| VOLUME 28 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | February 8, 2024 |
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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ENOSBURG--The Opera House at Enosburg Falls presents V! A Night of Vivacious Variety , the art of the tease with Mistress Manifest, Ginge O'Lolly, and comedian Mike Thomas, on Friday at 8 p.m. Doors at 7 for food by Phoenix House and cash bar by 14th Star. The evening includes special performances by Marie Ragan's Patsy Cline tribute, Renee Juliette, the Northern Nightingale, hPlay! from Canada, Alice Reighley, ShuShu+Co, Jenna Emerson and more. VIVACIOUS VARIETY
Admission is $25. Click here for tickets and more info. $5 from each ticket sale and 50/50 raffle will benefit Tony Dupra in his fight against kidney cancer.
SWANTON--The Vermont Abenaki Artists Association features certified fine, decorative, and performing artists officially labeled as "American Indian" under Federal law. ART ON THE WALLS
Jean Burbo says her ability for making jewelry and crafting came through the teachings of her mother, a very talented artist. Ms. Burbo's jewelry has evolved in both traditional and contemporary pieces.. Click here for her story and a look at her work.
ST. ALBANS--The Artist In Residence Gallery offers Hearts for Your Honey as a fundraiser. Ornaments are individually created and cost $12 each.
The art and fine craft cooperative features paintings, fiber arts, stained glass, sculpture, lamps, pottery, folk art boxes, scarves, hats and more by 40 Franklin County and surrounding area artists. It is owned and operated by the artists and sponsors. The gallery on South Main Street is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here or find them on Facebook for more info.
JEFFERSONVILLE--Bryan Memorial Gallery congratulates Legacy artist Liane Whittum for having a digital copy of Copper & Bubbles on its way to the lunar surface on the next SpaceX launch. Find the painting on Facebook or visit the gallery to see more of her work.
Evoking Vermont's Landscape opened in Stowe yesterday to showcase works from six Vermont artists.
The gallery has exhibits of the landscape painters of New England. The Stowe location is open but the main showcase in Jeffersonville is closed for winter break. Appointments are available. Call ahead (802.644.5100) to schedule or click here for more info.
ST. ALBANS--14th Star Brewing Company holds the weekly Maker's Market in the Taproom on Sunday from 1 - 3 p.m. The pop-up booths host local crafters and makers every Sunday afternoon. Find them on Facebook for more info. ART FOR SALE
ST. ALBANS--The Village Frame Shoppe has an original 2024 Vermont Solar Eclipse poster with photos and design by local artist and owner Dan Pattullo.
The eclipse in St. Albans will be total on April 8, starting about 2:14 p.m. NASA says the solar eclipse cutting from Texas to Maine in April 2024 will be way cooler than any before it. The path means it will be the most populated eclipse in the US, with 31.5 million people able to experience the event outside their own homes. Click here for more info.
MORRISVILLE--River Arts hosts the in-person, February Sip n' Slurry for Galentine's and Significant Others Day with Barbara Flathers as the pottery twist on a Paint n' Sip on Friday at 6 p.m. Create heart shaped bowls together. ART YOU CREATE
The cost is $55. Click here to enroll and for more info.
ENOSBURG FALLS--Awaken Yoga & Creative Arts Studio host a Valentine's Love Birds Paint & Sip at Kathy's Tavern on Depot Street on Tuesday at 6 - 8 p.m. The cost is $40. Admission includes all painting materials. Find them on Facebook for more info tickets and.
ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Community Arts Valentine's Day Creative Connections continues at St. Albans City Hall on Wednesday at 4 - 7 p.m. CALL FOR ARTISTS
Working on a creative project? Want to try something new but need special tools? Need an extra set of hands? Have donations for SACA projects? Interested in a material swap? SACA co-director Jennifer Kostuck takes over the Council Chamber with creative pointers and equipment including a sewing machine, heat tools, drawing materials, paints, papers, and more for use. Creative Connections will fill the space on the second Wednesday of the month. All ages and backgrounds are welcome. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SAPPY ART SHOW (April 9)--The Vermont Maple Festival and Village Frame Shoppe & Gallery exhibit is open to Vermont all artists, aspiring artists, and young artists working in any 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional media. This year's theme is Totally Eclipsed by Vermont Maple. Works will be juried and on display at the Village Frame Shoppe during the Vermont Maple Festival. Cash prizes. No entry fee. Click here for more info and to register.
MAPLE SUGARING AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST (April 23)--The Vermont Maple Festival and Village Frame Shoppe & Gallery exhibit is open to all amateur Vermont photographers only. This year's theme is Totally Eclipsed by Vermont Maple. Works will be juried and on display at the Village Frame Shoppe during the Vermont Maple Festival. Cash prizes. No entry fee. Find them on Facebook for more info and to register.
ST. ALBANS--Northwest Public Access TV needs a part time, freelance videographer. "As the eyes of our community, you'll be at the forefront, recording the inner workings of municipal and school board meetings, the excitement of local sports, the melody of concerts, and the wisdom of local presentations." NWTV covers meetings, sports, concerts, presentations and more of the community's most significant moments. Hours vary from 5-10 per week, mostly evenings. Equipment and basic training will be provided. Email Programming Coordinator Josh Prior or click here for more info. CREATIVE JOBS
FAIRFIELD--Bent Northrop Memorial Library needs library lovers to join the BNML Board of Trustees. Trustees meet the third Thursday of each month at 4:30. Open seats will be voted on at the in-person Fairfield Town Meeting on March 5. Call Sarah Allerton (802.827.3945) or Email for insights about the board and to let them know. Click here for more info about the duties and responsibilities of a trustee.
HIGHGATE--The Highgate Library and Community Center is hiring a part-time Library Assistant for about three evenings each week. They seek someone who is personable and kind, has previous customer service experience and a can-do attitude. Find them on Facebook or click here for more info and to apply.
ST. ALBANS--The City of Saint Albans presents Movies that Matter: Waste Land at the Welden Theater on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The 2010 British-Brazilian documentary follows artist Vik Muniz to the world's largest landfill outside Rio de Janeiro where he collaborates with a group of workers who salvage recyclable materials from the garbage to make contemporary art using some of the materials they have "picked." FILM
The free viewing of the Oscar-nominated film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring local artists, art teachers, and BFA High School student artists. Admission is free. Email for more info.
FRANKLIN--Haston Library and Vermont Humanities welcome Michael Lange to examines the Many Meanings of Maple at Franklin Homestead on Saturday at 11 a.m. His live talk focuses on how and why maple has become so important to Vermont's identity, and how it helps us shape who we are as Vermonters. Dr. Lange is a professor of anthropology and folklore at Champlain College. Call Josh Worman (802.285.6505) for more info. HUMANITIES
ST. ALBANS--Osher Lifelong Learning Institute continues the Fall weekly program series with sleight-of-hand artist Christopher McBride's glimpse into the workings and effects of How Our Minds Influence the Effects of Sleight-of-Hand Magic in the Greg Brown Lodge at Hard'ack on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
OLLI no longer takes payments at the door. They "strongly recommend that all attendees/members pre-register prior to the start of the program." Click here for more info.
ONLINE--Vermont Humanities presents poet Tina Escaja to discuss Mar y virus/Virus and the Sea on the Vermont Digital Channel on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The multimodal electronic project directly responds to the impact of COVID-19 on society and the environment. She will share texts from the project to show a test of what makes us human. Dr. Escaja is a writer, digital artist and Distinguished Professor of Spanish and Gender and Women's Studies at UVM. Click here for more info about the talk and to register for the Zoom event.
MILTON--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. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
SOUTH HERO--Snow Farm Vineyard and Once Upon A Rock host a Pebble Art Workshop on Sunday at 2 p.m. This workshop will use pebbles, rocks, stones, driftwood, and lake glass to create artwork. From framed pieces to candle holders, each piece is unique. Sip on wine and nibble on a charcuterie while they provide guidance and inspiration; what you make will be completely your own creation.
The cost is $35. Click here for tickets and more info.
MORRISVILLE--River Arts' Mindful Art Series has a Mixed Media Adventure with Jen Volanksy this evening at 5:30 - 8 p.m. The process-based collaborative art session will create art while having fun exploring materials such as acrylics, watercolors, and pastels, and blending techniques.
Tuition is $30. Click here to enroll and for more info.
COVID-19 is still here. COVID NEWS
Cases and hospitalizations increased slightly and fatalities continue to average about six each week, As of January 31, there were 46 more hospitalizations statewide, up from 39 the prior week. 28% of the statewide hospitalizations (13) were in Franklin County, the same as the week before. There were six more COVID-related deaths reported statewide in the week ending January 20 for a pandemic total of 1,112 in Vermont.
Vaccines are available for COVID, the Flu, and RSV, the three main viruses that cause people to end up in a hospital in the Winter respiratory virus season. According to the state COVID-19 and Flu Vaccination Dashboard just 16% of Franklin County residents have received the new COVID vaccine, trailed only by Essex County. That compares to about 23% of Vermonters who have had the latest COVID-19 vaccine and 35% of Vermonters who have gotten a flu shot. Vermonters have not moved those numbers much in the past three weeks.
COVID vaccines are 100% free to everyone 6 months and older living in the United States, regardless of immigration or insurance status. The free shots are available via health insurance, Medicare, and through federally qualified health centers, pharmacies participating in the federal Bridge Program, or district health department offices. Free N95 masks are also available at many of the same locations. Pharmacies in Vermont may now give COVID-19 shots to kids ages 3 and older. Click here for more info.
Every U.S. household may order four free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to home. The state and many municipalities also still have home antigen tests, available in libraries and town halls or food pantries. Click here for more info.
Some health plans will also 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 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 and the new COVID variant dodges our current immunity. 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, February 8 ON STAGE LIVE
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro hosts the famed TBA for Acoustic Thursday this evening at 5 - 7 p.m. Click here for more info.
NORTH HERO--The North Hero House hosts Karaoke Night in the Event Barn this evening at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
Thursday-Saturday, February 8-10
ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap starts a weekend of music with the Jeff Salisbury Band tonight at 6 p.m. two shows Friday night, Sibling Reverie at 5 p.m., and then the Bad Horsey returns for late night music starting at 9 p.m., plus two more shows live on Saturday night with Kyle Stevens at 5 p.m., and Staircase 24 at 9 p.m. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info. Click here to reserve a table.
Friday, February 9
COLCHESTER--Songwriter Chris Lyon plays the live and free Friday Music Night at the Spanked Puppy on Friday at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--Off The Rails at One Federal often has live performances in the lounge on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SHELDON--The Abbey Friday Night Music Series often has live performances on Friday about 6:30 p.m. Reservations are suggested. Find them on Facebook for more info.
BURLINGTON--The 28 strings and four musicians of the arithmetically challenged Vermont Mandolin Trio plays Metronome on Friday at 7 p.m. Doors at 6:30. Will Patton, Jamie Masefield, and Matt Flinner, with Pat Melvin on bass play an eclectic mix of bluegrass, jazz and roots music from Bach to bluegrass. Admission is $15. Click here for tickets and more info.
Friday-Sunday, February 9-11
ST. ALBANS--The Taphouse at Mill River has double header weekends in February with Giovanina Bucci on Friday and Cooie and Adlai live on Saturday night. Music starts at 5:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--Twiggs often has shows on Friday and Saturday nights. This week they host the return of acoustic artist Roger Giroux on Friday and Sean Jarvis live on Saturday night. 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, February 10
KEY COLONY BEACH, FL--The new Pickleball Club has a big fundraising weekend planned. They host a special Pickleball Donor Concert in the Park with Rick & Dayna live in the new tiki in Sunset Park on Saturday at 2 - 5 p.m.
ST. ALBANS--14th Star presents NightHawk for a night of live music "to get you dancing" in The Room on Saturday at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--The Saint Albans Museum hosts a heartful Valentine's Day Dance with the Crowe Hill Band live in the Bliss Room on Saturday at 7 p.m. "Come alone or with a partner and get ready to dance." Happy hour begins at 6.
Light refreshments will be served and there is a cash bar. Admission is $20. Click here for tickets. SAM's elevator is out of service.
MIDDLEBURY--The Vermont Mandolin Trio continues their northern Vermont tour at the Town Hall Theater on Saturday at 7 p.m. Admission is $32 for table seating or $22 for regular seating. Click here for tickets and more info.
Sunday, February 11
BURLINGTON--Foam Brewers presents Dale and Darcy with Americana, Celtic, bluegrass, and roots live on Sunday at 1 p.m. The small, independent craft brewery has live music most days. Jazz Thursdays feature some of the Queen City's best jazz musicians. Times vary. Click here for more info.
Tuesday, February 13
BURLINGTON--Hotel Vermont celebrates the 2024 Mardi Gras Party with Summer Sounds favorites Mango Jam and Yankee Chank on Fat Tuesday at 7 - 10 p.m. as a benefit for the Tom Sustic Fund. The evening will include a dance floor, snacks (Cajun gumbo and King cake), and a cash bar. Though not required, Mardi Gras costumes and dancing are encouraged. Masking for COVID is optional.
Admission is $15. Click here for tickets and email for more info.
Wednesday, February 14
SHELDON--Happy Valentine's Day at the Abbey with roses and David Miller singing love songs on Wednesday about 6 p.m. Reservations are suggested. Find them on Facebook for more info.
MORRISVILLE--Moog's Joint will mix things Valentine's and do a thing. Bleeding Hearts Van Comedy Jam for Valentine's Day features Matt Vandy, Alex St. Louis, Paul Tenney, Max Higgins, and local legend Ian Paul with very special guest, DJ 2 Rivers all on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door. Call 802.730.8091 for reservations.
Plan Ahead, Part II
EAST FAIRFIELD--Last week, we announced that the 2024 season of Meeting House Music begins with "the jazz-hyped blues and country and western music" of Michael Hurley at the Meeting House on the Green on April 21. That show is sold out and the series has added: a second show on Tuesday, April 23. Nance Shaw notes that "This one is half full already. Snock fans need to call ASAP 802-827-6626 if they want a ticket." Seats are limited and "unless their name's on my list, they're out of luck!" Click here to see the 11 shows of the summer line up.
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. ON THE 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
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Highgate Springs, VT 05460
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