GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Cloudy, a bit cooler. The rain overnight and first thing this morning has a cold front lagging behind it, and though we'll all feel its impact, it'll be cooler the farther north and west you go. Mostly, today will be cloudy, high in the upper 50s or low 60s, with winds from the southwest to start, shifting to northwest later in the day. Down into the low 40s tonight.Such a photogenic time of year! The Upper Valley's photographers have been extremely busy out there—and the past week has brought in a pile of daybreak, sunset, and fall photographs. So you should go check out the two albums: Daybreak Where You Are (some very nice recent atmospheric effects up there, not to mention a hot air balloon over Lebanon) and Fall Photos (lots of bright colors, a moon halo, and more). One word about the Fall album: In its wisdom, Google now attaches my name to every photo in the album view. Yet none are by me. Each is labeled properly (bottom left) once you click in."And still, you can't believe it's me." Henry's out and about in Lost Woods this week, trying to get his hat out of a tree, writing in his journal, and stumbling on Eddie sitting still and looking at a book, of all things. As he does every Friday in this spot, Lebanon author and illustrator DB Johnson (Henry Hikes to Fitchburg and other classics) chronicles the doings in his favorite patch of trees. Scroll right to move on to the next panel or left to catch up on previous weeks.Proposed VT House map would split Sharon and most (but not all) of Norwich from Thetford and Strafford. At the moment, all four towns are represented by Jim Masland and Tim Briglin. But, as Norwich Observer blogger Chris Katucki notes, the board drawing new maps has made a priority of creating single-member districts—even when it would split a town border. The map creates a new district joining Sharon and the bulk of Norwich, and another with Strafford, Thetford, and a wing of Norwich. Both Masland and Briglin are from Thetford, which could pose a conundrum for the 2022 elections.However... The single-district proposal, released last Friday, has a long road ahead in the House—and, writes Briglin, "I believe there is little/no chance the...proposal will be adopted by the legislature." Both he and Masland argue that splitting towns would be bad for local government. "The influence of the selectboards and school boards in split towns would be necessarily diluted," Masland says. Emails from both, explaining their thinking, at the link.“We’ve never been this low, ever. We could easily use five employees right now.” That's John Haas, whose wife Melissa owns and runs Lemon Tree in Hanover (and W. Leb), talking to The Dartmouth's Emily Fagell about the worker dearth facing Hanover businesses. Dirt Cowboy's at less than half its pre-pandemic staffing and Boloco's down significantly from the summer. Business owners have been cutting back hours and putting in seven-day weeks themselves. Says Dirt Cowboy's Thomas Guerra, "My life is just trying to keep this place operating.”Well, at least one of them's back. For years, WRJ has hosted rhyming marquee events with the initials GD. Glory Days of the Railroad was cancelled in both 2020 and this year. But Gory Daze, the whimsical, more-outrageous-the-better Halloween parade and hullabaloo—hosted by the Main Street Museum and Rio Blanco Social Club—is back next Friday. The Western Terrestrials, parade, an after-parade ball... Just letting you know now so you can get started on your costume.Woodstock fire, EMS rescue driver from the Ottauquechee. At about 3 yesterday morning, they responded to a call about an accident at the Lincoln Covered Bridge and Route 4. There, they found a car in the water under the bridge—with the driver trapped inside. "The car did not release any fluids into to the river, however the car did hit the underneath of the bridge causing damage to it," the department wrote on its Facebook page. The driver was treated for minor injuries. The top part of the bridge was damaged last month by a truck carrying a backhoe.Newport NH cases lead to high school mask requirement, limits at Woodlawn. The nursing home has seen three recent Covid cases among employees, reports Nora Doyle-Burr in the Valley News, and is now limiting visits to essential purposes. And the high school yesterday imposed a mask mandate after cases there. Overall, the town had 44 active cases as of yesterday, according to the state. Doyle-Burr also reports that with cases affecting schools in Randolph and Braintree, VT, Randolph's school supt has asked community members to get vaccinated and be more socially cautious.Been paying attention this week? The guys at The News Quiz are back with some questions. Like, which Leb tech company was just acquired? Why did Norwich's leading candidate for town manager back out? And what's one reason NH employer are having trouble hiring? You'll find those and more at the maroon link. Meanwhile, The News Quiz is off and running in Boston and they're working with The Dartmouth on a College version, which you can also try your hand at,Hiking Close to Home: Orford Heritage Trails. The Upper Valley Trails Alliance checks in with this 3-mile out-and-back that mixes woods, streams, and views. From the trailhead you'll walk on Old Grimes Hill Road, a pathway that was once traveled by Native Americans and early settlers. Keep an eye out for evidence of those settlers, and the interesting natural changes coming with the regrowth of the forest. You can turn around at the west end kiosk or explore to the east for a longer hike. Parking and trailhead on Indian Pond Road are 2.2 miles on the right after you turn off Dame Hill Road.Seven inches of snow. That's what's fallen on the summit of Mt. Washington so far this week, though some of it's gone now. There's been a cold fog and the summit "looks absolutely gorgeous, covered in snow and rime ice,” weather observer Jackie Bellefontaine tells NHPR's Sarah Gibson. The observatory staff spent Wednesday shoveling snow and removing ice from weather instruments. And even so, says Bellefontaine, “We very much enjoy our snow up here on the summit. We’re all very much into the extreme winter weather.”"This is not the time of the year for dangerous backcountry adventures in rapidly changing weather conditions." That's NH Fish & Game Colonel Kevin Jordan in a press release about hiking now that foliage season is edging into early winter. The short version: Be prepared with flashlights, extra clothing, map and compass. "Never rely on GPS mapping or app technology to guide you in remote mountain or woodlands," they write. "Never rely on anything with a battery except a flashlight." Full list of essentials at the link.About those booster shots... There's still a fair amount of confusion about who's eligible for what. On NHPR, Alli Fam just wrapped up the state of play in New Hampshire, though without details on where to get them. The state's website isn't especially helpful on that front, but the CDC's vaccines.gov site lets you zero in. Vermont has a more informative website, with guidelines for Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J, links to the pharmacy websites, info about making an appointment with the health department, and a map of locations offering shots.NH legislators take a step toward "personal delivery devices." There's still a long way to go, but the House Transportation Committee has voted unanimously to allow autonomous package carriers on the state's streets and sidewalks, reports NH Bulletin's Ethan DeWitt. The proposed bill gives them “all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances” but directs that they “shall not unreasonably interfere with pedestrians and shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians on the sidewalk or crosswalk.”VT emerges as a battery-innovation hub. One of the companies taking advantage of what Seven Days' Kevin McCallum calls "the deep pool of talent in the state's fast-growing battery technology industry" is Resonant Link, a wireless charging company formed by four Dartmouth grads using technology developed in Thayer Prof. Charles Sullivan's lab at the college. They're joined by companies that trace their roots to an early-'70s pioneer in the field, transplants, and startups like Beta Technologies, and boosted by utilities and electric co-ops that are encouraging battery storage, McCallum writes.“Doesn’t make sense to take the money you don’t need." That's Tony Kilbride, chair of the selectboard in Searsburg, VT, in the mountains between Brattleboro and Bennington. It's the one town in Vermont, writes VTDigger's Tiffany Tan, that has refused federal American Rescue Plan dollars. The town of 100 tends to vote Republican, but Kilbride tells Tan that politics has nothing to do with it. Its budget of $250K is enough, he says. "We try to stay self-sufficient, as much as possible.”
“I like photos that keep dragging you in.” That’s celebrity guest judge Ben Folds on the 2021 Nature Conservancy photo contest’s grand prize winner. A gorilla in Africa passes through a swarm of butterflies she has just disturbed, and her face rests in a Mona Lisa-esque ambiguity—is it “tolerance or bliss,” Folds wonders. Tension between wonder and worry runs through the whole slate of winners, as magnificent aerial views and dramatic wildlife feature alongside images of parched earth, polluted seas, and melting glacial ice. Taken together, the photos are a reminder of everything we need to protect.
And to close out the week...Daybreak reports Covid numbers on Tuesdays and Fridays.
NH reported 341 new cases on Tuesday, 538 Wednesday, and 609 yesterday; with additional catch-up numbers, it now has 131,255 for the pandemic. There have been 15 deaths since Monday, bringing the total to 1,539. The active caseload stands at 4,849 (+419) and hospitalizations at 205 (+27). The state reports 293 active cases in Grafton County (+33 since Monday), 270 in Sullivan County (+29), and 558 in Merrimack County (+36). Town-by-town numbers reported by the state: Claremont: 125 (+23 since Monday); Newport 44 (+7); Charlestown 39 (-4); Lebanon 21 (-4); Newbury 15 (+2); Sunapee 14 (-1); Hanover 14 (+5); Haverhill 14 (+7); New London 11 (no change); Grantham 10 (no change); Wilmot 10 (+3); Canaan 8 (+2); Cornish 8 (+2); Orford 7 (+1); Wentworth 6 (no change); and Piermont, Rumney, Enfield, Grafton, Plainfield, Springfield, Croydon, and Unity have 1-4 each. Warren and Lyme are off the list.
VT reported 148 new cases on Tuesday, 111 Wednesday, and 318 yesterday. It now stands at 38,090 for the pandemic. There were 5 new deaths during that time; they now number 351. As of yesterday, 43 people with confirmed cases were hospitalized (+2). Windsor County has seen 43 new cases reported since Monday, for a total of 2,633 for the pandemic, with 258 new cases over the past two weeks; Orange County gained 27 cases during the same time, with 132 over the past two weeks for a total of 1,255 for the pandemic.
As of yesterday, Dartmouth was reporting 2 undergrad cases (-1 since Monday), 3 cases among grad and professional students (no change), and 3 among faculty/staff (no change). 7 students and 9 faculty/staff were in isolation.
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The Baxter Memorial Library in Sharon, VT has set out to become a resource hub for Upper Valley homeschoolers. It recently got an American Library Association grant to build a collection of educational resources and programs for young people who are being educated at home, and today at 10 librarian Shana Hickman is hosting an online conversation—open to parents around the Upper Valley—about how best to use that money to support home educators.
Today at noon on Zoom, VT Humanities presents award-winning NPR correspondent Eric Westervelt, who will share his perspective on how “nightmarish wildfires across CA and big parts of the West” is leading to mega-drought conditions and creating record-breaking “heat domes.” Based out West, Westervelt has covered this topic extensively, among a slew of others for NPR’s National Desk.
And this evening at 7, singer-songwriter Jennifer Grout takes the stage with her oud (an Arabic lute) at the Chandler in Randolph. Accompanied by multi-percussionist Colin Henkel, Grout, who came close to winning Arabs Got Talent in 2013, will perform original songs that merge North African rhythms with English lyrics on nature, love, and spirituality—”blending the different cultures seamlessly together in the form of sound.”
Also at 7, the Anonymous Coffee House is back in the sanctuary of Lebanon's First Congregational Church. First up: multi-instrumentalist Mark Burds, playing folk, country blues, old time and bluegrass; at 8:15, Lydia Gray and Ed Eastridge and their 20 years of collaborating on American and Brazilian jazz standards; and at 9 pm, Americana's Most Wanted: local luminaries Rob Oxford on guitar, Steve Hennig on banjo, Ford Daley on dobro and harmonica, Mike Wood on lead guitar, and Gary Hutchins on upright bass.
Or you could head to Haverhill to tap your foot and have your heartstrings pulled. Tonight at 7:30, Court Street Arts at Alumni Hall welcomes duo Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler of “teeny, tiny traveling folk band” The Rough & Tumble. In his Valley News profile, Alex Hanson says “Tyler’s guitarwork calls to mind the assertive playing of REM’s Peter Buck, and Graham’s lead vocals are refreshingly straightforward.” And in their own words, they’ve branded their sound as “dumpster-folk/thrift-store Americana,” if that helps you decide what to wear to the show.
A quick heads up about why blaze orange is a good idea if you're in the woods this weekend: It's youth deer-hunting weekend in both NH and VT. NH hunting calendar here, and VT's here.
Tomorrow from noon to 2 pm, the West Lebanon Revitalization Advisory Committee is hosting a block party in the rear yard and parking area of the Kilton Library. It's partly to celebrate the demolition of Westboro Yard, but also to hear from committee members and Lebanon officials about the next steps toward creating a network of waterfront parks and the West Leb Greenway as part of a larger village revitalization effort. There'll be pizza, UVJustBagels, fresh apple cider, and a bunch of historic photos to look at as well.
At 1 pm tomorrow in Spaulding, the Hop presents the Met Opera's HD showing of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Terence Blanchard's ground-breaking jazz opera. The sold-out show ends its run at the Met tomorrow while its cinematic premiere opens around the globe. And though the music's spectacular, so, by all reports, is Camille Brown's choreography. Here's the NYT the other day: "On opening night, the dancers held their final pose, one foot crossed over the other as sweat poured down their faces. Frozen in a line facing the audience, they tried to control their breathing as the audience clapped and roared. And clapped and roared some more. It lasted for more than a minute, and it was spectacular. When was the last time a dance stopped an opera in its tracks?"
Tomorrow starting at 2 pm, Hanover Adventure Tours is hosting an afternoon-long "Halloween Trick-or-Treat ride" that'll cover a set of local farms and farmstands, including Honey Field, Sweetland, and Hogwash farms in Norwich and Cedar Circle in Thetford (where there'll also be pumpkin picking). The ride will end up back at their base at around 5 for pumpkin carving and more. No cost if you bring your own bikes; they'll also be renting out e-bikes at 20 percent off.
Tomorrow, starting at 4 pm with a free skate, Woodstock's Union Arena is throwing a celebration to mark its advent as the first "net-zero" ice rink in the country. It's been working toward this goal for years, and with energy-efficient systems and a large solar array installed this summer, it's reached the point where it has no net annual energy cost for heating fuel and electricity. And yes, this should seem familiar: Apologies for jumping the gun by a week last Friday.
Tomorrow at 7:30 pm, Montpelier's Capital City Concerts returns with a performance by Boston's Borromeo Quartet—and though they'll be live and in person at the Bethany Church, there's also an online option that's available for two weeks. They'll be performing Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132—"Beethoven's powerful musical journey through illness and healing"—as well as Adolphus Hailstork's string quartet based on "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and Christoph Gluck's Minuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits with flutist Karen Kevra. Scroll to the bottom for the "on-demand" ticketing option.
Also at 7:30 tomorrow, Court Street Arts in Haverhill will present a full evening of Brazilian and American jazz tunes by former Haverhill resident Lydia Gray and Ed Eastridge, drawing from their three albums over the last couple of decades. They'll be joined by Rich Greenblatt on drums and Scott Corneille on bass. The Bailiff's Cafe will be serving beverages before the show. Proof of vaccination and indoor mask wearing required.
“Anything else for me would ruin the song but then I thought, it’s his song, if he wants us to mess it up, we will!” That was Sibongiseni Shabalala, leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, reflecting on popular South African singer-songwriter Jeremy Loops' request to collaborate on his new song, "This Town". They went ahead anyway,
Man, those are some harmonies!
Have a fine weekend... See you Monday.
Daybreak Where You Are: The Album. Photos of daybreak around the Upper Valley, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the US, sent in by readers.
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