DESTINATIoN VT www.destinationvt.com
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estination VT hit shelves in 1999 as a monthly publication supported by the Burlington International Airport. Undergoing a 21st-century transformation, Destination VT became a quarterly magazine in 2013, providing both Vermont natives and transplants, day-trippers and vacationers, with a snapshot of the Green Mountain State’s artistic and cultural landscape. Each issue features local restaurants and activities, talented artists and writers, as well as socially-responsible Vermont companies. The magazine meets its readers from Vermont’s Welcome Centers; lobbies of area hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets; BTV Airport; and 24/7 via www.destinationvt.com, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Destination VT is a quarterly publication produced in Shelburne, Vt. by Wind Ridge Publishing, Inc. along the shores of Lake Champlain. We strive to provide for Vermont natives and transplants, day-trippers and vacationers, a snapshot of the Green Mountain State’s artistic and cultural landscape. Please direct all inquiries to: PO Box 752, Shelburne, VT 05482 (802) 985-3091 advertising@windridgepublishing.com
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CHEA WATERS EVANS AMANDA HOLMAN SADIE WILLIAMS LETTIE STRATTON LIN STONE DARCY AND DALE CAHILL PHYL NEWBECK PAMELA HUNT CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS CRAIG THOMAS BEN SARLE ROB JEROME ANDREW SPEIGHT DARCY AND DALE CAHILL CARLOS GALLARDO LINDSAY TAYLOR Printed by Dartmouth Printing Co. COVER IMAGE // craigthomas.net
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CONTENTS SPRING // 2015 Calendar 6 Winooski 12 Flo Meiler 16 Argonaut & Wasp 18 Gardener’s Supply Company 20 Shelagh Connor Shapiro 22 Spring Skiing 24 Small Town Art 28 Adventures in Mycology 30 Our House Bistro 32 Puzzle Page 35
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SPRING 2015
Ongoing Events ECHO LAKE AQUARIUM AND SCIENCE CENTER, BURLINGTON ECHO is Vermont’s
world-class attraction on the Burlington waterfront. Discover the Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunity for stewardship of the Lake Champlain basin at the ECHO center: Every day is an adventure with daily animal feedings and demonstrations, 70 species of fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles; more than 100 interactive experiences; changing and permanent exhibits; and seasonal events. Hungry? Relax on the upper deck and grab a bite to eat in the ecology themed Think! Café for local fare and lake and mountain views. www.echovermont.org
BILLINGS FARM & MUSEUM, WOODSTOCK Visit this National Historical Park,
working dairy farm, and museum of Vermont’s rural past. Billings offers a great variety of yearround activities indoors and out. Try your hand at farm work with Jersey cows, sheep, horses, oxen, and chickens at this gateway to Vermont’s rural heritage. Opens May 1. www.billingsfarm.org
SHELBURNE MUSEUM, SHELBURNE The Shelburne Museum, founded by Electra Havemayer Webb in 1947, is one of the country’s most diverse institutions of painting, folk art, quilts, and textiles. Over 150,000 works are exhibited in 39 buildings, 25 of which are relocated historic structures. The state of the art Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education provides a year round exhibition and event space that houses some of the most culturally relevant art exhibits in the state. www.shelburnemuseum.org CABOT CREAMERY COOPERATIVE, CABOT Cabot Creamery has been farmer owned
since 1919. This cooperative includes 1,200 farm families throughout New England and upstate New York. The Creamery Cooperative offers a cheese making tour that is educational, friendly, and chock-full of cheese. There are also Cabot Annex Stores in Waterbury and Quechee. www.cabotcheese.coop
VERMONT BACKROAD TOURS, RUTLAND, LUDLOW, KILLINGTON Tour the
beautiful spring countryside by van or bus. Choose from a variety of tours to suite your needs. All tours are two hours and $30 per person. www.vtbackroadtours.com
SHELBURNE FARMS, SHELBURNE
Shelburne Farms is a 1,400 acre working farm, National Historic Landmark, and nonprofit environmental education center. Visitors enjoy spectacular landscapes, historic buildings, educational programming, delicious bites at the restaurant, and much more. Walking trails are open year round, weather permitting, from 10am-4pm. www.shelburnefarms.org
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Nectars
live music NECTARS
188 Main Street, Burlington From Phish to Grace Potter, thousands of local, regional, and national acts have graced the stage of Nectar’s Restaurant and Bar in downtown Burlington. The building was bought in 1975 by Nectar Rorris, who founded the now infamous venue. The stage became legendary when a small group of local musicians known as Phish began to play there regularly, growing the cult following they boast today. Head there any night of the week for live music, gravy fries, and a guaranteed good time. www.liveatnectars.com
TWO BROTHERS TAVERN
86 Main Street, Middlebury Just south of Burlington you’ll find the town of Middlebury, and in Middlebury you’ll find Two Brothers Tavern. The space is home to a full bar, cozy dining room and lounge, and an equally comforting menu. In addition, you’ll find live music almost every night of the week. Although the names may not be big, the music is always worthwhile. www.twobrotherstavern.com
POSITIVE PIE
Montpelier, Plainfield, Hardwick, and Barre Although most people go for the incredible pizza, Positive Pie also serves up music that just might make you put down that crust and get on the floor. They are known to book local and national acts. Look out for names like Gang of Thieves, Barika, and Soule Monde. Because really, the only thing that could make pizza any better is good music, good beer, and good vibes. www.positivepie.com
MONKEY HOUSE
30 Main Street, Winooski If you’re looking for a more intimate sonic setting in which to appreciate local, national, and international touring bands, head over to the Monkey House in Winooski. On any given night you’re sure to hear music blasting from the midsized, talent packed stage at the back the full bar, which runs the length of the room. While larger acts will render the space standing room only, there is often room enough for a quick game of pool between sets or a round of Connect Four. www.monkeyhousevt.com
HIGHER GROUND
1214 Williston Road, South Burlington With two stages, the Showcase Lounge and the Higher Ground Ballroom, Higher Ground in South Burlington offers incredible music experiences on any given night of the week. Recent acts have included Lotus, Dr. Dog, Twiddle, Lake Street Dive, Umphrey’s McGee, Ray LaMontagne, the Mike Gordon Band, and many more. If you’re from nearby or just visiting, it’s recommended that you take a cab or carpool. www.highergroundmusic.com
RUSTY NAIL
1190 Mountain Road, Stowe The Rusty Nail, recently reopened under new ownership, has quickly become the go-to venue in Stowe for live entertainment. The newly renovated space has one of the best sound systems in the state, and a constant supply of incredible bands such as Rusted Root, the Dean Ween Group, Waylon Speed, and more. Whether you stop in for a drink after a long day of skiing or make the trip up from Burlington for a big name band, don’t pass by this reborn institution. www.rustynailvt.com
CALENDAR
March NOW TO MARCH 1
20th Annual Magic Hat Mardi Gras Weekend, Burlington Join the revelry in Burlington as thousands pour out to celebrate in style. The weekend kicks off on Friday with Gogol Bordello at Higher Ground, and continues on with the parade at 3pm on Saturday. Watch out for live performances around town, a costume contest, bazaars, and more. Don’t miss out on this incredible weekend! www.magichat.net
NOW TO MARCH 20
College Night, Bolton Every Wednesday night until March 20, Bolton Valley Resort offers steep discounts on skiing and riding for college students. Beginning at noon, students with a crrent college I.D. can ski/ ride for $19. That same I.D. also gets you $2 slices, hot dogs, and soda at the Base Lodge Cafeteria. www.boltonvalley.com
MARCH 1 TO 30
Snowshoe & Ice Cream Too, Waterbury Every Saturday and Sunday (every hour on the hour) Ben & Jerry’s hosts snowshoe tours behind the ice cream factory. Check out the flavor graveyard or simply enjoy the last of the snow-dusted paths. Reservations are required, so call (802) 253-2317 or email paddle@umiak.com. 11am-4pm. $20 adults, $15 children 12 and under. www.umiak.com
MARCH 3, 16, AND 31
Art With a Spice, Burlington Join Euro-Vermonter Kadina Malicbegovic at Nectar’s in Burlington as she introduces guests to her favorite art techniques, then guides them step by step through the process of painting on canvas. All skill levels are welcome. Malicbegovic aims to build community, socialize, and explore hidden talents while relaxing and having a good time! All art supplies, and one drink, are included in ticket price. Buy your ticket online in advance, $27.50. 6-8pm. www.eventbrite.com
MARCH 4
Beauty and the Beast, Burlington The broadway hit based on the classic Disney tale comes to Burlington. Experience the lavish costumes, unforgettable characters, and incredible production numbers on the Flynn MainStage. Tickets $27-79. 7:30pm. www.flynntix.org
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Art With a Spice participants display their work after a night of artistic expression and good times.
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2015 WINTER WORKSHOPS
Produce page-turning novels, pulsing beat poetry, compelling memoirs, or children’s picture books with the Writer’s Barn cadre of engaging talented authors and instructors. New workshops begin mid-January. Visit our website for details and dates: www.windridgebooksofvt.com
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Open Studio Hours for Writers and Professional Meeting Space For information and registration
contact Lin Stone (802) 985-3091 Lin@windridgebooksofvt.com www.windridgebooksofvt.com
HELPING MILLIONS ACTIVELY INVEST FOR WHAT’S NEXT Whether it’s a college dream, a new home, or an active retirement, you’ll need smart investments to get there. For more than 65 years, our disciplined, risk-focused investment approach has helped millions of investors worldwide achieve what’s next. To learn more, contact your financial advisor or visit franklintempleton.com/WhatsNextForYou. You should carefully consider a fund’s investment goals, risks, charges and expenses before investing. You’ll find this and other information in the fund’s summary prospectus and/or prospectus, which you can obtain from your financial advisor. Please read a prospectus carefully before investing. All investments involve risks, including possible loss of principal. © 2015 Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc.
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SPRING 2015
MARCH 14
7th Annual Vermont Chili Festival, Middlebury Named a Top 10 Winter Event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the festival features a chili contest, streep performers, live music, and a multitude of chilis from local restaurants, caterers, and amateurs from around the region, and it’s all located on the streets of downtown Middlebury. 1-4:30pm. www.vtchilifest.com
MARCH 19
Dave Stryker with the UVM Big Band, Burlington UVM’s eye-opening jazz ensemble is joined by Dave Stryker, a masterful jazz guitarist known for his striking combination of jazz and blues. Stryker has over 25 CDs to his credit and has been voted six times to the “Top Ten Guitarists” list in the Downbeat Readers Poll. Check out this charismatic, electric performer in the UVM Recital Hall at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 adult, $5 student, and free for UVM students with a current school ID. www.uvm.edu
The streets of Middlebury filled up for last year’s Vermont Chili Festival.
MARCH 6 TO 8
16th Annual Vermont Boat and Marine Show, Essex Junction This event at the Champlain Valley Exposition Center is sure to turn your thoughts to warmer weather. Boat dealers come from all over Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York for all types of boats for fishing, cruising, and skiing. www.cvexpo.com
MARCH 6
St. Vincent, South Burlington Annie Clark, known by her stage name St. Vincent, performs at Higher Ground. Her unorthodox musical style has been characterized by critics as a mixture of chamber rock, pop, indie rock, and cabaret jazz. Her latest album, which takes her stage name, is described as starting with “a creation myth: St. Vincent, naked and alone in the wilderness, startled as the ominous rattle of a snake breaks the silence of her Eden. She realizes she’s not alone in the world and breaks into a run, headed towards the uncertainty of the future.” Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 day of show. 8pm. www.highergroundmusic.com
MARCH 7
Light the Night Rail Jam Okemo Mountain Resort is lighting up the snow on Bull Run for skiers and riders of all ages to show off their best moves, with $5,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs. www.okemo.com
MARCH 7, 8, AND 15
Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, Killington, Mendon, Manchester Center The Vertical Challenge Race series is a free, fun race open to all ages and abilities. Bring your friends and family and join in the fun and excitement at Killington Resort, Pico Mountain, and Bromley Mountain. Register online in advance if you plan to race. www.skiverticalchallenge.com
MARCH 20
Sophistafunk, Burlington This funky fabulous trio returns to the Nectar’s stage to wow with their massive sound and incredible stage presence. “Rooted by old school funk/hip hop, the trio explores electronic dance grooves while infusing each tune with soul and positively charged lyrics.” Tickets $7 at the door, 21 and up. Doors at 9pm. www.liveatnectars.com
MARCH 20 TO 29
18th Annual Green Mountain Film Festival, Montpelier The festival features some of the finest films from around the world, right in the heart of Vermont, and strives to show films of cultural, social, and historic interest. The lineup includes a range of feature, documentary, short, and animated films as well as engaging conversations with distinguished guests. www.gmffestival.org
Old Mill Craft Shop Specializing in Vermont made gifts “Snowflake” Bentley prints and jewelry
4A Red Mill Dr. (off Route 15) Jericho VT 802 899-3225 jerichohistoricalsociety.org
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Jack Brown, Adam Gold, and Emanual Washington of Sophistafunk.
CALENDAR MARCH 28
20th Annual Brewfest Part 2, Cambridge Smugglers’ Notch hosts this hop-tastic event with an impressive lineup of local and regional craft beers. A DJ provides ample auditory stimulation, and the Mountain Grille will satisfy any brew induced munchies you may have. Tickets for $20 include eight samples and a souvenir glass. 6-10pm. www.smuggs.com
MARCH 28
Pond Skimming: Annual Rite of Spring, Warren The oldest continually-running pond skimming event in the country happens right at Sugarbush Resort. Take your chances plunging across a 120-foot pond at the base of Lincoln Peak. Registration begins at the Gate House at 8am, only the first 100 people in line receive entry. There will be awards for costume, style, and of course splash. www.sugarbush.com
MARCH 28
36th Annual Beach Party, Jay Peak This year’s Beach Party will be one for the books as Jay Peak celebrates 36 years of fun in the sun, or snow at least. Join in for live music by the High Breaks, Long Trail giveaways, and enough waterslide to entertain any child, big or small, at Hotel Jay Courtyard and Pump House Indoor Waterpark. www.jaypeakresort.com Courageous souls brave the icy waters at Bolton Valley’s pond skimming event last year. Photo courtesy of Bolton Valley.
MARCH 21 TO 22, 28 TO 29
Sugar on Snow Festival, Ferrisburgh Dakin Farms celebrates the coming of spring with sugar on snow and maple syrup ice cream, free samples, ham, bacon, cheese, and more. Fill up at the pancake breakfast from 7:39011:30am, then enjoy live music from Bob Degree and the Bluegrass Storm, and Banjo Dan and Willy from 12-4pm. www.dakinfarm.com
MARCH 28
The Nile Project Artists from 11 countries come together to make music that combines the Nile region’s diverse instruments, languages, and traditions and raise awareness around cultural and environmental challenges facing the Nile River. $15-36, Flynn MainStage. 8pm. www.flynntix.org
April APRIL 4
Sugar Slalom, Stowe The Stowe Sugar Slalom is one of the most recognized alpine races in America. Attracting over a thousand racers and hundreds of spectators, the event vibrates with the energy of Mardi Gras complete with music, barbeque, incredible races, and festive costumes. To top it off, enjoy a Vermont treat of maple sugar on snow with pickles and cider donuts at the finish line. www.teammmsc.com
APRIL 4
Slush Cup & Splash for Cash, Ludlow Costume clad Slush Cup competitors speed toward an 80-foot slush pond at Okemo Mountain Resort, trying to make it across without falling in. Those who can’t make the glide end up taking a chilly spring dip. The event, presented by AMP Energy Drink, is open to the first 125 participants. www.okemo.com
APRIL 4
7th Annual Winter Brewer’s Festival, West Dover Celebrate the end of winter with a beer, or perhaps tastes of thirty beers, at Mount Snow. This popular festival features some of the top breweries in the Northeast as well as an outdoor barbeque and tons of vendors. There will be over 20 breweries serving over 35 different brews in 10oz samples. You’ll get two free samples with admission; every sample after that is $3. www.mountsnow.com
MARCH 22 AND APRIL 12
WOKO Gigantic Indoor Flea Market, Essex Junction Vendors line up inside to offer tag sale items, crafts, antiques, and more. 8:30am-2:30pm. www.cvexpo.org
MARCH 24
Pond Skimming, Bolton Bolton Valley Resort does it right with this year’s pond skimming event dedicated to “Rock Stars and Musicians.” Expect a lot of air guitar, drums, and costume clad crazies skimming across and out of the freezing cold pond in the hopes of not getting wet themselves. In addition to the $5 fee, skimmers must have a lift ticket for the day or a season pass. Registration starts at 10am, skimming at 12pm, and the award ceremony commences at 3pm. www.boltonvalley.com
Partiers take a break at Jay Peak’s 35th Annual Beach Party last year. Photo courtesy of Andrew Lanoue.
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SPRING 2015
APRIL 18
Brit Floyd, Burlington Brit Floyd - The World’s Greatest Pink Floyd Show makes an appearance on the Flynn MainStage during its Space & Time World Tour, and this is the most ambitious show to date. There’s a spectacular new light show, an even bigger stage production, and over one hundred concerts planned throughout the United States and Canada between March and August 2015. Show at 8pm, tickets $38.75-$58.75. www.flynntix.com
APRIL 18 AND 19
APRIL 10 TO JUNE 20
Back to Nature, Bur lington The Burlington City Ar ts exhibit Back to Nature celebrates “the beaut y of the Ver mont landscape through a collection of work that reinterprets our connection with a place over time.” The exhibit features work by Jill Madden, Joe Salerno, and others. www.burlingtoncityarts.org
APRIL 14
Ben and Jerry’s Free Cone Day, Burlington Since the first Free Cone Day in 1979, this delicious tradition has carried on. The scoopers at the ice cream institution’s Church Street location will be doling out creamy cones in every flavor, for free, all day. Get there early! www.benjerry.com
Wind Ridge Fjords and Friends
HORSE CAMP
Riding lessons • horse care • swimming • tennis • vaulting carriage driving • long-lining • gymkhana • and more!
Beginner camps: $450 June 29th-July 3rd and August 3rd-7th Intermediate camps: $500 July 13th-17th and July 20th-24th
For more info call Anna: (207) 798-2616 Or email: windridgefjordsandfriends@gmail.com 10
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46th Annual Vermont Home and Garden Show, Essex Junction The Champlain Valley Exposition Center hosts the perfect event for all those looking to remodel, build, landscape, or garden. Get advice from the experts and see the latest innovations in products and services. www.vthomeandgardenshow.com
APRIL 24, 25, 26
49th Annual Vermont Maple Festival, St. Albans When sugaring is over, the city of St. Albans plays host to the Vermont Maple Festival. The festival features numerous events including maple product exhibits and contests, new syrup tasting, pancake breakfasts, talent and fiddler shows, carnival rides, and more. This is one sweet treat you won’t want to miss. www.vtmaplefestival.org
APRIL 25
Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes, and Anna Bass, Burlington This American Life talk show host Ira Glass joins dancers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass in a performance that combines two opposite art forms, one all speech and no visual, the other all visual with no speech. Glass delivers his trademark narratives while Barnes and Bass evoke characters. Show at 8pm, tickets $15-50. www.flynntix.org
SEE PAGE 35 FOR PUZZLES
Beer takes center stage at Mount Snow’s Winter Brewer’s Festival.
May MAY 1 TO 3
Waking Windows, Winooski Now in its fifth year, the Waking Windows Festival in downtown Winooski is not one to miss. Organized by Waking Windows Productions, the festival draws thousands of revelers, and bands by gigantic fistfuls. Area restaurants pull out all the stops with outdoor food stands that cater to the hungry masses. With the variety, quality, and quantity of musical acts, the festival truly embodies the cultural and social force of an up-and-coming Winooski. www.wakingwindowspresents.com
MAY 2
Green Up Day Vermont, Statewide This annual event began in 1970 and is held in towns and cities across the state. Green Up Day is an annual statewide clean-up day where people of all ages come together and clean up litter from their roadsides and waterways. Bags are free; find out who your town coordinator is by visiting the Green Up Vermont website. www.greenupvermont.org
MAY 3
VYO Spring Concert, Burlington Don’t miss the conclusion to the Vermont Youth Orchestra’s (VYO) spectacular season at the Flynn Center with a program that celebrates Vermont and sets the stage for the VYO’s 2015 tour to Iceland. Enjoy works celebrating the Icelandic region with Jon Leifs’ “Icelandic Dances” and Carl Nielsen’s “Saga Drøm (The Dream of Gunnar).” American composer Brian Baxter’s “Roots Run Deep,” a tribute to the Northeast Kingdom, and Aaron Copland’s “Billy the Kid” close out the powerful program. www.flynntix.org
CALENDAR seminars, and networking oppor tunities. The first day is reserved for exhibitors to network, and the second provides attendees access to the trade show and all it offers. www.vtexpo.com
MAY 22 TO JUNE 7
Participants in the Middlebury Maple Run enjoy extraordinary views throughout the course. Photo courtesy of Josh Hummel/WorldFilmProject.com
MAY 3
Middlebury Maple Run, Middlebury Vermont’s sweetest half marathon and relay features a beautiful course ripe with scenic vistas of the Green Mountains and Adirondacks. Every runner receives a shot of UnTapped maple syrup and a post-run pancake breakfast party to boot. Interested? Make sure to register by March 31. www.middleburymaplerun.com
MAY 7, 14, AND 16
Peak Ultra Marathon, Pittsfield The Peak Race Series was started by ultra-athletes Andy Weinberg, Joe De Sena, and 5 others who created 5 insane ultra-endurance events. The Ultra races are separated into 15, 30, 50, 100, 200, and 500 mile events, each starting on a different date. These races will challenge you to your very center. Register online, and start training six months ago. 3.5x2.3_UmallAd.pdf 1 www.peak.com
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MAY 16
BCO’s Celebr ation of Youth Concert, Colchester The Burlington Chamber Orche s tr a (BCO) is thrilled to present this year’s concert with guest conductor Yutaka Kono, Director of Orchestra at UVM’s Department of Music and Dance. In addition, there will be a concerto featuring the winner of the 2015 BCO Young Artist Solo competition. The per for mance, featur ing works by Mozar t, Fauré, and Beethoven, takes place at the McCarthy Arts Center Recital Hall at St. Michael’s College at 7:30pm. www.flynntix.org
MAY 20 AND 21
Vermont Chamber Business & Industry EXPO, South Burlington With over 200 exhibitors and 3,000 attendees, the EXPO is the region’s largest business-tobusiness trade show, featuring 10:14of AMspecial events, a2/13/15 wide variety
Island Line Bike Ferry, South Hero/Colchester Local Motion provides transport across The Cut on the Colchester Causeway. Until summer, service only runs Friday through Sunday and on holidays. Day and season passes are available, with discounted rates for Local Motion members. www.localmotion.org
MAY 23 AND 24
Vermont Open Studio Weekend E v e r y M e m o r ial D a y w e e kend, craftspeople and artists throughout the Green Mountain State open their studios to the public. Visitors can find their way by using the Vermont Studio Tour Map, which contains directions to hundreds of studios in the state. www.vermontcrafts.com
MAY 23 AND 24
Cheese and Dairy Celebration, Woodstock Celebrate Vermont’s distinctive dairy heritage at Billings Farm and Museum during a weekend of sampling delicious New England cheeses and dairy products; meet local cheese makers, par ticipate in dair y education programs, and make cheese, ice cream, and butter. www.billingsfarm.org
MAY 24
Vermont City Marathon and Relay, Burlington Organized by RunVermont and sponsored by People’s United Bank (among others), this event has ranked in the top 20 best marathons in Runner’s World Magazine. It’s the largest race of its kind in the state with over 8,000 runners. Held on the streets and bike paths of Burlington, the marathon features two relay events which run concurrent with the full marathon. The scenic course begins at Battery Park and finishes in Waterfront Park with post-race festivities for runners and spectators. www.vermontcitymarathon.org
YEAR-ROUND, FAMILY-FRIENDLY, ECO-ADVENTURES FROM SERENE TO EXTREME
ZIP LINE CANOPY
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LESS THAN 20 MINUTES FROM STOWE & 45 MINUTES FROM BURLINGTON, VT
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A New Life for Winooski
Words // Chea Waters Evans Photos // Craig Thomas Artwork // Sadie Williams Big sister Burlington may have hogged the spotlight for years, but lately little sis’ Winooski, just north of Vermont’s biggest city, has taken the main stage. Comparisons to Brooklyn, N.Y. abound, but in true Vermont style, this small city has a big personality and cool vibe all its own. With innovative restaurants, quirky shops, eclectic nightlife, and a diverse population, there’s something in the air up there, and any visit to northern Vermont would be incomplete without checking it out. The main downtown hub in Winooski circles a roundabout, and with every curve comes another place to enjoy a relaxing brunch, new kind of cocktail, or sophisticated dining experience. Old-school favorites co-exist with funky new spots, resulting in a vibrant area that has a place for everyone. Charming red brick buildings and clapboard houses lend a laid-back feel to the urban center, while an open green in the center of the circle provides a place to relax with a take-out sandwich or sit and enjoy a book and a cup of coffee.
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Locals have been heading to Sneakers Bistro for breakfast, lunch, and brunch for decades to enjoy their signature dishes like Kahlua French toast or classic eggs benedict. Another family favorite that’s been around for a long time is Papa Frank’s, a traditional Italian restaurant complete with red-checkered tablecloths, rich portions of baked ziti and other class favorites, and $2 drink specials on Microbrew Mondays. A recent re-addition to the downtown area, located in the historic Winooski Mill building, is Waterworks Food + Drink. The restaurant was a favorite for many years, but closed for over a decade as the Mill went through renovations. Now it’s back with new owners, the same stunning views of the Winooski River, chic and welcoming ambience, and New American cuisine like Vermont lamb and onion soup, and kale panzanella salad. Meals at Misery Loves Company on Main Street are not soon to be forgotten. On the ever-changing menu grilled cheese co-exists peacefully with pig’s tail; whole fried loup de mer sits side by side with
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a pickle plate that will make you rethink all you thought about pickles, and everything is delectable. With a full bar, $5 Heady Toppers for lunch, and an appetizer called bread, butter, and fat, it’s possible that one might show up for lunch and stick around until dinner. MLC Bakeshop down the street has coffee, sandwiches, and a wide variety of baked goods. If dinner’s already been had and it’s time for drinks and darts or some rocking out, another turn around the corner will get you there. McKee’s Pub, a downtown institution on its second generation of family ownership, boasts a nice big bar with a seat for everyone. They offer dinner, a brunch that’s a favorite with locals, and it’s the place to be for any major sporting event that’s more fun to watch with a crowd. Just as fun, but with a completely different vibe, is nearby Oak45. With floor-to-ceiling windows and a minimalist, modern vibe, the bar features what they call a “serious wine list—not to be taken too seriously.” They also have a hefty martini menu, other signature cocktails, and a definite hipster feel.
Waking Windows Clockwise from top: an onlooker stands in the doorway of the Monkey House during Waking Windows 4; revelers pack the streets for an outdoor performance; and Quiet Lion performs during the three day festival. Waking Windows 5 is scheduled for May 1-3 in downtown Winooski. For a full lineup visit www.wakingwindows.com. Photos by Oopey Mason
Vermont’s independent spirit and youthful city population, due in part to local universities, lends itself to a vibrant independent music scene, at the epicenter of which is the Monkey House. Confirmed as a stopping point on the rise of many an indie band, this cool, crowded spot is low-ceilinged, a little dark, and the perfect place to catch some new music, play a round of pool or Jenga, or just sit and enjoy one of the many draft microbrews or a cocktail like the maple julep. Live bands, quirky comedians, or local DJs are featured nightly, along with other special programs. The Monkey House has quickly become an institution for music lovers in the area; the venue has truly created a scene of its own in downtown Winooski and placed the town on the proverbial musical map. Billed as “three days of music and art and other happenings,” the fifth annual Waking Windows Festival will take place in downtown Winooski from May 1-3. Local music promoters Paddy Reagan and Nick Movadones started
this downtown gathering to showcase not only music but the downtown area itself. Over the years the festival has grown to attract thousands of fans; last year’s festival featured 108 bands. Restaurants participate enthusiastically with drink specials and outdoor seating, and the city partially closes the roads for a true festival feel. Music and culture lovers can enjoy local artists’ works, independent musicians from Vermont as well as around the country, and fun extras like a kids’ area and an outdoor stage. Winooski has had a metamorphosis over the years, from its roots as a mill town to its days as a solid, working-class suburb of Burlington, and yet again as an up-and-coming downtown that remains connected to its Vermont roots. With a diverse population, an infusion of young people, a wide selection of entertainment, and growing retail sector, it‘s making a name for itself as more than just the little city to the north. One day soon, perhaps, people will call Brooklyn “the Winooski of New York.”
SPRING // 2015 Destination VT
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VT PEOPLE
Flo Meiler
sprinting away from aging stereotypes
Words // Amanda Holman Photos // Rob Jerome
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Flo Meiler is a track and field superstar. She has set over 15 world records and 12 U.S. records in different events from pole vault to high jump to weight throw, and all within the last 20 years. If this were not cause enough for admiration, it’s important to mention that Meiler is 80 years old. Most recently, she set new records in pole vault, high jump, and weight throw for the 80-84 age group at the Dartmouth Relays in January.
Even more amazingly, Meiler did not begin to participate in track and field until the early 1990s when she turned 60. However, her athletic tendencies began back when she was in high school, where she participated in cheerleading and basketball. After graduating, she competed in waterskiing competitions, both slalom and trick skiing. She taught her husband, Gene Meiler, to waterski, afterwhich they
competed together. They continued to remain active, taking up downhill skiing and then as their children began to grow, learning to play tennis with the whole family. Naturally, Flo and Gene became competitive tennis players. It was a tennis competition that eventually led Meiler to pursue a track and field career. In 1990, while the Meilers were competing at Middlebury College to qualify for that year’s Senior Olympics, Barbara Jordan, another Vermonter, approached Meiler and asked her to try the long jump. “I went and tried [it] and fell in love with it immediately,” Meiler stated. “Within two years I was doing six track and field events, then eight and now if I consider pentathelons and heptathelons, it amounts up to almost 18 events, though not at one time.” Meiler considers Jordan her greatest inspiration for the sport. The two have been training partners, competitors, and friends for the past 20 years.
Though Jordan is her biggest inspiration, one of Meiler’s biggest motivators is her health. “Oh, I’m hardly ever sick,” she stated. The results of her athleticism are clear, as even her walking pace is one of a person half her age. Health and wellbeing have always been important to Meiler. She spent 27 years actively volunteering for the Vermont chapter of the American Heart Association; she helped to organize and manage a door-to-door campaign for several years to help raise money for open-heart surgery research. Today, she still tries to motivate people to be healthier. “My favorite part [of competing and participating in track and field] is when people come up to me and say, ‘You’ve been such an inspiration for me to get going again, to get active again,’ that really gives me the goosebumps. I feel so good that I’m helping people to get healthy.” Meiler trains four to five days a week in the winter and up to six days in the
summer. She says that she could not be successful without the help and guidance of her coaches. Greg Wisser, Bill Nedde, and Kurt Fischer, all from Vermont, help her with the different events in which she competes. Their suggestions, lists, and motivation styles are what stimulate Meiler to keep competing and improving. Meiler lives in Shelburne, and when she is not competing or training, she enjoys salsa dancing with her husband. “I also need my afternoon nap after every workout,” she stated laughing. She is currently training for the USA Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships, which will take place March 20-22. She hopes to set a new record for hurtles. Meiler constantly strives to challenge herself in every field, not just the track. “I’m not one to give up,” she declared. It will be interesting to see what she conquers next.
SPRING // 2015 Destination VT
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THE ARGONAUT AND THE WASP
VT ARTISTS
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Words // Sadie Williams Photo // Andrew Speight On a cold winter afternoon, I stopped into a staple structure of Burlington, the family house turned apartment building so common in the Old North End. Like many of those dilapidated structures, this one was home to an assortment of college aged individuals. However the sounds that emerged from the room to the right of the door assured me that inhabitants of this tenement were the singularly uncommon musical duo of Theo Klein and Trey Schibli, known to most by their stage name, argonaut&wasp. As we settled into their in-home practice studio, a dimly lit room dominated by sound boards, synths, amps, and musical equipment, I asked the pair how they first met back in the fall of 2012. Klein gestured to Schibli to begin the tale, which is clearly one they’ve delivered many times. “It’s a pretty funning story,” Schibli began. “We were living in a dorm at UVM called Marsh, it was pretty soon after we had moved in. I was going upstairs to see my friend who lived on the fourth floor and heard this outrageous music blasting from down the hall. As I got closer and closer, I see the door that the music is coming from is ajar, so I peer in, and I see it’s a completely dark room except for this light,” he points to a colorful wall mounted light above the window, “that’s changing colors and a dude in a sarong DJing at his desk. And that was this guy,” he said, gesturing to Klein. That encounter prompted a collaboration that has since yielded impressive results. In August of 2013 they released their first single, “In the Drown,” to stellar reviews. They quickly went back to work, and on February 20 and 21 released the four track EP “Future Protocol,” celebrating with parties in New York City and Burlington respectively. They’ve produced professional music videos for the “In the Drown” and “Pistol Pump Funk” off the new EP with White Ridge Productions, and have videos for “Higher Ground” and “Crystal Stills” in the works with NYU undergrad film student David Janoff and freelance animator Abi Lau-
rel respectively. They’ve played multiple live performances and DJ sets in Burlington, New York City, and elsewhere, and notably performed an opening set for rapper Waka Flocka Flame at Arts Riot last January. Part of their success is due to great marketing, part to the genre bending sound they’ve created through thoughtful collaboration. They are most commonly described as incorporating elements of funk, indie, dance, and soul, although the product that melting pot yields is purely their own.
When asked what they each bring to the table, Klein casually responded, “Trey brings a lot more than I do,” a statement which was quickly refuted by his partner. In fact, it was Klein’s unique sound that restored Schibli’s faith in the ability of electronic music to serve as a compelling art form. Schibli played guitar in a band in high school, and had begun to develop an interest in recording, producing, and digital production. However his taste for electronic music was close to being quenched before his encounter with the sarong clad sound wizard. “When I came to college I just got so turned off by [electronic music] because all I was hearing was dubstep, and then I met Theo…and he just had an amazing ear, and his taste
in music and his way of thinking about electronic music completely changed my perspective on it.” For his part, Klein spent three years of his high school career running T3 Entertainers, a DJ company. While he recently liquidated due to problems created by the distance between Burlington and New York, where he grew up, he says “it was really practical, because every time [argonaut&wasp] would play rooftop parties in New York we would borrow DJ equipment from the company.” Those parties catered to their developing fan base in New York. Both Klein and Schibli grew up near the city, and their connections to the area have given them a foothold into the creative culture, as well as the support of what is known as the ++ Collective. “It’s a group of visual and music based artists created from a series of mutual friends that were trying to merge visual and musical arts. It’s basically a platform for collaboration,” Schibli said. Laurel, the artist currently working on the animated video for “Crystal Stills,” is a part of that collective. As for their name, “During an English class…we had a lecture on the journalist/fiction writer Ambrose Bierce,” Schibli wrote in an email days after our interview. “One of his most famous works was the ‘Devils Dictionary,’ he took words and phrases and redefined them in his own terms, for example ‘Painting: The art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather and exposing them to the critic.’” Bierce wrote for numerous publications in San Francisco in the latter decades of the 19th century, namely The Argonaut and The Wasp. While Schibli professed fascination with Bierce’s mysterious disappearance, what seems closer to the heart of argonaut&wasp is that impulse to redefine the world according to one’s own terms. But while Bierce redefined language for satirical effect, Schibli and Klein redefine the genres that inform their music to create a sound that is unequivocally their own. For more information about upcoming shows, the band, and to listen to their music, visit www.argonautandwasp.com.
SPRING // 2015 Destination VT
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VT BUSINESS
THRIVING WITH NEARLY 300 OWNERS Words // Lettie Stratton
I
f you’ve spent any time in or around Vermont and like to farm, garden, or do anything that involves getting a bit of soil underneath your fingernails, chances are you’ve visited a Gardener’s Supply store. Most people who have been know that Gardener’s Supply is a green-thumbed Vermonter’s one-stop-shop, providing tools, help with landscape design, locally grown vegetable plants, fruit trees, and even garden coaching. But even frequent patrons of the store may not be aware of one key fact about Gardener’s Supply and their success: The company is employee-owned. That means that instead of one owner or a
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small group at the top controlling everything, company ownership extends down to nearly every employee. That’s a lot of owners. 225 to be exact, plus a portion of the 130 seasonal or part-time workers who meet the requirements for employee ownership. So how does it all work? Gardener’s Supply has an ESOP—an Employee Stock Ownership Program—that they’ve been making contributions to since 1987, when the company was just a few years old. They reached the 100 percent employee-ownership mark in December 2009, after many years of slowly building up. They were 30 percent employee-owned in 1999 and 45 percent by 2006. ESOPs
began in the ‘70s, so Gardener’s Supply was one of the early adopters of the program. Today, there are roughly 7,000 employee-owned companies nationwide. Cindy Turcot, Chief Operating Officer at Gardener’s Supply, said founder Will Raap wanted to share ownership in a way that was both thoughtful and productive. Raap, who founded the company in 1983, is a well-known hero of the local food movement. In addition to his work with Gardener’s Supply he also helped to establish Burlington’s Intervale Center, the farming and food hub of the Queen City, which just happens to be home to Gardener’s Supply’s Burlington store. “He always believed
Photos courtesy of Gardener’s Supply Company.
in a strong ownership culture,” Turcot said. And for good reason. Simply put, it makes a lot of sense. Employee-owned companies receive tax benefits, protect themselves from being bought out by bigger companies, and, when staff become owners, tend to see employees become more invested in and passionate about the company, therefore working harder and sticking around longer. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. According to a general social survey conducted in 2012, employees of ESOP companies were half as inclined to seek employment elsewhere than employees of conventionally owned companies. The layoff rate for employee-owned companies is also significantly lower, and a 2013 survey by the Employee Ownership Foundation states that an overwhelming majority of employee-owned companies have reported that adopting the model was a positive step for their business.
Gardener’s Supply is not alone in their alternative model for ownership. More than 30 Vermont companies are either fully or partially employee-owned. These companies include farms, publishing houses, health centers, retail stores, and more. Any kind of company can be employee-owned, but it’s not always an easy process—or the right choice. Turcot said smaller companies, with between 8-12 employees, for example, maybe be better suited to a worker cooperative, which has lower setup costs than the ESOP model. Turcot said that in addition to high overhead cost, having to adapt to a new company culture can be a hurdle of the ESOP as well. She said one of the great misconceptions about employee-owned businesses is that they’re democratic. “It’s not democratic,” she said, “but we do try to make it participatory.” Encouraging employee owners to become actively involved in the company outside of
their daily job duties can be a challenge, but Turcot said Gardener’s Supply has always had that kind of culture. “We’re a very tight community,” she said. Additionally, the Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC) conference provides them with a great opportunity to get together and form a support network and community. “Vermont has a very active employeeowned community,” Turcot said, adding that the ESOP is a great economic model for the state. It allows proud Vermontbased companies to stay exactly that. They don’t have to worry about getting bought up and being forced to relocate. Instead, companies can rest easy knowing that ownership lies in the hands of their employees. To see one of Vermont’s employee-owned businesses in action, visit Gardener’s Supply in Burlington (128 Intervale Road), Williston (472 Marshall Avenue), or online at www.gardeners.com.
SPRING // 2015 Destination VT
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VT AUTHORS
Shape of the Sky An Interview with Author Shelagh Connor Shapiro
Words // Lin Stone Once upon a time and notvery-long-ago, a local newspaper article about a Phish concert in Coventry percolated inspiration for Shelagh Connor Shapiro’s debut novel, “Shape of the Sky.” Shapiro had read that a local farmer didn’t plant crops in his fields that year because he could make more money renting them to concert campers for one weekend than he could by planting for a full growing season. Shapiro said, “Although the book is not based on that concert, it made me ques-
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tion how the event affected farm life and that community. It led me to think about all of the different perspectives of the town’s people, concertgoers, and the ways in which their lives intersected. “At the time I read the article, I was taking piano lessons and had just learned about the circle of fifths, which is a visual representation of the relationships among the 12 tones of a musical scale and the major and minor keys. It just felt right to me to connect
that structure with a music festival and with characters in the story. Each chapter looks at the event from one [major and minor] character’s perspective – I imagined how different people would react while also exploring the interconnectedness of one small community and one big weekend’s chain of events. Would you tell us about some of the story’s characters and where that inspiration came from? “Well, I always start writing with characters, and char-
acters lead to my plots. In ‘Shape of the Sky,’ my biggest writing surprise was the elderly man walking in the woods – I didn’t expect that he would stumble upon a dead body – but as mentioned, my characters always lead me to plot. “A character I really loved was Chris, the cop. His story was very real to me, and it engendered great sympathy. When he was just a little boy, his older sister disappeared without any trace or any resolution. Imagine how that would affect a child and
“
“Here it comes,’ Bill thought. “What if we did decide to set aside some land for campers? If they even hold the concert here.’ “Bill lay back on his pillow and shut his eyes. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t done the math. He and Georgia owned close to forty acres, and their land abutted the proposed concert site. He could set up a lot of campsites and legally charge about the highest of anyone in town. But he didn’t want strangers on his land, lighting bonfires, smoking who-knew-what near his cows.” — Excerpted from “Shape of the Sky”
then follow them throughout life… “The most difficult character for me to write was Rita. I avoided her because she was not a good person, and finding her voice was explosive for me…but now? Now Rita is four chapters.” Is this book a murder mystery? “To me this is not a book about a murder; ‘Shape of the Sky’ has a murder mystery in it but it’s not a murder mystery. The music and concert brings different people with very different lives together at one intersecting point in time. To me, the book deals with the power of human relationships: how we interact, nourish, support each other, and ultimately, about how our relationships can save us.”
Author Shelagh Connor Shapiro’s radio show “Write
the Book” is heard weekly on 105.9 FM The Radiator, an arm of the non-profit organization Big Heavy World, which serves Vermont music and youth. Shapiro has interviewed more than 300 authors; archived podcasts can be found on iTunes. She holds an MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier, which she says is “One of the very best things I ever did for myself,” and she is a contributing editor for their literary journal, Hunger Mountain. Her stories have also appeared in North Dakota Quarterly, the Baltimore Review, Short Story, Gulf Stream, and others. Shapiro lives in South Burlington with her husband Jerry. She is the mother of three grown boys who trained her to write around the thrum of cars, radios, guitars, saxophones, drums, video games, computers, and basketballs.
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SPRING // 2015 Destination VT
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The Joys of Spring Skiing
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Words // Darcy & Dale Cahill Photos // ben Sarle Tailgating may be reserved by many for football season, but in Vermont tailgating season begins on the first warm days in April and stretches until the final days of skiing in May. On just about every sunny spring weekend, skiers and snowboarders park their cars and trucks and unload lawn chairs, grills, blenders, coolers, sun screen, umbrellas, and anything else they might need to celebrate another beautiful day of spring skiing. At Smugglers’ Notch, parking lot 1 is where the festivities take place. No mass e-mail invitation is necessary for the spring party to begin. Snow lovers can feel it in the air, and simply arrive at the mountain ready to enjoy warm weather skiing. On that first day of spring skiing, people come early to set up their “camp” sites and save places for friends. By midmorning, the lot is full and tailgating is in full swing. Dogs roam from site to site, Frisbees fly, and it’s easy to find someone to offer you a cold Long Trail Ale.
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THE JOYS OF SPRING SKIING
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Not surprisingly, spring skiing has a contagiously playful vibe, and most people dress the part. There is the occasional gorilla outfit, and always the brightly colored seventies throwback ski suit that someone found in the back of a closet. Goggles are replaced with sun glasses, and parkas with tie dye t-shirts. If the day is a scorcher, say in the 60s, shorts and bikinis are the norm. But being scantily clad comes with its risks. Snow may look soft and forgiving, but even low speed wipe outs can take their toll on elbows and knees. Knowing that the spring crowds will gather, most mountains host at least one or two well-advertised spring events. The most popular for riders, skiers, and spectators are the pond skimming competitions. Unlike the serene experience of finding the perfect flat rock to skip across the surface of a silky smooth lake, pond skimming is a raucous event. The same crew who has been skiing and tailgating all day meet on one of the mountain’s lower slopes where a man-made pond awaits. Spectators line the sides of the narrow, freezing cold body of water, anywhere from 50-100 feet in length. Above this uninviting puddle is pitch steep enough for riders and skiers alike to gather enough speed to maybe skim across the length of the pond and never get wet. That’s the goal anyway. Physics alone make the task almost impossible for snowboarders, who most often sink the minute they hit the water. For some reason, this doesn’t stop them from trying. Skiers seem to have
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TINATION VT 2015
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an easier time of keeping their balance and moving themselves forward across the top of the water. Most often, the people who compete are the same ones who were walking around the parking lot earlier that day in their gorilla outfits, bikini tops, and Hawaiian shirts.
temperature, corn turns into mashed potatoes: heavy, wet, lumpy snow. By seasons end, mashed potatoes are surrounded by smud, brown or muddy snow, and snirt, dirt covered snow. However, none of that matters because after all, it’s spring!
At this point you might be asking yourself, “Does anyone actually ski during spring skiing?” They do. Powder days and dust on crust are long gone by the end of April, and snow reports tend towards the vague descriptor “variable conditions.” During the spring, skiers and boarders expect to start the day on corn: large kernels of snow which freeze together at night. By mid-morning or mid-day, and depending on the
The length and quality of spring skiing this season will be determined by each mountain’s base and the number of spring dumps that roll through in March. Last year, Winter Storm Vulcan dumped two feet of snow on the Green Mountains in the middle of March. Because of Vulcan’s generous snow fall, both Killington and Jay Peak Resorts were able to stay open into the beginning of May. Last spring JJ Toland, Director of Communi-
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cations at Jay Peak Resort, planned what he called, “the ultimate surprise gift for moms:” Early turns with mom in the morning followed by brunch, and then nine holes of golf in the afternoon. Aside from incredible weather, parking lot parties, and pond skimming events, the other bonus of spring skiing is that the slopes tend to be less crowded on the weekends and most resorts offer more attractive prices. Look for tentative closing dates at www.skivermont. com and spring pricing rates at www. onthesnow.com. Finally, if you have never seen pond skimming and you just can’t make it to the mountains this spring, turn to YouTube. A video speaks 10,000 words.
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SMALL TOWNS, LARGE TALENTS Words // Phyl Newbeck
Artist Sean Dye in his studio at Creative Space
W
hen we think about where to view art, we often think of college towns or obvious tourist destinations. A newcomer to Vermont might imagine that the best places to see local (and not-so-local) talent would be in population centers like Burlington, Middlebury, and Stowe. While it’s true that those locations provide plenty of viewing pleasure, there are a number of smaller towns worth visiting for their art alone. You would certainly anticipate finding galleries in the tourist Mecca of Stowe, but less expected is the wealth of art in the little town of Jeffersonville at the other end of the Mountain Road. Nev-
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ertheless, the town of 746 people is the site of two establishments, Visions of Vermont and the Bryan Gallery, which attract visitors from across the globe. Local landscape painter Alden Bryan opened the Bryan Gallery in 1984 in honor of his wife, painter Mary Bryan. The gallery specializes in New England landscape painting and shows the work of over 200 artists annually. The gallery’s three rooms allow for multiple shows at one time. The emphasis is on oil paintings, but other media are also part of the rotating exhibits which include juried shows. Executive Director Mickey Myers said the guest book shows visitors from four continents.
Just down the road from the Bryan Gallery is Visions of Vermont, which opened in 2006. The gallery is actually three different structures: a Victorian home, a restored carriage house, and a sugar house. The first two buildings date back to 1878 and were entered into the National Register of Historic Places after being restored by owner Jane Shaw. Starting with the work of local landscape painter Eric Tobin, the gallery has expanded to include a variety of local and regional artists with an emphasis on plein air (outdoor) painters. The carriage house continues to feature Tobin’s work and the Victorian home centers around a husband and
wife team, Jack and Karen Winslow, while the sugarhouse is the venue for solo exhibitions, retrospectives, and juried art shows. “Plein air painters have been painting here for years,” said Shaw. “We’re proud to be able to show their work.” College town Middlebury is an obvious place to view art, but just down the road is Vergennes which bills itself as America’s smallest city and is a less conventional venue for artwork. The Creative Space Gallery is a cooperative founded in 2009. Displayed art runs the gamut from painting and sculpture to wearable art and furniture. Co-op member Eloise Bell said the work of 90 different artists has been shown during the five years the gallery has been in operation, with an emphasis on the 49 members of the cooperative. Creative Space recently moved to a larger location in a Victorian building which allows them to keep some artwork up for long periods of time while having rotating themed exhibits on other walls. Vergennes may be small, but it is part of a travel corridor; international visitors have joined Americans from as far as California to visit the space.
Burlington is home to a variety of art spaces, but nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains, half an hour east of the Queen City, the town of Jericho boasts the Emile A. Gruppe Gallery, a vibrant art space housed in a renovated 1860s English sheep barn. The agricultural heritage of the gallery continues as the pickup location for the winter CSA of the Jericho Settlers’ Farm, and it’s doubtful you’ll find a more beautiful backdrop for root crops and winter greens. Named after a famous Gloucester, Massachusetts landscape painter, the gallery was founded in 2003 by Gruppe’s daughter, Emilie Alexander. It houses a permanent exhibit of Gruppe’s work in one room and rotating exhibits of New England artists with an emphasis on landscape painters in another. Oil paintings and watercolors predominate, but photography, sculpture and fiber arts have also been on display and the gallery is the focal point of an annual plein air painting festival. Vermont is a veritable treasure trove of art, and some of these smaller venues are more than worth your time. Sometimes the greatest finds are just around the corner.
BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY 180 Main Street, Jeffersonville (802) 644-5100 Bryangallery.org
CREATIVE SPACE GALLERY 214 Main Street, Vergennes (802) 877-3850 Creativespacegallery.org
EMILE A. GRUPPE GALLERY 22 Barber Farm Road, Jericho (802) 899-3211 Emilegruppegallery.com
VISIONS OF VERMONT FINE ART GALLERIES 100 Main Street, Jeffersonville (802) 644-8183 Visionsofvermont.com
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Adventures in Mycology words // Pamela Hunt Photos // Carlos Gallardo Photography
Luna, a sturdy pit bull mix, and Derrick, a gangly adolescent Vizsla, raced up the trail, eager for whatever adventures they could find. Our group of nine slowly ascended the hill behind the dogs, pacing ourselves in the humid New England summer afternoon. Waiting for us in a small clearing stood our tour leader, clad in a porcini-colored t-shirt reading “All mushrooms are edible. Some only once.” Along with a handful of amateur foragers and a homeopathic practitioner, I had joined one of the first “Fruits of the Forest” walks that MoTown Mushrooms led at the Hunter Farmstead in Waterbury. The wooded property stretches nearly 40 acres along Joiner Brook and the meadows beyond. Though based in Morristown (hence the moniker), the company has arranged with the farm’s owners to lead tours, plant outdoor beds, and more importantly to provide demonstrations; The energetic duo that runs the business, Jason Bednarz and his wife, Monica Gallardo, want to help mushroom lov-
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ers have their cake and safely eat it too by teaching them how to grow “wild” varieties. The mycological adventure began as a hobby for Jason but bloomed into a fullblown business in 2013. When a tour member recounted a tale of shiitakestudded troughs taking over his bathroom when his interest in mushrooms first bloomed, Gallardo rolled her eyes and chuckled knowingly. When they first started growing, she said, “Our basement turned into a lab.” Interest in mushrooms has grown in Vermont thanks to increased exposure to wild specimens at farmers’ markets and local grocery stores. Once thought to be nutritionally empty, these edible fungi are now known to provide many health benefits. “Mushrooms are great sources of protein, vitamins, and minerals. Plus, many of them have incredible medicinal properties, like lion’s mane, which is known for improving memory and cognition and regenerating nerve tissue,”
Gallardo explained. However, the bins of white button mushrooms with the occasional “exotic” cremini are no longer sating our increasingly sophisticated appetites. We want shiitakes! Give us chanterelles! Where are the morels? Yet according to Ari Rockland-Miller, cofounder of Burlington-based TheMushroomForager.com, Americans as a whole tend to be wary when it comes to wild varieties. He leads tours in area woodlands, demonstrating how edible treasures can be found if one only knows where and how to look. Some dangers can be identified relatively easily. The ghostly white stem of the amanita, aka the destroying angel, foretells its lethal offering. But it takes a practiced eye to discern a deadly jacko’-lantern from a delicious golden chanterelle. In fact, despite Rockland-Miller’s professed passion for these delicacies, he stands by the adage, “When in doubt, throw it out.” Misidentification poses too great of a risk.
MoTown also has moved into education, adding to their initial focus on growing for wholesale. Their main product, the Fungipail—a reusable five-gallon plastic bucket filled with a fertile substrate inoculated with spore—represents just one way the pair is teaching the public about beneficial fungi. They have also demonstrated at various festivals and schools in New England how to prepare logs filled with ‘shroom spawn and—as I learned on this afternoon—to build layered totem poles, which after months of patient waiting hold the promise of fruiting delectable, yet pricey, wild mushrooms. But before Jason would teach us how to build our own growing kits, we first hunted truly feral specimens. The earthy, rich aroma of humus hung in the humid air, creating a greenhouse feel. We wandered through beds of yellow, pearl, and pink oyster mushrooms poking through pine needles like slightly misshapen, pastel-hued umbrellas. Hairy, white orbs of lion’s mane sprouted from decaying logs, straight out of a Dr. Seussian landscape. We gingerly harvested samples of the different species we found, some foragers filling their buckets more fully than others. We hauled our buckets back to the clearing to more closely examine our bounty. The MoTown canine mascots flopped to the ground in exhaustion after their romp through the forest. Bednarz flipped through his guidebook, helping to identify some of the noncultivated varieties
we had discovered. Many turned out to be what experienced foragers call “LBMs,” or “little brown mushrooms”—most presenting no danger but offering little in the way of pleasurable eating. A handful of golden chanterelles and the gigantic burgundy tops of wine caps represented the only worthwhile wild edibles our newbie team harvested. Hungry to start on my own mushroomgrowing journey, I joined my fellow foragers around the work table. Slices of hardwood logs surrounded a cinderblock-sized bag of hen-of-the-woods
spawn-filled substrate, which closely resembled moldy sawdust. Following Bednarz’ lead, I packed a thin layer of this crumbly substance between the log discs, then hammered nails into the wood at angles, toenailing the layers together into a four-tiered totem pole. Despite my rudimentary hammer skills, my future mushroom farm held together as I loaded it into my car. Though I would need to wait a year for my project to bear fruit, I was already mentally scrolling through recipes as I drove back down the mountain road toward home.
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Our House is a Very, Very Fine House Words // Sadie Williams Photos // Lindsay Taylor
Chicken and Waffle Sammy with breaded and fried chicken, gravy, and fried onion strings on a waffle with a side of fries.
Nestled in a cozy building on the roundabout in Winooski is Our House Bistro, the “twisted comfort food” joint run by Matt Pearsall and his wife, Maggie Barch. While it is by no means the only fare available, Our House is best known for serving over 20 varieties of mac and cheese, including customer favorites such as Lobster Mac, Buffalo Chicken Mac, Jambalaya Mac, and more. Pearsall and Barch opened Our House in 2010, in the building many remember as the former Sneakers. “We saw the potential of Winooski growing into what it is now, the whole community was up and coming,” Pearsall said, reflecting back on their
choice to open shop in what has since become a go to culinary destination. The decision seems to have paid off. Our House just turned five, and in the past year alone has received recognition from all angles. Last summer it was one of three Vermont restaurants featured on the Cooking Channel’s Bite This with Nadia G; in October, the house Bloody Mary recipe received acclaim in the Chopped Best Blood Mary Brunch competition as the best in Vermont; and this January Pearsall took home first place in the Vermont Fish Chowder Championship. What makes Our House unique is their approach to food. What’s most important, Pearsall notes, is “to have fun, to play
• Chef Owned • Local Vermont Foods • Outstanding Quality • Fine Food & Wine
with your food. We don’t want the food to be pompous, and we don’t want it to be too simple. It’s mom’s cooking but with a twist.” If the goal is to have fun, both the menu and the aesthetic of the restaurant itself succeed in that measure. Retro lunchboxes, toys, books, and vinyl records line the lipped shelf that circles the room; the display has proven irresistible to patrons of every age and often causes them to spend the first minutes of their stay staring at the walls rather than the menu. However once they are able to redirect their attention, the array of options creates almost equal waves of excitement. Before even looking at dinner options, check out
“Sophisticated yet comfortable dining in a relaxed, cosmopolitan atmosphere.” Across from historic City Hall
156 Church Street 802-540-3040
Chef Owned • Local Vermont Foods • Outstanding Quality
Lunch • Dinner • Sunday Brunch
1834 Shelburne Road, South Burlington | (802) 862-1081 | www.paulinescafe.com 32
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Tu-Sat 4-11 pm | Sun 4-10 pm | Closed Mon @CHURCHANDMAIN
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/CHURCHANDMAINVT
www.ChurchandMainVT.com
Lavender Collins with muddled lemon, house lavender simple syrup, Tanqueray, and a dash of soda topped with organic dried rose petals.
Mac and Cheese Trio featuring Lobster, Buffalo, and Chicken Parmesan Macs.
Double decker Rueben with house apple slaw and fries.
the cocktail menu on the table. While rum and coke may cut it for some, the array of fun, flavorful drinks shouldn’t be passed by so easily. Try the Good Morning Sunshine, a refreshing combination of muddled orange, Cointreau, and vodka topped with Prosecco, or the house staple, the Bacon Pineapple Jalapeno margarita with houseinfused jalapeno tequila and bacon salt.
If you’re a first timer, try a mac and cheese for your entrée. Can’t make a decision? The friendly wait staff will gladly help out. And if you still can’t make up your mind, order the Mac and Cheese Trio, a sampler board of three different macs. It’s as equally appealing visually, with its bubbling little cast iron crocks, as it is to the taste buds.
the weekend, and of course a full dinner menu after lunch and brunch service ends. It’s recommended that you call ahead, especially Friday through Sunday, to put your name on the wait list, as Our House does not take reservations.
To start, try a basket of sweet potato fries with cinnamon maple aioli, a sweet and tangy accompaniment that perfectly complements the thick cut fries. Or if you’re feeling carnivorous, order up the Twisted Wings in either buffalo, barbeque, or my personal favorite, un-sauced wings wearing a generous dusting of parmesan, garlic, rosemary, and lemon zest. Just make sure to leave room for the main course; Our House portions are generous and filling.
If you still have room for dessert, swing for the deep fried PB&J, a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich battered and fried until golden and fragrant, topped with a chocolate drizzle and powdered sugar, and served with warm, melted fluff perfect for dipping. If you haven’t gifted your taste buds an Our House experience yet, get over there and check it out. They serve lunch until four on weekdays, a delicious brunch on
OUR HOUSE BISTRO Monday through Friday: 11am-10pm Saturday Brunch: 10am-2pm Saturday Dinner: 2pm-close Sunday Brunch: 9am-2pm Sunday Dinner: 2pm-close 36 Main Street, Winooski (802) 497-1884 www.ourhousebistro.com
Large One Item Pizza with this coupon 8.99 Pick-Up or Dine-In
$
Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm
4066 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne • 985-9895
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“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” ― Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds
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PUZZLES & STUFF CROSSWORD
THEME: ANCIENT MYTHS
DOODLES BY JAMES LASELL MORSE
Character to be admired needs a dash of dysfunction. Jim Morse has lived in Vermont since 1958 and resided in Charlotte since 1971. He has been married for 47 years and has two daughters and five grandchildren. A Vermont Supreme Court justice for 14 years, Jim captures life’s Zen, irony and wit in observations and sketches on topics from art to war. His sayings are philosophical, skeptical, practical and funny.
SUDOKU
ACROSS
1. Greek letter and ancient symbol of death 6. First prime number 9. ____ of March 13. Curvaceous, as in a woman 14. Common furniture wood 15. “_____ and beyond” 16. September stone 17. E in BCE 18. Downy duck 19. *Remus’ twin 21. *The first woman, Greek mythology 23. *Chinese zodiac animal 24. Engage 25. Adherent of Taoism 28. Additionally 30. Central vein of a leaf 35. *Viracocha worshipper 37. Smidge or scintilla 39. *Roman goddess of the hunt 40. South American monkey 41. Lowest Hindu caste 43. Give the cold shoulder 44. Improve or rectify 46. Theater section 47. At this point 48. *Hegemone and Chloris were ______ deities 50. Clinton’s #2
52. Moray, e.g. 53. “The ____ have it” 55. Foe of illegal aliens 57. “With a rumbly in his tumbly, but not even a _______ of honey...” 61. *Half man, half horse 65. Leisurely walk 66. *Pandora’s box was actually this 68. High wave caused by tidal flow 69. “Home Improvement” star 70. Exclamation of surprise 71. Tapestry 72. Not to be confused with “want” 73. Small dog’s bark 74. Doled out, as in cards
DOWN
1. Kind of ski lift 2. Designer Boss 3. Test 4. Add 5. Female aviation pioneer 6. Little piggies? 7. *The Trojan ___ 8. Giraffe’s cousin 9. In the same place, when citing a reference 10. Popular symbol of extinction 11. ____ after 12. Plural of serum 15. *An epic by Virgil
20. a.k.a. tangelos 22. *Greek mythology tells that humans originally had four of this 24. Ballpark staples 25. *Cronus or Oceanus 26. True inner self 27. The kids in “Eight is Enough,” e.g. 29. *Psyche, Greek godess of the ____ 31. DIRECTV competitor 32. Hindu queen 33. Habituate 34. Confusion of voices 36. Hokkaido native 38. *Jason’s vessel 42. Eagle’s home 45. *To be slayed by a knight 49. *On Cyclops’ forehead 51. *Group of nine deities in Egyptian mythology 54. Relish 56. Don’t take one’s eyes off 57. Bridge, e.g. 58. Stag 59. A small island 60. Act 61. Weather may affect its yield 62. City of Taj Mahal 63. Caspian basin river 64. One R in R&R 67. “Bingo!”
PUZZLE SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 10 SPRING // 2015 Destination VT
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PRIVATE EVENTS, WEDDINGS & MORE
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Far mhouseGroup.com // BUR LINGTON