GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
A change in the weather. It's still going to get hot today—high 80s throughout the afternoon—but there's a cold front arriving from the northeast. It will bring with it a good chance for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, though the weather service says the thunderstorms will be "garden variety" rather than severe. The bad news: it's going to get more humid as the day goes on. The good news: Things cool down a bunch afterward.A peaceful start to the day. Shooting the breeze? Just hanging out in companionable silence? Whichever, these cows were doing it early yesterday morning in Woodstock as Randy Richardson passed by Billings Farm.School district settles lawsuit rooted in locker room controversy. The suit was filed against the Orange Southwest district and Randolph Union High's co-principals by Travis Allen and his daughter, Blake, after last winter's set-to over a trans student on the girls' volleyball team using the girls' locker room. Both were outspoken in opposition and punished for mis-gendering the trans student—including the elder Allen losing his post as a middle school soccer coach. The settlement, reports Darren Marcy in the Herald, reinstates him, wipes the Allens' discipline records clean, and awards the family $125K.After decades of trying, Leb moves closer to acquiring Westboro Rail Yard. That's because, Patrick Adrian reports in the Valley News, a new environmental assessment is a crucial step on the way toward finalizing an agreement between the city and the state over how contaminants on the 6.7-acre riverfront property will be handled. Even so, it's too early to celebrate, city manager Shaun Mulholland warns. "We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to complete the property transfer in 2024," he tells Adrian. "I want to be careful by lowering expectations on this issue. This has gone on for so long.” The Covered Bridges Half Marathon: the deets. More than 2,400 runners will converge on the area around Woodstock Sunday morning for the storied 13.1-mile run (registration fills up pretty much as soon as it opens in December) from the Saskadena Six ski area, through Pomfret and Woodstock, to the Quechee Polo Field. In the Standard, Aaron Rubin talks to race co-organizer Nancy Nutile-McMenemy, lays out the route, offers up parking details, lists road closures, and gives some viewing advice.Behind the scenes at Strafford Organic Dairy. When Earl Ransom was a kid growing up on his folks' Rockbottom Farm, there were 24 dairy farms in Strafford. Now, the farm and dairy he runs with Amy Huyffer and their four sons is the only one left. In her latest episode of "Stuck in Vermont," Eva Sollberger visits the 600-acre farm and its 80 mostly Guernseys, watches milking and the bottling process, talks pasture and farm life and milk composition with the Ransoms—and gets the story on how Earl and Amy met. "Everything we do," Huyffer tells her, "is about getting the best milk in the bottle."SPONSORED: The weather is sunny and getting hotter. Two good reasons to explore solar energy this summer! The best way to beat the heat—and cut your energy bill—is a Solaflect Tracker. With some local utility rates skyrocketing, solar payback times have been cut by as much as half. And with gas at $3.50 per gallon, charging an EV with solar now costs a quarter of what it took to fill your old car with gas. Hit the maroon link for four more reasons to take a serious look at solar this summer. Sponsored by Solaflect Energy.501 Main Opens Its Doors. That's the subdued but triumphant title of Jonah Richard's latest Brick + Mortar post. If you've been following the Fairlee developer's long, hard journey to creating an 8-unit apartment building on Main Street, you know what being able to write that must mean to him. The key, he says, "wasn’t knowledge or experience. I had neither going in. The key was being scrappy." Though to any would-be small developer, he also says, "Learn construction." Richard reflects on the whole experience and the small army of architects, contractors, builders, lenders who helped, and offers up pics.Bradford, VT getting ready to launch weekly farmers market. It will be on Wednesdays starting next week, the VN's Liz Sauchelli reports, from 4-7 pm at Denny Park. It's an outgrowth of a series of artisan markets hosted by The Space on Main. “Having an option to do a market midweek, I think people really appreciate that,” Crossmolina Farm's Margaret Loftus tells Sauchelli. “I think (the market) is just another way to help Bradford become a place that you think of to go do something, not just to drive through and go to Hannafords.” Article includes a list of farmers markets around the region.SPONSORED: IT'S TIME TO JUMBLE! The St. Thomas Jumble Sale is this Saturday, June 3rd, 8am-2pm, 9 West Wheelock Street, Hanover. Join us for fun and bargains, a live band, lawn games, and FREE ice cream too! Return on Sunday at 11:45 for the $1 Bag Sale and on Monday at 10am for the Free-For-All. See you there! Sponsored by St. Thomas Episcopal Church.
Hiking Close to Home: Cardigan Mountain State Park, Orange, NH. With summer upon us, the Upper Valley Trails Alliance suggests a visit to this iconic state park. With nearly 9 miles of generally advanced-level trails (plus many other trail connections), Cardigan offers multiple 360 degree views from a series of open and rocky summits and its associated ridge. It is a go-to hike in central New Hampshire. From the west (Lebanon area) head east on US-4. In Canaan, turn left onto NH-118 then right onto Cardigan Mountain Road. Follow Cardigan Mountain Road to its end at the parking lot.After dismissing defamation suit against NHPR, judge gives Eric Spofford a chance to dig for "actual malice." You may remember that back in April, Rockingham County Judge Rockingham County Dan St. Hilaire told the founder of Granite Recovery Centers that his filing against NHPR for its story detailing allegations of sexual misconduct didn't meet the standard required of a public figure. But on Tuesday, reports InDepthNH's Nancy West, St. Hilaire ordered that NHPR turn over transcripts of interviews with key sources, agreeing with Spofford that they could, in theory, contain evidence of malice."It shows no bias. Mental illness can affect all of us.” That's Sarah Horne, of Manchester, NH, one of three Granite Staters featured in a new exhibit at Manchester Airport that's part of a project called "Deconstructing Stigma," aimed at profiling people living with—and managing—mental illness. In NH Bulletin, Annmarie Timmins writes about how the exhibit in the baggage claim area (nearly 1.6 million people pass through each year) came about, and speaks to Lisa Barndollar, another profilee. “This is just a part of me and I can still do things, and I can still have a life," Barndollar tells her.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions for you. Like, what are the most popular vehicles to buy in NH and VT? And whose logo did Piermont artist Adelaide Coburne Palmer design? And what's the big trend in candy right now? 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 who's just sued the town of Pawlet, VT, along with the Environmental Court judge who ruled against him and 20 other unnamed defendants.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, do you know who just became the first Democrat to declare for governor in next year's election?
That was close! Last night around 11 pm, a motorist driving behind a natural gas tanker on Route 7 up in Ferrisburgh, VT, noticed sparks shooting out from underneath. The driver got ahead of the tanker, stopped it, and alerted the driver, and both were able to get away before the tanker caught fire and then exploded. "The asphalt was actually damaged from the fire. We're going to have the Agency of Transportation inspect it and see what needs to be done,” Ferrisburgh Fire Chief Bill Wager tells WCAX. State police report here.Judge rejects VT Legal Aid request to block motel evictions, hundreds shown the door. “Plaintiffs have not established the ‘clear’ right to relief that is necessary for the Court to issue preliminary injunctive relief,” Judge Timothy Tomasi wrote in his ruling yesterday afternoon, following a morning of court argument over whether the state had properly notified homeless Vermonters who'd been housed in the pandemic-era motel program. And as a VTDigger team writes, all over the state the first wave of evictions took place. Some people had plans, others did not, and service agencies are bracing.VT governor lets gun control bill become law without his signature. The measure enacts new safe storage rules, widens red flag laws, and establishes a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases. In a statement yesterday afternoon, reports VTDigger's Sarah Mearhoff, Gov. Phil Scott praised the first two of those provisions, but expressed concern about the third in light of a US Supreme Court decision last year involving NY State gun laws. "Knowing that my constitutional concerns will be addressed through the legal process, I will allow H.230 to become law without my signature," he wrote.Migrant workers are now essential to VT's dairy industry. And though they've organized to press for better working conditions and, on some farms, benefits, most are in the US illegally and "their precarious labor arrangement remains largely unchanged," writes Seven Days' Derek Brouwer. He looks at the challenges they face—including the fact that no one in the state labor department's enforcement arm or its OSHA office is fluent in Spanish, meaning farmworkers don't bother to file complaints even when they face wage theft.Hippo. It's What's for Dinner. Okay, not really. But if that phrase gives you pause (followed by a strong visceral reaction), then you'll be glad to know that in 1910 a cagey Louisiana congressman failed to sell folks on the idea of importing hippopotamuses as a low-cost meat source, euphemistically referred to as "lake cow bacon." In Smithsonian mag, Shoshi Parks has the skinny on this tangled and fascinating tale from American history, involving an explosion of water hyacinths, ambitious hippo schemers, Teddy Roosevelt—and a heartening ending for the hippo, though not so much for the steer.When you leave your dog alone for a minute... That's the tweet's title, and the 15-second video that follows leaves nothing else to say. (Thanks, AFG!)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 10 am, as a fire cart gets pulled through town to the Canaan Methodist Church, Canaan begins its commemoration of the 1923 fire that decimated its downtown.There's a full schedule of events today and tomorrow, including a church service and ringing of the bells, a chicken barbecue at the American Legion, an evening concert on the Common, a talk tomorrow by town historian Donna Zani Dunkerton and her daughter Sara Dunkerton on how citizens rebuilt the community, a Fire Department open house with firefighter Alton Hennessy discussing how the fire department battled the fire, and, opening today at 11, artist Gary Hamel’s show, “Putting the Pieces Back Together” at the Canaan Town Library. Here's the VN's Liz Sauchelli with the backstory.
Well here we are, it's June, and time for First Friday in WRJ. And there's a bunch going on. JAM is teeing up its 48-hour film slam with a launch meeting at 6 pm and then 48.5 hours later, once the films are done and everyone's exhausted, a block party and outdoor screening on Sunday at 6:30. Meanwhile, they'll have to work fast because at 7, Valley Improv takes over JAM for an evening of as-it-happens comedy (it'll also be livestreamed). Over at Kishka, a group show with over 50 artists opens at 5 pm, with each piece up for bid by silent auction throughout June to celebrate the gallery's second anniversary. At 6 pm, the Main Street Museum holds its opening celebration for its exhibition of "Cow," the paint-by-numbers extravaganza. Plus: a parking lot party with DJ Sklar behind Revolution, wine tasting at Scavenger, art demos at CraftStudies,and a whole lot more.
At 6 this evening down in Putney, Next Stage Arts presents Indian-born, Canadian singer Kiran Ahluwalia and her band, led by her Pakistani-born husband, guitarist Rez Abbasi. "Together," Next Stage writes, "they craft songs that are equal parts reflective and groovy and bring together the disparate traditions of Indian music, West African Blues and Jazz." At the Putney Inn.
This evening at 7 in Sharon (and again tomorrow evening, same time), Seven Stars Arts presents dancer and choreographer Lucia Gagliardone's new work, "while i was homegrowing". The piece, for which Gagliardone will be joined by three other dancers, "uses movement to explore a process of memory excavation as I have conversations with my father about his mother, who I never met, and seeks to unpack how her memory has become embodied in fabric and bones," she writes. "I am enthralled with the process of recreating her in memories that I do not tangibly possess." Alex Hanson also has background in the VN.
At 9 tonight, the Keene, NH-based indie-folk, cosmic-country band Modern Fools gets its Sawtooth Kitchen debut in Hanover. Their second album just came out, and while Gram Parsons may be the heart, as they told NH Mag recently, "We all grew up listening to The Beatles more than anything collectively."
From 10 to 5 tomorrow, VINS holds Remarkable Reptile Day with games, talks, wildlife encounters, and more all focused on snakes, turtles, and other reptiles (plus the occasional raptor).
Also starting at 10 am tomorrow and running until 3 pm, the Hanover Community Food Pantry is holding a food-and-personal-care-items drop at the United Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, 40 College Street (lower parking lot). They're looking for everything from toothpaste to paper towels to baking supplies and condiments. Full wish list here. They'll be repeating the first Saturday of each month. The pantry's open to shoppers on Saturdays from 10:30 to 12:30.
And if you've ever glanced out at the Connecticut and watched a solitary sculler or a packed shell glide by and wondered what that would be like, here's your chance: From 11:30 to 1:30 tomorrow at Kendal Waterfront Park in Hanover, Upper Valley Rowing is throwing a "Learn to Row" day. No link, but email [email protected] with any questions.
At 6 pm tomorrow at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, the Music Matters Concert Series closes out its run with Vermont bluegrass quintet Beg, Steal or Borrow (which, amazingly, has been around for a decade)—as Seven Days' Dan Bolles once put it, "a deeply talented group with reverence for the past and a bright future." They'll be joined by fellow VT bluegrassers Heavy Nettles (Henry Clark on mandolin, Marc Edwards on guitar, Mowgli Giannitti on bass). As always with the series, it's a benefit for the music program at the Waits River Valley School.
Tomorrow at 7:30, the First Congregational Church of Lebanon presents singer and guitarist Liz Simmons, who's part of the celebrated Brattleboro-based Americana trio Low Lily (which has a new album out). Simmons, as comfortable with traditional American folk and New Orleans jazz as with the whole modern singer-songwriter genre, will be joined by cellist Casey Murray, of the Americana quartet Corner House.
Also, folk icon John Gorka is (roughly speaking) in these parts, performing tomorrow night at 7 at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro VT and then Sunday at 7 at Next Stage Arts in Putney.
At 4 pm on Sunday at Woodstock's North Chapel, nearly 50 area residents will revive a 43-year-old production: a staged reading of actor, playwright, and innkeeper Kyran McGrath's Tales of Old Woodstock—an anthology of stories in verse form from across the first century of Woodstock's existence. There are the famous—James Monroe, Frederick Billings—and the forgotten, and there are "all these inspirational stories and funny stories. They’re not dry stories. They’re wonderful,” Sherry Belisle tells the Standard. Admission by donation.
Also at 4 pm, a kind of Who's Who of the Upper Valley music scene takes the stage at the Briggs Opera House in WRJ for "Ed Eastridge and Friends," a tribute to the storied longtime musician and guitar teacher. With Dave Richard, Canon LaBrie, Jakob Breitbach, William Ghezzi, Ted Mortimer, Billy Rosen, Glendon Ingalls, Grace Wallace, and Steve Ellis...and probably others.
And at 6 pm on Sunday, Houston-based comedian Ali Siddiq, who started his stand-up career—HBO, Comedy Central—during six years in prison in Texas, comes to the Lebanon Opera House. It's a fundraiser for Hartford Dismas House, and there will be refreshments before the show from Salt Hill Pub as well as a celebration of three prominent women: Barbara Couch, founder of the Hypertherm Hope Foundation; Tracey Dustin-Eichler, who directs the Dartmouth Center for Social impact; and VT's US Rep. Becca Balint.
And for the weekend...
As you may have heard, Paul Simon has a new album out. He retired, supposedly, in 2018 and had given his last concert, but this was urgent: a dream that he was working on a piece called "Seven Psalms," which he took as an imperative. More dreams—or messages—followed.
The result is Seven Psalms, a 33-minute set of what you might think of as hymns, in seven movements that, Simon says, should be listened to as a whole. “This whole piece is really an argument I’m having with myself about belief, or not,” he explains.
I lived a life of pleasant sorrowsUntil the real deal cameBroke me like a twig in a winter galeCalled me by my name
he sings in "Love is Like a Braid." So hey, it's the weekend.
And in case you're curious,
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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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