GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Mostly sunny, breezy. There might be some lingering light snow showers first thing this morning, but for the most part today we get generally clear skies with highs reaching the mid 20s again. There's low pressure offshore and high pressure building in from the west, and the result will be some gusty winds from the northwest. Things calm down tonight, lows in the low or mid single digits.Magnetic foxes. "Living in a land of snow has a cost," Ted Levin writes about Erin Donahue's latest trail cam footage. "Sinking slows travel and increases a fox's heart rate—four to six percent more in deep snow than on a hard surface—burning more energy. How does the fox get by? By magnetic reasoning: A red fox hears a mouse scurrying under several feet of snow from two car lengths away and cues into Earth's magnetic field. When the fox aligns 20 percent off magnetic north, its pounces are more than 70 percent successful. All other directions? Eighteen percent."Did you check out "Dear Daybreak" yesterday? Because you should definitely see AnnJane Kemon reflection on full-circle sledding, the message Rose Loving took from a chunk of ice, and Beth Hilgartner's story of a tree across the road, no chainsaw in sight, and a sudden moment of inspiration. And hey, Dear Daybreak needs more stories about life in these parts. If you've got one, send it in! Fires in Sharon, Hartford leave a man dead, a family displaced. It was a long day for Hartford firefighters yesterday, who were first on the scene at a fire just north of the Sharon/Hartford line around 8:30 yesterday morning. The house belongs to Sharon lister and former town moderator Galen Mudgett, Jr., reports Eric Francis for Daybreak. Firefighters found the body of a man inside; formal identification is still pending. The Hartford crew were just getting back to routine when they were called to a fire off Hartford Ave., where owner Frank Watson was able to pull his son out of the burning house and firefighters rescued their dog, Buddy. Eric reports from the scene at both fires, with photos.From Barnard to Tunbridge, a look at town meeting warnings in the White River towns. The Herald's Tim Calabro pulls them all together. In Barnard, voters are being asked whether to lease the old firehouse to BarnArts. Bethel and Royalton are considering a local option sales tax, Randolph's deciding whether to eliminate elections for town clerk and treasurer in favor of selectboard appointments, Sharon's looking at ways to fund firehouse improvements, Strafford's considering whether to return to floor votes rather than balloting, and Tunbridge is considering a library capital fund.Meanwhile, Chelsea's got a contested race for town clerk. Longtime town clerk Karen Lathrop is stepping down, and as Darren Marcy writes in The Herald, the candidates to replace her offer clear-eyed arguments for the office's importance. “Everyone comes from different walks of life,” says Jen Chase. “Being able to communicate effectively with everyone is [key]." Katie Golden argues the clerk is "one of the most consistently available and public-facing town officials...I want to live in a world where people can leave Town Hall knowing their town has their back."SPONSORED: If you have not voted yet for your favorite burger in the Upper Valley, you have just one more week! The Upper Valley Burger Battle will decide who has the best burger from over 15 different UV restaurants. Hit the burgundy link or go here for a list of all burgers to try and get eating! Get entered to win a $25 gift certificate just for voting. Battle ends Feb 28. The Upper Valley Burger Battle is sponsored by Casella and the Upper Valley Business Alliance. Sponsored by the UVBA.A photographic tour of a Norwich B&B. Back in 2015, Ciaran and Rachael Geraghty opened the Partridge House on the town's Main Street, and the other day, curious about what it's like inside, Demo Sofronas stopped by to chat and take photos for his About Norwich blog. The Federal-style was originally built in 1820 for Milton Partridge, then sold to his cousin, Alden Partridge, the founder of the Norwich Military Academy.A ruffed grouse erupts from its snow roost. And leaves a very cool set of wing impressions in this week's "This Week in the Woods". As Northern Woodlands' Jack Saul writes, "When enough snow covers the ground, ruffed grouse can dive into it, tunnel laterally, and make a small hollow for warmth and shelter. The resulting temporary 'grouse house' hides the bird from predators and allows it to take advantage of snow’s natural insulation." Also out there this third week of February: yellow birch scale, whose structure allows them to harness the wind and disperse; and beech erineums, caused by mites.SPONSORED: Celebrate National CSA Week with Honey Field Farm! When you buy a CSA, you’re not just getting fresh, certified organic produce—you’re investing in our farm and in a stronger community! We bring you the best of Vermont, from the flexible Free Choice CSA to curated Local Meal Kits (Veggie and Omnivore), crisp Salad Shares, vibrant Cut Flowers, and hands-on Bouquet Bars. Join the Farm Stand Produce CSA to secure affordable organic veggies for your family while supporting local agriculture. Or give back with Share-A-Share to fight hunger locally. Sponsored by Honey Field Farm.Hiking Not Too Far From Home: the Smarts Brook network in Sandwich, Thornton, and Waterville Valley, NH. The whole network, says the Upper Valley Trails Alliance, offers five trails with multiple options for easy walking loops in the summer and ungroomed skiing loops in the winter. Accessed from parking areas on NH Rte 49, it features a variety of attractions such as waterfalls, an 1800s cemetery, beaver ponds, and vistas. The network connects to a trail leading to the Sandwich Mountain summit, which can also provide additional connections to trail networks in the White Mountains.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions. Like, why do portions of Hartford High and the attached Career and Technology Center have to close for a while? And what's the big change that the Killington resort has announced for Thanksgiving weekend? Those and more at the link.But wait! How closely were you following VT and NH?
Because Seven Days wants to know if you know what's happened to the USDA research team at the University of Vermont?
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, what did the NH school athletic association instruct districts to do recently regarding transgender athletes?
It's been a banner snowmobile—and accident—year in NH. The state has 7,000 miles of trails, and as David Brooks writes in the Monitor, "Good snowfall in January and February with continued cold temperatures has opened virtually all the trails..., leading to a surge in traffic and also a surge in accidents." There's the Georgia guy who got stuck and hit the throttle by mistake, injuring his tour guide; the MA man who rolled his rental; the Alton boy and Moultonboro woman who both hit trees in separate accidents; and a single day that saw three accidents with injuries in three different Coos County towns. .Ayotte: Call NH prisoners "inmates." That's the governor's message to NH Corrections Commissioner Helen Hanks, reports the Monitor's Charlotte Matherly (here via NHPRl). Hanks, who has focused on rehabilitation during her eight years running the prison system, had preferred "resident" in order to "change the way individuals and their families were addressed." Rehabilitation shouldn't depend on labels, Ayotte says, arguing that using "resident" "obscures the joint goals of deterrence, rehabilitation and punishment.”Behind an oral history of the pandemic in VT. Prominent journalist and Pulitzer history finalist Garrett Graff's new book, Life Became Very Blurry, comes out next month, published by the VT Historical Society. In the Standard, Lauren Dorsey talks to Graff about the project—whose goal, Graff says, was to "help people begin to process this enormous historic trauma that we all went through"—some of the people it features, including a tax preparer from WRJ and a nurse practitioner from the Good Neighbor Health Clinic, and "the warmth and generosity that spread through nearly every corner of the state."VT's turn on chair lifts. NH has had three recent incidents involving them. This week, the action shifted across the river. Stratton's gondola terminal at the mountain summit had its roof blown off in 100 mph winds (the resort had stopped operations in the high winds); crews began constructing a new one yesterday, and the mountain hopes to have it running again tomorrow, WCAX reports (at the burgundy link). Meanwhile, an eight-year-old snowboarder dropped safely into a rescue net at Killington after not being fully seated before a quad chair left the loading area. WMUR's got video.VT school districts are trying to hold spending flat, so they'll be cutting staff. In all, reports VTDigger's Ethan Weinstein, the state teachers union estimates that 300 to 400 jobs will be cut statewide, based on preliminary budget information. Determined not to go to voters requesting major tax increases again, districts and boards are cutting—a job made tougher, Weinstein notes, by cost drivers outside their control, like rising health insurance rates and, in the case of Orange Southwest, "weighted students," which means less money from the state. It's cutting nursing and library staff.“We figured he was here for the clam pizza.” New Haven, CT police suggest that the baby grey seal who flopped its way onto city streets had a reason: Anyone who’s ever eaten a New Haven clam pizza (white, not red) would do anything for another bite. The six-week-old pup, who scoffed at initial attempts to guide him back to the ocean, is now at Mystic Aquarium, reports Matt Austin on CT NBC, where he's recovering. The care team hopes to release him back to the ocean, but first they’re teaching him to say “a-beetz” and ”mootz” like a true Elm City native. (Thanks, SVG!)
Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it stick around by hitting the maroon button:
Daybreak tote bags! Thanks to a reader's suggestion. Plus, of course, the usual: sweatshirts, head-warming beanies, t-shirts, long-sleeved tees, the Daybreak jigsaw, those perfect hand-fitting coffee/tea mugs, and as always, "We Make Our Own Fun" t-shirts and tote bags for proud Upper Valleyites. Check it all out at the link!
The eight veteran Upper Valley singers will
perform jazz, pop, folk, classical, spiritual, and religious pieces in the New Books area starting at 3:30 pm.
Rule's been collecting and telling Granite State stories—with an emphasis on humor—for over a quarter century: in live presentations, in her books, and on NHPBS's
Our Hometown.
She'll be telling some of those stories in the meeting room of the Great Stone Dwelling starting at 4 pm today.
. In Sophie Barthes 2023 film, "a rising tech company executive (Emilia Clarke) lands a coveted spot at the Womb Center, which offers couples a convenient (and shareable) maternity by way of detachable artificial wombs, or pods. But Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a botanist with an affection for nature, prefers a natural pregnancy. And yet, as Rachel's AI therapist puts it, why is that 'natural?'" 4:30 pm in the Loew, with an intro by Barthes herself. No charge.
The exhibit features work by students at public and private schools throughout the region, from Cardigan Mountain to Woodstock Union, in everything from ceramics and drawing to photography and wearable art. Opening reception and awards ceremony from 5 to 7 pm today.
The versatile Vermont pianist will play works by
classical pianist and composer George Walker (the first Black composer to win a Pulitzer), Cleveland composer Leslie Adams, the Nigerian composer Joshua Uzoigwe, excerpts from William Grant Still's "Lenox Avenue", and more. 7 pm.
Cannon Labrie (accordion), Katie Trautz (fiddle), Chris Hollis (guitar), Helen Doyle (bass), Walker Blackwell (triangle), and Michael Bradshaw (drums) bring the grooves. Part of "McCaffrey and Rooney Present". 7 pm.
If you're in the mood for a drive, Opera Vermont and three Circus Smirkus alums unite for Pagliacci at the Highland Center for the Arts.
The production updates
Ruggero Leoncavallo's classic tragedy to feature a circus troupe—with aerialism, juggling, acrobatics, contortion, and clowning joining the singing. Tonight and tomorrow at 7 pm in Greensboro.
For its second weekend there, the band will be joined by trumpeter Adam O'Farrill and percussionist Zack O'Farrill, the third generation of the legendary musical family (grandsons of Chico, sons of Arturo). They'll present a commission of their own original music arranged for big band, and perform classic repertoire their grandfather Chico O'Farrill composed and arranged for Dizzy Gillespie. Tonight and tomorrow at 9.
Saturday
"We’ll be hiking a newly opened section of trail to an extraordinary lookout point, offering breathtaking southern views of Holt’s Ledge, Ascutney, Velvet Rocks, Lyme Pinnacle, Lyme Hill, and even Killington and Pico to the southwest," they write. Starts at 1 pm tomorrow, registration required, details at the link.
"Guided by filmmaker Margreth Olin’s 85-year old father, we journey through Norway’s breathtaking Oldendalen in Nordfjord over the course of a year," they write. Norway’s official selection for the Oscars features lots of big scenery. 3 pm tomorrow and Sunday.
Sunday
Bear Pond hike in Canaan. The UVLT and the Canaan Conservation Commission are hosting this 3-4 hour hike to the pond.
Bring layers, water, and snacks to keep comfortable, and you'll definitely want traction: snowshoes or microspikes, depending on the weather and snow conditions
. Meet at the Switch Road Trailhead parking lot at 9 am, details and registration at the link.Chenyu Wang at Roots & Wings Coffeehouse. Both a performer and a teacher (locally at Upper Valley Music Center), she's performed in China, the US, and Italy, and won several competitions including the
Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition in 2019. She'll be at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Upper Valley in Norwich at 2 pm Sunday.
They tackle everything from a young woman grappling with the aftermath of a school shooting, a convicted murderer on death row reaching out to his victim's son, and a police shooting, to a Japanese first-grader determined to play "the big drum" in a performance of the
Ode to Joy
and a profile of double-bass player Orin O'Brien, the
first female musician hired full-time by the New York Philharmonic. 2 pm.
And as we head toward the weekend...
Let's head back to the late '50s and the first R&B girl group to hit the R&B and pop charts. The Bobettes began life as kids 11-15 who got together in Harlem to sing. They started the amateur night circuit as the Harlem Queens, but after playing the Apollo they attracted a manager, who in turn got them signed to Atlantic Records—which insisted they change their name since, as Andrew Hickey puts it in his irresistible
History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
podcast (more on that in a sec), "the Harlem Queens sounded more like a motorcycle gang than the name of a vocal group." The song that shot them to stardom? It was about their fifth-grade teacher, Mr. Lee. It's pretty irresistible, too.
Here are four of them live in 2009, still performing, with both "Mr. Lee" and "I Shot Mr. Lee", which they wrote after they got tired of Atlantic insisting they keep churning out knockoffs of the original. That song got them fired by the recording company.
And here's a link to the transcript and show notes for the "Mr. Lee" episode of Hickey's podcast—which you should just plain know about and which could eat your listening life if you're not careful.
Have a great weekend! 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!