Q&A with Author Thomas Christopher Greene • Page 5
J anuary 23 – F ebruary 6 2019
IN THIS ISSUE:
Pg. 8 Pickleball Craze
Pg. 10 WWII Veteran
Recieves Highest Honor
Pg. 17 Active Seniors Flock
to Excercise Classes
U.S. Postage PAID
Permit NO. 123
Montpelier, VT
PRSRT STD
ECRWSS
Montpelier, VT 05601
P.O. Box 1143
The Bridge
Health and Wellness
Concierge Health Care Comes to Central Vermont
by Tom Brown
J eff Lourie juggled more than 1,000 patients when he worked
for Gifford Health Care at its Berlin facility, which limited
the amount of time he could spend with each person. The
family nurse practitioner found it difficult to establish personal
relationships and provide consistent outcomes for patients amid
the hurried environment of a large group practice, which has
become the standard in today’s consolidated healthcare system.
Now he serves about 100 patients at his North Branch Health
practice in the former First in Fitness building in Montpelier
under a new model of direct primary care that is spreading
around the country. By eventually capping his practice at
about 300 patients, Lourie hopes to build the kind of personal
relationships that are reminiscent of Vermont’s old country
doctor by spending more time with them during office visits
and earning trust.
Under direct primary care (DPC), patients pay a flat fee for
access to a provider, which advocates for the model say enhances
patient experience, improves health outcomes, and adds a level
of cost transparency compared with conventional primary care.
Under direct primary care, insurance companies are not billed,
and patients instead pay a monthly fee for unlimited office visits
and consultations. Many consumers are finding DPC a useful
alternative to conventional pay-per-visit primary care.
“I think everybody is starting to appreciate that the system is
broken, and not just a little bit broken, but broken on every
level," he said. “Why not go back to the old model of you
having a relationship with somebody and kind of have them on
retainer.”
Lourie, who opened his office on Blanchard Court in September,
offers three types of service:
Continued on Page 3
We’re online! montpelierbridge.com or vtbridge.com
• Direct primary care membership, in which the patient pays
about $800 a year ($76 a month) for unlimited office visits
without involving insurance. A five percent discount is offered
for full-year prepayments;
• Concierge primary care membership, in which patients with
health insurance pay about $300 a year ($25 a month) for the
same service but are subject to the co-pays (up to the deductible
limit) of their plan. North Branch bills insurance for concierge
members, not including co-pays. Blue Cross and Blue Shield and
Cigna are accepted, MVP is not;
• Traditional Medicaid, which works the same as with any
primary care provider. He does not accept Medicare patients.
The concept is not for everyone, Lourie admits, but for a certain
segment of the population it is a good fit, and he stresses that
everyone should have health insurance for major healthcare
needs.
What membership in North Branch Health offers is access to
prompt, no-rush appointments (always within 48 hours and
usually less), more time spent with the practitioner, telemedicine
consults, and even house calls if necessary. Lourie allots one
hour for each office visit, and it is that extra time spent with
the patient that builds a rapport that can lead to better health
outcomes. During a visit, Lourie takes the patient’s vital signs
himself (he has no nurse) and does so slowly once the person is
relaxed and the conversation is underway.
“Most of the visit is usually spent talking,” he said. “I firmly
believe that most things that are going on you can get a pretty
good idea about what it is by asking the right questions, so if you
have time to sit and talk with people the right questions seem to
present themselves.”
PAG E 2 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
HEARD ON THE STREET
New Commercial Building On Barre-Montpelier Road
Last fall, Connor Contracting of Montpelier tore down the old John Deere store on
property it owns on the Barre-Montpelier Road. It has now erected a new 10,000-square-
foot building that should be completed this spring, according to Fred Connor of Con-
nor Contracting.
Conner said his firm has received permits to have medical offices and business services
in the new building and has also applied for a permit for retail sales and services. He
said he is in touch with potential tenants but can’t discuss their plans.
Last year Connor Contracting completed construction of a new 15,500-square-foot of-
fice building on land it owns behind the old armory off of Route 2 beyond the rounda-
bout. Some space is still available, he said.
New Farmers Market Layout Proposed
Representatives of the Capital City Farmers Market and the Montpelier Business As-
sociation were scheduled to appear before the city council Jan. 24 to outline a new
proposed layout of farmers market stalls that will use both State Street between Main
and Elm Streets and a portion of the Heney lot, where the market has traditionally been
located in warm weather.
Fundraising Campaign
Five months into our $50,000 Bridge to the Future campaign, we are
almost 1/2 of the way to our goal. Thanks to all those who have already
given.
Please send your potentially tax-deductible donation to:
Friends of The Bridge, P.O. Box 1641, Montpelier, VT 05601.
You can also donate online at www.montpelierbridge.com/make-a-donation/
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: Sarah Davin
Layout: Sarah Davin, Marichel Vaught
Sales Representatives: Rick McMahan
Distribution: Sarah Davin, Amy Lester
Board Members: Chairman Donny Osman, Jake Brown, Phil Dodd, Josh Fitzhugh, Larry Floersch, Greg
Gerdel, Irene Racz, Ivan Shadis, Tim Simard, Ashley Witzenberger
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 $50 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
The plan calls for about 35 stalls on State Street. Eighteen of them would be back to
back on the street at the Main Street end of State Street. Another 15 or so would be
lined up in a single row on the street’s north side, starting in front of Alla Vita and
facing the street. The rest would be on the Heney lot. Work on a new stretch of the
recreation path has closed the bottom portion of the Heney lot, making it impossible to
fit all vendors onto the lot, according to a memo from City Manager Bill Fraser’s office.
Two years ago, the farmers market tried moving to State Street on three pilot weekends.
The city said the experiment was a success in many ways, but some State Street busi-
nesses felt the layout used at that time reduced their sales. More recently, the farmers
market members have worked with business groups, business owners, and the city to
come up with the latest proposed layout, which they hope will not negatively affect
businesses.
The city council was being asked to approve the closure of a portion of State Street
during certain hours on Saturdays from May to October, when the outdoor farmers
market is in operation. The city’s Public Works, Police, and Fire departments have no
objections to the plan, the memo stated.
Adamant Co-op Embraces Hygge
Hygge is a Scandinavian quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engen-
ders a feeling of contentment or well-being. The Adamant Co-op is embracing the
spirit of hygge with a series of events called “Tuesday Afternoons at the Co-op.” On
January 29, enjoy Swedish waltzes, polkas, hambos, and more, and on February 5, have
tea service with a buffet of goodies, piping hot tea, and the best conversation this side
of Copenhagen.
Vermont filmmakers bring independent feature film to the Capitol Showplace 5
Theatre
When Vince O’Connell and Kathy Swanson retired, they moved to Craftsbury Com-
mon so they could cross country ski from November through April. Then, one long,
cold night while watching a bad movie, they started thinking they should apply to
some film schools. Nine years later, they are filling theaters and winning awards at film
festivals with their first feature, Farmer of the Year.
The film is being screened in theaters from Washington state to Vermont, where it will
play at the Capitol Showplace 5 Theatre, January 25–31. Q&As will follow the 5:50
pm screening January 25 and the 6:30 pm screening January 31. “We are really excited
to screen the film and do Q&As at the Capitol,” says O’Connell. “It’s a good story,
lots of layers. Plus, with Vermont's agricultural economy, it genuinely resonates with
viewers.”
Nature Watch
by Nona Estrin
Artwork by Nona Estrin
I
n addition to the comforting familiarity of common birds in winter,
Montpelier occasionally throws us a treat. In back of City Hall, with
late winter sun hitting the crab apple tree, a f lock of Pine Grosbeaks
transformed the tree and its numerous red fruit into a blaze of color and
movement! The sidewalk too, was carpeted with the fruit, and the sweet,
short, conversational calls of the f lock filled the air. Nearby, on the
telephone pole, another avian blaze, a pileated woodpecker, stopped for a
few seconds on its way to to the small wooded park on the hill!
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 3

New Approach to Primary Health Care Continued from Page 1

As a Family Nurse Practitioner (FPN), Lourie can
prescribe any medications the patient might need and
refer them to specialists just as any other primary care
practitioner would. He can also perform routine in-
office tests, such as for strep throat, but there is an
additional charge for those tests, a cost he says that
is usually lower than that charged by other primary
care providers. The only thing he can’t do, he says, is
prescribe diabetic shoes and admit patients to hospice
care (both for regulatory reasons).
There were about 770 direct primary care practices
in the U.S. as of February 2018, and there are three
currently open in Vermont. Criticism of the concept
centers on cost and whether the practice caters to the
rich. In some areas of the country in which direct
primary can cost $20,000 a year or more that might
be true.
Lourie, who has nine years’ experience as a FPN, says
the patients he sees are generally between the ages of
20 and 50 and in relatively good health with high
insurance deductibles of about $2,000 a year. People
with complex and chronic medical conditions might not
be the best match.
But for those with high-deductible plans, Lourie says
a direct primary care membership could save money.
For example, he suggests that an average visit to the
emergency room costs $1,200 to $1,500 and the average
primary care visit costs $125 to $150. That means for
about 75 percent of a single ER visit or six conventional
office visits, a person could get a full year of unlimited
office visits at North Branch. Remember that virtually
all insurance plans offered on the Vermont Health
Connect exchange carry deductibles that must be paid
out-of-pocket before the plan pays any costs, and on top
of that are the monthly premiums.
“I think this is the best model for primary care, but that
said it’s not appropriate for every patient,” said Lourie,
who supports a single payer healthcare model. “If people
have a lot of medical needs it’s not probably the right
thing for them. But for the average person, most people
don’t need an entire army taking care of them, they just
need somebody to listen and somebody to kind of guide
them.”
Lourie offers a free consultation to explain the practice
to new patients. To contact the office, call
(802) 760-6288.
In light of the government shutdown, Lourie is offering
to defer billing for federal employees until the dispute
is resolved

Come Show Your Love for The Bridge!

The Bridge turned 25 years old in December 2018, and
the Friends of The Bridge is throwing a party!
This February 13, spend the evening with Bridge staff,
board members, friends, and fans at Down Home
Kitchen between 4:30 and 7:30 pm to celebrate, share
thoughts on the paper, and maybe even get involved!
There will be food, a full bar, birthday cake, and more!
While enjoying the delicious food and good cheer, leave
a note for The Bridge on Down Home’s famous house
typewriter, and we’ll publish your notes along with pho-
tos of the event in the following issue!
The event is open to the public, with a suggested dona-
tion of $15 per person. All donations go to support the
operations of The Bridge.

Recycle
THIS PAPER!

Photo by Tom Brown

Design & Build

Custom Energy-Efficient Homes
Additions • Timber Frames
Weatherization • Remodeling
Kitchens • Bathrooms • Flooring
Tiling • Cabinetry • Fine Woodwork
PAG E 4 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE

Wild Animal Tracks Photos By The Nature Conservancy

T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 5
VCFA President Talks about his New Novel, The Perfect Liar
Compiled by Mike Dunphy
T h e Perfect Liar is the sixth book by Thomas
Christopher Greene, president of the Vermont
College of Fine Arts, and is now on sale at your
local independent bookstore. Here, Tom Greene speaks
about the psychological thriller set in Burlington and
New York City, his approach to writing, and how he
responds to feedback.
The Bridge: Do you have a three-sentences-or-less
elevator pitch to describe this book?
Tom Greene: This is a book about what happens if the
person you’re married to is not who you think they are.
Can you talk about the inception of the book and
how long it took to write?
Greene: The interesting thing about this book is that
I’ve long had this idea of somebody leaving notes on
somebody’s door, going back to college. And of course
back then that was sort of appropriate technology. Now
if you’re going to threaten somebody, you probably
would do it digitally. And I kind of love that about
this book, that the plot turns on the idea of mysterious
notes on the front door. So I’ve had that idea forever.
And how did it turn into a fully fledged novel?
Greene: I was at a lunch with my publisher, my editor,
and some marketing people from the publishing house
in New York City around three years ago, and they
asked me if I had any ideas for another book. I pitched
them on this idea of this couple who are recently
married and someone starts leaving threatening notes
on their door, and that’s basically all I knew. They
loved it and gave me a book contract based on that
conversation. I’ve never sold a book that way before.
So that came with a particular challenge, because now
I had a contract and a book they wanted within a year,
and it actually took me about two and a half years.
They were kind about it, but there was a period of time
when my editor would write me and say, “Are you ready
to show me some pages,” and I’d say, “Not yet. But it’s
really coming along; it’s just fabulous,” and I hadn’t
actually written a thing.
How do you compare the original concept of
the book and the final product. Is there a major
difference?
Greene: I generally try to know the climax of the
book before I start to write because that’s like a distant
forest you’re writing toward. In this case, that mostly
held true, but it ended up having a couple different
climaxes, and there were a few surprises, and characters
that came in that I hadn’t imagined. Ultimately, once
Images courtesy of St. Martin’s Press
you develop your characters—and I always hate when
other people say this, but it’s true—they will begin to
teach you where the book should go.
It also seems that Vermont is a character in the
book. Other than the fact that you live here, why
choose Vermont?
Greene: There’s a romantic ideal of Vermont,
particularly in New York City, and that isn’t quite
what Vermont is when you’re actually here. Vermont
is my home, and I love it more anything else, but it’s
far more romantic from a distance. This is a novel that
begins with a couple who’s moved from New York City
to Vermont, in this case Burlington, and everything is
perfect. They’re here in summer. There are romantic
notions about what it’s like to be in Vermont, and then
things slowly start happening where the onion gets
peeled away, and it’s not quite what it seems. So in that
way it functions as a plot device.
Although it’s a fictional book, how much nonfiction
is in there?
Greene: Well, I haven't killed anybody (laughs). There’s
a part of this book that is kind of a tongue-in-cheek
critique of the art world, particularly the New York
art world, which Max the main character comes out
of. That’s a world I’ve gotten to witness firsthand, and
some scenes I’ve lifted from my own experience. The
characters are not based on individual people, ever,
but sometimes they’re composites of people I know, or
different women I’ve been in love with, but it’s never
exactly a particular person.
How would you describe your voice and style of
writing?
Greene: I think the issue of voice is is a funny one in
literature because part of it is just a development of
both style, time, and certainly influences. I try to write
sort of rhythmic, musical prose, and I’m conscious
of how words sound in the ear, so I think of that.
But I also do not want language to get in the way of
images. In other words, when someone is reading, they
should see pictures in their mind, and they should be
visualizing what’s happening. You want them to forget
the experience of reading and move into what John
Gardner called “the fictional dream.” You’re not doing
your job if you pull them out of that, so that’s always
been the thing that guides me as a writer.
continues on page 11
PAG E 6 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
A Message From City Hall
This page was paid for by the City of Montpelier.
Parking Garage and Hotel Updates
T
he recent snow and frigid cold have
certainly caused a lot of attention.
DPW crews have been working around
the clock, and many residents have sore backs
from shoveling and snow removal. I’ll remind
people to pay attention to winter parking bans
through VT-Alerts or the city’s Facebook
page, Front Porch Forum or calling the winter
parking line at (802) 262-6200.
Budget: The second Bridge issue of Feb.
will contain a full budget summary. The
City Council is completing their budget
discussion this Thursday, the 24th. As of their
last meeting, the city portion of the budget
represents a property tax increase of 3.4% or
3.7 cents.
Parking Garage/Hotel: This major
development project has been the source of
much discussion. Voters passed a $10.5 million
dollar bond in November for the construction
of a public parking garage. The garage will
serve the general public as well as making a
neighboring private Hampton Inn hotel to be
constructed by the Capitol Plaza possible.
Project Status – Both the hotel and garage
received local Development Review Board
permits. A group of 18 individuals appealed
the DRB permits to the Environmental Court.
The city has not yet seen their stated concerns,
objections, or legal issues. Although the hotel
permit was not appealed, the impact is the
same on both projects.
An Act 250 hearing on both projects was held
on January 16. The District Commission
will issue a recess order detailing remaining
information needed. Parties will have 30
days to respond and then another 15 days to
comment on any provided information. The
Commission will then determine whether
another hearing is necessary. Once evidence is
closed, the Commission has 15 days to make
a decision. All Act 250 documents related to
these projects can be viewed at https://anrweb.
vt.gov/ANR/vtANR/Act250SearchResults.
aspx?Num=5W1591
The city and hotel are actively working with
Department of Environmental Conservation
on soils testing, remediation and a corrective
action plan (CAP). Once drafted the CAP
will be on public notice for 30 days. The
final version will be a condition of an Act 250
approval. Funds for environmental work are
included in the construction budget.
The city and Capitol Plaza are prepared to
proceed with construction upon receipt of all
permits. That is currently estimated for April.
Appeals may create delay, uncertainty, and
additional costs.
Petition: A petition is circulating for the
Annual Meeting vote, which calls for the
City Council to “withhold spending of the
$10.5 Million as authorized in Article 1 of
the November 6, 2018 Ballot” until certain
conditions are met. The City considers this a
non-binding advisory item because it is past
the legal deadline for reconsideration of the
November bond vote, it seeks to create after
the fact conditions on a bond authorization
and the conditions suggested are the purview
of the Council/Manager and beyond the scope
of town meeting authority.
Notwithstanding the non-binding nature of
the petition, the issues raised are all being
addressed by the city.
by William Fraser, City Manager
1. “That, for the benefit of downtown
merchants and other businesses, there is a
written commitment to provide sufficient
remote parking spaces and transportation
services to the downtown during the
construction phase.” The City is in active
discussions with private landowners for
possible additional interim parking. Thus
far there has been no agreement reached.
The first shuttle route we proposed would
have cost $300,000 so we are seeking other
options. We welcome any suggestions for
locations and services.
2. “That it is clearly shown that there will be
safe continuous public sidewalks and bike
lanes along the road leading to and from the
entrance of the garage from State Street.”
The approved site plan includes a sidewalk
which has been reviewed by the Police
Department, Fire Department, and Public
Works Department for functionality, safety,
and consistency with regulations. There is no
requirement or existing plan for bike lanes in
this location with or without this project.
There are, however, two connections to the
new bike path which will be created by this
project which will not otherwise exist.
3. “That the comprehensive traffic study
required by the Development Review
Board in its December 13, 2018 decision
is completed immediately, not one year
later.” Three separate analyses of traffic
in this location considering the hotel, the
garage and the One Taylor project have been
completed. All have concluded that there
will be no significant traffic impacts. The
city commissioned additional work beyond
that which is required by Vtrans and others.
The point of the DRB decision is to study
traffic a year after the projects are completed
to determine whether projections were
correct and, if not, what mitigation might
be needed.
4. “That soil remediation on the site is
completed and the findings and cost of this
work be made public.” The CAP is discussed
above. All work and costs are public record.
5. “That the bid process is completed with the
costs of the successful bid being within the
bond limits.” The City can’t proceed without
adequate funding.
6. “That all State and municipal permits and
sub-permits, including water quality permits
if required, have been issued and any appeals
resolved.” The City can’t proceed without
permits in hand.
7. “That a public report projecting operating
costs and revenues over the expected life
of the garage, including pay down of the
bond, is completed by an independent
accountant who has experience in parking
garage operations.” The city’s detailed
public pro forma financial projection was
prepared by White & Burke, an independent
development consulting firm who specializes
in financial analysis. W & B worked in
consultation with Desman, a parking garage
specialist, to create the information.
Misconceptions: Discussions of the project in
the public realm indicate some misconceptions
being communicated.
• The garage does NOT block access to the
new One Taylor Street bike path. As the
path is being constructed now, there is no
connection to the path from State Street.
The garage will create two new connections.
• These projects do NOT place the Taylor
Street Bridge at risk of replacement. All
traffic analysis has been done using the
current bridge dimensions. In 2004, the
City committed to maintaining the historic
bridge.
• The projects do NOT denigrate water
quality. Project treatment systems improve
the existing untreated and open asphalt
parking lot discharge.
• The garage is NOT solely for the hotel.
It will create new long and short term
public parking. The garage and hotel
make each other financially viable and are
each economic development initiatives for
downtown.
• The garage does NOT promote car use.
It manages vehicles once they are in the
city. People commuting from nearby
communities or visiting from out of state still
need to park cars. Montpelier has invested
heavily in transit and bicycling alternatives.
The garage’s proximity to the Transit Center
will allow more locals to easily travel by bus
to distant locations and more visitors to take
the bus to stay at the hotel. If a hotel locates
in Berlin, people will drive cars there and
then into our downtown.
• The garage does NOT block access to the
river. The new bike path is being constructed
along the river’s edge. The potential new
Confluence Park will accent the river and
will be accessible from State Street using the
new connections created by the garage.
• The city is NOT trying to avoid Act 250
review. Act 250 has an expedited review
process – section 6068 (b) – for officially
designated downtowns like Montpelier. The
city filed its application through this process.
• The parking garage does NOT tower over
State Street. Its height and dimensions fit in
with other buildings in its area. (see image
with garage behind Christ Church, other
images on city’s website)
At risk: Any appeal creates a risk of a project
continuing. This can be through an overturned
decision, an unacceptable delay for developers,
or costs rising so that a project is no longer
financially feasible. Should this occur with
the parking garage, there will be certain local
consequences as a result.
• No hotel. The hotel needs the parking garage
to proceed.
• No additional public parking.
• No water quality improvement. The project
results in much cleaner storm water discharge
than currently exists.
• No soils remediation. The project creates
the opportunity to improve and manage
contaminated soils in downtown.
• No State Street connection to bike path.
Without the garage, the new bike path
will have a large retaining wall facing State
Street. It will only be accessible from Main
or Taylor. The garage makes two new
connections. These connections are not full
bike paths but allow access onto the path.
• Smaller Confluence Park. Six parking spaces
from One Taylor were re-allocated to enlarge
the confluence park. This was done in
anticipation of a parking structure.
• Reduced options for discussion of green
space near Shaw’s. This area was initially
designated for development and parking.
The creation of a parking structure opened
up conversations about expanding green
space in this area.
• Reduced options for implementing the
Montpelier in Motion plan. Planning
efforts to create safe biking lanes throughout
downtown call for removal of many parking
spaces in order to enlarge travel surfaces.
This may only be feasible if additional
parking in the garage were available.
• Less public art. The garage plans call for
very large art installations on the river side
of the structure. These will be highly visible
from entryways into the city. The current
view of the backs of buildings and open
parking lots will remain.
Obviously these are projects which have
generated strong feelings. People certainly
have good reasons to support or oppose these
buildings. It’s important to consider all
information and accurate information when
reaching a conclusion. I am certainly happy
to discuss this with anyone who is interested.
Budget and parking garage/hotel project
documents are posted on the city’s website
www.montpelier-vt.org As always, thank you
for reading this article and for your interest in
Montpelier city government. Please contact me
at wfraser@montpelier-vt.org or 802-223-9502
with any questions, comments or concerns.
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 7

Digging Out—Clearing Snow in Montpelier by J. Gregory Gerdel

The ban includes all city streets, even when the actual snowbank removal is confined
to just some of the streets. For the DPW, the challenge is trying to balance the snow
removal operations and the impact on the driving public—and the contracted towing
companies. An early winter snow plowing operation encountered 40 cars left on the
streets, making a logistical nightmare for the overburdened towing companies. “We
don’t want to tow,” McArdle explained. “Nor do we want to risk hitting parked cars
when plowing.” The city is giving some thought to increasing the cost of parking
tickets during a ban, which has remained $15 for many years.
Where the Snow Goes
Protecting water quality in rivers and streams has brought significant changes in
snow dumping strategies for communities throughout New England. In Montpelier,
most of the snow dumping is now at the Stump Dump, despite the fact that going
out Elm Street is a lengthy haul. Secondary sites are the old Grossman’s lot near
the Route 2/302 roundabout and beneath the I-89 overpass across from the Green
Mount Cemetery on the west side of town.
To capture pollutants that are in snow piles, in the fall DPW laid down a specialized
Photo by J. Gregory Gerdel fabric in the dumping areas; DuraWattle has an imbedded filter curtain that contains
the contaminants. “Snowbanks look really dirty,” McArdle said, “but the actual
quantity of solid material isn’t that great once the snow and ice melt.”
S now removal crews from Montpelier’s Department of Public Works (DPW)
managed to clear many of the accumulated snowbanks before the arrival of back-
to-back storms this week.
The Future
Long term, DPW is looking into melting systems, but those are very expensive.
Frequent, light snowfalls started early this winter, and while the one- to two-inch Called Snow Dragons, these machines are essentially a hot box for melting snow. The
accumulations from these Alberta Clippers keep things pretty, they’re much more use of sand has been greatly reduced in recent years and alternative compounds for
expensive from the street maintenance perspective than an occasional big storm. melting snow and ice have been incorporated into the cleanup effort.
Public Works Director Thomas McArdle explained that, while the snowfall this
winter might be “normal,” having it fall in small amounts requires more frequent
deployment of street and sidewalk plows—and more overtime for employees.
Of the overall $2.28 million in the DPW budget, approximately $948,000, or 44
percent, goes to winter maintenance, including equipment, materials (salt, sand, and
cold mix for filling potholes), labor, and overtime.
Snowbank removal in the downtown area is the priority for winter maintenance.
To avoid conflict with business activity, it is done overnight with the parking ban
in effect. A second round of snowbank removal came in mid-January this winter,
followed by a gradual branching out into the quieter streets in the residential
neighborhoods.
“Unlike downtown, we’re able to temporarily close the less-traveled streets and clear
the snowbanks during the daytime,” McArdle said. Those operations typically
involve a combination of city equipment and additional rented equipment. “We’ve
even managed to do the northern section of Elm Street during the daytime,” he
added.
Heeding Parking Bans
Through mid-January this winter, the parking ban has been called four times for
snow plowing during storms and twice for overnight snow-removal operations.
Overall, the three-year-old program of announced parking ban alerts is going
well, but it is burdensome for crews when people don’t comply, McArdle noted.
“Sometimes we do have good compliance, but we’re not able to clean back to the
curbs if cars remain on the street. In that way, it was easier to clean up when the
season-long ban was in place.”
PAG E 8 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
Pickleball Craze Tickles Montpelier
By Phil Dodd
The tick-tock sound of a plastic ball
being hit back and forth across a net with
a wooden or graphite racket is becoming
ever more common in Montpelier,
where scores of area residents—young
and old—are keeping active by playing
pickleball on two indoor courts at the
Montpelier Recreation Center.
“It keeps growing and growing and
growing,” said Recreation Department
program director Eric White of the
game with a funny name. “We’re kind
of running out of space.”
Pickleball—invented in Washington
State in the 1960s and played on a
badminton-sized court with a lower
net—is now offered five days a week
at the Rec Center in three different
groupings based on skill level. In warmer
weather, players can also schedule their
owns games at two tennis courts at the
Rec Field and two at the high school
that have been striped for pickle ball
use as well as tennis.
Bill Perreault of Montpelier is one of the
enthusiasts regularly playing pickleball,
usually three times a week for a total
of six hours. “I started playing two
years ago last February,” he said. “It
was the right thing for me. I like that
it is regular and scheduled. The social
aspect is good. And the people are not
too serious. It is just plain fun.”
Pickleball involves less running than
tennis because the court is smaller,
most people play doubles, and the
perforated ball, similar to a Wiffle
Ball, won’t carry speed as far. Those
who have played some kind of racket
sport before, be it tennis, racquetball,
badminton, or ping-pong, can usually
pick up the sport fairly quickly.
Nationally, pickleball has been gaining
more and more fans over the past decade
or so. White said the Rec Center first
offered the game about three years ago
and added more indoor times and the
outdoor courts as the game’s popularity
mushroomed locally.
To play at the Rec Center, Montpelier
residents can pay $2 a visit or buy a 22-
game punch card for $30, which works
out to $1.36 a visit. Nonresidents pay
$3 a visit or $45 for a punch card. The
Rec Center supplies some basic rackets
for beginners, but most people buy
their own rackets, which Perreault said
range in price from $40 to $120.
Some come from as far away as Hardwick
to play in Montpelier, according to
Perreault, but players here also seek
out playing time at other venues such
as the Barre Town Elementary School
on weekends, the Edge fitness club in
Essex, and in summer, outdoor courts
in Waterbury and at Joe’s Pond in
even more crowded, and they would
like to see more courts or court-time
made available. White said that the
city is considering the possibility of
adding pickleball markings to more
of Montpelier’s tennis courts next
summer, but said that no decision has
been made.
Meanwhile, during this cold winter,
local players who love the exercise and
socializing involved in pickleball are
scrambling to find indoor court time.
West Danville. Closer to home, First in
Fitness in Berlin is considering adding
some pickleball hours this winter.
White noted that the Rec Center courts
are open to anyone, but the players have
taken to using a website—playerlineup.
com—to let people reserve spots to
play. Over 160 people are currently
signed up on the site for Montpelier
pickleball.
Perreault said that advance reservations
for each session often reach the typical
16-player maximum, or come close to
it, which means half of the group will
be playing doubles while the others
wait their turn. “The growth in the
number of players in the last two years
has been amazing,” he said. He and
some other players now rent space in
the Rec Center on weekends in order to
get their fix of pickleball.
The sport’s popularity means that
local pickleball players are worried
the Rec Center courts could become
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 9
East Meets West at River Confluence Park
A
public-nonprofit partnership
is moving forward with plans
for a new park in the center of
Montpelier, at the confluence of the
North Branch and the Winooski River.
On the west side of the North Branch,
the land is secured for the park, and
the discussion is about overall design.
On the other side, soon to be connected
by a bicycle and pedestrian bridge, park
advocates are also eyeing a “Confluence
Park East” on riverfront land owned by
the city. But they’re not the only ones
drawing up plans for that plot.
The Vermont River Conservancy (VRC)
approached the city in 2018, offering
to use grant funding to study how to
improve riverfront access and, specifically,
suggestions for the city-designated
Confluence Park to be built adjacent
to the transit center that is now under
construction at 1 Taylor Street.
Richarda Ericson, communications
manager of the VRC, told people at a
meeting about the project in December
that VRC staff thought they’d just come
up with the idea of a confluence park, but
they were just the latest to think along
these lines. “For about 25 years,” she said,
“we’ve been talking about a confluence
river park in Montpelier at this very spot.”
Now, a host of projects are being built or
planned for the area—the transit center,
the bike path bridge, a parking garage,
and a new hotel. As part of the flurry of
activity, the city council endorsed creating
a confluence park as part of the transit
center lot, with six planned parking spaces
designated to instead become part of
the future park. About a quarter-acre of
land at the west side of the confluence is
designated for the park.
In central Montpelier, the two rivers are
often well hidden below steep banks at
the edges of parking lots and storage
areas. But in areas on which humans have
turned their backs, other animals thrive.
Ericson told the meeting attendees in
December, “It’s a pretty incredible spot.”
Got a news tip? We want to know!
Send it to us at: editorial@montpelierbridge.com
or mdunphy@montpelierbridge.com
By Carl Etnier
The park—or parks—are just part of a
suite of projects VRC is promoting for
the confluence. Other projects include
removing nearby dams on the Winooski
and North Branch to make paddling easier
and removing a combined sewer overflow
discharge designed to periodically dump
raw sewage into the Winooski River there.
Meanwhile, there are a lot of other
opportunities to get down to the river,
Montpelier resident Bob Heinz pointed
out at the January 9 city council meeting.
“There’s a great river access right behind
Montpelier High School that no one
really knows about,” he said. “Right below
Image by Regina Mahoney, Milone & MacBroom
the dam on Pioneer Street, people come
She said she’d recently seen a river otter path and bridge. While City Manager down and sunbathe.” Heinz urged the
when she went down to the confluence. Bill Fraser has put together a group to city to consider the park as part of a
She’s also seen a heron, and traffic sounds consider various uses for that property, comprehensive plan for the river.
are hard to hear there. “It feels like a whole VRC is already hopefully referring to it as
other world.” That's why, she said, VRC “Confluence Park East.” The VRC has a 17-member advisory
wants people “to be able to experience Milone & MacBroom puts the total cost committee for the park comprising
that right by the river shore, rather than for any of the three designs on the west representatives of the city, the state,
looking at it from up above.”
side of the river between $500,000 and nonprofits, and businesses. Ericson says
Milone & MacBroom, a consulting firm, $1 million. At its January 9 meeting, they are working with the group to put
has drawn up conceptual designs for what the city council authorized the VRC, the together the next steps. No further public
the VRC is now calling “Confluence city parks department, and other relevant presentations have yet been scheduled.
Park West.” All three alternatives provide actors to continue a public process of
access to the river and a boat launch. One planning and budgeting for the park.
design features a performance pavilion
and a lawn for events. Another is centered
on a circular plaza with plantings in the
middle. The third breaks the space up
into smaller parklets.
Roy Schiff, a water resource scientist
and engineer at Milone & MacBroom,
as well as a member of the Montpelier
Conservation Commission, told the
December gathering, “My vision is that
you see the church [Christ Church] in the
background where everybody hangs out
at lunch on a great day. Maybe this river
park becomes a spot where people can sit
and enjoy. This is a spot where there could
be concerts, art showings, a lot of really
neat opportunities.”
The city owns the Mowatt lot on the east
side of the North Branch. It purchased
the lot to make room for the bike
PAG E 10 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
WWII Vet Receives Highest Honor in Surprise Ceremony
By Cat Cutillo
A
lbert Besser of Morrisville walked
into Montpelier City Hall on
January 7 expecting to attend
an event for World War II veterans, not
realizing he was about to be the guest
of honor in a sophisticated ambush. To
Besser’s surprise, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch
presented the 94-year-old with the
Congressional Gold Medal for his service
in the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS,
the forerunner of the CIA.
The former spy was outwitted by none
other than his wife, Dr. Gretchen Rous
Besser, who had secretly invited the
50 attendees and been working on the
clandestine operation for six months with
the help of Welch’s office.
“I saw a few people from Stowe and I
thought, ‘Gee, I didn’t realize there were
so many World War II veterans from
Stowe,’ and then suddenly it dawned on
me,” says Besser. “I was stunned. I really
was.”
The Congressional Gold Medal is the
highest honor Congress can bestow.
During his service in World War II, Besser
was sent with guerillas on spy missions
behind Japanese lines in southeastern
China. He was among the first Allied
troops to enter Shanghai, even before the
official armistice.
At 16, Besser signed up for ROTC as a
freshman at Yale. After Pearl Harbor, he
joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps and
was called to active duty in 1943, when
he was assigned to the Army Specialized
Training Program. To his displeasure, he
was classified as an engineer.
Photo by Cat Cutillo
“I tried like the devil to get out of the
engineering program for which I had no
aptitude or desire,” says Besser.
But the Army insisted they knew best.
“So one day I literally went AWOL,” says
Besser, who says he slipped away from his
platoon to join a new batch of candidates
being tested for a foreign language
program. He was about to be reported
when a high-ranking officer interfered and
asked what foreign language he was fluent
in.
“And having two years of high school
French, I said ‘French,’” says Besser.
Besser was tested, reclassified into the
language program, and sent off to the
University of California-Berkeley to study
Mandarin Chinese for nine months, where
he made a defining decision after being
approached by a OSS officer one day.
“He asked, ‘Would you volunteer for
hazardous duty?’ and I said ‘Sure,’” says
Besser who is still in awe of his teenage
mind.
“As my older self, when I look back I think
I was crazy,” says Besser. “I didn’t ask him
what kind of hazardous duty? Where?”
After arriving in Kunming in southwest
China, Besser was sent to work with the
guerillas who actively fought the Japanese.
“We did not engage in any fights, but
we used them to spy on the Japanese-
controlled cities. We sent them in. They
came back with intelligence and at one
point we did disrupt the bridge on one
of their main transportation routes,” says
Besser.
After the war, Besser chose to stay in
Shanghai for six months and taught
Economics 101 using a pirated edition
of his college textbook. He also had a
personal mission he wanted to complete.
For years, he’d been carrying in his
wallet the names of some missing family
members related to a friend of his mother.
“She said if he ever gets to China please
have him look up my family. I haven’t
heard from them since 1938,” says Besser.
Besser made it his mission to find a jeep
and drive it to the Hongkou district.
“You would have thought I was General
MacArthur the way everybody came out
and hurrahed,” says Besser. Amazingly, he
located the family. The husband had died
just two days earlier, but the mother and
two daughters were in good health. Besser
gave them the rest of his K-rations and got
word back to his hometown in New Jersey
that he’d found them.
It was during his time overseas that
Besser would unknowingly make his first
impression on his future wife, Gretchen,
who was visiting her new Wellesley College
friend and future roommate at her home
in New Jersey.
“We had this exotic Chinese tea that
her brother had sent over from Shanghai.
That’s the first I ever heard of my mate of
66 years,” says Gretchen.
After returning to the states, Besser
graduated from Yale Law School and
practiced law in New Jersey. He and
Gretchen, a longtime ski patroller, author,
and National Ski Hall of Fame inductee,
built their home in Morrisville in 1966
and moved to Vermont full-time upon his
retirement in 1994.
And despite the long-overdue recognition,
Gretchen says her husband shies away
from the heroic spotlight.
“You felt right from the start almost
apologetic. Because Al felt he wasn’t a
hero,” says Gretchen.
“There were so many returning veterans
that I was just one of a whole group,” says
Besser. “It was a good war of course. That
was a good war,” says Besser. “There were
the good guys and there were the bad
guys. And I was very happy and proud to
be a part of resisting the Axis. I really felt
it was vitally necessary,” says Besser.
“It was a time when everybody was
solidified and unified,” says Gretchen.
“When people came back, they didn’t
come back to a world where they couldn’t
find a place. Everybody welcomed the
soldiers and they returned to their families,
and people were real heroes. But they
didn’t talk about it,” says Gretchen.
“We were all on the same team,” says
Besser. “In retrospect, I really feel very
honored and proud.”
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 11
VCFA President Talks about his New Novel, The Perfect Liar
continued from page 5
From the standpoint of the craft of
writing, is there anything new or
different you’ve attempted with this
book?
Greene: Well, this book is certainly a lot
more murdery than some of my others.
It’s definitely a little darker and more
of a thriller. The plot may be different,
but I think you would recognize my
style. My last novel was a straight- up
unrequited love story, but it still had a
pacing that’s similar to what I do here.
This is my sixth book, and I feel like I’m
still learning how to do this right. I have
just been learning in a very public way
for a long time.
Is there a part of you that holds your
breath with each new novel, in terms
of the public reaction?
You don’t really know what you have
until people start responding to it. And
so you write this thing in isolation
over several years. It’s just you and the
book. You send it to your agent, and
she gives you first-level feedback. Then
your editor gets it, and you get another
level of feedback. But then the trade
reviews start coming out. These days
big publishers send books out to early
readers, almost like focus groups, to see
how they respond. Until that starts to
happen you actually don’t know what
you have. With this book in particular
I had a sense it would be popular given
the subject matter and the kind of story
it is—and then, it is a taut suspense
thriller.
How do you handle feedback on your
books, positive or negative?
Indifference is the worst response a
writer can get. You’re going to have
people love your work and some who
hate it and that’s OK. When it comes to
book review sites like goodreads.com,
the value is in the aggregate, I think,
not necessarily in what an individual
person thinks. But if you’re a writer, and
you read enough of them, or you look
at the totality of them, certain themes
start to emerge about what people think
about your work, and that can actually
inform you so it can be a positive sort
of feedback.
Any negative review you’d care to
share?
There’s a joke about vegans in the book
that a character says. They’re having
vegans over to a dinner party, and he
tells a joke about vegans, and I’ve had
people be offended by that. It’s just
funny what triggers people or what they
respond to. My work is secular. It’s not
religious obviously, and there are deep
pockets of religiosity in this country
and people who respond to characters
behaving, in their view, amorally, but
it’s fiction. You get a fair amount of
that.
So you don’t fixate on the odd negative
review, no matter how many positive
reviews there are?
One thing I tell our students here is that
the most important attribute you can
have as a writer is to be thick skinned. I
just think it’s incredibly critical because
otherwise it’ll kill you. There are always
going to be people who don’t like what
you do. You know there's a quote from
Edmund Wilson that says, “No two
persons ever read the same book,” and I
think that’s really true.
The office of The Bridge is hosted by the
Vermont College of Fine Arts
Excerpt From The Perfect Liar
On Easter Sunday of that year she bun-
dled Ferdinand up and they took a cab
out to Queens. It was the end of March
and the day was sunny but unseason-
ably cold. Her family didn’t know she
was coming. When they went over the
bridge from Manhattan, the East River
gray below them, she looked out the
window to the small web of neighbor-
hoods, tiny houses upon tiny houses,
where her family had moved to from
Spain when she was child.
Susannah had the cab drop her off a
few houses away from the small ranch
house that her parents owned. She wore
a scarf covering her hair, a bright red
one, and a long overcoat, and cradled
Ferdinand in her arms, his tiny body
within the warmth of her coat. He had
fallen asleep on the ride and was just
waking up, beautiful and sleepy-eyed
and not yet asking for milk.
When she reached the front of the
house, she stopped for a moment. She
knew with the scarf on her head that
she was virtually unrecognizable. Even
though the day was bright and sunny
her parent’s house was on the shady
side of the street and through the pic-
ture window she saw her sister Chris-
tina in front of the dining room table,
setting it for dinner. Behind her was her
husband, David, holding their toddler,
her nephew, Jorge, whom she had never
met. Her father, short and stout with
his thick head of gray hair, was tousling
the boy’s hair. Her mother, as usual,
was invisible, no doubt in the kitchen,
tending to a roast leg of lamb, her pota-
toes, stained red with paprika, in a cast
iron pan on the stovetop. Susannah
walked up the driveway. Up the cement
path to the metal screen door, the same
one that had always been there, a gi-
ant X over the faded glass, the one that
slammed shut when it closed. Behind it
the storm door was a solid pale yellow,
no windows. She looked at the orange
glowing circle around the doorbell and
then down at Ferdinand, his big dark
eyes open and wet and looking back at
her. Then she rang the doorbell.
PAG E 12 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE

A Path of Wellness compiled by Mike Dunphy Sally Olmsted—coordinator of The Wellness Collaborative
ton County Mental Health Services
W ellness comes in many forms—physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional.
To offer support in all these areas to our readers, The Bridge has reached
out to area health professionals to harvest advice, tips, exercises, and practices to
wcmhs.org
When we experience stress, our nervous system becomes act
can lead to an increased heart rate, rapid shallow breathing, an
help achieve optimal health. Take them step by step on this path to wellness. sion, and emotional distress. To interrupt this cycle, deepen
send a message to the brain that it is OK to relax. In fact, if w
Mary Scriber—massage therapist at The Equinox Resort exhalation, making it a little longer than inhalation, we trigger
manchestervtmassagemaryscriber.amtamembers.com pathetic response in the body, often referred to as “rest and d
Here is a simple centering tool to help stay clear and focused. Sit on a comfortable position to be in for a few minutes and inhale.
chair, close your eyes, and take three deep breaths. Focus on the bottom
of your feet and feel your energy there. Next visualize your energy going
deep down into the center of the Earth like golden roots. Bring your
awareness to the top of your head and feel your energy there. Now feel a
golden cord coming out of the top of your head and connecting to the
sun. Stay with this for awhile. Next bring the golden roots from your
feet up to your heart and feel the golden cords from the top of your head
going to your heart. Join the energies in your heart. Open your eyes and
walk in the world with beauty and compassion.

Sky Barsh—owner of Alpenglow Fitness

alpenglowfitness.com
Joshua Singer—acupuncturist at River Street Wellness
Set action-oriented goals. Losing 30 pounds or attain-
riverstreetwellnessvt.com
ing six-pack abs when you’ve never had them are dif-
Find the “eyes of the knee,”—the two holes on either side
ficult goals, that, if not achieved, can make you feel like
of the thick tendon below your kneecap. Measure from the
you’re failing. Instead, focus on actions, such as attend-
outer one straight downward toward your foot the width
ing 10 fitness classes each month or two hours of cardio
of your hand. Apply firm pressure in a circular motion at
in each week. When you achieve these goals, you’ll feel
that spot for a minute or two to stimulate this point on
successful, and realistic results will follow.
the body known to give the immune system a boost. Both
points may feel sore, but there’s no need to press too hard.

Chrissy Lefavour—owner of Grateful Yoga Dan Mitchell, PhD—clinical psychologist at the UVM Laurie Emerson—executive di
gratefulyogavt.com Health Network Mental Illness of Vermont
cvmc.org namivt.org
Travel! Humans are creatures of habit and routine, and while
there’s nothing wrong with that, we can learn a lot by pushing Did you know that a daily mindfulness practice of as little as When life’s challenges become o
beyond our comfort zone. Visit a place you’ve never been before. 5‒15 minutes a day can significantly improve your mental health port to talk with someone abou
Sign up for a tour or trip with a group, turn down a street you’ve and well-being? In fact, a 2018 research study found that a daily viduals realize “I am not alone.”
never driven down, visit a new town, or even a foreign country. 13-minute, audio-guided meditation practice for eight consecu- provide mutual respect in a no
Traveling to unknown territory challenges the mind to stay open tive weeks resulted in significant improvements in mood, levels of ronment. Being able to share yo
to new experiences while letting go of past expectations. anxiety, attention span, and memory. There are many great videos provide guidance and support w
and audio guides to help develop your mindfulness practice, in- build skills and knowledge abou
cluding apps such as Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer. community to better support the
 T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 13

e at Washing-

David Rettew, MD—medical director of Child and Family Divi-

tivated, which sion at the Vermont Department of Mental Health Fearn Lickfield—director and chief of the Green Mountain
nd muscle ten- mentalhealth.vermont.gov
True mental health is much more than the absence of mental illness. Druid Order
the breath to
The PERMA model states that well-being can be broken down to the greenmountaindruidorder.org
we extend our
following components: Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships There are two basic parts to energetic hygiene. Part one, ”Re-
r the parasym-
(positive ones), Meaning, and Achievement. Some people are fortunate lease,” is clearing away the stuff that you pick up from your day
digest.” Find a to have a lot of the PERMA dimensions naturally, while for many others or week. This can be done with herbal smoke (aka smudging),
it requires some cultivation. It can be useful for people to think about an intentional shower or bath, or with exhaling and imagining
these dimensions and evaluate which of them are going well and which all that is not yours releasing and composting into the Earth. Part
may need a little attention. two is “Return.” We can get mentally and emotionally hooked
into people, issues, events, politics, etc. We need to consciously
call all parts of ourselves to return and integrate. This can be
done with the inhale, movement, intention, and visualization.

Priscilla Minkin—chaplain at Central Vermont Medical Center

cvmc.org
Pay attention to what nurtures you, makes you smile, and gives you
a reason to get up in the morning. It can be as simple as the first cup
of coffee or tea in the morning, a walk in the snow, a hand held, a
story or conversation shared with a friend or family member. Also
put yourself first. This is not being selfish; this is practicing self-
care. When we do not care for ourselves, we struggle to care for our
children, partners, or family members.
CB Kaiser—owner of The Cross Training Studio
crosstrainvt.com
There is a misperception that one must do 30 minutes of cardio
or longer to benefit. There is ample evidence that suggests the
ever-changing, 20-minute workout gives better results, with less
energy loss. However it must be done correctly.

rector of National Alliance on
overwhelming, having peer sup-
ut your struggles can help indi-
You learn from one another and
on-judgmental, stigma-free envi-
our struggles and challenges and
with another will help individuals
ut the resources available in the
eir wellness.
Lindsay Armstrong—owner of Embodied Yoga
embodiedvermont.com
Use a natural fiber body brush with medium to firm bristles,
exfoliate, and invigorate your body for about 3–5 minutes be-
fore showering. Begin with the soles of the feet, and then use
long, sweeping motions up the legs towards the heart. Do the
same with the hands and arms, as well as the chest and back.
Use clockwise, circular motions for the belly and over the joints.
Shower, and then lather on a nourishing oil such as coconut or
almond.
Kaarin Shiptiko—Pilates instructor at Essential Physical
Therapy & Pilates
essentialptp.com
Make small postural changes throughout your day, for example,
moving shoulders away from ears, keeping collar bones wide,
imagining an orange under your chin, and focusing on deep
breathing. Sitting is the worst thing for you, so just get up and
move in some way.
PAG E 14 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
Sarducci’s Celebrates 25 Years in Montpelier
O
n a recent sunny and chilly January afternoon, Sarducci’s Restaurant
founder and co-owner Carol Paquette relaxed by a front table and
looked back on 25 years. Sitting alongside head chef and new co-
owner Jeff Butterfield, Paquette marveled at surviving two-and-a-half decades in
the restaurant business—a momentous achievement.
This past weekend, the Montpelier institution quietly
celebrated the milestone birthday.
Paquette can remember Sarducci’s first day quite
clearly—Jan. 19, 1994. It was a Wednesday.
“We opened at 4 pm. It was freezing outside. Dorothy
Korshak [founder and former business partner] and I
had no idea who might or how many people might stop
in. We really hadn’t done any advertising to let people
know we were opening,” she said.
But people knew. Oh, they knew. Within the first hour
of business, it was clear that Montpelier was ready for
Sarducci’s.
“The doors opened and people just kept coming in. We
hadn’t planned on so many that night, but by the end
we had served close to 200 people,” Paquette said, still in
awe of that first night’s success.
Paquette attributes Sarducci’s early success to a lack of
restaurants in Montpelier at that time. She said locals
were “desperate” for a place where families could sit
down in a cozy atmosphere with the whole family and
have an amazing, authentic Italian dinner.
The signature wood-fired oven was also a unique feature
for a Montpelier restaurant. Paquette and Korshak—
who started their partnership as coworkers at Julio’s—
researched Italian restaurants in Boston, New York, and
Chicago and noted the popularity of these ovens.
“We saw the restaurants that had the wood-fired ovens were becoming more and
more popular,” Paquette said.
By Tim Simard
Since those first days, Sarducci’s has become a go-to dining spot in the Capital City.
In its 25 years, the restaurant has renovated its space, added a deck overlooking
the Winooski River, and doubled its seating capacity, all while keeping its menu
remarkably consistent. Today, Sarducci’s enters a new chapter as it celebrates a
quarter century.
At end of 2018, Butterfield bought in to the business
and is now a co-owner alongside Paquette. Butterfield,
an East Montpelier native and graduate of the New
England Culinary Institute, has been with Sarducci’s for
nearly seven years. His experience pre-Sarducci’s included
running kitchens in tourist locales from Charleston, S.C.
to Stowe.
“When a sous chef position opened [in 2012], I jumped
at the chance. I was ready to move back home, and I fell
in love with this place on day one,” Butterfield said.
Butterfield said that Sarducci’s has a family atmosphere
amongst its employees that’s unique to other places he’s
worked. Paquette added that several employees have
been with the restaurant for years and even decades.
Butterfield was promoted to head chef in 2014; around
the same time Korshak decided to retire, leaving Paquette
as sole owner. But the demands of running one of the
city’s most popular restaurants became challenging for
one person. Butterfield pitched himself to be Sarducci’s
next co-owner. Paquette knew it would be the right fit.
“He’s so good at what he does, he’s super smart, and
his ego doesn’t get in the way. That last part is very
important,” she said.
Photo by Paul Contino
Sarducci’s 25-year story is one of growth and consistency.
Customers know what they’ll get each time they walk
through the doors. The pollo al marsala and salmone cucina remain the most
popular menu items, as they have since the first year.
“Montpelier has changed a lot, but we’re still here. We’re still serving great Italian
food that’s affordable, fresh, and locally sourced,” Butterfield said.
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 15
Parking Garage Permit Challenged in Court
O
pponents of a downtown parking garage have gone to court to challenge a
permit issued by the city’s Development Review Board (DRB). The appeal to
the environmental division of Vermont Superior Court was filed on behalf of 18
city residents and could potentially delay construction of the project that was approved
by voters in November.
The plaintiff group includes most of the same residents who brought a list of concerns to
the DRB in December before the board approved the joint
application by the city and the owners of Capitol Plaza to
build a privately owned 80-room Hampton Inn and Suites
and a publicly owned four-story, 348-space parking garage
on land owned by the Bashara family. The opponents are
also pursuing a ballot item for Town Meeting Day that asks
the city to satisfy a series of seven concerns before it releases
money from the $10.5 million bond that was approved in
November by a margin of 582 votes.
The notice of appeal was filed January 9 in environmental
court by James Dumont, a Bristol attorney who specializes
in environmental and public interest cases. Dumont has
represented opponents in high-profile disputes such as the
Vermont Gas pipeline project in Addison County and the
effort to base Air Force F-35 fighter jets at the Vermont Photo by Tom Brown
National Guard facility in South Burlington.
Dumont said the appeal of the DRB permit will center on the same concerns about the
garage proposal that the groups brought up in the DRB process—issues such as traffic,
water quality, historic preservation, and compliance with the city’s master plan. The
opponents must file a statement of questions with the court within the next 10 days
or so, and then a teleconference will be held between the parties to determine how to
proceed, Dumont said.
“I think there are some major problems with this project and we’ll have to let the courts
decide whether the problems are large enough to say no to the project,” Dumont said.
City officials said they have attempted to meet with the opponents before the appeal
was filed but no meeting was arranged. The appeal is the latest chapter in a continuing
philosophical battle between residents who see the garage and hotel as essential to the
economic development and growth of the downtown district and those who believe the
structures are not in tune with the city’s effort to encourage non-vehicular transportation
and aesthetics, among other things.
“I’m disappointed that they chose to file an appeal without trying to get clarity on their
issues of concern,” City Manager Bill Fraser said. “I hope they understand that there is
support for this project in the community, and that we are willing to try to resolve the
issues.”
Fraser said the environmental court judge in such cases usually urges the parties to enter
mediation before it is argued in court and hopes the matter is settled there. “We don’t
see any of the issues they raised that we can’t resolve,” he said.
The petition and the appeal process have left downtown merchants frustrated. Sarah
DeFelice, owner of Bailey Road and president of the Montpelier Business Association,
said retailers strongly support the garage and hotel projects as a way to bring more people
into the capital city. She said halting the project is the goal of a small group of people
who seek to undo a vote by the majority of Montpelier residents.
“We just had a meeting in which 25 downtown business owners reiterated their support
for the project,” she said. “We think it is unfortunate that a group of 18 people can try
to undo the will of 2,500 voters. Downtown businesses need growth and development
to keep going.”
She said her attempts to meet with opponents of the garage were also unsuccessful.
Andrea Stander, a member of the group that appealed the DRB decision and helped
organize the petition that may appear on the March ballot, believes the garage will not
solve the city’s economic problems and said the group has no alternative other than to
pursue available legal remedy.
By Tom Brown
“There is no court of philosophical debate,” she said. Stander, who emphasized that she
was speaking only for herself and not on behalf of the opponents’ group, said that at
the very least the challenge will change the process for such large projects in the future.
“In the short term, I would like to see this project improved, to see that the concerns
in the petition are addressed. In the long haul, I would like the city to recognize that
the process was not adequate for the size and scope of this important project,” she said.
Some sentiment has been expressed that the hotel could be
built without the parking structure but the Basharas and
the city have been clear that one cannot exist without the
other. The family initially proposed to build and pay for a
200-space garage but found it to be cost prohibitive. They
then sought the public-private partnership with the city
that led to residents approving a $10.5 million bond for a
larger, 348-space garage in November by a vote of 2,459-
1,877. The city has said that no new tax money will be
needed to pay for the bond debt and operation of the garage
and that parking fees and taxes from a new development
district will cover the costs.
The appellants of the DRB decision are Laura Rose Abbott,
Les Blomberg, Daniel Costin, Charles Daghlian, Rebecca
Davison, Nathaniel Frothingham, Mollie Gribbin, Sarah
Gribbin, Jennifer Hasskamp, Dorothy L. Helling, William
Koucky, Lawrence Mires, Jill Muhr, Lisette Elise Paris, John Russell, Albert Sabatini,
Andrea Stander, and Sandra Vitzthum. Frothingham is the retired co-founder of The
Bridge and Helling is a former advertising representative. Neither is currently involved
in the management or operation of newspaper.
Act 250 Hearing
On the same day that the appeal was filed, a crowded hearing on the project was held
in City Hall by the District 5 Environmental Commission, which issues state permits
under Act 250, Vermont’s landmark environmental review law.
Several of the opponents attempted to be granted party status at the hearing and all
were denied except for one limited approval. Dumont indicated that the board’s denial
of party status might be appealed at the end of the Act 250 process. Other parties that
were denied status could also appeal.
The commissioners requested more details from the city and gave it 30 days to supply
the information. After that, another hearing could be scheduled or the testimony would
be closed. Once closed, the commission has 15 days to issue its decision on the permit
application.
Ballot Question
Opponents have until January 24 to file the 311 signatures needed to place an item on
the March ballot that asks the city to withhold funding of the parking garage until its
list of seven criteria is met.
The city council must set the warning for the vote at its meeting the same day. The
council also meets that night to finalize the proposed municipal budget. It is unclear
whether opponents will continue with the advisory ballot item now that the matter is
headed to court.
PAG E 16 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
Hunger Mountain Co-op Teams with Capstone to Help Vermonters
A
nyone who has lived in or visited Vermont during winter may be familiar
with just how beautiful but unforgiving a season it can be. The sometimes
biting, bone-chilling cold is undeniable and can be a challenge for some
residents trying to escape from it. Helping Vermonters find food, shelter, and
warmth, especially on frigid winter days, is just one of the many important
priorities for Capstone Community Action.
“It’s nearly impossible to think of the future when you’re focused on your next meal,
where you’re going to sleep that night, or if you’ll have heat in the winter. Once this
is addressed, then we can help elevate their perspective of what’s possible,” says Sue
Minter, the organization’s executive director.
Three years ago, Capstone Community Action partnered with VSECU to launch
the “Fuel Your Neighbors” program, which raises money for emergency food and
heating assistance and helps members of our community meet their basic needs,
especially during the winter.
One way Capstone achieves this is through their food shelf, which receives funding
from the Fuel Your Neighbors initiative. Capstone’s food shelf, the largest in
Central Vermont, provides food to thousands of area residents—275,000 pounds of
food last year alone. Fuel Your Neighbors also helps bridge the gap for community
members who may struggle to afford to heat their homes, while not qualifying
for publicly funded heating assistance. With the help Capstone can provide, those
residents can avoid making impossible decisions, such as choosing between heating
their home or putting food on the table.
“The people we serve are your neighbors, your kid’s classmates, your waiter, your
chairlift operator, your childcare provider,” Minter says. “Rural poverty is much
less obvious, but it is painfully real and prevalent. We work with households who
are experiencing a setback as a result of a job loss, illness, or other changes in family
circumstances. Without heat in your home, you’re forced to turn off the water, so
the pipes don’t freeze. You’re practically homeless at that point. For households
with children or senior citizens, lack of adequate heat can cause serious health risks.
Through our emergency services, our objective is to prevent people from having to
face these conditions.”
The community can help Capstone achieve that objective throughout the month
of January by supporting Fuel Your Neighbors every time they shop at Hunger
Mountain Co-op. When shoppers round up purchases to the next dollar, they
are giving that change directly to this effort to meet the increased demand for
emergency food and heating assistance in central Vermont. Capstone’s goal is to
raise $100,000 during this 100-day initiative, and the change you give will go
a long way toward reaching that financial goal and the goals of the Fuel Your
Neighbors program.
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 17
Active Seniors Flocking to
Exercise Classes
E
xercise classes at the Montpelier
Senior Activity Center, offered
in four sessions a year primarily
to those age 50 and over, are
increasing in number and attendance
“every quarter,” according to Senior
Center director Janna Clar.
“We’ve had tremendous growth in
the number of courses we offer in
order to keep up with demand, in the
number of people taking the courses,
and in the number of classes that are
getting filled up,” Clar said.
This winter, the Senior Center
offerings include 21 yoga classes, six
“bone builder” classes, four Pilates
classes, two tai chi classes, two dance
classes, and two “somatic movement”
classes. Most meet once a week,
although the popular bone builder
classes meet twice a week.
In addition to its “Active Living and
Wellness” classes, the Senior Center
also offers several other well-attended
courses for those 50 and over. These
courses are of two general types—
“performing and fine arts” and
“humanities and more”—making the
Senior Center a busy place.
Demographic trends, with more
baby boomers retiring every year, are
behind the growth in courses at the
Senior Center, Clar said. “We expect
that will keep happening for a few
more years,” she said. The fees for
the courses are also quite reasonable,
encouraging some people to sign up
for more than one course.
Clar noted that the Senior Center
has been combined by the city with
the Parks Department and Recreation
Department into one Community
Services Department. The combined
department is moving beyond the
50+ crowd by offering an increasing
number of courses to adults of any
age. These are offered at both the
Senior Center and the Recreation
Center, she said.
Zumba is a very popular all-ages
class, she noted. Another class open
to adults of any age this winter is
a class in “Feldenkrais movement
exploration.” On registration day,
that class filled up right away and
had nine people on the waiting list by
noon, Clar said.
The demand for exercise classes,
particularly the 50-and-over classes,
has maxed out space at the Senior
Center and led to yoga and Pilates
classes being scheduled at the
Middlesex and Worcester town halls
but open to anyone. Clar said those
towns, which contribute some money
to the operation of the Senior Center,
had asked that classes to be offered in
their towns.
By Phil Dodd
More and more residents of
surrounding towns are signing up
for Senior Center courses, she noted,
but many of those towns are also
contributing more. “We used to get
$1,000 in total from other towns,”
Clar said. “For fiscal year 2019 we got
almost $30,000, and we’ll be asking
for $36,300 for fiscal year 2020.”
The money from surrounding towns
for FY19 is part of the $595,515
in revenues that the Senior Center
is budgeted to take in during the
current fiscal year. Out of that total,
the City of Montpelier general fund
kicked in $121,322. The rest is
coming from membership and course
fees, investments, grants, donations,
and facility rentals, Clar said.
The towns helping to support the
Senior Center include Berlin,
Calais, East Montpelier, Middlesex,
Moretown, and Worcester. Clar said
that Barre City could join the group
this year if Barre voters approve the
idea in March.
Most classes at the Senior Center
offer different rates for members and
non-members. For example, many
yoga classes meet 12 times a quarter
and cost members $25 for the entire
quarter. The rate is $35 for non-
members.
Montpelier residents 50 and over
can become members for $15 a year.
Residents of supporting towns pay
$30 per year to become a member,
and all others pay $50. One third of
Senior Center members now come
from surrounding towns, Clar noted.
In addition to taking courses, Senior
Center members can sign up for
discounted memberships or punch
cards at First in Fitness in Berlin,
Alpenglow Fitness in Montpelier, and
RehabGYM in Barre. Members can
also sign up for water aerobics, lap
swimming, and tennis at First in
Fitness.
The current classes started in early
January and end in March. The next
series of classes will run from April
to June, and the initial sign-up for
those will happen on March 11, both
in-person and online.
“Members from Montpelier and FY19
supporting towns can sign up starting
March 11,” Clar said. “Registrations
for other towns will be processed
starting March 25.” Got a news tip? Rocque Long
Clar said that it is not too late to sign
up for some of this winter’s classes.
We want to know! Painting
To find the current catalog, go to
Send it to us at: • Insured
montpelier-vt.org/297/Montpelier- • 30+ years professional
Senior-Activity-Center. experience
mdunphy@
• local references.
montpelierbridge.com
802-223-0389
PAG E 18 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
Lesser Known Winter Workouts
I t’s not that often my editor gives
me a direct assignment. Mostly
he avoids me. And when we
are in the same room together,
he accuses me of making “dad
jokes,” whatever those are. But
this week was different. He stuck his head in my door
and barked at me to look into lesser known winter
workouts for the health and wellness issue.
Not wanting to appear unschooled in the manly
art of things athletic, I immediately turned to my
neighbor down the street, Chuck Muncey. I figured
that Chuck is a fitness nut because he is always
on his sofa watching NFL football, even in the off
season, and always wears sweatshirts and sweatpants,
although, to be fair, I’ve never actually seen him
sweat. After rewarding him with a case of Bud Light
and helping him consume some of that case, we came
up with the following.
The Back-Handed Credit Card Scrape
This workout routine was first depicted many years
ago in a cartoon by prize-winning cartoonist Jeff
Danziger and involves scraping the frost off the
inside of the windshield with the edge of a credit
card. The card is grasped in a back-handed manner,
that is, with the top of the hand facing the windshield
and the card below. Vigorously move up and down to
create a small portal for viewing through the frost.
According to Muncey, the back-handed credit card
scrape is good for strengthening the fingers, wrist,
forearm, and upper arm. He believes it is particularly
By Larry Floersch
effective in preventing or reducing “granny flaps”
below the triceps, but opined, “You must make sure
to switch arms occasionally so that the reduction is
bilateral.” He also cautioned that using the back-
handed credit card scrape on the wider and taller
windshields of newer cars can lead to a painful
condition known to orthopedists as “back-handed
credit card scrape elbow.”
Making Newspaper Balls
Making newspaper balls to light wood stoves is
another upper body workout routine that is popular
in the winter here in Vermont. It involves crushing
pages of a newspaper into tight balls that light easily
but burn for an extended period of time, which
allows the kindling to ignite.
The newspaper used is not that important, according
to Muncey. “It’s really the technique that counts,”
he said, “It could be The Bridge or the Times Argus
or the Free Press. My personal favorite is the Sunday
New York Times simply because when you’ve finished
turning that sucker into newspaper balls you’ve really
had a workout.”
He suggests that you take a full sheet of newspaper—
four pages—and vigorously crush it into a ball.
“Really apply pressure and give it a little twist as
you squeeze it, kind of like a major league pitcher
working up a fresh baseball after the batter fouls one
off,” he said. “If you’re feeling really athletic, try two
full sheets—eight pages—at a time.” Also, he notes
to avoid the supplements, especially ones printed on
glossy paper. “They just don’t burn well.”
Muncey says the workout is really good for building
your grip. “If you’re into rock climbing, making
newspaper balls is an excellent way to keep your
hands in shape all winter,” said Muncey.
Snowraking
“Snowraking is an excellent workout not only for
your arms and shoulders, but also for your abdominal
core,” says Muncey. “Plus, there comes a time almost
every winter when the amount of snow on your roof
causes your roof trusses to creak. So it’s like a double
benny. You build yourself up as you pull the snow
down.”
To make the work go easier, he suggests you learn to
sing one or two halyard shanties, because the action
of snowraking is similar to raising the sails on a ship
with the halyards. “Windlass shanties just won’t do
it,” Muncey said, “It has to be a halyard shanty to
have the right rhythm, something like ‘Heave Away
Santiano.’”
Tiki Mudra
Not wanting people to think he is just a jock,
Muncey suggested one of his favorite winter yoga
exercises: “First you use some of those newspaper
balls to get a good fire going in your woodstove so
it’s toasty warm in the room. Then you assume the
standard prayer mudra, which is good for balance,
while you contemplate having a boat drink at a tiki
bar somewhere in the Caribbean. It may not truly
be an act of mindfulness, but it adds balance to my
winter days.”
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 19
Calendar of Events
Community Events
Events happening
January 23–February 8
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23
The Christ Church Community Lunch.
11 am–12:30 pm. 64 Main St., Montpelier.
Salvation Army Community Lunch.
Noon–1 pm. 25 Keith Ave., Barre.
Investigative Reporting in a Fishbowl.
VTDigger Editor Anne Galloway will
describe how interacting with sources and
protecting whistleblowers can be challenges
to investigative reporting in Vermont. An
Osher Lifelong Learning Program. 1:30 pm.
Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre
St., Montpelier. Free for OLLI members; $5
suggested donation for others.
MFA in Creative Writing Information
Session at Goddard College. If you would
like to learn more or have questions about
our MFA in Creative Writing Program,
please join us for an informational session
with Program Director, Elena Georgiou. This
session will be conducted using the Zoom
videoconferencing platform, but you can also
call in with a phone. 5:30 pm. RSVP: jenn.
renko@goddard.edu
Waterbury Historical Society Meeting.
Chuck Magnus will tell us the history of
the Caboose on Perry Hill and show a video
“Backyard Goldmine.” 6 pm. Waterbury
Municipal Building, Steele Community
Room, Main St., Waterbury.
Mid-Week Movie: The Shape of Water.
6–8 pm. Highland Center for the Arts,
2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro. $5 suggested
donation.
Indie Lens Pop-Up Film and Discussion:
RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the
World. This film brings to light a profound
and missing chapter in the history of
American music: the Indigenous influence.
Abenaki musician Bryan Blanchette will
speak following the film. 7 pm. Kellogg-
Hubbard Library,
135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24
New Vermonters Friendship Group.
Are you new to this country? Welcome
to Vermont! Come meet for some casual
conversation and refreshments. People
from the Central Vermont Refugee Action
Network and Central Vermont Adult Basic
Education will join us to talk about the
services they offer. 10–11:30 am. Kellogg-
Hubbard Library, Hayes Room, 135 Main
St., Montpelier. 223-3338.
Trinity United Methodist Church
Community Lunch. 11:30 am–1 pm. 137
Main St., Montpelier.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 25
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Jan. 25–Feb.
3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor and
outdoor venues, traditional and not-so-
traditional events. Various location in
Waterbury. WaterburyWinterfest.com
Film Screening: Farmer of the Year.
Award-winning, limited release independent
feature film by Craftsbury filmmakers Kathy
Swanson and Vince O’Connell. 5:50 pm and
8:30 pm. Q&A after 5:50 showing. Capitol
Showplace,
93 State St., Montpelier. 229-0343
Keeping the Books & Tax Planning For
Small Businesses. Denice Gagne will talk
about the tax law to make sure you pay only
the tax you owe and no more. She will point
out often overlooked tax deductions that you
may be able to take. 9–10 am. Capstone, 20
Gable Pl., Barre. Register: 477-5214
Anything Goes! Slam. Open to performers
of all types with anything that can be done
in 5 minutes or less on stage. Slam will
include poets and writers, but musicians and
magicians, painters and judo practitioners
may also compete for the modest prizes.
All ages. 6:30 pm. Aldrich Library. 6
Washington St., Barre. Enter library through
rear entrance.
Naturalist Journeys Presentation Series:
Nibbling on Natives in Your Backyard and
Beyond. Russ Cohen, expert forager and
author of “Wild Plants I Have Known …
and Eaten” will explore native edible plants
suitable for landscaping or wild nibbling.
Homemade samples will be shared. 7–8:30
pm. North Branch Nature Center,
Elm St., Montpelier.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 26
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through
Feb. 3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor
and outdoor venues, traditional and not-
so-traditional events. Various location in
Waterbury. waterburywinterfest.com
Film Screening: Farmer of the Year.
Award-winning, limited release independent
feature film by Craftsbury filmmakers Kathy
Swanson and Vince O’Connell. 12:15 pm,
5:50 pm, and 8:30 pm. Capitol Showplace,
93 State St., Montpelier. 229-0343
Barre Congregational Church Community
Meal. 7:30–9 am. 35 Church St., Barre.
Artist Talk with Artist-in-Residence Mario
Ybarra Jr. A VCFA Visiting Artist/Scholar
Presentation. 10–11:30 am. College Hall
Performing Arts
THEATER, DANCE,
STORYTELLING, COMEDY
Jan. 25: The Tell Off. Winning raconteurs
from Season VIII of Extempo vie for audience
votes and cash prizes in the eighth annual storytelling tournament of champions. Half of all proceeds
benefit Waterbury recreation; opening night of Winterfest. 8 pm. American Legion Post 59, 16 Stowe
St., Waterbury. $10.244-7174. storytelling@extempovt.com. extempovt.com
Jan. 25: 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.
Jan. 26: Swan Lake. With the Ballet of the Odessa National Opera. A timeless love story that mixes
magic, tragedy, and romance into two acts. 7 pm. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 122 Hourglass
Dr., Stowe. $25–75. sprucepeakarts.org
Feb. 1–2: Stage 16 presents Annie Junior. Performed by the Middle School Theater program at U-32
Middle & High School. Join the adventurous Annie as she finds a new home with billionaire Oliver
Warbucks, his secretary Grace, and a loveable mutt named Sandy. With all the music you know and
love. Feb. 1 at 7 pm; Feb. 2 at 11 am. U-32 Auditorium, 930 Gallison Hill Rd., E. Montpelier. By
donation.
Feb. 2: FEMCOM. All-female standup comedy. 8:30 pm. Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Barre.
Free/by donation. 479-0896.espressobueno.com.
Feb. 6: Step Afrika! the first professional dance company in the world dedicated to the tradition
of stepping. In stepping, the body is used as an instrument to create intricate rhythms and sounds
through a combination of footsteps, claps and the spoken word. 7 pm. Spruce Peak Performing Arts
Center, 122 Hourglass Dr., Stowe. $25–55. sprucepeakarts.org
Chapel, College St., Montpelier. vcfa.edu Music by secular and Christian artists. 4–5
Brookfield Ice Harvest and WinterFest. pm. East Montpelier Elementary School,
Living history of ice harvesting in New 665 Vincent Flats, East Montpelier. Free for
England with all the old tools. 10:30 am–2 women 18 and older.
pm. Floating Bridge on Sunset Lake in Pond Global Screening and Discussion: The
Village, Brookfield. Free. 276-3260 Truth Cannot Be Buried On International
Holocaust Remembrance Day. Audiences
SUNDAY, JANUARY 27
around the world will gather to watch Who
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through
Will Write Our History? This documentary
Feb. 3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor reveals how a clandestine group in the
and outdoor venues, traditional and not- Warsaw ghetto vowed to defeat Nazi lies and
so-traditional events. Various location in propaganda, not with guns or fists, but with
Waterbury. waterburywinterfest.com pen and paper. After the film, our audience
Film Screening: Farmer of the Year. is welcome to stay to view the worldwide
Award-winning, limited release independent discussion recorded earlier in the day based
feature film by Craftsbury filmmakers Kathy out of UNESCO’s Paris headquarters. 4 pm.
Swanson and Vince O’Connell. 12:25 pm, The Jewish Community of Greater Stowe,
3:40 pm, and 1189 Cape Cod Rd, Stowe. Free. info@
HolocaustMemorial-VT.org
6:25 pm. Capitol Showplace, 93 State St.,
Montpelier. 229-0343 Kathy and Steven’s Long Walk on the
Camino de Santiago. In the summer of
Hike Stowe with Green Mountain Club.
2018 Kathy and Steven Light (of the Fyre
Moderate.Taylor Lodge from Lake Mansfield.
and Lightning Consort) walked the entire
Hike to Taylor lodge (3.2 miles), and if
Camino de Santiago, over 500 miles. They
conditions are good, we will do the Clara
Bow loop (0.8 miles) as well. Snowshoes or will show photos and videos, talk about
microspikes depending upon conditions. their experiences and play medieval and
Contact Steve or Heather Bailey, 622-4516 traditional music from the Camino on their
newly acquired Galician bagpipes and harp,
or stevecbailey@gmail.com for meeting time
lute, guitar, recorders, whistle, clarinet and
and place.
more. 4 pm. Plainfield Opera House, Rt. 2,
Zumba-Like Fitness Dance. Every Sunday. Plainfield. By donation. 498-3173.
PAG E 2 0 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE
Calendar of Events
Visual Arts
EXHIBITS
Through Jan. 31: Illuminate: The Winter
Group Show. Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery, 86
Falls Rd., Shelburne. 985-3848.
Jan. 21–31: Monica Moraru, There,
There, Now. Moraru works across media,
including installation, painting, sculpture, and
photography. Artist talk and reception: Jan.
24, 3–5 pm. Northern Vermont University-
Johnson, Julian Scott Memorial Gallery.
NorthernVermont.edu
Through Feb. 1: Endangered Alphabets. Tim
Brookes explores the elements of calligraphy,
woodwork, linguistics, anthropology and
human rights to address a question: what
happens when a culture loses its alphabet? State
House Cafeteria, Montpelier.
Jan. 27–Feb. 2: VCFA New and Returning
Student Exhibitions. Opening reception:
Jan. 26, 7 pm. Alumni Hall, 45 College St.,
Montpelier
Jan. 29–Feb. 2: VCFA Graduating Student
Exhibition. Opening reception: Jan. 28, 7:30
pm. Vermont College of Fine Arts Gallery,
36 College St., Montpelier.
Feb. 1–Feb. 8: Creating with Paper. A pop-up
exhibit of collages by Sandra fw Beaty. A large
installation of paper collages, many depicting
scenes from Beaty’s extensive travels. Bryan
Memorial Gallery, 180 Main St., Jeffersonville.
644-5100, info@bryangallery.org
Tiny Twilight Café. Opportunity for parents
and caregivers of children 0–3 to connect.
Every fourth Sun. 4:30 pm. Downstreet
Community Space, 22 Keith Ave., Barre. Free.
goodbeginningscentralvt.org
MONDAY, JANUARY 28
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through
Feb. 3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor
and outdoor venues, traditional and not-so-
traditional events. Various location in Waterbury.
WaterburyWinterfest.com
Film Screening: Farmer of the Year. Award-
winning, limited release independent feature film
by Craftsbury filmmakers Kathy Swanson and
Vince O’Connell. 6:25 pm. Capitol Showplace,
93 State St., Montpelier. 229-0343
Of Walks and Waterbooks: Some Curatorial
Projects with Visiting Scholar Gunalan
Nadarajan. A Visiting Artist/Scholar
Presentation. 10:45 am–12:45 pm. College Hall
Chapel, College St., Montpelier. vcfa. edu
Community Lunch at Unitarian Church
Montpelier. 11 am–12:30 pm. 130 Main St.,
Montpelier.
Salvation Army Community Lunch.
Noon–1 pm. 25 Keith Ave., Barre.
Environmental Film Series: Tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a hugely positive, affirming
and inspirational film that explores creative
solutions in the fields of food, energy, education,
economics, and transports. Dan Jones, Executive
Director of the Sustainable Montpelier Coalition,
will lead a discussion following the film. 6:30
pm. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. 223-3338.
Through Feb. 15: “Something Dear”
Photographer’s Workroom. The workroom
is a study in project creation and portfolio
development. Emphasis is on photography as
process and practice, and using cameras as a
way of seeing. T. W. Wood Gallery. 46 Barre
St., Montpelier. twwoodgallery.org
Through Feb. 23: The Way We See It: Social
[In]Justice. A group show highlighting the
work of four artists that are responding to their
own view of social injustice—be it racism,
sexism, religious discrimination, or genocide.
Axel’s Gallery, Stowe St., Waterbury.
Through Feb. 28: Jaquith Invitational Art
Show. Works in a variety of media by 17 local
artists. Jaquith Public Library, Old Schoolhouse
Common, 122 School St., Marshfield.
426-3581
Through Feb. 28: Aspects of the Universe.
Paintings in acrylic and watercolor by Marina
Sprague of Chelsea Vermont. Opening
Reception: Jan. 25, 6-8 pm. chelsealibrary.com
802-685-2188
Feb. 1–28: Cheshire Cat’s in-house artists.
Lucy Ferrada presents her whimsical hand-
painted wooden bowls. Dawn McConnell
presents her colorful, painted stoneware.
Reception: Feb. 1, 4–8 pm. The Cheshire Cat,
28 Elm St., Montpelier. cheshirecatclothing.
com
Through March 1: Winter Juried Exhibit. 26
local Vermont artists. Work includes paintings,
prints, photographs, sculpture, fiber arts, and
jewelry. T.W. Wood Gallery. 46 Barre St.,
Montpelier. twwoodgallery.org
TUESDAY, JANUARY 29
Cross-country Ski Stowe with Green
Mountain Club. Moderate. Ski from Stowe
Mountain Resort to Trapps cabin. Trail fee.
Bring lunch and water or buy at cabin. Contact
Mary Smith, 505-0603 or Mary Garcia, 622-
0585 for meeting time and place.
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through
Feb. 3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor
and outdoor venues, traditional and not-so-
traditional events. Various location in Waterbury.
waterburywinterfest.com
Film Screening: Farmer of the Year. Award-
winning, limited release independent feature film
by Craftsbury filmmakers Kathy Swanson and
Vince O’Connell. 6:25 pm. Capitol Showplace,
93 State St., Montpelier. 229-0343
Barre Congregational Church Community
Meal. 7:30–9 am. 35 Church St., Barre.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through Feb. 3.
A 10-day festival featuring indoor and outdoor
venues, traditional and not-so-traditional
events. Various location in Waterbury.
waterburywinterfest.com
Film Screening: Farmer of the Year. Award-
winning, limited release independent feature film
by Craftsbury filmmakers Kathy Swanson and
Vince O’Connell. 4 pm and 6:45 pm. Capitol
Showplace, 93 State St., Montpelier. 229-0343
Cross-country Ski Stowe with Green Mountain
Club. 6 miles. Moderate to difficult. Barnes
Camp over Smugglers’ Notch on the highway to
Jeffersonville. Metal edged skis are not required, but
Through March 2: Scrap Yard: Drawings by
Mark Heitzman. An exhibit of 10 large-scale
graphite or charcoal drawings of tools and other
objects. On display at The Morse Block Deli,
located 260 N. Main Street, Barre. For info:
www.studioplacearts.com
Through March 2: The Art of the Portrait,
August Burns. The exhibition is a rare
opportunity for the public to view paintings
from this outstanding Vermont Artist. 5031
Main Street, Waitsfield. 496-6682
Jan. 25–March 9: The Front presents
SHOW 30. Recent works by the membership
of Montpelier’s sole collective art gallery.
Opening reception: Feb. 1, 4–8 pm. 6 Barre St.,
Montpelier. info@thefrontvt.com
Jan. 22–March 12: Northern Vermont
University-Lyndon Community Art Exhibit.
Theme is “To B or Not to B,” and all artwork
must relate to the letter “b” in some way.
NVU-Lyndon, Quimby Gallery, Lyndonville.
NorthernVermont.edu
Jan. 21–March 28: Ryan Geary, Ascent (Part
One: Eulogy). A collection of 2D and 3D
collages. Opening reception: Feb. 7, 5–7 pm.
River Arts Center, Copley Common Room, 74
Pleasant St., Morrisville. www.riverartsvt.org.
Jan. 21–April 19: Thom Egan, On Making
Pictures. Wood block prints, lithographs, and
colored low reliefs. Reception & Artist Talk:
Feb. 7, 5–7 pm. River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant
St., Morrisville. www.riverartsvt.org.
Through June 1: Thomas Waterman Wood:
The Master Copies. A selection of Wood’s
master copies from the T.W. Wood Art Gallery
collection. While Wood was in Europe he fell
helpful if the snow is hard packed. Contact Steve
or Heather Bailey, 802-622-4516 or stevecbailey@
gmail.com for meeting time and place.
The Christ Church Community Lunch.
11 am–12:30 pm. 64 Main St., Montpelier.
Salvation Army Community Lunch.
Noon–1 pm. 25 Keith Ave., Barre.
Mid-Week Movie: Leave No Trace. 6–8 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick
St., Greensboro. $5 suggested donation.
highlandartsvt.org
Visiting Artist Presentation with B. Wurtz.
A VCFA Visiting Artist/Scholar Presentation.
7:15–8:30 pm. College Hall Chapel, College St.,
Montpelier. vcfa.edu.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through
Feb. 3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor
and outdoor venues, traditional and not-so-
traditional events. Various location in Waterbury.
waterburywinterfest.com
in love with the paintings of the European
Masters, including Rembrandt and Turner.
Following current fashion, Wood copied
paintings to learn techniques from the masters.
T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier. 262-6035.
twwoodgallery.org
Feb. 15–Dec. 21: 200 Years—200 Objects.
An exhibition celebrating Norwich University’s
bicentennial. Curated to include objects
from the museum collection, as well as
documents and images from Archives and
Special Collections, that reflect and retell
the university’s 200-year history. Opening
reception, Feb. 15, 4–6 pm. Norwich University
Sullivan Museum and History Center,
Northfield. norwich.edu
SPECIAL EVENTS
Jan. 25: Reception: The Paintings of Louis
Fried. Painting initially to recover from a
debilitating stroke, Fried channeled his vision,
determination and confidence into what
became his passion. 5 pm. Highland Center for
the Arts, 2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro.
Feb. 1: Montpelier Art Walk. More than a
dozen amazing art openings in one night all
across town. In the former Asiana House space,
a pop-up event curated by Magic Hat—four
artists paint live, alongside live music by Eric
George and a Magic Hat Bar featuring specialty
brews. 4–8 pm. Downtown Montpelier.
montpelieralive.org.
Film Screening: Farmer of the Year. Award-
winning, limited release independent feature
film by Craftsbury filmmakers Kathy Swanson
and Vince O’Connell. Q&A follows. 6:30 pm.
Capitol Showplace, 93 State St., Montpelier.
229-0343
Trinity United Methodist Church
Community Lunch. 11:30 am–1 pm. 137 Main
St., Montpelier.
Public Meeting on Chronic Wasting Disease.
Hosted by the Barre Fish and Game Club.
Chronic Wasting Disease infects white-tailed
deer, moose and other members of the deer
family. Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Walter Cottrell
will speak about the disease, how it is spread, its
effects on deer populations, and efforts needed
to keep the disease from entering Vermont. 6:30
pm. Barre Fish and Game Club, Gun Club Rd.
Barre.
T H E B R I D G E J A N UA RY 2 3 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 • PAG E 21
Calendar of Events
Live Music
VENUES
Bagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. 229-9212.
Bagitos.com
Jan. 24: Red Clay - Montpelier HS Jazz
Band, 6 pm
Jan. 25: Latin Dance Party, 7 pm
Jan. 26: Irish Session, 2 pm; Michael
Stridsberg, 6 pm
Jan. 27: Southern Old Time Music Jam, 7 pm
Jan. 31: Italian Session, 6 pm
Feb. 2: Irish Session, 2 pm
Feb. 3: Eric Friedmand Folk Ballads, 11 am
Feb. 7: Colin McCaffrey and friends, 6 pm
Charlie O’s World Famous. 70 Main St.
Montpelier. Free. 223-6820.
Every Tues.: Karaoke, 7:30 pm
Jan. 24: Spice On Snow Fest w/ Chaque Fois
& The Rear Defrosters (Cajun/honky tonk)
9 pm
Jan. 25: NOS4A2 (classic metal tribute)
9 pm
Espresso Bueno. 248 N. Main St., Barre.
479-0896. espressobueno.com.
Feb. 2: AliT (indie-pop), 7:30 p.m.
Gusto’s. 28 Prospect St., Barre.
gustosbarvt.com
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through
Feb. 3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor
and outdoor venues, traditional and not-so-
traditional events. Various location in Waterbury.
waterburywinterfest.com
Dream to Reality…Start Your Business. What
are the steps to starting a business? Is it for me?
Can I start a business from my home or garage?
Can I buy an existing business? Why do I need to
write a business plan? What goes in it? How can
I borrow money to get started? We’ll answer all
your questions. 8:30–10 am. Capstone, 20 Gable
Place, Barre. 477-5214. capstonevt.org
Four Fridays in February: Living Through
Jan. 24: Cooie DeFrancesco, 5 pm; DJ Bay
6, 8 pm, 21+
Jan. 25: Elizabeth Renaud, 5 pm; Dirty
Looks, 9 pm, $5, 21+ Jan. 26: Downtown Bob Stannard and
Jan. 26: DJ LaFountaine, 9:30 pm, 21+ Grange, 6612 Rt. 12, Berlin. Adults $10; kids
Jan. 31: Dan & Faith, 5 pm; NJ Bay 6,
8 pm, 21+ stage. 7 pm. Highland Center for the Arts,
Feb. 1: Jamie Carey, 5 pm; Off The List,
9 pm, $5, 21+ at $10. highlandartsvt.org
Feb. 2: DJ KAOS, 9:30 pm, 21+
Feb. 7: Blue Fox, 5 pm; Open Mic Night,
8 pm, 21+
Feb. 8: Jeff Shelley & Patty Lynch, 5 pm;
Nite Sky, 9 pm, $5, 21+
Whammy Bar. 31 W. County Rd., Calais.
whammybar1.com
Every Thurs.: Open Mic, 7 pm
Jan. 24: Willa Mamet and Paul Miller, 7 pm
Jan. 25: Sky Blue Boys (Dan and Willy
Lindner) 7:30 pm
Jan. 26: Johnny Blue Jeans (blues/soul) 7:30 pm
Feb. 1: Bella and the Notables (jazz
standards) 7:30 pm
Feb. 2: Them Boys (bluegrass w/ Danny
Coane, Dan and Willy Lindner) 7:30 pm
SPECIAL EVENTS
Jan. 23: David M. Wilson Memorial
Farmers’ Night Concert. Vermont Symphony
Orchestra woodwinds are featured in music
by Vivaldi and Rossini. Plus young talent is
Loss Series. Free, weekly bereavement series is
open to anyone who has experienced the loss of
a loved one, whether in death or a relationship
change such as divorce. Noon–1:30 pm. Gifford
Medical Center, Red Clover Conference Room,
Randolph. 728-2107
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through Feb. 3.
A 10-day festival featuring indoor and outdoor
venues, traditional and not-so-traditional
events. Various location in Waterbury.
waterburywinterfest.com
Barre Congregational Church Community
Meal. 7:30–9 am. 35 Church St., Barre.
Alpenglow Fitness Intro to Studio Cycling.
represented with a world premiere from high
school senior Ethan Duncan. 7:30 pm. House
Chamber, Vermont State House, Montpelier.
Those Dangerous Bluesmen. Self-taught
harmonica player plays the blues on the main
2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro. Tickets start
Feb. 1: Flute-Clarinet Concert. Visiting
artists Jennifer Shanahan on flute and
Manuel Ramos on clarinet will perform. 11
am. Dibden Center for the Arts at Northern
Vermont University-Johnson. Free.
Feb. 2: House Concert. Histamine Tapes
Presents an evening of experimental music.
With Two Years On Welfare (ambient guitar),
Cruudeuces (clarinet), ouzkxqlzn (experimental
cello), Glacial Erratics (noise/improv trio). 7
pm. 1248 Rt. 2 East, Montpelier. https://www.
facebook.com/events/219606408949454/?ti=cl
Feb. 2: Arrival from Sweden. The world’s
foremost ABBA tribute show features 12 band
members, authentic costumes, captivating
dance numbers and impeccable harmonies.
7:30 pm. Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main St.,
Barre. $36.50–43. barreoperahouse.org
Feb. 2: Contra Dance with David Kaynor.
Kaynor will be calling and playing fiddle
supported by master musicians and caller
An instructor will orient you to the studio, get
your bike fitted properly, and guide you through
a gentle first ride. Learn the positions and lingo
in a supportive setting with other first-time
students. Bring clean shoes and a water bottle.
10–10:45 am. 54 Main St., Montpelier. Free.
Register: alpenglowfitness.com
Orchard Valley Winter Faire. Day of activities
promoting peace, love, and joyful embrace of
community. Storytelling and puppet shows.
Felt with wool, learn to fold origami, make
Valentine’s, and more. Bonfire, and our ever-
popular Cake Game. Yummy and nourishing
food in our café too. 10 am–2 pm. Grace Farm
Campus, 2290 Rt. 14N, East Montpelier. Free
admission; fees for activities. 456-7400. ovws.org
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3
Waterbury Winterfest 2019. Through
Feb. 3. A 10-day festival featuring indoor
and outdoor venues, traditional and not-so-
traditional events. Various location in Waterbury.
waterburywinterfest.com
Silent Film Series: Charlie Chaplin in The
Circus. Wrongfully accused of criminal acts,
a tramp (Charlie Chaplin) unwittingly ducks
into a big top, where his bumbling attempts to
avoid pursuing police officers earn the laughter
and applause of the circus-goers. 2–3 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick
St., Greensboro. $10; students and seniors. $8.
highlandartsvt.org
Zumba-Like Fitness Dance. Every Sunday.
Music by secular and Christian artists. 4–5 pm.
East Montpelier Elementary School, 665 Vincent
Flats, East Montpelier. Free for women 18 and
older.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4
Community Lunch at Unitarian Church
Montpelier. 11 am–12:30 pm. 130 Main St.,
Montpelier.
friends Bill Olson, George Wilson, and
Dave Guertin. All dances are taught plus an
introductory session at 7:40 pm. Please bring
clean, soft-soled shoes. 8–11 pm. Capital City
and low income $5; dance supporters $15.
Feb. 3: Montpelier Song Circle. 6–8 pm.
Center for Arts and Learning, 46 Barre St.,
Montpelier.
Feb. 4: Mad River Chorale spring
concert rehearsals. 7 pm. Harwood Union
High School, 458 Rt. 100, Moretown.
madriverchorale.net
Feb. 6: Musical Story Telling for All Ages.
The award-winning Aeolus Quartet joins Scrag
Mountain Music co-Artistic Directors Mary
Bonhag (soprano) and Evan Premo (double
bass) and prominent Montpelier-based theater
artist Kim Bent in an interactive program
of fantastical music inspired by favorite
childhood tales including James Balentine’s
Three Billy Goats Gruff and Jon Deak’s The
Ugly Duckling and B.B. Wolf. 6:45–7:30 pm.
Jaquith Public Library, School St., Marshfield.
jaquithpubliclibrary.org.
Send your event listing to
calendar@montpelierbridge.com.
Deadline for print in the next
issue is February 1.
Salvation Army Community Lunch.
Noon–1 pm. 25 Keith Ave., Barre.
Five Money Questions for Women. Kristin
Dearborn, Edward Jones Financial Advisor,
will share a process women can use to identify
financial goals and set a strategy. This 45-minute
presentation sets the stage of what questions
women should ask as they explore their finances
and gain a greater sense of control. 6:30 pm.
Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St.,
Montpelier. 223-3338.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Barre Congregational Church Community
Meal. 7:30–9 am. 35 Church St., Barre.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Orchard Valley Walk-Through Wednesday.
Join us for this monthly open house event
during the school day. Observe main lesson in
grades 1–8 and visit our mixed-age kindergarten
programs, including Farm & Forest. 8:30–10:30
am. Grace Farm Campus, 2290 Rt. 14N,
East Montpelier. Pre-registration required:
enrollment@ovws.org or 456-7400
The Christ Church Community Lunch.
11 am–12:30 pm. 64 Main St., Montpelier.
Salvation Army Community Lunch.
Noon–1 pm. 25 Keith Ave., Barre.
Mid-Week Movie: Love After Love. 6–8 pm.
Highland Center for the Arts, 2875 Hardwick
St., Greensboro. $5 suggested donation.
highlandartsvt.org
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Trinity United Methodist Church
Community Lunch. 11:30 am–1 pm. 137 Main
St., Montpelier.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8
Four Fridays in February: Living Through
Loss’ Series. See Feb. 1 Description.
PAG E 2 2 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE

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PAG E 24 • J A N UA RY 23 – F E B RUA RY 6 , 2 019 THE BRIDGE