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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the JULY 28, 2022
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VOLUME 46, NO. 30
All booked South Burlington Library celebrates 50, new home AVALON STYLES-ASHLEY STAFF WRITER
Until a year ago, the South Burlington Public Library led a life of shared spaces. It was born with a few literature-loving locals and a bookmobile in 1969, but for decades after, the collection was housed in concert with the South Burlington High School library before moving to a storefront in the University Mall. Myke Esposito had never lived in a town that didn’t have its own library until she moved to South Burlington in the late 1990s. She was shocked. But as one of the Friends of the South Burlington Public Library, a group which organizes events and raises funds to support the institution, she and many others made the best of it, crossing their fingers in the hopes that one day the trail of unfulfilled promises to erect a library building would come true. A year ago this month, the library finally moved into its new home, a vast two-story space at 180 Market St. Although, technically, there’s more than two stories in the building. “It’s been a long time. It was a hard road,” Esposito said. “I’m glad I’m here to see it.” To celebrate its one-year anniversary — and 50th birthday since its bookmobile days — library director Jennifer Murray and staff organized a birthday party last weekend, complete with cupcakes, live music, crafts and a photo-walk down memory lane. Patrons flitted in and out, some nestled See LIBRARY on page 10
PHOTO BY MAGGIE CALZARETTA
South Burlington resident Chris Hansen helps lead the Mad Pride March on July 16 in Burlington.
Mad Pride: Advocates march for mental health MAGGIE CALZARETTA COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
The Mad Pride March, a celebration of people who’ve struggled with mental health issues and traditional treatment services, returned to Vermont this summer after the COVID-19 pandemic turned mental health advocacy virtual. “In a lot of ways, this is the first time in a while folks are actually coming togeth-
er in person to see one another and to really bring awareness around this movement,” said South Burlington native Chris Nial, who attended the march July 16 and works as a team lead at Pathways Vermont Community Center. The march, organized by the Poultney-based group Mad Freedom, seeks to bring attention to people who use or have used psychiatric services and to empower people labeled mentally ill to find pride in
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their existence. It calls for alternative care for those with mental health challenges, such as peer support methods like those used in Alcoholics Anonymous. The event is an offshoot of a national movement to reclaim “madness” and counter dehumanizing stigmas against people who face challenges in mental and emotional health. See MAD PRIDE on page 10
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