RABBIT RABBIT, UPPER VALLEY!
Partly to mostly sunny, warmer. And definitely calmer. High pressure's starting to build in and light winds from the southwest will help today's highs get up to around 40. Overnight temps down to around 30, a chance of some snow showers as morning arrives, before it turns to rain.You think it was windy here? Up on Mt. Washington Wednesday night into yesterday they had—checks again—100+ mph sustained winds with gusts as high as 147 mph. Not to mention wind chill values at -60. "It's been quite a night here," Patrick Hummel, the Mt. Washington State Park supervisor, posted on Instagram yesterday morning. (Thanks, JF!)On the lookout.
For the last few weeks, Upper Valley birders have been trekking to the very top of New Hampshire, the town of Pittsburg, where a northern hawk owl has been hanging out. Northern hawk owls don't get to the region often—they're a bird of the boreal forest—so it's been a rare opportunity, and last weekend photographer Ian Clark made the most of it. Here's his blog post, with plenty of photos. The owls, he writes, hunt by daylight and can see a mouse a half-mile off.
Meanwhile, closer to home, on Monday Geoff Parker caught this bald eagle and its catch of the morning skimming the ice on Mascoma Lake.
And in Cornish, Brian Meyette's cam caught this bobcat on the prowl.
But, as John Lippman writes in the
Valley News
, "whether people living near the battlefield will rejoice at the peace is another matter." In an email to community members Wednesday night (
), the CCBA board said it is negotiating with New London developer Doug Homan over the fate of Leb's Carter Country Club. Homan, who owns the land, wants to build a sprawling apartment and retail complex; the nonprofit has countered it has the right to operate a golf course per the wishes of its former owner. The courts, though, have disagreed, and CCBA now sees "no definitive path" forward.
Bethel's town meeting committee wants to get more people participating, and this year, they've just announced, the Bethel Youth Sports cheerleading team will be helping kick off the March 5 meeting, along with music by Spencer Lewis. "Cheering is about supporting people who are doing great things," says Robynn Martin, coach of the BYS Wildcat Cheerleaders, in the committee's press release. “We’re so excited to be the world’s first 'local democracy' cheerleaders and bring the Wildcat spirit to people who are voting and making Bethel better.”
Continuing its look at town meetings, th
e Journal Opinion
's newsletter focuses on the town's $3.3 million municipal budget, including jumps in the cost of cemetery maintenance and mowing, and a boost in the town's allocation to Tri-Valley Transit to make up for previous underpayments.“The last several years, the town was able to hold the tax rate lower than inflation,” says town manager Brian Story. “This was good when a lot of people were experiencing economic uncertainty and challenges, but we can’t hold it there...without it impacting services."
SPONSORED: Ever been to an auction? We have a premier New England auction house right here in the Upper Valley! Wm. Smith Auctioneers & Appraisers welcomes you to our annual Live Winter Auction next week in Plainfield, NH. It features diverse offerings from jewelry, artwork, and furnishings to rare antique cars. Please join us for previews Monday and Tuesday from 10am till 4pm—and mark your calendar to join the gallery walk with Bill Smith at noon Monday on identifying characteristics of 18th and 19th C. furniture. Auction Wednesday, March 6. Sponsored by Wm. Smith Auctions.East Barnard's Floyd Van Alstyne turns 104. Or technically, 26. The WWII vet, logger, sawmill operator, sugarmaker, and, at one point, country's oldest licensed commercial truck driver (at least, that's what he said when he was in his 90s), was born on Leap Day, 1920. In the Herald, Catherine Morrissey pays him a visit to talk books, the VT Constitution (he's a big fan of Article 7), and the course of his life. Which was pretty remarkable, as captured a few years back in the video documentary that filmmaker, photographer, and historian Neil Goodwin made about Van Alstyne and his life, The Floyd Van Alstyne Story.“It’s really life-changing the surgeries that we do -- high risk but also high reward.” Stephanie Ihezie is the first Black woman admitted to DHMC’s neurosurgery residency program—and one of just a tiny neurosurgical minority in the country. She tells WCAX's Adam Sullivan in this profile that while "people in minority groups are disproportionately affected by illness," they also have tended to avoid medical care, with its long history of bias, experimentation, and other issues that have made them distrust the system. Getting more people of color into medicine, she argues, can improve health outcomes nationally. "I feel there's a lot of people in this world I want to help," she says.SPONSORED: Curious about faith? There’s still room to join a series of group conversations at the Church of Etna & Hanover Center that freely explore the Christian faith in an open, friendly environment. They start with a meal and an engaging video, and then everyone is invited to share their own thoughts in a safe, judgment-free space. You’re invited no matter your background or beliefs, and there's never pressure to come back. Sundays at 6:30pm. For more info and to register go to the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by the Church of Etna & Hanover Center.There's ultra-running. And then there's ultra-journey running. Like, the length of Route 5 in Vermont. In fact, retired NJ pipefitter Ed Wickersham, who started up at Derby Line on Feb. 16, is due to reach the Massachusetts border tomorrow. The Standard's Tom Ayres caught up with Wickersham, who's 62, twice over the last week to talk about his tourism on the run and why he does it: You can do it too, he says, "but I wouldn't recommend anyone else doing it." He ran Route 7 on the west side of the state in January, wants to do Route 100... but really, his goal is to run the East Coast, Maine to Key West.Can a phone’s camera detect depression? At Dartmouth, researchers are working on a way to use cell phones’ front-facing cameras to help people with depression before it gets worse, writes Morgan Kelly for Dartmouth News. The technology, called MoodCapture, was developed using AI, and its aim is to detect depression early—which can help with quick treatment—by doing something as routine as unlocking your phone. “The more in the moment we can be, the less profound the impact of depression will be,” says a study author. The team says it could be publicly available in the next five years.Northern Stage offers a look at the season ahead. It starts in October with the 2022 Neukom Award winner, Sisters, Matthew Libby's play about a pair of sisters over 90 years—one of whom is an AI. That's followed by a reimagined version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast; Rajiv Joseph's King James, about two superfans navigating friendship and LeBron James's career with the Cavs; The Vermont Farm Project, the original work by Jessica Kahkoska, Tommy Crawford, and Northern Stage's Sarah Wansley about farm life in VT; and the broadway hit Waitress. Details on all of them at the link.Hiking Close to Home: The Lost Mine Trail, Chester, VT. This week's suggestion from the Upper Valley Trails Alliance is a moderately challenging two-mile loop. Hiked counter-clockwise, it climbs from Reservoir Road alongside a brook through several switchbacks to a viewpoint overlooking Mt. Ascutney. The trail features a historic abandoned mine from the 1800s, one of only three known sources in the world of Chesterite. The trail is open year round and is popular for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking. A short spur trail connects another 2-mile loop, Butternut Hill Trail.So... Think you know what's been going on in the Upper Valley? Because Daybreak's News Quiz has some questions for you. Like... Which local town was the site of the first rope tow in the country 90 years ago? And—you've got this!—how many visitors did Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller get last year? 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 what day lawmakers in Montpelier are trying to make a state holiday.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, who is claiming he was paid to create that AI-generated robocall before the Democratic presidential primary?
Northern border gets "help" signs to aid migrants in distress. But no one in charge at Customs and Border Protection seems to want to talk about it much. In fact, reports NHPR's Todd Bookman, even though the signs—part of a federal program begun at the southern border back in 2017—went up in October in NY, VT, and NH and include 911 info, NH's 911 dispatcher weren't told about them until January. They are, Bookman notes, "a reflection of the dangers migrants face when attempting to cross in harsh, wintry conditions" as well as "evidence of the rise in crossings in the region."Over five years, VT lost 313 dairy farms and 105,514 dairy cows—but has more vegetable and berry farms. Those are some of the takeaways from the newest Census of Agriculture, reports UVM Extension's Vern Grubinger. The Ag Census comes out every five years and the stats—from 2022—were released this month. Overall, the number of farms in the state has dropped just a tad in five years, from 6,571 five years ago to 6,537 today. One key stat of note: In 2022 sugarmakers produced 3.1 million gallons of syrup from 8.5 million taps—a big jump from 2017's 2 million gallons and 5.9 million taps.When lightning strikes. And where. The fact that it travels at 200,000 miles per hour is just one of the reasons lightning is so lethal. But there hasn’t been reliable information about where and how often it strikes in the US. In The Conversation, meteorologist Chris Vagasky writes (with some cool maps) about his new study using six years of data from the National Lightning Detection Network. He and his colleagues estimate there are 36.8 million ground strike points each year. The Gulf Coast gets the most, the North and West the least.Ninja Nannies. It's a trailer for "a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, based on a true story, ripped from today's headlines. With bongo music!" And Bob Seger. And, actually, a bunch of stop-motion-animated figurines, all put together by the Thetford sister duo of Amy and Terry Lawrence (Amy's a former film prof at Dartmouth). For several years now, they've been making these films in their mom's basement. It started with their own version of the opera Akhnaten, moved on to Gershwin and Sondheim and, it's fair to say, has branched out. You can see the animations, sets, and figurines at JAM through March 29.The Friday Vordle. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak. 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.
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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!
First off, registration has just opened for Bethel University. If it's new to you, this is a wildly successful decade-old effort to create a mud season neighbor-learning-from-neighbor opportunity; over a thousand people took courses last year. The course "catalogue" is at the link. Classes start Wednesday and run at various times over the next few weeks: from a community mosaic project for kids to how to protect your data privacy to "traditional dances of Vermont's Italian immigrants" to cooking to an intro to clowning to much, much more.
There's not much out of the ordinary on the docket for First Friday in WRJ this month, but one thing that is happening is an opening reception starting at 5 pm at Two Rivers Printmaking Studio for "Discoveries", an exhibition of works by its faculty and workshop participants. Carole McNamee, an artist and teacher from Quechee, will be on hand to demonstrate how to use a portfolio book to display prints.
With a potluck starting at 6 and dancing starting at 6:30, BarnArts throws a community contra dance with music by Blind Squirrel (Erin Smith and Steve Hoffman on fiddle, Suzanne Long on fiddle and cello, and Chip Hedler on guitar). No partner needed, all experience levels welcome. At Barnard Town Hall.
At 7 this evening, Hop Film screens the National Theatre Live production of Vanya, with Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock, and much more), who co-created it, playing eight roles. At its center is the tangled love story involving Helena, her elderly husband Alexander, his daughter Sonia, the world-weary doctor Michael, and Vanya himself. "Scott gives carefully controlled, thrillingly virtuoso physical performances," wrote The Guardian's reviewer. "He exits as one character and enters as another, excelling in the plate-juggling feat of playing two or more characters in conversation." At the Loew.
Also at 7, Artistree in S. Pomfret presents the Vermont Mandolin Trio—three of the best mandolinists anywhere. Will Patton, Jamie Masefield, and Matt Flinner, along with bassist Pat Melvin, back in the Upper Valley to play an evening of bluegrass, jazz, roots, classical, and other music.
Also at 7, Seven Stars Arts in Sharon brings in Asheville, NC-based roots artists Andrew Finn Magill (on fiddle) and Anya Hinkle (guitar). Hinkle's roots are in Appalachian and bluegrass; Magill's in Irish, old-time, and bluegrass, with Malawian Afro-pop and Brazilian choro thrown in.
Tonight at 7:30, the North Country Community Theatre teens launch their production of Legally Blonde: The Musical at the Lebanon Opera House. Elle Woods, Valley Girl and UCLA sorority president, heads to Harvard Law, defies expectations, and against all odds, thrives. Runs at 2 and 7:30 pm tomorrow, and Sunday at 3 pm.
And at 8 tonight, Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover brings in the ever-hard-working John Lackard and his band for a night of blues and danceable tunes.
Saturday
Tomorrow from 1-3 pm, UNH Extension is giving a kiwiberry pruning workshop at Spring Ledge Farm in New London. No registration or fees, but you'll want to be dressed for the weather.
Ordinarily, Piermont's Bob Kivela just opens his remarkable, 600-foot-long train layout to the public during the week between Christmas and New Year's. But it's been so popular, he wanted to make it more widely available, so tomorrow he'll be opening his home from 11-5. "It's the longest train layout in New England, length-wise," he told WCAX's Adam Sullivan a few years ago. If you'd like to go, give him a call at 603-272-5878 (before 9 pm) to get directions and reserve a spot. And if you can't make it tomorrow, he's open to arranging a private tour.
At 7 tomorrow evening, Hop Film screens Poor Things, the highly nominated Yorgos Lanthimos/Emma Stone take on the Frankenstein story that's had reviewers reaching for clever, pithy descriptions: "unhinged yet uplifting" (NPR); "steampunk-retrofuturist Victorian freakout and macabre black-comic horror" (Guardian); "Rated R for nudity, sex, evisceration and scientific malfeasance" (NYT). At the Loew.
At 8 tomorrow evening, Sawtooth Kitchen hosts Red Daisy Revival, the NH-meets-Nashville pairing of Morgan Clark and Daniel Kassel. "Between their day jobs at the Hobo Railroad, where Daniel is a conductor and Morgan does marketing, they split their time writing and playing music," they write. And touring New England.
Sunday
It's a day of music-making and an evening of music-listening when Upper Valley Music Center and Northeast Heritage Music Camp hold a Midwinter Gathering set of workshops, jam, and faculty concert. The faculty can't be beat: Strafford accordionist, pianist, and Kalos member Jeremiah McLane; Scottish and Cape Breton fiddler Katie McNally; Irish and French Canadian fiddler and contra dance regular Becky Tracy; and traditional guitar/banjo/mandolin player Owen Marshall. There are two parallel workshop programs starting at noon, at UVMC itself, along with a finale and jam session at 3:15. Then at 6:30 pm at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon, McLane, McNally, Tracy, and Marshall in concert.
Sunday at 1, Hop Film brings in this year's Oscar-nominated short documentaries. You've already seen one of them (The Last Repair Shop, about the small band who repair the LA public schools' loaner instruments), but the whole slate is amazing: the story of a Little Rock barber and the community bank (and barber school) he founded to close the wealth gap; Sean Wang's love letter to his grandmothers, Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó, and more. At the Loew.
At 3:30 pm, the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble is giving a work-in-progress recital, with its cast of students, faculty, and community members. At the Irving Institute, no tix or reservations needed.
At 7 pm on Sunday, Next Stage Arts in Putney presents Mike Block's Biribá Union. The trio of Block (cello), Christylez Bacon (beatbox, guitar, rhymes), and Patricia Ligia (electric bass, pandeiro), bring their roots in classical, hip hop, fusion, Caribbean and Latin American, and all sorts of other music together. It's a powerful blend (see below).
And to take us into the weekend...
Yeah, about Biribá Union (at Next Stage Arts on Sunday). Each of its musicians is a force in his or her own right. Mike Block's been a member of the Silkroad Ensemble, worked with everyone from Yo-Yo Ma to Bobby McFerrin to The Eagles, and brings his cello into an eye-popping array of genres; Christylez Bacon has two Grammy nominations under his belt, was the first hip-hop artist to perform at the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival—and also has collaborated regularly with Yo-Yo Ma; and Patricia Ligia is part of Colombian pop superstar Karol G's band and an in-demand purveyor of Brazilian and Latin music. So they've got some chops when they come together.
,
which'll warm you whatever the weather's got in store for us.
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.
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