Posted By Margaret Grayson on Thu, Apr 30, 2020 at 5:26 PM

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Courtesy of Megan Rose

Setting up for a previous Essex Craft Show at Champlain Valley Exposition

Megan Rose was a toddler when her mother, Kathy, and a group of other volunteers founded the Essex Craft Show in 1981. That first show took place in the Essex High School gymnasium as a yearbook fundraiser. When the bazaar outgrew its venue, Kathy Rose and Sally Washburn professionalized it and launched Vermont Craft Workers, Inc. Nearly 40 years later, the craft fair is one of Vermont’s largest. It takes over the expo center at the Champlain Valley Exposition every spring and fall.

Well, except this spring. Instead, due to the coronavirus, the craft show is moving online. On Saturday, May 2, the Roses will launch a webpage at essexcraftshow.com where over 175 exhibitors will have virtual “booths” featuring photos of their work, links to websites and ways to order.

While many exhibitors are offering special deals through Sunday, May 3, Megan Rose said the website will remain live through June, so Vermonters can shop at their leisure.

Tags: Essex Craft Show , Megan Rose , Kathy Rose , online shopping , Web Only , Image

Posted By Kristen Ravin on Thu, Apr 23, 2020 at 2:14 PM

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Dave Keller

In this strange new era of social distancing and isolation, going out to see live music and comedy is, at least for the time being, no longer an option. So musicians and comedians are bringing the shows to us through a variety of online streaming platforms such as Zoom and Facebook Live.

For your listening and viewing pleasure, each week we're compiling as many livestream performances by Vermont artists as we can find. We'll do our best to update the below list as more and more livestreaming events are announced, so check back often. And we'll post a fresh batch of shows every Thursday. Just click the links to each show's event page for relevant details, including where to stream and donate.

Highlights this week include a dance party driven by DJ Fattie B's favorite remixes and mashups, a guitar-heavy set by Montpelier blues player Dave Keller, and experimental singer-songwriter Wren Kitz performing as part of Higher Ground's Sessions From Beyond the Club series.

BTW, most of these shows are free, but the performers typically accept tips. So maybe donate some of what you would have spent on drinks at the bar, eh?

And if you are a Vermont artist performing livestream concerts who would like to be included in future editions of "Almost There," email us with details at [email protected].

Tags: Live-stream concerts , Web Only , Image

Posted By Margaret Grayson on Thu, Apr 23, 2020 at 9:05 AM

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Courtesy of Vermont Studio Center

Arista Alanis packing art supply kits

When Governor Phil Scott announced on Sunday, March 15, that all schools in Vermont had to close by the following Wednesday, the news sent teachers across the state scrambling to prepare their students — and themselves — for an abrupt switch to virtual learning.

"We were staying calm on the outside, which was important," said Arista Alanis. She's the Vermont Studio Center's community arts coordinator and an art teacher at Johnson Elementary School. VSC has funded the school's art program for decades, and Alanis — whom the students call "Ms. Arista"— has been teaching since 2003.

Alanis gathered her students' sketchbooks from the art classroom and distributed them to take home. She started planning online drawing lessons and sending them to homeroom teachers to assign. She kept the assignments simple, because she wasn't sure whether students had any art supplies beyond their sketchbooks.

Tags: art teacher , art education , arista alanis , vermont studio center , johnson elementary school , social distancing , virtual learning , school closures , Web Only , Image

Posted By Dan Bolles on Thu, Apr 16, 2020 at 2:59 PM

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Screenshot of "Dirty Hands" by A2VT

Please, do not press "play" on the video two paragraphs down. You're going to anyway, of course, and, well, that's up to you. But don't say we didn't warn you: You will not get "Dirty Hands" by A2VT out of your head for the rest of the day, and maybe the week.

Then again, that's exactly the point of the song. (And we're kidding. You should absolutely watch the video, earworm-y hooks and all. Go ahead, we'll wait… )

Tags: A2VT , Rhino Foods , COVID-19 , Web Only , Image , Video

Posted By Kristen Ravin on Thu, Apr 16, 2020 at 12:09 PM

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Courtesy of Greg Horowitz Photography

DJ Steal Wool

In this strange new era of social distancing and isolation, going out to see live music and comedy is, at least for the time being, no longer an option. So musicians and comedians are bringing the shows to us through a variety of online streaming platforms such as Zoom and Facebook Live.

For your listening and viewing pleasure, each week we're compiling as many livestream performances by Vermont artists as we can find. We'll do our best to update the below list as more and more livestreaming events are announced, so check back often. And we'll post a fresh batch of shows every Thursday. Just click the links to each show's event page for relevant details, including where to stream and donate.

Highlights this week include a dress-up DJ set by DJ Steal Wool, a PowerPoint-inspired comedy show presented by Burlington's Vermont Comedy Club and a jam session centered on New England contra dance tunes benefiting Sharon's Seven Stars Arts Center.

BTW, most of these shows are free, but the performers typically accept tips. So maybe donate some of what you would have spent on drinks at the bar, eh?

And if you are a Vermont artist performing livestream concerts who would like to be included in future editions of "Almost There," email us with details at [email protected].

Tags: Live-stream concerts , Web Only , Image

Posted By Dan Bolles on Mon, Apr 13, 2020 at 12:54 PM

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File: Brian MacDonald

Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

The 2020 Burlington Discover Jazz Festival "will not happen as planned," due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

That's according to an email sent Monday from BDJF managing director Chelsea Lafayette informing patrons that, for the first time in its 37-year history, the annual 10-day festival is postponed indefinitely. The festival was scheduled to run from June 5 to 14 and feature headliners Pharoah Sanders, Fantastic Negrito and others.

Tags: Burlington Discover Jazz Festival , the Flynn , Chelsea Lafayette , Steve MacQueen , Web Only , Image

Posted By Kristen Ravin on Thu, Apr 9, 2020 at 12:01 PM

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Courtesy of Will Overman

Erin Cassels-Brown

In this strange new era of social distancing and isolation, going out to see live music and comedy is , at least for the time being, no longer an option. So musicians and comedians are bringing the shows to us through a variety of online streaming platforms such as Zoom and Facebook Live.

For your listening and viewing pleasure, each week we're compiling as many livestream performances by Vermont artists as we can find. We'll do our best to update the below list as more and more livestreaming events are announced, so check back often.  And we'll post a fresh batch of shows every Thursday. Just click the links to each show's event page for relevant details, including where to stream and donate.

Highlights this week include an alt-country set by Erin Cassels-Brown supporting bartenders from Winooski's Monkey House, a family-friendly rave with kids' bops from DJ Craig Mitchell, and performances by Noah Kahan, Caitlin Canty and others benefiting the Vermont Foodbank's COVID-19 Hunger Relief Fund.

BTW, most of these shows are free, but the performers typically accept tips. So maybe donate some of what you would have spent on drinks at the bar, eh?

And if you are a Vermont artist performing livestream concerts who would like to be included in future editions of "Almost There," email us with details at [email protected]

Tags: Live-stream concerts , Web Only , Image

Posted By Margaret Grayson on Tue, Apr 7, 2020 at 3:32 PM

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Sarah Woodard

Zoom is taking over our lives. For Americans stuck at home social distancing, the video platform has become ubiquitous as a tool for work, school, after-hours socializing and even health services. This new (virtual) reality means we’re all adjusting to the idea of existing as small, pixelated, likely double-chinned versions of ourselves. Even worse, Zoom coldly reflects that vision back at us, to haunt our every waking, or at least working, moment.

Sarah Woodard, the director of development for Spectrum Youth and Family Services in Burlington, encountered this strange new world when she recently started doing daily Zoom calls for work.

“One of the very first ones I logged into, I hadn’t taken a shower, and I was up in my bedroom hiding from my kids,” she recalled. “As soon as I logged in I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ I was just really distracted by everything.”

Tags: zoom , videochat , coronavirus , social distancing , sarah woodard , social media , facebook , pie chart , Web Only , Image

Posted By Dan Bolles on Thu, Apr 2, 2020 at 2:48 PM

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Courtesy of Galaxy Bookshop

Bookshelves at Galaxy Bookshop

As Vermonters hunker down during the coronavirus pandemic, finding ways to stave off boredom has become more important than ever. But what to do when you've burned through the home library in, like, four days? Throughout this indefinite period of isolation, we're checking in regularly with local booksellers for reading tips. Next up in the Quarantine Book Club: Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick.

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Pandemic preppers in Hardwick are fortunate to have the coronavirus-era equivalent of one-stop shopping right downtown. Main Street neighbors the Galaxy Bookshop and Buffalo Mountain Food Co-op & Café both currently offer curbside pickup. That means residents of the Northeast Kingdom hamlet can stock up on sustenance for their bellies and their minds in one fell swoop. 

"A lot of customers come in to town and just grab their groceries and grab their books at the same time," Galaxy Bookshop co-owner Sandy Scott said by phone. While that's been a convenient setup for shoppers, she said the move to semi-remote business has been surprisingly tricky for her and business partner Andrea Jones.

"I have to say it's been a funny adjustment," Scott said. "I would have thought it would have been easier, because we don't have customers coming in all the time with interruptions. But it's so much easier to have customers coming in, and we'd so much rather see them in person!"

Tags: Gene Luen Yang , Louis Sachar , T.J. Klune , Sandy Scott , Quarantine Book Club , Galaxy Bookshop , bookstores , Web Only , Image

Posted By Kristen Ravin on Thu, Apr 2, 2020 at 12:53 PM

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Courtesy of Arielle Thomas Photography

Sarah King

In this strange new era of social distancing and isolation, going out to see live music and comedy is , at least for the time being, no longer an option. So musicians and comedians are bringing the shows to us through a variety of online streaming platforms such as Zoom and Facebook Live.

For your listening and viewing pleasure, each week we're compiling as many livestream performances by Vermont artists as we can find. We'll do our best to update the below list as more and more livestreaming events are announced, so check back often.  And we'll post a fresh batch of shows every Thursday. Just click the links to each show's event page for relevant details, including where to stream and donate.

Highlights this week include a set by Ripton singer-songwriter Sarah King, a virtual dance party propelled by DJ Craig Mitchell and a piano concert presented in conjunction with Montpelier's Kellogg-Hubbard Library's PoemCity initiative. 

BTW, most of these shows are free, but the performers typically accept tips. So maybe donate some of what you would have spent on drinks at the bar, eh?

And if you are a Vermont artist performing livestreamed concerts who would like to be included in future editions of "Almost There," email us with details at [email protected]

Tags: Live-stream concerts , Web Only , Image