| VOLUME 25 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | March 4, 2021 |
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.
... FROM THE ARTBITS DESK ...
E-Mail Delivery
Sign up to receive the free weekly ArtBits
newsletter by e-mail
or by RSS feed.
Vaccination appointments will open to Vermonters 65 and older on Monday. Gov. Phil Scott expects this phase will take about only two weeks to complete. CANCELLATION (AND RESTART) NEWS
People who have been vaccinated with both doses may now travel in and out of the state without quarantining. They also do not need to quarantine if they've come into contact with someone who is positive but must follow all the other health mandates, including not gathering with people outside your household and wearing a mask in public places. Call the state's COVID-19 vaccine call center at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (855.722.7878) for info and appointments.
The state has COVID-19 vaccine appointment times in St. Albans. Walgreens, not administered by the state vaccination program, opened last week to vaccinate those age 65+.
It is crucial to maintain our precautions as the number of new COVID-19 cases in Vermont continues to rise.
We face the most dangerous time of the pandemic. The State of Emergency continues. Non-essential travel to and from the state still requires quarantine unless you are vaccinated. The Vermont statewide mask mandate remains in effect along with the ban on multi-household gatherings and the order to close bars and social clubs. About 30 percent of schools are open for in-person learning, 50 percent have a hybrid option, and 20 percent are still fully remote.
With the vaccine "here," many want to resume normal
social activities. Please don't let down your guard.
As of last Sunday, the Vermont Dashboard showed a total of 15,098 cases, up from a reported 14,359 last week. There have been 204 deaths (1.4% of cases). The seven-day average test positivity rate stood at 1.5 %. Vermont's seven-day per capita infection rate is about at the middle of the pack at 16.3 per 100,000 residents; Oregon reports 9.1/100K and next door New York reports 30.7/100K. CDC reported 712 new cases (down from 836 last week) this past week although HealthVermont reported only 130 new cases. The state's arithmetic still does not add up; it is an interesting, and ongoing, disparity. Franklin County had 23 new cases this week, 209 in the last two weeks.
329,898 people (up to 52.9% of the Vermont population) have been tested a total of 1,059,706 times, although that data comes with a crucial caveat:
• A negative test result yesterday says nothing We still need a daily test that costs ten cents and gives results in ten minutes (and a way to collate those results).
about an individual's health today.
Click here to get started and find more info.
Summer Sounds is scheduling the 30th season. Arrowhead Golf Course will resume the Friday Night Live Music and Buffet in June. Celebration of Expressive arts has started scheduling a 2021 season. The Meeting House on the Green has eight live summer concerts scheduled. 14th Star, Twiggs, and other restaurants are offering some live music while other artists and venues are doing more online. The Vermont Humanities Council has ongoing arts and literary digital events and programs including First Wednesdays and Vermont Reads. Although the activities may take place at a distance from Franklin County, they are available safely and locally online at vermonthumanities.org.
The Vermont Dairy Festival has changed format and Vermont Maple Festival will host only virtual events for 2021.
Because I write this weekly column largely on Sundays, the infection rates reported here will lag "live media" reports. Since it appears on Thursday and covers an entire week in the future, that also means events and happenings are likely to change with morphing State mandates. Be sure to check with the organizers of any event for up-to-the-minute info.
Although so many of our favorite activities won't happen going into the new year, all the volunteers will stay as active as possible and this weekly column about the arts and entertainment around the region will continue to serve up live and almost live events and artists from around the region. Read all about it here every Thursday.
ST. ALBANS--The Artist In Residence Gallery features different artists each month. This month, the spotlight is on Brad Blaisdell, painter Patrick Murphy, and fiber artists Claire Graham Smith and Pam Krout-Voss. ART ON THE WALLS
The art and fine craft cooperative has new works every week and an online gallery at artistinresidencegallery.org. The gallery 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 Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
MILTON--The Milton Artists' Guild new Virtual Social Sunday Program has free art kits and online instruction available for reservation each week, free to all families, for pick up at the gallery. Videos will be added each week for instruction. click here for more info. MORE PAINT
The MAG online shop is open 24/7 and the gallery is open Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Here's the roundup of virtual music and events for this week. ALMOST LIVE ON STAGE
Thursday, March 4
The Frost Jazz Hour UM presents the Stamps Jazz Trio on Facebook today at 11 a.m.
The University of Miami Jazz Department broadcasts live from WDNA 88.9 FM studios every Thursday at 11 a.m. Admission is free. Anyone on or off Facebook is invited. (Programming note: the Eric Stern Trio, scheduled for last week, was cancelled.)
The Virtual Open Mic goes live on Facebook every Thursday from 7 - 10 p.m. It's a central location in Waitsfield for streaming and invites artists to post performances freely.
Robby Eldridge was live with the Warm Auction from Pittsburgh, PA, on Facebook. Mike Pedersen was live on Facebook and StEm acoustic duo was live with an original song on Facebook this week.
Friday, March 5
Young Tradition interviews Touring Group alum Sebastiaan West, currently attending college in Rotterdam, on Facebook page on Friday at 7 p.m. as part of the series of online concerts and interviews by current and alumni members of the Touring Group.
Watching is free but YTV requests a $5 donation. Proceeds are split between participating group members and Young Tradition Vermont, all to support this year's Touring Group project, which started rehearsals in September and will continue through a final project in late April. Donations can be made through Paypal . email for more info.
Summer Sounds favorite John Bartus' Perpetual Island Tour will perform Social Distancing Concert 50 (!), Live from the Florida Keys, thanks to Facebook Live at about 7:30 p.m. Find him on Facebook for the watch party.
Mr. Bartus played Social Distancing Concert 49 featuring Dan Fogelberg live from his studio on Facebook on Friday evening.
Andrew Lloyd Webber will stream his musicals in the free YouTube series, The Shows Must Go On, every Friday at 7 p.m. for 48 hours. A new show begins tomorrow. Clips of famous performances and behind-the-scenes footage also appear on the channel beside the full shows.
Click here for Mr. Webber's YouTube channel for all the details and to subscribe.
Saturday, March 6
River Arts' Music and Movement broadcasts Live on Facebook with Mark Frankel of the Blue Man Group on Saturday beginning at 12 noon.
Tune in the first Saturday of every month to sing songs and move to music. Each month will be hosted by musicians and performers from the Blue Man Group. Click here for more info.
The Young Tradition Touring Group goes live and online at the Chandler Center for The Arts on Saturday at 7 p.m. on Facebook. The concert will open with the 2020/2021 Youth Commission ensemble led by Maeve Fairfax and four other Touring Group members. Touring Group artist leaders--Oliver Scanlon, Fern Tamagini-O’Donnell, and Hilary Menegaz Weitzner--for 2020/2021 will do a set. Call 802.728.9878 or click here for more info.
The Touring Group has a second concert scheduled for the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury on Saturday, April 3.
Tuesday, March 8
Great Music in a Great Space--Cathedral of St. John the Divine--presents Raymond Nagem in Tuesdays at 6 live on Facebook on Tuesday. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. The 2021 concerts are streamed on Facebook every Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 9
Big Heavy World presents Rocket Shop, the original local music radio hour hosted by Tom Proctor, every Wednesday night from 8 - 9 p.m. Vermont artists from across the state perform live in every genre on 105.9FM The Radiator in Burlington and as a podcast on bigheavyworld.com.
Ongoing
Styx guitarist, singer, songwriter, and performer Tommy Shaw with the 90 musicians and singers of the Cleveland Contemporary Youth Orchestra & Chorus performed Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man), accompanied by music director Will Evankovich and conducted by Liza Grossman in 2016. It's on Styx' YouTube channel and on Facebook.
Summer Sounds favorite Mark Shelton sang in shorts from the Big Oaks Resort in Spring Hill, FL, on Facebook on Friday and led a gospel sing-a-long on Facebook on Sunday.
Follow him on Facebook for a link to this week's offerings.
Randy Smith of 8084 channeled a bit of Steve Perry with Lights in a fundraiser for the Vermont Food Bank on Facebook
Soul Train played Live at the Rochesterfest livestream stage at Graham Park on Facebook .
LaSonya Natividad, vocals; Vivian Lark, keys and background vocals; Rock Shultz, lead guitar and vocals; Michael Little, rhythm guitar and vocals; Gabriel Green, drums; and Eric Haglund, bass; cover classic and progressive rock.
Billy Wylder (aka Avi J. Salloway) released the music video Santiago on YouTube. He performed at a CEA at The INN in 2017.
Vermont Humanities Council presents Librarian Jessamyn West with Libraries in the Time of Covid on the VHC Digital Channels on Wednesday at 3 p.m. FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF
Ms. West helps us to understand the role of the library in these unusual times. Libraries have a central role in their communities, often being the only place to access free internet and other technology necessary for life in 2021. In the wake of the pandemic, libraries have had to both evaluate and rapidly respond to the changing world.
The free event will be held on the Digital Programs portion of vermonthumanities.org, on Facebook, and on YouTube. Pre-registration is not required for this event.
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 ... |
||
Music!Links to the Summer Music series in Franklin County |
||
Dick Harper, Chair
P.O. Box 1
Highgate Springs, VT 05460
email us
|
This article may also have originally
been published in the traditional print
media. It is
Copyright © 2021 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved.
Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained
(if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine). Thanks to recent misuse of copyright material on the Internet by individuals and archival firms alike, we emphasize that your rights to this article are limited to viewing it and printing it for personal use only. You must receive explicit permission from the All Arts Council and the author before reprinting or redistributing this article in any medium. Visit our Trademarks and Copyright page for more information. |