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SEPTEMBER 8, 2022
CVU’s fields come alive
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
Inaugural arts event rings in the new school year
Board reduces Taft Corners building heights
to 110 feet, while Jeff Fehrs and Greta D’Agostino voted to keep height maximums as is in the Much of the focus was on draft. Since that meeting, St. Gordon St. Hilaire on TuesHilaire said he day when the has received Williston Seemails from resilectboard met “You don’t need dents offering “a to break a 2-2 lot of input from deadlock on buildings (at both sides.” the question of over 100 feet) On Tuesday, building heights St. Hilaire’s voted in the Taft Corto achieve the to lower the maxners zoning disgoals of the imum allowed trict. building heights, Two weeks code.” creating a 3-2 maprior, St. Matt Boulanger jority. Hilaire was abWilliston zoning “I thought sent from the administrator long and hard and meeting when I’m going to side board members with lowering the Ted Kenney and Terry Macaig favored reducing building heights,” he said. Planning and Zoning Dithe allowed heights in the draft of new zoning regulations for see ZONING page 10 the area from a maximum of up BY JASON STARR Observer staff
BY TAYLOR ANTONIOLI Special to the Observer Despite a misty night and the threat of harder rain bringing thoughts of cancellation, “Playing Fields” came to CVU’s athletic field on Tuesday night. A welcome-back-to-school party in collaboration with the Flynn Theater, the event kicked off with a performance by Brooklyn band Red Baraat. “We’re doing this no matter what!” said band leader and dhol drum player Sunny Jain. The band and its lively music encouraged those in the audience to start dancing — though it was mostly the youngest in attendance who took the initiative to actually start moving. The Burlington-based Flynn Center for the Performing Arts started envisioning this event in the spring and began contacting schools in the summer about hosting. “Playing Fields” was created with a thought toward how the pandemic disrupted school and parents’ work schedules. Flynn Center Executive Director Jay Wahl described it as a community celebration of the return to school. “The idea of play is to be together,” he said. “Play is central to the arts, and central to community joy. There’s nothing better than the infectious joy that art (creates).” About an hour into the event, the band Birdmen took to the field and started to play. Coming all the way from the Netherlands, Close Act street the-
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The street theater group Close Act brings 25-foot puppets to life at Tuesday’s ‘Playing Fields’ arts event at CVU. OBSERVER PHOTOS BY TAYLOR ANTONIOLI
ater brought to life 25-foot “puppets” that engaged with the audience by walking around and bending down to greet those in attendance. When asked what he thought of the display, Adam Bunting, CVU’s principal, responded, “Spookier than I imagined. They are so cool. I want them to come into the school.” “Playing Fields” will also be staged at Burlington High School at 6 p.m. this Thursday.
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Will the Brick Church Concert Series be revived? McGuire: ‘I don’t know where things stand’ BY JASON STARR Observer staff The performing arts are coming into what feels like their first post-pandemic autumn, with events that took a twoyear hiatus returning to greet audiences. But for Williston’s beloved Brick Church Music
Series, the pandemic pause may prove permanent. The original organizers of the fall/winter series that packed the Old Brick Church in Williston Village one night a month from October through April have not resumed the considerable organizational efforts see BRICK CHURCH page 10
Shelburne Road, S. Burlington Maple Tree Place, Williston
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