GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Reminder: Daybreak goes on break next Friday. But hey, you can keep at least the entertainment coming by signing up at the headline link for Daybreak Diversions, a quick, thrice-weekly hit of some of the most beguiling items and music from the past, plus Wordbreak, Lost Woods, and some items you won't have seen. Also: If you contribute monthly and want a breather on your July contribution, please email me at [email protected] and let me know.Also: Something went wrong yesterday with delivery to some Comcast inboxes. Apologies—their filters work in bewildering ways. The online version of yesterday's Daybreak is at the burgundy link.Now then... Mostly cloudy, chance of rain tonight. There's a warm front moving in, but timing and rain coverage are still a bit uncertain. It'll be cloudy today and somewhat cooler—high in the upper 60s, maybe 70—with rain arriving west to east: a slight chance this afternoon rising to a chance overnight. Lows in the mid 50s. Once it does begin, there could be localized heavy rainfall tomorrow, so keep an eye out for flash flooding.It's a rough world for a red fox. On Erin Donahue's trail cam, it starts with scratching. Ted Levin writes, "Lesions caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei have been known since Biblical times. Human infections are called scabies; animal infections mange. Detected in more than 100 species of mammals, mange can be fatal. Mites burrow under the skin. Mate. Females lay eggs. Males die. Larvae extend their mother's tunnels. Fecal matter, carcasses, exoskeletons, and eggs cause intense scratching, infection, and hair loss. Death. One word of caution: the mites are easily transferred to pets."Just chillin'. It's not at all a rough world for these kestrel chicks in Norwich. They'd been taken out to be weighed as part of VINS' kestrel box project.Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette... but you can just call him "Marquis". Two hundred years ago today, he arrived in the Upper Valley on the last leg of a year-long, 5,000-mile, 24-state farewell tour of the US—and, as Tom Ayres writes in the Standard, towns on both sides of the river are marking the occasion today and tomorrow. Links to towns and times are below in Heads Up, but Ayres gives a preview of the VT side of things: re-enactors, a wreath-laying, and a community breakfast in Windsor, a reception in the Hartland house where Lafayette stopped, a stroll through Woodstock...SPONSORED: Enjoy tunes from Quebec, New England, the British Isles, and beyond in the Colburn Park Traditional Music Festival, July 26-27. Welcoming long-time trad enthusiasts as well as newcomers, the weekend includes workshops, jamming, concerts, singing, dancing, and musical community for ages 8+, with Upper Valley Music Center faculty and guest instructors. Register here for the full weekend, or find individual tickets for the dance and faculty concert featuring Jeremiah McLane, Dan Faiella, Rachel Clemente & more great performers. Sponsored by Upper Valley Music Center.Two Dartmouth students plead guilty to serving underage drinkers in aftermath of 2024 drowning. The case stems from the death last July of 20-year-old Won Jang, who'd been at a party hosted by a Dartmouth fraternity and sorority. In the Valley News, John Lippman reports that Matthew Catrambone and Samuel Terry, both juniors, entered their pleas in Lebanon District Court June 16 and were each fined $930. Jang is not actually named as a recipient of the alcohol the pair provided; two other students, both 20, are. The difference is "academic," Hanover Police Capt. Mike Schibuloa tells Lippman."Judges are going to give people chances.” Bethel hosted an interesting meeting earlier this week, when the second in a series of "Neighborhood Conversations" on public safety brought in local defense attorney Joseph Strain to answer community members' questions. As The Herald's Maryellen Apelquist reports, the evening focused on two main strands: the legalities of ICE detentions in VT, and why people arrested in drug cases so often wind up back on the street quickly. Strain and his questioners talked over substance abuse, drug dealers, repeat arrests, and more.Upper Valley towns land serious money for infrastructure improvements. It comes from the Northern Border Regional Commission, which this week announced its spring round of awards. Newport NH got $512K to upgrade its water system, while the town's Chamber of Commerce got $500K to turn the rail depot into a welcome center. Newbury NH's John Hay Estate got $127K to reshingle the Main House roof, Sunapee got $740K to replace a bridge with a timber version, Springfield VT's bus system got $282K toward converting to micro-transit, and Woodstock got $869K to upgrade its drinking water system.SPONSORED: The fourth annual West Windsor, VT Music Festival starts tonight! Everyone is welcome to these lovely chamber music concerts with Sakiko Ohashi and friends—concerts are in the Town Hall at 22 Brownsville-Hartland Road. Friday, June 27 at 7:00 pm; Saturday, June 28 at 11:00 am (free children’s concert); Saturday, June 28 at 7:00 pm; and Sunday, June 29 at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $15 for ages 13 +, $12 for Seniors 65+, and free for children 12 and under. Tickets at the door. Sponsored by the West Windsor Music Festival.The story behind that Bradford VT bridge. Shortly after Daybreak came out yesterday, the Journal Opinion's Alex Nuti-de Biasi hit send on his newsletter describing how a Maine guy drove onto—and partly off—a wooden pedestrian bridge in town. He's got a lot more detail about the bridge than the VSP press release (along with a photo of the car sitting on it): what had been a flimsy metal-and-plank contraption spanning Hardy Brook was replaced in 2000 as an Eagle Scout project by Matt Bigl, who created big hemlock beams from wood on his property; it had to be replaced, again by locals, in 2017. A new one's no doubt on the way: The bridge suffered "extensive damage" Wednesday.Does it matter if the plant you buy at the store to put in the ground is not just native, but local? As VINS conservation scientist Desirée Narango tells WCAX's Ike Bendavid, most of the "native" plants at nurseries actually come from the Midwest—and no one knows the impact on pollinators. So she's spearheading an experiment at Cedar Circle Farm and elsewhere to study "the effect of ecotype on insect support." "Who actually is deciding to use these flowers?" she says. "Is it generalist species that would go to anything, or is it the really specialized pollinators that are very picky about their flowers?”Opera North season aims to be "an oasis." Its singing/circus mashup version of The Little Prince opens tonight (see details below), and general director Evans Haile tells the VN's Marion Umpleby that its season this year—this weekend's performances are followed by Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and then Man of La Mancha—are tied together by a desire to turn Cornish's Blow-Me-Down Farm and the performance tent into "a place that gives you a break, that allows you to go to a different world…"Meanwhile, in SoRo, brightening the world. Tunbridge artist Matthew Denton has a new exhibit up at VT Law & Grad School, and in his Upper Valley VT/NH Musings blog, Dave Celone that his colorful art—vinyl on sheet metal with images from a tree frog and avocados to Salvadore Dali, Bob Marley, and Marilyn Monroe—ranges "from the whimsical to a postmodern blend of imagery and conceptual pop." "My life is full of color!" Denton says in his artist statement. "My desire is to make you feel warm and charged."Small things with wings. Northern Woodlands' annual Moth Ball is tomorrow (see below), and in its honor, Jack Saul devotes this week's "This Week in the Woods" to three moths and a butterfly: the remarkable luna moth, which survives only on what it ate as a caterpillar; the sherbert pink-and-yellow rosy maple moth (“a contender for the Cutest Moth Award”); the bluish spring moth (that's its name, not a description, though it's kinda that, too); and the common ringlet butterfly. Hiking Close to Home: Hikes with Views of the Skyline. Here's the Upper Valley Trails Alliance's guide for perfect summer hiking: their Sunrise/Sunset Trail Guide. Five hikes close to home, like Ascutney and Bald Top, and five a bit farther away, from Moosilauke to Welch Dickey. When temps soar, hiking early or late is a great way to beat the heat while experiencing trails in a whole new light. This curated collection features Upper Valley trails offering spectacular golden-hour views. Featured trails range from easy walks to challenging climbs, each with optimal viewing directions and seasonal considerations.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because this week's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions. Like, the parent company of which local store has just filed for bankruptcy? And just what is it that the Hartford Selectboard decided to do about paid parking the other night? 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 which factor outdoor company Orvis cited when it announced plans to lay off 4 percent of its workforce?
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, what did lawmakers decide to do about the state's landfill rules this legislative session?
It was a near thing: After passing the Senate easily, it actually failed a first pass in the House by a single vote yesterday, before eventually making it through. The measure includes a compromise between Gov. Kelly Ayotte and the GOP leadership on pensions for law enforcement and firefighters, a "bell-to-bell" cellphone ban in schools, premiums for Medicaid recipients, cuts to various state agencies as well as public universities and colleges, a big school choice expansion, and more.
NH Bulletin
's Ethan DeWitt lays it out.
VTDigger
's Henry Fernandez takes a close look at the company's court filing last week. Interestingly, he writes, they "trace the decline of Gardener’s to what had once been a banner period for the Vermont-based gardening company — the pandemic." After huge growth in 2020-22, it saw declining revenues, employees cashing out stock at record-high values, software investments that went afoul, and an inability to pay off its loans. Its deal with a purchaser, Fernandez notes, doesn't include its employee stock ownership plan.
You would, too, if you saw a blinking traffic light in someone's front yard—which is what you'll encounter in the gardens of Roxbury, VT's Clarence and Violet Baker. There's also a pond, a giant bell, a barrel transformed into a pig, and various other former pieces of junk and farm equipment that Clarence has crafted into something more whimsical.
Seven Days
video journalist Eva Sollberger visited recently for a tour and conversation. "What could I make out of an old wheelbarrow?" Clarence asks, eyeing the resulting creatures.
A once-in-a-lifetime leap, frozen on film. The Big Picture photography competition showcases nature photos from around the world and aims to inspire conservation; it just announced the 2025 winners. Grand prize went to Donglin Zhou for a stupendous photo of lemurs climbing—and leaping—in Madagascar’s jagged stone peaks. On Canada’s Ellesmere Island, Amit Eshel got close enough to snow-white arctic wolves to smell their breath. And in Poland, Marcin Giba used a drone to capture a freezing lake, patterned with paw prints, that looks for all the world like an eye shedding tears.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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As you saw above, the 200th anniversary commemoration of the French general's farewell tour of these parts is this weekend. At 1 pm today, re-enactor Michael Halbert will be welcomed in Bradford, NH, before moving on to Newport, Claremont, and Cornish. One highlight to note:
Tomorrow
morning bright and early
, into VT, with full hoopla to follow. Full NH and VT schedule at the first link.
They'll be out in force, working on a movement from Schubert's Octet, and will take questions from the audience as they rehearse. 3 pm in the New Books area.
Pianists Sakiko Ohashi and Nick Saunders, with JS Bach. Festival continues tomorrow at 11 with a kids' jazz concert, then tomorrow evening with Shostakovich and Sunday afternoon with Debussy. 7 this evening, W. Windsor Town Hall.
"First comes love. Then comes chaos," the Hop writes about Roshan Sethi's 2025 film. "A charming rom-com starring Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff as an unlikely couple planning the Indian wedding of their dreams." 7 pm in the Loew.
Interplay's all-star faculty from around the country gather for "a rollicking, joyful concert. Instrumentalists and vocalists will amaze you and take your breath away!" No charge, but space is limited, so register for seats. 7 pm at KUA, 7 Campus Center Dr. in Plainfield.
. New pieces by the festival's four ChoreoLab
artists, along with guest artists Toby McNutt and Elizabeth Kurylo. 7 this evening and 3 pm tomorrow at The Barn, 1804 Pike Hill Road, Corinth.
. Circus artists, opera... ON may not have the patent, but they're close. As you saw above, The Little Prince opens tonight under the tent at Blow-Me-Down Farm in Cornish, with singers and acrobats bringing to life the score by Academy Award-winning composer, Rachel Portman. 7:30 pm, runs through Sunday—which is also Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's birthday.
Lepidopterist JoAnne Russo, a bunch of sheets, and you: moth enthusiasts eager to observe, learn about, and celebrate local moths. "Bring a camera or cell phone, a head lamp or small flashlight, and some eye protection like UV glasses, UV reading glasses or regular eyeglasses," they advise. No charge but a $5 donation would be welcome. Starts at 8:30 pm at 16 On the Common in Lyme. Indoors for a talk if it rains.
NH indie rockers "blending the raw energy of early 2000s alt-rock with modern indie — loud, melodic, and packed with emotion and energy." 9 pm.
Saturday
Things get going tomorrow morning at 9 with bike decorating for the parade, the food tent and quilt exhibit opening. Parade at 10, followed by ox pulling, music, games, and more. Food all day. At the Hanover Center green on Parade Ground Road.
Organized in conjunction with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, it's a community reading—you can show up to read, or just to listen. Noon in Colburn Park, in the First Congregational Church sanctuary if it's raining.
The northern VT-based bluegrass band originally formed in 2013 to revive the music of the legendary Grisman-Garcia-Clements bluegrass band Old and In the Way; now they're onto their own material. 6 pm at 139 Star Mountain Rd in Sharon, in the barn if it rains.
It's a chamber concert of music for winds, strings, and piano by Amy Beach (New Hampshire), Reena Esmail (India), Paquito D’Rivera (Cuba), Ruth Gipps (England), and Francisco Mignone (Brazil)—plus "the charming and ever-popular Mozart Piano Trio in Bb Major." 7 pm, Norwich Congregational Church.
Saint-Saëns, Wagner, and Schumann, under the baton of Francisco Noya and featuring cellist Ashley Bathgate. 7 pm in the Sawyer Theater at Colby-Sawyer.
Guess who it's about! Kevin MacDonald's new documentary focuses on Lennon's 1972 concert at Madison Square Garden, his only full-length show after leaving The Beatles, "a rollicking, dazzling performance from him and Yoko Ono." 7 pm at the Loew.
With western MA dance caller Liz Nelson at the mic and locals Blind Squirrel—Steve Hoffman, Erin Smith, Suzanne Long, and Eric Faro—on the strings. Instruction at 7:10, dance starts up at 7:30, wear soft, non-marking shoes.
Sunday
Sunday's is the first of three—the last Sundays in June, July, and August—starting at 10 am with a bike ride that leaves from the Braintree Hill Meetinghouse. Gates at 11, music by Acoustic Nomads and VT Bluegrass Pioneers starts at noon. Organized by the Chandler, the Ridgeline Collective, and the Braintree Historical Society.
The opening event will feature interactive performances with "cheap art sales, giant bedsheets, music, puppetry, bread + aioli, and cantastoria" throughout the market from 10 am to 1 pm, with a drumming workshop at 11:30, then an opening celebration at BALE from 1-3 pm.
It's a mural created in his Brooklyn studio by artist and musician Alberto Villalobos, accompanied by a sound installation by his brother, Luis.
The unveiling, to which the public's invited, will include an artists' chat with Alberto and local artists Wayne Carter, Juniper Kim, and Ashley Jablonski. 1 pm at the Claremont Creative Center.The Oak Hill Music Festival winds up with Schubert's Octet in F Major. The festival's talented young musicians will play a nonet by
Bohuslav Martinů before taking on Schubert's epic work, with Niv Ashkenazi and Keiko Tokunaga on violin, Daniel Orsen on viola, cellist Ana Kim, Nick Browne on bass, horn player Cody Halquist, bassoonist Leah Kohn, and clarinetist Yasmina Spiegelberg. 2 pm at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hanover.
Texas two-step, waltzes, West Coast swing, East Coast swing, and more, starting with two-step lessons at 5 pm, line dance lessons at 5:30, and then an open dance from 6-7. At the arts center in S. Pomfret.
It's been a week.
Ashley Bathgate, the Saratoga Springs-based cellist and former member of Bang on a Can All-Stars, will be at Colby-Sawyer Saturday for a performance with the Boston Civic Symphony of, among other things, Saint-Saëns'
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor
. She hardly confines herself to the classical repertoire, though, ranging into contemporary and sonically adventurous solo pieces (
). For today, though, let's slow down and take a breath:
Stay dry! 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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