March for Ou r Live s • Page 5
March 15–April 4, 2018
Green Mountain
Film Festival 2018
Montpelier
Artwork by Steve Hogan
Vermont Has Film Festivals, but Does It
IN THIS ISSUE: Have a Film Industry? by Mike Dunphy
Pg. 7 Summer Camps
L
iving abroad, it was often a challenge
for me to explain Vermont. The vast
majority of people I’d meet had never
Pg. 10 Filmmaker heard of it, and oddly, would often confuse
it with vermouth. Thankfully, when The
Tamara Perkins Lord of the Rings movies came out, I was
able to say, “You know Hobbiton? That’s
essentially Vermont”—a secluded, pastoral,
Pg. 11 Five Feminist Films hilly, green landscape where hearts (and
bodies) are stout, often hairy, and loving of
ale and pipe weed.
Pg 19 Animal Trapping
In other words, Vermont is a cinematic
place, a fact long proved over the years
with films either set or made in the Green
Mountain State, including such notable
films as The Trouble with Harry; The Cider
House Rules; Beetlejuice; Something Wicked
CAR-RT SORT
Permit NO. 123
Montpelier, VT
PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
This Way Comes; Me, Myself & Irene; Baby
PAID
Boom; What Lies Beneath; and more.
But if the late 1990s and early 2000s
marked the high tide of film production
in Vermont, the 2010s may be its lowest
ebb, with only a smattering of productions
taking place over the past decade. Much of
the reason can be tied to the collapse of the
Vermont Film Commission in 2011 and its
successor, the Office of Creative Economy
a few years later, leaving the state with
no unifying authority or cheerleader for
film and television production in Vermont,
and few obvious financial incentives for
any filmmakers near or far to saddle up
cameras and crews.
Montpelier, VT 05601
For Vermont-based filmmakers such
as the award-winning Bess O’Brien
P.O. Box 1143
and husband, Jay Craven, that presents
significant challenges to both developing
The Bridge
We're online! montpelierbridge.com or vtbridge.com
homegrown productions and wooing
outside productions to the state. With
no coordinating body, when films or TV
shows do come, it often means talent in
Vermont gets overlooked and outside help
imported, particularly in “below-the-line”
jobs such as carpenters, camera operators,
make-up artists, and more.
“There used to be a website,” O’Brien
remembers, “where you could say, ‘I need
a gaffer, where do I find one?’” But it
doesn’t exist anymore, relegating locals to
their individual silos. “There are certainly
filmmakers, technical people, and
videographers in the state, but I don’t think
everybody knows who those people are.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by Philip Gilpin,
Jr., executive director of the Independent
Television Festival (ITV), which moved
from Los Angeles to southern Vermont in
2012. The lack of coordination was the
main inspiration for his co-founding the
Vermont Production Council in 2016 to
fill the role the Vermont Film Commission
once did, “to identify and promote
resources from around the state and to
connect them with content creators seeking
locations, experienced screenwriters,
cinematographers, production accountants,
equipment manufacturers, and industry
professionals of all trades,” according to the
Council’s website.
Happily, the initial results of the Council’s
first efforts to assess and collect the level
of existing talent has been surprisingly
positive. “We’ve discovered more people
in Vermont than originally thought. We
already have a pretty significant TV and
film network that can be activated without
having to build it ourselves,” say Gilpin.
That’s a key factor for attracting Hollywood
and major television productions if it
is properly harnessed and marketed,
according to Gilpin. “Hollywood doesn’t
care about the size of the population of a
state,” he explains. “They just want two
things: They want to have available the
talent that can get the job done, and they
want it done as cheaply as possible. So if
Vermont can give them both talent and low
cost, they’ll come to Vermont.”
As with any business, however, it usually
comes down to dollars and cents, and
while Vermont can indeed offer film crews
significant savings in costs compared with
other states, it’s failing to provide direct
financial support, particularly in the form of
tax incentives. Nor does the state and state
organizations offer any significant grants
to filmmakers or even fund marketers to
promote Vermont at film festivals, film
markets, and conferences.
“You can find talent anywhere,” O’Brien
points out, “You can find actors. You can
find gaffers. You can find directors. You
can find writers. That’s not the problem.
The problem is the money to make the
movie. It is just a huge, huge challenge.”
Filmmakers looking to the Vermont
Arts Council—and by extension the
National Endowment for the Arts—to
provide support in the form of grants
should expect to be majorly disappointed.
Continued on Page 9
PAG E 2 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 3

Local Businesses Donate Solar Power

T
wo Central Vermont businesses—The Alchemist and
S.T. Paving—have gone solar, but with an unexpected
twist. The solar panels on their roofs, installed in
collaboration with SunCommon, are producing more power
than their facilities need, so they’re sharing it.
The Alchemist will be donating that extra power to the
Waterbury Senior Center, averaging $250 of clean power each
month. “At the Alchemist, we’ve focused on both making
good beer and building community from the beginning,” said
Jen Kimmich, co-founder of The Alchemist. “The Waterbury
Senior Center is an important part of Waterbury Village.
They create social opportunities, serve meals, and run daily
activities for the community. Now, the Center will be able to
count on lower electric bills for years to come.”
“Every little bit helps. If we don’t have to use our funds to
pay for power, we can do more for the community... such
as buying more food! It really helps,” said Karol Johansen,
Director of the Waterbury Senior Center.
S.T. Paving, a long-time Waterbury business and asphalt paving
company, worked with SunCommon to install 156 solar panels
on their shop roof, again, producing more power than the
shop uses. Owner John Reynolds is sharing the excess with his
own home and the homes of four of the company’s long-time
employees.
How do you “share” solar power? Through a state program
called Group Net Metering, the employees and the Senior
Center receive solar credits on their electric bills each month.
The utility, in this case Green Mountain Power, uses their
billing system to keep track.
For Reynolds, the decision to go solar was primarily financial.
“The tax incentives were great, I’ve got the roof space at my shop,
and the numbers made sense. It’s a wise investment.” Reynolds
went on to say that as time goes on, it is the environmental
impact and sharing aspect that has him most excited.
For more information about SunCommon’s commercial solar
program, visit suncommon.com.

The Alchemist Brewery S.T. Paving's solar roof

Green Mountain
Film Festival map
on pages 12 and 13
See where to get
great deals in town
with your ticket stub!

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T
he sun may be strengthening, but we've seen so little of it! Foxes are denning Friends of The Bridge will be periodically acknowledged in future issues of
somewhere near, making nightly circuits through the yard. And that new The Bridge. ❑ I wish to remain anonymous
track in the snow, too little for red squirrel, too big for vole, is chipmunk, just Send this form and your check to:
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PAG E 4 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

Montpelier Celebrates
its First Gold Medal and
Olympian Amanda Pelkey
by Michael Bielawski

W
hen Amanda Pelkey stepped off
a Greyhound bus from Boston
and arrived back in Montpelier
on March 9, for the first time in its
history, the city got a chance to celebrate
an Olympic gold medal.
Pelkey, who is from Montpelier and a 2011
graduate from Montpelier High School,
was a member of the USA women’s ice
hockey team that defeated Canada by a
score of 3-2 in a sudden-death shootout
that netted the gold medal on February 22
in Gangneung, South Korea
The Montpelier parade to honor Amanda
Pelkey began at Montpelier High School
at 3 pm and made its way up State Street
to the corner of State and Main, and then
to City Hall, where hundreds of people
had gathered.
Photo by Michael Jermyn
Speaking to the crowd at a brief ceremony
in front of City Hall, Pelkey said, “Coming
home to familiar faces, being able to take pictures and sign autographs for people that
I know, that's why I'm going to take the time to see everyone here because it means the
world to me.”
Pelkey shared a funny story about how the bus driver from Boston, not knowing who
Pelkey was, asked her how the men’s and women’s hockey teams did in the Olympics.
Pelkey said she shared the results without giving any hint that she had been a key
participant.
“During the parade, the driver drove by us, and he was like, “You weren’t kidding,’” she
said. “I thought that was hysterical.”
Payton Kurrle, who was coached by Pelkey in 2010, also took the microphone to share
some of Pelkey’s acts of kindness over the years.
“I think of the time she individually signed a copy of her photograph for every single girl
attending a local hockey camp,” she said. “I think of the time I got sick at the same hockey
camp almost five years earlier, Amanda and I skipped the practice and she hung out with
me in the stands watching the practice and making sure I was okay.”
Another speaker was Jim Plumer, the women’s hockey coach at the University of Vermont.
He recalled watching with Pelkey a tough loss by Team USA four years ago.
“On that day, when we watched the heartbreak of Team USA, I don’t think anyone
knew for sure that Amanda was going to be here today,” he said. “And the hard work
that she put in, in the four years between then and now, when no one is looking in the
early mornings at the gym, is what brought her to the point of being able to play in that
tournament.”
By the end of the ceremony, the Olympic flag at City Hall was lowered and presented to
Pelkey.
Before the parade arrived, a couple of locals shared their thoughts on having a new
hometown hero to celebrate.
“We used to watch them set up an ice rink in their front lawn,” a neighbor Bob Pope said.
“It’s nice to see all that effort come to fruition. . .there was an awful lot of laughter and
fun over there. We are very proud of her.”
Montpelier High students Georgia Schiff and Brooke George were adamant that she’s
been a tremendous inspiration to them. “She’s such a great role model, especially coming
from such a small town,” they each said.
A former schoolmate of Pelkey’s, Sam Brigham, was also in the crowd. “I went to school
with her, and I’m very proud,” he said, “It’s cool that someone from such a small town
[accomplished so much] and to be a part of it.”
Another resident was just happy for a great cause to celebrate.
“For Montpelier, it’s incredibly
exciting,” said Linn Syz. “She grew
up here, went to school here. . .it’s
exciting that little Montpelier High
can produce an Olympian athlete.
It’s fabulous.”
On Saturday after her return to
Montpelier, Pelkey dropped the
ceremonial puck for the Norwich
women's hockey game. She is also
going to participate in Boston’s St.
Patrick's Day and be honored at a
Boston Bruins game the following
Monday night.
Michael Bielawski is a freelance
reporter for The Bridge. He can be
Photo by Michael Bielawski reached at bielawski82@yahoo.com.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 5

Vermont’s Youths Rise Up

Against Gun Violence by Sarah Davin

O
n February 14th, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,
Florida, 17 students and teachers were killed by a 19-year-old former student
carrying an AR-15 assault rifle. Since this tragedy, there has been an ongoing
national discussion about gun control, with the most outspoken voices being the survivors
of the mass shooting.
These Florida high school students have been everywhere in the weeks since the tragedy,
appearing on the news and in their legislature, making their message of support for gun
control heard. Their passion and power has inspired young people around the country to
take action. The Parkland students announced their plans to lead a march on Washington
D.C. on March 24, and many young people have responded, planning their own local
marches or getting ready to make the trip to our nation’s capital. In coordination with
with dozens of other marches on that day, March For Our Lives: Montpelier will also hold
an event at the Vermont State House.
Madison Knoop, a freshman at Johnson State College, and 13 other young people,
ranging in age from 13 to 25, are organizing and leading the Montpelier march. A
previous resident of Connecticut, this is not the first time Knoop has been concerned
about gun control. Before coming to Vermont, she lived very close to Sandy Hook, which
saw 26 elementary school students and adults killed by a mass shooter in 2012.
When asked about her goals for the rally, she responded, “My goals for the march are to
try and address as many aspects of gun violence as we can. It is important to remember
that gun violence affects so many people everyday, and the issue is much bigger than just
mass shootings. Along with that, we also want to leave citizens with a clear understanding
of how they can act.” In addition to using the event to broaden discussions about gun
violence, Madison also hopes to use it as an opportunity to advocate for universal
background checks, a topic on which she plans to testify at the State House.
Although the organizers have decided to call the event March for Our Lives: Montpelier,
the event is actually a rally. The featured speakers, who are mainly youths, will begin
speaking around noon or 12:15 pm. An FAQ will be put up later this week on the March
For Our Lives: Montpelier Facebook page to address concerns such as parking.
Some Vermont high school students will make the trip to participate in the Washington
D.C. march, including 12 students and four teachers from Randolph Union High School.
Teacher Carol McNair has started a Go-Fund-Me campaign to raise the $5,000 needed
for the trip. Currently it has raised $3,216. Locally, other rallies are planned for Rutland
and Middlebury.
This may not be the only opportunity in the coming months for young people to
speak about gun control. Lane Murdock, a student from Ridgefield High School in
Connecticut, has started a petition on Change.org calling for a “National High School
Walk-Out for Anti-Gun Violence.” The event, which currently has over 250,000 people
pledged to walk out, is scheduled to take place on April 20th, the 19th anniversary of the
Columbine shooting.

Composer Paul Perley to

Share a Four-Season View of
Berlin Pond on April 7 and 8 Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!
by Nat Frothingham

M
usician and luthier Paul Perley from nearby Berlin (VT) has composed
a piece he calls “Berlin Pond Suite.” That suite will be performed at two
upcoming spring concerts on Saturday, April 7 at 7 pm at Waterbury
Congregational Church and Sunday, April 8 at 4 pm at Montpelier High School.
Paul Perley is well-known musically in Central Vermont. For more than 20 years, he
and his wife Melissa have run Paul Perley Cellos, a home-based business that focuses
on buying, evaluating, repairing and selling cellos, violins, violas, and double basses.
In addition to the business, Paul and Melissa Perley are both musicians, performers,
music teachers, and Paul is a composer.
In a recent phone conversation with The Bridge, Paul Perley said, “Yes, I’ve composed
all my life. I started just out of college in my early 20s. I’ve written things for stage
plays, beginning orchestras, and string orchestras.”
Around 2010, Perley began writing a four movement piece called “Berlin Pond
Suite” that celebrates the four seasons—spring, summer, fall, and winter—on Berlin
Pond. When it was first written, it was a string quartet. Then, Perley added a bass
to make a string quintet. In 2014, the piece was finally debuted in St. Johnsbury.
When Anne Decker was named music director of the Montpelier Chamber
Orchestra in March 2016, Perley asked her if she would be interested in performing
the piece. She was interested, and this upcoming April 7 and 8, the “Berlin Pond
Suite” will be performed, but not as a quartet or quintet. This time some wind
instruments have been added: two flutes, an oboe, and a French horn.
Perley said that he wrote the piece about Berlin Pond is because the Pond “magnifies
nature.” During spring, the Pond comes alive with water, birds, peepers. In summer,
there are blackbirds. In the fall, Perley said, “the foliage is reflected in the water. And
during winter, there is snow on the pond. “You watch as the pond gathers ice. You
watch as the pond breaks up in the spring.”
PAG E 6 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
A Message From City Hall
This page was paid for by the City of Montpelier.
Spring Forward by William Fraser, City Manager
W
ith gray weather and regular snow fall, it sure hasn’t felt like spring is on
the way. Granted Vermont is not known for its lush colorful spring season
but for some reason this winter feels like it has hung around way too long.
Annual Meeting wrap up:
We congratulate incoming Mayor Anne Watson on her election and look forward to
working with her. Congratulations, too, to Council Member Dona Bate on her re-
election. We also congratulate and welcome new Council Members Conor Casey and
Glen Coburn Hutcheson. They bring their new perspectives to city government. We
appreciate all who ran for election this year – our local democracy is only as good as
those who make the effort to participate.
We thank former Mayor John Hollar and outgoing Council Members Jean Olson
and Justin Turcotte for their dedicated service to the community. These essentially
volunteer positions can be stressful, controversial and tiring. Those who serve deserve
credit for their contributions of time, effort and ideas.
I, again, thank the voters of Montpelier for their strong support of the City and
School budgets. The 87.6% municipal budget approval this year represents another all
time high. Each year the council and staff struggle with finding the balance between
delivering service and presenting reasonable budgets for consideration. We are grateful
for your support and will continue to strive to provide the best possible services for
you.
We appreciate support for the two $1.3 million municipal infrastructure bonds which
each received 89% approval votes. The charter amendments all passed overwhelmingly
as well and each will help make our government operate a little more efficiently.
Public support was not limited to City proposals. The School budget received a high of
76.3% approval and their major $4.9 million bond hit a 74.6% approval mark.
This chart shows city and school budget vote results since 1985.
District 2 Council Seat
With Mayor Watson’s election, her former District 2 council seat is now vacated. The
City Charter addresses such a situation as follow:
§ 303. VACANCY IN OFFICE OF COUNCIL MEMBER
A vacancy on the City Council shall occur upon the death, removal from the district,
inability to serve, or resignation of a Council member. A vacancy in the office of Council
member with more than 90 days of unexpired term remaining shall be filled by the
remaining members of the City Council. At the next annual meeting of the City, the
unexpired term of the office shall be filled by election for the balance of the unexpired term.
The Council may remove a Council member who has unexcused absences at four or more
consecutive Council meetings upon approval of two-thirds of the Council.
As you can see, the charter leaves any particular process or requirements for filling a
vacancy solely in the discretion of the City Council. This item will be discussed at the
March 14th Council meeting.
This scenario has occurred four times since 1999. On the last two occasions, the
council asked applicants to obtain the same 25 signatures as required of an electoral
candidate.
Excitement in Montpelier
Last Friday the State House dome
had to share Gold prominence
in our city as Montpelier native
Amanda Pelkey made a triumphant
return to her hometown. Ms.
Pelkey, a 2011 Montpelier High
graduate, is a member of the USA Women’s Olympic Hockey team who won the gold
medal in a nailbiting shoot out victory over Canada during the 2018 Pyeongchang
Olympic Games. She has been a hero and inspiration to many local hockey players.
Amanda Pelkey (with gold medal) is
pictured with Mayor Anne Watson
and City Manager Bill Fraser.
(Photo credit to Dan Groberg).
Goals & Strategic Planning
March, April & May is also the time of year when your City Council establishes
its goals, priorities and strategic plan for the upcoming year. This year’s process is
particularly significant because of recent changes in the City Council composition.
This is the first time in at least 25 years when three new council members (one yet to
be named) have come aboard at the same time. On top of that two Council Members
were newly elected last year and the Mayor’s seat has changed.
This new Council will have the opportunity to use the goals/planning process to
articulate their collective vision for the city, identify policy goals and key implementation
strategies. The Council will discuss the process on the 14th but I anticipate that it will
include a professional facilitator and direct interaction with the staff leadership team.
Although new priorities may emerge, existing projects and efforts will continue. I
will outline the summer’s work schedule in next month’s article but work is slated to
begin on One Taylor Street, Taylor Street itself, the Granite Street to Gallison Hill
alternative transportation path, the remainder of the Northfield Street reconstruction
and more.
Information
For those of you who want to stay abreast of information about city government, there
are several ways to do so:
• All meetings of Boards, Commissions, Committees and the like are open to the
public.
• This article in The Bridge is written by the Mayor or me and is published monthly.
• The City’s website www.montpelier-vt.org includes news, updates, notices and
information about projects as well as agendas, minutes and other meeting documents.
All documents which go to the City Council for meetings are posted publicly.
• All (or most) Council meetings and meetings of major boards and committees are
broadcast – and often rebroadcast – on local cable TV.
• All (or most) of the above meetings are both streamed and archived for viewing on
the city’s website.
• The City has a Facebook page “City of Montpelier, VT – official” which posts
updates and also links some updates from the website.
• The City has a Twitter account “@VTMontpelier” which also posts updates and
links from the website.
• The City often posts items of interest on Front Porch Forum.
• The Annual Report, distributed in February, provides an overview of the city
government’s year.
Finally, of course, please feel free to contact me or your elected officials with questions
or comments about the city government. I can be reached at wfraser@montpelier-vt.
org or 802-223-9502. Other city officials’ email addresses and phone numbers are
available on the web.
Thank you for reading this article and for your interest in Montpelier city government.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 7
Your Summer Camps Crib Sheet
W
ith so much summer goodness
to tap in Vermont, it’s no
wonder that camps for children
(and adult children) flourish in Central
Vermont from June to August, providing a
wide range of opportunities to both learn
new skills, make new friends, and have a
lot of fun. The Bridge has put together a
crib sheet that highlights the organizations
putting on summer camps this summer.
Please note all dates are general ranges.
Contact camps directly to get the specifics
for each program.
EarthWalk
Since 2005, EarthWalk has been growing
a mentoring community rooted in nature.
EarthWalk summer camps take place in the
forests and fields adjacent to the Goddard
College campus in Plainfield. Each day
begins and ends with a community circle
of shared songs and stories. In between,
there are games and workshops in which
children can learn important nature skills,
such as friction-fire, crafts, foraging,
exploring, wild cooking, wood carving,
shelter-building, naturalist skills, river
exploration, wildlife tracking, and more!
earthwalkvermont.org
Dates: June 26–August 24
Green Mountain Youth Symphony
The Green Mountain Youth Symphony has
a seven-day, intensive residential musical
experience that welcomes intermediate
to advanced student musicians to
Northern Vermont University in Johnson.
Participants work with professional music
coaches in chamber groups, private
lessons, eurhythmics classes, and orchestra
rehearsals. There is also plenty of time to
make friends with fellow musicians. Final
placement is by audition in May. Financial
assistance is available. gmys-vt.org
Dates: August 5–11
North Branch Nature Center
Summer camps at North Branch Nature
Center offer a safe place where children
can interact directly with nature through
observation, questioning, and hands-on
exploration. Flipping over rocks while
wading along the banks of the North
Branch River or frolicking in the fields
chasing butterflies is what a child’s
summer should be. Every day creates
new childhood memories in the great
outdoors, sending every child home with
a renewed excitement for the natural world
around them. There are three levels of
camps for varying age groups: preschool–
kindergarten, 1–4 grade, and 5–8 grade.
northbranchnaturecenter.org
Dates: June 16–August 17
Photo courtesy of Earthwalk
Circus Smirkus
In the hills of Greensboro, adults and
children alike can quite literally run
away to the circus at the Circus Smirkus
summer camps. Under Big Top tents,
circus professionals welcome you to a vast
array of circus arts: acrobatics, trapeze,
clowning, juggling, tight wire, and much
more. At Smirkus Camp you’ll challenge
yourself with movement that’s fun, be
it building your quads on a unicycle,
improving coordination with juggling,
or trying some yoga on a trapeze. Clown
around, have a blast, and make lasting
friendships with campers who come from
all over the United States. smirkus.org
Dates: June 8–August 17
T.W. Wood Gallery
Held on the campus of the Vermont
College of Fine Arts and the Gallery at 46
Barre Street in Montpelier, T.W. Wood
Gallery summer art camps offers kids,
ages 7–14, a range of fun and enriching
art activities along with outside time and
making new friends. The first two weeks
of camp engage with a wide array of art,
games, and performing activities, from
putting on puppet shows to cartooning,
to creating amazing art from around the
world. The last day of camp features a
closing performance or exhibition, plus
treats. twwoodgallery.org
Dates: July 9–August 17
Lost Nation Theater
One of Vermont’s premier theater groups
is offering five unique camps/intensives
this summer. Staffing them all are
guest artists from across the country—
all with a commitment to raising the
next generation of theater artists with
exercises in playwriting, movement,
storytelling, acting, singing, dancing,
and design. The student-to-instructor
ratio is very low, and each camp has
the full support of the entire theater
company. The multiple camps are
designed as a continuous curriculum,
with one building upon the other (but
with flexibility). Many students have
been with Lost Nation Theater for a
decade, moving and growing through
our programs. lostnationtheater.org
Dates: July 16–August 12
AllTogetherNow!
At AllTogetherNow! summer camps, five
miles from downtown Montpelier, spend
the day telling stories, swimming in the
pool, making art, stilt walking, singing,
playing cooperative games, and making
friends. When a cool-down is needed,
jump into the four-foot, in-ground
saltwater swimming pool. What’s more,
the beautiful location on 10 acres of
open fields and abundant gardens has a
magnificent view of Spruce Mountain,
and across the road is 500 acres of Trust
for Public Lands' forested walking trails.
Many students begin by attending
our licensed preschool, then grow to
become campers, and even fully fledged
councilors. alltogethernowvt.org
Dates: June 25–August 17
Camp For Me
Camp For Me is a day camp for adopted
children and teens ages 7–17 held on the
campus of Stowe High School
in Stowe, Vermont. In addition to the
traditional summer activities—games,
sports, arts and crafts, theater, field trips,
swimming, nature studies, hiking, and
more—Camp For Me offers a unique
opportunity
for children to be with other kids who
share the adoptive experience, and to
smile and laugh with a group they belong
to without doubts and explanations. For
many it is a rare chance to leave troubles
behind. camp4me.org
Dates: July 9–20
PAG E 8 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Honoring Ken Squier: Radio Station Owner
and Motor Sports Broadcaster
A
t a St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast
celebrated on March 13, the Central
Vermont Chamber of Commerce
honored motor sports broadcaster and
Radio Station WDEV owner Ken Squier.
As a boy growing up in Waterbury Village
and for more than 80 years, Squier has had
a continuing association with WDEV.
Squier has also had an illustrious national
career as a sports — and particularly a
motor sports — announcer at such events as
the famed Daytona 500 race at the Daytona
Speedway in Daytona, Florida. Squier’s
influence on how the race is broadcast has
been profound. In 1979 he persuaded the
skeptics that the Daytona race could be
called in such a way that the listening public
would thrill to the entire story of the race
from flag to flag or start to finish.
A few days before the Chamber of
Commerce event, Squier talked with The
Bridge over lunch about growing up in
Waterbury and the early days of WDEV.
WDEV officially took to the air on July 17,
1931. But it’s almost impossible to tell the
story of how the station got going without
remembering the Great Flood of November
1927 that devastated Waterbury and took
a terrible toll in lives lost not to mention
roads, bridges, and buildings across the state
as well.
Talking about the damage to Waterbury
Village, Squier said, “Both ends of the town
got washed out. The river came down from
Stowe. The Mad River backed up into the
Winooski. We lost a lot of people.”
It was four years after the Great Flood of
1927 when WDEV first signed on the air,
so when Ken Squier was born in 1935, the
station was already up and running.
Squier grew up in a second-floor apartment
over the Perkins furniture store and funeral
home with the Waterbury Fire Department
across the street. “I could walk up the street
and around the corner,” said Squier about
the short trip from home to the WDEV
radio station.
But the Great Flood continued to cast its
shadow over Waterbury Village. From 1935
to 1936 and afterwards, FDR’s (New Deal)
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built
a massive flood control dam in Waterbury.
At the height of its construction, some
2,500 CCC workers were employed on the
project. Said Squier, “It was the largest
earthen dam east of the Mississippi when
it was built. Construction continued into
1938 and at some point after that Squier
remembers his dad taking him up to see the
finished project.
Harry Whitehill and Lloyd Squier — were
the two men who started WDEV.
Whitehill was a newspaperman who
published the Stowe Weekly and the
Waterbury Record. And Lloyd Squier
was described as Whitehill’s “reporter and
printer’s devil” in a 1991 book by Peter
Miller entitled A Lifetime of Vermont People.
It was Whitehill, according to Ken Squier,
who had said to his father Lloyd Squier,
“More people can hear than read. We ought
to be in the radio business.”
But getting WDEV up and on the air was
no simple matter. One federal requirement
was that a radio station had to have an
engineer and that engineer had to pass a
government test. And Lloyd Squier set forth
to do just that.
Said Ken Squier about his father, “He got
a book and read the book and flunked
the test.” But he was told he could take
the test again in a few months. And he
did and flunked again. But there was no
deterring Lloyd Squier. Eventually he found
an engineer who could pass the test and
WDEV went o the air in mid-July 1931.
To start with, the station broadcast an hour
a day.
When it went on the air and in the years
that followed, WDEV was both a reflection
and later an extension of local life. As
Ken Squier remarked, “Immediacy and
relevance” — those were the watchwords
that drove the station forward.
According to Squier, the local dance
and music hall was the center of local
entertainment scene in the 1930s. “Every
town had a music hall,” said Squier. At one
time, he related, WDEV had five different
bands who stayed in local boarding houses.
One of those early bands that attracted a
wide following in the 1930s and 1940s was
by Nat Frothingham
Don Fields and His Pony Boys.
In the 1930s and 1940s Vermont was very
much an agricultural state. That meant that
WDEV carried farm reports. “We wanted
to be relevant,” Squier said again. “We
always covered the fairs which included
Morrisville, Tunbridge, Essex, Barton,
Rutland and Lyndonville. We’d go there
and stay for three days. That’s where the
locals were. “People wanted to know, ‘Who
won the prizes?’ That’s where the news was.”
Horses and harness racing were big events.
Squier told his Chamber of Commerce
audience that after World War II there were
23 racing tracks in Vermont. Said Squier,
“We would broadcast the harness racing.
That was a big deal–harness racing. It was
all about fairs, the horses, and agricultural
life.”
When World War II broke out in 1941,
things shifted. “People wanted to know
what was going on,” Squier said. President
Roosevelt had a microphone on his desk
in the White House and went on the radio broadcast of motorcar racing from Thunder
Road. And Norwich ice hockey. And a two-
with his Fireside Chats. “Radio was the
medium,” Squier said, “While you were hour jazz show, and a classical music show
on Sunday mornings. And the amusing,
knitting, working in the garden, or out in
the barn–always in the barn.” unpredictable and quirky “Music to Go to
the Dump By” on Saturday mornings.
It’s been a cool 87 years since WDEV
first went on the air and over time much On the news and political front, WDEV
presents a range of opinion, commentary
has changed in the radio and broadcasting
world. and ideas that spans the whole arc of public
discourse or as Squier said to the Chamber
During the 1940s and 50s radio stations of Commere crowd, “Whether it was liberal,
across the country had to meet certain whether it was Republican, whether it was
federal tests in order to get their licenses something else,” as in “Here comes Bernie!”
renewed. Stations applying for a renewal
of their licence had to to prove they were A very recent move on WDEV is the
station’s public affairs interview program
serving the public good. But over time,
things changed. The federal rules softened with talk show host Dave Gram, a well-
known-and-liked veteran journalist. And
and today, for example, you don’t have
to have your broadcast studio within 25 starting Monday, March 12, WDEV will be
broadcasting CBS News every hour on the
miles of your local broadcasting area.
There are some radio conglomerates that hour and every half hour.
own and operate a dozen or more stations At the Chamber of Commerce St. Patrick’s
broadcasting across the country. They can Day Breakfast, Squier talked the attraction
put their programming up on a satellite. In of a place like Daytona, Florida and the
essence, it can be argued that the “public Daytona Speedway — not perhaps so much
responsibility” link between a local station the attraction of the place, but the attraction
and its local audience has been weakened if those who loved their cars, took the risks,
not broken. worked together and loved to compete.
“It’s not enough to do something about the They were also the ones who went off to
Red Cross and run a few little public service war. Or as Squier said, “They were common
announcements,” Squier said. “It bothers men, doing uncommon deeds.”
me,” said Squier, “that the rules of public
Toward the end of his breakfast remarks,
responsibility went out the door.”
Squier reflected on the farming traditions in
At the same time, WDEV and its partner Vermont. Where men and women worked
stations were bucking the national trend seven days a week and milked twice a day.
and keeping their commitments to the
“They cared about this state and cared how
public trust.
it was run. Nothing was easy. Nothing was
“We do six hours of local news,” said Squier guaranteed. You always plant three or four
about WDEV. “We are all over the state. crops because one of them would fail,” he
We broadcast 65 basketball games. Also said.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 9

Vermont Has Film Festivals, But Does It Have a Film Industry?
“The Arts Council gives very small grants because the
National Endowment for the Arts has been cut to shreds,”
O’Brien explains. “When you are getting $3,000 grants and
you are making a $250,000 movie, you might as well not
write the grant proposal.”
But the larger missing piece of the financial puzzle is related
to the lack of tax incentives, which most states offer to lure
productions. Essentially, this means rebates and credits for
productions made in state. On average these run between 10
and 30 percent. The idea is that the overall economic impact
of a production, including hotels, restaurants, transport,
entertainment, jobs, and more, creates a net profit.
That’s a big reason why the 2016 film A Christmas in Vermont
was filmed in New York, which offers hefty incentive
packages that start with a “30-percent fully refundable tax
credit on qualified production and post production costs
while filming in the state,” and adds bonuses the more you
spend. Massachusetts is also generous, offering a 25-percent
production credit, a 25-percent payroll credit, and a sales tax
exemption, among other incentives.
That Vermont offers nothing is often fuel for awkward
silences among producers and promoters. “When we go
out there and people ask us what kind of support the state
offers,” Gilpin points out, “right now that’s a question
we can’t answer, and it’s an awkward moment in the
conversation when you are trying to sell something, and the
thing you are trying to sell is not sure of its support yet.”
There is some movement, or at least commitment to
movement at the state level, according to Wendy Knight,
Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Tourism and
Marketing. “The governor is very interested in fostering a
thriving film and TV production industry, and I’ve been
working with the governor’s office and the legislature
and various groups in terms of looking at ways me might
support the industry. We don’t have the funding for tax
credits but there are a lot of other things we can do.” Knight
points to thinkvermont.com, a state marketing campaign
and website launched in October 2017, where she plans to
develop a “creative economy page” to identify resources in
Vermont for TV and film production.
Gilpin and his allies, including Representative Brian Keefe
of Bennington County, are trying hard, too, with a new bill,
H. 854, currently being shepherded through the legislature
as we go to press. However, it falls far short of creating or
implementing specific policy and only says the Agency of
Commerce and Community Development “shall consider
and report ... a recommended strategy for attracting
television and film production activities to Vermont and
include an economic impact statement specifying potential
revenues from increased activities.”
Most likely, that will not be the final language of the bill.
“I think there will be a bill passed,” Gilpin believes, “but we
don’t know right now what the exact final bill is going to
look like.” But it seems like a no-brainer to him, particularly
with the economic impact he’s demonstrated with the
annual ITV Festival. “We’ve already proven over the last
five years that we are capable of bringing in significant
amounts of tax revenue. So the notion that ‘is there a return
on investment, or how do you prove that this works’ . . . well
that question has been answered.”
Knight, on the other hand, isn’t so sure about including
tax incentives, or their effectiveness, despite the fact that
the vast majority of states offer them. “There is some
research out there that says, from an economic development
perspective, tax incentives are not effective,” particularly
when Vermont is faced with a budget gap.
But Gilpin stresses money and incentives alone are not
enough. Equally important for the Vermont film industry
is the need to get out there and both promote Vermont as
a great place to film and to develop deep ties with industry
leaders. “Vermont needs to put a forward-looking face
out to the industry and attend industry events,” Gilpin
emphasizes. “There should be a Vermont booth at the
major festivals. Where was the State of Vermont booth at
Sundance or the American Film Market? Even just to let
people know we are interested in having them come here
would be such a great first step.”
O’Brien agrees. “When you go to a film festival or
conference, there are tons and tons of film commissions
trying to woo directors, producers, and executives to come
to their state and shoot their movies. It’s not just about
putting some money in the coffers and hope people will
come and shoot a movie. No. You have to get out there and
convince people to choose Vermont over New York, New
Hampshire, Maine, or whatever.”
There are plenty of opportunities in state as well that
Continued from Page 1
would cost minimal to no money, O’Brien believes. “The
Department of Tourism could show our films and use our
films. You’ve got all these filmmakers who are coming up
for leaf-peeping season. Why not run a series of screenings
of Vermont films, bring those people in, and give a chunk of
the money to filmmakers or start a fund from that?”
Even without incentives, there are still plenty of attractive
items to dangle in front of producers if someone makes
the effort to communicate with them effectively, starting
with Vermont itself, which retains its formidable power
to win the hearts of people like Gilpin. “People are just
in awe of how beautiful Vermont looks on film.” Plus,
in many ways, Vermont is cheaper. For evidence, Gilpin
points to the 2017 film The Land filmed entirely in
Vermont with an 89-percent in-state crew, the four-day
shoot realized a 67-percent savings over going rates in New
York and Los Angeles. There, based on standard union
rates, the production would have cost between $95,000 and
$120,000, but in Vermont, it came in at $32,261.
“Yes, we don’t have the tax base to offer a 40-percent tax
rebate for every show that comes in,” Gilpin explains, “but
we have the ability to cut your costs before you even get
here. So you don’t have to go through the paperwork of
doing rebates and hiring attorneys and accountants to go
through a long financial process.”
Plus, the infrastructure and resources of talent are growing,
with film programs at the University of Vermont, Champlain
College, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Middlebury College,
Lyndon State College, and the soon-to-open Vermont Film
Institute, which will focus on training for the below-the-
line crew jobs. The Institute will partner with Vermont
Technical College and use their locations, with the first
workshops to be launched in spring and full-blown classes
starting in the fall of 2018.
Vermont’s small size also works to its advantage, O’Brien
points out. “I probably couldn’t be doing what I do anywhere
except for Vermont. The reason I say that is that Vermont
is a small state, and so you know who the players are. You
can literally call the governor and meet with him if you have
to. The idea that you can essentially have a meeting with
the Commissioner of Health and talk about a film you are
making on the opiate crisis and ask him if his department
might be willing to help support the funding of it—I don't
know how many states you could do that in."

The GMFF Serves Film-to-Table Events this Season by Britten Leigh

T
his year the Green Mountain Film Festival is feeding both minds and stomachs,
debuting their innovative Film to Table series. Six films—two documentaries and
four narrative films—will be paired with unique culinary experiences.
The Film to Table events kick off on Sunday, March 18 with Ramen Heads, a
documentary looking at the obsessive world of Japan’s “king of ramen” and the history
of the dish. After the film, students from the New England Culinary Institute will be
hosting a ramen festival and cook-off competition, where the audience gets to sample
and vote for their favorite dishes.
Later that evening, Yo Soy Asi, Tita de Buenos Aires, the story of groundbreaking
Argentinian actress Tita Morello, will be shown at The Savoy and followed by an
intimate evening of tango lessons and South American-inspired food at DeMena’s.
On March 21, filmmaker Frederick Johnson screens his quirky, dark film, After Hours
Trading, accompanied by a limited-seat, post-film event including tapas and a beer flight
at Three Penny Taproom. Bohemian Bakery will host an afternoon tea March 22 to
accompany the film, The Cakemaker. Filmed in German, Hebrew and English, the film
provides much to talk about over warm beverages and specialty deserts.
On Thursday, March 22, dine with David Bly, director of Sweet Parents, and lead actress
Leah Rudick, who will join film-goers at Sarducci’s for dinner and conversation about
their first feature film.
Finally, Drokpa: A Tribute to the last of the Tibetan Nomads will be shown March 24 at
the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Dropka shows in-depth the peril that climate change
has wrought for the nomadic yak herders of Tibet in a documentary that has been called
“breathtakingly beautiful.” Filmmaker, Yan Chun Su will be in attendance, and Yak It
To Me, Vermont’s own mobile Yak BBQ truck, will provide three film-inspired meals,
including the grass-fed Yak Buddha burger, yak sausage, or a vegetarian wrap.
For more information on the Film to Table events visit www.gmffestival.org, call 917-
1225, or visit the Box Office at 38 State Street from 11 am to 7 pm Wednesday through
Sunday.
PAG E 10 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Filmmaker and VCFA Student Tamara Perkins Discusses
Life After Life compiled by Mike Dunphy
F
ew people, much less filmmakers, are as willing
to dig into the “underbelly” of society as VCFA
student Tamara Perkins. And she goes even further,
devoting much time and energy to rehabilitation of those
that either fall, or dive through, the cracks, be it with yoga
and mindfulness training or filmmaking. Her film, Life
After Life, which took 10 years to make, will be shown
at the Green Mountain Film Festival. It follows the lives
of three prisoners at San Quentin as they struggle with
the transition from incarceration to freedom. Perkins was
kind enough to sit down with The Bridge to discuss her
background, career, education at VCFA, and the making
of the film.
The Bridge: How did you get into film?
Tamara Perkins: I’ve always loved film and during my
young life was involved in theater and writing. However, I
started a career in business and high tech. After the 2001
recession, I began to rethink what I wanted to do with my
life. I ended up getting involved in a lot of activism work
and started a program teaching yoga and mindfulness in
schools and juvenile halls, which brought me into San
Quentin State Prison and introduced me to the men in my
film. Around the same time I met this Taiwanese director
who decided I would make a great producer. He asked me
to produce a short, and I just fell in love with filmmaking.
How did you come to Vermont to study film at VCFA?
Perkins: I was looking for a place to get my MFA and was
referred by a friend to VCFA’s low-residency program. So
far it’s been incredible. The great thing about the program
is that as a professional filmmaker, I’m already working
on a new feature as well as other shorts and things like
that. The program allows me to continue to do that work
while working on my MFA. Plus, I’m a single mom with a
toddler, so this felt like a really great opportunity to move
forward with my educational and professional career. And
Vermont is beautiful. Just the drive from Burlington to
Montpelier; oh my God, it’s gorgeous. It feels like a retreat.
What specifically have you taken from your courses
that has helped?
Perkins: I think all the professors are amazing, especially
Till Schauder, my adviser. As a documentary filmmaker,
I’m finding the support and resources have been incredible.
Also, I love getting the exposure to more experimental
film, screenwriting, and other things. It’s been a fantastic
amount of support.
How did this film come about?
Perkins: Some of the men in my yoga class at San Quentin
found out I was an emerging filmmaker and asked me to
tell their stories, and that led me to Life after Life.
What made you want to do the film?
Perkins: I had a gun to my head four times before I turned
18, and I am an assault survivor. That all happened when
I was young, and I didn’t start this film until my 30s.
However, these experiences definitely drove my activism
work. The question I had was how does someone get to
a point where they feel desperate enough or that that’s
their first response. When I met the men in San Quentin
and they asked me, I was ready. The reason I said yes was
because it was something I felt pretty close to personally
and there were questions I had, and obviously it was a
compelling tale.
When you started filming did you know what you were
going for or did you just turn on the cameras and let it
happen?
Perkins: There was always a mission statement for the
film, and that didn’t really change. However, the specific
scope of the film definitely changed. When I first started
filming, the men we followed serving life sentences were
just not being released. Politically it was unfavorable, and
even if one of them was found suitable for parole, the
governor could and would veto it. In the beginning [the
film] was about the activism that the men were leading
inside prison. Things shifted with a new governor, and
suddenly three men were released within a few months of
each other. It quickly became clear that what was going to
make a really special film would be following them on their
journey home.
How did you get these men and their families to open
up their whole lives to you?
Perkins: They had gotten to know me for a year before
they even asked me to make the film, so there was some
trust that was built. And we talked really frankly in
the beginning about what this means, and that in order
to make an authentic film they would have to open up
their lives to this process and be committed to that path.
There was some time before we started filming to make
that decision, but once they decided to do it, they were
committed.
When dealing with such difficult and emotional topics
at an intimate distance, how do you create a safe space
for yourself?
Perkins: It’s really challenging working in a really
uncomfortable and potentially unsafe space, such as a
prison. But part of doing my grief and trauma work was
making sure I had my own practices and support to remain
healthy, whether it was yoga, mediation, my therapist, or
having space to make sure I was taking care of myself. But
there are a lot of us who are wounded healers, so part of
my process of healing and taking care of myself is being
involved in this kind of work. You would think taking
on these stories would be a detriment to that, but really it
keeps me grounded. And, by the way, the men I met and
followed were also wounded healers.
How have the screenings of the film thus far gone?
Perkins: We started screening it this past year. I’ve been
traveling across the country. We’ve done something like 25
screenings in colleges, community groups, prisons, reaching
at least 5,000 people in person and using Facebook live to
record and post our talks so we can reach more. I am
also trying to use Skype when possible. It is a lot, but it’s
also wonderful to meet different audiences and hear their
stories.
Have there been wildly different reactions along the
way?
Perkins: The response has been pretty strong and positive
for the film. I personally have family members who
are much more conservative, but they’ve responded well
because of the transformation, the redemption—there’s a
real restorative justice angle. There are no outside experts
trying to tell you how to think or feel. It’s just going on a
journey. So that helps it to be more widely accepted.
How did you get involved in the Green Mountain Film
Festival?
Perkins: They learned about my film when I was at my
VCFA residency in October and reached out. It was not
guaranteed at first, but after the programmers saw the
film they thought it would be a good fit for the festival.
What’s so exciting is that we’ve had other restorative justice
organizations getting involved to create programs around
the screenings. For example, the Essex Community Justice
Center is supporting a screening and talk in Essex and
the Montpelier Community Justice Center is involved in
supporting the screening and panel on March 18. I was
really excited to get involved. It looks like a wonderful
festival.
Do you like being in the room watching the film with
a live audience?
Perkins: I do. I like seeing the responses to the film,
although I have trouble watching it too many times
because it’s a really emotional film. For me, it’s mostly
about what isn’t on screen, what I experienced during the
making of the film.
Looking forward, do you have another film in mind or
something you are working on?
Perkins: Yes, I started a new documentary called The
Waiting List. It’s about the impact of the lack of affordable,
appropriate, and accessible childcare.
Life After Life will be shown March 18 at 6:45 pm, at the
Pavilion Auditorium in Montpelier and will be followed by
a panel discussion.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 11
More than a Pretty Face: Five Feminist Films in the GMFF
by Sarah Davin
T
he Oscars ceremony this year was alive with political activism,
with actors and actresses on the red carpet responding to
questions about the #MeToo movement. One of the moments
that stood out the most was Frances McDormand’s acceptance speech
for her Oscar for best actress. After putting the spotlight on all the
women at the Oscars ceremony nominated for awards, she ended her
speech with two words: “inclusion rider.” Those in the film industry
were quick to explain that it is an additional provision in an actor’s
contract that stipulates the cast and crew must be demographically
diverse.
Although film is only one industry among many, it is the one of the
most visible. Films and the film industry both reflect and reinforce
how we see the world, so ideally, they should represent more than
just one kind of voice. The Green Mountain Film Festival has not
shied away from this. It will screen a number of films that highlight
women’s experiences. Here are five movies in this year’s festival
featuring women in lead roles and as directors that reflect the mission
of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
The Divine Order, directed by Petra Volpe
The Swiss film The Divine Order takes the viewer back to Switzerland in the 1970s,
a time when Swiss women did not have the right to vote. The film focuses on the
character of Nora, an initially passive housewife, who stands up for herself against a
woman who tells her it is unnatural for women to be involved in politics. Although
women of the United States have had the right to vote for almost a hundred years, this
film reminds us of the real risks and threats everyday women like Nora experienced.
This film is a part of the “Takin’ It to the Streets” event and will be screened at The
Savoy on March 17 at 4:45 pm, March 20 at 5:30 pm, and March 24 at 6:30 pm.
Félicité, directed by Alain Gomis
The plot of Félicité centers on a strong woman determined to save her son’s life.
Featuring actors who are mostly appearing on the screen for the first time, the
film by Senegalese director Alain Gomis was inspired by the music of a singer,
Muambuyi. In an interview on the film’s website, Gomis reflected on his choice to
have this film focus on the view of a woman, when previously he had focused on
men like himself. He said, “[Muambuyi] made it possible for me to imagine a story
From "Yo Soy Así, Tita De Buenos Aires"
From "The Divine Order"
about the daily struggle of a female character in situations where life is costly but
who, thanks to music, is able to see the other side.” This film will be shown at The
Savoy on March 20 at 3 pm.
Signature Move, directed by Jennifer Reeder
The comedy Signature Move brings a mix of cultures, generational differences, the
struggles of being gay in the United States, and “Lucha Libre” wrestling into one
space. Zaynab, a Pakistani lawyer, begins a romantic relationship with the confident,
Mexican-American woman, Alba. This leads Zaynab to struggle with her recently
widowed mother, who wants to find her a husband. Reeder’s film takes on difficult
topics with a wild and hilarious sense of humor. The film will be screened at The
Savoy on March 23 at 5:45 pm.
Yo Soy Así, Tita De Buenos Aires, directed by Maria Teresa Constantini
The Argentinian film Yo Soy Así, Tita De Buenos Aires follows the life of singer
and actress Tita Morello. Morello’s story began under horrible circumstances, but
through her work she became a famous actress with an unforgettable voice in tango
music. She is credited as having said, “My best character is the interpretation of my
own self. A dramatic actress cries for herself when she interprets a theater character.”
Characterized as witty, intelligent, and temperamental, it is about time we have a
film about this passionate performer. The film will be screened at The Savoy on
March 18 at 3:15 pm.
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, directed by Alexandra Dean
Although many women aspire to be actresses, for Hedy Lamarr,
stardom and societal expectations of women were a curse. Beyond
being glamorous star of the Golden Era of Hollywood, Hedy Lamarr
was also a skilled inventor, creating a covert communication system
we use now as the basis for secure Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more. Hedy
was never appreciated for technological innovations in her lifetime.
Instead, she was only appreciated for her beauty. And clearly she
didn’t want to overshadow her intelligence, saying, “Any girl can
be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”
Bombshell will be screened at The Savoy on March 16 at 7 pm and
March 24 at 2:15 pm.
PAG E 12 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

GREEN MOUNTAIN
MARCH 16–25, 201
For more information and full
 T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 13

N FILM FESTIVAL
18 • MONTPELIER
l schedule visit gmffestival.org
PAG E 14 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Are Film Festivals Still Relevant in an On-Demand World?
by Karen Dillon, executive director of the Green Mountain Film Festival
A Opinion
s the new Executive Director of the Green Mountain Film
Festival (GMFF) I am often asked, “Why do we need a film
festival in Montpelier?”
I am willing to earnestly contemplate this question and argue
against the implication of irrelevance, because I believe Central
Vermont does indeed need a film festival. A better question may
be, “What could the Green Mountain Film Festival provide our community?”
In our media-saturated world, few will argue that we need more media, and most
of us understand the urgent need to examine the ways media is shaping us—both
individually and as a society—as it permeates every aspect of our life and culture.
However, our “on-demand” culture is often demanding too much of us, and it’s
easy to be overwhelmed by this deluge.
A film festival that serves our community not only mitigates this onslaught,
but also can provide direction via a carefully curated selection of global cinema
highlights—films that make us think, films that make us feel, and films that we
can’t get anywhere else, not even on Amazon Prime.
In fact, many of the films in GMFF 2018 will not have an American release.
Although they may have played in Europe or Asia to critical acclaim, the
distributors, who decide which films to bring to North America,
believe they aren’t economically viable in the North American
market. Watching films from around the world can help to
broaden our cultural understanding, while also facilitating critical
conversations about what is important right here in the communities
in which we live.
The GMFF also increases the intimacy of the viewing experience by bringing
filmmakers to town to meet their audiences, both demystifying and humanizing
the flow of information and perhaps inspiring a new generation of storytellers and
filmgoers to engage more proactively with their medium.
By taking our attention away from our individual screens, devices, and message
forums and moving us back into the communal space of human interaction and
civil discussion, the festival will hopefully facilitate greater understanding and
respect for our multiplicity. I believe that film can help us empathize with those
different from ourselves by embodying specific characters’ experiences, and in
doing so, support our universal need for compassion and understanding.
I hope the GMFF will empower audiences to make sense of the media they see
and to savor the media experiences that rejuvenate them. After all, rejuvenation
is the promise of spring in Central Vermont.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 15
C a l e n d a r o f E ve n t s
Community Events
Events happening
March 15–April 7
THURSDAY, MARCH 15
Healthier Living Workshop Begins. Free, six-
week workshop for anyone living with a chronic
disease. Topics include problem solving and
action planning, nutrition, exercise, medication
use, emotions, and talking with doctors.
10 am–12:30 pm. Bethel Public Library, 106
Main St., Bethel. Sign-up: 728-7714
Women, Quilts, and Fiber Arts. Talk on
the connections between art, industry, and
women’s work as seen via research about women
quilters in Addison County. Noon. Vermont
History Museum, 109 State St., Montpelier.
vermonthistory.org
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.
Emerald Ash Borer Informational Meeting.
Discuss the discovery of emerald ash borer in
Orange County. 6:30–8:30 pm. Barre First
Presbyterian Church, 19 Seminary St., Barre.
vtinvasives.org
FRIDAY, MARCH 16
The Green Mountain Film Festival
March 16–25
Montpelier & Essex Junction
For more information and full schedule,
visitgmffestival.org
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
Irish Dinner & Music. Corned beef and cabbage
dinner. With Irish music by Barry Hayes.
5–7 pm. Twin Valley Senior Center, Rt. 2, E.
Montpelier. $10; ages 10 and under $5. Benefits
the TVSC Meals on Wheels program. 223-3322.
“Taste of Maple” Culinary Competition.
Chefs from nearby restaurants, cafes, and delis
demonstrate their talents with maple-infused
creations. Attendees sample and vote. Fundraiser
for Mayo Healthcare. 5:30–8 pm. Norwich
University, Milano Ballroom, Northfield.
brownpapertickets.com
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 over 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.
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.
League of Women Voters Spring Lecture:
Journalists John Christie and Naomi Schalit.
The husband and wife duo will lead a spirited
discussion on the critical connection between
journalism and democracy and more. Noon.
Capitol Plaza Hotel, Ethan Allen Room,
Montpelier. $5 for non-league members. Includes
lunch. https://tinyurl.com/LWVVT-Spring2018.
899-3657.
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. Down Home Kitchen, 100 Main St.,
Montpelier.
SUNDAY, MARCH 18
“Heritage: Civilization and the Jews.”
March 18 and 19. The Jewish Community of
Greater Stowe will present this award winning
documentary. This monumental series spans
three millennia of Jewish history and culture.
2 pm. 1189 Cape Cod Rd., Stowe. Free. 253-
1800. JCOGS.org
MONDAY, MARCH 19
“Heritage: Civilization and the Jews.” See
event description under March 18.
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,
inner experience. 6–8 pm. Christ Church Parish
House, 58 N. Main St., Bethel. Free. Register:
betheluniversityvt.org
Palestine and Israel in Film: A 6-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.
Performing Arts
THEATER, DANCE,
STORYTELLING, COMEDY
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.
March 16: The Brew Haha. Outrageous Vermont comedy with Justin Lander, Sky Sandoval, Jared
Hall, Mavis, and the Johnson State College improv troupe. Doors open 5:30 pm. River Arts Center, 74
Pleasant St., Morrisville. $10. RiverArtsVT.org.
March 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 18: No Strings Marionettes “Nick of Time." The Vermont masters of puppetry present the tale
of space travellers who travel back in time and save the Earth. 2 pm. Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main St.,
Barre. $7.50. 476-8188. barreoperahouse.org.
March 18: Bread & Puppet Theater “The Basic Bye-bye Show. ” B&P’s new show responds to the
devastating effects of the global economy on our planet. 5 pm. Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite St., Barre.
Sliding scale $10–25. No one is turned away for lack of funds. oldlaborhall.org
March 23: Lost Nation Theater presents Celebrate 30 Cabaret! Favorite Lost Nation Theater stars
from seasons past gather onstage to kick-off and celebrate Lost Nation Theater’s 30th season. Scenes,
songs, monologues, and moments from the past 29 seasons. 7:30 pm. Lost Nation Theater, 39 Main St.,
Montpelier. $25 suggested donation. 229-0492. lostnationtheater.org
March 23: Bueno Comedy Showcase. A wide range of talented standup comics, from here and away,
working longer sets. 8:30 pm. Espresso Bueno,248 N. Main St., Barre. Free; by donation. 479-0896.
events@espressobueno.com. espressobueno.com.
March 22–24: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Montpelier High School’s spring
musical. March 22–24, 7 pm; March 24, 3 pm. Montpelier High School. Tickets: goo.gl/TLdSvP
April 1: Comedy Night @ Sweet Melissa's. With Kathleen Kanz, Jared Hall, Jessie Baade, Alex Bonson
and Tina Friml. Adult content. 6 pm. 4 Langdon St., Montpelier. Free. 225-6012.
Orchard Valley Open House. Visit the campus, experiences. Noon–1 pm. 46 Washington St.,
talk with teachers, and learn why Orchard Barre. RSVP: 476-4588 of grome@cvabe.org
Valley students are so happy to come to school
each day! The main campus offers two mixed- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21
Grief & Bereavement Support Group. Open to
age Kindergarten programs, including Farm &
Forest, and Grades 1-8. 6:30–8 pm. 2290 VT anyone who has experienced the death of a loved
Route 14N, East Montpelier. 456-7400. ovws.org one. 10–11:30 am. CVHHH, 600 Granger Rd.,
Barre. Free. 223-1878.
Play Reading, “Blithe Spirit.” Participate
in reading the play by Noel Coward. Anyone Kid’s Movies. For kids of all ages and their
who chooses to listen rather than read is most grown-ups. Come enjoy a short, 30 minute film
welcome. 6:30 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, before community supper is served. 5:30 pm.
Jaquith Public Library, School St., Marshfield.
135 Main St., Montpelier. SaddleShoes2@gmail.
426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org
com
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Public Hearing. For CVMC Community Town Hall. Meet CVMC's
hunters, landowners, and anyone else interested new president and COO. Learn about Patient-
in deer and moose. Includes a review of the and Family-Centered Care and how to get
proposed 2018 moose hunting season and an involved as a patient advisor. 5:30–7 pm. Central
opportunity for the public to comment. 6:30–9 pm. Vermont Medical Center, Conference rooms 1
Montpelier High School. and 2, Berlin. UVMhealth.org/CVMC
Banish the Burlington Marathon Blues. Train
TUESDAY, MARCH 20 safely and efficiently to avoid being sidelined on
Volunteers Welcome Spring at Central VT
race day from an injury. Learn top tips for staying
Adult Basic Education. Discover CVABE’s
injury free while training for your marathon. 6–7
volunteer opportunities. New volunteers pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op community room,
welcome. Current volunteers will share their Montpelier. RSVP: info@hungermountain.coop
PAG E 16 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE
Visual Arts
EXHIBITS
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.
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. 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
Share Your Event!
Send your calendar listings to calendar@montpelierbridge.com.
Due date for print in the next issue is March 29
Calendar of Events
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. T.W. Wood Art Gallery, 46 Barre St.,
Montpelier. 262-6035. twwoodgallery.org
Through April 1: MSAC Painting Workshop
Exhibit. The Gallery at East State Salon, 32 East St.,
Montpelier. 477-3181.
Through April 6: John Miller. Photo collages by
Northern Vermont University-Johnson professor.
Reception and artist’s talk: March 15, 3–5
pm. NVU-Johnson, Dibden Center for the Arts,
Johnson. jsc.edu/Dibden
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. T.W. Wood
Art Gallery, 46 Barre St., Montpelier. 262-6035.
twwoodgallery.org
April 3–April 27: Vermont Abenaki Artists
Association Exhibit. Although many mediums are
represented in the exhibit, the unifying theme is all
of the art is inspired by Abenaki culture. Opening
reception: April 5, 5–7 pm. T.W. Wood Gallery,
46 Barre St., Montpelier. twwoodgallery.org
Through April 28: The Front presents SHOW
24. The latest works of the gallery’s membership of
Vermont-based contemporary artists. In addition,
the Front will present work by guest artist Athena
Petra Tasiopoulos. The Front Gallery, 6 Barre St.,
Montpelier. thefrontvt.com. info@thefrontvt.com.
Through April 29: Artist to Watch Part 1.
Presented by the Vermont Arts Council, in
partnership with Kasini House. A survey of
contemporary Vermont art. Part 2 opens May 5. The
Vermont Arts Council Spotlight Gallery, 136 State
St., Montpelier.
Through 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. Artists are Amanda
Weisenfeld (hand felter), Jess Polanshek (illustrator),
and Kristin Richland (painter/illustrator).
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St.,
Greensboro.
Through May 31: Kumari Patricia. In Patricia’s
acrylic paintings, she releases all boundaries and
definition of the landscape, reflecting the story of her
Wednesday Night Movie: La La Land. 6–8 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St.,
Greensboro. $5. highlandartsvt.org
Movie Night at the Jaquith Library. An eclectic
selection of movies that deserve a big screen with
perspectives we don’t usually see, and humor. 7 pm.
Jaquith Public Library, School St., Marshfield. Call
library for film title: 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.
org
Amphibian Monitoring Public Training Night.
Salamanders and frogs migrate by the thousands
from forests to wetlands each spring, often crossing
our roads at great peril. Learn how you, your family,
or your students can find and enjoy these cryptic
migration corridors safely. 7–8 pm. North Branch
Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier. Free.
northbranchnaturecenter.org
THURSDAY, MARCH 22
Cross-country Ski Craftsbury with Green
Mountain Club. Moderate. Spend the day cross-
country skiing at the Craftsbury Nordic Center.
Contact Steve or Heather Bailey, 622-4516 or
stevecbailey@gmail.com, for meeting time and place.
FRIDAY, MARCH 23
Peruvian film and food. Screening of the
Northeast Film Tour of Palomita/Little Dove, a
documentary about an indigenous women’s doll-
making collective high in the Andes Mountains
of Peru. Traditional Peruvian meal precedes film
at 5:30 pm. Heartbeet Community Center, 218
Town Farm Rd., Hardwick. Suggested donation:
for meal and film $10, for film only $5. Reservations
required: palomitamovie@gmail.com or 472-3285
Paint n Sip with Liz Lawson. 6–8 pm. Bagitos, 28
Main St., Montpelier.
SATURDAY, MARCH 24
Maple Open House Weekend 2018. March 24-25.
Activities include sampling syrup; tours of the
woods; pancake breakfasts, horse-drawn sleigh rides,
life’s journey and relationships along the way. The
HiVE (next to the Red Hen Baking Co.), 961 Route
2, Middlesex. thehivevt.com
Through June 10: Vermont Landscapes. 38
paintings by 19 artists, all of whom paint in
Vermont. The Lamoille County Courthouse, 154
Main St, Hyde Park. bryangallery.org
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 16–19: High School Design Exhibit.
Features work by teams from schools around
Vermont that create a poster to promote next year’s
design contest. Award ceremony is on March 16,
4 pm. Northern Vermont University-Lyndon,
Quimby Gallery, Lyndonville. Barclay.Tucker@
NorthernVermont.edu.
March 17: Marketing Your Art. Conversation
with Katharine Montstream. 1–3 pm. Bryan
Memorial Gallery, 180 Main St., Jeffersonville.
Free. bryangallery.org
March 24: Oil Painting Demo. With landscape
artist Eric Tobin who will be painting a canvas
from start to finish. 1–3 pm. Bryan Memorial
Gallery, 180 Main St., Jeffersonville. Free.
bryangallery.org
April 5: Vermont Abenaki Artists Association
Exhibit Opening Reception. Bryan Blanchette,
a 21st-century Abenaki Singer/Songwriter artist
working in a 10,000-year-old tradition in music
and performance, will play and sing at the
reception. Exhibit runs April 3–27. T. W. Wood
Gallery, 46 Barre St., Montpelier. 262-6035,
info@twwoodgallery.org, twwoodgallery.org
sugar-on-snow parties; and plenty of maple products
to taste. For more info. and list of participating
sugarhouses: ermontmaple.org/mohw
Vermont Mountaineers Hot Stove Banquet.
Featuring Ken Squier who was recently elected as
the first broadcaster in history to the NASCAR
Hall of Fame, and Giancarlo Esposito of the
popular TV shows Breaking Bad and Better Call
Saul. Capitol Plaza, State St., Montpelier. $45.
thevermontmountaineers.com. 248-8818
Snowshoe Worcester with Green Mountain Club.
Moderate. 5 miles. Worcester Mountain. Start at
the trailhead in Worcester, and hike up to Worcester
Mountain, returning on the same trail. Contact
Steve or Heather Bailey, 622-4516 or stevecbailey@
gmail.com for meeting time and place.
Montpelier Home Show. Spring is a great time
to find innovative home solutions. Visit with local
businesses and earn a chance to win the door prize
valued at $500. 9 am–2 pm. City Center, 89 Main
St., Montpelier. “Montpelier Home Show” on
Facebook. 595-5802
Northern Vermont University-Lyndon Open
House. The free event is for students just starting
their college search and those who want an
admissions decision on the spot. Includes tour,
sitting in on classes, lunch, and more. 10 am–4 pm.
Northern Vermont University-Lyndon, Lyndonville.
northernvermont.edu/visit.
March for Our Lives. A rally in solidarity with
Parkland youth and organized primarily by youth
around Vermont. There will be information
regarding gun violence, voter registration, and other
issues of importance to youth. Youth presenters and
speakers. Noon–2 pm. Vermont State House lawn.
David Nadelberg Book Signing: "My Mortified
Life.” Creator of Mortified, a grassroots storytelling
project where adults share the embarrassing things
they created as kids. 4 pm. Vermont College of Fine
Arts, 36 College St., Montpelier.
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 17
Live Music
VENUES
Bagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. Other shows
T.B.A. bagitos.com.
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
March 18: Eric Friedman Folk Ballads, 11
am–1 pm
March 20: Old Time Music Session, 6–8 pm
March 24: Irish Session, 2–5 pm; Moulton &
Whipple, The Frozen Finger Boys (bluegrass)
6–8 pm
March 25: Southern Old Time Music Jam,
10 am–12:30 pm
March 29: Italian Session, 6–8 pm
March 30: Bishop LaVey (Kane Sweeney), 6–8 pm
March 31: Irish Session, 2–5 pm
Charlie O’s World Famous. 70 Main St.
Montpelier. Free. 223-6820.
Every Tues.: Karaoke with DJ Vociferous,
9 pm–1 am
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
Dinner at Hogwarts. Visit the Wand Shop, sit
with your Hogwarts House, take a picture with
Hogwarts faculty, and more. 5 pm. Bethany
Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. Advance
tickets only. Adults $25; children under 12 $20.
223-2424
Spaghetti Dinner. Music will be provided by local
talent and it will be open mic for those wanting
to participate. 5 pm. The Church of God of
Prophecy, Quarry Hill, Barre. Adults $10; children
under 12 $5. 454-8529.
SUNDAY, MARCH 25
Maple Open House Weekend 2018. See event
description under March 24.
MONDAY, MARCH 26
Pacem Open House. Learn about our curriculum
and programs. Meet current faculty, parents, and
students. 4:30-6 pm. 32 College St., Montpelier.
223-1010. pacemschool.org
Dreams and Self Expression. See event
description under March 19.
LGBTQ Film & Discussion Series. This movie is
set at an exclusive girl’s school managed by best
friends. When a student is punished for one of
her many misdeeds, the mean-spirited girl rushes
to her wealthy aunt and accuses the teachers of
having an “unnatural relationship.” 6 pm. Kellogg-
Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier.
223-3338.
A Conversation with Nina Thompson.
Thompson founded the Wake up to Dying Project
which was an awareness and action campaign
encouraging people to think and talk about dying
through stories, art, and opportunities to engage.
6:30–8 pm. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.
TUESDAY, MARCH 27
"Ratf**ked" Discussion with Edward P. Kohn.
Come prepared to discuss the book and its
topics, such as gerrymandering and redistricting.
Facilitated by Norwich Professor Edward P. Kohn.
7 pm. Bear Pond Books, 77 Main St., Montpelier.
Free. 229-0774. bearpondbooks.com
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28
Music Together. Free family music and movement
class. Nurture your child’s music competency
in a relaxed, playful setting. For families with
newborns through age 5+. 10:30–11:30 am.
Jaquith Public Library, School St., Marshfield.
musictogether.com
Observations on the Cosmos. Retired Engineer
and Teacher Chris Brown will discuss recent
cosmic activities, including a spectacular neutron
star collision, which may help scientists answer
long-standing questions in astrophysics. An Osher
Calendar of Events
March 19: Nerds on the Third (trivia) 9 pm
March 23: Scott Graves & Chris Martin
(acoustic) 6 pm
March 24: Barfly Box Office Bingo/Django/
Eames Bros. (costume/rock) 9 pm
March 26: Miss Jubilee's Curious Bingo (game)
9 pm
March 30: John Smyth (folk) 6 pm; Screwtape
Letters (post-punk) 9 pm
March 31: The Barn Bard (country) 6 pm;
Robin Gottfried Band (rock) 9 pm
Espresso Bueno. 248 N. Main St., Barre.
479-0896. Free/by donation unless otherwise
noted. events@espressobueno.com.
espressobueno.com.
March 23: The AccaFella (crooner) 7:30 pm
Positive Pie. 22 State St., Montpelier.
229-0453. positivepie.com.
March 16: Barika (world) 10 pm, $5
March 23: Mal Maïz (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 17: Saint Patrick's Day Bells. Traditional
Irish tunes will be played by Michael Loris on
the historic tower bells of Montpelier’s Trinity
United Methodist Church. 11:58 am. 137 Main
St., Montpelier.
Lifelong Learning program. 1:30 pm. Montpelier
Senior Activity Center , 58 Barre St., Montpelier.
learn.uvm.edu/osher
Wednesday Night Movie: Cars 3. 6–8 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St.,
Greensboro. $5. highlandartsvt.org
Introduction to Essential Oils with Elysia
Gingue. Find out ways to effectively and safely use
essential oils to support a more natural lifestyle as
an alternative way to manage health issues. 7 pm.
Jaquith Public Library, School St., Marshfield.
426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org
Vermont’s Remarkable Sharpshooters: A Talk
by Civil War expert Howard Coffin. Vermont
sent far more sharpshooters to the Union armies
than any other state on a per capita basis. Coffin
will discuss his recent research into this little-
recognized group and consider the reasons why
Vermont may have been so well-represented in this
elite group of marksmen. 7 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard
Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
THURSDAY, MARCH 29
Faculty Lecture Series: Leslie Johnson.
“More Than Just ‘Baby Weight:’ The Stigma of
Retaining Weight Gained During Pregnancy and
Its Relation to New Mothers’ Well-Being and
Comfort as Mothers.” 4–5 pm. Northern Vermont
University-Johnson, Stearns Student Center
Cinema, Johnson. jsc.edu.
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! 6 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main
St., Montpelier. roots@sparkofhumanity.net.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
Capital City Winter Farmers Market. Eat local
all winter long. Shop from over 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.
Spring Egg Hunt. Candy, prizes, and fun! Kids
ages 12 and under can collect chocolate eggs
and look for the gold and silver eggs to win prize
baskets. Arrive at 9:45 am for a 10 am start.
Hubbard Park Winter Street Gate, Montpelier.
Please bring a non-perishable food item for
admission.
SUNDAY, APRIL 1
Community Song Circles. Open to ALL ages and
musical abilities – all you need is a love of singing.
March 17: Pete’s Posse. Multi-generational
group of musicians that will take you on a
musical journey along the Celtic roots that run
from the British Isles to North America. 7:30
pm. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 122
Hourglass Dr., Stowe. $20 advance; $25 day-of
show. 760-4634. sprucepeakarts.org
March 20: Montpelier Ukulele Group Concert.
Celebrate the first day of spring by listening to the
joyous sounds of Montpelier’s own ukulele group.
6:30 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main
St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
March 24: A Night with Roy MacNeil & Friends:
The 2nd Benefit Concert for the Lamoille Area
Cancer Network. An exciting show of original
compositions, classical greats, traditional old-
time music, and more. 7 pm. Highland Center
for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro.
highlandartsvt.org
March 25: Bach Organ Marathon. 4th annual
Bach marathon with five organists. 1:30 pm.
Christ Church, 64 State St., Montpelier. Free;
donations benefit Montpelier schools’ music
scholarship fund. 371-5066. homeplacegirl@
gmail.com
March 28: One Night of Queen performed
by Gary Mullen & The Works. An unrivaled
celebration of one of rock’s greatest bands
and its flamboyant singer Freddie Mercury.
7:30 pm. Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main St.,
Barre. $22–42. 476-8188. barreoperahouse.org.
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. cal-vt.org
MONDAY, APRIL 2
Award-winning Author Karin Gottshall.
Presented by Norwich University’s Writers Series.
This visit kicks of Poetry Month for Norwich
University. 4 pm. Norwich University, Kreitzberg
Library Todd Multipurpose Room, Northfield.
TUESDAY, APRIL 3
Kathline Carr Reading: "Miraculum
Monstrum." Winner of the 2015 Clarissa
Dalloway “Everything But Poetry” Book Prize
from AROHO and a 2017 Best Book Award
finalist in the “Fiction: Cross Genre” category.
7 pm. Bear Pond Books, 77 Main St., Montpelier.
229-0774. bearpondbooks.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4
Walk-Through Wednesday at Orchard Valley.
OVWS grades school (8:30–9:30 am) and our
mixed-age kindergarten and Farm & Forest classes
(9:30–10:30 am) on our East Montpelier campus.
Campus tour and Q&A time during each. 2290
VT Route 14 N, East Montpelier. Register: 456-
7400 or enrollment@ovws.org
Bike Worcester to Elmore with Green
Mountain Club. Moderate. 30 miles roundtrip.
On Rte. 12. Leave at 10 am from the Worcester
Town Office. Eat lunch at the Elmore General
Store. Helmet required. Contact George Plumb at
883-2313 or plumb.george@gmail.com.
Introduction to Islam. Learn about the diversity
within the Muslim faith, what practices and
beliefs unite Muslims, and about issues of gender
and public policy. An Osher Lifelong Learning
program. 1:30 pm. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center , 58 Barre St., Montpelier. learn.uvm.edu/
osher
Why to Cleanse our Bodies from the Inside
Out! What is a Cleanse and why do one? There
are many choices for you. Learn which fits your
needs. 5:30–7 pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op
community room, Montpelier. $3 members; $5
non-members. RSVP: info@hungermountain.
coop
THURSDAY, APRIL 5
Planning Your Advance-Care. Learn how to start
March 30: Red Molly.Americana powerhouse
trio known for their gorgeous harmonies,
infectious songwriting, and captivating stage
presence. 8 pm. Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main
St., Barre. $25–29.50 barreoperahouse.org
March 31: Montpelier Chamber Orchestra
Concert Crawl. Masterful musical performances
in three intimate settings accompanied by food
and drink. Small groups of 20 guests travel
between the three host homes. Featuring Guitar
Virtuosity: Camilo Orlando, Sara Grace and
Andrew Suits, and Two Flutes and a Cello:
Flautists Laurel Ann Maurer and Brooke
Carleton will join Suzanne Smith. 6–9 pm.
Montpelier’s North College Street neighborhood.
$60. Purchase tickets from Ruth Epstein:
917-4865 or vtstringschool.org.
March 31: Jazz at Studio C. Allison Mann
will be joined by Chris Peterman (sax) and Joe
Capps (guitar). 7 pm. 8 Langdon St., 2nd fl.,
Montpelier. $15. Reservations recommended:
allisonjoymann@comcast.net
April 5: Noontime Concerts at Christ Church.
“My Sweet Enemy” Celebrating the Spanish
Renaissance with the Champlain Consort. Bring
a bag lunch! Noon. 64 State St., Montpelier.
Donations welcome. christchurchvt.org. 223-3631.
April 5: First Thursdays: Christine Malcolm
and Friends. Country, folk, blues. 6–8 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick
St., Greensboro. Free. 533-2000.
the conversation about what you want for end-of-
life care, leaving you with time to focus on what is
important. Understand available options, fill out
the Advance Directive, and get tips for talking to
your family. 5–6 pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op
community room, Montpelier. Free. RSVP:
info@hungermountain.coop
FRIDAY, APRIL 6
MSAC Huge Rummage Sale. April 6–7. 10 am–5
pm. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre
St., Montpelier.
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/events
SATURDAY, APRIL 7
The 31st Annual Vermont State Scholastic
Chess Championships. All Vermont students
from Kindergarten through Grade 12 are eligible
to compete for State Championships in nine
divisions. All abilities are welcome and encouraged
to participate! Top finishers earn the right to
represent Vermont in national competitions. Player
check-ins 8:30–9:30 am. Games start 10 am.
Rules and registration: http://vtchess.info
Monthly Day-Long Retreats. Provides an
opportunity to deepen 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 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
Turkey Hunting Seminar. A shotgun patterning
clinic. Participants should bring their own shotgun
and ammunition and keep them in their vehicles
until instructed to bring them to the range. If
you do not have your own firearm, shotguns and
ammunition will be provided. Hosted by the
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. 9 am–1 pm.
Barre Fish and Game Club, 31 Gun Club Rd.,
Barre. Register: https://www.register-ed.com/
programs/vermont/133-vermont-fish-and-wildlife-
seminars. More info.: 793-1894.
MSAC Huge Rummage Sale. 10 am–2 pm.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.,
Montpelier.
PAG E 18 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 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 Montpelier. BasementTeenCenter.org
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, the Twinfield Union School calendar and do not
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., Lego Club. Use our large Lego collection
10 am–noon. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N.
Main St., Waterbury. Free. Registration required: pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
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.,
Story Time and Playgroup. With Sylvia Smith
For ages birth–6 and their grown-ups. We follow
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.
to create and play. All ages. Thurs., 3–4:30
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.  have for your spiritual growth. You can borrow,
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
to visit the Reading Room and see what we
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 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 19

Perspectives on Animal Traps

Vermont Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife, Louis Porter,
Weighs in on Trapping compiled by Mike Dunphy

T he Bridge: Why does the State of Vermont

support trapping?
Louis Porter: I understand and respect people for
their views on trapping and their right to oppose it, but
there are several aspects they don’t understand. One
is that in some places where trapping is banned, or
virtually banned, such as Massachusetts, they now trap
as many beaver as they ever did. They just trap them as
a nuisance species instead of for fur. That matters for
two reasons. First, landowners have to pay trappers to
take those beavers instead of the trappers taking them as
part of their recreational or fur trapping. Second, the fur
from those beavers isn’t getting used and is just thrown
in the landfill. So the idea that you could ban trapping
and that it would result in animals not being trapped is
just wrong.
So the idea is that if you’ve got regulated trapping,
you’ll have fewer animals getting trapped as
nuisances.
Porter: Exactly.
And the nuisance animals are killed?
Porter: In nuisance trapping, yes. The reason for
that is we don’t want people moving the animals and
spreading disease. And in any case, moving them
probably wouldn’t work because there would most
certainly be another animal of that species occupying
the niche where they’d be moving them.
What animals are getting trapped in Vermont?
Porter: There are 17 species of fur-bearing animals, 16
of which can be trapped in some form. Of those, the
most common are probably beaver and muskrat. There
is also trapping for bobcat, coyote, and river otter. And
then there is trapping of animals primarily because they
are a nuisance, such as skunks and some others.
come up with the most humane traps and management
practices. Modern traps hold the animal but generally
don’t cause damage to them. In fact, when we are
reintroducing fur-bearing animals, we often use leg-hold
traps to catch those species because most of the time
they can be released uninjured. Recently we’ve brought
back martens to Vermont. The idea that trapping causes
a lot of pain and injury to the animal is not right. That
is not to say trapping doesn’t cause stress and anxiety for
the animal. It’s also not true that animals are stuck in
traps for days; that’s illegal. Except for killing traps, in
which the animal is killed immediately, you must check
your traps every 24 hours.
Might the animal injure itself trying to escape the
trap?
Porter: It’s possible, but that’s quite unusual with
modern traps.
Why not just shoot the animals as with hunting?
Porter: You could if you were willing to spend hours
waiting for a nuisance beaver or hire someone to do
that. But you really don’t want to shoot into the water.
That can be quite dangerous, especially in areas where
there are houses, people, or cars. When you are talking
about a nuisance trapping, the animals are usually in
areas near human infrastructure. So you really don’t
want people shooting at a pond near a house.
Is there any kind of new regulation or change to the
trapping laws you’d support?
Porter: Fur trapping is the most regulated recreational
activity in the state. We do support a bill that’s in the
legislature right now which would require nuisance
trappers to be trained and licensed as trappers.
Is there anything people can do to reduce the amount
of trapping required?
lock up your animals. You can put up fences. But in
some circumstances, trapping is the only solution and
always the most cost-effective one.
So in summary you find trapping to be a very
effective and humane way to control state animal
populations.
Porter: Yes. Trapping does cause stress and anxiety for
animals caught in a trap, but we do many things that do
the same—and cause death—from farming to hunting
to driving cars to building houses.
One of the things the anti-trapping advocates don’t
acknowledge is that recovery of many species is dependent
on trapping of other species, including animals that do
direct predation. Fishers are a major competitor of, and
a likely a predator of, American martens. We are trying
to restore martens in Vermont, and it’s facilitated greatly
in areas where there’s trapping of fishers.
Is there any other aspect to support trapping we’ve
not covered?
Porter: The fundamental belief and guiding principle
of my department is that people will conserve and
value and protect the things that they use and that
sustain them, and some of the best naturalists I know
are trappers and hunters. I think the fundamental
difference between those who support trapping and
those who oppose it, is the group versus the individual.
My primary interest and mission is on the population
level, and I think the concern with trapping is about
the individual animal. While that’s a very valid point,
and we should all be concerned about animals, in my
mind the overriding concern is managing and restoring
populations
So the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the
few?

What about the cruelty aspect of trapping?
Porter: Fish and wildlife departments and trappers
across North America have worked for a long time to
Porter: Certainly, and we always encourage people to
take those steps. You can put in what are called beaver
baffles, which lower the level of beaver ponds. You can
Porter: I would say yes. The need to have a healthy
habitat and population of wildlife outweigh the
consequences of individual animals for hunting and
trapping.

In the Name of “Recreation” by David Kelley

A
recent poll conducted by the Center for Rural Studies in Vermont revealed and wildlife have renewed and enriched
that 75 percent of Vermonters oppose leghold and body-gripping traps. The my life beyond measure. And since our
good sense of Vermonters is that we should make these traps illegal. If not earliest days as a nation they have defined
statewide, they should at least be illegal on the public lands that are owned and shared much of the American character. The
by all of us. The few people who want to continue this “recreation” shouldn't have unfettered freedom of wild animals
the right to impose this behavior on our lands when the vast majority of us oppose it. resonates with something deep down in
I used to live in Montana. My neighbor to the east was a man named Curt Carson. our DNA. Far from the madding crowds,
Despite the fact that Curt insisted there were no dogs in heaven, he and I were, and Mother Nature's harsh beauty and her
I hope still are, very good friends. Curt grew up in North Dakota, and he was a simplicity ground us in the essential
trapper. When ranchers in the Madison Valley wanted a trapper, they called Curt miracle of life.
and occasionally I worked with him. I knew very little about trapping then. I grew I live in Greensboro, Vermont now. My
up in Pittsford, Vermont. My relationship to wildlife was simple. We hunted deer and relationship to wildlife isn't as dramatic as
rabbits. We fished for trout. But I had my eyes opened out west. it once was. Still, it was a joy, two years ago, when two fox pups were born beneath

Opinion
In the Rocky Mountains my relationship to wildlife got up close and
personal. I watched an antelope give birth to twin fawns a few yards
from our cabin. I watched bear cubs play in the chokecherry trees not
far from the cabin. In late July we usually camped on Kelly Creek in
the Idaho panhandle, and almost every year, around six or seven in
the morning, we would see a proud momma moose, with her calf in
tow, parade up the creek, the calf's head just barely above the water. On the Madison
River I watched bald eagles swoop down from hundreds of feet and pull trout out
of the water in front of me. In the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area I listened to wolves
hunting the same elk we were hunting.
It wasn't all Disneyesque. I once came across a young antelope that was wet and
matted and staggering along the side of a road. I thought it was sick and I stopped.
The antelope walked a little farther and then jumped into the ranch irrigation ditch
that ran alongside the road. She struggled to get up the bank on the other side.
Several hundred feet off I saw a larger antelope watching us. It was probably the
fawn's mother who had jumped the ditch with ease, but the little one following her
couldn't make it. The fawn was left, desperately trying to get back to its mother. I
couldn't find the courage to jump in and lift it. Then the fawn just collapsed out of
sheer exhaustion. She was dead and I stood there as her lifeless body floated away
down the irrigation ditch.
I have been awed by the struggle and strength it takes to survive in the wild, made
even more difficult with the encroachments of mankind. More than that, wilderness
the large rock behind our house in Greensboro. One survived, and we
watched him come and go, hunting mice in our hay fields for a year
and a half. And I get a kick out of the raccoons that waddle over to
our apple trees in winter in search of a meal.
A lifetime spent hunting, fishing, camping, and living in wild places
has left me with an enduring reverence for wildlife, and I believe every
hunter and fisherman shares that feeling. But hunting and trapping have nothing in
common. Without watching a coyote, a fox, a bobcat, or a dog struggling in an MB
650 leghold trap or a beaver drowning in a Conibear trap, it is impossible to fully
grasp how hideous these traps are. There is no more skill involved in baiting a trap
near where a beaver, bobcat, or a fox is known to live than there is in putting peanut
butter on a mouse trap. To subject fur-bearing animals to the unnecessary suffering
inflicted by leghold and body-gripping traps in the name of “recreation” violates the
very essence of morality.
We Americans and Vermonters are fortunate to have had visionary leaders committed
to conserving wildlife and wilderness. That bond with nature, frontiers, and wildlife
is woven into our history and our culture. The fur-bearing animals that have in some
ways sustained us and been a part of that fabric deserve better. People in the State
of Colorado have made these traps illegal, and a lot of people in Montana are trying
to do the same. The Colorado law has common-sense exceptions for public health,
safety, and the protection of livestock. It is time for Vermont to likewise move ahead
and put an end to this senseless suffering.
PAG E 2 0 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

To Weatherize or Not to Weatherize: That’s a Question?

by Paul Markowitz, Net Zero Montpelier

H
igh heating bills getting you down? Tired of your home being cold in the
winter? Wondering how to get rid of those giant (and dangerous) icicles
hanging from your roof?
Weatherize Montpelier could be the right fit for you! Weatherize Montpelier is a
new initiative of Net Zero Montpelier, which is teaming up with local home energy
contractors to help you save money and stay warm by weatherizing your home. Over
550 Montpelier residents have already improved their homes through comprehensive
weatherization improvements, reducing their home heating bills by an average of
20–25percent! You could be next!
Typically, contractors will charge homeowners $300–$400 for a home energy audit
– which provides the basis for their cost estimate. Under Weatherize Montpelier,
qualified local contractors will conduct free home energy visits and prepare a free scope
of work for energy efficiency improvements in your home. These home energy visits
involve a visual assessment and walk-through of the home, which usually takes about
an hour. After the walk-through, the contractor will then develop a free scope of work
and quote for the cost of the work. This program is based on a successful model by
Weatherize Upper Valley, which has helped weatherize scores of homes in southern
Vermont and New Hampshire.
In order to qualify for the free home visit, homeowners are asked to complete a 15
minute online survey about their energy usage and housing characteristics. The on-line
survey can be found at www.netzeromontpelier.org/weatherize. Participants must sign
up by March 31st in order to qualify for the free home visit. Homeowners get to choose Home of Amy Gamble, 15 Spring St., Montpelier
from among four energy contractors for their free home energy visit. Participating After receiving an energy audit from a local weatherization contractor, we moved
contractors include: ahead with insulating the attic and packing the walls with cellulose insulation, using
• Building Energy spray foam insulation around a dormer window, tightening up the attic door and the
basement bulkhead door, and doing some spot air sealing in the basement. We chose
• Energy Smart of Vermont not to do extensive basement work at that time. After the work was completed, we had
• Montpelier Construction a dramatic 47 percent reduction in air infiltration. The house was much less drafty, and
felt noticeably more comfortable. Our fuel oil use dropped from nearly 1000 gallons
• Weatherization and Renovation of Montpelier (WARM)
per year to under 600 gallons, and even our electric use dropped by nearly 30 percent,
Efficiency Vermont has several attractive financial incentives to help you with home as it was easier to keep the house cooler in the summer. The benefits were immediate,
weatherization, including to $2000 in incentives and the Heat Saver Loan program, and financially the work paid for itself in about six years–and it keeps on paying. Our
which provides low-interest loans for qualifying projects. For more information $9,000 investment saves us about $1,500 per year in utility costs. In addition, we
on these financial incentives, go to: www.efficiencyvermont.com/services/financing/ replaced our aging furnace with more efficient one, added solar panels to our carriage
homes. For those homeowners who commit by May 31st to complete a project, Net house roof, and last year installed a heat pump to assist with heating and cooling. We
Zero Montpelier is providing a raffle prize of an additional $500 toward the cost of are now ready to tackle the second phase of weatherization—basement spray foam
the project. insulation!
Homeowners in Montpelier and surrounding communities are eligible to participate. Home of Jared and Joan Duval, 610 Elm St., Montpelier
Weatherize Montpelier is done in partnership with and co-sponsored by: the City
We moved back to Vermont
of Montpelier, Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, Efficiency Vermont, Green
in 2014 into an 1890
Mountain Power, Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network, and VSECU.
Victorian with a lot of
Below are three case studies involving Montpelier residents who have undertaken character, but it was also very
comprehensive weatherization improvements on their homes plus other measures to leaky and outdated when
reduce their home energy bills. it came to efficiency and
energy use. Our first year
in the house we consumed
over 1,000 gallons of fuel
oil for heating (space and
hot water), at a total cost
of nearly $2,400. So the
following spring, we decided
to do a comprehensive “whole-
house” retrofit to accomplish
four goals simultaneously:
reduce fossil fuel use as much
as possible, support the
Vermont economy by using
local and renewable energy,
increase comfort and improve
air quality for health reasons,
and save money. After
getting a comprehensive
energy audit, we first had
to make some improvements
to our foundation, and then
we moved forward with
weatherizing our basement
Home of Paul and Deb Markowitz, 4 Pearl St., Montpelier with spray foam and our attic with blown-in cellulose insulation. Overall, we reduced
our air leakage by over 50 percent. Overall project cost for the weatherization
We have a 1903 “Arts and Crafts” style house, with a total square footage of about improvements was approximately $11,000 and we received an incentive check from
2400 square feet. We have undertaken two major weatherization efforts–first in Efficiency Vermont for $1,700 reducing the total weatherization costs to a little over
2006 (focused on the attic) and then again in 2009 (focused on the basement). These $9000. We have also installed a wood pellet stove which comfortably heats almost our
improvements included: air sealing and bringing insulation levels up to 16" in the attic, entire house. We also converted our hot water heating from fuel oil to heat pump hot
spray foaming our basement down to below grade, and air sealing and adding insulation water heater. Our fuel oil usage is down to 100 gallons, while we burn approximately
to the attic hatch. The cost of these improvements was approximately $12,000 – with 4.5 tons of pellets – or an equivalent of 460 gallons of oils. In total, we have reduced
incentives from Efficiency Vermont. In addition to weatherization, we installed a wood our fuel usage by almost 50.
pellet stove in 2008. In total, we reduced our oil usage from 1400 to 425 gallons of fuel
oil. In addition to fuel oil, today we are now heating our house with two tons of pellets/
per year (or the equivalent of about 230 gallons of oil) for a total savings of about 650
gallons equivalent of fuel oil. This amounts to a 50 percent reduction in our oil use.
We also installed a heat pump hot water heater to replace our electric resistance heat We want to know what you think!
hot water heater – which cut our electrical by 25 percent. We also replaced our old oil
furnace with a high efficiency furnace. The benefits we are realizing? Reduced energy Email us at editorial@montpelierbridge.com
use and bills, increased comfort, and fewer rodents and spiders!
T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 21
Opinion
Hunger Mountain Coop Reaches New Milestone
by Kari Bradley
L
ast month our cooperative reached
a new milestone: we now have over
8,800 member-owners, 8,801 to be
exact, continuing a pace of nearly doubling
our membership over the past decade. That
means we are serving one out of every seven
people in Washington County. Together
we own and successfully operate a modern,
full-service grocery store to meet the diverse
needs of our member-owners, and we
routinely get high marks for service, product
assortment, and shopping environment. At
the same time, we strive to meet our mission
of contributing to a healthy community,
sustainable local food systems, and thriving
cooperative-based commerce.
At the heart of this mission-driven
enterprise is sound democratic governance.
As member-owners, we democratically
elect our council members from the
membership and vote on changes to bylaws
and expansions. Members attend our
annual meeting and other events to learn
and share information about their co-op.
Over the past decade, members have played
a critical role in various decision-making
processes, including topics of membership
benefits and a ten-year vision. This past
year, hundreds of members contributed to
conversations regarding member discounts
through meetings, interviews, and surveys.
Democratic ideals are not typical in the
grocery industry, but they are one of our
core values and one of the keys to our
success.
Our accomplishments are considerable.
Consider:
• We play a vital role in the local food
economy, giving 502 local vendors an
important sales channel. Nearly 40
percent of our sales last year were local
products, a new high. That translates
to nearly $9 million in purchases from
Vermont businesses.
• Our co-op is a key source of healthy food
in Central Vermont. Last year, we sold
$9.3 million in certified organic products,
while fresh food sales made up 44 percent
of our total.
Rocque Long
Painting
• Insured
• 30+ years professional
experience
• local references.
802-223-0389
Cody Chevrolet Congratulates The Bridge
On Over 20 Years of Business!
• We value the people who work here
and strive to offer a workplace where
employees are safe, engaged, productive,
and fairly compensated. For the last three
years, 100 percent of our 160+ employees
earned at least the Vermont livable wage
to go along with excellent benefits.
Annual employee turnover is currently
below 16 percent, and the average tenure
of our full-time employees is nine years.
• We are improving our impact on the
environment through extensive recycling
and composting programs, solar energy
generation, and reductions in overall
energy use. We are recognized by the
state as a Green Grocery Environmental
Leader for our sustainability practices.
• We are working hard to address food
insecurity in our community. In
December alone, we donated 650 bags
of healthy groceries to local families
and raised over 800 pounds of food and
$5,000 for the Vermont Foodbank. This
year shoppers are helping us raise over
$11,000 for the Montpelier Food Pantry
through our Bag that Bag program.
• We support other co-ops locally,
regionally, and nationally. For example,
last year we played an instrumental role
in the opening of the Morrisville Food
Co-op by offering technical advice, set-up
labor, and a loan.
• And our membership continues to grow
at a remarkable pace (almost three per
day last quarter) as more people value our
co-op’s products and cooperative business
model.
Our accomplishments don’t ensure future
success. There is much to do to better serve
our members, meet our mission, and sustain
ourselves in a rapidly changing environment
for retailers and other small businesses.
However, our collective strength and
commitment to our shared values should
give us confidence. Together we are making
a difference locally and beyond.
I hope you share my excitement about
our co-op. If you have questions or ideas,
please contact me at 802-262-3219 or
karib@hungermountain.coop. You can also
contact any of our council members. Their
contact information can be found at www.
hungermountain.coop. We welcome the
opportunity to sit down and hear your
thoughts. Thank you for supporting our
co-op!
Kari Bradley is the general manager of Hunger
Mountain Cooperative.
Do What You Do Best.
Bookkeeping · Payroll · Consulting
802.262.6013 evenkeelvt.com
PAG E 2 2 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

Greetings from the New

Executive Director of
Montpelier Alive by Dan Groberg

Opinion
Dear Neighbors,
Growing up in suburban Connecticut, a dinner out
meant piling into the car for a drive. The same was
true for a trip to the grocery store, while clothes
shopping meant an even longer drive to the nearest
shopping mall. Montpelier is certainly a refreshing
change of pace. Having now lived in small villages and mid-sized rust belt cities, I’ve
experienced a variety of communities, which helps me realize how special Montpelier
truly is.
When I tell my friends how many people live in Montpelier, they imagine a sleepy
town. After all, there are not many communities of 8,000 people that have dozens
of amazing restaurants, two movie theaters, an incredible local theater company, and
a thriving independent retail scene. But what makes Montpelier special beyond all
the amenities is that it manages to maintain the community feel of a smaller town.
It’s rare to walk down Main Street and not run into someone I know (if not several
people). In my four years working for the City, first at the Senior Activity Center
and then with the Community Services Department, I have grown to understand
the unique character of our residents and that a friendly face and a helping hand is
never far away.
I am taking the helm of Montpelier Alive at a truly exciting time for downtown
Montpelier. The coming year brings the long-anticipated extension of the bike path,
the completion of the Taylor Street Transit Center and apartments, the Caledonia
Spirits distillery, apartments in the French Block, a new hotel and parking garage,
and more! This fall, the State House dome will be regilded for the first time in more
than 40 years. Indeed, it seems a fitting metaphor for Montpelier—the Capital City
will shine brighter than ever before.
I look forward to standing hand-in-hand with neighbors and business owners alike to
build community together. My goal is to build upon Montpelier’s existing strengths,
leveraging our assets to make Montpelier more vibrant while maintaining what
makes it special.
In the coming years, Montpelier Alive will work to enhance the city’s position as a
preferred location for business; focus on keeping Montpelier a pedestrian-friendly
downtown with aesthetically pleasing and smart design; support compact, land-
efficient development that enhances the city's environment and preserves its historic
character and unique sense of place; and develop Montpelier as a center for social,
cultural, retail and culinary experiences.
I look forward to serving these goals, and know that I can count on your support.
My door is always open to anyone with an idea about how we can make Montpelier
an even more wonderful place to live, work, and visit.
Dan Groberg is the new executive director of Montpelier Alive.

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T H E B R I D G E M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 • PAG E 2 3
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Letters
Burn Ash Firewood Now to Slow Down
the Emerald Ash Borer
Editor,
Hello. You may know me as a writer and as the Outreach
Manager at the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management
District, but I'm writing to you now wearing a different
hat: that of a member of the Montpelier City Tree Board. I
wanted to let everyone know that one of my fellow Tree Board
colleagues, John Akielaszek, is an emerald ash borer expert.
None of us on the board were surprised that Vermont finally
had a verified sighting of the emerald ash borer recently, but
nonetheless we were dismayed.
Akielaszek has been closely tracking the emerald ash borer and
has inventoried Montpelier's ash trees, finding 600 in Hubbard
Park alone. He has some sound suggestions for residents that,
if followed, could help stem the spread of the emerald ash
borer so foresters and tree wardens can get a plan in place for
protecting our ash trees. With some care by residents, loggers,
and foresters, we may at least be able to slow the spread of the
ash borer and give folks a chance to come up with a plan.
One example of what Akielaszek suggests is simply asking
residents right now to prioritize burning the ash logs in their
wood pile between now and end of April in case there are
ash borer larvae in the ash wood. He also suggests no longer
purchasing ash for firewood, because moving it around, even
just a few miles from one town to another, could potentially
bring the emerald ash borer into our towns, now that we know
the invasive insect is within just 15 miles of Montpelier.
For more information, please feel free to contact either of my
two Tree Board colleagues at the following e-mail addresses:
John Akielaszek (habfan43@yahoo.com) or Tree Board Chair
John Snell (jrsnelljr@gmail.com).
Cassandra Hemenway
Let’s Raise All Boats
Editor,
It is a privilege doing business in Vermont, this state with
a great big heart! We make and eat and grow and create so
many beautiful things, a unique people in contemporary times!
Sadly, as the operator of Nutty Steph's for 14 years and a well-
integrated member of many facets of the community, I observe
the feeling of scarcity that plagues the commoners and small
businesses of our state, (as with all states in this wealthiest of
nations on Earth). In case you are wondering if you are alone
in your poverty, you are not. It is not in your imagination but
rather the fiscal reality of the political policies of our time.
The only solution to the epidemic paucity of our time is to
raise all boats with the tide of higher individual incomes, as
was envisioned by those who fought for and won the first
minimum wage law in 1912. In the 106 years since that time,
inflation has far outpaced minimum wage increases, and we
are again living in the slave culture that threatened the earlier
period of industrialization.
Today's wealth inequality is worse than ever. We work and
work and have no savings or wiggle room. Lacking disposable
income eclipses individual wellness and simultaneously casts a
shadow on the cultural drive for leisure, beauty, adornment, and
other miracles that feed the human soul. This in turn creates
anxious workers, who jump from job to job, never getting what
they need in exchange for their earnest efforts to contribute to
the world. This is why small business owners struggle most.
Turnover is far more expensive than a few more dollars an hour,
and I imagine my sentiment would be echoed by other small
businesses that are thriving while providing great pay and
benefits to workers, such as Farmers to You, The Alchemist,
and Red Hen Baking Company. To concerned business owners
I advise: pay more, provide a semblance of financial integrity
to your workers, and they will devote themselves, and your
business will thrive.
I'm glad Vermont is working toward a $15 minimum wage
and only lament that we are too short-sighted to be planning
for the $20 that will be needed by all workers by 2025, the
$20 that indeed is needed now. The higher, the better, for
individuals and Vermont small businesses. The greatest part
about spreading high wages across the whole society is everyone
will have more money for chocolate. Love!
Jaquleyn Ziegler Fernandez Rieke
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 30.
PAG E 24 • M A RC H 15 – A P R I L 4 , 2 018 THE BRIDGE

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