All I’m Askin’
Monday 21
“Ain’t No Way” anyone but a “Chain of Fools” is missing A Tribute to Aretha Franklin — The Queen of Soul at St. Johnsbury Academy’s Fuller Hall. Damien Sneed, Franklin’s mentee who toured with her for years, and six-time Grammy Award-nominee Valerie Simpson put together a riveting program of the legend’s classic songs and a loving reflection on her life.
Gimme Shelter
Opens on Saturday 19
For the second year running, Brattleboro’s Retreat Farm hosts “Artful Ice Shanties,” an outdoor exhibit of creative, kooky ice-fishing shelters. With the help of Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, the farm transforms into an all-day delight of art, performance, demonstrations, and outdoor activities such as skiing and skating.
Bay Watch
Thursday 17
In 1776, Benedict Arnold burned every ship in the American fleet to evade British capture. In 2021, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum researchers, in collaboration with Abenaki and Stockbridge-Munsee Community tribal leaders, began scouring Arnold’s Bay for remnants of that battle. Armchair historians don’t have to leave their seats to learn all about it at Virtual Archaeology Conference: Arnold’s Bay Research Project.
Growing Season
Starts on Thursday 17
Farmers, homesteaders, food-system activists and curious citizens gather to imagine a better agricultural future at the 2022 NOFA-VT Winter Conference: Dream Into Being. Two weeks of virtual panels, featured speakers, film screenings, in-person socials and other thought-provoking activities provide fertile ground for discussion, collaboration and connection.
Sink or Swim
Friday 18
Activist groups from around the state convene on the Vermont Statehouse lawn in Montpelier for Climate SOS Rally, a demonstration in support of greenhouse gas emissions-slashing initiatives. Marchers can bring their own flotation devices (the kind you might need if, say, water levels were rising) to this day full of art, powerful speeches and community organizing.
Polyphonic Party
Friday 18
Middlebury College’s Mahaney Arts Center brings back in-person programming with a bang with Nobuntu, the internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean quintet. Using voice, drum and mbira — a type of Shona finger harp — the women of Nobuntu perform a dazzling array of jazz, gospel and traditional Mbube songs.
Bird’s-Eye View
Friday 18-Monday 21
For four epic days, birders around the world are united in one glorious purpose: the Great Backyard Bird Count. Rutland County Audubon invites avian enthusiasts in Rutland and Addison counties to spend as little — or as much! — time as they wish recording all the feathered friends they see or hear in their backyards, local parks or nearby hiking trails.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2022.
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