Burlington Vermont Links and Resources

Health Commissioner Mark Levine said Friday that Vermont will increase coronavirus testing at long-term care facilities in response to a worrisome number of recent outbreaks. Speaking at Gov. Phil Scott's regular press briefing Friday, Levine said […]

Yes, Thanksgiving was different this year. But, at least in my house — where I cooked for just three rather than the standard dozen-plus — I still had leftovers. As my husband has often said, the Thanksgiving meal is meant to be eaten […]

1. Giving Thanks If there's ever been a time to tally blessings, it's the end of an often dark and confusing year. Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock offers families an opportunity to meditate on their gratitude and learn about […]

(Self-released, cassette, CD, digital) You never know what you're going to find when you surf the "Vermont" tag on Bandcamp. There's always a lot to sift through at the online music store and streaming platform. (If you're unfamiliar, go to […]

Mark Baker thought he had a million-dollar idea. It was 1991, and he was working in the T-shirt business, designing and screen-printing fun sayings and slogans. In the middle of the first Gulf War, he came up with a rock concert-style tee that read […]

Director Colin Thompson's third feature film, Light Years, did not turn out as planned. The Shelburne-based filmmaker originally set out to shoot a straightforward buddy comedy based on his experiences growing up in Vermont in the late '90s. Most […]

Because of COVID-19, record numbers of Vermonters are seeking food assistance, buying cheaper, less nutritious food or skipping meals to stretch their budgets. "We've seen a huge increase in people needing some kind of help to get by," said John […]

Definitely Dry [Re Off Message: "Drought Disaster Declared for 10 Vermont Counties," November 17]: I have lived in Shaftsbury for 30 years now. There is an artesian well on Route 7A in Shaftsbury, across from the former Iron Kettle Motel. For the […]

For artists and craftspeople, holiday markets are a huge source of income and involve a lot of work. "We call it 'the schlep,'" said visual artist Nikki Laxar, describing the process of waking up early, loading and unloading her wares, setting up a […]

Answers …

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): "You live best as an appreciator of horizons, whether you reach them or not." Those words from poet David Whyte would be a perfect motto for you to write out on a piece of paper and tape to your bathroom mirror or your […]

Our streaming entertainment options are overwhelming — and not always easy to sort through. This week, I watched Netflix's blistering documentary about social media, The Social Dilemma, which played at the Sundance Film Festival in January. […]

Vermonters have entered a lonely season. After a summer of cautious optimism that the state's diligent public health measures had contained the spread of COVID-19, the fall brought a depressing reality check. Over the last month, Vermont has logged […]

An anonymous benefactor is funding an artist who will create natural, interactive artworks at three Vermont preserves owned by the Nature Conservancy. Elizabeth Billings of Tunbridge will serve as artist-in-residence, spending the next several […]

I always look forward to Thanksgiving. Simplistic historical narrative aside, the sentiment and the food — which are served up without the burdens of religion and gift giving — make it the perfect nondenominational holiday. Also, for as […]

Midtown Manhattan couldn't be more opposite of Vermont. It's the busiest section of the most populated city in the nation. Who would be crazy enough to work there? A much younger and naïve me. I was a magazine editor in the early 2000s. My […]

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger's current term in office has been his toughest yet. Last winter, the Democrat lost two police chiefs to a social media scandal that made national headlines. Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which swept through the […]

(Self-released, digital, vinyl) It's such a welcome surprise when a debut kicks you directly in the head — figuratively, of course. Such is the case with Amanecer, the first LP from Marcie Hernandez. The local singer-songwriter and certified […]

Vermont was so successful in suppressing the coronavirus pandemic this summer that, on most days, the state was employing many more contact tracers than there were cases to investigate. But now, a surge of infections threatens to overwhelm this […]

Right out of the gate, Alexandria Hall's astonishing debut Field Music, winner of the $10,000 National Poetry Series, announces itself as a whole new kind of Vermont poetry. "Dad says he can sing like a Kawasaki. He says / he's got some good […]

In past years, the Seven Days music editor has used the column preceding Thanksgiving to express gratitude for all of the wonderful things in the local music community. I'm not usually one for excessive sentimentality, so I haven't done that every […]

Some stories seem too good to be true. This one involves naked hippies, a yellow Ferrari, intimidating G-men and the 1970 Bellows Free Academy St. Albans marching band. The fact that all these elements featured in a film in a cinematic genre known […]

Dear Reverend,  My 9-year-old dog died unexpectedly last month, and I'm completely heartbroken. My best friend keeps telling me that I should just get over it and get a new dog. I don't know if I'll ever be ready for that. How do I make him […]

Long before many people abruptly shifted from working in an office to working from home at the onset of the pandemic, Sheila Liming was thinking hard about offices — specifically, their decline. While COVID-19 might prove to be a death knell, […]

Pastor Jim Casavant was thinking about the sermon he would deliver on November 22 at the First Congregational Church in East Hardwick. It would focus on Thanksgiving and things people could still appreciate in the grip of a deadly pandemic. "We're […]