GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
No Daybreak Monday. But back as usual on Tuesday.Showers continue. They're likely all day and all night and look like they could last into tomorrow. And when it's not raining, it'll be cloudy, with a high today around 50 and a low overnight in the low 40s. But hey! Sunday! Partly sunny and warmer!A pair of birds to take us into the weekend.
First up, the hummingbird who's visiting Taylor Haynes' feeder in Hartford, and who, Taylor writes, "doesn't mind when I check on the feeder and will come over to investigate me as well. I brought a camera with me and he kindly agreed to a photoshoot."
And from Plainfield, Carol Majewski writes, "I was sitting by a local pond and heard the 'mewing' of this catbird long before I spotted it in the trees. I actually wasn't sure it was a bird. Luckily, it flew to a nearby branch, where I was able to snap this pic. I didn't realize how well these birds can mimic other species."
If not, you missed Sue Pitiger's view of the goings-on through the seasons in downtown Norwich; Bethel poet Danny Dover on snake skins—and the "clumsy skins" we all wear; and Michael Welch on his father's "blue heaven" in Haverhill. Got a good story or anecdote about life in these parts? Dear Daybreak needs them.
The restaurant, which for a decade (with one interruption) has commanded a key corner in the middle of downtown Randolph, had closed this winter with hopes of finding a buyer by spring. Instead, reports
The Herald
's Isabel Dreher, owners Josh Niebling and Shane Niles got a letter from the building's owner—the property division of Federated Auto Parts—telling them they need to leave. "It was shocking," says Niles. Their contact has refused to tell them why. "Not knowing the future of that location is disheartening," Niebling says.
After a rainy but successful weekend, Bookstock plans to return. Given its sudden cancellation in 2024 and initial uncertainty about whether it would happen this year, that's no small thing. But as Emma Stanton reports in the Standard, organizers are happy. "I think we pulled off a wonderful literary event and created a blueprint for the future," Bookstock chair Michael Stoner tells her. There were challenges: volunteers taped signs in pouring rain after outdoor events were cancelled, and bailed out flooded tents. But over a hundred people showed up just to help out, and author events were mostly well attended.Power knocked out to homes in Fairlee after car hits utility pole. Two people were taken to the hospital yesterday after the accident along the common in front of the old railroad station, reports Alex Nuti-de Biasi in the Journal Opinion's newsletter. Fairlee Police Chief Wayne Briggs says the accident appears to have been caused by a mechanical problem after a ball joint loosened. The car wound up on its roof, two people were taken to the hospital, and over 600 customers in Fairlee and beyond lost power.SPONSORED: Travel with the Rassias Center to Mexico to explore language and culture! Dartmouth's Rassias Center for World Languages specializes in immersive language and cultural experiences that use innovative teaching methods to allow students to learn and retain language quickly. The Center is traveling to Mexico to explore the culture and language August 9 through 17. No previous Spanish language experience is necessary. Join our expert leaders to discover Mexico’s ancient traditions and modern life! More information at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by the Rassias Center."If even one person gets a positive use out of using this phone, all of my effort will have been worth it." Maybe you remember Patrick Schlott? The electrical engineer has a side gig rewiring old payphones to work over the internet—with no need to feed coins into the slot—and then installs them. You'll find one at the N. Tunbridge General Store and another at Thetford's Latham Library—handy for cellphone-free Thetford Academy students. His most recent phone just went into the Randolph Info Barn, reports WPTZ's Jack Thurston. "A lot of [the phones] have a good amount of staying power," says Schlott.Leb Planning Board is last official hurdle for residential substance use treatment center. It meets next week to consider a long-planned facility for mothers and their children on Mount Support Road, reports the Valley News's Clare Shanahan. The 12-bed treatment center proposed by nonprofit Families Flourish Northeast would be the only one of its kind in the region: there are two in southern NH, one in Burlington. In 2023, writes Shanahan, 13.4 percent of babies born at DHMC had prenatal substance exposure. If approved, the facility will go up on land owned by DH, with a 30-year-lease.SPONSORED: Upper Valley Humane Society launches “TLC – The Lifeline Campaign”. The Upper Valley Humane Society has launched a critical initiative to provide lifesaving care for animals in need. As intake numbers rise and costs soar across our community, TLC will ensure every pet receives the Tender Loving Care they deserve. We're proud to serve as part of the Upper Valley’s social services network—but we can’t do it without you. To continue this vital work for animals and the people who care for them, we need immediate support. Please donate today! Sponsored by UVHS.Windsor Diner gets the okay to move. Actually, reports Liz Sauchelli in the VN, that happened late last month, when the town's Development Review Board agreed unanimously to let the diner relocate from its current spot on Main Street to a vacant lot down the street after structural issues were discovered in the diner's basement. Permits have been approved, and the goal, Sauchelli writes, is to move the 1952 Worcester Diner Company diner car by crane in mid June. Owner Theresa Taylor says she hopes to reopen in August.“I’m so pretty just look at me.” An appropriate song for the black-throated green warbler, which made a brief visit to the understory from its usual perch on high, writes Northern Woodlands' Jack Saul in “This Week in the Woods.” Also out there this week: jack-in-the-pulpit, in danger of being squeezed out by invasive garlic mustard, and hobblebush, with its “beautiful inflorescence.” That hardy viburnum survives spring frosts by producing antifreeze in its leaves. And a young beaver, far from water, who likely moved away from home to make room for this year’s kits, “seeming lost and out of place.”Hiking Close to Home this weekend: Mt. Ascutney. The state park is celebrating its 57th Annual Ascutney Day Picnic & Hike on Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm, the Upper Valley Trails Alliance wants you to know. Join the throng at the Stone Hut site at the summit after choosing a base-to-summit trail or driving the auto road and hiking a half mile to the picnic site. Highlights: prizes for oldest & youngest hikers, refreshments, good company. Some of the trails may still be closed (check the link for details) and the weather isn't helping, but hey: We're northern New Englanders!Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because this week's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions. Like, what's the name of that tall metal sculpture by the side of Route 5 in Fairlee? And what was one key cause of the flooding in downtown WRJ last weekend (hint: the answer is not "rain")? Those and more at the link.But wait! How closely were you following VT and NH?
Because Seven Days wants to knowif you know what happened to opioid overdose deaths in VT last year.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, what's happened to a bill to eliminate annual car inspections?
Kelly Ayotte signs bills banning NH municipalities from adopting sanctuary policies, backing cooperation with ICE. Declaring that "New Hampshire will never be a sanctuary for criminals," the state's governor yesterday made both bills law. Among other things, the first "requires law enforcement agencies to comply with immigration detainers of inmates and prohibits state and local government entities from adopting sanctuary policies." The other says that no community in the state can bar law enforcement from partnering with ICE. Carol Robidoux of Manchester Ink Link has the story.Phil Scott signs VT budget into law. The $9.01 billion spending plan passed by the legislature drew the governor's praise for trimming core spending from the original version after Scott called for cuts. It uses about $75 million to help reduce education property taxes, writes VTDigger's Shaun Robinson, and funds proposed tax credits being worked on separately for low-income families, workers, veterans, and retirees. As Robinson points out, while the budget usually sets the stage for adjournment, the legislature has several key issues still on its plate, including education reform.VT Housing Authority stops issuing new Section 8 vouchers. And not only that, reports Carly Berlin for VTDigger/VT Public, it's moving to rescind the affordable housing vouchers from about 50 Vermonters currently searching for an apartment. The agency faces a roughly $1 million reduction in federal funding for the program, Berlin writes, forcing it to trim 489 vouchers—or about 12 percent of the total—from its rolls. In all, the agency administers 3,897 vouchers right now—with another 3,379 applicants hoping to get one.When flooding and other disasters get to be too much for local rescuers in VT, these are the people who arrive to help. It's the 90-some members—most of whom also work full-time as EMTs, firefighters, police officers, engineers and medical professionals—who make up the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. Which, despite its name, does plenty of rural work, especially as the number of calls for help has grown. In Seven Days, Colin Flanders profiles the team's leader, history, training, and challenges.Trying to capture the Milky Way? “Creativity, patience, and sense of wonder.” That’s the formula for Milky Way Photographer of the Year, anyway. Capture the Atlas has the album, noting that since much of the Milky Way is invisible to the human eye, photography can unveil its full magnificence. This year’s photos come from Yemen, California, Guatemala, Austria, Chad ... even the ISS. One of the beauties: Mauricio Salazar’s “Fortress of Light,” shot in Jujuy, Argentina. He values “the silence of remote places, the peace of standing under a pristine sky, and the deep connection I feel to the moment.”The Friday Wordbreak. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak. And if you find yourself missing Wordbreak over the weekend, you just have to hit this link and you'll find brand new words tomorrow and Sunday—though not necessarily from Daybreak.
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Four artists—Don Collins, Stephanie Gordon, Marcie Scudder, and Ann Steuernagel—explore what's going on beneath nature's surface. Reception from 5-7 pm.
, a group exhibition by six Hartford High students along no particular theme. “I didn’t want any boundaries with this gallery, I just wanted it to be colorful…I wanted freedom with it," organizer and Hartford senior Sondji Owens
. 6 pm.
Susanna Fogel's 2024 film is a sharp political dramedy chronicling the real-life saga of NSA contractor Reality Winner, starring Emilia Jones, Connie Britton ('89) and Zach Galifianakis. 7 pm in the Loew Auditorium.
Pianist Dan Weiser is joined by violinist Emmanuel Borowsky and cellist Frances Borowsky for a vibrant program featuring piano trios by living composers Heleen Verleur, Paul Schoenfield, and Stephen Dankner. 7:30 this evening in Windsor's Old South Church, 2 pm tomorrow at the home of Andrew Bauman in WRJ, and 7:30 tomorrow evening at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon.
Saturday
, when artists and craftspeople around the state open their studios to visitors. Tour loops and sites organized by region at the link, with 10 studios in this immediate region.
with Bethel metalworker Melanie Considine. Tomorrow and Sunday.
With interactive stations on wool processing, spinning demonstrations, and sheep herding demonstrations with
Morse Brook Farm’s Shepherdess Liz Shaw and her team of border collies
. Plus ice cream, snacks, and more. Starts at 10 am tomorrow.
There's yarn for sale, of course, but also a chance to talk to the thriving mill's owners and staff about how wool gets turned into yarn, with the equipment on hand for show-and-tell. 10 to 1.
Music, dance, games of skill and chance, food, parades, storytelling, feats of juggling and acrobatics, all set in a medieval village. 11 am to 4 pm tomorrow.
Leslie Buchbinder's documentary offers a look at the life of H.C. Westermann, a WWII vet whose experiences deeply influenced his work. Cool side note: he was in the crowd on the
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
album cover. Dartmouth resident artist Tomeka Reid, who scored the film, will be on hand to talk about it afterward. 2 pm, the Loew.
With Taylor Ho Bynum directing, they've got a full program of works, from originals by band members to Henry Mancini, Billy Strayhorn, Edith Piaf, and others. 4 pm and 8 pm tomorrow at the Hanover Inn.
The acclaimed folk and Americana group takes the stage along with Plainfield's Pooh Sprague, with Parrish's stage set in the background. Starts at 7 pm, Epic food truck at 6.
The evening
showcases young classical musicians from Vermont and the Upper Valley.
These talented middle and high school students perform pieces ranging from the Baroque to contemporary works, highlighting the future of classical music in the region. 7 pm.
The Brooklyn-based band, founded by Berklee grads and sibs Joanna Teters (vocals) and Ben Teters (percussion), hit Fairlee on their Brooklyn Riddim tour. Local songwriter and guitarist Graham (and Company) opens. Doors at 6.
It's the "Buck-Naked Showcase", featuring 10 or so comedians performing in the nude. Writes organizer Ryan Clauson, "The audience seems to feel empathy for the comedians doing something that is very scary, and it creates a connection, and a beautiful open positive vibe that makes the show really work." Pre-show at 7, show at 9, 18 and older only.
Sunday
, who died in February. The "public is invited to play, remember, and celebrate Chuck's legacy," with a memorial golf tournament Sunday and a celebration of life Monday from 11-2, with a dedication of "Chuck's Landing" (the spot "with an iconic view of Whaleback and Ascutney).
Most area Memorial Day events are on Monday, but Springfield NH
at 10 am at Pleasant View Cemetery, while
, then winds through town to a picnic on the green.
Monday,
it's Memorial Day, with observances all over, including
,
,
, and
Rain and Snow.
Yep, it's the weather forecast (for the mountains, anyway) but it's also a traditional American folk song.
who's lead singer and banjo player for Old Salt, a Belgium-based bluegrass band that got its start when a couple of its members backed up Wall in an impromptu performance at a folk music festival in Slovenia. While Wall is American, its other members come from Belgium, France, and Chile. Which doesn't stop the band from creating a hauntingly beautiful bluegrass ballad.
Have a fine weekend, whatever the weather brings and whatever you're doing. See you Tuesday.
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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