Best of Burlington - Summer 2017

SUMMER 2017

VOLUME 10 NO 3 $4.95

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 9

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Contents 17 PUBLISHERS’ NOTE 18 ONLINE HUB 20 CONTRIBUTORS 22 GATHERINGS

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24 PETS AND PEOPLE News, products, and furry facts.

26 ART SCENE FlynnArts fills a rainbow of needs.

BY JEN ROSE SMITH

32 CHEERS! Cocktails for the sweetest season.

BY JEN ROSE SMITH

36 BRIGHT IDEAS Vermont Rolling Pins.

BY PAM HUNT

52 COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Rise ’N Shine: The milkman still delivers.

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG

72 HOT SPOT Handy’s Lunch is a family business in every sense.

BY TOM BRANDES

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76 HAPPENINGS A calendar of events.

79 ADVERTISERS INDEX 80 LAST GLANCE

This Summer I'm Going to . . .

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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Shopping and fun things to do in our local Burlington area.

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Coffee Table Publishing, LLC P.O. Box 1460, Quechee, VT 05059 www.bestofburlingtonvt.com PUBLISHERS

Robin Gales John Gales Bob Frisch ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Kristy Erickson COPY EDITOR

Elaine Ambrose ART DIRECTION/DESIGN

Robbie Alterio ADVERTISING DESIGN

Hutchens Media, LLC WEB DESIGN

Locable ADVERTISING

Robin Gales (802) 299-9086 John Gales (802) 558-2719 coffeetablepublishing@comcast.net Keep us posted. Best of Burlington wants to hear from our readers. Correspondence may be addressed to Letters to the Editor, Best of Burlington, P.O. Box 1460, Quechee, VT 05059. Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing ctpublishing@comcast.net or coffeetablepublishing@comcast.net. Best of Burlington is published quarterly by Coffee Table Publishing, LLC, ©2017. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited. Best of Burlington accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork, or photographs.

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PUBLISHERS’ NOTE

SUMMER! There are times when we’re traveling about in the Champlain Valley,

doing errands and taking care of business, when suddenly we’ll happen upon a farmhouse with flowers in bloom and a front porch that invites us to come sit and relax. Other times, it’s a vista of the mountains in a shade of green we can’t describe. Our area of New England is brimming with summer treasures. We just need to slow ourselves down enough to enjoy these fleeting gifts.

Our summer issue is filled with the same. Enjoy the colors and splendor of UVM’s lilac farm, then plan a visit to smell their fragrances. Check out Vermont Rolling Pins—so beautifully handcrafted you might not want to use them. But do! We also discovered Rise ’N Shine and milkman/owner Peter Carreiro, who makes old-fashioned daily deliveries in the area in a milk truck filled with fresh milk, yogurt, and eggs as well as other locally sourced foods straight from the farm. And when it’s time to relax, you’ll find suggestions for great summer cocktails, warm-weather tips for pets, and the perfect place to go for breakfast or lunch—Handy’s Lunch, a Burlington tradition for decades.

So the next time you are blessed with one of summer’s beautiful gifts, pull the car over and take it all in.

John and Robin Gales Publishers

It is with sadness that we note the passing of freelance writer Kirsten Gehlbach in March. Kirsten was a frequent contributor to Coffee Table Publishing and Mountain View Publishing. In addition, her company, Results Marketing, created all the advertising design for both publishing companies in their early years. Kirsten loved animals as well as people, and she was a dedicated and active member of her community, donating her time and creativity to many nonprofits. We’ll miss reading her wide-ranging articles about her favorite topics including people, the arts, and travel.

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!

@bestofburlingtonmag Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 17

ONLINE HUB WWW.BESTOFBURLINGTONVT.COM

MAKE A DAY OF IT!

The parks of the Winooski Valley Park District offer walking and hiking trails, canoeing, fishing, picnic areas, and more.

PERFECT PAIRINGS FOR YOUR SUMMER COCKTAILS

Kick back on the porch with some easy, breezy nibbles that will perfectly complement your summer cocktails.

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CIRCUS SMIRKUS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

Come one! Come all! Circus Smirkus is celebrating its 30th anniversary in style with Midnight at the Museum, the 2017 Big Top Tour.

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Follow us on Instagram @bestofburlingtonmag “LIKE” US ON FACEBOOK 18 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Join the conversation online... www.bestofburlingtonvt.com Feel free to drop us a line at ryan@bestof burlingtonvt.com, or share your comments on our site or on social media. You might even see your name in our next issue.

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AUGU

CLICK ON our online calendar to see local events happening in our community, and you can add your own event free!

CONTRIBUTORS BEST OF BURLINGTON

LISA DENSMORE BALLARD

Three-time Emmy-winning television producer and host, Lisa Densmore Ballard has been a familiar face around New England for her work on various networks.

An accomplished writer and photographer, she contributes to over 30 regional and national magazines on various backcountry, adventure travel, nature, and wildlife topics.

She has written seven books, including Best Hikes with Dogs: New Hampshire and Vermont and Hiking the Green Mountains. She also blogs regularly for AudubonGuides.com. To learn more, visit her website, www.DensmoreDesigns.com.

TOM BRANDES

Nancy is a contributor to The Christian Science Monitor and has been published in a variety of publications, including Northern Woodlands, Chicago Tribune, Mothering, and Cricket. She enjoys writing about Vermont’s landscape and culture, planning the next project at her home in Hyde Park, and riding her horses in the woods.

NANCY HUMPHREY CASE

MARY ANN LICKTEIG Jen writes about travel and libations from her home base in Winooski. She’s the author of the Moon Handbook to Vermont, and when she’s not exploring every corner of New England, she can usually be found in the kitchen wielding a whisk and a cocktail shaker.

JEN ROSE SMITH 20 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Tom is a freelance writer in Plymouth, Minnesota, where he writes on a variety of subjects including technology, health care, manufacturing, sustainability, and more. His work has appeared in a number of publications, including New Hampshire Wildlife Journal, Auto Magazine, Fire Chief, and Urban Land.

He enjoys hiking, biking, and canoeing during annual visits to New England with his family.

Mary Ann Lickteig is a freelance writer in Burlington, Vermont. She has worked as a writer for the Burlington Free Press, The Des Moines Register, and the Associated Press. As a columnist in Des Moines, she wrote about a professional shopper, a zany diner waitress, an undertaker who had buried several teen shooting victims, and a mayor fighting cancer. Her series, Leap of Faith, featured Iowa’s Sudanese refugees, then the nation’s largest Sudanese refugee resettlement.

A former flatlander from New York City, Phyl lives in Jericho, where she has learned to stack a mean pile of firewood. When she’s not skiing, skating, bicycling, swimming, or kayaking, she writes for several local publications. Phyl is the author of Virginia Hasn’t Always Been for Lovers: Interracial Marriage Bans and the Case of Richard and Mildred Loving.

PHYL NEWBECK

GATHERINGS

LEDDY PARK Beach Bites Spend an evening by the lake

A picnic by the lake is the perfect way to spend a summer evening! Bring a blanket, grab a delicious dinner or a snack from the rotating lineup of local food trucks, and enjoy socializing with family and friends.

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Back by popular demand, Leddy Park Beach Bites returns to Leddy Park every other Wednesday from May 31 to September 6. All summer long, head to the beach from 5:30 to 8:30pm to enjoy a variety of delicious foods served by local food trucks. In addition, there is a beer garden and entertainment for kids and adults. Bring a picnic blanket and enjoy your meal in the beautiful park, or meander down to Leddy Beach to swim, enjoy the warm weather, and watch the sunset. Free bike valet service is provided

by Local Motion, and there is an ATM onsite. The season is short—you don’t want to miss this!

For more information, visit Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront’s website, enjoyburlington.com, or call (802) 864-0123. 4

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PETS AND PEOPLE SPONSORED BY BEVS

Get Your Leash and GO! In 2016, the staff members of the Humane Society of Chittenden County found homes for close to 1,000 cats, dogs, and small mammals. This tremendous undertaking requires multiple resources in addition to a dedicated staff and amazing volunteers. How do they do it all? One way HSCC raises money for its vital mission is with their annual Walk for the Animals and 5K Doggie Fun Run. This summer, the 23rd Walk will take place at an exciting new location—Veteran’s Memorial Park in South Burlington! The Humane Society of Chittenden County is thrilled to host this event in their “hometown” on Sunday June 11 from 8 to 11am.

Their largest annual fundraising event, the Walk for the Animals and 5K Doggie Fun Run raises nearly $90,000 for the shelter. And it’s community members like you who help make it a success. Walk in the one-mile walk or run in the 5K Doggie Fun Run as individuals or teams. The exciting morning includes music, snacks, contests, prizes, and more! Teams and individuals are highly encouraged to fundraise for HSCC, which presents awards to the top adult, youth, team, and corporate challenge team fundraisers in a ceremony following the Walk and Run. This event draws about 500 people and 100 dogs, making it Vermont’s largest dog-friendly event! For more information and to register, visit www.chittendenhumane.org.

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Did You Know?

The Basset Hound gets its name from the French bas, meaning low to the ground. The Jack Russell is named for the Brit who began the breed, John Russell. The Poodle is named for its main purpose, swimming.

Pudelhund means water dog in German, from the German verb meaning to splash.

Let’s Hear It for Horses A recent study suggests what many horse lovers already knew—working with horses can reduce levels of stress hormones in kids, in turn potentially lowering their risk for physical and mental health problems.

For the study, 130 students in fifth through eighth grade took part in a 12-week program at a riding facility in Washington State. Each week they learned about horse behavior, care and grooming, handling, and riding. Compared to students who didn’t participate in the program, the children who did were found to have significantly lower levels of stress hormones in saliva samples after finishing the program.

Keep ’em Cool When summer heat gets you down, just think about putting on a fur coat. If our mammalian pets could remove theirs, they surely would. One of those innovative “cool beds” would be nice to have, but these simple tricks work too.

Spray pets lightly with a mist of cool water from a spray bottle. Start at the paws, then move on to the tummy area, cooling from bottom to top.

Make plenty of cold water available to help pets stay well hydrated.

Exercise dogs in the early morning or evening to avoid the warmest parts of the day.

Don’t have air conditioning? Rinse a towel in cold water, wring it out, and lay it on a tile or linoleum floor for cats or dogs to lie on.

Outside, a plastic kiddie pool in a shady spot will be appreciated.

Cool Treats If you use a KONG for your dog, try keeping some halved bananas in the freezer. When you need a cool treat in a hurry, pop a banana slice or two into your best friend’s favorite treat toy.

For more ideas, check out Real Food for Dogs: 50 Vet-Approved Recipes for a Healthier Dog by Arden Moore.

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ART SCENE

BY JEN ROSE SMITH

FlynnArts

Filling a rainbow of needs

History Comes Alive campers on a mission at Shelburne Museum.

A

s the summertime concert season heats up, the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts’ glowing marquee fills with big-name acts from around the globe. Go backstage on a weekday afternoon, however, and you’ll find some of Vermont’s youngest performers honing their skills.

From banks of makeup mirrors to the FlynnArts dance studio, jazz musicians, aspiring actors, and other creative individuals are spending the summer alongside leading lights of the Vermont arts community.

It’s all part of the FlynnArts summer programming for youth ages 3 to 19 years old. “Our mission is really to develop the enjoyment of the arts,” says longtime FlynnArts Coordinator Suzanne Marchelewicz. “And it’s a big umbrella. We have all ages, backgrounds, and abilities, with the goal to be as inclusive as possible.”

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Clockwise from top: History Comes Alive campers in action! Summer musical actors in James and the Giant Peach, Jr. Lights, Camera, Action participants.

RAIDING THE COSTUME CLOSET That big umbrella would fit right into FlynnArts’ overflowing costume rooms, which are testaments to the creative spirit and playfulness that motivate the summer programming. Drawers of props are sorted into imaginative categories: “wizards + witches + royals + knights” line up alongside “pirate wear” and “poodle skirts,” all ready for a season of make-believe.

The summer sessions themselves are just as varied. Beginning and experienced jazz musicians join weeklong improv sessions led by expert performers, while three casts put on full-scale musical theater productions. This year, the actors are staging Honk! Jr., Cabaret, and Xanadu, a musical comedy that meant transforming the downstairs FlynnSpace into a combination stage and skating rink ready

for roller-skating stars.

Younger participants can attend themed weeks with titles like “Peter, Hook, Tink & the Pirates” or “Secret Agent Academy,” whose members can be heard (if not seen) while exploring FlynnArts offices decked out in “invisibility cloaks.”

And the program keeps expanding to accommodate a rainbow of needs. Last summer, FlynnArts produced a play designed for kids Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 27

Above: Percy Jackson & the Olympians campers learn the art of stage combat.

Right: Summertime Jazz musicians.

on the autism spectrum, just one of the ways that the camps help participants reflect on their identities. Even the FlynnArts spy school explores the self: “Those kids are taking a persona and really building on that,” says Suzanne. “They’re asking about background and motivation, and they’re also learning to collaborate—this year’s theme is ‘Create, Collaborate, Discover,’ and we hope that’s how it feels in each camp.”

PARTNERS IN PERFORMANCE Such diverse offerings give FlynnArts the chance to weave their programming into Vermont’s broader community and varied landscapes. “Horses, Snails & Fairy Tales” 28 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

takes place on the campus of Shelburne Farms, and the participants, ages 6 to 8 years old, meet animals and explore the forest while weaving imaginative stories.

Joan Robinson, former school programs

director, now holds a beloved “History Comes Alive” week at the Shelburne Museum, where children assume oldfashioned names, identities, and costumes, many attending year after year. Other

children spend the week as pirates and see real sunken ships in Lake Champlain using the remotely operated vehicle at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes.

COMING FULL CIRCLE For some participants in the summer programming, FlynnArts becomes a community, an outlet for creativity that can grow along with their skills and interests. A number of enthusiastic summer-program graduates have returned as leaders in training, then camp assistants. A few have moved on to professional careers, and one left to work on Broadway before coming back to teach. It’s a testament to the longevity and vitality of Burlington’s art community.

Rebecca Mack, a musician and visual artist based in Burlington, came to the Flynn as a small child with her father and stepmother, both professional stagehands. “Instead of finding me a babysitter,” Rebecca remembers, “they’d just take me to work—and I did a lot of growing up at the Flynn.”

After growing through theater programs at Burlington High School and the Royall Tyler Theater, Rebecca returned as a teaching artist Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 29

James and the Giant Peach, Jr.

with the Vermont Arts Council. Back at the Flynn as an adult and professional performer, she’s taught drumming workshops with children, and her own 10-year-old twins have begun attending FlynnArts sessions.

And as Suzanne explains, that connection is an important goal for their performances, summer sessions, and programming. “We’re as much a community center as we are an arts center,” she notes. “This is a place where people can come and belong—it’s a part of the mission. We want the community to feel at home.” 4

Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

153 Main Street Burlington, VT (802) 652-4500 www.flynncenter.org/education/take-aclass/summer-programs.html 30 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 31

CHEERS!

BY JEN ROSE SMITH

I’m not a patient gardener. The first warm days get me out in the yard sowing seeds, but by the time the plants are growing, I’ve been distracted by trips to the river, mountaintop picnics, and sunshine. That makes it even sweeter when the fruits of the garden turn ripe all of a sudden when I’m not paying attention.

And at the height of the season, Vermont’s farms and gardens are filled with fruit. Blueberry branches droop under garlands of delectable fruit, and red jewels peek out from underneath strawberry leaves. My own yard is lined with black currant bushes, gooseberries, red currants, and plum trees, and everyone makes a beeline for the raspberries at the farmers’ markets.

For Vermont craft bartenders, the season’s bounty pairs with locally distilled spirits for “of the moment” summertime drinks. From riperaspberry syrups to crushed blueberries, these cocktail recipes are the perfect way to raise a glass to Vermont’s sweetest season.

Pourable produce Cocktails for the Sweetest Season

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Vermont Porch Swing Don Horrigan, Sumptuous Syrups A lively harvest of fresh produce makes this the perfect drink for warm afternoons.

1 oz Smugglers’ Notch Distillery gin 3 oz Boyden Valley Winery rhubarb wine L oz Yellow Ginger Syrup from Sumptuous Syrups K oz freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 thin slices of strawberry 1 thin slice of peach 1 thin slice of cucumber 2 sprigs of fresh mint Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and then shake for 30 seconds. Strain into an ice-filled wine glass and top with fresh mint.

Blueberry Mate Mojito Neil Goldberg, Mad River Distillers This fresh, lighthearted drink uses blueberries two ways: muddled into the drink and fizzing in a blueberry kombucha from Queen City Kombucha.

Small handful of fresh blueberries 2 oz vanilla rum 6 mint leaves K oz fresh lime juice K oz simple syrup Blueberry Mate Kombucha from Queen City Kombucha Sprig of fresh mint Using a muddler or the back of a spoon, lightly crush the blueberries in a cocktail mixing glass. Pour in the next four ingredients, add ice, then shake for 30 seconds. Strain the contents of the cocktail shaker into a chilled highball glass, and then top with kombucha. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

DIY Drinks: 4 Ways to Use Fresh Fruit in Cocktails MUDDLE IT. Lightly crush the fruit in the cocktail shaker before adding other ingredients.

ADD IT TO SYRUP. Almost any fruit lends its flavor to a basic simple syrup recipe; see Sam Nelis’s fresh raspberry syrup. And it’s a great way to preserve an abundant crop. If you’d rather not make it yourself, Vermont-made Sumptuous Syrups are sold at liquor stores around the state.

BLEND IT. Many classic cocktail recipes, from margaritas to daiquiris, benefit from a whirl in the blender with soft fruits such as strawberries, peaches, and raspberries.

MAKE A CORDIAL. Cover fruit with high-proof vodka, let it sit for six months, then add simple syrup to taste—it’s an instant cocktail for patient drinkers. This works especially well with fruits that have a good backbone of acid or tannins, such as black currants, plums, or sour cherries.

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Clover Club Sam Nelis, Waterworks This drink has a fresh raspberry flavor and a long history; it was created in Philadelphia’s Bellevue– Stratford Hotel in the early 1800s.

1K oz local gin (try an unaged version like one from Barr Hill or Green Mountain Organics) K oz dry Vermont vermouth (Sam recommends Dolin Dry) O oz freshly squeezed lemon juice O oz house-made raspberry syrup (recipe follows) 1 egg white 3 whole fresh raspberries Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, and “dry shake” the mixture without ice. This ensures that the egg white is properly frothed. Add a scoop of ice, then give the mixture a second hard shake, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with skewered raspberries.

Raspberry Syrup 1 lb fresh local raspberries 2 cups granulated sugar Gently mash berries in a container, being careful not to break the seeds. Cover berries with sugar and let sit at room temperature for 4 to 6 hours.

Add 1K cups warm simple syrup, stir until the sugar is dissolved, and then strain through a finemesh sieve.

ONLINE EXTRA Find inspiration for easy and delicious foods to complement your summer cocktails at www.bestofburlingtonvt.com.

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BRIGHT IDEAS

BY PAM HUNT

Vermont Rolling Pins Serendipity results in a successful business

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fter working 22 years in labor relations, Ken Freeman was ready for a change. In 1999, he and his wife Cyndi returned home to Vermont to figure out what to do next after living

near Hanover, New Hampshire. A chance encounter Cyndi had while ordering burritos set their new plan in motion.

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“She struck up a conversation with a couple waiting

up a meeting to see if the Freemans would be a good

in line,” Ken says. “They owned a woodworking busi-

fit for the business. “If you don’t have the dexterity for

ness and were thinking of retiring, so they were looking

it, you might as well forget it,” says Ken. “I appren-

for the right person to sell the business to.”

ticed for quite a while until I learned as much as he

Ken had always enjoyed woodworking, so they set

thought I could.”

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Personalization is available for all styles and sizes of Vermont Rolling Pins.

ROLLING WITH THE TIMES Initially, Ken continued the former owners’ business, making porch posts, balusters, and furniture parts. But when the economy soured in 2008 and 2009, much of that work dried up. That’s when the couple turned in a new direction. Now, since the architectural side of the business has reversed, it makes for a busy day.

“I had made a couple of rolling pins for people who requested them,” Ken says. Seeing a market for these unique handmade tools, Cyndi said, “Let’s try creating a rolling pin business.”

She used her photography skills—she is a professional portrait photographer—and enlisted the help of a web designer to create a virtual storefront for the pins. She took to social media and got people interested. Their first customers were mostly friends. Then a cabinetmaker bought some. “He would give them as a gift after finishing a job,” says Ken. Getting a day-vending spot at the Burlington Farmers’ Market helped them turn the corner.

“We started getting into publications, getting attention,” Ken says. The pins were even featured in a New York Times spread celebrating what would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday. “Stuff like that really helped,” he says.

“It gave us a boost.”

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A GREAT GIFT What makes these pins special is their onepiece design. Rather than a barrel rotating around an axle, like many mass-produced pins, Ken lathes his pins from a solid piece of maple, cherry, or black walnut. “We hear frequently from professional bakers that they prefer hand-rolling,” Ken says, rather than using a pin with separate handles. The solid pins roll evenly, without the wobble poorly made axle-based ones can have, “like a bad shopping cart,” he adds.

The pins are not only functional but also pieces of art. “People buy them for the aesthetics,” Ken says. Each style of pin has an artistic handle design, from the traditional teardrop shape of the Shaker to the clean, sloping lines of the Modern to the whimsical stacked discs of the Beehive. The classic handle-less French pin, made for rolling delectable pastries, features a smaller taper at the ends than many other producers’ pins of this style, thanks to Ken’s skill on the lathe.

Because the pins are handmade, they cost a bit more than those found in the kitchen department of a big-box store. But people still love them. “Many times, it’s a gift item,” Ken says. “They’re hugely popular for weddings.

We engrave them, if desired.”

One style of pin, called the wine bottle, makes an especially memorable gift. “But many people do buy them for themselves.

They reason, ‘I bake all the time, and I’m going to treat myself.’”

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 39

Some customers have requested specific designs. “We’ve made a number of Indianstyle pins for a doctor in the Boston area,” Ken says. These custom pieces were smaller than the typical styles and were made with different designs, including one with lengthwise grooves.

Another grooved pin recently featured on the 40 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

company’s Instagram feed is used for making lefse, a Scandinavian flatbread. They also offer a dowel-shaped pin for rolling pasta dough.

IT’S A TEAM EFFORT Each pin takes Ken about 45 to 50 minutes to create. “It depends on the wood,” he explains.

Left: Vermont Rolling Pins’ Pie Club members create pies, pizza, cookies, and pasta. They prepare and enjoy their creations the same day.

Sometimes he uncovers a defect in the wood while turning it, but he is usually able to salvage much of the wood by incorporating it into something special, such as a pin with a caramel-colored maple barrel and dark walnut handles. “These sell well at the farmers’ markets,” he says. “They’re always an eye-catcher.”

Although the pins make unique gifts, Ken says they don’t participate in the winter market leading up to Christmas. “We just don’t have time. That’s the most challenging time of the year for us—keeping up with orders from October to December.”

After smoothing each pin with a random orbital sander, Ken treats the wood with a combination of mineral oil and beeswax. Although many buyers display the pins as art, he still recommends they be retreated occasionally. “The color will darken over time from oxidation,” he explains.

Ken is quick to credit Cyndi as a major force in their success. “She’s the creative one,” he says. As the marketing, photography, and social media wizard—as well as the shipping department—Cyndi makes sure the pins find their way into shops and people’s kitchens. “We’re in 60 stores around the world right now,” she says.

“It’s a real team thing,” Ken adds. “I use a lot of clichés, and one is that I could make these things all day, but if there’s no place to sell them . . . you’ve got to have this combination of production and marketing that we have.” 4

Vermont Rolling Pins South Burlington, VT (802) 373-4369 (802) 658-3733 vermontrollingpins.com

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 41

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LISA BALLARD

Secret Life of Loons Vermont’s call of the wild

I

magine sitting on a moonlit dock on the shore of Lake Champlain. It’s a warm, cloudless July evening. Waves lap gently, rhythmically against the shore behind you and a motorboat tied to the dock. As you dangle a foot in the cool, dark water, the twinkling stars gain brilliance above you, as if forming the Milky Way while you watch. All is peaceful.

Suddenly a quavering wail travels across the lake.

A second wild yodel answers from a more distant bay, and then a third mournful warble sounds off 100 yards down the very shoreline from which the dock protrudes. Loons!

Loons are Vermont’s call of the wild. If you’ve spent time on a lake in the Green Mountain State, you’ve probably heard a loon’s iconic call. Perhaps you’ve seen one dip under the surface without a splash or watched twin loon chicks climbing up on their mother’s back. It’s hard to imagine Vermont without loons. Their red eyes and tuxedo-like plumage are as much a symbol of Northern New England as the maple leaf and the pinecone.

Images of loons adorn everything from shower curtains to notepaper, yet while these New England birds may seem common—and are officially known as the common loon (Gavia immer)—they could go the way of the dodo faster than you realize. If the dock scenario above were real, your quiet presence and the motorboat tied to it could both potentially contribute to this iconic bird’s decline.

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FIVE WAYS TO PROTECT LOONS 1. Avoid kayaking or canoeing near nesting loons—it could chase the parent off the nest, allowing a predator to take an egg.

2. Use lead-free fishing tackle.

3. Reel in around loons.

4. Dispose of monofilament fishing line properly.

5. Stay a minimum of 300 feet from a mother loon with her chicks.

(Use binoculars to see them.)

For more information, contact the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

Bourn Pond, a classic loon habitat.

Inset: Gavia immer or “Common loon,” which isn’t that common anymore.

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 43

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Left: Water beads on the head of a loon. The combination of tightly locked barbules on its feathers and oil produced from a gland keeps water from reaching the bird’s skin.

Bottom: Loons often flap their wings gently, shedding water and realigning their feathers.

AT THE TOP OF THE ECOSYSTEM “Think of any environmental issue, and it has to do with loons,” says Harry Vogel, senior biologist and executive director of the Loon Preservation Committee on Squam Lake, New Hampshire. “If your lights are on and the electricity comes from a coal-fired plant, the mercury and other emissions from the plant affect loons. Loons live at the top of the ecosystem. Everything biomagnifies and accumulates in them over time.”

To understand the loon’s challenges, you first need to understand the bird. Though it has a waterfowl-like appearance, it is more closely related to an albatross than a duck.

Vermonters think of it as a freshwater native, but it’s equally a saltwater bird that comes

VERMONT’S LOON-AR CALENDAR APRIL: The loons return shortly after ice-out to establish nesting territories. Each nesting pair uses a 200-acre territory; therefore, smaller lakes and ponds (under 200 acres) support one pair, whereas larger bodies of water host more.

MAY–JUNE: Nest-building and egg-laying time. Both parents help incubate the eggs for about 28 days.

JUNE–AUGUST: Chick-rearing occurs throughout the summer in sheltered bays protected from wind and wave action.

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER: Social groups form. Chicks learn to fly.

Adults partially molt, beginning to take on their winter gray-white plumage. By early November, the loons depart for the Atlantic Coast.

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Loons have showy, black and white mating plumage during the summer when they are in Vermont. In the winter on the Atlantic Coast, loons look dull gray, but they always have distinctive red eyes.

inland for a few months each summer to mate, nest, and raise its young. Loons are more noticeable during the summer due to their showy plumage and frequent vocalizations. On the coast, they shed their distinctive black and white feathers, turning plain gray and white.

Even their dagger-like bills turn gray, and they keep a lower, quieter profile.

Because a loon’s legs are positioned way back on its long torso, it moves awkwardly on land and typically comes ashore only to nest close to the water’s edge. As a result, loon nests are highly susceptible to changing water levels during their nesting period in May and June. Nests are also vulnerable due to an overpopulation of their natural predators, especially raccoons.

46 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

GET INVOLVED! Thirty years ago, there were only seven pairs of nesting loons in the state. Today there are about 100 breeding pairs with between 300 and 500 adult loons in Vermont during the summer. The bird was removed from Vermont’s endangered species list in 2005, but it still requires close monitoring.

The loon’s recovery has occurred in part because of the efforts of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, which oversees the Vermont Loon Conservation Project. The project includes the annual LoonWatch, during which volunteers count loons on the third Saturday of July. There are also season-long observation programs. For more information, go to vtecostudies. org/wildlife/birds/water-birds/ common-loon/.

A mother loon typically lays two eggs. After hatching, the loon chicks quickly take to the water with their mother. By early fall, they can fly, ready for the migration back to the ocean.

But they’re not adults. If they survive, the chicks won’t be mature enough to mate for six to seven years, sometimes longer.

“Loons are poor reproducers, averaging a half chick per pair per year,” explains Harry, “so the key to loon success is adult survival, not reproductive success. If you lose a chick it hurts, but if you lose an adult it hurts more.

They’re not wild turkeys. After six years, two turkeys multiply to 200 turkeys, but two loons are still only two loons.”

PRESERVE WATER QUALITY, PRESERVE THE LOONS What loons eat may have the biggest impact on whether they reach reproductive maturity. Loons are masterful fishers, built for the underwater chase. They swim with torpedo-like speed, using their feet for propulsion and maneuvering. Unlike most other birds, their bones are not hollow, and they can quickly exhale the air in their lungs and flatten their feathers, Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 47

Although they can swim soon after birth, until they are three weeks old, loon chicks often hitch a ride on their mother’s back.

which helps them dive efficiently.

Loons feed during the day when they can see prey, which requires clear water. As a result, loons are a key indicator of water quality and are intolerant of pollutants both in freshwater and saltwater. Acid rain in lakes and oil spills in the ocean can have devastating effects. However, the largest contributor to the demise of the common loon is the everyday angler.

Some loons become entangled in discarded monofilament and drown, but many more die from lead poisoning that they get from ingesting lead sinkers and jig hooks. Lead sinkers are often mixed into the gravel loons scoop off the bottom of a lake to aid their digestion.

They might swallow a lead jig hook attached to fish they eat, and sometimes they’ll mistake a trolling lead lure for a fish. So if you like to fish, you’ll help loons if you use lead-free tackle, reel in and move to another location when you see a loon, and properly dispose of all monofilament fishing line.

It’s hard to imagine Vermont without loons.

There’s something evocative and mournful about their cry. Perhaps they’re really calling to us to care about them because, if they disappear, the quality of our lakes has likely disappeared too. 4 48 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 49

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

This Summer I’m going to...

Shopping & fun things to do in and around Burlington!

Morse Farm Summertime means creemees! And the best creemee, according to Yankee Magazine, is one from Morse Farm in Montpelier—it made the “Editor’s Choice” list for Best Maple Creemee. Morse Farm is an eightgeneration maple farm. Come see the sugarhouse, woodshed theater, maple trail, and a huge gift shop with mail ordering and free tastings.

1168 County Road Montpelier, VT (800) 242-2740 www.morsefarm.com Open daily 9am–8pm during the summer www.facebook.com/themorsefarm

ECCO Clothes ECCO, Burlington’s original designer boutique, has been dressing Vermonters in top brands for over 20 years! From denim to dresses, boots to stilettos, ECCO has it all! Premium denim lines like Mother, AG, Paige, and Citizens of Humanity; sweaters by Velvet, Vince, and Theory; basics

by James Perse and Michael Stars; dresses by Susana Monaco, BCBG, Amanda Uprichard, and Laundry; shoes from Steve Madden, Seychelles, and Dolce Vita; and handbags by Liebeskind, Hobo, and Day & Mood. From basic to anything but, ECCO has you covered. Visit ECCO on the corner of Church Street and Bank Street in the heart of Burlington.

81 Church Street Burlington, VT (802) 860-2220 www.eccoclothesboutique.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Shelburne Vineyard and Wine Tasting Room Spend a summer afternoon enjoying a tasting and tour as we share our adventure growing grapes and making award-winning wines in Northern Vermont. Then stay a while with a glass of your favorite wine and a cheese plate on the patio, or return for one of our festive evening events.

Go to www.shelburnevineyard.com or visit us on Facebook to see our schedule of concerts, storytelling, and special events or to contact us to plan your own special event here.

6308 Shelburne Road Shelburne, VT (802) 985-8222 www.shelburnevineyard.com Open 7 days a week all year May–Oct 11am–6pm Nov–Apr 11am–5pm

Petra Cliffs Petra Cliffs Climbing Center & Mountaineering School focuses on climbing and mountain-related education and recreation, accessible to all ages and abilities. As we enter the summer months, try outdoor rock climbing, or get the kids involved in summer camp! No matter what the weather, indoor climbing is always a good choice. Book a private lesson or join a clinic to meet other climbers. Drop the kids off at Friday Night Kids Club and enjoy a few hours out on the town!

105 Briggs Street Burlington, VT (802) 657-3872 www.PetraCliffs.com

Stella Mae Located on the Church Street Marketplace, Stella Mae carries a curated selection of footwear, clothing, and accessories.

Brands include Frye, Dolce Vita, FreeBird, Kork-Ease, A.S.98, Danner, For Love and Lemons, Mink Pink, Chaser, and Gentle Fawn. We also offer an online experience at Stella-mae.com.

Warner Supply, our lifestyle store for men that also features gifts, can be found downstairs in our basement.

96 Church Street Burlington, VT (802) 864-2800 www.stella-mae.com

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG PHOTOS BY ALESSANDRA CARREIRO

Got Nostalgia?

Milkman still delivers

I

n the early ’90s, as technology exploded and the world raced toward the future, Peter Carreiro stepped into the past. He left his job as a Merrill Lynch stockbroker to become a milkman, the kind who came to his home when he was a child, delivering milk to the door in glass bottles.

Now, for 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, his Rise ’N Shine truck carves turns through the Champlain Valley delivering milk, cream, yogurt, eggs, and cheese to customers in 10 towns. He starts at 5am, navigating an Instagram-antsy, hashtag-hungry world in a 20-year-old, six-speed, stick-shift Freightliner truck that looks like a tin breadbox on wheels. “It’s loud, but it’s warm,” he says on a chilly morning.

TRUST AND OLD-FASHIONED MANNERS Ride along, and he’ll open the door for you at every stop.

He’s old-fashioned. He sells 200 products, and 80 percent are local. Customers fill out paper shopping lists, leave them in their milk box, and pay the following week. “You couldn’t walk into Hannaford and say, ‘Hey, I need $60 worth of groceries, and I’m gonna pay you next Wednesday.’ But that’s basically what we do,” Peter says. He accepts only cash or checks. “And we never get burned,” he says. Trust fuels this business. Some customers tell Peter their security code so he can walk into their home and put their milk in the refrigerator.

As for his old-fashioned manners? Peter is known as a friendly, stand-up guy, but there’s another reason he jogs around to open the passenger door—it opens only from the outside.

52 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Each home delivery truck has three separate compartments: a walk-in freezer, a refrigerated section, and an area for dry goods.

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 53

All of the milk comes from a single source of cows. It flows from the milking barn directly to the dairy plant, where it is glass-bottled. Hard to get milk fresher than that! Also pictured are eggs from Maple Meadow Farm, Green Mountain Creamery yogurt, and Cabot cheese.

At each stop, he darts to the milk box to pick up empty bottles and the shopping list, then jogs back to the truck.

Just inside the back door, he enters the order on a laptop computer, and a compact printer spits out an invoice.

“Everything is done right here on the truck,” he says.

Peter collects the ordered items and jogs back to the house.

He’ll make between 45 and 80 stops before quitting time, jogging seven to ten miles a day. He’s a young 55.

“I gotta be honest,” he says. “It’s not easy, and it’s not, you know, hugely profitable . . . but I enjoy doing it.”

DEFYING THE TRENDS Peter started the business in Bristol, Rhode Island, when his oldest child was a toddler. “We were always running out of milk,” he says. With fond memories of his own milkman, Peter and a partner launched a business. The partner ran it, while Peter remained a stockbroker. “I 54 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

On the Shopping List Peter Carreiro says 80 percent of Rise ’N Shine’s products are local. His definition: “If we put this product on the truck, is a Vermonter earning a paycheck with this?” Hatchland Farm, a New Hampshire dairy that buys Vermont feed and hires Vermont workers, makes the cut.

AMONG THE 200 ITEMS OFFERED: Cabot cheese Green Mountain Creamery yogurt Greylaine Farm eggs Vermont Smoke & Cure bacon Kimball Brook Farm organic beef Maple Meadow eggs and maple syrup Myer’s bagels Vermont Coffee Company coffee Gusto gelato Pete’s Greens organic veggies Mirabelle’s frozen croissants and piecrust Champlain Orchard apples Half-Baked frozen pizza

never intended to be a milkman,” he says. But when his partner wanted out, Peter took over full time.

He sold the business after he and his wife, then with three children, moved their family to Charlotte in 1997. In 2004, after a stint in sales and marketing, Peter started Rise ’N Shine.

The company has grown from a van running from his house to two trucks, an office, and a list of people waiting for him to deliver in their towns. He hopes to open his own milk-bottling facility by the end of the year.

Such growth defies the trends. According to USDA statistics, in 1965 about 28 percent of milk sold in the United States was home delivered. By 2013, that percentage had dropped to less than 0.5 percent.

A PERSONAL TOUCH AND A PASSION FOR LOCAL Peter Carreiro peddles nostalgia. And for a $2.99 delivery charge, people buy. Winding through Charlotte on this morning, light flashes off a steel-blue Lake Champlain as his white truck passes a yellow school bus and a Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 55

Above: A sample of the many products available from the truck’s freezer section.

Right: Peter driving his milk truck in Charlotte.

row of sap buckets hanging on trees. “Everything on the truck is either organic or natural,” he says.

He sells meat, pasta, snacks, and frozen foods, but his biggest seller is 1½ percent milk from Hatchland Farm in North Haverhill, New Hampshire.

“Our niche is glassbottled milk,” he says. His business keeps tens of thousands of plastic jugs and bottles out of the recycling system annually. And he says, “The taste is definitely different in glass. The milk stays colder.

It’s a cleaner taste. People who try the milk normally stick with it.”

At a gray clapboard house, Joan Weed meets him at the door. “We love Peter,” she says. “We’ve been customers since day one, I think, and it’s a big help to us. And he brings it to our refrigerator, which is lovely.” Peter adds, “And I get to have great political discussions with Dick, her husband.”

Business is personal. Moms making muffins when Peter arrives send one along for the road. People leave cookies in their milk boxes at Christmas time 56 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

and basketball tickets during high school playoffs. Sometimes Peter will find a note like this: “Hey, Peter, I know you’re going to so and so’s house later on today. Can you drop off Bill’s ski boots? He left them in my car.”

A few years ago, a boy about five years old ran to meet him and said, “Peter, I made you a scarf !” Peter laughs as he tells the story. “He pulls it out of his pocket. It’s like this long.” He holds his hands about a foot apart. “And it’s like this wide.” Two inches. “You couldn’t even, like, use it as a headband. And his sister, who was probably 10 at the time . . . says, ‘Kind of skimpy, isn’t it, Jake?’ And I’m like, ‘No! It’s beautiful!’ I kept it.”

He keeps Christmas cards with family photos on them too. These are his people. He can name their kids in order, and he carries treats for their dogs. (He can name them too.)

Families sign on when their kids are young. “I see them grow up,” Peter says. “And, all of a sudden, they’re driving a car.”

Elzy Wick, a customer for seven or eight years, says she loves everything about Rise ’N Shine. Her three sons hustle to move their hockey goals and bikes when they see the truck pull onto the family’s Burlington cul-de-sac.

“It’s like Santa Claus coming,” Elzy says. He gives the boys freeze pops in the summer, she says. “It’s just as if he came to visit our family.”

Peter fondly recalls another family with three kids who are grown now. “Every Tuesday, I would be in that house at between 6:45 and 7am.” Sometimes the kids were at the kitchen table, waiting for him to bring milk for their cereal while their parents were upstairs getting ready for work.

“One day the grandmother was there, and I don’t know if she was watching the kids or whatever. But she walks in the kitchen, and I guess I startled her because I’m standing there talking to the three kids. And I just said, ‘Hi,’ you know, ‘I’m the milkman,’ and so forth.

“As I was leaving I heard her say to the youngest son, ‘You’re not supposed to let strangers in the house.’ And the kid said, ‘That’s not a stranger, Grandma. That’s Peter, our milkman.’ ” 4

Rise ‘N Shine 343 Root Road Charlotte, VT (802) 264-1913 www.risenshine.biz

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 57

BY NANCY HUMPHREY CASE PHOTOS BY JEFF YOUNG

The J. Watson Webb lilac, one of only a half-dozen in existence, was named after the husband of Electra Havemeyer Webb. This one was photographed at the Hort Farm.

58 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

UVM’s HORTICULTURAL FARM

More Than Just Lilacs

VERMONT’S ICONIC BLOOMS

Who doesn’t love lilacs?

Their shape, soothing foliage, and heavenly scented blossoms make the lilac an icon of spring in Vermont. Black-and-white private movie footage shows Lila Vanderbilt Webb in her later years strolling down the lawn in front of her Shelburne House (now the Inn at Shelburne Farms) toward a cluster of lilac shrubs and gently lifting blooms to her nose. The grounds of Shelburne Museum too are loaded with lilacs, as are college campuses, parks, and backyards all over the state.

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 59

Above: The Arch McKean lilac, seen on Mackinac Island, Michigan, has very large flowers.

Right: Tinkerbelle is a fragrant dwarf lilac that starts out dark-red and turns white.

Opposite: A big, bold Russian lilac, the Beauty of Moscow is considered by many to be the most beautiful lilac. This one is seen at the Hort Farm.

To expand the knowledge about this resource, the University of Vermont maintains a lilac collection at the UVM Horticultural Research and Education Center (affectionately known as the “Hort” Farm) on Green Mountain Drive in South Burlington (above Heritage Toyota). Planted in rows at one end of an expansive, flat field, 125 lilac bushes—each a different variety—display various sizes, colors, bloom times, and fragrances.

Open to the public most weekdays, the Hort Farm also hosts school field trips, holds classes on a variety of gardening and horticultural topics, and and welcomes the 60 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

community to its annual Bloom-Time Festival and Open House in May, when visitors celebrate the height of the bloom season by touring the farm’s collections of lilacs, magnolias, crabapples, rhododendrons, and azaleas, along with enjoying special activities planned for the event.

“A COMPLETE ACCIDENT” Jeff Young, curator of the lilac collection at the Hort Farm, is nationally recognized for his expertise, but he says it was “a complete accident” that got him into lilacs. The house he and his wife bought in St. Albans in 2000 came with an “ugly bush” that Jeff was “dying to dig out.” He went to Costco to buy a replacement and came home with a lilac bush.

“I had never planted anything in my life,” Jeff says. After planting it, he went online to find out how to take care of it and discovered that the International Lilac Society would be holding its annual convention in Quebec two weeks later. His wife was going to be away on business, so Jeff decided going to the gathering would be a fun trip at least.

“I walked into this convention of plant enthusiasts, and as luck would have it, I sat down next to four of the most famous horticulturalists in the country,” he says. They included experts from Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum and the world-renowned Holden Arboretum near Cleveland, Ohio.

“They asked me what my interest was, and I said I was just curious. By the end of lunch, it was clear I didn’t know anything about anything,” Jeff recalls. “But they befriended me Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 61

like you wouldn’t believe. Jack Alexander of the Arnold Arboretum put his arm around me and said, ‘Jeff, I’m going to teach you horticulture,’ and he took me around showing me this genus and that. By 2001, I was on the board of directors for the Society.”

Norm Pellet, a retired professor of horticulture at UVM, took an interest in Jeff too, and it wasn’t long before the novice was recruited to work at Shelburne Museum, then at the Hort Farm. Jeff was assistant curator for only two years when the curator, Reed Char62 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

rington, told him he was going to retire in a year and that Jeff would then be in charge. “It was like a dunking game,” Jeff says. “Someone throws a ball into the water and you fall in.”

Since then, Jeff has expanded his knowledge of gardening and horticulture in general, and this has given him an entirely new perspective on growing lilacs. “If you’re into one thing— roses, lilacs, hydrangeas, or whatever—you can collect them until hell freezes over, but you have a very limited perspective,” he says. “That’s such a small slice of horticulture.”

Left: Pocahontas is a popular dark-purple lilac that is very fragrant.

Below left: This Prairie Petit at the Hort Farm grows to only two to three feet in height after 25 years and has miniature flowers.

Taking a Master Gardener course taught him the importance of soils, air, water, nutrients, insects, and more—the connectivity of all living things. While not diminishing his appreciation of lilacs, it has changed his thinking about the best way to grow them.

GROW OUTSIDE THE ROW Years ago when Jeff first visited the Holden Arboretum, which maintains one of the largest collections of lilacs in the country, the bushes were planted in straight rows in classical fashion. A few years later he heard they were digging them all up. Revisiting the landmark in 2015, he found the lilacs had been replanted among other species in a charming series of 40 garden rooms connected by a serpentine road and a pond.

“It was spectacular,” Jeff says. “The lilacs were mixed with trees, shrubs, ferns, perennials, and grasses. They worked every one of them back into the garden—but as accents. The idea was if you’re going to have exotics, you’ve got to balance them with natives.”

Although lilacs have been growing on the North American continent since before George Washington planted them at Mount Vernon, none of the over 2,000 varieties are native to our soil. Originating in Eastern Europe and Asia, they don’t come close to matching our native flora’s contributions to symbiotic relationships with the soils, plants, insects, and wildlife.

Used in the context of mostly native plants, however, lilacs make a worthy accent, Jeff says.

(On a side note, new cultivars of native plants are not always beneficial or usable by other native flora and fauna. See UVM Professor Annie White’s research on “nativars.”)

To educate people on the importance of this new way of thinking about planting schemes, the Hort Farm, with the help of a graduate student and local landscape architect Charlotte Albers, has developed a highly Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 63

One of the most beautiful white lilacs, this Betsy Ross was photographed on Mackinac Island, Michigan.

visible pollinator garden—an L-shaped border complete with a twig arbor.

The garden features 80 species of native plants that support bees and other beneficial insects. Among them are gardeners’ favorites including coneflower, bee balm, cranesbill, lupine, and coral bells as well as lesser-known natives such as sneezeweed, Culver’s root, blanket flower, and hyssop.

This attractive border is an example of how to create a healthy ecosystem in backyard settings, and Jeff hopes it will inspire visitors to add more native plants to their lilac-planting schemes, as he and his wife did in their hometown of St. Albans.

There, in Taylor Park, they designed and built a 13,000-square-foot garden consisting of 80

64 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

percent native plants and 20 percent exotics, including six lilacs of the smaller varieties.

BRANCH OUT While the common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, with its light or rosy purple flowers abounds in Vermont, Jeff says there is a “tremendous range” of varieties, including giant to tiny blossoms, bicolors, smaller and dwarf varieties, late bloomers, the very late-blooming tree lilacs, and the repeat August bloomers of the “bloomerang series.”

To branch out and learn more about lilacs, Jeff recommends several resources: the website of the International Lilac Society, the annual one-day class on lilacs at the Hort Farm in early May, Lilac Sunday at Boston’s Arnold Arboretum, and Lilacs for the Garden by Jennifer Bennett.

And if you find yourself getting hooked as Jeff did years ago, he may just take an interest in you. 4

UVM Horticulture Research and Education Center 65 Green Mountain Drive Burlington, VT (802) 658-9166 www.uvm.edu/~hortfarm Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 65

BY PHYL NEWBECK

Winooski Valley PARK DISTRICT Chittenden County’s Hidden Jewels Vermont is filled with beauty,

but often people think they have to travel to distant counties to experience open spaces. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Created in 1972, the Winooski Valley Park District (WVPD) manages 18 parks and natural areas in seven Chittenden County towns, totaling more than 1,750 acres.

The district’s mission is to “plan, acquire, and manage lands and waters within the boundaries of its member municipalities in the Winooski River Valley for purposes of conservation, preservation of natural areas, establishment of parks, and resource-based education and recreation.”

WVPD parks include 25 miles of trails and over 13 miles of shoreline on rivers, ponds, and lakes. All parks are free to the public and open dawn to dusk. Six are in Burlington, four in Colchester, three in South Burlington, one straddles the border between South Burlington and Williston, two are in Essex, and one is in Jericho. The largest are the 288-acre Macrae Farm Park in Colchester and the 284-acre Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington, while the smallest, Mayes Landing and Essex Overlook, are simply picturesque picnic spots. Several parks, including 66 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Wetlands at Muddy Brook Wetland Reserve in South Burlington.

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 67

two wetlands, were formed to preserve diverse ecosystems, while others were created more with public recreation in mind.

PRESERVATION IN PERPETUITY Executive Director Nick Warner says the WVPD was established during a period when Vermont was moving toward regionalization on a number of issues, and organizations like the regional planning commissions and solid waste districts were being formed. “There was a recognition that development was coming, and we needed to identify the high-value conservation areas,� he says.

The Ethan Allen Homestead was one of the first parks to be created, and the most recent addition is the Wolcott Recreation Area in Colchester, where trails are now being established. The district is currently engaging in conversations with the city of Winooski 68 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Left: Global Foundries volunteers at the Ethan Allen Homestead last fall.

Bottom left: A painted turtle at the Ethan Allen Homestead.

regarding potential parks and canoe and kayak launching areas.

Nick notes that WVPD parks can be added either by donation or acquisition. When it is the latter, the district partners with other groups such as the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Vermont Land Trust, Lake Champlain Land Trust, and the Nature Conservancy, who assist with getting funding for the purchase. All the properties have conservation easements or reversionary clauses, or are physically located in areas that will never be developed. The properties must be considered high value since the WVPD commits to preserving them in perpetuity.

MUCH USED, MUCH LOVED Because there is no cost to enter the parks and nobody guarding the entrances, it is hard to determine which areas see the most visitors, but Nick estimates that the Ethan Allen Homestead and Colchester Pond Natural Area get the most foot traffic. In addition to incidental use, various local groups make use of the parks including schools, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and college classes from UVM, St. Michael’s College, and Champlain College.

Several parks are also sites for annual camps for first through fourth graders, and this year, slots for the summer camps were filled months before the start of the season (there is also a camp during February vacation). The camps are overseen by Programs Director Lauren Chicote with the help of an AmeriCorps volunteer and two or three seasonal staff members. Lauren says the parks also partner with local organizations for tracking workshops, a pedal and paddle event with Friends of the Winooski River, and a fall harvest party at the Ethan Allen Homestead. An annual fifth-grade Conservation Field Day can attract well over 300 students.

The Park District has a three-person staff and a board of trustees with representatives from each member jurisdiction. They also have hundreds of volunteers who take part in trail building, invasive plant removal, and

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Left: Wetland Walk North at the Ethan Allen Homestead.

other activities. Tom Malinowski of Essex has been a member of the board of trustees since 2014. “My interest in the park district started decades ago as a park user,” he says.

“I’m an outdoors person, and there is always a pair of boots at home with dried mud from local parks.”

When Tom worked for IBM (now Global Foundries), the company sponsored community events, and he was happy to be able to bring groups of 10 to 12 volunteers to WVPD parks to help with projects. Additionally, he was able to get grants for the district through his employer. Seeing Tom’s involvement, the previous Essex representative recruited him to take a seat on the board. “I have a full-time job, but I’m also a full-time park user,” he says, “so it made sense to also be a trustee.”

Tom’s favorite park is Colchester Pond. “It’s a four-season playground,” he says. “I go there for kayaking, fishing, snowshoeing, and hiking.

It’s also good for bird watching and observing other wildlife and waterfowl migration.” Tom also appreciates the various parks with kayak access like Woodside Natural Area in Essex and Salmon Hole and the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington.

Nick says one challenge the park district faces is weighing access with conservation. “The balance is that we are committed to long-term conservation,” he says, “but people also need easy access to the area. Our model is trail and park designs that protect the land and provide access without negative impacts.” 4

Winooski Valley Park District 1 Ethan Allen Homestead Burlington, VT (802) 863-5744 www.wvpd.org

ONLINE EXTRA Find more information on the Winooski Valley Park District’s lakes, picnic areas, and hiking trails at www.bestofburlingtonvt.com.

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 71

HOT SPOT

BY TOM BRANDES

Earl Handy shows off a couple of tempting Philly cheesesteaks.

72 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

A typical and beautiful table setting at Monarch & the Milkweed.

More Than Just a Great Place to Eat Handy’s Lunch is a family business in every sense

B

ack in 1945, Earl Handy’s grandparents, Lebanese immigrants Earl and Flora, had a nice business selling ice and coal door to door. But while Earl was making deliveries, Flora needed something to do. The building next door was available, so she started a little grocery store and restaurant on the corner of Maple and Champlain Street.

The restaurant where she sold coffee and donuts was modest, just six or seven seats. That changed in 1958 when they went on vacation and their son, Robert, ditched the grocery store and installed a large horseshoe counter with 25 stools. When they returned and saw what he’d done, they fired him.

The next day, cooler heads prevailed—barely. Earl told his son, “You broke it, you fix it.”

And so Robert’s restaurant career began on that inauspicious day. It lasted until he died in 1996. That’s when Earl, the third-generation Handy, took over.

“I’d recently graduated from Champlain College and was working as a Cadillac salesman.

When my dad got sick, I started coming in to

help out,” says Earl. “After my dad’s funeral, we closed for a week or so. When we reopened, I quit my sales job, thinking I’d stick around for two or three years. Then it became five to ten years. Now it’s been two decades, and I love it.”

Earl had worked at Handy’s Lunch starting as a seven-year-old washing dishes and growing up working in the restaurant, so it was the last thing he wanted to do. Now, he doesn’t know if he could ever work for someone else—or work past 3pm either.

CARRYING ON THE AMERICAN DREAM Family is the recurring theme of Handy’s Lunch. Earl’s sister Mary helps out and Janet,

his 80-year-old mom, still comes in five days a week to make gravy or do whatever else needs doing. “That’s what family businesses are like; you’re in the thick of it,” adds Earl.

He also makes customers feel like they’re part of a large extended family. After a couple of visits, you’re family and Earl will likely greet you by name. But his real family always comes first. He treasures spending time with his eight-year-old twins and bringing them to the restaurant for breakfast, where they’re as likely to have Cheerios as they are an omelet. He also makes their lunch.

“I’m very blessed. My wife can stay at home with our kids, and they go to the same Catholic school I went to,” says Earl. “This is who I am, a third-generation business owner. How many people can say ‘I work with my mom, my wife, and my sister?’

Growing up I thought it was cheesy that my parents owned a diner. I never realized how cool it was. I’m carrying on a tradition my grandparents started. I’m carrying on their American dream.”

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 73

Right: Robert Handy (second-generation owner) and Earl’s dad, circa 1989.

Below: Earl Handy the week he took over Handy’s in 1996. Photo by Seth Neary.

Bottom right: Robert and Janet Handy, circa 1994.

Opposite: Earl hard at work at the grill.

TIMES CHANGE, BUT DELICIOUS STAYS THE SAME In addition to the great family atmosphere, the food is awesome, or Handy’s wouldn’t have lasted for three generations. Their famous Texas hot dog, an all-beef hot dog served with chili, mustard, and onions, is a menu staple started by Robert that has been served there “practically forever.” The ingredients for the secret recipe chili exist only in Earl’s head.

As times and eating habits change, Handy’s has changed with them.

Meatloaf Monday is no longer offered, and shepherd’s pie was quietly dropped from the menu. Huge, heavy meat-and-potato lunches are a thing of the past, as are slices of pie to go. Earl attributes these changes to the decline in blue-collar jobs and the guys who held them decades ago.

Fortunately, Earl likes experimenting with menu items. And while big lunches have lost favor with customers, big breakfasts apparently have not. The popular Black Belt (named for his kids’ tae kwon do passion) is a three-egg, ham, bacon, and sausage sandwich with three pieces of French toast.

“Customers wanted more, so it grew into the legendary Chuck Norris: four eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, corned beef, and a hamburger patty with five pieces of French toast,” says Earl. “When someone 74 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

orders the Chuck Norris, everyone watches to see if they can finish it.”

Earl also enjoys shooting the breeze, discussing sports or politics, while guests watch him cook. And while the building and menu have largely stayed the same for decades, he recognizes the opportunities that exist to expand beyond the 25 stools arrayed around him. Extensive use of social media means Earl can connect regularly with nearly 3,000 fans who follow Handy’s Lunch on Twitter and Facebook. He also offers breakfast and lunch catering for business meetings and other events to bring the Handy’s experience to customers old and new.

Despite the pressures of working seven days a week, taking few vacations, and having only a handful of major religious and national holidays off, these are outweighed by the opportunity to spend quality time with his wife and kids around whom his life revolves.

“I’m a little guy but I’m doing something here, supporting my family and providing part-time jobs,” says Earl. “I thought my dad was just a hamburger flipper until 3,000 people came to the funeral home for his wake. You don’t realize how many lives we touch. I’m living that American dream started by my grandparents. It’s humbling and gratifying.” 4

Handy’s Lunch

74 Maple Street Burlington, VT (802) 864-5963 handyslunch.wordpress.com Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 75

SUMMER HAPPENINGS 2017 | CALENDAR OF EVENTS JUNE 10

Terence Blanchard Featuring the E-Collective

JUNE 9

Diana Krall

MainStage, 8pm JUNE 9

FLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS 153 Main Street, Burlington, VT (802) 863-5966, www.flynncenter.org

Victor Lewis

FlynnSpace, 10pm JUNE 10

Arrested Development Waterfront Park, 6pm JUNE 10

Terence Blanchard Featuring the E-Collective FlynnSpace, 7 & 9pm JUNE 11

Nicky Cassarino’s Salvation

Nectar’s, 188 Main Street, 10:30am JUNE 11

JUNE 11

BassDrumBone

BassDrumBone FlynnSpace, 6pm JUNE 13–18

Vermont Stage: The Bake Off: 1 Play Made 3 Ways

FlynnSpace, 7:30pm except June 18, 2pm JUNE 15

National Theatre Live: Peter Pan Palace 9 Cinemas, 2pm JUNE 16

Steven Wright MainStage, 8pm JUNE 17

Magic Men Live!

MainStage, 8pm JUNE 22

National Theatre Live: Salome Palace 9 Cinemas, 2pm

HAPPENINGS IS SPONSORED BY STOWEFLAKE

JULY 1

David Blaine

MainStage, 8pm JULY 16

21st Annual Flynn Garden Tour 9am JULY 20

National Theatre Live: Angels in America Palace 9 Cinemas, 2 & 7pm JULY 27

National Theatre Live: Angels in America Act 2: Perestroika Palace 9 Cinemas, 2 & 7pm JULY 28

John Mulaney MainStage, 7pm 76 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

SUMMER HAPPENINGS 2017 | CALENDAR OF EVENTS VERMONT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (800) VSO-9293, ext. 10 www.vso.org

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS JUNE 13–AUGUST 31

TD BANK SUMMER FESTIVAL TOUR

2:30–4pm

House & Formal Gardens Tour at the Inn

Highlighting the wonderfully diverse cultural heritage that has shaped our nation’s history.

Explore our rich musical past and have a glimpse into the future, with traditional marches and fireworks to end a patriotic, picnic-perfect evening!

JULY 2 Riley Rink at Hunter Park, Manchester, 7:30pm

JULY 4 Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, 7:30pm

JULY 12, 19, 26, AUGUST 2

1:45–3:45pm

JULY 13

Sun to Cheese Tour JUNE 10–11

Forest to Furniture with the Shelburne Craft School Saturday, 9am–6:30pm; Sunday, 9am–5pm

Collaborative Chef Dinner with Guest Chef Champe Speidel

Gates open at 5:30pm

Farm to Medicine Cabinet Plant Walk with Emma Merritt 10–11:30am JULY 15

Farm to Medicine Cabinet Plant Walk with Kenzie McDonald 9:30–11am

6pm

JULY 15

JUNE 14

1–3pm

Farm to Medicine Cabinet Plant Walk with Susan Staley

JULY 7 Okemo Mountain Resort, Ludlow, 7:30pm

JUNE 16

JULY 9 Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow, Stowe, 7:30pm

6:30–8pm

Shelburne Town Concert Series

JULY 6 Mountain Top Inn, Chittenden, 7:30pm

JULY 8 Three Stallion Inn, Randolph, 7:30pm

Summer Campfire

JUNE 9, 16, 23, 30, JULY 7, 14, 21, 28, AUGUST 4, 11, 18, 25

JUNE 13

JULY 3 Grafton Ponds, Grafton, 5:30pm

JULY 10, AUGUST 14

10–11:30am

June Morning Bird Walk

Garden Tea Party at the Inn JULY 16

9th Annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival 10am–4pm

7–9am

JULY 18

JUNE 20–21

7:30–9pm

The Art of Natural Cheesemaking with David Asher 9am–5pm

An Evening of Bats JULY 21

Bats in the Barn 7:30–9pm JULY 22

Shore Explore 9am–4pm

JULY 23, AUGUST 13

Farm to Ballet Performance Gates open at 5pm AUGUST 4

Isole Dinner Club’s History of English Food and Literature Series: Jane Austen 5:30–9pm

AUGUST 6

21st Annual Vermont Fresh Network Forum Dinner Check website for time.

AUGUST 9, 16, 23

Community Evenings at the Farm Gates open at 5:30pm AUGUST 10

Savoring the Culture, Heritage, and Flavor of America’s Preserved Meat with Jeffrey Robert and Chef Jim McCarthy 5:30–7pm

SHELBURNE FARMS

1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT (802) 985-8442, www.shelburnefarms.org

AUGUST 14–20

Vermont Open Farm Week All day

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 77

SUMMER HAPPENINGS 2017 | CALENDAR OF EVENTS

OTHER NOTEWORTHY EVENTS THROUGH JUNE 11

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival For a list of performers and venues, visit discoverjazz.com.

THROUGH AUGUST 27

Exhibit: Wild Spaces, Open Seasons: Hunting and Fishing in American Art Shelburne Museum, shelburnemuseum.org THROUGH SEPTEMBER 4

Exhibit: Butterflies

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, www.echovermont.org THROUGH OCTOBER 31

Exhibit: Upstream with Ogden Pleissner Shelburne Museum, shelburnemuseum.org THROUGH OCTOBER 31

Exhibit: Pieced Traditions: Jean Lovell Collects

JUNE 16–24

THROUGH OCTOBER 31

Grand tasting: June 24 Waterfront Park, www.burlingtonwineandfoodfestival.com

Shelburne Museum, shelburnemuseum.org

Featured Outdoor Sculpture: Aaron T. Stephan

Shelburne Museum, shelburnemuseum.org THROUGH OCTOBER 31

Exhibit: Carpet Diem: Molly Nye Tobey Designs for the Mid-Century Home

Shelburne Museum, shelburnemuseum.org JUNE 15–17, 22–24, 29, 30

Burlington Edible History Tour

Meet behind ECHO Lake Aquarium & Science Center, www.burlingtonediblehistory.com, 1pm 78 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

Burlington Wine & Food Festival

JUNE 24–25

Abenaki Heritage Weekend

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, www.lcmm.org JULY 8–9

Rowing & Racing Weekend

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, www.lcmm.org AUGUST 19–20

Kids’ Pirate Festival

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, www.lcmm.org

ADVERTISERS INDEX

For more information about print and online advertising opportunities, contact John or Robin Gales at (802) 295-5295 or email coffeetablepublishing@comcast.net.

Ann Roche Casual Furniture........................................................................63 ArborTrek Canopy Adventures................................................................... 19 Bennington Potters North............................................................................ 41 Berlin City Fiat/Alfa Romeo............................................ Inside Back Cover Bouchard-Pierce Candlelight...................................................................... 45 Burlington Country Club...............................................................................79 Burlington Emergency & Veterinary Specialists.....................................25 Burlington Furniture.........................................................................................9 Burlington Marble & Granite........................................................................15 Chittenden Solid Waste District................................................................ 34 Christine Burdick Design.............................................................................40 Church Hill Landscapes................................................................................57 City Market......................................................................................................78 Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty.......... Outside Back Cover Common Deer................................................................................................ 69 Courtyard Burlington Harbor Hotel.......................................................... 70 Cushman Design Group............................................................................... 41 Cynthia Knauf Landscape Design............................................................. 30 Danform Shoes................................................................................................31 Davis & Hodgdon Associates.......................................................................31 Dear Lucy.........................................................................................................39 Ecco Clothes................................................................................................3,50 Flynn Center for the Performing Arts........................................................62 Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty.........................................6,7 Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard & Winery......................................................79 Frog Hollow...................................................................................................... 16 HAVEN design + building............................................................................ 49 Inside Out Gallery..........................................................................................29 J . Morgans Steakhouse................................................................................47 Jacob Albee Goldsmith....................................................................................1 Jess Boutique.....................................................................................................8 Kiss the Cook...................................................................................................55 Koenig Cedar Co.............................................................................................55 Landshapes...................................................................................................... 71 MD Cosmetics Medical Spa........................................................................ 10 Mirror Mirror..................................................................................................... 5

Montpelier Stove and Flag Works............................................................. 45 Morning Dew Landscaping..........................................................................23 Morse Farm..................................................................................................... 50 Otter Creek Awnings.....................................................................................57 Outdoor Gear Exchange............................................................................... 61 Patterson & Smith Construction................................................................ 30 Pauline’s Café.................................................................................................. 16 Peregrine Design/Build..................................................................................17 Petra Cliffs.........................................................................................................51 Red House Building........................................................................................75 Rodd Roofing....................................................................................................21 Saint Michael’s Playhouse........................................................................... 34 Shelburne Meat Market................................................................................35 Shelburne Museum........................................................................................63 Shelburne Vineyard and Wine Tasting Room..........................................51 SportStyle . ......................................................................................................47 Stella Mae...................................................................................................13, 51 Stoweflake........................................................................................................76 Sugarbush Resort........................................................................................... 71 The Automaster................................................................................................4 The Essex Resort & Spa................................................................................. 11 The Grass Gauchos....................................................................................... 48 The Optical Center......................................................................................... 61 The Residence at Shelburne Bay................................................................35 The Spot Restaurant..................................................................................... 48 Timberlane Dental Group............................................................................23 Tom Moore Builder, Inc................................................... Inside Front Cover University Mall................................................................................................39 Vermont Bed Store/Wendell’s Furniture.................................................... 2 Vermont Comedy Club................................................................................40 Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture............................................ 64 Wake Robin..................................................................................................... 49 Whim Boutique...............................................................................................29 Windows & Doors by Brownell...................................................................65 WND&WVS....................................................................................................75

Summer 2017 | Best of Burlington | 79

LAST GLANCE

in the

summertime юдн weather WHEN

and touch

sky

IS HIGH YOU CAN STRETCH RIGHT UP

юдн

80 | www.bestofburlingtonvt.com

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