The Bridge, February 6, 2014

I N THI S I SSUE
LONG LOVE IN THE

LITTLE CITY
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CONFRONTING OPIATES
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I
n a February 3, 2014, face-to-face ex-
change at The Bridge office, John Hol-
lar, mayor of Montpelier, who is running
for reelection, and his challenger, Gwendo-
lyn Hallsmith, former Montpelier planning
and development director, explained why
they were running for mayor, what they saw
as the major issues and what they would do
if elected.
The Candidates on
Chief Goals for the City
Hollar set three goals for the next two years:
first, to complete the projects already un-
derway: the bike path, biomass project and
the Carr lot; second, to focus on downtown
improvement efforts; and third, to focus on
both budget and capital infrastructure. But
he sees a critical relationship here. We need
to increase our spending on infrastructure,
he said, while keeping an eye on the tax
rate.
Hallsmith drew attention to a number of
City Hall deadlines in the policy arena.
This year the growth center redesignation
is due. Next year, the update of the master
plan is due, she said. But both these dead-
lines are waiting on the need for timely
action on the zoning update and implemen-
tation. Without this timely action, the city
will be out of compliance with state law,
which could complicate the enforceability
of existing ordinances.
Hallsmith emphasized the importance of
getting citizens involved in capital plan-
ning. The capital planning process has not
been a terribly open process in the past, and
I think we need to look at the long-term
sustainability of the city and get citizens
involved in setting priorities for our capital
needs, she said.
The Candidates on
Challenges Facing the City
In talking about the problems (Hollar pre-
fers the word challenges) that the city
faces, he acknowledges the statewide opi-
ate addiction problem. Here in Montpelier,
Hollar thinks that Police Chief Tony Facos
is addressing opiate addiction problems in
a very effective manner.
Hollar identified high local property taxes
as a challenge. Our median taxes remain
among the highest in the state. We have to
continue to work on that, he said. Hollar
reiterated his concern about the citys infra-
structure problems.
Hallsmith said that Montpeliers challenges
need to be looked at within a national
and international context. Were facing
the challenge of climate change, she said.
Hallsmith noted the local impact of the
freeze-thaw cycle that makes our roads and
sidewalks deteriorate much more rapidly,
which led to her conclusion that we need to
take responsibility for our own use of energy
and reduce energy costs and use in the city.
Turning to the subject of economic develop-
ment, Hallsmith observed that in the 1960s
and 1970s, the city might have tried to
strengthen the local economy by bringing in
a new manufacturing company. But today,
she said, We need more housing in Mont-
pelier to accommodate the creative people
and the young people who are our growth
sector. That is really something we can do
a lot about in city government through our
development planning.

The Candidates on
the Citys Assets
Discussing the citys assets, Hollar said, I
would put on the top of the list that people
really love to live here. I think that creates a
positive energy in our community that feeds
on itself. That positive energy, he feels, has
produced very engaged citizens in terms of
volunteer efforts: people who are commit-
ted to our downtown and shopping locally.
Hollar noted that Montpelier is a city that
is walkable, easy to get around and . . . safe.
Despite his concerns about school-spending
issues, Hollar feels that we have an out-
standing school system.
Discussing the citys assets, Hallsmith said
that when Montpelier citizens were asked to
say what they really valued in the commu-
nity and wanted to hand on to their children
and grandchildren as part of the master plan
process, they put Kellogg-Hubbard Library
and Hubbard Park at the top of their list.
I think they have been receiving the short
end of the stick in recent years, she said.
And because the community treasures the
library and the park, we need to pay more
attention to them, she said.
Hallsmith described Montpeliers historic
downtown as a huge asset. She noted that
the citys historic downtown is the largest
National Register District in the state. She
said the creative economy is the growth
economy right now. And she emphasized
the importance of Montpeliers downtown
as a strong attraction to people in the cre-
ative economy and a way of attracting cus-
tomers and business activity downtown.
The Candidates on
City Hall Performance
Hollar praised the citys committed work-
force in firefighting, road crews and the
like. He noted the need to fill a vacancy for
a new director of the citys Planning and
Development Department.
Talking about City Manager Bill Fraser, he
_____
The capital planning
process has not been a
terribly open process in the
past, and I think we need
to look at the long-term
sustainability of the city
and get citizens involved
in setting priorities for our
capital needs.
-Gwen Hallsmith
_____
Connecting Montpelier and nearby communities since 1993 | FEBRUARY 6FEBRUARY 20, 2014
VS
Hallsmith
Hollar
continued on page 8
Mayor and Challenger Face Off Compiled byJulia Barstow, Jerry Carter and Nat Frothingham
page 2 february 6 february 20, 2014 THE BRI DGE
36 College Street
Montpelier, vt 05602
vcfa.edu
Saturday, February 8
College Hall Chapel
7:30 PM.
Created by composer Joseph
Hallman and performed by The
802 Quartet and Abigail Haynes
Lennox, soprano, Suite in Mudtime
sets the poetry of Vermont Poet
Laureate Syd Lea to music.
World Premiere of Concert
to Honor the Poetry of
Vermonts Poet Laureate
Vermont
Poet Laureate
Syd Lea
Music
Festival
Free and open
to the public
Electronic Music
Exhibition
An evening of electronic sound and multimedia;
VCFA MFA in Music Composition students and
faculty perform new work for instruments with live
electronic sound and video.
Sunday, February 9, 8:00 PM / VCFA Gallery
VCFA New Music Trio
Concert
VCFA New Music ensemble (comprised of
Jennifer Choi on violin, Yves Dharamraj on cello,
and Stephen Gosling on piano) brings together
three accomplished musicians offering three
performances. These concerts (of music written by
MFA in Music Composition students) reect a widely
versatile cross-section of approaches to new music.
Monday & Tuesday, February 10 & 11, 8:00 PM /
College Hall Chapel
Wednesday, February 12, 1:00 PM /
College Hall Chapel
Film Music Festival
This event will feature a variety of approaches to
the marriage of music to picture, as offered by highly
accomplished MFA in Music Composition Music In
Media faculty and students. A short discussion with
the composers will precede the screening of each
excerpt.
Wednesday, February 12, 8:00 PM /
Noble Lounge
VCFA Songwriters
Showcase
The Gary Library transforms into the VCFA Pub (cash
bar) to host the Songwriters Showcase, which
highlights the diverse songwriting and performing
talents of the students, faculty, and staff of VCFAs
MFA in Music Composition.
Thursday, February 13, 8:00 PM / Gary Library
VCFA Jazz Quintet
Concert
MFA in Music Composition students have composed
a potpourri of musical styles for the VCFA Jazz
Quintet to perform. The Quintet musicians are Nicki
Denner on piano; Andy Eulau on bass and electric
bass; Steve Johns on drums; Anton Denner on alto
and tenor saxophone, ute, and piccolo; and Rob
Henke on trumpet, ugelhorn, and alto horn.
Friday, February 14, 8:00 PM /
College Hall Chapel
2014
vcfa
MFA
in music composition
THE BRI DGE february 6 february 20, 2014 page 3
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S
igns of spring in the snow! Ruffed grouse are walking long promenades, sometimes
dragging their wings beside them. Barred owls have started waking us at night with
short but intense duets of sorts. And of course, we are looking for spring everywhere,
almost willing every broken maple twig to drip sap on these few warm days. And after
all that deep, hard cold, even slush looks promising. But with more snow on the way, all
our dreams of spring may have to crawl back into their den for a few weeks of dormancy!
Im still hoping to get some real skiing in before this winter is over. Now where did I
leave my ski boots?
-Nona Estrin
Nature Watch
Vermont House Votes to Expand Net Metering Program
O
n January 31, the Vermont House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in support
of expanding net metering from 4 percent of peak power demand to 15 percent. This ex-
pansion would allow more Vermonters the ability to install and use alternative energy forms.
The bill is a major step forward in reducing Vermonts dependence on fossil fuels and was
greeted with support from Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) and other alternative energy
and environmental groups throughout the state. Gabrielle Stebbins, the executive director of
REV, said, This bill makes it possible to continue moving forward towards a clean, renew-
able energy future; stably priced energy; and local job growth. The bill awaits passage in the
State Senate.
Parking Fees Increase in Montpelier
F
ebruary 1 marked the start of increased parking fees in Montpelier. Parking meter fees
are up from 75 cents to $1 an hour. All other lots controlled by the city saw increases as
well. This increase is the first since 2007. A press release put out by the city said, These rate
changes were recommended to bring the cost up to market rate, ensure that the parking fund
[which pays for parking area maintenance and improvements] was fiscally healthy, and to
promote economic development downtown.
Vermont Unemployment Rates are on the Decline
I
n December, Vermont saw its unemployment rate decrease to 4.2 percent. While this is
close to a five-year low, the Vermont economy continues to struggle to reach prerecession
levels of under 4 percent.
Local Business Headed Up
I
ntegrative Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, located within Montpelier Integrative Fam-
ily Health at 156 Main Street, will be moving upstairs to the second floor of the same
building. IAOM will be able to accommodate a growing amount of patients, while remaining
connected to its mission of integration with primary care of central Vermont.
Darn Tough Sees Record Sales
D
arn Tough Vermont, and parent company Cabot Hosiery, saw sales skyrocket 78 percent
over 2012 levels in 2013. This growth in sales marks a 35-year high for the company.
About their recent success, Ric Cabot, the president and CEO of Darn Tough Vermont, said
We created Darn Tough Vermont 10 years ago on the belief that, with our deep experience
and dedicated staff, we could make the most comfortable, best performing, most durable
socks on the market. Furthermore we could achieve this here, in our mill in Northfield,
Vermont. More now than ever, consumers want a top-quality product. Darn Toughs success
validates this idea and shows that consumers are discerning the differences that make our
socks stand apart. Were excited to move into 2014, a year that will see Darn Tough break
new ground in the hosiery industry.
U.S. Congress Passes New Farm Bill
A
fter nearly two years of debate, the U.S. Congress has agreed on a new farm bill for
the next five years. The new bill will cost around $956 million over the next decade.
According to Washington Post columnist, Brad Plumer, this cost comes with a price cut of
$16.5 billion from current spending levels. The biggest cuts will be made to food stamps, at
$8 billion over the next 10 years. Senator Bernie Sanders had this to say in a press release
from February 4, 2014:
This was a difficult vote on a bill which has some positive provisions but also some very
negative ones.
This bill will bring greater stability to Vermont dairy farmers by helping them to man-
age risks and produce products more efficiently. It also is good news that a successful
MILC program will stay in place until new insurance provisions for dairy farmers are
implemented.
The bill encourages increased access to healthy, local foods and will build on a growing
movement in Vermont which has created agriculture jobs and provided local food for
Vermonters. Another provision helps low-income seniors shop at farmers markets and
roadside stands that are popular across Vermont.
I am very disappointed that this bill makes $8.6 billion in cuts over the next decade to
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. While the final bill steps back from $40
billion in food stamp cuts that House Republicans had demanded, it is both morally and
economically wrong to cut assistance to families in a very difficult economy.
I am very pleased that Governor Shumlin has assured me that he will work with the
Vermont Legislature to prevent cuts in food stamps for Vermont families and seniors
receiving home heating assistance.
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CORRECTIONS
I
n the infographic Proposed Montpelier School Budget, it was reported that the voters
of Montpelier had voted to increase their tax support [for the Montpelier Schools] over
the past two years by 22.94 percent. The actual increase is 24.23096 percent. In the article
about collaborative law, it should have read that approximately 25 percent of all divorce
cases are appropriate for the collaborative law model. The Bridge regrets these errors.
Al & Phyllis Merritt
Making Love Last in Their
66-Years of Marriage
The other day, I had the privilege to
sit down with Al and Phyllis Merritt at
their lovely home in Westview Meadows
to talk about love, marriage and grow-
ing old together. Al and Phyllis have
been married 66 years, and in a time
when nearly 50 percent of all marriages
end in divorce, it was refreshing to hear
them shed some light on the secrets
of what makes a long-term relationship
work. Seated around their coffee table
in their welcoming living room, Phyllis
and Al shared with me, with plenty of
laughs and pleasant memories, some of
their secrets. I have excerpted here some
of what they had to say.
Phyllis and Al met 67 years ago while
attending North Central College in Il-
linois.
Jerry: Was it love at first sight, or did
one of you court the other for a while?
Al: I think so.
Phyllis: No, I think it was kind of love
at first burn. The day we got to college,
the lumberyard went up in flames. Of
course, all of the college kids trampled
down to watch it. Al and his buddy were
standing there, and I was standing here,
and we started to talk, and he told me
about coming from Vermont. I told him
about coming from Minnesota. That
was kind of the beginning of it. And
I must say that it was also the end, be-
cause we were married the next summer.
My perception is that fellas who came
out of serviceAl had been in India for
three yearswere eager to settle down.
They really wanted a home. So we girls
all managed to latch onto one. And I
am the best thing that happened to him.
[Laughter.] He may not tell you that,
but I will tell you that.
Al: I would agree.
Jerry: Through everything, is there any-
thing that has helped keep you two
together?
Al: Poverty.
Phyllis: Well, there is more truth than
fiction to that. We are a generation that
learned how to stick together. And, I
feel sorry for the younger ones now.
They get married and unmarried.
Al: Weve had our disagreements.
Phyllis: Oh, sure.
Al: We still do, but that doesnt mean it
is the end of our being together. Its just
momentary and then [the disagreement]
is over.
Phyllis: We bought awhat did we
buy? Not a twin bed, that would be to
narrow. Not a double one, that would
be a little too cozy.
Al: We bought a king size.
Phyllis: And that has kept us together.
[Laughter.] Not really. We both came
from a [similar] background: my father
was a minister in Minnesota and his
parents are very church oriented, so I
think we had the kind of upbringing
that led to a good marriage. And a
marriage with a stick-to-it-ness.
Jerry: Do you have any advice for
younger couples out there?
Al: I guess, dont sweat the small stuff.
I could carry that further and say good
arguments keep a marriage together.
I think that is in a way true. Do you
agree or disagree?
Phyllis: Oh, I agree, as long as I am
winning the argument.
Al: We have disagreements . . .
Phyllis: Oh, sure.
Al: But fortunately at this age and
stage, once its aired and out, its kind
of over with. Unless she brings it up.
[Laughter.]
Jerry: You hold a grudge?
Phyllis: Not too close.
Al: No, we dont hold grudges. I guess,
ride with the punches. Sometimes it gets
a little rough, but in the end, it pays off.
How many years, 66?
Phyllis: Yes.
Al: I thought it was longer. [Laughter.]
It feels longer.
Phyllis: Yeah, I know.
Al: Sometimes, a good argument
strengthens a marriage. Not every-
body pussyfoots around. They say
what they want to say and air it, and
thats right. I may not like what she says
[Laughter.] ... At our age and stage
in life, it doesnt do too much good
to worry and plan ahead. Nature has
a way of stepping in and doing the
changes necessary for you. For example,
her stroke years ago made a whole big
difference in our life. I think as we
get older, huh we are older, health is
kind of the dominant factor. Something
will happen, and changes will be made.
You dont have the choice. I dont worry
about it. I try to just take each day and
enjoy the day. If something happens,
you dont have a choice. There it is, and
you go with it.
Phyllis: Even when youre young, you
have to accept the changes that take
place and move forward as best you can.
Claire and Nick
by Julia Barstow & Jerry Carter
Claire Fitts the owner of Butterfly Bakery
in Montpelier may cook without refined
sugars, but her bake goods, just like the
story of how she met her husband, are still
sweet. Claire, like many others these days,
met her husband, Nick, on match.com in
the fall of 2010.
When we caught up with Claire the other
day she said, Ive done most of my dating
online, it works better for me. I like the di-
rectness of it; everyones there for the same
reason. More and more Americans are now
embracing online dating just as Claire did,
with 38 percent of single and looking
adults using online dating according to a
recent Online Pew Research Poll.
Claire and Nick saw each other in person a
few weeks after meeting online. Although
Claire describes their first meeting in per-
son as a little awkward, they had agreed to
meet as friends so the stakes were not too
high. On that first meeting, however, they
went for a walk together and Claire could
see that there was an obvious chemistry
from the beginning . . . we had a definite
connection.
As time went on Claire and Nick became
more and more comfortable with each other,
and after dating for a year and a half, they
decided to get married. They were married
in July of 2013 and could not be happier.
Matt and Emily Kaminsky
as told by Emily
We met in between our sophomore and
junior year the summer of 1995 at the Uni-
versity of Rochester at an on-campus movie.
We had friends in common, but this was
the first time we had met one another.
After talking for a bit, we learned that we
were both taking anthropology courses in
the fall.
That summer, Matt worked at the school
library in inter library loans and I worked
for an anthropology professor who needed
me to get books through interlibrary loan.
Matt would give me candy out of a dish on
his boss desk every time I went. One day we
decided to have lunch together. We started
seeing more of each other and eventually he
started sharing his favorite music with me
and made me a tape of his favorites. From
then on our friendship grew into love and
we have been together ever since. We moved
to Vermont from D.C. in 2000 and married
in 2001. A strong foundation of friendship
and a shared history plus an appreciation
for each others independence and flexibility
keeps us going.
Love and Constancy in Montpelier by Jerry Carter
The Unseen Hand: Medicine from Antiquity
A Gathering of Physicians, Artists and Scribes. Hands in trust. Custodians of Light.
A School to preserve the practices and training of an ancient and living Tradition of
Medicine, working in Maine, Vermont and New York.
Please contact us for more information: http://www.theunseenhand.org
Dedicated to teaching and treatment at the deepest level of Life, as Above, so Below. An
alchemical tradition, we reach to the source of Life as well as the root causes of illness
in the human body, mind and spirit. We train physicians and artists of all traditions to
work with the Light of Creation, to develop skill, capacity and the passions for service.
Ancient Songs of Creation (Taoist Alchemical Protocols) treat disease where little else
can, restoring integrity of Spirit to the individual and the connection of Oneness to the
Heart of the World. This Tradition arrives from a time when Humans had not separated
themselves from the cycles of nature and the imminence of the Divine. These ancient
alchemical odes build a structure of resonance between Heaven and Earth in the heart
of the physician that allows the Light to reach where little else can.
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY :
The Unseen Hand: Medicine from Antiquity does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity,
national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, or marital status
in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, tuition assistance programs and other school
administered programs as well as appointments to the board of directors, administration, faculty and staff.
the unseen hand 1/7/14, 1:35 PM 1
The Unseen Hand: Medicine from Antiquity
A Gathering of Physicians, Artists and Scribes. Hands in trust. Custodians of Light. A School to preserve the
practices and training of an ancient and living Tradition of Medicine, working in Maine, Vermont and New York.
Please contact us for more information: www.theunseenhand.org
Dedicated to teaching and treatment at the deepest level of Life, as Above, so Below. An alchemical
tradition, we reach to the source of Life as well as the root causes of illness in the human body,
mind and spirit. We train physicians and artists of all traditions to work with the Light of Creation,
to develop skill, capacity and the passions for service. Ancient Songs of Creation (Taoist Alchemical
Protocols) treat disease where little else can, restoring integrity of Spirit to the individual and the
connection of Oneness to the Heart of the World. This Tradition arrives from a time when Humans
had not separated themselves from the cycles of nature and the imminence of the Divine. These
ancient alchemical odes build a structure of resonance between Heaven and Earth in the heart of the
physician that allows the Light to reach where little else can.
Al and Phyllis Merritt in their apartment at Westview Meadows
in Montpelier, Vermont. Photo by Jerry Carter.
I
n his State of the State Address, Gov-
ernor Peter Shumlin focused solely on
what he called the crisis and the ris-
ing tide of drug addiction and drug-related
crime spreading across Vermont.
Its an issue that has received a significant
amount of attention and press lately, partly
because of the release
of The Hungry Heart,
a new documentary
by Bess OBrien. The
film follows St. Al-
bans pediatrician Fred
Holmes as he works
with young patients
struggling with pre-
scription drug addic-
tion, and it chronicles
the toll taken finan-
cially, emotionally
and mentally on those
addicted, their families and their commu-
nity.
For a state regularly ranked as one of the
healthiest in the U.S. (American Health
Rankings, ranked Vermont second healthi-
est in 2013), it may seem puzzling to learn
that according to a report released in De-
cember by the Vermont Department of
Health, Vermont has the second highest
per capita rate of all states for admissions
to treatment for prescription opiates. The
majority of those seeking treatment (57 per-
cent) were between the ages of 20 and 29,
which may explain the focus on prevention
and intervention during the teen years.
Our youth are in pain, thats what we hear,
both from The Hungry Heart and here in
our community. They take a pillwithout
a prescriptionor mix prescription drugs
with alcohol and an energy drink, to fill a
void, a hole inside them and to take away
that pain, said Ann Gilbert, director of
Central Vermont New Directions, a local,
nonprofit organization dedicated to mak-
ing a difference in youth substance use in
the community. We have to find the root
cause to why our youth are in pain. We have
to help them feel connected to their com-
munity and engaged, so they arent hanging
on the streets, said Gilbert.
According to the governors speech, since
2000 there has been a more than 770 per-
cent increase in treatment for all opiates and
since 2000 an over 250 percent increase in
people receiving heroin treatment (nearly 40
percent within the last year).
I dont have the hard
data, but its fair to say
weve seen a significant
increase in controlled
substances being used
on the street without a
prescription, said Dr.
Mark Depman, medical
director for Emergency
Medicine at Central
Vermont Medical Cen-
ter (CVMC). People
have access to opiates,
sedatives and stimu-
lants, like those used to treat attention
deficit disorder, and these drugs are being
abused more than weve ever seen. Dep-
man noted that most patients are in their
teens to 30s, and although he recognizes
that heroin is in the community, he hasnt
seen many cases at CVMC lately.
Of those seeking treatment at the emer-
gency room for drug or substance abuse
issues, it is often those with mental health
issues, anxiety disorders and depression or
people trying to cope with difficult life situ-
ations, like loss of housing or employment
issues. People are looking to escape, and
to numb their pain, Depman said. Some-
times they overdose intentionally, and other
times its done unintentionally after theyve
taken multiple drugs at once and possibly
mixed them with alcohol.
Impacts on the Community
As The Hungry Heart shows, addiction rip-
ples across multiple channels and impacts a
vast array of people in a community, from
loved ones to neighbors, teachers, doctors
and even to police and other law enforce-
ment officers.
The governor noted the connection be-
tween addiction and criminal activity when
he announced in his speech that nearly 80
percent of Vermonts incarcerated popula-
tion are either addicted or in prison because
of their addiction. The Drug Task Force
estimates more than $2 million of heroin
and other opiates are being trafficked into
Vermont each week.
Montpelier Police Chief, Anthony Facos has
witnessed the connection and subsequent
increase in drugs and drug related crimes
over the last decade. Here in Montpelier,
while we havent slipped to 2001 levels,
when we really saw heroin and overdoses hit
Montpelier in full force, were certainly not
immune, said Facos. Anecdotally, robber-
ies and armed robberies were once very rare.
We could count on both hands the number,
in the entire state, each year. Now, just look
at the newspaper, and were reading about
them all the time.
He points to the wave of car break-ins and
home burglaries in Montpelier that began
this summer as an example. Of the indi-
viduals arrested and prosecuted for their
crimes, they learned each was linked to
drug addiction or the drug trade.
Facos was quick to note that, while prescrip-
tion drugs and heroin abuse are very real
and very serious, he, his officers and his
colleagues in surrounding towns continue
to deal with other drugs, like crack cocaine.
Like many connected to this issue, Facos
calls for taking full advantage of existing
treatment options for those suffering from
addiction, but he cautions that we shouldnt
forget about the victims impacted by these
crimes.
I just participated in a forum in Barre City.
We talked about the string of armed rob-
beries, and people there are afraid; theyre
upset. Victims of crimes like robberies de-
serve to have their voices heard too. Its a
part of their healing process, said Facos.
We cannot solely focus on treatment with-
out any accountability, especially for some-
one who has committed multiple, serious
crimes. We need sound, restorative justice
practices, because these can also help the
recovering addict to make amends with the
harm theyve done.
Governor Shumlin said that some crises,
like drug abuse and addiction, are actually
much tougher because they are more com-
plicated, controversial and difficult to talk
about. However, this is one conversation
that community members like Facos, Dep-
man and Gilbert all agree must take place;
starting with the youth of the community
is one solution.
I wouldnt say that it [prescription drug
and opiate abuse] is more important than
alcohol awareness; its just different. And
the downward spiral that addiction can
cause happens so quickly and impacts so
many peoplefrom families, to neighbors
who are robbedthat it just tears a com-
munity apart, said Gilbert.
_____
Since 2000 there
has been a more
than 770 percent
increase in treatment
for all opiates...
_____
In every corner of our state, heroin and opiate drug
addiction threatens us. It threatens the safety that has al-
ways blessed our state. It is a crisis bubbling just beneath
the surface that may be invisible to many, but is already
highly visible to law enforcement, medical personnel,
social service and addiction treatment providers, and too
many Vermont families. It requires all of us to take ac-
tion before the quality of life that we cherish so much is
compromised.
Governor Peter Shumlin, State of the State Address
The Underlying Pain:
Painkillers, Opiates & Their Effect on Our Communities by Amanda Ibey
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BCBSVT_OurStory-2014.indd 1 1/30/2014 5:38:32 PM
Helping Hands Feed Hungry
Hearts: Radio Diaries
Photos by Carley Stevens-McLaughlin
Radio Diaries Courtesy of Kingdom County Productions
Male Addict 2:
I really needed a pill, and when your high
comes down, you want to get back up there.
So no matter what it takes or where you have
to go to do it, youll figure out a way.
World Gets Brighter
Three addicts talk about what they did to
get drugs and what the world looks and
feels like on the other side of recovery.
Male Addict 1:
Whats kicking today? You know its
like: You guys got painkillers?
You guys got weed? You got coke
around? Is there some crack around
Is there some trip? I might not get
what I want from one day to another,
but I guess you could say I get what
I need. Id get a high one way or the
other. Thats the way it was. I didnt
really know what I was going to get,
but I would get something that I
would consider to make myself feel
better.
It was a daily thing, and it re-
ally sucks that I had to waste three-
quarters of my life away to realize that Im freaking beat-
ing myself up. How much time I wasted of my life. How much
time I wasted away from my children and grandchildren and
all of the other precious things out there in the world
that I never really realized were out there.
The use of drugs isnt going to get me anywhere today,
so I try and stay active. I work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
and Friday. I get up early in the morning. I have my cof-
fee. I have my medication. I meet the bus. I head back
home. I clean myself up. I go to a meeting. I come back
home. I go to bed, and I wake up the next day and do
the same thing over and over again.
The only thing that I am afraid of today is picking
up that next drink or next drug, because I have had more
than one second chance, quite a few second chances, and I
might not be able to make it back if I go back out there
again, because I might be so ashamed of myself and feel that
I let everybody down that I might just want to kill myself
and forget about it. I just feel like it wouldnt be worth
it. I have wasted way too much of my life, and I dont want
to waste any more. I want to make something of my life. Give
back to the community that I took so much from.

Female Addict 1:
Id wake up, and my first thought would be drugs
and alcohol. Shut the brain off before it even has
time to wake up. Its almost like youre living your
life in a dream. Its like youre looking at your
life from the outside in. Getting sober, things
arent so foggy anymore. The world around you just
gets brighter.
Now, I wake up and my first thought is help me help
another person. I have had a lot of help given to me
in the last 16 months, and the only way to continue
keeping what I have is to give it back. To step up
when another alcoholic or a drug addict needs some
assistance to be there for them. Thats my first
thought every day now, How can I help somebody
else? versus How can I get high? What am I going
to do to help somebody else.
A
d
d
ictio
n
Is Illn
e
ss
A
n interview
w
ith a m
other of an
addict on how

com
m
unities help and hinder the
process of recovery.
When I look people in the
eye and I say, Yeah, my sons
an addict, they dont know
what to say. And in the process
some of them start learning.
Tyler didnt choose to be an
addict. No more than Mary Jane
over here chose to have diabetes.
No more did this one over here choose to have
cancer. Tyler didnt choose to be an addict. Its
a disease. He needs to step up to the plate and
treat his disease. But, the kids already down. Why
are you kicking him as hard as you can when
hes already down? Offer him a hand. Help pick
him up. One event by itself you might think,
well, oh thats not a big deal, but when you
kick him when he is down, and then the neighbor
kicks him, and the teacher kicks him, and the
police kick him, and the principal kicks him, by
the time he is all done being kicked, he is so
far down into that ground, he has all that he can
do to take that first step up. So you might think
oh well, Im just one person; youre not just one
person, you are part of a community. Nobody could
think any less of Tyler than Tyler thought of
himself. The last step was forgiving himself.
N
early a year and a half ago,
Director bess Obrien
released The Hungry Heart
to a packed auditorium in St. albans.
Since then, the movie has taken the
state by storm. The film and the
accumulating evidence of growing
drug addiction from throughout the
state had such an effect on governor
Shumlin that he devoted nearly his
entire State of the State address this
year to the issue of opiate abuse.
The Bridge recently caught up with
bess Obrien during her busy tour
around the state, which has now
reached more than 10,000 people.
Obrien was kind enough to give The
Bridge some of her time and answer
some questions about this daunting
problem. excerpts from the talk are
below.
The Bridge: How did you first stumble
upon this invisible problem?
Bess OBrien: I was contacted by pedia-
trician, Fred Holmes, who stars in my movie.
He has been practicing pediatrics up in the
St. Albans area for like 35 years, and then
about seven years ago or so, a young man
walked into his office, who was 16 years old,
and said Listen, Doc, you gotta help me.
Im addicted to pills and I do not know what
to do. And Fred said, I dont know what
to do either, but Im going to find out. So,
he took it upon himself to get a Suboxone
license and start working with the Howard
Center and started treating kids who were
addicted to prescription drugs. Essentially,
in a nutshell, he fell in love with this popula-
tion of people and really committed himself
to working with young people around ad-
diction and recovery. He wanted to create
a project that would tell their story and
that would try and get
rid of a lot of the shame
and judgment that is
around many addicts.
So through a friend, he
called me up, and I went
to Franklin County,
and we had a number
of community meetings
with concerned citizens,
folks from his practice
and people in recovery,
and we decided to make
a movie. The rest is history.
The Bridge: Are the issues that lead
to opiate abuse and addiction in St.
Albans the same throughout the state?
OBrien: I think it is everywhere . .
. Every single town that we went to,
didnt matter if we were on this side of
the track or that side of the track, in a
small town or city, it was everywhere.
At every single screening, we had parents
walking in bleary eyed, dealing with the
fact that their kids were struggling with
this issue. We had health care workers,
doctors and social workers from all over
the state showing up at the screening
saying that they were overwhelmed and
overloaded and had more patients than
they could possibly deal with who were
dealing with this issue. Franklin County
is a representation of any small town,
frankly anywhere in the United States.
I give them a lot of courage for stepping
up to the plate and letting me tell their
story. It has been really great for their
own community because they have been
able to, through their own talking about
it and the movie, really put it out front
and are dealing with it in many differ-
ent ways. Yes, it was shot in Franklin
County, but it could have been shot any-
where in Vermont.
The Bridge: Why
are Vermonters
turning to opiates
in the first place?
OBrien: Because
these prescription
drugs make you feel
awesome. The high
is incredible. There
is a whole part of
the film where peo-
ple just talk about,
I took that first Vicodin, and I was in
Nirvana. It is a totally different type of
high than alcohol [and other drugs]. It is
extremely addictive. Depending on your
makeup, your genetic makeup, your per-
sonality, who you are and what you are,
you can get addicted to these extremely
quickly, within a couple of weeks. You
need them. Your body needs them. It
changes the receptors in your brain. It
comes on like fire and burns through
you fast.
The Bridge: Does the governors speech
and your film popularize and lift the
gate for drug abuse by talking about it?
OBrien: I just think that that is non-
sense. I am sorry, but I dont know what
and where in life in anything where it is
better not to deal with a problem. The
idea of pretending that it doesnt exist
or just letting the authorities deal with
it is crazy. The point is that people who
have addiction problems, any body who
has an addiction problem, is your friend;
they are your neighbor, your husband,
your wife; they are your coworker. These
are not aliens from another planet. These
are people who are in our own commu-
nity and are struggling with a major
health problem.
It has now been deemed by every medi-
cal professional in this country and the
world, I believe, that drug addiction is
a disease. If you become addicted, your
brain changes. You have a disease, and
you have to deal with that disease. I
think the bigger problem is that people
have is people who get addicted do bad
things. They steal from you; they break
into your cars. All of that is not cool,and
we dont like that. It is not good behav-
ior. I get it, and of course, we need to
have police making sure people arent
breaking into other peoples homes. If
you watch my movie, you will see people
saying that once you get addicted to this
stuff, you must have it. You are not the
same person anymore. It is like some-
body has taken over your body. You will
find the money to pay for these drugs
anyway, anyhow. If that means ripping
off your parents or breaking into a car,
you will do it . . .
We can pretend, lets not talk about this,
this is ridiculous, or whatever, but addic-
tion is huge, and everyone knows some-
body who has some form of addiction .
. . We have to get it [addiction] out of
the shadows and into the light. We have
to take the shame away from it. When
people are addicted and they are trying
to get clean, being told that they are bad
people 24 hours a day does not help.
That just makes you want to go and get
high again.
We need to treat these people, if they
truly want to get clean, and they want to
get help, we need to have the resources
available to them. We need to hang in
there with them and get them through
it. Is it frustrating? Yes. Are there re-
lapses? Yes. Is it frustrating for parents
and heartbreaking for everybody else?
Of course. But it has to be acknowledged
and it has to be dealt with.
Governor
Shumlin
on Opiate
Abuse
On January 8, 2014, Governor
Peter Shumlin dedicated his
entire State of the State Address
to the issue of opiate abuse. He
highlighted four steps that he
believes Vermont should take to
combat this problem.

First, lets start treating drug addic-
tion as the immediate health crisis
that it is by dramatically increasing
treatment across Vermont. Right
now, we have hundreds of Vermont-
ers who are addicted and are ready
to accept help but who are con-
demned to waiting because we still
do not have the capacity to treat the
rising demand.
Second, lets do a better job of con-
vincing drug users who wind up
in our criminal justice system that
getting help is a better path than
addiction . . . My 2015 budget will
include an additional $760,000 to
provide objective, evidence-based
assessments to help our states attor-
neys and our courts determine who
may qualify for immediate treat-
ment and services.
Third, we have to couple enhanced
treatment and intervention with
even stronger, more coordinated law
enforcement . . . Creating tougher
sentences when anyone transports
illegal drugs into Vermont will help
send a clear message to drug dealers
that our state will not tolerate their
trade.
Finally, we know that the best way
to fix this problem is to prevent
addiction in the first placeIn
August, Vermont received a $10
million federal grant over five years
to help medical providers intervene
earlier with patients who are begin-
ning to see the consequence of sub-
stance abuse . . . Our schools also
have a greater role to play. We know
that risky behavior develops early
in life and . . . this is why we must
continue our focus on the earliest
years . . . to help set [children] on
the right path.
The Hungry Heart
A Talk with Director
Bess OBrien
The idea of
pretending that
it doesnt exist
or just letting the
authorities deal
with it is crazy.
said, I think we are fortunate to have one
of the best, if not the best, city managers in
the state. His experience is tremendous, and
I think he does an outstanding job. Hollar
also expressed appreciation for the talented
people serving on City Council.
Talking about City Hall performance, Hall-
smith said, I think city employees work
really hard to do a great job for the city on
less and less and fewer and fewer resources.
She criticized the councils recent austerity
approach, which has resulted in cutbacks
in many departments.
She mentioned a cut in the fire department
for somebody who handled a lot of our
emergency management planning. She re-
ported a half-time position cut to the Plan-
ning and Development Department. That
was an area that really needed to have some
growth, she asserted.
Hallsmith disputed the idea that a majority
of people in town want to see the city staff
cut. She noted that city budgets have re-
ceived strong voter support during her time
in Montpelier. She said the Planning and
Development Department had done an
enormous job in reaching out to the whole
community to get the whole community
involved in city planning and city policies.
Hallsmith feels that this sort of outreach
needs to be continued at the City Council
level. She believes City Council needs to
continue to listen to the voices of the people
and the policies they have enacted. That
isnt happening now, she declared.
Hollar Disagrees Over Austerity
Charge
Hollar took issue with Hallsmiths remark
about the councils austerity approach
to city government. The notion that the
council has adopted this austerity plan is
sort of silly, Hollar said. We certainly
are restraining the rate of growth [in city
spending], and I think that is important
when you have the highest median tax bills
in the state. But we have done that, I think,
in a very responsible way, and it has received
overwhelming support from the commu-
nity. We did reduce four positions last year.
We are not proposing any reductions this
year.
Hollar noted that the reductions of four po-
sitions last year came without eliminating
any individual jobs. About the fire position
that Hallsmith said had been cut, he said,
The fire position that Ms. Hallsmith refer-
ences has been filled. So we havent seen
any diminution in services. And frankly, I
havent heard a single complaint from any-
one about the loss of those four positions.
Hallsmith Cites Damage from
Cuts
Hallsmith said that because shes been away
from City Hall for a few months, she was
not aware that the
administrative po-
sition in the citys
fire department had
been filled. She went
on to discuss the
damaging impacts
of cuts to her Plan-
ning and Develop-
ment Department.
Then she added,
We went along
with it because it
wasnt going to help
us to advocate for more zoning administra-
tor time. That is not a very popular position
in city government. We dont tend to win
any popularity contests with land use and
building code regulations. But its an im-
portant function. Its a function that people
in the city take very seriously, and the cuts
have made it harder for the planning de-
partment to function.
As a result of the cuts, Hallsmith went out
and got herself special training in flood-
plain management and building inspection.
But in her view, the Planning and Develop-
ment Department was hurt. It wasnt func-
tioning as well as it had in the past.

Hollar on High Property Taxes
Hollar feels Montpeliers property taxes are
too high. Being number one in the state is
not a place where we want to be, he said.
We get a lot from those taxes in terms of
our school and municipal resources. But it is
something we need to address, and I think
we are doing that effectively at the munici-
pal level. I think the school board is doing
the best they can. We have a state system
that needs adjusting. So it is a state problem
that we face. At the school level, I think the
board needs to keep an eye on per pupil
spending. It is what is driving up our cost.
We are looking at a 24 percent increase over
two years. That is clearly not sustainable.
Hallsmith on High Property
Taxes
Hallsmith thinks that Montpelier property
taxes are high. She said that during her
time as the citys director of planning and
development, she has tried to implement
policies that would result in building more
housing. If Montpelier had more housing,
there would be more people to share the
property tax burden.
Hallsmith blamed the Montpelier Planning
Commission and the current City Council
for the failure to implement policies that
would create more housing in the city. She
said, The Planning Commission, at least
the chair of the commission, seems intent
on the fact that adding housing wont actu-
ally help our tax base. To me, thats a matter
of simple math.
She took issue with Hollar on the subject of
income sensitivity. I was really shocked the
other day to hear that the mayor felt that
our low-income taxpayers needed to have
more skin in the game in the property
tax arena when he
was in the legislature
advocating that the
income sensitivity
for property taxes be
reduced, she said. I
think that would be
something I would
clearly be opposed
to if I were your
mayor.
Hollar Clarifies
His Position of
Changes to Income Sensitivity
I wasnt advocating for increasing taxes
for low-income Vermonters, Hollar said.
What I said was that we do need to look at
income sensitivity, which goes up to [an an-
nual income of ] $90,000 to $100,000. We
have income adjustments for people who are
well above low-income levels. That is what I
think needs to be addressed.
Speaking about the need for more hous-
ing in Montpelier, Hollar said, Our City
Council has been very supportive of hous-
ing policies. We havent received recom-
mendations from the Planning Commis-
sion, and I think we should talk about why
that is the case. But City Council has been
very supportive, and I have been, personally,
of efforts to promote affordable and market
rate housing.
John Hollars Question to
Gwendolyn Hallsmith
Gwen, during your tenure as planning di-
rector, you had very contentious relation-
ships with your staff, with the City Council,
with the Planning Commission, with the
city manager, with the assistant city man-
ager. So my question is if youre elected
mayor, what steps would you take and what
would your plan be to have relationships
with each of these people: the staff, the
Planning Commission, the City Council,
the city manager, the assistant city man-
agerthat could make you effective as a
leader in our community?
Hallsmith Answers Hollars
Question
Hallsmith answered as follows: Now its
my turn to say that what the mayor is saying
is actually false. I had a very good staff, and
we had very good working relationships . . .
There are always people on staff who dont
like being given directions and being given
things to do that they dont want to do, and
as a department head, thats no different
than anybody else. So, I think, sure enough
there might have been one or two problems
over the seven years . . . On the whole, weve
been a very good team. Weve worked very
effectively together, both within my staff
and in city government.
Hallsmith then went on to discuss more
recent City Hall events. The contention
arose really when the mayor started taking
issue with my activities as a private citizen,
which caused lots of trouble in city govern-
ment for me and for the [city] manager and
assistant city manager. I was getting along
very well with them for the most part Its
not as if any working relationship doesnt
have its share of conflict. And my approach
to conflict is always to try and mediate it,
to try to work it out, to take it head on and
work with people to make sure that their
needs are met
What Ive done in city government is
a lot of very innovative things that are full
of conflict. You have an innovative dis-
trict energy system. You have an innovative
complementary currency system that we
were recognized for on the national level.
But with innovation comes built-in conflict.
My department, on top of that, is conflict
central for city government. Were the ones
who tell people what they can do with their
land and buildings. And during my tenure
the complaints about our management
of zoning and building code [administra-
tion] were reduced dramatically . . .
So I think its really unfair and inaccurate
to say that my relations with all of these
people [have had] problems. They werent
any more problems than any other person
in my position. A lot of the problems were
caused by the mayor himself.
Gwendolyn Hallsmiths Question
to John Hollar
John, in your regular day job, you repre-
sent people and companies that actually
work against the interests of some of the
_____
I think it is important to
set the record straight. I
raised concerns with the
city manager about your
use of your city office, your
employment, to pursue
objectives of your private
nonprofit [organization].
-John Hollar
_____
Mayoral Face Off Continued Continued from cover
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Mayoral candidates Gwen Hallsmith and John Hollar. Photo by Jerry Carter.
people in Montpelier: the big banks, the
pipeline companies. How do you balance
the interests of your private clients with
your actions as a public official for the city
of Montpelier?
Hollar Answers Hallsmiths
Question
Hollar answered as follows: Well, Im glad
you asked that. Those are different realms.
The work I do in the state legislature has
virtually nothing to do with the city. And if
it does, then I recuse myself.
Turning to the question of Hallsmiths ter-
mination, Hollar said, You have blamed
me for that. I think it is important to set the
record straight. I raised concerns with the
city manager about your use of your city of-
fice, your employment, to pursue objectives
of your private nonprofit [organization]. It
was the concern about both the lack of clar-
ity in those roles and your use of city time
and resources to pursue private endeavors
that I thought was inappropriate.
Thats what I raised with the city manager.
It had nothing to do with my clients or any
interests I had. It was my goal to see that
you, our city planner, were focused full-time
while using city resources to pursue city ob-
jectives. And that wasnt the case.
My involvement with your termination was
very limited. It was a decision by the city
manager. And I think that if you continue
to focus on my relationships and make the
assertion that I was somehow behind your
termination, you should make available the
correspondence from the city manager and
assistant city manager, which provide in
great detail the reasons for your termina-
tion from your position, none of which had
anything to do with me. I think people need
to have that information available to them.
Hallsmith Replies to Hollar
Hallsmith said that Hollar was referring to
a conference on the new economy, a confer-
ence where Hollar, himself, was a speaker.
Even the assistant city manager ruled that
out as a misuse of city resources in the final
decision on my termination, she said.
Hallsmith then discussed the interface be-
tween her private interests as an author and
speaker and her role as the citys community
development director:
It is true that sometimes the line between
my private interests overlaps some of my
role as community development director.
But there have never been any policies in
place that have been very clear with me on
how to draw that hard line.
When something occurs in our city that
attracts hundreds of people here to talk
about all the innovative things that we are
doing even though they do somehow
cross over into the work I was doing outside
of city government, which I had always
been allowed to do ever since I was here,
for the mayor to call that a misuse of city
resources and pursuing my own interests
as a nonprofit at the expense of the city is
disingenuous and false.
Hollar Replies to Hallsmith
Id like to just respond to that. The record
is clear. I believe that these are public docu-
ments, but the reasons for Ms. Hallsmiths
termination include the inappropriate use of
city resources to promote her own personal
agenda, and not only the conference that
she referenced, but in many other ways.
The conference she referenced is a perfect
example. I had assumed the conference was
a function of city government and city plan-
ners, while in fact it was related to her role
with her private nonprofit. It was that lack
of clarity that created concerns. Thats ulti-
mately one of the reasons why she was ter-
minated from her positionthat use of city
resources to promote private objectives. We
have a right as a city to expect within city
government that our employees are going
to work full-time for the city. That simply
wasnt happening.
For further coverage of the mayoral race tune
into channel 17 on Thursday February 13,
at 8 pm.
MONTPELIER
Art Walk
downtown Montpelier
Friday, February 7, 2014 | 48 p.m.
Voted Best Arts Festival two years in a row!
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John Hollar. Photo by Julia Barstow.
Gwen Hallsmith. Photo by Julia Barstow.
A Word From Your
Montpelier City Council Candidates
Dona Bate, District 1
Im running for District 1 City
Council position because we
need more focus on implement-
ing its incredible citizen-driven
master plan. We need to promote
the acceptance and expansion of
a Regional Public Safety Author-
ity and to improve council communication for
briefer meetings and with its committees. We need to
build on what previous councils and community work has
provided us.
When I moved to Montpelier 47 years ago, I fell in love
with its physical and political landscape. Humans and na-
ture seemed more interconnected here and with more po-
tential for harmony amidst diversity. I also found people to
be more connected and with more tolerance of differences.
Working together provides dynamic energy for growth and
transformation.
We need more diversified housing, neighborhood transit,
good sidewalks and more parking. I have owned four
houses in Montpelier before downsizing to a condo, which
significantly reduced my carbon footprint, increased walk-
ing and transit opportunities and reduced my expenses
elements that Montpelier provided me so I could afford to
start my own business.
In 2005, I began dbate speaking, where as a speaker and
trainer I can share my love, experience and challenges of
speaking with others. I enjoy helping others find their
authentic voice and reach their goals through briefer, more
effective and satisfying presentation skills.
I have over 40 years of achievements as presenter, trainer,
manager, mediator and group facilitator. My 18 years as
CEO of Wheels, a regional community transportation
system, gave me an in-depth understanding of complex
budgets, overseeing grants and personnel issues.
With 36 years on private and public boards for businesses
and community nonprofits, I know how to work together
to be more effective, to contain costs and to provide better
services (for example, Central Vermont Chamber, Lost Na-
tion Theater, Public Safety Authority Committee, Central
Housing, Washington County Parent Child Center and
Vermont Governors Rail Council.)
I ask that District 1 residents vote for me and thank those
who have already done so. Reach me at dbatedistrict1@
gmail.com. Lets work together.
Andy Hooper, District 1
During the past eight years, I
have had the privilege of serv-
ing on City Council and play-
ing a part in a lot of positive
change within our wonder-
ful little city. I am constantly
impressed by the dedication of fel-
low council members, the quality of our city manager
and the city staff, and the generosity and knowledge of the
many citizens who willingly serve on the many boards and
committees that make our city work.
The largest and longest lasting accomplishment of my
tenure to date has been increasing the maintenance of our
public infrastructure. When I first joined the council, the
paving budget was considered discretionary spending and
annually, during the budget process, was reduced to cover
other budget shortfallswhile the backlog of culverts, re-
taining walls and bridges requiring attention kept growing.
In the past two years the council has charted a path to a
steady-state capital budget that annually allocates enough
money to maintain all the citys infrastructure and equip-
ment and has made it a priority to see that money is not
redirected. While these improvements were buried beneath
the chaos of the district heat construction last summer, it
will become obvious in the next years that we are getting
our roads under control.
Another less visible but equally important accomplishment
has been containing costs. I know when tax bills arrive, it
doesnt always feel like it, but thanks to our amazing city
staff, we have found ways every year to increase efficiency
so that we can maintain the excellent municipal services
that our employees provide every day and constrain the tax
rate increases to the inflation rate.
Looking ahead, there are many initiatives I look forward
to advancing. The completion of the transit center and the
pedestrian and bike bridge, the extension of the bike path,
the initiation of the public safety authority and the transfer
of the recreation department from the school to the city
are some of the projects that will change the way the city
looks and functions. I deeply appreciate the responsibility
of working to prudently advance these important projects.
Page Guertin, District 2
A Vermonter by choice for 50
years, Ive made this my home.
Its home to my children and
grandchildren as well. Three
years ago, my husband and I
settled in Montpelier, and I was
delighted to join a community that
had actually articulated a long-term v i -
sion for the city. In an age where too often our farthest per-
spective is next months bottom line, Montpeliers foresight
is unique and impressive.
Recently, though, Ive watched City Council veer away
from the vision that citizens democratically chose. I believe
we need to reconsider the social and environmental impacts
of our decisions along with the economic factors. We have
incredible resources in this city: our children, involved citi-
zens, land, educational institutions, water and sewer, parks,
senior center, library, historic buildings, theaters, art gal-
leries, music, state government, large and small businesses
and entrepreneurswe have to consider all these resources
in determining how to preserve and maintain the city we
care about for the long term.
We need to meet the challenges of providing the best
beginning for our children, accommodating employment
opportunities and allowing a dignified retirement for se-
niors. We need to make thoughtful investments in the
social and economic health of Montpelier to maintain
the considerable value we derive from our tax dollars. We
need to look at additional sources of revenue rather than
just budget cuts: I would explore more cooperation with
neighboring towns and promote smart, affordable new
housing and responsible business development within the
city. Done properly, this could more widely distribute the
cost of services and the infrastructure we havewater and
sewer systems and schoolsand encourage young families
to live here and take advantage of our first-class schools,
parks and recreation areas, excellent library, broad selection
of businesses and restaurants and delightful walkability.
Montpelier has the ability to become a viable, sustainable
magnet community if we proceed thoughtfully.
Please contact me at page.s.guertin@gmail.com or phone
me at 229-7707 I promise to listen.
Thierry Guerlain, District 2
I am excited to announce my
District 2 reelection candidacy
to Montpeliers City Council.
Working together with City
Council, the mayor and city
staff these past two years, weve
advanced many worthy goals and
projects including:
Implementation of seven-year plan to properly fund
the steady-state maintenance of our streets, sidewalks,
bridges and other infrastructure.
Reconfiguration of parking on East State Street,
thereby creating nine new nonmetered parking spaces
close to downtown.
Elimination of most double utility poles along
Barre, Loomis and Liberty streets for much improved
streetscapes.
Removal of the fire pull-box system (which had not
seen emergency use in over 20 years), thereby eliminat-
ing a needless city expense, with old pull-boxes distrib-
uted to Montpelier nonprofits for fundraising purposes.
Passage of a low, 2.1 percent municipal tax increase
last fiscal year, with a 1.8 percent increase projected for
the upcoming fiscal year, with the upcoming budget to
include the circulator bus and increased infrastructure
spending.
Completion of the citys (distribution) portion of dis-
trict heat; we await the states completion of the boiler for
full system start-up later this year.
Acquisition of the Carr lot and other properties ad-
vancing construction of a transit center on Taylor Street,
a pedestrian bridge across the North Branch and the bike
path from Taylor to Main Street.
Resolution of various right-of-way issues advancing
bike path construction from Main Street to the Route
2/302 roundabout (construction to hopefully start Fall
of this year).
Ive greatly enjoyed my first term on City Council and,
building on work recently accomplished, would like to
continue my efforts on behalf of this wonderful city. Please
support me on Town Meeting Day, March 4.
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Ivan Shadis, Distrcit 2
I have spent the past year at The
Bridge covering City Hall. My ex-
periences observing the workings
of the city have been transforma-
tive. Witnessing its projects, the
policies that mediate them and the
discourse and insights from which
those policies form and how, together,
they enforce the material conditions I have experienced in
Montpelier has demystified the city for me. I am thankful
for this.
I now seek the chance to demystify young people strug-
gling to live, work and establish meaningful identities
in this place to the city and offer my candidacy for City
Council in District 2 as a gesture of the partnership be-
tween municipal governance and youth, which I believe is
key to our making coherent policy for the future. It is my
hope to find ways for the people reaching adulthood and
struggling to stay here to articulate that struggle in a way
that will inform our civic senses.
Retaining interested young adults is imperative to mend-
ing the hole in our social fabric, which exists between our
majority aging population and the children drawn by our
school system but not compelled or able to stay onward. If
we are to speak of them, or hope to invite them, we must
be sure to hear them and know them.
To my peers I invite you to recognize yourself here in
Montpelier and take a measure of control over the political
narrativefor the good of us all. We must inform young
people of their right of authorship of the town they live in
so that they will inscribe themselves into the future of this
city and ensure the continuity of our community, as well as
promote a legacy of democratic participation, articulation
and responsiveness.
I encourage you to contact me at i.p.shadis@gmail.com or
829-7643.
Justin Turcotte, District 3
I am excited to announce my
candidacy to become one of
your two District 3 represen-
tatives on the Montpelier City
Council, replacing the retiring
Alan Weiss.
I grew up in Calais, went to U-32 High School and have
always considered central Vermont home. I am 39 years old
and live on Wilder Street with my wife, Michele, and our
two children, Anika and Nicholas. I am a chef by training
and occupation. My company Good Taste provides senior
meals for folks at home and at the Montpelier Senior Activ-
ity Center.
I am grateful to have enjoyed the many pleasures of central
Vermont and have decided it is time to give back to the
community that has allowed me to thrive and raise a fam-
ily. Civic engagement is part of what makes Montpelier
such a special place. It was my privilege to serve on the
City Councilappointed citizens budget review committee
during the summer of 2012. This was an informative in-
troduction to the workings of city government and helped
prepare me to serve on the council without having a steep
learning curve.
I believe that District 3 would benefit from my straight-
forward, common-sense philosophy. I have no political ax
to grind and think it is more important to listen than to
talk. That said, I do have four priorities that I would like
to pursue on the council, if elected:
We need to continue a focus on repairing our roads,
bridges and sidewalks.
We should improve Montpeliers parking options and
support alternative means of transportation.
Montpelier should minimize city borrowing and keep our
municipal tax rate increases under control.
I support policies that will encourage good jobs for Mont-
pelier residents, help new businesses get started, and allow
existing businesses to thrive.
Montpelier is a great place to live and work and call home.
My goal is to make this city even better, but without chang-
ing its special character.
I ask for your vote on March 4. If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact me at 223-6012 or e-mail me at
snowchef@yahoo.com

Dan Jones, District 3
On Town Meeting Day
(March 4), the citizens of
Montpelier will have an oppor-
tunity to vote for local officials, including new members
of City Council. Im hoping those of you living in District
3the district represented by outgoing Council member
Alan Weisswill vote for me.
My campaign motto is A Creative and Sustainable Mont-
pelier. On the creative front, we are blessed with a spec-
tacular cohort of entrepreneurs and inventive problem solv-
ers who provide us with marvelous artisanal food, a broad
spectrum of health and wellness disciplines, design skills,
governmental and public services, not to mention a lively
music and arts scene. Where else can you find such a small
city with such a high proportion of its population so won-
derfully engaged?
But to maintain this energy and enthusiasm, we also need
to focus on sustainability. As we have already witnessed
with Hurricane Irene, we are susceptible to weather events
brought on by climate change; increasing economic hard-
ships faced by our citizens will also force us to confront
hard choices. We can only face these challenges by asking
more of ourselves than simply demanding tax cuts.
My candidacy is about facing our future challenges today
with clear eyes and an optimistic spirit. I believe we need to
nurture our citys talents and energy so that it will continue
to be a great place to live, not only for us but for our chil-
dren and our grandchildren. To do this, we need to create
economic development projects that, in turn, will create
local jobs, cut down on traffic and pollution, encourage
tourism, and expand housing and business capacity well
into the future. Projects such as the district heat plant, the
bike path and the transit center are starts in this direction.
My work as chairman of the Montpelier Energy Advisory
Committee has convinced me that we need to pay attention
to the citys master plan, which recognizes the challenges of
climate change and economic dislocation. This response re-
quires a creating a net zero energy independence plan for
Montpelier and the surrounding communities. Elements
of this plan will lead to our development of new energy
savings technology, high-density housing and alternative
transportation options.
I ask the citizens of Montpeliers District 3 to support me in
promoting this effort. I want to thank those who have al-
ready stood up in my support and look forward to listening
to our citizens ideas. Please let me know what you think at
danogenes@gmail.com , and thank you!
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Montpelier Recreation Department
55 Barre Street, Montpelier, VT 05602
1-802-225-8699 www.montpelierrec.org

Looking for a summer job?
The Montpelier Recreation Department may have
the perfect position for you!
Pool Director- previous aquatics facility and lifeguard experience preferred &
current Red Cross Certification required
Lifeguards- Current Red Cross Certification required & experience is a plus.
Pool Clerks- must be 15 years of age by June 14
Day Camp Counselors- must be 18 years of age

Applications can be picked up at the Recreation Department at 55 Barre St. or download an
application off our website www.montpelierrec.org Application deadline is March 31, 2014
by 4:00. The Montpelier Recreation Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Looking for a summer job?
The Montpelier Recreation Department may have
the perfect position for you!
Pool Director- previous aquatics facility and lifeguard experience preferred &
current Red Cross Certification required
Lifeguards- Current Red Cross Certification required & experience is a plus.
Pool Clerks- must be 15 years of age by June 14
Day Camp Counselors- must be 18 years of age

Applications can be picked up at the Recreation Department at 55 Barre St. or download an
application off our website www.montpelierrec.org Application deadline is March 31, 2014
by 4:00. The Montpelier Recreation Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
I
n this Superbowl, the players wear bin-
oculars rather than shoulder pads, and it
isnt footballs flying, but birds. On Janu-
ary 24 to 25, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., teams
of bird-watchers looked high and low for as
many different species of birds as they could
find along the Massachusetts coast. For the
sixth year, a team of adults and youths from
Vermont participated, sponsored by the
North Branch Nature Center of Montpelier.
The night before the competition, the team
(called the Chocolate-Headed Cowbirds
with Sprinkles) carefully planned their route
for the following day. In addition to being
experts of the local bird life, teams must
devise clever strategies to ensure they are in
the right places at the right times to see the
most birds. Each species is assigned a point
value based on the how difficult it is to find
(1 point being easiest and 5 points being
hardest). So, while a chickadee is worth
just 1 point, a snowy owl is worth 3 and a
red-headed woodpecker is worth 5 points.
Alarm clocks rang at 4 a.m. on the morn-
ing of the competition, and by 5 a.m., the
team was poised and ready at their secret
owl spot. But it wasnt until sunrise that
the team scored its first point, with a flock
of crows flying in the distance. Scouring
the rocky shoreline of Cape Ann, the team
continued to rack up points through the
morning hours. Many species of birds that
breed in the arctic spend the winter months
off the New England coast, which for them
is considered south for the winter. The
obligate trip to the fish piers in Gloucester
added several rare species of gulls, as they
fought over fish scraps on the docks.
The cold, biting wind didnt slow the team
down, as they picked up razorbills and
northern gannets through spotting scopes,
as they flew above the horizon, far out at
sea. A rare red-headed woodpecker was a
special treat, as they are rarely found in
New England. Other highlights included
the Eurasian wigeon and Pacific loon, both
way out of their normal stomping grounds
and worth 10 points for the team.
Slowly working their way north, by late
afternoon the Chocolate-Headed Cowbirds
had reached Plum Island, considered one of
the finest birding locales in New England.
Here, on the rolling sand dunes and exten-
sive marshes, the Cowbirds would com-
plete their quest. As the sun began to set, a
short-eared owl could be seen cruising the
fields, hunting under the shadows of the
setting sun. After 12 hours of birdwatch-
ing, the Chocolate-Headed Cowbirds raced
to the finish line with a total of 69 species
and 128 points.
With 27 teams competing this year, com-
petition was fierce. Vermonts delegation
finished in the middle of the pack, but a
great time was had by all. Events like this
are inspiring, especially to young people,
who enjoy both the camaraderie of the event
and the challenge of seeing how many birds
they can find. Even in the midst of winter,
there is an astounding diversity of birds to
be found.
For more information about North Branch
Nature Center, visit NorthBranchNature-
Center.org or call 229-6206.
Vermont Team Competes
in Superbowl of Birding
by Larry Clarfeld
Illustration Courtesy Julia Barstow.
Re-Elect
THIERRY GUERLAIN
I enjoy being a member of
our collaborative, functional
City Council, led by our
very capable Mayor. Unlike
Congress, we listen to one
another, work together,
and actually move the ball
forward!

Completed in the last two years:
Instituted systematic annual funding for our needy infrastructure

while simultaneously holding the line on taxes.
Municipal tax increases averaging less than 2% two years running.
Creation of nine new, near-downtown, free parking spaces

on East State Street.
District Heat distribution system completed and operational.
Removal of dozens of excess utility poles on residential streets for

greatly improved street-scapes.
Purchase of Carr Lot for new Transit Center and new rec path.

Please vote for me
on Election Day
tguerlain51@gmail.com 802-343-6566 tguerlain@montpelier-vt.org
Working with others
to get things done;
Holding the line on taxes
Two years of progress:
Acquisition of the Carr Lot, with transit center, bike path and pedes-
trian/bike bridge all under design.
Completion of Montpeliers biomass heating distribution system,
with connection next fall to the states biomass plant with renewable
energy to heat our downtown.
Design underway for bike path extension from Granite St. to Galli-
son Hill Road, with construction to be completed next year.
Reduction in the growth of our city budget, with a two-year average
tax rate growth less than 1.5%.
Increase in spending for our roads and sidewalks, with a fve-year
plan to achieve sustainable annual investments in our infrastructure.
Creation of the Downtown Improvement District to make annual
investments for a more vibrant downtown.
Keep Montpelier Moving Forward!
Paid for by Hollar for Mayor Campaign
14 McKinley St.
Montpelier, VT
Mayor of Montpelier
Re-Elect
John
Hollar
I
am not a good speller. I am a writer who
loves to play with words. I have made my
living by teaching writing in schools and
universities. I have also tutored students.
Forty years ago, I bought myself a 12-vol-
ume edition of the Oxford English Diction-
ary (OED). The dictionary gives old ver-
sions of a words spelling, as well as the
current spelling and definitions. I learned
from the OED how varied and unusual old
spellings of words could be: word, wurd,
woard, weurd.
In the 1980s, I read, transcribed and edited
letters from the early 1800s. I learned from
the letters how common inventive spelling
used to be. In one letter, a traveling woman
schoolteacher wrote from Batavia, New
York, to her sister back home in Pomfret,
Vermont, playfully using three different
spellings of her sisters name: Cynthia, Syn-
thia, Sinthia. In the same batch of letters, I
found daughter spelled darter, father spelled
farther and summer spelled simmer. In edit-
ing the letters for publication, I did not cor-
rect or change the spelling.
I learned that it wasnt until the mid-1800s
that Noah Websters American Dictionary
(1828) began to have widespread use and
appears to have standardized spelling. Ap-
parently, it was then the first spelling bees
took place. Many folks began to value a
certain conformity in spelling words.
I learned from children, and recently my
grandchildren, and from students how wild
and original word spellings can be. With
my students, I began to think that their
misspellings and mine were not misspell-
ings; instead, they were words spelled in
an original or old-fashioned way. Over 30
years ago, my son came home from school
one day with a spelling test in which he
had spelled democracy as demon crazy or
dem mock crazy. My granddaughter wrote a
paper in first grade that spelled news as noos
and shoes as shoos; bird was spelled berd.
In the 1970s, I visited public schools to
make poems with children. I never taught
spelling, other than to encourage original
or creative spelling. For one exercise, I took
balloons into the poem-making room and
asked students to blow them up but not to
tie their stems. The assignment was to let
the balloons fly about the room, listen to
the sounds they made as the air gurgled,
flitted and spurted out of them, and then
to make up the spelling of the soundslike
flurbber or plubbles.
On another day, we made up words from
scratch, letter by letter, like hipkin and lef-
feral. Then we made up definitions: Hipkin
meant the children of hippies. Lefferal were
leftovers, enough for all. We had fun writ-
ing our new words.
Words may be evolving along with us. Cer-
tainly, texting has lifted words off their
pedestal, with spelling shortcuts like rly for
really, wud for would, u for you and K for
the already shortened OK.
Poet W. S. Merwin wrote, in a poem called
The Unwritten, about words being inside
the pencil, hiding, waiting; words that have
never been written:
it could be that theres only one word
and its all we need
and its here in this pencil
every pencil in the world
is like this
Cora Brookss collected paper, letters,
poems, essays, plays and diaries are in
the archives of the Arthur and Eliza-
beth Schlesinger Library on the History
of Women in America, Radcliffe Institute
for Advanced Study at Harvard Uni-
versity. She is 72 and still brand noo.
With special thanks to Kate Mueller for
research assistance and editing.
Come to the Kellogg-
Hubbard Library Cabin Fever
Spelling Bee

Recently, I was asked if I would be
a contestant at the upcoming Kellogg-
Hubbard Librarys spelling bee. I said
Id like to write, instead, a little piece
on spelling.
I remember encountering a 10-year-
old boy who asked me how to spell
come. I asked how he thought it was
spelled. He told me he once saw it writ-
ten on a cake his mom made for his
older brother when he came home from
war. It said, Welkim Home. I told
him I had a big dictionary at home and
would bring it to class the next day.
We looked up come in the Oxford
English Dictionary and found more
than 30 spelling, none of them kim.
So, I said, kim could be a new spelling
of come, but the standard spelling was
c-o-m-e.
So, kim or come or kom, quam, chom
to the spelling bee at the Kellogg-Hub-
bard Library.

2nd Annual Cabin Fever Spelling
Bee
Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main
Street, Montpelier
February 15 at 7 p.m.

Sign up to participate in the spell-
ing bee at the library or by e-mailing
your name, phone number and e-mail
address to vista@kellogghubbardorg.
Twenty participants will be chosen at
random on February 12 to compete
against local authors at the bee.
Cora Brooks
Gossip or Gods Lip?
Sum Thoughtes on the Vagaries
of Englysshe Spellings
by Cora Brooks
SHOP
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Fred Hos Vision:
The Red, Black & Green
Revolutionary Eco-Music
Tour in Vermont
by Amy Brooks Thorton
Cody Chevrolet Congratulates
The Bridge on 20 Years of Business!
F
red Hos vision is to unite and give
voice to three sweeping political cru-
sades through the power and spirit
of music. In the Red, Black and Green
Revolutionary Eco-Music Tour, playing in
Vermont college auditoriums this month,
Ho celebrates and draws parallels between
the struggle to free all oppressed peoples,
the civil rights movement and the campaign
for environmental justice.
Hothe world-renowned composer, best
baritone saxophonist of all time (The New
Yorker) and recent Guggenheim Fellow-
ship recipientchose snowbound Vermont
in February, Black History Month, for the
tour. When Ho toured Vermont in 2012,
he fell in love with the state and its civil
and environmental rights history. Audiences
were receptive to his music and ideas. He
envisioned bringing his latest production
with its powerful message to the forward-
thinking people of the Green Mountains.
However, as his vision becomes a reality, Ho
will be unable to play or attend due to un-
treatable cancer, for which he is now in hos-
pice. Most likely, Vermont audiences will
hear the world premiere of his final work.
On tour, the 16-piece Eco-Music Big Band
will play two major jazz works: Calvin Cal
Masseys 1960s epic, nine movement opus,
The Black Liberation Movement Suite, and
the world premiere of Hos three-movement
The Revolutionary Gardens of Harlem Suite:
A Tribute to Clifford Thornton.
The sociopolitical history and significance
is powerful. In 1969, Black Panther Party
leader Eldridge Cleaver and the Black Pan-
ther Party commissioned Massey, known
as one of the greatest jazz composers of the
20th century, to compose a work expressing
the struggle of the 1960s black liberation
movement. In the Black Liberation Movement
Suite, Massey pays tribute to prominent Af-
rican American revolutionary political and
musical figures: Eldridge Cleaver, Malcolm
X, Martin Luther King Jr., Huey P. New-
ton, John Coltrane and Marcus Garvey.
Hos piece, The Revolutionary Gardens of
Harlem Suite, written with his composi-
tion student Marie Incontrera, explores the
civil rights and environmental movements
and the guerrilla cause and lifestyle. It is
also a dedication to Clifford Thornton, the
American free jazz trumpet and trombone
player and Black Panther Party minister of
the arts.
Under Hos exacting tutelage, Incontrera
composed the first two movements. The
first, based on two African spirituals, is ded-
icated to Malcolm X and called The life
and redemption of our shiny black prince,
a tribute to Ossie Daviss eulogy to Malcolm
X. The second is Incontreras contribution
to the ecological theme, which she describes
as a slow and plush melody in honor of
Mother Earth.
Ho composed the last movement, The
grace of the guerrilla, my love. [Theres]
a lot of complex time in there, Incontrera
says. He kept saying he wrote it because he
has the best trumpet section in the world.
Its difficult. But its really, really quite beau-
tiful.
The accomplished big band presenting the
works includes some of the worlds best
jazz instrumentalists from New York City
and Los Angeles. The musicians will in-
clude Grammy-nominated alto saxophonist,
composer and arranger Jay Rodriguez; tenor
saxophonist and distinguished jazz scholar
Dr. Salim Washington (Pharoah Sanders,
Randy Weston); bass trombonist Earl Mc-
Intyre (Duke Ellington, Mel Lewis/Thad
Jones); and trumpeter Winston Byrd (Pa-
quito D Rivera, Clark Terry). They have
only two six-hour rehearsals to nail down
Hos challenging and intricate music and
bring his brainchild to life.
In order to hold down his chair at the
low end, which he can no longer do, Ho
bestowed his beloved 40-year-old baritone
sax upon his protg, Ben Barson. Barson
has the honorand tremendous responsi-
bilityto play the hallowed instrument on
this tour and in the foreseeable future.
Hes given me the opportunity to play in
his band, which is just the biggest challenge
Ive ever had, says Barson. Now that hes
ill, he can no longer play his horn, hes given
that to me . . . Ive played a lot of this music
in the pastits just gorgeous. After a while,
it just starts playing you.
Eco-Music Big Band drummer Zack
OFarrill, son of Grammy awardwinning
pianist Arturo OFarrill, is concerned with
his responsibility as a drummer to take the
music and hold it all together and create the
vibe of it. For him, the challenge is in the
Cal Massey piece: to ensure it evokes the
spirit of the people that each movement is
dedicated to. The movements alternate be-
tween open and bravado and like a ballad,
[theyre] about color and texture. [There
are] a lot of melodic statements and then
stuff thats more in time and groove.
Ho gave Incontrera the huge responsibil-
ity, as she puts it, of conducting 16 musi-
cians and putting everyone on the same
page . . . emotionally. Its a really complex
piece of music, but its . . . about corralling
[the bands] spirit. With jazz, its about the
feeling.
To add visuals to the experience, Clare
Dolan, well-known Bread and Puppet pup-
peteer, will perform original cantastoria
worklarge format pictures combined with
sung narration dedicated to the Black Lib-
eration Movement and the struggle for a new
world. In addition, all audience members
will receive the 75-page Truth and Dare: RA
Comic Book Curriculum for the End and the
Beginning of the World!, edited by Ecosocial-
ist Horizons.
The Red, Black and Green Revolutionary
Eco-Music Tour is supercharged with sig-
nificance, Barson says. And the responsi-
bility to carry out Hos legacy is profound.
Fred is looking at us to continue . . . this
political work, this musical work, his legacy
. . . the idea of creating a political movement
in music. . .[which] he does in a very, very
profound way, says Incontrera. Being able
to carry that on is really important.
Times and Locations of
Performances
February 19, 7 p.m. (free)
Dibden Center for the Arts, Johnson
State College
South Pond Road, Johnson 635-1476

February 20, 7:30 p.m. (free)
Southwick Recital Hall, Southwick
Music Building, Red Stone Campus,
University of Vermont
384 South Prospect Street, Burlington
656-3131

February 21, 7 p.m. (free)
First Universalist Church and Society
of Barnard
6211 Route 12, Barnard 332-6020

February 22, 8 p.m. ($10 in advance)
Haybarn Theatre, Goddard College
123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield 800-468-
4888
This tour is organized by Scientific
Soul Sessions. Truth and Dare is pro-
duced by Ecosocialist Horizons. For
more information, contact tour coor-
dinator Ben Barson at 973-896-7697 or
benjaminbarson@gmail.com.
THE RED, BLACK AND GREEN
REVOLUTIONARY ECO-MUSIC TOUR
Fred Ho is an acclaimed baritone saxophonist,
composer, bandleader, playwright, author and
social activist. Photo courtesy of Fred Ho.
Photo courtesy of Fred Ho..
PAGE GUERTIN
for CITY COUNCIL, District 2
VOTE Tuesday, March 4
I will work hard to:
- Maintain value for our tax dollars
- Improve communication and openness at City Hall
- Find additional sources of City revenue
- Promote smart, affordable new housing
- Support efforts to keep our downtown vital, accessible and fun
I am
- An analytical problem-solver by profession
- A xed-income senior citizen
- An active, involved grandparent
- Fascinated by the complex aspects of managing this remarkable City
I believe
We can, with creative and
thoughtful analysis, nd
ways to keep city services
and our community or-
ganizations funded without
breaking the bank. We
need to consider the social
and environmental impacts
of our decisions along with
the economic factors.
Contact me at:
229-7707
page.s.guertin@gmail.com
229-7707
page.s.guertin@gmail.com
Gwendolyn Hallsmith
for Mayor
Resilience and Prosperity:
The Peoples Choice
Working with the citizens, we get things done
$8M District Energy grant
Capital Area Neighborhoods
Neighborhood Zoning Standards
Streamlined Permit Process
Sustainable Master Plan
Bring the voices of our residents
back to city government.
Transparency, Accountability, and Ethical
Standards for elected and appointed ofcials.
Vote for change on
March 4th!
I
remember it so distinctly. It was on Janu-
ary 2, 2013, that I first stepped out into
the minus 15-degree weather of Montpe-
lier. The pain the air created on my skin was
something completely foreign to me. Imme-
diately I thought, Oh my, what did I just
get myself into? As someone who had spent
a majority of my life living in the Southwest,
I wasnt exactly sure if I had made the right
decision to attend NECI. I knew what I was
there to do, though, and was willing to brave
the weather if it meant achieving my dreams.
The next three months spent on campus
were probably some of the best of my life.
The environment that was created around
the certificate program I was in made me
excited to wake up every day and attend
class. My classmates and I all shared a
passion to learn the material, which cre-
ated a special kind of fluidity to our daily
routine.
But probably the most influential part of
my program was the mentorship of my
instructor. From the very beginning, he
was eager to know what all of our goals
were. Chef made it clear that this was our
education that we were paying for, and we
could and should do what we wanted with
it. These were the thoughts that helped
get me through the difficult task of find-
ing an internship, which came next.
For me, I always knew my purpose in at-
tending NECI was to work in culinary
media. New York City was the best place
for this, so I packed up my bags and
moved there right away. I spent about a
month sending out rsums and cover
letters and contacting everyone I knew
(and didnt know for that matter) in the
industry. It was a lot of work, and there
were days that I considered working in
a restaurant kitchen just to fulfill my
internship requirement. I decided to stick
to my plan, though, and the day I received
a call from ABCs The Chew, I knew it had
all been worth it.
At the end of May, I stepped into the stu-
dio kitchen and began to learn the inner
workings of food television. My experi-
ence interning was unlike anything else I
couldve imagined. The kitchen was home
to four culinary stylists and myself, and
every day was something completely new.
I was making food that would actually be
seen on the show and eaten by chefs Id
admired. I also learned the inner work-
ings of how a food TV show ran and the
type of work ethic it takes to achieve that.
The two months I spent interning were so
valuable that I didnt mind waking up to
be there at 7 a.m. every morning, work-
ing 40 hours a week, unpaid. That is how
I knew I was in the right place. As my
internship came to end, though, I began
to start to think about what I was going
to do afterward. I didnt want to leave
the world I had been welcomed into, but
wasnt sure what my next move was.
Somehow, the stars aligned in my favor,
and as luck would have it, an assistant
stylist position opened up on the show.
I was given the opportunity to try out,
where I completed tasks that would be
part of my responsibilities. Needless to
say, even though I had been working in
the kitchen for the prior two months and
was comfortable around everyone, I had
never been more nervous in my entire
life. To make things worse, over the next
week, I had to watch four other people try
out for the job that I so badly wanted. I
knew, though, that if I could just prove to
them that I was the most hard-working,
dedicated and willing-to-learn applicant
that the job could be mine.
I have now been working at The Chew
full-time since September 2013. Every
day is an opportunity for growth, and I
have loved every minute of it. The work
is extremely challenging and sometimes
stressful, but I wouldnt have it any other
way. My coworkers are some of the most
amazing people I have ever worked with
and are always willing to help me learn.
I still wake up every morning (at 5 a.m.
now!) thankful and excited for the op-
portunities Ive been given and try to ap-
preciate everything that comes with them.
I find it quite serendipitous how this last
year has been for me. If there is one thing
I can say Ive learned, though, its that if
you work hard and hold on to what you
want most, theres nothing that can stop
you from achieving your goals.
Working Hard to
Achieve the Dream by Devin Dror
" Delighting in her first snow"
Photo courtesy of Acacia Santos.
F
or most of us, change can be daunting. We know it
is inevitable, even healthy, but we dont usually seek
it out. When it comes slowly and in small incre-
ments, we can handle it better. Adapting to a new culture,
language, climate, school, food and friends simultaneously
could really pile on the stress points. Yet Acacia Santos, 16
years old and 5,000 miles from home, bubbles with charm,
warmth, energy and enthusiasm as she talks about the chal-
lenges and delights of living in the U.S. for the first time.
What strikes me immediately is how comfortable and gre-
garious she is. I am amazed that one so young is so utterly
unassuming, natural and at ease and can speak without a
trace of self-consciousness the first time we meet. I know
that she has spoken in front of a large group of Rotarians,
most complete strangers, for 20-minute periods on several
occasions. That sounds daunting enough to me, who is old
enough to be her grandmother. Yet, she spoke with the self-
confidence and poise of someone of far greater years and
life experience.
Acacia is attending Montpelier High School as a Rotary
exchange student and living with area host families. We sat
down in my living room to talk about the differences be-
tween her country and ours. I couldnt believe my ears when
she told me one reason she wanted to come to Vermont was
to see snow. I guess 90 degrees and sunny can get old fast.
But the photo she sends of herself reveling in the bliss of her
first snowfall shows me the excitement and sheer joy with
which this young Brazilian greets life.
Acacia also wanted to come to the U.S. to perfect her Eng-
lish. In Brazil, English is very important and learned at an
early age. When Acacia was 6, she lived in England for six
months with her mother and sister. After that, she watched
movies, took online classes and did all she could to improve
her English. Her English, although not perfect, is amaz-
ingly good and peppered with rich and colorful vocabulary.
Thank God, I have control of the language, so I can say ev-
erything I want to and need to, she said. I think to myself
that her self-motivation, perseverance, goals and gratitude
will serve her well. She is a future leader; I am sure of it.
In Vermont, we joke about our many seasons, and we look
forward to longer days once more. But close to the equator,
Brazilians dont experience changes in the length of the day
as the seasons change. There, the sun always rises at 5:30
a.m. and sets at 5:30 p.m. When temperatures reach a low
of 70 degrees, Brazilians don coats and complain that it is
cold. When temperatures reach a high of 110, she notes,
they are likely to complain as well. In her city, where it is
hot and rains little, Its beautiful beaches and summer all
the time. Unsurprisingly, Acacia marveled at Vermonts
abundance of foliage and cant wait for the leaves to return
so she can experience the beauty of a Vermont spring.
But it is her Vermont school experience, particularly the size
of the school and the classes, that amazes her most. In her
private school (the public ones are not very good) there
are 4,000 students in 10 grades and 55 students to a class.
Its impossible to learn that way, said Acacia. Because of
the smaller class size here, she noted that teachers will help
you to understand if you dont understand something; they
will take the time until you understand. I think thats per-
fect. I never learned so much.
When Acacia arrived in the fall, her peers were strung out
writing college essays, filling out applications and visiting
colleges. Brazilian students do none of this. For them, it
is the qualifying exam for university, taken by all students
during their third and last year of high school, that is the
key to their future. Access to higher education is based
on these scores alone, and if a student fails, he or she has
to wait an entire year to retake the examination. Once in
college, a student has only to pay for materials, while the
government pays for room and board and the education.
Acacia uses the word amazing to describe American food.
Enthralled by the taste and variety of what is readily avail-
able, this young Brazilian told me she understands why
she had heard that the U.S. is a fat country. She tells me
that at the school cafeteria, she can have her pick of Oreos,
muffins, junk food, sandwiches and Mexican food, while
acknowledging that the food is healthier in Brazil, where
most people eat rice and beans and a little meat for lunch.
Enthusiastically responding to what she loves most here,
Acacia said it is the education; while in Brazil, its the
people, the weather, and dancing. She credits Brazilians
for being warmer, happier and friendlier. You cant not love
Brazilian people, who will hug you if theyve just met you.
. . . Brazilians try to understand you no matter what. Here,
they dont have the patience.
Initially, it was difficult for her to make friends at school.
Unlike Brazil with its shorter school day, here students dont
stop you in the hall and arrange to hang out together. And
then there is American dancing, which by Brazilian stan-
dards, doesnt even compare!
Describing her experience of being an exchange student,
Acacia said, Its an incredible thing to do. Once you go
outside of your country, you go outside of your comfort
zone, and you become so much more mature and want to
change things. I took things for granted in my country. Its
a life-changing experience. I think everyone should do it.
Even for a month, you will see that it will change your life.
I started to see how much I love my country, but how we
are not so good and what we need to change. So when I go
back to my country, I will try to make the changes that my
country needs, in education and the politics. But she also
has travel in her future. Once you start, you never want
to stop!
Rotary International:
Service Above Self
Montpelier rotary, acacias
sponsor, is part of the worldwide
organization rotary International.
The youth exchange is just one
of their many programs dedicated
to building peace and goodwill.
Montpelier rotary contributes
thousands of dollars every year
to area organizations while taking
on humanitarian projects in other
countries. In the past decade,
the club has also provided over
$180,000 in scholarships to local
students.
globally, rotary is comprised
of 1.2 million members in
more than 32,000 clubs in 200
countries. rotarians come from
diverse professional and business
backgrounds and meet regularly
for friendship and community
service. These volunteer leaders
contribute their time, energy and
passion to sustainable, long-term
projects in local communities
across the globe. projects focus
on important issues like peace
and conflict resolution, disease
prevention and treatment, water
and sanitation, maternal and
child health, basic education
and literacy and economic and
community development. polio
eradication, rotarys number-
one priority since 1985, has been
almost achieved worldwide.
Joyce Kahn
Acacia Santos
Brazilian Exchange
Student by Joyce Kahn
I
n 1955, when Hollywood stars were
groveling in front of the House Un-
American Activities Committee, more
concerned about their careers than the First
Amendment, Pete Seeger had the courage
and dignity to refuse to testify about his be-
liefs or to name others who had been mem-
bers of the Communist Party with him. He
was prosecuted and convicted for contempt
of Congress and sentenced to a year in jail
(which was later thrown out on appeal).
After he was indicted, Seeger was black-
listed on American radio and television for
the next decade. He had a wife and three
children to support, and he still needed
to make a living. But in 1957 when Lucky
Strike cigarettes asked him to do an adver-
tising jingle with the other members of his
group, the Weavers, he refused to do any-
thing that promoted cigarettes.
In my first year of college, almost everyone
in my dorm was listening to Chicago and
Santana. I was listening to folk music. I
was interested in Woody Guthrie, and I
knew Pete Seeger had been his friend. So
one afternoon I found Seegers address and
wrote him a letter asking if he could tell
me which labels still produced Guthries
recordings. A week or two later I received a
handwritten letter from Toshi Seeger, Petes
wife, with a long list of labels that still sold
Guthries records.
Years later I was raising money for a high
school music exchange between the U.S.
and the then Soviet Union. I wrote to a
handful of musicians asking if they would
do benefit concerts, for free, to help. The
first musician to say yes was a singer-song-
writer named David Mallett. We became
friends, and he later told me a story about
Pete Seeger. When Dave first started per-
forming, he appeared at the Toronto Folk
Festival for exposure and no pay. The well-
known musicians were being paid $500.
After the program, Pete Seeger came over
to Dave and gave him his $500 check.
Seeger told Dave that he thought Dave
would need the money more than he did,
and he wanted Dave to keep singing.
Around that same time, I wrote to Seeger
asking if hed be willing to do a free concert
for the student exchange program. Again, I
received a letter back from his wife, Toshi.
Toshi said they wanted to do whatever they
could to help and to suggest some dates.
Awhile later we had a choir coming to
Vermont from Karelia, so I wrote back to
Toshi and asked if Pete would appear on
the same program. Toshi sent me a note and
said they would do it. The morning before
the concert, they drove over to Vermont
with their grandson, Tao Rodriquez, who
appeared with Pete, Dan and Jaye Lindner
and the Karelian students.
Pete and Toshis generosity was unbounded.
Two of their children went to the Wood-
stock Country School while Montpeliers
Leeds Brewer was attending that school.
Pete and Toshi would visit the school a
couple of times a year, and while he was
there, Pete would hold a guitar/banjo
workshop in a hayloft of the barn at the
school. It was under Petes tutelage that
Leeds honed the guitar-picking skills that
have helped brighten many a Montpelier
evening. Fortunately for Montpelier, and
probably Leeds as well, when Leeds decided
he would take to the road in Petes footsteps
the headmaster persuaded him that wasnt
a good idea.
Terrorism has replaced Communism as
the demon du jour, and our Bill of Rights
is as much under siege today as it was in
1955 when Pete Seeger stood up to the
House Un-American Activities Committee.
Likewise, we may not be selling as many
Lucky Strikes as we did 50 years ago, but
selfishness and greed are still alive and well.
There is a gospel childrens song that Pete
Seeger liked to sing: This little light of
mine, Im going to let it shine, let it shine,
let it shine. Toshi died unceremoniously
last year. Petes death last week made head-
lines around the world. But the power of
their courage, generosity and song touched
millions of lives, and a lot of us will try to
keep that little light shining.
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I
n 2007, when our community music school began under the leadership of Rebecca
Singer and myself, we had envisioned a gathering place for folks interested in traditional
music: a place to share the joy of making music together and the joy of learning about
it as well. We felt confident that this would enliven and enrich Montpelier, making the
winters more tolerable and the summers more magical. Group-music-making experiences
are powerful, and there is no doubt this makes the world a more positive place to live in.
In 2008, the movie Power of Song was shown at the Savoy Theater. The movie was a docu-
mentary made with Pete Seeger to show the impact that music can have on communities.
I was blown away by how much Pete accomplished through his songs. He used his music
to cause social change, and the movie proved that it worked. The footage is so compelling:
imagine thousands of people united in song, uplifting and empowering themselves by being
together in this way. I left that theater in tears. I also left the theater knowing what my
calling was to be. So here I am, spreading the good news called music. And Pete showed
me how.
I am so honored to have met him and to have spent some time in his presence. In 2006, I
went to the Clearwater Festival to visit Petes grandson Tao, who had become a friend of
mine. I sat in the back of a pickup truck with Pete and Tao, listening as they caught up.
I kept thinking to myself then: What on earth do I say to this man? Timidity kept me
from conversation, but to be that close to such a powerful human being with such vision
was enough for me.
Following my experience with the movie Power of Song, I wrote Pete a letter describing the
Summit School. I also asked if he could come for a visit sometime. Sure enough, in about
a month, I received a letter back from him. It was part form letter and partially handwrit-
ten. His note to me said, How I would love to visit the Summit School, but alas, I am 90
years old, and its just impossible. Followed by Here is my phone number. I never called
him; I was too nervous. But I framed the letter, and it sits on the piano in my music room.
This past summer I went to a festival called the Summer Hoot at the Ashokan Center in
New York. I wanted to see Pete Seeger in concert, as well as get his autograph on an instru-
ment that would be used at a fundraiser for the Summit School. (You can find information
on the signed ukulele on our website summit-school.org.) The concert was fabulous; Pete
had hundreds of us singing kids songs together and practicing The Itsy Bitsy Spider. With
a little help from some friends, I was taken to a small house on the festival grounds and sat
with Pete as he discussed the state of the environment around the Hudson. He knew the
names of all the types of trees that grew there and reflected on the changes the area had
been through over the years.
I left with his signature on that instrument and a revived vision for the Summit School. The
project must go on! And so it has, and so it will. We are united by the music we make, and
together we can hold this community music school dear, nurturing and enriching the lives
of people young and old. Thank you Pete, Your vision will live on.
Katie Trautz (katietrautz.com) is a native Vermont fiddler who has toured nationally and
internationally sharing traditional music and original folk songs. Trautz is the cofounder of
the nonprofit folk music school The Summit School of Traditional Music and Culture based in
Montpelier.
Pete and Toshi Seeger
So Long, Its Been Good
to Know Yuh by David Kelley
Remembering Pete Seeger:
His Vision Lives On by Katie Trautz
Pete Seeger in 1955. By Fred Palumbo.
Pete Seeger, California, 1950s.
F
or the ninth year, Lost Nation The-
ater (LNT) presents Winterfest at City
Hall Arts Center, Montpelier, show-
casing Vermont performing artists and orig-
inal work. This year, three different shows
will be performed between February 6 and
February 23: The Vagina Monologues by
Eve Ensler, Intake by Marshfield playwright
Margot Lasher, and Adapted from Samuel
Beckett by Ellis Jacobson of Cabot.
The Vagina Monologues has been per-
formed three times at LNT, in 20062008.
The nine-member cast includes women
ranging in age from 16 to about 60. The
play is a celebration of the miracle of life
and the mystery of life . . . It is raucous and
rowdy and there are other moments that are
so quiet and poignant and deeply moving,
said Kathleen Keenan, producing artistic
director at LNT. Keenan is also directing
the show with Kris Weir. The material for
The Vagina Monologues was derived from
testimonies collected by Eve Ensler.
We are trying to bring out the idea that
these [events] are real things that have hap-
pened and are happening, Keenan said.
The production will benefit Circle, an or-
ganization that provides services for victims
of domestic violence in Washington County
and seeks to end violence against women.
After the Thursday and Sunday perfor-
mances, there will be postshow discussions
led by Circle.
Intake is a two-character play that chal-
lenges our stereotypes on aging. Directed
by Joanne Greenberg and produced by
Liz Snell, the play stars Emme Erdossy as
82-year-old Hannah with Alison Goyette
as the inexperienced psychiatrist evaluating
her. They have been working collaboratively
with the writer, Margot Lasher, throughout
the process. Intake was originally a one-act
play; the full-length version won the Ver-
mont Playwrights Award in 2013. Keenan
said of the show, I think its going to be fan-
tastic [Emme Erdossy] is bringing so much
humor and grit and guts . . . its quite excit-
ing to experience it onstage. The actors are
great examples of the treasure trove of talent
we have in Vermont, Keenan added.
Adapted from Samuel Beckett is an origi-
nal comedy by Ellis Jacobson. The show
explores how you can have joy in the
most mundane things and find meaning in
humor, said Keenan. Part one is a largely
nonverbal performance of Becketts plays,
and the piece includes a lot of physical the-
ater. Kim Bent, artistic director at LNT,
said, In the end it is an homage to Samuel
Beckett. Fred Wilber created and will be
performing original music that will frame
Jacobsons work.
Throughout the year, Lost Nation The-
ater will be holding classes and workshops
for students and professionals. In Febru-
ary, workshops include physical acting, au-
ditioning and improv. From February 24
to 28, there will be two one-week theater
performance camps for students focusing on
physical theater and cabaret music-theater.
Lost Nation Theaters mainstage produc-
tions begin in April with Our Town, fol-
lowed by The Last Five Years, Vanya and
Sonia and Masha and Spike, Blues in the
Night, The 39 Steps and Comedy of Errors.
Sofia Shatkivska Exhibit:
Standing for Human Dignity by Joyce Kahn
Winterfest 2014 at Lost
Nation Theater by Julia Barstow
Winter Fest 2014
Lost Nation Theater,
Montpelier City Hall
Arts Center, 39 Main St.,
Montpelier.
Feb. 69: The Vagina
Monologues by Eve Ensler.
Feb. 1316
Feb. 2023: Adapted from
Samuel Beckett by Ellis
Jacobson.
Curtain times for Winterfest
are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday,
Friday and Saturday, and 2
p.m. on Sunday. Tickets: $20
adults; $15 students and
seniors. For reservations and
information: 229-0492 or
info@lostnationtheater.org
or lostnationtheater.org.
Editors Note: There are highly complex issues at play in Ukraine at the moment. And as is
characteristic of other hot spots in the world, the forces involved are not confined internally to
the Ukrainian border. There are long histories between Russia and Ukraine, and Ukrainians,
themselves, are divided in their allegiances: the eastern states align more with Russia, while the
western states want to align with the West, represented by the European Union. As in any time
of upheaval, many forces across the internal political spectrum emerge, including those express-
ing an extreme nationalism. Given this very brief and simplified background, the conversation
I had with Sofia Shatkivska represents the point of view of an American with strong roots and
ties to Ukraine.
W
hat do you do if youre an artist so incensed by events in your birth country,
Ukraine, that you want to shake people up and make them take notice? If youre
Sofia Shatkivska of Washington, Vermont, you forget about eating and sleeping,
and in one week, working day and night, you produce two dozen charcoal drawings on
paper, now on exhibit in the Barre Aldrich Public Librarys Milne Gallery.
These drawings, hung simply like banners, were inspired by scenes from the Internet, points
of departure for the artist to express her reactions to what shed seen and heard. The art is
as impassioned as the artist herself. Entitled Standing for Human Dignity and dedicated to
the war in Ukraine, the drawings portray the protesters in Independence Square in Kyiv
and the riot police armed with metal shields, marching in phalanx against them. Scenes
of smoke are prevalent. To make you feel as if youre in a war zone, a background record-
ing plays the sounds of chaos: a cacophonous mlange of church bells, people screaming
in Ukrainian, Get up, Ukraine, and women beating on barrels and buses with sticks. In
addition, a yellow-rose-strewn table with photographs of four of the murdered adds to the
solemnity of the situation and the experience of the viewer.
Shatkivska first explained how the subject, itself, dictated the medium she used: charcoal
was the best medium for expression because it allowed her to work quickly. The starkness
of the subject matter also lends itself perfectly to a black and white rendering. She earns
her livelihood by etching in granite, but granite takes time to work. These paintings were
produced in one week of concentrated around-the-clock work.
The protest started in November 2013, when President Victor Yanukovich reneged on sign-
ing Ukraines first agreement with the European Union and instead flew to Russia, where
he received a $15 billion bailout. Students came out on the streets in protest and provided
the catalyst for people with no education, poor salaries and a host of other issues to join the
protest and to protect the students. Nobody expected when it started that it would go so
deep, said Shatkivska. The number-one enemy that all are united against is the corrupt
government of President Yanukovich.
I asked Shatkivska what she hoped to accomplish with her exhibit. First of all, she wants to
wake up people here. There are Ukrainian groups across the world petitioning, but to her,
that is equivalent to begging for help. She would like the American people to contact their
government, to sign a petition saying, We know whats going on and something needs to
be done. It is wrong because they are protesting peacefully.
Shatkivska sees the Ukraine protest as setting an example for the whole world of how
people can unite over a common purpose and take peaceful action. According to the artist,
friendship, love, brotherhood and peaceful protest can change the world. The purpose of
her show, she says, is to wake up human consciousness.
Standing for Human Dignity is on exhibit through Thursday, February 13, with a closing on
Saturday, February 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. More information, call the artist at 883-5490
or the library at 466-7550. Shatkivska website is sofiasartsgallery.com.
Photo Courtesy Kris Weir.
Photo Courtesy John Snell
Photo Courtesy Neil Davis
Photo Courtesy Neil Davis
Spiritual Solidarity
HELP
WANTED
Production Editor
and Calendar Editor
The Bridge is looking for an editor to take over the production and calendar editing. Duties include editing articles,
letters and editorials for clarity and syntax and according to the newspapers style, fact checking and, as needed,
rewriting leads and writing headlines and occasional fill-in pieces. as calendar editor, duties include organizing and
editing submissions for brevity and according to newspapers style and regularly communicating by e-mail with
those submitting items. both positions require someone able to work efficiently, keep to deadlines and coordinate
with the managing editor, the graphic designer and the advertising staff. Candidate needs to be familiar with both
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HELP
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This is an ideal part-time position for
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nearby communities.
Interested? e-mail Nat frothing-
ham, editor and publisher, at nat@
montpelierbridge.com.
ARTISANS HAND
Contemporary Vermont Crafts
89 Main at City Center, Montpelier
artisanshand.com
Facebook for more images
the Zipper Lady
Come meet Stacie Mincher
hearts, fowers, landscape pins & earrings
ART WALK ~ February 7, 5-7
89 Main Street Montpelier 262-CAKE
skinnypancake.com
Every Sunday:
3:30-5:30pm Old-Timey Live Music
featured Weekly Live Music 6pm
Wednesdays: Heady Humpday!
$5 Heady Toppers
$2 off Heady Hotdogs
w/ Live Music from Jay Ekis
and Friends 6pm
Monday-Friday:
State Special (8-11:30am)
2 All local Breakfast Sliders
w/ Local Bacon Local Egg and Cabot Chedder
on Manghis Rolls plus a Small Vt. Artisan Coffee
$6.95
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7

February Vacation Day Camp
Licensed Child Care Program
Licensed childcare programs state subsidy is available upon request.
Monday Friday Resident Fees:
February 24 February 28 $ 32.00 per day first child
7:45 Drop off 4:45 pickup $ 25.00 per day additional children
Boys & Girls 5 - 12 year of age $120.00 for the week/first child
Montpelier Main Street Middle School $ 105.00 for the week/additional children
Special Trip: Thursday, 27, 2014 Montshire Museum Non-Resident Fees:
$46.00 per day first child
Upcoming programs & events $35.00 per day additional children
Mother & Son Bowling February 15 $160.00 for the week/first child
Father & Daughter Dance- February 13 $140.00 for the week/additional child
Ready, Set, Run! Youth
Girls on the Run For prices and additional information on
Girls on Track our programs and events please call us or
Babysitting course visit us online: 1-802-225-8699
HIIT Kick adult fitness www.montpelierrec.org
Red Cross Safety Course

,
18th Annual
Father & Daughter Valentines Dance
Thursday, February 13th 6:30 pm 8:30 pm
Capital Plaza Downtown Montpelier
$15.00 per family in advance
$20.00 per family at door
Event is open to dads, relatives, family friends & daughters of all ages.

b

e

m i
n

e

18
TH
Annual
Fat her & Daught er Val ent i ne s Dance
Thursday, February 13
th
6:30 pm 8:30 pm
Capital Plaza Downtown Montpelier
$15.00 per family in advance
$20.00 per family at door
Event is open to dads, relatives, family friends & daughters of
all ages.

MOTHER & SON VALENTINE BOWLING
Saturday, February 15 12:00 pm 1:30 pm
Twin City Lanes Barre, VT
$15.00 per person pre-registration is required
Event is open to moms, relatives, family friends & sons of all
ages.

Montpel i er Re cre at i on Depart ment
MOTHER & SON VALENTINE BOWLING
Saturday, February 15 12:00 pm 1:30 pm
Twin City Lanes Barre, VT
$15.00 per person pre-registration is required
Event is open to moms, relatives, family friends & sons of all ages.
Fashion
Know-How
Fashion Know-How is written by Alyson Lincoln McHugh, owner
of No. 9 Boutique in Montpelier. Hear Fashion Know-How every
Saturday at 7:50am on WDEV. www.shopno9boutique.com
For the Love
of Scarves
by Alyson Lincoln McHugh
I LOVE SCARVES
why, you ask? Tey hide
your neck, if you know
what I mean. Tey can
replace a necklace yet at the same time
accommodate a necklace beautifully.
Tey come in many fabrications so you
can wear them year round. Also, they
can brighten up a solid top by adding a
little pop of color.
If you want to know more about tying
scarves, check out my website on scarf
tying events. Address is below.
FEB. 6
MBAC Meeting. Meeting of the Montpelier
Bicycle Advisory Committee. First Turs., 8 a.m.
Police Station Community Room, 534 Washing-
ton St., Montpelier. 262-6273.
Book Signing: The Problem of Slavery. Did
the 1777 Vermont Constitution really end slav-
ery in Vermont? Find out from author Harvey
Amani Whiteld. 4:306:30 p.m. Vermont His-
tory Museum, 109 State St., Montpelier. Free.
479-8519. Julie.nelson@state.vt.us. vermonthis-
tory.org/calendar.
FEB. 7
Lunchtime Theater: Intake. See excerpt from
MSAC member Margot Lashers award-winning
play. A brief conversation with the playwright,
cast and crew follows performance. 12:451:30
p.m. Community Room, Montpelier Senior
Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.
Brain Injury Support Group. Open to all
survivors, caregivers and adult family members.
Evening group facilitated by Marsha Bancroft;
day group facilitated by Kathy Grange and Jane
Hulstrunk. First and third Turs., 1:302:30
p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpe-
lier. 244-6850.
Eat More Bugs: Entomophagy in Vermont.
With Rachael Young. Explore ways to add insect
protein to your diet. North Branch Lecture
Series. 7 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St.,
Montpelier. 229-6206.
Film Screening: Do the Math. A 42-minute
documentary lm about the rising movement to
change the terrifying math of the climate crisis
and challenge the fossil fuel industry. 7 p.m.
Jaquith Public Library, Old Schoolhouse Com-
mon, 122 School St., Marsheld. 426 -3581.
jaquithpublibrary@gmail.com. marsheld.lib.
vt.us.
Navigating the New Vermont Health Care
Exchange. Meet with Peter Sterling, executive
director of the Vermont Campaign for Health
Care Security, for help nding a plan. 11
a.m.2:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135
Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
Reiki Clinic. With Lynne Ihlstrom, reiki master.
Sessions are one-half hour; hour sessions avail-
able. Noon4 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center, 58 Barre St. $15. To make an appoint-
ment: 522-0045.
FEB. 8
Family Hike with Young Adventurers Club.
Location to be determined. Easy to moderate,
23 miles. Contact leaders Lexi Shear, 229-9810,
or Mike Wetherell, 223-8493, for meeting time
and place.
Montessori School of Central Vermont Open
House. Learn more about Montessori education.
Please call to reserve a space at the Open House.
911 a.m. Montessori School of Central Ver-
mont, 89 Karl Circle, Berlin. Free. Reservations
required: 223-3320. info@mscvt.org. mscvt.org.
Meditating for Happiness. Tree-hour
workshop meditation and mindfulness activi-
ties. 9 a.m.noon. $25. Registration open until
February 3. Montpelier Senior Activity Center,
58 Barre St. Registration: 223-2618.
Montpelier Memory Caf. Te caf is for those
with memory disorders; a care provider must
accompany each participant: featuring live Irish
music, refreshments, board games and updates
on Memory Caf and alzheimers activities across
Vermont. 10 a.m. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center, 58 Barre St. Free. 229-9630.
Make Valentines Day Cards. Make your own
cards at the Capital City Farmers Market out of
felt with llama bers, provided courtesy of Jan
Stuart of Moonlight Llamas, Lindsay Chandler
of Northern Vermont Llama Company and
June Taylor of Chocolate Pond Farm. Music Fly
by Night with musicians David Kaynor, Pam
Bockes and Susan Reid. 10 a.m.2 p.m. Vermont
College of Fine Arts gym, College St., Montpe-
lier. 223-2958, manager@montpelierfarmers-
market.com.
Movies for Everyone Series. Films that are fun
for all ages. Second Sat., 11 a.m. Jaquith Public
Library, Old Schoolhouse Common, 122 School
St., Marsheld. 426 -3581. jaquithpublibrary@
gmail.com. marsheld.lib.vt.us.
DIY Valentines. Make and take as many val-
entines as you like for friends, family, furry be-
loveds, reghters, favorite librarians. 12 p.m.
Childrens Library, Kellogg-Hubbard Library,
135 Main St., Montpelier.
Evergreen Medicine. With Rebecca Dalgin,
clinical herbalist. Take a walk outside to meet a
few evergreens followed by time in the class-
room sampling various evergreen preparations,
learning about their medicinal use and reviewing
identication. 13 p.m. Vermont Center for In-
tegrative Herbalism, 252 Main St., Montpelier.
$10 members; $12. Preregistration required: 224-
7100 or info@vtherbcenter.org. vtherbcenter.org.
Shape Note/Sacred Harp Sing. No experience
needed. All welcome. Second Sun., 35 p.m.
Plaineld Community Center (above the co-op).
By donation. 595 9951 or nscottieharrison@
gmail.com.
Film: Christ Stopped at Eboli. Written by
Flavio Del Blazo. Follows a real-life antifascist
intellectual, Carlo Levi, into his forced exile in
a small, isolated village in a remote region of
Southern Italy. In Italian, with subtitles. MSAC
& Dharma Film Series. 6:30 p.m. Montpelier
Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. $3 donation.
224-1001.
For the Love of the Land Benefit. Supporting
eorts to stop the Vermont gas pipeline. Acoustic
roots music by Small Axe, cash bar, delectable
chocolates. All proceeds benet risingtidever-
mont.org. 710 p.m. Feb. 8: Nutty Stephs, Rte.
2, Middlesex. $5$10 donation.
FEB. 89
Wine and Chocolate Weekend: North Branch
Vineyards. Seven wines to taste, paired with
chocolate trues and chocolate cake; also wine
jellies handcrafted by Potlicker produced with
North Branch wines 11 a.m.6 p.m. North
Branch Vineyards, 82 Trillium Hill, Montpelier.
Free. 229-6169.
FEB. 9
Embodying Practice. Explore the interrelation-
ship of meditation and the body with Robert
Kest, Ph.D. 9 a.m.noon. $10 donation to the
Vermont Food Bank. Call for location and regis-
tration: 229-6989. Ryokan@juno.com.
Rosh Chodesh Gathering. With Rabbi Tobie
Weisman. Meditation, singing, learning and
sharing about this monthly Jewish holiday of
spiritual renewal and community. 3:305:30
p.m. Beth Jacob Synagogue, 10 Harrison Ave.,
Montpelier. Members free; $10 nonmembers.
279-7518. bjprogramming@gmail.com. bethja-
cobvt.org.
Family Dance, Dinner and Contra Dance.
Benet for the Capital City Grange. Music by
Mikaela Moore and Dana Hartshorn: 34 p.m.
Tai dinner 4:304:30 p.m. Contra dance with
music by Maivish and calling by Mary Wesley
5:308:30 p.m. Capital City Grange Hall, 6612
Rte. 12, Berlin. Dancing: $10 adult; $5 children
under 16. Dinner: $10 adults; $5 children under
16. 477-3951. capitalcitygrange.org.
Silent Auction Fundraiser and Dance Party.
Fundraiser for productions of Animal dance
performance. Light reception and silent auction.
6 p.m.midnight. Tree Penny Taproom, 108
Main St., Montpelier. Donations appreciated.
hannasatt@gmail.com. hannasatt.wordpress.
com.
FEB. 10
Foot Clinic. Nurses clip toe nails, clean nail
beds, le nails and lotion feet. Service provided
by Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice.
9 a.m.1 p.m. Please arrive 15 minutes early.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.
$15. 223-2518.
Book Signing: Jared Coffin. Te Writers Series
hosts memoirist Con, author of A Chant to
Sooth Wild Elephants and a forthcoming book
Roughhouse Friday. 4:30 p.m. Milano Ballroom,
Norwich University, 135 S. Main St., Northeld.
prentiss@norwich.edu. jaedcon.com.
Food for Thought Book Club. With potluck.
Books: Quiet by Susan Cain and Social Intel-
ligence by Daniel Goleman. Potluck: 6:30 p.m.
Discussion: 7 p.m. Cutler Memorial Library, 151
High St. (Rte. 2), Plaineld. 454-8504.
Designing the Home Garden and Small Farm
for Climate Change Future. With Ben Falk
and UVM extension master gardeners. 6:30 8
p.m. Montpelier High School cafeteria, 5 High
School Dr. $5 donation. 496-9393. pat@beacon-
associates.com.
THEATER, STORYTELLING
& COMEDY
Feb. 623: Winter Fest. Lost Nation Teater,
Montpelier City Hall Arts Center, 39 Main St.,
Montpelier. $20 adults; $15 students and seniors.
Call for times and tickets: 229-0492.
info@lostnationtheater.org. lostnationtheater.org.
Feb. 69:
The Vagina Monologues by Eve En-
sler.
Feb. 1316: Intake by Margot Lasher.
Feb. 2023:
Adapted from Samuel Beckett by
Ellis Jacobson.
Feb. 7: Laugh Local VT Open Mic Comedy
Night. Montpeliers monthly comedy open mic,
open to the general public. If you are a comic
and want mic time, this is the place. Sign up 7:30
p.m.; show 8 p.m. American Legion Post 3, 21
Main St., Montpelier. Free, but dough nation$
welcome. 793-3884.
Feb. 7: Intake by Margot Lasher. See an
excerpt from MSAC member Lashers award-
winning play, followed by a brief, behind-the-
scenes conversation with the playwright, cast and
crew. 12:451:30 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center, 58 Barre St. 223-2518.
Feb. 9: See No Evil and Lunches. Staged
readings of two new plays: See No Evil by
Maura Campbell and Lunches by Roger Strauss.
7 p.m. Chandlers Upper Gallery, 71-73 Main
St., Randolph. $10 advance, $12 door; $5 stu-
dents. 728-6464.
Feb. 14: The Total This & That Circus by
Bread and Puppet Theater. Benet for the
Barre Historical Society and Old Labor Hall.
7 p.m. Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite St., Barre.
$10; children under 12 free. Reservations and
information: 485-4554 or oldlaborhall.com.
Feb. 14: Colin Quinn, Unconstitutional.
Quinn oers his unique comedic perspective
on our national character in his one-man show.
8 p.m. Te Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main St.,
Barre. Tickets: 476-8188 or barreoperahouse.
org.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Feb. 8: Eighth Annual Kaleidoscope of Tal-
ent Auditions. Presented by Green Moun-
tain United Way. Looking for talent in voice,
instrumental, dance and comedy. 9 a.m.4 p.m.
Spaulding High School Auditorium, Barre. 229-
9532. gmunitedway.org/talentshow.shtml.
Feb. 13: Auditions for Cabin Fever Fol-
lies. A mud season community variety show.
Brief acts of all types and ages are encouraged:
singing, dancing, storytelling, jokes and acting.
6:307:30 p.m. Valley Players Teater, Rte. 100,
Waitseld. Call ahead if youre coming or for
information: 496-6651 or 793-8362.
Performing
Arts
George Wilson and David Kaynor performing at the
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, February 7
FEB. 11
Tour Guides needed at Vermont History
Museum. Learn how you can become a history
helper, a volunteer tour guide for school groups
at the Vermont History Museum. No experience
is necessary. 1011:30 a.m. Vermont History
Museum, 109 State St., Montpelier. 828-1413.
victoria.hughes@state.vt.us. vermonthistory.org/
calendar.
Medicare and You Workshop. New to Medi-
care? Have questions? We have answers. Attend
this free one-session workshop to help those new
to Medicare. 34:30 p.m. 59 N. Main St., Ste.
200, Barre. 479-0531. cvcoa@cvcoa.org. cvcoa.
org.
Chinese New Year. Ellie Hayes gives away her
bookmarks with her calligraphy and demon-
strate Tai Chi. Followed by a lm: Te King of
Masks. Refreshments made by Jing Ji. 5:30 p.m.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. $5
donation for food. RSVP 223-2518 by Feb. 6.
Grandparents Raising Their Childrens
Children. Second Tues., 68 p.m. Child care
provided. Wesley Methodist Church, Main St.,
Waterbury. 476-1480.
Public Presentation on State Education
Finance System. Tree speakers, Brian Ricca,
Mark Perrault and Phil Dodd, address the impact
of the state education system on local school bud-
gets. Discussion follows. Te public is invited to
attend. 6:30 p.m. Montpelier High School library,
5 High School Dr.
Book Release Party: Jennifer McMahon. For
McMahons new book Te Winter People. Books
on sale from Bear Pond. 79 p.m. Chef s Table
(NECI), 118 Main St., Montpelier. 229-0774.
FEB. 12
Mini Puppet Party. Make a cast of spirited char-
acters to ll the winter hours with creative antics.
Artists age 36 years sign up at the circulation
desk. 11 a.m. Childrens Library, Kellogg-Hub-
bard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier.
Care Security, for help nding a plan. 1:305
p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Celiac and Food Allergy Support Group.
With Lisa Mas of Harmonized Cookery. Second
Wed., 4:306 p.m. Conference room 3, Central
Vermont Medical Center. lisamase@gmail.com.
Quilting Group. Working meeting of the Dog
River Quilters. Second Wed., 5:30 p.m. Com-
munity room, Brown Public Library, Northeld.
Jean, 585-5078 or jeanjolley@myfairpoint.net.
The South of Italy by Foot. Mary Sue Lyons,
member of the Vermont Italian Club, presents
talk/photo show on walking tours of Puglia and
Basilicata. 7 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center, 58 Barre St. 223-2518.
FEB. 13
Snowshoe Montpelier. With Green Mountain
Club Montpelier. Easy. Evening exploration of
local trails by moonlight. Bring headlamp if
sky is not clear. Contact leader Jill Aspinall, jil-
laspinall@alumni.uwaterloo.ca or 224-9980, for
details and meeting time and place.
Vermont Writes Day. Take seven minutes at
school, workplace, library, cafe or anywhere to
respond to prompts provided by Young Writers
Project; event emphasizes the importance of
writing; the best of the days work to be pub-
lished in media and an e-book. Join YWP 38
p.m., 12 North St., Burlington to share writing,
pizza and open mic. See prompts and more
information at youngwritersproject.org.
Care Security, for help nding a plan. 10 a.m.2
p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Bereaved Parents Support Group. Second
Wed., 68 p.m. CVHHH, 600 Granger Rd.,
Berlin. Jeneane Lunn 793-2376.
Everyday Buddhism: Mindfulness Practice in
an Imperfect World. Panel discussion featur-
ing ve prominent Buddhist teachers, includ-
ing Zen, Tibetan, Vietnamese and American
Buddhist traditions. Followed by questions
and answers. 6:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130
Main St., Montpelier. Donation. 244-1001.
nmbe1022@gmail.com.
Ecumenical Group. Songs of praise, Bible
teaching, fellowship. Second and fourth Turs.,
79 p.m. Jabbok Center for Christian Living, 8
Daniel Dr., Barre. Free. 479-0302.
InventVermont Meeting. With Kathy Dever
from Stowe, inventor of the I-Mark tape measure
(i-marktools.com). Dever explains how she took
her idea from prototype to successful product. 79
p.m. Montpelier High School, 5 High School Dr.,
rm 102. Free. inventvermont.com.
FEB. 14
Valentines Day at Feast Together. Join the
Feast family for an aphrodisiac-inspired meal.
Noon1 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center,
58 Barre St. 60 plus no charge; suggested dona-
tion $5. Reservations: 262-6288.
Break Up with Fossil Fuels Divestment Rally.
An educational Valentines Day card blitz, Break
Up with Fossil Fuel theatrics and a press confer-
ence. Presented by 350VT. Noon2 p.m. Te
State House steps, Montpelier.
Book Sale. Benet for the Barre Historical Soci-
ety and Old Labor Hall: 2,500 books donated by
John Bloch on progressive economics, politics and
civil rights as well as sociology, agriculture and
gardening, ction and classics. 5 p.m. Bread and
Puppet founder Peter Schumanns famous aioli
bread and soup served at 6 p.m. Old Labor Hall,
46 Granite St., Barre. 485-4554. oldlaborhall.
com.
Valentines Day Decadent Desserts and Wine
Tasting. Te Adamant Co-op hosts a Valentines
extravaganza with desserts and wine to taste.
5:307:30 p.m. Adamant Co-op, 1313 Haggett
Rd. $10. 223-5760. adamantcoop@gmail.com.
adamantcoop.org.
LGBTQQ Youth Group. Lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer or questioning youth age
Music
VENUES
Bagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 229-
9212. bagitos.com.
Feb. 6: Colin McCarey and Bob Amos
(folk/bluegrass/swing) 68 p.m.; Myra Flynn
810 p.m.
Feb. 7: Red Tin Box (acoustic power pop)
68 p.m.
Feb. 8: Eric Friedman (Folk Ballads) 11
a.m.1 p.m.; Irish session with Sarah Blair,
Hilari Farrington Koehler, Benedict Koehler,
Katrina VanTyne and others 25 p.m.; Derek
Teichert (singer-songwriter) 68 p.m.
Feb. 9: Clare Byrne (singer-songwriter) 11
a.m.1 p.m.
Feb. 11: Open mic 68 p.m.
Feb. 13: Andy Pitt and Friends (blues/roots/
folk music) 68 p.m.
Feb. 15: Irish session with Sarah Blair, Hilari
Farrington Koehler, Benedict Koehler, Ka-
trina VanTyne and others 25 p.m.; Audrey
Houle and Justin Ricker (singer-songwriters)
68 p.m.
Feb. 16: Dave Moore (Irish /American folk)
11 a.m.1 p.m.
Feb. 18: Old-time music session 68 p.m.
Feb. 19: Keith Williams: Papa GreyBeard
(blues) 68 p.m.
Feb. 21: Mark Daly, Leon Wells, Michael
Friedman and Jason Pugliese (blues/rock/reg-
gae) 68 p.m.
Feb. 22: Irish session with Sarah Blair,
Hilari Farrington Koehler, Benedict Koehler,
Katrina VanTyne and others 25 p.m.; Art
Herttua and Stephen Morabito Jazz Duo 68
p.m.
Chandler Music Hall. 7173 Main St., Ran-
dolph. All shows 7:30 p.m. Tickets: 728-6464
or chandler-arts.org.
Feb. 7: Eric Bibb and Ruthie Foster. Long-
time collaborators Foster and Bibb perform
roots music. $32 advance, $35 day of show;
$20 students.
North Branch Caf. 41 State St., Montpelier.
78:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free.
552-8105.
Feb. 6: Dave Loughran (classic soft rock
covers).
Feb. 7: Simon DeVoil (contemporary folk
songs) 7:309 p.m.
covers)
covers)
Positive Pie. 22 State St., Montpelier. 10 p.m.
229-0453. positivepie.com.
Feb. 15: Te Party Crashers (funk/rock/soul)
21+ $5.
Feb. 21: Twiddle (reggae/funk) 21+ $5.
Feb. 28: Electric Sorcery (progressive/rock)
21+ $5.
Skinny Pancake. 89 Main St., Montpelier. 6
p.m. 262-2253. skinnypancake.com.
Feb. 8: Dan Johnson (old-time)
Feb. 12: Green Mountain Playboys (cajun)
Feb. 15: Lauren Sheehan (folk)
Feb. 19: Green Mountain Playboys (cajun)
Sweet Melissas. 4 Langdon St., Montpelier.
Free unless otherwise noted. 225-6012. face-
book.com/sweetmelissasvt.
Feb. 6: Dance party 8 p.m.
Feb. 7: Honky Tonk Happy Hour with Mark
LeGrand 5 p.m.; A Fly Allusion 9 p.m.
Feb. 8: Blue Fox 5 p.m.; Woedoggies 9 p.m.
Feb. 11: Nancy and Lilly Smith 5 p.m.; open
mic 7 p.m.
Feb. 12: Wine Down with D. Davis 5 p.m.;
Big John 7 p.m.
Feb. 13: Bob Stannard and Tose Dangerous
Bluesmen 8 p.m. cover.
Feb. 14: Honky Tonk Happy Hour with
Mark LeGrand 5 p.m.; Steady Betty 9 p.m.
Feb. 15: Andy Pitt 5 p.m.; Red Hot Juba 9
p.m.
Feb. 18: Andy Plante 5 p.m.; open mic 7
p.m.
Feb. 19: Open Bluegrass Jam 7 p.m.
Feb. 20: Dance party 8 p.m.
Mark LeGrand 5 p.m.; Summit School
Benet 9 p.m.
Feb. 22: Blue Fox 5 p.m.; Vincent Flats Blues
Band 9 p.m.
Feb. 25: Michael T. Jermyn 5 p.m.; open mic
7 p.m.
Feb. 26: Wine Down with D. Davis 5 p.m.;
Carrie Cook, Peter Lind and D. Davis 7 p.m.
Feb. 27: Bramblewood 8 p.m.
Mark LeGrand 5 p.m.; Granite Junction 9
p.m.
Whammy Bar. Maple Corner Store, 31 W.
County Rd., Calais. Wed.Sat., 7:30 p.m. Free.
229-4329. whammybar1.com.
Feb. 7: Big Hat No Cattle (Texas swing).
Feb. 8: Barn Band.
Feb. 12: Open mic.
Feb. 13: Abby Jenne.
Feb. 14: Lewis Franco Valentines Day Date
Night.
Feb. 15: Katie Trautz Mardi Gras Party.
Feb. 19: Open mic.
Feb. 20: Jeanne n Jim.
Feb. 21: Al n Pete (Celtic guitar/ddle).
Feb. 22: Kava Express with Chris Stellar
(funk/pop).
ARTISTS & SPECIAL
EVENTS
Feb. 7: George Wilson and David Kaynor.
Concert of ddle tunes. 7:30 p.m. Montpelier
Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. Suggest-
ed donation $15. 229-1403. hendrixddle@
gmail.com.
Feb. 8: Mark LeGrand, Sarah Munro and
Spencer Lewis. 7 p.m. Optional potluck at
5:30 p.m. Adamant Community Club, 1161
Martin Rd., Adamant. $10 advance at Ada-
mant Co-op; $15 door.
Feb. 8: Suite in Mudtime. Te poetry of
Vermont poet laureate Syd Lea set to music.
By composer Joseph Hallman. Performed by
Te 802 Quartet and Abigail Haynes Len-
nox, soprano. 7:30 p.m. College Hall Chapel,
Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier.
828-8599.
Feb. 9: Second Sunday Concert. Te Ol-
labelles, a harmony singing choir led by Katie
Trautz. Coee served. 9:30 a.m. Chapel,
Bethany United Church of Christ, 115 Main
St., Montpelier. Free. 223-2424. uccbetha-
ny@comcast.net. bethanychurchvt.org.
Feb. 9: Music Festival Kick-O: Electronic
Music Exhibition. VCFA MFA in music
composition students and faculty perform
new work for instruments with live electronic
sound and video. 8 p.m. VCFA Gallery,
Vermont College of Fine Arts, 36 College St.,
Montpelier. Free. 828-8534. Sarah.Madru@
vcfa.edu. vcfa.edu/music-events.
Feb. 11: Very Open Rehearsal and Commu-
nity Potluck. By Scrag Mountain Music. 6
p.m. Warren Town Hall, 413 Main St., War-
ren. 496-7166. scraggmountainmusic.org.
Feb. 10: Vermont Symphony Orchestra Ah!
Cappella Vocal Quartet. Quartet visits
area schools, performing a wide selection of
music, from an early madrigal to an African-
American spiritual and a coal miners song,
followed by question-and-answer period.
800- VSO-9293 x14.
Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 Rte. 14,
E. Montpelier: 9 a.m.
Union Elementary School, Park Ave., Mont-
pelier: 10:30 a.m.
Moretown Elementary, 940 Rte. 100B, More-
town: 1:30 p.m.
Feb. 1012: VCFA New Music Trio Con-
cert. Trio performs music written by MFA in
music composition students) reect a widely
versatile cross-section of approaches to new
music.
Feb. 1011: 8 p.m.; Feb 12: 1 p.m. College
Hall Chapel, Vermont College of Fine Arts,
36 College St., Montpelier. Free. 828-8534.
Sarah.Madru@vcfa.edu. vcfa.edu/music-
events.
Feb. 12: Craftsbury Chamber Players.
Piano quartet, performing music inspired by
literature. Part of the Farmers Night Series.
Presented by Vermont Humanities Council.
7:30 p.m. Vermont State House, Montpelier.
262-2626. info@vermonthumanities.org.
vermonthumanities.org.
Feb. 12: Film Music Festival. Featuring a
variety of approaches to the marriage of mu-
sic to picture, as oered by Music In Media
faculty and students. A short discussion with
the composers will precede the screening of
each excerpt. 8 p.m. Noble Lounge, Vermont
College of Fine Arts, 36 College St., Montpe-
lier. Free. 828-8534. Sarah.Madru@vcfa.edu.
vcfa.edu/music-events.
Feb. 13: VCFA Songwriters Showcase. Te
Gary Library transforms into the VCFA Pub
(cash bar) to host the second Songwriters
Showcase, which highlights the songwriting
and performing talents of the students and
faculty of VCFAs MFA in music composi-
tion. 8 p.m. Gary Library, Vermont College
of Fine Arts, 36 College St., Montpelier. Free.
828-8534. Sarah.Madru@vcfa.edu. vcfa.edu/
music-events.
Feb. 14: VCFA Jazz Quintet Concert. Quin-
tet performs music composed by MFA in
Music Composition students. 8 p.m. College
Hall Chapel, Vermont College of Fine Arts,
36 College St., Montpelier. free. 828-8534.
Sarah.Madru@vcfa.edu. vcfa.edu/music-
events.
Feb. 14: Heaven in My Heart. Valentines
eve concert featuring utist Karen Kevra and
harpist Rebecca Kauman. Short works by
Chopin, Ravel, Bizet, Jay Unger and more.
Pairings of savory and sweet food with both
wine and tea served between music sets.
Seatings at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. North Branch
Caf, Main St., Montpelier. $10 music; $10
food/beverage. Reservations recommended:
552-8105.
Feb. 1416: Te Most Beautiful Waltz.
Musical dances for Valentines Day, featuring
music by Lembit Beecher, composer in resi-
dence. Scrag Mountain Music, 297 Robinson
Rd., Warren. 496-7166. scraggmountainmu-
sic.org.
Feb. 14: Concert with farm supper: $20
adults; $5 children. Supper: 56:30 p.m.
Concert: 7 p.m. Green Mountain Girls Farm,
923 Loop Rd., Northeld.
Feb. 15: 7 p.m. Warren United Church, War-
ren. Reception to follow.
Feb. 16: 7 p.m. Lost Nation Teater, 39 Main
St., Montpelier.
Feb. 22: Eco-Music Big Band. Te Red,
Black & Green Revolutionary Eco-Music
Tour performs the music of two of the
most inuential revolutionary big band jazz
composers: Cal Massey and Fred Ho. 8 p.m.
Haybarn Teatre, Goddard College, 123
Pitkin Rd., Plaineld. $12 advance; $15 door.
322-1685. goddard.edu/eco.
Submit Your Event! Send listings to calendar@montpelierbridge.com.
1322 enjoy free pizza, soft drinks and conversa-
tion. Facilitated by adult volunteers trained by
Outright VT. Second and fourth Fri., 6:308
lier. Free. outrightvt.org.
FEB. 15
Cross-country Ski Oles Cross Country Ski
Center, Warren. With Green Mountain Club
Montpelier. All abilities. Various distances. Trail
fee. Contact leaders Mary Garcia, 622-0585, or
Mary Smith, 505-0603, for meeting time and
place.
Additional Recyclables Collection Center. Ac-
cepting scores of hard-to-recycle items. Tird Sat.,
9 a.m.1 p.m. 540 N. Main St. (old Times-Argus
building), Barre. $1 per carload. 229-9383 x106.
For list of accepted items, go to cvswmd.org/arcc-
additional-recyclables-collection-center.html.
Cabin Fever Spelling Bee. Two teams compete:
writers (local authors) and readers (general public,
sign up for the lottery). Fundraiser for the library.
7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. $10 advance; $12 door. 223-3338.
FEB. 16
Cross-country Marshfield and Cabot Ski.
With Green Mountain Club Montpelier. All
abilities. Bring lunch. Contact leaders George
Longenecker and Cynthia Martin, 229-9787 or
marlong@myfairpoint.net, for meeting time and
place.
Bingo Fundraiser. Raising funds for projects
sponsored by Waterbury American Legion Auxil-
iary. Doors open at 11 a.m. Games begin 1 p.m.
Lunch available. Stowe St., Waterbury. 244-8404.
Families of Color. Open to all. Play, eat and dis-
cuss issues of adoption, race and multiculturalism.
Bring snacks and games to share; dress for the
weather. Tird Sun., 35 p.m. Unitarian Church,
130 Main St., Montpelier. Alyson 439-6096 or
alyson@suncatchervt.com.
FEB. 17
Onion River Exchange Potluck. Share food,
meet people, make connections for exchanges
and learn about time banking. Bring a dish, plate,
utensils. 5:30 p.m. 46 Barre St., Montpelier.
Plainfield Book Club Meeting. Reading Zorro
by Isabel Allende. 7 p.m. Cutler Memorial
Library, 151 High St. (Rte. 2), Plaineld. 454-
8504. info@cutlerlibrary.org. cutlerlibrary.org.
FEB. 18
Musical Guest Story Time. With Tom MacK-
enzie. Storytelling embellished with the dul-
cimer with plenty of dance breaks. 10:30 a.m.
Childrens Library, Kellogg-Hubbard Library,
135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-4665.
Home Share Now. Joel Rhodes, Program &
Outreach Assistant with Home Share Now &
VHCB AmeriCorps Member, will be at an in-
formation table at MSAC to discuss the Home
Share program and answer questions. 10:30
a.m.noon. Montpelier Senior Activity Center,
58 Barre St. 223-2518.
Library Book Delivery Service. First and third
Tues. 1 p.m. See sign-up sheet near oce for
more info. Montpelier Senior Activity Center,
58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.
Care Security, for help nding a plan. 11
The Industrial History of Marshfield. Talk on
the many things made or processed in Marsheld
during the self-sucient 1800s, from bricks to
logs, cheese, starch, shoes, liniments and worm
elixir. Refreshments. Presented by the Marsheld
Historical Society. 6:30 p.m. Old Schoolhouse
Common, 122 School St., Marsheld.
Washington County Stamp Club Meeting.
For those interested in stamps, picture postcards
or postal history. 7 p.m. First Baptist Church, 3
St. Paul St., Montpelier. 223-2953. edsbobnan9@
myfairpoint.net or Bob Edson.
FEB. 19
Home Sharing Info Meeting. Find out what
home sharing is all about. Refreshments served.
Tird Wed., 5:306 p.m. Home Share Now, 115
Main St., Barre. RSVP at 479-8544 to ensure
ample refreshments.
Man-to-Man Prostate Cancer Support
Group. Tird Wed., 68 p.m. Conference room
2, Central Vermont Medical Center. 872-6308
or 866-466-0626 (press 3).
FEB. 20
The Whisperer in Darkness by H. P.
Lovecraft. F. Brett Cox of Norwich University
talks about this horror story. Bring a bag lunch.
Noon 1 p.m. Vermont History Museum, 109
State St., Montpelier. 828-2180. amanda.gus-
tin@state.vt.us. vermonthistory.org/calendar.
Brain Injury Support Group. Open to all
survivors, caregivers and adult family members.
Evening group facilitated by Marsha Bancroft;
day group facilitated by Kathy Grange and Jane
Hulstrunk. First and third Turs., 1:302:30
lier. 244-6850.
Diabetes Discussion Group. Focus on self-
management. Open to anyone with diabetes
and their families. Tird Turs., 1:30 p.m. Te
Health Center, Plaineld. Free. Don 322-6600
or dgrabowski@the-health-center.org.
Survivors of Suicide Loss Support. Monthly
group for people aected by a suicide death.
Tird Turs., 67:30 p.m. Central Vermont
Medical Center, conference rm. 1, Fisher Rd.,
Berlin. 223-0924. calakel@comcast.com.afsp.
org.
Grandparents Raising Their Childrens
Children. Tird Turs., 68 p.m. Child care
provided. Trinity United Methodist Church,
137 Main St., Montpelier. 476-1480.
Song Circle: Community Sing-a-Long.
With Rich and Laura Atkinson. Song books
provided. Tird Turs., 6:45 p.m. Jaquith
Public Library, Old Schoolhouse Common, 122
School St., Marsheld. 426-3581. jaquithpubli-
brary@gmail.com. marsheld.lib.vt.us.
Songwriters Meeting. Meeting of the North-
ern VT/NH chapter of the Nashville Songwrit-
ers Association International. Bring copies of
your work. Tird Turs., 6:45 p.m. Catamount
Arts, St. Johnsbury. John, 633-2204.
Library Film Series. Tird Turs., 7 p.m.
Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marsh-
eld. For lm schedule: 426-3581 or jaquith-
publiclibrary@gmail.com. marsheld.lib.vt.us.
Grazing and Agroforestry: Important Tools
for Transition in Central Vermont. With
Graham Unangst-Rufenacht. Transition Town
Montpelier. 67:45 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard
Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
FEB. 21
Cross-country Ski at Stowe Mountain Re-
sort. With the Green Mountain Club Mont-
pelier. All abilities. Various distances. Trail fee.
Contact Leaders: George Longenecker and Cyn-
thia Martin, 229-9787 or marlong@myfairpoint.
net for meeting time and place..
Questions About Health Insurance or Other
Senior Services? Sarah Willhoit, Information
and assistance specialist with Central Vermont
Council on Aging, answers questions. By ap-
pointment only. 9 a.m.noon.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St. Call for appointment: 479-4400.
Yoga Story Time. Chrissy LeFavour from Stu-
dio Zenith leads mini yogis and their grown-
ups in playful poses inspired by story and song.
10:30 a.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main
St., Montpelier.
Exchange. Meet with Peter Sterling, execu-
tive director of the Vermont Campaign for
Health Care Security, for help nding a plan. 11
Summers Glory in Alaska. John Snell and Rob
Spring share their experiences and photographs
from their summer 2012 trip. North Branch
Lecture Series. 7 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130
FEB. 22
Central Vermont Humane Society Adoption
Center Birthday Party. Bring a present and join
adoptable animals for a family-friendly fourth
birthday party at the East Montpelier Adoption
Center. Kick-o event to celebrate CVHSs 50th
anniversary. Raes, birthday cupcakes, face
painting and more. 10 a.m.2 p.m. CVHS, 1589
Rte. 14S, E. Montpelier. cvhumane.com.
Kitchen Medicine Workshop. Community
herbalist Emily Wheeler discusses the chemistry
and healing properties of common herbs and
spices. Open to all ages; no experience necessary.
23:30 p.m. Cutler Memorial Library, 151 High
St. (Rte. 2), Plaineld. $2$5 suggested donation.
No one turned away for lack of funds. 454-8504.
info@cutlerlibrary.org. cutlerlibrary.org.
continued from page 25
Visual
Arts
Through Feb. 19: Joan Hoffmann. Paintings
by South Royalton artist. Reception Feb. 8,
46 p.m.; lecture by Homan at 5 p.m.: Te
History of American Landscape Painting.
Chandler Downstairs Gallery, 71-73 Main St.,
Randolph.
Through Feb. 22: Chaos: Pandemonium, Dis-
order and Turbulence in Art. Reception Feb.
8, 46 p.m. Main Gallery, Studio Place Arts,
201 N. Main St., Barre. 479-7069. studiopla-
cearts.com.
Through Feb. 22: Leah Sophrin, Spring
Loaded, and Katy Sudol, Color of Expression.
Reception Feb. 8, 46 p.m. Second Floor Gal-
lery, Studio Place Arts, 201 N. Main St., Barre.
479-7069. studioplacearts.com.
Through Feb. 22: Robert W. Brunelle Jr.,
Walking Home. Reception Feb. 8, 46 p.m.
Tird Floor Gallery, Studio Place Arts, 201 N.
Main St., Barre. 479-7069. studioplacearts.com.
Through Feb. 28: Ray Brown, Retrospective:
From Nature. Paintings. Reception Feb. 7, 47
p.m. Green Bean Visual Art Gallery, Capitol
Grounds, Montpelier. curator@capitolgrounds.
com.
Through Feb.: Nancy Gadue. Window paint-
ings. Reception Feb. 7, 48 p.m. Te Cheshire
Cat, 28 Elm Street, Montpelier. 223-1981.
cheshirecatclothing.com.
Through Mar. 3: Joseph Shelley, Animal.
Photographs of Hanna Satterlees newest
dance work Animal. Reception Feb. 7, 48
p.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio,
18 Langdon St., Montpelier. Hours: Mon.Fri.,
48 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.1 p.m.
Through Mar. 8: First Annual Group Art
Show. Work displayed of 10 local artists who
have had one-person shows at Jaquith Library.
Jaquith Public Library, Old Schoolhouse Com-
mon, 122 School St., Marsheld. 426 -3581.
jaquithpublibrary@gmail.com. marsheld.lib.
vt.us.
Through Mar. 9: Kelly Holt, Where. Mixed-
media paintings. Common Space Gallery,
River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville.
888-1261. riverartsvt.org. Hours: Monday-
Friday, 10 a.m.2 p.m.
Through Mar. 9: Evie Lovett and Greg Shar-
row, Backstage at the Rainbow Cattle Co:
The Drag Queens of Dummerston, Vermont.
Photographs by Lovett and audio interviews by
Sharrow. Two-year project documenting the
Rainbow Cattle Co., a gay bar in Dummerston.
Gallery at River Arts, 2F, River Arts Center, 74
Pleasant St., Morrisville. 888-1261. riverartsvt.
org. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.2 p.m.
Through Mar. 9: Making an Impression. Te
work of 18 Vermont printmakers. Chandler
Gallery, 7173 Main St., Randolph. outreach@
chandler-arts.org.
Through Mar. 28: Regis Cummings, Faces &
Places on a Journey. A photo ID is required for
admission. Te Governors Gallery, 109 State
St., 5F, Montpelier. 828-0749. Hours: Mon.
Fri., 8 a.m.4:30 p.m.
Through Mar. 31: Lorraine Manley, Luminous
Vermont. Landscape paintings. Reception Mar.
9, 35 p.m. Festival Gallery, #2 Village Square,
Waitseld. 496-6682. vermontartfest.com.
Through Mar. 28: Ken Leslie. Vermont
Supreme Court, 111 State St., 1F, Montpelier.
Hours: Mon.Fri., 8 a.m.4:30 p.m.
Through Mar.: Ken Leslie, Golden Dome
Cycle and Other Works: Arctic and Vermont.
Diverse media and surfaces. Vermont Supreme
Court, 111 State St. kenleslie.net.
Through Apr. 4: Cindy Griffith, From Ver-
mont to Alaska. Large-scale and intimate
paintings in pastel, oil and acrylic. Copley Gal-
lery, Copley Hospital, Morrisville. 229-4326.
cindy.grith.vt@gmail.com. hungermountain-
arts.com. Hours: daily, 8 a.m.5 p.m.
Through May: Round. An exhibition of
objects of circular shape, from the Sul-
livan Museum collection. Sullivan Museum
and History Center, Norwich University, 158
Harmon Dr., Northeld. 485-2183. Norwich.
edu/museum.
Through Dec. 19: 1864: Some Suffer So Much.
Stories of Norwich alumni who served as mili-
tary surgeons during the Civil War and traces
the history of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Sullivan Museum and History Center, Norwich
University, 158 Harmon Dr., Northeld. 485-
2183. Norwich.edu/museum.
Central Vermont Medical Center Lobby Gal-
lery: Chasing the Blues by Ellen Eby. Te
title refers to the Blues as a musical tradition,
and one which comes from the heart, expresses
sorrow and bestows courage. At the same time,
the act of painting chases the blues away for this
artist. When I paint I simultaneously honor the
Blues and their deep expression of what it is to
be human and chase the blues away. Trough
March 28, 2014
SPECIAL EVENTS
Feb. 7: Zipper Creations. Stacie Mincher, Te
Zipper Lady, creates ingenious heart pendants,
ower pins and tactile landscape barrettes from
zippers. Come meet her during art walk, 57
p.m. Artisans Hand, City Center, 89 Main St.
802-229-9492. artisanshand.com.
Feb. 8: Arts First. Free art activities for youths,
age 710. 13 p.m. Spaces limited. Studio Place
Arts, 201 N. Main St., Barre. Free. Registration
required: 479-7069. studioplacearts.com.
Feb. 9: Relief Printmaking Workshop. Make
cards using relief printmaking. Led by Janet
Cathey. Suitable for all levels. Materials in-
cluded. 13 p.m. Chandler Gallery, 71-73 Main
St., Randolph. $15. Registration or more info:
730-6992.
Date: February 12: Watson, the Games
Afoot SPA Art Lunchtime Talk led by the
regions largest collector of contemporary visual
art, Mark S. Waskow. (Space limited; reserve
your space.)Time of Event: 12:30-1:45PM
Studio Place Arts, 201 N Main St., Barre Free of
charge to SPA members/$20 others Studio Place
Arts (802) 479-7069 www.studioplacearts.com
Described by the New York Times as an
elegant soloist, violist Nathan Sch-
ram will perform with Scrag Mountain
Music, February 1416.
Weekly
Events
ARTS & CRAFTS
Beaders Group. All levels of beading experi-
ence welcome. Free instruction available. Come
with a project for creativity and community.
Sat., 11 a.m.2 p.m. Te Bead Hive, Plaineld.
454-1615.
Noontime Knitters. All abilities welcome.
Basics taught. Crocheting, needlepoint and tat-
ting also welcome. Tues., noon1 p.m. Water-
bury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury.
244-7036.
BICYCLING
Open Shop Nights. Volunteer-run community
bike shop: bike donations and repairs. Tues.,
68 p.m.; other nights. Freeride Montpelier, 89
Barre St., Montpelier. By donation. 552-3521.
freeridemontpelier.org.
BOOKS & WORDS
Lunch in a Foreign Language. Bring lunch and
practice your language skills with neighbors.
Noon1 p.m. Mon. Hebrew, Tues. Italian,
Wed. Spanish, Turs. French. Kellogg-
Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier.
223-3338.
Conversations with the Word Weaver. Exam-
ine the roots and denitions of words we use in
daily conversation. Tues., 1:30 p.m. Kellogg-
Hubbard Library, 135 Main St. 223-3338.
kellogghubbard.org.
English Conversation Practice Group. For
students learning English for the rst time.
Tues., 45 p.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic
Education, Montpelier Learning Center, 100
State St. 223-3403.
Ongoing Reading Group. Improve your read-
ing and share some good books. Books chosen
by group. Turs., 910 a.m. Central Vermont
Adult Basic Education, Montpelier Learning
Center, 100 State St. 223-3403.
BUSINESS & FINANCE,
COMPUTERS
Personal Financial Management Workshops.
Learn about credit/debit cards, credit build-
ing and repair, budgeting and identity theft,
insurance, investing, retirement. Tues., 68 p.m.
Central Vermont Medical Center, Conference
Room 3. Registration: 371-4191.
Computer and Online Help. One-on-one
computer help. Tues. and Fri., 10 a.m.1 p.m.
Waterbury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Wa-
terbury. Free. Registration required: 244-7036.
FOOD
Community Meals in Montpelier. All wel-
come. Free.
Mon.: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., 11
a.m.1 p.m.
Tues.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St., 11:30
a.m.1 p.m.
Wed.: Christ Church, 64 State St., 11
a.m.12:30 p.m.
Turs.: Trinity Church, 137 Main St., 11:30
a.m.1 p.m.
Fri.: St. Augustine Church, 18 Barre St., 11
a.m.12:30 p.m.
Sun.: Last Sunday only, Bethany Church, 115
Main St. (hosted by Beth Jacob Synagogue),
4:305:30 p.m.
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Social Anxiety Support Group. Meet other
people with similar experiences and learn
techniques to reduce anxiety. Supportive and
condential. New group to meet weekly; time
and place to be determined. Contact Danielle
at freefromsa@yahoo.com for more informa-
tion.
Turning Point Center. Safe, supportive place
for individuals and their families in or seeking
recovery. Open daily, 10 a.m.5 p.m. 489
North Main St., Barre. 479-7373.
Sun.: Alchoholics Anonymous. 8:30 a.m.
Tues.: Making Recovery Easier workshops.
67:30 p.m.
Wed.: Wits End Parent Support Group. 6
p.m.
Turs.: Narcotics Anonymous. 6:30 p.m.
Sex Addicts Anonymous. Mon., 6:30 p.m.
Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier.
Call 552-3483 for more information or to leave
a condential message.
Diabetes Prevention Series. Reduce your
risk for type 2 diabetes and gain tools for
healthy living. Learn how the YMCAs Dia-
betes Prevention Program can help you reach
healthy living goals. Tues., beginning Jan. 21.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St.
225-5680. Lisa.willette@cvmc.org.
Overeaters Anonymous. Tues., 5:306:30
p.m. Church of the Good Shepherd, Barre.
249-0414.
HIV Testing. Vermont CARES oers fast oral
testing. Turs., 25 p.m. 58 East State St., ste.
3 (entrance at back), Montpelier. Free. 371-
6222. vtcares.org.
Overeaters Anonymous. Twelve-step program
for physically, emotionally and spiritually over-
coming overeating. Fri., noon1 p.m. Bethany
Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3079.
KIDS & TEENS
Mad River Valley Youth Group. Sun., 79 p.m.
Meets at various area churches. Call 497-4516
for location and information.
Sit N Knit. For rst-timers or superstar knitters
alike. Bring a project you are working on or
start one with Joan Kahn. Age 6 and up; under
9 accompanied by adult. Mon., 3:304 p.m.
Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Mont-
pelier. 223-4665. kellogghubbard.org.
The Basement Teen Center. Cable TV, Play-
Station 3, pool table, free eats and fun events
for teenagers. Mon.Turs., 36 p.m.; Fri.,
311 p.m. Basement Teen Center, 39 Main St.,
Story Time at the Waterbury Public Library.
Baby/toddler story time: Mon., 10 a.m.
Preschool story time: Fri., 10 a.m. Waterbury
Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury.
244-7036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.
Story Time at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
Stories, songs and special guests. Birth to age
5. Tues. and Fri., 10:30 a.m. Kellogg-Hubbard
kellogghubbard.org.
FiddleFest Storytime with Katie Trautz. En-
joy Katies magical melodies woven into your
favorite books. Tues., 10:30 a.m. Starting Jan.
21. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. Childrens department: 223-4665.
kellogghubbard.org.
Story Time at the Jaquith Public Library.
With Sylvia Smith, followed by play group with
Melissa Seifert. Birth to age 6. Wed. 1011:30
a.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St.,
Marsheld. 426-3581.
Story Maps. Chart the wilds of your imagina-
tion. Age 36. Wed., 11 a.m. Kellogg-Hubbard
Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Preregistra-
tion required: 223-4665. kellogghubbard.org.
Games Unplugged. Learn a new board game
from game master Ben T. Matchstick. Featured
games include Ticket to Ride, Settlers of
Catan, Carcassonne, Dominion, No Tanks,
For Sale, Snake Oil, Smallworld. Bring your
favorite game or select one from the collec-
tion. Age 818. Wed., 35 p.m., to March 5.
Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Mont-
pelier. 223-4665. kellogghubbard.org.
Read to Coco. Share a story with Coco, the
resident licensed reading therapy dog, who
loves to hear kids practice reading aloud. Wed.,
3:304:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135
Main St., Montpelier. Sign up ahead: 223-
4665 or at the childrens desk. kellogghubbard.
org.
Read with Arlo. Meet reading therapy dog Arlo
and his owner Brenda. Sign up for a 20-min-
ute block. Turs., 34 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard
kellogghubbard.org.
Special Story Time. Story times with varied
themes. Fri., 10:30 a.m. Kellogg-Hubbard
kellogghubbard.org.
Drop-in Kinder Arts Program. Innovative
exploratory arts program with artist/instructor
Kelly Holt. Age 35. Fri., 10:30 a.m.noon.
River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville.
888-1261. RiverArtsVT.org.
Teen Fridays. Find out about the latest teen
books, use the gym, make art, play games and
if you need to, do your homework. Fri., 35
p.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St.,
Marsheld. 426-3581.
Write On! Are you full of ideas? Looking to
spin a story? Willing to play with words? Drop
in once or join us for the series. Age 610. Fri.,
3:304 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135
Main St., Montpelier. 223-4665. kellogghub-
bard.org.
MUSIC & DANCE
Barre-Tones Womens Chorus. Open re-
hearsal. Find your voice with 50 other women.
Mon., 7 p.m. Alumni Hall, Barre. 223-2039.
BarretonesVT.com.
Dance or Play with the Swinging over 60
Band. Danceable tunes from the 1930s to the
1960s. Recruiting musicians. Tues., 5:307:30
p.m., Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.
Monteverdi Young Singers Chorus Rehearsal.
New chorus members welcome. Wed., 45
p.m. Montpelier. Call 229-9000 for location
and more information.
Gamelan Rehearsals. Wed., 79 p.m. Pratt
Center, Goddard College. Free. 426-3498.
steven.light@jsc.edu. light.kathy@gmail.com.
Ukelele Group. All levels welcome. Turs., 68
p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58
Barre St. 223-2518.
RECYCLING
Additional Recycling. Te Additional Re-
cyclables Collection Center accepts scores of
hard-to-recycle items. Tues. and Turs., 12:30
p.m.5:30 p.m. ARCC, 540 North Main St.,
Barre. $1 per carload. 229-9383 x106. For list
of accepted items, go to cvswmd.org/arcc-addi-
tional-recyclables-collection-center.html.
SOLIDARITY/IDENTITY
Womens Group. Women age 40 and older
explore important issues and challenges in
their lives in a warm and supportive environ-
ment. Facilitated by Amy Emler-Shaer and
Julia W. Gresser. Wed. evenings. 41 Elm St.,
Montpelier. Call Julia, 262-6110, for more
information.
Mens Group. Men discuss challenges of and
insights about being male. Wed., 6:158:15
p.m. 174 Elm St., Montpelier. Interview re-
quired: contact Neil 223-3753.
SPIRITUALITY
Christian Science. Gods love meeting human
needs. Reading room: Tues.Sat., 11 a.m.1
p.m.; Tues., 58 p.m.; Wed., 57:15 p.m. Testi-
mony meeting: Wed., 7:308:30 p.m., nursery
available. Worship service: Sun., 10:3011:30
a.m., Sunday school and nursery available. 145
State St., Montpelier. 223-2477.
Shambhala Buddhist Meditation. Group
meditation practice. Sun., 10 a.m.noon; Tues.,
78 p.m.; Wed., 67 p.m. Shambhala Medita-
tion Center, 64 Main St., 3F, Montpelier. Free.
223-5137. montpeliershambala.org.
Deepening Our Jewish Roots. Fun, engaging
text study and discussion on Jewish spirituality.
Sun., 4:456:15 p.m. Yearning for Learning
Center, Montpelier. 223-0583. info@yearning-
4learning.org.
Christian Meditation Group. People of all
faiths welcome. Mon., noon1 p.m. Christ
Church, Montpelier. 223-6043.
Zen Meditation. With Zen Aliate of
Vermont. Mon., 6:307:30 p.m. 174 River
St., Montpelier. Free. Call for orientation:
229-0164.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. For
those interested in learning about the Catholic
faith, or current Catholics who want to learn
more. Wed., 7 p.m. St. Monica Church, 79
Summer St., Barre. Register: 479-3253.
SPORTS & GAMES
Apollo Duplicate Bridge Club. All welcome.
Partners sometimes available. Fri., 6:45 p.m.
Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. $3.
485-8990 or 223-3922.
Roller Derby Open Recruitment and Recre-
ational Practice. Central Vermonts Wrecking
Doll Society invites quad skaters age 18 and up.
No experience necessary. Equipment provided:
rst come, rst served. Sat., 56:30 p.m.
Montpelier Recreation Center, Barre St. First
skate free. centralvermontrollerderby.com.
Coed Adult Floor Hockey League. Join women
and men in a oor hockey game. Equipment
provided. 1:15-4:15 p.m. rst Sunday of the
month. 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. otherwise. Montpelier
Recreation Center, 55 Barre St. Montpelier.
bmoorhockey@gmail.com or
vermontoorhockey.com
Harpist Rebecca Kauffman performs with Karen Kevra at North Branch Caf,
Montpelier, on February 14
Class listings and classifieds are 50 words for $25; discounts available. To place an ad, call Carolyn, 223-5112, ext. 11.
Classifieds
FOR RENT
ARTIST, MUSICIAN STUDIOS Solo or to share
starting at $150 monthly. Larger spaces of various
sizes available full-time or time-shared. Join us as
we transform a historic convent and school at 46
Barre Street, Montpelier, into a unique center for
the arts, music and learning. Call Paul for a tour
at 802-223-2120 or 802-461-6222.
OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT. Midtown Montpe-
lier. $93.75 per month. Free Wi-Fi. Call 272-1195
or 339-223-7611.
FOR SALE
CHINA CABINET FOR SALE. Solid oak,
curved glass. $200. Call 223-4865.
SERVICES
FLYES CONTRACTING- ROOFING
AND SIDING is now oering snow shovelling,
roof raking,and roof repair. Fully insured. 802-
498-3014.
CLASSES AND
WORKSHOPS
ALLIANCE FRANAISE SPRING SESSION
Eleven-week French classes at our Colchester and
Montpelier locations. Starting March 10. Classes
serve the entire range of students from true begin-
ners to those already comfortable conversing in
French. $245 per course or $220.50 for AFLCR
members. Descriptions and signup at acr.org.
Placement or other questions? Contact AFLCR
French Language Center Director Micheline
Tremblay. 802-881-8826.
EMPLOYMENT
JOB OPPORTUNITY: FULL-TIME SEASONAL
FARM HELP Zack Woods Herb Farm in Hyde
Park, VT is looking for a motivated eld worker
for the 2014 growing season and beyond. Job
consists of plant propagation, eld work, and
operating farm equipment. Send resume and two
references, attention to Melanie, zackwoodsherb-
farm@gmail.com.
Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!
223-3447
clarconstruction.com
New CoNstruCtioN
reNovatioNs
woodworkiNg
geNeral CoNtraCtiNg
GREGS
PAINTING
Metal Roof Painting
Interior & Exterior
FREE ESTIMATES INSURED SINCE 1990
802- 479- 2733
gpdpainting@aol.com
9 Main Street, Montpelier 229-0747
Hours: MonFri 7am6pm; Sat 9am1pm
Capital
Dry Cleaners
Vermonts Greener Dry Cleaner
Free pick-up and delivery.
Same-day service available.
Rocque Long
Painting
Insured
30+ years professional
experience
local references.
802-223-0389
Since 1972
Repairs New floors and walls
Crane work Decorative concrete
Consulting ICF foundations
114 Three Mile Bridge Rd., Middlesex, VT (802) 229-0480
gendronbuilding@aol.com gendronconcrete.com
FRUIT TREE PRUNING
expert annual pruning maintenance performed now
or should open your trees for initial late-winter pruning soon
call Padma 456.7474 ~ earthwiseharmonies.com
229-6575
Pamela Brady, MA., L.Ac.
licensed acupuncturist
Acupuncture
Sound Healing
Qigong
802-229-1800
soundspirit@tds.net www.pamelabrady.org
250 Main Street, Suite 206, Montpelier, VT 05602
30 years experience serving the Central Vermont community
Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!
Editorial
W
e greeted with enthusiasm last
weeks news about President
Obamas latest efforts in his
campaign to lead the world with the high-
est percentage of college graduates by 2020.
The commitments the administration se-
cured from more than 100 colleges and
40 organizations to help all of our citi-
zensparticularly those from low-income
backgroundsnot only get to college but
graduate, is a reflection of Community Col-
lege of Vermonts (CCV) core mission.
President Obamas goal here is ultimately
about strengthening the economy, which is
right in line with points our own Governor
Peter Shumlin made last year in his sec-
ond inaugural address, remarking that [o]
ur education system, from prekindergarten
to higher education, is the states greatest
economic development tool.
If we can make higher education acces-
sible to all and incorporate programs that
ensure student success, the result will be a
better-educated workforce and a stronger
economy. These are indeed noble goals, and
they are goals we in the community college
world have been pursuing with success for
decades.
For over 40 years CCV has offered afford-
able, quality and personalized education to
anyone who walks through our door. We
are the second largest college in Vermont,
serving 7,000 students each semester at 12
academic centers all around the state and
online; we are the college in Vermonters
backyards.
Our focus on affordability and on tailoring
programs and services to meet the needs of
all Vermonters is a formula for accessible
and supportive higher education. What
does this mean for Vermont?
It means inspiring high school students and
exposing them to college through initiatives
such as dual enrollment and our Introduc-
tion to College Studies course. It means
connecting with communities, changing
lives and changing the way families think
about college. We take pride in the fact that
almost 60 percent of those attending CCV
are first-generation students. That is access
at scale.
It means a commitment to ensuring that
those who have served our nation receive the
attention and guidance they deserve when
transitioning from military life to college
life. When a military-connected student ar-
rives at CCV, our veteran-specific resources
guarantee processes will be understandable,
and the student will have a clearly defined
pathway to success.
Lastly, it means keeping college affordable
so that every Vermonter can earn a degree.
I
know I speak for each of us who works
at The Bridge in thanking our readers
and friends who have contributed to our
ongoing annual campaign to benefit the
paper. Since we launched the campaign in
mid-October, contributions from readers
and friends have taken us past the $10,000
mark.
Your contributions make a tremendous dif-
ference here. They help bridge the gap be-
tween what it costs to write, edit, print,
distribute and mail the paper and mail the
paper and our ad sales revenues. Your con-
tributions also make it possible for us to
move forward on a number of fronts to
strengthen the paper.
This past October when we announced our
current campaign, we set a very ambitious
goal of $50,000. Theres nothing magical
about that number. That $50,000 will not
pay all the expenses for the project we have
outlined, but it will get us partly where we
need to go.
Heres where were going. We are working
with young people, students and interns al-
ready. Our goal is to expand this outreach.
We need to improve our website. We al-
ready have a website, but its just a start-up.
It needs to be more reader friendly, and it
needs to take advantage of the popularity,
immediacy and power of the Internet. We
need to be able to post a timely story on the
Internet and invite immediate citizen and
user comment. Thats the sort of interaction
between The Bridge and its readers we want
to encourage.
The Bridge is a newspaper with a Mont-
pelier address and a Montpelier focus. But
Montpelier as the state capital and as a
market town and cultural magnet is a criti-
cal nerve center not only for Washington
County but for the entire state. We need to
continue our focus on Montpelier. At the
same time, we need to extend the papers
editorial and advertising outreach. And we
have begun to do this.
This is a dynamic time in the history of The
Bridge. We have just crossed our 20-year
mark. The paper has a wide readership. We
need to move forward in all the ways I have
outlined here. Was there ever a time when
we more desperately need a press that is ad-
venturous, investigative, truthful, fair and
free? Please, if you can, make a contribution
to The Bridge.
Here are the details. Please make checks
payable to The Bridge and mail to this
address: The Bridge, P.O. Box 1143, Mont-
pelier, VT 05602. Please feel free to visit
our office and drop off a check. We are
located in the lower level of Schulmaier
Hall on the campus of the Vermont College
of Fine Arts. If you need further instruc-
tion on how to find us, please phone us at
223-5112.
Thanks in advance for your timely, needed
and deeply appreciated help.
Help The Bridge to Improve
and Extend Its Reach
CCV has the lowest per-credit cost of any
college in the state. Our financial aid advi-
sors ensure students arent taking on un-
necessary debt; last year, 40 percent of CCV
graduates completed their degrees with no
student loan debt.
These are just a few examples of the way
CCV has committed to keeping college ac-
cessible. But it is only half of the equation.
Making sure students persist and complete
their programs is just as important because
it translates into the strengthening of our
communities and the strengthening of our
local, state and national economies when
graduates join the workforce prepared for
the jobs theyve been hired to do.
CCV does its best to ensure this outcome.
We keep our classes smallone faculty
member to 12 studentsso students are
getting the most from faculty who bring
real-world experience into the classroom.
Weve partnered with dozens of Vermont
employers to offer trainings, create custom
curricula and seek input on crafting educa-
tion that meets the demands of an ever-
changing workforce.
Recently a staff member forwarded me this
e-mail from a Burundi refugee who came to
Vermont at age 14. Shes now 20 and will
be graduating in the spring with a medical
assisting degree: I am very thankful to the
staff at CCV for the warm welcome and
the encouragements they gave me, especially
Tuipate Mubiay, who has always been there
for me, giving me advice, pushing me and
introducing me to volunteer opportunities. I
was able to improve my skills and overcome
many hardships with the help of CCV staff
members, CCVs help resources, and myself
trying and doing my best to succeed.
These words were born from an accessible
and supportive education and they speak
volumes about what college can do for an
individual.
Last weeks summit is a clear sign that posi-
tive changes are occurring, and we appre-
ciate the administrations efforts at secur-
ing commitments from all sectors to make
higher education in America more accessible
and supportive. This is an admirable goal,
and surely an economic investment that will
pay rich dividends in the future.
Joyce Judy is president of Community
College of Vermont.
Thanks to extensive media coverage, the
entire nation knows that Governor Shumlin
dedicated his State of the State Address to
Vermonts opiate problem. Those who were
listening closely may have also noticed he
mentioned the need for quality early edu-
cation as part of our prevention measures.
How does early education weigh into Ver-
monts opiate addiction problem?
The National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA) tells us that addiction is a devel-
opmental disease. These behaviors can start
in the childhood and adolescence years. But
the early years also provide opportunities for
intervention. A quick glance at the research
on addiction risk and protective factors
available through NIDA and the Centers
for Disease Control reads like an extended
testimonial for quality early childhood care
and education. Through quality programs,
we can help our children develop resiliency
and the social emotional skills that will arm
them to deal with these issues and pressures
as they get older.
When we talk about quality child care or
preK programs, we envision safe, nurtur-
ing environments with professionals who
serve as resources for parents. These pro-
fessionals have training in child develop-
ment and understand the importance of
serve-and-return interactions. They may
spot developmental concerns well before a
child reaches school age, connecting fami-
lies to early intervention services. They pro-
vide age-appropriate, engaging activities for
children who learn and develop important
social, emotional and cognitive skills as they
play. These providers offer healthy snacks
and meals to nourish the childrens grow-
ing minds and bodies. They develop a daily
routine or structure that is reassuring to
the children. They provide equipment and
space for active, physical play and quiet
space for napping and recharging.
The brain is the only organ that is not
fully formed at birth. During the first five
years in a childs life, 90 percent of brain
development occurs. During this time, the
brain forms an extensive network of wiring,
making important neural connections. This
foundation can be weak or strong depend-
ing on the quality of the relationships and
interactions in a childs life and the environ-
ment she spends her time in.
Clearly, parents have the most important
role in a childs life. Yet sadly, some Vermont
children spend time in environments that
expose them to drug use and other stressors.
And, when both parents are in the work-
force, young children may spend as much
as 40 hours per week in child care. Its im-
portant these environments be high quality.
When children are in quality child care
and early education environments, they are
more likely to come to kindergarten ready
to learn. They are less likely to become
teenage parents, get involved with drugs
or burden our correctional system. They
are more likely to stay in school, graduate
from college and become part of a strong
workforce.
There is a long way to go before every
Vermont child has a safe, stimulating and
nurturing early childhood environment, but
there are some bright spots:
H.270, a bill to expand access to prekinder-
garten education
Federal Race to the Top grant to build ca-
pacity in Vermonts early childhood system
Additional funding for child care in the new
Pathways out of Poverty
Early childhood action planning, following
a statewide summit
STARS (STep Ahead Recognition System),
a child-care provider quality-rating system
Governor Shumlin recognizes that Ver-
monts opiate problem needs to be fought
on many fronts. However, starting with our
very youngest is one of the best preventive
measures we have. It is not a matter of IF
we can afford to make these early invest-
ments. We simply cannot afford NOT to
reprioritize our existing funding for health
care, education and human services to focus
more on the early years.
Rick Davis is president and cofounder of
the Permanent Fund for Vermonts Chil-
dren. permanentfund.org.
CCV: Making College Affordable and
Accessible to All Vermonters by Joyce Judy
The Early Education and
Opiate Addiction Link by Rick Davis
Opinion
Letters
School Board Cant Distinguish
Needs from Wants
To the Editor:
The members of the Montpelier school
board have apparently forgotten they have a
responsibility to two constituencies: the stu-
dents on the one hand and the taxpayers who
supply the money on the other. Recently some
students requested formation of a school de-
bate team, and the school board said,
OK, well put that in the budget.
Well, not everything that is requested or
wanted is actually needed, particularly when
its at the expense of someone else and more
particularly when money is short. If the stu-
dents had said, We want a debate team and
are willing to raise funds for it by shoveling
sidewalks and knocking on doors for dona-
tions that would be fine. But its become rare
for a child to ask for something and a parent
or the school board to say, You may want it,
but you dont need it, and we cant afford it. So
the answer is no unless you pay for it yourself.
Board members apparently are incapable
of making hard decisions to limit expenses in
the face of a bursting budget and a shrinking
student population. At a board meeting two
weeks ago, after listening to public clamor,
the school board discussed cutting the budget
by $200,000 but seemed unable to make the
hard choices, such as cutting some programs
or reducing staff.
The words you dont need it and we cant
afford it have to be said again and again.
The school board apparently cant make the
distinction between wants and needs. And
because the board cant say no, our taxes will
rise once again, causing many of us in the
community to say no many times in our own
lives. Can I afford new snow tires to replace
my worn-out ones? No. Can I have my roof
fixed? No. Can I afford to keep my thermostat
set at 68 degrees next winter? No. Many of
these decisions are about needs not wants, but
the answer still has to be no because there is
no money. And renters are not immune from
the impact because as taxes rise, so do rents.
Just as we citizens have to make decisions
and set limits based on our personal finances,
the school system and the city have to set lim-
its based on their finances, which come from
our pocketbooks. We as taxpayers have to set
the limits. I am voting no to the school budget
until I see evidence of meaningful limit setting
and a recognition that taxpayer funding is not
a bottomless well. I encourage others to do
the same. The proposed school budget must
be defeated.
Duncan Robb, Montpelier
Why us and not them?
To the Editor
I am a homecare worker of eight years and
homecare workers in Vermont recently won
the right to unionize this past fall.
This was a huge success for us because we
will now have fair representation for homecare
programs and our clients who depend on us
everyday to be there to support and enable
them to live as independently as possible.
The basic principle here is this: That if
homecare workers are able to support them-
selves they will then be able to support their
clients.
The same principle applies to childcare
workers. The only difference is the age of
our clients. The children who are served by
childcare workers are the states most vital and
vulnerable population and they need childcare
providers to be there for them. It is essential
that we invest in our children and youth now
so that we will have a stronger society in the
future. We might almost say that our children
represent all of our best hopes for the future
and if we are to realize these best hopes we
should invest in our early childhood educa-
tors.
I strongly encourage our legislators to pass
the bill that allows early child educators to
unionize so that they too will have a voice.
Sincerely Darcey Warner, Plainfield, VT
Dear Folks,
Please contact our congress folks as soon
as possible to stop fast track for the Trans
Pacific Partnership (TPP), a new secret in-
ternational trade agreement which will dra-
matically expand the rights of international
corporations over those of food producers
(think GMOs), consumers, workers, and the
environment. Corporations will even be given
the right to sue local governments like Ver-
mont who have banned fracking or refused
to permit tar sands pipelines, simply on the
basis of potential lost profits. Small local food
producers could be wiped out by some of the
proposed provisions.
Not only does this secret agreement assault
democracy and food sovereignty, this fast
track would allow its passage with virtually
no Congressional or public oversight, thus
preventing any voice from or protections for
U.S. citizens. This secret trade agreement
would account for 40 % of global economic
output and a third of world trade, with po-
tential to expand corporate interests, while
severely limiting citizens public power. The
total lack of transparency and democratic
input in these secret agreements has alarmed
civil society groups. The fast track proce-
dure transfers trade authority from Congress
to the executive branch with absolutely no
accountability.
After three years of negotiations, the agree-
ment remains secret. However, if Congress
votes against fast track our legislators would
then be able to examine each provision of this
trade agreement under the watchful eyes of
American citizens, so that private interests
would be exposed to our established legisla-
tive process. Weve all seen the power imbal-
ance and inequality which comes from cor-
porate domination of our democratic system.
Unless we want our lives to be controlled by
the likes of profit-mongers like Monsanto and
BP, we need to slow down and make transpar-
ent this proposed agreement. Contact Leahy,
Sanders and Welsh before its too late, and
ask them to vote against the TPP fast track.
Please act now to protect our rights.
Margaret Blanchard, Montpelier
Mothball Main Street Middle
School

On January 22 the Montpelier school
board said that they were planning to use
monies from the reserve fund to move the
5th grade to Main Street School. Instead the
money should be used to move grades 6-8 to
the high school, create a middle school wing
there and mothball Main Street School.
The number of students projected for
grades 9-12 is 275. If grades 6 -8 are added
[the 6-12 total would be 474] we are still
below the average high school population for
the 1980s. Both MHS and UES were en-
larged in the 1990s. The number of students
projected in grades K-5 is 460. The current
K-5 enrollment is 461.
We have lived in Montpelier for 41 years.
Our children graduated in 74, 76, 80 and
87. During those years the average high
school enrollment was 546. Our children got
a fine education and have gone on to be a po-
lice dispatcher, a successful graphic designer,
own a business and co-manage a local store.
If we are interested in making Montpe-
lier attractive to young families, we have to
become more affordable. We are the only
school in the area with a separate middle
school building. By bringing grades 6-12 to-
gether like Northfield has, we will be able to
better utilize our teachers. At present we have
teachers that travel between all three schools
daily. We should be paying them to teach not
drive. It is time to defeat the school budget
so that the board can reflect on how to best
use our school buildings and the taxpayers
money.
Robert & Rosa Conneman, Montpelier,
VT
Education
Finance
Discussion
Three speakers with a close knowledge
of the state system of educational fund-
ing will make a presentation open to
the general public on Tuesday evening,
February 11, at 6:30 p.m. at the Mont-
pelier High School library.
As recently submitted by the Mont-
pelier School Board but subject to
a vote at City Meeting on March 4,
2014 the proposed new school bud-
get would drive up local property taxes
by 13 percent for FY 2015 that begins
on July 1 this year.
This proposed 13 percent school
spending increase comes on the heels
of last years more than 9 percent
school spending increase. If the current
School Board budget is approved by
the voters on March 4 the combined
two-year jump for school spending in
Montpelier would amount to about 24
percent.
And here what makes the Tuesday eve-
ning presentation and discussion criti-
cal more than half of the proposed
13 percent increase is due to factors in-
volving the state funding system. And
those factors are beyond the control of
the Montpelier School Board.
The three speakers at the February 11
event which is being sponsored by the
local organization Vibrant and Afford-
able Montpelier will be:
Dr. Brian Ricca, Superintendent of
Montpelier Schools.
Mark Perrault, an education finance
fiscal analyst in the Legislatures Joint
Fiscal Office, and a Montpelier resi-
dent.
Phil Dodd, editor of the Vermont
Property Owners Report newsletter,
and a Montpelier resident.
These speakers will describe how the
state education funding system af-
fected Montpeliers school budget this
year, how the state education finance
system works, and what modifications
could be made to the system.
The focus of the evening will be on the
state education finance system rather
than the specifics of the proposed
Montpelier school budget. Citizens
interested in learning more about the
budget itself may want to attend Mont-
peliers official Pre-Town Meeting at 7
pm on Thursday, Feb. 20 in the High
School cafeteria, when both city and
school officials will be present.
The February 11 discussion of the state
education finance system will be tele-
vised on Channel 16.
Recycle this
The Bridge!
Governor Shumlins recent commentary
about school budgets and property taxes
is disappointing and has responses ranging
from bewilderment to outrage from Ver-
monts school board members. The gover-
nors comments in his budget address and
at a recent press conference are misleading
to a confused public and intended to create
space between the governor and projected
increases in property taxes.
In his budget remarks, the governor stated,
I am not at all happy that Vermonters will
once again bear an increase of five to seven
cents in the statewide property tax rate next
year based upon projections for local school
spending. This statement is misleading.
Any increase in property taxes this year
reflects multiple factorssome related to
local spending, some reflecting the absence
of one-time funds applied by the state in
past years, some resulting from declining
property values and some by the failure of
the administration and the General Assem-
bly to properly support the education fund.
In 2005, only 61 percent of the education
fund was provided through property taxes.
In 2014, that figure has risen to 68 percent.
That is one major driver of property tax
increases.
Vermont school boards are very concerned
about the cost of education and property
tax pressures. Although proposed budgets
have not been finalized in all districts, most
are quite modest. A scan of statewide media
sources reveals numerous accounts of in-
tense public meetings where boards have
proposed substantial reductions in staff.
Vermonts school boards are responsibly de-
veloping budgets in their efforts to balance
the needs of students and taxpayers. These
efforts occur in the context of an ever-ex-
panding list of obligations imposed by the
state and federal governments. Vermonters,
on Town Meeting Day, will review those
budgets and determine whether enough
work has been done to reconcile interests
and meet new obligations.
In a year when property taxes are projected
to rise at a rate greater than the percent in-
crease in proposed budgets, we all owe it to
the citizens of Vermont to be sure that we
and they understand the moving parts, have
properly defined the problems and have set
out to solve them. We dont want voters
rejecting school budgets based on frustra-
tion due to their inability to make sense of a
confusing funding system. If that happens,
it is the education of children that will suf-
fer. Where local spending increases
are inappropriately high, those need to be
addressed by local voters. Where the states
education finance system is contributing to
high property taxes by underfunding the
education fund, that needs to be addressed
by the governor and the legislature. Mo s t
importantly, all elected officials must seek
to understand the situation, define prob-
lems and set out to solve them, rather than
engaging in finger pointing and blame and
seeking to confuse the electorate.
Stephen Dale is the executive director of
the Vermont School Boards Association.
Property Tax Increases: Time for Accurate
Information, Honest Analysis and Joint
Problem Solving by Stephen Dale
Tell them you
saw it in
The Bridge!
EMPTY BOWL BENEFIT
FILL A BOWL, FEED OUR COMMUNITY
A BENEFIT FOR THE VERMONT FOODBANK
Sunday, February 16, 2014, 4:30 7pm
At The Mud Studio, 961 Route 2, Middlesex
Pick out a handcrafted bowl of your choice and then enjoy a
hearty supper of home-made soup, bread, cheese & more.
Dine in or take out.
$25 minimum donation per adult. Children 5 18 $5, under 5 free (meal only)
RSVP: Bonnie Seideman, samandbonnie@gmail.com
Cabot Creamery Cold Hollow Cider Mill Dog River Farm
Hunger Mountain Coop North Branch Caf Petes Greens
Red Hen Bakery Sarduccis Willow Moon Farm
Special Thanks to:
EMPTY BOWL BENEFIT
FILL A BOWL, FEED OUR COMMUNITY
A BENEFIT FOR THE VERMONT FOODBANK
Sunday, February 16, 2014, 4:30 7pm
At The Mud Studio, 961 Route 2, Middlesex
Pick out a handcrafted bowl of your choice and then enjoy a
hearty supper of home-made soup, bread, cheese & more.
Dine in or take out.
$25 minimum donation per adult. Children 5 18 $5, under 5 free (meal only)
RSVP: Bonnie Seideman, samandbonnie@gmail.com
Cabot Creamery Cold Hollow Cider Mill Dog River Farm
Hunger Mountain Coop North Branch Caf Petes Greens
Red Hen Bakery Sarduccis Willow Moon Farm
Special Thanks to:
A CVMC Medical Group Practice / cvmc.org
Central Vermont Womens Health
30 Fisher Road / Medical Ofce Building A, Suite 1-4
Berlin VT 05602 / 802.371.5961
Photo, from left: Colleen Horan, MD, FACOG; Sheila Glaess, MD, FACOG;
Julie Vogel, MD, FACOG; Roger Ehret, MD, FACOG;
Rebecca Montgomery, CNM, MSN; Roger Knowlton, DO, FACOG.
The providers at Central Vermont Womens Health
know that every step on your path to childbirth
is an important one.
We offer personalized attention and support from the early stages of
family planning through the time you are at home with your newborn.
We want you to have the birth experience
you desire.
We offer natural birthing options in addition to everything youd
expect from a modern, well-equipped hospital like Central Vermont
Medical Center. And although you or your baby may never need
specialized care you can take comfort in knowing that the
board-certied obstetricians at CVWH are always just a phone
call away and offer the security of comprehensive care.
There is nothing more important to us than your
health and the health of your baby.
Please call Nicole, Pam or Emma at 371.5961 to schedule
an appointment.
We look forward to meeting you to talk about
your growing family.
Pregnancy is so much more
than just your due date.

The Bridge, February 6, 2014

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The Bridge, February 6, 2014

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I N THI S I SSUE

LONG LOVE IN THE

Instituted systematic annual funding for our needy infrastructure

Municipal tax increases averaging less than 2% two years running.

Creation of nine new, near-downtown, free parking spaces

District Heat distribution system completed and operational.

Removal of dozens of excess utility poles on residential streets for

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