GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Getting colder. We're in for a run of two or three chilly days, with temps today reaching the upper teens or maybe low 20s and lows tonight down to not much above zero, with wind chills comfortably in the minuses. Mostly cloudy out, winds from the north.Not your usual snow views.
Meanwhile, Nancy Curtis writes from Quechee that out in back, she's got a kinetic sculpture she calls The Seussical. "It is always mesmerizing to watch, like a fish tank," she says, never more so than during last weekend's moments of squally wonder, when she got a brief video of The Seussical “'geiseling' furiously as the snow was flying around it."
Strafford locals form trust in hopes of buying Coburns' Store. As you may remember, the store—pretty much the community's heartbeat—has been up for sale, but Melvin and Sue Coburn haven't found a taker since they listed it in 2022. They're planning to retire in the fall, which forced townspeople to start looking at a "Plan B" if they want it to remain open, writes Darren Marcy in the Herald. The new Strafford Community Trust is hoping to raise up to $1 million under the auspices of the Preservation Trust of VT, assess the building and its needs—and then figure out how to keep running the store.A "rough-and-tumble runup" to March vote on new Woodstock high school/middle school. Both advocates and skeptics of the $99 million bond issue sought by the Mountain Views Supervisory Union have taken to the hustings, writes Tom Ayers in the Vermont Standard. MVSU reps have begun making presentations in the seven towns in the district; a group calling itself The School Bond Forum, which is advocated postponing the vote, is hosting a meeting at Woodstock's library tomorrow—which MVSU officials plan to attend. Ayers lists upcoming public sessions on the vote.Two pieces of Upper Valley-related court news. Both by John Lippman in the Valley News.
The 18-year-old Piermont man who was accused last year of groping women multiple times on the Dartmouth campus and then in two separate assaults in West Leb while he was out on bail four weeks later, has agreed to plead guilty. He faces a 12-month jail sentence, according to Lippman, as well as counseling, and an extended jail sentence if he violates any of the agreement's terms.
Amanda Conant, the 33-year-old former Randolph woman who with a partner was involved in a 2021 crime spree across the region, has been given a four-to-10-year state prison sentence, suspended except for two years, plus 10 years' probation. She had pled guilty to burglary, stealing an SUV (on which she and her accomplice, Kevin Bent, spray-painted "Bonnie and Clyde 2021", drug possession, and other charges.
Phineas Choukas—known in the music world as phin—grew up in Hanover and is part of the cohort of Upper Valleyites that includes Noah Kahan—whose "Cape Elizabeth" EP he produced—and his childhood friend, Hans Williams. Now he's got his own single out,
". In The Dartmouth, Elle Muller talks to him about the song, the Upper Valley—"
It’s just such a beautiful place and the people are just really down to earth. Every time I go back I just feel like I’m home"—and getting into producing and making musinc.
Whaleback hits 10 years as a nonprofit. And on Wednesday, WCAX's Adam Sullivan was out on the hill, talking to skiers and others about the milestone. "You always know who you are going to see here," Norwich's William Stonier tells Sullivan. "You always recognize a friendly face when you come to hit the slopes for the day. So, it’s a really great vibe." The Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation is pretty happy, too. “[We're] kind of getting over that hump and showing that we can be sustainable as a nonprofit, which is very rare in the ski industry,” says Whaleback's executive director, Jon Hunt.Hiking Close to Home: Rattlesnake Mountain, Rumney, NH. The Upper Valley Trails Alliance this week suggests a moderate, relatively short 2.5-mile round-trip climb that's perfect for a winter snowshoe and offers open summit views from the ledges looking down on the Baker River Valley. You'll want to find your way to NH 25 from either the Upper Valley or I-93, turn onto Main Street for Rumney Village, then left onto Buffalo Road at the village center. Continue west on Buffalo Road for 2.4 miles, and the Rattlesnake Mountain Trailhead parking will be on your right.
So... Think you know what's been going on here? Because Daybreak's News Quiz has some questions for you. Like... Which clothing chain is opening a new outlet store on 12A? And which Upper Valley town just saw a good bit of its fire department resign? Those questions and more at the link.But wait! How closely were you following VT and NH?
Because Seven Days wants to know if you know, among other things, which controversial technology VT legislators are considering deploying.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, "which geological event not usually associated with New Hampshire is actually fairly common here?"
"New Hampshire’s aging ballot scanners pose challenges. Problems could prompt conspiracy theories." The headline on Christina Cassidy's AP story pretty much sums it up. About half the towns in the state next Tuesday will be using their aging fleet of AccuVote scanners, which are old, lack ready access to replacement parts, and glitch if damp ballots (think rain or snow) get fed into them. Still, elections officials are calm: If worse comes to worst, they figure, they'll hand-count ballots, which will be happening in the Democratic primary anyway, since write-in ballots have to be hand-counted.NH hiker dies in frigid temps in Whites. Christopher Roma, 37, of Thornton, "was an experienced and well known hiker," NH Fish & Game writes in its report on what happened. On Tuesday night, concerned friends had gotten in touch with the agency after speaking with Roma, reporting that he was very cold and facing heavy winds and snow. Search teams set out about 2 am Wednesday, trudging through waist-deep snow; they eventually called in a helicopter, but it was unable to get close due to poor visibility. Rescuers eventually found Roma, dead, around 5 pm Wednesday. A helicopter brought his body out yesterday morning. Roma, who'd completed hiking's "Triple Crown", ran his own trekking business and blogged for the site, The Trek.Littleton, NH town manager reports further harassment. Last Friday, a few days after he'd announced he's resigning, town manager Jim Gleason found a red envelope in the town’s drop box with a photo of his face, tear drops, and the words “queer bastard” scrawled across it. "I stood at the doors before I left and just kind of looked around to see what cars were out there and if anybody was standing around,” Gleason tells NHPR's Olivia Richardson. “I mean, it just made me aware of something I never ever had done before.” Over the weekend, a town resident—Jean Chouinard, according to Amanda Gokee's reporting in the Globe (paywall)—went to the police to take responsibility.VT legislators were prepping for bad news on state finances. Yesterday, they got the opposite. For the last few years, explains Sarah Mearhoff in VTDigger, federal cash had made the state flush: "Lawmakers knew those reserves were due to dry up, and they fretted that the state’s come-down would be harsh." But yesterday, legislative economists told them the state's economy has “exhibited surprising economic resilience" and revenues for both the General Fund and the Education Fund are higher than expected. The Transportation Fund, on the other hand, is lagging as vehicle sales slow.VT is turning away people seeking motel shelter. That's because many motels participating in the state's motel program for homeless Vermonters—"which acts as a safety net to the safety net," as VT Public/VTDigger Report for America corps member Carly Berlin puts it— are full, or close to it. The state "turning away around 60 households a day because of lack of space," Berlin reports. The crunch is due in part to some motel owners pulling out of the program. Last year, it was able to serve about 1,800 households. Now, the figure's closer to 1,600.For VT's Worcester Range, long given "this blessing of ignorance," a proposed state management plan stokes opposition. The debate, writes John Dillon in the Montpelier Bridge (here via VTDigger), comes down to whether the 18,772 acres that include Elmore State Park, Mt. Hunger, Mt. Elmore, and more, needs selective logging with an eye toward management, or just to be left alone. State foresters argue the right approach to cutting would benefit the forest; opponents note that the state wants to encourage old growth forests, and "the best way to encourage old growth is to let the forest grow old."Monuments as art. Wikimedia has announced the winners of its U.S. monuments photo competition—cultural and historic sites from across the country. They're not just remarkable artwork, but an archive of the nation’s history, industry, and landscape: a wooden mine structure in Alaska’s Talkeetna Mountains; a lighthouse at rosy dawn on the shores of Lake Superior; a sun-dappled canal lock in Illinois; and, less romantic but no less striking, a cellblock in a Philadelphia penitentiary. And hey, for next year? Here's a homepage for NH's Register of Historic Places, and here's one for VT's.A hockey-action view you've never seen before: from below. It's a bit limited—the camera's in a hole about the size of a puck—and if you want to see it in action you'll be watching what amounts to an ad for a Swedish surveillance camera company, but still: cameras don't usually get frozen in rink ice. PetaPizel's Pesala Bandara reports that company engineers used a camera like the ones in ATMs, encased it in ice, embedded it in a hole with the mirror at a 45-degree angle, Zambonied it into place—and then got to filming.The Friday Vordle. Want to know more about the people behind the Vordle? Here's a Daybreak story that ran last week. And are you new to Vordle? Fresh ones appear on weekends, using words from the Friday Daybreak, and you can get a reminder email each weekend morning: Just sign up here.
Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it stick around by hitting the maroon button:
.
There's that Daybreak jigsaw puzzle, perfect for long nights by the fire. Plus, of course, fleece vests, hoodies, sweatshirts, even a throw blanket. And hats, mugs, and—once you work up a puzzle-piece sweat—tees. Check it all out at the link!
In case you've been swinging by the ice rink on the Dartmouth Green wondering when it would ever open, the answer is: Yesterday! The rink's open to the public, and Dartmouth community members and area residents can borrow skates at no cost from Campion Rink in West Leb, thanks to the Hanover Improvement Society and the Office of the President. You'll need a driver's license and credit card. (Students, factuly, and staff can also get them from Dartmouth Outdoors or the DOC House.)
At 6:30 this evening (potluck at 6), BarnArts hosts the first of three community contradances it's throwing this year. Calling by Kevin Donohue, music by Justin Park and Beth Telford. All ages and experience levels welcome, no partner needed. At Barnard Town Hall.
This evening at 7, Upper Valley Music Center's Community Chorus will give a concert at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon. Led by director Annie Arrington and pianist Will Ogmundson, UVMC writes, "singers of all ages from around the Upper Valley come together to sing music in a variety of styles and genres."
Also at 7, Seven Stars Arts in Sharon presents "Honky Tonk! McCaffrey & Rooney with Danny Coane & Dave Rowell." Veteran performers Colin McCaffrey and Jim Rooney host two friends and musical colleagues: guitarist and banjo player Danny Coane, from Montpelier, longtime member of the Starline Rhythm Boys and with the VT Bluegrass Pioneers; and realtor, radio ad salesman, auctioneer, and bass player Dave Rowell, from E. Craftsbury.
Also at 7 this evening, Fairlee Arts continues its silent film series with Circus Smirkus founder and silent-film savant Rob Mermin and his speaking and visual tour of the era, "Silents are Golden—A Celebration of Silent Cinema". Using clips from dozens of films, Mermin shows, teaches about, and comments on everything from slapstick to comedy to adventure films and drama. In the Fairlee Town Hall auditorium, popcorn by donation.
And also at 7 this evening, Shaker Bridge Theater continues its run (sorry, missed the opening yesterday) of Bekah Brunstetter's dramatic comedy, The Cake. In a story that's a twist on real life, the owner of a North Carolina bakery is asked to make the wedding cake for her best friend's daughter—a task that delights her until she discovers that the bride's spouse-to-be is also a woman. "These characters are not stereotypes and there are no villains," Sharon Groblicki writes in her review in the VT Standard. "Each character is treated compassionately by the playwright and courageously and tenderly by the actors." At the Briggs Opera House in WRJ.
Tonight at 9, the stage at Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover presents the New England-based Zajac Brothers Band. Rock, funk, blues, original songs and covers: Matthew Zajac on drums, Tyler Zajac on vocals, Kyle Curran and Dan Bishop on guitar and bass.
Saturday
Tomorrow morning from 10 to noon, naturalist, author, and Daybreak regular Ted Levin will lead a natural history walk in the Hartford Town Forest, thanks to the Hartford Conservation Commission. He'll be focusing on the ecology of overwintering birds and on winter natural history. Meet at the Town Forest trailhead parking area at the end of Reservoir Road (follow Town Forest signs at Center of Town Road, Kings Highway, and Reservoir Road). Dress warmly! No dogs. If you have questions or would like further information, email Ted at [email protected]. (No link.)
Also running from 10 until noon tomorrow morning, Sustainable Hanover is holding a styrofoam special collection at the Richmond School in Hanover. Most transfer stations, curbside recycling, and the Leb recycling center don't take styrofoam, so this is your chance; it'll get hauled to a special facility in Gilford, NH. They accept only expanded polystyrene, the #6 plastic commonly known as styrofoam. Info on what they'll take is here. Foam must be clean and dry, and with no tape or stickers.
Tomorrow at 2 pm and again at 7 pm, Upper Valley Baroque presents the first of two chamber concerts this season (the next one's in March), with concertmaster Susanna Ogata (violin) and Christina Day Martinson (violin) joining forces with John McKean (harpsichord) and Matt Zucker (cello) for an intimate concert of Baroque chamber music. Works by Handel, Vivaldi, Corelli, Geminiani, Telemann, and Bach. At the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College in Hanover. (Scroll down at the link.)
At 7 pm tomorrow, the Main Street Museum's collaboration with Windsor's What Doth Life collective continues, with four bands this time: The Y Lie with their live audiovisual show "<n0stalg1a> Random Access Dreams" featuring hand-drawn animation and the band's Ukulele Power Disco; plus punk trio Chodus; "weird folk sensations" Dylan Patrick Ward & The Loveable Losers; and doom metalists Coffin Flop.
Sunday
Finally, at 4 pm on Sunday, the Roots and Wings Coffeehouse at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley in Norwich hosts folk musician Joe Crookston, who's played with everyone from Suzanne Vega to John McCutcheon to John Gorka. "He’ll surprise you," runs his bio. "He awakens the cynics. He’s plumbing for lyrical gold."
Oh, actually, one more thing. Yesterday's Heads Up item about JAM's offerings used their writeup about this week's "The Magic's in the Music" episode about musical theater. It should have read that the episode includes John Davidson, Leb Opera House operations manager Brian Cook, actress and artist Amy Fortier, singer Ula Hedwig, and local singer-actor-composer Tommy Crawford, who also performs.
And we'll just go into the weekend with...
The Dead South at the fabled Ryman Auditorium in Nashville last July, where the Regina, Saskatchewan band brought their bluegrass-with-an-edge to a raucous, sold-out crowd.
See you Monday for CoffeeBreak.
The Hiking Close to Home Archives. A list of hikes around the Upper Valley, some easy, some more difficult, compiled by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. It grows every week.
The Enthusiasms Archives. A list of book recommendations by Daybreak's rotating crew of local booksellers, writers, and librarians who think you should read. this. book. now!
Daybreak Where You Are: The Album. Photos of daybreak around the Upper Valley, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the US, sent in by readers.
Want to catch up on Daybreak music?
Want to catch up on Daybreak itself (or find that item you trashed by mistake the other day)? You can find everything on the Daybreak Facebook page
, or if you're a committed non-FB user,
.
Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
And if you think one or more of your friends would like Daybreak, too, please forward this newsletter and tell them to hit the blue "Subscribe" button below. And thanks! And hey, if you're that friend? So nice to see you! Subscribe at no cost at:
Thank you!