DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 26 * * All Arts News On the Web * * April 21, 2022

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


     Franklin County's arts and music gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. There are also booked and acoustic Open Mic Nights that feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.

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TAP INTO VERMONT MAPLE

      The 55th edition of the Vermont Maple Festival this weekend brings a new schedule and a bucketful of events for the first (and sweetest) outdoor festival of the year. It happens in downtown St. Albans starting with the annual Maple Toast at noon tomorrow.
"We are doing our best to bring back as much of the full-scale Vermont maple festival from the past however, because of covid and the challenges everyone has had we were not able to secure the locations needed that we normally use. In trying to keep everyone as safe as possible we are having an outdoor event. Only one indoor area will be used for the maple product contest, the maple cooking contest, the festival merchandise store, and the festival maple store at the St. Mary's parish center. There will be no craft show, antique show, fiddlers show, pancake breakfast, beverage tasting, [or] paint & sip."
      A friend here in the Keys commissions me to bring him a gallon or two of syrup; he drinks some and the rest gets served up at the local Disabled American Veterans. He's from New Hampshire.

HUGE PARADE
      The Maple Festival Parade -- the biggest in Vermont -- on Sunday, starts at a new time: 11 a.m. The parade stretches for miles with the BFA Marching Band and over 100 marching bands, fancy floats, bag pipers, clowns, dancers, fire trucks horses and tractors new and old, musicians, neat cars, probably the odd politician or two, scouts, and the ever-popular pooper scooper. Remember that the route has changed. The parade will march up Stebbins Street, over Main Street, past the Main Street Stage and Judging Stand, and down Lower Newton Street.

ARTS
      The Village Frame Shoppe hosts a Sappy Art Show with the annual Maple Festival Amateur Photo Contest in the window all weekend. The theme is maple sugaring. Judges check on a variety of criteria and pick a winner for each of the four categories (maple processing, people, scenery, and maple syrup being loved). They will be open Friday 10-5 and Saturday 10-3.
      Windows of downtown St. Albans shops are decorated with maple scenes, each trying to outdo the other to capture the honor of being named the business with the best maple display. Judging takes place on this year's theme, Tap into Vermont Maple.

SPECIAL EVENTS
      Taylor Park is also packed with events from Pipsqueak the Clown, Little Fox Entertainment, and more.
      The Youth Talent Contest returns. It will be accessible live on Northwest Access TV tomorrow evening at 7 p.m.

MORE MUSIC, MORE ENTERTAINMENT
      The fabulous entertainment for free on the Main Stage begins a weekend of free entertainment tomorrow at noon and runs through Sunday after the parade. Look for live Music and Dance from noon - 6 p.m. The stage is free! click here for more info about the shows.
Friday
      Little Fox Entertainment has balloons in Taylor Park on Friday, noon-4pm
      The Friday entertainment lineup on the free Main Street stage begins with a piano duel by Joshua Glass and Andriana Chobot on the Main Street Stage at 1 p.m.
      Jason Tardy's High Energy Juggling Family Show is in Taylor Park on Friday at 1, 2, and 4:30 p.m.
      Pipsqueak the Clown does face painting in Taylor Park on Friday, 1-5 p.m.
      The Phil Abair Band featuring Keeghan Nolan puts Vermont on the dance floor on the Main Street Stage. 4-6 p.m.
Saturday
      The Electric Youth Dance Company takes over Main Street. This talented group of dancers in several age groups learn the fun and discipline of dance in St. Albans on the Main Street Stage. 10 a.m.
      Pipsqueak the Clown does strolling clown comedy in Taylor Park on Saturday, 10am-3pm
      Facemania is in Taylor Park on Saturday, 10am-5pm
      Dragon Man brings fire-eating, fire juggling, fire swords, and fire breathing to Taylor Park on Saturday, 10:30 a.m., 12:00, 2:00, and 3:00 p.m.
      Little Fox Entertainment has balloons in Taylor Park on Saturday, 11-4pm
      Aim High Canines "Reach for the Stars" in Taylor Park on Saturday, 11:00 a.m., 1:00, and 2:30 p.m.
      Young Tradition is a statewide presenter with several hundred events each year including several Events for Tom. They offer residencies, performances, workshops and fiddle clubs including a Fiddleheads residency leading up to the Maple Festival.
      Young Tradition Fiddleheads on the Main Street Stage. 12 noon-12:10 p.m.
      The Young Tradition Touring Group features players, singers and dancers from Franklin County and many other places. They bring in performers we don't often get to see here. On the Main Street Stage. 12:10-1 p.m.
      Shake the Duo features Jesse Agan and Ryan Sweezey playing uptempo and accessible music that emphasizes vocal harmony and melody on the Main Street Stage. 1:30-3 p.m.
      Back by popular demand, powerhouse singer-songwriter Morgan Myles keeps the country going on the Main Street Stage. 4-6 p.m.
Sunday
      Little Fox Entertainment does face painting in Taylor Park on Sunday, 10-2pm
      Arrrrgh. Rockin' Ron the Friendly Pirate makes Sunday Family Fun time with friendly tunes on the Main Street Stage. 12:30-2 p.m.
      Click here for more info.


PANDEMIC NEWS

     Vermont reported 1,518 new COVID-19 cases statewide last week which is the highest rate per capita in the nation. Franklin County reported 219 cases in the 14 days ending Friday.
      The state's case numbers and hospitalizations are rising as the BA.2 subvariant spreads. The average number of daily new cases has risen 41%, to about 217 per day. Hospitalizations also have increased. The state had 443 more cases last week when compared to the week before.
      Vermont relies on self reporting. Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order eight free at-home COVID-19 tests in two separate sets of four from COVIDtests.gov. Go there for links to the 20,000 no-cost antigen and PCR COVID-19 test sites nationwide. Most major chains including Walgreens, CVS, Price Chopper, and Walmart should have free N95 masks for distribution.
      Whether you have contracted and recovered from this coronavirus or haven't yet received a booster or even if you have done it all, immunity has waned for many of us. That lowered resistance leads to infections and increased transmission of the virus. The FDA has approved the fourth booster for those over 50; Anthony Fauci thinks it likely an additional booster will be approved in the fall. Here's my own advice as we weigh whether to get another booster dose now or wait until later in the year. Get the COVID shot(s), get the booster(s), and take precautions, particularly if you are inside with other people--that means wearing a mask, despite the CDC relaxing the "mask mandates" this week. Statewide, about 309,000 Vermonters or 67% of the eligible population has completed vaccination and gotten a booster. Franklin County continues holding with about 63% of the people having completed the vaccine and the additional dose; that's unchanged over the last four weeks. Only Essex County with 55% vaccinated and boosted, and Orleans Counties at 62% have lower rates.
      No vaccine is 100% foolproof. Wash your hands. Keep wearing an N95 mask where you can't control the airflow around you until we reach the same herd immunity we have for smallpox and once had but lost for measles because so many parents refused to vaccinate their kids. Bonus: it will also help protect you from pollen, summer colds, and the winter flu.
      Call 855.722.7878 or healthvermont.gov for more info about the first or second dose and for booster shots of the vaccine. You can also walk-in at Costco, CVS, Hannaford, Price Chopper/Market 32, Rite Aid, Shaw's, Walgreens, or Walmart, or get an appointment with CVS, Kinney Drugs, Walgreens, or UVMMC Outpatient Pharmacies.


ART ON THE WALLS

MONTGOMERY--Montgomery Center for the Arts hosts Soul Work, a solo show by Crissie Kovacs with an Earth Day opening and reception at MCA tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. There will be tipples and nibbles and a Talk Back.
      Ms. Kovacs "shares a body of work that pays tribute with reverence to the fusion of art and nature through photography and other mediums." The multi-media artist has fused science, art and nature. The show continues until the end of the month.
      The gallery is open Saturday and Sunday 12 - 4 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.


ART YOU CREATE

SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council offers free Take and Make Kits of a mini terrarium for adults and teens. Kits will be available at the Swanton Free Public Library starting Saturday. Limited quantities, first come first served.


MORRISVILLE--River Arts pottery instructor Barbara Flathers hosts the in-person, April "Sip n' Slurry--Clay Whistles and Shakers" as the pottery twist on a Paint n' Sip on Friday at 6 p.m. Learn basic hand-building techniques like slab rolling, coil building and surface techniques to make a clay whistle or a musical shaker.
      The cost is $45. Click here to enroll and for more info.


CALL FOR ARTISTS

PARKS & RECREATION (May 8)--All artists painting in two dimensions are invited to submit contemporary works depicting the Vermont State Parks. This call is for the 2022 exhibits held at Bennington Museum and Bryan Memorial Gallery. Click here for the specs, the online entry, and more info.


WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

JEFFERSONVILLE--The Bryan Memorial Gallery 2022 Cabin Fever Season continues with Painting Atmospheric Landscapes, a two-day workshop led by Rosalie Sidoti on Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. The workshop will show how to create atmosphere and activity in your painting to evoke a thought, memory or idea to the viewer.
      Single one-day workshops are $100 each for members or $125 each for non-members. The two-day events are $200 for members or $250 for non-members. Click here to register or for more info.


MILTON--The Milton Artists' Guild holds Sparkle and Shine, a workshop of painting glass and reflective surfaces with watercolor, with Gary Eckhart on Saturday at 9 a.m. This workshop will reveal the tricks and teach the techniques through a series of demonstrations and exercises.
      The cost is $80 for members or $85 for non-members. Click here for more info and to reserve a space.


IN THE SAC

SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council Writers' Group returns to the Swanton Free Public Library to meet in-person this evening at 6 p.m. They meet the third Thursday of each month to share progress and join in the discussion about longer projects and anything else about writing, reading, publishing, and more. Email Becky Rupp or the Swanton Library for more info.


ON STAGE LIVE

     Here's my own plan as U.S. deaths approach one million and our precautions wane. I got the COVID and Flu shots, and the first booster, and I take precautions because no vaccine is 100% foolproof. I wash my hands. I double mask with a genuine N95 mask (not a bandana and not a "chin strap") and a surgical mask where ever I can't control the airflow. It isn't much of a burden and it mostly protects me from all the people without masks I see in stores and concerts.


Thursday, April 21
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro hosts singer-songwriter Carol Ann Jones with Jon Sochin this evening at 6 - 8 p.m. They play the third Thursday each month at the Paddle. Find them on Facebook for more info.


Friday, April 22
SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council hosts a Poetry Slam at the Swanton Free Public Library on Friday at 6 p.m.


ST. ALBANS--14th Star presents the roaring, witty, original folk-pop band Troy Millette & the Fire Below for a night of live music in The Room on Friday at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.


SHELDON--The Abbey Live Music Series continues with Chris & Erica in the Pub on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.


Friday-Saturday, April 22-23
ESSEX JUNCTION--She Was Right returns to On Tap on Friday night at 5 p.m. There are two more shows live on Saturday night with Peter Wayne Burton at 5 p.m., and 90 Proof starting at 9 p.m. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info. And to confirm. Click here to reserve a table.


Saturday, April 23
ESSEX--The Double E hosts two showings of the Vermont Burlesque Festival Main Event, Le Tres Grand Spectacle plus a special Junction Conjunction, all on Saturday at 4:15, 5, and 8 p.m.
      Emceed by Foxy Tann, "The Boss of Burlesque," the show has headlining performances by 2017 Burlesque Hall of Fame's Queen of Burlesque Medianoche and others. Click here for tickets and more info.


ST. ALBANS--Twiggs hosts XX live on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
      Call 802.524.1405, find them on Facebook, or click here for more info.


SHELDON--The Abbey hosts the Johnny Cash Tribute Show in a benefit concert for the UVM Children's Hospital on Saturday at 7 p.m. It's part of the WOKO Big Change Roundup For Kids. Find them on Facebook for more info.


Sunday, April 24
ST. ALBANS--14th Star hosts a release party for local recording artist Julia Parent's new album Tomorrow Afternoon in The Room on Sunday at 1 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.


Wednesday, April 27
ST. ALBANS--Troy Millette Presents: Sample Sets on the Taproom Stage at 14th Star on Wednesday from 6 - 9 p.m. Mr. Millette's special "flight" will have three new acts from established solo acts, to fresh new faces, to special guest appearances every Wednesday evening. Act One begins at 6 p.m., Act Two at 7, and Act Three at 8 all with no cover charge. Find them on Facebook for more info.


Plan Ahead: November 12
SOUTH BURLINGTON--8084 returns to Higher Ground for their 40th anniversary celebration on Saturday, November 12.
      Admission is $22 per person in advance or $50 for the VIP package. Find them on Facebook or click here for tickets and more info.


ALMOST LIVE ON STAGE

     Virtual music and events continue this week.


      Summer Sounds favorite John Bartus' Perpetual Island Tour "comes to a screeching halt" for knee replacement surgery on Wednesday. He will be out of commission for at least a month. Facebook Live Concerts are on hold for at least a few weeks as well. He played the Key Colony Inn on Tuesday and Wednesday and will be at Sparky's tonight leading into a "mini-residency" with four shows at Boondocks on Saturday through Monday. Find him on Facebook for what comes next.


      The 1983 Battle of the Bands at Memorial Auditorium in Burlington is on YouTube.


      The Great Vermont Bluegrass Band with Brett Hughes, Matt Flinner, Caleb Elder, Jake Schepps and Pat Melvin performed Cuckoo's Nest live in Burnham Hall in Lincoln on YouTube.


      Summer Sounds favorite Mark Shelton sang a special Easter concert on Facebook on Sunday morning but the "surprise snowfall in Vermont took out the power early [Tuesday] morning." It was still out so there was no live show Tuesday night. Follow him on Facebook for a link to this week's offerings.


HUMANITIES

NORTH HERO--The Vermont Humanities Council presents Utopia and Apocalypse led by Jim Schley live at the North Hero Public Library on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Participants will explore 19th and 20th century visions from the utopian to the apocalyptic of the future, looking at repression, community, socialism, capitalism, feminism, creativity, ethics, and evolution.
      Call Caroline Korejko (802.372.5458) for more info.


POETRY

ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Writers Club hosts an evening with Vermont-based poets Alison Prine and Stephen Cramer in the Greg Brown Lodge at Hard'Ack on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in honor of National Poetry Month.
      Ms. Prine and Mr. Cramer will share some of their work during the first hour followed by an open mic for St. Albans Writers Club members and any other writers to share their writing. Find them on Facebook for more info.


ON THE BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at library events in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site at AllArtsCouncil.org/books. We also take an occasional peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. Those reviews can be found on the ArtBits Bookshelf.


Good News!

There are so many events around the region that we miss some of them.
Be sure to check these calendars for what's happening near you ...
All Arts Council of Franklin County
Cambridge Arts Council
Franklin County Regional
Chamber of Commerce
Island Arts
St Albans Community Arts
Swanton Arts Council
Young Tradition Vermont

Music!

Links to the Summer Music series in Franklin County
Summer Sounds
Summer Music at Grace
Downtown Summer Concert Series
Music at the Meeting House
Citizens Concert Band
 
Enosburg Town Band


SUPPORT LIVE ARTS IN YOUR TOWN!


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