation turns 40, it stands on steadier ground than many traditional cinemas.

“For years, I have felt that the Vermont International Film Festival is the most enriching cultural event in Burlington,” said Allan Kunigis, a film buff from Shelburne. “And with all the expanded offerings, it’s not even close anymore.”

A COMING-OF-AGE STORY

VTIFF’s story unspools like a good movie: When a cast of characters full of heart and short on cash starts a film festival to stop nuclear war, antics — and struggles — ensue.

George and Sonia Cullinen founded the film organization in 1985 with a loftier goal than simply introducing Vermonters to cutting-edge cinema: world peace. Known for his white beard and beret, George had ridden the rails during the Great Depression, sailed with the U.S. Merchant Marine

and fought in the Spanish Civil War. He and Sonia had operated a private, progressive elementary school in Queens for about two decades before retiring to Vermont. That’s when George became a filmmaker.

The Wilmington couple were inspired to start a global peace film festival after attending the 1983 Hiroshima

International Film Festival in Japan, where George’s short documentary “Washington to Moscow” was awarded a UNESCO Prize.

The film told the story of a 1981 walk from Washington, Vt., to Moscow, Vt., that called for the U.S. and the Soviet Union to agree to mutual nuclear disarmament. “We went to Hiroshima to receive the award and were deeply moved by our experience in the city that fell victim to world’s first nuclear attack,” the couple recalled in the 1987 program for their own festival.

Working with friends and members of the Concerned Citizens of Deerfield Valley, the Cullinens formed a nonprofit, rounded up more than 60 sponsors and, in spring 1985, launched the first Vermont World Peace Film Festival at Marlboro College. It screened 25 films over three days, and letters of support from such varied luminaries as Carl Sagan, Ed Asner and Norman Lear were read aloud. In 1987, the festival moved to the University of Vermont, and it has presented films at venues in and around Burlington ever since.

Initially, filmmakers submitted work in three categories — war and peace, justice and human rights, and the environment — and a jury evaluated them using an elaborate scoring system. “It was totally complicated and unrealistic to keep that going, but that’s how the first festival came about,” said Snyder, a member of those early juries and, later, the board of directors, on which he served as president for three years in the early 2000s.

Early on, the event was renamed the EarthPeace International Film Festival. (That didn’t last long. “As one of the board members said, ‘It ain’t catchy,’” former director and board member Peck recalled.) In 1994, it became the Vermont International Film Festival. Though it retained its social mission, it dropped the peace dove logo.

“That caused a great deal of uproar,” Snyder said.

The controversies didn’t end there. Tensions simmered for years as organizers wrestled with the idea of expanding beyond the festival’s initial tight focus.

‘DOOM AND GLOOM’

The Cullinens, and some like-minded organizers, remained adamant that this was a social justice film festival. Others argued that that mission, though noble, was not sustainable. The founders, who died in the early 2000s, weren’t actively involved after the first few years, but they “were not shy about feeling that they had ownership,” Snyder said. They were concerned with the greater cause,

Sonia and George Cullinen

Orly Yadin

John Waters is the king of filth. A filmmaker, author, comedian and all-around queer icon, the Baltimore-born bicoastal auteur has reigned over a kingdom of trash, kitsch and camp for almost 50 years. From his early run-and-gun shoots to major Hollywood productions, his films have consistently polarized audiences and critics. Some have hailed him as a mad genius, while others have declared his work the most disgusting of all time.

Look no further than his 1972 cult classic Pink Flamingos , in which drag diva Divine, a frequent collaborator, literally eats dog shit — no cuts, no special e ects, no trick photography. Once considered a high-water mark of obscenity and banned in several countries, the ﬁlm landed on the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2021 alongside family-friendly fare such as Return of the Jedi, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and WallE. (His ﬁlm Hairspray, which spawned the Broadway musical of the same name, was added the following year.)

I’m using shock value to make a p nt — so y will stop, so y ’ll be amazed and then listen to what I ha to say.

JOHN WATERS

Waters, 79, ponders (and, perhaps facetiously, laments) his reversal from reviled smut-monger to respected artist in his 2019 memoir, Mr. Know-It-All: The Tarnished Wisdom of a Filth Elder . Not even he quite understands how his own ﬁlms that celebrate depravity have become globally revered and preserved.

One such ﬁlm is 1974’s Female Trouble Divine plays angsty teen Dawn, who, after not receiving the “cha-cha” heels she requested for Christmas, runs away from home, gets knocked up, and grows into a fame- and glamour-obsessed miscreant encircled by a rogues’ gallery of similarly ﬁendish associates. Waters will present the film with live commentary and a post-screening discussion at this year’s Vermont International Film Festival on Wednesday, October 22, to a sold-out audience in Burlington.

Seven Days recently caught up with the ﬁlmmaker by phone.

Dirty R en Sc ndrel

VTIFF headliner John Waters talks Female Trouble, ﬁlm controversies and why crumbling cities are good for the arts

BY JORDAN ADAMS

Is there a particular scene in Female Trouble that you’re still especially proud of today?

I think knocking over the Christmas tree. Pretty iconic, even if you hate the movie. It happened for real. The Christmas tree did fall over on my grandmother. Nobody pushed her — it was an accident — but I remember being obsessed by that as a child. It wasn’t as if she was pinned under the presents screaming or anything. I’ve told the story many times in my Christmas show, and people all over the world told me how common an occurrence it is. Usually, the tree falls over because of alcohol or the dog.

What can you say about shock value?

I’m using shock value to make a point — so you will stop, so you’ll be amazed and then listen to what I have to say. It’s easy to be shocking. All movies that say they’re like John Waters — I hate those movies, because they’re usually trying too hard. I make fun of the rules that people who think they’re outsiders live by, not insiders. We already make fun of those rules. They’re too easy. What shocks people is that you are unapologetic and joyous about the rules that you break for a good reason.

You’re one of the only people who’s seen Tom Six’s latest ﬁlm, e Onania Club, which is supposedly so offensive that it’s unreleasable. What’s the deal?

It’s a really well-made movie, but no one will ever be able to screen it. It’s so politically incorrect. It’s about rich, face-lifted Beverly Hills women who gather together to jerk o while watching starving Black children or 9/11 news footage.

Right, but all of that is in the trailer, so what else is in this movie that makes it such a problem for distributors? How is it more offensive than your own ﬁlms?

Well, there’s lots of necrophilia. They get celebrity look-alike corpses to have sex with. It shocked me, but it is good It delivers. The Human Centipede was shocking, too. To me, it’s in the same vein, but there’s some extremes in it that — it’s never gonna ﬂy.

What do you think ﬁlmmakers who are told their ﬁlms are unreleasable should do?

You have to know the business you’re in. You have to have humor. It has to satirize something in some way or change how you think about things to be — the dreaded word — transgressive, which is a good word, but you can never say it about yourself.

John Waters

What other words do you have strong opinions about?

My three most hated ones are “journey” — a journey is escaping from Ukraine, not winning the Film Independent Spirit Award. I hate the word “rigorous,” for art. I hate “humbled.” If you’re that humbled, go get in a paddle wheel somewhere.

What about $10 words?

Highfalutin words? I like “pernicious.” I was called that once.

Burlington just banned public nudity after many years of tolerance. Any thoughts?

I’ve never been nude. Andy Warhol said nudity was a threat to his existence. Most people at nude beaches are the ones you wish would put their clothes back on. The cute ones are never nude, right?

San Francisco still tolerates nudity. You have to sit on a towel; that’s my favorite. You see people waiting for the bus nude, which does make me laugh. It makes me think of the movie The Nude Restaurant that Warhol made. But I don’t want to sit next to you nude. You might be comfortable with your own body, but I’m not. You might have impetigo, I don’t know. I don’t want your amoebas jumping o onto me. Keep them in your own pond.

We see a lot of news about crumbling cities, including Baltimore. Have you

seen any positive developments in your hometown?

All those cities Trump is going after, saying they’re nightmares — yeah, in some ways, it’s true. But that’s why they’re cheap enough for a bohemia. That’s why there’s still room for the arts and everything. You need a scary neighborhood to open a fancy new restaurant. You need a bad neighborhood so the gays can come in and ﬁx it up and ﬂip it and make money.

Those cities are the coolest cities, the ones he’s coming out against. You need a little danger to start something new.

I remember when Trump came out against the roaches and rats. I was on “CBS Morning News” the next morning. I said, “We celebrate that.” In Hairspray, Ricki Lake kicks a rat o her shoe during her ﬁrst kiss. She wears a roach-print dress.

You take what people use against you, and you exaggerate and embrace it and turn it into a style — and you win. I’ve always done that. ➆

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

SPIRIT

Flick Tips

With 54 feature films on offer (plus several showcases of shorts), this year’s Vermont International Film Festival is exciting — and daunting, as you wonder how to plan your personal 10 days of cinema. We’ve combed through the offerings and created a quick quiz to help you make your selections.

“I want a leg up on my office’s Oscar pool.”

A quiz to guide you through the weird and wonderful offerings of VTIFF

BY MARGOT HARRISON • margot@sevendaysvt.com

INFO

Vermont International Film Festival, Friday, October 17, to Sunday, October 26, at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington. Individual tickets $6-12; 10-pack $100; festival pass $150. Find full schedule and film descriptions at vtiff.org.

winner Laura Poitras (Citizenfour), is a good awards bet. So is The Librarians (October 20 and 24), which tackles the all-too-timely subject of book banning.

“I want a window on what’s happening in the world.”

Sepideh Farsi’s Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (October 21 and 26) chronicles a year of FaceTime conversations with a young photojournalist in Gaza. After history gave the documentary a tragic coda, 350 Cannes attendees signed a letter condemning the ongoing situation.

Khartoum (October 19 and 22) brings us into the lives of five people trying to rebuild in the wake of Sudan’s disastrous civil war. Timestamp (October

Fuller has indeed led a fascinating life, and his passion is palpable and contagious. The willingness to make mistakes, the inevitability of failure, and unending perseverance are relatable and inspiring themes... as the author proudly asserts that, with passion and tenacity, everyone can find their “felicity.” — Kirkus Reviews

Available now at Vermont Bookshop in Middlebury, Recycled Reading in Bristol, Phoenix Books in Burlington, bookshop.org & other online stores.

robertfullerauthor.com

Seeking an advance peek at the movies likely to be nominated for awards this season? You’ll want to catch Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon (October 23), a period piece about the professional breakup of musical theater icons Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (played by Andrew Scott and Ethan Hawke, respectively). This one’s probably also a must for theater kids of all ages.

Wagner Moura is getting tons of buzz for his performance in The Secret Agent (October 26), a Brazilian espionage thriller set in 1977. So is Carmen Maura — beloved star of many early Pedro Almodóvar films — for her turn as an older woman facing a big move in Calle Malaga (October 25).

The trippy-sounding Spanish epic Sirât (October 21) received the Cannes Film Festival’s Jury Prize, as did Sound of Falling (October 20), which chronicles the 20th century in Germany through the stories of four women inhabiting the same farm in different eras. In another Cannes entry, Magellan (October 22), Filipino director Lav Diaz retells the story of the first European (Gael García Bernal) to cross the Pacific. The festival’s Palme d’Or went to It Was Just an Accident (October 18), from Jafar Panahi, who courageously continues to make films in Iran despite being under a government ban.

On the documentary side, Cover-Up (October 25), a profile of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh from Oscar

20 and 23) explores Ukrainian schools during wartime. Cutting Through Rocks (October 18 and 23) tells the unlikely yet true story of a motorcycle-riding feminist activist in rural Iran. Home Is the Ocean (October 20 and 25) takes us on a sevenyear odyssey with an activist family that lives on shipboard.

On the fiction side, Living the Land (October 24) is a drama about the rhythms of Chinese farming life. My Father’s Shadow (October 17) offers a slice of Nigerian history in the form of a family drama. Yes! (October 23) is Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s fiercely satirical reckoning with his homeland’s invasion of Gaza.

“I want to see something too weird for any multiplex.” With John Waters as a headliner, this year’s VTIFF unsurprisingly offers plenty for aficionados of the oddball, campy and outrageous. The program specifically notes the Waters vibe of Fucktoys (October 23), the story of a sex worker’s quest for a clean aura in a Southern burg called Trashtown. Director Annapurna Sriram is a Burlington native who spent time in the city doing preproduction work on Fucktoys during the pandemic.

Heads or Fails (October 19 and 24), a way-out-there comedy from Belgium, features a squatter protagonist who calls herself the Queen of Shenanigans. Spinal Tap fans should check out Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (October 18), an absurdist tale of how not to name a band. Despite its demure title, Colombian film A Poet (October 19) promises a mercilessly comic character study of a would-be bard. In By Design (October 24), Juliette Lewis sends her consciousness into a vintage chair.

For those celebrating spooky season, Dead Lover (October 24) is a low-fi “ Bride of Frankenstein remix” from Canada. Reedland (October 24) is an unconventional Dutch murder mystery partially scored to the eerie rushing of wind through reeds. A Useful Ghost (October 21 and 26), from Thailand, addresses a pressing question: What if appliances could be haunted? So yes, you have your pick of two movies about human souls trapped inside objects.

The Secret Agent

Khartoum

Fucktoys

2. Your least favorite thing about streaming services is…

“They offer too much slop, not enough true variety.”

Have you ever wanted to revisit a movie from your youth, only to learn it wasn’t streaming anywhere? Missing Movies is an organization devoted to tracking down those films. At a free October 25 talk called “How Movies Go Missing,” cofounders Nancy Savoca and Richard Guay discuss how movies fall through the cracks in the streaming landscape. VTIFF also screens two of Savoca’s own “lost” works, Dogfight (October 24), a 1991 gem starring River Phoenix and Lili Taylor; and Household Saints (October 25), plus a documentary (October 25) by Savoca and Guay’s daughter about the making of the latter.

Cinephiles who thrive on callbacks to the history of film may not be well served by streaming algorithms, but they are the ideal audience for Bi Gan’s Resurrection (October 21). This visually sumptuous meta-movie prompted an IndieWire headline to ask, “Is This an Endurance Test or Imaginative, Boundary-Defying Cinema?” Defy the automated recommendations and find out for yourself.

features Aditya Joshi’s “A West Side Story Story,” coproduced by locals Luis and Cemí Guzmán.

Part-time Stowe resident Heidi Levitt directed the partially Vermont-shot documentary Walk With Me (October 18 and 20), a moving portrait of her relationship with her husband, art director Charlie Hess, after his diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. A panel discussion with Levitt and representatives from community support

Jan Fontaine, Hyde Park

Welcome, new Super Readers!

ese wonderful people made their ﬁrst donation to Seven Days this week:

Susan Callahan Jon Meyer

Deborah Meyer

Here are some of the repeat and recurring Super Readers who sustain us all year:

“They make me feel disconnected from my community.”

If you missed VTIFF’s Made Here Film Festival in the spring, you can see “favorites” from the featured Vermont and Québec films on October 23 and 25. On October 24 and 26, the first of two programs of international shorts

“A West Side Story Story”

Bonnie Acker

John Davis

Karen Amirault

Jennifer Arbuckle

Elyssa Back

Lesli Blount

William Chabot

Ryan Freebern

Seth Gibson

Sheryl Graves

John Olson

Mary Otto

Gayle Phillabaum

Geoffrey Pizzutillo

Gail Rosenberg

Anita Rosencrantz

Robert Tutwiler

Eric Samuelsen

Susan Smereka

Payton Swick

Ellen Urman

organizations will follow the October 18 screening.

University of Vermont associate professor Angelo Madsen presents his latest documentary, A Body to Live In, with a Q&A on October 19. It profiles performance artist Fakir Musafar (19302018), who practiced body modification as a form of liberatory expression.

With Vignettes of Veiled Light (October 26), local filmmakers Alexandra and Myles Jewell give Burlingtonians a chance to revisit the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse of April 8, 2024. Remember when we all stopped doomscrolling and gazed into the sky as one? Recapture that feeling, if only for an hour. ➆

Make your contribution today! sevendaysvt.com/super-readers

Or send a a check w/note to: Seven Days c/o Super Readers, PO Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402.

Need more info? Contact Gillian English at 865-1020, ext. 115 or superreaders@sevendaysvt.com. Join these generous folks and other Super Readers who donate monthly to:

Household Saints

TRU

Now Showing

he added, but the board had bills to pay, and there was a limited audience for documentaries “on social issues that were often really depressing.”

“Fun is not a word generally associated with the Vermont International Film Festival,” began a 2004 Seven Days article. “Interesting? Yes. Informative? Always. But the annual Burlington event devoted to ‘images and issues of global concern’ is no laugh riot for audiences.”

Simply put, “It became known as the Doom and Gloom Festival,” said Orly Yadin, executive director from 2012 to 2023.

The reputation lingered for years, hindering VTIFF’s bottom line. The foundation couldn’t always afford an office or staff members. Between 2008 and 2011, it staged four festivals without an executive director, so unpaid board members orchestrated everything. “It was a struggle!” then-board president Deb Ellis said in an email. Ellis recalled riding in the back seat of a car en route to a weekend in Cape Cod, editing and proofreading a festival program.

“There was nobody else who could do it,” she said. “I just remember it being overwhelming.”

The festival’s future appeared dim. “It literally almost died,” said Ellis, a documentary filmmaker and University of Vermont film professor. “We really just didn’t have funding. We didn’t have a way to keep on going.”

She recalled board conversations in her living room “and various other places” about the need for an executive

director. Board member Yadin, who made animated documentary films, volunteered to take the position — unpaid for a year, if she couldn’t raise more than enough to cover her salary. She started on January 1, 2012, and took a paycheck a year later.

“Orly was a great fundraiser,” Ellis said. Yadin had the drive needed to keep VTIFF alive, Peck said: “There’s almost this fierceness to her. When she gets determined to do something, it’s going to happen.”

In meetings with donors and talks to local groups, Yadin laid out plans to chart a new course. Rather than restrict its focus to social issues, VTIFF would become about the art of cinema, she said. That didn’t mean that films couldn’t be about social issues, she clarified, but promoting those issues would no longer be the purpose of the organization. Yadin would present “independent films from around the world to show how other people felt or thought, or what they experienced,” she said.

Under her leadership, VTIFF expanded its programming. It played free movies in Burlington City Hall Park to raise its profile, started the Global Roots Film Festival in 2013 to show films from the origin countries of Vermont’s new Americans and partnered with Vermont Public to celebrate regional filmmakers with the Made Here Film Festival.

Yadin brought Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite to the festival in 2019, just before the South Korean film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, becoming the first non-English-language film to take the top prize.

I just want to keep showing really great films from across the spectrum, from around the world.

STEVE MACQUEEN

She also brought in high-profile guests, including Oscar-winning filmmaker Charles Burnett ( Killer of Sheep , My Brother’s Wedding, To Sleep With Anger) and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. The group played live in 2013 after a screening of Brothers Hypnotic, a documentary about the eight sons of jazz trumpeter Phil Cohran who formed the band.

Three years later, when animated feature The Triplets of Belleville screened at the Flynn Main Stage, Oscar-nominated composer Benoît Charest brought his orchestra from Montréal to play the film score live.

Under Yadin, VTIFF started a membership program, a tool that gives nonprofit arts presenters valuable up-front revenue, and a daily festival happy hour to entice matinee audiences to stay for evening shows.

Shortly after Snyder and Eric Ford launched the Burlington Film Society in 2012 to cultivate film culture and show films monthly, Yadin suggested that it become part of VTIFF, a mutually beneficial move that would give

the society administrative support and inject VTIFF with film-loving audience members. That’s when the foundation began offering monthly screenings in the Film House, giving itself a year-round presence.

ON THE WATERFRONT

Chain-link fencing blocks the entrance to the Roxy. “That was my theater,” film lover Abby Kenney lamented. Now, she and other Burlingtonians who want to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster have to drive seven miles to Williston or nine to Essex. For art-house movies, however, they can stay in town — thanks to VTIFF.

When MacQueen took over executive director duties from Yadin two years ago, “I walked into a stable organization that was primed to move forward,” he said.

The film foundation had made money in nine of the prior 10 years and had assets worth $299,000. One of the last things Yadin did was negotiate a lease for office and cinema space at Main Street Landing. The first thing MacQueen did was sign it. VTIFF, which had bounced around town and through board members’ living rooms, was finally visible and accessible. Its waterfront office faces Lake Street.

With MacQueen, 62, VTIFF has a seasoned arts presenter and lifelong film buff. He was a U.S. Air Force brat who always felt at home in a movie theater whenever his family landed in a new town, he said. After working as a reporter and movie critic in Tallahassee, Fla., his career in the arts took him to Atlanta, North Carolina, back to Florida and then to the Flynn, where he was artistic director from 2012 to 2022. MacQueen selected and booked musicians, dance ensembles, theater companies and the occasional comedian.

“Film’s always been my favorite thing,” he said. His movie-idol name is a coincidence. His mother, seeking to spare him the name his father had proposed — Angus Eldred, in honor of his two grandfathers — suggested Steven. “I looked it up,” he said. “The Great Escape came out the month after I was born, and that’s when Steve McQueen became a star.”

Steve MacQueen continues to build VTIFF. The organization hired its third full-time staffer last year, and membership has jumped to 504, up from 275 a year ago.

MacQueen invites local guest curators to present movies in the Screening Room as a way of expanding viewpoints. He asked five comedians to pick movies they found funny and burlesque artist Katniss Everqueer to curate “Queer ComingOut Stories,” in which five people each showed the film that first made them

feel less alone. “Surprise Me! With Ryan Miller” was a two-night event in which the Guster singer screened a movie without sharing the title in advance.

The Screening Room provides great flexibility. Shortly after Robert Redford died, VTIFF presented two of the actor’s movies, Three Days of the Condor and Jeremiah Johnson, as a “Remembering Robert Redford” series.

The Screening Room was 8 months old and MacQueen had been on the job for 17 months when the Roxy shut its doors last year. “I hate to celebrate the closing of a first-run theater, but it’s helped us out in terms of being able to show the more popular art-house movies,” MacQueen said. The closure “caused us to really step up our game,” he added. “And I think we’ve done a really good job. I think when people come to see a movie at VTIFF, they under stand they’re going to see a movie that’s presented by people who love movies.”

Soon, there will be competition. A new nonprofit called Partizanfilm is establish ing a two-screen microcinema on College Street to show first-run independent and foreign films — and occasional repertory fare — seven days a week. It’s expected to open in November, but MacQueen isn’t worried.

“More opportunities to see movies is a good thing,” he said. “The ideal is that we work together really well and balance each other.” Burlington, as a college town, should have the audience to support both entities, he added.

While that remains to be seen, VTIFF is strongly positioned as a trusted cura tor of film, he said. “I just want to keep showing really great films from across the spectrum, from around the world, from different filmmakers, and connect with people who love movies.”

The 40th-anniversary festival is poised to deliver on all of that. It features 80 films from 40 countries over 10 days — ranging from “Little Kid Flicks,” a collec tion of animated and live-action shorts from around the world; to Potemkin , a 100-year-old Soviet silent masterpiece; to A Useful Guest film featuring a brawl between a vacuum cleaner and a refrigerator. And, of course, it will present one of the fest’s biggest headliners ever: John Waters.

“He’s a great American filmmaker, and I knew he’d be perfect for Burlington,” said MacQueen, who has seen Waters speak four times and finds him “hysteri cally funny,” he said. “Quite blue,” he added. “But that’ll be fun.”

MacQueen booked him, and no one blinked an eye. ➆

John Killacky, Corpus BCA Center installation, 2025

Pizza With a Purpose

As Waitsﬁeld’s American Flatbread turns 40, a new generation takes the lead

STORY MELISSA PASANEN | PHOTOS JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

Shortly after Rob Downey and Paul Sayler opened their Burlington outpost of American Flatbread in 2004, company founder George Schenk came from Waitsﬁeld to speak to the sta . Downey recalled scribbling down everything Schenk said. Then he compiled the wisdom and, following a Flatbread tradition that Schenk had started years earlier, turned it into a “menu dedication.” The one-page tributes and poetic musings are written weekly and tucked into Flatbread menus or displayed on tables.

Downey titled this dedication “The World According to George.” Among its 40 lines:

“Conduct business in a way that is respectful to farmers, sta , purveyors, and customers.”

“We can’t be a great pizzeria when the rest of the community crumbles around us.”

“We believe in shared meals; everybody eating the same thing unifies the experience.”

Over American Flatbread’s four decades, these principles — respect, community support and gathering around wood-fired, locally topped pizzas — have served as the Vermont institution’s spiritual North Star. But, toward the end of the aughts, that bright star began to feel distant to Schenk and his wife, who is also named George but called GG. On top of running the flagship Waitsfield restaurant and bed-and-breakfast, they were juggling the needs of more than a dozen licensed locations, plus production of 4,000 flatbreads weekly for their nationally distributed frozen line.

The couple decided to return to their roots. By 2012, they had sold their restaurant

IT JUST KEPT DRAWING ME BACK.

WILLIS SCHENK

development group, licensed the frozen ﬂatbread and refocused on the core values at the company’s Mad River Valley heart — or “relocalized,” in George’s words.

Now, the Schenks are completing the sale of the business to their 33-year-old son, Willis, who was reared on American Flatbread — corporally and philosophically. He will chart his own course while keeping his parents’ North Star ﬁrmly in his sights.

George, 73, was raised on a di erent kind of pizza in Connecticut: the famed Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana coal-ﬁred pies in New Haven. He arrived in the Mad River Valley as a ski bum in 1979 and soon fell in love with Vermont, cooking and his future wife. She became GG, for “Girl George,” alongside “the more notable George,” she joked.

American Flatbread was born in 1985 in the couple’s Warren yard, where George

built a small wood-burning stone oven. The drafty, doorless oven did not suit loaves, so he tried baking thin, ﬂat breads. “Once you have a ﬂat piece of dough in front of you,” he said, “it’s sort of hard not to embellish it with things.”

In 1987, with their 9-month-old daughter, Hanna, strapped to one of their backs,

Wood-fired flatbread at American Flatbread in Waitsfield

GG, Willis and George Schenk outside the Inn at Lareau Farm and American Flatbread in Waitsﬁeld PIZZA

SIDEdishes

SERVING UP FOOD NEWS

Mandarin to Close in Winooski

LAWRENCE FONG announced on social media last week that he will close MANDARIN, his 7-year-old Winooski restaurant, at the end of October. Fong, 42, told Seven Days that the restaurant’s head chef decided to retire and he could find neither a local replacement with the necessary training nor a suitable candidate willing to relocate to Vermont.

“Chinese food takes a special skill set,” Fong said. “It’s not like pizza and burgers.”

The loss of Mandarin’s chef coincided with another restaurateur inquiring about taking over the space. “The stars kind of aligned,” Fong said. “I was having a hard time finding help, so I made the hard decision to let it go.”

Fong, who also has a real estate business, owns the restaurant building at 22 Main Street but said he was not at liberty to name his new tenant. He did note that the restaurant will be Asian

Mandarin’s closure marks the end of almost four decades of Chittenden County Chinese restaurants owned by the Fong family. Fong’s mother, Joyce Fong, presided over Joyce’s Noodle House in Essex for nearly 20 years before it closed in 2021. Before that, the Fongs owned another restaurant named Mandarin, which they opened in 1988 on Burlington’s Church Street.

“A lot of people have followed my family and our journey,” Lawrence Fong said. “It is sad that our food won’t be offered anymore in the area.”

MELISSA PASANEN

Whereabouts Adds Pop-Ups and a Speakeasy to Stowe’s Day Haus

Stowe coworking space and social club

DAY HAUS has a new food and drink side, and it’s open to the public. WHEREABOUTS, a “bodega and speakeasy” attached to Day Haus at 299 Mountain Road,

pop-ups. An evening bar will open by the end of the month, liquor license pending.

Day Haus founder HANNAH MITRANI sees Whereabouts as the members-only business’ “cool cousin,” where the general public can see what the space is all about, she told Seven Days. Opened in March 2024, Day Haus has roughly 40 members.

A small shop stocks snacks, drinks, merch and Mitrani’s other “favorite things,” she said. Since July, Whereabouts has also been home to a weekly coffee shop from TWO SONS BAKEHOUSE, a bakery with locations in Hyde Park and Johnson. On Friday and Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or whenever goods sell out, bakery staff carry Two Sons’ bread, bagels and pastries and serve a full menu of specialty drinks with coffee from MOVEMENT COFFEE

“My idea is to host incredible bakers, chefs and baristas in the space to showcase what they have,” Mitrani said.

In the evening, the tiny space — designed by stylist Molly Velte with a 14-seat bar — will soon have a limited menu, including cocktails, wine, beer and snacks such as chips, olives and Two Sons’ Pop-Tart-style pastries.

A sign on the window says Whereabouts is for “members, friends of members, and friends of friends of

CONNECT

Follow us for the latest food gossip!

Scorpion Bowl, General Tso’s chicken and Roku gin martini at Mandarin

Lawrence Fong

Pizza With a Purpose

the Schenks started holding weekly flatbread pop-ups using an oven George built at Waitsfield’s Tucker Hill Lodge, where he worked as a cook.

The name “flatbread” stuck, George said, to distinguish his pizza in a crowded landscape and because he thought it sounded more elegant. He appended “American” in a nod to New American cuisine, the era’s culinary movement that celebrated the fresh, local ingredients he used as toppings.

Since childhood, when George watched his grandmother cook on a wood-fired stove, he’d been entranced by “the beauty and the effect that the fire has on the food,” he said.

George recalled the summer night when he realized that flatbread would be his life’s work. “The full moon was rising in the east, and there was the firelight in my eyes, my daughter on my back and my wife next to me, helping me,” he said. “I had one of those moments of rare perfection in life.”

People flocked to Tucker Hill Lodge for the Schenks’ flatbread, and they added more nights before launching wholesale production of frozen pies in 1990. George knew that the seasonal, mostly weekend Mad River Valley restaurant business would not support their growing family.

In 1992, the Schenks opened their own weekend restaurant in the barn at Waitsfield’s Lareau Farm, where they had previously moved their frozen production. Monday through Thursday, a team churned out flatbreads for retail orders; then, with a flurry of moving folding tables and chairs, the barn became a restaurant on Friday and Saturday. That year, their frozen line got a boost from a distribution partnership with Ben & Jerry’s.

“It was a big step up from driving it around in people’s cars,” said GG, 76.

George also credits the ice cream company with demonstrating how to build a socially responsible business. Flatbread threw its first Benefit Bake for Florida hurricane relief on his 40th birthday, in 1992. Today, George said, the Flatbread restaurants raise several hundred thousand dollars annually through such events — one of many ways they support their communities.

A Flatbread fan who skied in the Mad River Valley launched the first licensed restaurant in 1998 in Amesbury, Mass. George saw expansion as an opportunity to spread good food and build a stronger company.

Around the same time, two young

Vermont entrepreneurs tasted their first flatbreads and were wowed. Downey and Sayler are now business partners in Third Place, a hospitality company that operates American Flatbread restaurants in Burlington and Stowe and has provided support and funding for many local food and beverage brands, including Zero Gravity Craft Brewery.

When the duo met with George in the late 1990s about opening a brewpub with an American Flatbread menu, he welcomed their interest warmly but asked what they knew about the restaurant business. Then he invited them to work with his baking team.

“What struck me immediately was how egalitarian and nurturing the environment was,” Sayler recalled. “George is an exemplar of a true businessman but also does it in such an openhearted way.”

“George represented to me everything that was good and right about doing business in Vermont,” Downey said, from deploying commerce for social good to supporting local farms.

The pair partnered with the Schenks to launch a Middlebury Flatbread in 2002. Two years later, they opened their own American Flatbread Burlington Hearth on St. Paul Street under a licensing agreement.

Beyond those direct ties, Flatbread’s “roots and mission have permeated every restaurant we’re involved with,” Downey said. “Without George, I’m not sure Zero Gravity would ever have happened.”

As American Flatbread grew through

A staff meal at American Flatbread in Waitsfield

Willis Schenk baking flatbreads in a wood-fired oven

George Schenk working in the Lareau Farm market garden

P.36

the first decade of the 21st century, the complex demands of managing licensed restaurant relationships and the frozen flatbread business pulled George away from the hands-on work that fulfilled him.

“He would wake up in the middle of night going, ‘This is not what I want,’” his wife recalled.

“I felt like I was losing my center and my roots,” George said. He realized, “the goal was not to build a company; the goal was to create a life that I could look back on and be happy I lived.”

By 2010, the Schenks had licensed the frozen flatbread business to Rustic Crust in New Hampshire. A couple of years later, they sold their restaurant development group. Today, the American Flatbread family of independently run restaurants numbers 10, under a licensing umbrella managed by the Boston investment firm Churchill James. Frozen pizza has been on hiatus since Rustic Crust declared bankruptcy in 2024, but George is talking with Churchill James about its possible return.

The mothership at Lareau Farm continues to serve up to 1,000 diners on busy weekends. Children kick soccer balls in the back field and peek at the pigs in the market garden while they wait for pizza. Guests in line for tables can explore the 25-acre property or visit community art shows in the restored barn. The glow from the massive earthen oven on a stone base warms the room as its intense heat blisters flatbreads to chewy-crusted perfection.

food+drink

known Willis since he was small, Sayler was “really taken by how he has grown into his own person,” he said, with an “innate pragmatism and groundedness” as well as “marvelous craftsman mastery of that arcane structure that is the Flatbread oven.”

The soon-to-be-owner’s first job in the family business was not as auspicious, Willis recalled with a grin. At age 14, he was tasked with mowing the lawn. The old rider mower was leaking oil, and he never thought to top it off. “The mower blew up,” he said. “I think we had a mowing service for a while after that.”

Later, through his college summers, Willis rotated through almost every position at the company. He eventually came on board full time after settling for good in Warren in 2017. “It just kept drawing me back,” he said.

His parents didn’t burden their two kids with any expectations of taking over, but they’re clearly thrilled Willis concluded it was the right path for him.

MORE ONLINE

Find a recipe for American Flatbread’s signature ginger-tamari vinaigrette at sevendaysvt.com.

Classics such as the Medicine Wheel ($20.50), topped with cheeses, housemade tomato sauce and herbs; and the Evolution salad ($12.25), with the house signature ginger-tamari vinaigrette, anchor the simple menu, embellished with a few specials. A recent seasonal meat flatbread ($36) featured pork raised at nearby Gaylord Farm, plus local corn, shishito peppers and roasted tomato salsa.

The Waitsfield pizzeria remains a model and resource for all the Flatbread restaurants. The Schenks receive a percentage of the licensing fees and consult as requested. They will host the annual meeting of Flatbread operators in November and help keep the group’s home fires burning through oven building and repair, now often done by Willis.

Sayler recalled working side by side with Willis on the twin ovens at the Stowe Flatbread, which opened in 2022. Having

“He’s seen us go through ups and downs, pulling our hair out,” GG said.

George said he hopes that his son’s choice allows for “the kind of happiness and peace that is so good to have in a life [and] that Flatbread and the work here is a joy, not a burden.”

For the dozen years since he unburdened himself of far-off responsibilities, George has spent much of his time working in the Lareau Farm market garden. Besides the pigs, it hosts a laying flock and turkeys and produces most of the salad greens and tomatoes for the restaurant, along with many other ingredients for the menus and the property’s busy wedding and event catering schedule.

When he wakes each morning, George said, he thinks, What would be good and worthwhile to do?

George also continues to compose menu dedications. In honor of the recent harvest moon, he penned an ode to the moon and a plea for “more better, cleaner food — food that fills our hunger, that tastes good and is a joy to eat, food that nourishes and nurtures, and helps heal our afflictions.”

He signed it, as he almost always does, “Thanks for coming tonight. Love, George.” ➆

INFO

Flatbread, 46 Lareau Rd., Waitsfield, 496-8856, americanflatbread.com

Word

of Mouth

Castel’s Jerk Joint brings “bang-on” Jamaican food to Vergennes

STORY & PHOTOS BY JORDAN BARRY jbarry@sevendaysvt.com

Here at Seven Days, we get reader tips about new restaurants, but they’re usually few and far between. Since Castel’s Jerk Joint opened in Vergennes on August 22, multiple readers have written to encourage us to check it out. I also got texts from two Addison County friends, heard a glowing review from my editor and saw a recommendation from a three-time James Beard Award-winning journalist on Front Porch Forum. For a takeout-oriented spot attached to a bottle redemption center, that’s some serious hype.

On a Saturday in early October, I finally made it. They were all right: Chef-owner Castel Edwards’ Jamaican spot is a must-try. Rich, slow-braised oxtail ($25) seemed to slip off the bone as soon as I looked at it, its juices mixing into the rice and peas piled below. A side of plantains was lightly fried, still chewy and sweet. Jerk chicken ($20) — while milder than most I’ve had — was smoky, succulent and bursting with flavor that heat sometimes hides. Edwards, 38, has been cooking since

he was 10 or 11, he said, helping his stepmother feed his younger siblings in Jamaica. In 2016, he opened a roadside stand serving juices, fried fish and festival, a type of sweet fried-dough fritter. He moved to Vermont in May 2019 to be with his wife, Tammy, who encouraged him to check out the former deli attached to the Vergennes Redemption Center this summer. The space was a mess, but he signed the lease and began cleaning.

Bilon “Richie” Bailey of South Burlington’s Jamaican Supreme helped him source ingredients, and before long, he had his barrel-drum smoker in the parking lot and two tables set up inside the tiny shop, ready to serve lunch and dinner.

Now, Wednesday through Sunday, Edwards is there by 6 a.m. Oxtail and other braised dishes take up to three hours to cook — he doesn’t like shortcuts — and he only has a home-kitchen-size stove. Once they’re bubbling away, he heads out to the smoker for the item that draws most of his customers: jerk chicken.

Edwards’ milder take on the popular street-food dish isn’t just about appeasing Vermonters, he said. “In Jamaica, when I was doing it down there, I don’t do it with no spicy stuff,” Edwards said. “I want to make sure I can feed kids, too, because kids love their chicken.” It’s also hard to find real Scotch bonnet peppers in the U.S.

If you want heat, he makes a punchy hot sauce and sells several others next to the cooler of sparkling grapefruit Ting and Jamaican ginger beer. If the hot sauce bottle on the counter isn’t enough, he’ll fill up a container from a big jug in the back, he joked.

The two dishes I ordered, oxtail and jerk chicken, are staples at Castel’s and available every day. But rotating options such as brown stew chicken and curried goat are gaining fans, Edwards said.

“I like to introduce my customer to a new meal,” he said. “Whenever they love it, I get so excited, you know?”

Among Edwards’ fans is James Beard Award-winning journalist Barry Estabrook, who elaborated on his Ferrisburgh Front Porch Forum post when I called him last week. His family had a house in Jamaica from the 1950s to the early 2000s, and he’s returned several times on assignment for Gourmet magazine and the New York Times travel section.

“Castel’s curry goat and his oxtail are bang-on wonderful,” Estabrook said. “I’ve tasted Jamaican food from all over Jamaica for over 50 years, and this is the only thing in the States that I would say is genuinely authentic. I was delighted to see it show up in my hometown.”

Clearly, he’s not the only one. ➆ INFO

Castel’s Jerk Joint, 15 Main St., Vergennes, 349-7714, facebook.com/castelsjerkjoint

Braised oxtail (left) and jerk chicken

Castel Edwards straining Jamaican sorrel, a hibiscus drink

SIDEdishes

members.” The “speakeasy” isn’t a secret, Mitrani said, and she won’t turn anyone away, “but I’m not marketing towards tourism,” she added.

JORDAN BARRY

Entrées & Exits:

Citizen Cider Press House Pub Opens; Short Notice to Close

CITIZEN CIDER’s PRESS HOUSE PUB opened on Saturday, October 11, in the restaurant’s new home at 180 Flynn Avenue in Burlington. The cidery announced the move in the spring, citing the end of its lease on Pine Street and a desire to consolidate operations under one roof. The original pub closed its doors in April, but permitting delays pushed the new spot back several months from its targeted June opening, the team explained on social media.

Now, the pub is open daily for lunch and dinner, serving appetizers, salads, wraps and smash burgers from an indoor food-truck kitchen. The menu describes

the offerings as “inspired by cider hot spots” around the country, including New England, New York, Virginia, the Midwest and the West Coast. Cider flights, draft pours, cans and cocktails are available at the large horseshoe bar, along with beer and mocktails.

In Randolph, small-plates restaurant and cocktail bar SHORT NOTICE has announced its upcoming closure at the end of the month. RANDI TAYLOR and LUCAS BATTEY opened in June 2023, serving a “world-traveling, shareable menu” that made the most of seasonal ingredients with playful flavors, including a memorable pretzel bread pudding, Seven Days wrote that fall.

“Owning a restaurant here has been extremely rewarding and also extremely difficult,” Taylor and Battey wrote in their announcement on social media. “We have loved creating this restaurant and sharing this experience with all of you, however we are ready to move onto new things.” Short Notice’s last day is Sunday, October 26.

J.B.

Clockwise from far left: Smashed potatoes, Boozy Apple cocktail, chorizo meatballs, fall daiquiri, radicchio salad and pretzel bread pudding at Short Notice in 2023

The bar at Whereabouts

culture

PERFORMING ARTS

Truth Be Told

Renée Elise Goldsberry

HOP

IT: OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF DARTMOUTH ARTS WEEKEND CELEBRATION

From ursday, October 16, through Sunday, October 19, Dartmouth celebrates its expanded performing arts center and opens its 15,000-square-foot Daryl and Steven Roth Wing. Here’s a sampling of the arts on offer, some of which are sold out. Visit hop.dartmouth. edu for the full weekend schedule.

BOOK TALK WITH SHONDA RHIMES: e “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” creator, a Dartmouth alumna, discusses the 10th anniversary of her book Year of Yes ursday, October 16, 2 p.m., at Top of the Hop.

ARTS DISTRICT OPEN HOUSE: Enjoy free, unticketed access to the college’s numerous arts spaces, such as the Hood Museum of Art, Black Family Visual Arts Center and the Literary Arts Bridge. Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m., at various locations.

ALPHABET DANCE WORKSHOP: is family-friendly workshop with the Pilobolus dance company teaches ages 5 and up the “human alphabet” — that is, how to spell words and names using only your body. Saturday, October 18, 11 a.m., at Daryl Roth Studio eater.

ARTS ARE ESSENTIAL: Hear Dartmouth alumni, including former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Rachel Dratch and Olympian and ﬁlmmaker Alexi Pappas, discuss how the arts impacted their lives and why they’re important for everyone. Saturday, October 18, 11 a.m., at the Moore eater.

JAZZ HAPPY HOUR: Several areas of the Hop become jazz hot spots as the Brandee Younger Trio, Coast Jazz Orchestra and Jesse Taitt play groovy tunes. Saturday, October 18, 4 p.m., in the Daryl and Steven Roth Wing.

WE ARE WATER: A NORTHEAST

CELEBRATION: Acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma leads an evening of storytelling and music that explores how the region’s waterways provide connections across time and to each other. Saturday, October 18, 8 p.m., at Spaulding Auditorium and simulcast on the Dartmouth Green.

SITE-SPECIFIC ADVENTURE WITH

Hamilton alum Renée Elise Goldsberry reveals it all in a new documentary, album and live performance

BY JORDAN ADAMS

When Renée Elise Goldsberry was asked to audition for the role of Angelica Schuyler in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015 smash musical Hamilton, she almost didn’t go. Then in her early forties, she had a solid career under her belt. She had performed major roles on Broadway several times and had steady TV work, including hundreds of episodes on the soap opera “One Life to Live.”

Though her delusional diva character Wickie Roy on the Tina Fey-produced sitcom “Girls5eva” wouldn’t have, Goldsberry felt she was probably too old and otherwise not a good fit for the

Hamilton part. But she found the audition material — Angelica’s lightningquick showstopper “Satisfied” — too compelling to pass up. She took a chance and ended up joining one of Broadway’s biggest and most culturally relevant shows of all time.

Goldsberry, 54, tracks her experience with Hamilton from the workshop phase to her 2016 Tony Award acceptance speech in a new documentary, Satisﬁed. Through deeply revealing interviews, the actor discusses her struggles with motherhood and being in the spotlight, brought to life with loads of archival footage, home movies and vlog-style confessionals. It screens

on Thursday, October 16, at the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., followed by a Q&A with Goldsberry.

The presentation is part of the Dartmouth Arts Weekend Celebration, which unveils the college’s brand-new, multifaceted performing arts center. The following evening, Goldsberry and a full band take the stage to present a spiritually charged musical extravaganza, including selections from her genre-hopping debut album, Who I Really Am, released in June.

Before her appearances at Dartmouth, Seven Days caught up with Goldsberry by phone.

PILOBOLUS: e Dartmouth-born troupe returns to its roots, taking attendees through a mix of performances that redeﬁne the college’s many spaces. Sunday, October 19, 3 p.m., at various locations.

What’s inspiring the radical honesty behind your latest projects?

I’m actually just realizing now how kind of miraculous it is that all of them are being released at the same time. When I started them, it felt like they were di erent projects. In reality, they’re very connected to each other, and so the timing is perfect. I’ve always been very open about everything. I think that’s part of being an artist: self-exploration and the bravery to share it. What’s unique about artists is our willingness to be ourselves in the most real way in di erent scenarios. What of me works and brings this character to life?

SEABA Center to Open at Former ArtsRiot Building in Burlington

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

For years, 400 Pine Street in Burlington was a cultural hot spot, drawing crowds for food trucks, live music and art shows. But the historic brick building that once housed ArtsRiot and, briefly, the District VT, has sat empty since the spring. Now, the South End Arts + Business Association is preparing to revive the space.

well as an art gallery, performance venue for music and talks, artist market, food and drink area, and an info center focused on South End tourism.

All of that is feasible, Mitchell said, because the space is divided into three separate, lockable areas, which will allow for regular hours for the gallery, offices and info center, with access to event

Later this month, the arts organization will launch the SEABA Center as a “creative hub and anchor” for the South End Arts District, according to a press release. SEABA maintained offices in the building from 2009 to 2018, which makes the move something of a homecoming.

SEABA is best known for producing the annual South End Art Hop. For the 33rd edition of the event in September, the organization had been planning to host the STRUT! Fashion Show on Pine Street itself but moved the event into the vacant ArtsRiot building when the opportunity arose. Following the success of that event, SEABA executive director Christy Mitchell sent a proposal to building owner James Unsworth to lease the building year-round.

“I knew this would be a great fit not only for us, but for the mission of SEABA,” Unsworth wrote in a letter to the SEABA board, which has been in conversation with Mitchell and Unsworth all month and approved the final lease last Friday. Mitchell said Unsworth Properties will offer payment flexibility and belowmarket rent for the first year of the fiveyear lease in order to ensure its success.

Plans for the nearly 7,000-square-foot space include housing SEABA’s offices, as

400 Pine Street in Burlington during September's South End Art Hop

facilities as needed. Mitchell envisions a full calendar of programming and plans to offer the venue for private event rentals.

SEABA is launching a capital campaign to pay for furnishings and upgrades, with an overall goal of $75,000. The organization aims to raise $25,000 in donations from the general public, with the rest coming from charitable foundations and event revenues.

The first of those events, and the center’s soft opening, will be a Halloween costume party on October 31. Mitchell expects to begin the evening handing out candy to trick-or-treaters on Pine Street and end it with a ticketed celebration for adult audiences featuring themed costume contests, food and drink, a DJ, and visual projections throughout the space. Proceeds will go toward the purchase of a permanent sound system.

Mitchell said she is thrilled to steward the organization through this new development and the opportunities it presents. Before this year’s Art Hop, she found the old SEABA sign in storage and put it up to direct visitors to the fashion show. It fit perfectly on the corner of 400 Pine; it hasn’t been taken down since. ➆

INFO

Learn more at seaba.com.

Enrolling all levels for Drawing, Painting, and Fused Glass Classes.

Page Visits

Dueling book festivals in Burlington and Brattleboro deliver impressive lineups of national-caliber authors

BY KEN PICARD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

If there were such a thing as a National Bibliophile Index, Vermont would rank at or near the top of the list. Vermont has more bookstores, libraries, published authors and publishing houses, per capita, than virtually any other state in the country. It follows that the Green Mountain State also boasts the most avid consumers of both nonfiction and literature, based on sales.

So when Vermonters put on a book festival, they set the bar high. This weekend, the state is bookended by two — in Burlington and Brattleboro — that showcase impressive lineups of local and national authors and poets, including more than a few National Book Award winners and finalists.

The one-day Green Mountain Book Festival in Burlington is scaled down from previous years but still robust, while the Brattleboro Literary Festival is expected to draw thousands to southern Vermont and features more than 40 authors over three days. The biggest challenge facing local word nerds will be deciding which festival to attend.

On Saturday, October 18, the Green Mountain Book Festival will celebrate science fiction. Headlining the event is its only non-Vermont writer: John Scalzi, New York Times best-selling author of the Old Man’s War series — including

the series’ seventh book, The Shattering Peace, released last month — and When the Moon Hits Your Eye, which came out in March. A former columnist with the Fresno Bee, Scalzi first made a name for himself as a blogger in the early days of the Iraq War. He’s also a former president of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association and the winner of multiple Hugo Awards — the Oscars of sci-fi and fantasy writing.

“If you like science fiction, this will be the one to go to,” said festival organizer, historian and author Andrew Liptak, who wrote a 20-year retrospective of Scalzi’s career.

Scalzi is famous for his experimental and often humorous storytelling. Redshirts, which won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel, satirizes the familiar Star Trek trope of lower-ranking crew members getting killed by aliens on away missions, invariably while wearing the titular red shirt. In a similar vein, When the Moon Hits Your Eye ponders what would happen if the moon actually turned to cheese. Liptak will interview Scalzi about the business of sci-fi and its place in pop culture at a free event on Saturday evening at Fletcher Free Library.

Other sessions will include readings and discussions with some of Vermont’s own authors of speculative fiction

— a genre of works that feature alternative histories, futuristic technology or supernatural elements. Among them are Craig Alanson, author of the New York Times best-selling series Expeditionary Force; M.T. Anderson, a 2006 National Book Award winner for The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party; and William Alexander, author of the National Book Award-winning Goblin Secrets.

The festival will also feature two Seven Days writers past and present: Margot Harrison, author of six novels including the forthcoming The Library of Fates, about a book that can foretell the future; and Emily Hamilton, who writes about, as she put it, “genre-bending cyberpunk” and “women kissing in space.” Her debut novel, The Stars Too Fondly, came out last year.

These and other panel discussions and readings, held at Fletcher Free Library and Phoenix Books on Church Street, will charge nominal fees, which will be waived if attendees purchase a featured author’s book.

As for the Brattleboro Literary Festival, it’s nearly impossible to do justice to the 44 accomplished authors who will grace six venues throughout downtown Brattleboro; the festival’s 32-page program nearly qualifies as a novella itself.

The festival kicks off on Friday, October 17, with “Books to Looks,” a literature-themed fashion show during which local models will coordinate their clothing and accessories with the color schemes of notable book jackets.

Among the festival’s highlights is a Saturday panel discussion with Ocean Vuong and Cara Blue Adams.

Ocean Vuong

John Scalzi

Margot Harrison

Vuong was born and raised in what was then Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and later immigrated to the U.S. as a refugee in 1990. He is the author of two poetry collections as well as the New York Times best-selling novels On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and this year’s The Emperor of Gladness. Adams, a New Hampshire native raised in Vermont, is the author of You Never Get It Back, which was named a New York Times Editors’ Choice in 2021 and awarded the John Simmons Short Fiction Award.

Other notable guests include Swedish-born writer Jonas Hassen Khemiri, the author of six novels, seven plays, and a collection of essays, short stories and scripts. Khemiri, whose work has been translated into more than 25 languages, was the Ben Belitt Distinguished Visiting Writer at Bennington College in 2023. His 2018 novel, The Family Clause, was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Though the Brattleboro Literary Festival leans heavily toward fiction, it also features nonfiction books that steer clear of current events.

“We try to stay out of politics, because that’s just journalism in a book,” said Sandy Rouse, former owner of the Book Cellar in Brattleboro, who founded the festival 24 years ago.

A standout among this year’s nonfiction presenters is the UK’s Adam Higginbotham, whose book Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space won multiple awards and was named one of the best books of 2024 by half a dozen publications, including the New Yorker, the Washington Post and the Atlantic

As is always the case at the Brattleboro Literary Festival, Vermont will be well represented among the literati. Featured poets include Carlene Kucharczyk, former Vermont poet laureate Chard deNiord and U.S. Navy submarine veteran turned poet David Kent Young; middle-grade and young adult novelist Jo Knowles; and New Yorker cartoonists and authors Glynnis Fawkes and Harry Bliss.

With such a diverse offering of authors and subject matter, it’s natural to ask about the Brattleboro festival’s criteria for choosing guests. As Rouse explained, the organizers seek a diversity of voices, especially underrepresented ones, whose works are more literary than popular. Or, as she put it, “Something that people will read again in 20 years, or 50 ... It’s not going to last for five minutes and next year be in a landfill.” ➆

I really like the song “Staring” on your album. What’s it about?

It celebrates the surprising humor and spirit of the album. It’s written for my husband. It’s a celebration of just being able to objectify someone that you love so completely for so many reasons. It simplifies a very complex, very long love into the moment you first saw them.

Before writing it, the Satisfied team found footage of us talking and looking at each other and decided to put it in the documentary. The directors did a wonderful job of showing how awesome my husband is. I wasn’t aware until I saw it that he was going to end up being the star of it.

One of my favorite scenes in Satisfied is when you meet up with your high school drama teacher. Back in the day, did he give you any advice that stuck with you?

Absolutely! I learned to just show up and not limit myself. He cast me in South Pacific in a role that really doesn’t work for a person of color, because the issue that the character has is marrying a man that has children of color. She has to get beyond her prejudice and what people will think if she marries this man. So it really doesn’t make sense to cast a woman of color in the role when she’s the only woman of color in the cast. It’s very confusing.

I wasn’t really aware of that at the time. I just showed up for an audition and got a part. It’s the reason why I do it to this day. [My high school drama teacher’s] ability to dream beyond what might have made sense to most people in that time is the reason my entire career exists.

And one of the reasons why it was so perfect to include him in the documentary at the time I was starring in Hamilton was because, decades later, I was also playing a role where there were only reasons not to cast a woman of color, because, historically, that is not who the character is. There’s a direct line between the creatives of my high school musical and the creatives of Hamilton. ➆

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

INFO

Satisfied screens on Thursday, October 16, 7:30 p.m., at Loew Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. The film hits video on demand on Tuesday, November 4. Goldsberry performs on Friday, October 17, 8 p.m., at the Hop’s Spaulding Auditorium. Both events are sold out but offer waiting lists. hop.dartmouth.edu

Job of theWeek

Government & Public Affairs Associate Morris Strategies

What are some speciﬁc challenges of this position and why is it important?

e biggest challenge of this role is also its most important function. Being able to communicate effectively with people who may see an issue very differently than you or your client can be hard. In Vermont, legislators don’t have staff, and they’re juggling literally hundreds of bills and countless conversations all at once. It’s our job to make sure they have the information they need to understand the real-world implications of the policies they’re voting on from our clients’ perspective.

What is unique about working for Morris Strategies?

We’re not your typical government affairs firm. We lobby, yes, but we also work in communications, public relations and strategic planning. Our team moves seamlessly between the policy discussions and public outreach. For example, we recently helped the City of Rutland pass a major Tax Increment Financing (TIF) bond, representing a successful coalescence of community engagement, storytelling and strategic communications. e beauty of being part of a small team is that your work really matters. You’re not just a cog in a wheel. At Morris Strategies, you have ownership, visibility and the chance to grow quickly. Whether you’re helping clients draft testimony, sitting in on legislative meetings or helping to shape messaging, you’ll see firsthand how your efforts influence real decisions and outcomes across Vermont.

Apply for this great local job and many more: jobs.sevendaysvt.com

Get the scoop from Public Affairs & Strategic Communications Consultant Jolie Frechette

Side Effects

Theater review: Next to Normal, Lost Nation Theater

BY ALEX BROWN • alex@sevendaysvt.com

Musical comedy is a reliable source of happy endings, so a set of characters that doesn’t fit the happily-ever-after template is both rare and compelling to watch. What if simply surviving is triumph enough? Next to Normal is the story of a loving family with teenage kids: capricious son, perfectionist daughter, overwhelmed father, mentally ill mother. Right — this is not a standard reason to sing and dance, but it leads to remarkable moments in Lost Nation Theater’s empathetic production.

Diana is a housewife who has been controlling her bipolar disorder with medications since it was diagnosed 16 years ago. She’s had two kids and endured a cascade of side effects while her devoted husband has kept hoping for the best. After more failed efforts to tune her medications, Diana secretly decides to stop taking them just as her overachieving daughter, on the brink of high school graduation, starts to date an underachieving boy and experiment with drugs.

and mother-daughter duets are especially poignant; the score twines the voices, and Keenan harmonizes exquisitely with the other performers.

Jake Thomason, as Diana’s husband, shows the character’s weary yet indefatigable dedication to his wife. Thomason makes the character’s superhero steadfastness believable, but his best scene occurs when cracks begin to show. Nick Wheeler plays Diana’s doctors, shining in a duet in which he beckons her to risk exploring trauma.

Tommy Bergeron plays the son as a confident teenager with a faint touch of childish malice. He’s an ideal all-American boy, save for a seductive ease with risk. As Diana’s daughter, Natalie Steele conveys a character testing neediness, resentment and rebellion as reactions to her mom. Nick Rubano plays the laid-back boyfriend, whose wooing neatly evolves from riskaverse to heartwarmingly sincere.

Humor takes the form of snappy lyrics, such as those in Diana’s “Didn’t I See This Movie?” that reference One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Sylvia Plath to sensationalize what the average viewer associates with mental illness. A cutesy number about doctors pushing pills is staged as a silly fantasia, and Diana examines her life through wisecracks. This is no dirge about chronic mental illness.

Yet Next to Normal does not shy away from stark seriousness, and Diana faces impossibly difficult choices throughout. Grim as it gets, the story is fundamentally about people with a will to endure and the ability to grasp joy along the way.

The musical premiered in 2008 and began a successful Broadway run in 2009. It won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a rare accomplishment for a musical.

Diana’s illness escalates, and the musical does not look away as a suicide attempt prompts consideration of electroconvulsive therapy. While the book and lyrics, by Brian Yorkey, don’t encompass the full impact of Diana’s disorder on her family, we do see multiple perspectives of her husband, son, daughter and daughter’s boyfriend. And hear them, in music by Tom Kitt that sets singers conversing in duets or ruminating in polyphonic songs that overlay each character’s thoughts into an ensemble fusion.

Scenic designer Jeff Modereger fills the back of the stage with an asymmetrical staircase that allows director Joanne Greenberg to position the characters as constantly coming, going, connecting or pulling away. The stairs supply energy in movement and paths toward hope or despair.

Greenberg and choreographer Kianna Bromley manage movement powerfully throughout the show, often setting up competing focal points to suggest the breadth of the story. Greenberg succeeds at striking a tricky balance, steering clear of pathos without swinging so far into comedy as to diminish a tragic subject. Pain is always part of the story.

The cast is uniformly strong and works especially well together as singers building the intensity of the score’s woven melodies. Their voices are just plain beautiful in solos, and in ensemble numbers the musical relationships convey more than words can say.

Kathleen Keenan, as Diana, reaches deep to deliver songs and dialogue expressing the extremes of bipolar disorder. Tender one moment and fierce the next, the character lives on the high wire. And Diana will not let any doctor off easy. Mother-son

Musical director Tim Guiles emphasizes the energy in the rock musical score. The characters are continually propelled by music that can explode to frantic outbursts and subside to steady pulses. All the songs fit under the rock-and-roll tent, but Kitt serves a buffet of genres, including an unfortunate stab at arena rock that doesn’t compare with the solidity of the rest of the tunes. When Kitt yields to what works on Broadway, the music succeeds structurally and sonically.

Yorkey’s lyrics often deal in abstract emotions, stranding some tunes on platitudes about “being free” and “beginning to heal.” The gems are the songs that operate as dialogue, sometimes built of counterpoint to contrast the characters, sometimes urgent sung/spoken conversations. The show sizzles as these tunes tell stories. Greenberg and this strong cast confront a dark disorder without a cure. Some emotional peaks feel like body slams, while moments of connection are truly touching. The musical may simplify mental illness, but it never trivializes it. Next to Normal doesn’t need a happy ending to move audiences. ➆

INFO

October 19: Thursday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m., at Montpelier City Hall. $15-47. lostnationtheater.org

Next to Normal, music by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, directed by Joanne Greenberg, produced by Lost Nation Theater. Through

From left: Natalie Steele, Kathleen Keenan, Tommy Bergeron and Nick Wheeler in Next to Normal

Tell them to audition for the 12th annual Kids VT Spectacular Spectacular! e top 20 acts will perform in a live showcase on Saturday, December 6, at Higher Ground.

Performers must be between the ages of 5 and 16 and live in Vermont.

DEADLINE: Upload 2-minute audition videos by 10 p.m. on October 26 at sevendaysvt.com/talent-show.

QUESTIONS? Contact Julia Maguire at 802-341-3067 or julia@sevendaysvt.com.

BY WITH

FROM Know a budding comedian, singer, dancer or magician?

on screen

Roofman ★★★

REVIEW

Are we ready to be nostalgic for big-box stores? That’s the question posed by Roofman, a new comedy-drama from cowriterdirector Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine). The plot may sound like an urban legend, but it’s loosely based on the real case of an escaped convict who spent months hiding out in Toys “R” Us and Circuit City stores in Charlotte, N.C., in 2004 and 2005.

The deal

Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) isn’t much of a book learner, but he’s great at noticing details other people don’t. Encouraged by an old Army buddy (LaKeith Stanﬁeld) to use his “superpower” to win back his estranged family, Je rey embarks on a career as a “roofman,” robbing dozens of McDonald’s by breaking in through their ﬂimsy roofs. Being kindhearted, he makes sure the employees are wearing coats before locking them in the walk-in. The cops eventually catch up with Je rey, but he uses his ingenuity to escape from prison. A nearby Toys “R” Us turns out to be the ideal spot to lie low, with sustenance (candy and baby food), entertainment, and nooks where an unsanctioned guest can make himself at home.

Using baby monitors to surveil the employees, Je rey takes a shine to plucky single mom Leigh (Kirsten Dunst). When the arrogant store manager (Peter Dinklage) refuses to donate toys to a drive at Leigh’s church, Je rey can’t resist venturing out of his hiding place to interfere. He and Leigh hit it o , sending both their lives on a perilous course.

Will you like it?

Roofman’s premise irresistibly combines grit and cuteness. Living in a Toys “R” Us sounds like a down-market version of the children’s classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, in which two runaways squat in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Granted, Je rey’s new home is not a temple of culture but a shrine to shoddy consumer goods washed in ﬂuorescent light. His diet is so bad he soon needs a dentist, and he bathes not in a replica Renaissance fountain but in a grubby restroom sink. Still, the scenario has the same primal appeal — especially for our protagonist, who initially turned to crime so he could buy his daughter (Alissa Marie Pearson) the sorts of goodies in which Toys “R” Us abounds.

The ﬁlm’s best scenes capitalize on the

magical strangeness of Je rey’s situation: He lives in this paradise of acquisition, making it his nocturnal playground and even meddling in the employees’ lives, yet he can’t enjoy his riches outside its walls without risking capture. Once Jeffrey decides to take that risk, however, Roofman shifts into a new mode, focusing on his evolving relationship with Leigh and his e orts to win over her kids — who, like his own daughter, are fairly easily bought with material goods.

Here is where Cianfrance and cowriter Kirt Gunn have a chance to say something about Americans, consumerism and the throwaway ethos of those cheap, prefab structures that facilitate Je rey’s crimes. They try. But the message comes out too tinny to resonate, because it takes the form of Leigh suddenly deciding to lecture Je rey on substituting “things” for love. We never learn how materialism rooted itself in Je rey’s character or why Leigh seems immune. In every other way, they’re the perfect match: two nice, basic people who just want to live, laugh, love together.

While the ﬁlm’s ﬁrst third might lead us to expect a vicious satire or a crowdpleasing populist comedy, Roofman ends up being more of a tender, tepid love story.

In its favor, Tatum and Dunst light up the screen without seeming too much like displaced movie stars. His antic charm, her wry sweetness, Dinklage’s gleeful malice and a few other performances keep us from being bored.

The tension dips as the ﬁlm goes on, however, and our attention may wander during montages of family bliss. A snappier edit would have kept us on the edge of our seats as we waited for the inevitable outcome of Je rey’s misadventures.

I rooted for Roofman because it’s the kind of average Joe saga that has rarely appeared on the big screen since the 1970s (unless you count action movies in which the average Joe turns out to have “special skills” and not be average at all). Interviews with participants in the true story, which accompany the end credits, suggest it could make a great documentary in the right hands.

But, likable as Je rey and Leigh are, Roofman never expands outward from them to say much of substance about the mallscape or the society they inhabit. Should we mourn or celebrate the passing of those giant, airy boxes that gave shelter to sparrows and personable escaped felons? The movie gives us plenty of time to muse on that question, but there’s not a lot under its own roof.

MARGOT HARRISON margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY…

BLUE VALENTINE (2010; fuboTV, Kanopy, PLEX, Tubi, rentable): Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams received big award nominations — an Oscar nod in her case — for their roles as a fraying couple in Cianfrance’s breakthrough ﬁlm.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (2012; rentable): Cianfrance told the story of another charismatic criminal supporting his family via robbery — a stunt rider (Gosling) — in this overlong but often exciting drama, set in a gritty Schenectady, N.Y.

LOGAN LUCKY (2017; Kanopy, rentable): Roofman isn’t Tatum’s first role as a working-class guy looking to improve his standard of living through crime. He leads an ensemble cast in Steven Soderbergh’s fun heist caper about a team of misﬁts plotting to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Channing Tatum is peak charming as a regular Joe who resorts to an eccentric life of crime.

NEW IN THEATERS

BLACK PHONE 2: A serial killer’s survivor (Mason Thames) tries to shield his sister (Madeleine McGraw) from disturbing dreams in this horror sequel, again directed by Scott Derrickson. (114 min, R. Bijou, Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Star, Sunset)

GOOD FORTUNE: Keanu Reeves plays a bumbling angel trying to brighten the attitude of a gig worker (Aziz Ansari, who also wrote and directed) in this comedy. Seth Rogen costars. (98 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Star, Sunset)

PETS ON A TRAIN: Criminal critters get caught up in a train heist in this animated adventure directed by Benoît Daffis and Jean-Christian Tassy. (99 min, PG. Bijou, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Welden)

TRUTH & TREASON: Ewan Horrocks plays a teenage resistance fighter against the Nazis in this drama based on the true story of Helmuth Hübener. Matt Whitaker directed. (120 min, PG-13. Essex)

URCHIN: Actor Harris Dickinson wrote and directed this drama, winner of two Cannes Film Festival awards, about a young, unhoused addict (Frank Dillane). (99 min, NR. Savoy)

CURRENTLY PLAYING

ANEMONEHHH1/2 Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean play estranged brothers in this drama cowritten and directed by Ronan Day-Lewis. (121 min, R. Savoy; reviewed 10/8)

A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEYHH Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie play a dating couple who step into the surreal in this romantic fantasy. (108 min, R. Stowe)

THE CONJURING: LAST RITESHH Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) investigate one last case of demonic activity. (135 min, R. Majestic, Sunset; reviewed 9/10)

DEMON SLAYER: KIMETSU NO YAIBA INFINITY

CASTLEHHH1/2 Slayers fight demons in a new venue in the adult animation. (155 min, R. Majestic)

DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALEHHH1/2

In 1930, a public scandal threatens the Crawleys’ social position. (123 min, PG. Capitol, Majestic, Stowe)

ELEANOR THE GREATHH1/2 June Squibb plays a nonagenarian who makes an unexpected friend in Scarlett Johansson’s feature directorial debut. (98 min, PG-13. Majestic, Savoy)

GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE: The title character road trips to “Cat Francisco” to save her dollhouse. (98 min, G. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Stowe)

GONE GUYS: Vermonter Chad Ervin directed this documentary about the “quiet crisis” of disengaged boys and young men. (46 min, NR. Savoy)

GOOD BOYHHH1/2 A retriever named Indy stars as himself in Ben Leonberg’s horror-comedy that explores a haunted house from a dog’s point of view. (72 min, PG-13. Majestic)

HIMHHH1/2 A promising football player (Tyriq Withers) gets the chance of a lifetime to train with a famous quarterback (Marlon Wayans) in this horror movie. (96 min, R. Sunset; reviewed 9/24)

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMANHHH1/2 In an adaptation of the stage musical, two cellmates (Diego Luna and Tonatiuh) bond over a Hollywood icon (Jennifer Lopez). (128 min, R. Essex)

THE LONG WALKHHHH Young men in a dystopian world compete in a grueling contest. (108 min, R. Majestic, Sunset; reviewed 9/17)

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHERHHHH1/2

Paul Thomas Anderson directed this saga of an aging ex-revolutionary returning to action, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn. (161 min, R. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Savoy, Sunset; reviewed 10/1)

ROOFMANHHH A fugitive (Channing Tatum) hides out in a big-box toy store in this fact-based dramedy from Derek Cianfrance. (126 min, R. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Star, Welden; reviewed 10/15)

THE SMASHING MACHINEHHH Dwayne Johnson plays mixed-martial arts champion Mark Kerr in this biopic written and directed by Benny Safdie. (123 min, R. Capitol, City Cinema, Majestic)

SOUL ON FIRE: John O’Leary plays Christian memorist Joel Courtney in this inspirational biopic, also starring William H. Macy and directed by Sean McNamara. (111 min, PG. Essex, Majestic)

TRON: ARESHH1/2 A computer program (Jared Leto) is on a mission to meat space in the Disney adventure sequel. (119 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Paramount, Playhouse, Star, Sunset, Welden)

TWINLESSHHHH A man grieving his identical twin joins a support group for people like him in this dark comedy-drama starring Dylan O’Brien and Lauren Graham. (100 min, R. Catamount)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

2025 VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (VTIFF, starts Fri)

DE(A)D (Playhouse, Sun only)

MET OPERA: LA SONNAMBULA (Essex, Sat only)

THE PAPER BAG PLAN (Savoy, Mon only)

PARIS (Catamount, Wed 15 only)

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (Majestic [Fri & Sat only], Sunset)

SPIRITED AWAY (Essex, starts Sat)

A STATE OF PASSION (Savoy, Sun only)

WHEN HARRY MET SALLY… (Catamount, Wed 22 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, 8782010, majestic10.com

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

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, 229-0598, savoytheater.com

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

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

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

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

WELDEN THEATRE: 104 N. Main St., St. Albans, 527-7888, weldentheatre.com (Closed Sundays)

2638 Ethan Allen Hwy, New Haven greenhavengardensandnursery.com @greenhavengardensvt 802-453-5382

Modalities of Mourning

Susan Smereka processes loss with “constant continuum”

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

Mathematics describes the world in a language of pure abstraction, homing in on consistent truths through numbers, variables and calculations. Even something as complex as the way a bubble forms, ﬂoats and pops can ﬁnd expression in a series of equations. But can such a system ever articulate more personal, painful phenomena, devoid of logic and mired in bodily experience? Could one create a cohesive theorem of grief?

It has been 10 years since Colchester artist Susan Smereka’s brother, Peter, died by suicide. Much of her output in the

interim has been tinged with mourning or has referenced their relationship and broader family dynamics. In “constant continuum,” at Studio Place Arts in Barre through October 25, she presents neverbefore-exhibited prints, collages, artist’s books and other works created over the past decade that are directly related to her brother’s death.

Peter Smereka was a professor of mathematics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Also a physicist and engineer, he was “widely regarded as the leading authority” on ﬂuid dynamics problems of “bubbly liquid ﬂow,” according to his obituary from that institution. The exhibition includes a few of his papers, some

with handwritten notes. Susan said on a recent phone call that “the origins of much of his work came from a very early fascination with water bubbles.”

She carries that interest through the show as recurring dots and splashes. They’re central to some of the spiralbound sketchbooks she presents, such as “critical points,” a series of watercolor studies. The dots help to illuminate larger, hollow, three-dimensional forms that look like double-ended trumpets, oldfashioned phones or wormholes in space.

Those tunnels return in different permutations throughout the show. Smereka is known for the “quarter-almond” shapes that populate much of her broader

body of work, shapes she has described as related to family and ways of connecting. The tunnels seem to replace them in “constant continuum,” creating a vocabulary of forms attempting to communicate across a vast space and continuing a conversation in which her brother used to send her graphs and charts. The tunnel forms are originally Peter’s — Smereka offers visitors a postcard showing his doodles of the shapes, which he drew during the last year of his life.

COULD ONE CREATE A COHESIVE THEOREM OF GRIEF?

“Figure,” a 38-by-72-inch, two-sided, sewn collage, hangs above the gallery’s central stairwell and acts as a more substantial, deeper investigation of Peter’s drawing. Here, the drawn, collaged and painted shapes are dimensional and seem like diagrams illustrating theoretical problems, embellished with lines, grids and arrows; Smereka has added mathematical notations and text in pencil, giving the e ect of a well-used chalkboard. She draws with her sewing machine, and her zigzagging lines of thread range from direct and predictable to jumbles of stitches. They seem to answer the math in their own language. The tiny holes from the sewing needle form another kind of tunnel from one side of the piece to the other, as though bridging two dimensions.

Many of the works in the show have this investigatory quality, especially the artists’ books. “Solitary Wave,” which the label describes as work in progress, is made of heavy paper layered with pastel, inks and charcoal describing circles, cubes, ﬁelds of lines, washes. The pages are worked and worked again, an accumulation of process and time.

By contrast, Smereka’s more minimal pieces o er insight into speciﬁc moments. The artist recalled how, while working on “not not still,” a digitally printed artist’s book, at a residency at the former New

City Galerie in Burlington, she found that “death just kept coming up as a subject matter, and I couldn’t understand why.” When she learned Peter had died, she was still at the residency, and “it just funneled all the ideas that I was working on to grieving.” The result is raw and direct, with surreal drawings of figures and selected words — “pointless distance,” “dark escape,” the word “alone” repeated across a page — that respond loudly to pain.

Nearby on the gallery wall, “long-term relationship,” a 41.5-by-29.5-inch work on paper from 2018, appears to be a series of short threads or graphite lines in more or less even rows across the page, reading almost like a record of sound waves. In fact, it is lengths of Peter’s hair. The Victorians popularized making mementos from a late loved one’s locks, but this

takes that tradition to a new level, each hair placed methodically in line with great care. It’s achingly simple and sad.

Two other works on paper, “radio show” and “letter mood,” act as companions to that piece. For both, Smereka transcribed portions of Peter’s letters onto thin Japanese paper in graphite. Each page is then pleated in horizontal folds, which are sewn shut: You can tell there are words there, but they’re unreadable. Smereka said her brother was a great letter writer — “silly and goofy and creative” — offering encouragement for her art making as well as updates on his life. These works read as both a silencing of that voice and a way of keeping it close and private. We can’t read Peter’s words, not because they are censored but because they are protected from view.

In several artist’s books from the past couple of years, made with Gelli plate transfers and collage, Smereka seems to let the world enter her bubble of grief. Imagery — bits of maps, references to water — carries over from her earlier books and prints, but transferred photographic images and found text add a sense of connection and open possibility. In “Admitted” (2023) and “semblance” (2025), a bold printing style solidifies and concretizes the doodle forms. They read with more confidence, as though they’re now fully incorporated into her visual vocabulary.

The show as a whole poignantly illuminates a process of investigation that, with so many unknown variables, can never posit a conclusive hypothesis. The full narrative of Peter’s death, Smereka said, is still a mystery. So is the nature of grief itself. “What is my grief, besides anger and guilt?” she asked. “I want to have the full spectrum, but I feel like if I had the story, I could process it better.”

The works on view do not tell a complete story, but they do resonate with echoes of meaning.

Processing through her artwork, Smereka said, has allowed her to explore different aspects of her grief and in a sense to communicate with Peter, in as honest and forthcoming a way as possible.

“I think this show has helped me find my next step,” she said. “I’m not done, by any means.” ➆

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or text VT to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Trained counselors are available 24-7.

“constant continuum,” by Susan Smereka, on view through October 25 at Studio Place Arts in Barre. studioplacearts.com

Need info? Contact Gillian English at 865-1020, ext. 115 or superreaders@sevendaysvt.com. Or send a note (and a check) to: Seven Days c/o Super Readers, PO Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402

Clockwise from left: “figure” (detail); “scrape”; page from “Solutions are Periodic”

INSTALLATION

Think Inside the Box: ‘The Parcel Project’ Art Installation at the Flynn

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

We barely even see them, because they’re everywhere. Piled next to rural mailboxes, precariously left on porches, taking up space in the delivery truck blocking your road. Cardboard boxes — specifically, shipping boxes — have become a ubiquitous part of daily life. Yet before they get to you, these humble containers experience epic adventures.

Artists Johannes Bellinkx and Daan Brinkmann, both of whom live and work in Amsterdam, invite viewers to place themselves inside the box, in a sense, with “The Parcel Project” at the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn in Burlington.

Visitors take a seat on a central wooden bench in the gallery. Through videos on four wall-size screens arranged around them in a square, they then participate in a package’s journey, from a shipping store all the way to delivery.

“You kind of shrink yourself down and then get mailed,” Jay Wahl, the Flynn’s executive director, said of the installation.

As you travel over conveyor belts and onto trucks, get locked into holding cages and processed through vast warehouses, haptic speakers inside the bench rumble and thump, offering not just a visual experience to match the parcel’s but a full sensory one. You learn how it feels to be shuffled along, left for a while, summarily tossed in a new pile. As you climb belts and slide down chutes, sometimes in darkness, it’s like riding a roller coaster.

The piece came to the Flynn through the In Situ network, a European platform that commissions art in public spaces; the Flynn is its only North American partner. Though the piece originated in Europe, Wahl said, almost all the footage for this version was filmed in the U.S.; the artists plan to travel the globe with the project, with an African journey currently in the works.

To create the piece, the artists engineered a box that looks like a normal package but is filled with cameras and

OPENINGS + RECEPTIONS

MARK ROSALBO: An installation of more than 3,000 expired dog license tags and other found metal objects creating a field of metal and reflected light meant to evoke rumor and the erasure of individual stories under organized power. The People’s Gallery, Randolph, through October 26. Info, markrosalbo@ gmail.com.

‘VISUAL KINSHIP’: An exhibition that explores how photography defines, challenges and reimagines the concept of family. Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., through November 29. Info, hood. museum@dartmouth.edu.

sensors that record from its different faces. Then, Wahl said, “They gave us the box and said, ‘Ship it around, and we’ll see what happens.’”

The box went all over Vermont and the East Coast, collecting footage through different kinds of facilities. Though workers’ faces are blurred out, you hear them chatting, singing, going about their day. The footage offers a balance of mysterious, byzantine processing facilities and simple rural postal routes, which sometimes surround the viewer with identical views, then split into different perspectives.

“Some of the shots still surprise me, because there’s nobody managing the camera,” Wahl said. “The artists think about this almost as found footage.”

Though the subject might seem to lend itself to a critique of capitalism, or to an examination of shipping as a political space of tariffs and borders, the installation doesn’t read that way. It’s more about considering literal systems of movement; feeling the experience through your body lends it a performative element that’s apt for the Flynn. And seeing into these hidden spaces that are so important to the functioning of our society and economy satisfies a childlike curiosity that viewers might not even know they have.

It’s a playful and fun 20-minute experience, for which audiences should definitely make time before Flynn events or on Saturday afternoons through the end of the year. “It holds this beautiful tension of that joyful journey of the box,” Wahl said. In his view, the installation also nods toward a deeper question: “What are the systems that guide our world?” ➆

INFO

ELIZABETH POWELL: “Suspended Structures,” paintings in gouache by the Burlington artist. Reception and artist talk: Thursday, October 16, noon-2 p.m. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Vermont State University-Johnson, through November 21. Info, 635-1469.

ANDY SNYDER: A selection of ceramic designs by the community-minded artist. Reception: Friday, October 17, 5-7 p.m. Canal Street Art Gallery, Bellows Falls, October 17-December 13. Info, 289-0104.

EDWARD KINGSBURRY III: Large-format acrylic paintings that are both spiritual in subject matter and abstract. Reception: Friday, October 17, 5-7 p.m. Canal Street Art Gallery, Bellows Falls, October 17-December 13. Info, 289-0104.

GET YOUR ART SHOW LISTED HERE AND ONLINE! PROMOTING AN ART EXHIBIT? SUBMIT THE INFO AND IMAGES BY THURSDAY AT NOON AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT OR ART@SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

NANCY FITZ-RAPALJE: A collection of oil paintings observing lilacs, peaches, books, postcards of admired artists, radishes, asparagus, and the agricultural and rural landscape. Reception: Friday, October 17, 5-7 p.m. Canal Street Art Gallery, Bellows Falls, October 17-December 13. Info, 289-0104.

‘BEYOND RED BARNS’: A juried group show of works by members of the Northern Vermont Artist Association picturing ideals of gathering and community. Artist meet and greet: Saturday, October 18, 2-3:30 p.m. Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont, Burlington, through May 17. Info, 656-0750.

ART EVENTS

ARTIST TALK: OLIVER HERRING: A discussion by the visiting artist, who is known internationally for his use of experimental techniques as a means to better understand human nature, of his body of work, from early sculptures knit with Mylar to experimental videos and parties at which participants assign each other creative tasks. Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Wednesday, October 15, 8-9 p.m. Free. Info, 635-2727. CURATORIAL TALK: ‘PIRANESI’S PRINTS: PAPER, PROCESS, AND PRESERVATION’: A lecture by Theresa Fairbanks Harris, senior conservator of works on paper at Yale University art museums, focused on how the physical connoisseurship of

“The Parcel Project” by Johannes Bellinkx and Daan Brinkmann, on view through December 31 at the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn in Burlington. flynnvt.org

Stills from “The Parcel Project”

works of art informs the analysis, authentication and conservation of art, as illustrated through prints by Giovanni Piranesi. Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, Thursday, October 16, 4:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 443-2369.

WALKING TOUR: ‘MONTPELIER’S WILDSIDE — TRACKING LIFE ALONG THE RIVER’: A tour, led by Ana Maria Arroyo of North Branch Nature Center, inviting participants to hunt for tracks and signs of wildlife movement along Montpelier’s rivers. Part of Montpelier Alive’s series of “Cityscape and Landscape” walking tours in October, which meet in the parking lot next to the Drawing Board. The Drawing Board, Montpelier, Thursday, October 16, 5:30 p.m. Info, 262-6265.

LIFE DRAWING AND PAINTING: A drop-in event for artists working with the figure from a live model. T.W. Wood Museum, Montpelier, Thursday, October 16, 7-9 p.m. Free; $15 suggested donation. Info, 262-6035.

‘FREE SELF-EXPRESSION’: An open forum in which 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, October 17, 5-8 p.m. Free. Info, 289-0104.

ARTIST TALK: PATRICK DUNFEY AND ESMÉ

THOMPSON: A discussion by the artists of their new paintings, on view in their concurrent solo shows. AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, N.H., Friday, October 17, 5:30-7 p.m. Info, 603-448-3117.

‘STARDUST’ SPEAKER: MARIAMA JONES: A presentation by the Fairbanks Museum science educator on cultural interpretations of constellations from around the globe, in conjunction with the exhibition “Stardust.” The Gallery at Mad River Valley Arts, Waitsfield, Friday, October 17, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 496-6682.

GREEN MOUNTAIN WOODCARVERS CARVE-IN AND ANNUAL MEETING: A demonstration of woodcarving by members of the club, who welcome questions from visitors. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Museum admission. Info, 802 434-2167.

PRINTMAKING DROP-IN: A welcoming environment for artists of all levels to experiment with printmaking using the Whalen Pro press under the guidance of printmaker Phillip Robertson. T.W. Wood Museum, Montpelier, Saturday, October 18, 10 a.m.-noon. $15 suggested donation; $20 for supplies. Info, 222-0909.

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, October 19, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

TEXTILE TALK: SUMMER LEE JACK: A discussion of fabric and fibers, including looking at them through a microscope, with the acclaimed costume designer and Middlebury College visiting assistant professor of theatre. Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Saturday, October 18, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, cmoseley@henrysheldonmuseum.org.

EXPERIENCE VSC: Open studios, campus tours, activities, refreshments and special guests. Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Sunday, October 19, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, 635-2727.

PORTRAIT DRAWING AND PAINTING: A drop-in event where artists can practice skills in any medium. T.W. Wood Museum, Montpelier, Monday, October 20, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; $15 suggested donation. Info, 262-6035.

OPEN STUDIO: A guided meditation followed by an hour of art making in any medium and concluding with a share-and-witness process. Many art materials available. In person and online.

Expressive Arts Burlington, Tuesday, October 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m. By donation. Info, 343-8172.

CONVERSATIONS AND CONNECTIONS: ‘ILLUSTRATING ANTIQUITY’: A discussion with exhibition curator Ashley Offill and Glynnis Fawkes, archeological illustrator and instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies, about archaeology, the ancient world and innovative ways modern audiences can gain insight into the past. Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., Wednesday, October 22, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Free. Info, 603-646-2808.

ART LECTURE: ‘J.M.W. TURNER, SAINT MICHAEL’S MOUNT, AND MONT SAINT-MICHEL’: A discussion, part of the Carol Rifelj Lecture Series, of J.M.W. Turner’s sketches and paintings of Saint Michael’s Mount, a tidal island in Cornwall, England; and Mont Saint-Michel, a tidal island in Normandy, France; and their relationship to his other works. Franklin Environmental Center at Hillcrest, Middlebury College, Wednesday, October 22, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 443-4008. ➆

CALLS TO ARTISTS

AVA HOLIDAY EXHIBITION AND SALE: Seeking submissions for the annual exhibition, which will be on view November 28 to December 31 throughout the art center. Member artists working in all media are encouraged to apply at avagallery.org. AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, N.H. Deadline: November 3. Free for artist members; $35 for regular members. Info, sam@avagallery.org.

SMALL BIZ SATURDAY HOLIDAY MARKET: The Soda Plant and the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery are seeking artists, makers, jewelers, potters and food vendors to apply to our annual event, which takes place on November 29. Apply online at spacegalleryvt.com. The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, Burlington. Deadline: October 26. Info, spacegalleryvt@gmail.com.

On view through November 1st

Edgewater Gallery at the Falls One Mill St., Middlebury &

On view through November 15th

Edgewater Gallery on the Green Six Merchants Row, Middlebury

music+nightlife

S UNDbites

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH • farnsworth@sevendaysvt.com

Time Bandits: Madaila Celebrate a Decade of ‘The Dance’

The anniversaries of albums bring on a speciﬁc type of panic. I call it “There’s no way [ﬁll in record of great import] came out 15 years ago” syndrome. It generally starts in your thirties as you notice with increasing alarm that artists you loved as a teenager are suddenly touring on the premise of playing a “classic” record in its entirety.

“That record only came out a few years ago,” you might say in disbelief. “Isn’t it a little premature—”

That’s when a more linear-thinking friend steps in: “No, dude. It’s been a decade. You were a college freshman with no debt, your grandparents were alive, no one talked about AI other than dweebs, and you thought WOLFMOTHER was the future of rock and roll.”

It only gets weirder with time. When the internet let me know recently that it’s been half a fucking century since BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN dropped Born to Run, I was sure something had gone awry with the overall time stream, that maybe a mischievous Swiss scientist at CERN had activated the Large Hadron Collider — but nope.

While the syndrome hasn’t yet been added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, I’m sorry to say it’s spreading into the local music scene. One of the more notable Vermont releases of recent years — MADAILA’s debut LP, The Dance — turned 10 years old in March.

To celebrate the occasion, the band will perform the album in its entirety on Halloween night at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge in South Burlington. It’s far from a simple reunion show, however. Let’s recap for the uninitiated.

Back in 2015, singer-songwriter, guitarist and vocalist MARK DALY gathered some of the best local musicians — drummer DAN RYAN, bassist JER COONS, guitarist WILLOUGHBY MORSE and keyboardist ERIC B. MAIER — to create a dance-rock force. The Dance put the band on the map, garnering millions of streams on Spotify and popping up in the pages of Paste and Relix, where it was hailed as the next big thing. Clad in neon suits and popping with an ’80s-inspired aesthetic, Madaila became a touring machine, dropping Traces in 2016. That same year, the band staged Madaila on Main, drawing hundreds to a massive block party on Burlington’s Main Street.

After that meteoric rise, Daly pumped the brakes in 2018, putting the project on “indeﬁnite hiatus” to focus on his family and raising his kids. He relaunched Madaila as a solo project with 2020’s West, but four years later, he decided to get the band back together — sort of. Coons had returned to the fold, now on guitar, but otherwise it was a whole new crop of Vermont talent: MATTHEW MERCURY drummer STEVE HADEKA, KAT

It was Coons who noted the approaching anniversary of The Dance and suggested celebrating the occasion. Daly, now 39, also noticed former band members posting callbacks to the record on social media, such as Ryan showing o some of the drum parts.

“It felt so sentimental and sweet,” Daly told me last week. “The more I thought about it, if we were going to celebrate this record, I wanted to honor the guys who started out with me and how they shaped Madaila into what it was and what it is today.”

So Daly reached out to his old bandmates and asked if they’d perform The Dance one more time. The old crew quickly agreed, setting the stage for a night of Madaila love, past and present.

“The night is going to start out a little like Stop Making Sense,” Daly said, referencing the 1984 TALKING HEADS concert documentary. “I’ll come out solo at ﬁrst, and we’ll just start adding band members as we go until the stage is full.”

WRIGHT bassist JOSH WEINSTEIN, former VILLANELLES keyboardist ZANE GUNDERSON, pedal steel player TONY NAPLES and violinist BEN LIVELY round out Madaila 2.0. The band released The Suite in 2024.

e current members of Madaila

On the Beat

Bent Nails Bistro is on the move. The Montpelier bar and live music venue is relocating to nearby Middlesex in November, taking over the previous home of Chico’s Tacos & Bar and the Filling Station, just across the street from Camp Meade and Red Hen Baking. (In a sort of “tag, you’re it” situation, Chico’s has moved to Montpelier, into the former site of the Filibuster Restaurant & Bar.)

According to co-owner AARON INGHAM, Bent Nails Bistro will rebrand as Bent Nails Roadhouse, with “a focus on food and art, with live entertainment sprinkled in.”

At its Capital City spot, Bent Nails has often hosted three to four nights of music every week since it opened in 2021. In a recent interview in Montpelier newspaper the Bridge, Ingham and co-owner CHARIS CHURCHILL made it clear that the city’s dwindling nightlife scene precipitated the move. Ingham described Montpelier as “a ghost town” that has yet to return to its pre-pandemic state.

The space the club is vacating has an important place in Vermont music history: Before Bent Nails, it was home to Sweet Melissa’s and the Langdon Street Café. There’s no word yet on the new occupant of 4 Langdon Street, but stay tuned for news on that, the Montpelier music scene and what to expect once Bent Nails Roadhouse opens.

Heads up, all you folkies out there: Vermont Public is now airing episodes of “The Folk Show With KATE MCNALLY”

Listening In

(Spotify mix of local jams)

1. “PUZZLE” by Robin Gottfried

2. “WANNA GO OUT?” by Grace Palmer

3. “ALL THE SAME SHIT” by Mary Esther Carter

4. “PT. 1: EVENING UNRAVELS” by Wolfhand

5. “WETSUIT DREAM” by the High Breaks

6. “ANGEL, WHITE HOT (LIVE AT ROBOT DOG)” by Brunch

7. “BRAIN STORM” by Boxguts, Memphis Reigns, DJ Kanga, HobsStayBusy

Scan to listen

sevendaysvt. com/playlist

every Sunday night at 7 p.m. The threehour program focuses on classics of the genre, as well as spotlighting new artists who keep the folk tradition alive and thriving. Longtime host McNally started the show in the mid-’90s at New Hampshire Public Radio and still helms it today.

The addition comes after the sudden end of the popular “All the Traditions”

Kate McNally

music+nightlife

The ﬁrst set will see Madaila 2.0 slowly assemble and play the band’s recent material. In the second set, the original lineup will perform The Dance The third set promises to be a wideranging mega-jam, with members from all iterations of the band and maybe even a few special guests, Daly hinted.

Returning to the songs he wrote a decade ago has been an intriguing experience for Daly, though he doesn’t see a massive change in his work from 2015 to today.

“I’m not sure that I’ve changed as a songwriter, but playing the older stu has certainly reinforced the notion that these were good songs. I can see why people liked them in the ﬁrst place,” Daly said. Then he laughed, admitting to the practical di culties of revisiting the material. “There are some really high notes on songs like ‘I Don’t Want to Rest’ and ‘The Dance’! I can still hit ’em, but it’s not quite so comfortable for me now.”

Daly is acutely aware that his audience has aged with him.

“There were some tough times in the last ﬁve years where I wondered where the fans that would come out for those big Madaila shows were now,” Daly said. “I didn’t want to get jaded — people were still coming out — but the energy of those early days was just so intense. But then I zoomed out and realized that a lot of those fans grew up, as well, and started families and serious jobs.

“It’s not 2015 anymore,” he continued.

IF WE WERE GOING TO CELEBRATE THIS RECORD, I WANTED TO HONOR THE GUYS WHO STARTED OUT WITH ME.

“But hopefully this show is a chance for those older fans I haven’t seen in a while to come out. That would be amazing.”

Note to the OG fans: Don’t get your

Shows to Watch Out For

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH

hopes up about seeing the band clad in those signature neon suits.

“Oh, those suits got so nasty eventually. Just disgusting,” Daly recalled. “I’m pretty sure we threw them away. Man, I hope we did.”

As for the future, Daly isn’t looking too far ahead.

“To be honest, I rarely think of what comes next with this band,” he said. “I know I want to make a soul record and even a house music record one day. But for now, it feels really sweet, really tender, to play these songs again and know that they still resonate with people.” ➆

folk radio show, hosted by Burlington DJ and musician ROBERT RESNIK, who died in July. In advance of a musical tribute to Resnik on October 26 at Higher Ground in South Burlington — featuring a massive list of performers such as PAUL ASBELL, MARY MCGINNIS and CHUCK ELLER — we’ll recap his musical life and legacy in next week’s issue.

Happy 70th birthday to WRUV 90.1 FM! The University of Vermont’s nonproﬁt radio station launched as a closed-circuit channel from the Pomeroy Barn in January 1955, became one of the ﬁrst AM stations in Vermont in 1956 and switched to FM in the early ’70s. It now boasts a 460-watt transmitter that carries the broadcast beyond Vermont to parts of upstate New York and Canada.

WRUV has been a source of new music for generations of Vermonters. The station’s dedication to playing independent and underground artists makes it a key source for fresh sounds and up-and-coming artists.

On a personal note, as a music journalist in a field increasingly dominated by corporate radio and massive, algorithm-based streaming services, I find that college radio stations like WRUV aren’t just an important resource but an oasis, a portal to a world that barely exists anymore. I can spend hours on Spotify looking for new music — and even longer making sure the artists I find are real and not some AI slop the app is trying to monetize. But chances are that if I turn my radio dial to 90.1, I’ll hear something new and awesome pretty quickly. No algorithm can match the power of a 20-year-old who is obsessed with psych rock.

The station is largely funded by the UVM Student Government Association, but WRUV also depends on community and listener support. While it just wrapped up a big 70th-birthday fundraiser, don’t wait until 71 to show some love to a radio station that has served the community since before the BEATLES grew their moptops. Long live WRUV!

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

1. Mumford & Sons at the Bell Centre in Montréal, October 17

Steel Panther at Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, N.H., October 25

Richard ompson at Stone Church in Brattleboro, November 8

Keb’ Mo’ at Paramount eatre in Rutland, November 18

Clarice Jensen at the Mill in Westport, N.Y., November 29

Shakey Graves at Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington, December 17 & 18 (sold out)

Rosanne Cash at Spruce Peak Arts in Stowe, March 21

MARK DALY

Mumford & Sons

Steel Panther

Rosanne Cash

COURTESY PHOTOS

e original Madaila lineup in 2015, from left: Jer Coons, Willoughby Morse, Mark Daly, Eric B. Maier and Dan Ryan COURTESY

PRopel: Public Relations Strategies for Start-Up Success

THU., OCT. 16

HULA, BURLINGTON

Thursday Dinners at the Farm

THU., OCT. 16 & THU., OCT. 23

367 MISSION FARM RD, KILLINGTON

3rd Thursdays presents Blueprint: Vessel Tour

THU., OCT. 16

4 HOWARD ST, BURLINGTON

Darkness Falls Tour

FRI., OCT. 17-FRI., OCT. 31

199 MAIN ST, BURLINGTON

SAM TALKS // The Box Project: Race, Rurality, & Civil Rights Activism From Vermont to Mississippi

FRI., OCT. 17 - SAINT ALBANS MUSEUM

Eritrean/Ethiopian Cooking: Meat & Veggie Sauces

FRI., OCT. 17

RICHMOND COMMUNITY KITCHEN

Dawn Tyler Watson

FRI., OCT. 17

RETRO LIVE, PLATTSBURGH, NY

Fright by Flashlight

SAT., OCT. 18-SAT., NOV. 1

LAKEVIEW CEMETERY, BURLINGTON

3rd Annual Casino Night: Bet on Hope

SAT., OCT. 18

HULA, BURLINGTON

Lara Cwass Concert

SAT., OCT. 18

117 WEST ST, RUTLAND

SAT., OCT. 18

TURNmusic presents Sarah Neufeld / Richard Reed Parry / Rebecca Foon

THE PHOENIX GALLERY & MUSIC HALL, WATERBURY

Tree Identification for Birders and Friends

SUN., OCT. 19

BIRDS OF VERMONT MUSEUM, HUNTINGTON

'Artists & the Unknown: Art21 Interviews With Artists' Film Screening

SUN., OCT. 19

THE HIVE ON PINE, BURLINGTON

If You Must Know

SUN., OCT. 19

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF THE UPPER VALLEY, NORWICH

Elm Chamber Ensemble

SUN., OCT. 19

CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST. PAUL, BURLINGTON

Hula Story Sessions: Champlain College & NuHarbor Security

THU., OCT. 23

HULA, BURLINGTON

Experience Abundance Meditation With Aromatherapy

THU., OCT. 23

LADIES SOCIAL GROUP, ESSEX JCT

Sex With Jenna: Dating Show

THU., OCT. 23

OFF CENTER FOR THE DRAMATIC ARTS, BURLINGTON

TURNmusic presents Outer Sounds ft. Weston Olencki and Matt Wellins

THU., OCT. 23

THE PHOENIX GALLERY & MUSIC HALL, WATERBURY

Vermont Tech Jam 2025

SAT., OCT 25

HULA, BURLINGTON

music+nightlife

CLUB DATES

live music

WED.15

Are You Now or Have You Ever Been with Paddy Reagan (indie) at Monkey House, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

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

Dark Star Project (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $9.09/$11.52.

Dr. Gasp Halloween Show (folk, horror) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 5 p.m. Free.

Eames Brothers Band (psychedelic blues) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

Groove Is in the Hearth: Delta Sweet Duo (country, blues) at American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, 6 p.m. Free.

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.

Jude Brothers, Hamilton Belk, A Box of Stars (folk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

The Sword, Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol, Moon Destroys (metal) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $32.06.

THU.16

3rd Thursdays Presents Blueprint: Vessel Tour (live music) at the Green Door Studio, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Alex Stewart & Friends (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Autumn Grooves: Thea Wren (soul, jazz) at American Flatbread Stowe, 6 p.m. Free.

Blues Without Borders (blues) at South Mountain Tavern, Bristol, 7:30 p.m. Free.

CombustOmatics (rock) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Eric George (folk) at the Skinny Pancake, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Familiar Faces Funk Jam (funk, jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Frankie & the Fuse (indie pop) at Red Square, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Frankie White, Julia Randall, Sammy Royer (indie pop) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10.

The Frights, Remo Drive, the Wet Ones! (surf, punk) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $32.06.

The House Band (indie rock) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 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.

Out

Singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist FRANKIE WHITE is getting ready to bid the Green Mountains a fond farewell — for now. The Colchester native is headed for Nashville, Tenn., later this month, determined to make a splash in the Music City. Things are already looking good for White on that front. Earlier this month she took first place at the Shoals City Showdown in Alabama, and she’s been nominated for Songwriter of the Year in the New England Music Awards. Before she heads for a bigger pond, White plays a farewell show at Radio Bean in Burlington on Thursday, October 16. She’s joined by fellow singer-songwriters JULIA RANDALL and SAMMY ROYER

Joan Silver Duo (indie) at CharlieO’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

The Rear Defrosters, Pointe Noir Cajun Band (folk) at the Stone Church, Brattleboro, 7 p.m. $20/$26.

Troy Millette & the Fire Below (Americana) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Vega, Ruth in the Bardo, Soup Dreams, Volcanoes (indie rock) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. $10.

Vermont Sympony Orchestra Jukebox Quartet: ‘Strength & Hope’ (classical) at Burlington Beer, 7:30 p.m. $15-$35.

FRI.17

Abbey B.K. (singer-songwriter) at Switchback Beer Garden & Smokehouse, Burlington, 5:30 p.m. Free.

Abi Allen (singer-songwriter) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Anterra & Peter Stone, Audrey Pearl, Reid Parsons (folk) at Spiral House, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $10.

The Balconiers (jazz, funk) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 4 p.m. Free.

Boxcar Breakdown (bluegrass) at the Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

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

Danny & the Parts (Americana) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 4 p.m. Free.

Dave Mitchell’s Blue’s Revue (blues) at Red Square, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free.

Dawn Tyler Watson (blues) at Retro Live, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. $20.

The Discussions (jazz) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

The Dorado Collective (folk) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Good Gravy (bluegrass) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Grain Thief (country, bluegrass) at Stowe Cider, 5 p.m. Free. Hammydown, Grassfed Kal, Tal Friedman (indie rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $15/$20.

In OZ We Trust, the Whoremoans (Black Sabbath tribute) at the Stone Church, Brattleboro, 7 p.m. $20/$26.

Jake Whitesell (jazz) at Bleu Northeast Kitchen, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Jeff Salisbury Band (jazz, blues) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Jerborn (acoustic) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Jude Brothers, Hamilton Belk, Wes Pearce (folk) at Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 5:30 p.m. $20/$25.

McCaffrey & Rooney Present: Tim O’Brien & Jan Fabricius (roots) at Seven Stars Arts Center, Sharon, 7 p.m. $25/$30.

Mike Bjella, Rob Morse, Parker Shper, Geza Carr (jazz) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Pink 802, Last Pages (punk, hard rock) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Ragged Company, Pappy Biondo (rock, blues) at Localfolk Smokehouse, Waitsfield, 8 p.m. $5.

Rap Night Burlington (hip-hop) at Drink, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5.

Sara Whitehair Band (funk, soul) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $12.19-$18.39.

Sarah Neufeld, Richard Reed Parry & Rebecca Foon (neoclassical) at the Mill, Westport, N.Y., 7:30-9 p.m. $40.

She Was Right (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

Sibling Reverie (rock) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Soul Rockerz (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Uncle Jimmy (rock) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

SAT.18

Almost SturCrazie (folk, rock) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Anterra & Peter Stone (folk) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Before This Time (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Bob Gagnon (jazz) at Bleu Northeast Kitchen, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Circus Trees, Match, Deerest (indie rock) at the Stone Church, Brattleboro, 7 p.m. $20/$26.

EDW (rock) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

Folderol (indie, synth) at Afterthoughts, Waitsfield, 8:30 p.m. Free.

The Full Cleveland (yacht rock) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $18.39-$21.48.

Guerilla Toss, Godcaster (indie rock) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. $15/$17. Horn of the Moon Orchestra (funk) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Ian Campbell (singer-songwriter) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

KRAMBAM (indie rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. $5/$10. Krishna Guthrie Band (folk, rock) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free. Los Songoros (Cuban) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

Lowmen (rock) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Miracle Blood, Nugreth, Practical Gore, Melkor, Necroborne (metal) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 7 p.m. $15.

Remember Baker (bluegrass, jazz) at Shelburne Vineyard, 6 p.m. Free.

Rushadicus the Cello Goblin (neo-classical, experimental) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 8 p.m. $15.

Ryan Sweezey (singer-songwriter) at Stowe Cider, 4 p.m. Free.

The Strictly Hip (The Tragically Hip tribute) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $26.42.

Tinkerbullet, Pink 802 (punk) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Tiny Heart Explosions (folk) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

White

THU.16 // FRANKIE WHITE [INDIE POP]

TURNmusic Presents: Sarah Neufeld, Richard Reed Parry & Rebecca Foon (neo-classical) at the Phoenix, Waterbury, 7:30 p.m. $30-50.

SUN.19

Pokey LaFarge, DJ Faby Baby (singer-songwriter) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $37.24.

Seth Yacovone (acoustic) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 4 p.m. Free.

Sunday Brunch Tunes (singersongwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 10 a.m.

Vermont Symphony Orchestra

Jukebox Quartet: ‘Strength & Hope’ (classical) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 5 p.m. $15-$35.

Wine & Jazz Sundays (jazz) at Shelburne Vineyard, 5 p.m. Free.

MON.20

Phoneboy (indie rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $22.95.

TUE.21

Beethoven on the Rocks (classical) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m.

$12-$18.

Big Easy Tuesdays with Jon McBride (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

Chicken Fat Injection (funk, jazz) at Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, 5 p.m. Free.

Dead Is Alive with Dobbs’ Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 8 p.m. $15.

Good Neighbors, (indie) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $26.42.

Honky Tonk Tuesday with Wild Leek River (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10. Millions of Birds (folk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5/$10.

In the Mist

Indie-rock shape-shifters GUERILLA TOSS encompass everything from free jazz to raging post-punk to neon-bright experimental pop in their wide-raging sound. Now based in New York City, the band came out of the Boston DIY scene in 2011, not long after drummer and Vermont expat Peter Negroponte helped launch the earliest version of the Waking Windows festival in Winooski. Guerilla Toss signed to Sub Pop Records in 2022, releasing the critically acclaimed Famously Alive that same year. Their latest effort, You’re Weird Now, dropped in September. The band performs at Foam Brewers in Burlington on Saturday, October 18, with support from Brooklyn indie-rock outfit GODCASTER

Sprezzatura (jazz) at Original Skiff Fish + Oysters, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

WED.22

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

Bent Nails House Band (jazz, funk) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Deb Talan, Emma Cook (singer-songwriter) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $22.95.

Groove Is in the Hearth: John Lackard Blues Duo (blues) at American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, 6 p.m. Free.

Jazz Night with Ray Vega (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Jazz Sessions (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

SENNA VENN (indie) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. Free.

Twilight (Elliott Smith tribute, benefit) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10-$50.

djs

THU.16

DJ JP Black (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

DJ Paul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

DJ Two Sev (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

Local Dork (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Lucky Luc, DJ Chaston (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Thursdays (DJ) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.17

Burly Bear, Megh (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15. Friday Dance Party with NasteeLuvzYou (DJ) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 4 p.m. Free. John’s Jukebox (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

United We Dance, Hess, Morro (EDM) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $22.95.

SAT.18

DJ Ara$, Mr. Cheng, DJ Chaston (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 3 p.m. Free.

DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. 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.

TUE.21

Bashment Tuesday (DJ) at Akes’ Place, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

WED.15 Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.16 Open Mic Night (open mic) at Parker Pie, West Glover, 6 p.m. Free. Open Mic with Artie

SUN.19

Olde Time Jam Session (open jam) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, noon. Free.

WED.22

Lit Club (poetry open mic) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

Songwriter’s Circle Open Mic (open mic) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

comedy

WED.15

$5 Improv Night (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5.

Standup Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

THU.16

Coven Comedy Showcase (comedy) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5.

Justin Willman: One for the Ages Tour (comedy, magic) at Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7 p.m. $39.50-$150.

Live Standup Comedy (comedy) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

FRI.17

Adam Cayton-Holland (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $25.

Mind Magic: A Night of Laughter and Astonishment (comedy) at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $27.

SAT.18

Adam Cayton-Holland (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $25.

Adam Strauss: Before I Forget (comedy) at Next Stage Arts, Putney, 7:30 p.m. $22/$25.

Craft Comedy Night with James King (comedy) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 6 p.m. $11/$15.

Paula Poundstone (comedy) at the Flynn, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $49/$59.50.

TUE.21

Open Mic Comedy with Levi Silverstein (comedy open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.22

Standup Class Show (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Standup Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

trivia, karaoke, etc.

WED.15

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free. Karaoke with Autumn (karaoke) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 9 p.m. Free.

Live Band Karaoke (karaoke) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Muppets Trivia (trivia) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Parker Pie, West Glover, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub & Grill, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Rí Rá Irish Pub & Whiskey Room, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.16

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free. Line Dancing & Two-Step Night (dance) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Thursday (trivia) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

FRI.17

Boogie Bingo (bingo, DJ) at the Alchemist, Waterbury, 5 p.m. Free.

The Color Ball (dance, drag) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $30.

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.18

Green Mountain Cabaret (drag) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. $15. Queeraoke with Goddess (karaoke) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

SUN.19

Family-Friendly Karaoke (karaoke) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 5 p.m. Free. Sunday Funday (games) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, noon. Free.

Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.20

Retro Game Night (gaming) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Monday (trivia) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Monday with Top Hat Entertainment (trivia) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Brain (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Craig Mitchell (trivia) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.21

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.22

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with Autumn (karaoke) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 9 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Parker Pie, West Glover, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub & Grill, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Rí Rá Irish Pub & Whiskey Room, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. ➆

The new releases from Vermont artists keep coming! To help cover the wide swath of emerging Green Mountain music, editor Chris Farnsworth takes on six albums at once. (Well, not, like, simultaneously, because that would sound awful. But you know what he means.)

Ryan Sweezey, Maybe Magic

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Burlington singer-songwriter Ryan Sweezey’s music is a callback to the mid-’90s folk-tinged pop and alternative rock of bands such as Deep Blue Something, Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows. On his sixth LP, Maybe Magic, Sweezey has reﬁned his songwriting and upped the production game so signiﬁcantly that his songs sound like they belong in the conversation with his obvious inspirations. Part of that is a credit to the talents of producer Christopher Hawthorn and Grammy winner Alan Douches, who mastered the record.

It’s also Sweezey’s strongest batch of songs to date. Every hook, melodic guitar and stab of synth is so meticulously placed that it’s apparent he has his art down to a science. He’s one of the Green Mountains’ most ambitious pop writers and has a clear vision of what he wants his music to do. Maybe Magic is the sound of Sweezey achieving that vision.

Key Track: “Sleepless Nights” Why: A driving, anthemic rocker with a soaring chorus, the song is Sweezey swinging for the fences. Where: ryansweezey.bandcamp.com and major streaming services

Boomslang, Boomslang Forever

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL, VINYL)

Emily Margaret Band, Emily Margaret Band

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

So much young talent comes out of the Brattleboro music scene, one has to seriously consider as a credible explanation the urban legend that the city sits atop a giant crystal. How else to explain that a town of just over 12,000 people has produced the likes of King Tu , Sam Amidon, Chris Weisman, THUS LOVE and Robber Robber? Magic crystals aside, it might have something to do with the town’s support for young musicians, backing that includes the annual BrattRock festival, a talent show for the area’s aspiring future stars.

Singer-songwriter Emily Margaret hails from nearby Guilford and first participated in BrattRock when she was just 11 years old. Now 18, Margaret has dropped her debut EP, a four-song collection of R&Bflavored pop and jazz-rock that revolves around her dynamic, velvet-soft voice. There’s no asterisk beside Margaret’s songs; these aren’t “good for a kid” or “full of promise.” Her music shows nuance and sophistication — and prodigious talent. The recording is a small sample but a strong first showing from one of the scene’s youngest voices.

Key Track: “Dirty Work” Why: Margaret unspools a gorgeous, silky melody over a smooth R&B arrangement as she sings, “Something’s feeling off because nothing’s going wrong.” Where: emilymargaret.bandcamp.com and major streaming services

A musical last will and testament of sorts, Boomslang Forever is the final o ering from Montpelier hip-hop duo Boomslang. Producer Johnny Morris, aka JL, and Dustin Byerly, aka MC Sed One, launched Boomslang in 2014 with their self-titled debut, followed by the hard-hitting Attack the Vampire in 2017. They went on hiatus not long after, as Morris was diagnosed with brain cancer. Before his death in 2021, he and Byerly completed work on Boomslang III and laid the groundwork for their final collaboration, Boomslang Forever. It’s a fitting coda for one of the 802’s most dynamic hip-hop projects of the past decade. Morris’ beats, built from an extensive vinyl collection, are as propulsive and funky as ever, a keen reminder of an idiosyncratic producer the scene has sadly lost. And Byerly’s vocals are locked in, the rapper e ortlessly settling into his late friend’s grooves and rhythmic pockets. Adding to the send-o vibes is a host of special guests from the Vermont music scene, including High Summer vocalist Miriam Bernardo, Hadestown bassist extraordinaire Robinson Morse and rapper Konflik. Boomslang is dead — long live Boomslang.

Key Track: “Together” Why: An anthem to teamwork, Byerly’s verses brim with heart and nostalgia over Morris’ high-octane, nod-inducing beat. Where: boomslangvt.bandcamp.com

Tinkerbullet, Tinkerbullet

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

The new LP from hard-rock trio Tinkerbullet starts with one of the most ferocious opening salvos to come out of the Green Mountain scene in years. Guitarist and vocalist Corey Selover lays down a perfect storm of stoner-rock ri age on “Dying” as drummer Jane Boxall and bassist Kiel Alarcón propel the song into a mosh-ready froth. The track sets the stage for a 10-song album of explosive, punk-edged hard rock played by three very talented musicians all pushing their respective pedals to the metal.

Tinkerbullet rages from the ﬁrst smash of Boxall’s cymbals to the near-metal closeout of ﬁnal track “Goldilocks.” There’s so much more to the album than pure aggression, though, with Selover’s lyrics asking questions about sexuality and identity. It’s a high-octane, full-length debut record, most of which the band recorded with producer Jer Coons in his Jericho studio.

Key Track: “Come Out” Why: Goth-metal-prog-punk? It’s hard to ﬁgure out exactly where the song is going, but Alarcón and Selover’s winding, mazelike riffs call to mind a cross between Queens of the Stone Age and Iron Maiden. Where: tinkerbullet.bandcamp.com

The Space Cadet, Under the Green Mountains

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Multi-instrumentalist, producer and graphic artist Julien Foster lives a dichotomous musical existence. Formerly based in Nashville, Tenn., Foster now calls Winooski home but still records Americana-leaning, heavily analog, full-band music with Music City jam-rock outﬁt the Good Times Family Band. He’s also released more than 30 albums of electronica and ambient music, including his latest as the Space Cadet. Under the Green Mountains is an ode to his new home.

It’s an engaging and cinematic collection of songs, from the neon-metropolis-at-night vibes of “Deckard Pass” to the downtempo, psychedelic waves emanating from the title track. Foster is as adept at using soundscapes and shadowy hints of melody to build his compositions as he is at layering beats and synths into tracks that sometimes edge into EDM. Under the Green Mountains can be deconstructed and analyzed, given top billing and explored, or it can sink into the listener’s subconscious, becoming the perfect soundtrack beneath mindful thought.

Key Track: “Zelda’s Endless Wardrobe of Possibility” Why: A bubbling cauldron of psychedelic stew, the song features record scratches, honky-tonk guitar and a washed-out, ethereal beat, creating a uniquely chilled-out groove. Where: thespacecadetmusic.bandcamp.com

The Eyetraps, The Eyetraps

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Some young rock bands take a few records to ﬁgure out who they are, dial in a sound and start creating interesting music. Every now and then, one shows up seemingly fully formed, running while its peers are still crashing around like toddlers. Burlington four-piece the Eyetraps are one of those advanced examples. The indie rockers dropped a near-perfect, self-titled debut EP over the summer. Though the scant four tracks certainly leave the listener wanting more, the songs are so su used with energy, intention and clever writing that the record’s brevity must be forgiven.

Singer and guitarist Alex Frantz’s melodic vocals and visceral lyrics are a centerpiece of the Eyetraps’ sound. The balance between her voice and the band’s grunge-leaning brand of indie rock is managed expertly by singer-songwriter and producer Ian Steinberg, who tracked the EP at Burlington’s Big Lake Recording. The Eyetraps is as strong an opening statement from a new Vermont band that’s come across the Seven Days desk in a while.

Key Track: “Nashville” Why: e chorus sounds like Exile in Guyville-era Liz Phair, which even Phair can’t do anymore. Where: theeyetraps.bandcamp.com and major streaming services

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

calendar

OCTOBER 15-22, 2025

WED.15

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

TOASTMASTERS CLUB: Those looking to strengthen their speaking and leadership skills gain new tools. Virtual option available. Dealer.com, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, cdmvt47@ yahoo.com.

FOLIAGE TOUR: Burlington

Trolley Tours beckons autumn adventurers to a three-anda-half-hour leaf-peeping ride exploring the spectacular display of Vermont’s fall colors, including a stop at Shelburne Museum. 4 College St., Burlington, 11 a.m. & 3 p.m. $100; $95 for seniors; $35 for kids. Info, 912-401-3959.

SBPL AT THE SENIOR CENTER: Library staff share details of ongoing programs and collection developments for the senior lunch crowd. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 12:30-1 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

GREAT ART WEDNESDAY SERIES: ‘THE IMPRESSIONISTS AND THE MAN WHO MADE THEM’: This 2017 documentary zooms in on the remarkable story of the revolutionary art movement, told through the lens of the 19th-century Parisian collector who made it famous. Anderson Studio at Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 11 a.m. $15. Info, 382-3992.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING:

Helping hands join up with the nonprofit’s staff and volunteers to make a yummy meal for distribution. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

games

ADULTS 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.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home

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.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE-E-BIKE TOUR: Cyclists roll through a pastoral 20-mile trail ride, then enjoy artisan eats, including Vermont’s award-wining cheddar. Lamoille Valley Bike Tours, Johnson, noon4 p.m. $120. Info, 730-0161.

participants in gentle stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

language

ELL CLASSES: Fletcher Free Library invites learners of all abilities to practice written and spoken English with trained instructors. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@ burlingtonvt.gov.

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

FALL SHIRE CHOIR: 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 sliding scale. Info, wilsonheidiann@gmail.com.

ME2 CHORUS REHEARSAL: Conductor Stefanie Weigand leads vocalists ages 16 and up in a stigma-free, supportive environment created for people with mental illnesses and their supporters. Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, phoenix@ me2music.org.

VERMONT SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA: JUKEBOX

QUARTET: Matt LaRocca conducts a powerful program titled “Strength and Hope,” featuring works by composers who created music for resistance and change. Athenaeum Hall Gallery, St. Johnsbury, 7:308:45 p.m. Free. Info, 864-5741.

LOCAL EVENTS IN

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

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.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11. = ONLINE EVENT = GET TICKETS ON

future. The Norwich Bookstore, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

STAR GAZING: Experts from the Vermont Astronomical Society guide attendees’ eyes upward as they point out what’s happening in the night sky. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

québec

‘STONE AND BONE

SPECTACULAR’: Dancing beavers, stone-lifting stunts and long-lost lovers punctuate a playful and profound look at the history of Tioh’tià:ke, or Montréal. Centaur Theatre, Montréal, 8 p.m. $22-71. Info, 514-288-3161.

‘WHITE LION, BROWN TIGER’:

Audience members take in the world premiere of Vishesh Abeyratne’s charged exploration of workplace racism, toxic masculinity, performative allyship and weaponized trauma. Teesri Duniya Theatre, Montréal, 7 p.m. $24-28. Info, 514-848-0238.

seminars

FAMILY-TO-FAMILY: NAMI

Vermont hosts an informative weekly seminar for individuals with a loved one who is struggling with mental health. 6-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 876-7949, ext. 100.

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

FALL SPEAKER SERIES: NATE

GUSAKOV: A building enclosure consultant sheds light on modern airtightness targets in multifamily housing. Yestermorrow Design/ Build School, Waitsfield, 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 496-5545.

theater

‘COME FROM AWAY’: Northern Stage mounts the Tony Awardwinning musical telling the stirring true story of a small Newfoundland town that hosted 7,000 stranded travelers on 9/11. Byrne Theater, Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, 7:30 p.m. $10-100. Info, 296-7000.

THE WILLISTON ONE ACTS: Vermont Repertory Theatre presents an evening of fresh, fast-paced storytelling that celebrates the creative spirit of local artists. The Rep, Williston, 7-9:30 p.m. $20. Info, admin@vermontrep.com.

words

SHODO SPRING: An author launches her new book, Open Reality, which offers hope, practical strategies and guidance for those fearful about our planet’s

WOMEN IN MYSTERY: Vermont authors Trish Esden, Katy Farber and Kara Lacey celebrate spooky season with a spirited discussion about the inspiration behind their books. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 7-8 p.m. $3; preregister. Info, 872-7111.

THU.16 activism

ANNUAL MEETING: Civil rights take center stage at a yearly mix-and-mingle for ACLU Vermont supporters and staff. Light refreshments provided. Barr Hill, Montpelier, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free; cash bar; preregister. Info, 223-6304.

business

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

DAY: Makers gather for a handson, high-energy forum to connect, learn and engage in meaningful exchanges with peers across business, education and government. Generator Makerspace, Burlington, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 540-0761.

BUSINESS PLAN WRITING

WORKSHOP: Business counselor John Gergely helps would-be entrepreneurs create a road map for success. Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, growingmoney@ cvoeo.org.

CHAMBER MIXER: Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce members and colleagues eat, drink and win prizes at this monthly business shindig. Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, Barre, 5-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 229-5711.

GROW YOUR BUSINESS: Shelburne BNI hosts a weekly meeting for local professionals to exchange referrals and build meaningful connections. 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.

PROPEL: PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES FOR START-UP SUCCESS: Vermont communications firm Cultivate hosts a half-day workshop featuring networking opportunities and a media panel of top local business journalists. Hula, Burlington, 8:30 a.m. $25-35. Info, 540-8153.

community

COMMUNITY PARTNERS DESK: Neighbors connect with representatives from the Burlington Electric Department and get illuminating info about its services. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

MONTPELIER RAMBLE: Locals take to the streets for a weekly community-building stroll of the Capital City’s pedestrian

promenades. Downtown Montpelier, 5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-9604.

crafts

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS: All ages and abilities knit or crochet hats and scarves for the South Burlington Food Shelf. Materials provided. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KNITTING GROUP: Knitters of every experience level get together to spin yarns. Latham Library, Thetford, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

WOODWORKING LAB: Visionaries create a project or learn a new skill with the help of mentors and access to makerspace tools and equipment. Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center, Middlebury, 5-8 p.m. $7.50. Info, 382-1012.

environment

‘ABUNDANCE IN BURLINGTON: INNOVATION, INFRASTRUCTURE AND A GREENER FUTURE’: A panel of experts explores how Burlingtonians can collaborate and problem solve to build a more resilient and environmentally friendly future. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, fletcherfriends@ gmail.com.

BTV CLEAN UP CREW: Good Samaritans dispose of needles, trash and other unwanted objects. BYO gloves encouraged. Top of Church St., Burlington, 7:30-10 a.m. Free. Info, 863-2345.

etc.

ECHO AFTER DARK: THE SCIENCE OF FEAR: An after-hours night at the museum boasts a costume contest judged by Nightmare Vermont performers, an insect tasting, and a meet and greet with neuroscientists. Ages 21 and up. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 6-9 p.m. $20-25; cash bar. Info, 864-1848. GUIDED WALKING TOURS: Experts lead curious minds on a journey exploring the Capital City’s most fascinating features, from public art installations to illuminated bridges. Downtown Montpelier, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 223-9604.

RIBBON CUTTING CELEBRATION: Techies gather for the grand opening of a newly upgraded electronics lab, featuring stateof-the-art tools, expanded workstations and specialized power supplies. Generator Makerspace, Burlington, 2:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 540-0761.

fairs & festivals

FALL FESTIVAL: ‘RESILIENT PATTERNS’: Vermont Humanities celebrates National Arts and Humanities Month with a special series highlighting stories of hope and resilience. See vermonthumanities.org for full schedule. Various locations statewide, 6:30 p.m. Various prices. Info, jpelletier@ vermonthumanities.org.

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.15

burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: Museumgoers embark on an immersive journey to create stories using techniques such as storyboarding, sketching and stop-motion moviemaking. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $17-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: Curious minds dive into the science and history of Vermont’s most iconic legend at this family-friendly exhibit featuring interactive games, a design studio, multimedia displays, a 30-foot sculpture and photo ops. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $17-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

LIBRARY LITTLES: A weekly program brings babies, toddlers and their caregivers together for songs, stories, play and community building in a nurturing environment. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:45 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

TEEN DROP-IN: Patrons ages 12 to 18 pop by to chat with teen services librarian Miriasha, play card and board games, and build community. Snacks provided. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 2:15-3:15 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

BABY TIME: Infants and their caregivers enjoy a slow, soothing story featuring songs, rhymes and lap play. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

GAME ON!: Kids take turns collaborating with or competing against friends using Nintendo Switch on the big screen. Caregivers must be present to supervise children below fifth grade. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KIDS PUZZLE SWAP: Participants leave completed 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.

WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAYS: Attendees ages 6 and up get into the Halloween spirit with some spooky origami. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:304:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

OCT. 18 | FAMILY FUN

Witch, Please

Ready to get spooked right outta your socks? A talented team of more than 20 creatives get into character and costume for BarnArts’ third annual Haunted Village Theater, bringing to life (er, death?) original scripts penned by local authors. The interactive actor-guided tours traverse five outdoor locations — including a creepy, craggy old orchard — peppered throughout the town. Audiences gather round crackling firepits at each ghastly site, where Halloween-themed stories take flight in the night. Parents, beware: As the sky darkens, so does the tour’s content, so plan accordingly for little ghoulies and ghosties.

HAUNTED VILLAGE THEATER

Saturday, October 18, 5-8:30 p.m., at Barnard Town Hall. $10-20. Info, info@barnarts.org, barnarts.org.

barre/montpelier

BABY & CAREGIVER MEETUP: Wiggly ones ages birth to 18 months play and explore in a calm, supportive setting while adults relax and connect on the sidelines. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

FAMILY CHESS CLUB: Players of all ages and abilities test their skills with instructor Robert and peers. KelloggHubbard Library, 2nd Floor, Children’s Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

THU.16 burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: See WED.15. ‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.15.

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.

FLYNNZONE FAMILY NIGHTS:

KICKLINE FOR FAMILIES: Parents and elementary-aged kiddos join choreographer Rose Bedard for an action-packed workshop that combines playful movement, games and accessible dance moves. The Flynn, Burlington, 5:30 & 6:20 p.m. Free. Info, 652-4500. chittenden county

‘HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA’: Mini movie lovers grab popcorn and settle in for the quirky animated flick following a resort-owning Dracula and his teenage daughter. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

GAP YEAR INFORMATION NIGHT: Local counselor and expert on experiential education Julia Rogers shares how time off before college can build teens’ confidence, skills and clarity before their next big step. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 609-529-1459.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MAKERS: COOKING: Students in grades 4 through 8 make delicious homemade meals. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

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 books. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

TODDLER TIME: Wiggly wee ones ages 1 and up love this lively, interactive storybook experience featuring songs, rhymes and finger plays. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 9:15-9:45 & 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

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.

STORY TIME: Kids and their caregivers meet for stories, songs and bubbles. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 2nd Floor, Children’s Library, Montpelier, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

stowe/smuggs

WEE ONES PLAY TIME: Caregivers bring kiddos under 4 to a new sensory learning experience each week. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

mad river valley/ waterbury

BUSY BEES PLAYGROUP: Blocks, toys, books and songs engage little ones 24 months and younger. Waterbury Public Library, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: Youngsters 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and color. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:3011 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

FRI.17

burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: See WED.15.

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.15.

chittenden county

HOMESCHOOL SOCIAL: Families meet for a morning of socializing, exploring, and learning about the library’s catalog and resources. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 355-6272.

LEGO BUILDERS: Little makers explore and create new worlds with stackable blocks. Recommended for ages 6 and up.

HARVEST HOOTENANNY: The Bleeding Hearts Family Band sets the tone for an autumnal shindig featuring a mouthwatering menu of hot dogs, chili and pie. Proceeds benefit the North Hyde Park Community Trust. Gihon Valley Hall, Hyde Park, 6-9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, gihonvalleyhall@gmail.com.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: Audience members are guided through an exploration of stunning animal worlds, from frozen snowy forests to the darkest depths of the ocean. Dealer.com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $17-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: Viewers travel to the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean for a glimpse into the pristine environments vital to our planet’s health. Dealer.com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $17-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: Footage of paleontological digs from around the globe tells a compelling story of scientists working as detectives to answer questions about an ancient and mysterious ocean world. Dealer. com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $17-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: Astrophiles witness history in the making — from launching rockets without fuel to building the Lunar Gateway — in this 2024 documentary narrated by Chris Pine. Dealer.com 3D Theater, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $17-23; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

food & drink

THURSDAY DINNERS AT THE FARM: Local chef Holly Pierce curates an unforgettable meal celebrating the flavors of autumn. Mission Farm, Killington, 6 p.m. $85. Info, 422-9064.

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.

BRIDGE CLUB: A lively group plays a classic, tricky game in pairs. Waterbury Public Library,

12:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 522-3523.

CHESS FOR FUN: Players of all abilities select an opening gambit, go on the attack and protect their king in friendly competition. Cobleigh Public Library, Lyndonville, 5-8 p.m. Free. Info, lafferty1949@gmail.com.

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: Snacks and coffee fuel bouts of a classic card game. Burlington Bridge Club, Williston, 12:30-4 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.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY

MINDFULNESS: Volunteer coach Andrea Marion guides attendees in a weekly practice for stress reduction, followed by a discussion and Q&A. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, andreamarion193@gmail.com.

HEALTHY LIVING FOR YOUR BRAIN & BODY: The Vermont Alzheimer’s Association raises awareness at a community-driven discussion exploring the latest research and treatment. AARP Vermont State Office, Burlington, 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 866-227-7451.

language

ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP: Parla Italiano? Language learners practice pronunciation and more at a friendly gathering. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

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.

outdoors

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: Pedal lovers cycle through scenic trails and drink in the views with stops at four local breweries. Lamoille Valley Bike Tours, Johnson, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. $85. Info, 730-0161.

québec

‘STONE AND BONE

SPECTACULAR’: See WED.15.

‘WHITE LION, BROWN TIGER’: See WED.15.

seminars

FAMILY-TO-FAMILY: See WED.15, 6:30-9 p.m. talks

‘FEDERAL CUTS TO GLOBAL & PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS: EFFECTS & RESPONSES’: A keynote address by Dr. Harry Chen, expert panel discussions and Q&As illuminate recent actions by the Trump administration. University of Vermont Alumni House, Burlington, 5-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 316-4107.

Being Bennett

OCT. 18 | MUSIC

Phoenix Books, Burlington, 7 p.m. $3; preregister. Info, 448-3350.

JULIE CARRICK DALTON: A New England author and educator discusses her latest novel, The Last Beekeeper, an exploration of found family and hope in the face of despair. Norwich Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

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.

FRI.17 community

FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN

MOBILEPACK: Volunteers assemble food donations to be delivered to children in need around the world. Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School, Essex Junction, 5-9:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 777-8349. etc.

FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.15.

JANE AUSTEN WEEKEND:

‘PERSUASION’: A leisurely weekend of literary-inspired diversions includes carriage rides, English tea, a Regency-style dinner party, Sunday brunch, a book quiz and talks. Governor’s House in Hyde Park, 8 p.m. Various prices. Info, 888-6888.

Singer, pianist and “music revivalist” Michael Feinstein keeps an American legacy alive with his dazzling concert, “Because of You: My Tribute to Tony Bennett,” at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. Backed by the intrepid Carnegie Hall Ensemble, Feinstein — who is also an archivist and interpreter of the Great American Songbook canon — brings the late, great icon’s big band sound to life with heartfelt renditions of red-hot hits such as “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” As Feinstein himself puts it, Bennett “has created a body of work surpassed by none.”

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN

Saturday, October 18, 7 p.m., at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. $57.97-95.95. Info, 760-4634, sprucepeakarts.org.

theater

‘COME FROM AWAY’: See WED.15, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

‘EUREKA DAY’: Shaker Bridge Theatre presents Jonathan Spector’s Tony Award-winning play about how to build consensus in a community where no one can agree on the truth. Briggs Opera House, White River Junction, 7 p.m. $25-45. Info, 281-6848.

‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: A suburban family buckles under the pressure of mental illness and grief in this Tony-winning pop-rock musical. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City Hall, 7:30 p.m. $15-48. Info, 229-0492.

‘POE: AN ADAPTATION’: Alex Nalbach performs a haunting one-man show weaving Edgar Allan Poe’s works into a fictional imagining of his life. Pierson

Library, Shelburne, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 985-5125. THE WILLISTON ONE ACTS: See WED.15.

words

BAILEY SEYBOLT: A local author reads from her debut thriller, Coram House then shares how the legacy of St. Joseph’s Orphanage and her life in Vermont shaped her research and imagination. A Q&A follows. Rock Point Center, Burlington, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, kkimball@diovermont.org.

CLARA S. LEWIS: An author and senior lecturer at Dartmouth College reads from her new book, American Infanticide, providing detailed insights into the injustices that surround infanticide cases in the U.S. The Norwich Bookstore, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

EVENING BOOK GROUP:

Bibliophiles share their read on Julia Alvarez’s 2024 novel The Cemetery of Untold Stories exploring friendship, love, sisterhood and living between cultures. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

GESINE BULLOCK-PRADO & ANN DÁVILA CARDINAL: A Food Network star and a Vermont author dig into the former’s mouthwatering new cookbook, My Harvest Kitchen: 100+ Recipes to Savor the Seasons. Stowe Free Library, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 253-6145.

JULIE C. DAO: A critically acclaimed author launches the second and final book in her Dracula-inspired series, So Blooms the Dawn, in conversation with fellow writer Emily Hamilton.

MOONLIGHT MAGIC: Community members stroll between local businesses while taking in lively street performances, including by the spectacular crowd-pleasers Magicians Without Borders. Downtown Montpelier, 4-8 p.m. Free. Info, 282-2163.

QUEEN CITY GHOSTWALK: DARKNESS FALLS TOUR: Paranormal historian Holli Bushnell highlights haunted happenings throughout Burlington. 199 Main St., Burlington, 8 p.m. $25. Info, mail@ queencityghostwalk.com. film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.16.

‘MY FATHER’S SHADOW’: Akinola Davies’ debut feature follows two young brothers and their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $15-25. Info, 660–2600.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.16.

‘THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA’: Rupert Julian’s 1925 silent film adaptation of the gothic horror novel gets a special screening and a live score by the Dylan Jack Quartet. Montpelier Performing Arts Hub, 7-9 p.m. $20. Info, 798-6717.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.16.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.16.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL

FILM FESTIVAL: Cinephiles keep their eyes glued to the big screen at this annual showcase of international, independent and local flicks. See vtiff.org for full schedule. Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, -26. $6-150. Info, 660-2600.

food & drink

BREW FEST DINNER: Chefs at Howie’s Diner prepare a curated five-course menu featuring decadent dishes such as Hungarian goulash and chicken schnitzel, each paired with a Burlington Beer brew. Jay Peak Resort, 5:45 p.m. $89. Info, 988-2743.

RICHMOND FARMERS MARKET: An open-air marketplace complete with live music connects cultivators and fresh-food browsers. Volunteers Green, Richmond, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, rfmmanager@ gmail.com.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.16, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

MAH-JONGG: It’s not just for old ladies! Tile traders of all experience levels gather for a rousing game. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

health & fitness

THE ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION

EXERCISE PROGRAM: Anne Greshin leads a low-impact, evidenced-based program that

builds muscle, keeps joints flexible and helps folks stay fit. Waterbury Public Library, 10:3011:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 241-4840.

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.

lgbtq

RPG NIGHT: Members of the LGBTQ community get together weekly for role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Everway. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

music

ANA GUIGUI: An acclaimed pianist and vocalist entertains listeners with a wide variety of styles and genres. The Brandon Inn, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 747-8300.

LANE SERIES: ARIS QUARTETT: A European four-piece performs an inspired program of works by Joseph Haydn, Dmitri Shostakovich and Ludwig van Beethoven. The University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5-40. Info, 656-4455.

RICK HARDEMAN: A Virginia singer-songwriter delivers intricate acoustic guitar picking, engaging lyrics and a sense of humor to local listeners. Stone Valley Arts, Poultney, 7-8:15 p.m. Free. Info, stonevalleyartscenter@ gmail.com.

VERMONT SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA: JUKEBOX QUARTET: See WED.15. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7-8:30 p.m. $15-35 sliding scale. Info, hello@vso.org.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE-E-BIKE TOUR: See WED.15.

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: See THU.16.

SHORT TRAIL HIKE: Explorers join Green Mountain Club staff on a guided trek of the center’s

0.7-mile trail, while acquiring tips and tricks along the way. Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7037.

québec

‘STONE AND BONE SPECTACULAR’: See WED.15. ‘WHITE LION, BROWN TIGER’: See WED.15.

sports GREEN MOUNTAIN CLASSIC: Duos and teams hit the links to take on challenges the likes of longest drive and closest to the pin, followed by live music, tasty treats and an awards ceremony. Rutland Country Club. Various

prices; preregister. Info, info@ foreplaygolfcompany.com.

talks

EDUCATION & ENRICHMENT FOR EVERYONE FALL LECTURE

SERIES: MINH LY: An assistant professor of political science at the University of Vermont regales listeners with a deepdive talk titled “Answering to Us: Why Democracy Demands Accountability.” Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 2-3 p.m. $8 cash or check; free for members. Info, 395-1818.

SAM TALKS: DR. PAMELA

WALKER: In “The Box Project: Race, Rurality & Civil Rights Activism from Vermont to Mississippi,” an assistant professor of African American history at the University of Vermont shares her research on ordinary people participating in history. Saint Albans Museum, 4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 527-7933.

SCIENCE FRIDAY LIVE IN

BURLINGTON: ‘THE FUTURE OF FOOD’: Host Flora Lichtman and community organizer Alexis Yamashita dig into sustainable agriculture at this special stage version of the beloved Vermont Public radio program. Hula, Burlington, 7 p.m. $30; preregister. Info, events@vermontpublic.org.

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.

theater

‘BLITHE SPIRIT’: A medium tries to cure an author’s writer’s block and accidentally summons the ghost of his first wife in this spirited comedy performed by the Valley Players. The Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, 7 p.m. $14-18. Info, 583-1674.

‘COME FROM AWAY’: See WED.15.

‘EUREKA DAY’: See THU.16.

‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: See THU.16.

‘POE: AN ADAPTATION’: See THU.16.

‘SPIRITS OF ROKEBY: AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR’: Seekers of spooky embark on a journey of Victorian spiritualism as actors re-create séances based on historical transcripts and real-life accounts. Rokeby Museum, Ferrisburgh, 5, 5:45, 7, 7:45 & 8:30 p.m. $20-25. Info, 877-3406. THE WILLISTON ONE ACTS: See WED.15.

words

BRATTLEBORO LITERARY

FESTIVAL: Wordsmiths flock to a three-day jubilee showcasing stellar authors, including National Book Award winners and New York Times bestsellers. Various Brattleboro locations, 7-8:45 p.m. Free. Info, 917-681-0257.

SARAH TOWLE: An acclaimed author launches the second edition of her book Crossing the Line: Finding America in the Borderlands, an urgent and evocative work revealing how the U.S. immigration system evolved. Peace & Justice Center, Burlington, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 863-2345.

SAT.18 activism

NO KINGS RALLY: A national day of action in response to the Trump administration mobilizes South Royalton-area protesters. South Royalton Town Green, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, circle@balevt.org.

business

VT HEALTH CAREERS FIELD DAY: A hands-on lifesaving skill training and a job expo allow students and community members to meet with hospital professionals, explore programs, connect with colleges and discover pathways in the workforce. Lyndon Institute, Lyndon Center, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free; preregister for training. Info, alabare@nvtahec.org.

community

FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN

MOBILEPACK: See FRI.17, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

SISTERHOOD CAMPFIRE: Women and genderqueer folks gather in a safe and inclusive space to build community through journaling, storytelling, gentle music and stargazing. Leddy Park, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, sisterhoodcampfire@gmail.com.

dance

BARN DANCE: Party people usher in the changing seasons with an evening of delectable local fare, live music and boogying down on the dance floor. Ages 21 and up. Proceeds benefit the Current. Comfort Farm, Stowe, 5-10 p.m. $100. Info, 253-8358.

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. $520 sliding scale. Info, 225-8921.

‘SWAN LAKE’: Grand Kyiv Ballet presents its breathtaking rendition of the tragedy of Odette, Odile and Siegfried. Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, 7 p.m. $39-69. Info, 728-9878.

environment

DOG RIVER DAY: The MadDog Chapter of Trout Unlimited hosts nature lovers for an inaugural event highlighting the charms and value of this unique body of water. Northfield Town Common, noon-3 p.m. Free. Info, 498-7570.

INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP: Volunteers show the Winooski River some tender loving care. Gloves, buckets and bags provided. Winooski Falls Way, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, info@rozaliaproject.org.

OCT. 18 | FILM

Creepin’ It Real

Controversial Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike’s 1999 J-horror masterpiece Audition shocks and delights cinephiles at Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro. However, this isn’t your average screening: The infamous bait-and-switch flick gets a turbo boost with a live score performed by Order of the Illusive, a trio of New York musicians dedicated to the reinterpretation of film soundtracks. The band’s distinct ambient-rock sound sets the tone for the slow-burn story of a lonely widower who enlists a friend to stage a fake audition to find his ideal wife. Word to the wise: Be careful what you wish for.

‘AUDITION’

Saturday, October 18, 7-10 p.m., at Epsilon Spires in Brattleboro. $10-20 sliding scale. Info, info@epsilonspires.org, epsilonspires.org.

etc.

BLOCK PARTY FOR POVERTY AWARENESS: Live tunes by the Smokey Newfield Project set the tone for a day of community-building. Proceeds benefit the Joint Urban Ministry Program. Ascension Lutheran Church, South Burlington, 10 a.m.3 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 862-8866.

CASINO NIGHT: BET ON HOPE: Community members play classic games while snacking on delicious bites from the state’s top chefs. Proceeds benefit the Cancer Patient Support Foundation. Hula, Burlington, 6 p.m. $75. Info, 488-5495.

FRIGHT BY FLASHLIGHT: Adventurous attendees become experts in vintage ghost-hunting techniques and scholars of paranormal lore. Ages 12 and up. Lakeview Cemetery, Burlington,

6 p.m. $25; preregister. Info, 413426-7572.

NORTH POLE SPORTS CARDS & COLLECTIBLES SHOW: Collectors browse a wide array of vintage, rare and common cards, as well as action figures, records, comic books and other unique finds. Arrowhead Senior Citizen Center, Milton, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free; cost of cards and collectibles. Info, 782-4500.

STICK SEASON GALA: Folks dressed in fall finery enjoy an elegant evening of craft cocktails, delectable fare, silent and live auctions, and entertainment. Weston Theater at Walker Farm, 6 p.m. $250. Info, 824-5288.

fairs & festivals

BEAN & BREW FESTIVAL: Imbibers catch a buzz taste testing the offerings of local coffee and beer vendors to the sounds of Organized Dead. Ages 21 and up.

Jay Peak Resort, noon-6 p.m. $35. Info, 988-2743.

CVU HANDCRAFTER’S FAIR:

More than 150 local artisans converge to sell their wares, backed by the delectable smells from crowd-favorite food trucks. ACCESS CVU, Hinesburg, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, access@cvsdvt.org.

FALL ARTS FESTIVAL: More than 20 artists and craftspeople, live music, sweet treats from local bakeries, and delicious hot eats offer something for everyone in the fam. Huntington Town Hall, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, huntingtonvalleyarts@ gmail.com.

FLAXTRAVAGANZA!: The homestead celebrates a successful harvest with historically accurate linen-weaving demonstrations and other traditional crafts.

Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, Burlington, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular admission, $7-15; free for Vermont

residents and kids under 5. Info, 865-4556.

THE GREAT PUMPKIN COMES TO PEACHAM FARMERS MARKET: Pizza, live music, kids’ games and hay rides mark the market’s season finale, while tractors and trucks roll in with giant pumpkins for an inaugural weigh-off. Peacham Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 309-1947.

SHARE THE HARVEST HOEDOWN: Saddle up, y’all! Family-friendly

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

activities abound at this autumnal celebration, including pumpkin painting, raffle prizes, and dancing to tunes by Zach DeFranco and Brian Perkins. Proceeds benefit NOFA-VT’s farm share program. American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 861-2999.

WINE FEST: Vino enthusiasts sip and savor the day away with tastings from local and international purveyors. Tälta Lodge, Stowe, 3-6 p.m. $30. Info, 253-7525.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.16.

‘AUDITION’: Takashi Miike’s 1999 J-horror masterwork gets a live score by adventurous trio Order of the Illusive. See calendar spotlight. Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, 7-10 p.m. $10-20 sliding scale. Info, info@epsilonspires.org.

‘IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT’: Jafar Panahi’s 2025 action flick follows an Iranian man who bumps into the person he believes to be his former torturer. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7:15 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘THE MAGICIAN’: Composer Jeff Rapsis plays a live score for Rex Ingram’s supernatural silent thriller following an alchemist who seeks to create life. Brandon Town Hall, 7 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 603-236-9237.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.16.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.16.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.16.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.17.

food & drink

BURLINGTON FARMERS MARKET:

Dozens of stands overflow with seasonal produce, flowers, artisanal wares and prepared foods. 345 Pine St., Burlington, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 560-5904.

CHAMPLAIN ISLANDS FARMERS MARKET: More than 35 vendors showcase their farm-fresh veggies, meats, eggs, flowers, honey and other goodies, backed by sets of live local music. Champlain Islands Farmers Market, Grand Isle, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, champlainislandsfarmersmkt@ gmail.com.

JANE AUSTEN TEA: Regency revelers jam out at a Victorianstyle tea party while learning about the teatime traditions of

the writer’s era. Governor’s House in Hyde Park, 2:30-4:30 p.m. $42; preregister. Info, 888-6888.

JASPER HILL & HILL FARMSTEAD

ADVENTURE DINNER: The curd-obsessed embark on a cheese fever dream, courtesy of two legendary Vermont food and drink producers. Wilson Farm, Greensboro, 5-8 p.m. $183. Info, sas@adventuredinner.com.

NORTHWEST FARMERS MARKET: Locavores stock up on produce, preserves, baked goods, and arts and crafts. Taylor Park, St. Albans, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 242-2729.

ST. JOHNSBURY FARMERS

MARKET: Growers, bakers, makers and crafters gather weekly at booths centered on local eats. Pearl St. & Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, cfmamanager@gmail.com.

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.

health & fitness

MMA ASCENT: Runners and hikers push 1.7 miles to the summit at this challenging and rewarding race to the top of Spruce Peak, followed by a festive celebration. Mt. Mansfield Academy Athletic Campus, Stowe, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, egrubman@ mmsca.org.

holidays

HALLOWEEN HOWL FUN RUN: Mummies, daddies, boils and ghouls don costumes to run their choice of a half- or onemile course before digging into spooky activities. Oakledge Park, Burlington, 1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 717-254-0994.

music

ANA GUIGUI: See FRI.17.

CELEBRATION SERIES: THE BREAKERS: A high-octane tribute to Tom Petty captures the unmistakable sound and emotion of the late, great American idol. Barre Opera House, 7:30 p.m. $32-42. Info, 476-8188.

DISCOVERY CONCERT SERIES: LARA CWASS: A deft guitarist plays genre-bending tunes incorporating elements of jazz, blues, rock, funk and soul. Unitarian Church of Rutland, 7 p.m. $15; free for kids. Info, 775-0850.

EMILY ANN ROBERTS: A country singer-songwriter reminds local listeners why she was a standout on Season 9 of NBC’s “The Voice.” Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7-9 p.m. $35. Info, 775-0903.

HOUSE OF JAZZ: MATHIS

PICARD: An internationally acclaimed pianist, composer and producer honors his multicultural background at this performance merging musical influences. A postshow meet and greet follows. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 5:30-7 p.m. $15-50. Info, 382-9222.

MICHAEL FEINSTEIN: A singer, pianist and music revivalist pays a heartfelt homage to an American legend in “Because of You: My Tribute to Tony Bennett.” See calendar spotlight. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $77.23138.75. Info, 760-4634.

POCKET GROOVES: Listeners revel in a concert of riveting works for bass clarinet and percussion, featuring new music and world premieres. The University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 3 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3040.

VERMONT PHILHARMONIC:

Lou Kosma conducts the state’s oldest community orchestra in “Celestial Sounds,” an out-of-thisworld program featuring works by Gustav Holst and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Highland

Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 4 p.m. $5-25. Info, 223-9855.

VERMONT SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA: JUKEBOX

QUARTET: See WED.15. Bennington College, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, hello@vso.org.

VERMONT YOUTH

PHILHARMONIA: Dr. Yutaka Kono leads the young symphony orchestra in selections that are relevant to their lives, including from contemporary, diverse composers and exciting works from movies and other media. Elley-Long Music Center, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 5:30 p.m. $5. Info, 655-5030.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE-E-BIKE TOUR: See WED.15.

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: See THU.16.

HONEY HOLLOW WALK: Adventurers join the Green Mountain Club for a moderately paced trek of the area’s flower-filled trails. Call for start time. Various Richmond locations. Free; preregister. Info, larsen007@aol.com.

québec

‘STONE AND BONE SPECTACULAR’: See WED.15, 2 & 8 p.m.

SAT.18 » P.70

‘WHITE LION, BROWN TIGER’: See WED.15, 2 & 7 p.m.

sports

SPLIT ROCK DINGHY REGATTA:

A relaxed sailing event with just a little bit of competition delights nautical folks of all ages, followed by unforgettable food and fun. Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, 1-6 p.m. $30; preregister. Info, 475-2022.

WINTER SWAP: Snow sports fans find new homes for gear that might otherwise sit in the garage or end up in a landfill. Skirack, Burlington, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info, 658-3313.

talks

HOWARD COFFIN: A local historian and author unfolds the realities of life for Vermont women during the Civil War. Moretown United Methodist Church, 2-3 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 461-5054.

JAMES SHEPHERD: In “Why Everyone Is Needed,” a Christian Science practitioner and lecturer discusses what our purpose is and where our worth comes from. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 864-4709.

JOHN PORTER: The coauthor of Preserving Old Barns: Preventing the Loss of a Valuable Resource sheds light on the rich history of Vermont agriculture as told by these rural structures. Brick Meeting House, Westford, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, mhamrell@ comcast.net.

theater

‘BLITHE SPIRIT’: See FRI.17.

‘COME FROM AWAY’: See WED.15, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

‘EUREKA DAY’: See THU.16.

‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: See THU.16.

‘POE: AN ADAPTATION’: See THU.16.

‘SPIRITS OF ROKEBY: AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR’: See FRI.17.

THE WILLISTON ONE ACTS: See WED.15.

words

BRATTLEBORO LITERARY

FESTIVAL: See FRI.17, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

GREEN MOUNTAIN BOOK FESTIVAL: IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHN SCALZI: Vermont author and historian Andrew Liptak interviews the New York Times best-selling writer about the art of science fiction, writing and the state of the world. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 7-9:30 p.m. $5. Info, 793-7624.

JILL NOONEY: A New Hampshire author discusses her book, Bedrock: The Making of a Public Garden a love letter to the 30acre garden she spent 40 years creating. The Norwich Bookstore, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

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.19

community

MY DENTIST’S SON: Need a little reminder about how magical the world can be? Participants gather to swap mystical experiences at a facilitated storytelling circle. Ferrisburgh Town Offices & Community Center, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, connect@ mydentistsson.com.

crafts

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.15, 1-3 p.m. etc.

BARRE STREET PORCH MOSEY: A day of music, activities and creative play await neighbors and visitors on a civic-minded stretch of the city. Various Montpelier locations, 1-8 p.m. Free. Info, 595-5252.

fairs & festivals

HONEY FESTIVAL: Guests buzz about the golden harvest with a potluck and a live music jam. BYO instrument and dish to share. Champlain Valley Apiaries Farm Stand, New Haven, 4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 247-3323.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.16.

‘ARTISTS & THE UNKNOWN: ART21 INTERVIEWS WITH ARTISTS’: Community members take in a compilation film featuring conversations with 18 contemporary artists, including Anish Kapoor, Miranda July and Michael Rakowitz. The Hive on Pine, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-8334.

JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACE FILM SERIES: ‘A STATE OF PASSION’: After bearing witness to ongoing genocide, a war surgeon emerges from Gaza calling for justice and accountability in this poignant documentary. A Q&A with the filmmakers follows. Savoy Theater, Montpelier, 1-3 p.m. $8.50-12. Info, 229-0598.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.16.

‘A POET’: An aging poet finds purpose mentoring a talented teen in Simón Mesa Soto’s 2025 dramedy. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660–2600.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.16.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.16.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.17.

food & drink

BEAN & BREW BREAKFAST:

A bagel bar, a made-to-order omelette station, and locally roasted coffee and fresh juices fill up tanks at this annual affair. Jay Peak Resort, 8-10:30 a.m. $20. Info, 988-2743.

WINOOSKI FARMERS MARKET: Area growers and bakers offer local and global fare against a backdrop of live music. Winooski Falls Way, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, info@downtownwinooski.org. games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.16, 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 sit together in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Hot Yoga Burlington, 6-7:45 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com. music

ADAM EZRA GROUP: An Americana singer-songwriter and his bandmates bring down the house with a rockin’ folk music performance to remember. Proceeds benefit Team Soren. Cochran’s Ski Area, Richmond, 3-5 p.m. $20-40; free for kids 12 and under. Info, 598-1418.

ARIS QUARTETT: An acclaimed European four-piece performs an inspired program of works by Fannie Mendelssohn Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn and Dmitri Shostakovich. Grace United Methodist Church, St. Johnsbury, 3-5 p.m. $6-20. Info, 745-9544.

ELM CHAMBER ENSEMBLE: A four-piece delights with a stirring program of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bohuslav Martinů and Johannes Brahms. Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, 4 p.m. $10-35. Info, info@cathedralarts.org.

JUNCTION SONG CIRCLE: Traditional songs in any language are welcome at this instrument-free community music group. Greater Hartford United Church of Christ, Hartford Village, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, mail.grantcook13@gmail.com.

THE PANDORA CONSORT:

“Hildegard Reanimated: Vision in Vision” hypnotizes with otherworldly choral arrangements by 12th-century mystic and composer Hildegard von Bingen. Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, 7:30 p.m. $15-25 sliding scale. Info, info@ epsilonspires.org.

PM SUNDAYS SERIES: JENNA NICHOLLS: A folk singersongwriter performs soul-stirring tunes from her new album, The Commuter. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 4-6 p.m. $15-25. Info, 382-9222.

VERMONT PHILHARMONIC: See SAT.18. Barre Opera House, 2 p.m.

VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA: In “Trailhead,” the talented ensemble honors the Green Mountain State with a performance of Brattleboro composer Keane Southard’s “Vermont” and other rousing works. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 3 p.m. $21-24. Info, 863-5966. outdoors

TREE IDENTIFICATION FOR BIRDERS & FRIENDS: Forester Kathleen Stutzman leads a nature walk focused on naming and appreciating flora of all kinds. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, 1 p.m. $10-30 suggested donation. Info, 434-2167.

québec

‘STONE AND BONE SPECTACULAR’: See WED.15, 2 p.m.

‘WHITE LION, BROWN TIGER’: See WED.15, 2 p.m.

talks

DR. ALEXANDRA GARRETT: An assistant professor of history at Saint Michael’s College illuminates a slice of the nation’s past in “The ‘Losers’ of the American Revolution: Loyalists, What They Lost and Why We Should Care.” Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, Burlington, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 865-4556. Ethan Allen Homestead Museum, Burlington, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 865-4556.

tech

DROP-IN TECH SUPPORT: Tech-savvy library staff provide

one-on-one guidance and support in 30-minute sessions. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

theater

‘BLITHE SPIRIT’: See FRI.17, 2 p.m. ‘COME FROM AWAY’: See WED.15, 5 p.m.

‘EUREKA DAY’: See THU.16, 2:30 p.m.

‘NEXT TO NORMAL’: See THU.16, 2 p.m.

words

BRATTLEBORO LITERARY FESTIVAL: See FRI.17, 11 a.m.-4:45 p.m.

LAURA SHORTSLEEVE: Fantasy! Romance! Coffee! Say no more. The acclaimed author signs copies of her 2024 book, Fiona about a leprechaun living in the Isles of Ireland. Barnes & Noble, South Burlington, noon-2 p.m. Free. Info, 864-8001.

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

South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

SPANISH STORY TIME: Mini amigos learn new words at a fun and educational morning. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

BASEMENT TEEN CENTER: A drop-in hangout session welcomes kids ages 12 to 17 for lively games, arts and crafts, and snacks. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 2-8 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

ENCHANTED FOREST: Art, music, song and magic fill the landscape along a trail of glowing jack-o’-lanterns. Hubbard Park, Montpelier. $6-18; preregister. Info, 223-7335.

LEGO CLUB: Budding builders create geometric structures with snap-together blocks. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP:

Participants ages 5 and under enjoy themed science, art and nature activities. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

upper valley

STORY TIME: Preschoolers take part in tales, tunes and playtime. Latham Library, Thetford, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

northeast kingdom

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Youngsters and their caregivers delight in beautiful books, silly songs, creative crafts and unplugged play in the library’s cozy children’s room. Craftsbury Public Library, Craftsbury Common, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 586-9683.

SAT.18

burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: See WED.15.

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.15.

chittenden county

HALLOWEEN COSTUME SWAP: Families prepare for spooky season and share gently used, clean garb. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

ENCHANTED FOREST: See FRI.17.

middlebury area

OFF STAGE SERIES: TOM JOYCE: A family-focused magician combines comedy and tricks to mesmerize and charm viewers of all ages. Bixby Memorial Library, Vergennes, noon. Free. Info, 877-6737.

champlain islands/ northwest

YOUTH TALENT SEARCH: Accomplished youngsters compete for prizes at an annual showcase of live performances. The Opera House at Enosburg Falls, 7 p.m. $12-15; free for kids 5 and under. Info, 782-4541.

upper valley

HAUNTED VILLAGE THEATER: An all-ages tour of the village reveals spooky stories and scary scenes around every corner. Audiences beware: The later the tour, the more haunting it becomes. See calendar spotlight. Barnard Town Hall, 5-8:30 p.m. $10-20. Info, info@barnarts.org.

northeast kingdom

SCIENTIFIC SATURDAYS: Participants explore the wonders of the natural world, from the life cycle of plants to the mysteries of animal habitats. Haskell Free Library & Opera House, Derby Line, 1-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 888-626-2060.

SUN.19

burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: See WED.15.

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.15.

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, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

rutland/killington

SPOOKTACULAR FAMILY MASK

MAKING: Ghouls of all ages drop in for creepy crafts, Halloween-themed games and frightfully good times. Stone Valley Arts, Poultney, noon-3 p.m. Free. Info, stonevalleyartscenter@ gmail.com.

champlain islands/ northwest

KIDS’ DROP-IN ART TIME: Young artists explore a variety of fall-themed stations packed with inspiring prompts and materials, then take their masterpieces home. ReMarket, St. Albans, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, remarketvt@gmail.com.

upper valley

‘SCREEN TIME & GROWING MINDS: WHAT THE SCIENCE TELLS US’:

Dartmouth College professor Bill Hudenko leads an essential conversation about one of today’s most challenging parenting topics: creating healthy digital boundaries for children. Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Quechee, 4-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 359-5000.

MON.20 burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: See WED.15. ‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.15.

STORY ARTISTS: Wee ones ages 2 to 6 and their caregivers read a selection of books by a featured author, then make art inspired by the theme. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

TEEN LISTENING SESSION: Got opinions about future library programming? Come share ’em over a slice of pizza!

South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TODDLER TIME: Little kids ages 5 and under have a blast with songs, stories, rhymes and dancing. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

upper valley

STORY TIME WITH BETH: An engaging bookseller and librarian reads picture books on a different theme each week. The Norwich Bookstore, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

TUE.21 burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: See WED.15. ‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.15.

MINECRAFT MEETUP: Fans of the sandbox game from ages 7 to 12 gather with fellow enthusiasts to play on the library’s private server. Snacks provided. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 5-6:15 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with the local musician. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

CRAFTYTOWN: Kiddos express their inner artist using mediums such as paint, print, collage and sculpture. Recommended for ages 6 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

GOLDEN DOME BOOK AWARD GROUP: Homeschooled bookworms in grades 4 through 8 discuss the book of the month together. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

GREEN MOUNTAIN BOOK AWARD GROUP: Students in grades 9 to 12 swap thoughts about a title from this year’s list. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

RED CLOVER AWARD BOOK GROUP: Readers in grades K to 4 gather to discuss two titles on the award list, followed by an activity. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

STORY TIME: Youngsters from birth to 5 enjoy a session of reading, rhyming and singing. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

barre/montpelier

BASEMENT TEEN CENTER: See FRI.17, 2-6 p.m.

northeast kingdom

LAPSIT STORY TIME: Babies 2 and under learn to love reading, singing and playing with their caregivers. Siblings welcome. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: See FRI.17.

WED.22 burlington

‘ANIMATIONLAND’: See WED.15.

‘CHAMP: AMERICA’S LAKE MONSTER’: See WED.15.

LIBRARY LITTLES: See WED.15. chittenden county

BABY TIME: See WED.15.

GAME ON!: See WED.15.

PLAY TIME: See WED.15.

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.

TRUNK-OR-TREAT: Families come in costume to collect candy and treats from neighbors’ vehicles. Face painting and lawn games add to the festive fun. Lund, Hoehl Family Building, South Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 495-9215.

barre/montpelier

BABY & CAREGIVER MEETUP: See WED.15.

FAMILY CHESS CLUB: See WED.15. K

MON.20

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. etc.

FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.15.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.16.

‘THE LITTLE SISTER’: Winner of the Queer Palm and Best Actress awards at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Hafsia Herzi’s 2025 coming-of-age tale follows a young woman working to reconcile her identity and her family’s worldview. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.16.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.16.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.16.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.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, 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.

music

PATTY GRIFFIN & RICKIE LEE

JONES: Fans witness two of the most consequential singer-songwriters of their generation united on stage. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 7:30 p.m. $62.50-82.50. Info, 603-448-0400.

talks

RUSS SCULLY: A Burlington entrepreneur and visionary developer shares details about a mixed-use neighborhood initiative designed with affordability, community and sustainability in mind. Hula, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 540-8153.

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.21

climate crisis

CLIMATEREADYVT: A one-day program helps small businesses create a climate resilience action plan and gain access to free business advice and legal counsel. Bolton Valley Resort, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. $34; preregister. Info, mollyr@vbsr.org.

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.

GRATEFUL GATHERINGS: Trained facilitators Lori York and Mary Wentworth lead deep conversations exploring topics such as embracing mystery, creating joy and navigating grief. Waterbury Public Library, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

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.

CRAFT MATERIALS SWAP: Artists and makers of all kinds hunt for gently used, new-to-them supplies. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 4-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

CRAFTERS DROP-IN: Community members converse and connect through knitting, crocheting, mending, embroidery and other creative pursuits. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

education

VERMONT STATE TEACHER

RETIREMENT PRESENTATION: An information session illuminates the public pension plan for local educators. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.16.

‘OCEAN PARADISE 3D’: See THU.16.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D: A PREHISTORIC ADVENTURE’: See THU.16.

‘SIRAT’: A father goes looking for his missing daughter in North Africa in Oliver Laxe’s 2025 mystery thriller and Cannes Film Festival favorite. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7:15 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘SPACE: THE NEW FRONTIER 3D’: See THU.16.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.17.

food & drink

COFFEE ON THE CANOPY: Early risers greet the day high among the treetops at this adults-only opportunity to sip java and savor fresh pastries in a peaceful forest setting. Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Quechee, 8:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 359-5000.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.16.

health & fitness

BEGINNER TAI CHI: Newbies learn how gentle movement can help with arthritis, mental clarity and range of motion. Virtual option available. Unitarian Universalist Church, Springfield, 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, jo@jobregnard.com.

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.

QI GONG: Students of this age-old Chinese technique learn how to combine mindful movement and breath to strengthen their bodies and quiet their minds. Waterbury Public Library, noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

TAI CHI: Practitioners get a feel for the ancient Chinese martial art combining slow, gentle movements, controlled breathing and meditation. Ida Boch Park, Bradford, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 304-0836.

language

FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP: Fluent or still learning, language lovers 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.

lgbtq

HECK YEAH PARTY: Folks craft sweet notes of affirmation for queer youths — aka “heck yeahs”

— and share them anonymously in paper bags. Materials provided. Outright Vermont, Burlington, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 865-9677.

music

PATTY GRIFFIN & RICKIE LEE

JONES: See MON.20. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $42.50-74. Info, 863-5966.

québec

‘STONE AND BONE

SPECTACULAR’: See WED.15.

‘WHITE LION, BROWN TIGER’: See WED.15.

tech

DROP-IN TECH SUPPORT: Library staff answer questions about devices of all kinds in face-toface sessions. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 12:30-2 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

theater

‘COME FROM AWAY’: See WED.15.

words

BURLINGTON LITERATURE GROUP: Over the course of eight weeks, bookworms analyze Vladimir Nabokov’s 1969 novel Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@ nereadersandwriters.com.

NANCY HAYES KILGORE: A Vermont author celebrates the release of her new historical fiction novel, Pennsylvania Love Song which tells a dual-timeline story inspired by the lives of her mother and grandmother. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 7 p.m. $3; preregister. 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.

WED.22

activism

A BIG BEAUTIFUL TOUR ABOUT THE BIG UGLY BILL: Panelists outline local consequences of recent federal decisions, chart a path forward for protecting Vermonters and tell listeners how they can help. Essex St. James Episcopal Church, 6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 223-2328. ‘IS THIS FASCISM? HANNAH ARENDT’S PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY UNDER DICTATORSHIP’: Eric Levi Jacobson of the Vermont Center for Social Research leads this open community discussion exploring the difference between consent and obedience under tyranny. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

community

COMMUNITY PARTNERS DESK: Neighbors connect with representatives from the Turning

Point Center and learn about its addiction-recovery services. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

CURRENT EVENTS: Neighbors have an informal discussion about what’s in the news. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 878-4918.

crafts

TEACH THE WORLD TO SEW DAY: Needle-and-thread enthusiasts learn how to make mini denim totes at this beginner-friendly workshop. Materials provided. The Quilters’ Corner at Middlebury Sew-N-Vac, 10 a.m.-noon & 12:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 802 388-3559.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.15.

education

ALL IN VERMONT: PUT YOUR HISTORY ON THE MAP: Educators learn about a statewide, placebased learning opportunity for students that encourages the study of community history in partnership with local historical societies. Vermont History Center, Barre, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 479-8522. etc.

FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.15.

TOASTMASTERS OF GREATER BURLINGTON: Those looking to strengthen their speaking and leadership skills gain new tools. Virtual option available. Generator Makerspace, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 233-4157. WELLNESS OPEN HOUSE & GATHERING: OGGI BE Yoga Therapy & Rewilding hosts curious community members for an evening of tea, treats, networking and de-stressing activities. Moscow Mill Studios, East Calais, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 272-4544.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN FILM

SERIES: ‘TAKING VENICE’: Amei

Wallach directed this 2023 documentary about American art insiders who turned a prestigious show into a Cold War cultural battleground in 1964. Virtual option available. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7166.

‘FEMALE TROUBLE’: SOLD OUT. Director John Waters joins in person to provide live commentary throughout the outrageous trash-classic film, regaling viewers with invaluable insights and honed humor as he watches with them. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $55. Info, 660-2600.

‘ORWELL 2 + 2 = 5’: Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck’s 2025 documentary explores the life and philosophies of visionary author George Orwell. Film House, Main Street

Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 4 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE: IMMIGRATION IN FILM’: Film history expert Rick Winston shares clips from 15 works that address one of the most pressing issues of our time. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.17.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING: See WED.15.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.15.

holidays

COMMUNITY HALLOWEEN

PARTY: It’s a proper monster mash at this festive fête featuring arts and crafts, a costume contest, trick-or-treating, and photo ops with Grimace and the Hamburglar. McDonald’s, Colchester, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 655-7747.

language

ELL CLASSES: See WED.15.

music

COMMUNITY GARDEN SING WITH MOIRA SMILEY: A singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist leads community members in a program of joyful, accessible songs. The Tillerman, Bristol, 6:30-8 p.m. $10-25 sliding scale. Info, 818-259-4460.

FALL SHIRE CHOIR: See WED.15. ME2 CHORUS REHEARSAL: See WED.15.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE-E-BIKE TOUR: See WED.15.

STAR-GAZING WITH GEORGE SPRINGSTON: Budding astronomers uncover the mysteries of the universe through the lens of a telescope. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

québec

‘STONE AND BONE SPECTACULAR’: See WED.15.

‘WHITE LION, BROWN TIGER’: See WED.15.

seminars

FAMILY-TO-FAMILY: See WED.15. SUSTAINING THE RENT WORKSHOP: The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity helps tenants financially prepare and access resources to meet their housing needs. 5-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 660-3456.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: See WED.15.

theater

‘COME FROM AWAY’: See WED.15. ➆

THE FOLLOWING CLASS LISTINGS ARE PAID

ADVERTISEMENTS. ANNOUNCE YOUR CLASS HERE FOR AS LITTLE AS $21.25/WEEK (INCLUDES SIX PHOTOS AND UNLIMITED DESCRIPTION ONLINE).

NEWSPAPER DEADLINE: MONDAYS AT 3 P.M.

POST CLASS ADS AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTCLASS. GET HELP AT CLASSES@SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

arts & crafts

DAVIS STUDIO ART CLASSES: Discover your happy place in one of our weekly classes. Making art boosts emotional wellbeing and brings joy to your life, especially when you connect with other art enthusiasts. Select the ongoing program that’s right for you. Now enrolling youths, teens and adults. Join and restore your faith in humanity. Info: 802-4252700, info@davisstudiovt.com, davisstudiovt.com.

MAKE YOUR OWN HOLIDAY CARDS AT SPECS CAFÉ: Join us for our annual card-making workshop! You will learn how to carve your own linoleum blocks and make an edition of holiday cards! Please

bring a 4x6-inch image, or decide that day what to print. Sun., Dec. 14, 1-4 p.m. Cost: $65. Location: Specs Café, 7 W. Canal St. #1, Winooski. Info: 802-448-3943, sevendaystickets.com.

food & drink

HOMEMADE ÉCLAIRS FROM SCRATCH: Learn the classical French pastry techniques you need to make delicious éclairs and other pâté à choux-based dishes. Each participant will get to make their own éclairs from scratch to bring home and enjoy. u., Dec. 4, 5:30-8 p.m. Cost: $65. Location: Richmond Community Kitchen, 13 Jolina Ct. Info: 802-434-3445, sevendaystickets.com.

healing arts

REIKI TRAINING AND ATTUNEMENT: Reiki is a beautiful and powerful way of healing and attuning to the divinity of the universe! is hands-on (and more) healing art is soothing, calming, and relaxes us into greater well-being, health and happiness. Come learn how to offer Reiki sessions to yourself,

family, friends, pets or clients in your profession. Fri., Oct. 24, & Tue., Oct. 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Cost: $175 for instruction, training, attunement, lunch, practice & Maureen’s guidance from decades of Reiki and the healing arts.

Location: Lightheart Sanctuary, 236 Wild Apple Rd., New Haven. Info: Maureen Short, 802-771-5417, maureenseventeen@ gmail.com, lightheart.net.

martial arts

AIKIDO: THE POWER OF HARMONY: Introductory classes begin Nov. 4. Cultivate core power, aerobic ﬁtness and resiliency. e dynamic, circular movements

emphasize throws, joint locks and the development of internal energy. Join our community and ﬁnd resiliency, power and grace. Inclusive training, gender-neutral dressing room/bathrooms and a safe space for all. Visitors are always welcome to watch a class! Vermont’s only intensive aikido programs. Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: bpincus@ burlingtonaikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

music

TAIKO TUESDAYS, DJEMBE WEDNESDAYS!: Drum with

Stuart Paton! New sessions each month. Community Taiko Ensemble Beginner’s Class: Mon., 5:30-7 p.m. Taiko on Tue.: Kids & Parents Taiko, 4-5:30 p.m.; Adult Intro Taiko, 5:30-7 p.m.; Accelerated Intro Taiko, 7-8:30 p.m. Djembe on Wed.: Intermediate Djembe, 5:30-7 p.m.; Beginner Djembe, 7-8:30 p.m. Drums provided. Cost: $92/4 weeks; 90-min. classes; $72 per person for Kids & Parents class. Location: Burlington Taiko, 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3-G. Info: Stuart Paton, 802-448-0150, burlingtontaiko.org.

Find and purchase tickets for these and other classes at sevendaystickets.com.

= TICKETED CLASS

Buy & Sell »

ANTIQUES, FURNITURE, GARAGE SALES

Community » ANNOUNCEMENTS, LOST & FOUND, SUPPORT GROUPS

Rentals & Real Estate »

APARTMENTS, HOMES, FOR SALE BY OWNER

Vehicles »

CARS, BIKES, BOATS, RVS

Services »

FINANCIAL, CHILDCARE, HOME & GARDEN

Musicians & Artists »

LESSONS, CASTING, REHEARSAL SPACE

Jobs » NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

Bando

AGE/SEX: 2-year-old neutered male

ARRIVAL DATE: October 2, 2025

SUMMARY: At 140 pounds, Bando is a whole lot of dog with a whole lot of love to give! is gentle giant can be cautious in new situations, but once he feels safe and secure, his true personality shines. He’s goofy, affectionate and deeply loyal. He loves to run, play and melt into belly rubs with his trusted humans. Bando is looking for a calm, conﬁdent adopter who understands the needs of a large guardian breed and can give him the time, space and guidance to settle in. In return, you’ll gain a devoted companion who will ﬁll your heart ... and your couch! If you’ve got room in your home and heart and the patience to help Bando feel safe in the world, he just might be your perfect match.

DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Bando has lived with other dogs and enjoyed their company. He is seeking a home without cats. We have no history of Bando with kids, but he may accidentally knock over little humans due to his XL size!

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. or Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

DID YOU KNOW?

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month! If you’re ready to ﬁnd a new canine companion, consider opening your heart to a shelter dog! You can view all of HSCC’s adoptable pups at hsccvt.org/dogs.

by:

Humane Society of Chittenden County

Sponsored

Post ads by Monday at 3 p.m. sevendaysvt.com/classiﬁeds Need help? 802-865-1020, ext. 115 classiﬁeds@sevendaysvt.com

Buy y & Se

GARAGE & ESTATE SALES

ESTATE SALE IN JERICHO

51 Hanley Ln., Jericho. Sat., Oct. 18, & Sun., Oct. 19, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Everything must go. Rain or shine.

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)

WANTED: OLD MOTORCYCLES

I pay cash & pick up. Any condition, as is. 1920-1980 Harley, Kawasaki Z1, KZ900, H2, Honda CB750, BMW, Indian, Norton & more. Call for a fair offer: 800-220-9683.

PETS & SUPPLIES

OLDE ENGLISH BULLDOGGE

Purebred, limited registration, ready to go.. $1,500. Comes w/ Vermont health certiﬁ cate. Call or text 802-486-0866.

WANT TO BUY

TOP CASH PAID FOR OLD GUITARS

Looking for 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender,

begin monthly creative meetups to foster community, workshop new material, support one another & eventually perform in-the-round acoustic showcases together. (Not beginner level at this time.) No fees or formal association afﬁ liations. Limited to 20 participants to start. Contact Serina at serene0asis11@ gmail.com. Bio: serina@ serinajung.com.

MUSIC LESSONS

GUITAR INSTRUCTION

the building, + this unit comes w/ 2 designated parking spots. Pool, tennis courts, basketball hoop & playground! Centrally located, just a few minutes to UVM, the medical center, Interstate 89 & downtown Burlington. Contact: 978-844-3416, dbrepropertiesllc@ gmail.com.

BURLINGTON/ DOWNTOWN: ONLY 2 UNITS LEFT

FINANCIAL & LEGAL

STOP OVERPAYING FOR AUTO INSURANCE

A recent survey says that most Americans are overpaying for their car insurance. Let us show you how much you can save. Call now for a no-obligation quote: 1-833-399-1539. (AAN CAN)

GET DISABILITY BENEFITS

thorough & meticulous work done. Free estimates gladly granted. Stellar references avail. upon request. Please contact Shawn at 802-660-2645.

NEED NEW WINDOWS?

MUSICIANS & BANDS

SINGER/SONGWRITERS MEETUP

Local singersongwriter looking for other experienced singer-songwriters to

All styles/levels. Emphasis on building strong technique, thorough musicianship, developing personal style. Paul Asbell (Big Joe Burrell, Kilimanjaro, UVM & Middlebury College faculty, Seven Daysies winner). Info, 802-233-7731, pasbell@ paulasbell.com.

131 Church St. Two unfurnished, brand-new 2-BR apts. for rent. Avail. now. Amenities incl. A/C, keyless entry, W/D in unit & more. Efﬁ cient & cozy. #301 rent is $2,750 & #304 rent is $2,950 Call 802-391-9089.

3-BR APT. IN E. MIDDLEBURY, HEAT INCL.

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)

GET TAX RELIEF

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

APARTMENTS & HOUSES FOR RENT

880 SQ.FT. 2-BR, 1-BA FOR RENT IN S. BURLINGTON

124 Quarry Hill Rd., unit 27. Unfurnished 880 sq.ft. 2nd ﬂ oor 2-BR end unit in S. Burlington near the University of Vermont! Spacious LR w/ large windows & adjoining DR w/ slider to back deck. e private deck overlooks the woods & common yard w/ a swing set to the south. You’ll also ﬁ nd a full BA & 2 BR w/ double closets for all of your storage needs + 3 additional closets in the hallway. Coin-op community laundry in

399 E. Main St., Middlebury. Unfurnished 3-BR, 1-BA, apt. w/ ofﬁ ce. $3,000/ mo. Heat, water, trash, lawn mowing incl. in the rent. You pay electricity. W/D in unit. Off-street parking (3 spaces). 1st mo. rent & security due upon signing lease. NS. Quiet pets possible upon approval. Credit & background checks req. Avail. Nov. 15. Text 802-349-7464.

Do you owe more than $10,000 to the IRS or state in back taxes? Get tax relief now! We’ll ﬁght for you! Call 1-877-7036117. (AAN CAN)

HEALTH & WELLNESS

MEN, IT’S TIME TO RELAX

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:

Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energyefﬁ cient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & free quote today: 1-877-2489944. (AAN CAN)

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)

AGING ROOF? NEW HOMEOWNER? STORM DAMAGE?

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

Ser ices

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)

Massage for men. Offering deep tissue, reﬂ exology, sports, muscle wellness, relaxation, aroma therapy, hot stones or a combination. Relaxing environment & very clean. Central Vermont. Contact: text only, 802-522-3932; motman@ymail.com; gentletouchesmassage. com.

HOME & GARDEN

RESTORATIVE CLEANING SERVICE FOR RENTAL PROPERTIES

Has a tenant left your rental property in an uninhabitable state? Offering a “1-time” restorative/deep cleaning service specializing in rental properties. Very

PROTECT YOUR HOME

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)

Home break-ins take less than 60 seconds. Don’t wait! Protect your family, your home, your assets now for as little as 70 cents a day! Call 1-833-881-2713.

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)

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 & Sell, Community, Musicians & Artists, Vehicles

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, ll the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

Sudoku

Show and tell. View and post up to 6 photos per ad online.

Complete the following puzzle by using the numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

Open 24/7/365. Post & browse ads at your convenience. Extra! Extra! There’s no limit to ad length online.

WANT MORE PUZZLES?

Try these online news games from Seven Days at sevendaysvt.com/games.

Put your knowledge of Vermont news to the test. NEW ON FRIDAYS:

CALCOKU 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.

SUDOKU BY JOSH

REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers one to nine. The same numbers cannot be repeated in a row or column.

ANSWERS ON P.78 H = MODERATE H H = CHALLENGING H H H = HOO, BOY!

THINK INK

ANSWERS ON P.78 »

See how fast you can solve this weekly 10-word puzzle.

Legal Notices

NORTHSTAR SELF STORAGE WILL BE HAVING A PUBLIC AND ONLINE SALE/AUCTION FOR THE FOLLOWING STORAGE UNITS ON OCTOBER 23, 2025 AT 9:00 AM

Northstar Self Storage will be having a public and online sale/auction on October 23, 2025 at 9am EST at 205 Route 4A West, Castleton, VT 05735 (C42), 615 Route 7, Danby VT 05739 (D53). 3466 Richville Rd, Manchester Center, VT 05255 (20), 681 Rockingham Rd, Rockingham, VT 05151 (R58, R67) 1124 Charlestown Road, Springfield, VT 05156 (CC18, S18), and online at www.storagetreasures. com at 9:00 am in accordance with VT Title 9 Commerce and Trade Chapter 098: Storage Units 3905. Enforcement of Lien

Unit # Name Contents

C42 Kathleen Mayer Household Goods

20 Lauren Rossics Household Goods

R58 Amber Mcdaniel Household Goods

R67 Dylan Sheltra Household Goods

CC18 Grace Prepost Household Goods S18 Shelby Lebarron Household Goods

ANNUAL MEETING

The Community Health Centers (CHC) will hold its Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 30, 2025, from 5:30-7pm at 617 Riverside Avenue in Burlington. The evening will include remarks from CHC leadership regarding the past year’s accomplishments, as well as from members of the staff of Senator Bernie Sanders. RSVP is appreciated to Emilyn LaBonte at elabonte@chcb. org or (802) 540-8503.

VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

CASE NO. 25-PR-01431

175 Main Street Burlington, VT 05401 802-651-1518 www.vermontjudicary.org

September 29, 2025

NOTICE OF PROBATE PROCEEDINGS AND APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATOR

Estate of: Jesse Larock

A petition to open an estate of the above-named person has been filed in this court by CMG Mortgage, Inc.

A Intestate Estate Commencement Hearing for all parties will be held on:

DATE: November 14, 2025 TIME: 1:00 PM

DURATION: 2 Hours

IF YOU DESIRE TO BE HEARD ON THE ABOVE MATTER, YOU MUST APPEAR AT THE HEARING. You are advised that the requested person may be appointed as administrator if no interested person appears to object to this action at the hearing.

YOU MAY ATTEND THIS HEARING REMOTELY OR IN PERSON AT THE COURTHOUSE. See attached instructions.

If you wish to receive notice of all future events or motions which may occur in these proceedings, you must notify the court by entering your appearance by filing a Notice of Appearance form. If you have questions about the nature of this proceeding or the purpose or content of this notice, you may inquire by calling the petitioner, the petitioner’s attorney, or the court.

Electronically signed on September 29, 2025, pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9(d)

Anne Straw Judicial Assistant

Any individual with a disability requiring assistance accessing the services, programs, and/ or activities at the Courthouse should contact the Clerk’s office at the above address for further assistance.

RFP - PAVING SERVICES ON MILTON WESTFORD RD.

The Town of Westford is working with a grant to pave a section of the Milton-Westford Rd, and replace a culvert. The RFP is available at https:// westfordvt.us/careers-rfps/

Any questions can be sent to Tommy O’Connor –Town Administrator at townadmin@westfordvt.us or call the office at 802-878-4587

PUBLIC HEARING WINOOSKI

Monday, October 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM Winooski City Hall

27 W. Allen Street, Winooski, VT 05404

• Attend in person: Winooski City Hall (27 W Allen St)

• Attend online: https://us06web.zoom. us/j/84364849328

• Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656

• Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328

The Winooski City Council will hold a Public Hearing on October 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers to consider revisions to the City’s Chapter 29 Tree Ordinance.

The current ordinance, adopted in 2019, conflicts with state statute changes made in 2020 regarding Tree Warden authority and Shade Tree Preservation Plans. The proposed revisions resolve these conflicts and establish a Shade Tree Preservation Plan for Winooski.

All interested persons are invited to attend and provide comment. For more information, contact Jon Rauscher, DPW Director (email: jrauscher@ winooskivt.gov phone: 802.655.6410

CITY OF ESSEX JUNCTION REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

The City of Essex Junction has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Comprehensive Plan Update.

Proposals are due on November 14, 2025, at 4:30 PM. (local time) at the City Office, 2 Lincoln Street, Essex Junction, Vermont, 05452, or by email to cyuen@essexjunction.org. The deadline for questions is November 4, 2025, at 4:30 PM.

Information for bidders and the complete RFP may be obtained, without charge, on the City of Essex Junction webpage at www.essexjunction. org/news/invitation-to-bid, at the City Office, or by calling (802) 878-6944. Questions concerning this RFP should be sent to Christopher Yuen, Community Development Director, City of Essex Junction, at 802-878-6944 or cyuen@essexjunction.org. 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.

STATE OF VERMONT

SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION

CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.: 25-PR-05892

In re ESTATE of PETER JACOBSON

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Peter Jacobson late of Essex Junction, 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: October 10, 2025

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Launa L. Slater Executor/Administrator: Rachel Kramer c/o Launa L. Slater, Wiener & Slater, PLLC 110 Main Street, Suite 4F Burlington, VT 05401 Phone Number: 802-863-1836 Email: launa@wsvtlaw.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 10/15/2025

Name of Probate Court: Chittenden Probate Court Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street Burlington, VT 05401

Support Groups

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS SUPPORT GROUPS

Please join our professionally facilitated peer-led support groups designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org/ family-support-programs.

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, 800-272-3900, or visit alz.org for more info. For questions or additional support group listings, call 800-272-3900.

ANXIETY RELIEF GROUP

Anxiety Relief Group is a safe setting for relaxing & exploring your feelings w/ others through gentle socialization & self-expression, building up what makes you centered & strong. Wed., 4-5:30 p.m. Both in-person & Zoom options avail. In-person meetings are held at the Fletcher Free Library’s Fletcher Room in Burlington. Email us for the Zoom link & more info: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

BRAIN INJURY SUPPORT GROUP

Vermont Center for Independent Living offers virtual monthly meetings, held on the 3rd Wed. of every mo., 1-2:30 p.m. The support group will offer valuable resources & info about brain injury. It will be a place to share experiences in a safe, secure & confidential environment. To join, email Linda Meleady at lindam@vcil.org & ask to be put on the TBI mailing list. Info: 800-639-1522.

BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR DRAGON BOAT TEAM

Looking for a fun way to do something active & health-giving? Want to connect w/ other breast cancer survivors? Come join Dragonheart Vermont. We are a breast cancer survivor & supporter dragon

boat team who paddle together in Burlington. Please contact us at info@dragonheartvermont.org for info.

BURLINGTON MEN’S PEER GROUP

Tue. nights, 7-9 p.m., in Burlington. Free of charge, 30 years running. Call Neils, 802-877-3742.

CHARLOTTE ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER SUPPORT

GROUP

Free. No registration req. Are you caring for someone w/ Alzheimer’s? Do you know someone who is? Please join us for our monthly Caregivers Support Group at the Charlotte Senior Center, 212 Ferry Rd., on the 2nd Wed. of each mo., 3-4 p.m. The meetings provide a safe place for caregivers, family & friends of persons w/ dementia to meet & develop a mutual support system. For additional information, please contact Louise Fairbank: louisefairbank67@gmail. com.

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SUICIDE

Conversations About Suicide is a judgment-free & open space to talk about personal experiences of suicidal ideation. The group is facilitated by peer support staff w/ lived experience of suicidality. Thu., 4-5 p.m., at Vermont Wellness Collaborative, 125 College St., 3rd Floor, Burlington. Email us for more info: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

DISABILITY SUPPORT GROUP

Our group is a space for mutual support, open to anybody who identifies as disabled, differently abled or having a disability. Whether your disability is visible, invisible, physical or cognitive, this group is for you! The group meets every Mon., 1:15-2:15 p.m., at Fletcher Free Library’s Pickering Room & online on Zoom. Email us for the Zoom link & more info: pvcc@ pathwaysvermont.org.

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.

GRIEVING A LOSS SUPPORT GROUP

A retired psychotherapist & an experienced life coach host a free meeting for those grieving the loss of a loved one. The group meets upstairs at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne. There is no fee for attending but donations are gladly accepted. Meetings are held on the 1st & 3rd Sat. of every mo., 10-11:30 a.m. If you are interested in attending please register at allsoulsinterfaith. org. (More information about the group leader at pamblairbooks.com.)

HEARING VOICES SUPPORT GROUP

This Hearing Voices Group seeks to find understanding of voice-hearing experiences as real lived experiences that may happen to anyone at any time. We choose to share experiences, support & empathy. We validate anyone’s experience & stories about their experience as their own, as being an honest & accurate representation of their experience, & as being acceptable exactly as they are. Tue., 2:30-4 p.m. Vermont Wellness Collaborative (125 College St., 3rd Floor). Email us for more information: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM OR 802-865-1020 EXT. 115 TO UPDATE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP

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 802-7355735 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

The Volunteer Chaplaincy Program of Gifford Medical Center sponsors a weekly meeting of its “Living Through Loss” grief support group. Anyone who has experienced a significant loss over the past year or so is warmly invited to attend the free weekly meetings every Fri., 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For info, contact the Rev. Tim Eberhardt, Gifford’s Spiritual Care Coordinator, at 802-728-2107.

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.

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

The 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 confidential, 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. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of addiction in a relative or friend. Info: Amanda H., 338-8106.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS

Narcotics Anonymous is a group of recovering addicts who live without the use of drugs. It costs nothing to join. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. Held in Burlington, St Albans, Morrisville, Barre & Stowe. Info, 833-4366166 or cvana.org.

NEW (& EXPECTING) MAMAS & PAPAS & EVERY

PRIMARY CAREGIVER TO A BABY

Drop-in play every day: The Children’s Room is open Mon.-Fri. for anyone w/children ages 0-6 to come & play. Check the TCR calendar for hours & school closure days. Caregiver & Baby Circle: Weekly drop-in on Mon., 11 a.m., at the Children’s Room.

We are pleased to offer a weekly gathering for babies (0-18 mos.) & their caregivers, sponsored by Good Beginnings & hosted by the Children’s Room. Nature Explorations: Tue,, 10-11:30 a.m., at various trailheads in the area. Get outside for some fresh air & fun! Every week we go to a different trailhead or natural area to explore. Ages 0-6; carriers are helpful for little ones. Email childrensroom@huusd. org to sign up; enrollment is always open. Music & Movement: drop-in, Wed., 10:30-11:30 a.m., at the Children’s Room in Brookside Primary School. We begin by singing songs & moving together & allow time at the end to play w/ instruments, as well as time for adults & kids to socialize. Ages 0-6. Exploration & Art Fridays: drop-in, Fri., anytime from 9 a.m.-noon at the Children’s Room in Brookside Primary School. We’ll be engaging in different hands-on explorations & using various mediums every week — sometimes combined. Come to TCR to explore, play & create! For info, email childrensroom@huusd.org.

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. This 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

The 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. This peer led, non-theistic group offers opportunities to deepen understanding, explore personal inquiry & connect w/ others. We meet every Wed. from 6-7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Burlington (the Red Door Church, 21 Buell St.). Enter through the administrative office door (at far left when viewed from Buell St.) We also meet on Thu., 1-2 p.m., at the Turning Point Center, 179 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington. 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: Thu., 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: Visit slaafws. org or saa-recovery.org for meetings near you.

As an HR professional for more than 20 years, I know how challenging recruitment can be. When I post a job, I want it to reach all Vermonters who are interested and searching for the right opportunity. Seven Days makes that possible. eir postings are seen statewide, so I know I’m connecting with candidates everywhere. Posting a job is as easy as 1-2-3. I simply send an email to Michelle Brown on Friday, and it’s live on their site on Monday. e Seven Days staff are super responsive, helpful and customer-centric.

ANNA GRADY VP of Operations and Administration, Vermont Community Foundation, Burlington

Communications Manager

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

Earn With Empathy

Seasonal

User Support Specialist

Vermont Town Careers

OCTOBER 15-22, 2025

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Assistant to the Executive Director

ROLE OVERVIEW: Are you a powerhouse of organization, discretion, and poise under pressure? The University of Vermont’s University Housing & Dining Services (UHDS) seeks an Assistant to the Executive Director — a pivotal role for an experienced professional who thrives in fast-paced, high-stakes environments. This is more than calendar management or inbox triage. We need someone who has built a career supporting senior executives — who anticipates needs, distinguishes priorities, and exercises sound judgment with urgency and discretion.

BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION

• Full-time, year-round, benefits-eligible.

• Salary range: $50,700 – $58,500

• Health, dental, and vision insurance

• Tuition remission for employees and eligible dependents

• 45+ days vacation, sick time, and holidays

• Retirement plan

• Relocation stipend

WHY JOIN UVM? UVM offers one of the region’s most comprehensive benefits packages, including outstanding health coverage, a competitive retirement plan, and generous time off. Tuition remission makes higher education more accessible and affordable for employees and their families.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage a dynamic, often unpredictable calendar with precision.

• Handle sensitive personnel, legal, and strategic matters with discretion.

• Serve as the Executive Director’s right hand — tracking priorities and ensuring no detail falls through the cracks.

• Stay calm under pressure and keep competing demands moving forward.

• Collaborate across a large university system, communicating clearly and diplomatically.

• If you’ve spent your career supporting senior leaders, love a challenge, and want to work in a mission-driven environment with excellent benefits, this may be the perfect next step.

OTHER INFORMATION: Flexibility to work evenings and weekends to meet departmental needs is required. A probationary period and background check may be required.

INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE: There’s a place for you at UVM. Learn more at go.uvm.edu/identity-centers. The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by law. The University encourages applications from all individuals who will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the institution.

online at uvmjobs.com/postings/83406

number: S5768PO

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:

Construction Project Specialist: Performs physical condition inspections of all owned and managed properties for assessment of capital needs and housing standards compliance, coordinates small to medium sized renovation and repair projects, and assists in the development and preparation of construction project bid specifications, requests for proposals and project requirements, manuals and plans, as well as other aspects of project management. Pay $26.40 to $31.25 per hour.

Property Manager Receptionist / Administrative Assistant: Serves as first point of contact for our customers in the Property Management office. This role greets applicants and the general public at the main office, collects rent payments, provides administrative support to the Leasing Specialist, the Property Managers, and the Director of Property Management. Pay $20.00 to $22.00 per hour, with a $1,500 Sign On Bonus.

Maintenance Technician: Performs general maintenance work in BHA owned and managed properties. This includes building exteriors, common areas, apartments, building systems, fixtures, and grounds. Our Building

Operations Techs are required to participate in the on-call rotation, which covers night and weekend emergencies. Current rotation is once every 6-7 weeks. Pay $24.00 to $26.00 per hour, with a $1,500 Sign On Bonus.

For more info about our benefit package and these career opportunities please visit: burlingtonhousing.org

Interested in our career opportunity? Send a cover letter & resume to: humanresources@ burlingtonhousing.org.

Burlington Housing Authority Human Resources 65 Main Street Suite 101 Burlington, VT 05401-8408 P: 802-864-0538 F: 802-658-1286

Maintenance Technicians

Join Our Team At Cathedral Square

Join Cathedral Square and make a difference! We're hiring full-time Maintenance Techs—pay ranges from $21–$28/hr. Other roles are also available. Apply online today!

Visit our website to learn more: cathedralsquare. org/job-openings

Watershed Specialist

Join the Vermont Land Trust as a Watershed Specialist. We are seeking a Watershed Specialist who can:

• Evaluate and protect ecological features on VLT-conserved lands through GIS analysis, field assessments, and ecological reporting to support easement design and surface water protections.

• Plan and advance restoration projects — including riparian plantings, instream wood additions, and wetland restoration — by collaborating with landowners, VLT staff, and external partners.

• Lead and coordinate the Vermont Process-Based Restoration Network, managing communications, events, and partnerships to scale up restoration efforts statewide.

Learn more and apply at vlt.org/employment. The position will remain open until October 28, 2025. The annual starting salary is $67,200, plus a cafeteria allowance of $25,561 to pay for health care and other benefits.

The Vermont Land Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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.

4t-VTLandTrust100125.indd

2v-CathedralSquare101525.indd 1 10/14/25 12:00 PM

Production Services Coordinator

Schedule and coordinate studio production shifts, community municipal meetings and events, as well as direct, shoot, edit, and help coordinate fee-forservice projects. Requires a high level of professionalism, communication, technical video production, and the ability to collaborate.

Send your application to careers@mediafactory.org

2v-MediaFactory-100825.indd 1 10/7/25 11:37 AM

Are you our next Guest Services Representative? Buyer? Produce Associate?

Early Childhood Educator

Pine Forest Children’s Center (PFCC) has provided high-quality, play-based early childhood education in Burlington’s South End since 1988. We are currently hiring for multiple positions, including licensed preschool teachers (full-time or part-time) and early childhood educators to join our infant–preschool teams. At PFCC, we value imagination, curiosity, and integrity, and believe children learn best through emergent, play-based experiences connected to their community and natural world. Our teachers collaborate to design engaging, child-led curriculum, partner closely with families, and receive strong professional development support to grow in the ﬁeld.

Pay: $20–$26/hour plus a $1,000 sign-on bonus

Watershed Engagement Coordinator

Join Friends of the Mad River as the VHCB AmeriCorps Watershed Engagement Coordinator to help build resilience, adaptability, awareness, and inclusion into our watershed community. Play a critical role with our team by coordinating volunteer programs, events, and other opportunities for education and community engagement.

This position begins January 13, 2026, and ends December 11, 2026. It is Full Time and requires 1,720 hours for an average of 40 hours per week for 47 weeks. You will receive a monthly living allowance totaling $30,500 (pre-tax) over the term of service, as well as an education award of $7,395 (pre-tax) upon successful completion of term of service. AmeriCorps members may also be eligible for healthcare coverage, childcare assistance, and student loan forbearance.

To apply, visit friendsofthemadriver.org/work-with-us.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Beneﬁts include: health savings account, dental, vision & life insurance, retirement plan, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, ongoing training, and more.

To apply, send your resume and cover letter to Julie LaFountaine at julie@thepineforest.org. PFCC is an equal opportunity employer.

The Finance Department at Saint Michael’s College invites applications for the Director of Finance position. This leadership position is a strategic thought partner to the Vice President for Finance and Administration and assists in decisionmaking and operations of the College relating to intentional allocation of funds for strategic initiatives, overall financial health, financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and compliance auditing. The Director oversees the day-to-day fiscal operations of the college and provides leadership to the accounting team in its daily, weekly, monthly, and annual processes. This position also serves as a liaison to the Treasurer of Saint Michael’s College Fire and Rescue, Inc., Merrill Cemetery, and Secretary to SMC Operations and Audit Committee. The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $175,000.

For a complete job description, benefits information, and to apply online, please visit: bit.ly/SMCDF25

4t-StMichaelsCollege101525.indd 1

4t-FriendsoftheMadRiver101525.indd 1

OCTOBER 15-22, 2025

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

“Whatever experience you come with is valuable, and I cannot imagine you not loving it here.”

– Sadie Gaffin, Service Coordinator

Great jobs in management and direct support at an award-winning agency serving Vermonters with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Benefit package includes 29 paid days off in the first year, comprehensive health insurance with premium as low as $30 per month, up to $6,400 to go towards medical deductibles and copays, retirement match, generous sign on bonus and so much more. And that’s on top of working at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont” for seven years in a row. Join our team today! 5h-ChamplainCommunityServices100125_converted

CDL DRIVER

Boom Experience preferred

$80-100,000 Average for Wages plus unloading fees

The primary function of a delivery driver is to operate a commercial motor vehicle safely and efficiently in compliance with company policies along with Federal and State regulations and deliver all freight undamaged. Work as a team player to deliver, load/unload materials while providing a world class customer service experience.

UNLOADER

Starting wages $20-22 hour plus unloading fees

The primary function of the Unloader is to load, locate job sites, assist in backing, prepare and restore the job site, and prepare the truck for the following day and maintaining the truck and equipment.

BENEFITS & PERKS:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability & Life Insurance

• Wellness Benefits

• 401(k) Retirement Plan, Paid Holidays & Vacation Days

• Professional Growth Opportunities, Development & Training Programs

Trowel Trades Supply - Incorporated in 1968 and began as a masonry yard servicing the needs of residential fireplace masons. Today, Trowel Trades Supply serves Vermont’s construction professionals from its yard in Williston. Trowel Trades is part of Gypsum Management & Supply, Inc. GMS is the leading North American distributor of gypsum wallboard, acoustical ceiling products and other specialty building materials. Founded in 1971, GMS now operates an expansive network of distribution centers nationwide.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with state and local law. Launch your career with a national building materials distributor and discover opportunities for growth and advancement. We value our team members and believe them to be our greatest assets. As such, we invest in training and strive to provide a work-life balance.

Interested in a position, please email msmullen@troweltradessupply.com

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

LEGAL ASSISTANT

BURLINGTON,

Sheehey Furlong & Behm, an established, growing law firm located near the Burlington waterfront, is accepting applications for a legal assistant. The successful candidate will be detail-oriented, possess strong written and verbal skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Proficiency in MS Office applications is required. Legal experience is preferred, but we will train the right applicant. The anticipated pay range for this position is $24 - $30 per hour. Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits package.

Please forward cover letter and resume to hiring@sheeheyvt.com, subject “Legal Assistant.”

SENIOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ENGINEER

Geothermal, Solar or Medium Voltage

$95,000–$115,000, based on experience and credentials

This full-time position, based in VT, NH, NY or Maine, leads the design and engineering of commercial geothermal systems, utility-scale solar PV projects, and medium voltage infrastructure, with opportunities to contribute to energy storage and EV charging initiatives. It spans the full project lifecycle—from conceptual design through commissioning—and requires strong technical breadth, collaboration skills, and attention to detail. Job description and requirements: norwichtech.com/careers

PROCUREMENT AND WAREHOUSE SPECIALIST

$40,000-$55,000 based on experience and credentials

This full-time position, based in Windsor, VT, is responsible for sourcing project materials, creating, tracking, and receiving purchase orders, managing trucking logistics, physically receiving orders, and maintaining the warehouse space. Incumbent is responsible for all warehouse activities including maintaining a safe, clean workspace, materials handling, scheduling deliveries, unloading trucks, receiving inventory, efficient storage of materials, coordinating, and making job site deliveries. Additionally, this role will prepare job materials for upcoming projects using our ERP system and manage our digital inventory and cycle counts. Full job description & requirements: norwichtech.com/careers

“Seven Days sales rep Michelle Brown is amazing! She’s extremely responsive, and I always feel so taken care of. I can only imagine how many job connections she has facilitated for local companies in the 20 years she has been doing this.”

CAROLYN ZELLER, Intervale Center, Burlington Get a quote when posting online. Contact Michelle Brown at 865-1020, ext. 121, michelle@sevendaysvt.com

Plant Utilities Assistant (NY HELPS)

Plant Utilities Engineer 1 (NY HELPS)

Visit jobs.plattsburgh.edu & select “View Current Openings” SUNY Plattsburgh is an AA/EEO/ADA/VEVRAA

Skilled Carpenters

New West Building Company is a general contractor based in Stowe, VT, and is seeking skilled carpenters. Trim carpentry experience is a plus. Competitive pay DOE ($35–$50/hr) with benefits including insurance and 401K.

Send relevant job experience to jobs@newwestbc.com

Office Manager

CVRPC is looking for a fulltime office manager to join our team of dedicated professionals in a public service organization. The strongest candidates will have experience with public entities and business management processes such as employee benefits, insurance, contracts, grants, payables, receivables, record keeping systems, and public meeting coordination. Proficiency in Microsoft 365 suite and SharePoint required, and QuickBooks preferred. The salary range for this position is $49,000 to $67,000 dependent on qualifications. A review of applications will begin October 27, 2025.

Further details and job description available at: centralvtplanning.org/news/ job-postings.

Director of Development

Finding Our Stride (FOS) seeks an energetic, motivated individual with a passion to serve youth to join our small team as Director of Development. The Director of Development will collaborate closely with the Executive Director and be responsible for strategizing, implementing, and managing all development efforts and operations supporting FOS’ continued growth. We are a small, fully remote team, based in the Upper Valley. During the spring and fall program seasons, frequent local travel is expected for school site visits. This is a part-time (50% full-time), salaried position.

Visit 7dvt.pub/rju for full description of job responsibilities.

To apply, send resume and cover letter in PDF formats to info@findingourstride.org.

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Copley Hospital in Morrisville/Stowe, VT is hiring a Chief Operating Officer (COO).

This is a rare chance to join a mission-driven, high-performing community hospital with a nationally respected orthopaedics program. Reporting to the CEO, the COO will drive quality, safety, and growth while fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.

Live and work in the heart of Vermont’s four-season playground near Stowe – enjoy skiing, hiking, mountain biking and more. Working at Copley brings impact, purpose, and lifestyle together.

Apply today and help shape the future of healthcare in Vermont!

For more information, please visit copleyvt.org/careers.

LITIGATION PARALEGAL

BURLINGTON, VT

4t-FindingOurStride-100825.indd 1

COMMERCIAL CREDIT ANALYST

VEDA has an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual to join its Team as a Commercial Credit Analyst.

The work location can be in VEDA’s Burlington, Montpelier, or Middlebury offices and some remote work may be available after an initial period. This position reports directly to the Director of Credit and under the general direction of Commercial Loan Officers.

VEDA provides financing to Vermont businesses and farms, often in partnership with private financial institutions and government agencies. Primary responsibilities of the Credit Analyst include analyzing borrower/potential borrower credit, detailing loan terms and conditions in a credit write-up for loan approval, and supporting loan origination and servicing actions.

Preferred candidates will have at least three years of commercial credit analysis experience at a lending institution and a bachelor’s degree in finance/accounting/business/related.

VEDA offers a salary range of $54,000 - $86,400 and excellent health and retirement benefits for this full-time position Other perks include a flexible work environment, professional development opportunities, and access to networking.

VEDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer and welcomes job applications from all qualified candidates.

To apply, please email resume & cover letter to Cheryl Houchens: chouchens@veda.org 5v-VEDA012622.indd 1

Sheehey Furlong & Behm, an established, growing law firm located near the Burlington waterfront, is accepting applications for a litigation paralegal. The successful candidate will be detail-oriented, possess strong written, verbal and research skills as well as the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Proficiency in MS Office applications is required. 1-3 years of legal experience, whether in law offices or government or the judiciary, is preferred. All inquiries will be treated confidentially. Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits package offered. The anticipated pay range for this position is $28-$35 per hour.

Forward cover letter and resume to hiring@sheeheyvt.com, subject “Litigation Paralegal.”

Care Coordinator/Case Management

Case Managers support older Vermonters in the community to stay as independent as possible in the environment of their choice by promoting health, rights, independence, and economic well-being.

This position is based in our Barre CVCOA office, combined with in-home field visits.

Pay Range: $24-$26 per hour.

For the full job description and to apply, please visit: cvcoa.org/employment

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Finance & Operations Manager

The Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV) builds community through the preservation of historic buildings, villages, and downtowns. Last year, PTV worked on 362 preservation and revitalization projects in 155 Vermont communities. PTV is seeking a highly organized and collaborative team member who will help PTV achieve its mission by managing our daily finance and operational functions. The ideal candidate will have experience with nonprofit finances and administration, have exceptional attention to detail, and be excited to serve Vermont communities.

Details and to apply: ptvermont.org/financeoperations

GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC AFFAIRS ASSOCIATE

Shape Policy. Drive Impact.

Executive Director

code to apply.

The Vermont Bar Association is seeking candidates for the position of Executive Director. This is a leadership, policy & administrative position responsible for leading, managing, and executing the affairs of the 2,250-member Vermont Bar Association under the direction of the President and the Board of Bar Managers. The ideal candidate will have a JD degree or otherwise be licensed to practice law (preferred but not required), and have administrative, personnel, and budget management experience. Prior experience with the legislative process is desirable, as the Executive Director is the VBA’s voice in the legislature as well as with the other branches of Vermont state government. The ability to liaison with other professional organizations, county bar associations, civil legal service delivery agencies and the Vermont Supreme Court is required.

2v-Spectrum101525.indd 1 10/13/25 3:42 PM

Interested candidates should submit a letter expressing in detail why they are interested in the position. The letter should be accompanied by a current resume, the names (and contact information for) three references, and a writing sample. Candidates with questions about the position or the process may send them to Josh Diamond at jdiamond@dinse.com

Salary Range: $100,000 - $150,000 plus benefits, range based upon successful applicant’s qualifications.

For more information and to apply, please visit: vtbar.formstack.com/forms/ed_recruitment

Launch Your Career in Public Affairs.

Morris Strategies is a leading government relations and communications firm helping businesses, nonprofits, and associations shape policy and tell their stories. We’re looking for a motivated Government & Public Affairs Associate to track legislation, support client communications & be at the center of Vermont’s policymaking.

What You’ll Do:

• Monitor bills, hearings, and press briefings — and report what matters.

• Coordinate meetings and events with legislators, clients, and stakeholders.

• Support communications projects and deliver timely, highquality materials.

• Research new opportunities and track media coverage.

What We’re Looking For:

• A degree in political science, public policy, communications, or related field.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Organized, detail-oriented, and eager to learn.

• Experience in campaigns, advocacy, or communications is a plus — but curiosity and drive matter most.

What We Offer:

• Competitive pay commensurate with experience

• Coffee & lunch provided at the State House

• A front-row seat to Vermont’s legislative process

• Hands-on experience and mentorship in government relations and communications

Pay Range: $31.50/hour or commensurate with experience. Send cover letter and resume to: bmorris@vtlobbyists.com

The deadline for applications is October 30, 2025.

Per Diem/ Flexible Schedule

We’re looking for a compassionate, experienced Registered Nurse (RN) to join our team on a per diem basis. You’ll administer IV infusions and injections, provide education to clients, and represent thrIVe at community events, private bookings, and wellness pop-ups.

Responsibilities

5v-VTBarAssociation100125.indd 1 9/29/25 3:40 PM

• Perform IV insertions, IM injections, and monitor clients during treatment

• Educate clients about treatments, safety, and post-care

• Document treatments accurately and maintain HIPAA compliance

• Ensure a professional, clean, and safe work environment

• Occasionally assist at events or pop-ups (festivals, wellness fairs, etc.)

Requirements

• Active Vermont RN license (unrestricted)

• 2+ years of IV experience (infusion, ER, med-surg, or similar)

• Strong clinical judgment and communication skills

• Reliable transportation and flexibility to travel locally

• Friendly, professional, and client-focused Compensation & Perks

• Competitive per diem rate & travel reimbursement

• Flexible scheduling

• Opportunities to work at events and private bookings

• Supportive, collaborative team environment

Send resumes to: info@thrivehydrationvt.com

Hiring Operators of all experience levels for multiple shifts, including weekend

$22 – $35 per hour to start based on experience (including shift differential)

Plus a $5,000 sign-on bonus for eligible new hires!

• Paid Time Off - Including Company Holidays, Vacation, Personal Time

• On-site Primary Care for employees and eligible dependents

High quality, low cost benefits for as little as

• High quality, low cost benefits for as little as $9/pay (employee) or $18/pay (family)

• 401(k) Match - 100% matching up to 4%

• Annual Bonus, profit sharing and merit increases

•Wellness programs and incentives

Date: Friday, November 7th

Time: 6:00 am - 2:00 pm

Location: Hard’Ack Greg Brown Lodge 264 Hard’Ack, St. Albans VT

Readers help pay for the production of this award-winning weekly newspaper. Thousands have made one-time or recurring donations to sustain Seven Days. Their support — along with advertisers’ — allows us to keep delivering breaking news and thoughtful long-form journalism to Vermonters.

Support local journalism — make a contribution today!

If you like what we do and can a ord to help pay for it, please become a Seven Days Super Reader. Your donation will help to keep our community informed and connected. Join the Super Readers at sevendaysvt.com/super-readers.

Or send a note (and a check) to: Seven Days c/o Super Readers PO Box 1164 Burlington, VT 05402

Seven Days on the press in Mirabel, Québec

fun stuff

“Hard to believe in 9 short hours he’ll be possessed by the Devil all over again.”

JEN SORENSEN

HARRY BLISS

fun stuff

KRISTEN SHULL

LEAH WITTENBERG

LIBRA

(SEP. 23-OCT. 22)

I’m pleased to inform you that the coming weeks will be an excellent time to make a big wish upon a bright star. But I must also tell you how important it is to be clear and exact. Even a slight error in formulating your wish could result in only a partial fulfillment. And aiming your plea at the wrong star could cause a long delay. Sorry I have to be so complicated, dear Libra. The fact is, though, it’s not always easy to know precisely what you yearn for and to ask the correct source to help you get it. But here’s the good news: You are currently in a phase when you’re far more likely than usual to make all the right moves.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): Life is tempting you to tiptoe to the brink of the threshold of the rawest truth, the wildest beauty and the most precious love. Your ancestors are conspiring with your guardian angels to lure you into the secret heart of the inner sanctum of spiritual truth. I am totally sincere and serious. You now have a momentous opportunity — a thrilling opening to commune with subtle powers that could provide you with profound guidance.

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): In the forests of America’s Pacific Northwest, “nurse logs” lie fallen but fertile. These dead trees host

seedlings, mosses and new saplings that rise from their decaying trunks. I regard this as a powerful metaphor for you, Taurus. Something old in you is crumbling, like outdated beliefs, outmoded duties or obsolete loyalties. Part of you may want to either grieve or ignore the shift. And yet I assure you that fresh green vitality is sprouting from that seemingly defunct thing. What new possibility is emerging from what was supposed to end? Resurrection is at hand.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): A deeper, wilder, smarter version of love is beckoning you from the horizon. Are you ready to head in its direction? I’m not sure you are. You may semiconsciously believe you already know what love is all about and are therefore closed to learning more. It’s also possible that your past romantic wounds have made you timid about exploring unfamiliar terrain. Here’s my assessment: If you hope to get exposed to the sweeter, less predictable kinds of intimacy, you will have to drop some (not all) of your excessive protections and defenses. PS: At least one of your fears may be rooted in faulty logic.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Princess Diana transformed the British monarchy because she insisted that royal duty should include genuine emotional connection. Her generosity wasn’t merely ceremonial but was expressed through hands-on charity work. She had close contact with youths who had nowhere to live. She walked through minefields as part of her efforts to rid the planet of that scourge. She hugged people with AIDS at a time when many others feared such contact. “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward,” she said. Her ability to maintain grace while remaining emotionally authentic reflected a genius for blending strength with sensitivity. Can you guess her astrological sign? Cancerian, of course. Now is a perfect time for you to draw inspiration from her example. Express your wisely nurturing energy to the max!

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): Certain African lions in Kenya have no manes. Scientists theorize it’s an adaptation to heat or a reflection of extra aggressive hunting strategies. But symbolically, it challenges expectations: Is royalty

still royalty without the crown? I bring this to your attention, Leo, because I suspect you will soon be asked to explore your power without its usual accoutrements. Can you properly wield your influence if you don’t unleash your signature roar and dazzle? Will quiet confidence or understated presence be sufficiently magnetic? Might you radiate even more potency by refining your fire? I think so. You can summon strength in subtlety and majesty in minimalism.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): During the next nine months, you will face a poignant and potentially inspiring choice: whether to wrangle with an endless tangle of mundane struggles or else to expand your vision to the bigger picture and devote your energy intensely to serving your interesting, long-term dreams. I hope you choose the latter option! For best results, get clear about your personal definition of success, in contrast to the superficial definitions that have been foisted on you by your culture. Can you visualize yourself years from now, looking back on your life’s greatest victories? You’re primed to enter a new phase of that glorious work, rededicating yourself with precise intentions and vigorous vows.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): During World War II, Scorpio actor and inventor Hedy Lamarr developed frequency-hopping technology to prevent enemies from jamming torpedo guidance systems. Her solution rapidly switched radio frequencies in hardto-intercept patterns. The technology was so advanced that no one could figure out how to fully adopt it until years later. Engineers eventually realized that Lamarr’s invention was essential for Wi-Fi, GPS and cellphone networks. In the coming weeks, Scorpio, you, too, have the potential to generate ideas that might not be ready for prime time but could ultimately prove valuable. Trust your instincts about future needs. Your visionary solutions are laying the groundwork for contributions that won’t fully ripen for a while.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I guarantee you won’t experience a meltdown, crack-up or nervous collapse in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. What unfolds may bring a similar intensity but in the opposite direction:

a personal breakthrough, a cavalcade of illumination or a surge of awakening. I urge you to be alert and receptive for relaxing flurries of sweet clarity; or streams of insights that rouse a liberating integration; or a confluence of welcome transformations that lead you to unexpected healing. Can you handle so many blessings? I think you can. But you may have to expand your expectations to welcome them all.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1959, a Swedish engineer named Nils Bohlin designed the three-point seat belt, revolutionizing car safety. Working for Volvo, he insisted the design must be made freely available to all car manufacturers. Bohlin understood that saving lives was more important than hoarding credit or profit. Capricorn, your assignment now is to give generously without fussing about who gets the applause. A solution, insight or creation of yours could benefit many if you share it without reservation. Your best reward will be observing the beneficial ripple effects, not holding the patent.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your exploratory adventures out on the frontiers have been interesting and mostly successful, Aquarius. Congrats! I love how you have avoided tormenting yourself with self-doubt and roused more boldness than you’ve summoned in a long time. You have managed to ignore useless and superstitious fears even as you have wisely heeded the clues offered by one particular fear that was worth considering. Please continue this good work! You can keep riding this productive groove for a while longer.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): In Korean tradition, mudangs are shamans who endure a personal crisis or illness and emerge with supernatural powers. They perform rituals to seek the favor of spirits. They heal the ancestral causes of misfortune and ensure good fortune, prosperity and well-being for the people they serve. I don’t mean to imply you’re following a similar path, Pisces. But I do think your recent discomforts have been like an apprenticeship that has given you enhanced capacity to help others. How will you wield your power to bless and heal?

Since May, volunteers have met at the top of Church Street every ursday at 7:30 a.m. to clean up litter and syringes in downtown Burlington. Seven Days’ Eva Sollberger followed the BTV Clean Up Crew, which is organized by Kason Hudman of the Peace & Justice Center.

Respond to these people online: dating.sevendaysvt.com

WOMEN seeking...

PEACE-MINDED SOUL SEEKS SAME

Creative live music lover looking for some new people to go to shows with, take a hike with, get some coffee, take a road trip or just hang with my dogs. Looking for friends to start, and if something else should spark, to just go with it. Sugarmags68, 56, seeking: M, TM, l

NOT A POET

I worked on these three haiku for awhile: Friends call me JLew / I love to dance. I’ve got moves / that will split your pants // “I wish I could work / on a farm with you” is my / highest compliment. // Dragonfly days and / firefly nights, the best world / a North Woods delight. JLew 54, seeking: M, l

OUTDOORSY

Minnesota transplant looking for someone to spend time with who’s up for exploring this beautiful state and beyond. MNRoots 51, seeking: M, l

ONE STITCH AT A TIME Widow, 75, Shelburne. Warm, thoughtful and family-oriented. Retired PhD in social work, lover of gardening, knitting, books and quiet evenings by the fire. Nonsmoker, nondrinker, progressive, and active in nature and community. Seeking friendship and companionship with openness to a deeper connection. Diane50 75, seeking: M, l

WANT TO RESPOND?

You read Seven Days, these people read Seven Days — you already have at least one thing in common!

All the action is online. Create an account or login to browse hundreds of singles with profiles including photos, habits, desires, views and more. It’s free to place your own profile online.

l See photos of this person online.

W = Women

M = Men

TW = Trans women

TM = Trans men

Q = Genderqueer people

NBP = Nonbinary people

NC = Gender nonconformists

Cp = Couples

Gp = Groups

SPONTANEOUS, JOYFUL, REALIST

I am looking to have a partner interested in companionship, occasional adventures traveling, hiking, watching tv/movies, listening to live music, hanging with family and friends. Conversations. Lots of hobbies, but open to hearing or sharing yours. I belong to the 251 Club. Love weekend road trips. I’d like to meet someone who is also a hard worker, but can enjoy downtime, too. Sunset_Seeker, 61, seeking: M, l

SEEKING FUN AND ADVENTURE

The world is full of adventures just waiting to be had: a long hike and walk to a waterfall, a fabulous show, a great meal, a beautiful ski. All these are adventures I like to go on. Care to join me? wildflower762, 54, seeking: M, l

NOT A FAN OF FAKES

Trusting my heart to you will take some time, but if you’re patient it will be worth it. I’m a romantic woman who loves to watch sunsets. I have a big heart and tend to trust people. Honesty is what I expect and deserve. I’m a one-man woman and I want a one-woman man, nothing less. Patty802 67, seeking: M, l

FULL OF STARS

My friends tell me I’m the nicest and most Zen person they know. I love music, art and history. Oh, and maybe you and/or your pets. I use “y’all” in unexpected places. I do not have a Dick Cheney tattoo. Tell me about you.

NotAngryMittens 52 seeking: M

OUTDOORS, ACTIVE, SEEKS

CONNECTIONS

I enjoy most outdoor activities including hiking, biking, XC/downhill skiing, gardening, training my horse. I am happy dancing under the stars or kayaking at sunrise. While I enjoy creative travel, I also enjoy each of Vermont’s seasons at home. I still work full time but make plenty of time for fun. Life is OK alone, but more fun when shared. NEK026, 63, seeking: M, l

HOMEBODY AND TYPE 2 FUN

Hi there! Looking for my forever mealprep partner. Ideally someone to join me on my newly discovered type 2 fun activities as well! Reach out if you want to dry heave up a mountain together. pinecone802 28 seeking: M, l

UNPRETENTIOUS, CARING WORD-LOVER

Outdoorsy retired journalist seeking intelligent irreverent soul to share mutually enjoyable pursuits. For me these include music — roots, alt-folk, blues; cold winters, summer sun, hiking, skiing, cycling. I’m drawn to those who don’t take themselves too seriously. My son, grandkids and Labrador Nina mean everything. Treading lightly after losing my life partner, seeking friendship that may evolve into something deeper. elkaytee 68, seeking: M, l

DOWN-TO-EARTH NATURE LOVER

Looking for sincere, real spirituality connected to nature, and friends for hiking and exploring the outdoors. Theotherside 51 seeking: M, NC, NBP, l

AUTHENTIC, CREATIVE, CURIOUS

Active and social introvert new to and smitten with the North Country looking for a like-minded partner to continue exploring it with. Mom to three adult children, all out on their own. Passions include yoga, hiking, gardening, learning, reading and creating. Scienceminded, politically liberal, spiritually grounded and emotionally available for friendship and, if we’re a fit, more. annwithane, 55, seeking: M, l

SPIRITED AND CURIOUS, NO DRAMA Hi! I’m looking for someone to share life’s adventures with and a relationship that brings out the best in each other. No drama on either end. Kindness, truthfulness and appreciation for the beautiful things in life are a must. Friendship first and then let’s see where it goes! genX25 57, seeking: M, l

SOMEONE TO LAUGH WITH

I am looking for interaction! I’m very social. I miss fun. I miss sharing life experiences. I have a wicked sarcastic sense of humor. Be forewarned! I can make a joke (usually a bad one) about anything. Hard no to anyone that supports the orange monster. If you are interested in chatting, send me an email. Yikestheworldisnuts 65, seeking: M, l

LIVING MY NEW LIFE

I am recently — in the last year — living as a single woman again. My life is good but not full. There is a void. A companion, a friend maybe. It would be fun to have someone to do things with, be it a walk, go to flea markets, antiques shops, museums, road trips, movies. Newlife2025 64, seeking: M, l

LIVING WITH PURPOSE

Seeking a true partner for the best that is to come. itry, 44, seeking: M

CURIOUS, CREATIVE, CARING, HOPEFUL

I’m a teacher, mother to two, well traveled but at heart a homebody, caring, creative, intelligent, fit, and open-minded. Looking for a committed relationship with a man who’s kind, fun, smart, and open-minded, with a great sense of humor. Relationships unfold slowly, starting with friendship and allowing things to go where they will. Physical chemistry depends on strong communication and emotional intimacy. Helen 66 seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

COMPASSIONATE

I’m sincere, honest and take pride in my ability to empathize with people. I believe in courtesy towards others, holding a door open for folks and looking someone in the eye when shaking hands or when speaking. Chas, 55, seeking: W, l

IT’S TIME — I’M READY

Just a nice, honest, loyal, young-atheart and -mind, single guy looking for one wonderful, caring, honest woman. Plenty of fun and great times will be had. Ask away: nothing to hide, strong believer that things in life happen for reasons. I’m taking a chance; so are you. Brooksie 59, seeking: W, l

TIRED OF THIS LONELY FEELING

My name is Michael. I’m honest, clean, considerate, hardworking and adventurous. I’m looking for someone who is looking for happiness and love. Michael3670, 55, seeking: W, TW, l

JUST LIVING MY BEST LIFE

Outdoorsy, open-minded, older and fit. Would love to find a couple for friendship and more. Drop a line and let’s chat to see if we connect! Ridgewalker 65, seeking: Cp

HOW DO YOU LOVE ME?

We are getting closer. We are excited to receive each other! You may not think you want poly-fidelity, but if you did, what would we be like together? How are we welcoming children into our life together? Nataraja, 45, seeking: M, W, l

HONEST, FUNNY AND KIND

I am an honest, down-to-earth person who likes to be active and adventurous in all seasons. My family is an important part of my life, and I hope yours is too. I don’t mind being in gatherings, but I prefer hiking or skiing with my dog in the woods. If you are honest, considerate and kind, let me know. TEP, 61, seeking: W, l

OOKIB PA NUV OR FRIENDS

I love travel, woodworking and working on my pickup. I love walking while holding hands, and new restaurants. Movies, and fishing on the shore. I have an associate’s in computer programming. I love repairing antique clocks. I am looking for honesty, respect, good morals, and the ability to stand on one’s own. Hottbob, 65, seeking: W, Cp, Gp

HOLY MAN SEEKING FOR TRUE LOVE

I’m a hopeless romantic lover, kindhearted. I enjoy every day like my last one. I think the best way to live is to add value to life. I am looking for this special person who wants adventure and tender love. Just you and me. Holyman1960, 65, seeking: W, l

RETIRED PROFESSOR, ADVENTURER, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER

I am looking for a partner with whom I can share future adventures. Physically fit, I spend a great deal of time exploring northern New England when I am not home caring for my kids — four dogs and two cats. I live on 10 acres in northern Vermont, and enjoy being home as much as traveling to new locations. SojournsInNature 71, seeking: W, l

SINGLE, COUNTRY GUY, LAID-BACK

I am easygoing and retired. Travel, pets, water activities and volunteering in my community are important to me. My wife of 37 years passed and now, four years later, I am looking for a new partner in life. I would love to find a lady who loves the outdoors, travel and is retired. Water activities are big with me. MSC 70, seeking: W, l

LAID-BACK, CRUNCHY, OLD-SCHOOL

I am a loving and caring person who loves to have a very good time and I would make you very happy, that’s for sure. Bobo, 64, seeking: W, l

STRAIGHTFORWARD, SPONTANEOUS, SENSUAL, SEXUAL

I am a middle-aged guy looking for fun, at least to start. Life’s too short to waste another opportunity, so the answer’s yes, until further notice. We can go one-on-one or I can be a couple’s three. If in a group, just message me. I’m 6 feet, 235 lbs. with salt-and-pepper hair. Live, laugh, lust, love. BigT0489, 42 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp, l

OLDER, LAID-BACK GENTLEMAN

I’m a cross between George Carlin and Bugs Bunny. My interests are as varied as a sunrise and sunset. The days bring forth their own unique agenda and I do my best to follow along. I’ve lived in cities and country alike, and am comfortable in both. AwestruckbyU, 67, seeking: W, l

SIMPLE LOOKING FOR SIMPLE WOMAN

Trying me is adopting me — every woman’s dream. danyboy, 67, seeking: W

LOOKING FOR FRIEND WITH BENEFITS!

My husband is looking to connect physically with a women. After a cancer diagnosis seven years ago and reconstruction that didn’t go well, I am now healing from a natural breast reconstruction. However, they are too tender to play with! If you’re playful and can help meet his needs, please reach out! Maybe later on I could join! Funandcuriousinthe802 57, seeking: W

SEX WITH OLDER MEN

Just looking for good, old-fashioned M2M sex. Bear37bear 55, seeking: M

TRANS WOMEN seeking...

ADVENTUROUS, WHIMSICAL AND SILLY

Brand-new to Vermont living, from the West Coast! Looking for love in hopefully the right place. Always up for a good time and wanting to find someone who loves yacht rock, movies and going on the wackiest side quests. YachtRockGal, 27 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, NBP, l

TRANS WOMAN LOOKING

I am not your typical transgender woman, as I’m a MAGA Republican, unvaccinated, goth, redneck, Christian metalhead. Call it a contradiction if you want — you simply don’t understand the complexity of who I unapologetically am. I am searching for the one forever woman with core values in common who is loyal and honest. TransRebecca 32 seeking: W, TW, l

GENDER NONCONFORMISTS seeking...

ADVENTURE, CREATIVITY, NATURE, COMMUNITY, LOVE

Join me for woods, water, volunteering, karaoke or crafting! Me: nonbinary male ADHD extrovert who loves wildlife and most people. I like alone time but miss sharing a bed (and life). No kids but would happily adopt/etc. You: open-minded, active, curious, tough, cuddly and communicative. You have goals but can be spontaneous. Learning Spanish or ASL? Practice with me. WildWeirdWonderful, 41, seeking: W, Q, NC, NBP, 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

EXPLORING THREESOMES AND FOURSOMES

We are older and wiser, discovered that our sexuality is amazingly hot! Our interest is another male for threesomes or a couple for threesomes or foursomes. We’d like to go slowly, massage you with a happy ending. She’d love to be massaged with a happy ending or a dozen. Are you interested in exploring sexuality with a hot older couple? DandNformen 69, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp, l

I complimented your pompadour cut and your handlebar moustache in the parking lot the other afternoon. I was the guy with the Skynet shirt. If you ever want to do nontoxic bro stuff, hit me up. Just friendship. When: Friday, October 10, 2025. Where: Kirkland. You: Man. Me: Man. #916456

SEEKING BEAUTIFUL BLOND HIKER MOM

Descending Sunset Ridge, I passed so close you (kinda hot and sweaty) took my breath away. At “How are you?” I was going to say, “Better!” But, having heard the mom in your voice, wasn’t sure who followed. Just a teenage son? Should have mentioned my daughter and asked: Are you from the Burlington area? Are you single? If yes and yes, why not get in touch? When: Saturday, October 11, 2025. Where: Mount Mansﬁeld. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916454

CROSSWORD BUDDY AT MINIFACTORY

Sois mon amie! You know everyone in town, claim you aren’t famous (but your name is), and have the most friendly and charming smile. Turns out a crossword is a great way to get to know someone. Invite me back to town. I promise not to distract you too much. When: ursday, October 9, 2025. Where: Minifactory. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916453

SAW YOU AT SHELBURNE FARMS WITH YOUR CUTE SMILE

We looked at each other twice on the same day. I was in the garden, and you were standing outside with your friends (or family?). You’re cute, with your blond beard and a calm, loving, kind face. I was wearing a peach-colored shirt, formal gray pants; and you, brown jacket, hands inside the pockets. I want to know you. When: ursday, October 9, 2025. Where: Shelburne Farms. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916451

If you’ve been spied, go online to contact your admirer!

LAUGHTER AT THE MILL MARKET

You walked in. ought you were who I had met the night prior on the Spirit of Ethan Allen. You have a twin, LOL. I joked about you riding a motorcycle. Your laughter was contagious. In today’s world, we need more of that. Just wanted to say hi again. When: ursday, October 2, 2025. Where: Mill Market. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916452

WE MET ON HINGE

Hi Heidi, we met on Hinge and spoke about loyalty. Unfortunately your proﬁle disappeared. I’d love to continue chatting, if you’re interested! When: Sunday, October 12, 2025. Where: Hinge. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916455

JOGGING AT SHELBURNE FARMS

You were jogging; I was walking with my daughter. Your smile made my day. A walk or lunch would be a treat. When: Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Where: Shelburne Farms. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916450

SERENDIPITY AT THE CHARLOTTE POST OFFICE

Shared “good mornings” and my serendipitous day. You responded “how much you needed that” and parted with a great smile. I hope you see this; serendipity rules. Please get in touch here. When: Monday, September 30, 2025. Where: Charlotte Post Ofﬁce. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916442

PHIL ABAIR

We danced a couple of songs (you rocked the ﬂoor comfortably all alone). You mentioned it was your exercise and your feet were hurting, so you were leaving. I had a dance partner for the evening but would enjoy an opportunity to be yours on another night. Let’s dance the night away! When: Friday, October 3, 2025. Where: On Tap. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916448

I was hanging out with my sister the other day, and the topic of anksgiving came up. She mentioned that she saw a recipe for a potato dish she wants to try out this year instead of the usual mashed. She makes the best mashed potatoes ever, and I was surprised at how sad I was at the thought of not having them on anksgiving. She hosts the holiday at her house, so I didn’t say anything at the time, but now I feel like I should have. What do I do?

MOONRISE BIKE BRIDGE!

e sun was setting and the moon was rising, it was glorious all around! Bike path bridge over the Winooski. I stopped to take a picture, and said, “it’s perfect!” You seemed familiar but I didn’t want to intrude on the magic golden moment. Now wish I’d said hi and introduced myself. Maybe we can ride bikes together? When: Monday, October 6, 2025. Where: bike path bridge. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916449

I FORGOT MY CREDIT CARD

You were tending the bar on a busy Saturday night and were very chatty. We talked brieﬂy about golf and I suggested we get together and play, and you agreed, however, we never exchanged numbers. I don’t often frequent the establishment, however, I’ll try to stop by again in hopes that I catch your shift. When: Saturday, October 4, 2025. Where: the Den in Williamstown. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916447

MODESTLY REGAL AT THE RACETRACK

Saw you walking on the path out of under Road raceway. You had mediumlength dark hair and were more formally dressed than most: a combination of black and white, maybe with a checked shawl or scarf? Your male companion: black shirt, glasses and hair. I like how open you seemed; you were looking into people’s faces as you left. When: Sunday, October 5, 2025. Where: under Road raceway. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916446

JORDAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER

I was sitting on the rocks reading a book. I’m glad you walked over to say hello. I should have walked closer to you, so I could have heard everything you were saying, as I probably seemed rude for just hollering back replies. I had a lot on my mind. I hope the pictures you took turned out nice. — Sarah When: ursday, October 2, 2025. Where: at the Winooski River. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916445

OODLES AND POODLES

I spy your grace, your softness and poise, your smile, your authenticity. You’re a thoughtful and caring lady, full of empathy and a joyful soul. Lucky doesn’t do justice to the jackpot I found in you. You’re the great love of my life. You’re Dwellness personiﬁed. I’d marry you a thousand times, and again ten thousand more. I’m forever yours. When: Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Where: Dwellness by Steinmetz. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916443

De Tat Trouble,

BEAR SEASON CAME EARLY

For the handsome, dark-haired man hiking shirtless around noon on Long Trail North: Whoa! Noticed! When: Sunday, September 14, 2025. Where: Long Trail near Bolton Crag. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916444

DAMSEL IN DISTRESS AT HANNAFORD’S You wouldn’t take yes for an answer when I offered you my cart for your purchases. Everyone waiting in line at the checkout must have thought we were a comical catastrophe. I would like to meet you again because you intrigued me with thoughtfulness and, may I dare say, your timeless beauty. Share a basket? When: Sunday, September 28, 2025. Where: North Avenue Hannaford. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916439

SHELBURNE BAY TRAIL WITH DOGS

You said, “What a cutie!” I said, “Oh! You mean my dog!” We laughed, shared a quick conversation, but then you went to the shore to play in the water with your handsome retriever, and I returned to my car. We both looked back at each other without making a plan to meet, and here’s how we can. When: ursday, September 18, 2025. Where: Shelburne Bay Park Trail. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916438

RE: THE INSTRUCTOR

Perhaps you could describe a little more about the person in that shirt — I may have been he. You have me at a disadvantage, as I am on the go a lot and don’t remember the encounter. I do, however, go through Hinesburg sometimes. When: Wednesday, September 3, 2025. Where: Hinesburg. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916437

BREWSTER RIVER. PHOTOGRAPHER. You were tall, with a beard and tattoos. You directed me to the best path to the gorge. en you showed me your new lens that you had just picked up, still in the package. You left in your truck before I could get your name. When: Saturday, September 20, 2025. Where: Brewster River. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916436

REVO CASINO is is a long shot, like our gambling. Playing that silly cat game — hopefully you won after I left. Should’ve gotten your number. When: ursday, September 11, 2025. Where: Revo Casino and Social House, Lebanon, N.H. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916431

GREEN HAT AT EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

In ER waiting room, I spotted you across the way. You had dark, curly hair and were wearing a green cap and joggers. I was sitting under the tv on the wall, wearing a black sweatshirt and brown pants, with a face mask on. You and I made eye contact a couple times. I thought you were cute! Let’s swap germs? When: Sunday, September 21, 2025. Where: emergency department waiting room. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916435

SAVORY PASTRIES?

We discussed pastries and your regular attendance; the baristas knew you by name. I ordered the almond cake and you missed out pumpkin cake. I felt a connection then and then caught a glimpse of you at Barr Hill. Unfortunately, I was waiting for someone else — I think I would have said hi otherwise. When: Saturday, September 20, 2025. Where: Birchgrove Bakery, Montpelier. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916434

BEAUTIFUL REDHEAD MONTPELIER

Red curly hair, beautiful smile and eyes! Maybe you are a driving instructor?

As you were in the passenger seat and the guy driving looked confused. I was the older dude who nodded as I crossed the street, and the car you were in drove by. Wowed, for sure! When: Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Where: Montpelier on Taylor St., sunny day. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916433

TATTOOED WOMEN. BANANAS. It was probably around 1:30. You had a baseball hat; many tattoos, including throat; black hoodie; bananas and hard-boiled egg. I noticed you because we crossed paths, like, four times. I also had bananas, and we were both grabbing a single hard-boiled egg at the same time. When: Tuesday, September 16, 2025. Where: City Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916432

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AT MOE’S WILLISTON

You sat at the last booth on the main window side, facing PetSmart on your right-hand side looking out. I was sitting two booths up, facing you, with PetSmart on my left if I was looking out. Too shy to approach you when I was leaving. You had a red top on with white top underneath. When: Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Where: Moe’s Southwest Grill, Williston. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916430

Aside from homemade tofurkey and mushroom gravy, I’m a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to anksgiving food. If I don’t see can-shaped jellied cranberry on that day, it just feels like any other ursday. So I feel your pain at the thought of not having mashed potatoes on the table.

If your sister makes most of the food for the feast, it may seem rude to make suggestions about the menu. However, no cook is going to be upset to hear that a dish they make is the best in the world and that a holiday isn’t complete without it. So, the next time you talk to your sister, let her know that’s how you feel.

Since she’s the host, you shouldn’t totally pooh-pooh the new recipe, but let her know that you’d really miss her mashed. en you can not-sosubtly suggest that there’s room for two spud sides on the spread. Offer to help with the cooking so there’s no stress and plenty of time to make both.

If all goes as planned, you’ll have some fun while learning the secrets of your sister’s mashed mastery — and wind up with more leftovers!

Good luck and God bless,

The Rev end

What’s your problem? asktherev@sevendaysvt.com.

I’m a 65-y/o woman seeking a ﬁt, 45- to 70-y/o man. I am a woman with a lot of energy! Clean houses. Love the outdoors, swimming, rides and Maine. I’m 5’2”, 130 lbs. Love to laugh! #L1892

I’m a 72-y/o SWF seeking a 60- to 70-y/o man. I live in Woodstock, VT. I want a serious relationship with a man. Phone number, would like to meet in person. #L1891

Very discreet bi guy loves the outdoors: camping, hiking, ﬁshing, etc. Looking for other guys with similar interests to share fun times and have good times with. Hit me up! #L1890

Perverted tales. Hedonistic confessions. Bold, erotic and sensual? Titillating? Incredible and luscious? Yes, please! Extreme, deviant, obscene perversity helps incite lust. I am eager to hear from all you perverts. Conﬁdential. Very few limits. I dare you to shock me. #L1889

I am looking for an 81-y/o woman. #L1884

Male looking for female, age 59 to 69. I am disabled but still get around on my own. Looking for someone to hang with, since I am all alone and hate it. My partner passed from cancer. #L1888

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.

I’m an 81-y/o woman seeking a male. I am a widow of ﬁve years. Looking for companionship. Love music, reading and knitting, crocheting and playing card games, etc. #L1887

Gracious, attentive, educated, humorous soul seeks a ﬁt, tender and unassuming female counterpart (58 to 68) for woodland walks, shared meals and scintillating conversation. Won’t you join me? #L1885

I’m an independent alternative to the classic male. Seeking independent alternative female for inside/outside adventures of all kinds. No TV or online presence beyond email. #L1886

I’m a 44-y/o bi male seeking a male, female or bi couple for casual sex. I am clean, easygoing and anything goes. No judgment here. Let’s talk. Call/text. #L1877

I’m a SWM, 60s, 5’7”, 165 lbs. seeking slim males who enjoy a nice, long, slow, relaxing blow job or a regular one, if desired. NSA, just pleasure. #L1882

I’m a 19-y/o male college student seeking a kind, curious, adventurous woman around my age. I enjoy meditating, being outside and long conversations. Looking for someone I can value and appreciate who can help me to value and appreciate life. #L1881

Int net-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness le ers. DETAILS BELOW.

I’m a 43-y/o male seeking a woman, 30 to 50. Adventure seeker building an off-grid cabin in Newport. I’m 5’8”, redheaded, ﬁt, living between western Mass. and Vt. I like to cook, bathe, hike, camp and travel. Seeking ﬁt, fun-loving, cuddly companion for potential future. #L1880

I have the dreams; you have the sugar. Let us maybe travel a bit and figure out what this country needs. F, 24, seeking someone intellectual, active and financially afloat. #L1878

I’m a 74-y/o male. It’s been a long, long time without feeling a woman’s touch. I miss sex. I would love to meet a single, divorced or widowed woman in her 70s or 80s. Did I mention I miss sex? Phone number, please. #L1879

I’m 65 y/o and gay. Male, seeking my partner/lover and best friend. Gregarious and funloving. Laughter and a sense of humor are the cornerstones of my life. As Jimmy Buffet says, “If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane!” #L1875

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)

Divorced white female, 66 y/o. Looking for a single male, 45 to 60, who is tall, not big. Who is loving, caring and fun to be with. I like being outdoors. I am disabled and use a wheelchair. I am loving, caring and honest and don’t play games. Like animals, and I am easy to get along with. I live in Winooski. Hope to hear from someone soon. #L1876

Bist du mein B.G.G. (Big Gentle German)? 40, ehrlich, kreativ und naturluver. Suche liebevollen, bewussten DEU Mann für zweisprachiges Leben zwischen VT und DEU. Ich bin liebevoll, gesund und bereit. Du und Ich: Lass uns die Welt mit unserer Liebe verändern. #L1873

I’m a 72-y/o Eastern European woman with a young lifestyle. Seeking a man, age not important. I am a writer, and I like studying foreign languages. I would like to meet a man from Germany, France or Spain/South America to practice language skills. I am not expecting romance; friendship would be sufﬁcient. #L1872

conﬁdential

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.