Seven Days, April 3, 2013 by Seven Days

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160 Bank Street Burlington, VT

802.859.0888

Wednesday, April 10th 5pm to late

MAPLEFEST

CMY

A maple celebration featuring Cochran’s Slopeside maple magic. The maple-ified line-up for the evening: maple culinary delights galore, Lawson’s Fayston Maple Imperial Stout, Rock Art Maple Wheat, Brooklyn Mary’s Maple Porter & other maple-ly beers. Don’t be a sap—join the festivities!

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4/2/13 9:37 AM

04.03.13-04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVt.com

Gala Premiere Film Screening w/ Special Guests!

NORTHERN BORDERS

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JAY CRAVEN Based on the novel by Howard Frank Mosher STARRING BRUCE DERN, GENEVIÈVE BUJOLD, SEAMUS DAVEY-FITZPATRICK.

• •

FRI. APRIL 12, LOST NATION THEATER MONTPELIER CITY HALL SAT. APRIL 13, MAIN STREET LANDING, BURLINGTON

SUN. APRIL 14, ASAC 100 LYNDON STATE COLLEGE SHOWTIMES 7PM. PRE-SHOW RECEPTIONS 5PM TO 7PM.

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Tickets: $25. Students $10 802-748-2600 or KingdomCounty.org. Tickets also available at the door! RadioVermont

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Summer/Fall Season on Sale 4/9

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SAYS YOU!

Says You! is a radio show, hosted by Richard Sher, featuring regular group of panelists divided into teams to compete in word games, brain teasers, trivia, and parlor games. The Boston-based program airs on many public radio stations and is recorded before live audiences throughout the United States. This April Says You! will tape from the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center!

Kicking off the Peak VT Artist Series

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Two great locations: Off Route 100 14 Sunset Drive Waterbury Center, VT (802) 244-0883

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Buy tickets & memberships online at SprucePeakArts.org, or call 802-760-4634. The Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization dedicated and committed to entertaining, educating, and engaging our diverse communities in Stowe and beyond.

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Including beers from Hill Farmstead, Lawson's Finest Liquids and The Alchemist "Heady Topper"

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Featuring New England’s largest & best curated selection of craft beer, proper cocktails, eclectic wines with a full menu featuring local food and true Eastern North Carolina style barbecue.

04.03.13-04.10.13

Also featured this season: Lesley Grant & Belle Pines Carol Ann Jones Quartet Gregory Douglass After the Rodeo and more!

2012 WINNER

SEVENDAYSVt.com

Jazz singer Audrey Bernstein and her band celebrates the release of her debut album, Audrey Bernstein Loves Blue, in a special concert on the Spruce Peak Performing Art Center’s stage. This show will be recorded live.

SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS

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THE LAST WEEK IN REVIEW MARCH 27-APRIL 03, 2013

facing facts

COMPILED BY ANDY BROMAGE & TYLER MACHADO

HELP WANTED

THE R

OAD T

Heady Topper Holds On to VT Brew Bracket Crown

the Alchemist Brewery in Waterbury bowled over Switchback Ale in the “Final Pour” round and Lawson’s Double Sunshine IPA in the championship. But Switchback proved a much more formidable opponent in 2013. The vote was a nail-biter all weekend, as a few lead changes ultimately ended with Heady Topper squeaking out the

FINAL

POUR

TOPFIVE

MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM

win over Switchback, 51 to 49 percent. The margin was fewer than 100 votes out of 2822 cast. In all, 35,748 votes were cast in this year’s tournament (thanks to all who chimed in!). If only local elections inspired as much participation. Maybe if city councils served microbrews at their meetings... This year’s beer tourney was more competitive than last year’s, with upstart breweries upsetting some better-known rivals. Valor, Ale by St. Albans-based 14th Star Brewing Co. beat powerhouse Magic Hat #9 and Fiddlehead IPA before losing to Heady Topper in the quarterfinals. And Middlebury-based Drop-In Brewing Co., upset Harpoon UFO with a Scottish Ale called Heart of Lothian. But it was Heady Topper that triumphed. Along with being a local fave, Heady Topper is presently the most highly rated beer on BeerAdvocate.com and is in the top four on Untappd.com. This is all pretty incredible when you consider that Tropical Storm Irene destroyed the physical brewery two years ago, forcing the company to reinvent itself as a cannery. On second thought, maybe Heady Topper is something of a Cinderella story.

DEPARTING HEADS

First telecom czar Karen Marshall, now health care guru Anya Rader Wallack. What’s with Team Shumlin appointees splitting early?

1. “Vermont Brew Bracket 2013” Seven Days readers picked the Alchemist’s Heady Topper as the winner of this bracket-style tournament of local beers. 2. “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Vermont” by Seven Days staff. Vermont is the least religious state in the nation, so its diverse strands of worshippers are often overlooked. 3. “Wheels of Fortune” by Sarah Tuff. Find the fastest Vermonters on two wheels on the new Dealer.com-EverBank bike racing team.

TOKE OF THE TOWN

Decriminalizing weed is finally in the legislative, uh, pipeline. Will the pot bill be treated kindly — or go up in smoke?

SOW WHAT?

Fifth graders from Milton are going to help First Lady Michelle Obama put in the White House garden. Plant more kale. FACING FACTS COMPILED BY ANDY BROMAGE

4. WTF: “Why Are Barns Allowed to Fall Into Disrepair, Yet Are Rarely Torn Down?” by Ken Picard. Classic barns are a part of Vermont lore, but the resources to keep the old structures maintained aren’t always there. 5. Side Dishes: “Juniper Prepares for May Opening in Hotel Vermont” by Alice Levitt. The first of Hotel Vermont’s new restaurants will open for breakfast, dinner and late-night snacks in May.

tweet of the week:

@buster_espn

Our Vermont family didn’t have a TV, so Opening Day as a kid meant carrying around a small radio to hear Martin & Woods on WDEV. What a day.

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

here was no Cinderella story in this year’s tournament of Vermont beers. Fan favorite Heady Topper clinched a second straight title in Seven Days’ 2013 Vermont Brew Bracket, presented by Three Penny Taproom. Heady Topper’s road to victory was a little bit bumpier this year, though. Last year, the double IPA brewed by

O THE

Vermont’s unemployment rate dropped again in February, to 4.4 percent. Of course, that doesn’t count people who’ve given up.

$150,479

That’s how much money the Burlington “sleep out” raised for Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

04.03.13.04.10.13

Ride Into Spring!

SEVEN DAYS

BIKE SALE APRIL 11 - 15

WEEK IN REVIEW 5

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jarrett Berman, Alex Brown, Matt Bushlow, Justin Crowther, Erik Esckilsen, John Flanagan, Sean Hood, 4/1/13 6:54 PM Kevin J. Kelley, Rick Kisonak, Judith Levine, Amy Lilly, Jernigan Pontiac, Robert Resnik, Sarah Tuff, Ginger Vieira, Lindsay J. Westley PHOTOGRAPHERS Caleb Kenna, Matthew Thorsen, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur

FEEDback READER REACTION TO RECENT ARTICLES

WETLANDS NEEDED

[Re “Vermont’s Rain-Barrel Project: Lake Saver or Drop in the Bucket?” March 27]: I find it ironic that as I’m making an effort to place rain barrels around my house in order to help protect the environment, my town is planning to place a large storm-water outfall area on the other end of the property. In the past, storm water was filtered by these mystical places called marshes, swamps and swales — nature’s own vibrant rain gardens. We need more wetlands in order to have less pollution in the lake and increased habitat for local wildlife. Private citizens can help in this effort, but municipalities need to find ways to reduce the enormous flow of storm water into the lake from roads and development. Wendy Simpers

COLCHESTER

6 FEEDBACK

SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13-04.10.13

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3/26/13 8:54 AM

TIM NEWCOMB

WRITING ABOUT RELIGION

I wanted to extend my thanks and congratulations to Seven Days for publishing a fun, fair and informative piece on the state of various religious outlooks in Vermont [“Are You There, God? It’s Me, Vermont,” March 27]. In fact, this piece to my eyes was just the latest in a string of great stories the Seven Days staff has done on the subject recently — including one on this humble letter writer [“Father to Be,” August 29, 2012]. I get the sense that everyone in Vermont is cognizant of the religious current pulsing through even this most secular of states, but that they either aren’t inclined, or are confused as to how best to address the topic. To my judgment, you’ve gone down the best route for understanding something: asking, listening and observing — all skills I picked up in the religious studies department of my alma mater, St. Mike’s! Kudos for shedding the proverbial light on a topic that always seems to permeate our society

ARTISANS HAND

wEEk iN rEViEw

Contemporary Vermont Crafts

and culture, but which people seem so skittish to engage. Brother michael carter burlingTOn

cloSEr look At lEAhY

Missing in Seven Days’ feature article on Senator Leahy is the dubious fact that Leahy is one of the key people responsible for our present economic collapse and financial crisis [“Seniority Rules,” March 20]. Yes, Leahy’s sponsorship of commodities deregulation with the 1997 LugarLeahy Bill opened the floodgates for a speculative bubble to grow in the quadrillions of dollars, based upon gambling on food coupled with an unrestricted creation of worthless derivatives, all by the 1 percent, Leahy’s real constituency. Of course Leahy will put on a good “hoarse show” to give the majority of Vermonters something to feel smug about, like his endorsement of President Obama, who has done a fine job of giving us more war, more police state, more impeachable offenses and austerity economics against the American people, as the lies of 9/11 continue to go unquestioned by those under oath. Perhaps the senator might seek to rectify his responsibility for the present crisis by actively advocating a return of Glass-Steagall, the closure of toxic derivatives trades and the commodities casinos, as well as making a strong hint that any administration that disregards the Constitution and Bill of Rights should be impeached. Bruce marshall

rOcheSTer

richard roberts

S. burlingTOn

Seven DayS mADE mY trip

My boss sent me to Vermont for two weeks’ training. Thought it would be dull and dreary. Can’t do much about the weather, yet my stay was sensational, in part because I’ve enjoyed three issues of your newspaper. Such creativity and great writing! No wonder prisons won’t allow it [“Did Someone Miss the Memo on Prisons’ List of Banned Magazines?” December 5]. Prisoners shouldn’t be so rewarded. heidi chadbourne

MancheSTer, Maine

whErE’S thE SciENcE?

The anti-science Left resembles the antiscience Right [“Who’s Trying to Kill the GMO Bill? February 27]. But instead of peddling myths about climate change, the Left peddles myths about the safety of genetically modified crops. There is no scientific debate in either subject. This century, humanity needs to increase food production by 70 percent. But the reaction from some of us — the richest people in history, who have never known a day of hunger in our lives — is a demand to stop using technology in agriculture. While GM crops are here to stay, lawsuits and rich-world boycotts can increase the costs to develop them, hurting the poor. The curious mantra of the anti-GM movement seems to be “no famine in modern times was caused by lack of food.” Even if this strange statement were true, feedback

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feedback 7

The name of a Hebrew prayer was misspelled in the “Judaism” portion of last week’s cover story, “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Vermont.” What Ohavi Zedek identifies as the “Shema” is also known as the “Shma” and even “Sh’ma” — but not Schema, as we called it.

burlingTOn

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04.03.13-04.10.13

I have never been a fan of Sen. Leahy [“Seniority Rules,” March 20]. He has always been a Democrat first and an American second. Vermonters have always given him the vote. He was swept in with the Kennedy thing in the ’60s, as were others, such as Phil Hoff. With the influx of out-of-staters, they have brought their brand of politics with them. Look what they have done in Vermont. We are California lite. Enough said.

[Re Taste Test: The Lighthouse Restaurant and Lounge, March 6]: Given all the exciting new things happening on the Vermont restaurant scene, does it best serve your readership to write a lengthy review of a place whose menu and ethos seem to have been dropped intact from the 1970s? Seared yellowfin tuna? Salad bar? What’s next week — Applebee’s? Buffalo Wild Wings?

Shaker-style bentwood boxes by Carl Newton ~ in person 5-7pm ART WALK ~ Friday, April 5, 4-8pm

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contents

LOOKING FORWARD

APRIL 03-10, 2013 VOL.18 NO.31

What do we talk about when we talk about money?

Not much. All the more reason for us to write about it. According to Lisa Helme, FINANCIAL LITERACY director at Vermont’s treasury department, parents often do not pass along centsible behavior to their kids. In addition to soliciting Helme’s advice for this issue, we’ve looked at why Burlington perpetually passes its SCHOOL BUDGET, how Vermont lawmakers are trying to prevent abuse in the CURRENT-USE PROGRAM and who pays when town officials EMBEZZLE. We also examine the costs of the state’s winner-takes-all CHILD-CUSTODY LAW; learn tricks of the trade from five successful FUNDRAISERS; get to know the new director of Vermont’s Office of the CREATIVE ECONOMY; and vicariously dine at St. Johnsbury Academy’s low-cost HILLTOPPER RESTAURANT. Who doesn’t love a cheap thrill?

NEWS 14

Lawmakers Look to Crack Down on “CurrentUse” Abuse

BY KATHRYN FLAGG

Will Burlington Ever Say No to Its Burgeoning School Budget?

BY KEVIN J. KELLEY

Back to Black: How Municipalities Recover After They’ve Been Embezzled

BY KEN PICARD

REVIEWS

71 Music

Counterpoint, An American Hallel; Tyler Daniel Bean, Longing

80 Movies

Stranger Than Invention: Composer Phil Kline and Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch Take on Tesla An Upper Valley MicroPress Has Global Reach in the Poetry World In Memoriam: Brad Ingalls, 1951-2013

BY VCAM STAFF

Cinderella Gets the “Wicked” Treatment at Middlebury’s New Play Festival

Money Issue: Five fundraisers reveal tricks of the trade BY ANDY BROMAGE, KEVIN J. KELLEY & PAMELA POLSTON

34 Winner Takes All

Money Issue: Would joint custody help or hinder? BY KEN PICARD

Short Takes on Film: ITVFest Coming to Vermont

Money Issue: Vermont’s director of financial literacy gets people to broach a taboo subject BY CORIN HIRSCH

38 Getting Creative

Money Issue: Vermont’s new creative-economy steward BY CATHY RESMER

27 Hackie

A cabbie’s rear view BY JERNIGAN PONTIAC

43 Side Dishes Food news

BY CORIN HIRSCH & ALICE LEVIT T

67 Soundbites

Music news and views BY DAN BOLLES

74 Gallery Profile

Visiting Vermont’s art venues BY MEGAN JAMES

89 Mistress Maeve

Your guide to love and lust BY MISTRESS MAEVE

STUFF TO DO

40 Mind Matters

Books: Brain in a Jar BY KIM MACQUEEN

42 Kids These Days

Food: In Colchester, New American farmers raise goats BY KATHRYN FLAGG

47 Top of the Hill

11 50 63 66 74 80

The Magnificent 7 Calendar Classes Music Art Movies

Music: David Lamb of Brown Bird BY DAN BOLLES

29 83 84 84 84 84 85 85 86 86 86 86 87 88

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VIDEO Stuck in Vermont: Joey’s Sap Opera. From Memorial Day to Valentine’s Day, Joey Russo runs Joe’s Junction Bakery & Cafe in Highgate Center. But Russo spends sugaring season in Belvidere boiling sap to make syrup for the Green Mountain Maple Sugar Refining Company.

at your favorite stores, all under one roof!

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CONTENTS 9

straight dope movies you missed edie everette dakota mcfadzan lulu eightball jen sorenson news quirks bliss, ted rall red meat rhymes with orange this modern world fungus free will astrology personals

selling great styles

SEVEN DAYS

FUN STUFF

1 Church Street

your favorite brands

BY ALICE LEVIT T

66 Sage of Reason

We’ll be at

04.03.13-04.10.13

Food: St. Johnsbury Academy’s dining at a discount

BY MARGOT HARRISON

sidewalk sale!

BY DAN RINYLO

36 Dollars and Sense

BY MEGAN JAMES

for an indoor from 11-6

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

BY PAUL HEINTZ

Saturday, April 6th

Novel graphics from the Center for Cartoon Studies

30 Money for Something

BY JULIA SHIPLEY

Open season on Vermont politics

FEATURES

BY PAMELA POLSTON

12 Fair Game

& some of her friends

21 Drawn & Paneled

On the Road; The Host

ARTS NEWS 22

COLUMNS

Join Dear Lucy

4/1/13 7:29 PM

DAYS!

a field-to-fork

festival!

APRIL 26-MAY 5 TO BENEFIT

Just $1 provides 3 meals to Vermonters in need.

100+ locations offer inventive, three-course dinners for $15, $25 or $35 per person. Lunch at some eateries is $10 or less!

Donate at: vermontrestaurantweek.com

SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13-04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVt.com

special events

essert comes first at this Restaurant Week-eve kick-off battle where pastry chefs from every corner of the state compete and foodies feast. Scores from celebrity judges — Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen, “Next Great Baker” runner-up Gretel-Ann Fischer and Vermont drag legend Amber LeMay — and votes from you decide the winner of Vermont Restaurant Week’s Signature Sweet. Wednesday, April 24, 7-9 p.m. Higher Ground Ballroom, So. Burlington. Tickets: $15 adv./$20, highergroundmusic.com (this event will sell out)

Find menus, events and contest info at:

vermontrestaurantweek.com

Sunday, April 28. Cocktail hour 4 p.m., movie 5 p.m. Palace 9 Cinemas, So. Burlington. $7.50.

To some, sushi is just raw fish. To Jiro Ono, it’s a life’s work. This film examines the relentless pursuit of perfection that has won Ono’s 10-seat Tokyo restaurant three Michelin stars and famous fans, including chef

Tuesday, April 30, 6:30-9 p.m. Nectar’s, Burlington. No cover. Compete for prizes in seven rounds of foodie trivia hosted by Seven Days and Top Hat Entertainment. The top team wins a $500 gift card to Burton’s flagship store. Limited space. Preregister on the Vermont Restaurant Week website by April 26.

SALON: THE REAL COST OF LOCAL FOOD

Wednesday, May 1, 5:30-7 p.m. Signal Kitchen, Burlington. $5 donation.

Joël Robuchon. Like the best sushi, it will touch your heart and your taste buds. The prescreening cocktail hour features sushi snacks, DFV wines, Shipyard brews and Vermont White Vodka.

Vermont may be an epicenter for farm-to-table cuisine, but farmers and restaurateurs still grapple with the challenge of getting fresh, local food onto your plate. Discuss the topic with Bluebird restaurateur Sue Bette, Jericho Settler’s Farm co-owner Christa Alexander, food system pragmatist Sean Buchanan of Black River

OFFICIAL WINE & BEER BY G. HOUSEN

Produce and Vermont Butter and Cheese Creamery cofounder Alison Hooper. Seven Days co-founder Pamela Polston moderates.

CHILDCARE: PARENTS’ NIGHT OUT

Friday, May 3, 6-8:30 p.m. & Saturday, May 4, 5:30-8 p.m. $10/$18. Childcare for kids ages 2-12 at the Greater Burlington YMCA. Preregistration required: 862-9622.

SALSA SATURDAY

Saturday, May 4, 4:30-7 p.m. Red Square, Burlington. $5 donation. Round out your Restaurant Week adventure with this “Cuatro de Mayo” finale featuring a homemade salsa competition, salsa dance lessons and salsa tunes by DJ Hector Cobeo. Sample treats from Vermont Butter and Cheese, Vermont White Vodka and ... salsa, of course! MEDIA SPONSORS

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4/2/13 12:42 PM

looking forward

the

magnificent

Saturday 06

Stand-out Stanzas Wish you were better versed in rhyme and meter? Join members of the Vermont Writers Co-op at “Off the Page,” the third event in a series dedicated to the literary arts. In this ode to the poetic genre, Burlington poet Ben Aleshire discusses the creative process behind his biannual journal, the Salon. Joining him, Michelle Demers leads an interactive activity, and Tara PfeifferNorrell reads her work with musical accompaniment. See calendar listing on page 57

thursday 04

Getting Acquainted Spring is (technically) here, and with it comes the return of the SEABA Socials. At this celebration of creativity, the South End Business and Arts Association joins forces with Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center — a laboratory/studio that fosters high-tech student collaborations with local organizations. Learn more about the program and mingle with the Vermont Makers, who will demonstrate origami circuitry. See calendar listing on page 52

Wednesday 03

must see, must do this week compi l ed by cou rtney C op p

On the Wall Ardent concertgoers of years past might recognize the names Aaron Draplin, Daniel Danger and Aesthetic Apparatus. Those artists are featured in the National Poster Retrospecticus, a traveling exhibit of 300 works from the era of hand-printed music and event promotions. The national tour kicks off at Burlington’s Select Design Studios, where a DJ spins tunes as attendees take in the posters of big-name acts such as Modest Mouse, Phish and Wilco. See art listing on page 78

Saturday 06

See calendar listing on page 57

Tuesday 09 & Wednesday 10 It’s commonplace these days to swap stories about global warming’s effect on the weather. But for Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, the issue is personal: Higher temps threaten the existence of his entire country. Part of the Community Cinema Series, Jon Shenk’s 2011 documentary The Island President follows Nasheed’s fight to protect his nation from rising sea levels. See calendar listing on page 59

Taking Flight The indie folk-rock duo Brown Bird is known for its evocative songs driven by kick-drum and acoustic guitar, with accompanying upright bass, cello and violin sprinkled throughout. Add David Lamb’s lyrical prowess and haunting vocal harmonies with MorganEve Swain into the mix, and this Rhode Islandbased band commands attention. The pair enters heavier territory with Fits of Reason, in which they draw on Middle Eastern and metal influences using electric instruments. See interview on page 66

Wednesday 03

Strong Foundation The New England landscape — the Green Mountain State in particular — is often associated with white churches and quaint town halls. These structures hold particular meaning for Middlebury College art history and architecture professor Glenn Andres. In “Recognizing Vermont’s Built Treasures,” he outlines the historical and cultural significance of these architectural gems. See calendar listing on page 52

magnificent seven 11

Courtesy of Sophie Shao

High Tide

Thursday 04

SEVENDAYSvt.com 04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS

In Good Company What happens when an award-winning cellist brings her equally talented pals onto the stage? You get Sophie Shao & Friends, an opportunity for the acclaimed musician to showcase the skills of violinist Frank Huang, violist Roger Tapping and pianist Pei-Yao Wang. In a testament to their collaborative strength, the virtuosos perform selections from Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler.

FAIR GAME

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To be eligible to take part in the Long-Acting Beta Agonist Step Down Study (LASST): • 12 years or older • Under the care of a physician for well-controlled asthma using a combination of asthma medications If you qualify, you will undergo lung function testing, receive study medication and will be compensated for your time.

12 FAIR GAME

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No Laughing Matter

hat’s so funny about banning corporate contributions to political candidates? That’s what Sen. DAVE ZUCKERMAN (P/D-Chittenden) was wondering last Thursday night when several colleagues began to chuckle during a roll call vote on a tough new campaign-finance rule. For years, the Vermont Senate had resisted taking up an amendment that would prohibit corporations from donating directly to political campaigns. Incumbent politicians didn’t want to end a practice that benefits them — but they certainly didn’t want to go on record opposing limits on corporate money in politics. On Thursday, the question was finally called. Late in the evening, after hours of debate on a comprehensive campaign-finance bill, the Senate voted 21 to 8 in favor of an amendment offered by Sen. PETER GALBRAITH (D-Windham) banning direct corporate contributions. Among those voting yes were some who had previously opposed the provision, such as Sens. JOHN CAMPBELL (D-Windsor) and DICK SEARS (D-Bennington). Another yeasayer, Sen. ANN CUMMINGS (D-Washington), had given a speech just moments before the vote inveighing against the corporate contribution ban. “I have yet to hear anyone define what is the problem we’re solving,” Cummings said. To Zuckerman, the sudden switcheroos seemed suspect. Were the last-minute converts simply trying to save face? Or did they know the fix was in — and the campaignfinance bill would never see the light of day? When the roll call concluded, Zuckerman stood up on the Senate floor and said, “I hope the ‘yes’ votes were sincere.” That’s a no-no in the Senate’s rules of decorum, which quaintly prohibit members from questioning their colleague’s motives on the floor. Later that night, Zuckerman apologized for the public slight. But the ponytailed Prog, who cosponsored Galbraith’s amendment, stands by his skepticism. “I was frustrated having heard people laughing while voting yes on the amendment and making eye contact with others with similar sentiments as I realized they were likely to kill the underlying bill,” Zuckerman says. “Later on, one member said to me, ‘We voted for it because we wanted to be on record supporting campaign finance,’ but that was with the knowledge that they were going to then not vote for [the full bill].” He adds, “I felt that was a bit cynical.” Sears, for one, admits to engaging in a modicum of chuckling, but he claims

3/22/13 12:49 PM

OPEN SEASON ON VERMONT POLITICS BY PAUL HEINTZ

his vote was sincere — and contends that Zuckerman was “out of line” to cast such aspersions. “I know a lot of people were absolutely surprised the Galbraith amendment got the votes it did, so there was some smiling going on,” Sears says. “I was looking at [Lt. Gov. PHIL SCOTT], and he was surprised as the vote carried on at the number of senators voting yes. I started to chuckle a little bit.” Sen. CLAIRE AYER (D-Addison), who was one of six Democrats and two Republicans to oppose the Galbraith amendment, shares Zuckerman’s view. “As soon as the roll got past me, it was clear they were voting for it because they were going to vote the bill down,” she says.

FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, A LEGISLATURE THAT

SWEARS UP AND DOWN IT WANTS TO REDUCE THE INFLUENCE OF MONEY IN POLITICS

WILL HAVE FAILED TO REALLY TRY. Sure enough, immediately after the amendment passed, Sears and other campaign-finance reform opponents drew their knives and slashed the bill to pieces. They complained that the penalties for violating campaign law were too strict — and that the bill hadn’t been properly vetted by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. DICK MAZZA (D-Grand Isle), who voted for the Galbraith amendment, then moved to send the bill back to Judiciary for further vetting. This late in the session, such a move would surely kill the bill, as Sears, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, confirmed. “I will not commit to getting a bill out this session,” Sears warned his colleagues. “I’m fine with looking at the bill maybe next year, but I want to make it clear that if you vote to do this, the bill will not be voted on this year.” That elicited an emotional reaction from Sen. JEANETTE WHITE (D-Windham), whose Senate Committee on Government Operations has labored for years to update the state’s campaign-finance laws. “It’s very clear to me that people don’t like the limits, don’t like the reporting, don’t like the bill itself,” she said, her voice quavering. “I would just ask us to vote it down right now.”

In the end, the Senate neither voted the bill down nor dispatched it to Judiciary. Instead, Campbell, the Senate president pro tem, ordered the bill to lie. That means it’ll languish in legislative purgatory until a senator brings it back up. Did Galbraith’s amendment kill the bill — or was it doomed from the start? Galbraith himself says that’s beside the point. “The fact that there were 21 votes in favor of banning direct corporate contributions is a major statement,” he says. “Not everybody may have been enthused about that position, but it’s hard to see how they could vote against that position next time.” So what’s next for the bill? Campbell and White both say they hope to resurrect campaign-finance reform this week — once they’ve addressed concerns that came up in debate. But here’s some cold hard math: With a month remaining in the legislative session, an 88-page bill rewriting the state’s campaign-finance laws still hasn’t won preliminary approval in the Senate — let alone in House committee and on the House floor. Which means that for the third year in a row, a legislature that swears up and down that it wants to reduce the influence of money in politics will have failed to really try. It’s almost enough to make you chuckle. But not quite.

Citizens Divided

If you believe Zuckerman, at least a few cynical chuckleheads voted yes on the Galbraith amendment only to turn around and beat the underlying bill to within an inch of its life. But what about the eight people who voted against banning corporate money in politics? Those would be Sens. Ayer, White, CHRIS BRAY (D-Addison), PEG FLORY (R-Rutland), ELDRED FRENCH (D-Rutland), GINNY LYONS (D-Chittenden), ALICE NITKA (D-Windsor) and DIANE SNELLING (R-Chittenden). Oddly, all but Flory and Bray voted in favor of a resolution last year calling for a constitutional amendment to undo Citizens United and get corporate money out of politics. Flory voted against that resolution; Bray wasn’t serving in the legislature at the time. The resolution’s chief sponsor was Lyons, who became a frequent spokeswoman for ridding politics of corporate cash. “The constitution is for people, not for corporations. Money does not equal speech,” she said at a Montpelier rally in November 2011. “The infusion of money into the electoral process results in a lack of transparency in our open elections.” So why didn’t Lyons back the Galbraith amendment?

“

Got A tIP for PAul? paul@sevendaysvt.com

“I don’t think by banning corporate donations, we are solving the problem,” explained Lyons, who last year raised $550 from corporations and another $2300 from political-action committees and unions. “The real problem we’re not solving is the problem of PACs and the problem of general corporate influence on democracy overall.” Huh. “I think it’s probably a very good idea to ban corporate donations in our state,” Lyons elaborated, sort of. “I just did not vote for that proposed amendment.” Say what?! “It didn’t feel like the right thing to do at that time,” she said. But in the future she could vote for such an amendment? “Oh yeah, I could vote for that in the future.” Um, OK.

back the $17 million. “So that’s my number-one priority right now as secretary, to advocate for that proposal in the Senate.” But if, at the end of the day, the legislature doesn’t pony up the cash, will the administration walk back its support for the Reach Up caps? After all, even they say you can’t do one without the other. “That’s a decision for the governor to make, and I’m not able to answer that,” Racine said. So we asked the governor — or, at least, spokeswoman Sue allen. “While the governor appreciated the House taking a step toward getting people off Reach Up, he was disappointed they didn’t do more to fix the disincentive to work for those in Reach Up by increasing benefits available for parents who need childcare or will lose money otherwise,” Allen said. “We look forward to working with the Senate on this package of legislation.” Doesn’t sounds like an answer to us.

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SEVEN DAYS

Speaking of Shumlin, the governor spent Monday and Tuesday hanging out in New York City with DaviD axelroD and ryan goSling. Well, kind of. Shumlin was in the city on business with the Democratic Governors Association, the partisan group of govs to which he was recently elected chairman. What kind of business? Shumlin’s state office directed press inquiries to the DGA, whose spokesman, Danny Kanner, would only say this: “Gov. Shumlin was in New York for press, policy planning and finance meetings.” Repeated hassling elicited no further details about which high-dollar DGA donors Shummy was schmoozing during his Empire State “finance meetings.” But some high-tech googling revealed at least a couple stops on his media tour. Seems the governor chatted up former Obama adviser David Axelrod Tuesday morning on the set of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” And he sat down Monday with reporters and editors from BuzzFeed, the online entertainment site best known for totally hilare cat photos. During Shumlin’s state visit to the outfit’s Manhattan office, BuzzFeed reporter anDrew KaczynSKi tweeted a photo of the governor gamely posing with a full-size cardboard cutout of Gosling. Shummy had a big grin on his face, but Gosling looked very serious — not to mention dreamy. m

nightly 4–5:45 plus sunday–thursday 9–10 and Friday & saturday 10–11

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Listen to Paul Wednesday mornings at 7:40 a.m. on WVMT 620 AM. Follow Paul on Twitter: @PaulHeintz. Become a fan on Facebook: facebook.com/sevendaysvt.fairgame. Send Paul an old-fashioned email: paul@sevendaysvt.com.

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FAIR GAME 13

The Vermont House hasn’t exactly embraced Gov. Peter Shumlin’s priorities this session, but last week it adopted a scaledback version of his proposed welfare reforms. Shumlin has been seeking to limit temporary cash benefits for struggling families — known as the Reach Up program — to three years, with an additional two years possible after breaks from state assistance. Currently there are no time limits. As soon as Shumlin announced his proposal, liberal legislators pushed back against the proposal. They argued that the state should focus on eliminating barriers to work rather than needlessly punish the needy. But after a pitched debate in committee and then on the House floor last Thursday, a majority of Democrats and Republicans agreed to limit some Reach Up benefits to five years, with exceptions in certain cases. In making its argument for the cap, the Shumlin administration said it was necessary to invest an additional $17 million in childcare subsidies to eliminate one of the biggest barriers to employment. Doing one without the other simply wouldn’t work, Shumlin argued. “If the state’s only providing a time limit, yeah, harm’s going to be done,” Human Services Secretary Doug racine conceded in February. “What we’re trying to say is there’s a way to do it that is very supportive of the individuals who reach and even exceed the time limit. That’s why our childcare subsidy proposal is essential.” But here’s the rub: The House chose not to fully fund the governor’s $17 million childcare plan. Instead, it appropriated a paltry $3 million. Adopting Shumlin’s own logic, which is disputed by low-income advocates: Aren’t the Reach Up caps doomed to failure without the full childcare subsidy increase? “The way the House bill passed is very problematic, but that’s a third of the process,” Racine said this week, arguing that the Senate and governor could yet win

”

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localmatters

Lawmakers Look to Crack Down on “Current-Use” Abuse b y KAThRy n FL Ag g

SEVENDAYSVt.com 04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS 14 LOCAL MATTERS

MATT MignAnELLi

s the state’s “current-use” program a tax break for rich property owners or a crucial safeguard to prevent Vermont from becoming one big subdivision? It depends on who is assessing the state program that reduces taxes for some landowners of ag and forestlands by an average 88 percent. But many Vermonters agree it’s due for an update, and that’s the goal behind H.329, a House bill passed last Friday that is now en route to the Senate. Enacted in 1978, current use — formally known as use value appraisal — gives property owners lucrative tax breaks to keep land undeveloped. As its name implies, eligible landowners using property for agriculture or forestry are taxed on the value of their land as it’s currently being used, rather than the much higher potential value if the land were to be developed. Critics complain that developers can game the system to reap short-term tax benefits and develop land later on, and there’s little oversight once a landowner is enrolled in the program. They also note the policy is costly — the state is obligated to reimburse towns a total of $13.3 million in lost municipal tax revenues for tax year 2012 — and that average taxpayers are paying for it. The price tag for current use has increased 8 percent per year, on average, over the past decade. Supporters such as Rep. Alison Clarkson (D-Woodstock) call current use the most important conservation program in Vermont. More than a third of the state’s land is enrolled in the program — more than 1.7 million acres of forestland and 550,000 acres of farmland. “If it had been taxed on its market value and not its use value, we would not have the same landscape that we have today, because the economic pressures would have driven them all into subdivisions and development,” says Clarkson, the lead sponsor of H.329. But as it stands now, the penalties are so low that would-be developers can enroll in current use, enjoy the resulting tax breaks and still come out ahead when they turn around and subdivide or develop their land. In some cases the break-even point on that equation is less than a year. Critics call the practice “parking” land in current use.

Clarkson’s bill proposes a tiered system of penalties. The penalties would be higher than they are now in most cases, but the system would also reward landowners with lower penalties the longer they keep their land undeveloped. “Even people who don’t like current use should be pleased about this,” Clarkson says, “because it’s more money coming back to taxpayers.” H.329 marks the third attempt to reform the current use program in recent years. Thengovernor Jim Douglas vetoed a bill in 2010 that would have increased penalties, and a second attempt subsequently stalled out for a year and a half in the Senate Finance Committee. Indeed, plenty of Vermonters dislike current use. Some are upset that there’s no income sensitivity in the program, meaning wealthy landowners who could afford to pay higher taxes benefit from generous breaks. Others complain about landowners who enjoy the tax reduction while simultaneously posting their land to prohibit hunting and recreation. “Then we can’t even use the land,

which many times has been used for decades,” says Mary O’Brien, a selectboard member in Hartland. “People who don’t understand or respect that tradition have the money to buy huge tracts of land and use the rest of us to pay their share.” Current use was a hot topic on Town Meeting Day in Hartland last month. Every year, the town publishes an annual report with a list of property owners who are enrolled in the program; in a small town like Hartland, the list always generates a lot of interest. Hartland lister Pat Rosson says she’s concerned about the potential for fraud or abuse. When the self-described “flatlander” moved to Vermont 27 years ago, an adjoining property owner had 30 acres of farmland enrolled in current use. “They were having it brush-hogged,” says Rosson. “That’s not ag to me. Miss busy-body here called the state, and they said they don’t have the time to go out and check on everybody.” Bill Johnson, the director of property

valuation and review at the Vermont Department of Taxes, concedes that while forestland enrolled in the program should meet a rigorous forest management plan, the ag side of current use is largely conducted in “good faith.” “We only have three people doing this,” he says, referring to the small staff in the current-use division, “and they can’t go running around looking at millions of acres.” Reading from her list, Hartland’s Rosson ticks off a couple of large properties receiving equally large discounts, including a $960,200 reduction in property value assessment for Cobb Hill Cohousing. Another property owner — VTel CEO and president Michel Guité — has 160 acres enrolled in the program; working with Cornell and the University of Vermont, he’s planting new, high-sugarcontent maple saplings for a sugarbush. That lowered the taxable value of his land, which does not include any buildings, by $707,400. His annual property tax bill comes to roughly $530, according to a December 2011 report in the Valley News. O’Brien, who raises sheep and chickens on 10 acres in Hartland, feels that’s deeply unfair. Her property is too small to enroll in current use, which typically requires a minimum 25 acres to join. Her property tax bill is $9000 a year — 17 times as much as a landowner with roughly 16 times the amount of land. “The disparity, the gap, between that $530 and my taxes — it’s so vast of a gulf, it’s impossible to ignore anymore,” says O’Brien. “And there’s no end in sight for me. We can’t afford to buy another 15 acres of land and throw our land in current use.” Guité says that his agricultural endeavors — which also include planting historic orchards modeled after the varieties favored by Thomas Jefferson — qualify him for the program. “I don’t know if it’s fair or not, but that’s just the way it works,” he says. “There’s nothing that is different from my property than the other, say, 1000 farms in Vermont. … It’s only equitable that they should be treated all alike.” All told, more than 13,000 acres in Hartland are enrolled in the program, resulting in a nearly $41.2 million reduction in the town’s grand list and $793,657

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The pressure on people’s lands To subdivide, To converT To non-foresTs,

is really staggering, and it’s growing

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subdivide, to convert to non-forests, is really staggering, and it’s growing,” says Snyder. “If you like how Vermont looks and functions and feels, it’s largely because we’re a forest state now.” That Vermont retains its forests, he says, is thanks in large part to current use. Put Blodgett, the president of the board of the Vermont Woodlands Association, agrees. “If land is taxed at development value, that’s what it will become,” he says. Current use’s biggest proponents — and there are many — argue that there are too many rumors about the program. The perception that rich, out-of-state landowners are tapping into the tax break is, they say, a misperception. Full-time Vermonters own 76 percent of the land enrolled in current use. That’s according to the Current Use Tax Coalition, a diverse team of advocates for the program representing conservationists, SnydER sportsmen, foresters and farmers. Still, even many current-use supporters agree it’s time for some changes. Tom Vickery, who has worked as a lister and reappraiser in Stowe and Waterbury for more than 40 years, was a huge backer of the program in the 1970s. He’d seen firsthand the benefits of a tax stabilization program in Stowe that was a predecessor to current use, and Vickery was active in getting the original current-use law passed. Years later, the state “watered down” the penalties associated with removing land from current-use — a decision that Vickery says made “a shambles” of the program. He and many other listers in the state were disappointed in the results. “What we were seeing was people coming in to avoid taxes, not for the preservation and conservation we saw originally with the program,” he says. “We thought people were beginning to game the system.” Now he’s holding out hope that tougher penalties might fix that problem. “I look at this as being a second generation of the current-use program,” Vickery says. “Let’s start fresh.” m

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in tax savings for enrolled landowners. And it’s not even at the top of the list: With 29,000 acres in current use, Fairfield earns that distinction. Cambridge and Averill are right up there, too. Meanwhile, the greatest tax savings are found, predictably, in towns with higher property values: Stowe, Pomfret and Woodstock, where participants in the program avoided, respectively, $1.33 million, $1.32 million and $1.26 million in total tax payments in 2012. “Everybody says, ‘Well, the state reimburses you,’” says Rosson, referring to a provision in the program under which the state pays towns for the difference in their municipal taxes. Her retort? “Where does the state money come from?” Johnson backs up Rosson’s assessment: “Everybody in the state is paying for the program, through one form of taxes or another.” Proponents, meanwhile, argue that the MiChAEL tax policy has economic value that outweighs its cost. In 2007, a current- use task force estimated that the economic payback of leaving land undeveloped — looking at everything from specialty foods to tourism — was more than $4 billion. “People don’t get how essential it is to the economy and the working lands they value so much,” says Clarkson. In a perfect world, she said, bottles of maple syrup and other Vermont goods would come plastered with a label akin to “Made Possible by Current Use.” Forests, Parks & Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder is among those who rave about current use; he objects to the characterization of currentuse as a “tax break” and instead terms it a tax fairness program. In his previous work as a county forester, he heard from landowners who said that were it not for current use, they couldn’t afford to retain ownership of their forestlands. While some are ideologically opposed to it — “There were many who said, ‘I’d never enroll in that welfare program,’” he recalls — many more depended upon it. Nearly half of all eligible parcels in the state are enrolled in current use. “The pressure on people’s lands to

localmatters

Will Burlington Ever Say No to Its Burgeoning School Budget?

b y KEv i n J . K ELLE y

SEVENDAYSVt.com 04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS 16 LOCAL MATTERS

OLivER pARini

n Town Meeting Day, Williston voters rejected a school budget that would have raised property taxes by 7 percent, with the “no” vote reportedly in response to a district plan to provide every fifth and sixth grader with an iPad. Voters in Milton and Colchester also defeated school budgets, sending school leaders back to the drawing board. In all, 16 Vermont communities voted “no” on school spending increases on March 5 — a tiny percentage of the state’s 270 districts but four times as many as turned down school budgets last year. Burlington voters, meanwhile, approved a fiscal 2014 school budget that hikes spending by 5.3 percent and local education property taxes by an estimated 6.2 percent. That’s slightly higher than statewide averages, but in recent years Burlington’s school tax increases have outpaced rates for Vermont as a whole, as well as vastly exceeding the overall U.S. inflation rate. Local education taxes in the Queen City have soared by 40 percent since 2009, while the consumer price index nudged upward by 9 percent during the same period. Year after year, Queen City voters approve increases to the portion of the local property tax that funds the schools. Usually, the margin isn’t even close. This year’s school budget ballot item was approved by 57 percent of voters, while last year’s drew a “yes” vote of nearly 55 percent. “It’s remarkable that we continue to approve school budgets, especially without adequate communication from the district about what we’re getting for our money,” observes Kyle Dodson, a writein candidate who fell three votes short of unseating school board chairman Keith Pillsbury on March 5. A former school principal in Boston who now works as director of the Champlain College Center for Service and Civic Engagement, Dodson warns that the current spending trajectory is “not sustainable.” “In 2013,” he says, “everything involving public finances has to be looked at more prudently, more thoughtfully.” The Burlington school district’s budget for the coming fiscal year is close to $63 million — $6 million less than the combined total expenditures of all the other city departments. The biggest chunk of school spending — 75 percent

Edmunds School in Burlington

— goes to teacher salaries and benefits; health care premiums for school district employees have been rising by about 10 percent a year. Special education is also a big budget item, costing about $13 million — although special-ed spending accounts for a smaller percentage of Burlington’s school budget than it does in most other districts in Vermont. Burlington has the highest rate of per-pupil spending in Chittenden County according to the simplest calculation: total expenditures divided by the number of full-time students

being educated in the district. But Superintendent Jeanne Collins notes that after factoring in the relative costs of educating disadvantaged students and English language learners, the city’s perpupil investment is average compared to those of seven other Chittenden County school systems. This comparison, which also shows Burlington’s spending to be slightly below the statewide average, is the measurement included in the district’s annual report. Burlington voters have supported the city’s investment in its pupils, says

Alan Matson, the school board’s leading finance expert, noting the district has “maintained a solid base of political capital” in consistently winning budget approvals. “But it could erode quickly,” he adds, noting the heavy tax burden is borne by a small minority of Burlington residents. “It’s not equitable, the way it’s shared now,” Matson says. More than half of Burlington households are renters, and tenants generally don’t connect school-tax increases to rising rents. In addition, almost a quarter of Burlington’s 9371 leased residential units qualified for rent rebates last year under a state program for households with annual incomes below $47,000 — further insulating some renters from the effects of property-tax hikes. Among Burlington’s 6980 owneroccupied homes, more than half are eligible for reductions in their school property taxes based on income qualifications. That leaves about 3000 of the city’s 16,350 households absorbing the full and direct impact of school-tax increases. Owners of a home valued at $308,500 will pay $396 more schooltaxes this year than last — for a grand total of $4412. In the New North End, where the home ownership rate is high, voters always say no to the school budget, even though many have children in city schools. In the renter-heavy Old North End, voters always approve school budgets, often by margins better than 3-1. “It’s inevitably going to get to the point where homeowners start leaving Burlington because they can’t afford the taxes,” predicts City Councilor Paul Decelles, a Republican from Ward 7, which largely encompasses the New North End. Town Meeting Day results might be different, he suggests, if landlords educated tenants about the connection between rent hikes and school tax increases. Decelles, whose daughter is a fourthgrader at C.P. Smith Elementary School, voted against the school budget last month, partly because “it isn’t fair to a lot of homeowners.” He adds that his daughter is getting “a good education” from teachers whose pay rates he does not view as excessive. Starting salaries for Burlington teachers — $38,740 for the current school year — are the third

Got A NEWS tIP? news@sevendaysvt.com lowest in Chittenden County, after Milton and Winooski. Decelles and other critics suggest savings could be found outside the classroom — for example, from the district’s plan to provide laptops or tablet computers to middle and high school students and their teachers at a projected annual cost of $1.1 million. Starting in sixth grade, every Burlington pupil is scheduled to get a computer over the next three or four years, regardless of his or her ability to pay. Could Burlington ever see a schooltax revolt? It would not be unprecedented. In 2002, Queen City voters spurned school spending plans on three separate occasions, with the budget finally prevailing on a fourth vote. The main cause for resistance was disgruntlement over state school-funding formulas that were subsequently adjusted to ensure more equity for Burlington, Pillsbury notes. The unpopularity of then-superintendent Donna Jemilo also played a part in the repeated budget defeats, Pillsbury adds. Today, there is no organized opposition to Burlington school tax increases, regardless of their size. That’s mystifying to Ben

Truman, a school board member for Ward 4 and longtime Democrat. “I can’t explain it,” Truman says, noting the city’s penchant for activism and civic engagement. “Burlingtonians aren’t generally shy about sharing their political opinions.” Truman himself says he has “no stomach for another large tax increase next year.” The father of two Burlingtoneducated children says, “We’ve got to hold the line.”

“They make opponents appear antichild,” he adds. “And there’s also a feeling that the school district will always get what it wants eventually. They’ll just wear you down.” Reluctance to speak out against school budgets may also stem from fears related to recent controversies involving race relations among students and teachers. Potential critics may worry that they will be accused of racism if they oppose

LocaL education taxes in the Queen city have soared by 40 percent since 2009, while the consumer price index nudged upward by 9 percent during the same period.

Greg Roy, a New North End homeowner who often speaks out against school spending proposals at neighborhood meetings, suggests, “It’s taboo in Burlington to oppose the school budget.” Proponents of higher spending routinely argue, “It’s for the kids,” Roy says.

school spending in a district with minority enrollment of 30 percent. The wording of the annual referenda on school budgets also does not inform Burlington voters how much their taxes will increase if of “yes” side prevails. The ballot item simply asks whether a listed

NEW ARRIVALS

dollar amount of spending should be approved. School officials say the budget increases are not profligate and are caused in part by the need to compensate for drops in federal, state and city funds. The district is facing another $265,000 reduction from the federal cuts known as sequestration, Pillsbury notes. Even Burlington Telecom is driving up school costs. The district will pay $723,065 in interest in the coming fiscal year on $2.3 million in debt service for bonds for capital improvements. That’s $120,156 more in interest payments than a year ago, due in part to the downgrade in the city’s credit rating caused by the BT bust-up. But school officials say some of the biggest drivers of spending increases are costs associated with Burlington’s high number of low-income students and non-native English speakers, along with an overall increase in the number of students. Unlike almost every other school district in Vermont, Burlington has been experiencing an upsurge in student enrollment. It’s risen 9.3 percent in the past SChOOL budgET

» p.19

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localmatters

Back to Black: How Municipalities Recover After They’ve Been Embezzled

b y KEn Pi CA R d

SEVENDAYSVt.com 04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS 18 LOCAL MATTERS

ThOMAS jAMES

ast month, former Algiers Fire District treasurer Sherry Roebuck of Guilford started an 18-month sentence in a federal prison for stealing more than $80,000 from her municipal employer. The prison term is only a part of Roebuck’s punishment. After her release, she’ll be on the hook for nearly $83,000 in restitution for her crimes. The extra $3000 covers legal fees and other related expenses. Assuming the 52-year-old felon manages to pay it back, the money won’t go to the Algiers Fire District, which has already been reimbursed. It’ll go to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, which insures the town of Guilford against crime and covered all of its losses. Vermont law requires that every municipality be insured for criminal and financial malfeasance. A recent rash of embezzlements precipitated the law’s expansion last year to cover any municipal official who receives or disperses funds. VLCT now insures about 95 percent of Vermont’s 330 cities, towns and other municipal entities, including water, fire and solid-waste districts, against everything from snow plow accidents to worker’s compensation claims to wrongful death suits filed after police shootings. In the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, VLCT shelled out more than $10 million to fix flood-damaged municipal infrastructure. In the last few years, a spike in financial fraud has forced the nonprofit to pay out substantial claims. Since 2003, the league’s self-insurance plan has had 14 claims for financial mismanagement totaling $1.7 million, according to Ken Canning, VLCT’s director of risk management services. Of that, VLCT paid out $1.3 million to its member organizations for losses due to embezzlement or bookkeeping blunders that cost municipalities hundreds of thousands of dollars. “We’re designed to take hits like this,” Canning says, just one year after Vermont topped a national list of worst states for white-collar fraud. He insists the League’s insurance funds are on solid financial footing. “We don’t like it, but that’s what we’re here for.” Like auto insurance, what a municipality pays for insurance is based on a complex formula that accounts for its population and claims history. Those

with good “driving records” — i.e., few or no claims — are rewarded with lower premiums, while others, like the Hardwick Electric Department, are punished with higher premiums. In 2011, the publicly owned utility suffered the largest public embezzlement in Vermont history when former office manager Joyce Bellavance pled guilty to bilking the utility out of $1.6 million. In 2010, before Bellavance’s crime was discovered, Hardwick Electric paid $817 a year for its crime coverage; today, the utility is paying $1654. Though its insurance cost doubled, Canning notes that it’s still “pretty low” relative to its coverage. Member-owned VLCT won’t raise premiums on its members by more than 15 percent a year for a single claim, even when a major loss occurs, to help “take the sting out of it,” he says.

But there’s another kind of sting for Hardwick residents. The VLCT only covers up to $500,000 in criminal damages. Losses that exceed that amount fall on the municipal entity and its taxpayers. Even when towns are fully covered for their losses, it can take years before that hefty check arrives. Technically, Bellevance still owes her former employer another $1.1 million. In February, her husband agreed to move out of the house and leave behind valuables to help compensate the town for his wife’s thievery, according to an Associated Press report. U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin estimated the house and its contents are worth about $750,000. Assuming it sells for that, Hardwick is still short $350,000 — and it’ll be a while before Bellevance starts paying restitution to the town and VLCT.

Assuming she makes good on the $1.1 million, Canning notes, “We’re next in line. But we’re not holding our breath.” The sum total of the Bellavance fraud is staggering. But at least its value has been established; when VLCT members are victimized, they have to account for every dollar taken, typically by conducting a forensic audit that can cost tens of thousands of dollars — an expense that’s not covered by insurance. In April 2011, Donald Hewitt, former treasurer of the tiny town of Ira, pled guilty to wire fraud for writing checks to himself and misappropriating property tax funds from the 1990s through 2009, when his scheme was finally discovered. VLCT reimbursed the town of Ira for $350,000, which, according to Canning, represented the actual money that Hewitt stole, as revealed by a forensic audit. However, Canning says that because Hewitt’s scheme was “kind of like a shell game,” in which he moved funds from one municipal account to another, the town now claims its actual losses exceeded the $350,000 VLCT paid out. As a result, the town has filed a lawsuit against VLCT, claiming losses in excess of $500,000. Ira town officials declined to comment due to the pending litigation. Similarly, former town clerk Suzanne LaBombard stole more than $100,000 from Isle La Motte between 2001 to 2006. But the town’s books were in such poor shape, Canning says the town couldn’t tell how much was stolen. Fortunately for Isle La Motte residents, LaBombard and her father paid back 100 percent of the documented losses. What do these crimes have in common? Far from being sophisticated confidence schemes, Canning says every town offered easy access to embezzlers. In Guilford’s case, town administrator Katie Buckley describes the fraud as “so simple a kid could do it.” Like most victimized municipalities, the all-volunteer Algiers Fire District didn’t segregate its financial duties. The embezzler controlled the mail, bank statements, deposits, withdrawals and checks. And, like other recent fraud cases, Roebuck got caught because someone finally asked to see the books. “It doesn’t take a lot of education to look down and see checks written out of

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sequence, vendors not approved by the since taken over all of the fire district’s town or the treasurer is on direct de- bookkeeping duties. posit,” says Canning. “As Harder to fix is the we like to say, trust is not psychological damage to an internal control.” the town. Though one might “It was a harsh realassume that towns sudity slap,” Buckley says. denly experience a huge “The biggest impact was windfall once VLCT cuts the feeling on the comthem a check, that wasn’t KE n CAnning, VLC T munity because it’s one the case in Guilford. of your neighbors who Once the town got its stole from you ... That’s a hard pill to money back, Buckley says it was immediately deposited back into the fire swallow, and there’s no dollar sign that district’s bank account. The town has corrects that.” m

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decade, while statewide enrollment has fallen 11.3 percent. That’s partially attributable to an influx of immigrants; about 14 percent of the city’s 3632 pupils take part in English language learning programs, compared to fewer than 2 percent in the state as a whole. Moreover, half of Burlington students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, compared to 40 percent of students statewide. The challenges presented by a high poverty rate and a sizable number of non-English speakers help explain the Burlington district’s lagging performance in school test scores. Last year, 31 percent of students in grades three through eight were rated less than proficient as readers, while 40 percent were given the same rating for math. The respective numbers for the state as a whole were 27 percent and 34 percent. Superintendent Collins defends the schools’ record on educating disadvantaged students and those from non-English speaking countries. “The results for students who have been in our schools for two or three years — as opposed to having just enrolled — have been excellent,” Collins says. She argues the computer giveaway is essential to prepare Burlington’s diverse student population for the 21st century workplace. But Collins agrees with Matson that school-tax increases are not shared equally in Burlington. She blames the state for failing to fund education at levels promised several years ago when tax formulas were changed in order to ensure that students in poorer communities would have the same educational opportunities as those in wealthy “gold towns.”

“I don’t think the burden should be on local taxpayers because Burlington opens its doors to embrace those in need,” Collins says. Pillsbury says the district is lobbying for increased funding from the state to help Burlington pay the additional costs of educating English language learners, the annual cost of which schools budget specialist David Larcombe puts at $2.4 million for the coming fiscal year — $200,000 more than for the current year. Pillsbury says the city’s school board can also save by consolidating services. The school board itself has failed to act as an effective watchdog in recent years, admits Pillsbury, a 66-year-old retired teacher who was first elected to the board in 1987. He says the district’s previous finance chief “didn’t have the skills to do the job, or he didn’t provide us with what we needed to know about how the money was being spent.” The situation has improved with the hiring of Larcombe as the district’s budget specialist last October. The new number cruncher is getting updated finance software, too, Pillsbury adds. Inadequate oversight on the part of the all-volunteer school board may reflect a general lack of interest in the schools on the part of Burlington residents. Elections for school board seats are seldom contested, and participation is often below 20 percent of eligible voters. “The number of people paying attention to the schools is small,” Dodson says. “There’s no sense of this being an urgent issue — as urgent as health care. It’s also the case that the district doesn’t tell a very compelling story about what it’s doing for our kids.” m

2/25/13 12:22 PM

Feedback « p.7 there has never been a population of 9 billion people, and there will be in 40 years. Why, as we seem to be headed toward increasing drought, wouldn’t we want crops that grow with less water, or better yet, salt water? Why wouldn’t we want crops that produce more on less land, to save what is left of the planet’s wilderness? Instead, “progressives” look back to a golden age that never existed and demonize scientists who work in agriculture. Everyone remembers Marie Antoinette’s apocryphal quote “A bread shortage? Let them eat cake.” The sentiment of the anti-GM movement seems to be: “Humanity is facing water shortages, erosion and expensive grain? Let them eat more kale grown organically at their local CSA farm.” Peter Du Brul

spend my money someplace that will turn that money into ads against my family. We still live in a society where our earnings are lowered and where many of us pay out of pocket for insurance for our spouses because the Defense of Marriage Act allows state-sanctioned discrimination against us. We still live in a society where we need hate-crime legislation to help protect us, where our LGBTQ youth are bullied and our LGBTQ elders live in fear of abuse. Surely we can find a better option than the Wildflower Inn to represent our definition of “family friendly.” Vermont, we can do better. Kim Fountain

Milton

Fountain is executive director of the RU12? Community Center; Wildflower was a runner-up in the About.com competition.

chANgE AgENt

[Re WTF: “Why don’t CCTA buses give change?” February 13]: While I respect and, at various points, have shared Andy Bromage’s frustration over the fact that buses do not dispense change, there’s a very simple solution to this problem. Bus drivers and fellow passengers are generally pretty accommodating, even on shorter bus rides with lower fares. So if you don’t have exact change, find someone else paying with cash, get change from them and pay for two fares together. Or simply tell the driver that you don’t have exact change before you put money in the machine — they’ll sometimes have a reserve of ones or will give you change if a passenger gets on later and pays with cash. Ask and ye shall receive. Emma moros

barre

charlotte

‘RESPEct oF guNS’

Full oF BoAR tAxED ENough

[Re Facing Facts, March 6]: Apparently Seven Days is in favor of the Vermont Beverage Tax. Well, I’m not! At a penny an ounce, this tax is not going to break me. Truth be told, I drink very little of the targeted beverages. It’s the principle of the thing. Governments need to stop their insatiable inclination to tax us — Montpelier, are you listening? This is a great place to start. I am not a member of, nor do I have any affiliation with, the Tea Party, but we are damn sure taxed enough already, sugar Nazis: Please stand down! Bob Recupero ferrisburgh

[Re “By Dodging the Law, a Captive Hunting Park in Fairlee Could Become a Disease Destination,” March 6]: Andy Bromage’s article on captive hunting parks failed to mention that wild boar — aka black swine, wild hog, feral pig, razorback and piney-woods rooters — also pose a major threat to Vermont not related to chronic wasting disease. These less-thanattractive beasts are yet another invasive “exotic” species with no known predators in the U.S. Their extremely destructive behavior is a major problem, and there are established populations in 38 states, including New York, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

20 feedback

SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13-04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVt.com

INN’S out

Yesterday, a friend sent me an article about the Wildflower Inn’s potential to be voted “favorite New England family resort” on About.com, the very inn that paid to settle a lawsuit when they refused to host Ming and Kate Linsley’s wedding reception [Off Message, “Wildflower Inn Up for Family-Friendly Award — Lawsuit and All,” March 4]. They are defended by people who want to separate out the personal opinions of the owners from their desire to run their business, even though the owners do not do so themselves. I care deeply about Vermont businesses. I want them to thrive and help keep Vermont a great place to live. What I do not understand is, given all the inns in Vermont, why anyone would vote for one that so meanly defines “family?” The Wildflower Inn owners claim, as the article stated, “We treat them all, everybody, the same.” After the lawsuit, they appeared in a television ad opposing marriage equality. I do not trust that I would feel comfortable sleeping and eating at a place where the owners went to so much trouble to let the public know they do not approve of my family. I would not want to

Vermont F&W Wildlife division director Mark Scott writes about this problem in his article in the Agency of Natural Resources’ newsletter, Ripples. It’s the fourth or fifth article down the page. Check out the video, “A Pickup Load of Pigs: The Feral Swine Pandemic (Trailer).” Do we really want “Aporkalypse Now” in Vermont? It’s time to exterminate the remaining stock in these Dick Cheneystyle captive hunting parks in Vermont and close them up for good. After all, most Vermont hunters don’t require that their prey be in cages, because they lack Mr. Cheney’s aiming handicap. Steven Farnham

plainfield

Andy Bromage could have said some things differently and more on others [Fair Game, February 27]. How many of the six deaths in two years were perpetrated by police and how many were accidental? Vermont’s “school shooting” wasn’t about school, so use of this term isn’t justified and is misleading. A mandatory safety course would not have protected those that have been killed by guns; police have the most comprehensive weapons training, yet they routinely shoot humans and pets. Mandatory mental health reporting will deter those who would seek help — returning veterans come to mind. Police handling of mentally confused folks has proven fatal and injurious, and mandatory reporting would put them in danger. Who are the legislators that cosponsored H124, with Linda Waite-Simpson? Sen. John Rodgers cites Hitler’s gun program as reason to fear gun registration. Can anyone argue with that? Government tells Americans to eat cake — on every issue! I’ve been to health care, transportation, wildlife, pre-Act 60 and agriculture hearings, and Vermonters are ignored, over and over. Governors Dean, Douglas, Shumlin and representatives Gaye Symington and Shap Smith refused to hold legal hearings on unconstitutional wars. Welch, Sanders and Leahy give lip service to the issue. Pro-gun advocates should promote gun locks, store ammunition separately from guns, prevent children from accessing violent videos and television, and teach absolute respect of guns. laura Brueckner

Waterbury center

RAPIStS’ RIghtS?

Anyone who believes women’s rights have even begun to progress to an acceptable level must certainly become disabused of the notion after reading your article, “Vermont Law Allows Rapists Parental Rights; a Pair of Bills Would Change That”

[March 6]. The details of your story can be summed up to its pathetic conclusion: We are still in the Stone Age as far as the rights of women — and in this case, children — are concerned. The idea that men who assault and rape women have any kind of entitlements as a result of their acts is ludicrous and archaic to a sickening degree. I’m pretty sure every rapist’s final thoughts at the moment the unwanted sperm is forced to its destination is not, “Wow! This is my chance to become an exemplary father!” Thanks to Representative Kesha Ram and the other 44 cosponsors of the bill to end visitation and custody rights of rapists. Stephanie calanthe Victoria

Monkton

RAPE lAw IS moRE comPlIcAtED

The proposed legislation described in [“Vermont Law Allows Rapists Parental Rights; a Pair of Bills Would Change That,” March 6] is a misguided “solution” to a very real problem. While both the legal community and the general public has become much more sensitive to the rights of women victims of rape, this kind of legislation ignores the complexities of this issue. There may be a variety of reasons a woman would choose to bear a child of rape, including moral strictures against abortion, but the fact that a woman carries and gives birth to the offspring of an alleged forcible rape raises legitimate questions about motives. There have been many studies of false rape accusations over the years, with widely divergent outcomes. In a 1994 study at two large Midwestern state universities, of the 50 percent of accusers who fabricated the rape, more than half did so to serve as a cover story or alibi, following consensual sex with an acquaintance that led to some sort of problem for the accuser, such as contracting a sexually transmitted disease or becoming pregnant. The next most common reason was revenge, rage or retribution. A 1985 Air Force study also found that spite or revenge and the need to compensate for a sense of personal failure were the primary motives for the 27 percent of rape reports determined to be false. Vermont Senator Peg Flory, who practices family law, questions the standard of “clear and convincing evidence” of rape, which is much lower than the standard for conviction. Such a low bar can make it too easy for a woman to demand child support without granting paternal visitation rights, even in highly questionable cases of partner, acquaintance or date rape, which are already so loosely defined that the law virtually sanctions female victimization of men. If a woman truly wants no interaction with her alleged rapist, why would she bear his baby? Robert Riversong

Warren

drawn+paneled

Novel graphics from the Center for Cartoon Studies

SEVENDAYSvt.com 04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS

Dan Rinylo lives in White River Junction, where he attends the Center for Cartoon

ART 21

Studies. He does not have a dog, but someday he will and they will be best friends. You can check out more of his work at drinylo.com

Drawn & Paneled is a collaboration between Seven Days and the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, featuring works by past and present students. These pages are archived at sevendaysvt.com/center-for-cartoon-studies. For more info, visit CCS online at cartoonstudies.org.

stateof thearts Stranger Than Invention: Composer Phil Kline and Filmmaker Jim Jarmusch Take on Tesla B y PA mEl A PO lST On COuRTESy OF HOPkinS CEnTER

nlike his colleague and rival, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla ended his days on this Earth poor and mentally unstable, despite having invented electrical alternating-current distribution and the radio. Edison, who invented the light bulb, the phonograph and the motion-picture camera, achieved household-name status — that name lives on in New York City’s energy company, Consolidated Edison, aka Con Ed. But in the 21st century, it’s Tesla (1856-1943) who has acquired a romanticized, near-cult status. Why? “He seems to symbolize the individual to the extreme, even in the way he worked,” suggests Phil Kline, a new-music composer whose opera, Tesla in New York, is being presented as a work-in-progress this weekend at the Hopkins Center. “His competitors farmed out work and had a team. Tesla always worked alone. His reputation is so complicated,” Kline adds, “it’s daunting.” It’s also filled with colorful notions, such as Tesla’s ambition to send power through the air. If only he’d lived to experience Wi-Fi. Speaking on the phone from his home in New York, Kline says the idea of a work based on the troubled Serbian American visionary emerged about five years ago, when he was talking with his longtime friend, filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, about collaborating on a musical project. With a number of varied compositional achievements to his credit, Kline now just wants “to write song cycles and theatrical

22 STATE OF THE ARTS

Phil Kline

productions,” he says. Jarmusch told him he’d always wanted to do something about Nikola Tesla. Kline and Jarmusch go way back — to sixth grade in Akron, Ohio. When the two moved to New York as young men, they played together in a rock band, the DelByzanteens. Kline evolved toward writing contemporary/experimental music, while Jarmusch shifted to filmmaking. The auteur, something of a cult figure himself, is best known for such indie hits as Down By Law, Stranger Than Paradise, Mystery Train and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. “Our project has been on and off because of Jim’s film career,” Kline says, and notes that Jarmusch is currently finishing up a new one. Kline has not been sitting on his thumbs, either; his website lists 14

works created over the past five years. Periodically, the two friends — who both own homes in upstate New York — would work together on a script for Tesla, plotting out a few scenes. “He worked more on book, not libretto,” Kline says. “We didn’t want to be too detail oriented — [the opera] has to be driven by character and emotion.” Eventually, Kline drafted a synopsis on his own, getting feedback from Jarmusch in “a flurry of messages.” Kline says the libretto, now about 45 minutes long, is “halfway done.” Hence the work-in-progress that audiences will see this Friday and Saturday — sections of six scenes, Kline explains. For help with staging, he consulted with New York City-based Phantom Limb Company, known for its work with marionettes and multimedia theatrical productions. The

Tesla in New York, a work-in-progress by director Jim Jarmusch, composer Phil kline and visual designers Phantom limb; featuring the American Contemporary music Ensemble. Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6, 8 p.m., at moore Theater, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, n.H. $13-25. info, 603-646-2422. Pre-show Talk: “Ambition and invention in the Gilded Age”; associate professor of history leslie Butler discusses the cultural world of turn-of-the-century new york City. Friday, April 5, 7 p.m, Wilson Hall, Room 219, Dartmouth College. Free. info, 603-646-2010. Tesla TechFair, with a panel discussion about the mark Tesla’s inventions left on modern society. Thursday, April 4, 4 p.m., at Spanos Auditorium, Great Hall, Thayer School. Free. info, 603-646-2010.

An Upper Valley Micro-Press Has Global Reach in the Poetry World B y Juli A SHi Pl Ey COuRTESy OF PETER mOnEy

SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13-04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVt.com

OPERA

staging at the Hop this week, however, will be spare, consisting of opera scenes and what Kline calls “interludes” — mostly instrumental music. Eventually a multilevel set will visually convey some of Tesla’s inventions, and Kline notes that Jarmusch is going to “make some little films.” The story, he adds, “is not a strict chronology.” The composer stresses that “the paint isn’t dry” on Tesla in New York, but he’s looking forward to audience reaction to the first half of the piece this week. For the rest of this invention, audiences will have to be patient. Says Kline: “We want to premiere it in late 2014.” m

oetry readers will recognize the names of New Directions Publishing in New York, Copper Canyon Press in Washington and City Lights Books in California — all longstanding small publishers that have had a huge impact on contemporary poetry. Now they have a counterpart growing steadily in Vermont: harbor MoUntain Press, based 100 miles inland in the river valley town of White River Junction. Despite the geographic anomaly of its name, Harbor Mountain — directed by Peter Money, a 49-year-old poet, teacher and Brownsville

resident — has persisted with the stability of a mountain, unaffected by the shifting sands of the publishing industry. Over the past seven years, Harbor Mountain has published a full shelf’s worth of books, almost exclusively poetry, by award-winning writers on both sides of the Atlantic. Money, himself an author of numerous published poetry collections, founded Harbor Mountain as a nonprofit in 2006 following the success of his literary magazine, Across Borders. He launched Harbor Mountain Press with an ambition to publish six poetry titles a year, each bearing a sumi-e brushed logo

BOOks

Peter Money

fusing two solacing landscapes inspired by Provincetown Harbor and Mt. Ascutney. Funded by individuals and foundations, including the Vermont Community Foundation, the Morel Family Fund, the Walker Foundation and the Byrne Foundation, the tiny nonprofit with a three-member board has since spawned nearly two dozen titles. They include works by poets from the Green and White Mountain states, such as LaUra Davies FoLey, Alice B. Fogel and robert nichoLs; as well those across the ocean, such as Mario Susko, Giuseppe Ungaretti and Ana Merino. Harbor Mountain’s 21st title, released this March,

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IN MEMORIAM: BRAD INGALLS, 1951-2013

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Seven Days was saddened to learn of the death last week of Bradford “Bear” Ingalls, 61. He was a kind, goodhearted and generous man with whom we had the pleasure of working on occasion. Ingalls had a long career as a technician in the entertainment industry, including at the FLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, and Bradford “Bear” Ing alls in television at VERMONT COMMUNITY ACCESS MEDIA (VCAM) in Burlington. He was a longstanding member of IATSE Stage Local 919, and served as president of that union until his passing. Ingalls leaves behind his wife, Julie, and daughters Katrina, Monika and Ava, as well as other family members and many friends. We invited his coworkers at VCAM to share their memorial announcement with our readers. Brad “Bear” Ingalls passed away on Wednesday, March 27, 2013, after a long illness. Bear was a VCAM employee for more than 12 years and spent many of them also serving on the VCAM board of directors. An active contributor to PEG communities both locally and nationally, he maintained an unflinching commitment to the principles of public-access television, always working to uphold the values of fairness and equal access for all participants. Bear was a firm believer in community building, and ceaselessly promoted the principles of civic engagement and government transparency. He was also a thoughtful and generous teacher, sharing his technical knowledge with countless community members over the years. Spanning many different capacities, his contributions to VCAM were immense, and the positive impact he had on our organization and our surrounding community will always carry on. To the members of the VCAM staff and board, Bear was a beloved coworker and a great friend. He will be missed tremendously by all of us.

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MEMORIAL SERVICES Visiting hours for Brad “Bear” Ingalls are Wednesday, April 3, 4 to 7 p.m., at Ready Funeral Home, 261 Shelburne Road in Burlington. A celebration of Bear’s life will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2 p.m., at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. For online condolences, visit readyfuneral.com. Contributions may be made in Bear’s memory to the Brad Ingalls Educational Fund, c/o IATSE Local 919, POB 951, Burlington, VT 05402. Funds will be used for scholarships and training in technical theater.

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STATE OF THE ARTS 23

FLYNN CENTER for the PERFORMING ARTS

Harbor Mountain Press books are available at harbormountainpress.org, as well as through the Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vt.; Shiretown Books and Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, Vt.; and Left Bank Books in Hanover, N.H.

SEVEN DAYS

intergenerational picture book, JAY MEAD’s A Little Farm Story, Money’s terra firma remains verse. “Old as it is, it’s the form that continues to be missing … these books go out as ambassadors for what wasn’t said enough before,” he says.

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is A Cage Within, by Cuban poet Wendy Guerra, translated by Dartmouth professor ELIZABETH POLLI. Last December, Money received Associated Press coverage for a translation project of his own: He helped render renowned Iraqi poet Saadi Youssef’s Arabic in English for Graywolf Press. Although his own press’ initial sixbooks-per-year momentum has waned, Money’s commitment to each book has not. Each of the handsome volumes continues to bring, as Money puts it, “a little bit of intensity” into the world. And, though Harbor Mountain has recently waded into prose with its first

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stateof thearts Cinderella Gets the “Wicked” Treatment at Middlebury’s New Play Festival By M E gAn JAM E S COuRTESy OF AndREw SMiTH

From “Undressing Cinderella”

ervant girl meets rich boy but cannot reveal her identity. Girl loses shoe, and boy. Boy finds shoe, then finds girl. Couple lives happily ever after. The tale of Cinderella, with its rags-to-riches transformation and all-important identifying shoe, goes back thousands of years and has roots in 47 different countries, according to Middlebury College visiting assistant professor of theater andrew smith. The earliest version is believed to have originated in ancient China, he says, before being passed over trade routes and finally hitting the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century. Then Disney in the 20th. Smith dove into the classic tale’s origin story when he decided to launch Middlebury College’s inaugural new play festival, titled “Undressing Cinderella,” which starts next Wednesday, April 10, at the college’s Wright Memorial Theatre. Fourteen new plays from playwrights around the country will be presented seven at a time, alternating over four nights, with current students playing each of the 66 roles. Each play tells a brand-new story focused on any of the existing characters in the tale — except Cinderella. Smith, a 1997 Middlebury grad, has been developing new plays for the last seven years through his New York Citybased Project Y Theatre Company. He

24 STATE OF THE ARTS

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returned to Middlebury last fall for a two-year teaching gig. Last September, Smith solicited scripts from MFA programs and playwriting organizations around the country, and ended up with 101 submissions. A team of students, faculty and staff sifted through the plays to find the best. “We received a lot of submissions that were very cute and sensitive and pristine, so we found ourselves being really attracted to some that were unexpectedly crude, in a good way,” Smith says. Why Cinderella? For one thing, there are quite a few more female than male students in the theater department. “I wanted to tackle something that had lots of roles for women,” Smith says. More importantly, Smith was drawn to the “universality” of the story. “Everyone knows Cinderella,” he says. But not everyone knows its history. In early versions, Cinderella’s mother dies and her heartbroken father vows never to marry again — until he starts noticing his attractive daughter. “The father starts pressing himself on the daughter,” Smith says. “It’s an incest-based story.” So Cinderella runs away, and goes into hiding as a servant girl. It was important to Smith to share these details in the prompt he gave writers, so they wouldn’t rely too much on Disney. “I know it worked, because we got a lot of really dark stuff,” he says. Some of the selected plays interpret the original story quite literally — the action all happens somewhere else on

STATEof THEarts the night of the ball, for example. Others take a whole new tack. In a play called “Stamps,” a modern-day mother and father — a settled-down Cinderella and her prince-turned-politician — are at a parent-teacher conference discussing their child, who has been acting out. Inspired by the Broadway show Wicked, which tells the backstory of the Wizard of Oz witches, Smith wanted to take a well-known play and “strip it down to something that

was underneath, maybe something we didn’t know was there,” he says. “Not only satisfying people’s expectations but also upending people’s expectations.” “Undressing Cinderella,” a new play festival. Wednesday through Saturday, April 10 to 13, 8 p.m., at Wright Memorial Theatre, Middlebury College. $6-12. A lunch and discussion will be held in the theater on Tuesday, April 8, 12:30 p.m. go.middlebury.edu/arts

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SHORT TAKES ON FILM: ITVFEST COMING TO VERMONT

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 @ 6:00 PM

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ITVFEST September 26 to 29 in Dover. Festival pass $79, gala pass $159, VIP pass $299. itvfest.com.

IMAGE: Christopher Makos, Andy Warhol in Drag, 1981 From Altered Image series. Gelatin-Silver Print, 11” x 14”. Fleming Museum Purchase with support from the Way Fund. 2010.3

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STATE OF THE ARTS 25

MONADNOCK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. Thursday, April 4, through Saturday, April 6, at various locations in Keene, N.H. $10 per film. Television Panel, Saturday, April 6, 1:30 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott, Keene, N.H. $45 Film Pass or $75 VIP Pass required to attend. More info at moniff.org.

SEVEN DAYS

Warhol scholar Jonathan Flatley, Associate Professor and Editor of Criticism, Wayne State University, speaks about Warhol’s engagement with race, and argues that Warhol’s Pop Art is fundamentally influenced by both the racist and civil rights politics of the early 1960s.

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Meanwhile, whet your appetite for star spotting at the new MONADNOCK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (MONiff) in Keene, N.H. The small fest hosts some notable guests, particularly at its Television Panel discussion on Saturday, which includes William Sanderson of “True Blood” and “Deadwood”; Matthew Gray Gubler of “Criminal Minds”; and Jessalyn Gilsig of “Vikings.” Documentarian Ken Burns will also show up to accept an award for his film The Central Park Five. This weekend in Keene, see E.B. Farnum and Spencer Reid in the flesh — and catch films such as War Witch, The Kings of Summer and Polluting Paradise.

Andy WArhol’s skin Problems

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Its celebrity panelists have included Andy Richter, Bob Odenkirk and staffers from shows such as “House” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” Indie TV and web-video creators who presented their work there have sold pilots and won development deals. It’s called the INDEPENDENT TELEVISION & FILM FESTIVAL, or ITVFEST, and this September it’s happening in Vermont. You heard that right. Now in its eighth year, the nonprofit ITVFest is moving from Los Angeles to Dover, Vt., where Philip Gilpin Jr. of Green Mountain Marketing Group has assumed its executive directorship. A friend of producer A.J. Tesler, who founded the fest, Gilpin has compared its Vermont incarnation to mountain-village festivals such as Sundance and Telluride. What distinguishes ITVFest from those events is its traditional focus on the small screen. But this year, feature film submissions are welcome, too. You can find submission guidelines at itvfest.com/submissions — and watch this space for news on the to-be-announced lineup.

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hackie

a vermont cabbie’s rear view bY jernigan pontiac

Taxi Light

“

hearts left and right. I’d bet the clubs look like a battlefield when you walk out.” “Is that what you think?” my seatmate said, laughing. “Seriously, how old do you think we are?” As it happened, this was a game in which I was well versed. I took a quick scan around the cab, put the group in their midthirties, subtracted seven years and replied, “Well, I’d say you girls couldn’t be much past your late twenties.” “Oh, aren’t you sweet?” came a voice from the backseat. “We are all 36. Wait, Brenda — you actually turned 37, right?” Brenda, my seatmate, pivoted to face the

divorced and really want to have a baby and that’s probably never going to happen — I mean, other than that, I’m just great.” “Now, why on earth would you say that? Thirty-six isn’t that old, and you’re a goodlooking woman, and you seem like a good person. What makes you think it’s too late to start your own family?” “Well, first I have to, like, meet someone, right? It would have to be some guy in his twenties, because all the men in their thirties are already hooked up. At least, like, the decent ones.” “Yeah, I can see what you mean,” I said. “But look at it this way: It’s not as if you

ExcEpt for thE fact that I’m dIvorcEd and rEally want to havE a baby and that’s probably nEvEr goIng to happEn — I mean, other than that, I’m just great. back. Dripping with mock umbrage, she said, “Let’s stick with 36, OK? That works for me.” We made a stop in the Mayfair Park neighborhood, where Brenda and one of her two friends were getting out. As she left the cab, Brenda joked, “Mr. Cabbie, get our girl here, Darlene, home safe and sound or we will hunt you down and kill you.” I assured her that wouldn’t be necessary, and continued on with Darlene — the last of the threesome, and the one who had yet to say a word to me beyond her address — to her home in the Lamplite Acres development off North Brownell Road. The first peep out of her was a pronounced sigh. “How you doing back there?” I asked. “Well, except for the fact that I’m

need to find, like, 20 guys — you need to meet just the one. One guy who really gets you and appreciates you and wants to make a life together. I mean, that’s a miracle when it happens for, like, any couple, but it does happen. You just need to put yourself out there, keep your heart open and who knows?” “Thanks for that pep talk. I definitely need it. But, honestly, I’m kind of resigned to the fact that it won’t happen. Anyway, I do love my dog.” She paused for a chuckle before adding, “Unfortunately, he’s 13 years old and basically senile at this point, but still.” Lamplite Acres is one of Chittenden County’s older and nicer suburban subdivisions. Back in the day, the developers

weren’t hell-bent on leveling every single tree before getting down to construction, and this cluster of single-family homes is replete with mature trees and all manner of attractive shrubbery. Throw in the well-conceived gimmick from which the place gets its name — a lamplite on every front lawn — and it feels like a true, cozy neighborhood. We pulled into the driveway to Darlene’s home. Her two friends had earlier passed her their share of the fare; we sat with the vehicle in park while she rummaged through her purse to come up with the rest. “Look,” I said while she put together the money, “I know it’s important to be selfcontained, to be happy in your own skin and independent. I get that. But honestly, don’t give up on finding a partner. I heard this quote from a writer the other day. I think her name was Erin Henry. It was, like, ‘Love exists — you just have to turn your taxi light on and be available.’” Darlene looked up at me with a knowing smile. It touches me when a younger woman indulges my proclivity toward oration, particularly when the subject is my area of special expertise: love and romance. She said, “So you’re telling me that’s the secret of love? I just need to turn on my taxi light?” “You got it, honey,” I replied with a wink. “It really works, I guarantee.” m

Hackie is a twice-monthly column that can also be read on sevendaysvt.com.

SEVENDAYSVt.com

o what’s your story?” asked my customer from the shotgun seat. I was driving her home from a night out with the girls, two of whom were boisterously chatting in the back seat. What’s my story? I considered. Could there possibly be a deeper, more intimate question? It used to throw me for a loop when a customer laid this one on me. I would flashback on my entire life, as in a near-death experience — the dashed hopes, triumphs, regrets, lost loves, heartache and blessed moments of grace. Finally, with experience, I realized that all people really wanted to elicit was my place of birth, work history and relationship status. In other words, random cab customers were not actually probing the secrets of my heart and soul. Whew! I gave the woman the capsule version of “my story” and returned the question: “What about you?” “Well, I grew up in Williston, but I’ve been working the last six years in Raleigh.” I asked, “As in North Carolina?” “Yup, that’s the place. But I just returned. I’m so glad to be back in Vermont, I can’t tell you.” As we rolled down Williston Road, she suddenly pointed to the right, saying, “Oohooh — you see that place?” “You mean Al’s French Frys? A real local institution, right?” “I used to go there all the time,” she said. That is too cool,” I said. “You really are a local girl. One of the women in the back called out, “Look at us — leaving town and it’s not even midnight. We really are over the hill, girls.” “You girls?” I said, incredulously as I could spin it. “All three of ya are young and vivacious. Probably majorly breaking

to reach jernigan pontiac, email hackie@sevendaysvt.com.

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the straight dope bY cecil adams

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Dear cecil, When I worked in the corporate world I had to wear midor high-heeled shoes. But now that I’ve changed jobs I get to wear flats, and in retrospect I don’t know how I ever put up with the discomfort of wearing heels every day. Several women I’ve asked said they’d read that high heels put 100 times more stress on your feet than flat soles. I know they hurt, but it’s hard to believe it’s that much of a difference. What’s the Straight Dope?

Debi, Kansas city

repairs, neuroma excisions and bunionette corrections performed annually in the United States ‘either result from or are greatly aggravated by the use of high-fashion footwear.’” And now to the lab. Any wearer of high-heeled shoes knows the root cause of the discomfort is, in addition to (and compounded by) the unnaturally pointed shape of the typical shoe’s toe, the shift of weight to the front part of the foot. To quantify this, I turned to my assistants Una and Fierra. They obtained two identical scales and rigged up a system whereby they could balance with the front of their feet on one scale

and the rear on the other. The ladies then raided their closets, found 33 pairs of shoes with heel rises ranging from a quarter inch to four inches, and put them to the test. As expected, the higher the heel, the more weight was shifted onto the ball of the foot. When barefoot, an average of 68 percent of body weight rested on the heels. Athletic shoes shifted even more weight onto the heels — in the case of fencing shoes, an average of 77 percent. But with a 2.75-inch lift the average weight on the heels had been reduced to 52 percent. With a four-inch lift only 30

cause 100 times the stress of flats. Surely, we thought, we need to add motion to the equation. The pertinent equation here, of course, was force equals mass times acceleration, which on the face of it offered the potential to greatly multiply the shoe-wearer’s agony. The Straight Dope Bedroom of Science lacked the equipment to measure this, so it was back to the journals. Alas, we were disappointed. The best we could find was a study comparing peak and total pressures on the plantar surface of 10 women’s feet while walking in low- and high-heeled shoes, using special insoles containing 99 sensors scanned at 10,000 times per second. Result: High heels on average increased peak pressure by about 32 percent and total pressure over time by about 48 percent. From this we deduce that the 100-times-the-stress claim is hype. Never mind. The high-heelwearer’s senses, to say nothing of all those needless bunionectomies, provide ample evidence of the consequences of slavery to fashion. We’ve known this for literally centuries, during which time countless other barbarous practices have been abandoned. Yet women still wear heels and look hot when they do.

Is there something you need to get straight? cecil adams can deliver the straight dope on any topic. Write cecil adams at the chicago reader, 11 e. illinois, chicago, il 60611, or cecil@chireader.com.

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n the scale of weird things women have done to themselves in the name of beauty, high heels surely come in well below foot binding, ribcrushing corsets and bathing in crocodile excrement. (I found that last one on the internet, so you know it’s gotta be legit.) I also acknowledge the scientific fact that high heels display the female form to advantage. That said, I thank the gods I’m male, because no way you’re getting me to wear those thumbscrews for the feet. Before we get into the biomechanical specifics, let’s stipulate that, from a health standpoint, virtually everyone admits high heels are a scourge. I quote from an article in a law journal: “By one recent estimate, seventy-five percent of the problems eventuating in the more than 600,000 bunionectomies, hammer toe

percent of the weight was on the heels. What we didn’t expect was the wide range in weight shift among different styles of shoes having the same heel height. For a three-inch heel, the share of weight on the heel ranged from 36 percent to 51 percent. Both women noted that shoes that kept more weight back on the heel were more comfortable. Of the shoes with significant heel lift, the least unpleasant typically had one or more of the following characteristics: (a) a relatively wide toe; (b) laces or a strap across the top of the foot, as opposed to the ankle, which prevented the foot from sliding forward in the shoe; or (c) uppers that enclosed the ankles entirely (these were boots, obviously), which likewise provided support preventing the foot from sliding forward. The two women also noticed one significant difference between them, namely that Una generally tended to put more weight on the front of her foot than Fierra. Wearing the same style of shoe, with a four-inch heel, Una had 78 percent of her weight on the front end versus Fierra’s 68 percent — no doubt why Una’s feet hurt more in heels. However, none of this backed up the assertion that high heels

Money for Something Five successful Vermont fundraisers reveal the tricks of their trade B Y A ND Y BROMAGE , KEVIN J . KE LLE Y AND PAME L A P O L S TO N

ermont has a lot of nonprofits — more than 6000, according to a list from Vermont Business Magazine — and competition for donor dollars can be fierce. It takes more than phone-a-thons to raise the dough needed to keep the state’s arts, human services, health, educational and religious institutions afloat. Ask Vermont’s best fundraisers for the secrets of their success, and you’ll hear versions of the same refrain: patience, persistence, outside-the-box thinking, humor and, of course, the all-important

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in my career,” Killacky says, humbled still. “I’ve never had that experience.” That wasn’t the end of it. The public campaign continued — including the commemoration of 389 seats to donors, or in honor of other individuals — and the small checks rolled in. In all, the Flynn raised $2.3 million for that campaign. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to the $25 donors

When John Killacky arrived for his new job as executive director of Burlington’s Flynn Center, a capital campaign was already in progress to pay for renovations inside the facility. A half-million-dollar grant from the Kresge Foundation helped support those efforts, and, in the summer of 2010, Killacky says, “We enclosed the loading dock.” The next phase, he adds, “was going to be expensive.” That included replacing 1453 60-year-old seats in the MainStage theater. Most locals know how that turned out — but more on that in a moment. In telling the story, Killacky first wants to “set the stage.” He was nervous, he says; he was the new guy — following in the footsteps of previous ED and formidable fundraiser Andrea Rogers — and, never mind his successful money-raising at previous institutions, this was his debut campaign in Burlington. Furthermore, he wasn’t doing things conventionally. In the fundraising field, Killacky explains, “You should first have the private phase and then the public phase. The John Killacky private [donations] should get you halfway there.” Instead, the Flynn started its “seat campaign” on Facebook. “We asked people to tell us their favorite Flynn and the million-dollar donor,” Killacky says. Because he stories and memories,” Killacky says. “People started does not know who wrote that big check, “I just need to telling us about seeing their first movie there, having be grateful to everyone who walks in [to the Flynn]. It their first dates. We realized this place was embodied in could be anybody.” people’s memories.” Most donations are tiny fractions of that, and Soliciting public reaction first went against all Killacky has learned over his years of fundraising that the rules of fundraising, Killacky says. But then the supporting a nonprofit arts organization takes a village. Burlington Free Press did an article about the project He cites an example from his previous position as a prothat inspired an anonymous donor to send the Flynn a gram manager for arts and culture at the San Francisco generous check … for $1 million. “That was a benchmark Foundation. “The Wallace Foundation in New York MATTHEW THORSEN

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John Killacky, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

“connections.” And if all that doesn’t work, try hoisting a giant inflatable ape on top of your building. For our annual Money Issue, Seven Days spoke to five of Vermont’s most successful fundraisers in the nonprofit world to learn what makes them good at their jobs, and the wacky things they’ve done to make a few bucks for their cause. Spoiler alert: Wearing clothing made of meat isn’t necessarily a turnoff to donors. A .B .

was looking at investing in community partnerships,” Killacky recalls. “I had six weeks to put together a proposal for [the city]. The result? A $7.7 million grant collectively for 11 organizations. “It taught me that you are stronger together than alone,” Killacky says. Accordingly, he has sought out partnerships in Vermont with, for example, the BCA Center — on a screen-print project — and a consortium of other performing-arts organizations to encourage the under-40 crowd to buy discounted tickets to their shows. (Full disclosure: Seven Days was a media partner in the Six Pack Onstage promotion.) Killacky is also quick to point out that the Flynn’s successes are a team effort of “the marketing and development teams and inspired commitment from the Flynn’s board.” Of course, not everyone says “yes” to a request for money. At least not right away. When Killacky gets a negative response, he doesn’t take it personally, he says, adding, “I’m grateful when people support anything” in the community — other arts organizations, the United Way, charities. “I take ‘no’ as ‘not now,’” he says. What’s the craziest thing he’s done to raise funds? Well, there was that time he wore a shirt made of hot dogs in support of a favored mayoral candidate. (Go ahead, ask him about it.) Killacky has learned a lot about the Flynn, and Vermont, since arriving here in the summer of 2010. In part that’s a result of inviting people to tell their stories, and of his habit of creating relationships not just with donors but with “people who aren’t … yet,” he says. Pointing to the “enormous investments from this very generous community” even during a recession, Killacky says, “Philanthropy is motivated by emotion.” P. P.

Jeffrey Stauch, Middlebury College MATTHEW THORSEN

Mark Redmond, Spectrum Youth & Family Services

Mark Redmond

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“She said, ‘Yes. We’ve been following everything you do,’” Redmond recounts. “It took four years of letter writing, but I never gave up. It’s what we teach our kids ... it’s not letting go.” Securing high-dollar donations from philanthropists who have never set foot in Spectrum — or met the at-risk kids it serves — isn’t as uncommon as one might think. Rich Tarrant Sr. wrote Spectrum a $25,000 check after reading an op-ed Redmond published in the Burlington Free Press questioning a $50 million gift to Middlebury College and wondering why donors didn’t give more to needy charities like his own. “I didn’t even know him,” Redmond says of the entrepreneur. A version of that op-ed subsequently published in Forbes magazine has resulted in more checks from donors Redmond never met. “I’ve got someone to this day who, every December, sends me $15,000. There’s a guy in Texas who sends $5000 every year,” Redmond says. Spectrum even counts Paris Hilton’s grandfather, hotel heir Barron Hilton, among its donors. The lesson Redmond sees: Spectrum has a powerful story to tell — 85 percent of kids who complete the nonprofit’s transitional program leave with safe and secure housing and a bank account — and it’s his job to tell it. Asking people for money is “awkward at first,” admits Redmond, who worked for youth organizations in the Bronx and a charter school in Stamford, Conn., before moving to Vermont for the Spectrum job. “But I just think about the kids.”

MATTHEW THORSEN

Shortly after taking the helm at Spectrum Youth & Family Services, Mark Redmond paid a visit to his counterpart at the King Street Center for fundraising tips. His colleague’s advice: Tell your story and make personal connections. “I said, ‘OK, that’s cute. But how do I raise money?’” Redmond recalls of that 2003 conversation. “And she’s like, ‘Tell your story and make personal connections.’ I said, ‘Come on. There must be something more.’” In the decade since, Redmond’s connections and storytelling have greatly benefited the 1800 Burlington-area youth who come to Spectrum for shelter, addiction counseling and mental health services. When he arrived a decade ago, the nonprofit was $174,000 in the hole and nursing a bad reputation. “People either didn’t know about us or had this negative impression,” says Redmond, a native New Yorker. “Spectrum got tagged with a lot of bad stuff — rightly or wrongly.” By 2010, Spectrum’s revenues were $4.6 million. Today, private donations accounted for 21 percent of that total — up from just 4 percent in 2003. Last week, Spectrum held its second annual sleep out, where scores of donors camp out on a church lawn in solidarity with homeless youth. The center raised $151,179 in a single night. Redmond credits his fundraising team and his board with Spectrum’s success, but you could also credit his own persistence and a dash of sheer luck. Case in point: Redmond secured $200,000 for Spectrum from Warren Buffett’s sister after four years of trying. The connection was a roundabout one: The grandfather of Redmond’s wife was Emmett McNamara, who at 103 was the second oldest living ex-FBI agent when he came to visit Spectrum in 2007. “He said, ‘My granddaughter down in Washington was dating Warren Buffett’s sister’s grandson,’” Redmond recalls of the elderly gentleman. “‘And the romance is over, but they’re still friends, and she still knows Warren Buffett’s sister. You should ask for money.’” So Redmond handwrote a letter asking for a donation and name-dropping his famous in-law. Doris Buffett rejected the appeal but said Redmond was free to send her news of Spectrum’s activities. For three years, Redmond clipped and mailed her every article written about Spectrum until, after the stock market rebounded, he wrote her another letter asking for a donation.

When is “the ask” not an ask? When fundraiser Jeffrey Stauch hits up a potential donor for a million-dollar gift — or greater — to Middlebury College. “You never raise it as a question,” confides Stauch, the college’s assistant director of principal gifts (meaning those in the seven-figure range). “Instead, it’s ‘I’d like you to consider making a gift’ of some specified amount. That way, you minimize the opportunities for the person to say no.” Avoiding a negative response ranks as an achievement for a job in which “no” is heard much more often than “yes,” Stauch says. Middlebury fundraisers actually don’t fare so poorly in that department, he adds, noting that about one in four of the college’s solicitations results in a donation — a higherthan-average ratio. That helps explain why the school’s endowment stands at about $900 million. Middlebury’s rejection of an admissions application from the child of an alum is the most common reason why an approach gets spurned, Stauch says. “A lot of male alums don’t like that the college eliminated fraterniJeffrey Stauch ties,” he adds. “And you also hear stuff like ‘The campus has gotten too liberal.’” But a turn down isn’t the same as a turnoff. “It’s not a conversation stopper,” Stauch says. “It’s a reason to explore if there’s maybe a way forward.” Fundraising the Middlebury way is not like selling, he notes. For one thing, there’s no commission involved. “That allows for better donor relations,” Stauch says. “You’re not always rushing to close the deal.” Indeed, it typically takes 12 to 18 months of periodic schmoozing before the proposition gets made. Fundraising is like dating, he continues. “It’s really awkward, it’s full of rejection, and you always look forward to it.” Soon after graduating from Middlebury in 2005 with a political science degree, Stauch learned to practice persistence in what amounts to

fundraiser boot camp — standing on the sidewalks of Boston, clipboard in hand, asking passersby to contribute to the Democratic Party. That was an exhausting and frustrating experience, he recalls. But, seated in a Middlebury coffee shop, the Filipino American wearing a bow tie and tailored shirt looks back on it with a joke: “There’s a saying about that kind of fundraising: ‘The hours are long, the work is thankless, but at least the pay sucks.’” Stauch loves his current job — seriously. It involves regular travel, mainly to Chicago, London and western European cities. And it offers some momentous moments, such as in 2011 when, Stauch relates, he opened an envelope to find a personal check in the sum of $100,000. Amusing incidents occur, too. He recalls sitting in one room of an alumna’s home and trying to carry on a gift-giving conversation as she changed a baby’s diapers in another room. And then there was the time, in California, when Stauch contracted food poisoning the night before making a pitch — the venue for the ask being a hospital, the potential donor a physician. “You may have to excuse me at any moment,” he remembers telling the doc. Stauch was hired by his alma mater in 2007 and has since moved up to positions of weightier responsibility in the college’s 60-person fundraising department. He wrote a book along the way: Effective Frontline Fundraising: A Guide for Nonprofits, Political Candidates, and Advocacy Groups. One key piece of advice Stauch imparts is to pay as much attention to the follow-up as to the solicitation — especially when the latter has proved successful. He refers to that postconsummation phase as the “stewardship.” “You want the person to feel happy about having given,” Stauch says. “It can be the perfect segue into suggesting that the person may want to build on the gift.”

Money For Something « P.31

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To Nancy Cathcart, fundraising for the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington is a lot like playing matchmaker. In this case, matching wealthy donors with causes they care about — and will write checks to support. “I try to respect what I know about them, what they care about, and only invite them to invest when it’s something up their alley,” says Cathcart, the club’s director of development and communications. That strategy has served Cathcart well over a 33-year career of fundraising for Vermont nonprofits. Since her first job at the Addison County Parent Child Center, Cathcart has raised dough for Vermont Public Television, Trinity College, Fletcher Allen Health Care and her own consulting firm. What has she learned from hobnobbing with Vermont philanthropists? “It’s about creating authentic relationships with people with resources,” Cathcart says. “Learning to know what works for them, what they want, delivering what they want to see.” Evidently, Cathcart’s pretty good at it. When she started at the Boys & Girls Club three years ago, under executive director Mary Alice McKenzie, the organization had just one donor in the $10,000 or above category; today, it counts seven such donors. Over the last six years, individual giving is up 80 percent, and the club’s 30 board members have donated 431 percent more out of their own pockets. Since 1942, the Burlington club has served as a safe after-school hangout for kids in the Old North End, but Cathcart says that mission is changing as poverty becomes generational rather than situational. The basketball court, swimming pool and music studio may be the club’s biggest draws, but it’s emphasizing more educational programming to supplement school. To support those programs, Cathcart is spearheading a campaign to raise $3 million for an endowment that will sustain programs long-term and buffer them against the vagaries of grant funding. That’s more than double the club’s total revenues from 2010, which were $1.4 million. “If we’re going to promise these kids, ‘We’re going to be there for you,’ we better be there for them,” Cathcart says. “We better not have a bad year one year and then say, ‘Oh, jeez, sorry. We can’t get you a tutor this year.’” Two years in, the club has raised $1 million toward its goal, “slower than we wanted,” Cathcart comments. She says donors are increasingly interested in seeing results from their largesse, so the club more closely tracks kids’ progress

Nancy Cathcart and friends

to improve accountability. Last week, a group of club mentors sat around a conference table comparing notes on various children. Cathcart says she cut her fundraising teeth at Vermont Public Television. Her biggest “get” there was a $600,000 federal grant to put a transmitter on top of a mountain. She credits her outside-the-box grant application, which included handwritten letters from students at schools that would benefit from educational television programs broadcast through the transmitter. “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen federal grants, but they’re horrible. Whoever poor person has to read them must want to shoot themselves,” Cathcart says. “So I thought, add a little flavor. And, boom — I got the grant.” To Cathcart, that’s an example of “treating people like people.” Dumb luck accounts for another fundraising success, which Cathcart describes as the “weirdest” of her career. VPT was bringing to town public-television personality Dr. Leo Buscaglia — a best-selling author nicknamed “Dr. Love” — for a big fundraiser. Cathcart was tasked with securing a $10,000 sponsor in just three weeks. Driving home one day, Cathcart heard an ad for a family mental health practice in Essex and called to ask about a sponsorship. The doctor asked Cathcart if her pitch was some kind of “rude joke” and requested she appear in his office the next morning. There, he revealed an amazing coincidence. “He said, ‘When you called, we were in therapy. My wife and I had separated, and when you called, we were reading a passage out of Leo Buscaglia’s book, and my wife put her wedding ring back on,’” Cathcart recounts. “He said, ‘Of course we’ll sponsor.’ He wrote me a $10,000 check on the spot. “If I tap into that more often,” she adds, “I’ll be way better at my job.” A .B .

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Like a lot of old buildings in Vermont, Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater has had a number of incarnations: auto dealership, Knights of Columbus hall, movie theater. So when Doug Anderson set about raising money to renovate and restore the 1883 brick structure, he got some interesting responses. “There was a business owner in town who, frankly, was kind of a stern person, and I was a little afraid of asking him for a donation,” Anderson recalls. “But it turned out he had very fond memories of growing up in the town and going to movies in the facility.” Anderson continued to “uncover people who had relations with the building,” including one woman who had won a Shirley Temple lookalike contest there as a child. These personal memories were key to his fundraising success, Anderson says. “When people have some kind Doug Anderson of emotional relationship with the mission, they’re more inclined to give,” he notes. It’s not the first remark from this executive director that echoes observations made by the Flynn Center’s John Killacky. Another: “Slow and steady wins the race,” Anderson says. “You develop real relationships with people over time … It might be 10 years before you see a donation.” However, he reveals, his biggest donor to the THT renovation campaign came from someone he didn’t even ask. “Six figures,” he says. “And now we’re best friends.” Anderson says the best kind of donations involve what he calls “joyful giving.” That’s when “people are so wrapped up in what you’re doing that they joyfully give. We saw a lot of that here because people were very interested in restoring this old building, reviving this part of town,” he adds. One chunk of the capital campaign was an effort to raise $100,000 to remove the bricks from the windows along one side of the building — windows that turned out to contain beautiful stained glass. Anderson’s tactic? “I got some of the funniest people I

know, locked them in my office with a lot of wine and said, ‘We’re not leaving until we come up with a great idea,’” he remembers. The resulting brainstorm was to sell each brick “back to the town,” Anderson says. “Each came with an owner’s manual, like a pet rock. As we sold [the bricks], we took them out of the window, and that became like a thermometer. And, by gosh,” he declares, “we sold a thousand bricks for $100 each!” Most THT fundraising projects are characterized by a sense of humor — and have a visible “thermometer” that publicly marks the campaign’s progress. In fact, Anderson and his crew are known for highly creative membership drives. Since the building renovation was completed, annual pledges have been necessary to keep the performing-arts facility going. And Anderson, who has a theater background, is all about putting the “fun” in fundraising. The first membership drive, created with local graphic designer Jory Raphael, involved putting an inflatable King Kong on the building — a reference to its movie-house days. The motto was “Be part of something big,” and, with each donation, the outsize ape was hoisted a little higher. The device was both entertaining and incentivizing. Another year brought an “Expand Your Mind” theme. A ’67 Volkswagen bus — painted in psychedelic colors — was parked outside the theater all summer, and Anderson himself “donned a wig and marched in the Memorial Day parade,” he recalls. This summer’s theme, he reveals, is “Come out and play”; expect to see brightly painted pianos all over town. Anderson says he had never raised a dime “until I locked my jaws on saving this theater. Then I found in myself the skills to do it.” But, he notes now, “Raising money for a nonprofit isn’t as bad as people think. People admire you for doing this work, and they’re not insulted to be asked. The worst they can do,” he concludes, “is say no.”

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STEvE WEigl

hris Weinberg of Jericho spent more than a half million dollars and two years of his life fighting with his now-ex-wife for equal parenting time with his two sons. If Weinberg, who got divorced in August 2012, had lived across Vermont’s border in New York, New Hampshire or Massachusetts, family-court judges in those states would have presumed that, unless he were an unfit parent, he would share equal custody of the kids with their mother. That’s not how it works in the Green Mountain State. As Weinberg discovered the hard way, Vermont is one of only six states in the country that allow one parent in a contested child-custody case to “veto” joint custody — a decision Vermont judges cannot overrule. In such cases, a judge decides who is the “primary” caregiver and who gets “legal rights and responsibilities.” The former is awarded “physical rights and responsibilities,” meaning the kids live with him or her most of the time; the latter makes decisions about the kids’ education, health care and extracurricular activities. Sometimes one parent gets both physical and legal custody; other times, they’re divided. If it sounds like Solomon’s dilemma, it is. As Weinberg argues, Vermont law essentially creates a “winner-take-all” scenario in which squabbling parties have no incentive to play nice. Instead, he says, they’re more inclined to engage in “character assassination” to gain the upper hand.

And that can be expensive. “Basically, it supports very lengthy, costly and ugly custody battles,” says Weinberg, 39. “There’s virtually nothing in our current statute that encourages parents [who are splitting up] to put together a parenting plan that’s actually in the best interest of the child.” It’s often said that buying a house is the biggest single financial decision a couple will make, but getting divorced can be a close second. Even in amicable breakups, the costs of lawyers, court fees, alimony and child support can quickly run into the tens of thousands of dollars, altering the lifestyles of everyone involved. And when couples can’t agree to share custody of the kids, both sides can hemorrhage money for months, or even years, until they work out their differences — or the court does. The emotional toll of such battles is, of course, just as high. That was Weinberg’s primary concern when he formed JointCustodyVT.org, which advocates for changing Vermont law to allow judges to order 50-50 custody even when neither parent consents to it. Since its formation two years ago, JointCustodyVT.org has gained about 600 supporters statewide — male and female — including about two dozen members who work on public education, lobbying and petition campaigns. Weinberg points to “irrefutable data” showing the

importance of children growing up with both parents active in their lives. His website is full of facts and figures about children raised without both parents: They are statistically more inclined to suffer behavioral disorders, drop out of school, abuse drugs, go to prison, commit rape or take their own lives. But would changing Vermont law to a “presumption of joint custody” actually reduce such outcomes, or make child-custody disputes less acrimonious? Opponents of JointCustodyVT.org — including Vermont Legal Aid lawyers, advocates for victims of sexual and domestic violence and some mediators and former judges — say no. They contend that, if anything, the change would make such breakups even more contentious, resulting in more court time, higher legal expenses and, ultimately, more emotional and financial stress on the entire family. “I think Vermonters have been very wise for a long time in saying that you cannot force people to agree and make decisions together,” says Jean Murray, a Vermont Legal Aid lawyer with more than 22 years of family-law experience. “If you do that, what you’re going to end up with is more people arguing. And arguing is never in the best interest of the children.” Supporting Weinberg’s efforts is Rep. Jim McCullough (D-Williston), who says his bill, H.412, aims to “level the playing field” in child-custody

proceedings. McCullough, who introduced similar legislation in the 2011-2012 session, says Vermont statute ostensibly puts children’s interests first. In practice, however, he contends, the current system essentially terminates the parental rights of the noncustodial parent and relegates him to “the status of a visiting uncle or family friend.” McCullough’s use of the word “uncle” isn’t accidental. Although there are no statistics to prove Vermont fathers are granted custody less often — Vermont isn’t among the states that collect that data — anecdotally, few dispute that moms are more likely than dads to get custody of the kids. And that “strong bias” against men in the court system automatically puts them at a legal and financial disadvantage, Larry Miller suggests. The 45-year-old Burlington dad has been divorced since 2004 but is still “actively involved” in litigation with his ex-wife over the custody of their daughter. Miller says he doesn’t want debate on this bill to get “all bogged down” in discussions about money and child support. But he points out that, because moms are more likely to be ruled the custodial parent, fathers won’t have equal time with their kids — “and the lawyers know it.” As a result, he says, the custodial parent typically pushes for fewer overnight stays with the noncustodial parent to maximize child-support payments. “I just don’t see any justification, if you have two loving and devoted parents the child spends time with, why you can’t have 50-50 custody,” Miller says. When all the power is given to one parent, he adds, “What incentive is there for the parents to work together? There is none.” Vermont’s joint-custody movement is hardly new. For more than a decade, joint-custody bills have been introduced in the legislature, usually without gaining much traction. That isn’t likely to change this year. Still, the roles of mothers and fathers have shifted in recent years — with same-sex parenting adding a new wrinkle — and with them, so have many of the traditional assumptions about who does what for the kids. Last month, the Pew Research Center released the results of a nationwide survey of the roles of moms and dads. It found that, while fathers still devote “significantly” less time to child rearing than do mothers — on average, seven fewer hours per week — there is now measurable “gender convergence” in the ways men and women divide their time between work and home. Moreover, in Vermont and nationally, the 2010 Census figures revealed that about 60 percent of all two-parent households with minor kids now have two working parents.

“Which begs the question,” Weinberg says, “in a modern family, who is the ‘primary’ parent?” Opponents of H.412 insist they’re not opposed to having both parents involved in kids’ lives, assuming it’s safe to do so. The problem, they contend, is that the presumption of joint custody elevates the interests of the parents above those of the kids. Sarah Kenney is associate director of public policy for the Vermont Network Against Domestic & Sexual Violence. H.412 includes an exemption from joint custody in cases involving emotional or physical abuse. However, Kenney says, evidence from other states indicates that such exemptions rarely achieve their stated purpose, largely because abuse is extremely hard to prove in court. Without, as H.412 requires, “clear and compelling evidence” — i.e., a relief-from-abuse order, actual physical evidence or a criminal conviction —

residence at Champlain College’s master’s program in mediation and conflict resolution. “Forcing people to agree to share something that they aren’t necessarily capable of sharing will only mean more fights,” he explains. While Rodar acknowledges that Vermont’s current law sometimes seems unfair to one parent, he’s not convinced that switching to a presumption of joint custody would make it any fairer. As he points out, Vermont’s emphasis on mediation already allows for creative solutions such as “chunking,” or giving one parent a chunk of responsibilities, such as medical decisions, and the other a different chunk, such as educational decisions. “There’s such a thing in Vermont called ‘hockey right,’” Rodar notes. That provision addresses parental concerns about whether extracurricular activities can be scheduled on the other parent’s visitation time. Mark Keller, a family attorney in Essex Junction, spent seven of 12 years on the bench as a family-court judge. He says that joint custody only works when both parents think the other is a good parent, respect the other’s opinion and can put aside their petty differences for the sake of their kids. Without those three “core requirements,” he concludes, ordering equal custody makes no sense. On the bench, Keller says, he often saw couples with joint custody come ask a judge to settle every dispute, such as whether their child should attend school in South Hero or Colchester. “The last thing I wanted to do was have a hearing to decide which is the better school system,” he says. Instead, Keller would pick which parent got to be, in the words of George W. Bush, “the decider.” Legal Aid’s Murray, who represents low- and moderate-income individuals, notes that 70 percent of people in family court are unrepresented by lawyers, so she’s very sensitive to the financial repercussions of altering the law. “At Vermont Legal Aid, we do keep in mind how often people go to court, how much it costs to go to court and what kind of arguments bring people back to court,” she says. Forcing joint custody, Murray argues, will only result in more financial, as well as emotional, pain. McCullough disagrees. Based on experience in other states, he suggests, H.412 would reduce the caseload of Vermont’s family courts. Would that save fighting parents money in the long run? “That’s not really the object,” McCullough admits. “The object is, of course, to create the best possible environment for children to reach adulthood.” m

Even in amicable breakups, the costs of lawyers, court fees, alimony and child support

can quickly run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

SEVENDAYSvt.com 04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS FEATURE 35

victims and their attorneys are reluctant to raise such concerns in court for fear of being accused of false allegations. “And so often financial control is part of the [abuser’s] coercive tactics,” Kenney adds. “Money is always a concern when victims are contemplating whether to leave, how to leave and how to support their kids. And the idea of paying an attorney is sometimes the last straw that prevents someone from making that break.” Moreover, Kenney says, the idea that current state law creates protracted legal battles that wouldn’t happen under a joint custody presumption “just flies in the face” of research from other states. She points out that in the 1990s, California and Oregon shifted to a presumption of joint custody — then switched back. A 2005 study on those changes by the University of Iowa’s College of Law concluded, “The biggest winners, at least in Oregon, seem to be not so much the traditionally noncustodial parents, but rather the mediators and, slightly less dramatically, the divorce lawyers.” Indeed, one longtime Vermont mediator suggests that, if H.412 were adopted, “None of us would be able to handle the amount of business we would get.” That’s the opinion of Neal Rodar, mediator-in-

Dollars and Sense Vermont’s director of financial literacy gets people to broach a taboo subject: money

36 FEATURE

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f a stranger asked you, “Where did you learn about money?” you might furrow your brow and deflect the question. When Lisa Helme asks it, though, Vermonters more often than not open up and share what they consider to be some of their most tightly guarded secrets. As the director of financial literacy for the Vermont state treasurer’s office, Helme is familiar with the angst that swirls around the dollars in our wallets and bank accounts — or the lack thereof. A lean and energetic brunette, Helme has worked in communications or education for almost all of her career. She spends plenty of face time with Vermonters of all ages, offering tips on saving for retirement, using credit wisely and even saving or spending allowances. She says she’s discovered that, even when people know what they should do with their money, they don’t always do it. And she’s skilled at getting people to tell her why. “Money is not just about dollars and cents,” Helme says. “It’s power and emotion, and it’s one of the biggest taboos out there.”

employees. The implication is that when individuals plan well, everyone wins, including state government. “From our end, we want to help people develop those habits that will stay with them for a lifetime,” Pearce says. Helme describes her office as a “mighty department of one.” From the initial focus on retirement, it gradually expanded its reach to other ages and populations, from National Guard troops about to deploy abroad to women in their thirties and forties. In 2010, the department began reaching out to children. It’s common knowledge among financial literacy experts — there are 36 such departments around the country — that parents don’t always pass along financial know-how to their offspring. “When I teach, I ask people to raise their hands [to the question], ‘How many of you have never had your parents talk about money?’” says Helme, who holds workshops all over the state. “Most of the hands go up. Mine does, too.” Helme, the daughter of an itinerant Air Force officer, says she was 20 before she sheepishly asked a bank clerk to show her how to balance her checkbook — because her parents never had. “I was so embarrassed,” she recalls. That experience acquainted her with the difficulty adults have discussing money. At home, children may pick up financial knowledge indirectly, such as when parents fight about money, Helme says. Some may learn only when they get their first job. “You can have fun asking people, ‘How did you learn about money?’” Helme observes. One of the programs her office rolled out for children is called Reading Is an Investment, which aims to teach personal-finance principles by providing elementary schools with children’s books on financial subjects. It also supplies lesson plans for teachers and librarians. Five years ago, when then-state During the first year, about 1200 eletreasurer Jeb Spaulding founded mentary school students took part in the Vermont’s financial literacy office, program, keeping logs of what they read. he brought in Helme, who had preIn 2012, nearly 4000 reading logs on the viously served in the state’s Fish & themes of investing and goal setting Wildlife Department to, well, helm were returned to Helme’s office. Over the program. the last few months, kids at 130 Vermont With the poise and eloquence schools have plowed though books with of a newscaster (from her days as titles such as Isabel’s Car Wash and The a broadcast journalist in Colorado), Pickle Patch Bathtub. Helme says the Helme launched herself into writreading list has grown to 70 titles. ing web content, producing newsL iS A HE L m E “Children seem so enthusiastic to letters and crafting curricula. She improve their money-management devises financial literacy strategies for Vermonters at all stages of life, but especially those practices in small ways, so we love to see the program growing,” Pearce says. planning for retirement. Helme admits the technological age presents new “A lifetime of financial well-being is something that every Vermonter should have an opportunity to attain,” challenges, even for adults, when it comes to managexplains current state treasurer Beth Pearce. In the ing money. For instance, salaries seem intangible when next breath, she notes that the state manages the retire- paychecks are deposited directly into our bank acment program for upward of 46,000 vested and retired counts, which we then use to pay bills online or with

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debit cards. “The whole electronic thing is a challenge,” she says. “Think about that psychologically — the number doesn’t mean anything.” Two years ago, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority conducted a study of national “financial capability,” i.e., knowing what to do with money. Vermonters ranked No. 8 out of the 50 states in terms of straight financial capability, but ranked a pitiful 41 in terms of “financial behavior” — that is, saving money, planning for the future and using credit wisely. Helme takes the mixed data in stride. It motivates her to keep her office’s website — moneyed.vermont.gov — densely stocked with information “that people can access discreetly,” she says. “When you make decisions you regret, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. But if you don’t have a lot of knowledge and make that first bad mistake, it can build up over time.” To help avoid those mistakes, Helme offers the following three tips.

Use credit wisely, and stay abreast of your credit report.

Helme is troubled by a “play today, pay tomorrow” ethos she often sees, especially when it inspires people to take on high-interest payday loans. “If you use credit or loans, you’re giving away your ability to make a decision about that money in the future,” she says. “You might trade away a decision four years from now to take a vacation.” Budgeting is the key to happiness, Helme suggests. She advocates for an “envelope system”— keeping budgeted amounts of cash for groceries, gas and other expenses in separate envelopes. She also advises people to obtain and study their credit reports on a regular basis; by law, everyone is entitled to free annual credit reports from the three major creditreporting companies.

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It’s a no-brainer and one that’s constantly hammered into our heads: The earlier we start saving for retirement, the better. Yet Helme knows firsthand how often people start late and then feel incapable of socking away enough. Uncertainty about the fixed incomes they’ll have after they stop working adds to the problem. “We’ve moved from pensions to 401(k)s, and you need to be plugged in to what you need to put away,” Helme says. “People think you need to be good at math to save, but you don’t need to be. You just need to be good with a calculator.” And, of course, good at sticking to a budget. m

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When it comes to money, “We keep the bad stuff hidden from each other,” Helme notes. “If you look at the research [around marriage], one of the biggest points of disagreement is money, not sex or anything else. But once you start looking at it, it’s not the monster you thought it was.” As for parenting, Helme advises looking for “teachable moments,” which could be as mundane as taking money out of the bank. “Ask a little kid, ‘What’s an ATM?’ They might say it’s a magic money wall,” Helme says. “They watch us do this, yet we don’t explain.” Handing out allowances, filling piggy banks, planning for a big-ticket purchase — Helme sees teaching opportunities in all those situations. And, though she thinks a salary number “will always seem high” to a small child, she stresses the importance of discussing

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Talk about money openly with those closest to you — your partner and your children.

paychecks and career paths with one’s offspring, particularly as they begin to plan for college. “We need to have these conversations about how much people get paid — as a pilot, as a teacher, as a restaurant owner,” Helme advises.

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Lars Hasselblad Torres in his office in Montpelier

Getting Creative

38 FEATURE

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Vermont’s new creative-economy steward is a storyteller and matchmaker

B Y cAt hY RESm ER

ermont is synonymous with snowboarding, sugaring and farming. But those activities account for a fraction of the state’s economy. Traditional sectors such as manufacturing and health care play a big role, but the Green Mountain State is also home to a large and growing creative economy made up of “knowledge workers” who produce everything from software to film scores. The Vermont Technology Alliance, a trade group representing the state’s software and technical companies, estimates that its members alone brought in $150 million in 2009; their revenue jumped to $280 million in 2011. That year, the state created the Office of the Creative Economy, under the auspices of the Department of Economic, Housing & Community Development, to help support and expand these industries. The OCE absorbed the Vermont Film Commission, which had focused on luring film producers to Vermont. The OCE’s first director, Joe Bookchin, was the former

head of the film commission; he resigned in late February. Lars Hasselblad Torres, creator of Montpelier’s coworking and communityevent space, Local 64, has stepped in to take Bookchin’s place. The energetic 42-year-old entrepreneur has a worldly background — he spent his childhood in Seattle and Malaysia, and went to high school in Senegal, earning his bachelor’s degree at Vermont’s School for International Training in 1995. He started a public-policy institute and helped craft prizes to promote innovation and entrepreneurship for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and USAID before founding Local 64 in 2012. Over the past year, Torres has been a vocal proponent of the state’s creative economy, emceeing a “Tech State of the Union” event put on by partners including Google, Engine Advocacy and Seven Days in February, and organizing a video-game showcase in January at the Statehouse in Montpelier, where lawmakers heard from local developers hoping to grow their

industry in Vermont. Last month, Torres wrote a white paper on creating coworking spaces that was published by the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies. Torres, who lives in Cabot with his wife and daughter, came to Winooski recently for a Vermont Technology Alliance lunch and learn on “Marketing Vermont as a Technology State.” We discussed his new job afterward over a pot of Rooibos at Dobrá Tea in Burlington.

SEVEN DAYS: You’re the new director of the office of the creative Economy. What does that mean? LARS HASSELBLAD TORRES: I think that means a couple of things, at a high level. [The office] plays a role as a doormat for people looking for information about film. This is in part the result of the unique skill set of the past director. Some of those inquiries turn on permitting — what do I need to be able to shoot here in April? — location scouting and incentives. Those seem to be the three

questions that are on my phone right now. The more exciting piece is, how do we transform that entertainment-industryfacing office into something that’s broader and more relevant to the creative sectors that exist in Vermont today? SD: Such as? LHT: There are three that have been identified as priorities. Film and new media — emphasis on the new media. Advertising and marketing, which I’m not sure I completely understand, but it involves graphic designers, principally, illustrators, these kinds of folks. The third is software and game development. There are lots of other areas that aren’t represented by the Office of the Creative Economy — performing arts, visual arts. And I think one of the reasons is, we have the Vermont Arts Council, we have the Humanities Council, we have local arts organizations, so there’s sort of an ecology there. We don’t really have a good ecology formed around these other sectors.

SD: Why is the state interested in developing them? LHT: I think for a couple reasons. One, they create employment. Second, they create wealth, and there’s economic value there. They’re green jobs. They’re good jobs to have in Vermont. They require a skill set that can be learned in our institutions of K-12 and higher ed, but, at the same time, they are jobs that you can grow into. You can retrain a workforce that perhaps isn’t doing well in agriculture, or somewhere else — maybe there’s an opportunity to advance those skills in service of a larger entity. If you were a dairy person, maybe you can become a marketing person for a cheese co-op.

musician and directed by a Vermonter. This idea of “made in Vermont” needs to extend beyond our food brands and into our creative output. Would Blair Witch Project have been a different film if it had been made by a Vermonter? Probably. How? Just kind of play around with the notion of the Vermont narrative. Likewise with [video] games. Education is a niche that Vermont could quickly occupy. We have Chris Hancock here, who produces educational reading games, and Toonuva Games. We have Birnam Wood [Games] trying to develop a different kind of strategy game. I think Vermont could get known for building a different kind of video game. SD: How can your office help with that? LHT: In a couple of ways. The first is brightening the spotlight. Making sure that people know about what’s happening here in Vermont. A second —

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FEATURE 39

Say you saw it in...

SEVEN DAYS

This interview was condensed for print. Find an extended version, in which Torres reveals an innovation prize he’d like to create for Vermont, at techjamvt.com.

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04.03.13-04.10.13

And if so, how can we promote those stories on the national stage? One role a film-commission-like entity could play is to champion the fact that [there are films with Vermont connections.] I’m thinking of Safety Not Guaranteed. This film was scored by a Vermont

4/1/13 7:40 PM

SEVENDAYSVt.com

SD: What do you think are the biggest opportunities? LHT: A big one is new business starts. It’s a common theme that if you have skills in coding, in design, you’re not very far off from the capacity of building your own SD: But how? Like, literally, how does business and being self-employed, if you state government do that? LHT: As a spokesperson, that’s one way. So want. if I’m in Boston at a digAnother goal is ital conference, I could going to be in K-12 clearly be speaking to education, preparing audiences directly and young Vermonters using Vermont cases to for jobs at some of tell those stories. “Let these great employers me show you Birnam we have — IBM, for Wood Games, which example. What kind went from a womanof academic path is owned company of going to enable them one to Y in a period of to pass the math test two years because X.” so they can get into Inspiring stories. the programming A second is through jobs? A third opwriting and creating portunity is around publications. One of post-secondary eduthe things I’ve loved to cation and this notion L ArS HASSE LB L AD torrE S do in my various jobs of retaining more of is to write monographs our young workers. or case studies, little Creating internships and playing a matchbriefs that shine the spotlight on actors making role in ensuring that young graduates know about opportunities at some or policies or illustrative examples that inspire people to think in those terms. really exciting companies. [Also] by interfacing more and getting Another opportunity is to encourage into a position where I can speak on behalf more seed capital for the formation of new businesses in Vermont. To be able to of our organizations to the press. I think being present at forums like make that case to investors, we have to be Peak Pitch, which matches investors able to tell a certain set of stories about high-growth companies that are here … with entrepreneurs. Say, “Mr. Investor that haven’t had to move to Boston or New from Draper, you really need to talk to York or elsewhere. Because of the nature Toonuva Games, because they’ve got of this [creative economy] work, you don’t a game engine for building 3-D games have to be near manufacturing or distribu- that’s going to change the industry a year from now.” Who knows? Playing tion centers. Maybe a harder-to-put-your-finger-on that matchmaking, one-on-one role at opportunity is, when Vermonters tell sto- the right kind of forums, I think, will be ries, do they tell a different kind of story? really helpful. m

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Nancy Stearns Bercaw reads from and signs Brain in a Jar on Saturday, April 6, 6:30 p.m., at Phoenix Books Burlington. Info, 448-3350. phoenixbooks.biz

Though the man people knew as “Dr. Beau” came to see suffering and death as ubiquitous and inevitable, he believed diseases that took the brain were much more to be feared than ones that took the body. He passed that obsession to his daughter, beginning when she was too young to understand. Nancy Stearns Bercaw describes herself as resembling her father more than anyone else in her family; as a result, by the time she was 6 years old, she knew all about Alzheimer’s. She’d also started to develop her own morbid fascination with brain-wasting diseases. This fear became so ingrained in the author by early adulthood that, when she was stricken with hallucinations brought on by altitude sickness and dysentery while traveling in Asia, her first thought was that AD had begun to destroy her mind. Brain is full of stories that will resonate with any reader, though a few might cause some head scratching. One standout concerns the time Beau nearly wrecked the family boat, rendering it inoperable. Rather than admitting his mistake and calling the Coast Guard, he made his daughter — a competitive swimmer — pull the boat to safety. Beau is a compelling, layered character with great strengths as well as flaws, and his daughter chronicles all of them with love and care. She details her father’s difficulty with expressing emotions — he could tell her he loved her only in a roundabout way — and recalls her shock when his slip into Alzheimer’s allowed him to say “I love you” for the first time. Until his senility, Bercaw consoled herself with the presumption that Beau must care about her; after all, this quixotic, unconventional father made sure she knew how to save a loved one by performing an emergency tracheotomy. She was 9 at the time. Many of Dr. Beau’s friends and former patients didn’t know about his illness until Bercaw (an occasional contributor to this paper), wrote about it in the New York Times. Now she has documented his life in a compulsively readable book that shows what really made him tick. Readers whose families are contending with Alzheimer’s may find salve in Bercaw’s insights. And for anyone who is not, Brain in a Jar is worth reading simply because it’s a great story, well told.

FROM BRAIN IN A JAR After retiring from his neurology practice in Naples, Florida, my father spent hours a day doing math in his head. Even when I was visiting, he would sit silently on his leather recliner with his calculator, verifying the accuracy of his mental arithmetic and his memory of the results. He was trying to stave off what had killed his father. He rarely uttered the name of this disease to me — reserving the phrase “Alzheimer’s disease” for clinical use only. What are you saving your mind for, Dad? I often wondered to myself. I’m here now, waiting to talk with you. On one of those occasions, he suddenly looked up from his Sudoku game and stared at me intensely. I knew it meant that an extreme statement was forthcoming. “Promise me something, Gal,” he said. “Anything,” I answered. “Swear that you will put a gun to my head if I wind up like my father.” He was dead serious. He collected guns and kept them under lock and key. He knew I could shoot them because he had taught me how. Before I could speak, he leapt up from his chair. “Wait. Let me get the family Bible.” My brain was unable to reconcile this request. It wasn’t fair or logical to ask a child to kill her own parent. But I knew fair meant nothing to my father. In three decades as a neurologist, Dr. Beauregard Lee Bercaw had seen young people die of meningitis faster than their parents could get them to a hospital. He had scooped up uncurled gray matter off the emergency room floor hoping to stuff it back in the heads of accident victims. He’d pulled shrapnel out of the skulls of servicemen at Clark Air Base in the Philippines during the Vietnam War. He came back into the room with the leather-bound King James Bible, which bears the names Nannie Dunlap and Nancy Scott in gold lettering. “Swear to me,” he repeated. I crossed the fingers on my left hand, just as I had done a hundred times as a kid to protect me from the wrath of lying to my Dad or God. Then, I put my right hand on the Bible. “I swear,” I said, but privately vowed to one day tell the story of the man I couldn’t live without.

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APRIL 2013

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pajama storY time: Little kids rock nightgowns and flannels as special guests read from books. Fairfax Community Library, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

with media support from WDEV

pajama storY time With suCCess BY six: Kiddos up to age 6 bundle up in their favorite PJs for bedtime tales and crafts. Fairfax Community Library, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 849-2420. ru12? plaYGroup: LGBTQA families bring infants and children up to age 4 together for crafts and physical activities. Leaps and Bounds Child Development Center, Essex Junction, 9-10 a.m. Free. Info, 860-7812.

language

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Tickets, info: 802-476-8188 • www.barreoperahouse.org 6H-BarreOpera040313.indd 1

4/1/13 5:10 PM

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4/1/13 4:52 PM

6H-Counterpoint040313.indd 1

4/1/13 5:00 PM

plauDerstunDe: Conversationalists with a basic knowledge of the German language put their skills to use over lunch. Zen Gardens, South Burlington, noon. Free; cost of food. Info, 862-1677 or 863-3305.

music

ana moura: This rising star showcases her distinctive voice with traditional and modern interpretations of the melancholic yet compelling Portuguese musical genre fado. Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7 p.m. $10-40. Info, 603-646-2422. ‘CaBaret @ home’: Fuzzy Logic provide musical accompaniment for Lebanon High School’s theater group, the Wet Paint Players, in an evening of songs and dramatic works. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 7 p.m. Donations. Info, 603-448-0400. maile meloY & GreG Bolin: In “Tome/Tango,” the writer and composer, respectively, perform dramatic musical interpretations of the former’s stories. See calendar spotlight. FlynnSpace, Burlington, 8 p.m. $25. Info, 863-5966. noontime ConCert series: Organist Carl Schwartz plays works specifically intended for the historic hook-pipe organ. First Baptist Church, Burlington, 12:15-12:45 p.m. Free. Info, 864-6515. northumBrian ranters: This ensemble of 37 young musicians performs traditional tunes from England, Ireland, Scotland and beyond. Chandler Music Hall, Randolph, 7 p.m. Donations. Info, 728-6464. the starrY mountain sinGers: See WED.03, St. Barnabas Church, Norwich, 7:30 p.m. $12 suggested donation. Info, 649-7219.

outdoors

amphiBian CrossinG BriGaDes traininG session: Love frogs, toads and salamanders? Learn how to help local populations make their annual spring migration to breeding pools without becoming roadkill. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 229-6206.

seminars

viDeo-sWitChinG master Class: Kevin Harms references more than 25 years in live television broadcasting when demonstrating how to input signals from multiple camera angles. Channel 17 Studios, Burlington, 3:30 p.m. Free. Info, 8623966, ext. 16.

talks

CALENDAR 53

miDDleBurY presChool storY time: Little learners master early literacy skills through tales, rhymes and songs. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Free. Info, 388-4369.

Montana Rep’s National Tour of Neil Simon’s Tony Award-Winner

SEVEN DAYS

fooD for thouGht liBrarY volunteers: Pizza fuels teen discussion of books and library projects. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

musiC With mr. Chris: Singer, storyteller and puppeteer Chris Dorman entertains kids and parents alike. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1810.

biloxi blues

04.03.13-04.10.13

alBurGh plaYGroup: Tots form friendships over music and movement. Alburgh Family Center of NCSS, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

montGomerY infant/toDDler plaYGroup: Infants to 2-year-olds idle away the hours with stories and songs. Montgomery Town Library, 1011:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

earlY ChilDhooD forum: outDoor plaY: Parents and caregivers discuss ways to regularly THU.04

SEVENDAYSVt.com

fluiD YoGa: Early risers focus on arm balances, proper alignment and creative sequencing based on vinyasa principles. A guided meditation follows. SEABA Center, Burlington, 7-8 a.m. $5 suggested donation; see pascucciyoga.com for details. Info, 859-9222.

CELEBRATION SERIES

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calendar

Announcing

THU.04

A Snyder Homes Neighborhood

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exposure children to nature in home, school and community settings. McClure Center for School Programs, Shelburne Farms, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 985-0308.

film

‘Past Lives, Dreams & souL traveL’: Molly Kluss facilitates an open discussion focused on gaining spiritual freedom and joy. Marsh Lounge. Billings Student Center, UVM, Burlington, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 800-772-9390.

‘tHe PLayroom’: John Hawkes and Molly Parker star in Julia Dyer’s drama about a gin-soaked evening which shatters the pretenses of 1970s suburbia for everyone involved. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 5:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. $4-8. Info, 748-2600.

soLar Hot-Water seminar: Representatives from the nonprofit Energy Co-op of Vermont share logistical details and available incentives for their Co-op Solar program, which runs through April. South Hero Town Office, 7-8 p.m. Free; see coopsolar.net for details. Info, 860-4090.

theater

‘CHiCago’: Mount Mansfield Union High School presents John Kander’s satirical musical about criminals and corruption in the Windy City during the prohibition era. Not recommended for young children. Mount Mansfield Union High School, Jericho, 7:30 p.m. $6-8. Info, 899-4690. ‘CLoser tHan ever’: See WED.03, 8 p.m.

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Fri.05

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T E C H N I C A L

4/1/13 1:50 PM

C O L L E G E

SPRING OPEN HOUSE WILLISTON CAMPUS Saturday, April 13, 10 am

This is a great chance to visit and learn about the offerings at our Williston campus.

springevents JUNIOR PREVIEW DAY RANDOLPH CAMPUS

SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13-04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVt.com

V E R M O N T

art

802-857-5673

Saturday, April 27, 10 am

54 CALENDAR

If you’re a high school student beginning your college search process, this is a great way to start. Come check out the campus, learn about different majors and see yourself at Vermont Tech.

vtc.edu/open-house 4t-4T-VTC040313.indd 1

800.442.8821 4/1/13 4:13 PM

Peter Johnson. Haybarn Theatre, Goddard College, Plainfield, 8-11 p.m. $5-10. Info, 238-2827.

monaDnoCk internationaL FiLm FestivaL: See THU.04, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

food & drink

BranDon musiC CaFé suPPer CLuB: Foodies dine on a three-course meal in a pleasant atmosphere. Brandon Music Café, 5-9 p.m. $16.50; preregister; BYOB. Info, 465-4071. FisH Feast: Plates of baked or fried haddock satisfy appetites and complement neighborly conversation. VFW Post, Essex Junction, 6-7 p.m. $10. Info, 878-0700. saratoga oLive oiL ComPany tastingmenu Demo: Chef Chris Ferguson of Halvorson’s Upstreet Café uses the store’s olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt to enhance the flavors of local ingredients. Saratoga Olive Oil Company, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. $20; limited space; preregister at saratogaoliveoil.com. Info, 489-5276. unDerHiLL-JeriCHo Fire DePartment CaLCutta: At this dinner fundraiser for the organization’s upcoming 100-year community celebration, attendees dance to music from Sideshow Bob and vie for the $1000 top prize. Catamount Country Club, Williston, 6 p.m. $100 includes dinner for two and one Calcutta ball; cash bar. Info, 324-4363.

games

montPeLier art WaLk: vermont History museum: Participants discover a visual dialogue about the state, including the award-winning exhibit “Freedom and Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories.” Vermont History Museum, Montpelier, 4-7 p.m. Free. Info, 828-2180.

game nigHt: Checkers and chess meet decks of cards and dice during a evening of strategic fun. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

comedy

avoiD FaLLs WitH imProveD staBiLity: A personal trainer demonstrates daily practices for seniors concerned about their balance. Pines Senior Living Community, South Burlington, 10 a.m. $5. Info, 658-7477.

BoB marLey: Having graced the stages of late-night television and Comedy Central, New England’s “King of Comedy” returns to the region to deliver big laughs. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 7:30 p.m. $27.50. Info, 241-1250, ext. 114.

community

essex CHiPs Dress Drive: Beautiful gowns await new owners at this event, which allows girls the opportunity to purchase affordable formal attire. Essex CHIPS & Teen Center, Essex Junction, 5-8 p.m. Donations. Info, 878-6982.

dance

engLisH Country DanCe: Violinist Sarah Babbitt-Spaeth, pianist Amy Englesberg and flutist Corey Walters provide music for an evening of creative expression by newcomers and experienced movers alike. All dances are taught. Elley-Long Music Center, St. Michael’s College, Colchester, introductory workshop, 7-7:30 p.m.; dance, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $8-10; bring a snack to share. Info, 899-2378. FreeDom FriDay DanCe Jam: This alternative to the club scene involves a conscious movement practice led by curiosity, creativity and inspired music. North End Studio A, Burlington, 8-10:30 p.m. $10. Info, 363-4912. Queen City tango miLonga: No partner is required for welcoming the weekend in the Argentine tradition. Wear clean, soft-soled shoes. North End Studios, Burlington, introductory session, 7-7:45 p.m.; dance, 7:45-10 p.m. $7. Info, 877-6648. tHe irreguLars Contra DanCe: As part of their spring residency at Goddard College, the award-winning youth musicians perform traditional fiddle tunes for dances taught and called by

health & fitness

kids

enosBurg FaLLs story Hour: Young ones show up for fables and finger crafts. Enosburg Public Library, 9-10 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426. FairFax Community PLaygrouP: Kiddos convene for fun via crafts, circle time and snacks. Health Room, Bellows Free Academy, Fairfax, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426. isLe La motte PLaygrouP: Stories and crafts make for creative play. Isle La Motte Elementary School, 7:30-9:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426. montgomery tumBLe time: Physical fitness activities help build strong muscles. Montgomery Elementary School, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426. motHers oF PresCHooLers meeting: Moms share ideas and experiences in a supportive environment. Free childcare provided. Church of the Rock, St. Albans, 9-11 a.m. $4; free for first meeting; see stalbansmops.org for details. Info, 393-4411. sPanisH musiCaL kiDs: Amigos ages 1 to 5 learn Latin American songs and games with Constancia Gómez, a native Argentinian. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216. stuDent CirCus PerFormanCe: An afterschool program led by artist-in-residence Rick Davis of Circus Smirkus culminates in an evening of juggling, tumbling, human pyramids, tightwire and comedy. Martha Jane Rich Theater, Thetford Academy, Thetford, 6:30 p.m. Donations. Info, 785-4404. sWanton PLaygrouP: Kids and caregivers squeeze in quality time over imaginative play and

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Toddler Yoga & STorieS: Little ones up to age 5 stretch their bodies and imaginations with Karen Allen. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:15 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

music

CounTerpoinT: Nathaniel G. Lew directs the acclaimed vocal ensemble in a program of contemporary choral music by Vermont composers. A reception follows. Recital Hall, McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael’s College, Colchester, 7:30 p.m. $5-20; free for St. Michael’s College students with ID. Info, 863-5966. Mad SaTTa: Vocalist Joanna Teters and bassist Ben Carr anchor the group’s unique blend of soul, hip-hop, rock and jazz. Merchants Hall, Rutland, 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. $8. Info, 855-8081. Maile MeloY & greg Bolin: See THU.04, 8 p.m. MarY rowell wiTh eve Beglarian: In “Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been,” the violinist welcomes the innovative composer in an evening of stringand electronic-music arrangements. Concert Hall, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Middlebury College, 8 p.m. Free. Info, 443-3168. SkY Blue BoYS: Dan and Willy Lindner evoke the “brothers duets” acoustic tradition of the 1930s and ’40s with a varied bluegrass repertoire. Esther Mesh Room, Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, 7:30 p.m. $16-19; cash bar. Info, 728-6464. ‘TeSla in new York’: This in-progress presentation of Phil Kline and Jim Jarmusch’s new opera about scientist and cult-figure Nikola Tesla features the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. Moore Theater, Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 8 p.m. $10-25. Info, 603-646-2422 . verMonT ConTeMporarY MuSiC enSeMBle: In “Lovely All These Years,” new works from five local composers complement the verse of the state’s poet laureate, Sydney Lea. See calendar spotlight. Unitarian Church, Montpelier, 8 p.m. $5-25. Info, 849-6900.

talks

leSlie BuTler: In “Ambition and Invention in the Gilded Age,” the Dartmouth College professor of history introduces the cultural world behind Phil Kline and Jim Jarmusch’s opera Tesla in New York prior to its showing. Room 219, Wilson Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7 p.m. Free. Info, 603-646-2010.

theater

‘ChiCago’: See THU.04, 7:30 p.m. ‘CloSer Than ever’: See WED.03, 8 p.m. FraCTured FairY TaleS: The Little City Players put a twist on classic childhood stories with “Rumpelstiltskin Revisited,” “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” and “eFairytale.com.” Vergennes Opera House, 7:30 p.m. $10-12. Info, 877-6737.

words

eaMon grennan: The award-winning Irish poet shares stanzas from Out of Sight: New and Selected Poems. A discussion follows. River Arts Center, Morrisville, 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Info, 888-1261. Spring Book Sale: See WED.03, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

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Mortgage

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agriculture

CreaTing a dYnaMiC garden For FullSeaSon BeauTY: Master gardener Richard Dube presents ways to create blooming landscapes with perennials, grasses, shrubs, conifers and annuals. Richmond Free Library, check in, 9:30 a.m.; workshop, 10 a.m.-noon. Donations; preregister. Info, 434-4834, richdubegeo@cs.com.

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art

waTerColor For BeginnerS workShop: Under the guidance of Debbie Carland-Purdy, participants take a playful, exploratory approach to learning about the medium. Davis Studio, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. $24 includes materials. Info, 425-2700.

comedy

FoolS FeST: Teen performers who got their start M in elementary- and middle-school productions Y perform a theater revue in a cabaret setting. Proceeds benefit the Edmunds Middle School CM Drama Program. FlynnSpace, Burlington, 7-11:30 p.m. $25-30; adults only; cash bar. Info, 238-8911,MY beth.morgan@yahoo.com.

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CY verMonT CoMedY relieF Tour: Standups Nathan Brady Crain, Carmen Lagala and Mike CMY Thomas elicit giggles at this fundraiser for the Red Cross Disaster Relief and the Vermont Foodbank. K Big Picture Theater & Café, Waitsfield, 7:30-9 p.m. $10. Info, 370-6368.

community

‘JoinT JourneY’ vendor Fair: Folks peruse offerings of jewelry, crafts, candles and more at this fundraiser for the team’s participation in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. VFW Post, Burlington, noon-4 p.m. Donations. Info, 527-6269.

dance

ConTra danCe: Folk dancers move to music by Toss the Feathers and calling from Alison James. Holley Hall, Bristol, introductory session, 7:30-8 p.m; dance, 8-11 p.m. $5-10. Info, 453-4613. Spring Fling dinner & danCe: A meal of spaghetti and meatballs fuels diners as they groove to live entertainment from DJ Dave Berthiaume and Bruce Costello and Michael Boise. Proceeds benefit area charities. American Legion Post 27, Middlebury, dinner, 7-8 p.m.; dance, 8-11 p.m. $810. Info, 388-9311. SAT.06

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L O C A L VA L U E S . U N E X P E C T E D A D VA N TA G E S .

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CALENDAR 55

‘girl in The oTher rooM’: Sarah Jo Willey’s original play stars Wendy Maquera as Alora, who must reconcile her professional pursuits with caring for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Enosburg Opera House, 7 p.m. $8-10. Info, 827-3297.

voCa people: Clad in white from head to toe, these dynamic performers blend music and theater with a spirited repertoire of more than 70 songs. See calendar spotlight. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7 p.m. $29.75-39.75. Info, 775-0903.

• Up to $2060 in compensation

SEVEN DAYS

CaBin Fever FollieS: This 27th annual mudseason variety show features singing, dancing, comedy and more, performed by community members in a cabaret setting. Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, 7:30 p.m. $10; preregister for groups of more than four tickets. Info, 583-1674.

‘TwelFTh nighT’: The Vermont Commons School presents William Shakespeare’s comedy about love, assumed identities and the hilarious intersection of the two. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 7 p.m. $5-10 suggested donation. Info, 865-8084, ext. 17.

• Healthy adults, ages 18 – 50

04.03.13-04.10.13

Solar hoT-waTer SeMinar: See THU.04, Hunger Mountain Co-op, Montpelier, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

‘no Sex pleaSe, we’re BriTiSh’: See WED.03, 7 p.m.

Volunteers needed for ongoing Dengue fever vaccine studies

SEVENDAYSVt.com

John o’Meara: The St. Michael’s College professor of chemistry and physics presents “The Search for Life on Other Planets.” Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 2 p.m. $5. Info, 864-3516.

naTional TheaTre oF london live: In a broadcast production of this Tim Burton-esque approach to Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations Jack Ellis plays Jaggers opposite Taylor JayDavies as Pip. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 7:30 p.m. $10-17. Info, 382-9222.

Mini

snacks. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Swanton, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

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EXPERIENCE LEARNING.

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calendar SAT.06

« P.55

Swing & BlueS Dance: Jody Albright and Pine Street Jazz provide live music for an evening of spirited movements in these free-form styles. No partner necessary, but clean, soft-soled shoes are required. Cafeteria, Edmunds Elementary School, Burlington, 8-11 p.m. $20. Info, 448-2930.

etc.

Home & RecReation SHow: Do-it-yourself enthusiasts take advantage of workshops, demonstrations and exhibits related to building and remodeling. Spartan Arena, Rutland, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 773-0672. tRinketS & tReaSuReS Rummage Sale: Bargain hunters peruse eye-catching displays of housewares, clothing, electronics and more organized to mimic a department store’s layout. Proceeds benefit school programs. Vergennes Union High School & Middle School, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 877-2938.

SEVENDAYSVt.com 04.03.13-04.10.13

women’S SPiRitual meet-uP: Cynthia Warwick Seiler and Marna Ehrech co-facilitate a supportive environment aimed at spiritual growth and liberating the feminine spirit. Rainbow Institute, Burlington, 9 a.m. Suggested $15 donation. Info, 671-4569 or 238-7908.

kids

‘in DaRkneSS’: Agnieszka Holland’s film adaptation of Robert Marshall’s book portrays a sewer worker’s rescue of Jewish refugees via underground tunnels in a Nazi-occupied Polish city. Dana Auditorium, Sunderland Language Center, Middlebury College, 3 p.m. & 8 p.m. Free. Info, 443-3168. monaDnock inteRnational Film FeStival: See THU.04, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. ‘tHe PlayRoom’: See FRI.05, 5:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. wooDStock Film SeRieS: In the 2011 documentary The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby, the subject’s son Carl gets behind the camera to examine his unusual family dynamics. A Q&A with the filmmaker and producer follows. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 3 p.m. $5-11. Info, 457-2355.

caPital city winteR FaRmeRS maRket: Root veggies, honey, maple syrup and more change hands at an off-season celebration of locally grown food. Gymnasium, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 2232958, manager@montpelierfarmersmarket.com. miDDleBuRy winteR FaRmeRS maRket: Crafts, cheeses, breads, veggies and more vie for spots in shoppers’ totes. Mary Hogan Elementary School, Middlebury, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 247-4699, gildrienfarm@gmail.com.

SEVEN DAYS

health & fitness

film

caleDonia winteR FaRmeRS maRket: Freshly baked goods, veggies, beef and maple syrup figure prominently in displays of “shop local” options. Welcome Center, St. Johnsbury, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 592-3088.

56 CALENDAR

SuSHi SatuRDay: Karen Krajacic provides live music while pop-up restaurant Himitsu Sushi transforms the tasting room with made-to-order offerings of this popular Japanese food. Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard & Winery, Berlin, 6-9 p.m. Cost of food and drink; cash only. Info, 223-1151.

yoga SutRa woRkSHoP: Vrisha Ishaya leads a Sanskrit recitation, through which participants explore consciousness, meditation and thought processes. A discussion follows. Spirit Dancer Books & Gifts, Burlington, 2-3:30 p.m. Donations. Info, 660-8060.

BuRlington DiSmaS HouSe DinneR & auction: Folks share a meal and bid on items to benefit Chittenden County’s largest and longestrunning provider of post-prison housing. Hilton Hotel, Burlington, silent auction, 4:30 p.m., dinner and live auction, 5:30-8:30 p.m. $50; preregister. Info, 658-0381.

4/1/13 12:40 PM

SugaR-on-Snow PaRty: Folks sample this traditional maple-syrup treat and watch sap boil down into Vermont’s liquid gold. Palmer’s Sugarhouse, Shelburne, noon-4 p.m. Free. Info, 985-5054.

williSton centRal ScHool Recycle Sale: Antiques, toys, books, jewelry and more transform the cafeteria into a smorgasbord of gently used items at this fundraiser for the end-of-the year field trip. Williston Central School, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 878-9417.

food & drink

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from area businesses at this fundraiser for the sixth grade class. Cambridge Elementary School, Jeffersonville, 4:30-7:30 p.m. $4-6; $20 per family; takeout available. Info, 777-3075.

BeneFit toy DRive: Crafts and games entertain youngsters and their parents as they browse gently used, affordable items. Proceeds benefit area pediatric rehabilitation programs. Kids RehabGYM, Colchester, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 860-729-8130. BuBBle tRouBle!: Little ones join Jeff Moyer for comedy, music and interactive “bubble magic.” Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918 . enoSBuRg FallS tumBle time: Kiddos bound around an open gym, burning off excess energy. Enosburg Falls Elementary School, 9-10 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426. gRowing StRong & HealtHy FamilieS tHRougH Play: Residents of Franklin and Grand Isle counties with infants and young children engage in creative activities and dance to tunes from special musical guests. Gymnasium. Bellows Free Academy, Fairfax, 9 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 527-5426. PoetRy & collage PlaySHoP: Budding artists create a unique blend of words, colors and textures in this multimedia activity. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338. René PelleRin: Using American Sign Language, assistive devices and ASL interpreters, the deaf-blind storyteller shares his life experiences with kids ages 5 and up. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11 a.m. noon. Free. Info, 865-7216. SatuRDay StoRy time: Families celebrate the written word as imaginative tales are read aloud. Phoenix Books Burlington, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 448-3350.

music

BuRlington enSemBle 90/10 SeRieS: ‘laRge czecHS’: This benefit for Burlington’s Committee on Temporary Shelter features works by Antonín Leopold Dvořák and student compositions. College Street Congregational Church, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5-10. Info, 598-9520.

noRwicH winteR FaRmeRS maRket: Farmers offer produce, meats and maple syrup, which complement homemade baked goods and handcrafted items. Tracy Hall, Norwich, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 384-7447.

cHamPlain PHilHaRmonic oRcHeStRa witH tRacey SilveRman: Paul Gambill conducts a performance featuring the electric-violin virtuoso, who enlivens works by Tchaikovsky, Martin Van Buren and Kenji Bunch. Auditorium, Rutland Intermediate School, 7:30 p.m. $10-15; free for children under 12. Info, 595-0087.

RutlanD winteR FaRmeRS maRket: More than 50 vendors sell local produce, cheese, homemade bread and other made-in-Vermont products at this indoor venue. Vermont Farmers Food Center, Rutland, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 779-1485.

committeD: The all-male a cappella group — and recent champions of NBC’s “The Sing-Off” — lift their voices in a performance featuring UVM’s Top Cats, Hit Paws and Zest. Ira Allen Chapel, UVM, Burlington, 8-10 p.m. $5-10. Info, 617-519-3474.

SPagHetti DinneR & auction: Heaping plates of pasta sustain diners as they bid on items

counteRPoint: Nathaniel G. Lew directs the acclaimed vocal ensemble in a program of

liSt Your EVENt for frEE At SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT contemporary choral music by Vermont composers. A reception follows. Recital Hall, Unitarian Church, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. $5-20. Info, 863-5966. Dave Keller BanD: Vermont’s award-winning blues artist leads a performance of originals and covers. Elks Club, Barre, 7 p.m. $15. Info, 476-3615.

vCam aCCess orientation: Video-production hounds learn basic concepts and nomenclature at an overview of VCAM facilities, policies and procedures. VCAM Studio, Burlington, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 651-9692.

talks

Jon Gailmor: Music lovers of all ages gather for the infectious energy and uplifting tunes of the Vermont singer-songwriter. Proceeds benefit the Mary Johnson and College Street Children’s Centers. Middlebury Municipal Gym, 3-5 p.m. $28; $12 for take-out meals . Info, 388-0002.

Chris williams & ruth shafer: The author of Ecology and Socialism joins the student activist to discuss fossil-fuel extraction and outline social solutions to climate change. Room 210, Lafayette Hall, UVM, Burlington, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 490-3875.

ripton Community Coffeehouse: Local performers warm up the microphone for singersongwriter Chris Dorman and the PBRs — Philip Halteman, Brett Hughes and Ryan Hayes. Ripton Community House, Ripton, 7:30 p.m. $3-9; call ahead to register for open mic. Info, 388-9782.

solar hot-water open house: Referencing an on-site system, representatives from the nonprofit Energy Co-op of Vermont share logistical details and available incentives for their Co-op Solar program, which runs through April. Private home, Ferrisburgh, 1-3 p.m. Free; see co-opsolar. net for details. Info, 860-4090.

soCial BanD: With its signature mix of choral styles, this 25-member ensemble welcomes spring with a repertoire ranging from Ambrosian chants to contemporary compositions. Christ Church Presbyterian, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Info, 338-7448.

STATE INSPECTION COMING UP? Get “4” sticker now for $10!

theater

CaBin fever follies: See FRI.05, 7:30 p.m.

1 3/6/13 5:30 •PMgirlingtongarage.com 802-660-0055

RSEP-7Days-475x746.pdf

‘ChiCaGo’: See THU.04, 7:30 p.m. ‘Closer than ever’: See WED.03, 8 p.m.

6h-girlingtongarage032713.indd 1

3/22/13 10:48 AM

3v-rsep040313.indd 1

3/21/13 11:14 AM

fraCtureD fairy tales: See FRI.05, 2 p.m. ‘Girl in the other room’: See FRI.05, 7 p.m.

‘no sex please, we’re sophie shao & British’: See WED.03, 7:30 frienDs: Violinist p.m. Frank Huang, violist Roger Tapping and ‘twelfth niGht’: See FRI.05, OF pianist Pei-Yao Wang 7 p.m. M OU join the renowned cellist NT MA in a program featuring works NSF words IEL D L UNIO N HIG H S CH OO by Brahms and Beethoven. BaKe & BooK sale: Sweet treats sustain Concert Hall, Mahaney Center for the bookworms as they page through bargainArts, Middlebury, 8 p.m. $6-25. Info, 443-3168. priced titles to add to their literary collections. ‘tesla in new yorK’: See FRI.05, 8 p.m. United Church of Fairfax, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 849-6313. the ChaD hollister BanD: Positive vibes abound in the Burlington-based band’s repertoire BooK launCh party & reaDinG: Local author of funk, world music and infectious rhythms. Nancy Stearns Bercaw reads and discusses her Tunbridge Town Hall, 8-11 p.m. $8. Info, 889-9602. memoir Brain In a Jar: A Daughter’s Journey Through Her Father’s Memory, which deals with tom rush: The singer-songwriter’s gift for storyfamilial reactions to Alzheimer’s disease. Phoenix telling informs ballads, blues and his distinctive Books Burlington, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, guitar style. Chandler Music Hall, Randolph, 7:30 448-3350. p.m. $32-35. Info, 728-6464. UR

outdoors

seminars

intro to exCel: Participants learn how to create an electronic spreadsheet with Ted Horton. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10-11:30 a.m. $3 suggested donation. Info, 865-7217.

sprinG BooK sale: See WED.03, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

sun.07 comedy

stanD up, sit Down & lauGh’: Series veteran Josie Leavitt delivers punchlines with fellow yuksters Kit Rivers, Sue Schmidt, and Hillary Boone. FlynnSpace, Burlington, 7 p.m. $12. Info, 863-5966.

dance

BalKan folK DanCinG: Larry Gordon and Louise Brill organizes people into lines and circles set to complex rhythms. No partner necessary. Burlington Dances, Chace Mill, Burlington, 4-7 p.m. $6 suggested donation. Info, 540-1020. israeli folK DanCinG: All ages and skill levels convene for circle and line dances, which are taught, reviewed and prompted. No partner necessary, but clean, soft-soled shoes are required. SUN.07

CALENDAR 57

leasinG your lanD to a farmer worKshop: UVM’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture joins local businesses to share key information about forging positive relationships with new and expanding farmers. South Burlington City Offices, 2-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 656-5459.

‘off the paGe’: The Vermont Writers Co-op features local poets Ben Aleshire, Max Shenk and Tara Pfeiffer-Norrell in a multimedia presentation of the genre. North End Studio B, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. Donations. Info, 860-1034.

SEVEN DAYS

GenealoGy worKshop: Sheila Morris references maps and photographs from her recent trip to Scotland as part of a presentation on how to access the country’s census records. Vermont Genealogy Library, Fort Ethan Allen, Colchester, 10:30 a.m.-noon. $5. Info, 238-5934.

BooK sale: More than 200 affordable, large-print titles catch the eyes of lit lovers looking for new reads. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 388-4095.

04.03.13-04.10.13

forest manaGement at the farm: sawinG loGs into lumBer: Weather permitting, Leo Boutin demonstrates how to create boards from different tree species — including techniques for yielding ideal wood-grain patterns. Shelburne Farms, 10 a.m.-noon. $15; preregister. Info, 9858686, jpenca@shelburnefarms.org.

SEVENDAYSVt.com

vermont symphony orChestra with peter yarrow: Robert De Cormier conducts a performance of American spirituals and civilrights songs featuring his close friend — and former member of folk trio Peter, Paul, and Mary. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7:30 p.m. $29.5039.50. Info, 775-0903.

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Higher Ground Presents an evening with

BILL COSBY

calendar SUN.07

« P.57

music

Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, Burlington, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $2; free first session. Info, 864-0218, ext. 21.

film

‘Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness visible’: Shakti Butler’s groundbreaking documentary examines instances of institutional, individual and cultural racism. A discussion with author Sha’an Mouliert follows. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-2345. ‘the PlayrooM’: See FRI.05, 1:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. ‘WhiP it’: Hot wheels! The Northeast Kingdom Roller Derby League presents the 2009 film about their sport, which stars Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page. Tavern on the Hill, Newport, 1 p.m. Donations. Info, 755-6843.

TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRI. @ 10AM

food & drink

all-you-Can-eat PanCake breakfast: Foodies feast on flapjacks topped with Starksboro maple syrup, as well as eggs, bacon and fruit. Proceeds benefit youth sports programs. Robinson Elementary School, Starksboro, 7-10:30 a.m. $5-8. Info, 453-4074.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 • 8PM at

FLYNN THEATRE

153 MAIN ST. BURLINGTON, VT

Tickets: www.flynntix.org, 802.86.FLYNN, or Flynn Theatre Box Office. 4T-HGProdCosby040313.indd 1

4/2/13 1:08 PM

CoMMunity breakfast: The Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars hosts a hearty start to the day for members and nonmembers alike. VFW Post, Essex Junction, 9-11 a.m. $3-6. Info, 878-0700.

the PennyWise Pantry: On a tour of the store, shoppers create a custom template for keeping the kitchen OF TO stocked with affordable, M GO nutritious eats. City Market, SS Burlington, 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister at citymarket.coop. Info, 861-9700. CO

SEVENDAYSVt.com

First Friday , April 5, 8p

m, The BCA

octor Sailo

suPer bingo: The right combination of numbers and letters wins big prizes at this benefit for Camp Ta-Kum-Ta. Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center, South Burlington, 1 p.m. $50 for 18 cards. Info, 343-9767 or 658-0763.

Center

r and Pape

r Castles

FREE, cash bar, visit Join us mon sevendaysvt.com to RS thly after Fi VP rst Friday A rt Wal

04.03.13-04.10.13

health & fitness

light body sPiritual Meditation grouP: Cynthia Warwick Seiler facilitates sessions designed to attune the mind, body and soul. Rainbow Institute, Burlington, 11 a.m. Donations. Info, 671-4569. sPring Cleanse: an ayurvediC aPProaCh: Ayurvedic consultant Christine Hoar presents ancient principles based on individual body types or “doshas,” which can improve health. City Market, Burlington, 3-5:30 p.m. $20-25; preregister at citymarket.coop. Info, 861-9700.

holidays SEVEN DAYS

historiC organ & gregorian Chant ConCert: William Tortolano directs the Vermont Gregorian Chant Schola in a program of ancient music and Easter hymns accompanied by the king of all keyboards. St. Catherine of Siena Church, Shelburne, 3 p.m. Donations. Info, 654-2508.

58 CALENDAR

HOSTED BY

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3/26/13 3:53 PM

Minetti Quartett With andreas klein: The award-winning Austrian ensemble welcomes the distinguished pianist in a performance of works by Beethoven, Bartók and Mozart. UVM Recital Hall, Redstone Campus, Burlington, 2-4:30 p.m. $15-30. Info, 863-5966. northeast fiddlers assoCiation Meeting: Lovers of this spirited art form gather to catch up and jam. Moose Club, Williamstown, noon-5 p.m. Donations. Info, 728-5188. soCial band: See SAT.06, United Church of Hinesburg, 3 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Info, 338-7448. sPring Choral Collage: David Neiweem directs a joint performance of the UVM Concert Choir and Catamount Singers featuring works by Copland, Haydn, Gershwin and others. UVM Recital Hall, Redstone Campus, Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 656-7776. toM goss: The singer-songwriter brings his soaring tenor to folk songs inspired by his experience as a gay man and the LGBT civil-rights struggle. Grace Congregational Church, Rutland, 7 p.m. Donations. Info, 558-5399.

sugar-on-snoW Party: See SAT.06, noon-4 p.m.

games

Music by: D

ChaMPlain PhilharMoniC orChestra With traCey silverMan: Paul Gambill conducts a performance featuring the electric-violin virtuoso, who enlivens works by Tchaikovsky, Martin Van Buren and Kenji Bunch. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 4 p.m. $10-15; free for children under 12. Info, 382-9222.

language

frenCh Conversation grouP: diManChes: Parlez-vous français? Speakers practice the tongue at a casual, drop-in chat. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 540-0195.

seminars

herbal WorkshoP: Clinical herbalist Angie Barger presents information and hands-on activities regarding the medicinal properties of plants. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 1:30-3:30 p.m. $3-5. Info, 426-3581.

sport

united Way dodgeball tournaMent: Take aim! Co-ed teams of six to eight adult players heave foam balls at the competition in a roundrobin format of several brief games. Collins-Perley Sports Complex, St. Albans, noon-5 p.m. $25; free for spectators; for ages 18 and up. Info, 527-7418. WoMen’s PiCkuP soCCer: Quick-footed ladies of varying skill levels break a sweat while stringing together passes and making runs for the goal. Miller Community and Recreation Center, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. $3; for women ages 18 and up. Info, 864-0123.

theater

aCting/theater WorkshoP: Veteran performer Ethan Bowen teaches a series of intensive sessions that explore acting essentials and his “serious fun” technique. Spice Performing Arts Studio, Rochester, noon-3 p.m. $25. Info, 7674903 . Cabin fever follies: See FRI.05, 7:30 p.m. ‘ChiCago’: See THU.04, 2 p.m. ‘Closer than ever’: See WED.03, 2 p.m. fraCtured fairy tales: See FRI.05, 2 p.m. ‘no sex Please, We’re british’: See WED.03, 5 p.m.

words

doug MCCarty: The area resident recites The Song of Hiawatha, then provides background information on the legendary Native American leader. Craftsbury Public Library, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 586-9683.

liSt Your EVENt for frEE At SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT

MON.08 agriculture

UpstreaM-DOwNtOwN syMpOsiUM: Community members discuss ways in which Vermont’s historic downtowns and villages can implement infrastructure conducive to flood resilience. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center/ Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 7-9:30 p.m. Free. Info, 734-3427.

film

DaN gillMOr: The internationally recognized e-journalist, author and public speaker discusses the evolving relationship between journalism and social media. Alumni Auditorium, Champlain College, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 482-3287.

words

spriNg bOOk sale: See WED.03, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

kids

aliCe iN NOODlelaND: Youngsters get acquainted over crafts and play while new parents and expectant mothers chat with maternity nurse and lactation consultant Alice Gonyar. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1810. JOyFUl NOise laUghter ClUb: Robin Cornell and Charlotte Gilruth lead playful exercises for ages 8 and up that focus on moving, breathing and giggling. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3427 or 223-1607. MiDDlebUry presChOOl stOry tiMe: See THU.04, 10:30-11:15 a.m. sOUth herO playgrOUp: Free play, crafting and snacks entertain children and their grown-up companions. South Hero Congregational Church, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426. stOries with MegaN: Preschoolers expand their imaginations through tales, songs and rhymes. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216.

music

tUe.09

DEPOT

agriculture

art

art teChNiQUes grOUp: Creative minds gather to share ideas and work on current projects in a supportive environment. ROTA Gallery, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 2:30-4:15 p.m. Free. Info, 518-324-6250.

community

reaDiNg with FrOsty & FrieNDs therapy DOgs: Animal lovers bring a book and read to canines who comfort. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister for 10-minute individual sessions. Info, 878-4918.

Check out our monthly coupon at DepotHomeAndGarden.net

4t-depothome&gardne040313.indd 1

4/1/13 2:16 PM

Summer’s coming! What’s your style?

‘the playrOOM’: See FRI.05, 5:30 p.m.

TUE.09

» P.60

COMMUNIT Y

CCV

OF V E RMONT

• • • •

transferable credits convenient course schedules affordable tuition flexible financial aid and scholarship options

www.ccv.edu 800-228-6686 CALENDAR 59

‘where the trail eNDs’: Jeremy Grant’s 2012 documentary features professional mountain bikers Darren Berrecloth, James Doerfling and Andreu Lacondeguy, who ride some of the most harrowing terrain on the planet. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 7 p.m. $4-8. Info, 748-2600.

Either way, CCV has you covered.

SEVEN DAYS

‘the alzheiMer’s prOJeCt’: A film screening of the HBO documentary series examines how the progressive disease affects the lives of seven people. A discussion follows. The Arbors at Shelburne, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 985-8600, ext. 108.

Try our Summer Shorts for full college credit in 7 weeks or less starting June 24, OR choose from over a thousand of our standard 12-week courses starting May 20.

04.03.13-04.10.13

COMMUNity CiNeMa FilM series: ‘the islaND presiDeNt’: Jon Shenk’s 2011 documentary follows Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed’s fight to keep his island nation from succumbing to rising sea levels caused by global warming. A discussion follows. FlynnSpace, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 863-5966.

COLLEGE

aDUlt DODgeball: Grown-ups hit the court in weekly games and take aim with brightly colored foam balls. Orchard School, South Burlington, 7-8 p.m. $5. Info, 598-8539.

802-878-8596 • 36 Park Street, Essex Jct. • Mon-Sat 9-5:30, Sun 10-4

ballrOOM-DaNCe Class: Instructor Samir Elabd demonstrates the foxtrot and Latin line dancing, then helps students break down the steps. Union Elementary School, Montpelier, Foxtrot, 6-7 p.m.; line dancing, 7-8 p.m. $14. Info, 223-2921, elabd@ comcast.net.

film

sport

The Little Store With More

dance

saMbatUCaDa! OpeN rehearsal: New players are welcome to pitch in as Burlington’s samba street-percussion band sharpens its tunes. Experience and instruments are not required. 8 Space Studio Collective, Burlington, 6-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 862-5017.

basiC COMpUter skills: Community members enter the high-tech age and gain valuable knowledge. Tracy Hall, Norwich, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3403.

HOME & GARDEN

MiDDlebUry garDeN ClUb talk: Master gardener Shari Johnson discusses ways to revitalize recipes with culinary herbs. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 1 p.m. Free. Info, 388-4095.

swiNg-DaNCe praCtiCe sessiON: Quick-footed participants get moving in different styles, such as the lindy hop, charleston and balboa. Indoor shoes required. Champlain Club, Burlington, 7:309:30 p.m. $5. Info, 448-2930.

seminars

We will be taking orders for chicks until May 22nd We are offering: 16 layer breeds 2 meat breeds Two delivery dates: May 18th and June 21st

shape & share liFe stOries: Recille Hamrell gives prompts to trigger recollections of specific experiences, which are crafted into engaging narratives and shared with the group. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

reCOrDer-playiNg grOUp: Musicians produce early folk, baroque and swing-jazz melodies. New and potential players welcome. Presto Music Store, South Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 658-0030, info@prestomusic.net.

stUDeNt reCital: UVM musicians give an instrumental performance in various genres, including classical and jazz. UVM Recital Hall, Redstone Campus, Burlington, 7:30-9 p.m. Free. Info, 656-7776.

Order Chicks

SEVENDAYSVt.com

swaNtON playgrOUp: Kids and caregivers squeeze in quality time over imaginative play and snacks. Mary Babcock Elementary School, Swanton, 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

Lots of colors and sizes from toddler size 6 to men’s size 14

spriNg taleNt shOw aUDitiONs: See WED.03, 3:30-5 p.m.

herbal CONsUltatiONs: Betzy Bancroft, Larken Bunce, Guido Masé and students from the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism evaluate individual constitutions and health conditions. City Market, Burlington, 4-7 p.m. Free; preregister at info@vtherbcenter.org. Info, 861-9757. QigONg: Jeff Cochran hosts a session of breathing-in-motion exercises. ROTA Gallery, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. $3-10. Info, 518-314-9872.

Mud Boots

theater

avOiD Falls with iMprOveD stability: See FRI.05, 10 a.m.

health & fitness

Get a 50lb bag of Black Oil Sunflower seeds for only $24.99! Sale runs through April 14th

talks

bOOk DisCUssiON: Barbara Mieder facilitates conversation about how Liza Mundy’s The Richer Sex influences feminism. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

‘the playrOOM’: See FRI.05, 5:30 p.m.

Seed Sale

OVERWEIGHT SUBJECTS WANTED Are your medical risks affected by the type of fat your body stores? Healthy overweight AND lean people (18-40 yr) needed for an 8-week NIH study. Participants will receive all food for 8 weeks and $2500 upon completion of the study.

If interested, please contact Dr. C. Lawrence Kien at David.Ebenstein@uvm.edu or 802-656-9093. 12h-clinicaltrialresearch020112.indd 1

1/25/12 2:45 PM

calendar TUE.09

« P.59

food & drink

Free Cone Day: As part of this nationwide customer-appreciation event, participating Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops serve up complimentary sweet treats. Various locations statewide, noon-8 p.m. Free. Info, 862-9620. MinDFul eating: Lisa Masé of Harmonized Cookery explains how to prepare and consume meals to foster health and harmony. Hunger Mountain Co-op, Montpelier, 5:30-6:30 p.m. $6-8; preregister. Info, 223-8004, ext. 202, info@hungermountain.coop.

health & fitness

laughter yoga: What’s so funny? Giggles burst out as gentle aerobic exercise and yogic breathing meet unconditional laughter to enhance physical, emotional and spiritual health and wellbeing. Miller Community and Recreation Center, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free. Info, 355-5129.

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kids

Creative tuesDays: Artists engage their imaginations with recycled crafts. Kids under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7216. FairFax story hour: Good listeners up to age 6 are rewarded with tales, crafts and activities. Fairfax Community Library, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 849-2420. highgate story hour: See WED.03, 10-11 a.m. MusiC With robert: Music lovers of all ages join sing-alongs with Robert Resnik. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 865-7216. PresChool story hour: Three- to 5-year-olds keep their hands busy with crafts at tale time. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918. riChForD PlaygrouP: Rug rats gather for tales and activities. Cornerstone Bridges to Life Community Center, Richford, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13-04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVt.com

sCienCe & stories: the PonD habitat: What makes up these bodies of standing water? Little ones create their own version and stock it with native species. ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center/Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m. Free with admission, $9.5012.50. Info, 877-324-6386. story tiMe With Corey: Read-aloud tales and crafts led by store employee Corey Bushey expand the imaginations of young minds. Buttered Noodles, Williston, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 764-1810.

language

FrenCh Conversation grouP: Beginner-tointermediate French speakers brush up on their linguistics — en français. Halvorson’s Upstreet Café, Burlington, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 540-0195.

is a curated round-up of all things visual arts in Vermont: art shows, receptions, events, news, jobs and classes.

Pause-CaFé FrenCh Conversation: Francophiles of all levels speak the country’s language at a drop-in conversation. Mr. Crêpe, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 540-0195.

Subscribe by Thursday, April 18

music

lake ChaMPlain ChaMber MusiC Festival enCore ConCert: The award-winning Jasper String Quartet performs works by Beethoven, Haydn and Aaron Jay Kernis. Recital Hall, McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael’s College, Colchester, 7:30 p.m. $15-30. Info, 863-5966.

at sevendaysvt.com/review and be entered to win an iPad from Small Dog Electronics! Winners announced in re:View on April 19.

60 CALENDAR

WIN ME!

reeD, rosin anD PeDal trio: In “Here Comes Treble,” clarinetist Wesley Christensen, violinist Laura Markowitz and pianist Melody Puller play selections from 20th-century composers. St. Paul’s Cathedral, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free; bring a bag lunch. Info, 864-0471.

outdoors

verMont atlas oF liFe: Budding naturalists learn how to map the state’s biodiversity by using 3v-review-contest.indd 1

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the online tool iNaturalist to document their field observations. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 229-6206.

seminars

realistiC Freestyle selF DeFense: Participants ages 16 and up learn techniques for staying safe in different scenarios. ROTA Gallery, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 6 p.m. $15. Info, 518-645-6960.

talks

behinD-the-sCenes lunCh & DisCussion: ‘unDressing CinDerella: a Festival oF neW Plays’: Director Andrew Smith, ’97.5, joins the cast and crew in a chat about the upcoming production. Wright Memorial Theater, Middlebury College, 12:30 p.m. Donations; free for college students with valid ID; lunch included. Info, 443-3168. Peter Forbes: The cofounder of Vermont’s Center for Whole Communities discusses placebased leadership development programs held on the working farm. Ackley Hall, Green Mountain College, Poultney, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 287-8926. robert Marino: The native of Italy presents a narrated slide show about the village of Positano and the Amalfi Coast. Miller Community and Recreation Center, Burlington, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 863-2487. sChuyler JaCkson: In “The Electrification of Rural Vermont,” the former chair of the state’s environmental board recounts the process of getting power to Chittenden County farms. Carpenter-Carse Library, Hinesburg, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 482-2878. ‘the university “in” verMont: Collaborations, Challenges, CoMMitMents’: UVM faculty join state agricultural leaders in a panel discussion about issues related to the future of the state’s farming industry. Billings North Lounge, UVM, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 656-4389.

theater

‘no sex Please, We’re british’: See WED.03, 7:30 p.m. sPring talent shoW auDitions: See WED.03, 3:30-5 p.m.

words

CaDy/Potter Writers CirCle: Literary enthusiasts improve their craft through “homework” assignments, journaling exercises, reading, sharing and occasional book discussions. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 349-6970. eDuCators aPPreCiation Day With rebeCCa ruPP & linDa urban: A reception celebrating the work of teachers and librarians precedes a Q&A with the children’s book authors, who discuss new works. Phoenix Books, Essex, reception, 4 p.m.; author appearance, 5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 872-7111. sPring book sale: See WED.03, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

WeD.10 comedy

iMProv night: See WED.03, 8-10 p.m.

community

hoMeshare verMont inForMational session: Those interested in homesharing and/ or caregiving programs meet with staff to learn more. HomeShare Vermont, South Burlington, 4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-5625. oPen rota Meeting: See WED.03, 6 p.m. rural verMont Celebration: Locavores share conversation and camaraderie at this event featuring keynoter Philip Ackerman-Leist, director of Green Mountain College’s Farm & Food Project. See calendar spotlight. Vergennes Opera House, 6:30-9 p.m. Free; preregister; cash bar; bring a light dish to share. Info, 223-7222.

liSt Your EVENt for frEE At SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT

conferences

Vermont Family network annual ConFerenCe: Parents and professionals caring for children with special needs attend workshops, presentations and a keynote address on the theme “Transforming Hope Into Action.” Hilton Hotel, Burlington, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. $55-100; see vermontfamilynetwork.org for details. Info, 800800-4005, ext. 246.

crafts

Green mountain Chapter oF the embroiderers’ Guild oF ameriCa: Needle-andthread enthusiasts convene to work on current projects and practice the art of Japanese thread braiding. Pines Senior Living Community, South Burlington, 9:30 a.m. Free; bring a bag lunch. Info, 372-4255. make stuFF!: See WED.03, 6-9 p.m.

film

Community Cinema Film series: ‘the island president’: See THU.09, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338. ‘northern borders’: Based on Howard Frank Mosher’s novel of the same name, Jay Craven’s latest film tells the story of a young boy sent to Vermont to live on his grandparents’ farm during the mid-1950s. Prescreening reception, Brattleboro Museum, 5-6:45 p.m.; film, Latchis Hotel & Theater, Brattleboro, 7 p.m. $12-25 includes reception and screening. Info, 357-4616. ‘the playroom’: See FRI.05, 1:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. ‘where the trail ends’: See TUE.09, 7 p.m.

food & drink

a mosaiC oF FlaVor: iraqi biryani & semolina Cake: Suhad Murat demonstrates how to make these sweet and savory baked goods from her country. Sustainability Academy, Lawrence Barnes School, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. $5-10; preregister at citymarket.coop. Info, 861-9700. wine down wednesday: See WED.03, 4-8 p.m.

games

burlinGton Go Club: See WED.03, 7-9 p.m.

health & fitness

kids

may’s world musiC & moVement: See WED.03, 10:30-11:15 a.m. montGomery story hour: Good listeners are rewarded with an earful of tales and a mouthful of snacks. Montgomery Town Library, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 527-5426. moVinG & GrooVinG with Christine: See WED.03, 11-11:30 a.m. my First yoGa: See WED.03, 10:30-11:15 a.m. pajama story time: Evening tales send kiddos off to bed. Berkshire Elementary School, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 527-5426.

• Preparing for the unexpected • Putting your money to work by investing • Building a healthy nest egg for retirement • Facing ﬁnancial hardship

story time & playGroup: See WED.03, 10-11:30 a.m.

• Addressing estate and legacy issues

youth media lab: See WED.03, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

music

Zolotoi plios: Using traditional and modern instruments, Sergei Gratchev, Elena Sadina and Aleksandr Solovov perform selected Russian folk songs. Concert Hall, Mahaney Center for the Arts, Middlebury College, 8 p.m. Free. Info, 443-3168.

seminars

teCh help: See WED.03, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

sport

Green mountain table tennis Club: See WED.03, 7-10 p.m.

talks

Reserve your seat and your full-color workbook today! Call Jo Ann at (802) 861.7988 or register through her website

www.joannthibault.com Mutual funds are sold by prospectus. Please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus, which contains this and other information about the investment company, can be obtained from your financial professional. Be sure to read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to invest. Jo Ann Thibault is a Registered Representative and Investment Adviser Representative of Equity Services, Inc. 354 Mountain View Drive, Suite 200, Colchester, VT 05446 Tel: (802) 864.6819. Securities and investment advisory services are offered solely by Equity Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. The Vermont Agency and Jo Ann Thibault & Associates are independent of Equity Services, Inc. TC72780(0313)c

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adrie kusserow: The St. Michael’s College anthropology professor presents “Field Work in South Sudan: Life Histories of Nuba Refugee Boys and Girls.” Room 315, St. Edmund’s Hall, St. Michael’s College, Colchester, 3:30 p.m. Info, 654-2536. bill sorrell: In “Tasers, Nukes and Current Controversies in Law Enforcement,” Vermont’s attorney general considers legal and civil issues facing the state. Room 253, Burlington College, 6:15 p.m. Free. Info, 862-9616. daVid maynard: The environmentalist and Waldorf teacher presents “A New Beginning: Education in a Sustainable Future.” Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

04.03.13-04.10.13

‘no sex please, we’re british’: See WED.03, 7:30 p.m.

theater

‘undressinG Cinderella: a FestiVal oF new plays’: Andrew Smith directs this unique production of works by playwrights from around the country who rewrote the classic fairy tale using different characters. Wright Memorial Theater, Middlebury College, 8 p.m. $6-12. Info, 443-3168.

SEVEN DAYS

words

burlinGton writers workshop meetinG: See WED.03, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Gary marGolis: The poet reads from Wyeth’s Space and presents slides of the Andrew Wyeth paintings, including “Soaring,” which inspired the book. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 388-4095.

CALENDAR 61

Green mountain ‘musiC toGether’ introduCtory Class: Kids and their caregivers take note of this early childhood program of research-based musical activities that encourage adult involvement. Elley-Long Music Center, St. Michael’s College, Colchester, 10-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 310-2230.

• Getting your ﬁnancial house in order

st. albans playGroup: See WED.03, 9-10:30 a.m.

babytime playGroup: Crawling tots and their parents convene for playtime and sharing. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 658-3659.

FairField playGroup: See WED.03, 10-11:30 a.m.

at The Hampton Inn 42 Lower Mountain View Drive, Colchester Sponsored by Jo Ann Thibault, FSS, CDFA

read to a doG: See WED.03, 3-4:15 p.m.

nanCy somers: In “Aging Gracefully 101,” the physical-fitness expert references recent research on the relationship between brain health and overall well-being. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

enosburG playGroup: See WED.03, 10-11:30 a.m.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 • 11:30AM AND 5:30PM

presChool disCoVery proGram: sprinG peepers: Little learners take a nature walk to search for signs of reptiles and amphibians emerging from their winter hiding places. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 10-11:30 a.m. $5-8. Info, 229-6206.

aspirinG naturalists teen proGram: Outdoorsy adolescents observe changes in the landscape and learn primitive skills, such as fire by friction, carving, foraging and animal tracking. Shelburne Farms, 4:30-7 p.m. $10-15; preregister; for ages 14 to 17. Info, 985-0327, mburke@shelburnefarms.org.

‘eConomy oF me’ workshop: Students in grades 9 to 12 learn money-management skills and simple tricks for accumulating savings. New England Federal Credit Union, Williston, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 879-8790.

Financial Strategies for Women

SEVENDAYSVt.com

sprinG wellness Fair: Area practitioners and vendors showcase alternative approaches to health through hands-on activities, demos and presentations. Withey Hall, Green Mountain College, Poultney, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 287-8376.

hiGhGate story hour: See WED.03, 11:15 a.m.

TAKING CONTROL

sprinG book sale: See WED.03, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. m

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SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13-04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVt.com

What’s Good in

the ’Hood?

Download BurlApp for the local lookup on Chittenden County’s... Restaurants & Bars • Shopping • Arts & Entertainment • Attractions

CLASS PHOTOS + MORE INFO ONLINE SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSES

classes THE FOLLOWING CLASS LISTINGS ARE PAID ADVERTISEMENTS. ANNOUNCE YOUR CLASS FOR AS LITTLE AS $13.75/WEEK (INCLUDES SIX PHOTOS AND UNLIMITED DESCRIPTION ONLINE). SUBMIT YOUR CLASS AD AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTCLASS.

art PAINTING WORKSHOPS: Apr. 6, Jane S. Morgan; Apr. 20, Kathleen Berry Bergeron; May 4 & 11, Gene Rybicki-Judkins. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Cost: $45/4-hr. class. Location: Community Center in Jericho, 329 Browns Trace, Jericho Center. Jericho Plein Air Festival, Jane Morgan, 8934447, janesmorgan@comcast. net. Painting workshops offered by the organizers of the Jericho Plein Air festival include Painting Landscapes in Oil, concentrating on composition and perspective with Jane S. Morgan; painting spring with watercolors with Kathleen Berry Bergeron; and painting with Vibrant Artists’ Pastels with Gene RybickiJudkins. All artists welcome; please preregister.

ayurveda

CLAY: AFTERNOON WHEEL THROWING: Apr. 11-May 30, 12:30-3 p.m., Weekly on Thu. Cost: $216/BCA members; $240/nonmembers. Clay sold separately at $20 per 25-lb. bag, glazes & firings incl. Location: BCA Clay Studio, 250 Main St., Burlington. This new eight-week class is an introduction to clay, pottery and the ceramics studio. Learn basic throwing and forming techniques while creating functional pieces such as mugs, vases and bowls. Learn various finishing techniques using the studio’s house slips and glazes. No previous experience needed! Class includes over 30 hours per week of open studio time to practice.

PRINT: WOODCUT: Apr. 17May. 22, 6-8:30 p.m., Weekly on Wed. Cost: $162/BCA members; $180/nonmembers. Location: BCA Print Studio, 250 Main St., Burlington. . With local printmaking expert Gregg Blasdel, discover the unique process of woodblock printing during this 6-week-long introductory class. Learn fundamental techniques and characteristics of relief woodblock printing. Explore the use of multiple colors and other creative possibilities for printing your design. Cost

community THE POWER OF MINDSETS: NURTURING MOTIVATION, HOPE AND RESILIENCE IN CHILDREN: Apr. 18, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Cost: $90/person. Location: Majestic Theater, Williston. Ptarmigan Abbott, 488-6707, howardcenter.org. HowardCenter is pleased to host clinical psychologist and author Dr. Robert Brooks for a conference on strengthening communities and building resilient children and families. This seminar is designed for educators, administrators, mental health clinicians and social workers.

INTRO TO HTML/CSS: Apr. 13 & Apr. 20, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Cost: $72/8-hr. class. Location: Office Squared, 77 College Street, Champlain St. entrance, Burlington. Girl Develop It Burlington, Maureen McElaney, maureen@girldevelopit.com, http://meetup.com/GirlDevelop-It-Burlington/. Learn to build your own website! Learn how to better control the one you’ve got! No prior webdesign experience necessary; RSVP required. This eight-hour workshop spans two consecutive Saturdays! Girl Develop It Burlington is on a mission is to provide affordable web-design courses for women.

DANCE STUDIO SALSALINA: Location: 266 Pine St., Burlington. Victoria, 598-1077, info@salsalina.com. Salsa classes, nightclub-style, on-one and on-two, group and private, four levels. Beginner walk-in classes, Wednesdays, 6 p.m. $13/person for one-hour class. No dance experience, partner or preregistration required, just the desire to have fun! Drop in any time and prepare for an enjoyable workout!

cooking ACCESS CLASSES IN HINESBURG AT CVU HIGH SCHOOL: Apr. 10, 6-8:30 p.m. Cost: $35/person. Location: CVU High School, 10 min. from Exit 12, Hinesburg. 482-7194, access@ cvuhs.org, cvuweb.cvuhs.org/ access/. Vietnamese cuisine w/ Lauren Gammon. Vietnam, in her sublime beauty, offers a cuisine of contrasting textures, aromatic herbs and deep savory flavors that light up the palette. Renew your dining experience at home by bringing three refreshing recipes to table while exploring the culinary trends that weave this cuisine into fruition. Menu: Shrimp and Rice Vermicelli Bowl, Beef Wrapped in Vietnamese Leaf, Daikon and Carrot Quick Pickle. Limit 16.

dance ARGENTINE TANGO FOR BEGINNERS: Apr. 10-May. 1, 7-8 p.m., Weekly on Wed. Cost: $48/4 1-hr. classes. Location: North End Studio B, 294 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington. Elizabeth Seyler, 862-2833, elizabethmseyler@ gmail.com, tangowise. com/burlington-classes/. Improvise, express yourself, collaborate, play! If you can walk, you can tango. Learn the basics in a friendly, welcoming environment for all ages. Instructor Elizabeth Seyler, PhD, welcomes all levels and ages in her playful, engaging classes. No partner or

DSANTOS VT SALSA: Mon. evenings: beginner class, 7-8 p.m.; intermediate, 8:15-9:15 p.m. Cost: $10/1-hr. class. Location: Movement Studio, 180 Flynn Ave., Burlington. Tyler Crandall, 598-9204, crandalltyler@ hotmail.com, dsantosvt.com. Experience the fun and excitement of Burlington’s eclectic dance community by learning salsa. Trained by world famous dancer Manuel Dos Santos, we teach you how to dance to the music and how to have a great time on the dance floor! There is no better time to start than now! LEARN TO DANCE W/ A PARTNER!: Cost: $50/4-wk. class. Location: Champlain Club, 20 Crowley St., Burlington. Lessons also avail. in St. Albans. First Step Dance, 598-6757, kevin@firststepdance.com, FirstStepDance.com. Come alone, or come with friends, but come out and learn to dance! Beginning classes repeat each month, but intermediate classes vary from month to month. As with all of our programs, everyone is encouraged to attend, and no partner is necessary. SWING DANCE LESSONS: Apr. 9-May. 14, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Cost: $50/6-wk. sesson. Location: The Champlain Club, 20 Crowley St., Burlington. Vermont Swings, Michael Boucher, 4482930, vtswings@gmail.com, vermontswings.com. Learn to swing dance in a fun, low-pressure, supportive environment. No partner necessary! Bring clean shoes and a willingness to have fun! Includes admission to open practice session immediately after.

drumming TAIKO, DJEMBE, CONGAS & BATA!: Location: Burlington Taiko Space, 208 Flynn Ave., suite 3-G, Burlington. Stuart Paton, 999-4255, spaton55@ gmail.com. Taiko in Burlington! Tuesday Taiko adult classes begin Apr. 30, Jun. 18, Sept. 10, Oct. 22 & Dec. 3, 5:30-6:20 p.m. $72/6 weeks. Kids classes begin the same dates, 4:30-5:20 p.m. DRUMMING

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CLASSES 63

CLAY: WHEEL THROWING II: Apr. 11-May. 30, 6-8:30 p.m. Cost: $216/BCA members; $240/nonmembers. Clay sold separately at $20 per 25-lb. bag, glazes & firings incl. Location: BCA Clay Studio, 250 Main St., Burlington. In this class, designed for those with some wheel experience, students will learn individualized tips for advancement on the wheel. Demonstrations and instruction will cover intermediate

PRINT: SILKSCREENING T-SHIRT DESIGN: Apr. 11-May. 30, 6-8:30 p.m., Weekly on Thu. Cost: $207/ BCA members; $230/nonmembers. Location: BCA Print Studio, 250 Main St., Burlington. . Wow your friends with your personally designed T-shirts! Local silkscreen legend, Torrey Valyou, co-owner of New Duds, will show you how to design and print T-shirts just like a professional. Learn a variety of techniques for transferring and printing images using hand-drawn, photographic or borrowed imagery. Cost includes over 25 hours per week of open studio hours. No experience necessary! Some materials are included.

TEEN RETREAT: Apr. 19-21. Location: Karme Choling, Barnet. 633-2384, karmecholing.org. Are you ready to explore the teenage jungle of awareness and warriorship while awakening your heart in the awesome company of peers? Try a weekend teen retreat in the beautiful hills of Barnet at Karme Choling Shambhala Meditation Center. Scholarships available.

experience necessary. Register online or at the first class.

SEVEN DAYS

CLAY: INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED WHEEL: Apr. 11-May 30, 9:30 a.m.-noon, Weekly on Thu. Cost: $252/BCA members; $280/nonmembers. Location: BCA Clay Studio, 250 Main St., Burlington. . Local pottery artist Jeremy Ayers will help you refine your wheelwork in this morning class for intermediate and advanced potters. The class can be tailored to students continuing from Intermediate Wheel, or for new students. Demonstrations and instruction will cover intermediate throwing, trimming, decorative and glazing methods. Students should be proficient in centering and throwing. Over 30 hours per week of open studio space time included.

PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR ARTWORK: Apr. 17, 6-9 p.m. Cost: $13/BCA members; $15/ nonmembers. Location: BCA Center, 2nd floor, Burlington. . Professional photographer Michelle Saffran and BCA art director Ted Olson will demonstrate techniques for lighting, setting up backgrounds and achieving the correct color in the photos of your artwork. Also, get tips on how to properly upload and save images onto the computer and about photo file sizes. Please bring your SLR or digital camera for the class. Knowledge of camera basics is required.

camps

computers

04.03.13.04.10.13

AYURVEDIC SPRING HOME CLEANSE: Apr. 5, 5-7 p.m. Cost: $38/person; preregister. Location: River House Yoga, Plainfield. River House Yoga, Chaya Thanhauser, 426-2145, riverhouseyoga@gmail.com, riverhouseyoga.com. Join Allison Morse, experienced Ayurvedic Practitioner for information on how to do a spring cleanse at home. Enhance your yoga practice, increase your immunity, balance digestive issues and nourish your body. An Ayurvedic cleanse is safe and effective for most people. Preregister.

Call 865-7166 for info or register online at burlingtoncityarts.org. Teacher bios are also available online.

PAINTING: WATERCOLOR: Apr. 10-May. 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Weekly on Wed. Cost: $176/ BCA members; $195/nonmembers. Location: BCA Center, 135 Church St., Burlington. . Learn how to paint with watercolor. This class will focus on observational painting from still life, figure, landscape and photos. Students paint on watercolor paper and gain experience with composition, color theory, layering, light and shade. Class may move outdoors to paint en plein air on nice days! Instructor: Marc Nadel.

includes use of open studio hours for class work. Materials provided, except cost of paper.

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

AYURVEDIC SPRING HOME CLEANSE: Apr. 13, 1-2:30 p.m. Cost: $38/person; preregister. Location: Evolution Yoga, Burlington. Evolution Yoga, 8649642, yoga@evolutionvt.com, Evolutionvt.com. Join Allison Morse, experienced Ayurvedic Practitioner for information on how to do a spring cleanse at home. Enhance your yoga practice, increase your immunity, balance digestive issues and nourish your body. An Ayurvedic cleanse is safe and effective for most people.

burlington city arts

throwing, beginning to intermediate trimming, and glazing techniques. Individual projects will be encouraged. Students must be proficient in centering and throwing. Over 30 hours per week of open studio time included.

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$60/6 weeks. Conga and Djembe Friday classes start Apr. 5, May 3, Jun. 14, Jul. 12 & Aug. 2, 5 p.m. & 6 p.m. $15/class. Montpelier Conga class start Apr. 4, May 2, Jun. 20 & Jul. 18, 9:30-10:30 a.m. $60/4 weeks. Montpelier Djembe classes start Apr. 4 at Guitar Sam’s, 7-8:30 p.m. $54/3 weeks!

All materials provided. $40, limit 12. Paint with Wool and a Felted Needle w/ Annette. Wed., Apr. 17, 6-9 p.m. Fee: $45, limit of 12. Senior discount.

flynn arts

healing

sensibility with compassionate presence, respect for others, and confidence in oneself.

SELF-CARE FOR SENSITIVE PEOPLE —THE BASICS AND MORE: Apr. 6, 10 a.m.-noon. Cost: $35/person. Location: 55 Clover Ln., Waterbury. Sue, 244-7909. Learn how to stay balanced and happy through good self-care practices that have a proven track record of success. Led by Cornelia Ward, consultant and teacher.

health

SPRING CLEANING YOUR HEALTH: Apr. 27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Cost: $195/daylong retreat & 3 coaching sessions. Location: Dharma Door Retreat Center, Underhill. Trail to Wellness, LLC, Susan Whitman, 923-6070, LIFE IS A SPIRITUAL TREASURE susan@trailtowellness.com, HUNT: Apr. 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. VIEWPOINTS WORKSHOP FOR trailtowellness.com. Clear out Cost: $60/person. Registration ACTORS & DANCERS: Adults & the parts of your life that aren’t deadline: Apr. 13. $25 nonre1x1-FlynnPerfArts093009.indd 1 Th 9/28/09 PM Teens 16+, weekly on u., Apr.3:32:51 serving you and make room for fundable fee required at time of 18-May 9, 6-8:30 p.m., $85/3 the person you were meant to registration. Location: 55 Clover wks. No class Apr. 25. Instructed be. A day of mindfulness, moveLn., Waterbury. 244-7909. Learn by Robin Fawcett. Location: ment, motivation and an interacto read the signs and messages Flynn Center for the Performing tive cooking hour. Leave inspired, that surround us all the time Arts, Burlington. 652-4500, flythoughtful and ready to walk that can provide us with the nnarts.org. The Viewpoints techyour own path to a healthier and information that can help us nique fosters flexibility, strength more fulfilling life. move forward in positive ways. and articulation in movement by Led by Susan Ackerman, teacher, addressing essential perforauthor, counselor and astrologer. mance concepts: becoming present, active listening, spontaneity, trust, kinesthetic response, BASKETWEAVING: Apr. 6, 9:30 shared energy and spatial relaWOMEN’S BEGINNER WALK/ a.m.-3:30 p.m. Cost: $125/ tionships. This workshop guides RUN: May. 1-Jul. 17, 5:45-7 person. Location: Helen Day participants through the nine p.m., Weekly on Wed. Cost: Art Center, 90 Pond St., Stowe. Viewpoints of time and space, al$45/person online until Apr. 253-8358, education@helenday. lowing actors, dancers, directors 24; $50 on-site at first class. com, helenday.com. Learn how and choreographers to expand Location: Williston Central to weave a simple basket using their sensory awareness and School, 195 Central School Dr., all-natural weavers and spokes. physical presence onstage, while Williston. First Strides Vermont, Basket weaving is a long-standcreating a common language Michele Morris, 899-5156, ing tradition shared by cultures and practical methodologies for info@firststridesvermont.com, throughout the world. The staging bold theatrical work. firststridesvermont.com. First variety of construction allows for Strides is a proven, fun, 12-week endless possibilities in creating program that uses encouragebeautiful and useful objects. ment and training to improve Weaving provides both a means ART OF GROWING FOOD: Apr. the fitness, self-esteem and of creating a unique expression 13, 9:30-11 a.m. Cost: $10/ support network of women of all and also a way to connect with person. Location: Gardener’s ages and abilities. Walkers and tradition and craft in a meaningSupply, Burlington. 660-3505. beginning runners welcome. ful way. Materials included. Ellen Ogden will teach you basic Register at firststridesvermont. Instructed by Linda Lomasney. kitchen garden design, including com or pick up forms at Women’s choosing the right beds, building DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY II: Apr. Source For Sports and Fleet Feet paths, adding personality, gar30-May. 28, 9:30 a.m.-noon., Sports. den tools and organic methods Weekly on Tue. Cost: $150/ to build your soil. In addition, person. Location: Helen Day Art participants will learn how to Center, 90 Pond St., Stowe. 253integrate flowers, herbs and 8358, education@helenday.com, vegetables and what to choose helenday.com. For those who for ultimate flavor. ACCESS CLASSES IN HINESBURG have a working knowledge of AT CVU HIGH SCHOOL: 200 digital photography. Participants MAGIC OF FRUIT TREES: Apr. 6, offerings for all ages w/ great will learn how to manage 9:30-11 a.m. Cost: $10/person. instructors. Full descriptions and edit digital photos using Location: Gardener’s Supply, online. Location: CVU High Adobe software, discuss photo Burlington. 660-3505. Fruit School, 10 min. from Exit 12, aesthetics, and be given weekly trees make a bountiful and deliHinesburg. 482-7194, access@ assignments. Digital basics will cious addition to your landscape. cvuhs.org, cvuweb.cvuhs.org/ be reviewed. Class will do short Learn how to choose the right access/. Needle Felt a 3-D Owl w/ outdoor photo sessions when one for your space and taste. Annette Hansen. Wed., Apr. 10, possible. Students must have The pruning seminar is an ideal 6-9 p.m. Learn the techniques of their own DSLR or small digital companion. basic 3-D needle felting in this camera with manual adjustthree-hour class. You’ll be able to ments. Instructor: Paul Rogers. give your owl lots of personality! This is a great class for all ages.

empowerment

helen day art center

64 CLASSES

SEVEN DAYS

04.03.13.04.10.13

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

exercise

gardening

fiber & surface design

VERMONT BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU: Mon.-Fri., 6-9 p.m., & Sat., 10 a.m. 1st class is free. Location: Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. 660-4072, Julio@bjjusa.com, vermontbjj. com. Classes for men, women and children. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu enhances strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and cardio-respiratory fitness. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training builds and helps to instill courage and selfconfidence. We offer a legitimate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu martial arts program in a friendly, safe and positive environment. Accept no imitations. Learn from one of the world’s best, Julio “Foca” Fernandez, CBJJ and IBJJF certified 6th Degree Black Belt, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor under Carlson Gracie Sr., teaching in Vermont, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! A 5-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu National Featherweight Champion and 3-time Rio de Janeiro State Champion, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

herbs

language

INTERMEDIATE HERBAL PROGRAM: May. 5-Sep. 29, 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., 2 Sun. monthly. Cost: $1200/person; incl. all books & supplies. Location: Horsetail Herbs/Kelley Robie, 134 Manley Rd., Milton. Horsetail Herbs, Kelley Robie, 8930521, htherbs@comcast.net, horsetailherbs.org. Ten days through summer, formulating, harvesting, & preparing plants for medicinal use. Will focus on supporting body systems with our formulations. Projects will include advanced tinctures, tonics, salves, soaps, glycerites, creams, butters, capsules, oils, flower essences, syrups, aromatherapy, liniments, incense, chocolate and more. VSAC grant opportunities.

SPANISH CLASSES BEGINNING SOON: Beginning wk. of Apr. 9-11, for 10 wks. Location: Spanish in Waterbury Center, Waterbury Center. Spanish in Waterbury Center, 585-1025, spanishparavos@gmail.com, spanishwaterburycenter.com. Sign up now for our Spanish classes. Our sixth year. Learn from a native speaker in lively small classes, individual instruction or student tutoring. You’ll always be participating and speaking. Lesson packages for travelers. Also lessons for young children; they love it! See our website or contact us for details.

massage

martial arts

meditation

AIKIDO: Adult introductory classes begin on Tue., May 7 at 5:30 p.m. 3-mo. special inc. 1 free mo. of uniform. Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St. (across from Conant Metal & Light), Burlington. 9518900, burlingtonaikido.org. This Japanese martial art is a great method to get in shape and relieve stress. Classes for adults, teens and children. We also offer morning classes for new students. Study with Benjamin Pincus Sensei, 6th degree black belt and Vermont’s only fully certified Aikido teacher. Visitors are always welcome.

LEARN TO MEDITATE: Meditation instruction avail. Sun. mornings, 9 a.m.-noon, or by appt. Meditation sessions on Tue. & Thu., noon-1 p.m. and Mon.-Thu., 6-7 p.m. The Shambhala Cafe meets the 1st Sat. of ea. mo. for meditation & discussions, 9 a.m.-noon. An Open House occurs 3rd Fri. evening of ea. mo., 7-9 p.m., which incl. an intro to the center, a short dharma talk & socializing. Location: Burlington Shambhala Center, 187 S. Winooski Ave., Burlington. 658-6795, burlingtonshambhalactr.org. Through the practice of sitting still and following your breath as it goes out and dissolves, you are connecting with your heart. By simply letting yourself be, as you are, you develop genuine sympathy toward yourself. The Burlington Shambhala Center offers meditation as a path to discovering gentleness and wisdom.

WISDOM OF THE HERBS SCHOOL: Now accepting applications for Wisdom Eight-Month Certification Program, Apr. 20-21, May 18-19, Jun. 15-16, Jul. 13-14, Aug. 10-11, Sep. 7-8, Oct. 5-6 & Nov. 2-3. Tuition: $1750; nonrefundable deposit: $250; payment plan: $187.50/ mo. Applications for Wild Edibles spring term: Apr. 28, May 26, Jun. 23. Tuition: $300. VSAC nondegree grants avail. Location: Wisdom of the Herbs School, Woodbury. 456-8122, annie@wisdomoftheherbsschool. com, wisdomoftheherbsschool. com. Earth skills for changing times. Experiential programs embracing local wild edible and medicinal plants, food as first medicine, sustainable living skills and the inner journey. Annie McCleary, director, and George Lisi, naturalist.

AIKIDO CLASSES: Location: Vermont Aikido, 274 N. Winooski Ave. (2nd floor), Burlington. Vermont Aikido, 862-9785, vermontaikido.org. Aikido trains body and spirit, promoting flexibility and strong center within flowing movement, martial

INTRO TO MASSAGE SCHOOL: Apr. 13, 2-5 p.m. Cost: $25/3-hr. class. Location: Touchstone Healing Arts School of Massage, 187 St. Paul St., Burlington. Touchstone Healing Arts, Mark Adams, 658-7715, touchvt@ gmail.com, touchstonehealingarts.com. Our nine-month training in September prepares individuals for a rewarding career. You can expect personal and professional growth, detailed body sciences, exceptional massage technique and practice. Fifteen years of excellence!

we’ll explore and photograph some of the most stunning Vermont landscapes as they burst with spring color.

pregnancy ADOpTION INfORMATIONAl MEETING: Wed., Apr. 10, 6:307:30 p.m. Location: Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St., Burlington. Friends in Adoption, Beth Miller, 235-2373, beth@ friendsinadoption.org, friendsinadoption.org. Prospective adoptive parents, join Friends in adoption, a leading agency in domestic, infant adoption, to learn about adoption and our compassionate, child-centered approach, as advocates for open adoption. Free; preregister.

psychology

music

spRING IN vERMONT WORksHOp: May. 17-19. Cost: $595/person. Location: Green Mountain Photographic Workshops, Central Vermont. Green Mountain Photographic Workshops, Kurt Budliger, 223-4022, info@kurtbudligerphotography.com, greenmtnphotoworkshops.com. spring in Vermont is one of the most magical times to be outdoors exploring the landscape with a camera. During this three-day, intensive photography workshop

vermont center for integrative therapy

well-being cHAkRA WORksHOp: Apr. 6, 8:45 a.m.-3 p.m. Location: Blissful Wellness Center, 48 Laurel Dr., Essex. 238-9540. For more details, please visit blissfullvt.com.

women THE WORlD WEARy WOMAN: Apr. 17-May. 8, 7-9 p.m., Weekly on Wed. Cost: $60/ person. Location: 55 Clover Ln., Waterbury. 244-7909. This experiential workshop explores the deeper reasons for why so many women do too much and provides both insights about it and remedies for it, using Jungian analyst cara Barker’s The World Weary Woman as a text. led by sue Mehrtens.

sewing AccEss clAssEs IN HINEsBuRG AT cvu HIGH scHOOl: 200 offerings for all ages w/ great instructors. Full descriptions online. Cost: $85/person. Location: CVU High School, 10 min. from Exit 12, Hinesburg. 482-7194, access@cvuhs.org, cvuweb.cvuhs. org/access/. It’s Your Bag! 3 Bags sewing Workshop. Mon., apr. 29, May 6 & 13, 6-9 p.m. a colorful folding shopping bag, small zippered organizer bag and tote

yOGA fOR ANxIETy & ADDIcTION: Apr. 10-May. 29, 5:15-6:45 p.m., Weekly on Wed. Cost: $120/person. Location: Vermont Center for Integrative Therapy, 364 Dorset St., suite 204, S. Burlington. 658-9440, lakshmi.yoga.vt@gmail.com. Within anxiety, addictions can be born and feelings of claustrophobia within one’s skin arise and grow. The antidote to anxiety is relaxation within the body and mind. This class will begin with a gentle heat, fueling the body with breath-based movements, then slowing down for long, comfortable holds focusing on reducing stress through restful rejuvenation and meditation.

yOGA & MINDfulNEss fOR INfERTIlITy: May. 4, 9 a.m.noon. Cost: $50. Location: Vermont Center for Integrative Therapy, 364 Dorset St., suite 204, S. Burlington. 658-9440. Infertility is a life-altering experience that results in distress. This workshop includes group support, gentle yoga and breathing techniques to encourage and

wood WOODTuRNING: INTRO TO BOWls: Apr. 27-28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monthly. Cost: $175/ two-day class. Location: The Sculpted Tree, 150 West Canal St., Winooski. The Sculpted Tree, Nick Rosato, 999-2976, thesculptedtree@gmail.com, thesculptedtree.com. Guided by

professional woodworker Nick Rosato, you will be introduced to the art of bowl making using hand chisels and a lathe. each student will design and produce their own bowl from salvaged wood. Use your bowl for salad, ice cream, peanuts or to display wood shavings from your class!

yoga EvOluTION yOGA: $14/class, $130/class card, $5-10/community classes. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. 864-9642, evolutionvt.com. evolution Yoga offers a variety of classes in a supportive atmosphere: beginner, advanced, kids, babies, post- and prenatal, community classes, and workshops. Vinyasa, Kripalu, core, Breast cancer survivor and alignment classes. certified teachers, massage and PT, too. Join our yoga community and get to know the family you choose. HOT yOGA BuRlINGTON: Get hot -- 2-for-1 offer. 1-hr. classes on Mon., Tue. & Thur.: 5:30 p.m; Fri.: 5 p.m.; Sat.: 10:30 a.m. Cost: $14/1st 2 classes, multi-class cards avail. Location: North End Studio B, 294 N Winooski Ave, Old North End, Burlington. 999-9963, hotyogaburlingtonvt. com. Hot Yoga Burlington offers creative, vinyasa-style yoga featuring practice in the Barkan Method Hot Yoga in a 95-degree studio accompanied by eclectic music. Try something different! THE ART Of AssIsTs IN yOGA: Sun., Apr. 21, 9 a.m.-noon, w/ Julia Howe Sullivan. Cost: $45/3-hr. class. Location: Laughing River Yoga, Chace Mill, suite 126, Burlington. 343-8119, laughingriveryoga. com. Demystify the underlying principles of the yoga assist while strengthening your understanding of energetics in asana practice and the student/teacher relationship. For teachers looking to enhance their service to others or students curious about the “why” behind physical adjustments, this workshop will shed new light on the art of assisting. m

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BOW MEOW pET GROOMING scHOOl: Spring session begins soon. Location: Bow Meow Pet Grooming School, 26 Susie Wilson Rd., Essex. 878-3647, bowmeow50@aol.

pRIvATE pHOTOGRApHy clAssEs: Location: Linda Rock Photography, 48 Laurel Dr., Essex Junction. 238-9540, lrphotography@comcast.net, lindarockphotography.com. One-on-one, private digitalphotography classes of your choice for beginner and intermediate levels. Understand Your camera, lighting Techniques, Portrait Posing, Digital Workflow, Photoshop, set Up a Photo Business and more. $69/half day; $125/full day. small group classes also available.

sEcOND DEGREE REIkI: Sat. & Sun., Apr. 6-7. Sat. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 10:30 a.m-5 p.m. love offering (you determine your payment). Location: Venue will be sent upon registration, Middlebury. Barbara Clearbridge, 324-9149, clearbridge@FeelingMuchBetter.org, FeelingMuchBetter.org. Ready for more — more power, more knowledge and more skills? Includes mental and emotional healing techniques and distant treatment methods. Prior First Degree Usui Reiki certification is required. limit: 10 participants. Instructor Barbara clearbridge is a teacher of traditional Usui Reiki, with over 25 years’ experience with healing energies.

yANG-sTylE TAI cHI: Wed., 5:30 p.m., Sat., 8:30 a.m. $16/ class, $60/mo., $160/3 mo. New 8-wk. beginners session starts Wed., Mar. 20. $125/8 classes. Location: Vermont Tai Chi Academy & Healing Center, 180 Flynn Ave., Burlington. Immediate right turn after railroad tracks. Follow the curve, then turn right & go through the parking lot, passing Vermont Hardware. Turn left at the end of the brick building & you will find a Tai Chi sign on your left. 4342960. Tai chi is a slow-moving martial art that combines deep breathing and graceful movements to produce the valuable effects of relaxation, improved concentration, improved balance and ease in the symptoms of fibromyalgia. 735-5465 or 434-2960.

build self-compassion and personal empowerment and to help counterbalance the challenging impacts of infertility. No prior experience with yoga is necessary. led by Margaret Russel and Deb sherrer.

SEVEN DAYS

pets

photography

reiki

sNAkE-sTylE TAI cHI cHuAN: Beginner classes Sat. mornings & Wed. evenings. Call to view a class. Location: Bao Tak Fai Tai Chi Institute, 100 Church St., Burlington. 864-7902, iptaichi. org. The Yang snake style is a dynamic tai chi method that mobilizes the spine while stretching and strengthening the core body muscles. Practicing this ancient martial art increases strength, flexibility, vitality, peace of mind and martial skill.

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WINTERplAy JAzz WORksHOp: Apr. 6, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Cost: $150/person; incl. coffee, tea, juice, delicious lunch & snacks. Location: Faith United Methodist Church, 899 Dorset St., S. Burlington. 356-5060, interplayjazzandarts.org. Open to all instrumentalists and vocalists. This is a one-day workshop in jazz improvisation led by Interplay Jazz faculty members Fred Haas (saxophone and piano), Michael Zsoldos (saxophone) and George Voland (trombone). Unlock the mystery of jazz improvisation. Develop your ear and play what you hear. Dig into the groove!

com, bowmeowpetgrooming. com. Have you always been fond of dogs and cats? Do you have a creative streak? If you answered yes to these questions, then you may have what it takes to be a successful pet groomer! Why don’t you find out? Now accepting applications for the spring session beginning March 25.

tai chi

SEVENDAYSVt.com

ONE MONTH MEDITATION RETREAT: Jun. 13-Jul. 12. Location: Karme Choling, Barnet. 633-2384, karmecholing.org. Wanting to retreat, deepen and open all at the same time? Perhaps you’re ready for a Dathun! Dathun is a one-month group meditation retreat but also can be done for just one week. The program is for new and experienced meditators. scholarships available.

THE BEEBE BREAkTHROuGH: Apr. 13, 9 a.m.-noon. Cost: $45/ person. Location: 55 Clover Ln., Waterbury. Sue, 244-7909. Understand psychological development, relationship challenges and the dynamics of emotion and the unconscious through Jungian analyst John Beebe’s sophisticated model of personality type. Both experts and novices in type theory can gain insights. ceUs are available. led by Mark Hunziger; cosponsored by VT-aPT and the Jungian center.

with lots of pockets created as you learn to sew or continue to sew. Basic machine use, patterns and lining a bag are taught. Bring your own machine or use one at the school. Receive materials list upon enrolling. limit 8. senior discount.

music

Sage of Reason An interview with David Lamb of Brown Bird B Y DA N BOL L ES

SEVENDAYSVT.COM 04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS 66 MUSIC

SEVEN DAYS: You’re touring with another Rhode Island band, Last Good Tooth. What can you tell me about them? DAVID LAMB: One of the things I like about them is that they really have their own sound. The lead singer, Penn Sultan, has got a great lyrical style, with his own wit thrown in. They sort of fit in “Americana” … sort of. But they’re not tied to it and not trying to reproduce anything, specifically. We appreciate that a lot. SD: Both of your parents were ministers. How does that religious upbringing factor into your songwriting? DL: I was raised in a household where reading the Bible every day was a requirement. That got me into a seeker’s mindset. I didn’t stay in the church when I left my parent’s house. But it gave me a drive to figure out what my beliefs were. So I’ve always been seeking different perspectives and philosophies and what else is out there in the world. That makes its way into the lyrics. It’s pretty directly related, especially on Fits of Reason.

COURTESY OF MIKAEL KENNEDY

n their latest record, Fits of Reason, Rhode Island’s Brown Bird take lyrical cues from famed thinkers such as Thomas Paine, Omar Khayam and Christopher Hitchens. Amid hypnotic arrangements of swirling violins, sinister guitars and foot-stomping percussion, the duo of David Lamb and MorganEve Swain deliver a contemplative philosophical treatise of their own. Richly textured and nuanced, the album builds on the multicultural sonic influences of the band’s earlier work, while adding previously unseen elements — electric instruments, for one — that deepen the impact and mystery of their music. In advance of the duo’s performance at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge this Thursday, April 4, Seven Days caught up with David Lamb by phone from his home in Warren, R.I.

Brown Bird

SD: You tease Thomas Paine in the title of the record and touch on larger philosophical themes in your songwriting than in some of your previous work. Did you specifically set out to write with more of an outward gaze? DL: It wasn’t something where we were like, “All right, now we’re gonna get really obscure.” I think it just happened to come about with the books I was reading at the time. Something that inspires me in lyricists I respect is the ability to paint a picture, poetically, without spelling out every little detail. It gives your imagination room to add your own personality into the scenario. I love that about other lyricists. And part of me was probably trying to repeat that phenom-

enon so that it hopefully happens to our listeners, as well, and maybe they’ll have a more profound experience than everything spelled out letter by letter. SD: You have an interesting tattoo across your knuckles that reads “COME HOME.” What’s the story there? DL: I got that at a very transitional time in my life. I had just ended a seven-year relationship, and the other members of Brown Bird at the time were focusing on other projects. So I was out on the road alone for six months and also leaving a very high-paying job that I felt was locking me into a lifestyle I didn’t want. So the tattoo was to remind me that, however how far out I go, not just physically

but emotionally and psychologically, I wanted to return to some sort of home base and not change the core elements of who I am in the midst of all this drastic change. SD: Brown Bird have had several iterations. But you’ve lately settled on being a duo. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of playing in that format? DL: For the most part, it’s great. We’re a very efficient machine, as far as touring goes. Being in a band is like being in a relationship, from all the different views and opinions that go into not only songwriting or music but stuff like, “Where are we gonna eat tonight?” We have our own challenges with songwriting, just between the two of us. But I think we’ve discovered a common ground where it works for us. The challenges are that if you have ideas that require different parts, it’s difficult to scale back to the core, the most necessary parts that still keep the song as strong as possible but as simple as possible as well. But that’s a fun challenge. SD: Is it difficult to recreate the arrangements you use in the studio in a live setting? DL: Honestly, I feel like most of the songs that you hear on the album are not far off from what you’ll hear live. There are a couple of exceptions, specifically “Bow for Blade,” which has kind of an Andrews Sisters influence, with MorganEve harmonizing with herself. Occasionally live, we’ll have special guests that help recreate that. But for most shows, we’ll probably have to have my scratchy-ass voice filling in for her beautiful one on those harmonies.

Brown Bird play the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge in South Burlington this Thursday, April 4, 7:30 p.m. $12/10. AA. Last Good Tooth open.

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Got muSic NEwS? dan@sevendaysvt.com

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Music critics are human, too, and just as beholden to their own tastes and judgments as other listeners. As such, we’re as fallible as anyone else, and our opinions should never be taken as gospel. While I hope our musings on local records help you decide what you may or may not be interested in, they’re not meant to be the final word. And sometimes, despite good intentions, we choose the wrong words. A few weeks ago I wrote about Love Wait What Yes, the debut record from Violette ultraViolet, which is a side project of shelly shredder’s JaKe Brennan. It was a generally favorable review in which I posited that the EP was a great breakup record. Sounds good, right? Brennan thought so. Except for one pesky detail. “What if I told you,” he wrote, shortly after the review ran, “that aside from a few obvious lines, this is not reflecting on a breakup at all, that it is actually an admission of love?” Um … I’d say it was a lousy love record? I’m kidding. Brennan continued, asking, “Is there a different story you could see happening than one of lost love?” In my defense, I had agreed to review the record on a drastically shorter turnaround than I would, meaning I didn’t have as much time with the album as I prefer. It’s a lame excuse, but an excuse nonetheless. Also, Brennan added that I wasn’t the SoUnDbITeS

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GROUND UP Th 11

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MICHAEL BERNARD FITZGERALD Fr 12

BADFISH: AAVON TRIBUTE TO SUBLIME JUNKIES, THE BUMPING JONES Sa 13

NOON & 3PM SHOWS

DAN ZANES & ELIZABETH MITCHELL Sa 13

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JC BROOKS & THE UPTOWN SOUND QUADRA + PLEASUREDOME

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BONOBO SHIGETO

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UPCOMING... 4/18 4/19 4/20 4/20 4/21 4/22

DIRTY PROJECTORS DEAD SESSIONS KUNG FU FUTURE ROCK COLLIE BUDDZ LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES

JUST ANNOUNCED 4/24 4/26 5/4 5/9 5/10 8/6

SWEET START SMACKDOWN BLACK FRANCIS WOKO B-DAY NEW POLITICS PURE X BUDDY GUY

TICKETS

INFO 652.0777 | TIX 888.512.SHOW 1214 Williston Rd. | S. Burlington Growing Vermont, UVM Davis Center

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Music criticism — and arts criticism, generally — is an odd pursuit. For as much as its practitioners strive for objectivity, it is an inherently subjective exercise. No two sets of ears work exactly the same way. And though the goal of criticism is to remain as neutral as possible, we can’t help but be informed, to some degree, by biases collected over a lifetime of listening.

CONSPIRATOR + BREAK SCIENCE

SEVEN DAYS

Everyone’s a Critic

FIRST FRIDAY

AUDREY RYAN, DJ LLU, DJ VEENA

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last year’s festival darlings, alpenglow, as well as an appearance by anders and Kendall, the duo project of anders parKer and Kendall Meade. This year, the cool kids over at Friends + Family are curating shows at the Stop Light Gallery, focusing on the experimental end of the local spectrum. Expect appearances from lawrence welKs & our Bear to cross, a snaKe in the garden, gloaMing, toy Boat and wren and Mary, among many others. On the nonlocal tip, Montréal’s the luyas headline a collection of interesting acts that also include Portland, Maine’s Brenda and phantoM Buffalo, Massachusetts’ speedy ortiz and New Hampshire’s passerine, among others. And that’s just the beginning. Mavadones writes that he hopes to have the entire lineup and schedule set when the Waking Windows website launches next week. So expect more good news to come shortly. In the meantime, tickets for Waking Windows III, slated for May 10 and 11, are on sale at ticketfly.com.

BROWN BIRD LAST GOLD TOOTH

SEVENDAYSVt.com

The announcement of the main lineup for the 2013 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival caused a fair bit of excitement last week, in part because it looks to be a strong slate from top to bottom. But also because in Vermont, the Arrival of the Hepcats has become as undeniable a sign of spring as budding trees, chirping birds and widespread flooding. But the jazz fest isn’t the only local festival worth flipping the calendar forward to peek at. There’s another local music hootenanny on the horizon that inspires giddy anticipation: Waking Windows III. If you’ll recall, the underground music fest was founded two years ago, ostensibly as a response to the jazz fest. That wasn’t the explicit intent of its organizers, Angioplasty Media. But as it ran concurrent to the jazz fest, the underlying gist was fairly obvious. That first incarnation was a modest success. Orbiting around the indie-rock quasar that is the Monkey House in Winooski, the fest drew decent crowds, at least in light of the wealth of options across the river. But there was a good argument to be made that perhaps the concertgoing public — many of whom appreciate jazz just as much as indie rock and experimental music — was stretched thin. Last year, AM and company wisely moved the date of the fest up a few weeks, to mid-May. They also took advantage of the Onion City’s abundance of vacant storefronts to curate an ambitious, multivenue festival that essentially commandeered the ’noosk’s entire downtown. And it was awesome. The only dilemmas attendees faced were which great show at which cool bar or gallery to check out at any given time along the roundabout. Year three promises to be even better. In a recent email to Seven Days, AM’s Nick Mavodones leaked a lineup featuring a wide array of local, regional and national talent that should not only draw the interest and adulation of hardcore scenesters but should be accessible to average fans, too. Local bands are the lifeblood of WW, and the list of 802 favorites populating this year’s lineup reads like a who’s who of Vermont rock, indie and experimental music. Some highlights include Blue Button, swale, Maryse sMith, waylon speed, anachronist, trapper Keeper, tooth ache., parMaga and

CoUrTeSy of Trapper keeper

Wakey Wakey

4/1/13 5:52 PM

if you won’t?

music

NA: not availaBlE. AA: all agEs.

WED.03

cOuRTEsY OF missiON sOuTH

WHO... Will help our wildlife,

cLUB DAtES

burlington area

Club MEtronoME: WOKO presents Keeghan Nolan (country), 8 p.m., $5/10. 18+. Franny o's: Karaoke, 9:30 p.m., Free. halFloungE: scott mangan (singersongwriter), 9 p.m., Free. Rewind with DJ craig mitchell (retro), 10 p.m., Free. JP's Pub: Karaoke with morgan, 10 p.m., Free. lEunig's bistro & CaFé: mike martin and Geoff Kim (jazz), 7 p.m., Free.

When you contribute to the Nongame Wildlife Fund you are helping protect and restore Vermont’s endangered wildlife like bald eagles and bats threatened by White Nose Syndrome. Look for the loon on line 29A of your Vermont income tax return and please remember to donate. FISH & WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT www.vtfishandwildlife.com

Manhattan Pizza & Pub: Open mic with Andy Lugo, 9:30 p.m., Free. nECtar's: What a Joke! comedy Open mic (standup), 7 p.m., Free. The Brew, sam duPont (rock), 9 p.m., $6. 18+. on taP bar & grill: chad Hollister (singer-songwriter), 7 p.m., Free. raDio bEan: Dawna Hammers (singer-songwriter), 6 p.m., Free. Gregory mcKillop (folk punk), 7 p.m., Free. irish sessions, 9 p.m., Free. Punk Rock Night: Vaporizer, Worst 5 minutes of Your Life, 11 p.m., Free. rED squarE: Kim and chris (singersongwriters), 7 p.m., Free. DJ cre8 (hip-hop), 10 p.m., Free.

central

the band may deserve it. Mission South play a string of Burlington-area dates this week: Saturday,

Free.

on thE risE bakEry: Open Blues session, 8 p.m., Free.

SEVENDAYSVt.com

thinking

tWo brothErs tavErn: Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Free. ’50s Night, 9 p.m., Free.

northern

bEE's knEEs: silent mind (rock), 7:30 p.m., Donations. thE hub PizzEria & Pub: seth Yacovone (solo acoustic blues), 7 p.m., Free. Moog's PlaCE: max Weaver & Jess Zehngut (acoustic), 8 p.m., Free.

04.03.13-04.10.13 SEVEN DAYS

Harper, Dr. Dog and the Black Keys. High praise, to be sure. But a rapidly growing fan base suggests April 6, at Saint Michael’s College; Sunday, April 7, at Radio Bean; and Tuesday, April 9, at Nectar’s.

2/25/13 4:22 PMWhaMMy bar: Open mic, 6:30 p.m.,

City liMits: Karaoke with Let it Rock Entertainment, 9 p.m., Free.

ParkEr PiE Co.: Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Free.

wheeling

regional

MonoPolE: Open mic, 8 p.m., Free.

thu.04

burlington area

[and, yup, still free.]

loungE: Brown Bird, Last Good Tooth (indie folk), 7:30 p.m., $12/14. AA. Manhattan Pizza & Pub: Hot Waxxx with Justcaus & Pen West (hip-hop), 9:30 p.m., Free. MonkEy housE: small Houses, sean Hoots, Hello shark (indie), 8:30 p.m., $5. 18+. nECtar's: Trivia mania with Top Hat Entertainment, 7 p.m., Free. Funkwagon, stronhold, Building Blox (funk), 9:30 p.m., $5/10. 18+. o'briEn's irish Pub: DJ Dominic (hip-hop), 9:30 p.m., Free. on taP bar & grill: Nobby Reed Project (blues), 7 p.m., Free. raDio bEan: Dave Fugel & Friends (jazz), 6 p.m., Free. N'Goni Dub Trio (world music), 7:30 p.m., Free. shane Hardiman Trio with Geza carr & Anthony santor (jazz), 8:30 p.m., Free. Budney's soul Buddies, 11 p.m., Free. rED squarE: Jo Henley (singersongwriter), 7 p.m., Free. D Jay Baron (hip-hop), 10 p.m., Free. rED squarE bluE rooM: DJ cre8 (house), 10 p.m., Free.

tuPElo MusiC hall: Open mic with spencer Lewis, 7 p.m., Free.

champlain valley

City liMits: Trivia with Top Hat Entertainment, 7 p.m., Free. on thE risE bakEry: songwriters in the Round with Derek Burkins, Katie Trautz (singer-songwriters), 8 p.m., Donations. tWo brothErs tavErn: DJ Dizzle (house), 10 p.m., Free.

northern

bEE's knEEs: moonschein (acoustic), 7:30 p.m., Donations. thE hub PizzEria & Pub: Dinner Jazz with Fabian Rainville, 6:30 p.m., Free. Moog's PlaCE: After the Rodeo (bluegrass), 7 p.m., Free. ParkEr PiE Co.: Live music, 7:30 p.m., Free. The Brooklyn Hunt & Gather Tour (eclectic), 7:30 p.m., Free. PositivE PiE: Granite Junction string Band, 9:30 p.m., Free.

regional

MonoPolE: The snacks (rock), 10 p.m., Free.

Club MEtronoME: Turtle underground Presents: Business 2 consumer, Grundlefunk, DJ Dico (rock), 9 p.m., Free.

rí rá irish Pub: Blue James Band (rock), 9 p.m., Free. vEnuE: Thirsty Thursdays, 7 p.m., Free.

Dobrá tEa: Robert Resnik (folk), 7 p.m., Free.

MonoPolE DoWnstairs: Gary Peacock (singer-songwriter), 10 p.m., Free.

central

thEraPy: Therapy Thursdays with DJ NYcE (Top 40), 10:30 p.m., Free.

Franny o's: Karaoke, 9 p.m., Free. 68 music

Mission south blend blues-rock grit with sweet pop

sensibilities and acute folk sensitivity. That combo has elicited lofty comparisons to the likes of Ben

champlain valley

8v-free-colors.indd 3

Kind of Blues Washington, D.C.’s

skinny PanCakE: Josh Panda and Brett Lanier (rock), 7 p.m., $5-10 donation.

bagitos: Acoustic Blues Jam with the usual suspects, 6 p.m., Free. 8V-VtFishWildlife022713.indd 1

sat.06, sun.07, tuE.09 // Mission south [roCk]

halFloungE: sam duPont (singersongwriter), 9 p.m., Free. The Harder They come (EDm), 10:30 p.m., Free. highEr grounD shoWCasE

6/5/12 3:35 PM

bagitos: colin mccaffrey, carol Hausner & Danny coane (Americana), 6 p.m., Donations. grEEn Mountain tavErn: Thirsty Thursday Karaoke, 9 p.m., Free.

Fri.05

burlington area

baCkstagE Pub: Trivia with the General, 6 p.m., Free. Karaoke, 9:30 p.m., Free. Club MEtronoME: No Diggity: Return to the ’90s (’90s dance party), 9 p.m., $5. halFloungE: Justin Levinson (singer-songwriter), 9 p.m., Free. Bonjour-Hi (moombahton), 10:30 p.m., Free. highEr grounD ballrooM: conspirator, Break science (live EDm), 9 p.m., $18/20. AA. highEr grounD shoWCasE loungE: First Friday with Audrey Ryan, DJs Veena & Llu (singersongwriter, dance party), 8 p.m., $5/10. 18+. JP's Pub: starstruck Karaoke, 10 p.m., Free. liFt: Ladies Night, 9 p.m., Free/$3. Manhattan Pizza & Pub: Zack duPont Band (indie folk), 9:30 p.m., Free. Marriott harbor loungE: Eight02 (jazz), 8:30 p.m., Free. MonkEy housE: Am & msR Presents: Fol chen, Valleys, Errands (indie), 9 p.m., $8. 18+. nECtar's: Happy Ending Fridays with Jay Burwick (solo acoustic), 5 p.m., Free. seth Yacovone (solo acoustic blues), 7 p.m., Free. Blues for Breakfast (Grateful Dead tribute), 9 p.m., $5. FRi.05

» P.70

UNDbites

GOT MUSIC NEWS? DAN@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Do you experience frequent episodes of

binge eating?

C O NT I NU E D F RO M PA G E 6 7

BiteTorrent

Eligible volunteers will receive up to $35 and free diagnostic assessment. Call 656-9890, ext 2 or eating@uvm.edu For more information about the study, visit www.uvm.edu/~eating

Funkwagon

big-name talent through the region. That includes Brooklyn’s BEN KRONBERG, a nationally touring comic who has appeared on Comedy Central, MTV, ABC and NBC and is flat-out hilarious. He’ll be at Club Metronome this Saturday, April 6, with support from some yet-to-be announced local comics.

Local wagon o’ funk, FUNKWAGON, kick 12v-thinkmoodtaste022713-1.indd off a monthlong residency at Nectar’s this Thursday, April 4. Each Thursday, the band will be joined by a variety of special guests. On deck this week are the band’s original founder and bassist, JACQUE PERRON, keyboardist ZACH RHOADS and sax man JOE MOORE. Funk yeah.

Speaking of Brooklyn, an interesting quartet of Brooklyn bands makes its way through Vermont this week, with stops all over the state. The Brooklyn Hunt & Gather Tour features AVO, the WHISKEY SPITTERS, FERAL FOSTER and LUIS BETANCOURT, representing styles from funk to jug-band music to singer and/or songwriter. They’ll be at Johnson State College on Wednesday, April 3; Parker Pie Co. in West Glover on Thursday, April 4; and Radio Bean in Burlington on Friday, April 5.

Last but not least, if you only check out one show this week, I’d recommend FOL CHEN at the Monkey House on Friday, April 5, with VALLEYS and ERRANDS. FC’s new record on Asthmatic Kitty, The False Alarms, is one of coolest and strangest electro-pop records I’ve heard in a long time. Just trust me.

3/21/13 2:11 PM

Listening In A peek at what was on my iPod, turntable, eight-track player, etc., this week. Fol Chen, The False Alarms

Dirty Projectors, Swing Low, Magellan

SEVEN DAYS

Brown Bird, Fits of Reason

04.03.13-04.10.13

COURTESY OF BEN KRONBERG

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

In the wake of Levity closing last month, fans of local comedy will no doubt be anxious to see how the scene adjusts. NATHAN HARTSWICK and the Vermont Comedy Club will likely play a key role in that evolution. VCC has been hosting shows at venues all over the state and plans to continue expanding its reach, in part by funneling more

COURTESY OF FUNKWAGON

only person to interpret the record incorrectly. It was apparently a common mistake. Brennan’s question stuck with me. So I recently gave his EP another spin, listening with a newly adjusted perspective. And I did find a different story, one I like even more. As a confession of love, the hesitance and vulnerability I mistook as commiseration takes on a distinctly different shade. It’s almost like you can feel the butterflies in Brennan’s stomach as he yelps and howls on “Lovers,” and the relief that comes when he reimagines LEONARD COHEN’s cold and broken “Hallelujah” on the pastiche, “Leonard Coen.” “Chatter” imparts giddy confusion, not confused anger. And “Confession,” while still ethereal, feels warmer and less sinister. Love Wait What Yes, it turns out, is a touching love album. Who knew? Well, Jake Brennan did. Violette Ultraviolet play Nectar’s Tuesday, April 19, with MISSION SOUTH.

We are seeking women 18+ for a research study on Thinking, Mood, and Taste Perceptions of food.

Darwin Deez, Songs for Imaginative People Metz, Metz MUSIC 69

Ben Kronberg

Network ChiropraCtiC in South Burlington

music FRI.05

CLUB DATES NA: NOT AVAILABLE. AA: ALL AGES.

« P.68

ON TAP BAR & GRILL: Loose Association (folk), 5 p.m., Free. Phil Abair Band (rock), 9 p.m., Free. RADIO BEAN: Kid's Music with Linda "Tickle Belly" Bassick, 11 a.m., Free. Luis Betancourt (singer-songwriter), 7 p.m., Free. Feral Foster (singersongwriter), 8 p.m., Free. The Whiskey Spitters (jug band), 9 p.m., Free. Avo (funk, punk), 10 p.m., Free. Ernie Vega & Jackson Lynch (rock), 11 p.m., Free. RED SQUARE: Wiley Dobbs (singersongwriter), 5 p.m., Free. Benjamin Franklin Band (rock), 5 p.m., Free. DJ Craig Mitchell (house), 11 p.m., $5.

Rushford Family Chiropractic

minetti quartetT with pianist andreas

klein SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 1:00 PM UVM RECITAL HALL [ $30 adult ] [ $15 advance student ]

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

THE LANE SERIES PIANO CONSORTIUM

04.03.13-04.10.13

SKINNY PANCAKE: Joshua Glass Trio (singer-songwriter), 8 p.m., $5-10 donation.

4/1/13 11:15 AM

PRESENTS

SEVEN DAYS

RÍ RÁ IRISH PUB: Supersounds DJ (Top 40), 10 p.m., Free.

central

12v-rusford040313.indd 1

AN ANONYMOUS DONOR

lila downs

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 8:00 PM FLYNN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS [ $40/33/25 adult ] [ $36/29/21 adv. student ]

BAGITOS: The Pass (folk), 6 p.m., Donations.

NECTAR'S: Benjamin Franklin (acoustic), 7 p.m., Free. Dollars and Cents, FRNDS, DJ Disco Phantom (Radiohead tribute), 9 p.m., $5. ON TAP BAR & GRILL: Last Words (rock), 9 p.m., Free. RADIO BEAN: Trevian Stenger (spoken word), noon, Free. The Spinstress Spins 78s, 1 p.m., Free. Less Digital, More Manual: Record Club, 3 p.m., Free. Sarah Stickle (singer-songwriter), 5:30 p.m., Free. Aaron Flinn (singer-songwriter), 7 p.m., Free. Andrew Roseman (folk), 9 p.m., Free. Doctor Sailor (indie folk), 10:30 p.m., Free.

RED SQUARE BLUE ROOM: DJ Raul (salsa), 7 p.m., Free. DJ Stavros (EDM), 11 p.m., $5.

TUPELO MUSIC HALL: The Fixx (new wave), 8 p.m., $35/40.

RÍ RÁ IRISH PUB: Hot Neon Magic (’80s New Wave), 10 p.m., Free.

WHAMMY BAR: Lewis Franco & the Brown Eyed Girls (swing), 7 p.m.

SIGNAL KITCHEN: Baths, Parmaga, Thelonius X (EDM, indie), 9 p.m., $10/12.

champlain valley

51 MAIN: Sound Investment Jazz Ensemble, 8 p.m., Free.

SKINNY PANCAKE: Caleb Caudle (singer-songwriter), 8 p.m., $5-10 donation.

ON THE RISE BAKERY: The Chalk Cats (Americana), 8 p.m., Donations.

VENUE: 18 & Up Destination Saturdays, 8 p.m., Free.

TWO BROTHERS TAVERN: 3 Sheets 2 the Wind (rock), 10 p.m., $3.

central

northern

BEE'S KNEES: Malicious Brothers (blues), 7:30 p.m., Donations. MOOG'S PLACE: The Amida Bourbon Project (folk rock), 9 p.m., Free. RIMROCKS MOUNTAIN TAVERN: Friday Night Frequencies with DJ Rekkon (hip-hop), 10 p.m., Free.

regional

MONOPOLE: Capital Zen (rock), 10 p.m., Free. OLIVE RIDLEY'S: Party Wolf (rock), 10 p.m., NA. THERAPY: Pulse with DJ Nyce (hip-hop), 10 p.m., $5.

BACKSTAGE PUB: Nomad (rock), 9:30 p.m., Free.

H E R E ’ S W H AT ’ S C O M I N G U P :

CHURCH & MAIN RESTAURANT: Night Vision (EDM), 9 p.m., Free.

LAN.130.12 Minetti/Downs Ad, 7D — April 3rd Issue, 1/6 Vert: 4.3" x 7.46"

MONKEY HOUSE: The Giving Tree Band (indie), 8:30 p.m., Free.

THE RESERVOIR RESTAURANT & TAP ROOM: Big Basin Band (rock), 10 p.m., Free.

UVM’S CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICE

UVM.EDU/LANESERIES 802.656.4455

MARRIOTT HARBOR LOUNGE: The Trio (acoustic), 8:30 p.m., Free.

RED SQUARE: Kina-Zore (funk, world music), 8 p.m., $5. Mashtodon (mashup), 11 p.m., $5.

burlington area

JULIE FOWLIS, Music of the Scottish Isles . . . . . . . . . . 4/12 CANTUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4/19 CHRIS SMITHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5/3

MANHATTAN PIZZA & PUB: Rev. Ben Donovan & the Congregation (country-rock), 9:30 p.m., Free.

GREEN MOUNTAIN TAVERN: DJ Jonny P (Top 40), 9 p.m., $2.

SAT.06

TICKETS/ARTIST INFO/EVENTS/BROCHURE: 70 MUSIC

RUBEN JAMES: DJ Cre8 (hip-hop), 10:30 p.m., Free.

JP'S PUB: Karaoke with Megan, 10 p.m., Free.

CLUB METRONOME: Vermont Comedy Club: Ben Kronenberg (standup), 6 p.m., $10/12. Retronome (’80s dance party), 10 p.m., $5. FRANNY O'S: Karaoke, 9 p.m., Free. HALFLOUNGE: Zack duPont (singersongwriter), 9 p.m., Free. Space Echo with Jahson (house), 10:30 p.m., Free. HIGHER GROUND SHOWCASE

OLIVE RIDLEY'S: Rock Against Rape, 10 p.m., NA.

NECTAR'S: Mi Yard Reggae Night with Big Dog & Demus, 9 p.m., Free. ON TAP BAR & GRILL: Brunch with Joshua Glass (singer-songwriter), 11 a.m., Free.

SUN.07

burlington area

CLUB METRONOME: Les Stroud Band (rock), 8 p.m., $10/15. 18+. HALFLOUNGE: B-Sides with DJ Sleezy D (deep house), 7 p.m., Free. Pop Rap Dance Party with Tommy & Jory (hip-hop), 10 p.m., Free. MANHATTAN PIZZA & PUB: Donna Thunder and the Storm (countryrock), 9:30 p.m.

RADIO BEAN: Queen City Hot Club (gypsy jazz), 11 a.m., Free. Pete Sutherland and Tim Stickle's Old Time Session, 1 p.m., Free. Xenia Dunford (singer-songwriter), 4 p.m., Free. Mission South (blues-rock), 5:30 p.m., Free. Tango Sessions, 7 p.m., Free. Business 2 Consumer (acoustic), 9 p.m., Free. Social Club: Thelonius X & Yellow Crocs (downtempo), 10 p.m., Free.

MONKEY HOUSE: Vermont Comedy Club: Fresh Meat (standup), 8 p.m., $5.

SUN.07

» P.72 COURTESY OF NORA LEZANO

100 Dorset Street • 860-3336 www.rushfordchiropractic.com

RED SQUARE BLUE ROOM: DJ Mixx (EDM), 9 p.m., $5.

LOUNGE: Family of the Year (indie), 8:30 p.m., $10/12. AA.

BAGITOS: Irish Sessions, 2 p.m., Free. The Light and the Laugh (folk), 6 p.m., Free. BIG PICTURE THEATER & CAFÉ: Vermont Comedy Relief Tour (standup), 7:30 p.m., $10. POSITIVE PIE 2: Cats Under the Stars (Jerry Garcia Band tribute), 10:30 p.m., $5.

! D E L L E C N SHOW CA

TUPELO MUSIC HALL: Ted Moses & Fujita 5-CD Release, Pat & the Hats, the Delta 88s (rock), 8 p.m., $10.

champlain valley

51 MAIN: Soule Monde (funk), 8 p.m., Free. CITY LIMITS: Dance Party with DJ Earl (Top 40), 9 p.m., Free. TWO BROTHERS TAVERN: The Wheelers (rock), 10 p.m., $3.

northern

BEE'S KNEES: Z-Jaz (jazz), 7:30 p.m., Free. THE HUB PIZZERIA & PUB: Karaoke, 9 p.m., Free. MATTERHORN: Blues for Breakfast (Grateful Dead tribute), 9 p.m., $5. MOOG'S PLACE: Eames Brothers Band (mountain blues), 9 p.m., Free. PARKER PIE CO.: Waylon Speed (rock), 8 p.m., $5.

regional

MONOPOLE: Gridline Bass Band (rock), 10 p.m., Free.

WED.10 // JAMIE LIDELL [SOUL, ELECTRO]

On the Hook Detractors of electronic music will

argue that despite all the pulsing bass, spiffy bleeps and spastic

bloops, the genre lacks a certain human quality — that is, soul. Enter the UK’s

JAMIE LIDELL.

The classically trained R&B singer

wails and moans over a phalanx of razor-sharp electro beats, creating a sound as soulful as it is danceable. Lidell plays Signal Kitchen in Burlington this Wednesday, April 10, with NYC’s LUDWIG PERSIK, PHANTOM.

Brooklyn’s

EMPRESS OF

and Burlington’s

DJ DISCO

For a chance to win tickets to the show, tune in to the

latest Seven Days music podcast, Tour Date with DJ Llu, which features Lidell, at 7d.blogs.com/tour_date.

REVIEW this

Counterpoint, An American Hallel (EGG CREAM MUSIC, CD)

As one of the only professional vocal ensembles in the state, Counterpoint has long set the standard for this type of music in Vermont. And it’s a lofty standard at that. Over countless local and national performances and 10 albums, the 12-member group is exquisitely polished. Counterpoint is under the direction of Nathaniel Lew, an associate professor of music and the director of choral activities at Saint Michael’s College. On the group’s latest recording, An American Hallel, it tackles the sacred choral music of renowned American composer Michael Isaacson. The album consists of

College. Throughout the record, he artfully crafts arrangements that augment his emotionally forthright poetry. Songs expand and contract at precisely the moments when such devices will have their greatest impact. But he never seems too taken with his own cleverness. Rarely does Bean offer any more or less than is needed to get his point across. His arrangements are lean and efficient. That’s largely true of his lyric writing, as well. Though occasionally prone to emo-ish overexposition, Bean generally avoids that genre’s maudlin tendencies. Instead, he tempers such instances with a dry, subtle wit and delicate poetic streak that delivers his musings from sad-sack navel gazing. Bean is said to be working on a follow-up album, likely to be released once he’s finished school. In the meantime, we’d strongly advocate getting acquainted with Bean and his sparkling debut, Longing, because it may not be long before the rest of the world knows him, too. Longing by Tyler Daniel Bean is available at tylerdanielbean.bandcamp.com.

DAN BOLLES MUSIC 71

AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST OR BAND MAKING MUSIC IN VT, SEND YOUR CD TO US! GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED: IFDANYOU’RE BOLLES C/O SEVEN DAYS, 255 SO. CHAMPLAIN ST. STE 5, BURLINGTON, VT 05401

SEVEN DAYS

A few months ago, the local scene was abuzz with news that a Burlington musician had cracked Alternative Press magazine’s annual list of “100 Bands You Need to Know” for 2013. Tyler Daniel Bean, formerly best known for his work in local screamo outfit Ghosting, somewhat sneaked up on the larger scene, whose general reaction to the national media fawning was roughly, “Um … who?” But it turns out that AP was right. Bean is an artist local audiences would do well to get to know. His solo debut, Longing, came out late last year on a small, Philadelphia-based imprint, Kat Kat Records.

AP gushed over the album’s brutal honesty, likening it to an amalgam of David Bazan, Kind of Like Spitting and Sufjan Stevens. (Cue: “One of These Things Is Not Like the Other” from “Sesame Street.”) The curious inclusion of Mr. Stevens aside, there is some validity in that assessment. Bean’s gruff delivery and emotionally heavy wordplay does indeed bear some resemblance to Bazan’s, while his penchant for fuzzed-out, insistent hooks dripping with indie pathos isn’t entirely dissimilar to KOLS. But such comparisons only tell part of Bean’s story. On opener “Flowers at My Feet,” Bean introduces the album’s titular theme: longing. “I still see your eyes as I stare into the snowfall / In the faces of the people as they fall / Head over heels. / For that feeling we call home,” he sings, his fractured growl flattening the melody. He crafts a stark atmosphere with fingerpicked acoustic guitar and fleeting electric accents that evoke a wintry chill. That is, until the song explodes in a blizzard of distortion at the penultimate line, “If there is a heaven, I hope you’re having a good one.” Bean’s acute sense of song construction belies his tender years — he’s currently a senior at Burlington

DAN BOLLES

04.03.13-04.10.13

(KAT KAT RECORDS, CD, LP, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD)

and Barack Obama. His deeply toned interludes accentuate the lessons found in each Psalm, providing a comparatively modern and distinctly American, well, counterpoint to each verse. It’s an effective device. Isaacson’s flair for the dramatic serves him — and the chorus — well on the works that follow. “The Seven Deadly Sins” consists of nine bracing, foreboding movements that seduce and condemn in equal measures. “Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)” works as a benediction. The composition’s seven movements are striking in their serene beauty and highlight Counterpoint’s impressive blend and balance. In particular, the closing, “The End of the Matter,” is sublime, a delicate work of shimmering sustains broken by sharp staccato passages. But it is made whole again by a blooming resolve beautiful enough to suggest the divine to even nonbelievers. Counterpoint debut a new concert featuring works by Vermont composers, titled “There Alway Something Sings,” with three performances this week: Friday, April 5, at the McCarthy Arts Center at Saint Michael’s College; Saturday, April 6, at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier; and Sunday, April 7, at the First Congregational Church of Manchester. An American Hallel by Counterpoint is available at counterpointchorus.org.

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Tyler Daniel Bean, Longing

three larger, nonsecular works, “An American Hallel,” “The Seven Deadly Sins” and “Kohelet (Ecclesiastes),” that contrast Isaacson’s deeply rooted Jewish faith with his American upbringing. The result is a collection of sacred music that is thought provoking and stirring, regardless of the listener’s spiritual inclinations. Isaacson is a curious figure. He has a PhD from the prestigious Eastman School of Music and is internationally respected as an elite composer and orchestrator. He founded Michael Isaacson & the Israel Pops and was recently honored, by Hebrew Union College, as one of the 10 most influential sacred-music composers alive. Despite those cultured accolades, Isaacson is not above “slumming it.” His credits also include music for several daytime TV soaps and movies of the week, as well as shows such as “Hawaii 5-0,” “The Bionic Woman” and, more recently, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Hallel certainly exists on the higher of those two planes. But there are moments, particularly during the piece “An American Hallel,” that juxtapose the divine with secular observations. The work is composed of a series of Psalms — specifically, Psalms 113-118. But interspersed between those choral pieces, folk singer Theodore Bikel recites passages from the likes of Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein

music

NA: not availaBlE. AA: all agEs.

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cOuRTEsY OF Liz LinDER

sun.07

cLUB DAtES

central

Bagitos: Tony mason Trio (blues), 11 a.m., Free. skinny Pancake: caleb caudle (singer-songwriter), 6 p.m., $5-10 donation.

radio Bean: Jason Belcher (improv), 6 p.m., Free. Ensemble V (jazz), 7 p.m., Free. irish sessions, 9 p.m., Free.

Bee's knees: cody michaels (piano), 10 a.m., Donations. Ed Lowenton & David Gibson (acoustic), 7:30 p.m., Free.

red square: DJ cre8 (hip-hop), 10 p.m., Free. songs and singstruments (singersongwriters), 7 p.m., Free.

Matterhorn: chris Tagatac (acoustic rock), 4 p.m., Free.

signal kitchen: Jamie Lidell, Ludwig persik, Empress Of, DJ D cELL9Ep.m., Disco OW cAn(soul), sHphantom $14. 18+.

Mon.08

burlington area

skinny Pancake: Josh panda and Brett Lanier (rock), 7 p.m., $5-10 donation.

cluB MetronoMe: The Bumping Jones, sloe Loris (rock, funk), 9 p.m., $10/15. 18+.

central

halFlounge: Family night Open Jam, 10:30 p.m., Free.

nectar's: metal monday: Half past Human, Gorcrow, start the Reactor, 9 p.m., Free/$5. 18+. on taP Bar & grill: Open mic with Wylie, 7 p.m., Free. radio Bean: Andrew stearns & Friends (bluegrass), 7:30 p.m., Free. Open mic, 9 p.m., Free. ruBen JaMes: Why not monday? with Dakota (hip-hop), 10 p.m., Free.

central

charlie o's: Trivia night, 8 p.m., Free.

northern

SEVENDAYSVt.com

Moog's Place: seth Yacovone (solo acoustic blues), 8 p.m., Free.

tue.09

burlington area

cluB MetronoMe: Dead set with cats under the stars (Grateful Dead tribute), 9 p.m., Free/$5. 18+. higher ground showcase

04.03.13-04.10.13

4h-tourdate040313.pdf

whaMMy Bar: Open mic, 6:30 p.m., Free.

fri.05 // thE fixx [NEw wAVE]

The Fixx Is In Since forming in 1979, London’s the

Fixx have stood at the vanguard of New Wave music.

Though best known for 1980s hits such as “One Thing Leads to Another,” “Saved by Zero” and “Deeper and Deeper,” the band has maintained global relevance. Its latest record, Beautiful Friction, released last year, delivers the signature hook-heavy, beat-driven, synth-laden sound that has been the group’s calling card for more than 30 years. Catch the Fixx this Friday, April 5, at the Tupelo Music Hall in White River Junction. lounge: G-Eazy, Ground up (hip-hop), 8:30 p.m., $15/17. AA. leunig's Bistro & caFé: cody sargent (jazz), 7 p.m., Free. Monkey house: Am & msR presents: Daniel Bachman (indie), 8:30 p.m., $5. 18+. Monty's old Brick tavern: Open mic, 6 p.m., Free. nectar's: mihali from Twiddle (solo acoustic), 7:30 p.m., Free. mission south, Violette ultraviolet (rock), 9 p.m., Free/$5. 18+. olde northender: Abby Jenne & the Enablers (rock), 9 p.m., Free. 1

4/2/13

6:43 PM

on taP Bar & grill: Trivia with Top Hat Entertainment, 7 p.m., Free. radio Bean: stephen callahan Trio (jazz), 6 p.m., Free. Eric George (magic tricks and blues), 8 p.m., Free. Burlington Bread Boys (old time), 9 p.m., Free. Honky-Tonk sessions, 10 p.m., $3. red square: craig mitchell (house), 10 p.m., Free.

central

charlie o's: Karaoke, 10 p.m., Free. kisMet: Extempo (storytelling), 8 p.m., Free.

Jamie Lidell English soul/funk singer Jamie Lidell stops into this week's Tour Date episode.

SEVEN DAYS 72 music

Bagitos: Bruce Jones (singersongwriter), 6 p.m., Donations.

This week:

Season two fueled by:

nectar's: What a Joke! comedy Open mic (standup), 7 p.m., Free. The Brew, sam dupont (rock), 9 p.m., $6. 18+. on taP Bar & grill: pine street Jazz, 7 p.m., Free.

northern

Manhattan Pizza & PuB: Karaoke, 9:30 p.m., Free.

Manhattan Pizza & PuB: Open mic with Andy Lugo, 9:30 p.m., Free.

SPEEDERANDEARLS.COM

champlain valley two Brothers tavern: monster Hits Karaoke, 9 p.m., Free.

northern

Bee's knees: children's sing Along with Lesley Grant, 10 a.m., Free. max Weaver & neil Dean (acoustic), 7:30 p.m., Donations. Moog's Place: Open mic/Jam night, 8:30 p.m., Free.

champlain valley

city liMits: Karaoke with Let it Rock Entertainment, 9 p.m., Free. two Brothers tavern: Trivia night, 7 p.m., Free. Open mic, 9 p.m., Free.

northern

Bee's knees: spider Roullette (blues), 7:30 p.m., Donations.

wed.10

burlington area

cluB MetronoMe: The Burlesque Vanuard Tour, 8 p.m., $10/12. 18+. Franny o's: Karaoke, 9:30 p.m., Free. halFlounge: scott mangan (singer-songwriter), 9 p.m., Free. Rewind with DJ craig mitchell (retro), 10 p.m., Free. JP's PuB: Karaoke with morgan, 10 p.m., Free.

the huB Pizzeria & PuB: seth Yacovone (solo acoustic blues), 7 p.m., Free. Moog's Place: Bob Wagner and D. Davis (singer-songwriters), 8 p.m., Free. Parker Pie co.: Trivia night, 7 p.m., Free.

regional

MonoPole: Open mic, 8 p.m., Free. Open mic, 10 p.m., Free. olive ridley's: completely stranded comedy Troupe (improv comedy), 8 p.m., nA. m

leunig's Bistro & caFé: paul Asbell, clyde stats and chris peterman (jazz), 7 p.m., Free.

VERMO NT’S BACKS TAGE PODCA ST

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venueS.411 burlington area

central

northern

bEE’S kNEES, 82 Lower Main St., Morrisville, 888-7889 blAck cAP coffEE, 144 Main St., Stowe, 253-2123 broWN’S mArkEt biStro, 1618 Scott Highway, Groton, 584-4124 choW! bEllA, 28 N. Main St., St. Albans, 524-1405 clAirE’S rEStAurANt & bAr, 41 Main St., Hardwick, 472-7053 coSmic bAkErY & cAfé, 30 S. Main St., St. Albans, 524-0800 couNtrY PANtrY DiNEr, 951 Main St., Fairfax, 849-0599 croP biStro & brEWErY, 1859 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-4304 grEY fox iNN, 990 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-8921 thE hub PizzEriA & Pub, 21 Lower Main St., Johnson, 635-7626 thE littlE cAbArEt, 34 Main St., Derby, 293-9000 mAttErhorN, 4969 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-8198 thE mEEtiNghouSE, 4323 Rt. 1085, Smugglers’ Notch, 644-8851 moog’S PlAcE, Portland St., Morrisville, 851-8225 muSic box, 147 Creek Rd., Craftsbury, 586-7533 oVErtimE SAlooN, 38 S. Main St., St. Albans, 524-0357 PArkEr PiE co., 161 County Rd., West Glover, 525-3366 PhAt kAtS tAVErN, 101 Depot St., Lyndonville, 626-3064 PiEcASSo, 899 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-4411 rimrockS mouNtAiN tAVErN, 394 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-9593 roADSiDE tAVErN, 216 Rt. 7, Milton, 660-8274 ruStY NAil bAr & grillE, 1190 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-6245 ShootErS SAlooN, 30 Kingman St., St. Albwans, 527-3777 SNoW ShoE loDgE & Pub, 13 Main St., Montgomery Center, 326-4456 SWEEt cruNch bAkEShoP, 246 Main St., Hyde Park, 888-4887 tAmArAck grill At burkE mouNtAiN, 223 Shelburne Lodge Rd., E. Burke, 626-7394 WAtErShED tAVErN, 31 Center St., Brandon, 247-0100. YE olDE ENglAND iNNE, 443 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-5320

regional

moNoPolE, 7 Protection Ave., Plattsburgh, N.Y., 518-563-2222 NAkED turtlE, 1 Dock St., Plattsburgh, N.Y., 518-566-6200. oliVE riDlEY’S, 37 Court St., Plattsburgh, N.Y., 518-324-2200 thErAPY, 14 Margaret St., Plattsburgh, N.Y., 518-561-2041

Maile Meloy & Greg Bolin

“Tome/Tango”

Season Sponsor

A Flynn Center Co-Commission