Family’s bookbinding business a page turning story of resistance, resilience
IAN KREINSEN
Marianna Holzer leafed through a carefully bound photo book that tells her family’s story.
On one side of her family, her Swiss grandfather passed the bookbinding tradition on to his son, who passed it on to her. On the other side, her German mother’s family resisted Hitler’s regime.
Today, Holzer and her husband, Rik Palieri, run the Holzer Book Bindery from their basement in
Hinesburg. For Holzer, bookbinding is more than just a business — it’s a bridge to the past and a way to safeguard a legacy of activism.
“Preserving books means preserving our history, so it all ties together,” she said.
Her Swiss grandfather, Ulrich Holzer, learned the trade in Italy. But during his time there, a wave of disease and anti-foreigner scapegoating forced him to flee.
Ulrich fled on a boat bound for the Holy Land, but when disease broke out onboard, he was cast
ashore along with the dead in Gibraltar. A passerby heard him crying for water, and he wound up on a different ship bound for Boston.
Without speaking English or having any documentation, he gravitated toward a community of Italian speakers, who helped him establish a book bindery in Hyde Park. His son, Albert Holzer, later took over the business. Marianna
See BOOKS on page 10
Students demand Statehouse voice
Twenty-five students from across the state came to testify in person last Friday before a joint session of the Vermont Senate and House education committees. One by one, they sat at a small desk facing a horseshoe of senators and representatives and asked to be heard.
“It is just wonderful to have so many students here and to have your voices and your input and your authentic engagement. It means so much to us, and it’s an important part of our process,” Erin Brady, D-Williston, who chairs the House education committee said before the testimony began.
Brady, along with Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale and Champlain Valley Union junior, Zoe Epstein organized the testimony. While on the schedule the time was officially logged as related to H. 454, the education reform bill recently passed by the state House of Representatives, the students’ comments ranged across topics that they wanted to address such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs or school choice, sometimes giving opinions that put them at odds with each other. However, at the center of the testimony was a demand that echoed Brady’s comments at the beginning of the session: the students would like to be involved in the legislative process.
The four Champlain Valley Union students who gave testimony focused on a variety of topics even amongst themselves.
“Being the only hijabi person and person of color (in middle school) and there being no DEI programs, I found it hard to engage with school and with other students as well. But that kind of changed while transferring to CVU and joining the Racial Alliance Committee,” Hibo Dahir said.
Nicole Richie Asiimwe, a CVU junior who stated that she also represented the Vermont Student Anti-Racist Network, agreed, citing how her DEI coordinators had shown up for her again and again.
“They would come to my classes to talk about kids’ microaggressions, and it wasn’t something awkward. They’d be very serious about it,” she said. “DEI education means creating an environment where all students, regardless of background, feel valued, supported and empowered.”
For Chloe Ngu and Zoe Epstein, the two student representatives to the Champlain Valley School Board, the focus was more on the impact of the bill itself and how students could be involved in the decision-making process. Epstein, in particular, is passionate about student involvement.
See STUDENTS on page 12
PHOTO BY IAN KREINSEN
Marianna Holzer demonstrates bookbinding process with her father’s old tools.
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Bread and Butter farm turns barn into a listening room
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
Light from the setting sun came in through the slats of the barn at Bread and Butter Farm last Wednesday as Mikahely, a Burlington-based musician who often plays traditional instruments from Madagascar and sings in his native Malagasy, picked up a small instrument made of bundled bamboo reeds from the floor in front of him, a kaiamba. He began to shake it and hit it against his opposite palm, creating a rhythm, its rattle and the beat of his foot the only sounds in the barn.
“When it’s a small group audience, it feels much more closer,” Mikahely said.
Mikahely was the first of three artists Bread and Butter has invited to play as part of their new monthly concert series: Silo Sessions. Chris Dorman, one of the owners of the farm, planned the series with his friend, Justin LaPoint. Both are folk singer-songwriters and saw an opportunity in Bread and Butter’s recently restored barn to make space for musicians to play.
Their goal on concert nights, they said, is to turn the barn into a listening room. For them, a listening room means a quieter space where the focus is on the artist. It’s intimate.
“We want the artist to feel like when you’re in a one-on-one conversation with someone, and they deeply care about everything
you’re saying,” Dorman said.
Mikahely’s performance typified that environment. In between songs, he told stories about his childhood and how he taught himself to play valiha, the national instrument of Madagascar, which is made of a large hollow bamboo body and around 20 strings. At moments, Mikahely delved deeper, sharing stories and songs about his father’s abuse or surviving a tropical storm.
At one point, he taught the audience to clap out a rhythm as a call and response to his prompts. The barn filled with percussion.
Only a few years ago, the Bread and Butter barn was on the verge of falling apart. According to Dorman, the structure dates to the turn of the 20th century. Some of the beams, he said, may be even older — you can tell from the hand-hewn quality of the wood. In 2022, the farm received a barn preservation grant from the state, enabling it to make structural repairs while retaining the integrity of the historic building.
For the Silo Sessions, Dorman and LaPoint hung string lights from the beams. On the stage were carpets, a chair, some microphones. The audience of about 30 or 40 sat in folding chairs, snacking on baked goods from the farm’s café. A black cat wandered through the crowd, occasionally jumping up onto a lap.
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Musician Mikahely also played instruments more common in the United States such as the guitar, at Bread and Butter Farm. See
Students leave country amid deportation threat
BRIANA BRADY STAFF WRITER
After hearing that they may have been granted an extension, the family of a Champlain Valley School District kindergartener has still chosen to leave the country.
Last week, the school district sent out an email to the community asking for financial support to help the family relocate to Ecuador, and as of this past Monday, the family has left the United States.
“While they were granted a temporary extension, there was still a slight chance of deportation, and the thought of potentially being deported without the children was too great of a risk for the family to take,” Christina Daudelin, a student and community engagement facilitator with the district, said in an email.
While the number of people across the country choosing to leave, or “self-deport,” is unclear, according to NBC News and other outlets, it’s an outcome President Donald Trump administration and the Department of Homeland Security are pushing for.
In a Department of Homeland Security advertisement, Secretary Kristi Noam stands in front of an American Flag saying, “President Trump has a clear message for
those who are in our country illegally: Leave now. If you don’t, we will find you, and we will deport you. You will never return.”
According to the same report from NBC News, this ad comes as the number of people the administration is deporting is dropping, largely due to a decrease in border crossings.
The kindergartener and their family bring the total number of students in Champlain Valley School District choosing to leave the country up to three. This includes two high school students from Nicaragua who were told by Homeland Security that they would no longer have humanitarian parole protections to remain in the country legally. While there’s currently a stay on that policy, the two seniors chose to leave rather than face the uncertainty of a legal battle.
Part of the consideration the students and families in Champlain Valley have weighed relate directly to the statement made by Noam: they hope to return. According to communications from the district, the two seniors hope to be able apply to U.S. colleges, and, as for the kindergartener and their family, Daudelin said in her email, “we continue to hope that one day they will be able to return to our community.”
Correction
An attempt at alliterative amusement stung us right in our tongue in cheek. Last week’s front-page headline should have read “Springtime is buzzing for Hinesburg beekeeper’s biz.” The missing last word flew right by our editor.
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The lost art of repairing makes a comeback
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
It started with an idea: what if repairing broken things could help build community while also limiting waste impact on the landfill?
Turns out that thought had been the catalyst of an already existing movement, Repair Cafes, that started thousands of miles away from Vermont. And that’s also where some Charlotte residents got the idea to bring that mission to their own town.
It was nearly 15 years ago when an environmental journalist, Martine Postma, from Amsterdam, was moved to action to start the workshops. But it spread its way to Charlotte in 2016.
Now, twice a year, the group meets to bring the love of repair to those in need and those who love to do the fixing. The four-hour-long events are sort of like a community party, meant to celebrate the talented local folks who volunteer their handy skills to repair just about any of your broken stuff.
This past weekend nearly 70
Charlotters packed the Charlotte Congregational Church to have all sorts of clocks, bikes and watches tinkered with and even a few zippers and articles of clothing mended.
Jamey Gerlaugh, Repair Cafe co-coordinator and member of the volunteer group Sustainable Charlotte, was busy that day repairing a few things himself.
“Our philosophy with repair cafes is to keep stuff out of the landfill, teach the lost art of repairing, and then thirdly is really community building,” he said. “We think it does a really good job of all three of those.”
To help with that idea, he noted that a loose requirement for those who register is that people are encouraged not to just drop off things and come back to pick them up. Instead, the group hopes people will stay during the fixing process and hopefully learn how to repair things themselves.
“We’ll show you how to do
See REPAIR on page 10
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Hinesburg Police Blotter: April 22-28
Total incidents: 34 Traffic stops: 17
April 22 at 9:47 a.m., police investigated a report of an abandoned al-terrain vehicle.
April 23 at 9:40 a.m., police assisted a resident with a lockout.
April 23 at 10:11 a.m., police investigate an animal complaint reported on
Farmall Drive.
April 23 at 1:26 p.m., police investigated a report of fraud.
April 23 at 9:10 p.m., officers responded in Charlotte to assist Vermont State Police with attempting to find a missing person.
April 24 at 3:30 p.m., police assisted two people with fingerprinting for employment purposes.
April 25 at 5:00 p.m., police assisted a resident with a lockout.
April 28 at 3:11 p.m., officers responded to a two-car crash on Route 116.
April 28 at 5:24 p.m., a found dog was reported to the police and later returned to its owner.
April 28 at 7:57 p.m., police investigated suspicious activity on Ballard’s Corner Road.
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COURTESY PHOTO
Jamey Gerlaugh, foreground, and Wolfger Schneider tinker on some products during last weekend’s Repair Cafe in Charlotte.
OPINION
Tough choices all around
From the House Rep. Chea Waters Evans
Another week, another change to the education bill.
When I last wrote about this, we had passed the education bill, H.454, out of the House and it went over to the Senate, where they have, as expected, made a bunch of changes.
One specific and big and interesting difference is the Senate’s proposed membership of the subcommittee that will draw up the school board voting districts and maps. This subcommittee will function under the currently existing Committee on the Future of Public Education. The House proposal suggested that experts from various interested groups make up the subcommittee and the Senate proposal makes it all legislators.
I’m not loyal to the House proposal simply because I’m a member of the House — I’m loyal to it because I think involving community members, principals, superintendents, and experts in the map-creating process is essential. There are superintendents and principals who are probably going to put themselves out of a job by redrawing the maps in an equitable way, and yet they are supportive and understanding of this process.
I’m concerned about legislators being the only people in charge of this process (with all due respect, of course). These districts, however many there end up being, will have elected school boards, which means they will inevitably be political.
The education reform legisla-
tion is already political — there are legislators who are fully supporting or not supporting aspects of H.454 because they represent districts that benefit from public money for private schools. I totally get it. They can’t vote against what their communities want, even if it were theoretically for the better good of Vermont’s children, because they will lose their jobs when it’s time for reelection.
It’s fine if this is the reality of the situation, but I think having people who are non-biased politically and not compelled to operate through the lens of their own personal success is a better choice for Vermonters. If the Senate proposal for composition of this committee is in the final draft, I don’t know if I can support it.
I’m not confident that this committee, no matter how knowledgeable and experienced in matters of education legislation, will still have the expertise and clear-eyed view of school district-creation that we really need.
The General Assembly usually adjourns in mid-May, but this year we’re going to go until the end of the month. The education bill is the main reason. Another is the budget, which is the last bill we pass out of the House at the end of the session, and which is being currently constructed as a glorious home on top of a pile of quicksand.
We don’t know what’s going to happen to a lot of our federal funding. This is funding we rely on to support people with disabilities, feeding people through Meals on Wheels or SNAP, education funding for students
Letters to the Editor
with specials needs, and all kinds of other programs. If we need to make up for sudden future holes in our budget, we’re going to have to make some difficult choices as legislators and as Vermonters.
Like, look at the education funding example. Students testified in the Senate last week that they hadn’t been consulted on any of this, and they don’t want school consolidation.
Well, as adults, we asked for it. We voted down our Champlain Valley School District budget last year because of property taxes, so we had to make cuts. As a state, people were dissatisfied with their taxes and demanded a change to education funding. And now we’re doing it, and with that action comes consequences. We might end up in a district with 20,000 other students. We might end up with a lot fewer teachers and much bigger class sizes, but again, this is what we asked for. It’s concerning to look at our state funding as an extension of this point of view. What are we going to do if we lose a lot of federal money? Who is going to lose their funding? Which groups of people are going to suffer the least with less money? I don’t even know how to begin to make those decisions, but I know it’s entirely possible that I’m going to have to.
And when I make those “I” statements, please know it’s more like a “we.” I’m making these decisions based on what you all tell me and based on what I think you all would want me to do. It helps if you let me know. I can be reached at cevans@leg.state.vt.us or 917-887-8231.
Chea Waters Evans, a Democrat, represents Charlotte and Hinesburg in the Chittenden-5 House district.
Booze bill would limit selection, with no benefits
To the Editor:
I see that our Democrat friends in Montpelier are at it again. H.376 is a recently introduced bill which would raise the Vermont excise tax on beer by 300 percent and wine by over 600 percent. Taxes on spirits would also markedly increase. Worse than the proposed
huge tax increases are provisions in the bill which would require additional warning labels, unique to Vermont, that include the risk of cancer and, get this, serving sizes and nutritional information.
Like an international beer brand is going to change the label on its beer can to remain in the puny Vermont market. This aspect of the bill would limit beverage selection for no bene-
fit. After all, will anyone really read the warning on a beer can? Come on!
Who are the sponsors of this truly idiotic piece of legislation? Several of the usual suspects including Hinesburg representative Phil Pouech. We Hinesburg voters had a chance to retire Mr. Pouech last fall, and we blew it.
Rep. Chea Waters Evans
continued from page 5
Let’s not make the same mistake twice.
Crocker Bennett Hinesburg
Delivering reliable energy is essential for co-op
To the Editor:
My name is John Hango and I’m running for a seat on the Vermont Electric Coop board of directors to represent the West District.
As we continue to become more dependent on electricity, safely delivering reliable and affordable energy to our members is essential. The variability in the different sources of electrical energy, combined with our changing demand, makes maintaining and expanding our grid more challenging than ever.
As this shift continues to evolve, we need to ensure that our infrastructure is capable of reliably meeting our electrical demands at a reasonable cost.
A balanced approach to accomplish this with good diversity in energy sources will be essential to achieving both objectives for our members.
I grew up in Berkshire, where four generations of local families reside. My wife and I raised four children here, and we feel strongly that there is a pathway for future generations to continue to live sustainably. My background
is in mechanical engineering — large-scale manufacturing of generic drugs and R&D for future immunotherapy drugs to fight cancer.
Based on my experience running a large manufacturing plant in Vermont, as well as helping to take care of our family’s home and farm, I understand that work must be accomplished safely and efficiently. It is imperative to retain and recruit VEC’s current and future staff to ensure we meet our goals.
In our leisure time, my family and I enjoy outdoor recreation and raising a small herd of beef cattle. I’ve had the privilege of serving on boards such as United Way; Northwestern Medical Center; Governor’s Institute of Vermont; Franklin County Industrial Development Corporation; and Parish Council.
I am committed to working collaboratively to support our community, businesses, and farms to ensure a resilient infrastructure that reliably and affordably meets the needs for future generations. It would be a privilege to serve and bring my perspective to the table. I would appreciate your support and vote.
You can vote via VEC online, through the SmartHub App or by the ballot that you received in the mail, through May 8.
John Hango Berkshire
18-person band to fill the Old Lantern
Dance to the tunes of LC Jazz Band, comprised of 18 musicians and singers, May 3 at the Old Lantern Inn and Barn, 3260 Greenbush Road, Charlotte, at 7 p.m.
The Old Lantern is accessible, has a huge dance floor, plenty of seating and free parking. Cash Bar. All ticket money is donated to local student music programs and scholarships. Tickets on sale at tinyurl.com/2hahrdue
Lions Club seeking ways to help community
The Williston Area Lions Club’s next meeting is May 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Good Times Café, Route 116 in Hinesburg. In 1983, the Williston Area Lions was formed to serve the communities of Williston, Hinesburg, St. George, South Burlington and nearby areas. At some point, members were broken off to create the Hinesburg and South Burlington Lions, both of which no longer exist.
Like many groups, Lions have suffered from the effects of the pandemic with the loss of members due to the inability to meet. The group is looking to change that and, to start, invites anyone from the Hinesburg community to attend the May meeting.
Williston Area Lions is part of Lions International. It gives scholarships to Champlain Valley Union High School seniors each year, assists peoples in member communities with eyeglasses and hearing and many other needs. It has been collecting clean plastic for the NexTrex Community Challenge and has been helping other groups, such as the Hinesburg middle school, reach its goal so it can win a bench. It has collected and turned in several thousand pounds of plastic and is looking to help school classes or other groups get across the finish line.
Williston Area Lions will be collecting eyeglasses and hearing aids at its May meeting. The group is looking to take on more challenges for our communities and looking for people who would like to have some fun helping.
Shelburne puppet show a Hands On affair
Hands On Puppets returns to Shelburne’s Trinity Church with a new show May 3 at 2 p.m. The free show will feature three parts: “The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly,” Aesop’s fable “The Lion and the Mouse,” and “Noah
Community Notes
and the Ark.” The audience will enjoy popcorn and lemonade, along with this opportunity for a close-up view of the puppets and how they work to tell the stories.
The Puppet Show will take place in the McClure Room at the rear of Trinity Church, 5171 Shelburne Road. Parking and entry are accessible.
Take a TURN at Waterbury music series
TURNmusic presents a variety of unique, original listening experiences this May. All music takes place at The Phoenix Art Gallery and Music Hall, 5 Stowe Street Waterbury, VT 05676.Tickets at sevendaystix.org or www. turnmusic.org
• May 13, “Hurtling Toward Oblivion” — the TURNmusic Quartet concert curated by Mary Rowell features “Dig the Say” by Vijay Iyer as the centerpiece of the show, a study exploring the intricacies of James Brown’s musical genius in four continuous movements. The program will include a contemplation of fantasy and dreams with Missy Mazzoli’s
“Quartet for Queen Mab”; folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement with Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum”; the fearless relevance of Kyle Saulnier’s “At the Edge of a World Not Unlike Our Own”; and the world premiere of “Nadia” (translation: hope) by Erik Nielsen, a work dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
• May 17, “Open Stage: For Youth by Youth” — hosted by University of Vermont music education students, this event is perfect for middle and high school students to showcase their musical talents — whether solo or in groups. It’s a relaxed atmosphere where you can share your original songs, covers or just enjoy the performances. All instruments, genres and skill levels are welcome.
• May 21, Jazz Jam hosted by Nina Towne — Jazz Jam provides an opportunity for a community of all ages — school-age to elders — to gather and play, sing, hear jazz and socialize in an organized, relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Players join in on the songs others bring, and/or you can bring a few copies of sheet music for the tunes you want to call.
COURTESY PHOTO
The stage at the Brass Lantern will be packed with all 18 members of LC Jazz Band.
Warbler restoration makes headway in Charlotte
LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Signs of spring were in full bloom in Charlotte last week as budding trees danced in the 60-degree air. But town Park and Wildlife Oversight Committee co-chair Jessie Bradley, who was making her way to prep for a tree planting event in a few weeks, is hoping for more than just flora to blossom this year.
This spring is the first year since the oversight committee, in partnership with the Vermont Land Trust and Audubon Vermont, has wrapped up a massive warbler habitat restoration process.
The park land, located between U.S. Route 7 and Greenbush Road in Charlotte has been managed as an agrarian landscape for two centuries. The approximately 290-acre property consists of both active agricultural fields and non-agricultural land with significant wildlife habitats balanced with forest, successional woodlands, shrub lands, meadows and wetlands.
Two years ago, the Vermont Land Trust — which holds a conservation deed to the refuge property — in partnership with the Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge, won a $25,000 grant from
Cornell University’s Land Trust Small Grant Program to increase habitat connectivity and shrubland breeding habitat for golden-winged warblers.
“Our push of getting this $25,000 grant was connectivity,” Bradley said, stopping in between sentences to point out the Cooper’s hawk sitting in the tree above her.
“Because what they’re finding now is it’s not just enough to have these little islands of appropriate habitat. You need to have connected places.”
The award complemented similar work done on an adjacent property to the refuge and at Nordic Farms across the street, making this area prime for connectivity.
Warblers are shrub-nesting birds that require a unique habitat environment. The males hang out in trees and the females hang out in the field, but when the chicks are ready to fledge, the females take the female fledglings into the field, and the males take the male fledglings into the trees.
“They need a habitat that has both trees, field and shrub,” Bradley said. “So, it’s a very, very specific habitat.”
According to data from Audubon Vermont, the state is currently the only New England state that hosts a population of golden-winged warblers. Based on Breeding Bird Survey data, populations have declined, on average, 3.4 percent per year in the United States over the last 37 years of monitoring.
The expansion area is made up mostly of abandoned pastureland and wooded areas that were densely overgrown with tree-sized bush honeysuckle and buckthorn, stop-
See WARBLER on page 10
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PHOTO BY LIBERTY DARR
Jessie Bradley near an area in Charlotte that has been restored as a warbler habitat.
Brewer, grower create joint effort
PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
Cannabis and craft beer is a feel-good combination in more ways than one.
The Alchemist, a brewery in Stowe known for Heady Topper and other double IPAS, has started donating captured carbon dioxide from its facilities to Vermont Medicine Man Craft Cannabis in Marshfield, and it seems to be the special ingredient for producing big, dense nugs.
“It’s kind of a perfect fit,” John Kimmich, who owns The Alchemist with his wife Jen, said. “The carbon that our beer produces is literally a physical building block of [Medicine Man’s] cannabis flower.”
Carbon dioxide is created alongside alcohol during the fermentation process, and while some breweries might just release that gas into the atmosphere, The Alchemist has been capturing its own for years.
The brewery uses a special machine made in Texas, allowing it to capture and recycle CO2 back into its production process for carbonating beer and cleaning out containers. But they can’t reuse all of it.
Luckily, cannabis plants love CO2. In fact, it’s a key component of nearly all industrial indoor grow operations and it boosts plant metabolism, accelerating their growth and producing denser flowers, according to Justin Kuehnel, the cultivator at Medicine Man.
“It’s a pretty novel concept,” Kuehnel said. “As far as I know, we’re the only grow operation in the state that’s doing this. A lot of people are asking me about it. They’re very curious about what we’re doing.”
Kuehnel is a longtime friend of the Kimmichs — John and wife Jen — and they’ve been business partners since the early 2000s.
When the Kimmichs opened
LISTENING ROOM
continued from page 2
Beyond just the listening room aspect, Dorman and LaPoint see Silo Sessions as supporting local artists. They’ve limited their invitations to musicians who are within four hours of Shelburne — Mikahely and Henry Jamison, who is playing in May, are both Burlington locals and Springtide, playing in June, is from Maine.
“Chris and I are also both artists and have played in the past, and we really want it to be fair to the artists, because I think there is a lack of that,” LaPoint said.
the Alchemist at its original location in Waterbury 22 years ago, food was a bigger part of their business, and they served produce grown by Kuehnel on his farm, which now yields veggies and weed.
Before they started swapping CO2, Kuehnel made frequent trips to a local welding shop to buy the stuff by the tank, and like everything these days, the price was increasing. Now, Kuehnel is taking almost everything The
Alchemist has, slashing his overhead and eliminating his reliance on commercial CO2 or generator alternatives that run on propane.
The Alchemist invested in special tanks to transport the carbon from Stowe to Marshfield, and Kuehnel is making monthly trips to Stowe for collection.
The fruit of their partnership is available at dispensaries now — just look for a special Alchemist graphic on Medicine Man products.
Dorman said that he’s been inspired by Beth Duquette and Richard Ruane at the Ripton Community Coffee House, which wrapped a 29-year concert series last May. The nonprofit had a mission of supporting musicians while offering affordable concerts to their community.
“That is in an old town building, and it’s all seated, and it’s great sound. They have a bake sale, and everyone’s focused on you, and it was a big deal as someone who just started playing
out. It’s like, oh, well, people are actually listening to me,” Dorman said.
At the beginning of last week’s show, Dorman got up to the mic to introduce Mikahely and the series. He led the audience in a call and response song.
“We transform,” he sang, “by listening.” The audience sang it back.
Mary Elizabeth Remington will open for Henry Jamison at Bread and Butter’s next Silo Session on May 21.
COURTESY PHOTO Cannabis cultivator Justin Kuehnel and brewer John Kimmich check out Kuehnel’s crop.
Holzer spent her early childhood in the shop.
When the bindery closed in the 1960s, the family ended up in Putney. Then, Albert Holzer died when Marianna was just 11.
Still, her mother understood the craft and helped pass it on to her daughter.
“She started in a walkout basement, like this, binding books for friends,” she said. “She taught me
some basic things.”
Her mother, Christel Holzer, came from a family of Nazi resisters in Germany. At one point, soldiers burned her grandfather’s books on his lawn. She believes that her aunt — a fierce anti-Nazi — was murdered for helping her husband escape from a concentration camp.
During that regime, Christel Holzer learned bookbinding as an
Resetyour Health & Wellness
act of resistance.
“She decided to go into something that maybe Hitler couldn’t twist around. So, she studied arts and crafts,” Marianna said. “While she was doing that, she learned bookbinding.”
After immigrating to America, Christel Holzer was hired by Albert Holzer’s bindery. The two later married.
Like Christel Holzer, musician Rik Palieri also got swept up in the Holzer family business.
the artistic side of the trade.
Holzer converted her basement into a shop in 2008 and opened the binding business in 2010. Fifteen years later, tarnished tools, sheets of gold leaf, and strips of leather clutter the workspace where she breathes new life into time-worn books.
“She decided to go into something that maybe Hitler couldn’t twist around.”
— Marianna Holzer
Yet, her shop is not just a curious relic from the previous century. Business is booming.
“I don’t advertise,” she said. “But people keep finding me.”
Customers particularly gravitated toward her during the pandemic.
“One of the weirder books I did was a mechanics manual from the sixties,” Palieri said. “It was all greasy, but it reminded him of working on cars with his father.”
“Most of the books I work on are not valuable,” Holzer said. “We’re more about sentimental value.”
Sentimentality extends beyond Holzer’s customers. Above her studio, she keeps a collection of professional books from her family and childhood, including a Brothers Grimm volume her father used to read to her as a child.
When he and Marianna Holzer started dating, Palieri spent most of his spare time with her at the Brown River Bindery, where she worked before going independent.
Next to her bookcase, she keeps a sign reading “resist.” Inspired by her mother, Holzer often attends protests and voices her opinions about the current administration.
Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Hinesburg Citizen BOOKS continued from page 1
“I realized I not only needed to be a musician, but I also had to help out to make this relationship work,” he said.
Today, Palieri is fully integrated into the bindery. Holzer handles the technical work — taking precise measurements and making repairs — while Palieri gravitates toward
WARBLER
continued from page 8
ping any native trees and shrubs from growing.
“People were going into their attics, finding old books, and thinking, ‘We should do something with this.’ They’d call me up, and I’d meet them outside, even in the winter,” she said.
Holzer receives anything from used Bibles to cookbooks to beloved Harry Potter books. Often, they have notes scribbled in the margin, bits of food, and wine stains.
For Holzer, the bind between books, memory, resistance, and human connection is clear.
“Books hold our history, hold information, and enable people to imagine and see themselves as others when they feel isolated and alone,” she said.
The team worked with Mark LaBarr of Audubon Vermont to create a management plan of prime areas, but as fate and Mother Nature would have it, flooding over the past two years has created another barrier to the work — the grant stipulates it should be completed in a year.
“My idea when we applied for the grant was that we were going to improve these woods here,” Bradley said, pointing to an expansive area across the
REPAIR
continued from page 4
field. “And what happened was that was the year we got all the rain, and we couldn’t get in because it was so wet.”
So, they shifted. Instead of clearing massive areas of invasives at one time, the team made little pockets within larger areas.
“We had to do a lot of brainstorming about what we were going to do to meet the (grant) memorandum of understanding,” Bradley said. “We shifted it to this area, because we’re already managing for grassland birds,” she said.
But this is just one of nearly 15 projects that the committee is currently working on to maintain the refuge. As the work wrapped up last fall, the team successfully cleared roughly 14 acres of prime habitat, Bradley said.
As spring turns the corner, the team is planning a tree planting event Saturday, May 10 from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Bring a shovel, work gloves, and some binoculars because you might just catch a glimpse of some warblers.
it the first time, and then we’re hoping that next time, you don’t even have to come into the repair cafe, except maybe as a fixer down the road,” Gerlaugh said. “So, we try to have it be very educational and then it’s just chatting and making those connections, which I think are so important.”
While the list for those in need of repairs continues to grow, Gerlaugh explained that a list of fixers is simultaneously growing. He estimated having over 50 fixers at this point.
“The thing is that we find
that fixing is a certain amount of knowledge, but a lot of it is this kind of general knowledge and the ability to have some patience and look at something and just kind of be open-minded, and not get frustrated,” he said. “And then the other cool thing is that we’ve got a pool of really talented people there. So, if you don’t know something, it’s like, ‘Hey, anybody ever seen one of these before?’”
This weekend alone, the team fixed a slew of light fixtures, sharpened kitchen knives, hemmed pants, and even managed to fix a
kid’s play bubble gun.
“In general, I think a lot of the repairs we do, the people are not going to pay a lot of money to go get these things repaired, because so many products these days, it’s almost just cheaper to buy a new one than it is to go pay somebody to fix it,” Gerlaugh said.
In an age of incessant consumerism, the adage “reduce, reuse, recycle” seems more applicable now than ever. And the group thinks adding one more word would round out that sentiment: repair.
SPORTS
Redhawks remain lossless after their narrow LAX win
Girls’ lacrosse
Champlain Valley 11, St. Johnsbury 10: Champlain Valley moved to 2-0 with a narrow win over Saint Johnsbury on Wednesday in girls’ lacrosse.
Rose Bunting had five goals and one assist to pace the Redhawks in the win, while Georgia Marcoe added three tallies.
Heather Pelletier, Carly Strobeck and Reesa Bagnatoeach chipped in with a goal for CVU. Kenna Hutchins stopped four shots to earn the win in goal.
Softball
Rice 15, Champlain Valley 6: Rice scored nine runs in the second inning to earn a comeback win over Champlain Valley on Thursday in high school softball.
Amber Reagan went 3-for-3 for the Redhawks, hitting a home run and driving in four runs. Tegan Scruggs added a double and two RBIs.
CVU falls to 0-2 with the loss.
Baseball
Rice 8, Champlain Valley 5: Champlain Valley dropped its second game of the season on Thursday, falling to unbeaten Rice.
Noah Musgrave had a home run and two RBIs for the Redhawks (0-2), while Tommy Barnes and Riley O’Brien each drove in a run.
Andrew Nunziata took the loss for CVU.
Champlain Valley also took on Burr and Burton on Friday but the game was suspended due to darkness in the 10th inning with the teams tied 3-3.
Track and field
Champlain Valley came in second place in both the boys’ and girls’ standings at last Wednesday’s Essex Vacational meet at Essex High School.
Alice Kredell came in first place in the 1,500-meter race and second in the 800-meters. Charlotte Crum was first in the 3,000meters and second in the 1,500.
McKena Lesage was second in the long jump and Zoe JenkinsMui finished second in the pole vault.
On the boys’ side, Charles Garavelli was third in the pole vault and third in the 300-meter hurdles, while Avery Rogers was second in the long jump and eighth in the 100-meter dash.
CVU also went 1-2-3 in the discus, with Wade Nichols coming first, Beckham Palmer in second and Ulysses Sansoz finishing third.
CHARLOTTE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD PUBLIC NOTICE
Will hold a public hearing at Town Hall, 159 Ferry Rd., Charlotte, VT on the following application during its regular meeting of Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
7:05 PM DRB-25-57-PRD Leary/LaBerge –2-Lot Subdivision/PRD at 4670 Greenbush Road.
8:05 PM DRB-25-061-SDA Harmeling-Cooper –Subdivision amendment to transfer 5.57 acres between lots of common ownership at 3702 Mount Philo Road.
PHOTO BY AL FREY
Carly Strobeck sneaks around the St. Johnsbury net during a nail biter last week.
JOB FAIR
STUDENTS
continued from page 1
In addition to direct asks that the Legislature pull back on expanding school choice and include students on school boards after consolidation, Epstein highlighted the importance of bringing students into the room while legislation is crafted.
“We are the ones sitting in classrooms, navigating the curriculum and living the direct consequences and benefits of every policy decision. Time and time again, we are left out of the rooms where those decisions are made,” Epstein said.
This is not the first time Epstein has given testimony to the Legislature. Last month, she went before the House Committee on Education with Gracie Morris of South Burlington High School and Cashel Higgens of Harwood Union Highschool to talk about her work spearheading studentled discussions of the local budget and promote student inclusion in drafting education policy.
Whether or not the Legislature opens the door to students earlier in the process, Epstein has plans to organize. She is in the process of forming the Vermont Learners Association, what she envisions as the student counterpart to the Vermont school board, superintendents, and principals’ associations.
For this first year, she said, the group consists of student school board representatives from around the state – it made sense to start by bringing in students who already had a background in the budget and policy processes in their districts. Epstein said she has already reached a number of students from the Canadian border down to the southern part of the state. Their first meeting was held over video call this past Monday.
Her goal? To have every decision that impacts students be made in conjunction with their input.
“If we build credibility in this organization, there’s a higher likelihood that they’re going to call upon us rather than us calling on them,” she said.
While they want adults to hear them, Epstein said that she has no plans to let adults direct the group itself.
“There’s not going to be an adult in the background. There have been suggestions that I’ve been given to have an adult be like an executive director, but that taints our entire mission of we want this to be completely student led,” she said. “There will be adults all around us, and we will
consider things that they have to say, but they are not in charge.”
Although that poses some difficulty in relying on students who are over 18 to manage some parts of the organizational process — Epstein plans to register it as a nonprofit — she’s hoping to resolve those issues.
That’s in line with other goals that she has to empower students before they turn 18. One of the group’s first priorties is to grant student school board members voting rights once they’ve been on a board more than a year, which is the same process used to give voting-member status to one of the two students on the Vermont Bord of Education.
In some ways, the student testimony last week was a testament to how much students from across the state agree with Epstein and want their opinions to impact decision making.
When she reached out to other students to invite them to come, Epstein said she didn’t specify what they needed to comment on. It just so happened that the themes many cared about such as DEI or class size overlapped, showing how closely many students are watching both federal and state policies.
“I kept a running list on a notebook of sort of major themes and phrases and was putting check marks when they came up again and again,” Brady said. “The things that got the most check marks were preserving DEI and preserving our educational opportunities. Small class sizes came up again and again.”
While Brady said that it’s hard to know how much change the testimony might drive in the legislation, she thinks their perspective matters, especially as the Legislature moves forward with education reform.
“There is a strong electoral push for financial efficiency and spend less, but that’s very different from what it might mean to actually change our system. I think their voices are really important in making sure that we don’t rush change, that we don’t make changes just for the sake of consolidating if it isn’t achieving quality goals,” Brady said.
As of right now, H. 454 has passed from the House to the Senate, and Brady said they are in the process of making changes. Whether or not those changes echo the desire of the state’s students remains to be seen.
COURTESY PHOTO
Zoe Epstein, a junior at Champlain Valley Union High School, helped organize student testimony in the Legislature last Friday.
Bernice L. Titus
Bernice L. Titus, 88, of Charlotte, passed away peacefully at the Colchester Respite House with her daughter by her side. She was a homemaker for many years. She also worked for several years at the University of Vermont Medical Center as a patient transporter. She was a loving mother and worked hard to provide for her family along with her husband on their family farm.
Bernice was born Aug. 3, 1938, in Eureka, S.D., to Christ and Lydia Leicht. She is survived by her daugh-
ter Laurie and husband Peter Curler; grandson Robert and his wife Genia and great grandchildren Colbie and Levi; grandson Bradley and wife Kari and great grandchildren Remi, Reese, Emerson, Wylie, Leland and Capri; daughter-in-law Lorraine Titus, grandson Ryan and his wife Jen of South Carolina; sister Shirley and husband Mike Puciani; and several nieces and nephews.
Bernice was predeceased by her parents Christ and Lydia Leicht; husband Robert Titus; their infant daughter Diane and son Jeffrey Titus; brothers Edwin, Marvin, Milton, Delbert and
Obituary
Howard Leicht along with sisters Ida, Elise and Ardella.
Bernice enjoyed traveling and took many trips across the country to see her family in the west. She enjoyed reading, watching the birds at the feeder, loved a good movie or play at the theater and enjoyed watching her great grandchildren participate in sporting events.
She also had a great passion for history. After she retired, she enjoyed many bus trips with her husband. She dearly missed her husband and their many years together, filled with the love of family and shared gatherings.
Many thanks to the UVM Hospice team and the folks at McClure Miller Respite House. Though her stay was short, she received excellent care which was greatly appreciated.
A special thanks to those who visited her at home; it really helped to make her days a little brighter.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 7, at the North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church at 11 a.m.
Donations may be made to McClure Miller Respite House, 3113 Roosevelt Hwy, Colchester, VT 05446.
spread of the potentially fatal disease.
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HARDWOOD FLOORS
Bernice L. Titus
Spring Open House
Thursday, 5/8 from 5-6pm at Rice
Learn about our academic programs, meet our teachers, and see what sets Rice apart. Talk to current parents and ask questions in a no-pressure setting. RSVP using the QR code below. We look forward to meeting you!
bessette@rmhsvt.org
802-862-6521x2246
rmhsvt.org
