Vermont's Race for Governor: Meet the Candidates — Page 12 March 17 – April 6, 2016

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Pg. 4 Sewage Overflow Issues A Quest to be Healthy and Love it by Carla Occaso ow can you be healthy and love it? and witnessing as you progress from longer least the idea of the hot tub and sauna. They Pg. 7 AroMed I’ll tell you when I find out. But times on the treadmill to heavier amounts of look so inviting. I haven’t done either of those in recent weeks I spent some time weight you can lift. And the loss of fat. And in years, either, though I used to do regular Aromatherapy Hgoing around to a couple of indoor fitness the defined muscles. Maybe it inspires and circuit training there in the 1990s. The Nau- facilities as well as checking out some of our invigorates you. I went to some local facilities tilus machines are still there, but also there is Pg. 10 Hands-On outdoor recreation attractions. And, though seeking just such inspiration. a weight room, a pool, tennis courts, a yoga I haven’t yet found something that sticks for studio and classes. Gardener I went for a fitness class at Zenith Studios on me, I had fun trying. Main Street in Montpelier. Loved the class. I got a thorough personal tour from the How many times have you contracted for a First of all, the trainer/owner, Amy Leventhal owner, Mike Woodfield. Circuit training is Pg. 11 Green Mountain year-long gym membership in January to ful- made me feel welcome even though I have still popular, especially among people who fill your New Year’s resolution? And then, by not worked out regularly in years. Her class, don’t use free weights. Circuit training, for Film Festival the end of March you find you haven’t been “Strengthen, Tone, Condition.” This involved those who don’t know, involves the user going since the middle of February? I have several yoga mats, weights (5 lbs and 8 lbs) and a ket- from machine to machine that targets dif- friends who signed up for memberships in tle ball. Most of the class involved using the ferent muscle groups by having the user pull January 2015, but lost interest early on. whole body. The special gift Leventhal had something, push something, squat, etc. They Why is this? was being in what looks like perfect fitness are adjustable to height, weight and strength. condition, but not making me feel terrible in Maybe it is the time it takes to drive to First in Fitness also has ample cardiovascular

PAID comparison. I didn’t tell her I had a hysterec- the gym. Go into the locker room. Change exercise machines, including treadmills, stair- U.S. Postage U.S. PRSRT STD tomy six months ago, because I had scurried Montpelier, VT Montpelier, Permit 123 NO. CAR-RT SORT climbers, stationary bikes and cross trainers. clothes. Wait for the machine. Sweat. Feel in late, but the ab work was challenging. self conscious. Look at yourself in the mir- Cross trainers are fairly new, and are desirable ror. Sweat. Vow to get a haircut. Look at the Leventhal urged those of us with physical because they are easier on the joints and con- perfectly fit person across the room. Sweat. challenges to use less strenuous versions of the tain programs to emulate where the user can Feel like a blob. Dread returning. Stay home. exercises. So, while the women on either side set the angle to increase or decrease difficulty. Open a bag of chips. Watch re-runs of The of me could hold one-armed planks, other Classes include Zumba, yoga, boot camp, Golden Girls. Whoa! That is the wrong direc- students did two-armed planks for a shorter tennis, swimming. For those who want to tion. What is the solution? time. “Do something that makes you happy,” escape mud season, the pool is the place to Leventhal said more than once. We did aero- go. The water holds at 82 degrees Fahren- Find something you like to do and know you bic work and weight lifting work and lots will stick with. heit. “The same as if you go to a tropical of ab work and movement. The only thing island,” Woodfield said. All the areas have Some people swear by it, though, and have keeping me from doing this regularly is my well trained staff to teach the skills needed to the hot body abs to show for it. aforementioned mental block. use the equipment. Maybe it is the gym. Maybe you look for- Next I went to First in Fitness up in Berlin. I ward to getting into your workout clothes am enticed by the hot tub and sauna — or at Continued on Page 6

State and Main The Law Office of Amy K. Butler, MEDIATION Esquire, PLLC Bankruptcy • Family Law Neal Rodar Estate Planning 94 Main St., Montpelier 27 State St., Montpelier 802-223-0690 (O) / 802-999-5880 (C) 64 Main St., Ste. 26, Montpelier The Bridge 1143 Box P.O. VT 05601 Montpelier, [email protected] 802-371-0077 229-9500 incognitosalonvt.com StateandMainMediation.com [email protected] www.montpelierbridge.com PAGE 2 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE

Cody Chevrolet Congratulates The Bridge On Over 20 Years of Business! THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 3

HEARD ON THE STREET T.W. Art Gallery Upcoming Classes, Vacation and Summer Art Camps MONTPELIER — Spring Art Classes, April Vacation Art Camp and Summer Art Camps are being offered at the T. W. Wood Gallery. Spring art class sessions include a four-week introduction to acrylics lead by Jack Sabon, a six-week children’s afters-chool art class lead by Barbara Saxe and a daylong workshop introduction to pastels lead by Marcia Hill and Cynthia Griffith. The gallery is holding a “Birds of a Feather,” children’s April school vacation art camp that includes three fun days of puppet making using papier- maĉhé, games, storytelling, songs and art. The camp includes learning about feathered friends that live and migrate to Ver- mont. Children will make their own bird puppet and write a poem to match! Campers are invited to the All Species Day Parade on Sunday, May 1 in Summer Art Camp for children ages seven to 14 will be held the weeks of July 11 to 15 and July 18 to 22 at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a new Artrageous Camp for kids 8 to 12 will be held at the T.W. Wood Gallery at 46 Barre St. in Montpelier. Campers will have time to explore different forms of art, play games and have fun. Camp will include field trips to view the work of local artists around the capital city. For more information contact the T.W. Wood Gallery: 262-6035, [email protected], www.twwoodgallery.org. Onion River Kids To “Move In With Mom And Dad” MONTPELIER — Onion River Kids, a children’s outdoor clothing and gear store located at 7 Langdon St., is “moving in with Mom and Dad,” according to a recent email to The Bridge. The store — an offshoot of Onion River Sports — has been in operation for about eight years. The store has already sold most of its inventory, and then plans to move any re- maining inventory into The Shoe Horn and Onion River Sports, states Onion River Sports owner Andrew Brewer on onionriverkids.com. The Shoe Horn and Onion River Sports are also located on Langdon Street. Book Discussion at La Puerta Negra MONTPELIER — Grace Gershuny will host a book discussion of her new book March 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at La Puerta Negra. Her book is titled “Organic Revolutionary: A Memoir of the Movement for Real Food, Planetary Healing, and Human Liberation.” Gershuny will host a discussion of the book, and book signing, to be followed by entertainment, beginning at 9 p.m. Kim Goodman Joins National Life Board of Directors Nature Watch MONTPELIER — Kim Goodman, a longtime financial services executive, has been elected to the board of directors at National Life Group. by Nona Estrin Goodman most recently served in executive positions at The American Express Company, including president of American Express Global Business Travel, president of Merchant Services for Americas and executive vice president of Merchant Services for North America. Previously, she held senior positions at Dell Inc. in areas such as software and peripherals, Drip, Drip; Life Emerges marketing and transactional sales and business development. Prior to that, she was a partner rip! drip! drip! It's either sap at Bain & Company. or rain, and what a change “We’re excited to have someone with Kim’s breadth of experience join our board,” said from one to the other. We've Djust had the weekend of our dreams Thomas MacLeay, chairman of National Life’s board. “She’s a delightful person who shares our values and we look forward to her contributions to our board.” with sap runs and sun, and here comes a week of rain and cloud, per- “I’m honored to join a company with a 167-year history of keeping its promises to middle America,” Goodman said. “I was attracted to National Life because of the culture it has built haps even snow! Still, a walk along the over the years. The company has a cause and it shows in every relationship it builds.” edge of our neighbor's beaver ponds reveals pussy willows, the male pollen Goodman also serves on the board of the Brocade networking solutions company and previ- catkins, starting to emerge. And the ously served as a director of Alcatel-Lucent SA and AutoNation Inc. ponds fairly vibrate with pent up life She earned a bachelor of arts in political science and a master of science in industrial engineer- energy. Not long until they will be ing from Stanford University and a master of business administration from Harvard Business loud with the "quack" of hundreds School. of woodfrogs, then the din of peepers Goodman replaces E. Miles Prentice, who retired earlier this month after 25 years on the and, finally, the trill of toads! National Life board. Watercolor by Nona Estrin

Advertise in the NEXT ISSUE: PoemCity, Spring Support The Bridge In circulation April 7 to April 20 Become a Community Contributor! ALL AD MATERIALS AND AD SPACE RESERVATIONS DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 1. Name______For more information about advertising deadlines, rates and the design Address______of your ad call 223-5112 ext. 11 or email our ad salesrepresentatives at [email protected] or [email protected] Email______All community contributions, whatever ❑ $25 ❑ $50* ❑ $100 ❑ $150 suits your budget, will be welcomed. ❑ $200 ❑ $250 ❑ Other $______*Contributions of $50 or more are eligible to receive a one-year subscription. Please mark the box if you have contributed $50 or more and would like The Bridge delivered to you. ❑ YES, Send me every issue of The Bridge for one year! Friends of The Bridge will be periodically acknowledged in future issues of The Bridge. ❑ I wish to remain anonymous Send this form and your check to: Thank The Bridge, P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601 You! PAGE 4 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE City To Flush Out Sewage Overflow Issues DPW Director McArdle: Cost Implications a ‘Serious Concern’ by Carla Occaso

MONTPELIER — The way things are de- ment of Public Works, to William Fraser, Most of the time, combined sewer systems e. Add screening and disinfection facilities signed in Montpelier, when it rains too much city manager, an earlier draft rule would transport all of the combined sewage and for the overflow. too quickly, underground pipes divert excess have banned all new sewer hookups into storm water to a wastewater treatment facil- f. Incorporate green stormwater infrastruc- raw sewage along with storm water into combined sewer systems. However, follow- ity. However, during certain intense precipi- ture to reduce stormwater flow into com- certain points of the North Branch and ing input and outcry from affected towns tation events, the volume of sewage entering bined sewer systems to the greatest extent Winooski rivers. The Agency of Natural (including Montpelier, Northfield, and Ran- the combined sewer system can exceed ca- feasible and practical. Resources is seeking to stop this, but to im- dolph), the rules now seek to control and pacity. Thus, combined sewer systems are Municipalities will also be required to in- mediately stop it completely would be nearly reduce “volume, frequency, and duration of designed to have overflow points to direct crease public notification and create a map impossible and unaffordable. Therefore, the CSO (combined sewer overflow) events.” excess flow out of the system … so the treat- of the watershed path where the overflow Agency is asking Montpelier to implement The City of Montpelier has what is called a ment facility is not overwhelmed.” is flowing. “minimum controls,” which would also be combined sewer collection system. McArdle’s Combined sewer overflow is defined by the McArdle’s letter states that Montpelier is difficult and expensive to enact. That is the letter contains an explanation that “com- Vermont Agency of Natural Resources as: word from a recent exchange of communi- working collaboratively with the Agency of bined sewer collection systems were among “discharges of raw sewage and stormwater Natural Resources, including “an 11-year cations between the Department of Public the earliest sewers built in the United States that may contain untreated human waste Works and the City Manager’s Office. storm sewer separation program that will through the mid-20th century. Combined and pollutants discharged by commercial continue this year.” The public works de- In a letter dated March 11 from Thomas sewer systems were designed to collect both and industrial establishments, as well as partment has reduced the number of com- McArdle, director of the Montpelier Depart- sewage and storm water in the same pipe. solids, metals, bacteria, viruses, and other bined sewer overflow outfall places from pollutants washed from city streets and 25 to six (by separating sewer pipes from parking lots,” per a 2015 online document stormwater) and this activity will continue. titled “Combined Sewer Overflow Control “We are prepared to support the new rules Policy” put out by the State of Vermont to the greatest extent possible utilizing all Agency of Natural Resources, online at: available resources and we are confident the http://www.watershedmanagement.vt.gov/ City Council will continue to support these ww/htm/documents/CSO.Draft.092015. efforts to achieve the highest possible water pdf. quality as a matter of sound environmen- In order to reduce or prevent pollution from tal policy,” states McArdle. He emphasized getting into local waterways, the agency is that this could not be done without state asking municipalities that have combined and/or federal funding in a different let- sewer pipes to take what they consider ter to the Department of Environmental “minimum controls” thus: Conservation. a. Reduce stormwater flows through the City Council has scheduled the next coun- separation of combined stormwater and cil meeting on March 23 to take up 2016– sanitary sewer lines. 2017 goal setting and priorities. The city b. Add storage tanks to hold overflow dur- is hosting a public forum concerning the ing storm events. sewer system on March 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. c. Expand the capacity of the wastewater at The Pavilion. Written public comments treatment facility. on the rules will be taken through the end d. Add retention basins to hold overflow of the day (4:30 p.m.) March 31, states a during storm events. report by William Fraser, city manager. THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 5 Cancer Survivor Event

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Cancer Survivor Network will host a daylong event fo- “It was comforting to know that not every visit would be for difficult and sometimes pain- cused on community education around complementary and integrative medicine in cancer ful treatment. Acupuncture, reiki and massage were extremely relaxing and enjoyable. They care and survivorship. The event, co-sponsored by The National Life Cancer Center and helped me greatly in dealing with the stress of cancer and treatment.” Amy Littlefield, ND, Healing Arts and writing will take place April 2 at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in MSOM, FABNO, of Vermont Wellness Medicine and Integrative Oncology in Middlebury Montpelier. The event is open to the general public. will be a featured keynote speaker for the event. Littlefield brings a unique perspective to Nationally, the demand for a more integrative approach to cancer care and survivorship is the field as one of only four oncology-certified naturopathic physicians in New England. growing, and more research showing the benefits of complementary medicine modalities She works with patients and oncology teams to bridge the gap between high-quality con- is available. The event aims to introduce participants, who will include cancer survivors, ventional medical care and naturopathic medicine. The day will also offer a variety of family members and caregivers, medical practitioners, as well as the general public, to the workshops and hands-on demonstrations provided by physicians, acupuncturists, herbal- variety of complementary medicine services available here in Vermont. Integrative medicine ists, nutritionists, yoga practitioners, aromatherapists, reiki practitioners, body workers and involves bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated more. A resource fair with exhibitors will be open throughout the day. Registration will way. Through generous support from sponsors, this free event will provide information begin at 8:30 a.m. and parking is free. Participants are welcome to bring their own lunches to the community to help inform patients and providers about the available modalities of or to dine in one of Montpelier’s many restaurants. The Vermont Cancer Survivor Network complementary and integrative medicine, how they integrate with standard medical care, is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization founded by cancer survivors to improve the quality and their benefits and risks. Patients use complementary medicine services to help with side of life for anyone living with, through or beyond cancer and their caregiver. effects, support the immune system, relieve stress and feel better overall. Gabriel Cole, who Among the programs it operates is Kindred Connections, which provides one-to-one peer underwent extensive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment for cancer, valued the support for newly diagnosed cancer patients. For more information about the event, or complementary medicine services he received at UVM Health Network-Central Vermont to register, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/expanding-cancercare-exploring-choices-in- Medical Center. complementary-integrative-medicine-tickets-20501715182. Exercise Should Be Fun, Not Enslaving Opinion by Hannah Eschelbach eing ‘healthy’ is such a relative term that it doesn't even seem to have a meaning. When you're slumped on the couch after a massive potato-chip binge, isn’t the unpleas- A definition on Medical News Today, an online resource, states, "Health is a state antness you feel more than just thinking that you're 'fat?' Isn't it this sort of sick feeling of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of in your stomach, an overload? It's a feeling. Bdisease or infirmity." Health is how you feel. Do we measure mental health in how a person looks? You can't But what exactly is the barometer for physical well-being? Humans, in our love for sim- even see mental health. Physical health should be considered in the same way. You should plifying things, have developed a questionable way of measuring this: how someone looks. be working out because it makes you feel strong, because you like the feeling of your heart Thanks to pretty much every type of media imaginable, being ‘small’ is seen as a good pounding and your body working at its maximum capacity. Exercise is hard for some thing — physically attractive by our standards — and it has become entangled in this people because it's seen as a chore, it’s this thing that you have to do or else you'll be seen hazy idea of 'health.' Because many people do not truly know what 'health' is, they do as lazy and unattractive. People who are serious about sports say they play for the thrill of not exercise out of a fear of being unhealthy. No, the real motivation for their workouts the game, not to get skinny. Exercise should be the same way; something fun. is the fear of being unattractive. There are too many people poking and squeezing and When you're focused on the feeling and not just how you look, there are all sorts of pos- sucking in before the mirror, thinking that it's all their fault. But to those same people, sibilities for that heart-pounding, rapid-breathing, exciting feeling of a physical workout contracting a cold is nothing shameful. After all, a cold is an internal thing, a state that that don't involve the clank of machines at a pricey gym. When I ride my bike, it's for can't be measured by a bathroom scale. the exhilaration of speed and movement. People take yoga classes for the sense of peace The adage goes, “Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear.” In other words, and balance they feel. Kickboxing gets out aggression. Exercise is an activity, something the eyes are very unreliable. If a skinny person has arthritis while a bigger person has the personal that results in a good feeling. We should not be slaves bound to appearance. most flexible fingers imaginable, who is healthier? Health is always more of a feeling. Hannah Eschelbach (ESH-shel-bok) is tired of no one being able to pronounce her surname.

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Editor & Publisher: Nat Frothingham Managing Editor: Carla Occaso Calendar Editor, Design & Layout: Marichel Vaught Copy Editing Consultant: Larry Floersch Proofreader: Garrett Heaney Sales Representatives: Michael Jermyn, Rick McMahan Distribution: Tim Johnson, Kevin Fair, Diana Koliander-Hart, Daniel Renfro Editorial: 223-5112, ext. 14, or [email protected]. Location: The Bridge office is located at the Ver- mont College of Fine Arts, on the main level of 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 Copyright 2016 by The Bridge PAGE 6 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE

Meditating in Montpelier by Garrett Heaney

MONTPELIER — Meditation means different things to different people. There are three Slayton: Our Montpelier meetings, which are held every Wednesday evening from 6:30 to groups practicing meditation in Montpelier, and each comes from its own tradition: the 7:30 p.m., offer two 25-minute periods of zazen, separated by one five-minute period of kinhin Shambhala Center, Mountains and Rivers Order (the Zen Affiliate of Vermont) and a new (walking meditation) At the conclusion we chant the four Bodhisattva Vows, which are pretty community meditation space opening above Tulsi Tea Room on Elm Street. I wanted to universal Buddhist vows. The rest of the meeting is silent. We are a pretty quiet bunch! reach out to all three to see how they differed, what they offered and what their ultimate The Bridge: What sets your center apart from the others? goals were in meditating. I hosted a roundtable interview and garnered the following: Lipton: The key aspect about Shambhala is that we are a society of practitioners who gather The Bridge: How long have you been with your particular meditation center and what is together to work with our own minds so that we can then get up off the cushion and engage in your relationship with it? the larger society. We understand that all beings possess basic goodness and we work to create Sarah Lipton (Shambhala Center): I have been a member of the Shambhala community a good human society. Engaging in conversation and community activities allows us to bring since 2000. I started out in Boulder where I went to Naropa University. I have been involved our meditation practice to fruition. We are not interested in just meditating for the sake of here in the Montpelier center since we moved here a couple of years ago, after having lived meditation, but rather to let it extend out and be of benefit to the world around us. at Karme Choling (a Shambhala retreat center in Barnet). I do not have any formal leader- Canfield: We are unique to the other meditation centers in the ship role currently because I just stepped down from running the international news area because we are not associated with any lineage or teacher. magazine for Shambhala called The Shambhala Times, and needed a little break Meditation is such a personal journey and my hope is that from a leadership role. by leaving the door open people can just discover what Jennifer Canfield (Community Meditation Center): The idea for a Com- works best for them. munity meditation center has been on my mind for a long time. I'm part The Bridge: How does meditation help the mind, of a community group that meets regularly for chanting. We do short what are the goals you hope people will garner meditation together a few times a month and I love the feeling gener- from practicing? ated by group meditation. I have my own meditation practice but I Sarah Lipton of the find when I sit with others it's different. It's stronger. But there isn't Shambhala Center Lipton: Meditation allows the mind to relax, any place to go in Montpelier to meditate during the workday. It's to open and to find its true nature. Because really simple I just wanted to provide a space for even one day a week our lives are so full and busy and speedy, we where anyone can go and sit in meditation. tend not to know what we think or feel, and meditation allows us an opportunity to slow Tom Slayton (Mountains and Rivers Order): I have been practicing down and actually feel. Feeling allows us to with Zen Affiliate of Vermont and attending retreats at Zen Mountain connect with ourselves and with where we are, Monastery in Mt. Tremper, New York, for something like 24 or 25 years right this moment. This is imperative if we want ... more than 20 anyway. I am simply a member of the local group, and a to live a deep and genuine life. Meditation can be formal student with Geoffrey Shugen Arnold, Sensei, who is abbot of Zen done in many different ways, but the best practice Mountain Monastery and head of the Mountains and Rivers Order. I have is that which allows the mind to be present with things taken lay Buddhist vows (Jukai) and so when asked, I identify myself as a Bud- as they are. dhist and a Mountains and Rivers Order student. Canfield: My goals for offering a community meditation space The Bridge: What is a typical meditation group session like? are simple. In our crazy hectic busy every day lives I often wish for a Lipton: At the regular Wednesday evening sit, there is a person greeting new arrivals, and refuge in town where I could stop even for five or 10 minutes and slow down, quiet my mind, there is a meditation instructor available to offer instruction to newcomers. We usually breathe and maybe restart myself or remind myself about being present, being mindful. Of- start with some simple opening chants that pay homage to the lineage and then we practice fering that to the community seems like a good idea. In my own life meditation is one of the sitting meditation followed by some walking meditation. At the Open House, the evening tools I use to deal with stress, to increase productivity, to calm my mind. Since my full-time begins with sitting meditation and is followed by a talk and conversation. We also like to work is centered around sound meditation I am acutely aware that silent meditation is just as finish up with tea and snacks to engage in further conversation with one another. useful a tool and often more widely accepted and well received by the public. Canfield: The guidelines for how the space is to be used are very simple. Bring your own Slayton: Zen training calms and clarifies the mind and makes the practitioner more mind- cushion and sit quietly with no talking. We may offer some guided meditations but to ful and aware of what he or she is doing. It also helps one relate to his or her daily life and begin with it will just be a space where people can meditate in whatever silent form works ultimately to the larger reality of the universe ... and this response is really horribly oversimpli- best for them. I am not affiliated with any group or lineage. I have worked with many fied and reductive ... One of the chants we do suggests that the Dharma is "... incomparably meditation teachers myself and would be happy to offer resources for folks to discover profound and infinitely subtle ..." and that is a better way of answering your question. which type of meditation works best for them. As long as children can sit quietly they See the weekly events calendar on page 18 for specific times, locations and contact information. are welcome as well. A Quest to be Healthy and Love it Continued from Page 1

Other indoor gyms include: • ReHab Gym at 219 North Main St., Barre, open to the public, and they have a pool, too. • Snap Fitness on the Barre Montpelier Road, where they have exercise equipment and classes. One person I talked to likes this place because you can go there any time with the swipe of a card. • Green Mountain Crossfit, located at The Confluence, 654 Granger Rd., Berlin, where they have a rowing studio, personal trainers, yoga, barre yoga and kettlebell. I have a friend who has a punch card to go there. I also would like to visit one of the several yoga studios. Not infrequently do I go through town and notice a handful of people heading in the same direction with a richly colored yoga mat tucked under their arm or on their back. Yoga Studios: • Grateful Yoga on State Street in Montpelier • Geezum Crow Yoga at Vermont College of Fine Arts campus • Fusion Yoga at 56 East State St. • Yoga Mountain Center at 7 Main St. Other fitness opportunities: I had planned to sample more places and classes and may just yet, but time ran out. In the future, I plan to check out the following places: Contemporary Dance and Fitness at 18 Langdon St. in Montpelier, where they offer ballet, mod- ern, hip hop, fusion, Afro Jazz and Yoga workouts. And let's not forget the Montpelier Recreation Department at 55 Barre St. They also offer swim- ming, tennis, baseball and other activities at the recreation field out on Elm Street. I am struggling with finding somewhere to love working out. A couple of months ago I vowed to myself I would walk into town from the office at least once a week. Since then, I have done it a handful of times, but not even once a week. It is probably a mile or less round trip, but the hill is, in places, steep. And I can’t say it was the cold or the snow or the ice that deterred me, though they were factors. It is just overcoming the mental obstacle of taking an hour to go into town and back with all the things on my “to do” list, I always feel like I don’t have time for one big long chunk for exercise. However, I am not going to give up on the idea. THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 7 Nurse Offers the Healing Powers of Essential Oils by Nat Frothingham

Lauren Andrews Photo by Michael Jermyn

MONTPELIER — Registered Nurse Lauren Andrews is the founder and clinical aromathera- pist at AroMed Aromatherapy in Montpelier. Andrews is also an experienced psychiatric nurse who graduated from Norwich University Nurs- ing School and her training includes 500 hours in clinical aromatherapy. She has also worked at Vermont State Hospital and at Central Vermont Medical Center. In a recent face-to-face interview with The Bridge, Andrews said, “I truly believe we have an in- nate ability to heal ourselves and aromatherapy can support that.” Well, what exactly is aromatherapy? Andrews describes it this way. “Aromatherapy is a form of plant medicine, closely aligned to herbalism and chemistry. It is the therapeutic use of naturally extracted plant oils designed to assist the body’s natural ability to balance, regulate, heal and maintain itself.” Then Andrews provided the following spe- cific example of how chemical constituents in the extracted plant oils support certain body systems. “For example,” she said, “the plant chemical 1.8 cineole found in eucalyptus is very effective at supporting the respiratory system.” Andrews went on to discuss the use of essential oils. “We are seeing aromatherapy strategies being used in a various clinical settings — in psychiatric settings, nursing homes, emergency departments and oncology units and practices.” Patient reactions to the use of essential plant oils has been positive. Said Andrews, “Patient sat- isfaction rates are typically high. Lavender can effectively help those suffering from agitation, anxiety or insomnia. Citrus oils can increase appetite in nursing home settings and ginger can help those dealing with chemo-induced nausea in oncology settings with no negative side effects.” It was during her time at the psych unit at Central Vermont Medical Center that Andrews discovered the efficacy of essential oils. At the time, she was doing psycho-social work with a range of patients. These patients were contending with problems of substance abuse and anger management. In her work with these patients, she discovered that the use of essential oils could have beneficial results when targeted to certain systems in the body such as the respiratory system, the digestive system, or nervous system. Andrews has seen beneficial impacts from using essential oils to deal with respiratory illness, skin afflications, mild depression, anxiety and insomnia. I asked Andrews about what appears to be the increasing incidence of cancer and depression. "Our lives can be hectic,” she replied. “And when we experience ongoing stress, we see an increase in stress hormones in the body, which makes it more challenging for our immune systems to work optimally. The best thing we can do to support our well-being is to find ways to relax.” She mentioned meditation, yoga, a walk in the woods. “Many are discovering that es- sential oils work beautifully in this capacity,” she said. Then Andrews went on to talk about the chemicals we are putting into and on our bodies. With body care products, she said, “If there’s an ingredient on the bottle that I don’t recognize, I don’t use it and I don't sell it. About 10 percent of what we apply to our skin makes it into our blood- stream and has to be metabolized. We humans co-evolved with plants. Doesn't it make sense that we would turn to plants to address our emotional and physical concerns?" Andrews had this warning about synthetics. “Synthetics can cause respiratory problems. Synthet- ics can also aggravate skin sensitization responses and hormone dysregulation in some people.” Andrews said that her customers and students are aware of the synthetic chemicals found in body care and cleaning products. She is convinced that these chemicals are at the core of some of the medical issues that we face. “At AroMed,” she said, “everything we make and sell is 100 percent natural. We have blends that address pain, sleep, skin problems and anxiety. We also have remedies that improve children’s health and women’s health.” Andrews has over 75 organic and ethically, wild-harvested essential plant oils that she buys from suppliers and distillers across the world. “I’ve got oils from Guatamala, France, South Africa, India, Somaliland and more. I was uncomfortable buying from middlemen. I was concerned about adulteration, misleading marketing slogans and overpricing. I made the decision to buy directly from small organic growers and distillers. I want the suppliers in those communities to benefit from my company’s purchases.” Not unsurprisingly, Andrews reports that February and March can be difficult months for many people. “At this time of year,” she said, “people are coming in because they have low energy. They’re having difficulty with motivation. Essential oils can be very effective in uplifting one’s mood, increasing energy and focus.” Lauren has upcoming, full-day workshop on Saturday, April 9 titled “Sunrise to Sunset: Every- day Aromatherapy.” For further information, visit AroMed’s online store at www.aromedofvt.com. The AroMed storefront is located directly behind the fire station on Main Street in Montpelier. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. PAGE 8 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE

personalization community mps sustainability

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personalized community learning engagement Community Forum Montpelier H.S. Library March 23rd, 2016 (6:00-8:00pm) Pizza Served: 5:30pm transferable shared vision skills

5 High School Drive, Unit #1, Montpelier, VT 05602 Students will be capable, motivated contributors to their local, national and world communities. THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 9 NEW ENGLAND NECI CULINARY INSTITUTE

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John’s Column PAGE 10 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE

Hands-on Think Long and Hard Before You Gardener Plant That Tree by Miriam Hansen h, the glories of mud season. As tem- sors to trim off the seed bearing tip as soon as like a good investment. Check out peratures roller coaster up and down, they come up. Trimming helps the seedlings the website https://gardenmats. the snow drops are blooming, onions, stay upright and promotes stocky roots and com. leeks,A shallots, celery and snapdragons are stems. Keep the seedlings snipped to 4 or 5 Living in a deer yard, fencing of growing under lights in the basement. A inches until they’re ready to go in the ground. various kinds has been a neces- tray ofSparge: spinach, arugula and lettuce is seeded This year we’re going to plant our onion crop sity to cope with their marauding. and will soon be ready to transplant into /spärj/ verb. A brewing technique thatin some extracts garden the mats from a local Central This fall we started spraying Liq- the greenhouse. It is almost time to start sugar from the grains by exposing theVermont grains company,to water. Garden Mats in Worces- uid Fence — a brand of deer repel- greenhouse bound tomatoes, eggplant and ter, Vermont. Their Garden Mats are con- lent — on rhododendrons, daph- peppers along with zinnias, cleome, nemesia structed of polypropylene, a material that nes, heathers and azaleas. There’s and columbines to set out in the garden at the blocks sun but is permeable to air and water. not much our deer don’t find tasty end of May. They are strong enough to walk on and re- but once we spray, the plants are Regardless of what you’re planting, always portedly will last up to 10 years. Precut holes protected for about a month. Once check optimal temperature and light require- of varying sizes are cauterized to prevent tulips break ground, we’ll spray ments for germination. Provide bottom heat fraying. You choose your mat according to until they’re done blooming. Deer for tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Celery the crop. A friend reports, “I’ve cut down my don’t bother daffodils and grape and lettuce seeds require light so barely cover weeding from about 20 hours a week to five hyacinths so save your deer repel- the seed and set these containers where day- hours a season!” Figuring her time at a low lent for the luscious morsels. light can reach them. Once the first seeds $10 an hour, she says, “I’ve paid myself back It’s a good time to prune woody sprout, remind yourself to be patient. There for the cost of the mats after about a month.” shrubs and trim spent leaves from are always a few that come shooting up and I still prefer to garden directly in soil and lay hellebores and bergenia. It is also get leggy. But it can take weeks for the rest mulch between the rows, but after last year’s time to pull the layer of leaves off of the seeds to catch up. This happens every crabgrass infestation and a planned trip to the Butterfly Bush we protected year, with everything from snapdragons to Newfoundland for the month of June, $80 last fall. We’ll see if it makes it celery. Each seed has its own timetable. for about 300 weed-free and work-free onions through. So far I’ve been pleasantly If you like to grow onions from seed, use scis- and shallots amortized over 10 years seems surprised by how little winter kill I’m seeing despite a winter with sparse snow cover and mighty tem- perature swings. Of course it is Easter Servic es early days. If you haven’t already done so, now Gardener,” I want to thank Nat and The is the time to prune your fruit trees, before Bridge for being so supportive and hope you their sap begins to flow and the buds start will support them in their efforts to keep a to swell. As soon as the ground has thawed free community paper alive. it is also the time to move trees and other woody plants. We’ve got a fairly large crab I’d particularly like to thank all of you for apple that has outgrown the spot we planted being such avid, enthusiastic readers. It has it in. We need to move it now before it breaks been great fun sharing gardening stories with dormancy. you. If you want to refer to columns past, Google “Hands-On-Gardener” and three As the title of this column implies, when you years of my gardening columns will pop up. plant a tree, pay attention to its height and May you always have something growing in girth at maturity. Then think once, twice and your yard to come home to. three times before you plant it. As the photo suggests, moving three-year-old crab trees is Happy Gardening! a BIG job requiring muscle, persistence and Miriam Hansen is a writer, gardener and forest clever use of leverage. Kudos to my husband ecology enthusiast. She and her husband live David who possesses all three. in East Montpelier where they produce most of After five years of writing the “Hands-On their own vegetables, berries and meat. THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 11

Tour The World In Your Own Hometown by Ashley Witzenberger

MONTPELIER — It’s that time of year again You won’t want to miss this year’s 48-Hour Film — downtown Montpelier welcomes the Green Slam March 20, a favorite happening. The Film Mountain Film Festival March 18 to 27. As de- Slam is an event where teams of filmmakers come scribed on its website, the festival is presented by together to write, edit, produce and premiere a Focus on Film, a 31-year-old Central Vermont 7-minute short movie over the course of a week- organization whose purpose is “to provide public end. The talent is amazing, and the films feature film showings of cultural, social and historic in- scenes throughout picturesque Montpelier. terest; to sponsor discussions of such films; and If you’re interested in the behind-the-scenes of to provide an opportunity for independent film- the festival, stop into North Branch Café, on makers to exhibit their works.” State Street in Montpelier, Saturday, March 19 ‘The World Comes to You’ continues as the an- at 10 a.m., for Coffee Talk. Enjoy a cup of tea nual theme for the festival. This year's festival or coffee and a Q&A with Eric Reynolds, pro- features 55 feature length films, 48 shorts and gramming coordinator, and Rachelle Murphy, one film slam. Thirty countries are represented executive director of the festival as they talk about this year, including Australia, Colombia, Para- how the event was programmed and other inter- guay and Hong Kong, as well as films from loca- esting facts about the longest running festival in tions you may not even know were engaged in People line up to Montpelier. attend a film at film production, like “The Heavenly Nomadic” Reflecting on the ambitious scope of the Green from Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia. The Savoy Theater in Montpelier Mountain Film Festival, Coleen Kearon who is This year’s short film categories include a new president of the non-profit organization Focus on category, animated, a result of all of the great submissions the festival received this year, Film that sponsors the annual March event said, “From the beginning of my involvement with and all are appropriate for children and families. Additional shorts categories are profes- Focus on Film/the Green Mountain Film Festival — over 11 years ago now — I have enjoyed sional, student, Vermont and women’s. The Vermont shorts include films either shot in being part of such a highly-regarded film festival. For such a small town, it is an impressive film Vermont or made by Vermont filmmakers. The women’s shorts are being curated by native showcase and number of films, comparable to festivals in much larger cities.” Talking about the Vermonter Kristina Lear, now a resident of Los Angeles. festival’s community-wide impacts, Kearon said, “Our audiences, likewise, seem to genuinely ap- "We are looking forward to sharing the best in international cinema to our audience. We preciate the amount of care and effort that goes into such an undertaking, and enjoy the caliber were so pleased with how many well-crafted animated short films we received from all and variety of films we are able to bring to Central Vermont. The Green Mountain Film Festival over the world; we knew an animated shorts program would be a welcome addition to our also brings a tremendous amount of foot traffic to Montpelier at a time of year not known for its lineup,” says Rachelle Murphy, executive director of the Green Mountain Film Festival. bustle. The downtown businesses, in turn, have been a great partner to us: promoting ticket stub deals, acting as film sponsors and donors to the festival, and creating wonderful window displays,” According to Murphy, this year’s highlights include “In Jackson Heights,” a prolific docu- says Coleen Kearon, Focus on Film president. mentary and political look into a dynamic New York neighborhood by Frederick Wise- man. After the screening, Fredrick Wiseman will Skype in from France for a discussion The Green Mountain Film Festival ticket office is now open at 54 Main Street in Montpelier, about this project. next to Pho Thai Express, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Enjoy a free cup of coffee, courtesy of Capitol Grounds. And don’t forget the Ticket Stub program; bring your ticket stub to a partici- The opening night of the festival will feature award-winning film, “Krisha,” a small- pating store and get deals in downtown Montpelier stores and restaurants. Sarah Jarvis, president budget drama that premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and won the Grand Jury of the Montpelier Alive Board of Directors, observes that “the Green Mountain Film Festival prize and the Audience Award for narrative feature. “Krisha” is the directorial debut of provides a welcome diversion to mud season in Central Vermont. It provides a much needed infu- Trey Edward Shults and the movie shines a light on a family struggling with the ad- sion of culture into the community. It also enhances the economic activity of the downtown since diction of the main character, Krisha. This subject is personal to Shults and based on many attendees of the festival also visit Montpelier’s great restaurants and stores.” experiences in his own family. The movie is a true family affair with Shults’ aunt, Krisha Fairchild, playing the lead role, and his mother and 90 year-old grandmother also acting You can find out more information about the Ticket in his first feature-film. Stub program, movie times and locations, purchase movie tickets and more on the Green Mountain Film Krisha is very timely considering the addiction issues many of our Vermont families face Festival website, http://www.gmffestival.org. See you in every day. The lead actress will also call in after the movie via Skype to discuss the movie downtown Montpelier! and what it was like to play a character with addiction. The writer is the executive director of Montpelier Alive. PAGE 12 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE our candidates seeking to become the next governor met individually with The Bridge over the past few months. We talked about who they are, what their goals are and where they stand on pressing political issues. Two are Democrats and two are Republicans. Other candidates may throw their hat in the ring in the future. FThe profiles are in alphabetical order and edited to be roughly the same length. Gubernatorial Candidates Talk With The Bridge by Carla Occaso

Matt Dunne Bruce Lisman att Dunne, a Democrat from Hartland, announced his run for governor on ruce Lisman, a Republican originally from Burlington, lives in Shelburne after a long September 3, 2015. Dunne told The Bridge his father was a civil rights activ- stint on New York City’s Wall Street. Lisman worked as co-head of global equities for ist and a lawyer in Vermont. His mother was the first woman to get tenure Bear, Stearns & Co. Before that he worked for J.P. Morgan and Lehman Brothers. Mtrack as a professor at Dartmouth. When Dunne was 13 years old, his father passed B Budget and The Economy: away. This, Dunne said, taught him about the importance of community, as neighbors brought over food, offered rides and made sure the Dunnes were taken care of. In talking with The Bridge recently, Lisman said one of his missions in helping the economy is to retain and expand existing businesses. “Lets keep what we’ve got. Understand who they Dunne served in the House of Representatives from 1992 to 1998, served as the direc- are and what they need,” Lisman said, explaining how important it is to build relationships tor of AmeriCorps VISTA until 2002 and then served as a state senator from 2002 to with the “indispensable companies that make up the Vermont economy. Using money as a 2006. He has most recently worked for Google, but he quit this year in order to run magnet or a weapon is usually a bad idea.” for governor unencumbered. Also, while there are a handful of very large businesses in Vermont, 96 percent have under Budget and the Economy: 15 people, and those the state needs to help grow bigger. Small businesses struggle with the Dunne told The Bridge sparking creative incentives to fund start-ups would be a strat- high costs of simply operating a business, such as workers’ compensation, taxes and the like. egy to “build on our strengths.” Vermont’s strengths include the quality of life, good Lisman said to help these businesses stay and grow, it is important to keep close touch with school systems and close proximity to metropolitan centers. Dunne asserts capital for them so, if they plan to leave, it could be possible to change their minds. infrastructure to support entrepreneurial enterprises would not have to come from the The Bridge asked if he had to cut the budget, where would he chop? Lisman said, “We aren’t state budget. “We could become the telecommuting capital of the world. This is the talking about reducing the size of the budget, we are talking about reducing the rate of place where people can come and work for companies anywhere,” Dunne told The growth.” Bridge. Good broadband and rail and flight service makes it possible to get to places you need to go. Education: And Dunne knows about this first hand. For the past eight and a half years he has Lisman said Act 46, legislation which pressures school systems to consolidate, “is a very bad worked as an executive for Google, but his job took him all over the world. piece of legislation. It is an under researched project that was not well understood by senate, education or the governor.” The school system and the way Vermont funds schools is very Dunne also said he believes government can work its way out of a budget gap — not complex. “Act 46 demands consolidation as if that would bring a solution,” he said, when by cutting services to the most vulnerable citizens — but by energizing and augment- in fact, it would “raise taxes in hopes of lowering them.” Vermont may have the smallest ing the tech community. classroom size in the country with class sizes ranging from two to three in a class up to 20. Education: Lisman said he proposes getting rid of Act 46 and all the “various caps.” He also suggested Vermont has a proportionately high number of high-school graduates who do not go collapsing some of the supervisory unions in favor of a more regional approach. This way, on to attend college, Dunne stated. “The state college system gets infinitesimal parts according to Lisman, the technical and trade centers located throughout the state could be of the budget,” Dunne said, which can make it hard for students to afford college. used more. “We need more plumbers, welders. These are occupations that are invaluable. We However, one program Dunne supports to improve this is to allow any student who have demand without supply,” he said. completes two years of military service to go to the University of Vermont debt free. Healthcare: Elementary education could be improved using technology, according to his website “In the midst of this debate about financing we should strive for outcomes,” Lisman said. The mattdunne.com. This could allow more distance learning and a reduction in redun- healthcare system, as it is now, is more about insurance reform than care itself. “When we dancy, which would presumably lower costs. talk about health care, we talk about insurance. I’d get rid of Health Connect. It is probably Healthcare: $200 million in and $20 to $50 million to maintain it. In my life as a manager, I oversaw lots of IT projects. It shouldn’t have cost $200 million,” Lisman said. “And, not only did it Dunne states our poor execution of the health care exchange website has eroded public cost too much, but it doesn’t work well and requires more and more workers to fix the endless confidence in government’s ability to offer health care. The still improperly function- problems.” ing site needs to be replaced. “We need to first fix the exchange to build back public trust and then move quickly to change our reimbursement system,” Dunne states on Lisman suggests putting more scrutiny on medicaid recipients to make sure everyone is eli- his website. The state needs to pay for “health” rather than “procedures,” Dunne states, gible. adding that he supports moving toward universal coverage. Recreational Marijuana Legalization: Recreational Marijuana Legalization: Lisman opposes legalizing recreational mari- Dunne talked of legalization of marijuana juana because so far, there is no good roadside for recreational use as an inevitability that test. Also, if Vermont legalized marijuana, the Vermont must prepare for. “It (legaliza- state could be sued by bordering states, which tion) is coming one way or another. I happened to Washington State and Colorado. believe we need to get out ahead of it,” In addition, Lisman points out, the pot black Dunne said. Dunne believes it is impor- market continues to thrive in Colorado, and tax tant to teach prevention for people under revenues were not what was expected, Lisman age 21. “We need to be very, very diligent said. “I’d say, no. Not now,” Lisman said. “We in preventing problems,” he said. have an opiate issue that is large and overwhelm- ing in our face. While we are struggling with that we would open up a new market. We don’t know enough. Why do that now?” THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 13

Gubernatorial Candidates Talk With The Bridge by Carla Occaso

Sue Minter Phil Scott ue Minter, a Democrat from Waterbury, moved to Vermont 25 years ago. She is best ieutenant Governor Phil Scott, a Republican from Barre, is well known in and out of the known to Vermonters for her highly visible position as deputy secretary of the Vermont State House as much for his political service, his construction company (Dubois Construc- Agency of Transportation during the recovery of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Her job tion) and his racecar driving at Thunder Road. He was first elected senator in 2000. He Srequired her to “rapidly re-deploy 700 employees to three incident command centers. Our state Lbecame Lieutenant in 2011. was in an incredible state of crisis. Thirteen communities were cut off,” Minter told The Bridge Scott helped remove the remains of devastated mobile homes in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene a few weeks ago. without charging homeowners or the taxpayers, according to ltgov.vermont.gov. In addition, he “I was at the helm in Montpelier.” Her main job was to re-establish access to communities, launched a program in which he works a few hours in regular jobs throughout the state from which she said she did — in concert with many other entities from volunteers to the National manufacturing to ski area snowmaking. Guard, fire and rescue departments (from Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire) and many Budget and the Economy: others. She also dealt with the aftermath and rebuilding that followed. “We lost bridges, we lost homes and we lost people.” Scott said state government needs to be more responsive to business owners. Minter was elected four times as a representative in the Vermont Legislature, from 2004 to “There are many good and well intentioned people, but they haven’t had to make a payroll. They 2010. haven’t had to endure sleepless nights wondering how they are going to pay their employees. That detachment from reality creates somewhat of an arrogance of how fragile business really Budget and the Economy: is,” Scott said. Minter said she would focus on training workers to revitalize the economy. “I am going to From a budget standpoint, the legislature has been “overly optimistic,” in Scott’s opinion. At cur- work with our technical centers. We need to fire their passion for technical jobs because they rent levels, it is unsustainable. “In a Phil Scott administration, I would not build a budget that are needed in the workforce,” Minter told The Bridge. “We have to get more young people to grew faster than the economy. If (the economy and wages) grew at 1 percent, my budget wouldn’t come to Vermont to stay in Vermont for livable wages and that is going to be my mission. That grow any more than 1 percent.” is what our businesses need and that is what the future of Vermont depends on.” Education: Many workers need to work two jobs to make ends meet, so Minter said she wants to help foster higher paying jobs. Part of the problem is finding trained workers. Minter talked about how One third of the state budget is dedicated to education funding. The total budget for FY 16 is some successful businesses are ready to grow, but have trouble finding workforce. $5,625,556,419.00 while the amount allotted to K–12 education is $1,868,994,305.00. “We have so many assets,” she said. Minter said she has experience in economic revitalization Scott states that Vermont has to focus on creating a sustainable and affordable system. In order for the cities of Montpelier and Waterbury. to do this, structural reform has to happen. “For the last 20 years, we’ve been losing about 1,000 kids per year from our public school system. At the same time, fixed costs have been rising. That Education: means structural reform is necessary to get property taxes under control and, at the same time, Minter said Act 46 causes people to “have the critical discussion” about declining enrollment continue to invest in kids and classrooms. It’s a difficult discussion, but we have to have it. If we and school costs. For example, in her school system there are seven different school boards and don’t, we’ll have to continue to accept rising taxes or compromises in the quality of our children’s seven budgets where they could become one region, which would be more efficient. And, tiny education. And I’m not willing to settle for either,” he states. schools could be repurposed to become senior centers or for early childhood education. It is necessary to use flexible learning plans, technology and to pool resources in order to improve the Healthcare: situation. Act 46, an act approved by the legislature last year that encourages school districts to merge, As for healthcare, Minter expressed concern about the current system, Vermont Health Con- must be improved in order to let communities keep what they save from mergers and return savings nect. She said that she did not have problems signing up after she quit her job, but she has heard to local taxpayers or local schools instead of sending it to the state coffers, Scott states. of people having difficulty when they have a change of circumstance. “I want a top to bottom Health Care review,” she said. “I am not ready to say we are going to to go to the federal exchange. She said, There are public anxieties about the rising cost of healthcare, Scott told The Bridge. “When Obamac- “we would only do something that extreme if it were found necessary.” Minter said Vermont are was enacted, we were placed under the umbrella of coming up with an exchange,” Scott said. But Health Connect has more subsidies and that 96 percent of Vermonters are now insured. the Shumlin administration decided to build a custom made IT structure” that cost around $200 The current system rewards doctors and hospitals for more visits, pills and procedures, which million and still doesn’t work. By contrast, New Hampshire spent around 8 to 10 million for their Minter would like to see changed in favor of supporting healthy living. exchange to cover twice the people. And, since Vermont is the only state with this system, taxpayers Recreational Marijuana Legalization: will be responsible financially for upkeep and upgrades. If Vermont had joined in with another state, those costs could be shared. Minter supports legalization and regulation of Recreational Marijuana Legalization: recreational marijuana. She said this would lead to greater safety. “We know Vermont youth are “I don’t think legalization of marijuana should be among the highest (pot) users in the country,” about money. It is far too early. I am not saying she said. However, she believes the state should ‘never.’ It may be inevitable. But we have the op- move slowly and begin selling weed on the retail portunity to watch four or five other states that market starting with medical marijuana dispen- have legalized. We have the population to see saries. what has happened as they move forward with “As a Mom. I want to know we will be having a their programs. We don’t have to be one of the very robust education and prevention program. first on this. I am quite content making sure when We have an enormous substance abuse problem and if we do this we have it right. Is this really the that is ruining lives and families,” she said. most pressing matter before us today? I say no,” Scott said. PAGE 14 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE

Events happening March 17 – April 9 atmosphere of camaraderie and fun. Adults/teens. mentation through the form of teas and/or tinc- THURSDAY, MARCH 17 Third Thurs., 6–8 p.m. River Arts Center, 74 FRIDAY, MARCH 18 tures. Herbal tea sharing with other professional Brain Injury Support Group. Open to all survi- Pleasant St., Morrisville. $5 suggested donation. Social and Support Group for LGBTQ Adults services available. Every third Sat., 9 a.m.–noon. vors, caregivers and adult family members. Third 888-1261. riverartsvt.org. with Disabilities. Join Laura, an A*VISTA mem- Tea House Exchange at Another Way Community Thurs., 1:30–2:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Wild-Craft your Artwork: Participating with ber and Paul Audy, an active community member, Center, 125 Barre St., Montpelier. Free; donations Main St., Montpelier. 244-6850. as they co-facilitate this first support group meet- welcome. Rosalene: 793-9371. manywordsherbs1. the Living Landscape. Nick Neddo shares per- ing. Come together to talk, connect and find sup- weebly.com Diabetes Discussion Group. Focus on self- spective on his journey of 'rewilding' his approach port around a number of issues including coming management. Open to anyone with diabetes to making artwork through the process of going Additional Recyclables Collection Center. Ac- out, socializing, challenges around employment, and their families. Third Thurs., 1:30 p.m. The straight to the source. A Transition Town Mont- cepting scores of hard-to-recycle items. Third Sat., accessibility, self-advocacy, choosing partners and Health Center, Plainfield. Free. Don 322-6600 or pelier series. 6 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 540 N. Main St. (old Times-Argus anything else that you would like to discuss or [email protected]. Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338. kellogghubbard.org building), Barre. $1 per carload. 229-9383 x106. find support around. 5–6 p.m. Unitarian Church, For list of accepted items, go to cvswmd.org. St Patrick's Day Dinner with 50/50 Raffle. Barre City Pub Crawl. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Fireplace Room, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Corned beef cabbage dinner with apple crisp Day at Bueno with Irish ballads! Then join us as Cabot Maple Fest. Vendors, crafters, bouncy Mayo Healthcare’s “Taste of Maple.” Annual dessert provided by the Abbey Group. Eat-in or we make our merry way around the Granite City. house and slide, silent auction at Cabot School fundraiser invites the public to come sample take-out. Benefits Meals on Wheels Program 6:30 p.m. Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Barre. gym and CSPAC, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Pancake breakfast dishes, featuring maple syrup, created by area chefs at TVSC. 4–7 p.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, Free. 479-0896. [email protected]. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and Taste of Cabot noon¬–3 p.m. at in friendly competition. Silent auction. Proceeds Blueberry Commons, 4583 Rt. 2, E. Montpelier. espressobueno.com Cabot School dining hall. Cabot Village, Rt. 215. will help Mayo Healthcare build a new walk- By donation. 223-3322. cabotvermont.org Songwriters’ Meeting. Meeting of the Northern ing path for resident seniors. 6–9 p.m. Norwich Survivors of Suicide Loss Support. Monthly VT/NH chapter of the Nashville Songwriters University, Milano Ballroom, Northfield. $25. Vermont State Science and Mathematics Fair. group for people affected by a suicide death. Third Association International. Bring copies of your Tickets available at Mayo Healthcare, Northfield Showcasing work of private and homeschooled Thurs., 6–7:30 p.m. Central Vermont Medical work. Third Thurs., 6:45 p.m. Catamount Arts, Pharmacy and at brownpapertickets.com children in grades 5–12 who have local science Center, conference rm. 1, Fisher Rd., Berlin. 223- St. Johnsbury. John, 633-2204. and math fair competitions. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; awards International Folk Dance. Free instruction of a 0924. [email protected]. ceremony 2 p.m. Norwich University, Bartoletto Author Talk: Mimi Baird. Baird discusses her variety of international folk dances in a program Hall and Dole Auditorium, 158 Harmon Dr., Grandparents Raising Their Children’s Chil- memoir “He Wanted the Moon: The Madness presented by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and Northfield. 881-3226. [email protected] dren. Third Thurs., 6–8 p.m. Child care provided. and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and the Unitarian Church. All dances will be taught; Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main St., His Daughter's Quest to Know Him.” 7–8 p.m. dance experience or a partner not necessary. 7 p.m. Berries for the Backyard. presented by David Montpelier. 476-1480. Royalton Memorial Library, 23 Alexander Pl., Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Merchant of River Berry Farm. 10 a.m.–noon. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., River Arts Photo Co-op. Gather, promote and S. Royalton. Free; open to the public. 763-7094. Montpelier. Free; open to the public. Sponsored by share your experience and knowledge of photog- [email protected]. UVM Extension Master Gardeners of Central VT. raphy with other photography enthusiasts in an SATURDAY, MARCH 19 Tea House Clinic. Get herbal nutritional supple-

Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Barre. Free. 479-0896. April 1 final show and gala. April 8–9: Willy Wonka, Jr! Join Rumney [email protected]. March 28: 7 p.m. Black Box Theater, Main Memorial School students for a rollicking show March 18–20: The Importance of Being Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burl- featuring chocolate, Charlie and, of course, Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. ington. By donation. Oompa-Loompas! April 8, 7 p.m.; April 9, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Rumney Memorial School, Middlesex. Cabot Community Theater presents the comedy March 29: 7 p.m. Stearns Performance Space, Performing Adults $6; children $4. rumney.org by Oscar Wilde. March 18, 7 p.m.; March 19, Johnson State College, Johnson. By donation. 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; March 20, 2:30 p.m. Cabot March 30: 7 p.m. Hardwick Town House, School Performing Arts Center, 25 Common Hardwick. By donation. SPECIAL EVENTS Rd., Cabot. $5 or three items for the Onion River March 31: 10:30 a.m. Town Hall Opera March 19–20: Cabin Fever Reliever Theatre Arts Food Shelf. 793-5617. [email protected] Workshops. Workshops for kids and teens taught House, Plainfield. By donation by Kailie Larkin, co-director of the Chelsea Fun- Mar. 25: Bueno Comedy Showcase. All male April 1: Gala and Final Performance. Cocktails nery program. Workshop themes include clown- revue: Caleb Teske, Eric Dreiblatt, Kevin Mc- and bidding 4 p.m.; dinner 5:30 p.m.; show ing and improvisation. Ages 6–18. Chandler Taggart, Paul Church, & Richard Bowen. 8:30 starts 7 p.m. Goddard College, Haybarn The- Center for the Arts, 71-73 Main St., Randolph. THEATER, STORYTELLING, p.m. Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Barre. atre, Plainfield. $45. InitiativeWaldorf.org/gala Sliding scale $8–20 per workshop. For more infor- $6. 479-0896. [email protected]. COMEDY April 1: Kamikaze Comedy. Burlington based mation visit the youth page at chandler-arts.org. March 18: 2nd Annual Comedy Night with espressobueno.com. improv troupe that has been performing together Vermont Center for Independent Living (VCIL). March 26: The Monster Who Ate My Peas. since 1995, creating outrageous characters, over- AUDITIONS Hosted by Fresh Track Farms. Benefits VCIL. ArtsPower's musical tells the funny and poignant the-top stories and games that involve the whole March 20: Auditions for Lost Nation Theater’s crowd for an evening of hilarity. 7:30 p.m. 6–9 p.m.; cocktails 6 p.m.; show starts 7 p.m. story of a young boy who doesn't want to eat his summer Theater FOR Kids BY Kids. Advanced Chandler Music Hall, 71-73 Main St., Randolph. Complimentary appetizers. Fresh Tracks Farm peas. 10 a.m. Chandler Music Hall, 71-73 Main Production Camps: Pinocchio and Chitty Chitty Adults $15; students $5 with an adult. 728-6464. Vineyard & Winery, 4373 Rt. 12, W. Berlin. $20. St., Randolph. $6. 431-0204. outreach@chandler- Bang Bang. Two full-day intensive camps that re- chandler-arts.org Tickets: http://uncorkedcomedy2.bpt.me. 223- arts.org sult in public, fully-staged, professionally designed 1151. [email protected] March 26: Mini Mud. This annual performance April 2: KCP Presents Jessica Lang Dance. New and directed productions. Prep: One memorized March 18: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Ad- celebrates young talent from across the region. York-based Jessica Lang is known for creating monologue and 16-32 bars of a song no longer ventures of Sherlock Holmes. Legendary sleuth 7:30 p.m. Chandler Music Hall, 71-73 Main St., visual feasts packed with dynamic multimedia than two minutes total, bring a picture and Sherlock Holmes takes the stage in this witty, Randolph. Adults $15; students $5. 728-6464. and emotional connectivity. 7:30 p.m. Lyndon resume (if possible). Audition is for acceptance fast paced production by the acclaimed Aquila chandler-arts.org Institute Alumni Auditorium, 168 Institute Cir., into the camp. Callbacks for specific roles will be Lyndonville. $15–64. 757-5559. KCPpresents.org held at a later date, TBA. 3:30–6 p.m.; first come, Theatre. 7:30 p.m. St. Johnsbury Academy, Fuller March 28–April 1: The Pirates of Penzance. first served. Montpelier City Hall, Memorial Hall, Main St., St. Johnsbury. $15–29. Students April 7: Extempo. Locals tell short-format, Students at the Initiative Waldorf High School Room, 39 Main St., Montpelier. 229-0492. info@ 18 and under free. 748-2600. KCPpresents.org first-person, true stories live on stage without any tour the state with a final performanceand gala in lostnationtheater.org. http://lostnationtheater.org/ notes or reading. 8 p.m. Bridgeside Books, 29 Mar. 18: Stroke Yer Joke. Sign up in advance to Plainfield. Fundraiser that supports the Initia- production-camps try five minutes of your best open-mic stand-up tive’s accessible-to-all social finance model. March Stowe St., Waterbury. $5. 244-1441. storytelling@ comedy before a live audience. 8 p.m. Espresso 28–31 shows are all ages. Sitter recommended for extempovt.com. extempovt.com THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 15 Calendar of Events

March 26: Chalice/Hessian/Zex (metal) 9 p.m. March 19: Stovepipe Mountain Band (blue- 317 Howard Ave., Waterbury Center. $5. 244- grass/Americana) 4168. [email protected]. wooo.tv Espresso Bueno. 248 N. Main St., Barre. 479- March 24: The Brevity Thing March 30: Noon-time Concert: Penny Lane 0896. Free/by donation. events@espressobueno. March 25: Kava Express (funk/rock/soul/dance) Live Music com. espressobueno.com. Consort. Susan Reit de Salas, Elizabeth Newman, March 26: Oh Anleigh (Irish/Celtic) March 19: Duffy Gardner (singer-songwriter) Sara Lisniansky, Joy Worland, Chapin Kaynor and VENUES 7 p.m. Charles Mayhood will perform music from the March 25: The AccaFella (crooner) 7:30 p.m. SPECIAL EVENTS time of Shakespeare. Recorders, sackbut and per- Bagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 229- March 26: Dan Weintraub (singer-songwriter) March 17: Saint Patrick’s Day Bells. The historic cussion. Bring your lunch and enjoy a lovely noon 9212. Open mic every Wed. bagitos.com. 7 p.m. bells will be rung at noon by pipe organ builder concert at the library. Noon. Kellogg-Hubbard March 17: Dave & Corey Loughran (acoustic Michael Loris. Trinity Church, 137 Main St., Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338 classic rock) 6–8 p.m. La Puerta Negra. 44 Main St., Montpelier. 613- Montpelier March 18: Stovepipe Mountain Band (Ameri- 3172. April 3: The New Black Eagle Jazz Band. Tradi- cana) 6–8 p.m. March 24: Chickweed (folk with jazz, blues and March 19–20: Montpelier Chamber Orchestra: tional New Orleans-style jazz. 2 p.m. Chandler March 19: Irish Session with Sarah Blair, Hilari Latin influences) 8 p.m. Sliding scale $5–10. Primavera. Spring concert under the directorship Music Hall, 71-73 Main St., Randolph. Adults $20; students $5 with an adult. 728-6464. Farrington, Benedict Koehler, Katrina VanTyne, Positive Pie. 22 State St., Montpelier. $5. 229- of Anne Decker Featuring Mozart’s “Overture to chandler-arts.org Bob Ryan and others, 2–5 p.m. 0453. positivepie.com. Cosi Fan Tutte”, Britten’s “Suite on English Folk March 24: Turnip Truck, 6–8 p.m. March 25: Gang of Thieves, 10:30 p.m. Tunes”, Andres’ “Paraphrase on Themes of Brian April 3: From Byrd to Bach: Music for Harpsi- March 25: Squirrel’s Crackers (blues/country/ April 1: Michelle Sarah Band (soul/funk) 10:30 p.m Eno” and Mendelssohn’s “Symphony No. 4 in chord and Recorder. Diane Huling, harpsichord bluegrass) 6–8 p.m. April 8: Soule Monde (instrumental funk) 10 p.m. A Major”. Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m. Vermont and Sara Lisniansky, recorder. The program spans March 26: Irish Session with Sarah Blair, Hilari College of Fine Arts, College Hall Chapel, the entire Baroque era and includes a wide range of Farrington, Benedict Koehler, Katrina VanTyne, Sweet Melissa's. 4 Langdon St., Montpelier. Free Montpelier. Adults $15; seniors $12; students $10. styles. 3 p.m. United Church of Christ, Greens- Bob Ryan and others, 2–5 p.m.; Small Axe, unless otherwise noted. Other shows T.B.A. 225- 229-4191. montpelierchamberorchestra.org boro. $20 suggested donation. hulingperformanc- 6–8 p.m. 6012. facebook.com/sweetmelissasvt. [email protected] or [email protected] March 27: Bleecker & MacDougal (folk ballads) March 26: New Nile Orchestra (Afro-beat March 20: Bach Organ Marathon. Fabulous 11 a.m.–1 p.m. dance) 9:30 p.m. $5 organists from the region will be performing works April 7: The SKY Family. Celtic Revival! High of Johann Sebastian Bach on the Karl Wilhelm energy Celtic/pop-rock music, dance and gospel Charlie O’s World Famous. 70 Main St., Mont- Whammy Bar. 7 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 7:30 p.m. 31 organ. 1:30–5 p.m. Christ Church, 64 State St., production. 7 p.m. Trinity Church, 137 Main St., pelier. Free. 223-6820. County Rd., Calais. Thurs., Free.whammybar1.com. Montpelier. Free; donations welcome. 223-3631. Montpelier. 229-9158. [email protected] Every Mon.: Comedy Café Open Mic, 8:30 p.m. Every Wed.: Open mic [email protected]. christchurchvt.org Every Tues.: Godfather Karaoke, 9:30 p.m. March 17: St. Patrick’s Day Party: Susannah March 18: Julia Kate Davis (folk) 6 p.m., Disco- Blachley, Kristina Stukos, Michael Fullerton, March 25: Jazzyaoke. Sing the standards backed Tell them you saw it in licious (70s) 9 p.m. Paul Aiken by a live six-piece jazz band; all lyrics provided. March 25: Leper Messiah (Metallica tribute) 9 p.m. March 18: Chad Hollister (rock/pop) 7:30–10:30 p.m. Grange Hall Cultural Center, The Bridge!

Open House at Orchard Valley Waldorf School. Spring It On! Roller Derby Fun-Raiser. Come Randolph. Free. Sign-up: 728-5073 or Judith@ such as bowling, discussion group, ukulele and tea Get a taste of what OVWS can offer your child party with the skate-y ladies of Central Vermont kimballlibrary.org dances to foster community and increase LGBTQ and family. 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; sample grade 1 lesson Roller Derby: Games, prizes, trivia, 50/50 Raffle visibility in the region. Meets every other Tues. Bereavement/Grief Support Group. Open 10:30 a.m.; grades walk-through and early child- and more! 8 p.m. Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main 5–7 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 to anyone who has experienced the death of a hood programs walk-throughs including Farm St., Barre. Free. 479-0896.events@espressobueno. Barre St., Montpelier. [email protected] loved one. 6-7:30 p.m. Conference Center. 600 & Forest school year program. Faculty and staff com. espressobueno.com Granger Road, Berlin. Free. 223-1878. Montpelier Parks Commission Meeting. 7 available for questions. 2290 Rt. 14N, E. Montpe- p.m. Montpelier Police Station meeting room. lier. 456-7400. [email protected]. ovws.org Women's Writing Workgroup. Quiet, supportive 223-7335. [email protected]. SUNDAY, MARCH 20 space for women to write who otherwise have dif- Capital City Indoor Farmers’ Market. Find www.montpelier-vt.org/464/Parks-Commission Hike/Snowshoe Bald Mountain with Green ficulty finding the time or space to do so. Writing unique, local, farm foods you won’t find in your Mountain Club. Westmore. Moderate. About prompts provided or bring your own projects. local store, while getting to know your farmer and 5 miles. Via the Mad Brook Trail. Contact Drop in first and third Mon., 6:30–8:30 p.m. learning the best ways to prepare them. Sample WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 Michael or meeting time and place: 249-0520 or River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. sugar on snow. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Montpelier High Introduction to Ayurveda. With Lisa Olson, [email protected] $5 suggested donation. Register: 888-1261 or School cafeteria, 5 High School Dr., Montpelier. Clinical Herbalist. Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old riverartsvt.org montpelierfarmersmarket.com Families of Color. Open to all. Play, eat and dis- system of health that offers accessible recommen- cuss issues of adoption, race and multiculturalism. The Community Seed Library at Kellogg-Hub- dations for living in alignment with the seasons Alla Vita 2nd Anniversary Celebration. Free Bring snacks and games to share; dress for the bard. Slideshow presentation about the threats and achieving optimal health based on your own food samples, discounts and specials. 10 a.m.–5 weather. Third Sun., 3–5 p.m. Unitarian Church, to seed diversity, the importance of preserving unique constitution. 6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for p.m.; free wine tasting 3–5 p.m. Alla Vita, 27 130 Main St., Montpelier. Alyson 439-6096 or heirloom seeds, and how you can contribute/ Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St., Montpelier. State St., Montpelier. 225-6526. allavitavermont. [email protected]. participate in this new community resource. With $12; $10 for members. vtherbcenter.org/communi- com Montpelier Rainbow Umbrella Anniverary. Tom Sabo (Montpelier High School, Center for ty-classes/workshops/ League of Women Voters Lunch Discourse: This group of LGBT adults in central Vermont Sustainable Systems) and Leroy Dill-Hall (MHS Essential Oils Basics Class. Come find out Human Trafficking Here & Abroad. Speakers is celebrating its one year anniversary with a tea Student). 6:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library,135 how essential oils can help you emotionally and Rosalee Keech and Det. Lt. Lance Burnham will dance. All members of the public are welcome Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338. physically. 6–7 p.m. Call Annie Limoge for more share observations on human trafficking. 11:30 to come and enjoy the music and dancing. Door SciFi Plus Book Club. Ken Liu's “The Grace of information and RSVP: 223-2906. Free. a.m.–2 p.m. Best Western Plus, 45 Blush Hill Rd., prizes. Drink specials. 3–6 p.m. Sweet Me- Kings.” 7–8 p.m. Bear Pond Books, 77 Main St., Montpelier Public Schools Community Forum. Waterbury. 229-4737. [email protected]. Regis- lissa’s, 4 Langdon St., Montpelier. By donation. Montpelier. 229-0774. bearpondbooks.com “The Future of School: What’s in a Grade?” 6–8 ter: https://lwvhumantrafficking.eventbrite.com [email protected] p.m.; pizza served 5:30 p.m. Montpelier High Vermont Mountaineers annual Hot Stove Film and Commentary: The White Sheik. 1950 School library, 5 High School Dr., Montpelier. Banquet. Meet and greet the Mountaineers. film by Federico Fellini. Presented by The Chan- TUESDAY, MARCH 22 Medicare and You Workshop. New to Medicare? Make Recycled Critters, Slippers or Mittens. With Red Sox hall-of-famer Bill “Spaceman” Lee, dler Film Society. Commentary by Rick Winston Have questions? We have answers. Second and With Kate Stephenson. Learn how to make your Little Fenway founder Pat O’Connor and Animal follows. 6:30 p.m. Chandler’s Esther Mesh Room, fourth Tues., 3–4:30 p.m. 59 N. Main St., Ste. own special something from recycled felted woolen Planet star Jake Hodgdon. Silent auction, raffle, 71-73 Main St., Randolph. $9; $5 for members 200, Barre. Free, donations gratefully accepted. sweaters. Things to bring (not required): sharp food, entertainment. 5:30 p.m. Capitol Plaza, 100 and students. [email protected] State St., Montpelier. Adults $46; students $26. 479-0531. [email protected]. cvcoa.org. scissors, pre-felted wool sweaters or blankets. Plus a Suncommon presentation. 6 p.m. Montpelier Se- TheVermontMountaineers.com Rainbow Umbrella of Central Vermont. Rain- nior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. Free. Clarke Lecture Series: Bryan Pfeiffer. Migra- MONDAY, MARCH 21 bow Umbrella brings LGBTQ individuals from Tales, Tunes & Tots. Music program for children Call Onion River Exchange to register: 661-8959. tion: The New Science of Movement — un- Central Vermont together to plan and hold events ages 3–5. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. at derstanding the science of migration. 6 p.m. Kimball Library with story time and a craft, then Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. participants walk next door to Chandler for a $15 dinner; lecture by donation. 229-1246. snack and an enriching interactive musical perfor- [email protected] mance. Chandler’s Upper Gallery, 71-73 Main St., PAGE 16 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE Calendar of Events Gallery, 111 State St., Montpelier. ists from the U.S. and around the world. Studio Through July 19: Blue Ribbons & Burlesque: Place Arts, 201 N. Main St., Barre. 479-7069. The Country Fair Photography of Charles Through March 31: Legislation: Source of Studioplacearts.com Fish. Black and white photographs capture na- Art — 40 years of Art Resource Association. ture and nurture, theatrical illusion, the pursuit Visual Arts Through April 23: Off The Wall. Annual exhibit Through their art, 18 ARA artists honor legisla- of excellence and even the guilty pleasures of fair spotlighting area students grades K–12. Open- tors for protecting the interests of Vermont. food. Vermont History Museum, 109 State St., ing reception: March 26, 5:30–7:30 p.m. Vermont State House cafeteria, Montpelier. Montpelier. Free with admission to museum. Gallery hours: Fri., 3–6 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., EXHIBITS 223-2258. [email protected]. artresource- 828-2180. vermonthistory.org/calendar noon–3 p.m. Chandler Gallery, 71-73 Main St., Through March. 19: Salvage. association.com Artists repurpose, Randolph. [email protected] reposition and reimagine salvaged materials to Through March 31: Abstracted Works by Mag- bring new meaning to found objects. Chandler gie Neale. Rich color and texture, layered with Through April 30: Annie Rodrigue Art Exhibit. Gallery, 71-73 Main St., Randolph. Canadian artist exhibit of abstract contemporary SPECIAL EVENTS paint, wax, fabrics. Montpelier City Hall, 1F, March 26: Them, Us & You Events at Studio Main St., Montpelier. 279-0774. colormuse@ works of art. Opening reception March 18, Through March 19: Roger Weingarten and Place Arts. Art project led by SPA artists for gmail.com. maggieneale.com 5–7 p.m. T. W. Wood Gallery, Center for Arts Kate Fetherston, One Show, Two Visions. The & Learning, 46 Barre St., Montpelier. 262-6035. all ages, 10–11:30 a.m.; “Walk and Talk” with artists share an obsession with color, texture, re- Through April 8: Tom Leytham, The Other [email protected]. twwoodgallery.org exhibit curators Janet Van Fleet and Sue Higby, lentless curiosity and invention. Axel’s Gallery & Working Landscape. 26 watercolor prints by 1:30–2:30 p.m.; Talk by anthropologist, artist and Frame Shop, 5 Stowe St., Waterbury. 244-7801. the Montpelier architect and artist. The Gallery Through April 30: ARA Exhibits at the Li- writer, Dana Walrath, Ph.D., MFA. “From Slav- axelsgallery.com. at Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin. brary. Collective gathering of paintings, collage ery to Syria: Art & Social Justice.” 4 p.m. SPA, and photography of Art Resource Association 201 N. Main St., Barre. Free. Call to reserve your Through March 26: Joelen Mulvaney, Tree Through April 10: Intimacy + Materiality. artists, celebrating 40 years. Kellogg-Hubbard Explores material and pronounces the hand- space in the art project by March 25: 479-7069. People Hiding in Plain Sight. Paintings. Jaquith Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. artresour- studioplacearts.com Public Library, Old Schoolhouse Common, 122 made or methods of making through the lens of ceassociation.com. [email protected]. School St., #2, Marshfield. 426-3581. jaquithpub- contemporary studio, social and design practices. 279-0774 [email protected] Helen Day Art Center, 90 Pond St., Stowe. 253- 8358. helenday.com Through May 1: Michael Zebrowski, SURVEY. CALL FOR ARTISTS Through March 30: Annie Tiberio Cameron. Inaugural artist-in-residence project on the Langdon Street Alive Call to Artists. Langdon Through April 10: Carole Frances Lung aka grounds of Spruce Peak at Stowe. For informa- Wilderness images taken on artist’s solo camping Frau Fiber, People’s Cloth Trade Show: The Street Alive is a non-profit organization dedi- sojourns 1991–2006. Vermont Technical Col- tion: Helen Day Art Center, 253-8358, helenday. t-shirt is the problem. Through her alter ego cated to transforming a downtown Montpelier lege, Hartness Library Gallery, 124 Admin Dr., com Frau Fiber, Lung utilizes a hybrid of playful street into a public art space this summer. We are Randolph Center. activism, cultural criticism, research and spirited Through May 2: Galen Cheney, To China and seeking proposals for art installations and works Through March 31: Elizabeth Billings and crafting of one of a kind garment production Back. Paper constructions and paintings. The on consignment. Deadline April 1. Details at Michael Sacca, Close to Home. Billings will performances. Helen Day Art Center, 90 Pond Gallery at River Arts, 74 Pleasant St., Morris- langdonstreetalive.org. ville. 888-1261. riverartsvt.org display her site-specific installations inspired by St., Stowe. 253-8358. helenday.com The Museum of Everyday Life is soliciting contri- the elements of nature and technology. Sacca’s Through April 15: Lynn Newcomb’s Etchings: Through June 30: Saddle Up! Norwich butions to its upcoming exhibition featuring the exhibit of detailed photographic images marries The Power of Black Ink; Two Decades of Print- Cavalry: Training, Touring and Tactics on mirror, which opens May 29. Accepting all kinds Horseback. the two disciplines conceptually. I.D. required for making. The story of the Norwich Cavalry of contributions including anecdotes, scholar- Tools, bridges and abstract etchings. and its establishment is full of wonderful images admission. The Governor’s Gallery, Pavilion Of- Gallery hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–4 p.m. White ship, art and objects consisting of or relating to all fice Building, 109 State St., 5F, Montpelier. of the days when equines were part of the daily River Gallery (in BALE building), 35 S. Wind- life at the University. Norwich University, Sul- aspects of mirrors. 3482 Dry Pond Rd., Glover. Through March 31: Kate Gridley, Passing sor St., S. Royalton. lynnnewcombvt.com livan Museum and History Center, 158 Harmon museumofeverydaylife.org Through — Portraits of Emerging Adults. Through April 16: Them, Us & You. Dr., Northfield. 485-2183. academics.norwich. A global, edu/museum/ Life-sized oil portraits. Vermont Supreme Court invitational exhibit involving more than 24 art-

Book Discussion: “Dreaming in Cuban by Vermont’s Tomorrow. With democratic candi- Maundy Thursday at The Old Meeting House. Central Vermont 5th annual Drag Ball. Theme Cristina Garcia.” The unique family story of Celia date Matt Dunne. Norwich University presents a Intergenerational footwashing and communion is Creature of the Night. Performances by Erica B, del Pino of how the Cuban revolution tore apart series of town hall style open forums with guberna- worship. 7–8 p.m. Hourly Vigil. The Old Meeting Major Face, Emoji Nightmare and more. With DJ her family. Discussion led by UVM Professor John torial candidates. 4:30–5:30 p.m. Short reception House, 1620 Center Rd., E. Montpelier. 229- Tomgirl. Benefit for the Central VT Trans Group Waldron. 6:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library,135 follows. Norwich University, Cabot Hall, Room 9593. oldmeetinghouse.org and the Freeride Community Bike Shop. 7:30 p.m. Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338. Copies of books 85, Northfield. Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite St., Barre. $10 sug- Maundy Thursday Service at Bethany. Open available. gested donation. Pacem School Open House. Classes and support communion and Tennebrae. 7 p.m. Bethany Montpelier City Council Meeting. Second and for homeschoolers ages 10–18. 5–7 p.m. 32 Col- Church chapel, 115 Main St., Montpelier. Man Bites Barre. A cross between a game show, fourth Wed., 6:30 p.m. City Council Chambers, lege St., Montpelier. 223-1010. Pacemschool.org bethanychurchvt.org a variety show and a talk show before a live studio Montpelier City Hall. 39 Main St., Montpelier. audience. 8 p.m. Espresso Bueno, 248 N. Main St., Vermont Author Grace Gershuny. Gershuny pres- Green Mountain Girls: Women of the Long montpelier-vt.org. Barre. Free. 479-0896. [email protected]. ents her new memoir “Organic Revolutionary: A Trail. With speaker Reidun Nuquist. Kathleen espressobueno.com. Memoir of the Movement for Real Food, Planetary Norris, Catherine Robbins and Hilda M. Kurth THURSDAY, MARCH 24 Healing, and Human Liberation.” Q and A and (The Three Musketeers), were the first women to American Art: 1960s-2000s Part I. Art historian book signing. Food and beverages available. 6–8 hike the Long Trail’s full length in 1927. Celebrate SUNDAY, MARCH 27 Debbie Tait will discuss a selection of two dimen- p.m. La Puerta Negra, 44 Main St., Montpelier. Vermont Women’s History Month and the pio- Easter Sunrise Service. 6:30 a.m. North neering roles by many women in Vermont. 7 p.m. sional works with the emphasis on women artists. Film and Discussion: Prejudice and Pride. This is Branch Nature Center, Elm St., Montpelier. Green Mountain Club, Rt. 100, Waterbury. 828- 1–2:30 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 episode 5 in the PBS documentary series Latino Amer- bethanychurchvt.org 2180. [email protected] Barre St., Montpelier. Free. 223-2518 icans. Discussion led by UVM Professor Luis Vivanco. Easter Sunday at The Old Meeting House. 6:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library,135 Main St., Green Mountain Dog Club Monthly Meeting. Intergenerational Son-rise service, 7 a.m.; Easter Montpelier. 223-3338. Copies of books available. Learn about the club and events. All dog lovers morning worship, 9:30 a.m. The Old Meeting welcome. Fourth Thurs., 7:30 p.m. Commodore’s House, 1620 Center Rd., E. Montpelier. 229- Inn, Stowe. 479-9843 or greenmountaindogclub.org. 9593. oldmeetinghouse.org Easter Service with Hallelujah Chorus. 10 a.m. FRIDAY, MARCH 25 Bethany Church sanctuary, 115 Main St., Montpe- Good Friday at Bethany. Self-directed labyrinth lier. bethanychurchvt.org walk. All day. Bethany Church chapel, 115 Main St., Montpelier. bethanychurchvt.org MONDAY, MARCH 28 Educators Workshop: Materials Review. Tales, Tunes & Tots. Music program for children 9:30–11:30 a.m. Bear Pond Books, 77 Main St., ages 3–5. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. at Montpelier. 229-0774. bearpondbooks.com Kimball Library with story time and a craft, Norwich University's School of Architecture then participants walk next door to Chandler + Art Lecture Series. Presentation by Margaret for a snack and an enriching interactive musi- P. Griffin, FAIA, of Griffin Enright Architects. 4 cal performance with songwriter/educator Chris p.m. Norwich University, Chaplin Hall, North- Dorman. Chandler’s Upper Gallery, 71-73 field. Main St., Randolph. Free. Sign-up: 728-5073 or [email protected] Good Friday at The Old Meeting House. Tene- brae service of light and shadow. 7–8 p.m. Hourly George's Mystery Book Club. “The Unquiet Vigil. The Old Meeting House, 1620 Center Rd., Dead” by Ausma Zehanat Khan and “The Abbey” E. Montpelier. 229-9593. oldmeetinghouse.org by Chris Culver. Noon. Bear Pond Books, 77 Main St., Montpelier. 229-0774. bearpondbooks.com Tenebrae Service. Live the Good Friday experi- ence through words, music and light. 7 p.m. St. NAMI Vermont Family Support Group. Support Augustine Church, 16 Barre St., Montpelier. group for families and friends of individuals living 223-2151 with mental illness. Fourth Mon., 7 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center, room 3, Berlin. 800- 639-6480 or namivt.org. SATURDAY, MARCH 26 Montpelier Egg Hunt. Join the Montpelier TUESDAY, MARCH 29 Recreation Department for a family fun egg Walk Fayston with Green Mountain Club. Easy, hunt. 10–11:30 a.m. Hubbard Park, Parkway Dr., 4.1 miles. A mud season road walk with some hills. Montpelier. Free. 225-8699. [email protected]. Loop starts at North Fayston cemetery, follows montpelierrec.org Randell Rd., Center Fayston Rd., and returns via Wildlife Open House Meeting. Hosted by the North Fayston Rd.. Bring lunch and water. Meet Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. For behind Dept. of Labor, next to Montpelier bike hunters, landowners and anyone else interested path. Contact Reidun and Andrew Nuquist for in Vermont’s wildlife. Meeting will also serve as meeting time: 223-3550. public hearing to review the 2015 moose hunting Film Screening and Discussion: This Changes season and to provide feedback on the number of Everything. Documentary inspired by Naomi moose permits recommended for 2016. 1–5 p.m. Klein’s book by the same name. It presents the Montpelier High School, 5 High School Dr., impacts of climate change on communities around Montpelier. the world, and Klein's ideas about how we can use THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 17 Calendar of Events the climate crisis to transform our economic sys- tea, 8 a.m.; public auction by Jenkins Auction tem. Followed by discussion. 7–9 p.m. Goddard Service, 9:30 a.m. Door prizes. Benefits Bethany’s TUESDAY, APRIL 5 THURSDAY, APRIL 7 College, Haybarn Theatre, Plainfield. Free. ministries and food insecurity programs. Bethany ADA Advisory Committee Meeting. First Colby Military Writers’ Symposium. April Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 223-2424. 6–7. Two-day event includes author presenta- Explore The Our Future In Space. With Allen Tues. City manager’s conference room, City bethanychurchvt. tions, book signing, undergraduate original M. Steel and James L. Cambias. 7 p.m. Bear Hall, 39 Main St., Montpelier. 223-9502. research presentation, Meet the Authors recep- Pond Books, 77 Main St., Montpelier. 229-0774. 29th annual Vermont State Scholastic Chess MBAC Meeting. Meeting of the Montpelier Bi- tion and dinner (ticket required), and a moder- bearpondbooks.com Championships. All Vermont students from cycle Advisory Committee. First Tues., 6–7:30 ated panel discussion on the topic “Going to grades K–12 are eligible to compete for State National MS Society Webinar & Telelearning p.m. City Manager’s Conference Room, 39 War: The Cost to Families, Communities, and Championships in nine divisions — each grade Series. Topic: Home Based Employment: What Main St., Montpelier. Montpelier. 262-6273. Nation.” Wed., 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; Thurs., 8 a.m.–9 K–6, Middle School (grades 7 and 8) and High Employers Want. 8 p.m. Free. http://www.na- p.m. Norwich University, 158 Harmon Dr., School (grades 9–12). Registration 8:30–9:30 Poetry Clinic. The first hour of the clinic tionalmssociety.org/Resources-Support/Library- Northfield. Panel discussion is free; Meet the a.m.; games start 10 a.m. Berlin Elementary will be devoted to generative poetry writing Education-Programs/Telelearning-Program Author dinner $50. 485-2811. llord@norwich. School, Berlin. 223-1948. [email protected]. exercises; the second hour will be devoted to re- spectful critiques of work you bring to or make edu. Colby.norwich.edu Exploring Choices in Complementary Integra- in class. Every first and third Tues., 6–8 p.m. Diabetes Support Group. First Thurs., 7–8 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30 tive Medicine. Day-long event focused on com- River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. p.m. Conference room 3, Central Vermont Small Farm Action Day. With a focus on "On- munity education in cancer care and survivorship. $5 suggested donation. 888-1261. riverartsvt.org Medical Center. 371-4152. Farm Slaughter: Preserving a Vermont Tradition," A variety of workshops and hands-on demon- and other issues affecting Vermont's small-scale strations provided by physicians, acupunctur- farmers. The day will include an advocacy train- ists, herbalists, nutritionists, yoga practitioners, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6 ing, opportunities to meet with lawmakers and FRIDAY, APRIL 8 aromatherapists, Reiki practitioners, body workers Colby Military Writers’ Symposium. April Italian Traditional Village Dance. Variety of farmer-to-farmer networking. Vermont State and more. A resource fair with exhibitors will be 6–7. Two-day event includes author presenta- traditional Italian village dances from many House, Montpelier. Farmer stipend applications open throughout the day. Registration begins tions, book signing, undergraduate original regions of Italy — dances still being done today and RSVP: ruralvermont.org or 223-7222 8:30 a.m. Vermont College of Fine Arts, Col- research presentation, Meet the Authors in small mountain villages throughout Italy. CVHHH Public Foot Care Clinic. Individuals lege St., Montpelier. Free; open to the public. reception and dinner (ticket required), and Couple, set, line and group dances. Easy enough should bring clippers, basin, towel, foot-soak pow- More information and to register: https://www. a moderated panel discussion on the topic for beginners and yet challenging for intermedi- der and lotion. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Twin Valley Senior eventbrite.com/e/expanding-cancercare-exploring- “Going to War: The Cost to Families, Com- ate and advanced dancers. No partners or previ- Center, Blueberry Commons, Rt. 2, E. Montpe- choices-in-complementary-integrative-medicine- munities, and Nation.” Wed., 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; ous experience necessary. 6:45 p.m.–9:15 p.m. lier. $15. 223-1878. www.cvhhh.org/footcare tickets-20501715182 Thurs., 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Norwich University, Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. 158 Harmon Dr., Northfield. Panel discussion Turkey Hunting Seminar. A-Z hunting informa- Free; donations for church accepted. 229-1490. Bereavement/Grief Support Group. Open to is free; Meet the Author dinner $50. 485-2811. tion, including safe hunting practices, specialized anyone who has experienced the death of a loved [email protected]. Colby.norwich.edu one. 10–11:30 a.m. Conference Center. 600 equipment, calls, site setup and other strategies for harvesting turkeys. Hosted by the Vermont Fish Grandparents Raising Their Children’s SATURDAY, APRIL 9 Granger Road, Berlin. Free. 223-1878. Berlin Pond. A great location for migrating & Wildlife Department. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Barre Fish Children. First Wed., 10 a.m.–Noon. Barre song birds, waterfowl, loons, herons and more. The Hubble Project: Disaster & Success. With and Game Club, Gun Club Rd., Barre. 272-2909. Presbyterian Church, Summer St. 476-1480. 7–9:30 a.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 astronomer William Jefferys. An Oshler Lifelong Free. Sign-up: http://tinyurl.com/gr9csxh Learning Institute program. Doors open 12:30 Climate Change: The Wisdom to Survive. Elm St., Montpelier. $10 members; $15 non- p.m. for those wishing to bring a brown bag Capital City Indoor Farmers’ Market. Find With filmmaker Anne Macksoud. Doors open members. Call us to register and learn about lunch; program starts 1:30 p.m. Aldrich Public unique, local, farm foods you won’t find in your local 12:30 p.m. for those wishing to bring a brown carpooling options: 229-6206. northbranchna- Library, 6 Washington St., Barrre. By donation. store, while getting to know your farmer and learn- bag lunch; program starts 1:30 p.m. Alumni turecenter.org [email protected] ing the best ways to prepare them. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Hall, next to Barre Auditorium, Barrre. By Educators Workshop: Poetry with the State Montpelier High School cafeteria, 5 High School donation. [email protected] Poet Laureate. 11 a.m.–noon. Bear Pond Essential Oils with Annie Limoge. Learn about Dr., Montpelier. montpelierfarmersmarket.com essential oils for emotional and physical well-be- CCV Open House for Adult Learners. Tour Books, 77 Main St., Montpelier. 229-0774. ing as well as for cooking and cleaning. 6–7 p.m. 2nd annual Spring Shopping Extravaganza and the building including a visit to our Learning bearpondbooks.com Benefit Silent Auction. Benefit for Drew Bernier. Center and Career Center, meet with advi- Another Way (upstairs in the back of building), Black and White Ball. 27th annual Helen Day 25 vendors and crafts people, concessions, raffle. sors to talk about program options, get your 125 Barre St., Montpelier. 661-8959. orexchange.org Art Center gala, inspired by Truman Capote’s 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite St., questions answered about financial aid and illustrious and decadent Black and White Ball. Central VT Trans* Group. Monthly peer support Barre. [email protected]. https://www. veteran's services, sit in on a class, meet CCV Silent auction, complimentary drinks, hors group for folks who self-identify along the trans facebook.com/events/1709244689359580/ president Joyce Judy, meet students, learn d’oeuvres, a seated three-course meal and a and gender nonconforming (GNC) spectrum. about online courses and admissions process. Osteoporosis Education and Support swag bag. Sit down at a casino table to play Meets the last Wed. of the month, 7–9 p.m. in 3:30–6:30 p.m. CCV Montpelier, 660 Elm St., Group. For those who have been diagnosed your favorite Vegas-inspired games for special Montpelier. Contact [email protected] Montpelier. for more information. with osteoporosis or osteopenia, have a fam- prizes. Live music by House Red. Enjoy our ily member who has been diagnosed or want to Cancer Support Group. First Wed., 6 p.m. lively auctioneer, Antique Road Show’s John learn about osteoporosis. Learn from a variety of Potluck. For location, call Carole MacIntyre Nye. join us in honoring two local leaders Shap THURSDAY, MARCH 31 guest speakers and medical specialists. First Sat., 229-5931. Smith and Ginny Neel. Benefits Helen Day Art Habitat Management and Coverts. Join Lisa 1–3 p.m. Community National Bank, Com- U-32 School Board Meeting. Open to the Center for the continuation of art education Sausville of VT Coverts to learn about wildlife in munity Room, Crawford Rd., Derby. 535-2011. public and community members are always programs and free admission to its exhibits. 5 your woods and the threats to Vermont’s forests. [email protected]. betterbonesnek.org. welcome to attend. 6 p.m. U-32, Rm. 131, 930 p.m. Stowe Mountain Lodge, 7412 Mountain Learn about Coverts 3-day woodland owner Rd., Stowe. $125. 253-8358. helenday.com River Rock School Mud Season Auction. View- Gallison Hill Rd., Montpelier. 229-0321. training and their welcome bag project designed ing and silent auction begins, 1 p.m.; live auction- for landowners and others interested in Vermont’s Public Forum on Homelessness. Causes, eer David Rowell, 1:30 p.m. Bid on online auction woodlands. 7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library,135 effects, solutions. 6–7:45 p.m. Aldrich Public items now. Benefits River Rock School Scholar- Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338. Library, 6 Washington St., Barre. Free. 476- ship Program. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., 4185. [email protected] Montpelier. 223-4700. riverrockschool@comcast. FRIDAY, APRIL 1 net. View auction items at riverrockschool.org Who Stole the American Dream? Hedrick Send your listing to Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, author Death Café. Group discussion about death Dreaming into the Earth: A Free Dream and Frontline writer, chronicles four decades with no agenda, objectives or themes. First Fri., Workshop. calendar@ This experiential approach to your of changes in Washington policy-making and 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, dreams offers each person a portal to the deeper montpelierbridge.com Rte. 2, Blueberry Commons, E. Montpelier. mindset, and their effect on the middle class. self. Dream yourself awake to your soul and Gaia Part of First Wednesdays Vermont Humanities Bring your own lunch or eat at the center for in an afternoon of ritual, conversation and dream Deadline for next issue $4. 223-3322. Lecture Series. 7 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 theatre. 4–7 p.m. Yoga Mountain River Room, Main St., Montpelier. vermonthumanities.org is March 31. Morse Farm Maple Open House. With sugar- Montpelier. Bring your dreams or send them on-snow, noon–4 p.m. Morse Farm Maple ahead to [email protected]. Questions: 207- Montpelier School Board Meeting. 7 p.m. Send information for events Sugarworks, 1168 County Rd., Montpelier. 400-7268 or 522-6889. Montpelier High School library, 5 High happening April 7–April 23. 223-2740. morsefarm.com School Dr., Montpelier. 225-8000. Vermont’s Tomorrow. With republican can- SUNDAY, APRIL 3 didate Lt. Gov. Phil Scott. Norwich University Morse Farm Maple Open House. Pancake break- presents a series of town hall style open forums fast, 8–11 a.m.; hot dogs boiled in sap, noon–3 with gubernatorial candidates. 4:30–5:30 p.m. p.m.; sugar-on-snow, noon–4 p.m. Morse Farm Short reception follows. Norwich University, Maple Sugarworks, 1168 County Rd., Montpe- Cabot Hall, Room 85, Northfield. lier. 223-2740. morsefarm.com Coffeehouse. Enjoy live music and share your Dance, Sing and Jump Around! A family dance own. Fellowship, potluck snacks and beverages. for all ages. Circle and line dances and singing First Fri., 7–9 p.m. Trinity United Methodist games, all called and taught. Live traditional Church, 137 Main St., Montpelier (park and music by Kenric Kite and friends. Caller is Liz enter at rear). Free. 244-5191, 472-8297 or Benjamin. Last dance of the season! 3–4:30 [email protected]. p.m. Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, Rt. 2, Plainfield. Suggested donation: $5; $10 family. No one is turned away. [email protected]. SATURDAY, APRIL 2 [email protected] National Federation of the Blind, Montpelier Chapter. First Sat. Lane Shops community room, 1 Mechanic St., Montpelier. 229-0093 MONDAY, APRIL 4 Parent Meet-Up. Come meet other parents, share Whistlekick Martial Arts Showdown. Martial information and chat over light snacks, coffee arts competition, seminars, vendors and other and tea. First Mon., 10–11:30 a.m. Hayes Room, activities for adults and children. Vermont Tech- Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpe- nical Center, SHAPE Fitness Center, Randolph. lier. Free. [email protected]. http://showdown2016.com Bereavement/Grief Support Group. Open Morse Farm Maple Open House. Pancake break- to anyone who has experienced the death of a fast, 8–11 a.m.; hot dogs boiled in sap, noon–3 loved one. 6-7:30 p.m. Conference Center. 600 p.m.; sugar-on-snow, noon–4 p.m. Morse Farm Granger Road, Berlin. Free. 223-1878. Maple Sugarworks, 1168 County Rd., Montpe- lier. 223-2740. morsefarm.com Classic Book Club. New members always wel- come. Most first Mon., 6–8 p.m. Cutler Memo- Public Auction and Breakfast. Breakfast of rial Library, 151 High St. (Rte. 2), Plainfield. Free. breakfast casserole, muffins, juice, coffee, and 454-8504. cutlerlibrary.org/resources/bookclub. PAGE 18 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE Calendar of Events Wed.: Christ Church, 64 State St., someone suffering with addiction — whether it is Gamelan Rehearsals. Sun., 7–9 p.m. Pratt Cen- 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. to alcohol, opiates, cocaine, heroin, marijuana or ter, Goddard College. Free. 426-3498. steven. Thurs.: Trinity Church, 137 Main St., something else. Every Wed., 6–8 p.m. Turning [email protected]. [email protected]. 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Point Center, 489 N. Main St., Barre. Louise: Weekly Events Fri.: 279-6378. St. Augustine Church, 18 Barre St., 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. HIV Testing. Vermont CARES offers fast oral RECYCLING ART & CRAFT Sun.: Last Sunday only, Bethany Church, 115 testing. Thurs., 2–5 p.m. 58 East State St., Ste. 3 Additional Recycling. The Additional Recy- Main St. (hosted by Beth Jacob Synagogue), (entrance at back), Montpelier. Free. 371-6222. clables Collection Center accepts scores of hard- Beaders’ Group. All levels of beading experience 4:30–5:30 p.m. vtcares.org. to-recycle items. Mon., Wed., Fri., noon–6 p.m.; welcome. Free instruction available. Come with Third Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m. ARCC, 540 North Lunches for Seniors. Mon., Wed., Fri., Noon. a project for creativity and community. Sat., 11 Main St., Barre. $1 per carload. 229-9383 x106. Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rt. 2, E. a.m.–2 p.m. The Bead Hive, Plainfield. 454-1615. KIDS & TEENS For list of accepted items, go to cvswmd.org/arcc. Montpelier. $4 suggested donation. 223-3322. Robin’s Nest Nature Playgroup. Outdoor Noontime Knitters. All abilities welcome. Basics twinvalleyseniors.org. playgroup for parents, caregivers and children taught. Crocheting, needlepoint and tatting also ages birth–5. Spontaneous play, exploration, welcome. Tues., noon–1 p.m. Waterbury Public Feast Together or Feast To Go. All proceeds discovery, song, nature inspired crafts and story- RESOURCES Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. 244-7036. benefit the Feast Senior Meal program. Tues. and Fri., noon–1 p.m. Live music every Tues., 10:30– telling. Every Mon. through June 6, 9:30–11:30 Efficiency Vermont Customer Support Office Life Drawing at The Front. Draw from life with 11:30 a.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 a.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm Hours. Specialists will be on hand to provide a model in a series of poses. Bring your own Barre St., Montpelier. Seniors 60+ free with $7 St., Montpelier. By donation. 229-6206. one-on-one energy consultations and answer materials. Come early to get a good seat. Every suggested donation; under 60 $9. Reservations: northbranchnaturecenter.org your energy questions. Every Tues., 11:30 a.m.–2 Thurs., 6:30–8:30 p.m. The Front Gallery, 6 262-6288 or [email protected]. The Basement Teen Center. Safe drop-in space p.m. and every Thurs., 4–6 p.m. through March. Barre St., Montpelier. $10. www.thefrontvt.com. to hang out, make music, play pool, ping-pong Efficiency Vermont Barre Office, 322 N. Main [email protected] and board games and eat free food. All activities St., Barre. Free. 888-921-5990. info@efficien- Open Art at The Front. Create "crazy dolls" with HEALTH & WELLNESS are free. Mon.–Thurs., 2–6 p.m., Fridays 3-10 cyvermont.com artist Melora Kennedy. Every Wed., 5:30–7:30 Turning Point Center. Safe, supportive place p.m. Basement Teen Center, 39 Main St., Mont- Onion River Exchange Tool Library. 80 tools p.m. The Front Gallery, 6 Barre St., Montpelier. for individuals and their families in or seeking pelier. BasementTeenCenter.org both power and manual. Wed., 4–6 p.m.; Sat., $5. www.thefrontvt.com. [email protected] recovery. Daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 489 North Main Read to Clara. Sign up for a 20-minute slot and 9–11 a.m. 46 Barre St., Montpelier. 661-8959. Drop-in River Arts Elder Art Group. Work St., Barre. 479-7373. choose your books beforehand to read to this [email protected]. on art, share techniques and get creative with Sun.: Alchoholics Anonymous, 8:30 a.m. special canine pal. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 others. Bring your own art supplies. For elders Tues.: Making Recovery Easier workshops, Main St., Montpelier. Sign up ahead: 223-4665 60+. Every Fri., 10 a.m.–noon. River Arts Center, 6–7:30 p.m. or at the children’s desk. kellogghubbard.org. SOLIDARITY/IDENTITY 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. Free. 888-1261. Women’s Group. Women age 40 and older Wed.: Wit’s End Parent Support Group, 6 p.m. Story Time and Playgroup. With Sylvia Smith riverartsvt.org. explore important issues and challenges in their Thurs.:Narcotics Anonymous, 6:30 p.m. for story time and Cassie Bickford for playgroup. lives in a warm and supportive environment. Fa- For ages birth–6 and their grown-ups. We follow Early Bird Bone Builders Class. With Cort cilitated by psychotherapist Kathleen Zura. Every the Twinfield Union School calendar and do not BICYCLING Richardson. Osteoporosis exercise and prevention Mon., 5:30–7:30 p.m. 41 Elm St., Montpelier. program. Wear comfortable clothing and sturdy hold the program the days Twinfield is closed. Open Shop Nights. Volunteer-run community 223-6564. Insurances accepted. shoes. Light weights provided or bring your own. Wed., 10–11:30 a.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 bike shop: bike donations and repairs. Wed., 4–6 All ages. Every Mon., Wed. and Fri., 7:30–8:30 School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581. p.m.; other nights. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre a.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, Rt. 2, Blueberry jaquithpubliclibrary.org. St., Montpelier. 552-3521. freeridemontpelier.org. SPIRITUALITY Commons, E. Montpelier. Free. Cort: 223-3174 Story Time for Kids. Meet your neighbors and Christian Science Reading Room. You're invited or 238-0789. share quality time with the pre-schooler in your to visit the Reading Room and see what we BOOKS & WORDS Bone Building Exercises. All seniors welcome. life. Each week we’ll read stories and spend time have for your spiritual growth. You can borrow, Every Mon., Wed. and Fri. 7:30 a.m., 9:15 a.m. together. A great way to introduce your pre- purchase or simply enjoy material in a quiet study Lunch in a Foreign Language. Bring lunch and schooler to your local library. For ages 2–5. Every practice your language skills with neighbors. (starting Feb. 8) and 10:45–11:45 a.m. Twin Val- room. Hours: Wed., 11 a.m.–7:15 p.m.; Thurs.– ley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rt. 2, E. Montpelier. Thurs., 10:30 a.m. Cutler Memorial Library, 151 Sat., 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 145 State St., Montpelier. Noon–1 p.m. Mon., Hebrew; Tues., Italian; High St., Plainfield. 454-8504. cutlerlibrary.org. Wed., Spanish; Thurs., French. Kellogg-Hubbard Free. 223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.org. 223-2477. Lego Club. Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338. Tai Chi for Seniors. Led by trained volunteers. Use our large Lego collection to A Course in Miracles. A study in spiritual trans- create and play. All ages. Thurs., 3–4:30 p.m. English Conversation Practice Group. For Every Mon. and Fri., 1–2 p.m.; Mon. and Wed., formation. Group meets each Tues., 7–8 p.m. 5:30–6:30 p.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Mont- Christ Episcopal Church, 64 State St., Montpe- students learning English for the first time. Tues., pelier. Free. 223-3338. kellogghubbard.org. 4–5 p.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic Educa- 4583 U.S. Rt. 2, E. Montpelier. Free. 223-3322. lier. 279-1495. twinvalleyseniors.org. Drop-in Kinder Arts Program. tion, Montpelier Learning Center, 100 State St. Innovative Christian Counseling. Tues. and Thurs. Daniel 223-3403. Living Strong Group. Volunteer-led group. exploratory arts program with artist/instructor Dr., Barre. Reasonable cost. By appt. only: Kelly Holt. Age 3–5. Fri., 10:30 a.m.–noon. Ongoing Reading Group. Improve your reading Sing while exercising. Open to all seniors. 479-0302. Every Mon., 2:30–3:30 p.m. and every Fri., River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. and share some good books. Books chosen by Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. For those 2–3 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 888-1261. RiverArtsVT.org. group. Thurs., 9–10 a.m. Central Vermont Adult interested in learning about the Catholic faith, or Barre St., Montpelier. Free. Register: 223-2518. Teen Fridays. Basic Education, Montpelier Learning Center, Find out about the latest teen current Catholics who want to learn more. Wed., [email protected]. 100 State St. 223-3403. books, use the gym, make art, play games and if 7 p.m. St. Monica Church, 79 Summer St., Sex Addicts Anonymous. Mon., 6:30 p.m. Betha- you need to, do your homework. Fri., 3–5 p.m. Barre. Register: 479-3253. ny Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 552-3483. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marsh- BUSINESS, FINANCE, field. 426-3581. Deepening Our Jewish Roots. Fun, engag- Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Program. ing text study and discussion on Jewish Musical Story Time. COMPUTERS, EDUCATION Education and support to help adults at high risk Join us for a melodious spirituality. Sun., 4:45–6:15 p.m. Yearning good time. Ages birth–6. Sat., 10:30 a.m. Kel- Computer and Online Help. One-on-one com- of developing type 2 diabetes adopt healthier for Learning Center, Montpelier. 223-0583. eating and exercise habits that can lead to weight logg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. [email protected]. puter help. Tues. and Fri., 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Water- Free. 223-3338. kellogghubbard.org. bury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. loss and reduced risk. Every Tues., 10:30–11:30 Free. Registration required: 244-7036. a.m. Kingwood Health Center Conference Room Mad River Valley Youth Group. Sun., 7–9 p.m. (lower level), 1422 Rt. 66, Randolph. Free. Regis- Meets at various area churches. Call 497-4516 for SPORTS & GAMES Personal Financial Management Workshops. ter: 728-7714. location and information. Roller Derby Open Recruitment and Recre- Learn about credit/debit cards, credit build- Overeaters Anonymous. ational Practice. Central Vermont’s Wrecking ing and repair, budgeting and identity theft, Twelve-step pro- Doll Society invites quad skaters age 18 and up. insurance, investing, retirement. Tues., 6–8 p.m. gram for physically, emotionally and spiritually MUSIC & DANCE No experience necessary. Equipment provided: Central Vermont Medical Center, Conference overcoming overeating. Note meeting days and first come, first served. Sat., 5–6:30 p.m. Mont- Room 3. Registration: 371-4191. locations. Every Tues., 5:30–6:30 p.m. and Sat., Barre-Tones Women’s Chorus. Open re- 8:30–9:30 a.m. at Episcopal Church of the Good hearsal. Find your voice with 50 other women. pelier Recreation Center, Barre St. First skate CRC Pro Health and Human Services. This Shepherd, 39 Washington St., Barre. 249-3970. Mon., 7 p.m. Alumni Hall, Barre. 223-2039. free. centralvermontrollerderby.com. course will help participants build professional Every Mon., 5–6 p.m. at Bethany Church, 115 BarretonesVT.com. and career skills in preparation for a variety of Main St., Montpelier. 223-3079. Starting April entry-level positions in direct health care profes- 4, the Montpelier meetings will be on Mon- Dance or Play with the Swinging Over 60 YOGA & MEDITATION Band. sions. Every Wed. and Thurs., March 23–May days, 5:30–6:30 p.m. Danceable tunes from the 1930s to the Christian Meditation Group. People of all faiths 18, 5:30–8 p.m. Capstone Community Action, 1960s. Recruiting musicians. Tues., 10:30 a.m.– Tai Chi Classes for All Ages. Every Tues. and welcome. Mon., noon–1 p.m. Christ Church, 20 Gable Pl., Barre. Free. The enrollment code noon. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Montpelier. 223-6043. for this course is WFE-0603-VM40. Thurs., 10–11 a.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518. Rte. 2, Blueberry Commons, E. Montpelier. Free. Zen Meditation. With Zen Affiliate of Vermont. Monteverdi Young Singers Chorus Rehearsal. 223-3322. [email protected] Wed., 6:30–7:30 p.m. 174 River St., Montpelier. New chorus members welcome. Wed., 4–5 p.m. Weight Loss Support Group. Free. Call for orientation: 229-0164. FOOD & DRINK Get help and sup- Montpelier. Call 229-9000 for location and more Community Meals in Montpelier. All welcome. port on your weight loss journey every Wed., 6–7 information. Shambhala Buddhist Meditation. Group Free. p.m. Giffords Conference Center, 44 S. Main St., meditation practice. Sun., 10 a.m.–noon; Tues., Randolph. Free. No registration required. Open to Piano Workshop. Informal time to play, Mon.: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., 7–8 p.m.; Wed., 6–7 p.m. New location: Center all regardless of where you are in your weight loss. refresh your skills and get feedback if desired for Culture and Learning, 46 Barre Street, Mont- 11 a.m.–1 p.m. with other supportive musicians. Singers and Wit’s End. pelier. Free. 223-5137. montpeliershambala.org. Tues.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Support group for parents, siblings, listeners welcome. Thurs., 4–5:30 p.m. Mont- 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. children, spouses and/or relationship partners of pelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Sunday Sangha: Community Ashtanga Yoga. Montpelier. Free; open to the public. 223-2518. Every Sun., 5:40–7 p.m. Grateful Yoga, 15 State [email protected]. St., 3F, Montpelier. By donation. Ukelele Group. All levels welcome. Thurs., 6–8 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. 223-2518. Rock & Soul Chorus. We sing songs from the Send your listing to 60s–80s and beyond. All songs are taught by rote using word sheets, so ability to read music is [email protected] not required. All ages welcome; children under Deadline for next issue is March 31. 13 should come with a parent. Every Thurs., Send information for events 6:30–8:30 p.m. Church of the Good Shepherd, 39 Washington St., Barre. happening April 7–April 23. THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 19

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802 778 0626 [email protected] lindeljames.com PAGE 20 • MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 THE BRIDGE Act 46 Causes Loss Of Community Opinion Investment by Jennifer Marckres (Craftsbury School Board Member) raftsbury Schools is a PK-12 system serving the town of Craftsbury and tuition stu- The legislature is now asking us to turn away from what we have been building, successfully dents from several neighboring communities. We are very proud that our Academy I might add, and change course to fix something that isn’t broken. We at Craftsbury feel is the oldest and smallest high school in the state of Vermont, but that moniker we have so much to lose and nothing concrete to gain. Craftsbury would be moving from Cdoes not keep us from looking forward. Over the last five years we have enjoyed increasing voting on a 3.5 million dollar budget to a 25.5 million dollar district budget. Can anyone enrollment, stable budgets and an expanded curriculum. Of our 79 high school students really say that taxpayers will not feel less of a personal connection, less of an investment? we have 30-35 students taking advanced placement classes, many students in more than We will be giving our buildings, buildings with 187 years of history to a district that will one class, for a total of 63 enrollments in nine subject areas. Yet even those numbers don’t manage them along with all of the other school buildings across six towns. What was once tell the whole story. We successfully serve a very diverse student population, coming from center to our towns becomes satellite to our district all in the name "of expanding educa- very different backgrounds choosing to go in many different directions after our job at the tional opportunities” and possible cost containment. academy is finished. The loss of local control is frequently cited as a reason for pushing back at district mergers. Our school’s greatest pride is our dedication to not just the kind of student we are encourag- That is too simple and doesn’t even begin to capture the travesty that Act 46 represents. ing in the classroom, but more importantly, the kind of person we are encouraging period. What people are lamenting is not the loss of local control but the loss of community invest- I would invite everyone to visit our website and look at what the portrait of a Craftsbury ment in the school for nothing quantifiable or guaranteed in return. We don’t argue with graduate looks like. You will see that our small schools, and one could argue many other the Board of Education that a district board will act in the best interest of the student. We small schools around the state with close ties to the greater community, offer more than all, whether it is state, district or local, try to act in the best interest of the student. What just a curriculum and that is the essential component that Act 46 is carelessly discarding. we are trying to get the Board of Education and the legislators to understand is that by re- Under Act 46 we are being asked to voluntarily give up control over the quality product we moving our current governance structure, you are alienating the very people that make our have built for over 150 years, for a model which may or not save money, may or may not education system in Vermont one of the best in the country. The students, parents, staff, expand educational opportunities, may or may not keep our schools open and which may board members and administrators of Craftsbury schools are motivated to work harder or may not deliver greater equality throughout the state, five to 10 years down the line. A because of the energy generated by the community. The community is investing in them "one size fits all" set of measures does not fit Craftsbury in any way. monetarily AND emotionally and students are accountable to that investment. Craftsbury will not readily abandon that relationship. Craftsbury is not afraid of change. Even though Craftsbury Academy is the oldest and smallest high school in the state, I could write a whole dissertation outlining all of the We can cite so many examples of community involvement, energy and dedication to our many instances in the last 150 years our community has come together to explore creative, school. In the last five years we have built a gym, invested in sustainable energy, boasted the forward thinking initiatives that will ensure the delivery of a quality education while keep- highest NECAP scores in the state, expanded our curriculum and built a local preschool at ing a realistic and watchful eye on the financial implications of that very education. The the insistence of our tax payers. Families are moving into our isolated, rural town to be a latest was a three-year commitment to voluntarily explore merger options under Act 153 part of what we are building. There is so much more at stake than the future of our small and 156. Due to the unique makeup of our supervisory union, the merger options were schools. We are hoping that the State Board of Education and the legislators in favor of Act deemed impracticable. 46 will take the potentially crippling ramifications into consideration. Health Agency, School Leaders Are Wrong Opinion On Pot Issue by Stuart Friedman, Middlesex

ast issue's editorial about cannabis regulation “Slow Down, Answer the Questions — pseudo-science to justify the Holacaust. It's about Children and Youth” lacked balance and research. The author, having had Students identified as poor performing, adults who have legal entanglements, and families conversations with three school-related associations and taking selective quotes from that draw the attention of protective services are overwhelmingly people living in poverty Lthe Health Department's “Health Impact Assessment” can hardly be described as extensive or near-poverty circumstances. It is poverty and inequality that, according to many stud- or balanced. ies, lead to the ills described in the Vermont Department of Health’s report, including the The health report was seriously flawed, an assessment that is shared by many other knowl- misuse of cannabis and other drugs. A retreat into biological explanations further victim- edgeable professionals. It confounded association with causation (does cannabis use lead to izes people already marginalized and deflects our attention from the profound impacts of poor school performance OR are those who are performing badly more likely to use?), it poverty data mines (using old studies from distant locales while ignoring more contemporary, local Finally, the report fails to acknowledge the model for a successful effort to reduce drug studies that are contrary to the conclusions drawn) and fails to enumerate health benefits misuse, the program in place for decades to reduce tobacco dependence. It was not through of cannabis regulation. a general prohibition but a population-based approach using a variety of approaches and The notion of “slowing down” what is described as a “fast track” process ignores history. In legal strictures that has led to the impressive reduction of tobacco use. 1971 the Nixon-appointed Shafer Commission recommended that personal use of cannabis As it stands now, our approach to youth is “all drug use is bad,” a statement that is con- should be legalized. In the intervening years, millions of lives have been ruined by the inef- tradicted by students' behavior and observations. If tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, heroin, fective War on Drugs policies promoted by politicians (including those who did not inhale). amphetamines, benzodiazepines are all “bad” then we miss an important opportunity to One (unnamed) person is quoted “how can we ignore brain research?” Aside from the fact educate students about the dangers of each substance and how to use some of them safely. that any school that sponsors football is ignoring very sound research on brain trauma, Our blanket prohibition prescription undermines any credibility we might have with ado- stands the fact that this rush to using brain imaging as explanations for behavior is re- lescents (and others), and fails to recognize that for millenia humans have sought to alter ductionist and fails to account for social and economic factors. Similarly, pseudo-science their consciousness, with drugs and other means. was used in the early 20th Century to “prove” that non-white races were incapable of high Hundreds of thousands of Vermonters, including physicians, legislators and newspaper edi- level intellectual thinking, a belief that, in Vermont, led to the sterilization of hundreds of tors have used cannabis with no untoward effects; outlawing it because a small percentage people, targeting French-Canadians, Native Americans and other racial minorities. Led of people may have problems as a result makes no sense. We don't outlaw Big Macs because by the University of Vermont professor of zoology Henry Perkins, the work gained wide some will develop health problems as a result, nor do we outlaw lotteries or alcohol because credibility and was finally deposited in the trash bin of history when the Nazis used the of problems they may cause in some. An open, democratic society demands that people be free to make their own choices in matters that do not affect others. Cannabis regulation fulfills that requirement. The author is an alcohol and drug counselor. Edited for length. THE BRIDGE MARCH 17 – APRIL 6, 2016 • PAGE 21

Protect Montpelier's Drinking Water Supply

by Nat Frothingham

s part of City Meeting on Tuesday, March 1 — citizens in Mont- at least a possibility of greater public expenses on the horizon for water pelier voted overwhelmingly (2,791 to 455) to support a proposed treatment, he said. city charter change that would give the City of Montpelier au- Sixth, the State of Vermont requires the City of Montpelier to have a thorityA to regulate and protect the city’s drinking water source at Berlin Editorial (Berlin Pond) Source Protection Plan. But what good is a Source Protec- Pond. tion Plan without the authority to make it work? These are the exact words of the ballot item that calls for this charter change: “The City Seventh, there appears to be a strong Vermont precedent for granting municipalities the shall have the authority to regulate its public water supply and public water sources in order authority to manage, regulate and protect their water supplies even if the water source is to protect the water supply and sources from corruption. The City’s water supply sources located outside of the municipality’s geographical boundaries. The City of Barre draws its include Berlin Pond in the town of Berlin.” water from a reservoir in the Town of Orange and the Barre City charter gives it control of Both repeatedly and strenuously — over the past two or three years at The Bridge we have that water source. The same situation applies to the Village of Bellows Fall. Its charter allows argued that it is the City of Montpelier that ought — logically — to be the prime respon- it to forbid people from going onto its water source in the Town of Rockingham. The Town sible party in regulating and protecting its drinking water source and supply at Berlin Pond. of St. Johnsbury has its water source in the Town of Waterford and the St. Johnsbury town In sum, the logic of our thinking is this: charter gives it control of that water source. First, Berlin Pond is the city’s only drinking water source. In its 2012 ruling, the Vermont Supreme Court essentially said that it was the state legisla- ture that could delegate powers to municipalities. “If more powers are needed, more must Second, in 1884, the Vermont Legislature gave Montpelier the right to use Berlin Pond as be asked for,” wrote the Supreme Court in its decision. That “asking for” at the Vermont its drinking water source. It also gave the State Health Department control over the pond legislature is what the City of Montpelier’s proposed charter change is all about. and the Health Department, in turn, passed that control and management over to the City of Montpelier. The logic comes down to this. Montpelier depends upon Berlin Pond for its water. Montpe- lier has a major investment in its water treatment facility. Montpelier taxpayers pay for the Third, when compared with other larger water sources, Berlin Pond is a small body of water and pay for the treatment facility. It therefore stands to reason that Montpelier should water — some 256 acres. Its very smallness intensifies the importance of its protection as a manage, regulate and protect that water resource. drinking water supply. Logic is one thing but politics is often quite another thing. Fourth, over time the City of Montpelier has purchased almost all the land that borders the Pond. This, among other considerations, makes the city a major stakeholder in the future At the moment, the proposed city charter change that would give authority to the City of of the pond and its protection. Montpelier to manage, regulate and protect Berlin Pond is about to be handed over in the form a bill to the Vermont House Government Operations Committee. That committee is Fifth, in 1998 the City of Montpelier built a water treatment plant to treat incoming water free to do the following: take up the bill or not take up the bill. Take a vote of the commit- from Berlin Pond. That treatment plant cost $12 million and payments on the bond will tee to support the bill or defeat it. If supported, the bill conceivably could be sent to another continue until 2028. committee or it could go to the House floor for consideration and action. If approved by At its construction, the plant was designed for a pond without recreational use. In 2012, the the House, the bill could go over to the Vermont Senate for committee consideration and Agency of Natural Resources threw open the pond to a range of uses. Montpelier’s Public possible action by the full Senate. That could lead to no action, or Senate adoption or de- Works Director Tom McArdle said that the City of Montpelier is studying the facility to feat. And even if the charter change was to pass both houses, it would then go to Gov. Peter determine what additional testing protocols it should follow. He said he saw the City’s Shumlin for his review and action — either to sign it into law or veto it. fundamental responsibility as delivering “pure water to the tap” to the thousands of people Given what’s at stake in protecting Berlin Pond and protecting the city’s water supply and its who depend on the pond for their drinking water. McArdle acknowledged that gasoline sizeable outlay of public money and public investments — and given the time available until engines and gasoline use are prohibited on the pond. Yet he allowed that someone might the legislative session ends in a matter now of only weeks — surely this proposed charter violate the gasoline prohibitions. Gasoline and a number of other pollutants are contami- change is a matter that ought to command not just public support, but the sort of public nants that the treatment plant can’t address, he said. Depending on what happens, there’s advocacy that could lead to favorable legislative and executive action.

The Bridge publishes every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month, except in July when we publish only on the 3rd Thursday. Our next issue comes out April 7.

Urge Your Reps To Vote ‘No’ On Legalizing Pot stance abuse safety programs, diversion programs, trafficking and drugged driving. The bill also states that all revenue will be Editor: put back into supporting the bill — 25 percent each to preven- Letters After doing four interviews on my cable TV show, “Vote For tion, treatment, illegal trade and DUI and to administration. If Vermont” on Orca Media — two with Sam-VT and its lobby- this product is so benign what are we preventing, treating and The GOP Cannot Remain Neutral ist and two with Senator Joe Benning, I remain unconvinced enforcing? And since we have no money, the Senate approved that marijuana is good for Vermont. For every report that says the borrowing of $2M to implement the bill and to create, at Editor: it’s bad, there are reports that say it’s not so bad, for every article a minimum, 30 positions over a three year period. And if you Make America hate again! That is the platform and rallying that says Colorado and other states which legalized marijuana think our children won’t be watching and curious to try mari- cry of the new Republican party. When challenged about have had negative experiences, there are articles that say not. juana, you will be sadly mistaken. If you think this is a bad idea this, the GOP claimed neutrality during the primary process. What this says to me is that we just don’t have enough details for Vermont, call your representatives and ask them to Vote ‘No’ Not the Democratic party. It still believes and endorses inclu- yet, so why the rush? for legalizing and commercializing marijuana. sion and unification. Until the GOP distances itself from this Remember how long it took us to find out how dangerous divisive rhetoric, not one Republican candidate deserves to Pat McDonald, Berlin smoking was from the tobacco companies? It’s the same thing win any election. By affiliation each Republican candidate with marijuana particularly since this marijuana is much stron- represents bigotry. Within the last 100 years, we've seen the What Do You Think? ger than the product available ‘back in the day.’ In the 60s, terrible remnants of bigotry. Millions have died in its name. Read something that you would like to respond to? We the average content of THC was 1 percent. In 2012 it was 12 The GOP is hiding behind the label of neutrality. You cannot welcome your letters and opinion pieces. Letters must percent. I think we can agree that a certain percentage of people be neutral about hatred and divisiveness. Until the Republican be fewer than 300 words. Opinion pieces should not will become addicted to smoking marijuana just like tobacco party shows concretely that it does not support and endorse exceed 600 words. The Bridge reserves the right to edit and alcohol and other drugs. Not only should we be concerned hatred, and distances itself from candidates who defend bigotry, and cut pieces. Send your piece to: about these folks but we should be concerned about the related [email protected]. Democrats are the only candidates to elect. costs of their addiction to us. If you don’t think legislators are Deadline for the next issue is April 1. G. Geoffrey Lindemer, CPA, Stowe worried, just look at the bill. The bill talks about youth sub-

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