Mar ijuana News • Page 8
March 1–March 14, 2018
D ay 2 0 1 8
n M e e t i n g
To w
Montpelier–Roxbury Proposes
IN THIS ISSUE:
$23.4 Million (2018-2019) Budget
Pg. 4 Vermont Life
T
he newly formed Montpelier-
Magazine Roxbury School Board is asking
voters in Montpelier and Roxbury on
March 6 to approve a joint school budget of
Pg. 6 Lucas Herring Runs $23,452,706 for FY 2018–2019.
for Mayor of Barre Comparing School and
City Budget Requests
Now, this is not new. But still it’s worth
Pg. 11 Irish Trad considering. As in previous years, a
Montpelier property taxpayer is making a far
greater effort to support the schools than that
taxpayer is making to support the municipal
part of the overall City of Montpelier budget.
The basic budget request from the schools is for
CAR-RT SORT
Permit NO. 123
Montpelier, VT
$23.4 million. And the basic budget request
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
from the City of Montpelier for municipal
PAID
services is $9,025.174. And remember we’re
not talking about add-ons such as bonds,
borrowing, special appropriations that are
also part of the City Meeting ballot – just the
basic school and city budget requests.
Roughly 72 percent of Montpelier’s property
tax burden supports the schools. And
something like 28 percent of the property tax
burden supports municipal services.
Factors Influencing the
School Budget Request
In general, most local taxpayers like to hold
down tax-supported school spending. Now
that Montpelier and Roxbury have merged
Montpelier, VT 05601
to create a unified school district, we are
beginning to see rising student numbers in
Montpelier schools. This situation is quite
P.O. Box 1143
unlike what's happening to most other school
The Bridge
districts across the state. And because of
We're online! montpelierbridge.com or vtbridge.com
rising student numbers we might see an
increase in state aid and a moderate decrease
in school spending over time.
It can be argued that increasing student
numbers typically spreads out the cost of
education over more taxpayers. This in turn
can lessen the property tax burden. When
schools are full, school buildings are in use,
and teachers hold onto their jobs. This can
stabilize the local economy. But remember we
are only in the first year of the Montpelier-
Roxbury unified district and there are many
factors at play and some of these factors may
change.
In FY 2016–2017 (last year) Montpelier
school students numbers were 1,053. In FY
2016–2018 (this year) school number rose to
1,094. And student numbers are project to
exceed 1,100 in FY 2018–2019 (next year).
The Montpelier-Roxbury merger will continue
the rise in student numbers. According to
Montpelier School Superintendent Brian
Ricca, the Roxbury Village School is currently
a K–6 school. But next year it will drop back
to a K–4 school. And grades 5,6,7 and 8 will
attend Montpelier schools.
School financing is a devilishly intricate
subject. But because the Montpelier Roxbury
District is gaining students the district—
following the admonishments of Gov. Scott
—is not advised to raise its per pupil spending
by more than 2.5 percent.
“We came in at 1.3 percent,” said Supt. Ricca
who was pleased with this result.
The good news is that because of its merger
by Nat Frothingham
with Roxbury, the new, unified Montpelier
Roxbury District is being rewarded by the
state with what’s called “a state incentive.” Or
as Ricca said, “We have an eight-cent merger
incentive.”
Here’s more positive news for the unified
district because of its higher student
numbers. The number of equalized pupils
is up. There are more students reporting
eligibility for free and reduced lunch. There
are also greater numbers of students who are
(non-native) speakers and who qualify for
English language instruction. All of these
changes qualify the new district for greater
State of Vermont financial support. And this
translates into a drop in the local property
tax burden.
On the negative side, these developments are
leading to a higher local property tax burden.
• Healthcare insurance rates for school
personnel are going to rise next year by
10.1 percent.
• A measure called “the property yield” used
by the State of Vermont to calculate the
equalized tax rate for Montpelier, decreased
by three percent. Ricca explained this
decrease as the State’s decision to plug
a hole in the Education Fund. So the
property yield decrease meant more money
for the State to balance its books and less
money for local schools.
• Here’s another change that will add to the
local educational property tax burden. It
turns out that people are buying houses
Continued on Page 5
PAG E 2 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

RecyclE This Paper!

T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 3
HEARD ON THE STREET
Another Montpelier Phantom
The wonder, the worry, the puzzle of it.
We’re aware of Montpelier’s annual Valentine Phantom, who covers the downtown with big, red
hearts on February 14. But consider this other, earlier phantom that struck at the end of January.
Take the case of Kenny and Barbara Saxe, who live on Guernsey Avenue close to the campus of
Vermont College of Fine Arts.
As reported by Saxe—on one of the last nights of January he was out on his porch taking in the
majesty of the Snow Moon. “I heard stomping in the snow behind the house at around 11:15
in the evening, Saxe said in a phone call to The Bridge. Suspicious that there would be anyone
clomping around so late on a dead end street, he contacted the Montpelier Police, locked his
cars and house, and went to bed.
The next morning when he went out to start the car, “There’s this note taped on to a $5 bill on
the windshield” he said with amazement.
The note read:
The moon is full
Abundance abounds
And you are loved.
“Kind of fun!” he said. “Thanks, whoever you are.”
But the mystery persists. “Where was this coming from? And what does it mean?” Saxe contin-
ues to ask.
Montpelier Alive Announces New Executive Director
Montpelier Alive announced the selection of Montpelier resident Dan Groberg as its next Execu-
tive Director. Groberg will officially join Montpelier Alive on March 7, 2018.
Montpelier Alive works to support and promote the vitality of Montpelier and its businesses and
to develop Montpelier as a center for social, cultural, retail, and culinary experiences.
“My wife and I moved to Montpelier due in large part to its thriving downtown and commu-
nity feel,” said Groberg. “I am thrilled to be able to work alongside a strong board and many
engaged business owners and volunteers to make Montpelier an even more wonderful place to
live, work, and visit.”
Groberg previously served as director of communications and development for the City of
Montpelier Community Services Department, and brings strong fundraising and project man-
agement skills and relationships within the community. Groberg is also board chair of Friends of
Boulder Knoll, an environmental non-profit based in Cheshire, Connecticut, and serves on the
finance committee at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in
sociology from Kenyon College in Ohio and a Master of Public Administration degree in public
and nonprofit management from the University of Pittsburgh.
“We are pleased to have Dan join Montpelier Alive. He brings a strong sense of community and
embraces our mission. The Montpelier Alive Board of Directors is excited by the leadership Dan
will provide,” added David Markow, Montpelier Alive President.
Look for an interview with Dan Groberg in the March 15 issue of The Bridge
Vermont College of Fine Arts and Vermont Studio Center
Announce Alumnx Exhibition
The Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) and the Vermont Studio Center (VSC) are proud to
announce an upcoming all-alumnx exhibition to take place in May, 2018. Alumnx of VCFA and
VSC are invited to submit work to be included in a group show juried by Meg Onli, the assistant
curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania.
Alumnx is a gender-neutral term that embraces the full spectrum of gender identities within
our community.
The Vermont College of Fine Arts and the Vermont Studio Center are united in their belief
that the arts are central to the human experience and have the ability not only to reflect real-
ity but to also create it. This call invites alums of both organizations to submit artwork in any
medium that was created in response to our current contemporary political upheaval. This may
be articulated either literally or metaphorically as an expression of the potential of creativity to
shift consciousness. All progress and change has been achieved through a radical reimagining
Nature Watch by Nona Estrin
Hemlock for Nuthatches
I
cherish each view of a red-breasted
nuthatch this year. This smaller
version of its larger cousin, the
white-breasted nuthatch, follows the
success of hemlock cones, and this
winter they have stayed in Vermont
to enjoy a bumper crop of the oily,
delicious seeds of the hemlocks. The
shrinking snowpack under evergreens
now presents evidence of a bounty
of seeds. But with hemlock woolly
adelgid poised to wipe out hemlocks
throughout the region, what will
become of this cunning little bird?
Drawing by Nona Estrin
of what is and what could be. We are seeking a vision of a future that has yet to be determined,
understood, or adopted by any position of power or control.
In addition to her work as assistant curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania, juror Meg Onli recently showed her Speech/Acts exhibition, which explores
experimental black poetry and how the social and cultural constructs of language have shaped
black American experiences.
The Alumnx Exhibition will run in VCFA’s College Hall Gallery May 4 through June 1, with
an opening reception taking place on Saturday, May 12. The submission deadline is Friday,
March 23.
Applications must be submitted online via Slideroom, and there is a $10 application fee. All
media will be accepted, and applicants can submit up to five work samples, a current CV, and
artist statement. Work must have been completed within the last three years.
For more information, visit vermontstudiocenter.org or contact Brittany M. Powell at
brittany.powell@vcfa.edu or Nicole Czapinski at nicole@vermontstudiocenter.org.
WPA Art Goes on Display at the Central Vermont Medical Center
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal
project. It was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, when the unemployment
rate was at a staggering 20 percent. From May 6, 1935 to June 30, 1943 the WPA employed 8.5
million people. More than 4,000 new schools, 130 new hospitals, 9,000 miles of storm drains
and sanitary sewer lines, 29,000 new bridges, and 150 new airfields were constructed. Some
280,000 miles of roads were paved or repaired, and 24 million trees were planted. Almost every
community in the United States had a new park, bridge or school constructed by the agency.
In a much smaller project of the WPA—Federal Project Number One—over 40,000 musi-
cians, artists, writers, actors, and directors were employed in fine art, drama, media, and literacy
projects. Over 100,000 paintings and 18,000 sculptures were funded and created during this
period. Some of the 20th century’s greatest visual artists were employed, including Bernadine
Custer, Mabel Dwight, John Lillie, Luigi Lucioni, Reginald Marsh, Henry Schnakenberg, Mil-
lard Sheets, Raphael Soyer, David Shapiro, and Joseph Stella. It is also notable that many female
artists were employed as well.
The T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier is the repository for more than 90 WPA works of art—
Vermont’s portion of the Federal WPA collection, and many of these drawings and prints will
be exhibited at The Gallery at Central Vermont Medical Center through March 31.
Several of the artists to be exhibited there have a connection to Vermont. Luigi Lucioni (1900–
1988); nationally known for his still lifes, landscapes, and portraits; summered in Manchester.
Painter Lucy Doane (1908–2010) was Director of Art in the public schools of Rutland. Ron
Slayton was the only native Vermonter. From Barre, Slayton attended the University of Vermont
for a year and left to join the federally funded WPA in New York City. The work he produced
during this period—including the three large woodcuts seen here [Clearing the Fields, (1937);
Social Activism of the 1930s (1937); and Fuel (1936)] reflected his social activism sympathetic to
left-wing politics. Slayton returned to Vermont to raise his family. He taught in both Northfield
and Montpelier schools and was the curator of the T.W. Wood Gallery from 1968 to 1986. He
was awarded the Vermont Arts Council Merit Award in 1971.
The general public is invited to a reception to celebrate the WPA art exhibit at the gallery at
Central Vermont Medical Center on Thursday, March 15 at 4:30 pm.
Bridge Community Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601 / Ph: 802-223-5112
Editor & Publisher: Nat Frothingham Editorial: 223-5112, ext. 14
Managing Editor: Mike Dunphy editorial@montpelierbridge.com,
Copy Editor: Larry Floersch mdunphy@montpelierbridge.com
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Proofreader: Sarah Davin Vermont College of Fine Arts, Stone Science Hall.
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Board Members: Chairman Donny Osman, montpelierbridge.com
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Irene Racz, Ivan Shadis, Tim Simard, Ashley Twitter: @montpbridge
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PAG E 4 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Vermont Life Magazine Wins a Reprieve
and Charts a New Course
F
ew people move to Vermont for a career. Most move to
Vermont for Vermont, and it only takes a single glance
at the cover of Vermont Life magazine to remember why.
Since it was launched in 1946, the magazine has captured and
distilled the essence of what makes our little state so special in
both stunning photography and high-quality journalism—all
with the goal of bringing Vermont to the world and the world
to Vermont.
And for a long time, it was very successful at this.
However, recent times have been far less rosy. The near total
collapse of the publishing industry in the mid-2000s hit the
magazine just as hard as so many others. “When publishers
started experiencing downturns in the publishing sector 10
years ago, with the rise of advertising spending in digital
media, rather than print media,” explains Steven Cook, deputy
commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and
Marketing, “Vermont Life also experienced a downturn in
business, both at the level of subscribers and in advertising.”
Essentially that hobbled two legs of the “three-legged stool”
that formed the core financial structure of the magazine (the
third being Vermont Life products), and the magazine began
to run in the red at a rate of about $200,000 per year until
reaching a total debt of about $3.2 million by January 2018.
The added weight on the state coffers did not go unnoticed,
leading some in the government to question whether it was
time to slay the fatted Holstein. As Sen. Kevin Mullin,
R-Rutland, told VTDigger in May 2016, “I’m worried we are
clinging to a vehicle of the past. When national magazines
can’t make a go of it, you have to wonder if it’s really worth the
subsidy that’s required to keep it afloat.”
It’s a sentiment also shared by Governor Phil Scott publicly. “...
It’s time to change,” Scott said in June 2017, “We’re going to
have to move on to something else. We hope to keep Vermont
Life going in some capacity, but we’re going to have to work
together in trying to determine what the 21st century brings
for Vermont Life.”
A major change was also signaled by the departure of editor-in-
chief Mary Hegarty Nowlan, who stepped down in mid-2017
after ten years at the helm. She had led a serious effort to update
the publication and the image of Vermont to attract a younger
set of readers, ideally those who would consider bringing
their skills and energy to the state—a mantra repeated by just
about every state agency and official, including the governor
in his 2018 State of the State Address: “We also must do
more to reach workers—specifically younger workers and
entrepreneurs—who currently live elsewhere, but would like
to live and raise their family in the safest and healthiest state
in the country.”
In September 2017, a request for proposals was sent out, with
a variety of options on the table, including, according to the
document, “purchasing, partnering, entering into a licensing
agreement, or otherwise working with the State of Vermont
to maximize the State benefit of Vermont Life magazine, both
financially and as a vehicle to promote Vermont to current
and future residents and visitors. Preference will be given to
bidders that maintain current Vermont Life staff and operations
in Vermont.”
Nine “very thoughtful” bids were received from publishers
such as Yankee Publishing, Lighthouse Media, and Vermont
Business Magazine revealed Cook, “all of which had great
by Mike Dunphy
creative ideas, proposed alternatives for the way it was operated,
and all proposed an option to take Vermont Life off of the
state’s hands in a different way.” However, all contained a
serious flaw. None of the bids would take on the debt, so
essentially the state would be relinquishing its oversight of the
magazine but still be responsible for the debt, regardless of the
new publisher’s performance. “If we are going to be responsible
for the profit and loss of this enterprise,” Cook explains, “we
really need to have direct oversight of that. We can’t give that
up.” As a result, the state reversed course and decided to retain
Vermont Life.
The question then became how to get the magazine into the
black. This led to a number of “efficiencies” in the operation.
Most significantly, a new editor in chief and publisher will not
be hired, moving those duties to existing staff members. Any
concern of the ship operating without a captain was tamped
down by Cook, who is confident the right people and skills
are already in place. “Our commissioner Wendy Knight has
lots of publishing experience and is a big part of the long-term
planning, goal setting, and strategy for Vermont Life along
with myself and the team. We are working very collaboratively
among the experienced team who have been doing this for a
long time.” We certainly hope Cook is right, but it nonetheless
raises the old joke, “What’s a camel? A horse designed by
committee.”
Even if the new model works at optimal efficiency, Vermont
Life faces a number of challenges, starting with the core
tension between its quest for youthful readers and “aspiring
Vermonters” and the existing subscriber base, whose average
age is 55 and tends to prefer the classic version of Vermont
(and Vermont Life), be it the covered bridge, tin sap bucket,
or Holstein heifer. Indeed, many of them were unhappy with
the direction Nowlan took during her tenure. As one former
subscriber, Bob Arthur, 58, told Vermont Public Radio in June
2017, “It was more about the food culture, the artisan beer,
which is fine, I like all that, but it got away from the essence
of what I read the articles about, which was almost a history of
Vermont. But a perspective that I think a lot of us have—an
older generation of Vermont—that wasn't there anymore."
Adding to the tension is the fact that although a younger
audience might be desired, few of them have the funds to
support the magazine, at least compared with the traditional
crowd. Indeed, in the current subscriber base, 50 percent have
incomes of $100,000 and 24 percent of those top $150,000.
So ultimately, winning back someone like Arthur probably
translates into more actual dollars for the magazine than
wooing someone half his age. This reality must affect the
content and design.
Cook acknowledges this tension but sees a way forward,
believing there are ways to speak to both audiences. “I think
it’s about speaking to them through different mediums, both
in the digital space and print space, different content and
different methods of communicating that story to different
audiences. While they are one in the same in their love for
Vermont, they are slightly different in what excites them about
Vermont.”
In many ways, this split is similar to that between the
traditional print and the digital publishing worlds, which
by and large approach content production in different ways.
Whereas old-school print journalism tends to focus primarily
on the quality, relevance, and import of a story, digital
platforms are concerned with raising online traffic, because
there is a direct connection between clicks and revenue. This
model aims for content with viral and shareable potential,
particularly on social networks, which dictates content be
easily digestible, bite-sized, and largely superficial, e.g., “A
Moose Came to my Wedding and You’ll Never Guess What
Happened Next,” and “10 Sexy Uses for Maple Butter.”
And based on the numbers, Vermont Life needs a significant
amount of maple butter. At the moment, the Vermont Life
website registers only 3,367 unique visitors a month, a tiny
number compared with 57,547 a month at Vermont Business
Magazine, or even the 66,250 weekly unique visitors claimed
by Seven Days. New Hampshire magazine gets 20,000
unique visitors a week. The number of “followers” on social
networking looks a bit better—with Vermont Life registering
about 22,000 followers on Facebook and 26,100 followers on
Twitter—but it’s worth noting that a significant number of the
latter appear to be bots or fake accounts.
Regardless of the challenges, Cook and the team project
a lot of confidence in the future of Vermont Life. “We
think that there's a bright future for Vermont Life,” Vermont
Commerce Secretary Michael Schirling told WCAX-TV in
January, “whether it's as a magazine in the near-term or long-
term—just as a media asset going forward.” Cook agrees. “The
next time you are on social media and Instagram, look up the
hashtag #VermontLife, and what that brings to the front of
your screen. The name, the brand, Vermont Life, is such an
incredibly valuable asset to our state that saying goodbye to
it or giving it away or selling it, we run the risk of losing an
important part of that name.”
Whatever the outcome, they can at least move forward
knowing that all Vermonters—existing and aspiring—are
rooting for Vermont Life to live.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 5

Montpelier–Roxbury Proposes $23.4 Million (2018-2019) Budget Continued from Page 1

in Montpelier for more than their assessed Union Elementary School. the Central Vermont Regional Planning
value. If you own a house in Montpelier, that’s Photo by Michael Jermyn Commission it was discovered that at certain
good, because your house is holding its value depths greater than two feet, the soil was
and will be worth more when you decide to contaminated.
sell it. But wait a minute, because property In May and September of 2017 several soil
values in Montpelier are rising in comparison samples collected from the Montpelier Union
to property values in other parts of the state, Elementary School (MUES), to support a
your educational property tax bill will show an playground redesign project, were determined
increase. Take your pick. You could see what's to have concentrations of polycyclic aromatic
happening as a positive or a negative. hydrocarbons (PAHs) greater than VTDEC
Proposed $4.9 Million School Bond for soil standards. PAHs are a group of chemicals
Capital Improvements that are formed during the incomplete burning
The School District is proposing a $4.9 million of coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, or other organic
bond to pay for a range of Union Elementary substances. The source of PAH contamination
School and Montpelier High School renovations and capital improvements. at MUES is likely due to several sources, such
as fill dirt, historic fires, combustion of fossil fuels and surrounding property uses.
When Supt. Ricca was asked why these projects had been allowed to accumulate and not
addressed each year as part of a rational spending and maintenance plan, he answered, “In the At the same time, the playground is not just a school playground. “This is a community
past it was the practice to do these things with band-aids.” But now the Montpelier School playground,” Hennessey emphasized again and again. It’s a resource for kids, families, and the
System is developing a Capital Plan with regular investments in facility upkeep and related whole community. It had to be addressed at once and comprehensively. “This has to get done,”
changes, year by year.” Hennessey insisted.

“In the next budget, we have set aside $250,000 on capital improvement projects,” he said.
Because of School District plans to create a year-by-year capital plan with regular investments
in building upkeep and related changes, Ricca predicted, “This will be the last bond I am
sending to the voters for a long time.”
From a list of 11 capital improvement projects that are part of the $4.9 million proposed bond
—these four were the most expensive:
If the bond passes, the shovels and excavation work on the playground will begin this July and
the playground will be shut down from September to June. “In the past it was delayed because
it was a complex project. This is so essential that this happens,” Hennessey said.
Supt. Ricca said that the proposed school budget together with the $4.9 million bond would
mean that someone in Montpelier with a house, valued at $228,000 would see a school tax
increase for FY 2018—2019 of $98 over last years budget, essentially a rise of $25 per quarter.

• Union Elementary School playground redevelopment: ($1,170,000).

• Montpelier High School auditorium renovations ($740,000)
• Montpelier High School locker room upgrades plus offices and a family restroom ($600,000)
• Union Elementary School electric power distribution, fire alarm and PA system ($540,000).
In discussing the scope and cost of the Union Elementary playground redevelopment project,
school principal Chris Hennessey said that at the outset he and others imagined a pretty
modest playground upgrade. “We started with $100,000,” he said.
Then as the project was examined in greater depth what became clear was two things. First, the
playground, like the school, was situated in a geographical bowl and suffering lots of erosion.
“It’s like a muddy waterfall,” Hennessey said.
When the soil was examined, and it was examined closely, partly through a grant from
PAG E 6 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Lucas Herring Runs for Mayor of Barre
I
n the race for mayor of Barre, city council member Lucas
Herring faces off against fellow councilor, and director
of Studio Place Arts, Sue Higby. Not only does Herring
bring a long resume of municipal experience to the campaign,
but he also has the official support of current mayor Tom
Lauzon. Last week, Herring was kind enough to sit down
with The Bridge and talk about the campaign, his positions
on several policies, and the future of Barre.
The Bridge: You have a very extensive resume and served
on many committees, councils, and boards for nearly a
decade. What drives you to public service?
Lucas Herring: Even before being involved in Barre City, I
was very active with the Vermont State Employees Associa-
tion. I became treasurer for the board of trustees, and it was
one of those activities that gets you thinking about what else
happens outside the workplace and the issues that face people
in general and not just your coworkers.
The Bridge: Why do you want to become mayor of Barre?
Herring: Over the past seven years I’ve been on city council,
so I do know the workload. During that time I was also on the
Barre Partnership, the school board, and the Granite Museum
board. I did that while working my day job as an IT director
for the Department of Corrections. I stepped off those boards
to focus my time completely on my campaign for mayor.
The Bridge: What part of the job seems most challeng-
ing to you and what part seems particularly in line your
expertise and experience?
Herring: Over the past seven years I’ve made a lot of connec-
tions, even working with other communities like Berlin and
Barre Town. I know members of their select boards so I think
I’m pretty well established and can hit the ground running on
day one. The biggest challenge might be a new board. Since
the city council will have three [new] councilors, two that
have been there for a year and one who was appointed this
last term, and depending how the election goes, [Michael]
Boutin, who’s been there for eight years, might be replaced
with somebody new. So it’ll be a green board that we have to
start working with.
The Bridge: You have described the council as “conten-
tious.” Can you expand on that and how you will address
it.
Herring: When we came into this Park Center project, there
was unknown information for new councilors that this is the
type of work that happens. People go out and talk with busi-
nesses; they get the agreements in place; maybe they do it on
their own, or maybe they bring it back to the council, but at
the end of the day they disclose any information on any proj-
ect that’s going on to say if they should be a part of it at all.
It seems like the newer councilors weren’t aware of how these
different types of economic development work, and it put
some stress on the council and the project as a whole.
The Bridge: Do you disagree with some people’s assertion
that there was a conflict of interest between Mayor Lau-
zon and the developers?
Herring: We looked at the statute and do have a policy in
place that talks about conflict of interest, and the mayor did
allow us to know everything that was going on from step one
to when we decided not to move forward, so those items were
disclosed.
The Bridge: So do you feel Park Center was a lost oppor-
tunity for Barre?
Herring: There may have been a missed opportunity with
the hotel portion, and Montpelier has taken advantage of
that, but I still think there’s an opportunity for development,
and it’s part of our city plan from Main Street to Summer
Street. These are the projects that we have been working on
for several years.
The Bridge: Despite all the investment in downtown
Barre, there are still a lot of empty storefronts. Why do
you think this is so and how can you address it?
Herring: Well, Park Center would have been able to fill in
some of those vacant storefronts, but honestly the challenges
we have in Barre are the same you might see across Vermont
and the United States. We do have a drug problem; the
opioid problem is well known, and we don’t have popula-
tion growth. If you look back at the history of Barre, we are
about half the population we once were. Vermont is also the
second oldest state in the nation, and a lot of people here
have retired or will soon retire. And downtown is within a
floodplain, which is an issue for a lot of developers, because
if you have a building that already exists, you have to have
flood insurance. If you want to raise it out of the floodplain,
that costs a lot.
The Bridge: So how can you add some more vitality to
downtown?
Herring: We have to embrace those who want to come in
and make some developments in our downtown. We have
a tax stabilization policy in place, and I was one of two
council members who redrafted our tax stabilization policy
to allow for multi-family dwellings and businesses to ask
for stabilization. For example, with City Place, they have a
10-year tax stabilization, which allows them to put money
they’d pay in taxes into the construction costs. In the next
five years after, it goes up in increments of 20 percent so next
year, you’ll see an extra $27,000 in tax revenue from that
building alone, and that will continue each year until it’s at
the market value.
The Bridge: So you think Barre is on the right path and
it just needs more time.
Herring: I do.
The Bridge: How would you address Barre’s image prob-
lem?
Herring: What it is, is that we have a courthouse down-
town, and a majority of those going to court are out front.
Maybe they are smoking a cigarette or waiting to get into
court, so you have the perception that maybe you have more
crime here than in other areas. But if you actually check the
crime rate, we are no different than Montpelier. So it’s a
perception issue. How do you change that? Part of it is, we
have a bus stop right out front; there are signs that say no
smoking but it’s not enforced. If we can stop those individu-
als from congregating out front and appear like that’s the
only thing that they are there for. The Agency of Education
came with City Place so we had 300 employees from that
building walking and visiting store fronts, which changed
downtown because you had more foot traffic not related to
the courthouse. The perception will go away once we start
doing that more.
The Bridge: On the upcoming budget vote on Town
Meeting Day, are there any measures you absolutely sup-
port and any you oppose?
Herring: I supported them all. We had a unanimous deci-
sion on those items when they went on the ballot. I support
the general fund for sure. We need to have a budget so the
next council can operate. I’ve been on the council when the
budget failed twice, and you’re basically spending the time
between Town Meeting Day and July 1 trying to understand
what you have for money. But if you have that budget pass
on Town Meeting Day, it allows you those couple of months
to start the planning needed for July 1, when the money is
allocated.
The Bridge: And the options tax?
Herring: I do support the options tax and think this is a way
Barre City can benefit from external revenue. We’ve been
putting so much on the property taxes, and the one thing
that I hear when I talk with residents is they don’t want to
have their property taxes go up any more. That is the effort
we need to make so residents can still afford to live here
while still trying to support those projects.
The Bridge: Drawing on your background in IT, what
does the data say about Barre that maybe other sources
don’t?
Herring: The data shows that there is growth. You can see
that sales receipts are going up in Barre City, which means
business is going up. I think a lot of the numbers we need to
focus on as well are the average income of a resident and the
age of a resident. We need to make sure we are bringing in
younger families. Those are the working families that will
be more involved in our community.
The Bridge: How do you do that?
Herring: We have to start asking what they want. We have
what’s called the Barre Connection, a wireless connection
within our downtown. Younger generations come out with
their devices, and they want to be able to connect, so if we
have an environment that they want to come to, youths will
participate more in the events downtown.
The Bridge: What is your view on the $15 minimum
wage?
Herring: This is one of those items that we have to look
at because of the unintended ripple effects that might hap-
pen. If I raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, does the
person who already makes $15 also get a raise? After getting
their incremental raise over time are they not making more
than someone who’s new off the street? And for businesses,
does that mean now that I’m paying more in wages? Can I
really afford to give them benefits like I have been in the
past? Can I still afford to give the Little League team a dona-
tion? And if we are only doing this on a state level versus a
national level, how does it affect our trade with other states?
We might end up outsourcing jobs because it’s going to be
cheaper for those businesses to do work in other places.
The Bridge: So you would not support the bill currently
in the State House?
Herring: What I’m saying is that what we have to be mind-
ful of all the unintended consequences. I think an incre-
mental increase is good. We would be the highest minimum
wage state if this was to go into effect. Does it need to be
$15 or can it be compromised at a different number? I think
there needs to be more discussion before voting on it. It’s a
good concept, but as with a lot of good concepts, you have
to look at the devil in the details.
The Bridge: The Barre Supervisory Union is going to
be implementing a new school safety protocol called
A.L.I.C.E. [Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacu-
ate], and obviously with the shooting in Florida, the
issue of guns and schools is a hot topic. As someone who’s
worked on school boards, where do you come down on
this issue?
Herring: There needs to be that fact-based discussion on
who has access to guns and why. I’ll address mental health
first. We had the flood in the state hospital in Waterbury
and now we have a smaller facility in Berlin. So one of
the questions we should raise is why do we only have that
facility? Why don’t we have more capacity to deal with
individuals with mental illnesses? The other question is how
far are people taking this? I know many people who hunt,
and they do have a constitutional right to bear arms.
The Bridge: What about background checks and weap-
ons like the AR-15?
Herring: When I was on the elementary school board, we
were looking at different access points to the school, because
if there’s an active shooter, the elementary school only has
one direct roadway into the building. So if you want to evac-
uate people and there’s an active shooter in the one entrance,
how do you evacuate? You really can’t. So we were trying to
find secondary access routes. I am glad they are taking on
A.L.I.C.E. full steam.
That’s going to be the fact-based discussion. What are the
types of weapons they are using in these assaults and do we
need them? Honestly, if we can have a compromise, you
know, people have the right to bear arms. They have a right
for certain weapons that they can use for hunting, then we
should have that compromise about those AR-15 weapons
not being used in public.
The Bridge: So you would or wouldn’t support a ban on
those weapons?
Herring: I think we should continue to have the conversa-
tion to see where that line is. But if it is that same weapon, I
would fully support that type of weapon be banned
The Bridge: What has the process of running for mayor
of Barre taught you?
Herring: I think the greatest thing that I’ve learned is that
there’s a lot of diversity in our city, and that issues they have
might be in conflict with each other. What I want to do is
take both sides of these coins and bring them together and
find out where common ground is and make sure we are ad-
dressing the actual issue.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 7
Vermont’s Best Places to Work Say
Why Employees Love Them
I
n January, Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont
Chamber of Commerce announced nominees for the top
50 Best Places to Work in Vermont 2018. Created in 2006
and presented in partnership with the Society for Human
Resource Management, Vermont State Council, the Vermont
Department of Labor, the Vermont Department of Commerce
and Community Development, and Best Companies Group,
the award highlights local businesses that excel at keeping
their employees happy.
To qualify, a business must employ a minimum of 15 people;
be a public or private, for-profit or not-for-profit business or
government entity; have a facility in Vermont; and have been
operating for a minimum of one year.
Selections are based on evaluations of workplace policies,
practices, and demographics, as well as anonymous employee
surveys. The combined scores determine the top companies
and final ranking.
In an effort to assist other Vermont companies looking to
improve their employee experience, The Bridge sat down
with seven companies on the list to learn what policies and
methods they employ to achieve such high scores. Below are
comments by company representatives:
Vermont State Employee Credit Union - Montpelier
One of the things that’s great about working here is the
cooperation, not competition. When we share things we’ve
learned, we all benefit from that. We use a program called
Slack [“a cloud-based set of proprietary team collaboration
tools and services”]. It’s fantastic in breaking down the silos,
because every conversation at all levels and all subjects in the
organization is transparent, and people can participate. For
example, after the robbery and what happened in Montpelier,
immediately there was a Slack channel set up for everyone
to share support the community had expressed to them, like
a big group hug. We have volunteer time off, up to eight
hours, and we encourage everyone to take part in things that
they feel will support that mission. We also have a wellness
committee that works on programs for employees that will
benefit their health both in and out of the workplace, like
CSA partnerships with local farms. Right now we have a
“biggest loser” program going on, with cash prizes, and
there’s a ton of support for that. You can wear jeans to work,
which shows we know that your professionalism is going to be
displayed in how you act and treat others. We are not going to
force you to wear a uniform because we trust you.
Fuse Marketing - Winooski
We strive to foster a fun and creative environment for our
staff and offer a number of on-site amenities including a mini
skate ramp, fitness equipment, yoga classes, and dog-friendly
offices. We also offer unique perks that take advantage of
everything the state has to offer and encourage employees
to maintain a healthy work-life balance: Half-day Fridays in
Got a news tip? We want to know!
Send it to us at: editorial@montpelierbridge.com
by Mike Dunphy
the summer, paddle boards, a camper van available for staff
to rent, a season’s pass to Stowe, an annual company ski &
ride day, as well as a “12-inch rule” that allows employees to
catch first tracks on the mountain after a significant snowfall.
Employees who reach their five- and ten-year anniversaries
also receive a tenure package that’s personalized for each
individual. In the past these have ranged from a moped to
heli-boarding trips and scuba diving vacations, and a tour
of Thailand. Fuse also gives employees the opportunity to
engage with the local community by giving paid time off
for time spent volunteering at organizations that they are
passionate about.
Okemo Mountain Resort - Ludlow
We operate in a team environment that is ingrained in our
culture. From ownership through all staff members, we are
equal–no one person is more important than another. We
are not a company that believes in having a lot of policies.
Where we do have them, they are a guide to help us make
good decisions. I think by not being overburdened with lots of
policy, it allows our managers autonomy to lead their teams.
We have a very competitive traditional benefits program
which creates a solid foundation for our full-time staff.
From there, we are able to offer free skiing/riding, family or
friend discount programs, fitness center benefits, golf benefits,
biking benefits, food discounts, wellness programs, and the
like. Recently we created a “flex time” program for our
management team whereby they are not limited in the time
they can take off from work–it is managed by the individual
allowing flexibility to “get away” as they need and are able.
This underscores the trust we share with our leadership team.
Additionally, for our remaining staff, we recently created a
generous paid time off program to again, demonstrate trust,
and allow the individual to determine how their time is used
versus determining it through policy.
NuHarbor Security - Essex
If someone is here from Jan 1 through Dec 31, we have 160
hours of paid time off, which works out to 20 days. We also
have health, dental, vision for benefits, accidental death, life
insurance, paid pet bereavement. We are an animal friendly
office, and they are part of the family, and if something
should happen to them, we give them a paid day off. Everyone
is a colleague, and we are a pretty flat organization. We have
company lunches, special days, it might be a movie day, we
might buy fair tickets. We have a remote designation, which
means that many of our full-time people have the option to
work from home a couple of days a week.
Catamount Solar - Randolph
We are organized as a workers’ cooperative, and for sure that’s
the biggest benefit that we can offer people. So that means
it’s an employee ownership structure, where everyone in the
company is an employee-owner or on track to become one.
The company is managed on a democratic basis, where we
have monthly meetings where all employee-owners meet
together. We have an annual retreat, where we come together
to work out issues cooperatively. So there’s a lot of employee
engagement and feedback. And in a profitable year, they get
a slice of the profits. Employees state that it’s a huge benefit
to have a stake in the company and feel like you are not just
a working stiff but have skin in the game. The company also
contributes three percent of an employee’s salary to a 401K,
regardless of whether they participate or not
Vermont College of Fine Arts – Montpelier
A few things set us apart. The first thing is that we have a
really well-defined and well-understood mission that everyone
on campus embodies in their work. Over and over [on the
evaluations], you see staff members mentioning laughter;
there’s so much laughter in the building—so it’s a place where
people actually enjoy each other. We have a dog-friendly
policy, where if you have a well behaved dog you can bring
that dog to campus or your office. It goes without saying that
it’s a beautiful physical location and I think that has a lot to do
with people enjoying work. There’s also generous (paid) time
off, with 20 vacation days [for all employees] and 15 campus
holidays, and 10 sick days. For our retirement package, we
automatically contribute three percent of their gross salary,
irrespective of whether they contribute or not. For employees
who do contribute we match, as a percent of salary up to four
percent. To say that in a simpler way, if you are putting in
four percent to your retirement, you are essentially getting 11
percent. The biggest perk that is unique to this organization
is the opportunity to attend lectures, exhibits, performances
in all our various disciplines. We also have a tuition benefit.
If an employee is admitted into one of the MFA programs on
their own merit, it’s 90 percent covered.
VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations
The reason why we ended up on this list is that we have
a mission that is inspirational. We are in the business of
positively impacting lives through active travel. One of our
perks is that international travel on a regular basis is a job
requirement. All of our employees are required to experience
our product, researching new destinations, planning new
routes, and testing GPS so that landmarks are accurate. We
are also a good old-fashioned Vermont office that is dog-
friendly, and they are really good for team morale. We have a
lot of green spaces, which folks have said is a real positive part
of working here. We grow lemons; we have palm trees, ferns,
and more, so we have a representation of the plants we’d see in
our destinations. We pay an annual $500 fitness benefit that
can be used at the gym, yoga studio, golf courses, and any
of the ski hills. We offer a paid sabbatical to out staff during
milestone years, so when they hit their fifth anniversary, they
get two additional paid weeks. At their 10th, 15th 20th, we
also provide them a trip for two to any of our destinations.
PAG E 8 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Marijuana Revenue Still Missing
While Budget Challenges Persist
E
arlier this month the state finance department dipped its hands into the medical
marijuana reserves and pulled out $300,000 from a $500,000 balance to mitigate the
pains of a $30 million general fund deficit.
Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman was not impressed. “When you take those fees from people
who are sick and have paid to have a license to be able to get medicine that still costs them
significantly more because insurance doesn’t cover it, it’s already expensive and hard for folks
to pay for.”
Such a move has some wondering why there continues to be no concrete plan in place for a
tax-and-regulate market for legal recreational marijuana, which is set to go into effect this July.
Zuckerman said studies suggest Vermont’s marijuana market is estimated somewhere in the
realm of $100 million to $200 million.
Rep. Sam Young, D-Glover, is sponsoring a bill that would do just that, in addition to setting
up licensing requirements and education. Young said the odds of anything getting done this
legislative session are not great, but he shared what his bill is trying to accomplish.
"One was trying to create a market for small growers, so that you could have kind of a
craft marijuana industry in Vermont similar to what we have for craft brewers," he said.
"And it would help to bring people who are growing small amounts right now into the legal
marketplace."
He added that some of the thinking now is to wait for the governor's Marijuana Advisory
Commission to run its course.
"My preference would have been that the state would have been getting tax revenue from
legalization, but it turned out that it really needed to be a two-step process. The Senate
has voted multiple times to move toward tax-and-regulate. With the House, it's been more
difficult.”
Meanwhile, Zuckerman suggested that Vermont is missing out. He reiterated that when it
comes to meeting the original goals for safety and education, commercializing marijuana is
the best strategy.
“I think a tax-and-regulate model actually meets the governor’s goals better than the law that
he signed,” Zuckerman said. “And again, I question if someone is really talking about highway
safety. We support our microbrew industry, why are we not taking the alcohol revenue and
putting that toward highway safety?”
“If one is saying that’s the message around cannabis, there is actually less evidence toward the
danger of driving,” he added.
Some of the data cited in the governor’s Marijuana Advisory Commission last fall reassert that
notion. A study cited by the Norwegian Center for Transport Research and the Ragnar Frisch
Center for Economic Research concludes that cannabis intoxication while driving compares,
Cody Chevrolet Congratulates The Bridge
On Over 20 Years of Business!
by Michael Bielawski
on average, to driving with a blood-alcohol content of .04 to .05 percent. The legal limit for
alcohol in Vermont is .08.
And regarding revenues, Zuckerman said with a tax-and-regulate model, the state could see
a boost in new payroll tax income as people declare income associated with a developing
marijuana market, such as tourism.
“You would have extra general fund revenues through the normal system of an expanding
economy through tax-and-regulate,” he said, “as well as the tax specifically on the cannabis,
which is well in excess of the $300,000 hole he filled raiding the medical marijuana fee
structure.”
One of the areas in the state budget significantly lacking this year was education, with
estimates that the state’s education fund could be as much as $80 million short. Zuckerman
noted using the money for something like this is an option, but there should be cautions.
“Well, certainly there are those who say we should do tax-and-regulate and put the money to
property tax relief,” he said. “The only danger there is that there may be a bubble in revenue
from cannabis reform, and for every state that passes it, that bubble may shrink.”
On the current legalization status set to take place this July, Zuckerman said the changes are
measurable but not substantial enough.
“The new legislation doesn’t really greatly affect the underground market in particular,”
Zuckerman said. “It does allow some people to grow their own or those who have been
growing their own to continue and not feel like they are criminals anymore. But it does not
really achieve all the goals I have for adjusting to a full tax-and-regulate system with respect to
really competing and removing a lot of the underground market.”
On the House floor when representatives finally passed legalization on to the governor, House
Minority Leader Don Turner, R-Milton, proposed adding language to transform the bill into
a full tax-and-regulate proposal. Zuckerman sees some potential support here.
“I’ve asked a number of representatives who’ve voted yes on that, and I plan to speak with
more of them and say, ‘Were you voting for that to create a poison pill on the bill or were
you voting for it because if there was truly going to be a change in our laws, you’d rather go
all the way with tax-and-regulate so you would have the money for prevention, treatment,
and law enforcement?’” Zuckerman said. He said the answer from many of them has been a
combination of the two.
Regarding any legislative action for this year, Zuckerman said if the citizens of Vermont want
it and are willing to call for it, anything can happen. “When the public engages in democracy,
really any time, it could be on the table if it’s the public sentiment.”
Do What You Do Best.
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T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 9
Travel Legend Rick Steves Lights up the Marijuana Debate
at the Vermont State House
W
hile most viewers know the gentle and bespectacled
face of the renowned travel guru Rick Steves from
his PBS television shows, guidebooks, and more, far
fewer are aware of his passionate crusade to reform drug laws,
particularly regarding marijuana. On February 15, he arrived
at the Statehouse in Montpelier to speak to the Vermont Senate
Judiciary Committee about allowing for commercial sale of the
drug. Afterwards, he was kind enough to speak to The Bridge
about Vermont’s legalization law and drug policy reform.
It always seems like a surprise to people when they learn
you are such a passionate advocate for marijuana reform.
Why so?
Rick Steves: People think I am a marijuana enthusiast; I’m
not; I’m a drug policy reform enthusiast. I’m in this for civil
liberties, and I think our prohibition against marijuana is an
expensive, non-productive, racist law, and it’s time to speak the
truth about this. I think a lot of people out there are afraid to
talk about it because they have to get elected or whatever. I’m
one “two-bit” celebrity who can speak out about this, and I
kind of surprise people because they think I’m not the kind
of person who would be involved in this, but I think this is
important for our community and our democracy that we get
this law off of the books. This is the tragic prohibition of our
age. I acknowledge that marijuana is a drug that’s not good for
you and can be abused, but I don’t think we should lock people
up for smoking it.
What initially ignited your passion for this?
RS: I had an interest in this mainly because people who are
very respected in my community, and whom I respected a
lot in my church, in my work, in my hometown, were closet,
responsible adult pot smokers and keeping it a secret from
their kids and friends and work. I thought, “We are the land
of the free and home of the brave, and we have to smoke pot in
closets so our kids don’t tell on us when they go to school.” I
just thought, “This is based on lies,” and everybody’s afraid to
discuss it because they might lose their jobs or not get elected.
Nobody needs to work for me, nobody can fire me, so I can
talk about this. I felt I had a responsibility as a citizen to speak
for those who aren’t able to speak on this.
A lot of people have been saying this for years, including
Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman, but only recently
has there been significant movement on it. Why do you
think this is so?
RS: There’s more movement on it because now we have a track
by Mike Dunphy
record. The big news is that the states of Washington and
Colorado legalized in 2012. I happen to be from Washington
and was a co-sponsor and leading spokesperson for our law that
legalized, taxed, and regulated marijuana for responsible adult
use. Now we have a track record, and people are realizing, “Oh,
we’re not talking about hunches; we have a real track record.”
What happens when a state legalizes is that it takes a thriving
black market...and turned it into a highly taxed and regulated
legal market. More people don’t smoke pot. It just becomes
legal instead of criminal. Teen use doesn’t go up; DUIs don’t
go up; crime doesn’t go up. That’s not my marijuana law
reform pitch; that’s reality. In my state, we taxed the heck out
of it and this last year had $310 million in tax revenue. That’s
real money, and we’re putting it to good use.
Vermont presents a stranger approach by making it legal
for home use but not establishing a commercial market to
reap the tax benefits.
RS: This is an interim law that’s kind of wimpy, I think. It’s just
a baby step. I’m all for baby steps because then people realize
the sky is not going to fall. But you don’t need to take these
baby steps right now because someone else fell on the barbed
wire for you. My governor and the governor of Colorado were
not in favor of these laws when the people voted for them. Now
they are in favor of these laws because they see they are smart.
They are not pro-pot; they are just pro-smart policy.
What about the black market in your state?
RS: Well, the black market is essentially gone because it’s now
a legal market. But it’s a transitional period, and there’s always
going to be a little bit of a black market. And a state has to
be careful not to be too greedy with their tax rates. Oregon
learned from us that Washington was taxing it pretty high, so
Oregon taxes it less so it’ll have more affordable marijuana in
the legal market and less in the black market. It’s so reassuring
to know what you’re getting. It’s like you are going in an Apple
shop; it’s slick and well organized, and you know this guy is
for real and what you’re getting is pure. Anybody would prefer
buying it from a legal dealer than some sleazy guy in the street,
who has a more vested interest in selling you something more
addictive and profitable.
Even if legal, maybe some people would still prefer not to
have their names on any official record.
RS: Yeah, it takes some courage to be in the marijuana business
these days. I’m not in the whole “green gold rush,” or whatever
they call it, but I do know that our governor did not arrest
8,000 people who he would have otherwise this last year.
Those are 8,000 people who can’t afford that bump in the
road. Most are disadvantaged to start with, and now they have
a record, so they can’t get a job; they can’t get into school; they
can’t get a loan, and that pushes them even more down a very
unfortunate road. We arrest 600,000 nationally in a year. It’s
part of the tourist industry now in Colorado, and you can do
hard time for it in Idaho. It’s crazy.
Perhaps Vermont wants to take it slowly to learn from
other states.
RS: Yeah, but every year you delay you are losing a lot
of tax revenue to a black market, which is empowering
organized crime and gangs. There’s a rising tide of sensibility
in our country, and what’s fast tracking it around here is that
Massachusetts and Maine are going to have their legal markets
are up and running before you know it.
Has your advocacy hurt you in any way?
RS: Every once in a blue moon, I have someone say, “Oh, Rick
Steves, we know what you think about marijuana; we’re not
going to take your tours or use your guidebooks,” and all I can
think is Europe’s going to be more fun without you.
PAG E 10 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

Demystifying Macbeth with the Plainfield Little Theatre

S
tarting March 15th, the Plainfield Little He stands alone on the stage and speaks
Theatre presents the tragedy of Macbeth to us in a soliloquy, a powerful theater
by William Shakespeare at the Plainfield mechanism. He confides in us. Unwittingly
Town Hall Opera House. or not, we become co-conspirators with him.
Director Tom Blachly has a long history with He weighs the justice of what he is doing—
Shakespeare, first as a young actor performing to kill or not to kill the king. He talks
the role of Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s himself out of the deed. Then pursues the
Dream, in a school production directed by Bill deed. Even when he decides to kill the king,
Blachly, Tom’s father, and later as Prospero he confides in us and exposes his dilemma.
in The Tempest, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, It’s very powerful.
and Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Please tell us about the woman playing
and roles in Macbeth; The Two Gentlemen of Lady Macbeth.
Verona; Henry IV, Part 1; Othello; Much Ado TB: Lady Macbeth is obviously a crucial
About Nothing; Richard III; A Winter’s Tale; role. I very much lucked out in getting a
and Henry V, where he played the lead. terrific actor who is taking the role. She’s got
Blachly has also directed numerous a lot of Shakespearean experience. She was
Shakespeare plays: Measure for Measure; Loves’ a professional actor in her younger years.
Labors’ Lost; Cymbeline; A Midsummer Night’s She got busy raising a family. She played
Dream; The Merry Wives of Windsor; Romeo the ingénue. She showed up and played the
and Juliet; King Lear; The Tempest; Henry IV, Countess in our production of All’s Well
Part 1; The Taming of the Shrew; and All’s Well That Ends Well.
that Ends Well. And the chemistry between Macbeth and
About 10 years ago, Blachly, together with Lady Macbeth?
Peter Young and local theater and opera Matthew Grant Winston as Macbeth Sorsha Anderson as Lady Macbeth
TB: They have sunk themselves into their
director Naomi Flanders, launched a summer roles. We have deep discussions about their roles and what motivates them. This is one
acting and performance program called Shakespeare in the Hills – an opportunity for of Shakespeare’s bloodiest plays.
young people to rehearse and perform Shakespeare’s plays.
Don’t you think we have blood enough in our world at the moment with bombing,
This week, Blachly talked with The Bridge about his upcoming production of Macbeth. shootings, thousands of people running for their lives?
The Bridge: What were you looking for in the person who would play Macbeth? TB: Shakespeare doesn’t shy away from the world as it is, a world that’s not what we would
Tom Blachly: A talented actor with a good range and intensity—someone I knew would like it to be. Shakespeare reflects back to us the world we see. The violence in his plays is
be committed to learn the lines and do the role. It’s a very challenging role. It requires a not gratuitous. It’s there for a reason.
large range of emotions. Macbeth is a tragedy in the classic sense—in the sense that violence is cathartic. We feel
And those emotions? that the evil of the kingdom is purged and that order is restored. That’s not a bad thing
TB: The actor has to have great ambition. He has to want to be kind. He has to have to feel, that order can return. Macduff’s family has been slaughtered. And it’s Macduff’s
a great imagination. He sees things that aren’t there—such as a dagger that isn’t there killing of Macbeth that purges the kingdom.
and a ghost who isn’t there. He has to believe in the supernatural. He has to make the In lines that speak to us today, Malcolm, who takes the Scottish throne after Macbeth is
supernatural real and accessible to an audience who may not believe in the supernatural. killed, says to Macduff about the slaughter of his children, “Be this the whetstone of your
It’s a challenging role also because Macbeth does horrible things. He’s a serial killer. You’re sword. Let grief convert to anger. Blunt not the heart, enrage it.”
caught up in his very bloody journey. This makes me think of the kids in Florida who are saying, “We’re not going to take this
Do you see Macbeth as a tragic figure who falls from high to low estate, suffers the anymore. We’re going turn our grief into anger.”
consequences, and struggles to understand his ruin? Final thoughts?
TB: Yes, I think so. Macbeth is a noble individual. He’s a great warrior. He distinguishes TB: I feel so privileged every night to be there and hear these local actors getting their
himself in battle. He’s made Thane of Cawdor for his warring exploits. I think his tragedy lines and their mouths around this poetry and exquisite imagery. Shakespeare’s images
shows us someone who really understands the negative consequences of his actions. He are so extraordinary. He creates these wild images in your mind. When he was writing
can’t help himself, or he’s the victim of dark forces outside of his control, or he feels Macbeth he was as the top of his game—the language, the soaring language.
compelled to follow his wife’s urgings.

Showtime Information
The Plainfield Little Theatre is presenting the tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare with performances beginning on March
15 at the Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 18 High Street (US Route 2) in Plainfield. Performances will be presented on March
15, 16, and 17 and also on March 22, 23, and 24 at 7 pm. There will be two Sunday afternoon matinee performances on March
18 and 25 at 2 pm.
The cast and company of Macbeth numbers some 25 actors, including Matthew Grant Winston as Macbeth and Sorsha Anderson
as Lady Macbeth, and half a dozen support staff, such as Robbie Harold as dramaturge, Lori Stratton as stage manager, Carol
Rogstad-Meunier as costumer; Ellen Cooke as choreographer; Trevor Tait as fight instructor; and Joe John as set designer.
For ticket information, please call 229-5290 or send an e-mail message to blachly@together.net
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 11
The Best Irish Trad Session You’ve Never Heard of
I
t’s almost infuriating to watch people pass by the
windows of Bagitos in downtown Montpelier on Saturday
afternoons, as one of the state’s, if not country’s, if not
world’s, best sessions of Irish traditional music fills the room
and bleeds through the panes. It’s not that the gawking faces
distract from the elegant glide of the fiddle bow, the breathy
squeeze of the accordion, or the drone of the pipes—but
because so many move on.
There is only one right reaction to music of this caliber—
arrest your stride, turn your feet 90 degrees, and step inside.
Led by husband and wife Hilari Farrington and Benedict
Koehler, who also run the Vermont School of Irish
Traditional Music, the group regularly features the talents
of fiddler extraordinaires Sarah Blair and Robert Ryan
alongside a revolving cast of players, from beginning students
to professional players such as Michael Tubridy of The
Chieftains, the Rowsome family of Dublin, fiddler Liz
Carroll, the band FullSet, and Irish concertina player,
Gearóid O’hAllmhuráin. Nor is it uncommon for dancers
and singers to step out of the audience and get jiggy with it Benedict Koehler, Hilari Farrington, Sarah Blair, Rob Ryan.
(pun intended).
Although open to all serious devotees of Irish trad, regardless of ability, the session generally only
allows melody instruments. That means fiddles, pipes, accordions, concertinas, harps, banjos, tin
whistles, and mandolins, but not guitars, drums, or piano. Of particular note are the Uilleann
pipes played by Koehler. His global renown as a player is only overshadowed by his status as a
maker, with a 10-year waiting list for his instruments that is now closed.
“Traditional Irish music is melody music,” explains Farrington, “But the reason [for the rule] is
that we have a lack of space, and if you have someone playing accompaniment, people will listen
to the accompaniment instead of to each other. People have felt we were being snobbish about it,
but actually it’s just that this is a session that we all started, and we all agreed the way we wanted
to do it. I’m not saying it’s a better way, but it works well for us.”
As for the music itself, the three-hour session, from 2 to 5 pm, covers a variety of traditional
forms, from jigs, reels, and hornpipes to Irish polkas, slides, and the occasional waltz or solo
performance. Who plays what and when depends to a large degree on the session leader. “It’s
your job to get things off to a very good start,” Farrington says, “It’s not a total democracy, and
there’s usually someone who might set the pace and make sure the players aren’t getting away
from themselves.” But that rarely seems to be an issue in the Bagitos session. “In our session it’s a
wonderful blend of people. I don’t feel like there’s any showing off. Everyone’s really supportive
of each other, and we don’t want competitions or any of that.”
That’s one reason why the sessions don’t welcome jamming in the jazz, blues, bluegrass, or rock
sense, but it has more to do with the structure of traditional Irish music. “Occasionally people
will come into a session and think they can just jam along,” Farrington explains, “but Irish music
isn’t done that way. You either know the song or you don’t.” That’s not to say there’s no room for
variation in Irish music, but it tends to manifest in ornamentation, like a well-placed triplet of
notes. “Without those variations Irish music would be very boring,” Farrington admits.
That doesn’t mean a player needs to be a master to join the session, she stresses, and beginners
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are always welcome. “I think people confuse being able to
play fast and having a lot of tunes with being welcome in the
session. If you are serious about learning music and just want
to start a tune you’ve been working on at a very slow speed,
everyone will happily play with you at the speed you want.”
The crowd that shows up each Saturday to watch also
becomes part of the fabric of the sessions, and it’s no surprise
to see a dancer or singer step forward to join. Others are
content to watch, thump their feet, and even record, which
Farrington encourages “There’s some people who come out
and won’t play a note, they’ll just record, practice at home,
and eventually work up the courage to come into the session
and play some tunes.”
What draws people to Irish trad remains a bit of a mystery
to Farrington, who began playing it while living in Quebec,
and doesn’t always depend on having an Irish surname or
genetic code. “Some people just have a passion for it no
matter what their background is; it just speaks to them.
On another level, it’s a real, social community. It makes the
world a lot smaller.”
Unlike some “pure drop” traditional Irish musicians,
Farrington is less concerned about the road than the destination, particularly in relation to slicked
up versions of Irish trad like Riverdance or Ed Sheeran’s 2017 number one hit song, “Galway
Girl.” “My husband would gag,” Farrington chuckles, “but I see it more as a gateway drug. Some
of those more modern takes on Irish traditional music are what gets people hooked,” noting her
own road led through the soundtrack of the Stanley Kubrick film, Barry Lyndon, which featured
The Chieftains. “That got people all of the sudden interested in The Chieftains music, which is
not 100 percent traditional, but it led a lot of people like me onto a road that brought us to the
real thing.”
Although the Irish music community in Vermont is small compared to places like Boston, the
Green Mountains do offer some crossovers to the green fields of Ireland. “Vermont is a place that
respects tradition,” Farrington believes, “and is a fertile ground for quite a number of traditional
arts and crafts.”
Certainly the group has the support of Bagitos’s owner Soren Pfeffer. “When Hilari and Benedict
asked me about hosting the Irish session I was very enthusiastic,” he remembers, partially because
it filled in a time that tended to be somewhat slow and also when no other musicians were
ordinarily scheduled. “I had no idea at that time of the quality of the session or that world-renown
musicians from all over the world would come to Bagitos to join the session regularly.”
With Saint Patrick’s Day falling on Saturday this year, the March 17 session will take on an
even more festive flair and go longer than usual, with more guest singers and dancers expected.
Farrington also plans to bring her harp, which usually stays at home. “There are other sessions in
the state for sure, and there are some good ones, but I think that this one is special.”
PAG E 12 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

Shockwave Art Show Celebrates Neurodiversity at

Studio Place Arts by Sarah Davin

T
he world has a long history of excluding Clinton simply finds the continued existence of
people with physical and intellectual the art unnecessary. The artwork is the process
disabilities from appearing in society, and not the product.
rendering them a largely hidden minority. Families While some of the artists are defined by their
sending disabled individuals in institutions to live personal detachment or communal relationship
invisible lives is more recent than we would like to their art, other artists featured in the show
to think. Although the treatment of people with have very individually expressive and bold pieces.
disabilities has generally improved over time, the Perhaps one of the boldest art pieces on display is
bias remains quite real, and society often focuses “Abstract #1” and “#2” by “Paul.” As the largest
on how they are deficient rather than what they single piece in the art show, consisting of two
have to offer. large canvases, the acrylic painting draws the
Shockwave Magazine, an arts collective and viewer’s eye with its bright colors. While the one
magazine organized by the Community canvas is defined by compartmentalized squares,
Developmental Services at Washington County representing limitations that we have or create
Mental Health Services, is offering a new for ourselves, the explosion of color on the other
approach. Started in 2012, the collective aims to canvas releases us from those boundaries.
challenge the idea that individuals with disabilities This piece in many ways reflects Paul’s growth
can’t contribute to our community, a mission on as an artist. According to Martineau, at first Paul
display at the ongoing “Shockwave” art show at wasn’t as invested in what Martineau offered
Studio Place Arts in Barre. him to paint with. Now, he chooses canvas sizes
On display until March 17, the exhibition on the and mixes his own paints. “He has become very
third floor of Studio Place Arts features 45 pieces bold, very self-decided in how he is going to move
of art and has ten mainstay artists, with 20 to 25 artists contributing in total. forward with his work.”
Aron Martineau, editor of Shockwave Magazine, explained that collaborative pieces like “It Paul was present for the opening of the show, and it was an experience that filled him with
Takes a Village I” and “It Takes a Village II” are created when one artist works on something, pride over his artistic accomplishments. Joseph Mahr, team leader of the Learning Network,
then leaves it, and another artist takes it up adds to it. “They really enjoy working with each recalled how those who attended were blown away by the show, and the environment was one
other. They don’t really have a sense of ownership over their work,” said Martineau, ”They are of positive affirmation. “A lot [of the artists] have never done anything that has been on display.
really happy if someone comes along and does something. They don’t get upset.” That’s huge.”
He went on to say that he has noticed that the artists he works with have an unusual Mary Kay Kasper, coordinator of the Learning Network and Employment Program, points out
relationship to owning their art. In the case of the “Village” pieces on display, this process the message she wants people to take with them as they leave the exhibition, “These are people
happened organically with all of the artists working in the same space simultaneously over the with intellectual disabilities and they are incredible artists. They are a part of our communities.
course of a day or two. He finds that the level of cooperation he witnessed is something that We want to expose, we want them to see, the individuals who are doing this. We want them to
he wishes others would try to aspire to. walk away going, ‘Oh my gosh that was incredible, and I love that piece, and I want more.’ It’s
Throughout the show, ownership is a recurring theme. Next to the display of Shockwave about breaking down myths and misconceptions, so that they are embracing all the diversity
Magazine’s many covers is another honoring the work of a man named Clinton. Next to his of who we are on this planet.”
works, collected in two frames, is a description of Clinton’s artistic process. He works quite Shockwave’s next event will be a poetry reading at the Aldrich Public Library in April in honor
meticulously on these art pieces, and then astonishingly, tears them up. Once he has finished, of National Poetry Month and will feature completely new works of art.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 13
C a l e n d a r o f E ve n t s
Community Events
Events happening
March 1–March 17
FRIDAY, MARCH 2
Roots: a non-denominational, non-political
group. What if you could find a way to kindle
and strengthen your spark in these troubled
times? Strengthen your ability to connect with
your inner wisdom and the wisdom of others?
Strengthen your own roots and your ability
to network with others to build a stronger
community? YOU CAN! 1:30 pm. Kellogg-
Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier.
roots@sparkofhumanity.net.
Bethel First Friday Flicks - Free Family Movie.
Free family movie at the Bethel Town Hall on
the first Friday of every month. All are welcome.
6:30–8:30 pm. 134 S. Main St., Bethel. Free;
donations accepted. bri-vt.org
Naturalist Journey Series: Geology of the
Winooski Valley. Norwich University geologist
George Springston takes us on an illustrated
journey through the Winooski River valley,
exploring how ancient oceans, continental
collisions, rivers, and glaciers have all led to the
landscape that we live in today. 7 pm. North
Branch Nature Center Maxham Room, Elm St.,
Montpelier. Admission by donation.
SATURDAY, MARCH 3
Monthly Day-Long Retreats. Provides an
opportunity to for greater personal depth
through a more sustained period of practice. The
schedule includes periods of sitting and walking
meditation and dharma talks. Come for the
morning only for or the whole day. Light lunch
is offered. 9 am–4 pm. Wellspring Center, 39
Church St., Hardwick. Free; donations welcome.
wellspringinsight@gmail.com; 917-4364 ext. 1
Fruit Trees with Nicko Ruben. Seminar. 10 am–
noon. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St.,
Montpelier. Free.
Capital City Winter Farmers Market. Eat local
all winter long. Shop from more than 20 farms
and producers. Our producer-only market means
everything is grown or handmade in Central
Vermont. 10am–2pm. City Center, 89 Main St.,
Montpelier. montpelierfarmersmarket.com.
The Winter Renaissance Faire. A family-
friendly event for all ages, featuring a sundry of
performance troupes including singers, musicians,
acrobats, and dancers as well as medieval
living history and demonstrations of life on the
battlefields of the Old World. Over 50 artisans
and craft vendors. 10 am–7 pm. Champlain
Valley Expo, Essex Junction. $15; kids ages 6–12
$5; kids under 6 free. vtgatherings.com
Art for Our Kids Workshop with Kari Meyer. A
fun twist on a paint and sip class but for KIDS!
All supplies provided. Space Limited to 20
participants. 1–3 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library,
135 Main St., Montpelier. Free. Register: kari.
meyer@aol.com, 505-5211
Pre-Town Meeting Gathering. Discuss
resolutions on local Central Vermont ballots. 3–5
pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Hayes Room, 135
Main St., Montpelier.
High Speed Internet on the Ballot. Learn
about local initiative to bring better broadband
to central Vermont. Central Vermont Internet
is seeking approval from communities to form
a “Communications Union District” to provide
residents with high-speed, net-neutral Internet
service through a non-profit, community owned
provider. Already on the ballot in 13 towns,
CVI would be funded only by subscribers,
not by taxpayers. 5:30 pm. Potluck follows at
6:30 pm. Capital City Grange Hall, 6612 Vt. Rt
12 S, Berlin. capitalcitygrange.org
Aldrich Public Library for the Friends of the
Library Annual Winter Banquet/Auction. A
$30 ticket will purchase hors d’oeuvres made by
the Friends, a delicious beef tenderloin dinner
(vegetarian option available) prepared by Elks’
chef John Cutler and staff, and dessert donated by
Ben & Jerry’s. There will be a cash bar and plenty
of time to socialize, bid on silent auction items,
and view special items slated for the live auction.
5:30 pm. Barre Elks Lodge, 10 Jefferson St.,
Barre. 476-7550
Full Moon Snowshoe Hikes. Night activities will
illuminate how wildlife survives the long nights
of winter. Snowshoes and hot chocolate provided.
7–8:30 pm. North Branch Nature Center, 713
Elm St., Montpelier. $5 members; $10 non-
members. northbranchnaturecenter.org
SUNDAY, MARCH 4
Snowshoe Warren's Gore with Green
Mountain Club. Moderate. 8 miles. Meet at
Island Pond Rail Station at 8:30 am. Hike up
to Gore Mountain summit, depending on trail
conditions. Contact Michael Chernick, 249-0520
or chernick5@comcast.net.
Dance, Sing, and Jump Around! A family dance
for all ages. Circle and line dances and singing
games, all taught and called. Live traditional
music. 3–4:30 pm. Plainfield Town Hall Opera
House, Rt. 2, Plainfield. $5 suggested donation
for adults; free for children. No one is turned
away. http://dancesingandjumparound.weebly.
com
Meet the Executive Director of Highland
Center for the Arts: Annie Houston. Join us in
the gallery for drinks and light fare to exchange
ideas and celebrate all that lies ahead. 3–5 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick
St., Greensboro. highlandartsvt.org
Community Song Circles. A community sing-
along open to ALL ages and musical abilities. We
use the popular songbooks "Rise Up Singing"
and "Rise Again." Bring your copies if you have
them; books will also be available to borrow or
purchase. 6–8 pm. Center for Arts and Learning,
46 Barre St., Montpelier. Donations welcome.
cal-vt.org. vtcommunitysing@gmail.com
MONDAY, MARCH 5
Palestine and Israel in Film: A Six-Week Series.
Screen six films dealing with the history of the
State of Israel and the occupation of Palestinian
territory (West Bank, Gaza and the Golan
Heights) that continues to the present time.
Discussion follows. 6:30–9 pm. Montpelier
Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.
223-2518.
TUESDAY, MARCH 6
Making Fermented Vegetables. We need to
feed our gut bacteria. Learn why and how to
Performing Arts
THEATER, DANCE,
STORYTELLING, COMEDY
March 2–3: Lost Nation Theater presents Narnia: Chronicle of the Dawn Treader. The culminating
project of its one-week Dance-Theater Storytelling Camp. Directed and choreographed by Taryn Noelle
and performed by 20 aspiring pros, ages 9 and up. March 2 at 5:30 pm; March 3 at 11 am. Montpelier
City Hall Arts Center, 39 Main St., Montpelier. $5. 229-0492. lostnationtheater.org
March 2: Extempo. Local raconteurs tell short-format, first-person, true stories live on stage without any
notes or reading. 8 pm. Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Barre. $5. 479-0896. events@espressobueno.
com. espressobueno.com.
March 3, 10, and 17: Saturday Storefront Puppet Shows. Presented by Modern Times Theater, each
show features live music, a pie raffle, a pre-show gramophone dance party, popcorn, cider, and of course,
the most spectacular puppet show. 2 pm. The Gohl Building, 101 S. Main St., Hardwick. $7 suggested
donation. moderntimestheater.com
March 3: FEMCOM. All-female standup comedy. 8:30 pm Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Barre. Free;
by donation. 479-0896. events@espressobueno.com. espressobueno.com.
March 10: Vermont Shakespeare Salon. Staged reading of Wittenberg by David Davalos. This comedy
reveals the story behind the stories of these three historical and literary legends and is the rare sort of play
that can both entertain and make you think. 3–5:30 pm. Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick
St., Greensboro. $10 donation.
March 15–18 and 22–25: Plainfield Little Theatre presents MacBeth. William Shakespeare’s tragedy
directed by Tom Blachly. Thurs.–Sat. at 7 pm; Sun. at 2 pm. Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, Rt. 2,
Plainfield. $15; students and seniors $12. 229-5290. blachly@together.net.
make what they like! You will leave with a jar your diet to cut cravings, increase energy, and
and makings of a pint of sauerkraut. 5:30–7 pm. find more focus. 6–7 pm. Hunger Mountain Co-
Hunger Mountain Co-op community room, op community room, Montpelier. $5 members;
Montpelier. $10 members; $12 non-members. $7 non-members. RSVP: info@hungermountain.
RSVP: info@hungermountain.coop coop
Wednesday Night Movie: Dunkirk. 6–8 pm.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St.
Walk-Through Wednesday at Orchard Valley. Greensboro. $5. 533-2000. highlandartsvt.org
Introductory visit to the OVWS grades school Vermont Film Series: Nosey Parker. Join
(8:30–9:30 am) and our mixed-age kindergarten Vermont Filmmaker John O’Brien for an evening
and Farm & Forest classes (9:30–10:30 am) of film and discussion. 7 pm. Jaquith Public
Campus tour and Q&A time during each. Library, School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581.
Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 VT Rt. jaquithpubliclibrary.org
14 N, East Montpelier. enrollment@ovws.org,
Where Am I? The Power of Uniqueness Former
456-7400
Scenic America president and TED talk lecturer
Journaling Through Grief Begins. Eight-week Ed McMahon highlights the importance of a
focused support group utilizing Understanding sense of place and explores why our physical
Your Grief, book and journal, by Dr. Alan surroundings are worth caring about. A First
Wolfelt, Ph.D. 12:30–1:30 pm. CVHHH, 600 Wednesday program presented by the Vermont
Granger Rd., Barre. Pre-registration required: Humanities Council. 7 pm. Unitarian Church,
223-1878
130 Main St., Montpelier. Free.
Plan V: The Case for a 2nd VT Republic.
Professor and Publisher Robert C. Williams will THURSDAY, MARCH 8
present a 12-point program for a 2nd Vermont JSC Faculty Lecture Series: Hans Haverkamp.
Republic: a plan for interdependence. An Osher An overview of asthma and how exercise can
Lifelong Learning program. 1:30 pm. Aldrich reduce asthmatic symptoms. 4–5 pm. Johnson
Public Library, 6 Washington St., Barre. learn.
State College, Stearns Student Center Cinema,
uvm.edu/osher
Johnson. Free. jsc.edu.
High Fives Injury-Prevention Talk. Talk by Ch-Ch- Changes. Find new ways to make
Roy Tuscany, director of High Fives Foundation changes in yourself/life. Using the book “The
which raises awareness about preventing injuries. Four Agreements” as a reference, you will become
5 pm. Northern Vermont University-Johnson, more aware of and learn to change beliefs, habits
Stearns Student Center Performance Space, and perceptions that no longer serve you. 5:30–7
Johnson. highfivesfoundation.org pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op community room,
Eating for Energy. Learn the good, the bad, and Montpelier. $8 members; $10 non-members.
the best about specific foods you can add into RSVP: info@hungermountain.coop
PAG E 14 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Visual Arts
EXHIBITS
Through March 2: Post-Apocalyptic Woodcuts by
Peter Schumann of Bread and Puppet Theater.
White River Gallery @ BALE, 35 S. Windsor St., S.
Royalton. 498-8438.
Through March 5: Art from Behind Bars: An
exhibit of works by Vermonters in prison. Over
the course of eight months Vermonters for Criminal
Justice Reform put out a call to artists who have
been or are currently incarcerated. Vermont State
House cafeteria, Montpelier.
Through March 9: Jason Eckenroth, Chase.
A multimedia yarn mural and video poem that
explores contemporary anxieties through the
character of a rabbit. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery
in the Dibden Center for the Arts at Johnson State
College. edu/Dibden. 635-1469.
Through March 17: Three new shows at Studio
Place Arts. 201 N. Main St., Barre. studioplacearts.
com
• Main floor gallery: Golden—An exhibit with
works in a variety of media by 20 local artists
exploring the many aspects of aging.
• Second floor gallery: Shape Shifting by Rosalind
Daniels. Photographs of abstracted shapes and
light.
• Third floor gallery: Shockwave—A collection
of dynamic art and poetry by contributors to
Shockwave Magazine, an arts collective through
Community Developmental Services at
Washington County Mental Health Services.
Through March 18: Dianne Shullenberger and
John Snell, What Did the Rock Say? Part 1.
CCV Night of the Arts. See event description
under Visual Arts-Special Events.
Paint n Sip. With Liz Lawson. 6–8 pm. Bagitos,
28 Main St., Montpelier
Do You Know Your History? Ed McGuire, a
past-president of the VT Genealogy Library &
the VT French-Canadian Genealogical Society
talks about researching your ancestry. 7–8 pm.
Stowe Library, 90 Pond St., Stowe. 253-6145.
stowelibrary.org
Talk by Rob Boston: “Religious Freedom:
What It Is and What It Is Not.” Overview of
the fundamental principles of religious freedom,
focusing on current court battles that test the
scope and meaning of this constitutional principle
and how it interacts with other core freedoms.
7 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. 223-3338.
FRIDAY, MARCH 9
Art Opening and Reading: Books and Images
that celebrate Being a Retrospective by Jane
English. See event description under Visual Arts,
Special Events
Developing a Sense of Place through Waldorf
Education. An evening discussion with David
Sobel & Jennifer Kramer. Together, they will
inspire and surprise parents with research and
Calendar of Events
Shullenberger works in colored pencil and fabric.
Snell is a photographer. This exhibition is an
expression of the artists’ passion for rocks and being
outside in Vermont. Reception: March 4, 2–4 pm.
Reception includes writer Zoe Fowler and poet
Mary Jane Dickerson reading from their works
related to rocks. Cello music will be played by
Maya Parry. Emile A. Gruppe Gallery, 22 Barber
Farm Rd., Jericho. emilegruppegallery.com
Through March 30: Linda Mirabile, Avian
Inspired. Images of birds are painted on birch panel
or watercolor paper with acrylics. Pavilion Office
Building, 109 State St., 5th fl. Montpelier. Photo ID
is required for admission.
Through March 30: Claire Van Vliet, Sky and
Earth. Pulp paintings created from 1995 to 2011.
Vermont Supreme Court Gallery, 111 State St.,
Montpelier.
Through March 30: “Wake up to Dying” Multi-
Media Art and Resource Exhibit. Inspired by
the travelling exhibit created by Nina Thompson,
local end-of-life pioneer and founder of the Wake
up to Dying Project, MSAC is pleased to hang
images and writing samples as a means of raising
awareness and contemplation. A 90-minute audio-
loop of personal stories about end of life will be
available for listening, or you can find them online
at wakeuptodyingproject.org. This exhibit will
also have contemplative hands-on activities, such
as writing and posting your answers to questions
like: How might you live differently if you paid
more attention to the fact that you’re going to die?
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.,
Montpelier. 223-2518
Through March 30: The Central Vermont
Watercolor Society Exhibit. Includes works of
Terry Hodgdon, Susan Bull Riley, Michael Ridge,
and more. Opening reception: March 1, 5–7 pm.
stories about immersing children in nature. 7–8
pm. Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 VT Rt.
14N, East Montpelier. 456-7400. ovws.org
Writers for Recovery Reading. Writers for
Recovery groups from Barre and Morrisville will
read from original work about addiction and
recovery. 7 pm Studio Place Arts, 201 N. Main
St., Barre. Free. writersforrecovery.org
SATURDAY, MARCH 10
Cross-country Ski Greensboro with Green
Mountain Club. Difficult. 12 miles. Cross-
country ski from Highland Lodge in Greensboro
to Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury. For
experienced skiers only. Shuttle bus from COC to
HL. Pass or trail fee and shuttle bus fee required.
Contact Phyllis Rubenstein, 793-6313 or Phyllis@
PhyllisRubensteinLaw.comcastbiz.net for meeting
time and place for carpool to COC.
Montpelier Memory Café. Pianist Luke Rackers
performs. Cafe welcomes persons with memory
loss issues with their care partners. We ask that
persons living with memory loss be accompanied
by a care partner. 10–11:30 am. Montpelier
Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.
Free. Liz: 229-9630
Chapters in History: Exploring Several
American Presidencies. A new book discussion
series. “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of
T.W. Wood Art Gallery, 46 Barre St., Montpelier.
262-6035. twwoodgallery.org
Through April 1: MSAC Painting Workshop
Exhibit. Reception: March 9, 4–6 pm. Meet the
artists of Sylvia Walker’s MSAC Painting Workshop.
The Gallery at East State Salon, 32 East St.,
Montpelier. 477-3181.
Through April 10: Alexy J. Lanza, From the Death
of One Star/Por La Muerte De Una Estrella. A
series of 20 large woodcut prints based on ancient
Mayan glyphs. Goddard Art Gallery in the Eliot
Pratt Library, Pitkin Rd., Plainfield. 322-1604.
artcommittee@goddard.edu.
Through April 14: Grace DeGennaro/Anne Lilly,
Ordinary Time. Paintings and kinetic sculpture.
Helen Day Art Center, 90 Pond St., Stowe. 253-
8358. helenday.com
Through April 14: Philip Herbison, The Infinite
Shapes of Water. Large abstract photographs of
water. Helen Day Art Center East Gallery, 90 Pond
St., Stowe. 253-8358. helenday.com
Through April 15: Robert Chapla, Herding in All
the Usual Places … And Then Some. Urban and
rural herding differences are on display in this show
of 18 oil and acrylic paintings. Presented by Studio
Place Arts. Morse Block Deli, 260 N. Main St.,
Barre. robertchapla.com.
Through April 27: Nourishment. A juried show
of Vermont artists’ work, and an exhibit from
the members of the Central Vermont Hub of the
Vermont Watercolor Society. Opening reception:
March 1, 5–7 pm. T.W. Wood Art Gallery, 46
Barre St., Montpelier. 262-6035. twwoodgallery.org
March 2–April 28: The Front presents SHOW
24. The latest works of the gallery’s membership of
Vermont-based contemporary artists. In addition,
Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
2 pm. Jaquith Public Library, School St.,
Marshfield. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org
"Salamander Sky" Book Launch. The new
picture book written by Katy Farber and
illustrated by Meg Sodano. This book is a
valuable tool for getting children engaged in
conservation. 3:30–5:30 pm. North Branch
Nature Center, 713 Elm St, Montpelier. 229-
6206. northbranchnaturecenter.org
SUNDAY, MARCH 11
Snowshoe Huntington with Green Mountain
Club. Moderate. 4.8 miles. Start at the Burrows
trailhead in Huntington and hike up to Camel’s
Hump, returning on the same trail. We will
use snowshoes or microspikes depending upon
conditions. Contact Steve or Heather Bailey, 622-
4516 or stevecbailey@gmail.com for meeting time
and place.
MONDAY, MARCH 12
Grief & Bereavement Support Group. Open to
anyone who has experienced the death of a loved
one. 6–7:30 pm. CVHHH, 600 Granger Rd.,
Barre. Free. 223-1878.
Dreams and Self Expression. Participants will
learn the basics of exploring their dreams, and
will have the opportunity to experiment with a
variety of media to express their dream-inspired,
The Front will present work by guest artist Athena
Petra Tasiopoulos. Opening: March 2 with live
music, light refreshments, and drinks. The Front
Gallery, 6 Barre St., Montpelier. thefrontvt.com.
info@thefrontvt.com.
March 3–May 28: Muse. Three Vermont artists
reflect on spirit guides, journeying, introspection and
winter’s quiet. Where inspiration and magic live side
by side and a deep appreciation for the natural world
permeates everything. Reception: March 9, 4–6 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St.,
Greensboro.
Through Sept. 30: James Peterson,
Dreamcatcher. Large-scale interactive installation
that was inspired by the magical ice caves of
Kamchatka in Siberia. The grounds of Spruce Peak
Performing Arts Center, 122 Hourglass Dr., Stowe.
helenday.com
SPECIAL EVENTS
March 8: CCV Night of the Arts. Hosted by
Community College of Vermont-Montpelier. Live
music, student plays, and a silent auction of student
art. Auction proceeds benefit CCV's Student
Assistance Fund. Refreshments will be served.
5:30–7:30 pm CCV, 660 Elm St., Montpelier. Free.
March 9: Art Opening and Reading. Books and
Images that celebrate Being a Retrospective
by Jane English. English’s 75 years have been
filled with making books and photographs. Her
black-and-white photographs of nature illustrate a
best-selling translation of the Chinese classic Tao
Te Ching. This show includes images from Tao Te
Ching, and from Mount Shasta, Greenland and
Vermont. Opening at 6 pm; reading at 7 pm. Jaquith
Public Library, School St., Marshfield. 426-3581.
jaquithpubliclibrary.org
inner experience. 6–8 pm. Christ Church
Parish House, 58 N. Main St., Bethel. Free.
betheluniversityvt.org
Palestine and Israel in Film: A Six-Week Series.
See event description under March 5.
TED Talk: A Political Party for Women’s
Equality with Sandi Toksvig in honor of
Women’s History Month. Toksvig tells the story
of how she helped start a new political party in
Britain, the Women’s Equality Party, with the
express purpose of putting equality on the ballot.
6:30 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. 223-3338.
TUESDAY, MARCH 13
NAMI VT Family to Family Class Begins. Free
12-week course structured to help families
and friends of individuals with mental illness
understand and support their loved ones while
maintaining their own well-being. 6:30 pm.
Waterbury. Registration required: namivt.org
Transforming Trauma: How Sharing Stories
Can Help Us Heal. A book launch celebration
for Erin Moulton’s new anthology “Things We
Haven’t Said” that includes a panel discussion
about the ways in which storytelling and self-
expression can transform the impacts and trauma
of sexual abuse. 7 pm. Bear Pond Books, 77 Main
St., Montpelier. Free. bearpondbooks.com
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14
Restoring the American Elm Tree. Conservation
coordinator for the Nature Conservancy, Gus
Goodwin will discuss the rebirth of the American
elm after its severe decline in recent decades.
An Osher Lifelong Learning program. 1:30 pm.
Aldrich Public Library, 6 Washington St., Barre.
learn.uvm.edu/osher
Falling Away. An exploration of being and
unfolding that is rooted in the principles
of mindfulness, ethics, community, and
consciousness. 6–7:30 pm. Hunger Mountain
Co-op community room, Montpelier. Free.
RSVP: info@hungermountain.coop
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 15

Live Music
VENUES
Bagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. Other shows
T.B.A. bagitos.com.
March 1: Colin McCaffrey and friends, 6–8 pm
March 2: Art Herttua & Ray Caroll jazz, 6–8
pm
March 3: Irish Session, 2–5 pm
March 4: Eric Friedman Folk Ballads, 11 am–1 pm
March 6: Moulton & Whipple, The Frozen
Finger Boys (bluegrass) 6–8 pm
March 7: Fundraiser for Our House, 6–8 pm
March 9: Songs of Sustenance (Benefit for VT
Food Bank featuring Colin McCaffrey, Lizzy
Mandell, Blue Fox, Ron Sweet) 6–8 pm
March 10: Hillary & Andy Leicher (eclectic)
6–8 pm
March 11: Southern Old Time Music Jam, 10
am–noon
March 15: Italian Session, 6–8 pm
March 16: Dave Loughran (classic rock) 6–8 pm
March 17: Irish Session, 2–5 pm; Ancient
Voices (flute/piano) 6–8 pm
Charlie O’s World Famous. 70 Main St.
Montpelier. Free. 223-6820.
Every Tues.: Karaoke with DJ Vociferous,
9 pm–1 am
March 2: Chicky Stoltz (steel Blues) 6 pm;
Starline Rhythm Boys (rockabilly) 9 pm
March 3: Papa Greybeard & Friends (classic
rock) 6 pm; Scrimmy & The Animals/Rob
Black/Brad Schneider (rock) 9 pm
Calendar of Events
March 5: Barwide Cards Against Hummanity
(eclectic) 9 pm
March 7: John Lackard Blues Jam, 8 pm
March 9: Julia Kate Davis (indie folk) 6 pm;
Abby Jenne & Her Dark Advisors /Liz Beatty
& the Alternates (soul rock) 9 pm
March 10: Tin Talisman/Slut Magic (alt rock)
9 pm
March 12: Sex on the Second (trivia) 9 pm
March 15: Jesse Gile /Dan Zura (rock) 9 pm
March 16: Helen Hummel (indie folk) 6 pm;
Suburban Samarai/Powder Keg/Red Ledger
(punk) 9 pm
March 17: Special Karaoke Weekend Edition
with DJ Vociferous, 9 pm
Espresso Bueno. 248 N. Main St., Barre. 479-
0896. Free/by donation unless otherwise noted.
events@espressobueno.com. espressobueno.com.
March 3: Julia Kate Davis (indie folk) 7:30 pm
March 10: Jazzyaoke (live jazz karaoke) 7:30 pm,
$5.
Positive Pie. 22 State St., Montpelier. 229-
0453. positivepie.com.
March 16: Barika (world) 10 pm, $5
Whammy Bar. 7 pm; Fri. and Sat., 7:30 pm. 31
County Rd., Calais. Thurs., Free. whammybar1.com.
Every Wed.: Open Mic
SPECIAL EVENTS
March 1: First Thursdays: Dana and Susan
Robinson. Americana folk and roots duo
combine vivid songwriting and story telling with
fiddle tunes, banjo grooves, and rich harmony
singing. 6–8 pm. Highland Center for the Arts
café, 2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro. No cover.
highlandartsvt.org
March 2: Tal National. High energy West
African Rock ‘n Roll. 8 pm. Little Theater, 54
River St., Woodstock. $15–40. eventbrite.com
March 3: Michael T. Jermyn and the
Aristocratic Peasants. 6–8 pm. Sweet Melissa's,
Langdon St., Montpelier
March 3: Patti Casey & the Wicked Fine
Players. Casey reunites with longtime musical
collaborator Colin McCaffrey and former
Bluegrass Gospel Project bandmates Steve
Light and Kirk Lord. 7:30 pm. Spruce Peak
Performing Arts Center, 122 Hourglass Dr.,
Stowe. $20 advance; $25 day of show. 760-4634.
sprucepeakarts.org
March 4: Camerata New England — Spring
Piano Trios. Omar Chen Güey, violin; Linda
Galvan, cello; and Evelyn Zuckerman, piano.
Featuring Mozart: Piano Trio no. 6 in G
major, K. 564; Debussy: Piano Trio in G
Major; Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1 in
D minor, Op. 49. 3 pm. Vermont College of
Fine Arts, 36 College St., Montpelier. $25.
cameratanewengland.org
March 4: Sara Grey and Kieron Means. Mother
and son play old-time ballads, cowboy songs, and
Primitive Methodist hymns. 4 pm. Landmark
Schoolhouse, 1643 Rt. 215, Lower Cabot.
robinsongs.com. 793-3016.
March 8: John Lackard Blues. 7 pm. Blackback
Pub, 1 Stowe St., Waterbury. No cover.
March 10: Heliand Consort: Old World/New
World Legends. Woodwind quartet. An eclectic
mix of chamber music and song inspired by
old world mythology and new world folk and
dance music. 6 pm. Zenbarn, 179 Guptil Rd.,
Waterbury Center.
March 10: Willy Porter and Carmen Nickerson.
Indie duo returns to Vermont to promote their
new album “Bonfire to Ash.” 7 pm. Valley Players
Theater, Rt. 100, Waitsfield. $28. gigginvt.
ticketleap.com
March 10: Skipper’s Alley. One of Ireland’s top
young traditional bands take the stage to kick
off St. Paddy’s Day week. 7:30 pm. Barre Opera
House, 6 N. Main St., Barre. $20–26. 476-8188.
barreoperahouse.org
March 11: Vermont Philharmonic: The Magic
of Stories. With the Green Mountain Youth
Symphony. Featuring "2001: A Space Odyssey,"
"The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," "The Pied
Piper of Hamelin," "The Wizard of Oz," "The
Lord of the Rings," "The Snow Queen" (from
Frozen), and more. The program will include
Traffic Lights, composed by Montpelier High
School junior Grace Carlomagno. 2 pm. Barre
Opera House, 6 N. Main St., Barre. Adults $20;
seniors $25; students $5. vermontphilharmonic.
com
March 11: Beethoven, Friends and Admirers. A
performance of piano and vocal music by concert
pianist Diane Huling and baritone Arthur Zorn.
4 pm. Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, Rt. 2,
Plainfield. $15; seniors $10; students and special
rate $5. tickets. catamountarts.org

Wednesday Night Movie: Fly Away Home. 6–8 pm. Highland
Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St. Greensboro. $5. 533-2000.
highlandartsvt.org
Natural Marshfield: A Series about the Local Environment.
Learn about climate change, wildlife, Vermont flora, pollinators, and
more with Vermont naturalists. 7 pm. Jaquith Public Library, School
St., Marshfield. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org
Indie Lens Film and Discussion: “Dolores.” This film by Peter
Bratt chronicles Dolores Huerta’s life. Huerta was one of the most
important, yet least known activists of our time. She was an equal
partner in founding the first farm workers’ union with Cesar
Chavez. 7 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier.
223-3338.
THURSDAY, MARCH 15
Breakfast ideas, the EO way. Learn a super phenomenal, EASY
breakfast recipe that is guaranteed to fill you up, boost your immune
system, and taste delicious! 6–7 pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op
community room, Montpelier. $8 members; $11 non-members.
RSVP: info@hungermountain.coop
Film Screening: A Natural History of Vermont. Spellbinding
feature film showcasing Vermont’s natural beauty. Director Q&A
to follow. 6:30 pm. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St.,
Montpelier. Free; donations welcome.
FRIDAY, MARCH 16
Poem-A-Day Recording Sessions, PoemCity 2018. Bon Mot on
WGDR, a weekly poetry program on Goddard College Community
Radio, will feature 31 poems from Vermont authors during April’s
National Poetry month. Participants will receive a digital recording
of their poem and a chance to be included in WGDR’s broadcast
day. Folks are invited to come read or listen quietly. Young voices
welcomed and encouraged. Noon–2 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library,
135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
Annual Takeout Dinner in Waterbury Center. Includes pork loin,
gravy, mashed potato, corn, salad, roll, applesauce, and dessert.
4–6 pm. Waterbury Center Community Church, 3582 Waterbury
Stowe Rd., Waterbury Center. $9. Advance reservations required:
244-8089
Make Believers! A Literary Cabaret & Open Mic. Part literary
cabaret, part open mic, and 100 percent lit. 7:30–9:30 pm. Café
Anna, Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College St., Montpelier.
Free. https://zealophone.org. 552.0692
SATURDAY, MARCH 17
VSAC's College & Career Pathways. A half-day of FREE college
planning workshops on admissions, how to pay, campus life and
apprenticeships. 9 am–1:30 pm. Saint Michael’s College, One
Winooski Park, Colchester. vsac.org. 888-943-7301
Capital City Winter Farmers Market. Eat local all winter long.
Shop from more than 20 farms and producers. Our producer-
only market means everything is grown or handmade in Central
Vermont. 10 am–2 pm. City Center, 89 Main St., Montpelier.
montpelierfarmersmarket.com.
Green Mountain Club Young Adventurers Club (YAC) Outing.
East Montpelier. Moderate. 2-3 miles. Come and explore some
of the East Montpelier trails with other caretakers and our littlest
adventurers, ages 0-5. We’ll choose a moderate path, perfect for trail
and weather conditions. Meet at 10 am. Contact Sharon Plumb,
sharon.plumb@gmail.com for meeting place.
Coffee with a Cop. With Montpelier Police Dept. Police and
community members come together in an informal, neutral space
to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee.
2–4 pm. Downhome Kitchen, 100 Main St., Montpelier.
Share Your Event!
Send your calendar listings to
calendar@montpelierbridge.com.
Due date for print in the
next issue is March 8
PAG E 16 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Weekly
ARTS & CRAFTS
Beaders’ Group. All levels of beading
experience welcome. Free instruction available.
Come with a project for creativity and
community. Sat., 11 am–2 pm The Bead Hive,
Plainfield. 454-1615.
Tuesday Night Knitters. Every week except
for the first Tuesday of each month. All levels
encouraged! A small but dedicated group
of knitters invite you to share your projects,
questions, and enthusiasm for the fiber arts!
Cutler Memorial Library, 151 High Street (US
Route 2), Plainfield. 454-8504, cutlerlibrary.org.
Crafters Group. Bring your own projects, or
work together on projects to sell to benefit the
Senior Activity Center. We can all learn from
each other! Every Wed., noon–2 pm. Montpelier
Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.
223-2518.
Photography Club. Every Thurs., noon–1 pm.
Led by professional photographer Linda Hogan.
Great chance to get and give some feedback
on your work and see what others are doing.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.,
Montpelier. 223-2518.
Drop-in River Arts Elder Art Group. Work
on art, share techniques, and get creative with
others. Bring your own art supplies. For elders
60+. Every Fri., 10 am–noon. River Arts Center,
74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. Free. 888-1261.
riverartsvt.org.
BICYCLING
Open Shop Nights. Volunteer-run community
bike shop: bike donations and repairs. Wed., 4–6
pm; other nights. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre
St., Montpelier. 552-3521. freeridemontpelier.org.
BOOKS & WORDS
Lunch in a Foreign Language. Bring lunch and
practice your language skills with neighbors.
Noon–1 pm Mon., American Sign Language;
Tues., Italian; Wed., Spanish; Thurs., French.
Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. 223-3338.
Club de Français Intermédiaire. Lecture
(reading). Conversation. Grammaire. Every
Mon., 12:45–2 pm. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.
Italian Group. A fun-loving group meets to
converse in Italian. Every Tues., 1:15–2:45
pm. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.    for story time and Cassie Bickford for playgroup.
BUSINESS, FINANCE, COMPUTERS,
EDUCATION
One-on-One Technology Help Sessions.
Free assistance to patrons needing help with
their computers and other personal electronic
devices. 30 min. one-on-one sessions every Tues.,
10 am–noon. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N.
Main St., Waterbury. Free. Registration required:
244-7036.
FOOD & DRINK
Community Meals in Montpelier. All welcome.
Free.
Mon.: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St.,
11 am–12:30 pm
Tues.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St.,
11:30 am–1 pm
Wed.: Christ Church, 64 State St.,
11 am–12:30 pm
Thurs.: Trinity Church, 137 Main St.,
11:30 am–1 pm
Fri.: St. Augustine Church, 18 Barre St.,
11 am–12:30 pm
Sun.: Last Sunday only, Bethany Church, 115
Main St. (hosted by Beth Jacob Synagogue),
4:30–5:30 pm
Calendar of Events
Lunches for Seniors. Mon., Wed., Fri., Noon.
Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rt. 2, E.
Montpelier. $4 suggested donation. 223-3322.
twinvalleyseniors.org.
Feast Together or Feast To Go. All proceeds
benefit the Feast Senior Meal program. Tues. and
Fri., noon–1 p.m. Live music every Tues., 10:30–
11:45 am. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St., Montpelier. Seniors 60+ free with $5
suggested donation; under 60 $7. Reservations:
262-6288 or FEAST@montpelier-vt.org.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Bone Building Exercises. Open to all ages.
Every Mon., Wed. and Fri. 7:30 am and 9:15 am.
Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E.
Montpelier. Free. 223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.org.
Tai Chi for Seniors. Led by trained volunteers.
Advanced class: every Mon. and Fri., 1–2 p.m.
Beginners class: Tues. and Thurs. 10–11 am.
Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E.
Montpelier. Free. 223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.org.
Living Strong Group. Volunteer-led group.
Sing while exercising. Open to all seniors.
Every Mon., 2:30–3:30 p.m. and every Fri.,
2–3 pm. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St., Montpelier. Free. Register: 223-2518.
msac@montpelier-vt.org.
Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Program.
Education and support to help adults at high risk
of developing type 2 diabetes adopt healthier
eating and exercise habits that can lead to weight
loss and reduced risk. Every Tues., 10:30–11:30
am. Kingwood Health Center Conference Room
(lower level), 1422 Rt. 66, Randolph. Free.
Register: 728-7714.
Tai Chi for Falls Prevention. With Diane Des
Bois. Beginners and mixed levels welcome.
2:15 pm. Barre Area Senior Center, 131 S., Main
St., #4, Barre. Free. Register: 479-9512.
Tai Chi Classes for All Ages. Every Tues. and
Thurs., 10–11 am. Twin Valley Senior Center,
Rte. 2, Blueberry Commons, E. Montpelier. Free.
223-3322. twinvalleyseniors@myfairpoint.net
HIV Testing. Vermont CARES offers fast
oral testing. Wed., 2–5 pm. 29 State St., Ste.
14 (above Rite Aid), Montpelier. Free and
anonymous. 371-6224. vtcares.org.
KIDS & TEENS
The Basement Teen Center. Safe drop-in space
to hang out, make music, play pool, ping-pong
and board games and eat free food. All activities
are free. Mon.–Thurs., 2–6 pm., Fridays 3–10
pm. Basement Teen Center, 39 Main St.,
Montpelier. BasementTeenCenter.org
Story Time and Playgroup. With Sylvia Smith
For ages birth–6 and their grown-ups. We follow
the Twinfield Union School calendar and do not
hold the program the days Twinfield is closed.
Wed., 10–11:30 am. Jaquith Public Library,
122 School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581.
jaquithpubliclibrary.org.
Lego Club. Use our large Lego collection
to create and play. All ages. Thurs., 3–4:30
pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. Free. 223-3338. kellogghubbard.org.
Dads & Kids Playgroup. Playtime and free
dinner. Every Thurs., 5–7 pm. For dads and
their children ages birth–5. Family Center
of Washington County, 383 Sherwood Dr.,
Montpelier. fcwcvt.org
Drop-in Kinder Arts Program. Innovative
exploratory arts program with artist/instructor
Kelly Holt. Age 3–5. Fri., 10:30 am–noon. River
Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. 888-
1261. RiverArtsVT.org.
Teen Fridays. Find out about the latest teen
books, use the gym, make art, play games and
if you need to, do your homework. Fri., 3–5 pm
Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield.
426-3581.
Mad River Valley Youth Group. Sun., 7–9 pm.
Meets at various area churches. Call 497-4516 for
location and information.
MUSIC & DANCE
Barre-Tones Women’s Chorus. Open rehearsal.
Find your voice with 50 other women. Mon.,
7 pm. Capital City Grange, Rt. 12, Berlin.
BarretonesVT.com. 552-3489.
Dance or Play with the Swinging Over 60 Band.
Danceable tunes from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Recruiting musicians. Tues., 10:30–11:45 am.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.,
Montpelier. 223-2518.
Monteverdi Young Singers Chorus Rehearsal.
New chorus members welcome. Wed., 4–5 pm.
Montpelier. Call 229-9000 for location and more
information.
Ukelele Group. All levels welcome. Thurs., 6–8
pm. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St. 223-2518.
Barre Rock City Chorus. We sing songs from the
'60s to '80s and beyond. All songs are taught by
rote using word sheets, so ability to read music is
not required. All ages welcome; children under
13 should come with a parent. Every Thurs.,
6:30–8:30 pm. Church of the Good Shepherd, 39
Washington St., Barre.
Gamelan Rehearsals. Sun., 7–9 pm. Pratt Center,
Goddard College. Free. 426-3498. steven.light@
jsc.edu. light.kathy@gmail.com.
OUTDOORS
Walks with Joan. Easy to moderate walks around
Montpelier for healthy exercise and conversation.
Every Tues., 10–11 am. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.  to visit the Reading Room and see what we
Trash Tramps. Walk around Montpelier
collecting trash to help beautify our city. Bring
gloves, other supplies provided. Every Tues., 2–3
pm. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.
RECYCLING
Additional Recycling. The Additional Recyclables
Collection Center accepts scores of hard-to-recycle
items. Mon., Wed., Fri., noon–6 pm; Third Sat., 9
am–1 pm ARCC, 540 North Main St., Barre. $5
per carload. 229-9383 x106. For list of accepted
items, go to cvswmd.org
RESOURCES
Onion River Exchange Tool Library. More
than 100 tools both power and manual. Onion
River Exchange is located at 46 Barre Street in
Montpelier. Hours are Wed. and Thurs., 10 am–2
pm. For more info. or to donate tools: 661-8959
or info@orexchange.com.
SOLIDARITY/IDENTITY
Rainbow Umbrella of Central VT. Adult
LGBTQ group, meets the third Tuesday evening
of the month at 5:45 pm. for a casual dinner
at a local restaurant. The gathering place is 58
Barre St. in Montpelier. Info: RUCVTAdmin@
PrideCenterVT.org
Friday Night Group. Social gathering of LGBTQ
youth, ages 13–22. 2nd and 4th Fridays of the
month, 6:30–8 pm. Free pizza and soft drinks.
Supervised by LGBT adults trained by Outright
Vermont. Unitarian Church, Montpelier. For
more info, email Nancy: SaddleShoes2@gmail.
com
Bowling. Rainbow Umbrella of Central Vermont,
an adult LGBTQ group, bowls at Twin City
Lanes on Sunday afternoons twice a month.
For dates and times, write to RUCVTAdmin@
PrideCenterVT.org
SUPPORT
Turning Point Center. Safe, supportive place
for individuals and their families in or seeking
recovery. Daily, 10 am–5 pm. 489 North Main
St., Barre. 479-7373.
Sun.: Alchoholics Anonymous, 8:30 am.
Tues.: Making Recovery Easier workshops,
6–7:30 pm.
Wed.: Wit’s End Parent Support Group, 6 pm.
Thurs.: Narcotics Anonymous, 6:30 pm.
Al-Anon. Help for friends and families of
Alcoholics.
Sun.: Trinity Church, 137 Main St.,
Montpelier (back door) 6:15–7:30 pm.
Tues.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St.,
Montpelier (basement) noon–1 pm.
Wed.: Bethany Church,115 Main St.,
Montpelier (basement) 7–8 pm.
Thurs.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St.,
Montpelier (basement) noon–1 pm
Sat.: Turning Point, N. Main St., Barre, 5 pm.
(child friendly meeting)
Sex Addicts Anonymous. Mon., 6:30 pm.
Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 552-
3483.
Overeaters Anonymous. Twelve-step program
for physically, emotionally and spiritually
overcoming overeating. Sat., 8:30–9:30 am. at
Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 39
Washington St., Barre. 249-3970.
Mooditude Support Group. A professional and
peer-led support group, not a therapy group.
For people with depression, bipolar disorder,
seasonal affective disorder, dysthymia etc.). Every
Wed., 4–5 pm. Bethany Church,115 Main St.,
Montpelier. (downstairs at end of hallway). Free.
223-4111 or 522-0775.
Weight Loss Support Group. Get help and
support on your weight loss journey every Wed.,
6–7 pm. Giffords Conference Center, 44 S. Main
St., Randolph. Free. No registration required.
Open to all regardless of where you are in your
weight loss.
Wit’s End. Support group for parents, siblings,
children, spouses and/or relationship partners of
someone suffering with addiction — whether it
is to alcohol, opiates, cocaine, heroin, marijuana
or something else. Every Wed., 6–8 pm. Turning
Point Center, 489 N. Main St., Barre. Louise:
279-6378.
National Alliance on Mental Illness VT Peer
Support Group. For anyone with any type of
mental health condition looking for confidential
peer-led support among others living with mental
health issues. Every 2nd Thurs., 4–5:30 pm
in the Boardroom (basement level near cafeteria)
at Central VT Medical Center on Fisher Rd in
Berlin. Questions: Call Nick Martin at 876-7949
ext. 102 or info@namivt.org.
SPIRITUALITY
Christian Science Reading Room. You're invited
have for your spiritual growth. You can borrow,
purchase or simply enjoy material in a quiet study
room. Hours: Wed.–Sat., 11 am–2 pm; Wed.,
5–7:15 p.m. 145 State St., Montpelier. 223-2477.
A Course in Miracles. A study in spiritual
transformation. Group meets each Tues., 7–8
pm Christ Episcopal Church, 64 State St.,
Montpelier. 279-1495.
Christian Counseling. Tues. and Thurs. Daniel
Dr., Barre. Reasonable cost. By appt. only: 479-
0302.
Prayer Meeting. Ecumenical and charismatic
prayer meeting. Every 1st and 3rd Thurs.,
6:30–8 pm. 8 Daniel Dr., Barre. 479-0302
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. For those
interested in learning about the Catholic faith, or
current Catholics who want to learn more. Wed.,
7 pm. St. Monica Church, 79 Summer St., Barre.
Register: 479-3253.
Deepening Our Jewish Roots. Fun, engaging text
study and discussion on Jewish spirituality. Sun.,
4:45–6:15 pm. Yearning for Learning Center,
Montpelier. 223-0583. info@yearning4learning.
org.
SPORTS & GAMES
Roller Derby Open Recruitment and
Recreational Practice. Central Vermont’s
Wrecking Doll Society invites quad skaters age
18 and up. No experience necessary. Equipment
provided: first come, first served. Sat., 5–6:30
pm. Montpelier Recreation Center, Barre St. First
skate free. centralvermontrollerderby.com.
YOGA & MEDITATION
Christian Meditation Group. People of all faiths
welcome. Mon., noon–1 pm. Christ Church,
Montpelier. 223-6043.
Zen Meditation. With Zen Affiliate of Vermont.
Wed., 6:30–7:30 pm. 174 River St., Montpelier.
Free. Call for orientation: 229-0164.
Montpelier Shambhala Meditation. Group
meditation practice. Sun., 10 am–noon; Wed.,
6–7 pm; learn to meditate — free instruction
the 1st Wed. of the month. New location:
5 State Street, 2nd floor, Montpelier. info@
montpeliershambhala.org, www.montpelier.
shambhala.org
Sunday Sangha: Community Ashtanga Yoga.
Sunday, 7:15–8:15 pm Mantra and Pranayama.
Saturday, 10–11:30 am. Funk N Flow Yoga.
Grateful Yoga, 15 State St., 3F, Montpelier. By
donation
Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right
Where You Are. A meditation practice and
study program guided by the teachings of Jack
Kornfield. When times are difficult and full of
upheaval, it is the perfect moment to open your
mind and heart and to draw upon the inner
power of courage, mindfulness and compassion.
Wednesdays, Feb. 14–March 30. 5:30–7 pm. All
inquiries: 472-6694 ext. 1 or wellspringvt@gmail.
com Free; donations accepted.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 17

Soprano Mary Bonhag in Concert

S crag Mountain Music presents Vermont’s own Mary Bonhag, soprano, in recital with pianist
Jeffrey Chappell on Friday, March 23, at 7:30 pm at Bethany Church in Montpelier.
A Celebration of Life
Mary Bonhag, who is also co-artistic director of Scrag Mountain Music, made her major or-
chestral debut with the American Symphony in 2009, and her Carnegie Hall debut in the same
year. She is recognized for her colorful expressive soprano voice and insightful musicianship
The Scotch Family warmly invites you to a
spanning a wide repertoire. celebration of Ben’s life on his birthday.
Bonhag has performed with a variety of local organizations and concert series including TURN- Stories, Music, Fellowship
music, the Burlington Choral Society, the Oriana Singers, the Onion River Chorus, Capital
City Concerts, the Rochester Chamber Music Society, Heliand Consort, and Yellow Barn, and March 17, 2018
starred in the 2015 production of Erik Nielsen’s opera “A Fleeting Animal.”
11 am to 1 pm.
Vermont audiences know Jeffrey Chappell from his past concerts with the Capital City Concerts
series, where he has wowed audiences at concert after concert with his passion, musical commit- Remembrances
ment, and feats of virtuosity.
The program moves through a variety of times periods and moods, centering on American
Light reception to follow.
composer Samuel Barber’s masterful “Hermit Songs,” written in 1953 for the great soprano Le- Your contributions of your favorite sweets
ontyne Price. The texts are translations of anonymous short poems and observations of monks
during the medieval period, written mostly on the margins of illuminated manuscripts. Claude and finger foods would be most welcome.
Debussy’s “Fêtes Galantes” carry us through the romantic and tempestuous poetry of Paul
Verlaine, and Bonhag and Chappell will also share selections from Hugo Wolf’s “Goethelieder.” Unitarian Church of Montpelier,
Carrying the audience into the later American 20th century will be “Two Poems by Agueda 130 Main Street, Montpelier
Pizarro” by Joseph Schwantner, an arresting and tender work, and William Bolcom’s “Minicabs.”
“Minicabs” are shorter versions of Bolcom’s entertaining and witty cabaret songs, often winking
For those who can’t attend,
one-liners, with texts by Bolcom’s longtime collaborator Arnold Weinstein. Also joining Bonhag please send any remembrances of Ben to
and Chappell will be flutist Karen Kevra (Capital City Concerts) for the Bach aria, “Aus Liebe
will mein Heiland sterben” from St. Matthew Passion.
c/o Wright, P.O. Box 686, Montpelier, VT
All Scrag Mountain Music concerts are presented as “Come as you are. Pay what you can.” All
are welcome no matter what their former experience with classical music or what they can afford
for admission. Families with children of all ages are welcome.

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PAG E 18 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Letters
On Studying Carbon Pricing in Vermont
Editor,
I was very disappointed when our Republican president of the United States backed by
his Republican-dominated Congress chose to abandon the Paris Climate Accord. What a
disgusting abdication of world leadership! I was relieved to hear our Republican governor, Phil
Scott, announced Vermont’s commitment to honoring the goals to the Paris Climate Accord
in spite of his backsliding colleagues.
However, I was disappointed once again to learn that despite strong public support, Governor
Scott had rejected the near-unanimous recommendation of his own, hand-picked Climate
Action Commission to conduct an independent study on how different market mechanisms
to reduce pollution could affect our economy, including the Essex Plan.
On February 13 in the opinion pages of The New York Times, three elder statesmen of the
Republican Party—James Baker III, George Shultz, and Henry Paulson, Jr.—made a strong
case for a US price on carbon. Carbon pricing offers the most effective means to end the
destructive reign of the polluting-for-profit fossil fuel industry.
The Essex plan is currently in the House Energy and Technology Committee and Rep.
Gonzalez’s revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend plan, which rebates 100 percent back
to Vermont citizens through quarterly dividend checks, is currently in the House Natural
Resources, Fish and Wildlife Committee. These types of plans offer great hope for both
attacking the giant problem of destructive climate change and strengthening our economy.
They need to be carefully studied. However, Governor Scott, in his wisdom, has basically
refused to even study the near unanimous recommendation of his own Climate Action
Commission.
Perhaps our Governor thinks that the recently published Ethan Allen Institute (EAI) report,
which denigrates the Essex plan, is all the study he needs to justify pulling the plug on any kind
of carbon tax in Vermont. The EAI report on the Essex plan is worth a read—it’s compelling,
but full of murky unsubstantiated assumptions. Researching the EAI a bit further, I was
shocked to learn that over two-thirds of its $153,000 annual budget (fiscal year 2015) is funded
by the Cato Institute and The Donor Capital Fund, both of which in turn are funded by the
notorious Climate Change deniers, the Koch Brothers.
I would urge our governor not to place his trust in any Ethan Allen Institute study.
He would be much better advised to put his trust in the opinion of his own Climate Action
Commission and the hundreds of citizens like myself who testified at the climate hearings
rather than in any opinion funded by the Koch Brothers.
He would be better advised to put his faith in the legislative process and allow the Joint Fiscal
Office to commission an independent, non-partisan analysis that we can all trust in order to
evaluate the costs and benefits of such a program. He should support legislative efforts such as
H.763 to include such a study in the budget and ensure that it is adequately and responsibly
funded. It’s not just an investment in our future; at this point it is just good governance.
William C. Thwing, Bennington
Vote for Haase
Editor,
Numa Haase is a neighbor to me. In fact, he is one of my best neighbors. I think he would
make a good city councilor.
I find he has a calming influence in what can be a divisive neighborhood. His thoughtful
presence helps me slow down when my impulse is to speed on ahead, even to my detriment. I
also value his sincere care and concern for others, animals, and the environment. His humility
allows him to listen carefully to all sides, and his desire to reach consensus ensures more stable
relations.
I plan to vote for Numa Haase on Town Meeting Day.
Dianne Richardson, Montpelier
Vote for Hutcheson
Editor,
I urge fellow Montpelier District 3 residents to join me in voting for Glen Coburn Hutcheson
for City Council.
Glen is committed to continuing efforts to make Montpelier a walkable city and revitalizing
downtown to include new housing units. I am impressed by his ability to listen to a wide range
of ideas and to consider them thoughtfully before arriving at a position. He brings creative
thinking and a respectful demeanor to public discourse, qualities we sorely need at this time.
His presence on City Council will truly make a positive difference.
Rilla Murray, Montpelier
Letters to the paper are not fact-checked and do not
necessarily represent the views of The Bridge.
What Do You Think?
Read something that you would like to respond to? We welcome your letters and
opinion pieces. Letters must be fewer than 300 words. Opinion pieces should not
exceed 600 words. The Bridge reserves the right to edit and cut pieces.
Send your piece to: editorial@montpelierbridge.com.
Deadline for the next issue is March 9.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 • PAG E 19
Opinion
Support the School Budget and Bond
by Jim Murphy – member of Montpelier-Roxbury School Board
W
e urge you to vote for the school budget and bond on Town Meeting Day.
Both are critical to providing an excellent and equitable education for our
district’s growing student population. Strong public schools, which have
needed upgrades to buildings and public spaces, benefit our city and our students.
Excellent schools draw businesses and people to our community. Our school facilities are
spaces for education and for the public, offering safe places for children to play, hosting
arts and music events, and bringing the community together for basketball games and
farmers’ markets.
The Budget: The school board has adopted a budget that affordably advances our
district’s goals of equity and personalization. Our district is recognized as one of the
leading districts in the state in implementing personalized education. This year’s budget
includes needed support for our popular and successful flexible pathways program, which
allows high school students to pursue innovative, real-world learning experiences. The
budget also invests in science and health education and focuses on resources to close the
achievement gap and meet the needs of every child.
The budget takes a fiscally sound, long-term approach to maintaining our four school
buildings. It contains seed money for a long-needed capital plan for ongoing maintenance
and upgrades. Addressing needs as they arise is the best way to save money and protect
our investments.
The Bond: Given pressing capital improvement needs, the board unanimously supported
a new bond that replaces a recently retired bond. It will support necessary infrastructure
upgrades and important renovations at Montpelier High School and Union Elementary
School. These projects will transform aging facilities into centerpieces of learning and
public engagement. Bundling related projects together at each school saves money in
oversight and management costs.
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The Bridge:
Rick: 249-8666
Michael: 223-5112
ext. 11
rick@montpelierbridge.com
michael@montpelierbridge.com
At the high school, the bond will allow for long-overdue upgrades in our main public
areas: the auditorium, entranceway, gym, and locker rooms. The high school auditorium
and gym are two of the largest public venues in Central Vermont, but both have
significant shortcomings, including poor acoustics and uncomfortable, inaccessible
seating in the auditorium; lack of rehearsal, restroom, and support space; and, frankly,
unpleasant locker rooms. The bond will allow the district to tackle a major project that
combines critical infrastructure needs—a new roof and air-handling system—with
renovations that dramatically improve the auditorium, add classroom and learning space
for the performing arts, and renovate outdated athletic facilities.
At the elementary school, the bond will similarly support urgently needed infrastructure
investments. The bond will enable the district to update the electrical system, parts
of which have not been replaced since the school was built almost 80 years ago. Also
planned are renovations that will ensure our disabled students have proper access to
the entire school and allow for safer and more convenient pick up and drop off of our
youngest students.
Finally, the bond will fund the completion of the school playground project. The
community has given unprecedented support to the Union playground renovation, but
the project has struggled with unanticipated hurdles: the discovery of contaminated
soils from a fire that destroyed a building that once sat on the site, and the expense of
addressing stormwater runoff. The bond will allow the district to address these challenges
and construct an interactive playground that gives students and the community a
beautiful and safe outdoor play space.
In a year when state-funding decisions are resulting in major tax increases for many
districts, the district will see only a modest impact from the budget and bond: a $43
increase for every $100,000 of property value in Montpelier. Please vote on these needed
and timely investments for our students and community.
PAG E 2 0 • M A RC H 1 – M A RC H 14 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE