BIRTHS
The charismatic Peter Askim brought a decidedly new flavor to the December Vermont Symphony Opera Holiday Pops concerts, one that was applauded enthusiastically by audiences Dec. 10 at the Barre Opera House, Dec. 11 at The Flynn in Burlington, and Dec. 12 at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre.
It might be hard to remember, with Omicron currently surging, but the performing arts made great inroads against COVID last year.
Stunning details of individual leaves with their variations in shape and color, tendrils of Spanish moss, a thicket of vertical lines of slender trunks, the watery ground — Catherine Opie’s images in her “Swamp Series” draw you into their depths. The large format invites immersion into these…
editor's pick
Feeling the heatEAST MONTPELIER — Select Board Chair Seth Gardner laid it on thick this week while running a meeting in East Montpelier from the 20-acre farm where he raises polo ponies in Florida.
editor's pick
On New Year’s Day in 1891, Montpelier’s new stone post office was inaugurated with a ceremonial opening. Hailed by the Vermont Watchman as the most beautiful federal building in Vermont, it was constructed of fine marble from Sunderland in Bennington County. Built atop a granite foundation, …
BIRTHS
On Saturday, Jan. 8, Cabot Arts will present its Cabot Village 12th Night Celebration, a day-long festival featuring an array of performing arts and activities for all ages, symbolic of the incoming new year and the death of the old year, and the coming of longer days.
Next weekend will see the introduction of a new Vermont-related trio, the Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio. Pianist Gloria Chien, violinist Soovin Kim and cellist Paul Watkins will perform two all-Beethoven programs at the newly renovated UVM Recital Hall.
BRANDON — Rhythm. That’s becoming a buzz word in high school basketball this season. Teams need to play games to get in a rhythm and that’s becoming increasingly difficult to do in these COVID times.
What just happened? When it comes to the year that’s just ended that depends on which one of central Vermont’s “Twin Cities” you call home.
AROUND TOWN
Shelf stocked!WILLIAMSTOWN — Horace Duke isn’t super talkative to start with, but the long-time resident who serves on the board of Williamstown Food Shelf, says a couple of super-sized donations left him flat out speechless last week.
PLAINFIELD — Last year, residents voted down an effort to do away with in-person town meeting and discovered the main bridge into the lower village is not as structurally sound as had been reported.
‘Jack London’s Martin Eden,’ Vermont filmmaker Jay Craven’s latest, retells London’s semi-autobiographical tale of an uneducated sailor who strives to become a sophisticated writer despite the human cost — to others, but mainly to himself.
Live music has long been a popular pick for ringing in the New Year, and this year’s offerings deliver a plethora of compelling events — a welcome return after last year’s lull in the action.
Vermont Everyone Eats, a program that addresses food insecurity by providing a weekly meal to residents through the state, has been extended through April 1, providing an additional three months of meals from its originally scheduled conclusion at the end of this year.
CABOT — A woman has taken her passion for skating and channeled it into a public skating rink in Cabot that is set to open for its 10th season later this week.
BARRE — When Victor Marques and Isa Bortoletto left Minas Gerais, an inland state in southeastern Brazil just northwest of Rio de Janeiro, neither ever imagined that Barre would be their new home.
Now that its purchase of Grow Compost in Moretown is complete, Rutland-based Casella Waste Systems is planning to reopen the facility and expand its capacity, according to Casella Vice President Joe Fusco.
The Outside Story
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vermont K-12 schools have received their remaining federal COVID recovery funds.
BARRE TOWN — Some were recognized just as they retired and others hit a milestone as 2021 was the year of recognition for town workers and officials who have served for decades.
Green Mount Cemetery has been called “the great glory of Montpelier.” Its wealth of sculpture and memorials, as asserted in The Montpelier Souvenir of 1893, depicts “the almost perfect story of the town.”
Earlier this year, Brett Ann Stanciu, of Hardwick published “Unstitched: My Journey to Understand Opioid Addiction and How People and Communities Can Heal.” (Steerforth Press, 2021) She is also the author of “Hidden View,” a novel (Green Writers Press, 2015). “Unstitched” was critically accl…
There was no shortage of noteworthy Vermont releases this year, perhaps due in part to the added “woodshedding” time during the past year-plus of the pandemic. Here’s a look at 12 albums by Green Mountain State artists that stood out in 2021, in order of release date.
Last holiday season was a tough time for central Vermonters addicted to Nelson’s fudge.
The Outside Story
Vermonters peering skyward early last week might have noticed a series of winding, curling clouds scrawled across a crisp blue background.
Here’s a look at five EPs by Vermont-based artists that stood out in 2021, in order of release date.
OFF THE LEASH
Money, money, money!
Thomas Bailey has been recognized for his 25 years of service to the town, his skills operating heavy equipment and his sharp eye picking out a guinea pig in a snowbank.
From the December day in 1843 when parsimonious Ebenezer Scrooge first growled “Bah Humbug!” to his nephew Fred’s cheery Christmas greeting, Charles Dickens’ tale of ghostly Christmas Eve visitations and the cranky miser’s change of heart has been a holiday favorite.
Note: COVID precautions have been added since the first printed version.
After a long hiatus, Counterpoint, Vermont’s professional vocal ensemble directed by Nathaniel G. Lew, is back and joining forces with the VSO Brass Quintet — as they have for many years — to ring in the holidays in style!
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra Holiday Pops is back, after the COVID hiatus, with something new — all three performances will be conducted by the VSO’s second music director candidate.
There’s going to be a large dose of Christmas music delivered with a Nova Scotia accent at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11 when the Canadian folk quartet Còig, based in the island province, comes to the Barre Opera House.
Come winter, after the bears have retreated to their cold weather dens, many backyard bird enthusiasts hang feeders to attract — and nourish — avian visitors. Birds need more than a supplemental food source, however. Whether they are roosting, feeding, selecting a nest location, or flying fr…
Aaron Marcus could have released an album of solely piano music and it would have been a lovely addition to the world of instrumental piano. Marcus’ knowledge of musical styles is vast, with forays into classical, light jazz, folk and world music.
Remembering TommyFirst and foremost, our thoughts today go out to the Morse family. Over 15 years, Burr Morse, of East Montpelier, wrote a column for The Times Argus titled “Burr’s Whittlin’s.” His family played a key role in his unique storytelling. And his son Tom made a regular appearance…
The evening before Thanksgiving, a 10-year old “great soul” passed from the Montpelier community, where he’d spent his life spreading love and joy.
The Outside Story
“I wish I could just leave my body, or be someone a little bit less like me,” sings Lily Seabird on “Bug,” a jangly, acoustic guitar-driven indie-pop standout track on the rising singer-songwriter’s stellar debut album “Beside Myself,” released last month.
Dueling was once a common way of settling disputes. Although other weapons were used, the dueling pistol was the most popular weapon of choice. The first duel reported in America occurred in 1621 in Massachusetts. By the advent of the war for independence it was a widespread practice, especi…
BIRTHS
Sen. Patrick Leahy has announced he will not seek re-election, saying, “It’s time to come home.”
Larry Gordon, who likely brought community singing to more Vermonters than anyone in our state’s history, died last week at the age of 76 as the result of a tragic bicycle accident. The accident — with no car involved — occurred Nov. 1, near his Marshfield home, and resulted in serious brain…
From Studio Place Art’s vibrant “Celebrate!” with three floors of artwork to the landscape oriented Bryan Memorial Gallery’s “Gems and Giants” with small and large format paintings to “A Wintry Mix” at AVA in Lebanon with, New Hampshire artwork by over 100 artists, each gallery has its own flavor.
