Jun 8-14, 2016
Rutland Mayor Faces Backlash to Refugee Plan; Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Settles in St. Johnsbury; Seeking Author Shirley Jackson in North Bennington
Cover Story
Right in Rutland: Will Mayor Chris Louras Fall on His Sword for 100 Syrians?
It was standing room only at the Godnick Adult Center, where more than 120 local Rutlanders were hammering officials from the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program…
Crystal Lapierre Takes the Reins at Peacham Café
Just over the hill from Red Barn Brewing, Peacham residents came together to open the community-supported Peacham Café in August 2014. For the first year…
Violet Ultraviolet, Pop City
(Section Sign Records, digital download, vinyl) Violet Ultraviolet is the recording project of Burlington-based singer-songwriter Jake Brennan, who pulled stints in local indie-jangle bands Paper…
Theater Review: Red, Lost Nation Theater
The viewer of a Mark Rothko painting has a chance to feel the sublime spirituality the painter intended to produce with his shimmering washes of…
Being Toussaint
Originally published June 2, 2010. For all his accomplishments, for all his greatness — and, make no mistake, he is great — Allen Toussaint is…
Looking for ‘The Lottery’ Author Shirley Jackson
On June 26, 1948, the New Yorker published a now-famous story about a fictional rural town. This unnamed village has a square between the post…
Sam Moss, Fable
(Lost Honey Records, CD, digital download, vinyl) When last we left Sam Moss, he was part of the delightfully strange and prolific Brattleboro indie scene….
WTF: Why Do Birds Sit on Telephone Wires?
The expression “Birds of a feather flock together,” or some variant thereof, goes back to the 16th century, predating telephone and electrical wires by at…
How Do I Get Out of My Self-Stimulation Rut?
Dear Athena, I’ve always masturbated in the same position (even as a young girl). I’ve tried getting a vibrator, masturbating in other positions, using running…
Jazz Vocalist Diane Schuur Talks Sinatra, Getz and Cats
Jazz vocalist Diane Schuur was born blind. She was also born with perfect pitch, which she used to teach herself piano as a child in…
‘Pie’ in the Sky: Airport Restaurateur Blames the State for Failed Biz
At Parker Pie in West Glover, the calendar is peppered with regular events: Trivia Night, Oyster Night and Music Night. Over the past 11 years,…
Lunch and Lanes at Stowe Bowl
In my memory, the bowling alleys of my childhood were dim and dingy places, with chairs upholstered in fabric that would forever exude cigarette smoke….
The Former Syrian Ambassador Talks Rutland, His Old Boss and NEK Life
The former U.S. ambassador to Syria strongly endorses a controversial plan to resettle in Rutland 100 refugees from that war-torn Middle Eastern country. Robert Ford,…
![Hanksville Mud Bog [SIV446]](https://sevendaysvt-test.newspackstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/episode446-1200x900.webp)
Hanksville Mud Bog [SIV446]
6/4/16: A giant pit of mud, big trucks and a cheering crowd – the Hanksville Mud Bog has become a summer tradition for many Vermonters….
Low Profile: Meet the Folks Out to Block the 14-Story Mall Towers
Genese Grill wears her long brown hair Princess Leia-style. She doesn’t drive a car or own a cellphone. She lives in Burlington with other creative…
Forget the Treehouse — Put This VW Bus Cupola on Your Barn
Say you’re building a barn. From the roof, there’s a great view. Then say you know someone selling a busted 1980 Volkswagen Vanagon. And a…
Art Review: ‘Mirror/Mirror,’ Museum of Everyday Life
It’s impossible to look away from yourself at the Museum of Everyday Life’s new exhibition, “Mirror/Mirror.” In nearly every part of this Glover barn-cum-gallery, the…
Free Will Astrology (6/8/16)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In his poem “Interrupted Meditation,” Robert Hass blurts out the following exclamation: “I give you, here, now, a magic key. What…
How the Putney General Store Survived Fire — Twice
I grew up in Boston, which has its share of delis and lobster shacks, but nothing is as emblematic of local culture as a Vermont…
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Technically, I’m not sure it’s possible to digress before beginning to discuss something, but I’m going to anyway. Remember that amazing 10-year streak director Rob…
David Budbill Talks About Poetry, Life and the Tao
It’s a surprise to realize that David Budbill has never been poet laureate of Vermont. He might also have been named playwright laureate — for…
Letters to the Editor (6/8/16)
Advantage Vermont Sarah Tuff Dunn’s story [“Safety Net,” June 1] — about Vermont kids playing tennis in Cuba — needs a correction. The Cuban American…
Burlington’s African Market Adds Muhammad Ali Mural
When Jules Muck visited Burlington last weekend, the street artist from Venice, Calif., was invited to paint a mural on the side of Mawuhi African…
The Lobster
I feel safe in saying that The Lobster is the strangest film you will have the opportunity to see in a multiplex this year. For…
A Guide to Free Jazz at BDJF (Vol. 2)
So, we’re smack in the middle of the 2016 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival — are you having fun yet? The annual 10-day bash got off…
Playwright Lesley Becker Pits Big Oil and a Small Town
The new play The Gods of the Hills gets its name from an Ethan Allen quote: “The gods of the valley are not the gods…
Neoclassical Trio Yellow Sky Makes Its Debut
When guitarist Danielle O’Hallisey, 57, was growing up outside Pittsburgh, the sky was yellow with steel-mill air pollution. On her move to Vermont in 1984,…
Vermont Stage’s Bake Off Returns With a Cloning Act
Caryl Churchill’s A Number is a classic father-son tale. In this play set over a series of intimate conversations, conflict arises when it’s revealed that…
Will Northeast Kingdom International Ever Take Off?
The main runway at the Northeast Kingdom International Airport is 1,000 feet longer than it used to be. Crews are laying pavement for a bigger…
Soundbites: Big Heavy World Turns 20
Oh, they grow up so fast. This week, the noble local do-gooders at Big Heavy World celebrate the nonprofit organization’s 20th anniversary. That just doesn’t…
Go Time? Cabinet Members Prepare for Life After Shumlin
When Hal Cohen agreed to serve as Gov. Peter Shumlin’s secretary of human services in late 2014, he figured his new boss was halfway through…
Historical Land Claims Trip Up Burlington Homeowners
For years, Donna and Travis Jocelyn have wanted to sell their New North End home and downsize to a condo with lower property taxes. In…
Gaku Ramen Opens in Burlington
Bowls of tonkatsu broth with chashu pork, kikurage mushrooms and red pickled ginger; fish shoyu with shrimp and bamboo shoots; and black garlic miso ramen…
Danville’s Red Barn Brewing Opens Its Doors
Near the intersection of routes 2 and 15 at Joe’s Pond in West Danville, Keiser Pond Road traces a narrow dirt line southeast toward Peacham….
