GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Heads Up: No Daybreak Monday or Tuesday. Back with CoffeeBreak on Wednesday. And while we're here, a word about the rest of the summer: Daybreak won't be publishing the week of July 17, and will take another break in August. But we'll talk about all that as the time gets closer. Don't worry, Vordlers: you're covered.Mostly sunny. My fingers almost didn't know how to find the keys to type that. High pressure's building in, but it's going to be brief, so don't get used to this. For today, though, let's revel: dry air, more sun than clouds once this morning's cover disappears... but also a slight chance of rain late, as the weather shifts moods again. Highs today around 80, low 60s tonight.By the way, air quality may worsen today. Yup. Smoke. Both VT and NH have issued advisories. At the moment the Upper Valley is doing okay, but that yellow "moderate" zone is spreading. Check the link.Charismatic fauna, mini and mega.
For starters, here's Cynthia Crawford's short video of a short-tailed weasel (it'll be an all-white ermine in the winter) in Norwich.
And Yue Huang's short video of a mother duck and her ducklings out for a twilight jaunt by the Wilder Dam.
And a still of a bear family wandering through Holly Drew's yard in Vershire.
The housing crisis is hitting everywhere, including the small towns of the White River Valley. And homelessness there, writes Darren Marcy in the Herald, "doesn’t look like it does in the city." Instead, people sleep in their cars or the laundromat, hope to find a friend, or head to Hartford or Barre, where there are more services. In the lead piece to a series on homelessness in the region, Marcy notes that the region has no shelters—or even motels—and that even getting a handle on numbers is tough. “Right now, I am just so petrified,” says one 76-year-old whose rental home is being sold out from under her.Inundated by fall tourists, officials and residents of S. Pomfret have lost their patience. Among other things, they're talking about closing Cloudland and Barber Hill roads to all but residents, writes Tom Ayres in the Standard. As you may know, Sleepy Hollow Farm there may be the most photographed spot in VT, and hundreds of tourists a day make their way there in the fall. The locals are tired: "Some people here don’t want to leave their homes for the entire foliage season because they just can’t bear it," says Cloudland Farm's Cathy Emmons. Officials are looking for a fix—and begging Woodstock tourism officials not to tout Sleepy Hollow in their marketing.Speaking of road closings.... The short stretch of Route 14 in Hartford Village between Ferry Crossing Road and Christian Street will shut down for two months starting Wednesday, the Valley News reports. The detour will run across VA Cutoff and along Mill Road. It's part of a multi-year project to replace the bridge over the White and realign the roads.Leb school district hit by ransomware attack. It happened on June 15, reports Nora Doyle-Burr in the VN, and so far, "the district has not found evidence that unauthorized acquisition or misuse of personal information occurred," outgoing Supt. Joanne Roberts tells her. Lebanon Police Lt. Richard Norris, who runs his department’s cyber crimes unit, reports there was an initial demand letter that didn't actually request money. "The department is on the lookout on the 'dark web' for evidence that any data gathered from the attack is being used maliciously," Doyle-Burr writes.SPONSORED: Solar power is on a roll. Have you moved ahead yet? The US solar industry posted record growth in the first quarter of 2023. Now, thanks to a flood of tax incentives and new rules, US solar power capacity is set to nearly triple over the next five years! There are plenty of financial incentives being offered now to electrify your future, and there's never been a better time to do so. Hit the burgundy link to see more on those incentives—and the projections for how solar will grow. Sponsored by Solaflect Energy."The most open art venue in the Upper Valley." The VN's Alex Hanson is talking about Sculpturefest in Woodstock, and he means it two ways: It's out in plain air, and you can wander it at your leisure from dawn to dusk for much of the year. On Sunday, it opens for its 35th year, and Hanson talks to Charlet Davenport (who founded it on the land she and her husband Peter own) about how it came about and became such a huge draw for sculptors who like to work big and viewers who like to see the results. Since they had horses early on, Hanson writes, they told artists, “It has to be horse-friendly and winter-worthy.”Word of the day: unumer. Nah, don't bother looking it up. It's what Jorja, a nine-year-old artist, calls the blend of a unicorn and mermaid she drew and glass artist Jocelyn Brown turned into a real sculpture. "GLASSTASTIC touches my heart every time," writes Susan Apel of the annual show at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, in which schoolkids draw creatures and glass artists create them in 3D. Also there: Human Nature Walk, a site-specific installation by Aurora Robson using plastic debris. And over in Manchester VT, Susan writes, the much-awaited Red Dress exhibition opens in the US tomorrow.SPONSORED: Osher lecture series focuses on China. Chinese Major General (Ret.) Zhang Li and US Navy Rear Admiral Michael Studeman meet July 14 for an unprecedented, in-person conversation about tensions between China and the U.S. and suggestions for a way forward. It's part of the Osher Summer Lecture Series, “China and the United States: Can Competitive Coexistence Be Maintained?”, running Fridays from July 7-Aug. 11. Presented with the Dickey Center, the series is open to the public, both livestreamed and in-person at LOH. Sponsored by Osher at Dartmouth."It’s always bittersweet. You know you can’t keep them. You don’t want to keep them." But as Ethan Kilham tells New England Public Media's Nancy Eve Cohen, having raised a bear since he or she was a cub, it's also tough to let go. Right now at the Kilham Bear Center in Lyme, there's a lot of letting go, as the center releases this year's bumper crop of 137 rescues back into the wild. Cohen talks to Ethan—the only human the bears interact with—and Debbie and Ben Kilham about their work, and to wildlife officials about the Kilhams' impact. And follows along as Dutch, a 143-pound male, is released. Plus pics.Hiking Close to Home: Shumway Forest Trails, Moose Mountain, Hanover and Enfield. In honor of Jim and Carol Baum "and their lasting legacy of promoting conservation and recreation in the area," the Upper Valley Trails Alliance points out the Shumway Forest—which includes the Baum Conservation Area—and its nearly 17-mile network of diverse, moderate-level trails, including the views from the Moose Mountain Ridge Trail. To access the Baum trails, from Enfield Village on Route 4, turn north on Maple Street, bear left at the junction with May Street, and drive 3.1 miles.It's a timely recommendation, because the land has just been in the news. As Patrick Adrian writes in the VN, the Baums bought the land in 2005 from the town; Jim Baum died in April, and now the foundation he and his wife founded is giving the three parcels of conservation area, totaling 238 acres, to the town Conservation Commission, along with $50,000 to cover maintenance costs. Earlier this week, the selectboard authorized the commission to accept it.Meanwhile, a bit farther afield, the Franconia Ridge Loop is getting a makeover this summer. The legendary loop—which includes the Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail, Greenleaf Trail, and Old Bridle Path—can see upwards of 1,000 hikers a day at peak times, notes the Conway Daily Sun. All the trails have seen significant wear, and portions of the Falling Waters Trail, with its numerous river crossings, have been heavily damaged by recent storms. The multi-year project is aimed at making trails "able to withstand changing weather patterns and increased use," the Sun writes.“They’re not going to bite your toes. They’re just doing their job. They’re going to die, and just leave them alone.” VT Public’s Howard Weiss-Tisman looks at why sea lampreys don’t get the love they deserve. Could it be because the “parasitic, eel-like fish attaches its sharp teeth to other fish and sucks out their blood”? Or because they are dining out in Lake Champlain, where they aren’t supposed to be? Their ancestors go back 400 million years, and lampreys belong in the CT but are now challenged by dams, fish ladders, and people. Biologists say the species plays an important role alive—cleaning waters—and dead: as a source of nutrients for other creatures in their habitat.Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions for you. Like, which business founded in West Leb was just sold to a national chain? And where's Keene-based The Works Café looking to expand to? And in which New England city did that black bear invade a backyard barbecue? 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 why Amtrak's Adirondack Line won't be going all the way to Montreal for a while—plus other questions from around the state.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, what did the legislature just do about campaign contributions from political committees?
Out-of-state professionals will soon find it easier to work in NH. That's because Gov. Chris Sununu just signed a bill allowing everyone from cosmeticians to physicians who are licensed elsewhere to have their credentials accepted by the state—as long as their own state's requirements are “substantially similar” to New Hampshire’s, reports NH Bulletin's Annmarie Timmins. And there's the rub: Determining that will be up to the state Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, and each reciprocity decision will have to be approved by a legislative committee. That will all take a while.In VT, Phil Scott vetoes bottle redemption expansion. The bill had sought to make water, juice, and sports drink bottles returnable for a five-cent deposit, and create a 15-cent deposit for wine bottles, reports Seven Days' Kevin McCallum. Scott said he was concerned the "dramatic" expansion might impose too great a cost on consumers and cut into successful curbside recycling programs.
On the other hand, reports Digger's Lola Duffort, Scott yesterday signed legislation extending the state's emergency housing program until April for about 2,000 people. The bill's got plenty of caveats—Duffort digs into them, as well as how the 11th-hour deal came together.
With human-bear interactions on the rise, VT has some composting advice. “We have been receiving lots of reports of bears on decks, tearing down bird feeders, wrecking beehives, killing chickens, and getting into trash, compost and garbage containers,” VT bear biologist Jaclyn Comeau says. Hence the advice, including: no meat, bones, or seafood; mix your compost frequently; if it smells, add more brown material and maybe sawdust on top; and hey, you can always take it to the transfer station or a drop-off station (if you're in VT) if bears are active in your neck of the woods.Concord, Montpelier among most-forgotten state capitals in the country. At least, that's what the results of the state capitals quiz on the game site Sporcle show. In the Journal Opinion newsletter, Alex Nuti-de Biasi notes that Concord was the second most-forgotten capital in the country (Jefferson City, MO takes top honors) and Montpelier 6th. "Our take?" he writes. "Alliteration helps. If the painfully bland Dover, Delaware can crack the top half, then New Hampton and Vergennes have compelling cases for capital relocation." Chart at the link.The stars are aligned. Among the many photo competitions, the most wondrous just might be the Astronomy Photography of the Year, hosted by the Royal Museums Greenwich. The shortlist was announced this week. A Wolf Rayet Bubble, solar flares, night skies over Namibia, a comet over the Negev... Entries (thousands, according to the competition) come from around the globe. Photographers at an observatory in Chile describe their photo of material ejected by a star: “This just looks like you can hear it sizzling!”Road trip! Well, on the screen, anyway. Just to help you appreciate this vast country over the long weekend, Atlas Obscura's got a new maze from Michelle Boggess-Nunley, who happens to hold the Guinness Record for the biggest hand-drawn maze. Her latest is the US, with sights all over the country, from the Paul Bunyan statue in Bangor to the Poppy Reserve in Antelope Valley, CA. They're clickable—so you can read all about the Alien Research Center in Hiko, Nevada or the giant prairie dog in Philip, SD. Don't worry: Sleepy Hollow Farm isn't on there.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. There'll be reminders going out Monday and Tuesday morning next week, too. If you'd like that, sign up here.
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This evening at 7, the Norwich Bookstore hosts mystery writer—and former Down East magazine editor—Paul Doiron, reading from and discussing the latest in his series on Maine Game Warden Investigator Mike Bowditch, Dead Man's Wake. It all starts at Bowditch's engagement party at a lake house, when he hears the sound of a Jet Ski—running illegally at night—and then the sound of a thump. He and others find a body, which leads to the discovery of a second one. And then things get complicated.
Also at 7, Seven Stars Arts in Sharon hosts the Sterling String Quartet. "In addition to our classical music chops," they write, "we also enjoy playing Gershwin, Ellington, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen and other composers of the big band era, but with a string quartet twist"—and with a Boccherini passacalle thrown in for good measure. Tix at the door.
And also at 7, you can go see Ang Lee's masterpiece, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, on the big screen at the Loew, as Hop Film kicks off its summer series of films.
Tonight at 7:30, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra comes as close as it's going to come to these parts on its annual summer festival tour, with a concert at Saskadena Six in S. Pomfret. The orchestra and its conductor, Michelle di Russo, will be joined by guest trumpeter and jazz legend Ray Vega for a concert of swing, jazz, spirituals, and marches. The weather's looking pretty darn great this evening. Gates open at 5:30. Bring a picnic.
Also at 7:30, and a far cry from swing and marches, Adam Berry, host of the Travel Channel ghost-hunting show Kindred Spirits, will be at the Briggs Opera House in WRJ with his touring show, "Real Ghost Stories with Adam Berry." The show, the promo says, "will feature some of Mr. Berry’s most unique and spooky stories and personal experiences," along with "first-hand accounts of true paranormal experiences and investigations." There's a Q&A afterward and, if you feel like plumping for the $78 VIP ticket, "a chance to join Adam in a private paranormal investigation of the Opera House, which itself has long been rumored to be haunted."
For the first time in three years, the internationally renowned Chosen Vale International Trumpet Seminar (but you can just call it Chosen Vale) has been back at the Enfield Shaker Museum for a two-week session. Tonight at 8 (with a pre-show talk at 7:30) and then again tomorrow at 4 (pre-show talk at 3:30), the faculty and students will give a free trumpet concert in the Mary Keane Chapel. Musicians this year are from Australia, France, Italy, Latvia, Spain, and the US. Here's more on the Center for Advanced Musical Studies and the seminar.
Saturday
Things get going in earnest tomorrow for the multi-day windup to the Fourth of July. There's the Mascoma Lake Boat Parade at 3 pm; Vershire's 5K run at 9 am followed by afternoon activities, a chicken bbq, and fireworks at dusk; Strafford's festivities starting at 9:30 am with a road race and moving onto its parade at 11:30, games throughout the afternoon, and the VFD chicken bbq at 5; Lyme's parade and festivities starting at 11; Sunapee's parade at noon and fireworks over the harbor at 9 pm. The VN pulls everything together here, including fireworks nights and times and community readings of Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech, “What to the American slave is your Fourth of July?” (11 am on the Quechee Green on Saturday, 11 am on the 4th in Leb's Colburn Park).
At 1 pm tomorrow, the fourth summer of improvisational jazz concerts organized by Bill Cole—what used to be the Front Porch series—gets underway at the Congregational Church on Thetford Hill. Cole, on double-reed horns and didgeridoo, will be joined by Joseph Daley on tuba and baritone horn; Ras Moshe on sax and flute; Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet and trombone, and Mali Obomsawin on standup bass.
At 6 tomorrow evening, Whaleback brings in the Adam Ezra Group for an outdoor concert at the mountain. Bring a blanket or chairs, food and drink available to buy on site, gates open at 4 pm.
At 9 pm tomorrow, Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover brings in NJ-based singer-songwriter Madhavi Devi
Sunday
And on Sunday, Sculpturefest 2023 (see above) opens on Charlet and Peter Davenport's land on Prosper Road in Woodstock, with a 3 pm chance to meet this year's artists, and music at 4:30 by Sonny Saul and Grace Marie Wallace. Featured artist this year is Londonderry VT's Stefania Urist, who works in phragmites, or reeds that grow in wetlands.
And we'll go into the weekend with...
Okay, it's maybe a little off-key right before July 4th to head over to England. But a few days ago, before an immense crowd that had been building all day at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, Sir Elton gave what he told his audience "might be my last show ever in England."
And fireworks. Just to get you in the mood.
Have a great weekend and a fantastic Fourth! See you on Wednesday 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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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
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