| VOLUME 26 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | July 14, 2022 |
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 Big Music Weeks of Summer continue this week as some of our friends play multiple gigs and Mark Shelton headlines Summer Sounds. There are live shows in Enosburg Falls, Essex Junction, Georgia, Highgate Center and Highgate Springs, Milton, North Hero, Sheldon, South Hero, and St. Albans City and Town. BIG MUSIC WEEKS
HIGHGATE--The 31st year of Summer Sounds concerts at home in Highgate continue with Mark Shelton and the Jailhouse Rockers on the Highgate Arena lawn on Sunday evening at the new time of 5:30 p.m SOUNDS OF SUMMER
We have no idea how many stars to expect when Summer Sounds favorite Mark Shelton shows up with his full, live band behind him. "Maybe we should do three sets," he said. "We'll do an Elvis Presley tribute and a couple special surprises! Plus who knows?"
Mark Shelton's astounding voice and dynamic performances leave audiences mesmerized. An International Elvis Hall of Fame artist, his The King Returns concert tours are internationally sold out. His shows have been featured on ABC News, CBS Inside Edition, Good Morning America, and more as well as globally in India, Fuji Television Network in Japan, and the Daily Mail in the U.K. The "Hillbilly Cat" has that Star quality to move from the 50s to the 70s with the King of Rock n' Roll as the perfect way to start the season.
The Summer Sounds Social in the Park also continues with food, bouncy castles, drinks from 14th Star Brewing, and more.
Summer Sounds welcomes the 2022 sponsors of this popular series: Big Al's Snack Bar, Desorcie's Market, and LaShures Pro Shop. The concerts are always on Sunday evenings, always at 5:30 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 the entire summer schedule.
ENOSBURG--Dan Rockmore will explore What Happens When Machines Learn to Write Poetry? in Poetry by Machine at Cold Hollow Sculpture Park on Saturday at 2 p.m. SCULPTURE, POETRY & TECHNOLOGY
What is poetry-and how does a machine write it? Dr. Rockmore, is professor of mathematics and computer science and the Director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science at Dartmouth. He and Cold Hollow's David Stromeyer, will consider the human-machine divide in a public talk that explores how algorithms affect the human experience and how we live our lives. This is the second program in a five-part series How We Make Things.
Admission is free but Click here to register and for more info.
Lots of changes ahead for reporting on and managing the pandemic. Vermont shut down its COVID-19 testing sites after they had operated for more than two years and had reported most of the 3.6 million results recorded by the state Department of Health. At the same time, Congress seems unlikely to continue appropriating for COVID programs so individuals will soon have to pay for tests, vaccines, and treatment out of pocket or with insurance. Ten wastewater plants across the state are included in the CDC's National Wastewater Surveillance System--Bennington, Brighton, Burlington, Essex Junction, Johnson, Morrisville, Newport, Springfield, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, Troy and Jay, and Winooski--which allows a direct measure of COVID-19 levels in each area but the data has been disorganized and spotty and there was no data at all last week. Finally, the state is neither collecting nor reporting as much data recently as this winter. It is more difficult for Vermonters to discover--and abate--their personal risk level. PANDEMIC NEWS
The state reported 390 new COVID-19 cases statewide last week a number I find increasingly questionable. Franklin County reported 61 cases in the 14 days ending Saturday.
Vermont relies on self reporting. You can report self-test results by following instructions on your test kit to automatically provide your results to your local health department or with the Vermont COVID-19 Self-Test Result Reporting Form. If you test positive, stay home and isolate for five days. You can leave your home on day six if your symptoms have improved and you have had no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine that reduces fevers.
Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order a third round of free at-home tests from COVIDtests.gov. Need other tests? COVIDtests.govalso has for links for at-home tests at retailers and pharmacies, insurance reimbursement for at-home tests, and the 20,000 no-cost antigen and PCR COVID-19 test sites nationwide. Most major chains including Walgreens and Price Chopper locally 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 fourth booster is available for those over 50. Here's my own advice. 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 indoors. Statewide, about 322,200 Vermonters or 69% of the eligible population have completed vaccination and gotten a booster. Franklin County remains at about 65% of the people who have completed the vaccine and the additional dose. Only Essex County with 57% vaccinated and boosted, and Orleans County at 64% 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 visit 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. Providers and pharmacies must give vaccines at no cost to the patient.
MONTGOMERY--The Montgomery Center for the Arts continues A Stitch in Time…, a series of stitched and appliqued quilts by Beth Burgess through the end of July. The quilts feature country scenes, floral patterns and geographic shapes. They are available for sale. ART ON THE WALLS
MCA is open on Saturday and Sunday at 12 noon - 4 p.m. Click here for more info.
ART NOOK (ongoing)--The Swanton Free Public Library art display within the library is open anytime the library is open with actual librarians to sell the artwork. No listing fee or percentage. Each exhibit is up for two months. First come first serve. The bulk of the sales are on opening night where Swanton Arts Council provides a stipend for refreshments. Email to reserve a spot and for more info. CALL FOR ARTISTS
GATHERING OF THE REALMS RENFAIRE (now)--Swanton Arts Council seeks artists and crafters for a new two-day craft fair themed around renaissance and magic to be held in September. The celebration of artists and entertainers framed by the renaissance era coupled with the fantasy worlds of dragons, wizards, and space travelers will take place outdoors at the Swanton Recreation Commission ball fields. Find them on Facebook or email GOTRVT2022 or Swanton Arts Council for an application and more info.
Celebrate the arts and keep them solvent. It's a raffle to help arts orgs fundraise with a drawing on Saturday. The partners all have regular appearances in this column: Artist in Residence, the MAC Center for the Arts (the Memphremagog Arts Collaborative), Milton Artist Guild, Swanton Arts Council, Vermont Dance Alliance, and Vermont Stage. Tickets are $5 and have a chance at a $3,000 cash grand prize. Second prize is $500 in gift cards and third is $100 in cards. Click here for tickets and more info. BIG DEAL FUNDRAISER
SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council hosts the free Junk Journal Workshop with instructor Faith Dubois, at the Swanton Free Public Library on Saturday from 10 a.m. - noon. "A Junk Journal is a handmade book of recycled and found materials and ephemera. The pages can be used to write, draw, paint or record memories, thoughts, ideas, and inspiration. The finished junk journal can become anything you want." Participants are encouraged to bring an empty cereal or cracker box. Click here or visit the library to register and for more info. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
NORTH HERO--Island Arts hosts a Songwriting Workshop with instructor Mike Lewis at the Island Arts Center on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The two-hour workshop introduces the lyric and music composition techniques essential to writing compelling songs. The lyric exercises will focus on accessing and describing sensory memories. He will also share his approach to song structure, melody contour development, and harmonic accompaniment. Straight from Nashville, Mr. Lewis is half of the national touring duo, the Twangtown Paramours. The cost is $50. Click here to sign up and for more info.
SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council hosts the free Flower Fairies and Mermaids with instructor Janet Dimick Soavi, at the Swanton Free Public Library on Monday from 6 - 7:30 p.m. The free evening workshop offers conversation and poetry while learning to make mermaids and flower fairies. Click here or visit the library to register and for more info.
MILTON--Social Sundays continue at the Milton Artists' Guild Art Center with free weekly art classes for families at MAG on Sundays at 1 p.m. Each week offers a different project. Stay for 30 minutes or the whole two hours. Admission is free but registration is required. Click here for free tickets and more info.
Here's my own plan as U.S. deaths top 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. ON STAGE LIVE
Thursday, July 14
ST ALBANS TOWN--The weekly St. Albans Bay Farmer's Market and Concert Series continues with Soulshine Revival today from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. They have live music every Thursday evening. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The 2022 Snow Farm Summer Concert Series continues their 25th anniversary season with Dirt Road this evening. Music starts at 6:30 p.m. but "come as early as you would like." Click here for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro hosts Dave Miller this evening at 5:30 - 8 p.m. The singer-guitarist plays late '60s and early '70s easy listening and sing-a-long. Find them on Facebook for more info.
Thursday-Saturday, July 14-16
ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap starts off another weekend of music with John Gratton tonight at 6 p.m. two shows Friday night, the Robin Gottfried Band at 5 p.m., and then Lazar Dad returning for late night music starting at 9 p.m., plus two more shows live on Saturday night with Mitch and Jeff at 6 p.m., and the Rough Suspects starting at 9 p.m. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info. Click here to reserve a table.
Friday, July 15
MILTON--The Friday Night Live Music and Buffet at Arrowhead Golf Course presents She Was Right 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 $13 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 Nashville singer-songwriter Madeleine with Jeff Anderson for a night of live music in The Room on Friday at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
NORTH HERO--Island Arts presents Sohyun Ahn, Piano Solo & 4-Hands, at the Island Arts Center on Friday at 7 p.m.
The New York-based pianist will play a program of Mozart and Debussy for her premiere appearance in the Champlain Islands of Vermont. She will be joined by Vermont pianist Eun Hee Park in a piano 4-hands selection.
Admission is $25. Click here for tickets and more info.
Friday-Saturday, July 15-16
NORTH HERO--The Steamship Pier Bar and Grill at North Hero House welcomes Ryan Hanson to play live on Friday and The Duo--John Seiden and Neil Wright--on Saturday. Music begins at 5:30 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, find them on Facebook, or click here for more info.
Saturday, July 16
SHELDON--The Sheldon Historical Society will celebrate its history during the Sheldon Old Home Day with live music, a parade, a festival, free ice cream, and more on Main and Bridge Streets on Saturday at 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Music throughout the day begins with Terry Fiske and Wayne Laroche at the review stand at 11 a.m. The Old Man Garage Band plays the Bob's Meat Market BBQ at 12 noon. Summer Sounds favorites Carol Ann Jones and Will Patton headline the afternoon at 1:30. Admission and ice cream are free for all ages. email for more info
ST. ALBANS--The second 14th Star Parking Lot Party of the summer will rock the brewery side parking lot for a day of live music, craft brews, food, and outdoor games on Saturday from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Mad Mojo takes the stage at 3 p.m., followed by 90 Proof Headlining at 6 p.m.
They have "some surprises" in store and admission is free. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The dynamic Bettenroo Duo returns to the Blue Paddle Bistro on Saturday at 5 - 7 p.m. Their blended harmony complements their guitar, bass and percussion work. Find them on Facebook for more info.
NORTH HERO--Island Arts presents The Twangtown Paramours at the Island Arts Center on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Picnic on the green starting at 5:30 PM (weather permitting). The award-winning husband and wife Americana duo is from Nashville.
Admission is $25. Click here for tickets and more info.
ENOSBURG--Country Boy Classics presents Bon/Fire VT on Saturday at 7 p.m. The tribute to the musical career of Bon Scott and Brian Johnson brings the true sounds and total visual experience to the early years of AC/DC. Admission is $25. Click here for tickets and more info.
Sunday, July 17
ST. ALBANS--Music in the Biergarten presents Cooie and Adlai at Mill River Brewing on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Call to make a reservation (802.582.4182) or find them on Facebook for more info.
HIGHGATE--The Town of Highgate continues the 31st year of Summer Sounds concerts at home in Highgate with Mark Shelton on the Highgate Arena lawn on Sunday evening at the new time of 5:30 p.m
Bring a blanket or a lawn chair for the outdoor family music and festivities. The rain site is the Highgate Arena. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro hosts Summer Sounds favorite Troy Millette & the Fire Down Below Sunday at 5:30 - 8 p.m. The Fairfax singer/songwriter has performed alongside Grace Potter, Counting Crows, Rick Springfield, and more. Find them on Facebook for more info.
Monday, July 18
ENOSBURG FALLS--The Enosburg Business & Community Association continues their own monthly Summer Sounds Music Series with BlackWolf in Lincoln Park on Monday at 5:30 p.m. Danielle Gaudiuso and Leon Evans Kile founded Blackwolf to play original and inspirational psychedelic native acid Blues. The Enosburg Social will have food trucks from Phoenix on the Fly, Mr. Pickles Snack Shack, and Paisley Scoops gelato. The rain date is July 25. Email for more info.
Tuesday, July 19
ENOSBURG FALLS--The Enosburg Town Band plays a Summer Concert in the Park at the Lincoln Park bandstand on Tuesday at 7 p.m. There will be music, friends and family, popcorn or ice cream sundaes, and a craft table for the "littles of all ages." Find them on Facebook for more info.
Wednesday, July 20
NORTH HERO--She Was Right plays live in the Steamship Pier Bar and Grill at North Hero House on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--Music in the Biergarten presents a girl and her guitar, Laura Fedele-Rasco, playing everything from Linda Ronstadt to Lady Gaga to Loretta Lynn live at Mill River Brewing on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Call to make a reservation (802.582.4182) or find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Summer Concert Series presents Summer Sounds favorites IncaHOOTS in the E.A. Loomis Bandshell in Taylor Park on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. El Gato Cantina food truck will be on site. Admission is free. The concerts will move to 14th Star Brewery if it rains. Click here for more info.
GEORGIA--Gatherings on the Green continue with Bare Bones on the Georgia Town Commons on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The mid-week get togethers have food, drinks, live music, and the Farmers Market. Find them on Facebook for more info.
HIGHGATE SPRINGS--The Citizens Concert Band continues its summer series in the Little White Church on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Click here for more info.
Young Tradition Vermont and the Vermont Folklife Center have collaborated for decades. On July 1, YTV joined the Folklife Center to become a VFC program. Each group has had complimentary missions and shared initiatives that amplify and sustain living musical and dance traditions in communities throughout Vermont and beyond, including the creation of the Champlain Valley Festival over 40 years ago. YTV programs--Trad Camp, Fiddleheads, Touring Group , YTV Festival, Youth Commission, Instrument Petting Zoo, Instrument Loan Program and others--will continue and will deepen its involvement with VFC's programs, including the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. Visit YTV and VFC for more info. YOUNG TRADITION NEWS
ST. ALBANS--The Eloquent Page hosts a special Meet and Greet with writer and podcast host Lynda Bouchard today at 4 p.m. The author of the children's Halloween adventure, The Witches Three Count on Me! will "answer all your burning questions" about her journey to publication. Find them on Facebook for more info. FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF
SWANTON--the Swanton Free Public Library hosts the monthly book club, But I Progress, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. This month's book is All About Love by Bell Hooks.
The readings will focus on writers who "identify as women, with particular attention to Women of Color and nonbinary women, who are under represented in literature. Today women's works are priced lower, more seldom purchased, and not receiving proper credit." There will be snacks, reviews, discussion, ideas, and good conversation. Click here for more info.
WASHINGTON, DC--The Library of Congress named Ada Limón the nation's 24th poet laureate on Tuesday. She will assume the role from Joy Harjo who steps down in September.
Ms. Limón's latest collection, The Hurting Kind, was published in May. Her previous collection, The Carrying, won the National Book Critics Circle Award and Bright Dead Things was a National Book Award finalist. She has published six poetry collections and hosts The Slowdown podcast. She also teaches in the MFA program at Queens University of Charlotte.
The Library of Congress has had a poet consultant since 1937. Congress established the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry in 1985. The position is appointed annually.
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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