GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Yesterday: snow. Last night: yuck. Today: cold. That's because a cold front came in late last night, and whatever the temp is while you're reading this, that's your day's high: from the 20s around daybreak into the mid-teens for much of the day, down into the single digits by dinner-time, below zero by midnight. Northwest winds will bring wind chills down a good 15 degrees below the ambient temp. But hey, at least there might be a little sun at some point.A photographic tour through winter this far. In his latest blog post, photographer Jim Block starts with snow buntings—which he's been chasing all winter and finally found on Crossroad Farm in Post Millls and then, ironically, not far from his home in Etna. He moves on to our early snows and our later melted snow, spends time with ice formations in the Great Cut on the Northern Rail Trail, catches shots of birds and deer, and then creates a mini photo tutorial using the eye-catching scenery in downtown Bellows Falls.And a television tour of the Upper Valley. Chronicle, Boston station WCVB's venerable New England show, dropped by to highlight a bit of the region in a segment that aired last night. Reporter Ted Reinstein talks with David Fairbanks Ford about WRJ's Main Street Museum—complete with a demonstration of the museum's player piano—then heads to Woodstock, where, he says, New England ski history began at "a humble little hill owned by a dairy farmer who didn't even ski." In 1934, farmer Clinton Gilbert put in a rope tow to his upper pasture; two years later, the scene moved to S. Pomfret and Hill #6—where Reinstein pays a visit to what is now Saskadena Six.Canaan man dies in I-91 rollover; two passengers injured. Yesterday's late-morning crash occurred near mile marker 65 southbound in Hartland, when 83-year-old David Roberts lost control of his car; it rolled into the median, then into the northbound lanes. According to the VT State Police, Roberts was pronounced dead at the scene; his two female passengers were taken to DHMC, one with life-threatening injuries. Police are withholding their identities pending notification of relatives. Dartmouth reaches agreement with student dining workers. You'll remember that the college and the Student Worker Collective at Dartmouth had reached an impasse over SWCD's demand for a $21/hour wage for student workers at cafés and the dining commons (up from $15). After SWCD called for a strike, negotiators over the weekend agreed on the $21 figure, plus a variety of other benefits, detailed by Jackie Wright and Heya Shah in The Dartmouth. The college's turnaround was due to "a multitude of factors after months of bargaining," college spokesperson Diana Lawrence says in an email.The grad student union, on the other hand... On Tuesday, Provost David Kotz announced that the college won't voluntarily recognize the Graduate Organized Laborers at Dartmouth, which is seeking to affiliate with the United Electrical Workers—paving the way for the student group to seek a unionization vote under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Board, reports The Dartmouth. The college's argument is that unionization would "introduce additional cost, time, and bureaucracy to a system that is already working efficiently," though Kotz adds the college will abide by a unionization vote.SPONSORED: Rising electricity rates and increased federal solar incentives make a solar Tracker a big win! Utility rates seem headed in only one direction, and coupled with a generous increase in the federal solar tax credit (to 30 percent) that's driven a big spike in demand for residential solar. Whether it's for normal household electricity, a new EV, or efficient heat pumps, a snow-shedding Tracker can handle our ever-more-electrified lives. Hit the maroon link for a look at how a solar Tracker can clean up your carbon footprint and save you money over the long haul. Sponsored by Solaflect Energy.For Hartland woman, solving of 51-year-old Burlington murder brings "a nice closing." That's what Mary Curran Campbell tells Mike Donoghue in the Vermont Standard, following the Tuesday announcement by Burlington police that with the help of DNA testing on a discarded cigarette butt, they'd solved the 1971 murder of Campbell's sister, Rita Curran. In a press conference, they detailed the work that led them to William DeRoos, Curran's upstairs neighbor, who died of a drug overdose in 1986, and a tangle of lies by his ex-wife. Donoghue details the case and talks to Campbell about her response.Vermont youth hockey team, with four UV players, wins international tournament—beating Ukraine refugee team. It was the Vermont Flames' second game of the prestigious PeeWee tournament in Quebec City, and the team of young Ukrainian players had already drawn plenty of media notice. The Flames persevered through a hard-fought game—"We just beat Ukraine, but on some of our minds it was like, 'What are those kids going to do now?'," coach David Pavlik told NBC5 afterward—then went on to defeat Korea and Austria to take it all. The team includes Quechee's Isaac Tane and Kaleb Sanderson and Weathersfield's Lucas Gaudette and Isaac McNaughton.Hiking Close to Home: Trescott Water Supply Lands. The vast network of trails in Hanover, says the Upper Valley Trails Alliance, is perfect for all types of recreation in a fresh blanket of snow: 13 miles of trails over 1,165 acres less than two miles from downtown Hanover, with multiple entrances and connections to Oak Hill. Pack up your cross country skis, strap on some snowshoes, or slip on some spikes for a gorgeous hike through the woods.SPONSORED: Rooted Gardens' advice on pruning apple and ornamental trees. Trees right now are leaving peak dormancy and are best suited for limb removal: The aseptic winter air is a safer environment for exposed wood, which will soon begin to scab over with spring growth. Clean and sharpen your equipment often. Remove the dead branches first. Step back regularly and observe the tree from different angles. Prune everything you can from the ground. And please be safe with saws and ladders! Call us at Rooted Gardens in Norwich with any questions: (802) 281-0781. Sponsored by Rooted Gardens."A grand road trip" through Vermont history, told by its buildings. The 480-page Buildings of Vermont is part of a larger project by the Society of Architectural Historians, writes Tim Calabro in the Herald, and it delves deep into the local built landscape: S. Royalton's development around its train depots, the old Howe Farm in Tunbridge, a chapter on Randolph—including the Chase House in Randolph Center, which was built to be the governor’s mansion in a bid to woo the state capital. The book Calabro writes, is "a familiar and wonderful joy for anyone who...loves our New England architecture.""Noon in Skip's Clock Shop in Randolph sounds a lot like the introduction to Pink Floyd's 1972 song 'Time.'" That's the opening line of Ken Picard's Seven Days profile of antique clock restorer and seller Skip Sjobeck, and you get why: He's got over 500 old grandfather clocks, mantel clocks, ship's clocks, and cuckoo clocks, some dating back to the 1700s. Sjobeck learned the trade from his father, Charlie, who in turn learned it by watching a clock repairer in West Leb. "I've restored clocks that were in fires and clocks that smashed on the floor ... I wish they could talk," says Charlie. A little lesson in clockworks.When is a public vote not a public vote? That's the question raised by NH Executive Councillor David Wheeler, who for years has been taking no position during Exec Council meetings, then "arranging afterward for his votes to be included in meeting minutes," reports NH Bulletin's Annmarie Timmins. The practice apparently dates back decades and, AG John Formella says, does not violate the state's right-to-know law. At least two other councillors now want to end the practice and Gov. Chris Sununu, Timmins writes, is encouraging the Council to "clarify its voting practices."So... How closely were you following VT and NH this week? There's no Upper Valley News Quiz today, since there wasn't much Daybreak to draw from this week. But the VT and NH quizzes have you covered.
Seven Days, for instance, wants to know if you know which trial in VT for a potential new vaccine was abruptly stopped this month.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings in the Granite State—like, what does a new study of radon and uranium levels in NH groundwater reveal?
Sure, you know all about VT's Museum of Everyday Life. But what about NH's Museum of Dumb Guy Stuff? Which might, Justin Dodd says in a recent edition of Mental Floss's "History of Fun" series, be more aptly named The Museum of Fairly Insignificant But Somewhat Delightful Things Two Guys Made In a Basement. Dodd offers a video tour of "the coolest offbeat attractions in each US state," helpfully indexed by state—so that you can learn for yourself about Alaska's hammer museum, Kentucky's history-of-ventriloquism museum, the publicly available back-scratching post in Lucedale, Mississippi...Busted!!! VT users among most likely to cheat on Wordle, NH users on Words With Friends. But do we have to say "cheat"? Maybe: "Turn elsewhere for help." Whatever, in a dodgy little move the folks at WordFinder have mined their own data and Google Trends to look at how often people in each state seek solving help for the two popular games. Tops for Wordle is DC; VT, where players are almost 75 percent more likely to use WordFinder's Wordle Solver than the national average, comes in second. For Words With Friends, AK is first, NH second, at 43 percent more likely. (Thanks, AC!)The Friday Vordle. If you're new to Vordle, you should know that fresh ones appear on weekends using words from the Friday Daybreak, and you can get a reminder email each weekend morning. If you'd like that, sign up here.
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Today at 5 pm, AVA Gallery and Hood director John Stomberg mark the opening of "From the Heart," a group exhibition curated by Stomberg, with a panel discussion involving the three artists in the show, followed by an opening reception from 6-8. "When we see a person, place, or thing in this exhibition, these exist as vehicles for the poetic goals of the artists," Stomberg writes in his curator's notes. "The works appeal to the heart..." A solo exhibition by VT writer and artist Tom Fels, also curated by Stomberg, also opens today; Stomberg's conversation with Fels will be on March 11. Here's Alex Hanson's writeup about the shows in yesterday's Valley News.
There's another art opening at 5 pm, in Dartmouth's Baker-Berry Library Brickway: "Our Fire is Stronger Than Your Bombs," a collection of posters by contemporary Ukrainian illustrators. Marking the anniversary of the war, Ukrainian members of the Dartmouth community will share memories about its first day and talk about the exhibition and its messages.
From 6 to 10 this evening (as well as tomorrow and Sunday, same times), Dartmouth's BemaLights will be on display—an interactive light and sound installation open to the public and offering "the beauty of a New England winter with a new perspective." Entrance off the Shattuck Observatory and as the organizers note, "wear shoes with good traction."
At 7 this evening, the Chandler in Randolph presents Ontario-based singer-songwriter Annie Sumi, accompanied by frequent collaborators Jill Sauerteig on cello and Neil Whitford on electric guitar. Sumi, half-Scottish, half-Japanese, likes to call her music "ethereal folk"—"I like to think that the Scottish part of my family inspired the performative, sing-songy side of my writing; and, perhaps, the Japanese part of my family inspired the introspective, poetic parts," she told an interviewer last year.
Also at 7, Hop Film brings in the Telugu-language RRR, which it calls "the international cinematic phenomenon of the year." Directed by blockbuster-maker S.S. Rajamouli and set in pre-Independence India, it features two of the country's biggest stars as rebel heroes from the 1920s: one heads to Delhi to rescue a girl enslaved by the British governor and his wife, the other has orders to identify and capture him, and as the NYT wrote last year, the two "unwittingly make fast friends when they save a child stranded on a river that’s on fire. (As one does.)" "A heart-racing juggernaut of a film," the Hop writes, "stuffed with eye-popping special effects, unrelenting action choreography, tender emotional sequences, and a few musical numbers for good measure." At the Loew.
At 7:30 pm and a bit of a drive, Putney's Next Stage Arts brings in jump-blues master Duke Robillard and his band for a blues dance party (you can also get a virtual ticket if you want to jump and stomp at home). Robillard helped found Roomful of Blues, was part of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, backed Dylan and Tom Waits, has 37 solo albums and two Grammy nominations under his belt. A little chance to see blues history.
And at 8 this evening, Al's Pal's take over the stage at Sawtooth Kitchen: a rotating local band led by Alex Budney covering Tom Petty, the Dead, the Beatles, Taj Mahal, Hendrix, the Meters, and more.
Tomorrow from 10 am to 4 pm, VINS holds its Winter Wildlife Celebration, with a Fairy Court, a visit from Vermont Reindeer Farm, a talk by VT biologist Nick Fortin about moose in winter, ace (and competition-winning) snow sculptors Tony Perham and Katie Runde plying their art on scene, and lots more.
Okay, I know you're unlikely to drive up to Greensboro VT unless it's for xc skiing, but isn't your life better knowing that from 11 to 2 tomorrow, the Highland Center for the Arts is throwing Curds & Curling: A Cheesy Winter Competition—with curling teams in hot pursuit of a win using a wheel of Jasper Hill cheddar as the curling stone. Cheese tasting, mac-n-cheese, raclette, and music by Burlington's Burlington’s Brass Balagan street band to round out the day.
Tomorrow at 4 pm and again at 7, Hop Film presents this year's Oscar-nominated animated shorts. Four of the films are family friendly and fine for young kids. The fifth is definitely not (they'll warn you ahead of time). At the Loew.
Tomorrow evening at 7, Sharon's Seven Stars Arts presents Boston-born Corner House, an eclectic folk band—they describe their sound as "a combination between old time, Scottish, progressive bluegrass, and folk music"—it's made up of musicians who first met as students at Berklee College of Music: songwriter and guitarist Ethan Hawkins, Scottish fiddle player Louise Bichan, bluegrass mandolinist Ethan Setiawan, and cellist Casey Murray.
And to head into the weekend...
As
American Songwriter
put it last year, Duke Robillard "has never wavered from a stalwart stance of promoting and performing music he loves, commercial considerations be damned, which has kept him as a well-known, highly respected cult figure." Read: not as well known as they think he should be.
off Robillard's latest album.
Sheesh, did you even
know
about that Wordle helper?
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.
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