| VOLUME 28 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | March 21, 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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"There just isn't any money," Gov. Phil Scott said as he signed the mid-year budget update. The governor is "deeply concerned this bill exceeds my proposed budget adjustment by almost $15 million. As the House Appropriations Chair has said herself, this leaves a $15 million gap in the fiscal year 2025 budget." The House Appropriations Committee has only until March 22 for its first draft of that budget. MONEY MONEY
The annual Budget Adjustment Act balances the state budget through the end of the current fiscal year on June 30.
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
Seamstress Billie Jo Garfield makes regalia, dresses and skirts, ribbon shirts, shawls, leggings, and traditional coats. Click here for her story and a look at her work.
STOWE--Bryan Memorial Gallery features A Song at Days End by Cynthia Rosen at the Gallery in Stowe and on Facebook.
The gallery has exhibits of the landscape painters of New England. The main showcase in Jeffersonville is open Wednesday-Sunday 11 - 4 and the Stowe Gallery is open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 11 - 5, and Friday and Saturday, 11 - 6. 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--Osher Lifelong Learning Institute continues the Spring weekly program series with music teacher Jennifer McConnell to discuss Anne Steele: Life & Hymnody in the Greg Brown Lodge at Hard'ack on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Ms. Steele was an 18th century Baptist hymnwriter in England. Ms. McConnell has composed new tunes for many of those hymns. HUMANITIES
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--The Vermont Abenaki Artists Association's monthly Bridging Perspectives speaker series continues with Andrea Tamburro to discuss Intergenerational Trauma: Healing and Resilience on Zoom today at 6 p.m. The program will examine the impact of colonization with a focus on the Abenaki and other Northeastern tribes and will explore healing practices that bring communities together and promote resilience.
The program is free but donations are appreciated. Click here to register in advance and for more info.
ONLINE--The Vermont Humanities Council presents Saint Michael's College Theater professor Peter Harrigan to discuss Barbie's Reflection on Our World on the VHC Digital Channel and at the Ilsley Public Library Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. Call VHC (802.262.2626) or Click here to register and for more info.
ESSEX--The Metropolitan Opera presents Gounod's adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo et Juliette "Live in HD" on the big screen at the T-Rex Theater at the Double E on Saturday at 12:55 p.m. Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts with soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Benjamin Bernheim. Find them on Facebook for tickets and more info. OPERA
The Met's award-winning series of live movie theater transmissions continues this season with a lineup of new productions and classic repertory favorites including La Rondine on April 20 and Madama Butterfly on May 11. Click here for more info.
MILTON--The Milton Artists' Guild hosts two workshops this week. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
The Paint Pouring with the Balloon Technique workshop with Laurie Thompson will be at the MAG Art Center this evening at 6 p.m. Participants will pour acrylic paint onto a canvas and use a balloon to push into the paint to create a floral effect. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Click here to register and for more info.
Social Sunday continues 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.
SWANTON--The Swanton Library hosts a Clay Earring Class on Friday at 5 p.m. The class will create two different kinds of clay earrings. All skill levels welcome. The class is funded by a generous grant from the Swanton Arts Council. Click here to register and for more info.
COVID-19 is still here. Hospitalizations statewide were down to 17 for the week ending March 2, down another five from the week before. Eleven, or almost two-thirds of those hospitalizations were in Franklin County. Only one Vermonter died from the virus in the week ending March 2 for a pandemic total of 1,132 in Vermont. (28 total deaths were reported in January, the most in about a year.) COVID NEWS
CDC estimates that 97% of Americans have some level of immunity, from either vaccination or infection or both, but the fact that 42 Vermonters have died and 370 have been sick enough to require hospitalization since New Year's Day remains worrisome. That Franklin County has less than 8% of the state population and accounts for more than one-third of those hospitalizations (128) is more so.
Researchers at the University of Vermont have determined that COVID-19 vaccines may not have been as effective in some people. The study revealed that vaccinated people who produced fewer antibodies had a reduced immune response. Those with reduced protection included men, folks over 65, overweight people, diabetics, smokers, and those with a history of emphysema. The findings mirrored a study conducted in the U.K.
Some people who received the Moderna vaccine had increased antibody production and a slightly better immune response. People who had previously had a serious bout of COVID that required hospitalization before they were vaccinated also had significantly higher amount of antibody production.
None of these results are particularly surprising but it's nice to get confirmation. And the bottom line is that taking precautions is a lot smarter than burying your head in the sand.
Vaccines are available for COVID, the Flu, and RSV, the three main viruses that cause people to end up in a hospital. According to the state COVID-19 and Flu Vaccination Dashboard still just 17% of Franklin County residents have received the new COVID vaccine, trailed only by Essex County. That compares to about 24% of Vermonters statewide who have had the latest COVID-19 vaccine and 37% of Vermonters who have gotten a flu shot. Vermonters have not moved those numbers much in the past five 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 current JN.1 variant dodges all but the most up-to-date immunity. The omicron variant is long gone. 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, March 21 ON STAGE LIVE
SOUTH HERO--Cooie Sings for Acoustic Thursday at the Blue Paddle Bistro this evening at 5 - 7 p.m. Her music includes "a dollop of blues, a touch of jazz, a bit of folk and some old time rock'n'roll." Click here for more info.
ST. ALBANS-- Coldwell Banker and Hickok & Boardman host a special Comedy For A Cause at Twiggs to benefit Spectrum Youth and Family Services this evening at 6 - 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include a buffet dinner, cash bar, and door prizes. Tickets must be purchased in advance and will NOT be available at the door. Call (802.846.9581) email Nicole Broderick , or call (802.846.9583) or email Julie Lamoreaux for more info. Click here for tickets.
Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23
ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap starts a weekend of music with Summer Sounds favorites Jenni and the Junketeers tonight at 6 p.m. two shows Friday night, Duncan MacLeod at 5 p.m., and then the Lloyd Tyler Band returns for late night music starting at 9 p.m., plus two more shows live on Saturday night with Uncle Jimmy at 5 p.m., and Ryan Sweezy and the Midnight Walkers at 9 p.m. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info. Click here to reserve a table.
ST. ALBANS--14th Star Brewing Company goes to bat with a triple header this weekend. It's Karaoke and Open Mic Night live in The Room at this evening at 6:30 p.m. Ray's Used Cars Band drives right in with original songs and popular favorites on Friday at 6 p.m. Next Stop Comedy brings Boston stand up to the Railroad City on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
Friday, March 22
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.
Friday-Sunday, March 22-24
COLCHESTER--The Spanked Puppy has a double header this weekend with Kyle Stevens on Free Music Every Friday at 6 p.m. and Elizabeth Begins on Sunday at 2 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
JERICHO--The Jericho Cafe and Tavern fills the weekend with Live Music in March. The Tom Caswell Blues Project plays Friday. PET Project comes in live on Saturday night. Music starts at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for 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.
Sunday, March 24
KEY COLONY BEACH, FL--The KCB Community Association Concerts in Sunset Park series concludes with Summer Sounds favorite John Bartus to play original "trop rock" and old favorites live in the new tiki in Sunset Park on Sunday at 4 p.m. Free. Click here for more info.
HIGHGATE--The Highgate Library and Community Center hosts their Adult Virtual Book Club with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley online on Tuesday at 6 p.m. In the summer of 1950 we meet Flavia de Luce, a young, aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. Email Adah to register and for more info. FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF
ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Free Library hosts Mornings, Muffins, and Mysteries this morning at 10:30 a.m. The group reads a variety of mystery genres and meets the third Thursday of each month. Click here 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
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