Clockwise from top: Patty Casey and Tom Mackenzie play at Fresh Tracks Vineyard for an opening event at Spice on Snow Festival. Pria and Kit of Australia play traditional music at Bagitos as a part of the Spice on Snow daytime series. Chef Bill Koucky prepares Cajun food for a catered meal at Spice on Snow.
Food, music, and dance All three come together at the sixth annual Spice on Snow Winter Music, Food, and Dance Festival, set for February 19–21 in downtown Montpelier. There will be concerts by nationally known performers, workshops for musicians and music lovers, Cajun food, and a big Cajun dance at Lost Nation Theater at City Hall. This year’s festival features the Cajun Country Revival and Foghorn Stringband. There will be Cajun-style cooking classes for the Friday and Saturday evening events. New to the festival in 2016 are kids’ events on Sunday. Children who participate in the after-school classes will give a performance. There will also be workshops for kids and families with Vermont singersongwriter Jon Gailmor. The event is the brainchild of the Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture, founded in 2007 in Montpelier by fiddler Katie Trautz and musician Rebecca Singer. The organization is a nonprofit dedicated to offering educational opportunities to learn traditional music and dance. After-school classes for kids are held at area schools, and adult classes are held at the Summit School’s Barre Street center. “We try to tie all cultural events together because we believe they are connected,” says Katie, who grew up in Cabot, Vermont, and loves traditional music. “Spice on Snow came out of my growing interest in Cajun music.” While visiting Louisiana, she noted that festivals include food, music, and dance. “I wanted to see the same thing in Vermont and figured that the middle of winter is the time we need spicy food and music!” For more information about the Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture, and Spice on Snow, visit www.summitschool.org. www.bestofcentralvt.com 29