the bridge, october 4, 2012

by Nat Frothingham

Richard W. Turner, born and raised in Berlin and the secretary of the Berlin Historical Society, has writ-

ten a generously illustrated history of the town’s Edward F. Knapp State Airport. In addition to 140 pages of text, Turner’s book includes more than 100 photographs, some in full color.

The airport in Berlin, first called the Barre-Montpelier Airport, got its start in 1929, with dedication cer-emonies on June 6, 7 and 8, 1930. During the 1960s, the State of Vermont began taking over many of the state’s larger air-ports. As Turner ex-plains in his book, “The municipalities that owned and ran them were eager to relinquish control since from their inception they had not proved to be profitable.”

In a March 25, 1970, ceremony that of-ficially recognized the state’s takeover of the airport, then-governor Deane C. Davis made a surprise announcement that the air-

port would be renamed to honor Edward F. Knapp, who had served continuously as Ver-mont’s first state aeronautics director from 1945 until his retirement in 1970.

Turner’s book, From Barre-Montpelier to E.F. Knapp: The Story of a Small Airport in Berlin, Vermont, begins at the beginning. That beginning came in the aftermath of the devastating November 3, 1927, flood. Cen-tral Vermont had been hit hard, and days after the flood it remained to a large extent isolated from the outside world. In this situ-

ation, experienced World War I pilot Lieutenant Robert S. Fogg was enlisted to fly mail into the stricken area. On November 21, 1927, Fogg flew his single-

engine biplane onto the field of a Berlin farm owned by Almon St. John. This was the first known landing on the St. John field, part of the site that was eventually chosen for the new, privately held Barre-Montpelier Airport.

Turner’s book takes us from that earliest moment when mail was flown in after the

1927 flood and touches on the principal milestones of the airport’s history—such as the first paving of the field in 1936 and the first official arrival of jet aircraft in 1959—all the way to today’s much more extensive and modern airport.

Individual air enthusiasts, flyers and their personal memories are at the heart of Turn-er’s narrative. Like air history across the globe, the air history at the small airport in Berlin embraces a range of subjects: flight

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Connecting Montpelier and nearby communities since 1993 | OCTOBER 4–16, 2012

IN THIS ISSUEHEATING UP

The family behind the firewood

5

NO SMOKING?Examining the effects of

woodstove emissions

6

INITIATIVES AND LUNCH

Get to know the candidates for state representative

8–9

FRIENDS WITH CARSCarShare Vermont may expand to Montpelier

10

Bob Nuner

see AIRPORT, page 4

The Story of a Small Airport in Berlin, Vermont

High-Flying History

Review

Edmando Roberti at what was then the Barre-Montpelier Airport, circa 1950. Roberti worked for the airport from 1942 until his death in 1985. In 1944, he and Dick McGillicuddy started Vermont Flying Service, a business that Roberti’s family still runs. Photo courtesy Richard W. Turner.

PLEASE NOTE: Upcoming Schedule Changes at The BridgeOur second October issue will hit the streets Wednesday, October 17. Our first and second December issues will be released Thursday, November 29, and Thursday, December 13, respectively. Other issues will be published as usual on the first and third Thursday of each month.

• OCTOBER 4 –16 , 2012 THE BR IDGE

Experience and Commitment Working for You. We deeply appreciate your support. We hope you will allow us to continue to work together for Montpelier during the next biennium.

Please be in touch.

Hooper & KitzmillerYour Team for Montpelier!

Rep. Warren Kitzmiller229-0878, home249-0158, [email protected]

Rep. Mary Hooper 223-2892, home 793-9512, cell [email protected]

Ad paid for by Mary Hooper and Warren Kitzmiller.

THE BR IDGE OCTOBER 4 –16 , 2012 • PAGE 3

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HEARD ON THE

STREETLocal Color

Montpelier’s Unitarians are becoming sage. So much for traditional New England white. Congregation member Peter Thoms advises that the 150-year-old church has gone

from raw youth (unpainted in its early years, according to research by Liz Pritchett) to dark below and light above, then to the flush of rose pink and salmon in the late 1800s, to gray in the early 20th century, after which it became white in the 1930s. Now, after summertime consultations with Leonard Spencer and a resulting pair of approved schemes by the con-gregation, finally approved by Montpelier’s Design Review Committee and Development Review Board, the church takes on a new look, featuring a sage exterior with extensive white trim. Painting began October 2.

Local Food-Security Efforts

Just Basics, Inc., is now the parent organization of two Montpelier food security projects: the Montpelier Food Pantry and Montpelier Home Delivery Program (Meals on Wheels).

The food pantry provides emergency food to those who need it and is open the following hours: Tuesday, 10 a.m. to noon; Wednesday, 10 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m.; and Thursday and Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. The pantry serves residents of Montpelier, East Montpelier, Calais, Middlesex, Berlin, Worcester and Adamant. First-time users of the pantry should reg-ister at Bethany Church (115 Main Street, 223-2424) and provide proof of residence. Program director Kimberley Lashua notes that the pantry served 78,354 meals and 869 individuals, of whom 562 were adults (80 were seniors), last fiscal year. Of the households using the pantry, 60 percent come in three or fewer times a year.

The Montpelier Home Delivery Program operates as a partnership with NECI and Na-tional Life. Administered out of Trinity Church, the meals are prepared by NECI’s students at National Life’s cafeteria kitchen and delivered by volunteers. The home delivery program delivered 9,378 meals last fiscal year.

Just Basics’ Food Rescue program is another aspect of the food-pantry program. It includes area growers like Dog River Farm and is an extension of the relationship with farmers’-market vendors. Produce that may not be attractive enough for market sale is saved, cleaned, lightly processed, frozen and put by for future use. Program director Kimberley Lashua says this program continues to develop with the ongoing assistance of NECI staff.

New Women’s Commission Director

The Vermont Commission on Women has announced the appointment of a new execu-tive director, Cary Brown of Montpelier, who will start in the new position at the end

of this month. Brown was most recently internship coordinator at Norwich University and previously executive director of Turtle Island Children’s Center. Other directorships she’s held include the Girls’ Programs for Vermont Works for Women and VTC’s Women in Technol-ogy Project. Brown is a justice of the peace and a leader in the New England Association for Cooperative Education and Field Experience.

Social Security and Medicare Taxes to Increase Next Year

A reminder from Senator Bernie Sanders’ office: According to present schedule, withhold-ing for Social Security will revert to 6.2 percent for employees in January, up from 4.2

percent presently. And for the self-employed, the full Social Security tax bite will revert to 12.4 from 10.4 percent. Medicare withholding has remained at 1.45 percent for employees and the full Medicare hit for the self-employed is 2.9 percent.

Learning to Handle Electric Cars

Different strokes for different cars: Vermont Technical Center (VTC) is offering first responders free safety training for working with electric cars. The class happens Oc-

tober 13 at VTC in Randolph. For more information, visit greentrainings.vtc.edu or call 728-1677.

New Record in Hazardous-Waste Disposal

Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (CVSWMD) reports that 311 house-holds disposed of hazardous waste at its waste-disposal day last Saturday, 22 more than

their last high turnout in 2008. CVSWMD also collects latex paint at their facility in Barre at 3 Williams Lane, where they arrange to reblend the paint for reuse. Collection days are Mondays and Fridays, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Additional Recycling Collection Center.

Hospitals to Work with Smaller Budget Increases

The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB), charged with monitoring Vermont’s healthc-care costs, has approved hospital budget increases for fiscal year 2013 of 3.75 percent,

down from 2012 and 2011 increases, set by the legislature, of 4 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively. GMCB Chair Anya Rader Wallack voiced particular concern about cost-shifting shortfalls from Medicare and Medicaid payments to commercial insurance. Departures from allowed hospital budget increases included State Hospital closure effects, cost-neutral physi-cian practice purchases, increases in Medicaid provider taxes (which throw money back to the state for Medicaid funding) and targeted investments in hospital care in the Northeast Kingdom, Franklin County and programs at Fletcher Allen.

—all items by Bob Nuner

Have you heard something noteworthy on the street (or elsewhere) lately? Tell us about it at [email protected]. You can also post news tips on our Facebook page: facebook.com/montpelierbridge.

P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601Phone: 802-223-5112 | Fax: 802-223-7852 montpelierbridge.com; facebook.com/montpelierbridge

Published every first and third Thursday

Editor & Publisher: Nat Frothingham

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Advertising: For information about advertising deadlines and rates, contact: 223-5112, ext. 11, [email protected] or [email protected]

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Copyright 2012 by The Montpelier Bridge

ADVERTISE in Our Upcoming Issues!October 17: mailed issue + Moonlight Madness!advertising deadline: Thursday, October 11

November 1: nonmailed issueadvertising deadline: Friday, October 26

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Contact Carolyn: 223-5112, ext. 11, 223-2958 (home office), [email protected]

Orb spider webs, which failed to make their annual appearance in the near-drought fields and gardens of August, are everywhere now, dew-spangled on sunny morn-

ings. Migrants keep coming through: robins, sparrows and warblers. Little groups of migrating winter wrens and ruby-crowned kinglets are resting and feeding in ever-green tangles by day, occasionally betraying their presence with an agitated rattle call, or, if a kinglet, perhaps by a lovely alto song fragment. Still, very few insects about for migrants, almost no wild berries or seeds, and already most of the wild grapes I was going to make jelly with have been pierced and stripped. Good reason to spare our properties of herbicide, as many of these birds will be forced to forage on lawns and in gardens as they head south. Safe trip ’til next spring!

—Nona Estrin

Nature Watch

: mailed issue + Moonlight Madness!


training, air shows and air meets, the World War II years, commercial passenger service in fits and starts from the 1930s until pas-senger service ended in the late 1980s, and, inevitably, not just air successes and growing air sophistication, but also accidents and untimely deaths.

In Turner’s book, two stories among many stand out.

Turner tells us of the daring but doomed 1932 attempt by two young flyers, Clyde A. Lee from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and John Bochkon from Brooklyn, New York, to com-plete a transatlantic flight in their single-engine plane, the Green Mountain Boy, from the Barre-Montpelier Airport, with a single refueling stop at Harbor Grace in New-foundland, then nonstop for 3,150 miles across the Atlantic to Oslo, Norway. After taking off from Newfoundland on August 25, 1932, the two young flyers and their plane were lost and never found again.

On page 30 of Turner’s book is a beguil-ing photograph of Amelia Earhart from the National Air and Space Museum collection. In the history of flight, Earhart provides a powerful example of what a woman pilot could achieve. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was the first person (man or woman) to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. But in 1937 her flying career, and her life, came to an enigmatic end. In 1937, Earhart, along with her navigator Fred Noonan, dis-appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean trying to find Howland Island on the last leg of a flight around the world. Neither she nor

Noonan nor their plane were ever found.Earhart has a place in the Barre-Montpelier

Airport history because she flew into the airport twice, on October 4, 1933. She had been hired by Boston and Maine Airways to promote passenger air travel by using her name to overcome the public fear of flying. As Turner tells us, while on an air trip from Boston with an eventual stop at the Barre-Montpelier Airport, she planned a first stop in White River Junction. But she was unable to land in White River because of fog. So she proceeded on and landed in Berlin way ahead of schedule and had a quick breakfast with Ed Underhill, who was entirely alone

in the airport house. Then she flew back to White River Junction. Then toward noon she flew back to Berlin to be greeted by a large crowd that included the mayors of Barre and Montpelier, with receptions to fol-low in Barre and Montpelier and an official welcome from then-governor Stanley Wilson in Montpelier.

Turner’s book is notable for many reasons: for the people, the planes and the history of the airfield it celebrates. In Turner’s book, people are front and center. They include such personalities as Vermont Airways man-ager Walter Cleveland; pilot and airport manager Emery Denis; flyer, instructor and

manager Joaquin Garcia; flying acrobatic showman, manager and instructor Howard Dutton; and the list goes on.

As we drive past Knapp Airport today, we look at the runways, the runway lights, the parked planes and the little terminal building, and it’s tempting to take it all for granted. With this book, Turner has pro-vided a link, at least by association, between Knapp Airport and one of the great stories of the 20th century—the birth of flight and the subsequent dazzling development of aviation. The birth of flight began at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903, with the Wright brothers and the first manned flight. By 1957, airplanes were fly-ing faster than the speed of sound. Turner’s book picks up the local thread of that story in 1927, and it’s not hard to connect that small Berlin airport with the larger and thrilling story of the beginnings of flight and the age of aviation that followed.

Richard W. Turner’s Story of a Small Airport in Berlin, Vermont is available for $19.95 at Rivendell Books in Montpelier and the Berlin Mall. It is also available at the Vermont History Bookstore in the Vermont History Museum, at the Berlin Town Clerk’s office, the Vermont Flying Service at Knapp Airport, Next Chapters Bookstore in Barre and the Wayside Restaurant.

To order the book by mail contact Berlin Historical Society President Norb Rhinerson at [email protected]. All profits from the sale of Turner’s book will benefit the Berlin Historical Society.

AIRPORT, from page 1

Richard W. Turner, right, and Bob Denis in their J-3 Piper in 1960. Photo courtesy Richard W. Turner.

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by Bob Nuner

Middlesex firewood dealer Emile Picard jokes that he stays in shape by buying less automated equip-

ment. He cuts the trees himself with a chain saw and uses a mobile hydraulic splitter. He has an elevator and tractor to load his truck, but the wood gets plenty of personal han-dling; he doesn’t use a processor, a machine that turns logs into split firewood with mini-mal huma contact.

Emile and his family supply between 250 and 280 cords of firewood a year to cen-tral Vermonters, his wife, Tammy, estimates. Business has increased in the 33 years they’ve sold wood fuel, and they’ve had little turn-over in customers. Their son, Nathan, is part of the crew. Tammy says that people may drop away for a while when oil prices are low and “clean out their [wood]shed, but usually they miss it so much they come back.” When the Picards do lose a customer, “It’s usually because they’ve gotten older or moved away,” she says, and, she notes an uptick in new customers in the last three autumns. The Picards don’t advertise, and must, if demand is too great, refer customers to other trusted suppliers.

Winter is the major time to pull wood from the woods, when the ground is frozen and equipment does the least damage to the ground. An open winter with less snow makes it easier to pull out the trees. Emile says that after he downs trees and skids them out, he’ll often block them to chunk length and then haul the unsplit wood to his home base for final splitting and stacking, which can happen during spring while roads soften, then dry.

The equipment Emile uses is straightfor-ward: A skidder to pull trees from the woods, a rugged, heavy-duty hydraulic splitter that can split wood four to six ways in one pass, a conveyer, a one-ton dump truck modified to

carry wood, a tractor with a modified loader bucket, and, of course, chain saws. That means the Picards have a good appreciation for their own energy expenses. Tammy says that lately it has cost $115 just to fill the gas tank of the one-ton truck.

Asked if there was an ample wood supply, neither Tammy nor Emile indicate concern; they have people asking them to clear out their woods. Fuel-source trees are poor can-didates for lumber: they are leaners or dead, dying or bent trees. Sometimes landowners will have a forester mark trees to be thinned, but Emile has been in the business long enough that he’s often trusted to take the right ones without forester consultation.

Emile pays a fee to landowners, called “stumpage,” for the wood. Russ Barrett, Washington County forester, says that fig-ure, for firewood, is in the neighborhood of $10 per cord, but he notes that the cost to get

trees out of the woods varies considerably, a critical consideration for the firewood sup-plier negotiating that fee.

The business is cyclical, Tammy says, “We start getting calls in April. . . . Some people might be getting low in February, when people are looking for dry wood [to finish out the season]. Most people figure out what their stove’s going to take, and they figure they should get a little extra. . . . They usually order a little more.”

While the business sells both green and seasoned wood, with a price differential for the value added from drier wood, the Picards urge people to buy early enough to let the wood season a year before use, allowing lower customer cost. Some folks, Tammy says, use their tax refunds to purchase next year’s fuel: “One huge thing is, income-wise, we do have customers that do this: Always be a year ahead, and call between April and July. If

they could just remember, April Fool’s day is the day to order wood. Order it, pile it, cover it, and then you don’t have to worry about it.” Plenty of people don’t plan that far ahead, however. Five new people in the last few days have called saying they want already dry and seasoned wood, Tammy says.

Although wood can also be burned while it is still green, the Picards don’t encour-age folks to buy green for more immediate use if they have any discomfort or anxiety about using it. (The Picards, like the shoe-maker and his children, supply themselves last, so they confess that they often burn green wood.) Tammy says, “People ask if they should get green wood. We burn green wood all the time, because we’re used to it. If they’re scared of it, let them get dry wood, [especially] if they go away to work.” [See page 6 for more on green wood and wood burning.]

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Emile Picard fills his tractor’s loader bucket with split wood. The Picards supply central Vermont with 250 to 280 cords of wood a year. Photo by Bob Nuner.

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by Bob Nuner

Woodstove emissions are “a very big issue,” according to Phillip Etter, acting section chief of the Air Pol-

lution Control Division in Vermont’s Depart-ment of Environmental Conservation. Asked if increased use of wood will be a concern if fossil-fuel prices continue to rise, he says, “If that happens, the wood-burning devices need to become better and better.”

Of particular (and particulate) concern are outdoor wood-fired boilers. Those manufac-tured before 2008 must, in some cases, be replaced, by law. Why? Some emit as much as 72 grams of particulates per hour, compared with newer outdoor furnaces that emit two to eight grams per hour. Approved woodstoves with catalytic converters or additional com-bustion air introduced produce emissions in the two-gram-per-hour range as well. Etter says the Environmental Protection Agency is currently revising a standard that is a couple of decades old and has “lots of loopholes.” The new standard, when it comes, will be nationally implemented.

Etter strongly urges people to use seasoned wood. You can burn green wood, but just because it’s cheaper doesn’t mean it’s a better value. Green wood contains up to 50 percent water when a tree is first cut, so even though it’s cheaper, “you’re just boiling off a lot of water,” he says. That’s why green wood is no-ticeably heavier than seasoned wood. Com-

mercial firewood dealers who sell wood may kiln-dry it down to about 20 percent mois-ture, baking it for four to five days at 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Well-seasoned, properly covered (split and stored in a dry location for at least a year) air-dried firewood is also in the 20 percent moisture content range, and, according to a USDA Forest Service study, the difference in energy-con-version efficiency shows: 67 percent for green wood, 77 percent for seasoned wood. Etter refers to the EPA’s wood-burning informa-tion website, epa.gov/burnwise, as a good information resource, and he notes that there are lists of approved stoves that have been tested by EPA-certified manufacturer’s test-ing laboratories.

A more recent development in energy saving, wood-burning technology that holds promise for particulate reduction is gasification. It’s not new. Germans ran their cars on wood gas when fossil fuels were in short supply during World War II. But now, according to David Frank of Sunwood Biomass in Waitsfield, there are home heating furnaces, even wall-mounted ones, that use the same technology to burn wood chunks more efficiently.

To achieve lower particulate levels and higher efficiencies, wood fires heat wood until it begins to off-gas. By capturing the wood gases, then redirecting those gases into the combustion chamber while introducing ad-ditional air to combust them, greater energy-conversion efficiencies are achieved and emis-

sions reduced. Wood goes in the firebox with reduced air intake. As the wood heats, the gases driven off travel to a lower firebox, where more air is introduced and that then ignites into a hot fire that burns off virtually all particulates and volatiles. Up to 40 per-cent more heat is generated from the wood burned, is the technology’s claim. This can be done with chunk wood or pellets.

Moderation of heat cycles is attained with the introduction of a buffer hot-water tank that stores heat until the house needs it. Frank says his firm has installed both simple and complex wood-gasification furnace sys-tems throughout the state and adds, “By most all measures, Vermont is considered the epicenter for renewable energy policy, partici-pation and growth.”

An even lower emission option available to homeowners is solar hot water, with no com-bustion required except perhaps for extended periods of cloudy days. Tom Hughes, CEO of Vermont manufacturer Sunward Systems, notes in an e-mail, “The Department of Public Service tracks prices in its monthly ‘Vt Fuel Price Reports.’ In 2002 No. 2 fuel oil was $1.17/gallon; today it is $3.72/gallon—a 12 percent annual increase. Propane has gone from $1.32 to $2.83—an 8 percent annual increase. Electric rates in Vermont have been much steadier, with less than a 1 percent an-nual increase over the last decade.” [See page 7 for more information on fuel pricing this season.]

For those whose income is high enough that a tax credit has value, Hughes notes that federal tax credits are valid through 2016. Solar hot-water systems make the most sense if one’s hot-water use is hefty, as a two-panel system can cost in the neighborhood of $8,000 before rebates and tax credits.

There are several solar hot-water installers in central Vermont, including Energy Smart, the social enterprise venture of Central Ver-mont Community Action Council, which recently promoted its partnership with Wash-ington Electric Co-op and solar collector manufacturer Sunward, another triple-bot-tom-line firm spun off of Vermont Public In-terest Research Group called SunCommon, and such local private firms as Solar Gain and Daedalus Solar Works.

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by Bob Nuner

“Prices change every day,” said a central Vermont fuel dealer about oil’s daily cash price. With that understand-

ing, The Bridge surveyed a few dealers to ask about current pricing, availability of budget plans and minimum orders. We also got a short pricing tutorial from Matt Cota of the Vermont Fuel Dealers Association (VFDA).

It’s late to get into budget-plan buying arrangements, but some dealers may still have gallons available for which they’ve al-ready contracted with their wholesale sup-pliers. Staff at Gillespie Fuels in Northfield said they had some unallocated gallons from their own prebuying but noted that availabil-ity was “on a first-come, first-served basis.” In other cases, budget-plan commitments started in the summer, and either it’s too late to sign up or people who can still sign up for a contracted supply may need to double up initial monthly budget payments to make up for the delay.

In our survey, cash pricing for No. 2 fuel oil last Thursday ranged from $3.68 to $3.92 per gallon, with minimum orders for delivery running from 100 to 150 gallons. For pro-pane, there are considerations beyond dealer’s fuel cost that go into the pricing. Karen at Bourne’s in Waterbury emphasized that pro-

pane dealers have heavy expenses that must be recouped when they install a propane tank at someone’s home, so “tier pricing” helps them get back in the black after they’ve invested in tank costs. As one might expect, larger volumes lead to lower per-gallon costs.

Propane pricing, used in volume for home heating, ran from $2.70 to $2.85 a gallon. Automatic delivery and budget plans in one case came up about a dime cheaper per gallon. The above pricing was predicated on greater than 900-gallon use per heating season.

For those purchasing fuel on a “will call” basis, discounts are sometimes available for quick payment (within 10 days), but expect credit checks as part of that process.

As the VFDA points out, everyone wants to know what the future holds, not least fuel retailers, who must borrow to make their wholesale fuel purchases. Cota’s general guid-ance: Commodities go up when the govern-ment prints money (quantitative easing, or QE), as it did in 2008, 2010 and this Septem-ber. Although the dollar may decline in value and make exports more desirable, mortgages cheaper, and job markets improve, commodi-ties priced in dollars—like crude oil—may go the opposite direction. Cota says that oil doubled during the first QE exercise and rose by a third in the second round of QE. Oil prices right now are trimming slightly.

Cota proposes that the anticipation of QE III was already priced into crude oil, which rose from June to September. Now the ques-tion is whether, QE III past, there will be further crude-oil market easing, since the round of money printing is less than in past rounds—“only four billion a month,” Cota notes. In the past, Cota says, markets responded after the fact to these kinds of monetary actions, but now anticipated mon-etary actions are priced into the crude market faster. He attributes the increased volitility to instantaneous information exchange and a larger number of “paper oil traders,” who buy and sell oil quickly with no intention of ever having the physical product in their pos-session. That’s what’s been happening since June, he says.

Now, with the Federal Reserve Board’s quantitative-easing actions known, it remains to be seen whether the market will fall fur-ther, even though two-thirds of the home-heating oil sales volume (December through March) is yet to come. Cota represents retail businesses for whom pricing volatility is a big problem, so they have argued for pricing stability, including mandatory possession re-quirements for traders. Where will pricing go from here? Only the market knows.

Richard Moffi is director of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LI-

HEAP), which helps Vermonters pay for heat-ing fuel. The program operates year-round now, his office notes. His office tracks how Vermonters seek and get assistance each year. The change in numbers from the 2010–2011 heating season to 2011–2012, broadly, indi-cate a 5 percent reduction in total benefits, corresponding to a 5 percent increase in “fuel liability households.” Estimated full-season fuel-liability average benefits are projected to be $543, down from $900 last year. This is estimated to buy about 150 gallons of fuel, compared to 248 last year.

Monthly 2012–2013 maximum income levels for seasonal fuel-assistance eligibility are 185 percent of poverty, or $1,722 for an individual, plus $611 for each additional per-son in a household. For crisis fuel assistance, the maximum eligibility is twice poverty, or $1,862, plus $660 per additional household member. But Moffi’s office cautions, “Clients receiving any benefits from ESD [Economic Services Division] must, must, must report changes (moves, household composition, in-come, fuel type, fuel dealer—just to name some key fuel benefit ingredients). Only bad things happen when clients don’t respond to reviews or requests for information from ESD or when they fail to report changes to ESD.”

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Re-Elect

ANNCUMMINGS

STATE SENATE

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Contact Ann at [email protected]

Paid for by Cummings for Senate, Regis Cummings, Treasurer

Featuring a large ensemble of musicians whose affi liations in-clude the NYC Ballet Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in colorful and exhilarating works from a range of composers including Mozart, Poulenc, Janáček, and Mohammed Fairouz.

$10–$25: tickets at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, at capitalcityconcerts.org, or at the door.

Colors of the WindSaturday, October 6, 7:30 pm • Unitarian Church of Montpelier


In an attempt to introduce the Montpelier candidates for state representative, we asked two questions: What bipartisan measures would you suggest that would find support across the aisle and that address serious unmet concerns? and What historical figure would you like to have lunch with, and what would you discuss?

—compiled by Richard Sheir

Bipartisan Initiatives and Historical FiguresQuestions for Local State Representative Candidates

MARY HOOPERDemocratic/Working Families Parties

The daughter of a career army officer and a political activist, I was born in Germany and grew up in the traveling life of an army family. My husband, Jim Slinkman, and I moved to North Street in 1979. My ca-reer has been in community and economic development. I have served on a num-ber of boards, including those of the Ver-mont College of Fine Arts, the Washington County Hunger Council and the Central Vermont Community Action Council. I served four terms as Montpelier’s mayor. I currently serve in the Vermont House of Representatives.

There are a host of issues we need to continue working together to solve: reforming health insurance, providing tax fairness, helping our communities flourish, supporting the social safety net, creating affordable housing and labeling GMOs. Among my priorities is the need to continue to reduce and change our energy consumption. After the cost of health insurance, the cost of en-ergy—for heating homes and businesses, getting to work—is rising faster than any other basic requirement. Agreeing on the public good of holding down the cost of energy is not a partisan issue. Making strategic investments to reduce the costs of heating or traveling is a sound down payment on Vermont’s future.

I’d like to chat with Medgar Evers, the civil-rights activist who was assassinated in 1963. He was a son of the South who, having served in World War II, returned to Mis-sissippi and a society where blacks faced such oppression that today we would call it terrorism. He didn’t give up on his home and move north. Instead, he had the courage and audacity to seek change in the light of horrendous obstacles.

BEN EASTWOODJustice Party

I was raised in Leicester, Vermont. I trav-eled the country until I found my home here up on the hill on Main Street. I have worn a variety of hats, but I found special satisfaction serving as a volunteer EMT with Brandon Rescue and as a volunteer site interpreter at Mount Independence, in Or-well, making part of Vermont’s rich history come alive for students. Here in Montpelier, I spearheaded the ballot-access initiative for presidential candidate Rocky Anderson and demanded that the legislature pass the GMO labeling bill; the fact that the legisla-ture let that bill wither propelled me from citizen activist to candidate.

Vermont has a reputation for being un-friendly to small-business and jobs creation. I think an innovative solution is the creation of a state bank, similar to North Dakota’s, which will help isolate us from the uncertain-ties of Wall Street and stimulate the local economy. A mission-driven state bank could help farmers diversify the crops they plant and return to sustainable farming practices by putting the long-term health of the farm and land ahead of short-term profiteering. It could also offer low-interest loans to small businesses in key areas, such as renewable energy and energy-efficient home building. These start-up companies would create many new, well-paying jobs.

I have always wanted to meet Ben Franklin. He stands in my mind as a prototypical American. He had an entrepreneurial spirit that sought new ways to meet the challenges he faced. He was always looking for new solutions, from his scientific inquiries that brought us bifocals, lightning rods and wood stoves to his promotion of the ideals of democracy, woman’s suffrage and self-determination In addition, Franklin was a shrewd businessman and a skilled marketer.

From Barre-Montpelier to E. F. Knapp: The Story of a Small Airport in Berlin, VermontA new history by Richard W. Turner, now available at:• Rivendell Books in Montpelier

and the Berlin Mall• Next Chapter Bookstore in Barre• Vermont Historical Society bookstore at the

Pavilion office building in Montpelier• Vermont Flying Service at the airport• The Wayside Restaurant on the

Barre-Montpelier Road• The Berlin town clerkʼs office

This holiday season, shop with a clear conscience.

The Happiness Paradigm STORE & EXPERIENCE

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Mark your calendars!

Eat Local Week is October 6–14th!

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GLENNIE SEWELLProgressive Party

I live on Summit Street and am an Eng-lish-composition instructor at the Commu-nity College of Vermont, as well as a gradu-ate instructor in international mediation for the Woodbury Institute of Champlain Col-lege. I teach online for Troy University in Alabama, as well as TutorABC in Taiwan. I worked in Finland for Suomen Pakolaisapu, the Finnish Refugee Council, under the auspices of the United Nations High Com-misioner for Refugees.

A need that stands out is the need for the continued rebuilding of the business and government infrastructures, as well as family homes and jobs lost during Tropi-cal Storm Irene. Numerous families and businesses have been left outside the loop in regard to receiving aid for rebuilding, many because they’d started rebuilding themselves and were penalized by the federal government. Another issue would be the search for “reliable, cost-effective, efficient and affordable” sources of energy (as quoted from the Vermont Republican Party website). First we need to overcome the issue of parties refusing to listen to one another. This is where my international mediation techniques can help spur positive communication and recognition of our similarities, not our differences. Commonality is the key, not complicity with nepotism, status quo, political opportunism and constant inaction, as is so often the case in politics.

I would love to meet Bessie Coleman, the first known black female to earn an avia-tion license and become a pilot (and a stunt-pilot, at that), back in 1921. She was born in Texas in 1892 and refused to stand around picking cotton and doing laundry for the townsfolk. I would talk to her about how she overcame both gender and ethnic stereo-types to realize the dream of becoming a pilot.

WARREN KITZMILLERDemocratic/Working Families Parties

I was born and raised in Erie, Pennsyl-vania, and moved to Vermont in 1963 to ski on bigger hills. In 1974, I moved to Montpelier, where I founded Onion River Sports and within a year married Karen and bought our home on North Street, where we raised our two daughters. Follow-ing Karen’s death, Howard Dean appointed me to her legislative position, which I still hold. In 2006 I married Jeanne Cariati, a childhood friend, and we now have three grandchildren.

I believe that Vermont has a desperate shortage of affordable housing. Housing

costs have risen so quickly that the American Dream of home ownership has become nearly impossible for many Vermonters. There are a number of things that could be done legislatively to help address the problem, such as streamlined permitting and fee reduc-tion or elimination for affordable-housing projects, or possibly tax credits for first-home buyers and builders who take on such projects.

Many people do not understand that, especially in our committees, there is a genuine commitment to nonpartisan work as we forge a bill. I work very closely with my Repub-lican colleagues (plus Progressives and Independents), and we find common ground in virtually every issue. I know my colleagues all understand the need for affordable hous-ing, so that would be the common ground from which we would start.

President Eisenhower’s service has been met with great historical praise. I grew up during his time in office, in a mostly Republican family. President Eisenhower is viewed by many as having great administrative skills, and his politics were matched with the more bipartisan nature of the times. I’d love to discuss his warning about “the military-industrial complex,” and how prophetic that warning has become.

by Richard Sheir

In November 2009 the City of Mont-pelier errantly issued a check to Scott Construction for $400,000 that set into

motion a process that ultimately is resulting in a substantial report being delivered to city council on the city budget and the process that determines the city’s budget.

After the Scott Construction error was discovered, Montpelier commissioned a study on its accounting procedures to pre-vent such a mistake from happening again. After the report’s recommendations were ad-opted and procedural changes were made, the city council commissioned a $34,500 study of theefficiency of the entire city gov-

ernment: all departments this time. Recom-mendations were made on how the existing resources could best be used. The report on managing existing resources was not in-tended to address whether any or all city de-partments were the right size for a Vermont city of 7,800.

The issue of a coherent rationale for “right sizing” the city’s services was left to a com-mittee appointed by the council in June. The 18-person citizen advisory group met biweekly from June until the end of Sep-tember, with subcommittees meeting during the off week. Collectively, over 1,000 hours have been devoted to preparing an extensive report that covers every city department, the city’s budget process, health costs, capital

improvements and other topics germane to budgeting. Their report, unlike prior work, is framed in the context of other Vermont cities of Montpelier’s size and is designed to push the discussion forward on the size and scope of the city’s future budgets.

The sizable report, which contains numer-ous recommendations on process and policy, as well as extensive tables and charts, will be formally presented to the city council at its October 10 meeting. The report in its entirety will be available on the city’s website on Friday, October 5.

Committee to Issue Budget Report

For coverage of the September 12 Montpelier City Council meeting, visit montpelierbridge.com.

Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!


by Nat Frothingham

With gas at the pump closing in on $4 a gallon, and the purchase price of even the leanest, meanest and

cheapest new car likely to cost more than $13,000, it’s becoming increasingly expensive to own, drive, insure, repair and register a car.

Now, consider the collateral impacts such as building, paving and repaving roads, traf-fic congestion, and parking. Add in parking lots, parking garages, oil refineries, pollution, foreign oil dependence and the big elephant in the room, global warming and climate change.

In mid-September about a dozen Mont-pelier residents—many with car concerns on their minds—gathered in the community poom at the Montpelier police station and listened to and asked questions of Annie Bourdon, founder and executive director of Burlington’s successful nonprofit organiza-tion CarShare Vermont.

Bourdon has tons of experience with car sharing. When she was living in San Fran-cisco in 2001, she helped launch City Car-Share, a car-sharing organization that was ahead of its time.

City CarShare started out with a fleet of 12 Volkswagen Beetles. Today, according to the organization’s website, City CarShare has come into its own as a “San Francisco Bay Area network with hundreds of fuel-efficient cars, thousands of members and dozens of partnerships with businesses, transportation agencies, and other groups.”

The car-sharing idea hasn’t stopped with California. Today, there are successful car- sharing ventures in such diverse locations as Boulder, Austin, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Bourdon left San Francisco and moved back to Vermont a few years ago. She knew

that car sharing could succeed in “a really dense urban area.” But could car sharing succeed in Burlington, with its much smaller population base? (Burlington’s population was listed as 42,645 by the U.S. Census in July 2011.)

Bourdon said that getting a car-sharing program up and running in a smaller com-munity requires a big outreach and volunteer effort that will secure not just members who will join the organization, but active members who will actually use the car-sharing service. Each CarShare Vermont vehicle needs to serve at least 50 active members. This means locating vehicles appropriately where they can serve a diverse mix of residents and busi-nesses. Before CarShare Vermont can expand to Montpelier, it needs to assess what neigh-borhoods could support a vehicle and better understand if community members can use the service. Car sharing works best where people can meet most of their transportation needs without a car, as car sharing is not ef-fective for commuting.

One of the reasons that CarShare Vermont has worked in Burlington is that Bourdon and a team of volunteers put in the upfront time—working from 2006 until the Burling-ton service was launched in 2008. CarShare Vermont started out with eight cars in 2008 and added a ninth car in 2009 and a pick-up truck in 2010 for a current total of 10 vehicles.

Right now, CarShare Vermont has 700 members. The organization’s website pro-vides a map of Burlington that shows 10 vehicles spread across the city at eight pods (parking locations). A member can reserve a car online or by calling an automated phone system 24/7. The CarShare leaflet states, “With plenty of cars to choose from, you can usually make a reservation with as little as 15

minutes[’] notice. Your own electronic key fob will open any car you’ve reserved in our network—you don’t need to pick up a key ahead of time. It’s easy.”

CarShare Vermont has two cost plans: Share-a-Little and Share-a-Lot. In the Share-a-Little plan, the cost includes a $5 monthly membership fee, plus $6.95 an hour and 25 cents per mile when you use the car, includ-ing gas and insurance. Or there is a $69 day rate plus 15 cents per mile for 24 hours.

The Share-a-Lot Plan for more frequent users (five or more hours per month) is as follows: $15 monthly membership fee, $4.95 an hour, 25 cents per mile, and a $49 day rate plus 15 cents per mile for 24 hours. Again, all rates include gas and insurance.

CarShare Vermont is holding its own fi-nancially, according to Bourdon. It has the goal of becoming financially self-sufficient, though it still relies on grants and contribu-tions to underwrite a portion of its service and programs.

Four of the original eight cars were pur-chased with help from the University of Ver-

mont and Champlain College. These schools wanted to cut down on traffic and parking, and supporting the new service was in line with these objectives. Then there have been additional grants to initiate new programs and add vehicles. Bourdon said that Car-Share Vermont was 80 percent self-sufficient in 2011, with 20 percent of its needed funds from grants and donations.

It was clear from the Montpelier meeting and from a follow-up e-mail message that people in attendance at the meeting are seri-ous about pursuing the car-sharing idea in Montpelier.

One added benefit of CarShare Vermont expanding to Montpelier is that if you went to Burlington, or even Boulder, Colorado, your Montpelier membership would entitle you to use a car in those other places. Bour-don estimates that CarShare Vermont already has a handful of members from Montpelier.

For further information about CarShare Vermont, visit carsharevt.org or call 861-2340.

Car Sharing Could Expand to Montpelier

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by Bob Nuner

’Tis the season to check the fuel sup-ply, drag out sweaters, make hot soup and eye the bank account for

money to get through winter.Vermont institutions continue looking at

energy consumption and how to reduce it. The national Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, which grants homeowners loans for energy retrofits, was approved by voters in several central Vermont towns. In our area, municipal PACE administration is delegated to the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC). However, the PACE program poses big problems for mortgage holders Freddie Mac (the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) and Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association), because PACE rules subordinate mortgage holders’ interests to municipalities through its lien mechanism.

So, for now, homes with mortgages held by those entities may not utilize the PACE pro-gram, and, according to a May 2012 article in U.S. News & World Report, nationally “90 percent of loans originated now are guaran-teed and/or issued by Fannie or Freddie.”

But there are other options, and Vermont financial institutions argue that they have loan programs better than PACE. Montpelier Development Office’s Kevin Casey said he was more typically sending folks to Vermont financial institutions that offer energy-im-provement loan programs. In some cases, PACE may be the answer, however, and Effi-ciency Vermont continues to offer the PACE program. Its administrator is Peter Adamc-zyk, VEIC energy finance and development manager.

Chuck Karparis is vice president of lend-ing at VSECU credit union. He explained that VSECU launched a “VGreen”-branded

energy-saving loans program in June. It offers special rates and terms for energy-efficiency improvement projects. Those loan programs are further augmented by VSECU’s other pro-grams, including their “VHeat” fuel-buying group (closing October 15). At first, VSECU partnered with Efficiency Vermont. The pro-gram offered an interest-rate buy-down, in which Efficiency Vermont took on part of a loan’s interest payment. It was, said Karparis, “a very successful program.” While that pro-gram has ended, VSECU continues its focus on energy loans, including partnering with Vermont Public Interest Research Group and its benefit-corporation, SunCommon, and the Solar Communities initiative.

Karparis said that VSECU “has done a ton of business through that program. . . . I love these loans. They’re great. They match our mission, so we developed the [VGreen] program to give it more branding.” As to PACE loans, “Why would anybody want to do that?” Karparis asked, noting the en-cumbrances placed on a title that complicate property transfer for both buyer and seller.

Bank officers emphasize the need for con-sumer education. Peter Goodell, senior man-ager of retail lending at Northfield Savings Bank (NSB), and Arn Hammerlund, People’s United Bank community services officer, both point to a July 2011 study by Vermont Law School’s Institute for Energy and the Environment, assisted by the High Mead-ows fund. The study, “Financing Residential Energy Efficiency in Vermont,” found that availability of financing was not the problem. Its executive summary opens,

We began this research based on the assumption [that] lack of financing stops most homeowners from improving the en-ergy efficiency of their homes. However, after only a few interviews with Vermont lenders, the primary issue emerged: lack

of demand. Without a strong reason to demand more energy efficiency, few ho-meowners will work through the bewil-deringly complex process that leads to an outcome with unknown benefits. Vermont needs a simple, start-to-end process that includes easily accessible financing and policies that make the value of energy effi-ciency improvements visible to homeowners and to the market. Just as a bird requires two wings to fly, effective energy efficiency will require both adequate financing and strong customer demand.

Karparis points to a difference in conver-sion rates between places with intermediaries who help homeowners navigate the energy-improvement borrowing process and places where there was no such figure. In Rutland, where Neighborworks deployed an advocate, conversion was 40 percent; elsewhere, with-out that help, the figure was only 15 percent.

Vermont financial institutions have a vari-ety of ways that they can make special efforts with energy projects. Goodell pointed out that NSB invests quite a bit in each loan. Unsecured loans can range from $1,000 to $8,000, with terms of up to seven years, and they’ve lowered home-equity-loan minimums for home energy improvement to $3,000 from $10,000, absorbing closing costs in many cases.

Hammerlund noted that the current low-interest environment is too tight to offer special deals but current rates are attractive and banks look at each situation: “One size doesn’t fit all,” he said.

Karparis pointed to the credit union’s ded-icated lower rates for energy-improvement projects and adjusted loan criteria, recogniz-ing that lowered energy costs should put more cash in borrowers’ pockets to ease payoff. Goodell said, “It’s a cause that’s near and dear

to my heart. Needless to say, a lot of Vermont housing stock is older. We’re all in on it.”

Hammerlund talked about his bank’s staff, who bring their own energy-improvement interests to work and enhance the bank’s in-terest in energy-saving projects, and Karparis noted with pride the assistance the credit union continues to offer people who are ready to button up their homes.

Most of these loan programs will require home energy audits. Audits can range in cost from $300 to $600, depending upon test complexity, according to VEIC’s Kelly Lucci. Test variables include blower door, building performance, furnace-combustion analysis and infrared camera analysis of a house’s heat losses. Often, audit costs roll into the work cost, if the homeowner gives the contractor a go-ahead. Lucci pegs energy upgrades as starting as low as $2,500 and going up from there. Variables include house age, extent of required work, and whether the house has health and safety issues that require attention before remedial energy work begins (leaky basements or roofs or dangerous electrical wiring, for example). But she emphasizes that work can be prioritized, then planned and undertaken in phases to make cash flow easier to manage.

Concerning project payback, Hammerlund viewed the number of energy-improvement projects completed as too low to allow ap-praisers to get their arms around impacts on home values, and he noted difficulty finding what appraisers consider comparable proper-ties, especially off-grid. So, finance officials agree, quantifying before- and after-value of improvements is important. Home sellers who can document energy-expenditure sav-ings will be in a stronger position to argue that the capital value of their home improve-ments should be reflected in stronger home pricing.

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by Nat Frothingham

At a spirited lunchtime event that in-cluded family, friends and enthusi-astic residents of the Gary Home,

Roberta Morse was congratulated as this year’s winner of the Vermont Health Care Association’s LPN Nurse of the Year award on September 27.

The award itself was conferred on Morse at the annual meeting of the Vermont Health Care Association in Killington on September 17, and the Gary Home celebration 10 days later had all the warmth of a homecoming.

In formal remarks and in dining room conversations at the celebration two themes emerged. The first is how deeply Morse, through her 20 years of service, has touched the lives and hearts of past and present Gary Home residents. The second is about what Morse has achieved as a career professional. Morse, who graduated from the Thompson School of Nursing in Brattleboro 50 years ago, appears in all respects an outstanding nurse professional.

Over the course her career at the Gary Home, Morse worked on all three eight-hour nursing shifts. But she was drawn to the late night/early morning shift that starts at 11 p.m. and ends at 7 a.m.

“It’s the peace, the quiet,” she said, de-scribing that shift. “You can be your own boss.”

In the letter that nominated Morse for the statewide Nurse of the Year Award, her supervisor, Mary Beth Watt, explained what

it meant for Morse to be the single nurse on the late-night shift and take responsibility for the job on her own.

Watt wrote:As we know the “graveyard” shift can

be a quiet time and I have known staff to read or knit or work on their taxes at work to pass the time. Not this wonder woman! She manages to accomplish more on her shift than an army of day shifters! Full of energy and the most unbelievable positive attitude, she tackles the ironing, the laun-dry, restocking all the supplies, collecting all the trash, refilling the humidifier, visiting all the residents’ rooms on rounds 3 to 4 times a night. And this doesn’t even begin to address how much she does for the nursing department! For me as charge nurse, she is invaluable: covering for me when I am absent, setting up the medications, checking over the medication records, filing all the daily paperwork for permanents charts, shredding, sorting, fil-ing. And most amazing of all, I do believe she does this all without the help of caf-feine. Awake and alert and always ready to hold a hand at night or assist a sleepy soul back to their room after confusion about the time of day, her kindness and genuine love and caring for the folks at the Gary Home shines through.

In her 20 years of service, Morse has hardly, if ever, missed a night of work.

During a threatened flood emergency, when the Montpelier police phoned to say

that residents had to be moved to higher ground, according to Watt, “She safely evac-uated all of our residents in the middle of the night . . . managing to remember everyone’s meds, sweaters [and] toothbrushes.”

As the September 27 event came to a close, Morse’s husband, Sherwood Morse,

remembered the time that the road from their house was so icy that it was impossible to drive a car safely on it. Instead, he took his wife across a field on a snow machine, and they got to the main road, and she made it into work.

Roberta Morse at the Gary Home Honored as Vermont Nurse of the Year

Mary Beth Watt reads from her letter nominating Roberta Morse, at right, for Nurse of the Year, while Roberta’s husband, Sherwood, looks on. Photo by Annie Tiberio Cameron.


Upcoming EventsFRIDAY, OCTOBER 552nd Annual Calais Fall Foliage Festival. Meals, music, outdoor activities, events and exhibits throughout town, all weekend. Full schedule on flyers posted around town. Sue, 229-4848 or [email protected]. Continues through October 7.Tulsi Tea Room and Grian Herbs Apothecary Grand Reopening Reception. Try kava kava tonic, raw-food sweets and herbal tea, get a chair massage, or enjoy a free lunch. 10 a.m.–9 p.m.; 11 a.m. –3 p.m., lunch; kava kava tonic night, 6–9 p.m. 34 Elm Street, Montpelier. Free. 223-0043.Coffeehouse. Enjoy live music and share your own. Fellowship, potluck snacks and beverages. 7–9 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main Street, Montpelier (park and enter at rear). Free. Dick, 244-5191, 472-8297 or [email protected]. Event happens every first Friday.Open Mic Comedy Night: Stroke Your Joke III. See live stand-up as comics try seven minutes of new material in front of an audience. Sign up at 7:30 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m. Espresso Bueno, 136 North Main Street, Barre. Free; donations welcome. Bob, 793-3884.The Gods of the Hills. Jim Hogue performs as Ethan Allen in a compelling military history. 7:30 p.m. Old West Church, West Church Road, Calais. $8. 456-1123. Pianist Matthew Odell in Concert. Odell performs American masterworks by Samuel Barber and Elliott Carter along with works by Claude Debussy. 8 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpelier. $20 suggested donation. Eliza, 229-9000 or [email protected].

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6Paddle with the Montpelier Section of the Green Mountain Club. Traverse easy whitewater on the Lamoille River in Johnson. Bring lunch. Life jacket required. Call leader Fred Jordan, 223-3935, for meeting time and place.Free E-Waste, Textiles and Book Collection. Chel-sea Recycling Depot, 72 Washington Turnpike. 229-9383, ext. 106, or cvswmd.org.52nd Annual Calais Fall Foliage Festival. See Friday, Oc-tober 5, for description and information. Today, Beggars Breakfast and Lunch at the Maple Corner Community Center, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Real Good Toys Fall Foliage Demo Day and Clear-ance Sale. Free dollhouse demos and a workshop on miniatures, plus refreshments, door prizes, discounts and grab-bag surprises. Free lunch on Saturday. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 10 Quarry Street, Barre. Jodi, 479-2217 or [email protected]. Sale continues Sunday, October 7. Walk-in Reiki Clinic. Experience a half-hour, clothes-on, therapeutic energy treatment involving light touch to help reduce stress and restore balance. 10 a.m.–noon. 141 Main Street, suite 1, Montpelier. $10. 522-6424. Event repeats November 10.Renaissance Faire on the Library Lawn. Kids visit Ye Olde Book Shoppe or the Apple and Ale, explore cardboard castles or see animals in the king’s stables, test their agility in a jousting tournament or show off their finery in a lords and ladies proces-sional. 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; 12:15–12:45 p.m., jousting; 12:45 p.m., processional. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. 223-4665.StoryWalk Festival. Stroll and read eight children’s books posted throughout the park. Entertainment, refreshments and book signings with local authors David McPhail and Leda Schubert. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. New Shelter, Hubbard Park, Montpelier. Free. 223-3338.Unveiling of Capital City Cash’s New Design. Check out Montpelier Alive’s revamped local currency and taste samples

from Vermont food producers. 11 a.m.– 2 p.m. Shaw’s, Main Street, Montpelier. montpelieralive.org.Workshop with Pianist Matthew Odell. Learn about the music of Olivier Messiaen, including song repertoire. Noon. Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpelier. $20 suggested dona-tion. Register with Eliza, 229-9000 or [email protected] Eastern Dance Master Class and Studio Show. Katia of Boston helps draws expression, fluidity and grace out of student bellydancers, then performs with the Origins Folkloric Dance Company in the evening. Workshop 12:30–4:30 pm.; show 6 p.m. Workshop: $75 full day, $40 half day; show: $10 suggested donation, free with full-day workshop. Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon Street, (third floor), Montpelier. Registration required for workshop: 563-2292, sharonastahl@yahoo .com or sabahdance.com.Occupy Central Vermont: General Assembly. 3–5 p.m. Guerilla garden park, next to Charlie O’s, Main Street, Mont-pelier. Heather, [email protected]. Event happens every first Saturday. Ruckus: A Cirque Spectacular. Nimble Arts brings together a cast of award-winning trapezists, jugglers, contortion-ists and more in a show inspired by vaudeville and contemporary circus. 3 and 7 p.m. Barre Opera House. $12–$25. Tickets at 476-8188 or barreoperahouse.org Chicken Pie Supper. Seatings at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. First Con-gregational Church of Berlin, Berlin Corner. $10 adults, $5 children age 7–12, free for children 6 and younger. Reservations required: call 223-5748.Capital City Concerts: Colors of the Wind. Musi-cians from the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Vermont perform large, colorful and exhilarating works by Poulenc, Janáček and Mozart. 7:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. $10–$25. Tickets at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier or at capitalcity concerts.org. Contra Dance. All dances taught; no partner necessary. All

ages welcome. Bring shoes not worn outdoors. 8–11 p.m. Capital City Grange, 6612 Route 12 (Northfield Street), Berlin. $8. 744-6163 or capitalcitygrange.org. Event happens every first, third and fifth Saturday.Saw-whet Owl Banding at Snake Mountain. Help Rodney Olsen band the soda-can-sized northern saw-whet owls at Snake Mountain in Addison as part of a long-term study. Dusk–late. For carpooling info, contact the North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier, 229-6206. Free.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 752nd Annual Calais Fall Foliage Festival. See Friday, October 5, for description and information.Real Good Toys Fall Foliage Demo Day and Clear-ance Sale. See Saturday, October 6, for description; note change in time. 9 a.m.–noon. 10 Quarry Street, Barre. Jodi, 479-2217 or [email protected].

MONDAY, OCTOBER 8Better Birding with Bryan Pfeiffer: Monarch Miracles. Learn how monarch butterflies get from Vermont to Mexico, a flight they will make only once in their life, plus new re-search on monarch navigation and survival. 6:30 p.m. First Baptist Church, School Street, Montpelier. $10. vermontbirdtours.com.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9Medicare and You. New to Medicare? Have questions? We have answers. 3–4:30 p.m. Central Vermont Council on Aging, 59 North Main Street, suite 200, Barre. Free. Register at 479-0531. Event happens every second and fourth Tuesday.

TheaterHAMLETIntrigue, the supernatural, music, humor and powerful drama combine to tell Shakespeare’s classic tale of vengeance and tragedy. October 11–28. Thursdays and Sundays, 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; 2 p.m. matinees October 13 and 28. Lost Nation Theater, 39 Main Street, Montpelier. $30 Friday–Sunday, $25 Thursday; $5 discount for students and se-niors. Show not recommended for children. Tickets at 229-0492 or lostnationtheater.org.

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUESEve Ensler’s episodic play celebrating all aspects of the female. Laugh, cry, rejoice and chant your way through the journey of being a woman. October 5–21. Friday–Sunday, 7:30 p.m.; 2 p.m. matinee Sunday, October 21. Valley Players Theater, 4254 Main Street, Waitsfield. $12. For mature audi-ences only. Tickets at 583-1674, [email protected], or valleyplayers.com.

see UPCOMING EVENTS, page 14

Live MusicBAGITOS28 Main Street, Montpelier. All shows 6–8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 229-9212 or bagitos.com.Every WednesdayBlues jam with the Usual Suspects and friendsEvery SaturdayIrish/Celtic session, 2–5 p.m.Friday, October 5Jeff Parry. 6 p.m.–closeSaturday, October 6J. Parker Compton, 6 p.m.–closeSunday, October 7Brunch with Joel Meeks, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.

BLACK DOOR44 Main Street, Montpelier. All shows start at 9:30 p.m. with $5 cover unless otherwise noted. 225-6479 or blackdoorvermont.com.

Friday, October 5Herb and Hanson (acoustic roots)Saturday, October 6New Nile Orchestra (Afro-pop)Friday, October 12Ethan Azarian (folk), 7 p.m., $10Lake Superior and Teleport (indie), 10 p.m., no coverSaturday, October 13Hot Neon Magic (’80s tribute)Thursday, October 18Great Brook Blues Band (blues), 8:30 pmFriday, October 19St. Anyway (bluegrass)

NUTTY STEPH’S CHOCOLATERIERoute 2, Middlesex. All shows 7–10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 229-2090 or nuttystephs.com.Every ThursdayBacon Thursdays, hot music and live conversation, 6 p.m.–midnightThursday, October 11Roadkill party (wear your skins and furs for $1 off drinks)

Thursday, October 18Wear your butt tattoo (real or fake) for the Butttattoo Contest

POSITIVE PIE 222 State Street, Montpelier. 229-0453 or positivepie.com.Saturday, October 6Local hip-hop showcase featuring Young Thayer, Bar None the Best, Young Trey, Beeps Loupo and DJ BaySix, 10:30 p.m., $3, 21+Friday, October 12TallGrass GetDown (bluegrass/jamgrass), 10:30 p.m., $5, 21+

SKINNY PANCAKE89 Main Street, Montpelier. 262-2253 or skinnypancake.com.Every SundayOld-time sessions with Katie Trautz and friends, 4–6 p.m. (intermediate to advanced players welcome to sit in)Sunday, October 7Herb and Hanson (new folk)

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An aerial artist with Ruckus, a circus performance coming to the Barre Opera House on Saturday, October 6.


Art & ExhibitsFALL FOLIAGE OPEN STUDIO WEEKENDSee Vermont artists at work and view their art, including mixed media by Missy Storrow in Calais, papier mâché by Janet MacLeod and jewelry by Susan Torchia in Adamant, and handmade books by Elissa Campbell in Montpelier. October 6–7, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. See complete list of local venues at vermontcrafts.com.

CHANDLER GALLERYTurning Leaves: New Directions in Book Arts, innovative group show exploring the book form. 71–73 Main Street, Randolph. Through Novem-ber 2. 431-0204 or [email protected].

THE CHESHIRE CATCeramics exhibition by Ellen Urman and Sande French-Stockwell, plus Poetry Poles by Norwich University students in the walkway. 23 Elm Street, Montpelier. Through October 15. 223-1987.

CITY CENTERArt Resource Association group show. 89 Main Street, Montpelier. Through mid-October. artresourceassociation.com.

CONTEMPORARY DANCE & FITNESS STUDIOThe Ballerina Series, batik fabric collage art and designs by Melissa Knight, followed by Dances on Silk, hand-painted silk hangings and stretched silk by Maggie Neale. 18 Langdon Street (third floor), Montpelier. Ballerina through October 11; Dances October 12–November 22. 229-4676 or cdandfs.com.

54 MAIN STREETPhotographic retrospective of Goddard College. 54 Main Street, Montpelier. Through October 22. 322-1685 or goddard.edu.

GLOBAL GIFTSRock: Real and Imagined, paintings by Mag-gie Neale. Langdon Street, Montpelier. Through October 5. maggieneale.com.

GOVERNOR’S GALLERYWe Are Vermont Strong, visual art by Vermont artists, teachers and community groups in re-sponse to Tropical Storm Irene. 109 State Street (fifth floor), Montpelier. Photo ID required for admission. Through December 28. 828-0749.

GRACE GALLERYThe Vermont Landscape, works by Merrill Dens-more, Lawrence Fogg and Dot Kibbee. 59 Mill Street, Hardwick. Through October 9. 472-6857 or graceart.org.

GREEN BEAN ART GALLERYAngels, Sneakers, and Wheels, photography by Brent Gould fusing digital with darkroom. At right, Sneakers, silver gelatin print. Capitol Grounds, 27 State Street, Montpelier. Through October 28. [email protected].

GREEN MOUNTAIN FINE ART GALLERYWe the People, figurative paintings by Dorothy Martinez exploring our country’s diversity. 60 South Main Street, Stowe. Through early Novem-ber. 253-1818 or greenmountainfineart.com.

KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARYEmergence, assemblages of natural objects and photography by Ruth Coppersmith. Hayes Room, 135 Main Street, Montpelier. Through November 5. 223-3338.

KENT MUSEUMFull Circle: Vermont Artists Give Round a New Shape, group show of circular art. Calais. Through October 7. Reception Sunday, October 7, 3–5 p.m. 828-5657.

KORONGO GALLERYSailing Images, works by Caroline Tavelli-Abar. 18 Merchants Row, Randolph. Through October 12. 728-6788 or [email protected].

LOCAL 64Painting or Collage?, collage paintings on wood panel by Vermont artist Ted Zilius. 5 State Street (second floor), Montpelier. local64.com.

MADSONIAN MUSEUM OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGNMade in the Shade: The Design of Summer Vaca-tion, showcasing design excellence in recreation-al items. 45 Bridge Street, Waitsfield. Through November 16. madsonian.org.

RED HEN BAKERY & CAFÉPaintings by Anne Unangst, Marcia Hill and Cindy Griffith. Route 2, Middlesex. Through October 31. 229-4326, marciahillart.com or hungermountainarts.com.

RIVER ARTS CENTERPaintings by Henry Kiely, focusing on iconic utilitarian objects. 74 Pleasant Street, Morris-ville. Through October 14. 888-1261 or riverartsvt.org.

THE SHOE HORNPaintings and Drawings of Sculpture, lively works on paper by Glen Coburn Hutcheson. 8 Langdon Street. Through November 30. [email protected].

STATE HOUSE CAFETERIAVisions of Place, photography by Vermonters John Miller, Peter Miller and Richard Brown.State House (second floor), Montpelier. Through November 30. 828-0749.

STUDIO PLACE ARTSRock Solid, stone sculptures by area artisans and other works portraying qualities of stone; Kingdoms in the Sky, works by Vanessa Comp-ton; and Freedom from Dilution, paintings by John David O’Shaughnessy. 201 North Main Street, Barre. Through November 3. 479-7069 or studioplacearts.com.

SULLIVAN MUSEUMTol’ ko Po Russky, Pozhaluista (“Russian Only, Please”), chronicling the history of the Russian school at Norwich University, 1968–2000; and

1861–1862: Toward a Higher Moral Purpose, exploring the experiences of Norwich Univer-sity alumni (Union and Confederate) during the Civil War. Norwich University, Northfield. Russian exhibit through January 2013; Civil War exhibit through April 2013. 485-2183 or norwich .edu/museum.

TULSI TEA ROOMMagestic Biology, photography by Iris Gage capturing the innocence and vibrancy of fauna, flora and landscapes. 34 Elm Street, Montpelier. Through December 1. 223-0043.

VERMONT HERITAGE GALLERIESIcons, Oddities & Wonders, stories from the Vermont Historical Society collections; and The Emergence of the Granite City: Barre 1890 to 1940. 60 Washington Street, Barre. Through December. Free admission. 479-8500.

VERMONT HISTORY MUSEUMFreedom & Unity: One Ideal, Many Stories, expe-rience a full-sized Abenaki wigwam, a recreation of the Catamount Tavern, a railroad station complete with working telegraph, a World War II living room and more. 109 State Street, Mont-pelier. $5 adults, $12 families. 828-2291.

Business Building Blocks: Marketing and Adver-tising. Learn how to get your business known so customers will come to you. 6–8:30 p.m. Central Vermont Community Action Council, 195 Route 302, Barre. Free, but space limited: sign up with Margaret, 476-8493, 800-843-8397 or [email protected]. Event happens every Tuesday through October 30.Creating Healthy Healing Connections. With Lori Flow-er from Sattva Yoga. Learn how to center yourself and then make contact with others through nonverbal practices involving trust exer-cises, creative process, imagination in form and play. 6:30–7:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. Free. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected] Ballroom, Latin and Swing Dance. Lesson with Samir and Eleni Elabd, followed by social dancing and demonstra-tions. For all ages and abilities; singles welcome. 7–9 p.m. Mont-pelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre Street, Montpelier. $10 senior center members, $12 nonmembers; dessert included. 223-2921.Author Reading and Signing: Archer Mayor. The Vermont novelist presents his latest Joe Gunther mystery. 7 p.m. Bear Pond Books, 77 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. 223-0774.John Hiatt and the Combo. Hiatt is a multiple Grammy nominee and part of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Part of the TD Bank Celebration Series. 7:30 p.m. Barre Opera House. $24–$48. Tickets at 476-8188 or barreoperahouse.org.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10Preschool Discovery Program: Harvests Aplenty. Children age 3–5 and their families explore fall foliage through nature-based activities, crafts and guided outdoor explorations. 10–11:30 a.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Mont-pelier. $5 members, $8 nonmembers. 229-6206.Barack and Me: The Obama Years. Presented by at-torney M. Jerome Diamond. Part of the Osher Lifelong Learn-ing Institute. 1:30 p.m.; doors open at 12:30 for brown-bag lunch. Aldrich Public Library, Barre. $5 suggested donation. 223-1763 or [email protected]. Series continues every Wednesday through December 12.Quilting Group. Working meeting of the Dog River Quilters.

Let’s quilt together. 5:30 p.m. Community room, Brown Public Library, Northfield. Jean, 585-5078 or [email protected]. Event happens every second Wednesday.Empowering Your Intentions: Going Beyond Hopes and Wants. With Fred Cheyette. Learn how to set intentions in an empowering way for both the big issues in your life and the everyday things that always seem to come up. 6–7:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. Free. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected] Connected to Your Body. With Irvin Eisenberg, structural integrator. Learn about your fascia and how it affects your movement and body awareness through hands-on activi-ties. 6–7:30 p.m. Reach office, 138 Main Street, Montpelier. Call to reserve a spot or if you need a ride: 262-6043.Put People First Candidate Forum. Share stories of interconnected human-rights crises in Vermont and help hold legis-lative candidates accountable for creating a government that puts people first. 6–8 p.m. Montpelier High School, 5 High School Drive, Montpelier. Sponsored by the Vermont Human Rights Council and the Vermont Workers’ Center. 861-4892 or workerscenter.org.Aphrodisiac Herbs. With Andrew Wolf, clinical intern at Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism. 6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 250 Main Street (third floor), Montpelier. $10 VCIH members, $12 nonmembers; $8 materials fee. Register at 224-7100 or [email protected] Cinema—Independent Lens. Watch As Goes Janesville, a documentary recording two years in the lives of a workers, business owners and leaders in a Midwestern community after the town’s GM plant closes. Panel discussion follows. 7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-3338.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11Presentation by the Vermont Association for the Blind. 11 a.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre Street, Montpelier.Worcester Clothing Swap. Bring in your clean, gently worn clothing and accessories, then pick out new-to-you items. Noon–5 p.m., drop off. Worcester Town Hall. Drop off continues Fri-day, October 12; pick up items on Saturday, October 13. 552-7494. Flu Clinic by Central Vermont Home Health. Walk-

ins only. 2–4 p.m. Resource room, Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre Street, Montpelier.Introduction to Geomancy. Fearn Lickfield and Ivan McBeth of the Green Mountain Druid Order share their under-standing of the different types of energies of place, how they affect us and how we can work cooperatively with them for mutual well-being. 6–7:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. $5 co-op member/owners, $8 nonmembers. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected] for Transitional Ease and Flexibility. With Lori Flower. Experience yoga practices and breath work that help nour-ish peace of mind while gently stretching out your body. Bring a mat if you have one; no previous experience necessary. 6–7:30 p.m. Reach office, 138 Main Street, Montpelier. Call to reserve a spot or if you need a ride: 262-6043.Start the Conversation: Film and Workshop. View a one-hour film, Consider the Conversation, featuring interviews with patients, family and doctors to inspire discussion and action around end-of-life care. 6–8 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Mont-pelier. Free. 223-3338. Sponsored by Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice and the Vermont Ethics Network. American Hallel. Counterpoint sings sacred and liturgical music of Michael Isaacson, directed by Robert De Cormier. Lecture by the composer at 6:45 p.m.; concert at 7:30 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpelier. $20 adults, $15 seniors, $5 students and low income. 540-1784 or counterpointchorus.org.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12Rally to Protect Vermont’s Mountains. Join Vermonters from around the state in a rally to protect our mountains and pro-test the development of utility-scale wind. A Certificate of Public Harm will be awarded to the Shumlin administration, the Public Service Board, and the Department of Public Service. 11 a.m. State House lawn, Montpelier. 778-0660 or [email protected] Clothing Swap. See Thursday, October 11, for description and information. Care and Cultivation of Fruit Trees and Berry Bushes. Presented by Nicko Rubin of East Hill Tree Farm. 3 p.m. Milne Room, Aldrich Public Library, Barre. 476-7550 or [email protected].

UPCOMING EVENTS, from page 13

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SUBMIT YOUR EVENT!Send listings to calendar@montpelier bridge.com. Deadline for the October

17 issue is Thursday, October 11.


Spaghetti Dinner Benefit. Proceeds benefit the Vermont State Employees Association retirees relief fund. 5–7 p.m. Unitar-ian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. $10 adults, $8 children under 12, free for children 3 and under. Tickets at 223-5247.Michael Martin Murphey and Jonathan Edwards. Murphey (writer of “Wildfire” and “Carolina in the Pines”) and Edwards (of “Sunshine” and “Shanty”) trade songs and stories. Part of the TD Bank Celebration Series. 8 p.m. Barre Opera House. $10–$34. Tickets at 476-8188 or barreoperahouse.org.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13Worcester Clothing Swap. Pick out new-to-you items to benefit the Worcester Food Shelf and Community Kitchen. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Worcester Town Hall. $1 per brown grocery bag; bring your own bag. 552-7494. Hike with the Montpelier Section of the Green Mountain Club. Moderate to difficult, 6.6 miles round trip, climb on Mount Mansfield via the Sunset Ridge Trail in Underhill. Contact leader Charlene Bohl, 229-9908 or [email protected], for meeting time and place.Onion River 8K Trail Run. Race through the trails of the North Branch Nature Center; support nature while having fun and staying healthy. Races for all ages and abilities. 8 a.m. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier. $15 adults, free for kids; benefits the nature center. 229-9409 or [email protected] Document Shred. Bring check stubs, medical records, financial records or anything confidential you want shredded. No nonconfidential documents. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Montpelier High School. Free. 229-9383, ext. 106 or cvswmd.org.Cabot Apple Pie Festival. Adults and kids compete for the best homemade pies. Raffles, craft show and silent auction, plus pies and lunch for sale. Benefits the Cabot Historical Society. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Cabot School gym, Main Street (Route 215). Free. 563-3396. cabothistory.com/apple-pie-festival.Fifth Annual Fall Festival Recognizing Vermont’s Veterans and Their Families. Pony rides, arts and crafts, stick horse rodeo, food and more. Rain or shine. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Water Tower Farm 386 Route 2, Marshfield. 426-3781, [email protected] or [email protected] Extravaganza and Fruit-Growing Workshop. Taste nearly 100 varieties of apples, tour the farm, sample fresh-pressed cider or check out a workshop on planting and winterizing trees in the fall. 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.; workshop at 2 p.m. Walden Heights Nursery and Orchard, 120 Route 215, Walden. Free. 563-3012 or waldenheightsnursery.com.Chicken Pie at the Old Meeting House. Seatings at noon, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Old Meeting House, East Montpelier. $10 adults, $5 kids. Reservations required: 223-6934.Bus Tour of Historical Sites Between Middle-sex and Montpelier. Middlesex native and author David Newhall leads the tour, speaking about sites along Route 2 and the construction of Interstate 89. Tours leave at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Meet at Middlesex Town Hall, corner of Route 2 and Church Street. $5 suggested donation. Reservations required: contact 272-8074 or [email protected]. Sponsored by the Middlesex Historical SocietyMoon Group. With Mary Anna Abuzahra. Track the moon cycle in your astrological natal chart, gain self-awareness and learn a helpful way to study astrology. 2 p.m. Private office, 34 Elm Street,

Montpelier. $10–$20. Preregistration required; contact Mary Anna, 272-0827. Chicken Pie Supper. Seatings at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main Street, Montpelier. $10 adults, $5 children 10 and younger; takeout available. Reservations required: call Janice, 476-6403. Event repeats Saturday, October 13.Patti Casey and Tom MacKenzie in Concert. The local folk favorites kick off Adamant’s winter concert series. Op-tional potluck before the show. 5:30 p.m., potluck; 7 p.m., concert. Adamant Community Club. $10 in advance (tickets at the Adamant Co-op) or $15 at the door. 456-7054.Saturday Film Series: Into Great Silence. Director Philip Groening’s study of the Grande Chartreuse monastery. 2005, 161 minutes. 7 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre Street, Montpelier. $3 suggested donation. Cosponsored by MSAC and the Dharma Film Series Group.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14Family Hike with the Young Adventurers Club. An easy outing with YAC, a group of the Montpelier Section of the Green Mountain Club devoted to helping kids age 0–6 and their parents get outdoors to hike, play, learn and make friends.Trip location and details at gmcmontpelier.org/events/yac or call Mike, 223-8493, or Lexi, 229-9810.Northfield CROP Hunger Walk. Raise funds for North-field’s food shelf, clothing store and emergency relief services, and the Church World Service. 2 p.m. Plumley Armory, Norwich University. Paul, 485-9215.College Talk. A informal forum for high-school students who are considering including dance in their upcoming academic program at college. Discuss the process of applying to college and the many options that exist for your college education. 3:30 p.m. Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon Street, (third floor), Montpelier. Free. 229-4676.Shape Note/Sacred Harp Sing. No experience needed. All welcome. 5–7 p.m. Plainfield Community Center (above the co-op). By donation. Scottie, 595 9951 or [email protected]. Event happens every second Sunday.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 15Create a Vision Board. With Marianne Mullen, life empow-erment coach. Create a fun and creative tool to focus intentions and maximize motivation. 5:30–7:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop com-munity room, Montpelier. $7 co-op member/owners, $10 nonmembers. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected] Support for Smoking Cessation. With Emma Merritt, clinical intern at Vermont Center for Integrative Herbal-ism. 6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 250 Main Street (third floor), Montpelier. $10 VCIH members, $12 nonmem-bers. Register at 224-7100 or [email protected]: Novels about Food and Culture. Read and discuss four mouthwatering novels about what we eat and who we are. Today, Rachael Cohen leads discussion of the Italian American novel Paper Fish, by Tina de Rosa. 6:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-3338. A Vermont Humani-ties Council program. First in a four-part series on Mondays; next event November 5.

Plainfield Book Club. Discuss The Color of Water, by James McBride. 6:30 p.m. Cutler Memorial Library, Route 2, Plainfield. Free. 454-8504 or cutlerlibrary.org. Event happens every third Monday.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16Central Vermont Adult Basic Education Volunteer Info Session. Find out more about volunteering at CVABE and how you can help to promote literacy in Waterbury and surround-ing communities. Light snack served. 5–6 p.m. Waterbury Learning Center, 141 South Main Street, Waterbury. RSVP to Gale, 476-4588 or [email protected], or Sue, 244-8765 or [email protected] Yoga Montreal. With Lori Flower. All levels welcome. 5:30–7:30 p.m. River House Yoga, Plainfield. $20. Register at 324-1737 or [email protected]. sattvayoga.wordpress.com.Business Building Blocks: Time and Money. Learn about time and money management, budget basics, understand-ing credit, and where you can get money to start up your business. 6–8:30 p.m. Central Vermont Community Action Council, 195 Route 302, Barre. Free, but space limited: sign up with Margaret, 476-8493, 800-843-8397 or [email protected]. Event happens every Tuesday through October 30.Staff Benda Bilili in Concert. Uplifting, energetic tunes performed on makeshift instruments from the Congolese band’s new album, Bouger Le Monde. Doors open at 6 p.m.; show at 7 p.m. Haybarn Theater, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Road, Plainfield. $25 in advance, $30 at the door.Hunger in Our Community: Presentation and Dis-cussion on World Food Day. Learn more about hunger and efforts to bolster food security locally from representatives of Food Works, Central Vermont Community Action and Central Vermont Food Systems Council. 6:30–8 p.m. Beth Jacob Syna-gogue, 10 Harrison Street, Montpelier. $5 suggested donation, free with donation of a packaged food item; benefits CVCAC’s food shelf. 279-7518 or [email protected] Forum for Washington County Senate. Hosted by the League of Women Voters. 7 p.m. Old Labor Hall, Barre. Kate, 229-4737.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17Mindful Business Success Circle Networking Group. For service professionals and small-business owners working to make a difference in their communities and the world. Thirty minutes of optional sitting meditation, followed by an hour of networking and one-on-one connection with peers. 10:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Shambhala Center, 64 Main Street (third floor), Montpelier. Free. RSVP at 225-5960. Event happens every third Wednesday.Group Quilting Session. Bring your project and sew-ing machine for fabric creation with the Dog River Quilters. 9 a.m.–5 p.m, Brown Public Library, Northfield. Jean, 585-5078 or [email protected] Discovery Program: Mister Frog, Where Are You? See Wednesday, October 10, for description and information.

see UPCOMING EVENTS, page 16

Support GroupsBEREAVEMENTBereavement Support Group. For anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Every other Monday, 6–8 p.m., through December 17. Every other Wednesday, 10–11:30 a.m., through December 12. Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre. Ginny, 223-1878.Bereaved Parents Support Group. Facilitated by Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice (CVHHH). Second Wednesdays, 6–8 p.m. CVHHH, 600 Granger Road, Berlin. Jeneane Lunn, 793-2376.Survivors of Suicide. Facilitated by Cory Gould. Third Thursdays, 5–6:30 p.m. Board room, Central Vermont Medical Center, Fisher Road, Berlin. Karen, 229-0591.

CANCERKindred Connections. For anyone affected by cancer. Get help from Kindred Con-nections members who have been in your shoes. A program of the Vermont Cancer Survivor Network. Call Sherry, 479-3223, for more infor-mation. vcsn.net.Living with Advanced or Metastatic Cancer. Second Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m. Cancer Center resource room, Central Vermont Medical Center. Lunch provided. 225-5449

Writing to Enrich Your Life. For anyone affected by cancer. Third Tuesdays, noon to 1 p.m. Cancer Center resource room, Central Vermont Medical Center. 225-5449.Cancer Support Group. Third Wednes-days, 6 p.m. Potluck. For location, call Carole MacIntyre, 229-5931.Man-To-Man Prostate Cancer Sup-port Group. Third Wednesdays, 6–8 p.m. Conference room 2, Central Vermont Medical Center. 872-6308 or 866-466-0626 (press 3).

DISASTERHurricane Irene Support Group for Recovery Workers. Get peer sup-port and help processing emotions, strengthen relationships and learn coping skills. Every other Monday, 3:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier. 279-4670.Hurricane Irene Support Group. Share your story, listen to others, learn coping skills, build community and support your neighbors. Refreshments provided. Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m. Berlin Elementary School. 279-8246.

KIDSGrandparents Raising Their Chil-dren’s Children. First Wednesdays, 10 a.m.–noon, Barre Presbyterian Church, Sum-mer Street. Second Tuesdays, 6–8 p.m., Wesley Methodist Church, Main Street, Waterbury. Third Thursdays, 6–8 p.m., Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main Street. Child care provided in Montpelier and Waterbury. Evelyn, 476-1480.

HEALTHBrain Injury Support Groups. Open to all survivors, caregivers and adult family members. Evening group facilitated by Marsha Bancroft; day group facilitated by Kathy Grange and Jane Hulstrunk. Evening group meets first Mondays, 5:30–7:30 p.m., DisAbility Rights of Vermont, 141 Main Street, Suite 7, Montpelier, 800-834-7890, ext. 106. Day group meets first and third Thursdays, 1:30–2:30 p.m., Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Montpelier, 244-6850.NAMI: Connection. A peer-led, recovery- oriented group for individuals living with men-tal illness. First and third Thursdays, 6–7:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. 800-639-6480 or [email protected] and Food Allergy Support Group. With Lisa Masé of Harmonized Cookery. Second Wednesdays, 4:30–6 p.m. Con-ference room 3, Central Vermont Medical Center. [email protected] Discussion Group. Focus on self-management. Open to anyone with diabetes and their families. Third Thursdays, 1:30 p.m. The Health Center, Plainfield. Free. Don, 322-6600 or [email protected]. Diabetes Support Group. First Thursdays, 7–8 p.m. Conference room 3, Central Vermont Medical Center. 371-4152.

RECOVERYTurning Point Center. Safe, supportive place for individuals and their families in or seeking recovery.• Alchoholics Anonymous, Sundays, 8:30 a.m.

• Making Recovery Easier workshops, Tuesdays, 6–7:30 p.m.

• Wit’s End Parent Support Group, Wednes-days, 6 p.m.

• Narcotics Anonymous, Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.Open daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 489 North Main Street, Barre. 479-7373.Overeaters Anonymous. Twelve-step program for physically, emotionally and spiritu-ally overcoming overeating. Fridays, noon–1 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main Street, Montpe-lier. 223-3079.

SOLIDARITY/IDENTITYMen’s Group. Men discuss challenges of and insights about being male. Thursdays, 6:15–8:15 p.m. 174 Elm Street, Montpelier. Interview required: contact Neil Davis, psychologist-master, 223-3753.National Federation of the Blind, Montpelier Chapter. First Saturdays. Lane Shops community room, 1 Mechanic Street, Montpelier. 229-0093.Families of Color. Open to all. Play, eat and discuss issues of adoption, race and multi-culturalism. Bring snacks and games to share, and dress for the weather. Third Sundays, 3–5 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main Street, Mont-pelier. Alyson, 439-6096 or alyson@suncatchervt .com.

SUBMIT YOUR [email protected]


Why the Separation of Church and State Matters: A Historian’s Reflections. Presented by Bruce Kirmmse, professor emeritus. Part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. 1:30 p.m.; doors open at 12:30 for brown-bag lunch. Aldrich Public Library, Barre. $5 suggested donation. 223-1763 or [email protected]. Series continues every Wednesday through December 12.Five Common Barriers to Healing. With Alicia Feltus, nutritionist. Learn how nutrition-response testing can detect toxicities, immune imbalances, food sensitivities and scar tissues that may be blocking you from healing. 5:30–6:30 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop community room, Montpelier. Free. Register at 223-8004, ext. 202, or [email protected] Sharing Info Meeting. Find out what home sharing is all about. Refreshments served. 5:30–6 p.m. Home Share Now, 115 Main Street, Barre. RSVP at 479-8544 to ensure ample refresh-ments. Event happens every third Wednesday.A Yoga Journey through the Chinese Five Ele-ments. With Lisa Weiss, clinical intern at Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism. 6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for Inte-grative Herbalism, 250 Main Street (third floor), Montpelier.

$10 VCIH members, $12 nonmembers. Register at 224-7100 or [email protected] Circle. A community sing-along with Rich and Laura Atkinson. No experience necessary; song books provided. 6:45 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School Street, Marshfield. Free. 426-3581, [email protected] or marshfield.lib.vt.us.Film Screening: Louis Moyse: A Life in Music. Made during the last few months of his life, this film tells the life story of flutist Moyse with interviews and archival footage, including his last master class in 2007 at the age of 95 in Montpelier. Q&A fol-lows. 7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-3338.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18Meeting on Disability Issues. Share stories and concerns. 1–3 p.m. Vermont Center for Independent Living, 11 East State Street, Montpelier. 639-1522 or 229-0501 (both are also V/TTY numbers). Event happens every third Thursday.Science of Mind Principles. Study group for inquiring minds of all faiths. 6–8 p.m. Universal Rivers of Life, 28 East State Street, Suite 4 (second floor), Montpelier. 223-3427 or [email protected]. Event happens every first and third Thursday.

Farming with the Forest: Agroforestry Practices for the Northeast. Permaculture and wilderness expert Connor Stedman talks about traditional forest management in the Northeast and worldwide, landscape assessment tools to evaluate a site’s potential for agroforestry, and a wide range of agroforestry systems and crops for our region. 6–7:45 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-3338. Sponsored by Transition Town Montpelier.Third Thursday Travel Talks: Ireland—Plants, Food, People. Local herbalist Dana Woodruff shares her recent travels to the Emerald Isle. Light refreshments. 6:30 p.m. Cutler Memorial Library, Route 2, Plainfield. Free. 454-8504 or cutlerlibrary.org. Event happens every third Thursday.Songwriters’ Meeting. Meeting of the Northern VT/NH chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Bring copies of your work. 6:45 p.m. Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury. John, 633-2204. Event happens every third Thursday.Ecumenical Group. Songs of praise, Bible teaching, fellowship. 7–9 p.m. Jabbok Center for Christian Living, 8 Daniel Drive, Barre. Free. 479-0302. Event happens every first and third Thursday.

Weekly EventsBICYCLINGOpen Shop Nights. Have questions or a bike to donate, or need help with a bike repair? Come visit the volunteer-run community bike shop. Mondays and Wednesdays, 5–7 p.m. Tuesdays, 6–8 p.m. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre Street, Montpelier. By donation. 552-3521 or freeridemontpelier.org.Weekly Rides at Onion River Sports.Come in proper physical condition depending on ride, bring water and a snack and dress appropri-ately for weather. Helmets required. Anyone under 15 must be accompanied by an adult; anyone under 18 must have a signed parental permission form. MondaysCyclocross Cruise, 6 p.m., 1- to 2-hour, moder-ate, casual cyclocross ride, climbing and descend-ing beautiful dirt roadsTuesdaysCycling 101 with Linda Freeman, 5:30 p.m., all levels welcomeWednesdaysMountain Bike Ride, 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., interme-diate to advanced rides on different area trails each week; for carpooling and more information, e-mail [email protected] Onion River Racing Wednesday Night World Championships, 5:30 p.m., fast ride with town line sprints and competitions for bragging rights, route announced at ride time; onionriverracing.comThursdaysOnion River Racing Thursday Night Nationals, 5:30 p.m., pace is zone 1 and 2, no-drop ride, route announced at ride time; onionriverracing .com.

BOOKSOngoing Reading Group. Improve your reading and share some good books. Books chosen by group. Thursdays, 9–10 a.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, Montpelier Learn-ing Center, 100 State Street. 223-3403.

CRAFTSBeaders Group. All levels of beading experi-ence welcome. Free instruction available. Come with a project for creativity and community. Sat-urdays, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The Bead Hive, Plainfield. 454-1615.

DANCEEcstatic Dance. Freestyle boogie with DJ using Gabrielle Roth’s meditative dance form, 5Rhythms. Wednesdays, 7–9 p.m. First and third Wednesdays, Worcester Town Hall, corner of Elmore Road and Calais Road; second and fourth Wednesdays, Plainfield Community Center (above the co-op). $10. Fearn, 505-8011 or [email protected].

FOODPlainfield Farmers’ Market. Local vegetables, fruits, meat, maple syrup, prepared foods, plants, body-care products, medicinal herbs, crafts, drums, knives, special appearances by Cutler Memorial Library and more.Fridays, 4–7 p.m. Mill Street Park, corner of Mill and Main Street, Plainfield. Through October 5. 454-8614 or [email protected].★ Capital City Farmers Market. On October 6: squash demo with New England Cu-linary Institute and live music by Steve Spensley. Vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, meat, maple syrup, fine crafts, prepared foods, plants and more. Saturdays, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 60 State Street (corner of State and Elm), Montpelier. Through October 27. Carolyn, 223-2958 or [email protected]. German Brunch: A Community Meal. All-you-can-eat buffet of fresh fruit, bread, salm-on and local meats and cheeses. Mimosas and other drinks available for purchase from Nutty Steph’s. Sundays, 10 a.m.–2 pm. Nutty Steph’s, Route 2, Middlesex. $10 adult, $5 children 12 and under. nuttystephs.com.

GAMES Apollo Duplicate Bridge Club. All welcome. Partners sometimes available. Fridays, 6:45 p.m. Bethany Church, Montpelier. 485-8990 or 223-3922.

HEALTHFree HIV Testing. Vermont CARES offers fast oral testing. Thursdays, 2–5 p.m. 58 East State Street, suite 3 (entrance at the back), Montpelier. vtcares.org. ★ Medicare Part D Enrollment Semi-nars. Learn how to enroll in prescription drug or Advantage plans on the Medicare website. Mondays, 3–4 p.m., October 15- December 3. Central Vermont Council on Aging, 59 North Main Street, suite 200, Barre. Register at 479-0531.★ Chronic Disease Self-Management Workshop. Chronic-illness sufferers: improve strength, flexibility, endurance and quality of life. Mondays, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m., October 15–November 19. Conference center, Gifford Medical Center, 44 South Main Street (Route 12), Randolph. Free; register at 728-7100, ext. 6.

KIDS & TEENSThe Basement Teen Center. Cable TV, PlayStation 3, pool table, free eats and fun events for teenagers. Monday–Thursday, 3–6 p.m.; Friday, 3–11 p.m. Basement Teen Center, 39 Main Street, Montpelier. 229-9151.Story Time at the Waterbury Public Library. Mondays, age 18–36 months. Wednesdays, age 0–18 months. Fridays, age 3–6 years. 10 a.m. Waterbury Public Library. Free. 244-7036.★ Story Time at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Tuesdays and Fridays, 10:30 a.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. Free. 223-4665.Events for Teens at the Aldrich Library. No-obligations teen book club on

Mondays; game night on Wednesdays. 5 p.m. Aldrich Public Library, Barre. 476-7550.Youth Group. Games, movies, snacks and music. Mondays, 7–9 p.m. Church of the Crucified One, Route 100, Moretown. 496-4516.Story Time and Playgroup. For children age 0–6. Story, followed by art, nature and cook-ing projects, as well as creative play. Dress for the weather. Wednesdays, 10–11:30 a.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School Street, Marshfield. 426-3581 or [email protected] Capers Story Time and Songs. For children age 3–5 and their families. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. Children’s room, Bear Pond Books, 77 Main Street, Montpelier. 229-0774.Storytime with Bill. Stories, critters, crafts and snack.Wednesdays, 10 a.m., through October 24. Ainsworth Public Library, Main Street, Wil-liamstown. 433-5887 or ainsworthpubliclibrary .wordpress.com.Story Time at Onion River Kids. Outdoor adventure tales and childhood classics. Sundays, 10:30 a.m. 7 Langdon Street, Montpelier. 223-6025.

LANGUAGEEnglish Conversation Practice Group. For students learning English for the first time. Tuesdays, 4–5 p.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, Montpelier Learning Cen-ter, 100 State Street. Sarah, 223-3403.Lunch in a Foreign Language. Bring lunch and practice your language skills with neighbors. Noon–1 p.m. Mondays, Hebrew. Tuesdays, Italian. Wednesdays, Spanish. Thurs-days, French. Fridays, German. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier. 223-3338.

MONEYFree Financial Education Work-shops. With Joe Hicks from Central Vermont Community Action Council. Thursdays, 6–8 p.m., through October 11. Barre Evangelical Free Church, 17 South Main Street. Register with Tim, 746-8493 (mornings) or [email protected].

MUSICSing With the Barre Tones. Women’s a cappella chorus. Mondays, 6:30 p.m. Alumni Hall (second floor), near Barre Auditorium. 223-2039 or [email protected] Fiddle Orchestra Rehears-als. For folk musicians of all levels. No audition required. Performances in December (par-ticipating in perfomance not required to attend rehearsals). Mondays, 7–9 p.m. St. Augustine’s Church, Barre Street, Montpelier. $70 season; first rehearsal free. Sarah, 223-8945, ext. 1, or [email protected]. vtfiddleorchestra.org.

OUTDOORSFall Migration Bird Walks. Search for migrating warblers, vireos, tanagers, thrushes and more. Beginners welcome! Binoculars available for loan. Fridays, 7:30–9 a.m., through October 5. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Street, Montpelier. Free for kids and nature-center mem-bers, $10 nonmembers. 229-6206.

SPIRITUALITYChristian Science. God’s love meeting hu-man needs. Reading room: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; Tuesdays, 5–8 p.m.; and Wednesdays, 5–7:15 p.m. Testimony meeting: Wednesdays, 7:30–8:30 p.m., nursery available. Worship service: Sundays, 10:30–11:30 a.m., Sunday school and nursery available. 145 State Street, Montpelier. 223-2477.Deepening Our Jewish Roots. Fun, engaging text study and discussion on Jewish spirituality. Sundays, 4:45–6:15 p.m. Yearning for Learning Center, Montpelier. Rabbi Tobie Weis-man, 223-0583 or [email protected] Meditation Group. People of all faiths welcome. Mondays, noon–1 p.m. Christ Church, Montpelier. Regis, 223-6043.Shambhala Buddhist Meditation. Instruction available. All welcome. Sundays, 10 a.m.–noon, and Wednesdays, 6–7 p.m. Program and discussion follow Wednesday meditation. Shambhala Center, 64 Main Street, Montpelier. Free. 223-5137.Zen Meditation. Wednesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. 174 River Street, Montpelier. Call Tom for orientation, 229-0164. With Zen Affiliate of Vermont.

SPORTSRoller Derby Open Recruitment and Recreational Practice. Central Vermont’s Wrecking Doll Society invites quad skaters age 18 and up to try out the action. No experience necessary. Equipment provided: first come, first served. Saturdays, 5–6:30 p.m. Montpelier Recre-ation Center, Barre Street. First skate free. centralvermontrollerderby.com.Coed Adult Floor Hockey League. Adult women and men welcome. Equipment provided. Sundays, 3–5 p.m., October 7–De-cember 9; preregistration required. Montpelier Recreation Center, Barre Street. $55 for 10 weeks. [email protected] or vermontfloorhockey .com.

YOGAYoga with Lydia Russell-McDade. Build strength and flexibility as you learn safe alignment in a nourishing, supportive and inspir-ing environment. Mondays, 5:30–6:45 p.m., River House Yoga, Plainfield; Tuesdays, 10–11:15 a.m., Worcester Town Hall; Wednesdays, 4:30–5:45 p.m., Green Mountain Girls Farm, Northfield. $5–$20. Schedule at saprema-yoga.com.

★ indicates new or revised listing

UPCOMING EVENTS, from page 15

Submit Your Event!Send listings to calendar@montpelier bridge.com. The deadline for the Octo-ber 17 issue is Thursday, October 11.

50 words or less, please. Listings may be edited for length, clarity or style. Events happening in Montpelier have priority, then events happening in surrounding communities.

Photos at 300 dpi are also welcome for possible use.


ClassesACTINGUPCOMING ACTING WORKSHOPSValley Players Th eater, October 20–Novem-ber 10, Saturdays, noon–4 p.m. Beginners Meisner technique. actingworkshops.info or [email protected].

LIFE COACHINGWOMEN IN TRANSITION A six-week life coaching group for women begin-ning October 25 in Montpelier. Reimagine your

life! Build emotional resilience and agility. Grow and learn with other women. Th e group will integrate life coaching, nature-based refl ection and women’s collective wisdom. Contact Fran Weinbaum, [email protected] or 249-7377, to register.

MOVEMENTHWA YU TAI CHI Fall semester starts October 15 and runs eight weeks for $90. New and continuing students welcome. Mondays, 5 p.m. at 64 Main Street, third fl oor, Montpelier. Instructor Ellie Hayes has been teaching Hwa Yu Tai Chi since 1974. Preregister by October 14: 456-1983.

WRITINGWRITING COACHAre you struggling with beginning, continu-ing, fi nishing? Do you need tools and rules to keep you working from concept to completion? Art really is long, and life really short. WRITE NOW is what we have. Th irty years writing and coaching writers in all genres. Free consultation. [email protected], 225-6415.

ClassifiedsARTISTS & MUSICIANSSTUDIOSStudios for solo artists or to share starting at $150. Th ree larger rooms of various sizes also available. Join us as we transform a historic convent and school into a unique center for the arts, music and learning. Call Paul for a tour at 223-2120 or 461-6222.

EMPLOYMENTDRIVERS: CDL-BGreat pay, hometime. No forced dispatch! New singles from Plattsburgh, New York. Passport or enhanced license required. 888-567-4861.

SALES HELP WANTEDTh e Bridge is seeking a well-organized, friendly and energetic person to become a member of our advertising sales team. We are looking for someone who knows and likes Th e Bridge and who wants to help us reach out to and work with our ad clients in the central Vermont business community. You will work with other members of our solid ad sales team. Th is is an ideal part-time position for someone who wants to add to their income or for someone who wants to break into the workforce and get to know people in Montpelier and nearby communities. Interested? E-mail Nat Frothingham, editor and publisher, at [email protected].

GARAGE SALESGARAGE SALE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 610 a.m.–2 p.m., 57 Barre Street, Montpelier. Green Depression glass, trunk, World War II foot locker, Yamaha guitar, wood boxes, cook-ware and much more. Cash only.

SERVICESHOUSE PAINTERSince 1986. Small interior jobs ideal. Neat, prompt, friendly. Local references. Pitz Quat-trone, 229-4952.

TRUCK FOR HIRECall T&T Repeats, 224-1360.

THRIFT STOREST&T REPEATSBikes, name-brand clothes, small household furniture and more. At least two free parking spaces for T&T customers. 116 Main Street, Montpelier, or call 224-1360.

TRINITY COMMUNITY THRIFT STORETuesdays, Th ursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main Street (use rear entrance), Montpelier. Do-nations accepted during normal business hours. 229-9155 or [email protected] Right In!

Clean, charming ranch in Barre. Fresh paint, hardwood fl oors, 2 decks, 3 bedrooms, full bath. Located on .32 acres with views, walk- out basement. $114,995. Call Steve Ribolini, 229-8334.

Developer/Coordinator for Elementary School Sexual Abuse Prevention Program

Prevent Child Abuse Vermont is looking for a full-time Developer/Coordinator for its new sexual abuse prevention program for elementary school communities. Th is new program will include training for educators and parents as well as a curriculum for children grades 3-6. Program components are still under development. A successful candidate must have experi-ence teaching and training adult learners and children; knowledge of child and adolescent development; knowledge of child sexual abuse prevention; and experience in curriculum and program development. Bachelor’s degree is required and Master’s degree is preferred. Strong applicants will have education and/or degrees in: child development, social work, education, or other human services related fi eld. Th e position requires ingenuity, organization, creativ-ity, and fl exibility. Th is position is based in Montpelier and includes extensive in-state travel. EOE. No calls please.

To apply, send cover letter, resume, and three references to: PCAV SEARCH, PO Box 829, Montpelier VT 05601 or [email protected].


Charming Old Cape3 blocks from State House; acre of land, backs up on hundreds of acres of undevelopable for-est. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, huge kitchen. $279,000. 279-5816.

Love Playing Piano

ages 4 to 104 | loveplayingpiano.org

Class listings and classifieds are 50 words for $25; dicounts available. To place an ad, contact Carolyn, 223-5112, ext. 11, or 223-2958.


LettersBring Balance Back to Montpelier—Vote Barnett

To the Editor:I want to encourage you to vote for Buddy

Barnett for the Vermont Senate this Novem-ber. If you have read Buddy’s campaign mate-rials or heard him speak, you will know that he is the right person to represent Washing-ton County. Buddy believes that “Vermont state government must be about straight talk and fair play,” and I couldn’t agree more. He also believes that all parties should “embrace the spirit of compromise with the goal of advancement for all.” How refreshing to hear this and to know that Buddy is a man of his word—I know he will do everything he can to make positive changes in Montpelier.

Buddy is a sixth-generation Vermonter and has lived and worked in central Vermont most of his life and in Barre City since 1958. He has worked nearly 50 years in the granite industry. Buddy is a down-to-earth, practical man who seems to have a solid grasp on the issues that face many Vermonters. He also understands state government and knows that streamlining government and simplify-ing and improving access is critical to expe-dite the business of the people of Vermont.

Buddy has the right mindset to make a difference and will bring much-needed bal-

ance to the Senate and the legislative process. He will listen and do everything he can to help individuals and businesses and will be a strong advocate for Washington County resi-dents and all Vermonters. Please vote Buddy Barnett for Senate in November.

—Pat McDonald, Berlin

Editorial

Goodbye and Good Luck

Carl Campbell, a strong presence on our ad sales team for the past two years, is leaving The Bridge and will start up a new “buy, sell and swap” used-merchandise store in 9,000

square feet of space at the old Howard Johnson’s complex in White River Junction.During his two years of service, Campbell helped The Bridge through his contributions

in sales, in systems design and in outreach to our advertising clients. His wide experience in printing and print sales proved to be an extremely useful resource for The Bridge. He will continue to be available to The Bridge on an as-needed basis as a consultant.

In starting what is to be called the Bartering Barn, Campbell is teaming up with business partner Andrew Palazzo, whom he describes as “a well-known local guy who has been buying and selling used goods for 20 years.”

“Everything but clothing and bedding,” was how Campbell described the used merchan-dise he and his partner will be buying, trading and selling. That merchandise includes fur-niture, appliances, electronics (computers, monitors, TVs, video games), beds and Vermont gifts like maple syrup and handmade crafts.

Plans include a farmers’ market in the spring of 2013 and a for-sale-by-owner car lot to include snowmobiles and four-wheelers as well.

The Bartering Barn will be open seven days a week with a weekend flea market and plenty of food on the premises. Campbell described it as “vending-cart food”—the sort of food that you’d find at a country fair: hot dogs, chili and all the fixings.

While on the subject of food, Campbell said, “You can trade your quality, used merchan-dise for anything we have, including food. You can even trade for a meal.”

The Lean Yearsby John Flynn

(1)Not among those with trust fundsOr rich doting auntsBorn, bredUnwelcome flatlanders, city fledWith no country skillsNo jobs for the skills we hadFew agencies thenFederal, state, local thatNow employ a good halfOf the adult populationAll we had was youth, energy, determinationAnd a viewMountains not sterile skyscrapersPlus one anotherSufficient if only a dozen

Pointless to discuss the longHard winters, established loreAll cold if not quite frozenFoodSo sometimes scarce you grew Accustomed to hunger tooSurviving on Wellfare cheeseBut at least you could alwaysReheat stone soupAnd everyone was invited toThe rare banquets

(2)Relationships enduredIf little saidShared warmthInstead at night in bedColdSneaking under the doorFrost in the blanketsIn the morning, frostbite floorsBut we learned

WoodYou learnedFell treesSection themChop and stackTimeUntil dry and readyFor the fire

Work?Oh anythingDishwasherJanitorNight WatchmanAs long as it paidSomething

Hard years, yesBut looking back the bestFriendsWere genuine thenAnd even at 40 belowStill spokeOf RembrandtPicassoEl GrecoMichaelangelo

Yes, music tooAs lifeWithout music isUnimaginableAnd booksOh books, how they savedOur sanity

And in the summerForget vanitySo weary of wearingLayered clothesWe swam nakedIndeed sometimes choseTo walk around soLustlessJust bodies in a varietyOf configurationsAbsorbing the sunAs though So thirstingThey drank the heat

NowSo many years agoFond memoriesEspecially the bell-tolled goneIn my mind I revisitFrom time to timeBut life proceedsAnd we in stepMust march ahead

Quizzical Expressions

In which we investigate the origins of cu-rious phrases and idioms in the English language.This week’s phrase: To be a loose cannon.Meaning: To be uncontrollable and pose danger.Origin: Navel vessels mounted can-nons carefully. Occasionally the rig-ging of these very heavy guns might come loose and, with the pitching about on high seas, endanger the crew. [source: urbandictionary.com]

—Bill Rienecke, Middlesex

Starting the Conversation About Life’s End

As part of a statewide initiative called Start the Conversation, Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice is showing a film and presenting a workshop about making end-of-

life choices. The one-hour documentary, Consider the Conversation, is a moving collection of interviews with patients, family members and doctors. Its aim is to inspire dialogue on the end-of-life process and to encourage people to talk about with family and put in writing their advanced directives (living wills).

Workshop participants will receive a booklet that walks them through the advanced-direc-tive process and offers resources for understanding end-of-life issues.

The film will be shown at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, at the Kellogg-Hubbard Li-brary in Montpelier, with the workshop following. For more information, visit cvhhh.org or call 223-1878.

Horns, Clarinets and Other Wind Instruments at Opening CCC Concert

It’s hard not sometimes to feel lucky—though luck clearly is only the smallest part of the equation—about the many splendors of our cultural life in Montpelier. These splendors

include our schools, churches, colleges, movie houses, theaters, night spots, libraries and his-toric buildings—it’s a mighty feast for the ear, eye, heart and voice.

One of our loveliest splendors is the Capital City Concert (CCC) series, which gives us a very high quality of classical music performances beginning in the fall and ending in the spring.

This year’s season begins on Saturday, October 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Montpelier’s Unitarian Church with a Colors of the Wind concert that celebrates wind as well as other instru-ments.

“I thought it would be refreshing and colorful to do a program that is along the lines of a wind symphony,” said artistic director Karen Kevra.

The Colors of Wind concert opens with a Mozart Quintet in E flat Major for Piano and Winds, a piece that Mozart wrote in April 1784 during a time that, Karen Kevra tells us in her program notes, Mozart was writing some of his greatest piano concertos. As reported by Kevra, after the quintet was first performed, Mozart wrote to his father, “The best thing I have ever written. How I wish you could have heard it, and how beautifully it was per-formed.”

The second work on the program Kevra describes as “an absolutely youthful” woodwind sextet for wind quintet plus bass clarinet by the Czech composer Leos Janacek. Kevra said that Janacek’s music made her think of storybook tales like “Peter and the Wolf” and the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice.”

The final work on the program is a piece that Kevra described as “[Francis] Poulenc’s masterpiece quintet for wind and piano,” a composition that, Kevra said, “sounds like Paris in the 1920s, colorful and lively and melody-driven.”

Appearing on the concert stage on October 6 will be Karen Kevra (flute), Randall Wolf-gang (oboe), Nicholas Gallas (clarinet), Crystal Gloria Medina (bass clarinet), Robert Wagner (bassoon), Donna Dolson (French horn) and Paul Orgel (piano).

Mohammed Fairouz, composer-in-residence this year for CCC, will be present at the Oc-tober 6 concert and will personally introduce “Two Venetian Frescoes,” a short work for flute and piano that he wrote in 1985.

Kevra is hoping that children of all ages will come to the concert. She noted the popularity of band instruments. “Kids are in band programs,” she said, and it would be fun for them to hear these instruments played.

For more information, please visit capitalcityconcerts.org.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?Send letters to [email protected].


by Daniel Hecht

After three years, two worthy com-munity institutions are putting aside their differences and uniting. Onion

River Exchange (ORE) and Reach Service Exchange Network occupy similar roles in the region yet until recently were dogged by disagreements that hindered their efforts to introduce the community to the many benefits of time banking. Fortunately, as of October 1, synergy and harmony rule.

Both organizations are time banks—ser-vice exchange networks similar to co-ops—that allow people to get helping services by trading the “currency” of hours instead of dollars (see sidebar).

During the past five years, ORE and Reach members in 30 central Vermont towns have provided each other with thousands of hours of services, such as house clean-ing, transportation, dog walking, cooking, legal advice, music lessons, massages, snow shoveling, home repair, reading aloud, wood stacking, computer help, errand running and simple compan-ionship. Participants enjoy cost savings, im-proved quality of life and enjoyable social activity.

ORE began in 2008, when a group of Montpelier citizens decided that time bank-ing would strengthen central Vermont’s econ-omy and community life. People signed up, the network grew, and in 2009 the City of Montpelier won a $987,000 federal grant to launch Reach (then called Reach Care Bank) as a program of ORE. A three-year project, Reach was intended to determine whether the time-banking mechanism could reliably provide services to elders and people with disabilities.

But the plan for Reach also included a member dues system with annual rates of up to $1,200 per member, intended to provide the cash needed to sustain the program in

the long term. Advocates of time banking resist assigning a dollar value to an hour, and many ORE board members, reading the fine print on the grant proposal, disagreed with the dues policy. After months of discussion, ORE disengaged from the project. The city, and later the Community of Vermont Elders, took on administration of Reach; Reach and ORE continued as separate entities.

The split was to the disadvantage of both organizations. The two competed for mem-bers; worse, they maintained separate data-bases of member offerings and requests, lim-iting the number of services available within either membership and thus reducing the likelihood that any particular request would be matched with an offer.

The unification effort began in late 2011 and is at last being realized. Already the staffs share a single office, the two newsletters have folded into one, and the programs have jointly applied for grants. Work has begun to merge databases, creating a single network of 800 members.

There’s a compel-ling case to be made for ORE and similar networks. Exchang-ing the currency of time, with all hours being of equal value, is profoundly demo-

cratic. It’s inescapably local, because hours can’t be spent elsewhere or invested overseas and the labor can’t be outsourced abroad. It’s all “core economy” activity based on the value of services people actually provide, not on phantom-money financial schemes; hours can’t earn interest, inflate or deflate, or make profit. Time banking saves money for partici-pants by getting them help they need even if they’re low on cash. It invigorates and unites communities, as neighbors get to know each other by sharing time and talents.

Participation in ORE and Reach has changed many people’s lives for the bet-ter, and scores of enduring friendships have emerged from work exchanges. In a sense,

time banking seeks to re-create, in the digital era and with modern means, the traditional village structure of social and economic in-terdependence.

Such “new economy” initiatives are emerg-ing worldwide as the recession leaves people with less money and less confidence in the conventional economy.

But time banks and alternative curren-cies have arisen and vanished many times in Vermont. This is because there’s a troubled interface between alternate currencies and Uncle Sam’s dollars: new economy networks require skilled staff, offices, computers, and so on, which still must be paid for using real greenbacks.

Time banks often look to philanthropic grants to keep them afloat, but the grants are hard to win, and there’s an undeniable irony in trying to build a new economy with gifts from people whose wealth accrued through the economic practices you’re trying to supplant. Member dues have very limited revenue-generation potential for any non-profit, discourage the most needy from par-ticipating and are ethically dubious in the time-bank value scheme.

So what’s the future for ORE and its Reach

program? This can only be answered by the people of central Vermont. ORE will flourish if more people join, if members take on more of the work of running the operation and if organizations that benefit from partnering with ORE reciprocate with cash support. If the community at large truly understands its value and potential, ORE will certainly thrive.

Right now the energy and enthusiasm is palpable at ORE/Reach. The service mar-ketplace is bursting with offers—touring it online is like walking through a Turkish market bazaar. The lovely office and commu-nity room at 138 Main Street, Montpelier, is busy and welcoming, and this fall it is host-ing dozens of member-presented workshops, trainings and other events. To get a glimpse of the “new economy” in action, come by for a visit.

For a schedule of events and other informa-tion about ORE/Reach, visit reachvt.org or orexchange.org.

Daniel Hecht is a novelist, an organizational development consultant, and program director of Reach Service Exchange Network.

Montpelier Time Banks Merge, Move Forward

Opinions Time Banks: Hours as Currency

Time banks are membership organizations in which people exchange hours of work. While members provide services without charge, they’re not volunteers, because

they are remunerated for their time—but in hours, not cash.A member first searches the online “marketplace” for services she needs. When she

spends an hour mowing another member’s lawn, she earns an hour-credit that she can exchange for an hour of French lessons, computer help or any other service among the hundreds posted in the service listings. The lawn mowee can repay his hour-debit by providing an hour of service—whatever type he has offered to the network—to any other member. After the exchange, the participants log their hours in their personal accounts. All members are requested to give as well as receive services.

Members can save up hours or go into “debt” as needed. “Debt” is not a bad word: this is first and foremost a humane system, based on trust and the common desire to build a self-sufficient, caring community. The network provides the extra help a member might need at any time and collectively can absorb large negative balances if necessary.

—Daniel Hecht

by Dianne Richardson

Margaret Blanchard’s piece on the Occupy movement’s first year [The Bridge, September 20, 2012]

is very thoughtful. She wrote, Unless on some fundamental communal

level, not controlled by individual self-interest and greed, we own our democracy and collectively disavow our national his-tory of discrimination, exploitation and imperialism, we might as well acknowl-edge that we, despite the physical comforts some of us still enjoy, are economic and political indentured servants.It reminds me that every time I shop

at Walmart instead of locally, I buy into

that political and economic indentured ser-vitude.

Back in the 1990s I worked for Rural Ver-mont. Every night I called people to talk to them about supporting local farming, I told people that the trade agreements the U.S. Congress was voting on would devastate local economies. I had no idea how right I was. I pictured a very different scenario, but now that so many jobs from this country have vanished to employ labor markets that are easier to exploit, I began to look at my own practices.

I started to see that my spending was still supporting those companies that are the big-gest exploiters of people, animals and natural resources. I began to see the value in buy-

ing secondhand products rather than new products designed to be obsolete in no time flat. I also began to see that I didn’t really need that thing I thought I needed. I started looking for the words “made in the USA.” I think it is important to know the people who produce my food. I know they are spending their money in the communities they live and work in. When we buy local products, we are making a political statement that we value economic democracy. We want our communities to be vital, and I don’t mean just economically.

When we buy locally we have a chance to talk with the people who produce the prod-ucts. We develop an interest in their well-being, and they develop an interest in our well-being. Unlike corporate greed, where the investors never see the faces of the com-panies they buy up, the day after the sale. Or the faces of the employees, the day after

they issue a policy that negatively impacts employees. I can’t say that my shadow never darkens the doors of supermarkets and big box stores. But I do not depend on them, as I used to. I think about the exploitation of workers, who produce the goods I buy, as well as the clerks who have to depend on the charity of strangers up the corporate ladder for their sustenance.

I disagree with Ms. Blanchard that we must establish our economic democracy communally. However, I admit, a commu-nal effort may strengthen my effectiveness against corporate greed. You can support you local economy alone or communally. Either way, you must be willing to pay more, but recognize that you are also paying for politi-cal independence and economic democracy, not just a bag of spinach.

Dianne Richardson lives in Montpelier.

Spend Where It Matters

Wanted: Volunteers and Coats

The annual Karen Kitzmiller Coat Drive needs some volunteers! If you have a couple of hours to spare on Saturday, October 27, call volunteer coordinator The-

resa Giffin at 229-4625.The coat drive puts warm winter clothing to good use, helping our central Vermont

neighbors stay warm this winter. If you have any unused winter coats in good, useable condition, you can donate them at the Community National Bank offices in Mont-pelier or Barre. There is a special need for children’s sizes and for very large sizes. In addition to coats, the drive accepts clean and usable snow pants, sweaters, hats, mittens and gloves, winter boots, blankets, and quilts.

The drive does not accept things that are unwearable, dirty or torn; ice skates; ski boots; athletic items in general; light, uninsulated jackets; or summer items.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?Read something that you want to respond to? Worked up about a local issue? We welcome your letters and opinion pieces.

Letters must be 300 words or fewer; opinions, 600 words or fewer. Send them to [email protected]. Deadline for the Oc-tober 17 issue is Friday, October 12, at 5 p.m. (Note schedule change!)

We reserve the right to edit all submissions for length, clarity or style.


WAYSIDE RESTAURANT & BAKERYMontpelier’s first and only Green Restaurant1873 Route 302, Montpelier223-6611, ext. 5, waysiderestaurant.com6:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily, closed major holidays

As only the fifth Green Restaurant in the state, the Wayside has implemented many earth-friendly initia-tives. Their goal is to stay focused on waste reduction, water and energy conserva-tion, pollution prevention, transportation efficiencies and sustainable promotion.

Most recently, six evacu-ated solar tube panels were installed on the back roof of the Wayside. This solar ar-

ray is dedicated to preheating the water for the dish machine, yielding shiny clean dishes with the help of sunshine!

To further minimize their carbon footprint and maximize transportation efficiencies, the Wayside continues to work closely with local farmers, foragers, seasonal gardeners, fishermen, and business men and women on a daily basis. Thanks to these members of their “extended family,” each season Wayside cus-tomers enjoy local dairy products, eggs, meat, potatoes, homemade pasta special-ties, parsnips, fiddleheads, rhubarb, corn on the cob, winter squash, freshwater perch and more!

The Wayside was buying local long before it became a trendy marketing slogan. It’s been the key ingredient to their popularity with Vermonters and tourists over the years. The entire staff at the Wayside is thankful for the privilege of cooking and serving their guests locally sourced food items whenever possible.


the bridge, october 4, 2012

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