Health Insurance Making a More Sustainable Talking Education with VT

Rates to Jump / p.4 Wardrobe/ p.8 Teacher of the Year / p.12

Style and
Fashion
Nov 6–Nov 19, 2019

TIF District
Challenge
Dismissed
By Tom Brown

T
he City Council held a special session
Monday to approve the settlement of
an appeal by a local resident concern-
ing Act 250 review of projects in the city’s
Tax Increment Finance District.
Montpelier resident Alan Goldman agreed
to dismiss his appeal providing that the city
agree to meet the environmental criteria
outlined in Act 250, the state’s development
review law, and that it seek all necessary en-
vironmental permits for future TIF projects.
Goldman had asked that all potential TIF
projects be considered as one, thereby ex-
ceeding the 10-acre minimum for Act 250
review.
The District 5 Environmental Commis-
sion held that future TIF projects should not A flash mob of zombie dancers jumps into Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” on Langdon Street. Photo by Mike Dunphy.
be considered as one, since they had yet to be

Getup Vintage Brings Local

proposed. Goldman appealed that ruling to
the state environmental court.
The city last year established a TIF district
for the downtown area, which allows certain
local tax revenue created by new develop-
ment to be used for public infrastructure
Treasures Back from the Brink
By Sarah Davin
improvements.

Monday’s decision has no effect on the
ongoing court challenge that has frozen the
construction of a private hotel and city-
owned parking garage, the latter of which
was approved by voters in November 2018.
U.S. Postage PAID
H
unting for vintage clothing sometimes comes with
unexpected adventure. One day in 2010, Getup
Vintage owner Hannah Bean saw a Craigslist
listing for free vintage items in a barn. After a 45-minute
drive, she approached the street only to find the road
blocked off due to a fire. After taking another path, Bean
approached the barn.
memories and flashbacks of when their parents used to
wear it or they used to wear it. It’s really sweet.” In ad-
dition, she’s found that younger people who enter Getup
Vintage often come away learning something new about
styles of the past.
Maintaining a full stock of vintage clothing means at-
tracting community members through the shop’s doors

Permit NO. 123

“There was so much smoke and the barn that was next with items to sell, but that is rarely a challenge. Bean says
Montpelier, VT
PRSRT STD
ECRWSS

to the barn with all the free vintage clothing was on fire,”
Bean remarked, “We were so lucky that the barn didn’t
burn down. We ended up saving so much vintage out of
there.”
Since Getup Vintage’s opening in 2008, Bean has been
saving vintage clothing from fire and the obscurity of clos-
ets to revive them in her Langdon Street shop.
Vintage is an ever-evolving definition, adapting and in-
corporating new items as time moves forward. According
to Bean, for a clothing item to be considered vintage, it has
to be at least 20 years old. Unlike some of the new mass-
produced clothing found in box stores, vintage clothing
items come with histories and garment constructions that
are made to last. Depending on repetition of what’s in fash-
Montpelier, VT 05601
the shop receives items nearly every day. Sometimes, it’s
just a couple of items, and other times, it’s bags full of
clothing.
But the real excitement comes from getting into the
closets of the community. “We get the thrill of the hunt,
I guess you could say. We spot things in thrift stores, yard
sales, or estate sales.”
Sometimes, when a family is expecting to move or there
has been a death, Getup Vintage is invited to homes to
look for vintage items in personal and family wardrobes.
For Bean, it is an experience that not only highlights fash-
ion history, but Vermont history, via old travel mementos,
toys, and the work clothing of families that have lived in
Vermont for generations.

ion, vintage clothing can also seem quite contemporary. “You get a sense of somebody when you walk into their
“Vintage is repeated in fashion over and over, so people closet, what kind of person they were, what their style was,
see something and it reminds them of something modern,” what their lifestyle was like,” she reflects. “I recently went
P.O. Box 1143

Bean reflects. “It’s fun to see different generations, espe- to this woman’s house locally who had a thing for designer
The Bridge

cially older people, when they come in and start sharing Continued on page 10

Free, Independent, and Local since 1993 / montpelierbridge.com

PAGE 2 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 T HE BRID GE

Transit Center and Housing Project Celebrated

Photos by Tom Brown

More than 100 people turned out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 25 to
celebrate the opening of a long-awaited bus facility and housing project in downtown
Montpelier. The $17 million structure includes 30 apartments managed by Downstreet
Housing and serves as a transit hub for Green Mountain Transit. City Manager Bill
Fraser, who has been involved with the project for two decades, said “It is very satisfying
to see it done. That whole part of town was a dirt lot and before that a junkyard and
now it has transformed into an urban center rather than a parking wasteland.”
T HE BRID GE
HEARD ON THE STREET
Calendar for 2020 Available at Adamant Coop
A calendar for 2020 featuring watercolors of historic barns in East Montpelier,
Calais, and Woodbury is now available at the Adamant Cooperative Store. The
paintings are by artist Janet MacLeod of East Montpelier. The price is $15. Stop by
the Adamant Coop or call 223-5760 for more information.
Norwich Narrows Presidential Candidates to Four
The search for the next president of Norwich University has come down to four
finalists selected by the Search Committee. Only two have been named publicly—
Brig. Gen. Cindy R. Jebb. and Maj. Gen. Cedric D. George. All candidates have
been invited to campus for two days each to become better acquainted with the
university and Central Vermont community, to meet with the administrative and
academic leadership of the university, and to tour the campus and spend time with
President Richard W. Schneider. Norwich plans to make its final selection by the
end of January, with the new president taking office June 1.
Chamber Names Athena Award Winners
Jeanne Morrissey and Gwen Pokalo won women’s leadership awards at a ceremony
hosted by the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce on Saturday. Morrissey, who
runs J.A. Morrissey construction in Williston, won the Athena Leadership Award,
and Pokalo, who works at the Center for Women and Enterprise in Burlington,
took home the Athena Young Professional Leader Award. Finalists for the Young
Professional honor included Montpelier Mayor Anne Watson and U-32 program
director Katie Staley. Finalists for the Leadership Award included Jen Kimmich of
The Alchemist Brewery and Lisa Dion of the University of Vermont.
“Counter Rotation” Art Installation Unveiled at Transit Center
Along with the ribbon cutting at the transit center on Taylor Street was the
unveiling of “Counter Rotation,” an interactive art installation by the Putney-based
team of Rodrigo Nava and Gregory Miguel Gomez. The work consists of a 7-foot
rotating circular granite bench that activates an old-fashioned, analog flap counter
(think your old alarm clock) to display alphanumeric text and images, symbols, and
messages. The bench also serves as a compass for visitors to orient themselves.
Nature Watch Artwork and Words by Nona Estrin
H
ard frosts have come, back to back, the ginkgo’s golden leaves are fallen
and scattered! Scarlet blueberry, russet blackberry, and yellow leaves of rosa
ragosa slowly make way for a new palet of winter colors—the pink of snowy
Camel’s Hump by morning light and the winter lavender of our wooded mountains.
And today, from Route 12, a snow squall nestled high on the eastern flanks of the
Worcester range!
N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 3
Then and Now
Historic photos courtesy of Vermont Historical Society;
Captions and modern photos by Paul Carnahan.
At one time, the Italianate house at 56 East State Street had an
impressive view of the village and a sweeping side driveway from
the street, as shown in this 1885 watercolor by itinerant painter
James F. Gilman.
This was the home that successful baker and businessman
Charles H. Cross built for himself in ca. 1850. Cross mechanized
the process of baking crackers and made a fortune selling them in
an era when crackers were sold door-to-door.
His bakery was on Main Street, an easy walk from his home,
where City Center now stands. The Cross house is now offices,
hidden behind a parking lot.
Bridge Community Media, Inc.
P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601 • Ph: 802-223-5112
Editor in Chief: Mike Dunphy
Managing Editor: Tom Brown
Publisher Emeritus: Nat Frothingham
Copy Editor: Larry Floersch
Calendar Editor: Marichel Vaught
Layout: Sarah Davin
Sales Representatives: Rick McMahan
Distribution: Sarah Davin, Lora Stridsberg, Carl Etnier
Board Members: Phil Dodd, Donny Osman, Jake Brown, Josh Fitzhugh, Larry Floersch, J. Gregory Gerdel,
Irene Racz, Jen Roberts, Mason Singer, Nancy Reid
Editorial: 223-5112, ext. 14 • mdunphy@montpelierbridge.com
Location: The Bridge office is located at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, Stone Science Hall.
Subscriptions: You can receive The Bridge by mail for $40 a year. Make out your check to The Bridge, and
mail to The Bridge, PO Box 1143, Montpelier VT 05601.
montpelierbridge.com • facebook.com/thebridgenewspapervt
Twitter: @montpbridge • Instagram: @montpelierbridge
PAGE 4 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 T HE BRID GE
City Hit With Jump in Insurance Costs
By Tom Brown
C
ity officials have barely started
work on a spending plan to pres-
ent to voters in March, but they
enter the process already facing a built-in
4-percent increase and few options to
confront it.
The culprit is an unexpected 25.1 per-
cent increase in the rate Blue Cross and
Blue Shield of Vermont charges the city to
offer health insurance to its 118 employees
and their families in 2020. That amounts
to about $300,000 and affects not only
the FY2021 budget but the current bud-
get as well. Because the health insurance
plan year begins on January 1, the city
will have to find about $100,000 in the
current budget to cover the premiums
through June 30.
The reason for the unprecedented jump
is an unusually large amount of claims
BCBSVT paid out to cover city employ-
ees in 2019. Because the city does not
belong to a large pool of insured people
and cannot obtain coverage through Ver-
mont Health Connect, even a few major
illnesses or health care expenses by a small
number of employees can affect the rate,
officials said. The city’s premiums had
held fairly steady in the previous couple
of years due to fewer expensive claims. By
comparison, BCBSVT was granted a 12.4
percent increase in premiums for 2020 for
its subscribers in the state exchange.
“We had some big claims last year and
paid out more in claims than we took in
through premiums,” City Manager Bill
Fraser said. Options available to the city
are few, Fraser said. It’s likely that the
state’s other insurers, Cigna and MVP,
would charge similar rates if they choose
to bid at all.
“We’re going to have to budget for it
and deal with it,” he said. “Plan B is to
try to restructure the plan to lower the
rate, and Plan C is to find some different
longer-term solution.”
City employees are covered by a high-
deductible plan in which the city pays the
first $7,000 in covered medical expenses
and the employee pays the next $1,000 (in
addition to their contribution to premi-
ums). Above that first $8,000 BCBSVT
pays 100 percent of approved claims,
minus certain co-pays. The city receives
a lower premium cost by paying for the
high deductible portion itself, so one rem-
edy would be to increase that deductible
amount, raising the point at which the in-
surer pays. That might reduce the increase
to a level more in line with the 10 or 15
percent hikes other employers are seeing
from health insurers.
Most Vermont municipalities used to
belong to a pool through the Vermont
League of Cities and Towns, but changes
in the industry and state regulations led to
the demise of that option. Because the Ver-
mont Health Connect exchange only of-
fers coverage to employers with fewer than
100 employees, the city found itself all
alone in seeking coverage for its 118-person
workforce, of which 92 are enrolled in the
city plan.
A longer-term solution would be to con-
vince state lawmakers to extend VHC
coverage to all employers, or at least to
municipal employers, with more than 100
workers.
In the meantime, the city is faced with
coming up with the additional money
while trying to manage the impact on
property taxpayers, many of whom are
facing health insurance premium hikes in
their own lives. That means City Council
members will likely be under pressure to
hold the line on spending and forgo much
in the way of new initiatives for FY 2021.
“I am at the point that if we are unable
to find a different carrier or lower those
costs in general that I would support a
status quo budget,” Mayor Anne Watson
said. “I’d be really hesitant to support any-
thing much more than that because the
percentage is already so big.”
Part of a Larger Conversation
District 3 City Councilor Ashley Hill
believes that even a self-imposed 4 percent
cap on spending increases for any purpose
is too much. That it is eaten up by one
item—health insurance premiums—is es-
pecially galling and is part of a much larger
debate over how health care costs are paid.
“Why are we willing to accept a 25
percent increase?” she said. “Where is the
negotiation? We have allowed insurance
companies to treat health care like a busi-
ness, but health care is a fundamental
human right. Those who can afford these
increases, like me, are no more deserving
of good health than those who can’t.”
The argument for alternative ways to
pay for health care is a major issue in the
national conversation and the 2020 presi-
dential race, and Hill said the city should
be more vocal about its stance, for exam-
ple, on whether health insurance should be
City News
so closely tied to employment.
“We have a real opportunity to shape the
conversation around what we are willing to
accept as the status quo,” she said. “Mont-
pelier is the state capital, and we have a
significant platform.”
One additional spending item already
on the table for next year is the proposed
addition of a Department of Public Works
employee to help address the high number
of overtime hours worked by employees
on winter maintenance last season. New
DPW director Donna Barlow Casey re-
quested the addition at the October 30
Council meeting.
The City Manager’s Office is expected
to propose a spending plan at the first
Council meeting in December.
Schools Looking at 12.9 Percent Hike
The Montpelier-Roxbury Public School
District is also facing an increase in health
insurance premiums, but one that is more
in line with what has become a “nor-
mal” level. Teachers and staff at all public
schools in Vermont are insured through
the Vermont Education Health Initiative,
a nonprofit that manages benefits.
VEHI has proposed a 12.9 percent in-
crease in health insurance premiums next
year, pending approval by the state De-
partment of Financial Regulation. If ap-
proved the increase will cost the school
district, which has 225 educators and staff,
an additional $330,000 in FY 2021.
Superintendent Libby Bonesteel and
Business Manager Grant Geisler said the
increase, which amounts to 1.37 percent
of the overall budget was not unexpected.
A larger concern, they said, is the un-
certainty over a legislative mandate to ne-
gotiate a statewide teachers’ health benefit
plan. The Commission on Public School
Employee Health Benefits is currently in
mediation to work out differences between
representatives of the employees and em-
ployers. The result of that process could
significantly change the health insurance
structure for schools in 2021, leaving bud-
get-writers with uncertainty about a line
item that represents about 10 percent of
school spending.
T HE BRID GE
Large Senior Housing Project Planned
By Phil Dodd
A
re you, a family member, or a
friend ready to downsize from a
house, condo, or apartment into
an independent living situation where as-
sisted living will also be available? If you
answered yes, there may soon be a new
senior housing option to look at, one that
could be open by the spring or summer of
2021.
A Vermont developer is currently await-
ing a state Act 250 permit so it can build
a 98-unit, four-story senior housing project
called Spruce Place on a two-acre lot on the
southwest side of Walmart in Berlin that
will include apartments for independent
living, assisted living, and memory care.
Local permits have already been issued
by the town of Berlin, which is welcoming
the project as part of its desire to have a
mixed-use, pedestrian friendly town cen-
ter in the area of Berlin that includes the
Berlin Mall.
The senior housing project will be within
walking distance of the supermarket por-
tion of Walmart and a short drive from
Shaw’s. The Central Vermont Medical
Center is located on the other side of the
mall property, across Fisher Road.
Spruce Place developer Brad Dousevicz
said that the final Act 250 hearing on
October 7 “went well,” and that he expects
the District 5 Environmental Commission
will soon either approve the project, with
or without conditions, or ask for more
information.
If approval comes soon enough, Douse-
Rendering courtesy of the Vermont Act 250 District Commission.
vicz will begin construction before the end
of the year, with a projected 15- to 18-
month construction timeline before Spruce
Place will be ready for occupancy.
According to Act 250 filings, the $2.5
million project (not including land costs)
will include underground parking for 76
cars. There will be another 22 outdoor
parking spaces in front of the building for
visitors and others, and a sidewalk leading
to the mall.
The unit types will vary by floor. The
first floor will include a dining room and
18 memory care units, which Dousevicz
thinks will fill quickly. The second floor
will have 30 assisted living units, and the
third and fourth floors will include 50 in-
dependent living units.
Most of the units in the project will be
one-bedroom apartments, but there will
also be some studios, according to Douse-
vicz. A typical independent one-bedroom
unit would have around 640 square feet
of living space. Many other spaces in the
building will be open for use by residents,
including pubs, a fitness center, an arts and
crafts room, storage areas, a library, and a
meeting room.
Dousevicz is a part-owner of Dousevicz,
Inc. a family-owned and operated develop-
ment, real estate, and construction firm
located in Essex. It has built townhome
and single-family home neighborhoods, se-
nior housing, high-rise condominiums, and
commercial properties.
Through subsidiaries such as Spruce
N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 5
Business
Place LLC, the company has built and
operates several other independent living
senior housing complexes in Vermont, in-
cluding Williston Place, Eagle Crest and
Falcon Manor, all in Williston, and Hawks
Nest in St. Albans. The company has built
one senior housing project—Mansfield
Place, in Essex—with both assisted living
and memory care.
Dousevicz said Spruce Place will need to
hire 30 to 40 people, which could be chal-
lenging given the low local unemployment
rate, but he said they have done it before
in Vermont. “We pay higher than similar
facilities and offer good benefits,” he said.
The developer is still working out rental
rates for the housing units. He said the
company expects to begin marketing the
project when it is about halfway through
construction.
Dousevicz noted one major difference
compared with some other senior housing
projects in the state is that his company
builds, manages, and operates the projects
themselves. Senior housing projects in Ver-
mont that are owned or managed by large
national firms are sometimes sold to new
owners or change operator contracts, he
said.
“We are a locally owned family business
started by my father 30 years ago and we
plan to continue to own and operate the
senior housing projects we have built,” he
said.
PAGE 6 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 T HE BRID GE

School Page By Libby Bonesteel, Superintendent of Schools

This page was paid for by the Montpelier-Roxbury School District.
Nov. 2019

Montpelier High School

S
Photos courtesy of MRPS.
tudents and staff enjoyed MHS’s Fall Harvest
Celebration on Thursday, October 17! This
annual, all-school experiential learning celebra-
tion started in 2009 and is focused on creating a more
sustainable community.
This year’s theme was pollinators. MHS science
teacher Tom Sabo, one of the many Fall Harvest Cel-
ebration staff contributors, opened with an introduction
to the day’s activities and a reminder of the importance
of pollinators. Students then dove into workshops rang-
ing from building bee boxes and pollinator gardens;
to making wood-fired honey bagels, applesauce, or a
beeswax plastic wrap alternative; to performing a honey
extraction; pressing apples; or painting a pollinator-
themed mural.
All then gathered in the gym by their morning Teach-
ing Assistant groups. Students and staff alike adorned
costumes and enjoyed meandering through artfully
decorated, themed “tables” they’d turned into every-
thing from campsites to living room lounges to beaches.
Always a highlight, students and staff enjoyed a meal
featuring produce from the school gardens alongside
apple cider pressed that morning. Students proudly
reported saving nearly 3,700 gallons of gasoline and
emitting 83,400 less pounds of CO2 as compared with
a traditional meal with ingredients sourced from afar.
Principal Renee Devore explains, “It’s a completely
out-of-the-box type of thinking…creating an awesome
community school event that allows students to do what
they normally wouldn’t during their school day.”
With an invigorated sense of community and an
arsenal of ways to take action for our vital pollinators,
student and staff ended the day with performances—
MHS’s version of a talent show—that had the entire
gym singing and dancing.

Superintendent’s Corner

W
e are now ushering in the waning days of
fall and can no longer say that we are in the
beginning of the school year. At this point,
teachers know their students, and students know them.
There is deep learning going on in our classrooms
around new content and skills. The first play at MHS
is upon us, fall sports teams are wrapping up their sea-
sons, and adults are shaking their heads at the kids who
insist it is still shorts weather. Seems like just yesterday
we welcomed our students into these halls with their
new shiny shoes and trim haircuts.
Late October and November is a time of considerable
learning for our students and teachers. We have solid
weeks of continuous learning prior to the November
and December vacations. It’s a fun, exciting, and some-
times stressful time of year.
Meeting with students recently at Main Street Mid-
dle School, I recognized some of this in them. They
had built strong relationships—laughing at inside jokes
and hugging despite having just met in September.
They also spent time commiserating on the Spanish
test coming that afternoon and whether or not they
were prepared.
We can all do our part to help our kids. Kids
LOVE routine—dinner and bed at the same time every
night—or as close to it as we can get with busy sched-
ules, evening routines, and set expectations, so there
are no surprises. These things help reduce the bigger
expectations that school can sometimes demand.
At the upcoming parent conferences, make sure to
talk with your child’s teacher(s) about how they are
handling the year. Teachers are anxious to talk with
you to further our partnership in getting all kids to
learn at high levels. Snow flurries are just around the
corner, winter sports seasons are beginning, and new
learning will continue.
T HE BRID GE N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 7

Powering Vermont with Cow Waste Energy

By Carl Etnier

C
ow belches and flatulence are in- scale than the 800-cow farm in Coventry. gas emissions.
famous for their surprisingly high Keewaydin Farm in Stowe, a third-genera- “If you can capture the methane and
contributions to the climate cri- tion farm run by Les and Claire Pike, milks burn it, you are destroying a greenhouse
sis. Studies blame agriculture for as much about 90 cows. A digester installed in 2011 gas,” DePillis explains. (Burning methane
as 40 percent of human-caused methane fuels an 8-kW generator that powers the converts it to carbon dioxide, which is also
emissions, with cows and resulting manure farm and sells excess electricity to the grid. a greenhouse gas, but methane is 20–80
ponds contributing a significant and grow- For any size dairy farm, an on-farm gen- times more powerful in causing climate
ing fraction. Nevertheless, Vermont, with erator also provides much-needed backup change.) “And then if you use it in a ve-
its green profile and well-known cow popu- during power outages. hicle, you’re offsetting the diesel emissions.
lations, is well-situated to capitalize on an The potential of larger dairy farms to So using methane from a dairy source is
opportunity to solve this problem. power Vermont with energy from their ma- carbon negative, and it’s very unusual to
That’s the view of Alex DePillis, who nure plus added food waste is surprisingly have a carbon-negative transportation fuel.”
works on agriculture and energy projects high. DePillis has calculated, based on a With farms not being charged for pol-
for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Photo of digester courtesy project in Salisbury, that digesters on the luting the air with methane emissions, the
DePillis promotes methane digesters as a of Jasper Hill Farm. state’s 10 largest dairy farms could replace economics of biomethane currently require
way of capturing and using that methane, nearly 15 percent of Vermont’s natural gas subsidies to make projects work. Funding
hoop greenhouse, extending the growing
which he argues gives “carbon-negative” consumption or nearly 20 percent of its from the state’s Clean Energy Develop-
season and allowing the farm to get early
fuel. on-road diesel use. “There’s real potential,” ment Fund and other sources has already
tomatoes to market.
“The classic manure digester is an exten- he says. underwritten much of the development of
The Paris-based International Energy
sion of the cow stomach,” DePillis explains. To achieve the potential requires deliber- the dozen or more digesters in operation.
Agency released its annual report on re-
“It’s just letting that same manure fer- ate choices, DePillis says. “In Salisbury, just However, DePillis would like to see a larger
newable energy in October, and it calls bio-
ment another 20 to 30 days, and you get the permitting for this one project took a role for biomethane in Vermont’s energy
methane “significantly under-exploited,”
methane and carbon dioxide.” The process year or so, and now they have to build investments, and in the state’s calculations
only using 6 percent of inputs available.
requires some external heat, but “with good the thing. There’s serious ramping up that of its greenhouse gas emissions.
Potential inputs include not just manure,
insulation,” it’s not much, DePillis says. has to happen. Capital has to come to the “The sooner the methane is captured
but also food scraps, crop residue, and
And if the biomethane—also called renew- table. There’s probably got to be some kind and destroyed, while powering vehicles or
other organic matter.
able natural gas—is burned on site to gen- of policies to create the market for the gas. things, the better for our climate policy,”
With more than 27 million vehicles
erate electricity, the heat needed is available Yes, we have the manure and the farms— DePillis says.
worldwide fueled by natural gas, the market
as a byproduct. that’s just technical potential.” Vermonters who want to support bio-
for transportation already exists in many
The 800-cow Maxwell’s Neighborhood Because methane emissions from ma- methane development can enroll in GMP’s
places. Despite President Donald Trump’s
Farm in Coventry uses its methane energy nure and other sources are already happen- Cow Power program. Customers can pay
withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris
resource in that way. Located in the same ing, capturing that biomethane can create a premium to get electricity from on-farm
Agreement on climate change policies, the
town as the landfill where Washington a positive double-whammy for greenhouse digesters.
U.S. leads the world in using biomethane
Electric Co-op collects methane from rot-
for transportation and has doubled its use
ting garbage and burns it for electricity, the
in the past three years—in large part be-
farm has a manure-fueled generator that
cause of federal and state financial incen-
can power about 200 homes. There, excess
tives, according to the IEA report.
heat is also piped into the soil in a high-
Manure digesters can operate on a smaller
PAGE 8 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 T HE BRID GE
5 Ways to a Sustainable Wardrobe
By Lisa Samsom
Y
ou may not have heard the term
“fast fashion,” but you have defi-
nitely seen it. It is the lightning-
fast process in which a design hits the
runway, gets mass produced, shipped to
the stores, purchased, worn a few times,
and then discarded. It is the reason we
have stores packed with cheap, low-quality
clothing that changes almost daily.
Like “fast food,” fast fashion is any-
thing but healthy. For starters, fashion is
one of the most polluting industries in
the world. From dependency on some of
the highest offending greenhouse gas con-
tributors—transportation, electricity, and
agriculture—to water pollution, to more
than 80 pounds of clothing per American
discarded each year, it is a serious factor in
climate change.
The fashion industry is also plagued with
ethical issues. Garment workers are some
of the lowest paid workers in the world
and often subjected to dangerous working
conditions that lead to tragedies such as the
2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse
in Dhaka, Bangladesh, when 1,129 died.
Since most of our clothing is made
overseas—a significant change from previ-
ous generations—this issue remains out of
sight and therefore out of mind to many
Americans. “Going back to the 1950s and
Style & Fashion
’60s, nearly 100 percent of clothing in
the U.S. was produced domestically,” says
Elizabeth L. Cline author of Overdressed:
The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion
(New York: Penguin, 2013). “As recently
as 1990, that statistic was 50 percent. It is
now 2 percent.”
So what can we do? We need clothing.
An answer lies in embracing the movement
of “sustainable fashion,” which demands a
higher ecological and social integrity from
the fashion industry. Although I’m not a
sustainable fashion purist, I have learned
many ways to be an active participant.
Here are the top five ways I have found
that will make your wardrobe more sus-
tainable:
the most value to your wardrobe. What treasure hunt. Or, start swapping with
Find new life in your old clothes: Go
are the pieces you are consistently miss- friends.
through your closet and take an inventory
ing? Then, find high-quality items to Donate with care: Unfortunately, a large
of what you own. Try new combinations.
bring into your wardrobe. Also research percentage of the clothing we donate ends
Get creative and find inspiration online
the business practices of companies using up overseas, where it is thrown away or
or from others for new ways to wear items
resources such as the “Good On You” app burned. To increase the likelihood that
you already own. If an item is damaged
or better yet, buy locally made fashion. the clothing you donate is used by some-
or needs altering, bring it to a tailor to
be fixed. Take care of your clothes to Read the label: Before you buy an item, one else, only donate clean clothing in
make them last longer. Wash them cor- read the label for care and fiber content. wearable condition.
rectly and only when necessary. Love your If you are not willing to dry clean or hand Bonus Tip
clothes, and they will love you. wash an item, only purchase items that
are machine washable. Also, try to buy Think twice about creating special event
Plan your purchases: Instead of impulse T-shirts: Most of them are worn once and
clothing that is made with natural fabrics
purchasing, focus on the pieces that add have very little value in the resale market.
such as wool, cotton, silk, and linen.
Fabrics such as polyester, nylon, and If you must make an event T-shirt, omit
acrylic are plastic-based and shed micro- the date and encourage people to reuse it at
fibers during the wash and contribute to your yearly events.
water pollution. Lisa Samsom is a certified wardrobe stylist
in Montpelier and owner of Vermont Ward-
Buy second hand: There are more and robe Styling. To learn more, visit vtwardrobe-
more resale shops in our towns and on- styling.com and @stylingvt on Instagram.
line. Give them a chance. Make it a
T HE BRID GE N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 9
Rinse, Relax, Repeat:
Six Vermont-based Bath Products
By Sarah Davin
T
he beauty of Vermont is more than
just skin deep—a fact celebrated
by local bath product manufac-
turers, who turn the state’s bounty of or-
ganic ingredients, including goat’s milk,
beeswax, herbs, honey, and hemp into
soaps, shampoos, scrubs, and more. Ver-
mont bath products also embrace diver-
sity, with formulas for all skin types and
sensitivities. Make your next bath more
local with these favorite products.
Goat’s Milk Lotion—Elmore Moun-
tain Farm Soap Works
Elmore Mountain Farm Soap Works
is a small company based in Morris-
ville. Husband-and-wife team Bunny
and Peter Merrill were inspired to begin
making their own soap and bath prod-
ucts after receiving some handmade soap
from a friend. Since then, the Merrills
have been creating soaps, balms, and
other bath products from milk collected
from Swiss Oberhasli goats that are bred
and raised on the Merrill’s property. For
some lovely post-bath hydration, try their
Goat’s Milk Lotion, which comes in two
scents: geranium lemongrass and laven-
der. elmoremountainfarm.com
Shampoo and Conditioner—Flourish
Beauty Lab
Flourish Beauty Lab in White River
Junction creates products that embrace
the needs of people with sensitive skin.
Their formulas avoid ingredients that
can irritate the skin, including common
allergens such as nut oils and gluten.
Flourish’s shampoos come in four scents
including honey blossom and marshmal-
low, patchouli tangerine, and lavender
mint. See the creation up close and per-
son at its White River Junction flagship
store and “open lab,” which also features
one of the largest refill bars in Vermont
for personal care to encourage reusing
containers and keeping it green.
flourishbeautylab.com
CBD Bath Salts—Green Mountain
Hemp Company
The healing potential of CBD oil has
found its way into many of our lives and
lattés recently. Green Mountain Hemp
Company now brings it to your bath,
with four blends of CBD bath salts—
Breathe Ease, Relax, Tangerine Dream,
and The Gift. The 8-oz containers each
contain 50 mg of CBD in its mix of
Dead Sea salt, pink Himalayan sea salt,
black Hawaiian sea salt, and essential
oils of frankincense, myrrh, eucalyptus,
and spearmint, as well as 24k gold flakes.
The St. Albans-based company does not
use dyes or synthetic ingredients and is
dedicated to keeping CBD oil affordable.
greenmountainhempcompany.com
Deep Calm Bath Oil Concentrate—
Lunaroma
Lunaroma was created in 2000 by mas-
ter aromatherapist Leyla Bringas, who
comes from an aromatically rich Cuban
heritage. The Burlington-based business
aspires to be as sustainable and eco-con-
scious as possible, making a point to pro-
duce less than one bag of garbage for the
entire company per week, according to
the website. Lunaroma’s Deep Calm Bath
Oil Concentrate is a case in point, blend-
ing organic Jojoba, pure wild-crafted and
organic essential oils, lavender, chamo-
mile, and marjoram. lunaroma.com
Body Scrubs—Vermont Simple Beauty
Exfoliation is an important part of the
bathing process, and getting rid of dirt
Style & Fashion
and unwanted oils is essential to feeling
clean. Vermont Simple Beauty has your
back in this endeavor with their sugar-
based body scrubs, which are free of
parabens, sulfates, PEGs, petroleum by-
products, or phthalates. Vermont Simple
Beauty scrubs come in scents such as
Oak Musk, Cucumber Melon, and Black
Raspberry. vermontsimplebeauty.com
Handmade Organic Bar Soap—Ver-
mont Soap Company
After developing sensitivities to arti-
ficial scents, artificial colors, and petro-
chemical products as a result of chemicals
he was exposed to as a window washer
in Burlington, Larry Plesent started the
Vermont Soap Company in 1992 with
the goal of making products that do as
little harm as possible. These soaps are
great for people who suffer from asthma,
chemical sensitivities, or have compro-
mised immune systems. Vermont Soap
Company offers 17 varieties of handmade
organic bar soap including woodspice,
sweet orange, and rosemary herb.
vermontsoap.com
PAGE 10 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019
Getup Vintage
Continued from page 1
bags and designer shoes. She had a really
funky, cool, artsy style.”
While Vermont’s vintage array pro-
vides Getup Vintage with a healthy and
popular collection of flannels and jeans,
sometimes the hunt surprises Bean with
a remarkable piece of clothing. She re-
counted, “It rarely happens, but some-
times I’ll find a really special piece.
For example, we just found an amazing,
beaded, 1920s dress at Goodwill in the
costume section. And we were like, ‘Oh
my god! What is this doing here?’ This
should be in a box, safe, and it was get-
ting destroyed on the hanger.”
Embracing vintage shopping also reaps
benefits in the longevity and quality of
the clothing. Clothing made in a time
before fast fashion became dominant was
better constructed and used higher-qual-
ity materials. “Now, a lot of things are
being made out of plastics like polyester.
Even cotton isn’t as good as it used to be
in the past because now it’s sprayed with
pesticides that are not good for our en-
vironment,” explains Bean. “In the past,
I guess you could say things were more
organic. It’s hard to find a nice wool
sweater that doesn’t cost big bucks now.”
It is because of these quality materials
and thoughtful construction that Bean
puts time into restoring some of the
vintage items that she deems savable. She
T HE BRID GE
Style & Fashion
pieces can go longer, they have a lot of
life left in them.”
Bean says that much of her drive be-
hind owning a small vintage shop comes
from wanting to make people aware of
sustainable slow fashion options, a senti-
ment that she sees reflected by some of
her customers. “I do hear people saying
that they are trying to live a slow fashion
life. What that means it that you’re buy-
ing less, you’re buying quality, sustain-
able, and well-made. Even if it’s some-
thing new, they’re making sure that their
clothing is made of good materials and
not coming from sweatshops. Definitely,
more people are doing that now than I
think ever,” she affirmed.
Because of the rising popularity and
the influence of fast fashion, Hannah
sees the late 1990s and early 2000s on
the horizon of joining the pantheon of
vintage decades. Citing the idea that
young people’s parents were young 20
years ago, the fashion industry has al-
ready started to make clothing that
mimics ’90s styles. Recently, ’90s sweat-
Photo of beaded 1920s dress found in a
ers with embroidered monograms made a
Goodwill courtesy of Hannah Bean.
flash-in-the-pan comeback.
can often be seen in the shop mending Bean noted, “Even Harry Potter stuff
seam rips, fixing small holes, and sewing is going to be vintage soon, and that
on buttons. “I do so much laundry and doesn’t seem that long ago.”
so much mending, it’s constant,” Bean
expressed with a small chuckle, “These
T HE BRID GE
At the Cutting Edge of Fashion
By Larry Floersch
W
hen my
editor
poked
his head through my of-
fice door and growled,
“Write something
about fashion for the
next issue,” I knew
why he had picked me. As a columnist in
a Central Vermont newspaper office, it’s
not always easy being the fashion icon.
The reporters and editors envy me for the
ease with which I pair plaids and stripes
and the saucy way in which I put colors
together. Plus, because I’m a columnist,
they assume I don’t work as hard as they
do.
I’d like to think I was born with a great
fashion sense, but it probably came from
my mother. She grew up on a Midwestern
farm during the Great Depression, and
that informed her fashion choices.
When we were small, she adopted
a “farm chic” style for us kids. This
consisted of blue serge de Nîmes (aka
“denim” for the fashion challenged) bib
overalls and cotton T-shirts and brought
together the labels of design houses such as
OshKosh, Hanes, and Fruit of the Loom.
This clothing was paired, of course, with
Converse All Stars black-and-white high-
top gym shoes with the iconic circular
white label at the ankle.
For more formal occasions, she would
dress us in corduroy pants (standard
11-wales-to-the-inch corduroy) but still
with the bib feature. In winter she added
Buster Brown oxfords and five-buckle,
over-the-shoe black rubber galoshes to
keep Buster and his dog, Tige, safe and
dry. I loved the look, especially because
you could tuck your pant cuffs into the
tops of the galoshes to look like you were
in the 101st Airborne at Bastogne, but I
hated how the galoshes sometimes “ate”
your shoes when you took them off.
As we grew older our style morphed
into “Depression punk.” The bib over-
alls gradually gave way to regular blue
serge de Nîmes trousers with a belt (ex-
cept for my brother, who always re-
quired suspenders to keep his pants up).
The style dictated that the belt be too
long (because “Dammit. You’ll grow
into it. That’s why!”), and the loose end
was never put through the keeper but
allowed to rakishly curl down to the left
side. In my case the belt was made of a
woven olive drab webbing with a brass
buckle that we found at some surplus
outlet. I’d read somewhere that girls
always appreciated a military motif in
men’s fashion, and it also worked well
with my Boy Scout uniform.
My mom’s unfailing flair for fash-
ion ensured that in the black-and-white
photographs from the era we always
looked as though we were waiting for
soup.
We had little say in our wardrobe
choices during those years, but some-
times we would insist on an occasional
homage to cowboys in the form of west-
ern-style shirts with stylized and em-
broidered yokes and snaps rather than
buttons, or print shirts with “cactus” or
“horsey” motifs.
N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 11
Style & Fashion
My mother always kept by her side the
ultimate arbiter of style in those days, the
Sears catalog. During its heyday it was
gigantic in both its fashion influence and
the amount of physical space it occupied. We welcome your letters and
The Sears catalog had everything, tools, opinion pieces. Letters must be
appliances, furniture, clothing, includ-
fewer than 300 words. Opinion
ing, for us young boys, an extensive ladies
pieces should not exceed 600
foundation and undergarment section,…
uhh,… I mean a toy section. My brother words. The Bridge reserves the
and I would spend hours in our bedroom right to edit and cut pieces.
leafing through that. But I digress. Send your piece to editorial@
So fashion-wise the die was cast by the montpelierbridge.com.
time I reached high school. Still, like all Deadline for the next issue is
teenagers, I felt pressure to turn away November 11
from my mom’s teaching and the dic-
tates of Sears to conform with peers who
wore “preppy” clothes such as Oxford
cloth shirts with button-down collars by
designers like Gant and cordovan-hued
“Weejuns” penny loafers by G.H. Bass &
Co. I’m sure those guys thought dressing
that way would help them get into Ivy
League schools, but, as we know today,
to do that you have to have parents who
will pay people to take your SATs or cre- Design & Build
ate fake photos of you playing water polo.
Rather than earning a degree from Custom Energy-Efficient Homes
Dartmouth or the like, I ended up a jour-
Additions • Timber Frames
nalist, but because of my mom and Sears,
a journalist with a cavalier sense of fash- Weatherization • Remodeling
ion. When I sometimes overhear snippets
Kitchens • Bathrooms • Flooring
of hushed conversation among my col-
leagues huddled around the Keurig, such Tiling • Cabinetry • Fine Woodwork
as “Shh! Quiet. He’s headed this way. He
dresses like Broun,” I do not mind their
envy. Heywood Hale Broun was another
journalist with a great fashion sense. If
anyone knew how to pair plaids with
stripes, it was Woodie.
Rocque Long
Painting
• Insured
• 30+ years professional
experience
• local references.
802-223-0389
PAGE 12 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019
Talking Education with Vermont Teacher of the Year
Composed by Mike Dunphy
M
ontpelier schools rejoiced in
mid-October when Elisabeth
Kahn—a French and Spanish
teacher at Main Street Middle School—
was named Vermont Teacher of the Year
for 2020. Kahn, better known as “Bibba,”
has been teaching in middle schools for 12
years and is in her sixth year at Main Street.
“Main Street Middle School is incred-
ibly proud that Bibba Kahn found her way
back to Montpelier five years ago,” said
Main Street Middle School Principal Pam
Arnold, while Montpelier-Roxbury Public
Schools Superintendent Libby Bonesteel
said, “This award could not go to a more
deserving professional. Bibba is an incred-
ibly engaging teacher and the ultimate pro-
fessional. MRPS is extremely lucky to have
her in our family of educators.”
The Bridge discussed with Kahn the
award, her teaching methods, and why the
Montpelier School District wins so much
praise. The interview has been significantly
condensed for printing.
The Bridge: Congratulations on the
award? Have you enjoyed all the attention?
Elisabeth Kahn: It was a pleasure, obvi-
ously, to be recognized, but it’s been a lot.
There are so many remarkable colleagues of
mine in this building, in this district, and
around the state who are equally talented.
What do you think about the concept
of naming someone teacher of the year,
then?
Kahn: Teacher of the Year isn’t necessarily
about who’s the best teacher. It’s about who
is going to be the spokesperson for teach-
ers and students for the next year. In that
way, I think it’s hugely beneficial. I’m really
excited to share with people who I know—
and now know who I am because of this
award—my thoughts on what we’re doing
and what we need to improve education.
What were your students’ reaction to the
award?
Kahn: My students were really sweet, I
Teacher of the Year 2020 Elisabeth Kahn. Photo by Mike Dunphy.
have to say. I was really impressed with the
number of kids who went out of their way
to say congratulations. A couple of students
made me cards.
How do you determine your own success
as a teacher?
Kahn: I determine my success based on my
students’ success. I could have what I think
is an amazing lesson plan that checks all
these boxes for me, but if it doesn’t result
in my students actually learning the mate-
rial or being able to show me that they’ve
learned the material, then I’m not there yet.
What do you think about teaching a
second language in the U.S. or Vermont,
where there are few opportunities to
practice?
Kahn: In the classroom, one of the things
T HE BRID GE
that I try to do is get the students speaking
to each other and me as soon as possible,
because what I think happens to students,
but also particularly happened with me, is
that I was never really forced to speak very
much in class. And so I learned how to read
and write really well, and could conjugate
verbs like a champ, but when I actually had
to speak it, I was too shy and unskilled.
So I try to build speaking activities into
all of the units, starting right in the begin-
ning of their time here in fifth grade.
Like role plays?
Kahn: Yes, there’ll be structured things
like role plays. There’s a speaking assess-
ment that I do as a recorded conversation
where, for example, they are learning how
to order something in a cafe. So we set up
a little “cafe.” Somebody is recording two
T HE BRID GE N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 13
Continued from previous page
kids, and they have a conversation; one of
them is the waiter; one of them’s the cus-
tomer. It’s video so that I can see gestures
and non-verbal communication, too.
Part of their score is not necessarily on
the accuracy of what they’re saying, but
rather could they make themselves under-
stood. Because I think that’s another thing
that got in my way. I felt like I had to get
everything perfect. You can communicate a
lot with gestures.
How would you describe your general
teaching methodology?
Kahn: It’s definitely a hodgepodge of dif-
ferent things. If I had one sort of methodol-
ogy, it would be that I’m trying to reach all
students; I’m trying to make sure that my
curriculum and instruction is accessible to
all of them.
There is a methodology or a series of
guidelines called Universal Design for
Learning, which talks about providing in-
formation in a variety of different ways and
providing lots of choice for students and
how they practice and express their under-
standing. And so I do try to incorporate a
lot of that into it.
If we’re practicing vocabulary, I might
give students a few different ways to prac-
tice. There are kids for whom writing
things down is their bread and butter, so
they might work on a worksheet. There are
definitely students for whom kinesthetic
memory is how they learn best. So they
might do a group practice of charades. Kids
are really great about knowing what it is
that they need and responding to that.
Other than facility in a language, what
does second-language learning give stu-
dents?
Kahn: A few things. But I think for me
perhaps the most important thing for them
is that at the root of learning the language
is the idea that you’re going to be com-
Education
municating with someone from somewhere
else, who doesn’t necessarily have the same
value system, eat the same foods, or wear
the same type of clothing. I think learning
a language gives value to people who may
not be like you. I think it’s really important.
The news release announcing the award
said you were a “middle school teacher
in your bones.” What does that mean?
Kahn: I love middle school kids. I love that
they are playful and a bit more childlike,
and then at the same time, they’re really
capable of serious intellectual inquiry and
conversation. That interplay of those two
things is really great.
I also read that your philosophy is “work
hard, love often, and act with honor.”
How does that apply to what you do?
Kahn: I don’t know if it’s the “kids today”
or technology, but I think sometimes they
worry that if you have to work hard at
something, that means that you’re not good
at it. I really try to emphasize all the time
that everybody has to work hard to learn
a language. It’s like building a muscle, the
more you work, the better you’re gonna be.
The Montpelier school district has a very
good reputation. How do you compare
it to school districts where you worked
previously?
Kahn: This is the only school district
that I’ve worked in in Vermont, and what
I have been really impressed with is the
high expectations our administration has
for the faculty, but also that the faculty
has for itself. They are really committed to
the teaching profession and really driven
to better their practice and improve their
skills. I think the unifying thing is that the
faculty is really engaged and committed to
the success of our students.
PAGE 14 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019
Celebrating 100 Years of Suffrage
By Marilyn Blackwell
A
ugust 26, 2020, will be the 100th
anniversary of the 19th Amend-
ment guaranteeing women the
right to vote. Beginning in the 1840s, the
quest for women’s suffrage became the lon-
gest reform movement in U.S. history.
During those years suffragists were ridi-
culed for wearing bloomers, mocked for
attending school meetings, and condemned
for abandoning their domestic duties. Yet
they persisted. As suffragist Doris Stevens
concluded in 1920, “when all suffrage con-
troversy has died away it will be the little
army of women with their purple, white,
and gold banners, going to prison for their
political freedom that will be remembered.”
To commemorate this historic event, the
League of Women Voters of Vermont has
organized the Vermont Suffrage Centen-
nial Alliance, a statewide coalition of groups
and individual volunteers. The VSCA is
dedicated to informing Vermonters about
the long struggle to attain the vote, the con-
troversies surrounding the movement, and
its incomplete legacy. The organization
hopes to inspire Vermonters to continue the
quest for equal rights and citizenship today.
In addition to a series of programs
throughout the year, the alliance plans
a grand parade and picnic on the State
House lawn on August 22, 2020. Tap-
ping the expertise of writers, educators,
and historians, the VSCA will tell the
story of both national and Vermont suf-
fragists through its website, social media
outreach, and local events. “Votes for
Women,” an exhibit developed at the
Middlebury College Museum of Art, is
already on display there until December
8.
In addition to Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony, many other suf-
fragists from different classes, races, gen-
erations, and regions participated in the
movement. African-American women in
particular have often been left out of the
story. Former slave Sojourner Truth and
reformer Mary Church Terrell, a founder
of the National Association of Colored
Women, were also outspoken suffragists.
Moreover, after 1920 black and other mi-
nority women were still disenfranchised
in many states based upon other legal
restrictions.
In Vermont, the names of suffragists and
the evolution of the movement are even
more obscure, partly because the state was
not in the forefront of expanding rights for
women. Journalist Clarina Howard Nich-
ols of Brattleboro was the first to face
Vermont’s intractable lawmakers. In 1852
she petitioned and addressed the legislature
seeking women’s right to vote in school
meetings while facing considerable resis-
tance and ridicule. Nichols left what she
called, “conservative old Vermont,” with
its entrenched legal system for Kansas Ter-
ritory, where she sought to exclude slavery
from the new state and pursue women’s
rights. As a result of her activism, the
Kansas Constitution guaranteed women’s
equality in all school affairs.
It was not until 1880 that Vermont law-
makers finally passed legislation allowing
taxpaying women to vote in school dis-
tricts. Believing that women’s place was
in the home, not in rowdy political meet-
ings, legislators were more apt to accept
their demands to eliminate alcohol. After
the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union
began agitating for suffrage, they finally
passed the school measure.
It took another 37 years before Vermont
lawmakers accepted taxpaying women as
political equals at town meeting. Session
after session, from 1884 until 1917, mem-
bers of the Vermont Woman’s Suffrage
Association, sought to attain municipal suf-
frage with little success.
Lobbyist Annette Parmelee of Enosburg
Falls hovered over the Legislature, hop-
ing to win over lawmakers with witty re-
marks and earning the nickname, the “Suf-
frage Hornet.” Her opponents repeatedly
claimed that women had not appeared at
school meetings and did not even want the
vote, though the men would be “pleased
to hear from them” when they did. In-
deed, most women in Vermont did not
own property on which they paid taxes to
qualify as voters.
Lucy Daniels, who did own property,
had watched the movement wax and wane
from the small village of Grafton before
she felt compelled to publicize her frustra-
tion. In 1911 she refused to pay her local
taxes to protest her disfranchisement, gain-
ing her considerable notoriety. In response,
town officials attached and auctioned off
her bank stock. Daniels also emblazoned
T HE BRID GE
VT History
Advertisement for Annette Parmelee
presentation in Randolph, 1917.
courtesy of the Vermont Historical
Society.
one of her buildings with the words, “A-
SQUARE-DEAL, Votes for Vermont
Women.” Later she stood beside Alice Paul
and other members of the Woman’s Party
in front of the White House as a “Silent
Sentinel,” demanding action from Presi-
dent Woodrow Wilson. Arrested and jailed
several times, she endured name-calling
and vandalism at home.
Women in Vermont mounted their own
protest in response to the intransigence
of Gov. Percival Clement. With only one
state remaining to ratify the amendment in
1920, Vermont stood to become the victory
state, the “Perfect 36.” But Clement refused
to call a special session of the legislature
for that purpose, although he had received
more than 1,600 letters and petitions urg-
ing him to do so.
In April of that year suffragists organized
a mammoth protest, the “March of 400,”
when women traveled through muddy
roads, snow, and driving rain to the State-
house to press the issue, but to no avail. As
a result, Tennessee became the “Perfect 36.”
Vermont finally ratified the amendment in
February 1921.
For additional information and to sup-
port voting rights, visit vtsuffrage2020.org.
Historian Marilyn Blackwell, Ph.D., is a
member of the VSCA.
T HE BRID GE
Marker Chronicles City’s Flood History
By Tom Brown
T
he next time you walk from Buch
Spieler or Global Gifts across the
Langdon Street bridge toward
the Courthouse, look up. At the end of
the bridge and higher than a basketball
hoop above your head is a reminder of
how vulnerable the city is to catastrophic
flooding.
A new signpost above the North Branch
River, along with an explanatory plaque,
chronicles the history of high water in
the Capital City. The highest mark com-
memorates the water level during the No-
vember 1927 flood and looms more than
11 feet above the sidewalk, and at 533.9
feet above sea level, is nearly 14 feet above
flood stage.
While there have been several danger-
ous floods in Montpelier since then, none
has been as costly or lethal as the 1927
event that killed nearly 100 people and
affected the entire state. Much of the rea-
son for that is the construction during the
1930s of flood control dams at Wrights-
ville, Waterbury, and East Barre.
The signpost, conceived and erected by
the U.S. Geological Survey, also depicts
our more contemporary flood events,
such as the 1992 ice jam and a pair of
incidents in 2011.
The marker is a tribute to former USGS
“Greg Hilgendorf was very instrumen-
tal in (developing) stream gauges in Ver-
mont, which have helped protect people
and property,” said Keith Robinson, di-
rector of the New England Water Science
Center for USGS. “This display reflects
the value we have for him.”
James Shanley of the Montpelier USGS
office said Hilgendorf was more than de-
serving of the tribute.
“Greg was very conscientious in his
work, which required going out in all
kinds of weather, making measurements
in hip waders in rushing waters and hav-
ing the patience to stay and get it right
before getting back in the warm truck,”
Shanley said. “He covered the stream
gages in the central Vermont area, includ-
ing North Branch, and it was so fitting
that we could memorialize him in this
Photo by Tom Brown.
Montpelier employee Greg Hilgendorf,
who died unexpectedly in 2016. His
widow, Cathy, and close co-worker Bob
Brown unveiled the informational plaque
at a ceremony on October 25.
N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 15
City News
way at one of his work sites.”
Stream gauges (the USGS prefers the
alternate spelling of gage) located on riv-
ers around the state have greatly improved
the monitoring of water levels and provide
federal, state, and local officials with early
warning of rising rivers and streams.
A stream monitoring station located
near Green Mount Cemetery on Route
2 keeps vigil by recording the height and
volume of water flowing down the Win-
ooski River every 15 minutes. Another
gauge is located near the Wrightsville
dam. The Langdon Street station records
water level only, replacing a truly ana-
log method of manually checking depth
marks painted on a retaining wall.
River watchers can receive text alerts or
monitor the gauges at home by visiting
waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt.
PAGE 16 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019
Help Hunger Mountain Fill Holiday Packs
E
very December for the past 16
years, Hunger Mountain Co-op
has supported local organizations
and schools by donating grocery bags
filled with nutritious food.
To fill the Holiday Grocery Bags with
high-need, healthy staples, the Co-op col-
laborates with Northfield Savings Bank,
Co-op members, shoppers, and vendors
such as Vermont Coffee Company, Cabot
Creamery, Albert’s Organics, and La Pan-
ciata Bakery. Through these partnerships,
the Co-op sources high-quality, nutritious
products, including organic peanut but-
ter, local apples, and freshly baked bread,
to fill 650 grocery bags. The retail value
of each Holiday Grocery Bag is more than
$30.
In mid-December, volunteers and
Co-op staff members will gather at the
Vermont Foodbank’s warehouse in Barre
to assemble this year’s bags. Five local
organizations and three area schools,
including Barre City Elementary, Barre
Town School, Central Vermont Home
Health and Hospice, the Family Center
T HE BRID GE
Community
of Washington County, the Montpelier Photo courtesy of Hunger Mountain Co-op.
Food Pantry, the Montpelier Senior Ac-
tivity Center, Union Elementary School,
and the Washington Elves, will pick up
the packed bags for direct distribution to
their clients, students, and families.
When you shop at Hunger Mountain
Co-op now through December 30, you
can choose to Give Change by rounding
up your total to the nearest dollar. All
of the change collected at the register in
November and December will purchase
healthy pantry staples to fill this year’s
Holiday Grocery Bags. Co-op members
interested in volunteering to pack grocery
bags can email info@hungermountain.
coop or call (802) 262-3202.
Help a neighbor in need year-round
just by remembering your bags! For each
reusable bag that you use, the Co-op will
donate five cents to the Montpelier Food
Pantry. In three years, Hunger Moun-
tain Co-op shoppers have raised nearly
$33,000 for our local food pantry.
Text supplied by Hunger Mountain Co-op.
T HE BRID GE
Reclaiming the Union Co-op Bakery
By Carolyn Shapiro
W
hen the Barre Historical So-
ciety acquired the Union Co-
operative Bakery in 2004, the
building was a shell, with a cracked brick
wall, no utilities, and holes in the roof.
For many years, it was used by gran-
ite companies to store their equipment.
But one day the Barre Historical Soci-
ety began to fantasize about returning
the building to what the Italian granite
workers in 1913 wanted—a wood-fired
bakery for the Barre community.
Because the building is on the Na-
tional Register for Historic Buildings,
different parts of it had to remain as
historic elements during the five-year
renovation. The society also did not want
to disrupt the inside brick walls, where
there were indications of the original
wood-fired oven, which had disappeared.
And where did this wood fired oven
go? One day, as we were building the
new oven with the help of Daniel Wing,
an older man came to the door and said
he had helped dismantle the original
oven and that it was laid down on the
floor and covered with concrete. Mystery
solved!
One of our big challenges was figuring
out how to renovate the building so it
would be safe from flood damage be-
cause the bakery is in a flood plain. We
decided to let the flood waters move in
and out of the building through “flood
flaps.” With the flood level being three-
and-a-half feet above floor level, insula-
tion that could dry out and other water-
resistant materials were used in the lower
four feet of the walls, and all electrical
and other mechanical equipment are at
least four feet off the floor.
Our next big hurdles were electric,
water, and sewage. With the help of
Barre City workers, we located a water
line just feet away from the bakery that
had run to factories once behind the
bakery. The sewage was more difficult
because the old line to the street was
corroded. Instead of digging up the
parking lot, we were given permission
to go through the basement of the Old
Labor Hall.
That might sound simple, but getting
through the large granite foundation
stones was incredibly hard. Fortunately
we are in a place where workers know
about granite. We made it through the
foundation stone at the back of the
building but hired a granite worker with
a 24-inch drill to go through the stone
at the front. He barely made it. Since
the city had contracted to do drainage
work on Granite Street, we worked with
the company to connect the sewer. We
were never so happy to see a toilet suc-
cessfully flush!
Photo by of Andrew Shapiro.
Renovation of the building also helped
us meet our goal of working with young
people, and students worked side-by-
side with professionals, learning skills
required to renovate an historic struc-
ture. YouthBuild—a nonprofit organiza-
tion that provides education, counsel-
ing, and job skills to unemployed young
American adults—has been involved in
rebuilding the bakery from the begin-
ning, replacing the roof and repairing the
brick walls.
The Central Vermont Career Center
N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 17
Renovation
had students from its electrical program
shadowing and learning from a master
electrician, and students built the cub-
bies for bakery workshop participants.
U-32 students worked with maple from
a local family to build the wooden tables
in the bakery.
Having youths work with profes-
sionals has helped teens build on their
knowledge, skills, and values. One of the
YouthBuild teens said teens often don’t
have a good work ethic, and projects like
this help to reclaim that ethic.
In mid-October, our dream was real-
ized, with the opening of Rise Up Bak-
ery, headed by baker Jim Haas. Come
join us, have some bread, and enjoy the
fact that Rise Up Bakery is once again
baking bread in a wood fired oven as it
did 106 years ago. But also take time to
note the hard work of the many dedi-
cated people who brought the historic
building back to life.
Carolyn Shapiro is a Labor Hall activist
who launched a successful capital cam-
paign to raise the $250,000 needed for
renovation.
PAGE 18 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019
Shared-use Path Links Cross VT Trail
By J. Gregory Gerdel
T
he completion of Montpelier’s
shared use recreation path marks
a milestone in the longtime effort
to connect a system of trails from Lake
Champlain to the Connecticut River.
The new construction connects
Montpelier’s bike path with the Gallison
Hill area and sets the stage for a bridge to
be built across the Winooski River and an
off-road path to East Montpelier, further
advancing the goal of a Cross Vermont
Trail.
The Montpelier section will be cel-
ebrated at 3:15 pm Friday afternoon, No-
vember 8, with a formal ribbon-cutting,
a public bike ride and walk along the
riverbank path, and a reception at Cale-
donia Spirits.
It will also be an occasion to practice
pronunciation of the path’s official name:
Siboinebi (pronounced see-bo-WEE-
neh-bee), which means “River Water” in
Abenaki.
City Project Manager Tom McAr-
dle said that the $6.5 million path was
funded through a combination of federal
(81.08 percent), state (8.92 percent), and
local funds (10 percent). The final cost for
the path included design, updates to the
design, purchase of rights-of-way, and the
actual construction of the project from
Pioneer Street to the intersection of Power
Dam Road on Gallison Hill Road, just
across from the Central Vermont Civic
Center.
Winter use of the path is still under dis-
cussion, McArdle said. Because it is more
a recreational facility than a route for
regular commuter access, clearing snow
will be a low priority for the city sidewalk
plows, he added. One possibility is that
the Parks Department might groom the
Photo by J. Gregory Gerdel.
path for snowshoeing and cross country
skiing.
City Project Management Director
Corey Line is the point person for the
Transportation Infrastructure Commit-
tee, which will be discussing any plans for
winter maintenance of the path. (He can
be contacted at Montpelier Public Works
at 223-9508.)
Greg Western, executive director of the
Cross Vermont Trail Association, reports
that the next, eastbound section of the
trail will “keep the momentum going
and extend the bike path up to U-32 and
across East Montpelier, including reopen-
T HE BRID GE
City News
ing the old railroad bed with a new 200-
foot bridge over the Winooski River.” He
expects work on that section could be
underway next year.
November 8 Ceremony
• Cross Vermont Trail Association repre-
sentatives will lead two waves (2:15 pm
and 2:30 pm) of bike rides from the Cale-
donia Spirits parking lot to the site of the
forthcoming Winooski bridge construc-
tion (6 miles, roundtrip). Walkers can
also park at the Civic Center and walk
the 2-mile round-trip down Power Dam
Road (future Cross Vermont Trail route)
to the bridge site and back to their cars.
• A pre-ribbon-cutting event will be held
at 2:45 pm at Caledonia Spirits. Food
and drink will be available for purchase
from Kismet and live music will entertain
returning riders and early arrivers.
• The ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for
3:15 pm at Caledonia Spirits. All are en-
couraged to gather back at the distillery
for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and the
official naming of the path.
T HE BRID GE Calendar of Events N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 19

Community Performing
Arts
THEATER, DANCE,
STORYTELLING, COMEDY

Events
Events happening
November 6‒22
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Walk-Through Wednesday Open House
at Orchard Valley. An introductory visit to
the OVWS grades school on our Grace Farm
campus. Campus tour and Q&A time, too.
8:30–9:30 am. Orhard Valley Waldorf School,
2290 Rt. 14N, East Montpelier. Register:
enrollment@ovws.org or 456-7400
Where Are All The Great Women Artists? In
a TED-style talk with slide presentation, artist
August Burns will discuss what makes art great,
looking at the exclusion of half the population in
Western art history. An Osher Lifelong Learning
Insititute program. 1:30 pm. Montpelier Senior
Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. $5
suggested donation; free for OLLI members.
Mood Disorders Support Group. A professional
and peer-led support group. We share our
experience, strength and hope on the wellness
journey. For people with depression, bipolar
disorder, seasonal affective disorder, dysthymia
etc. Every Wed., 4–5 p.m., Redfield House 149
State St., (Last Entryway, First Floor) Montpelier.
Free. 917-1959 or 377-0517.
Sea Turtle Conservation Presentation.
Middlesex photographer Elliot Burg shares
his images and experiences documenting the
sea turtle conservation work of Javier Mayo
Huerta and Lucy Carmona Liborio along
Mexico’s Pacific Coast. 6–7 pm. North Branch
Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier. Free.
northbranchnaturecenter.org
Re-peopling Vermont: How We Got to Where
At 3:15 pm, return to Barr Hill for the ribbon-
cutting ceremony. Food and drink available for
purchase. Live music.
Art and Author Night with the Quirky
Quartet and Author Nadine Budbill. Art
exhibit with four Plainfield artists at 6 pm.
Nadine Budbill reads at 7 pm. Budbill, David
Budbill’s daughter and literary executor, will read
selections from her late father’s poetry. Jaquith
Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield.
jaquithpubliclibrary.org
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9
Fueling Senior Power. Forum presented by the
Vermont Chapter of the Alliance for Retired
Americans. What can YOU do to improve Senior
programs? Our speakers can encourage and
educate you to recognize and use your ‘power’.
Speakers include former Governor Madeline
Kunin and Richard Fiesta, National Director of
the Alliance of Retired Americans. 9 am–1 pm.
Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. $5.
Santa Workshop Sale. 9 am–3 pm. See
description under Nov. 8.
Chapters in History Four: Turmoil
Perennially Swirling. Free reading and
discussion series of presidential biographies.
November’s book is Eisenhower in War and
Peace by Jean Edward Smith. Books are
available for loan from the library. 2 pm. Jaquith
Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield.
jaquithpubliclibrary.org
5th Annual Vermont Book Award Gala. With
finalists Sue Burton, Michael Collier, Anna
Maria Hong, Daphne Kalmar, Jason Lutes,
Nov. 7: Rhapsody in Black. A prismatic look at life on the color line as Leland Gantt presents a
poignant, engaging, and often hilarious travelogue through the psyche of the perpetual “other.” This
one-man show is directed by Oscar winner and American Theatre Hall-of-Famer Estelle Parsons. 7
pm. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 122 Hourglass Dr., Stowe. $15. sprucepeakarts.org
Nov. 7–10: Bronte. A play about the lives of sister novelists Ann, Charlotte and Emily Bronte. Nov.
7–9 at 7 pm; Nov. 10 at 2 pm. Northern Vermont University-Johnson, Dibden Center for the Arts.
$5. NorthernVermont.edu
Nov. 8–10, 15–17: Plainfield Little Theatre presents Moonshine in Vermont. Set in a fictional
Vermont town during the Prohibition Era, the play is a mixture of comedy, romance, and drama,
with a cast of great local talent. 7:30 pm. Haybarn Theatre, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Rd.,
Plainfield. $15. 229-5290. blachly@together.net
Nov. 14: The Little Engine That Could. A dynamic, song-filled adventure that portrays Watty
Piper’s timeless tale about hard work, determination, and loyalty. 10 am. Chandler Center for the
Arts, Main St., Randolph. $8. chandler-arts.org
Nov. 14: Cashore Marionettes presents The Simple Gifts. A program for the entire family,
The Cashore Marionettes are unmatched in artistry, grace, and refinement of movement. The
internationally acclaimed Cashore Marionettes redefine the art of puppetry. 11 am. Adults $25;
students $10; seniors 20% off. Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro.
highlandartsvt.org
Nov. 15: Comedian Lafayette Wright. Wright has performed in the 202 Comedy Festival in
Washington and on Kevin Hart’s Comedy Central show “Hart of the City.” 8 pm. Northern
Vermont University–Lyndon, Alexander Twilight Theatre. Free. NorthernVermont.edu
Nov. 16: RUBBERBAND Dance Group. The Montreal-based RUBBERBAND Dance Group will
perform its fusion of ballet, breakdancing, and dance theater. 7 pm. Northern Vermont University–
Johnson, Dibden Center for the Arts. $22–45. NorthernVermont.edu
Nov. 16: DANCE Works In Progress. By faculty and students of Contemporary Dance & Fitness
Studio. Multiple genres and ages. Inspiring and impressive! 7 pm. 18 Langdon St. 3rd floor,
Montpelier. $10 donation. 229-4676.
Nov. 21–23: Hazen Union Drama Club presents Once Upon a Mattress. Based upon the famous
fairy tale The Princess and the Pea, Once Upon a Mattress tells the story of a Princess of noble birth,
unable to sleep on a bed despite its many stacked mattresses, because of a tiny pea placed underneath
the bottom layer. Nov. 21 and 22 at 7 pm; Nov. 23 at 2 pm. Highland Center for the Arts,
2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro. Adults $12; students/seniors $8. highlandartsvt.org
Nov 22: Kathleen Kanz Comedy Hour. A wide range of talented standup comics from here and
away working longer sets. 8:30 pm. Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Barre. Free/by donation.
479-0896. espressobueno.com

Subscribe!
We Are. 7 pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Kekla Magoon, Rebecca Makkai, Leath Tonino,
Main St., Montpelier. and Tony Whedon. 6:30 pm. Vermont College
of Fine Arts, Alumnx Hall, 45 College St.,
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7
Montpelier. $45. vcfa. edu

Acupuncture Talk Series: Treatment SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10

of Depression with Acupuncture and
Chinese Medicine. With Christina
Ducharme, LAc. MAOM. 6:30 pm. Jaquith
Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield.
blueheronacupuncturevt.com
Black Elk. Black Elk, an Oglala of the Lakota
Sioux, survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn
and the massacre at Wounded Knee, became a
Catholic in 1904. In 2017 the Vatican authorized
Dance, Sing, and Jump Around! A family dance
for all ages. Circle and line dances and singing
games, all taught and called. Live traditional Don’t miss out. Receive both issues each
music. 3–4:30 pm. Capital City Grange, Rt. 12, month—mailed directly to your home.
Berlin. Free for children. $5 suggested donation
for adults. No one turned away. 223-1509. That’s just $40 for 24 issues per year.
Best of VTIFF 2019 – Toni Morrison:
The Pieces I Am. Presented by the Vermont

his cause for canonization as a saint in the
Catholic Church. The presenter, Dr. Damian
Costello is a vice-postulator of Black Elk’s cause
for his canonization, and author of Black Elk:
Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism. 7 pm. St.
Augustine Church, 16 Barre St., Montpelier.
223-5285.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Santa Workshop Sale. Nov 8–9. Collectibles,
crafts, baked goods. 9 am–5 pm. Waterbury
Center Community Church, Rt. 100 (next to
Cold Hollow Cider Mill), Waterbury Center.
244-8089.
Fit over Fifty: Conditioning. Squats and lunges
with weights and deep ab/butt/thigh work. 11
am–noon. Contemporary Dance & Fitness
Studio, Langdon St., Montpelier. $5; $4 for
MSAC members. 229-4676.
Shared-Use Path Ribbon Cutting. A
celebration of the completion of Montpelier’s
shared-use path will begin. At 2:15 pm, walk or
bike the path from Caledonia Spirits at Gin Lane.
The Bridge
International Film Festival. An artful and intimate
meditation on the life and works of the legendary
storyteller and Nobel prize-winner. 3 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St.,
Greensboro. $10. highlandartsvt.org
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11
Fit over Fifty: Yoga. Work slowly and deeply
to develop strength, flexibility, alignment, and
balance. Noon–1 pm. Contemporary Dance &
Fitness Studio, Langdon St., Montpelier. $5; $4
for MSAC members. 229-4676
Film Screening: “13th.” Director Ava
DuVernay’s 2016 documentary “13th,” about
the impact of race on the U.S. criminal justice
system. 4:30 pm. Northern Vermont University-
Johnson, Room 207, Bentley Hall. Free.
NorthernVermont.edu To Subscribe, send a check:
The Bridge
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Introductory Oral History Workshop.
P.O. Box 1143,
Includes an overview of oral history theory and Montpelier, VT, 05601
method, a demonstration interview, a discussion
PAGE 20 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 Calendar of Events T HE BRID GE

Visual Arts
EXHIBITS
Through Nov. 9: Helen Day Art Center. 90
Pond St., Stowe. helenday.com
Main Gallery: Unbroken Current.
Investigates cultural and personal identity,
social justice, and history through the lens of
photography, painting, sculpture, and mixed
media.
East Gallery: Studio of Archeo-virtual
Spiritings. Greek artist Vasilis Zografos’
new body of paintings reveals the medium’s
enduring relevance in today’s digital image
culture by examining the tension between
memorialization and design, commemoration
and utility, reflection and affordance, in a
series of oils on paper that draw upon an
archaeological rather than a Modernist
tradition.
Through Nov. 14: 90s Reign. An exhibit
of work by students in Northern Vermont
University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts animation
and illustration program. Quimby Gallery
at Northern Vermont University’s Lyndon
campus. NorthernVermont.edu
Through Nov. 30: The Front presents
SHOW 35. Recent works by the membership
of Montpelier’s sole collective art gallery.
6 Barre St., Montpelier. info@thefrontvt.com
Through Nov. 30: Dennis Lucas. An
impressionist painter whose work focuses on
the ever-changing light and its effects on color
in nature. Lucas, who enjoys this diverse light
and temperature of the four seasons, paints and
exhibits throughout New England. Kellogg-
Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Nov. 13–Dec. 17: CELEBRATE! Enjoy a 7, 5–7 pm. Artist Talk: Dec. 6, 5 pm. T.W.
dennislucas.com
Through Nov. 30: Color Chorus. Abstract
3-floor fine art and craft extravaganza with
work created by more than 80 SPA member
Wood Gallery, 46 Barre St., Montpelier.
twwoodgallery.org
artists, including decorative and functional
landscape paintings by Julia Jensen and fabric
items for the household, ornaments, jewelry, SPECIAL EVENTS
collages by Elizabeth Bunsen. Opening
reception: Nov. 8, 6 pm. ART, etc., 32 Depot cards, and more. Reception: Nov. 16, Nov. 6: Artist Talk at The Front. Glen
Square, Northfield. artetcvt@gmail.com 4–6 pm. Studio Place Arts, 201 N. Main St., Coburn Hutcheson will present his class “How
Barre. studioplacearts.com to Draw Everything.” Hasso Ewing will follow
Through Dec. 4: Art Show: A Multi-media with a presentation of her work. Each talk
Collection of Works by the Paletteers of Through Dec. 21: 200 Years—200
Objects. An exhibition celebrating Norwich will include an opportunity for questions and
Vermont. Montpelier Senior Activity Center discussion. 7–8 pm. 6 Barre St., Montpelier.
community room, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. University’s bicentennial. Curated to include
objects from the museum collection, as well Free. thefrontvt.com
Through Dec. 14: Studio Place Arts presents as documents and images from Archives and Nov. 8: I AM… Panel Discussion. The
Northward. Paintings by Elizabeth Nelson. On Special Collections, that reflect and retell conversation, moderated by Shanta Lee Gander,
display at Morse Block Deli, 60 N. Main St., the university’s 200-year history. Norwich will include some of the artists included in
Barre. studioplacearts.com University Sullivan Museum and History the exhibition “I AM…” that explores what it
Center, Northfield. norwich.edu
Nov. 8–Dec. 20: I AM… A multimedia means to be a Vermont artist: Christal Brown
exhibition that explores what it means to be Through Dec. 27: Janie Cohen, Rogue (dancer and choreographer), Toby MacNutt
a Vermont artist. The exhibit features the Cloth Work. The artist’s body of work (disabled multidisciplinary artist, author, and
work of more than twenty artists and will combines and transforms hand-stitched teacher), Will Kasso (mural artist, educator,
include two-dimensional art as well as music pieces of old cloth into new contexts—with and community organizer), and Vera Longtoe
and sound, spoken word, poetry, dance, some inspired by their histories and others Sheehan (Abenaki culture bearer, master artist,
and movement within a digital compilation. by formal concerns or visual associations. educator, and activist). The panelists will explore
Opening reception: Nov. 8, 5 pm. Vermont Vermont Supreme Court Gallery, 111 State St., the ways in which their own art forms and
Arts Council Spotlight Gallery, 136 State St., Montpelier. roguestitcher.com life experiences inform their work as Vermont
Montpelier. vermontartscouncil.org artists. 4 pm, Vermont History Museum,
Through Jan. 2: The Quirky Quartet. Art State St., Montpelier. The exhibit will be on
Through Dec. 20: Robert Mallory Klein, The exhibit with four Plainfield artists. Reception:
display at the Vermont Arts Council Spotlight
Character of the Kingdom. Paintings of the Nov. 8, 6 pm. Jaquith Public Library, 122
villages and hamlets of Vermont’s Northeast Gallery through Dec. 20.
School St., Marshfield.
Kingdom. Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Nov. 15–17: The Paine Mountain Arts
Hardwick St., Greensboro. highlandartsvt.org Through Jan. 3: Elliot Burg and Athena Council’s annual Northfield Art Show. Local
Petra Tasiopoulos. In 2018, Burg traveled artists from Northfield, Roxbury, Brookfield,
Through Dec. 20: Kate Emlen, Breathe the to Havana, Cuba, to capture portraits and
Wind. Emlen’s paintings explore the power and photograph musicians and dancers in the Williamstown, Braintree, Riverton, and Berlin
mystery of the natural world. Imagery shifts will be showcasing a variety of art forms.
streets playing music and moving their Nov. 15 at noon–9 pm; Nov. 16 at 10 am–6
between disintegration and integration through bodies to the rhythms of salsa and reggaetón.
the use of light and shadow, color, and form. pm; Nov. 17 at noon–4 pm. Brown Public
Tasiopoulos is a mixed media collage artist Library Community Room, 93 S. Main St.,
White River Gallery, 35 S. Windsor St., South and fine art photographer. Reception: Nov.
Royalton. 498-8438 Northfield.

of recording techniques, practice with equipment,
and a brief discussion of digital file management.
9:30 am–3:30 pm. Jaquith Public Library, 122
School St., Marshfield. Pre-registration required:
426-3581.
Fall Prevention. Free classes with TaiChi. All
ages and beginners welcome. Every Tues. and
Thurs., 10–11 am. Twin Valley Senior Center,
4583 Rt. 2, East Montpelier. 223-3322.
Filmmaker Matt Sullivan. Part of NVU-
Lyndon’s Meet the Artist series. 11:30 am.
Northern Vermont University-Lyndon, Room
111, Harvey Academic Center. Free. Barclay.
Tucker@NorthernVermont.edu
Fit over Fifty: Tap Exercise! No experience
needed. Basic steps, lots of repetition. 11 am–
noon. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio,
Langdon St., Montpelier. $5; $4 for MSAC
members. 229-4676.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13
Fit over Fifty: Dance & Stretch. Easy to follow
dance move, great music, thorough stretch. 11
am–noon. Contemporary Dance & Fitness
Studio, Langdon St., Montpelier. $5; $4 for
MSAC members. 229-4676.
Fit over Fifty: Yoga. Work slowly and deeply
to develop strength, flexibility, alignment, and
balance. 12:05–1 pm. Contemporary Dance &
Fitness Studio, Langdon St., Montpelier. $5; $4
for MSAC members. 229-4676.
3D Printing Demystified. Ezra Ranz, an artist,
engineer, and entrepreneur, will explain, show
examples and talk about the range of opportunities
that are possible with this revolutionary
technology. An Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
program. 1:30 pm. Montpelier Senior Activity
Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. $5 suggested
donation; free for OLLI members.
Mood Disorders Support Group. See description
under Nov. 6.
Learn more about GENUINE with
Sarah Lipton. Sarah Lipton, Founder of
GENUINE, Inc., a global network designed
to transform society through genuine
community by empowering and amplifying
the voices of women and their allies navigating
life transition, will lead a conversation about
what it means to be genuine and stop holding
back. 5:15–6:15 pm. The North Branch Café,
41 State St. Montpelier. Free. RSVP by Nov.
12: info@GenuineNetwork.org
Fighting Hunger in Our Community.
Every person can play a role in ending hunger
in our state, a problem facing 1 in 10 of our
neighbors. Learn about the status of hunger in
Vermont, and explore a wide range of ways to
get involved in the work to end the injustice of
hunger for all.
6–7:30 pm. Hunger Mountain Co-op
community room, Montpelier. Sign-up:
info@hungermountain.coop
Mentally Intune—A Community Chorus for
People Living with Depression. Come sing for
the joy and fun of it and to connect with others
like yourself! No experience or talent required.
2nd and 4th Wednesdays, 6:30–8 pm. Rumney
School, Middlesex. 272-7209.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14
Fall Prevention. Free classes with Tai Chi. All
ages and beginners welcome. Every Tues. and
Thurs., 10–11 am. Twin Valley Senior Center,
4583 Rt. 2, East Montpelier. 223-3322.
Staying Healthy in Mind, Body, and Spirit.
The lack of sunlight, coupled with winter holidays,
can trigger stress and anxiety. Create personal
goals and learn powerful mood supporting and
stress managing strategies. 6–7:30 pm. Hunger
T HE BRID GE Calendar of Events N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 21

Live Music
VENUES
Bagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. 229-9212.
Bagitos.com
Nov. 7: Coffee Corner Jam Session, 7:30 am
Nov. 9: Brunch with Barry Bender, 11 am;
Irish Session, 2 pm
Nov. 10: Southern Old Time Music Jam,
10 am
Nov. 16: Brunch with Barry Bender, 11 am;
Irish Session, 2 pm
Nov. 17: Eric Friedman, 11 am
Nov. 21: Coffee Corner Jam Session, 7:30 am
Charlie O’s World Famous. 70 Main St.
Montpelier. Free. 223-6820.
Every Tues.: Karaoke, 7:30 pm
Espresso Bueno. 248 N. Main St., Barre.
479-0896. espressobueno.com.
Nov 9: Jazzyaoke (live jazz karaoke),
7:30 pm, $5
Nov 22: Umlaut (polka rock), 7:30 pm
Whammy Bar. 31 W. County Rd., Calais.
whammybar1.com
Every Thurs.: Open Mic, 7 pm
SPECIAL EVENTS
Nov. 8–10: Scrag Mountain Music
presents The Lullaby Project. A series
of heartwarming fall concerts featuring
childhood-inspired music for soprano, harp,
viola, and double bass, plus new lullabies
created with parents at the Lund Residential
Program. Joining Scrag co-Artistic
Directors Mary Bonhag (soprano) and
Evan Premo (double bass) are guest artists
Jason Amos (viola) and Jacqueline Kerrod
(harp) on selections including Alec Wilder’s
“Lullabies and Night Songs,” Benjamin
Britten’s “Folksongs,” Manuel de Falla’s
“Siete canciones populares Españolas,”
and The Weavers’ “Tomorrow Lies in the
Cradle” which will be presented together
with the new lullabies created in the
community. “Come as you are. Pay what
you can.” scragmountainmusic.org
Nov. 8: 7:30 pm, Contois Auditorium
in Burlington City Hall, 149 Church St,
Burlington
Nov. 9: 7:30 pm, Unitarian Church, 130
Main St., Montpelier
Nov. 10: 4 pm, Warren United Church,
339 Main St., Warren
Nov. 9: Beg, Steal or Borrow. Bluegrass. such as Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Greg
7:30 pm. Chandler Center for the Arts, Brown, and Abigail Washburn. 7:30 pm.
Main St., Randolph. By donation. Chandler Center for the Arts, Main St.,
chandler-arts.org Randolph. By donation. chandler-arts.org
Nov. 9–10: Eleva Chamber Players Nov. 16: Neave Trio. Violinist Anna
presents Suite Sounds. The concert Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and
celebrates exquisite string orchestra music pianist Eri Nakamura. 7:30 pm. Chandler
from Scandinavia and Russia. Works Center for the Arts, Main St., Randolph.
include: Carl Nielsen’s “Little Suite for $25. chandler-arts.org
Strings,” Edvard Grieg’s “Holberg Suite”
and Piotr Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece
“Serenade for Strings.” $20; seniors/students
$10. elevachamberplayers.org
Nov. 9: 7 pm, United Church of Christ/
Waterbury Congregational Church, 8 N.
Main St., Waterbury
Nov. 10: 3 pm, The Inn at Round Barn
Farm, 1661 E Warren Rd., Waitsfield.
Pre-concert reception at 2:30 pm.
Nov. 15: Ricky Skaggs. Country-
bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs and
his band Kentucky Thunder. 7 pm.
Northern Vermont University-Lyndon,
Stannard Gymnasium. $39–49.
NorthernVermont.edu Send your event listing to
Nov. 15: Joshua Davis. A prolific calendar@
songwriter who has shared the stage with a montpelierbridge.com
“Who’s Who” of American folk music icons

Mountain Co-op community room, Montpelier.
$8 members; $10 non-members. Sign-up:
info@hungermountain.coop
Acupuncture Talk Series: Immune
System Support with Acupuncture
and Chinese Medicine. With Christina
Ducharme, LAc. MAOM. 6:30 pm. Jaquith
Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield.
blueheronacupuncturevt.com
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15
AARP Fraudwatch Presentation Series:
Weapons of Fraud. With Bill April. An overview
of the leading scams, techniques of con-artists,
and discussion of the steps to take to avoid
victimization. 1–2:15 pm. Montpelier Senior
Activity Center Community Room, 58 Barre St.,
Montpelier.
Soul Collage. A process that begins as simple,
creative fun which may surprise and awaken
you; access your intuition and create a card
with deep personal meaning to help with life’s
questions. 5–7 pm. Hunger Mountain Co-
op community room, Montpelier. Sign-up:
info@hungermountain.coop
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Berlin Fall Scholastic Chess Tournament.
Open to all abilities for kids in grades K through
12. Berlin Elementary School. Full details at:
vtchess.info/Events/17th_Berlin_VT_Fall_
Scholastic.htm
Winter Clothing Drive. Free good quality
clothing is available at the Old Schoolhouse
Common gym. If you have good quality
clothes to donate, please drop them off at
the library during the week before the event.
9 am–1 pm. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School
St., Marshfield. jaquithpubliclibrary.org
Artisan and Craft Market/Annual Soup
Luncheon. Local Vermont artisans and crafters
offering a great variety of handcrafted and
homemade items and baked goods. Market
9 am–4 pm; luncheon 11 am–2 pm. United
Church of Northfield, 58 S. Main St., Northfield.
Luncheon $6.
Peoples’ Health & Wellness Clinic’s 25th
Anniversary. Volunteers will be honored, small
plates and drinks are available by purchase, and
the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra will provide music.
PHWC provides primary medical and dental
care and wellness education to the uninsured
and underinsured community members of
Central Vermont. 5–7 pm. Old Labor Hall,
46 Granite St., Barre. By donation. phwcvt.org
Montpelier Contra Dance. Adina Gordon
calling and music by Russet Trio. No experience
and no partner needed. All dances are taught
plus an introductory session at 7:45 pm. Capital
City Grange Hall, 6612 Rt. 12, Berlin. Adults
$10; kids and low income $5; dance supporters
$15. Please bring clean, soft-soled shoes.
capitalcitygrange.org
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19
Fall Prevention. Free classes with TaiChi. All ages
and beginners welcome. Every Tues. and Thurs.,
10–11 am. Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 Rt. 2,
East Montpelier. 223-3322.
Resolving Workplace Body Pain (Part 2). A
2-part Real Health Talk exploring and reversing
pain patterns related to prolonged sitting, gait
abnormalities, and postural dynamics. Part 2:
Identifying and reversing postural dysfunction
NOW! 6:30–7:30 pm. Hunger Mountain
Co-op community room, Montpelier. Sign-up:
info@hungermountain.coop
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Mood Disorders Support Group. See
description under Nov. 6
Introduction to Appreciative Living.
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is a successful
methodology embraced by organizations and
communities around the world to lead positive
changes. Learn a new way to see the world that
will help you become more positive, resilient,
and joyful. 6–7:30 pm. Hunger Mountain
Co-op community room, Montpelier. Sign-up:
info@hungermountain.coop
Almost There: Movies About the Future. 7 pm.
Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield.
Call library for film title: 426-3581.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Third Thursday: When the Irish Invaded
Canada. The outlandish, untold story of the Irish
American revolutionaries who tried to free Ireland
by invading Canada, with Christopher Klein.
Noon. Vermont History Museum, State St.,
Montpelier. Free. vermonthistory.org
Fall Prevention. Free classes with Tai Chi. All
ages and beginners welcome. Every Tues. and
Thurs., 10–11 am. Twin Valley Senior Center,
4583 Rt. 2, East Montpelier. 223-3322.
PAGE 2 2 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019
Coat Drive Thrives in 30th Year
To the Editor,
The 30th annual “Karen Kitzmiller Me-
morial Winter Coat Drive” was held on
Saturday, October 26, and it was one for
the record book! It was a huge success,
both in Montpelier and Barre. More winter
coats, warm blankets and comforters, and
winter accessories were given away than
ever before.
The coat drive was started in 1989 by my
first wife, Karen, who was running (suc-
cessfully) to be one of Montpelier’s state
representatives. I helped her with that first
drive and every year thereafter and contin-
ued it after she died in 2001 through to this
30th anniversary event.
More than a decade ago, Community
National Bank became my partner in the
drive, and the bank has been invaluable.
They took over all the publicity and col-
lected coats, both at the Montpelier branch
and the Barre branch. In Barre, the coat
drive is actually held inside the bank on
North Main Street. The bank has my deep
gratitude for all their assistance. Lorilee
T HE BRID GE
Letters
Drown, who manages both the Montpelier cessful event. It is safe to say that I could With the leadership of the Montpelier
and Barre branches said, “We had a won- not have done it without you, Theresa. You Rotary Club and Community National
derful collection of coats and blankets. It rock! Bank, I look forward to October 2020 for
had a great impact.” I want to give special And, of course, these drives could never the 31st Karen Kitzmiller Memorial Win-
thanks to Tracy Roberts, marketing direc- have happened if not for the thousands of ter Coat Drive. I fully anticipate it will be
tor of the bank, for her leadership in pro- generous people throughout Central Ver- even bigger and better than ever before!
moting the coat drive in both cities. mont who have donated countless thou- Most sincerely,
Knowing the day would come when sands of winter coats over the past three
I’d need to seek an organization to take decades. Thank you! Warren Kitzmiller, Montpelier state repre-
my place, I reached out to the Montpelier sentative
Rotary Club to be an ideal organization to Photo courtesy of Warren Kitzmiller.
sponsor the drive, and to my great pleasure
they agreed. Rotary is now the official
sponsor, in partnership with CNB. Three
Rotarians—Kim Bent, Melinda Vieux, and
Renee Grzankowski—have volunteered to
manage the event for the Rotary Club.
As my leadership of the coat drive comes
to a close, I want to extend a very special
“Thank you” to my good friend and “uber-
volunteer” Theresa Giffin, who for many
years has brilliantly handled the job of
organizing the many, many community
volunteers that are needed to run this suc-
T HE BRID GE
A Walking Tour of Montpelier
F
ive Walks Through Montpelier by
Kathryn Guare features five walk-
ing tours of the city, The following is
an excerpt from the book:
The County Courthouse
We talked about the earlier, Jeffersonian
version of the State House that was de-
stroyed by fire, and unfortunately that was
not an unusual occurrence in 19th century
Montpelier. There aren’t many buildings
from that era we can talk about without
adding “and then it burned.”
One example is this courthouse. The one
you see now is essentially the third one on
this site. The first, made of brick, was built
in 1843 and burned down practically before
the paint was dry. It was replaced with an-
other brick building, which also had a major
fire in 1880, but that one left enough of the
outside walls standing to rebuild it into the
Greek Revival structure you see today.
The courthouse has of course seen a lot
of drama over the years, and one of the
more sensational cases was an 1898 mur-
der trial that provides the origin for two
separate ghost stories. Mildred Brewster
was the bored and restless daughter of a
wealthy farmer from Huntington. She came
to Montpelier looking for excitement when
she was 21 and got more than she bargained
for. She fell in love with Jack Wheeler, a
handsome granite worker living in the same
boarding house with her. The problem was
that Jack had already fallen in love with a
local girl named Anna, and he was entirely
devoted to her. Or was he? He is said to have
admitted being intimate with Mildred, but
then became engaged to Anna, and Mildred
was having none of it.
She bought a $3 revolver in Barre, spent
a few hours in the fields above Montpe-
lier practicing her aim, and the following
day—a rainy Memorial Day—she invited
Anna out for a walk on Seminary Hill, the
site of the present-day Vermont College of
Fine Arts. Witnesses report seeing them
walk out under the same umbrella toward
Jack’s house, which was nearby on Sibley
Avenue. A few minutes later, Mildred drew
her gun, fired a shot directly into Anna’s
head, and another shot into her own. Mil-
dred survived; Anna did not.
N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 • PAGE 23
Arts
The murder trial was an internationally Visitor Center, and the State House Gift Shop.
reported sensation, and it was standing You can also order directly from the author’s
room only in this county courthouse a year online store at squareup.com/market/kathryn-
later, when Mildred was declared not guilty guare or by contacting
by reason of insanity. She spent the rest of kathryn@kathrynguare.com
her life at the Waterbury State Asylum for
the Insane but is said to be spending her af-
ter-life in the halls of the county courthouse.
Staff over the years have reported sounds
of glass shattering, items out of place, and
voices in empty rooms. Meanwhile, up at
the main hall of the College of Fine Arts,
there have also been reports over many years
of glass breaking, doors closing, and pictures
falling off the walls in unison. They are at-
tributed to the murdered Anna, who is said
to be haunting the tower of College Hall.
VCFA’s ghost is regarded with such fond-
ness that the college named its café after her.
Five Walks Through Montpelier is avail-
able at Bear Pond Books, the Montpelier Book cover courtesy of Kathryn Guare.
PAGE 24 • N OV 6 — N OV 19, 2019 T HE BRID GE
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