Aug 17-23, 2016
On the Field and Off the Cuff With Red Sox Legend Bill “Spaceman” Lee; Artist Mohamad Hafez Renders the Syrian Crisis in Sculpture; Vermont’s Biodynamic Winemakers Act Naturally
Cover Story
On the Field With Bill Lee, Red Sox Legend and Vermont Gubernatorial Candidate
Bill Lee stands on the mound rolling a ball over in his hand as he stares at Fenway’s home plate. Beyond him, in left field,…
Obituary: Gail Rex
On Wednesday, August 17, Gail Reichstein Rex, of Lincoln, Vermont, age 51, died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. She was a beloved wife, mom, daughter,…
Living Small: A Family of Three Makes a Tiny House Their Home
Tiny houses are a big phenomenon. Stories of miniature abodes grace magazines, social media and blogs, and fuel TV shows like “Tiny House Nation,” “Tiny…
When Should Parents Start Discussing Sex with Their Kids?
Cindy Pierce insists she’ll discuss anything with her kids, and she’s on a mission to help other parents do the same. The New Hampshire-based sex…
Hit the Gas: Claims Against Fuel Industry Find Traction in Courtrooms
Countless Vermont drivers have grumbled for years that gas prices in Chittenden County are always higher than everywhere else in the state. Lawmakers have held…
Art Review: Bunny Harvey, White River Gallery at BALE
The White River Gallery’s pale yellow walls offer a luminous backdrop for “Fully Involved: Bunny Harvey Paintings,” an exhibit of 17 works by the Tunbridge…
Free Will Astrology (8/17/16)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In my opinion, you need to bask in the glorious fury of at least one brainstorm — preferably multiple brainstorms over…
Soundbites: Vermont Music Fest; Party Boats; Inner Fire District Returns
If you’ve been following along over the last few years, you might remember that it has become something of an annual tradition for me to…
Sausage Party
You’ll never look at your neighborhood supermarket the same way again. The latest envelope pusher from the writing team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg…
What Happened? Questions and Answers About Vermont’s Primary
Now that the dust has settled, it’s clear what happened in last week’s primary election. Right? Wrong. Campaigns are a black box — particularly in…
My Boyfriend Caught Me Masturbating
Dear Athena, My boyfriend caught me masturbating. I was in our bed, and he was staying up late to work. Then he came in, and…
A Music Writer Calls a Lake Monsters Baseball Game
Originally published July 22, 2015. For me, the best way to enjoy baseball next to being at the ballpark is listening to the radio, not…
Florence Foster Jenkins
Is it cruel to enjoy giggling at tone-deaf singers on YouTube or “American Idol,” as millions of people apparently do? Perhaps. But there’s also something…
Book Review: Questions in the Vestibule by Rachel Hadas
Rachel Hadas is a formal poet, which is to say she is interested in poetic forms as both tools for expression and as structures that,…
Phil Scott: Bruised and Battered or Road-Tested?
As Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Scott shook voters’ hands earlier this month at the Franklin County Field Days, he heard a radio playing. There it…
Meet Lisa Buckton, Teen Librarian
Name: Lisa Buckton Town: Burlington Job: Teen librarian, Fletcher Free Library For some people, serving as a librarian for teenagers would be akin to inhabiting…
Transforming the Moran, Again, With Art
For just two days last summer, the Burlington curatorial initiative Overnight Projects made its debut with a number of installations in the building that once…
Bar Antidote Launches Hired Hand Brewing
Habitués of Vergennes’ Bar Antidote are familiar with chef-owner Ian Huizenga’s multifaceted gastropub fare. At this hub below the sidewalks of 35C Green Street, guests…
South Burlington Debuts Bike & Bite Food-Truck Night
Piggybacking on the success of Burlington Parks & Recreation’s Leddy Park Beach Bites, the City of South Burlington is launching a Thursday-night food-truck gathering at…
Newbies and Stars at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Fest
When Jesse Nesser received an email from Jay Craven, artistic director of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, asking if he’d be interested in appearing at…
Artists Rally to Keep Charlie’s Boathouse Afloat
Defying nature and economics, two octogenarian siblings run Charlie’s Boathouse — a whimsical outpost at the confluence of the Winooski River and Lake Champlain. The…
Collateral Damage’ Exhibit: the Syrian Crisis in Miniature
When visitors to the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum mount the stairs to the current exhibit in the beautifully restored lecture hall, they are likely to be…
What’s the Story Behind Artificial Lake Shaftsbury?
Knee-deep in the brief season when Vermonters can enjoy their beautiful state parks without donning long underwear, one reader wrote to inquire about the history…
Various Artists, Hot Garbage & Sunscreen
(What Doth Life, digital download) What Doth Life is, in cofounder Brendan Dangelo’s words, “a sorta support group for wayward song makers.” Many of those…
Moving a 19th-Century Landmark — by Ox
This past May, the Old Stone House Museum — a campus of historic 19th-century buildings in the Northeast Kingdom — announced an unusual wish list….
Peace in the Valley, C O L O R S
(Self-released, digital download) Peace in the Valley are proof that the world has not gone completely insane. Yes, political and social nightmares rain down upon…
Billy Brauer Looks Back on 50 Years of Painting
“Dumb luck” brought Billy Brauer to Vermont, as he tells it. In 1968, as a young man, he came up from New York City, accompanying…
Four More Local Albums You (Probably) Haven’t Heard
So many records, so little time. Seven Days gets more album submissions than we know what to do with. And, given the ease of record…
Letters to the Editor (8/17/16)
Gun Done? The anti-gun rally featured in [Off Message: “Democratic Candidates Call for Vermont Gun Legislation,” August 4] is further evidence of the demographic change…
Real-Deal Mexican at Casa Aguilera Trading Co.
According to 2015 estimates from the United States Census Bureau, only 1.8 percent of Vermont’s population is of “Hispanic or Latino” origin. So if the…
Vermont’s Biodynamic Winemakers Follow Nature’s Rules
In 2016, it’s common to think about humans holistically, taking into consideration both tangible factors, such as the physical body and surrounding environment, and intangible…
