| VOLUME 27 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | August 17, 2023 |
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. STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
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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FRANKLIN COUNTY--The Supercharged Big Music Weeks of Summer continue this week as some of our friends play multiple gigs. Summer Sounds concludes in Highgate and there are also live shows in Burlington, Colchester, East Fairfield, Enosburg Falls, Essex Junction, Milton, North Hero, St. Albans City and Town, Sheldon, South Burlington, and South Hero. BIG MUSIC WEEKS
HIGHGATE--The Town of Highgate concludes the 32nd year of Summer Sounds concerts at home in Highgate with Sean Jarvis singing songs and playing guitar live on the Highgate Arena lawn on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. A guitar has been in his hands for as long as he can remember. SOUNDS OF SUMMER
The concerts are always on Sunday evenings, always at 6:30 p.m., always on the Highgate Arena Lawn, and always free. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair for the outdoor family music and festivities. The rain site is the Highgate Arena. Click here for more info.
ST. ALBANS--St. Albans for the Future hosts A Chair Affair Celebration Party with live music and desserts and a silent auction in City Hall on Saturday at 6-9 p.m., all to benefit Historic Church Street. The custom-painted Adirondack chairs have spent the summer in front of downtown businesses. ART ON THE WALLS
The buildings lined up on Church Street have been the public backdrop for a century of life downtown. The Our Historic Church Street initiative has explore the shared histories of the Saint Albans Museum the First Congregational Church, the Vermont Superior Court, Saint Paul's United Methodist Church and Saint Luke's Episcopal Church. The project will take them through the next 100 years.
Each chair has a QR code for online bidding or click here to see the chairs and to bid. Bidding will remain open until 8 p.m. and winning bids will be announced at the party.
Admission is free but donations are welcome. Find them on Facebook for more info.
MILTON--The Milton Artists' Guild offers Paint Your Own Pet with artist Laurie Thompson at the MAG Art Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. No furry friends will be coated. This class will walk through color mixing and painting techniques to get your pet's fur and features just right on canvas. The cost is $40 for members and $45 for non-members. Click here for more info. ART YOU CREATE
YOUNG TRADITION TOURING GROUP (August 25)--Auditions are now open for the 2023-2024 season. Touring Group members learn from and are supported by artist leaders and guest artists throughout the season, as well as engaging with culture bearers and young musicians and dancers while on tour. This year, the Touring Group season includes performances in Vermont and a tour to Quebec. This year's artist leaders will be Pascal Gemme and Veronique Plasse. Email Christina Kennedy or click here for more info. CALL FOR ARTISTS and MUSICIANS
THE PEOPLE'S ART SHOW (September 17)--Montgomery Center for the Arts hosts a free, non-juried, uncensored, exhibit to celebrate all forms of creativity, diversity, and imagination. The exhibition is open to everyone for up to two works of original art in any medium, any subject, and any size. All submissions must be exhibit-ready with all hanging hardware, mounts, and written instruction included. Find them on Facebook for more info.
NORTH HERO--Island Arts continues community dancing to lively music in Easy Folk Dancing for All Ages with dances from Armenia, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Israel, Serbia, Turkey and more with instructor Leslie Alpert in the Island Arts Center on Monday at 6 - 7 p.m. DANCE
All dances are taught. No partner required. No experience required, and new students are always welcome. Bring your water bottle. Classes will continue every Monday through September 25. Admission is free, but donations to Island Arts are appreciated. Email Leslie Alpert to verify the class schedule or click here for more info.
NORTH HERO--Island Arts continues the three part series on the Art of Conscious Communications with Kim and Bob Muncil at the Island Arts Center. Part 2 will be held this evening and Part 3 on Monday, both at 6 - 7:15 p.m. The classes will offer the tools to help one's communication skills as well as gain a deeper awareness of your relationships with others and yourself. The cost is $45 for the set of three classes or $20 for one class. Click here for more info. HUMANITIES
ST. ALBANS--The Saint Albans Museum presents Marty Podskoch with a History of the Vermont Civilian Conservation Corps Camps in the Bliss Room or on Zoom on Friday at 7 p.m.
The CCC began under Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal" to relieve the unemployment of the Great Depression. The CCC set up camps in many Vermont towns, state parks, and forests where workers built trails, roads, campsites, and dams, stocked fish, built and maintained fire observation systems, fought fires, and planted millions of trees. Mr. Podskoch has written eleven books and the weekly newspaper column, Adirondack Stories.
Find them on Facebook for more info and the Zoom link. The event is free and open to the public.
ENOSBURG--Cold Hollow Sculpture Park welcomes Aaron York for Perspectives 2023: Amazing Makers and a conversation on Wabenaki arts and culture on Saturday at 2 p.m. The international, traditional Wabenaki artist and teacher will show how the non-verbal language of material culture can transcend the limitations of communication through speech or the written word.
Admission is free but registration is required. Find them on Facebook for more info tickets and.
MILTON--The Milton Artists' Guild offers two free workshops this week. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
Artist, writer, TED Speaker (and MAG Executive Director) Corrina Thurston leads a workshop in Confidence as an Artist as part of the free professional development series at the MAG Center today at noon - 1:30 p.m. Click here for more info
Social Sundays continue at the Milton Artists' Guild Art Center with free weekly art classes for families at MAG on Sunday at 1 p.m. Each week offers a different project. Stay for 30 minutes or the whole two hours. Click here for more info.
SOUTH HERO--Island Arts hosts a Handcrafted Greeting Card Workshop with Pat Brennan on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. - 12 noon. Ms. Brennan will teach basic card-making. Tickets are $10 per person. The class fee includes two card kits per class. First timers are also required to buy a tool kit ($7) that includes a dispenser with double-sided tape, glue dots, sponge daubers, and a little bling. Bring scissors if you have them. Click here for more info.
COVID is still here. Cases and hospitalizations are rising nationwide and Franklin County had six new hospitalizations last week. The numbers seem small but not to our six neighbors in the hospital. COVID NEWS
The federal vaccine supply should last through the summer, which means COVID-19 shots will remain free to the public for that long. After the federal supply is gone, the COVID vaccine will be treated like other vaccinations, and the cost will depend on insurance plans.
Some health plans will offer partial coverage of COVID-19 treatments such as Paxlovid but that will be plan dependent. As always, check with your insurer for specific information on your plan.
The state and many municipalities also still have home antigen tests, available in libraries and town halls.
The Health Department still recommends following best practices. Call 855.722.7878 or visit healthvermont.gov for more info about the first or second dose and for booster shots of the vaccine.
My own plan remains unchanged, especially since our precautions have waned. I got the COVID and Flu shots, and the boosters, and I still take precautions because neither vaccine nor "natural immunity" is 100% foolproof. I wash my hands. I double mask with a genuine N95 mask (not a bandana and not a "chin strap") plus 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, August 17 ON STAGE LIVE
ST ALBANS TOWN--The weekly St. Albans Bay Farmer's Market and Concert Series continues with the Nobby Reed Project today from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. They have live music every Thursday evening into September. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro hosts the Lloyd Tyler Band with "an eclectic selection of songs you know by heart and maybe a few you don't" this evening at 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The 2023 Snow Farm Summer Concert Series continues with Sticks and Stones this evening at 6:30 p.m. Click here for more info
Thursday-Saturday, August 10-12
ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap starts off another weekend of music with Third Shift Live tonight at 6 p.m. two shows Friday night, Mark Abair Unplugged at 5 p.m., and then the Rough Suspects for late night music starting at 9 p.m., plus Cozy Rocking on Tap live on Saturday night starting at 9 p.m. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info. Click here to reserve a table.
Friday, August 18
ST. ALBANS--The Taphouse at Mill River hosts Chameleon in the lounge on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
MILTON--The Friday Night Live Music and Buffet at Arrowhead Golf Course presents Kyle Stevens on the deck on Friday at 6 p.m. The BBQ chicken buffet starts around 7 p.m. Both run until 9 p.m. The buffet costs $14 per person ($7 for each child). You don't have to be a member; the public is welcome. Be sure to come early, usually around 6, to get a good seat. Click here for more info.
ST. ALBANS--14th Star presents Mama Tried for a night of live music in The Room on Friday at 6 p.m. Rebecca Padula, Linda Kallinger, Ukulele Clare Innes, and Kathy Mulligan smoke through folk, bluegrass, and country favorites. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SHELDON--The Abbey Friday Night Music Series often has music in the Pub on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
BURLINGTON--Nectar's presents Meeting House favorites Beg, Steal or Borrow on Friday at 9 p.m. Doors at 8. With Jeremy Sicely, guitar and vocals; Luke Auriemmo, banjo and vocals; Roland Clark fiddle and vocals; Fran Forim, upright bass and vocals; and Geoff Goodhue, mandolin and vocals, the "Triple Crown Bluegrass Band" resurrects and builds on the music of Old and In the Way with original music and classic covers. Admission is $15 in advance or $18 day of show. Click here for tickets and more info.
Friday-Sunday, August 18-20
COLCHESTER--Live Music in June fills the Spanked Puppy with music all weekend. 90 Proof kicks it off on Friday at 6 p.m. followed by the Mullets of Rock on Saturday at 6 p.m. and Kyle Stevens on Sunday afternoon at 1 - 4 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
NORTH HERO--Island Arts has a double header this weekend.
Pianist Jorge Garcia Herranz returns in a special program of Granados and other works to be announced in the Island Arts Center on Friday at 7 p.m. The Spanish-born pianist is an experienced accompanist at the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud in Paris. His repertoire includes Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and Schubert, and more. His recent CD features the music of Astor Piazzolla. Admission is $25. Click here tickets and more info.
The Vermont Jazz Ensemble swings in to the Island Arts Center on Sunday at 6:30 pm. Picnic on the green at 5:30, weather permitting; otherwise, concert will move inside the barn. Vermont's own big-band swing/dance group has been swingin' for over 40 years at Nectar's, the Stone Barn, the Zenbarn, and in the Islands. Admission is $25. Click here tickets and more info.
ST. ALBANS--Twiggs often has shows on Friday and Saturday nights. Music starts about 6:30 p.m. Call 802.524.1405 or find them on Facebook for more info. Click here to book a reservation or to visit the art on the walls.
Saturday, August 19
ST. ALBANS--Northwest Farmers Market fills Taylor Park with live music, handmade crafts, locally grown food, prepared foods, free kids activities on Saturday from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. The market and the music continue every Saturday through October. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--Music in the Biergarten presents the Nobby Reed Project at Mill River Brewing on Saturday at 5 p.m. Call to make a reservation (802.582.4182) or find them on Facebook for more info.
NORTH HERO--The North Hero House presents the Soulo Davis Duo for Americana, roots, bluegrass, jazz, and soul originals and covers at the Steamship Pier Bar at Grill on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro hosts Tournesol on Saturday at 5:30 - 8 p.m. The French "sunflower" "plays songs and tunes from the 30s-50s in French café style." Find them on Facebook for more info.
Sunday, August 20
ST. ALBANS--14th Star presents Chris & Erica on the Taproom stage on Sunday at 3 - 6 p.m. They blend acoustic rock, country, and pop. Find them on Facebook for more info.
EAST FAIRFIELD--The Meeting House on the Green celebrates the resurrection of its long-silent tracker pipe organ by master organist and organ restorer Stephen Conrady on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The program will include a brief introduction and I Was Mute for Half a Century, an original composition written for this event. Mr. Conrady will also play Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and several hymns. Built around 1886 by Edward H. Smith of Montgomery, the organ is believed to be one of only three surviving Smith pipe organs in Vermont. It has been at least half a century since this instrument was played. Mr. Conrady, organist at the first congregational church in St. Albans, has rebuilt the organ during this past year.
The recital is free and open to the public. Click here for more info.
SOUTH BURLINGTON--Vermont Rises! 8084, the Chad Hollister Band, Rusty Dewees, Jamie Lee Thurston, and more are Vermont Strong at the Higher Ground Ballroom on Sunday at 4 p.m. Doors at 3.
The all star cast of Vermont bands come together to support the community rebuilding after July's devastating floods. MC Rusty DeWees hosts the event.
Admission is $25 in advance and $35 day of show. Click here or Find them on Facebook for more info tickets and.
HIGHGATE--The Town of Highgate concludes the 32nd year of Summer Sounds concerts at home in Highgate with Sean Jarvis live on the Highgate Arena lawn on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
The concerts are always on Sunday evenings, always at 6:30 p.m., always on the Highgate Arena Lawn, and always free. Click here for more info.
Monday, August 21
ENOSBURG FALLS--The Enosburg Business and Community Association concludes their own Summer Sounds 2023 with Summer Sounds favorites Carol Ann Jones and the Superchargers "blow up" Lincoln Park on Monday at 5:30 p.m. (It helps to know that car peeps call superchargers "blowers.") The rain date is Wednesday.
Admission is free. There will be food trucks on site and the Farmers' Market fills the park from 4 - 7 p.m.
Tuesday August 22
ENOSBURG FALLS--Summer Concerts in Lincoln Park conclude as the Enosburg Town Band plays on the Bandstand on Tuesday at 7 p.m. There will be a variety of music, arts and crafts for the kids, popcorn and drinks, and even ice cream sundaes (when available) every Tuesday evening. Find them on Facebook for more info.
Wednesday, August 23
ST. ALBANS--The Taphouse at Mill River hosts Coop, Bob Recupero for Wicked Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Summer Concert Series continues with the Ryan Sweezey Band in the E.A. Loomis Bandshell in Taylor Park on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. 14th Star and Pickle's Snack Shack will be on site. Admission is free. The concerts will move to 14th Star Brewery if it rains. Click here for more info.
NORTH HERO--The North Hero House presents the Blue Rock Boys-- Cliff Crosby, Eric Bushey, and Sabina Perkins -- for originals and covers of old fiddle tunes plus vintage county, R&B, jazz, the Stones, Beatles, Hendrix, and beyond at the Steamship Pier Bar at Grill on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro hosts George Murtie Wednesday evening at 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council Writers' Group meets in person at the Swanton Free Public Library 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. FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF
ST. ALBANS--The Eloquent Page's first Mystery Book Club meeting takes on the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk on Wednesday at 6 p.m. A priceless manuscript disappears in the book but the Eloquent Page (probably) hasn't lost any books and will have refreshments and gifts! Find them on Facebook for more info.
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 ... |
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Music!Links to the Summer Music series in Franklin County |
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Dick Harper, Chair
P.O. Box 1
Highgate Springs, VT 05460
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