GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Heads Up: No Daybreak Monday. Back Tuesday with CoffeeBreak.Sunny and even warmer. Not, like, warm warm, but we'll be getting into the high 40s. On the other hand, we're also going to see winds gusting into the 20+ mph range this afternoon, which, combined with low relative humidity, has brush fire watchers on edge. There's low pressure that'll mostly just produce some cloudiness overnight, but could bring light showers to the east, and with temps dropping to 32 or below, possible light icing at elevation.
As a result of today's wind and dry conditions, there are red flag warnings until 6 pm for VT towns from the Windsor/Orange county line south, where fire danger is rated "Very High", and for most of central and southern NH, from here east to the Lakes Region and south. VT's burn ban for the state's four southern counties, including Windsor, remains in place. And the Valley News reports that on the NH side, Enfield, Grafton, Orange, Canaan, and Lyme have also imposed bans.
The mammal's dilemma. Gray foxes on Erin Donahue's trail cam. Ted Levin writes: "Breaking the cycle of parental dependency is natural for a grown gray fox kit, but it is not always easy. Kits remain with their parents into the fall. Some disperse in four months. Others in ten. Licking the corner of a parent's mouth is a sign of submission and hunger. Marking territory by rubbing your cheek on a rock or stump signifies ownership. The conflict (in teenage human terms): 'I'm an adult ... leave me alone; I'm hungry ... feed me.' I was there myself: outer toughness, inner marshmallow."Our long cross-river nightmare is over! Okay, it wasn't actually a nightmare, especially since the people of both Lyme and Thetford demonstrated over and over how small communities of civic-minded people can build metaphorical bridges. Still: The Lyme-E. Thetford Bridge officially reopens to traffic today. There's a celebration from noon to 5 at Stella's in Lyme ($1 pizza slices) and a collection has produced a case of Prosecco to be delivered to the bridge work crew. Link goes to a photo from last weekend by Tom Monego.So, did you check out "Dear Daybreak" yesterday? If not, you missed Barbara Woodard's reflection on the gift from the American people that is the walk along Buzzell Bridge Road in Thetford, Danny Dover's poetic take on nearly skiing over a moose, Robin Osborne's story about being a poll observer in Lyme last week, and Stephanie Seacord's Rauner Library addition to "Little-Known Gems of the Upper Valley". You'll find it all at the link, and if you've got a good story or unusual photo to submit, do it here.“Gifford completely redefined what community meant to me." Sophie Crane's heartfelt tribute to her experience at the small Randolph hospital's birthing center pretty much sums up the sentiment in a packed gym Tuesday night, as over 300 people turned out to a community forum called in the wake of a report recommending severe cuts at Gifford Health and other small VT hospitals. In The Herald, Isabel Dreher recounts the evening's testimonials—and the news from CEO Michael Costa that it's cutting chiropractic and urogynecologic care; no other cuts are expected right now, he added.SPONSORED: The Willing Hands Giving Tuesday Campaign is Nov. 19! Reduce food waste, expand equitable and reliable access to fresh food, and strengthen our community. Donate to the Willing Hands Giving Tuesday Campaign. Your generosity keeps plates filled with fresh food this holiday season. Sponsored by Willing Hands.A visit with Shaker Bridge Theatre's new managing director. The theater company has seen its ticket sales grow 50 percent since it moved from Enfield to the Briggs Opera House in WRJ, writes Sara Lieberth in the VT Standard—growth that former theater director and actor Adrian Wattenmaker has been charged with handling since he moved to the Upper Valley from the New York area in August. With a long career in both theater and film, Wattenmaker now oversees SBT's daily operations. He "makes solving enormously complex challenges look simple," says founder Bill Coons.New doc featuring Whaleback is "no Warren Miller footage-fest." That's Christina Dolan's take in the VN on Mountains Not For Profit, the new film produced by produced by adventure-sports luminary Teton Gravity Research and Indy Pass. It features Whaleback and three other stalwart nonprofit ski areas—and screens free on Saturday at LOH (see below). Skiing and snowboarding “shouldn’t be about getting VIP parking or paying to skip the lift line or paying $30 for a cheeseburger,” says Whaleback director Jon Hunt.SPONSORED: Local holiday turkeys for sale! Keep your holiday local and support a small family farm! Hogwash Farm has delicious, pastured turkeys for sale. The birds were raised on fresh air, green grass, sunshine, and non-GMO feed by Leslie O'Hara and her two small girls in Norwich. Turkeys range from 13-21 pounds, at $7.50/lb. They'll be handed out from a few locations around Norwich the weekend before Thanksgiving to allow time for defrosting. Please email Leslie at [email protected] to reserve your bird, or fill out the form at the burgundy link. Sponsored by Hogwash Farm.Hiking, Biking, XC Skiing (and Snowmobiling) Close to Home: the Ammonoosuc Recreational Rail Trail. This repurposed rail trail is 20 miles of flat, accessible trail that follows the Ammonoosuc River from Woodsville to Littleton. The trail, open to everyone from ATV riders to dogsledders, passes some gorgeous geographical features, says the UVTA, such as the 345-foot covered bridge in Bath, built in 1832, as well as historic spots like the Lisbon Depot. You can also easily get to the Blackmount Rail Trail in Woodsville.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions. Like, which two UV towns have a highly unsettled mutual border? And what has a Dartmouth team identified as a key chemical behind the corpse flower's smell? Those and other questions at the link.But wait! How closely were you following VT and NH?
Because Seven Days wants to know if you know: For the third year, Vermont students participated in a contest to name what?
And NHPR's got a whole set of questionsabout doings around the Granite State—like, what were UNH researchers recently awarded $24 million to help build?
At the NH State House, committee splits along party lines on state's Covid response. As Steven Porter writes in the Globe's Morning Report newsletter (no paywall), the special committee's been working for a year on the topic. Now, its five GOP members have issued a final report finding that the state's efforts were mostly ineffective—and that the state engaged in “propaganda and censorship around vaccines.” The five Democratic members issued their own beg-to-differ report saying that witnesses called "did not present the full picture" and citing Gov. Chris Sununu's "after-action" report released in August.Feds offer up to $5K reward for information on shooting of bald eagle found dead in VT. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reward offer comes after the bird was found in Bridport, VT last month; radiography analysis "found metal pellets and recent wounds consistent with shotgun fire in the eagle’s body," VT Fish & Game said in a press release yesterday. “Even just a name or a place to start would be useful,” Detective Sgt. David Taddei, with the VT Warden Service, tells VT Public's Liam Elder-Connors. “I'm sure that somebody somewhere knows something about this crime.”UVM Health Network cuts could have ripple effect here. The network's plans, announced yesterday, include closing the transplant department at UVM Medical Center—which, administrators say, "would likely send patients to New Hampshire’s Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center," reports VTDigger's Peter D'Auria. The network will also close its inpatient psychiatric facility at Central VT Medical Center and dialysis units in Newport, Rutland, and St. Albans. Officials blame limits on revenues and insurance charges imposed by the Green Mountain Care Board.VT education secretary aims to "create a data-driven culture." School districts are finding the state's data is wrong. “We have to go a little slow to go fast," Ed Secy Zoie Saunders tells Ethan Weinstein in VTDigger, talking about hiccups her push has encountered. Some of it is merely a slow response to data requests. But some, Weinstein reports, involves mistaken data on enrollment, demographics, graduation rates, and expenditures—like showing enrollment increases where there have actually been declines.Six Vermont Music Podcasts You Should Be Listening To. The headline above Samantha Randlett's Seven Days roundup sums things up nicely, though they're definitely Chittenden County-heavy. There's Becca Hammond's "Vermont Talks", which focuses Burlington-area creative scene with a good dollop of musicians; Big Heavy World's "Rocket Shop Radio Hour" and its music and interviews with VT-based musicians; Abbey Berger-Knorr's "ab.stract", features artists and professionals of all kinds, from musicians to woodworkers; the quirky "Load-In Through the Back" and its stories; and more."This is what bravery looks like." GoPro's usual YouTube fare is extreme sports. Not this time. As one user's comment suggests, this time it's a three-minute POV video shot by Santiago, Chile firefighter Joseth Abel Espinosa's helmet cam, inside a fully engulfed house as he and his colleagues try to beat back a torrent of fire—through thick smoke, falling debris, the sounds of shouted warnings and water hitting flames. It's heart-pounding. If you didn't already have massive respect for what firefighters do every day, you will now.Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it stick around by hitting the maroon button:
We may be the middle of nowhere to everyone else in VT and NH, but
we
know what's good! Strong Rabbit's Morgan Brophy has come up with the perfect design for "We Make Our Own Fun" t-shirts and tote bags for proud Upper Valleyites. Plus you'll find the Daybreak jigsaw puzzle, as well as sweatshirts, tees, a fleece hoodie, and, as always, the fits-every-hand-perfectly Daybreak mug. Check it all out at the link!
Whimsical fiber-based animal sculptures "that blend artistry and imagination through intricate knitting and textile techniques." 5-7 pm today.
Megan Park's coming-of-age comedy stars Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza as, well, the same person, only 21 years apart—and in touch with each other, initially thanks to magic mushrooms and then by cellphone. “Can you avoid anyone named Chad?” the Plaza asks—before a guy named Chad shows up in Stella's life. 7 pm at the Loew.
Craven's latest feature film is set in the Revolutionary War-era Republic of Vermont; it traces the parallel stories of Ethan Allen and Lucy Terry Prince. Filmed throughout VT and MA, it features Kenyan actress Eva Ndach as Prince, Irish actor Kevin Ryan as Ethan Allen, and—among many others—Samuel Adams as his ancestor of the same name. Craven will be on hand to talk about it all. 7pm in Fairlee Town Hall.
The Country Music Hall of Famer and five-time Grammy winner (who got his start at 13 in Lester Flatt's band) pulls into LOH with
his
awesomely dressed band, starting at 7:30 pm. Just a handful of tickets left, so act now.
We'll just let Sawtooth describe them: "Cliffside Push stands as a premier Phish Experience Band, bringing the euphoria of Vermont's finest quartet to stages far and wide." 9 pm.
Saturday
a crafts and bake sale at St. Anthony's in WRJ, craft sale in Enfield, a holiday market at the Chelsea Farmers Market, and more. Next weekend: Xmas With a Difference in Norwich, the holiday bazaar at the West Leb Congregational Church. And after Thanksgiving, Pods for the Pulpit in Norwich, artisan and various gift fairs all over. The folks at the Valley News have pulled it all together at the link.
Clarinetist Seth Kibel and pianist Dan Weiser explore the connections between klezmer and early jazz, with music by Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, as well as klezmer-influenced pieces by Michele Magnani, Lev Kogan, Bela Kovacs, and Simon Sargon. 2 pm tomorrow at the home of Andrew Bauman, 7:30 pm tomorrow at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon, and 2 pm Sunday at the Roth Center in Hanover.
At AVA Gallery, two conversations with VT artists. At 2 pm,
talking about the "explosion of color" they've put up on the walls in their exhibition,
Wanderings
. And at 4 pm,
The Chandler in Randolph is going to be
packed
for the White River Valley journalistic mainstay's bash: live music from Ali T, Bow Thayer, Krishna Guthrie, and the Randolph Singers, historical storytelling by local actors, a canapé buffet, homemade desserts, drinks from Fable Farm... It all starts at 5 pm tomorrow. Proceeds support
The Herald
.
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, plus Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, and Jeff Goldblum, all in Jon M. Chu's (
Crazy Rich Asians
) take on the Broadway smash. The film's a two-parter, with the second installment due out next year. 7 pm tomorrow in the Loew.
It's the New England premiere of the new documentary by Teton Gravity Research (see above), featuring Whaleback as one of four mountains highlighted for their community roots and volunteer spirit. 7 pm.
It's the troupe's first-ever show at the MSM: "a venue for eclectic experiences and performances that cultivate a sense of wonder and a deeper knowledge of history, culture, and art," Valley Improv writes. "Hopefully our show will live up to those lofty goals!" 7 pm.
Sunday
The film follows Twist's 2018 re-do of his "boundary-breaking" 1998 take on Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique" in NYC—performed in a 1,000-gallon water tank with Christopher O'Riley on concert piano. It "weaves imagery as seen by the audience with the unseen backstage ballet of the puppeteers," the Hop writes. Twist will be on hand for a discussion afterward. 1 pm Sunday, no charge.
Truth in titling. Need we say more? 4 pm, and a portion of ticket sales will benefit the Upper Valley and Sullivan County humane societies.
And to take us into the weekend...
Odds are good on this side of the Atlantic that you haven't heard of Afro Celt Sound System. I hadn't either, until I stumbled on them—they've got a new album out. It's a swan song of sorts for founder Simon Emmerson, who died back in March, 2023. That album,
Ova
(you'll see the word in the band's interwoven logo) is a very deep well, easy to fall into. Which you should. Interweaving Celtic and West African rhythms, tunes, and instruments seems unlikely—but Emmerson saw the affinities clearly. Here's two:
and
Have a fine weekend out there! See you Tuesday 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?
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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
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