Posted By Jordan Adams on Tue, Aug 27, 2019 at 4:53 PM

Slideshow

Bush, Live and Our Lady Peace

Click to View 18 slides

On Friday, August 23, the Champlain Valley Fair kicked off with power chords and ’90s nostalgia. Under the banner of the Alt-Imate Tour, alternative rock bands Bush, Live and Our Lady Peace united for one of the area's biggest concerts of the year. Take a look.

Tags: Bush , Live , Our Lady Peace , Champlain Valley Fair , Alt-Imate Tour , Web Only , Slideshow , Image

Posted By Dan Bolles on Thu, Aug 22, 2019 at 1:01 PM

click to enlarge

Courtesy of Allan Nicholls

Big Heart, from left: Tyler Mast, Clint Bierman, Allan Nicholls, Peter Day, Ryan Clausen

Allan Nicholls wants to save the world. Or at least inspire a positive attitude adjustment. So the songwriter's new band, Big Heart, is launching a unique collaborative video recording project that aims to lift spirits, one smartphone camera at a time.

This Friday, August 23, at noon, Big Heart — which also includes the Grift's Clint Bierman and Peter Day, as well as veteran local players Tyler Mast (Bearquarium) and Ryan Clausen (Haley Jane and the Primates) — will debut their new song "This Much Is True" on the steps of Middlebury's Town Hall Theater.

Tags: Big Heart , Allan Nicholls , the Grift , Clint Bierman , Peter Day , Tyler Mast , Ryan Clausen , Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival , Web Only , Image , Audio

Posted By Dan Bolles on Tue, Aug 20, 2019 at 5:00 PM

click to enlarge

Courtesy of the Community Sailing Center

Sailors in a CSC boat

An old chestnut in sailing circles is that the best two days of a sailor's life are the day he or she buys a boat … and the day he/she sells it. For landlubbers, the joke is that, while sailing can be a blissful pastime, it's also a notoriously expensive and consuming hobby.

This week, the Community Sailing Center in Burlington announced a new initiative that will take away much of the hassle and virtually all of the expense of sailing for those looking to get out on the water.

Beginning in September, the CSC will offer weekend sailboat rentals gratis through its new Free Sailing Program, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States.

Tags: Free Sailing Program , Community Sailing Center , sailing , Lake Champlain , Web Only , Image

Posted By Ken Picard on Fri, Aug 16, 2019 at 6:37 PM

click to enlarge

Photo courtesy of David Diaz

David Diaz's giant peace sign

Hikers reaching the summit of Mount Philo State Park in Charlotte have yet another thing to look for amid an already breathtaking view of the landscape. Visible to the west, at the southwestern corner of State Park Road and Mount Philo Road, is a massive peace sign mowed into a hayfield. The symbol, which measures 500 feet in diameter, covers nearly six acres and is visible only from above, seems to have been created deliberately for the benefit of visitors atop the 968-foot mountain. Who created it and why?

Chalk it up to David Diaz, an ophthalmologist from Shelburne who had a vision, as it were, for commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival, which was held August 15 to 18, 1969.

Tags: Woodstock music festival , peace signs , Mount Philo , Charlotte , Vermont , Web Only , Image

Posted By Ken Picard on Thu, Aug 15, 2019 at 10:52 AM

click to enlarge

File photo courtesy of CRREL

Testing snow guns at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.

Here's some very cool news out of the University of Vermont: On Wednesday, UVM announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), which is based in Hanover, N.H. According to a university press release, the partnership will allow UVM students to conduct math, science and engineering research in the facility's Arctic-like laboratories.

Never heard of CRREL? That's not surprising, given that the research facility, which is part of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, maintains a relatively low public profile — and even lower thermostat settings.

Tags: University of Vermont , U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory , Richard Galbraith , climate change , Web Only , Image

Posted By Bridget Higdon on Thu, Aug 15, 2019 at 7:39 AM

click to enlarge

Bridget Higdon

Inside the "library" of "Liminal States"

The heavy doors of the shipping containers creaked as Chris Thompson opened them one at a time. After lifting a spool of thick yellow extension cord from inside each container, he walked the plugs about 10 yards to an outlet.

As soon as connection was made, projector screens inside the two containers whirred to life, and soft voices soon echoed against the trees.

"Liminal States: What Were Some of the Things You Missed From Home?" is a two-channel video installation and library located outside of Generator, the makerspace in Burlington’s South End. Thompson is the nonprofit's executive director.

The exhibition, which examines the long history of separating families and incarcerating children in the U.S., opened August 9. It's on view just through Friday, August 16, 5 to 9 p.m.

Tags: Overnight Projects , Generator , makerspace , internment , family separation , Web Only , Image

Posted By Dan Bolles on Fri, Aug 9, 2019 at 2:34 PM

click to enlarge

Courtesy of Matt Benedetto

Matt Benedetto

Crocs  has issued a cease and desist order against Burlington's Matt Benedetto. He's the creator of Unnecessary Inventions, a line of made-up products that he showcases online and through social media.

A recent invention, Croc Gloves, drew viral attention when it was released, and even hit No. 1 on Reddit. But the fingerless plastic gloves also caught the attention of Crocs, the plastic-footwear company, which Benedetto says ordered him to remove the gloves from his website and social media feeds.

Tags: Matt Benedetto , Unnecessary Inventions , Crocs , cease and desist , fair use , Web Only , Image , Video

Posted By Sabine Poux on Mon, Aug 5, 2019 at 5:08 PM

click to enlarge

Sabine Poux

Amelio Ademollo with his boat

Gather around, enterprising Vermont kiddos, for a word of unsolicited business advice: Next summer, ditch the lemonade stand. Set up a booth in North Hero and sell rolls of duct tape instead.

Every summer, the town’s residents and visitors buy the sticky stuff en masse for the wonderful, uproarious International Duct Tape Regatta. Proceeds from the race benefit the North Hero Historical Society  in its efforts to preserve the town's iconic Community Hall.

Tags: North Hero , International Duct Tape Regatta , Web Only , Slideshow , Image

Posted By Margaret Grayson on Thu, Aug 1, 2019 at 2:53 PM

Tags: Turning Point Center , Burlington , murals , Tara Goreau , Web Only , Image