GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Showery. And maybe thundery. So, you remember that cold front? It's here, bringing us a chance of rain all morning and a likelihood this afternoon and evening, with a chance of thunderstorms—possibly packing winds and small hail—from noon until about midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, highs in the upper 70s, winds from the south shifting to the north overnight, low about 60.Porcupine. Caught on Erin Donahue's trail cam in E. Thetford. Ted Levin writes: "The Great American Interchange is not a fusion band. It's the event that shaped the biota of South and North America. For eons, S. America remained splendidly isolated, an island continent with its own strange bestiary. When the Isthmus of Panama rose out of the ocean over 20 million years ago, the Great American Interchange began. More than half of South American mammals have North American roots (llamas, cats, tapirs, raccoons, bears, dogs). Three South American mammals survived the move north. The porcupine is one."Rats! An early-morning brain freeze yesterday caused me to leave off Liz Fletcher's name from her work Passaconaway at Sculpturefest in Woodstock, making it appear in the Daybreak item on Eric Sutphin's fine (and accurate) VN writeup as if it was by a different sculptor. Apologies all around, and thanks to you sharp-eyed readers who noticed."Are you two going to spend all day looking at yourselves?" When it comes to Auk and Eddy—especially Auk—at the little pond in Lost Woods, the answer would be yes. As he does every week, Lebanon writer and illustrator DB Johnson chronicles the doings in Lost Woods—and on his blog he writes about Henry David Thoreau's penchant for paradox: walking is the fastest way to travel, a house can be so small that it contains the world outside it...Springfield hires a police chief. It's a challenging time to take over, what with a recent run of shootings, a depleted police force, and struggles recruiting officers. But Jeff Burnham, who's currently deputy chief in Lincoln, NH, is up for it. "I'm looking forward to the challenges," he tells VTDigger's Ethan Weinstein. "I like the puzzle, and I want to work.” "Jeff’s positive energy is wonderful—I think it’s a breath of fresh air. I think the community is going to love him,” Town Manager Jeff Mobus told the selectboard when he announced the hiring.Meanwhile, VT State Police ask public's help in identifying Springfield McDonald's burgler. The burglary actually took place in July, but the VSP just put out surveillance footage of a suspect clearly sneaking around the kitchen.SPONSORED: “There is just no way we’d be able to afford to eat this well without Farm Share. It makes being healthy possible for my family.” Everyone has a right to nutritious, healthy food and farmers have a right to earn a living from growing it. Farm Shares—from the Northeast Organic Farming Associations of VT and NH—are reduced-price CSA shares for households in need. Contribute to The Local Crowd Upper Valley's Farm Shares campaign and support healthy local food for all. The first $500 in donations will be matched by King Arthur Baking Company! Sponsored by Vital Communities.Aubuchon proposing to expand retailing in S. Royalton. The MA-based company bought Welch's True Value on Rte. 14 west of downtown six months ago and turned it into an Aubuchon Hardware. Now, reports Dylan Kelley in The Herald, Aubuchon Realty wants to build a new store across the parking lot. Speculation in town, including at the planning commission, has focused on whether Aubuchon plans to bring in a Dollar General; the company's president says "that is not true" and that the firm is exploring options including auto parts stores, grocery stores, and discount stores.Randolph's One Main Tap & Grill goes up for sale. And it could be yours for $250K, according to a Craigslist post that went up Wednesday, pointed out by The Herald's Tim Calabro. The pub, featuring an array of local food and beers, ciders, and wine, was opened in 2014 by Randolph Union grads Shane Niles and Josh Niebling in the old Patrick's Place at the corner of Main St and Merchants Row. It seats 56 indoors, 20 outdoors, and has 24 taps. "Excellent condition and ready for your new venture," runs the listing.Joni Cole is rethinking the writing process—and you can learn how first-hand next week. Artful's Susan Apel sat down with Cole, the longtime WRJ-based writing coach and essayist, to talk about Cole's upcoming writing workshops—next week at Still North, later at the Norwich Historical Society and Enfield Public Library. There's a new, expanded edition of Cole's myth-busting writing guide, Good Naked, which makes clear that many writers have preconceptions "that hobble their productivity and add unacceptable levels of misery to the experience," as Susan writes.“I kind of feel like a mad scientist in the kitchen." That's April Lawrence, who with her husband, Ben Pauly, runs Farmer and the Bell, the line-around-the-porch weekend doughnut spot in Quechee. In the Quechee Times, Rose Terami talks to Lawrence and Pauly about their venture: the challenges of perfecting French crullers—“There (are) like ten different ways to mess it up,” Lawrence says; their move from summer pop-up to year-round weekend tenant of the Parker House; and plans to expand the menu—like a new savory cheddar and bacon scone with whipped maple herb butter.Hiking Close to Home: Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish. You can visit the home, gardens, studio, and sculptures of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, of course. But the Upper Valley Trails Alliance points out that the 190-acre property also features two hiking trails: the quarter-mile Ravine Trail along Blow-Me-Down Brook, and the 1.5-mile Blow-Me-Down Trail, with brook, mill, and pond views. Both offer plenty of wildlife; in all, over 200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish have been found there. $10 entry fee (good for 7 days) for adults; kids 15 or younger are free.Ascutney mountain bike skills park opens. And three flow trails are due to follow this fall. "With all its dips, banked turns, and angled, wooden jumps, the [skills] park looks daunting to non-bikers and the uninitiated," the Vermont Standard writes. But W. Windsor's Aaron Day, a tech ed teacher at Windsor High who oversaw construction for the Ascutney Trails Association, says looks are misleading. “When it was first built, everyone was thinking, ‘Wow, I am not going to be able to ride this.’ What’s interesting is that it was built to be very forgiving," he tells the Standard. Been paying attention this week? Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions for you. Like, what does LISTEN stand for? And why'd that guy from Massachusetts get busted in Lebanon? And what kind of dog was it that distracted the bear attacking its owner? You'll find those and other questions at the maroon link.Speaking of dogs, a worrisome respiratory infection is making its way around boarding facilities in NH's Hillsborough County. It presents like kennel cough but can quickly progress to difficulty breathing and pneumonia. Vets haven't zeroed in on what it is. So far, it's concentrated around Nashua, Milford, and Manchester, and seems to have started at a single dog daycare and then spread. “If I was anywhere near that area," a MA vet tells Boston.com, "I would be saying, ‘You know what, I’m not sold that doggy daycare is that much better for my dog than getting a chew bone and a Kong.'"NH AG's office busts newspaper publisher for leaving “Paid For by” label off political ads. The election law unit had warned Debra Paul, publisher of the Londonderry Times, in 2019 and 2021, the AG's office said in a press release yesterday. Now she's being charged with six misdemeanor counts for not properly labeling ads for school board candidates and budget proposals earlier this year—charges that carry a maximum penalty of up to one year in county jail and a fine of up to $2,000. "With multiple unsolved homicides over the past year, this seems a bit absurd,” Paul tells the Daily Beast's Corbin Bolies.As drought extends its grip, wells are drying and wildfires growing. Typically, the head of the NH Forest Protection Bureau tells NH Bulletin's Amanda Gokee, 250 acres or so burn each year. So far this year, 210 acres have already burned, and the one- to three-acre fires the state is seeing can take days to put out, especially because surface water sources are drying up. Moderate drought now covers all of Sullivan County and is inching into Grafton, according to the latest US Drought Monitor map. In VT, all of Windsor County and about half of Orange County are now in moderate drought. State law enforcement agencies in VT "fine-tune" responsibilities. The moves by the law-enforcement arms of the DMV, Fish & Wildlife, and Liquor & Lottery are aimed at freeing up state police resources, which have been stretched thin. Yesterday's VSP press release says L&L officers will investigate all alcohol-related crashes involving liquor licenses and handle enforcement for the Cannabis Control Board; the DMV will handle crashes involving commercial vehicles and step up its enforcement presence on highways; and game wardens will deal with hunting-related shootings and issues on state lands."One of the most dramatic restructurings in the recent history of higher education." That's how Inside Higher Ed co-founder Doug Lederman describes the merging of Northern Vermont U, Vermont Technical College, and Castleton U into the new Vermont State University. Born out of crisis, the newly accredited institution will share programs across campuses and rely on "hybrid forms of learning." Lederman goes deep into how VT's public colleges fell on hard times, how the new university came about (despite Castleton's opposition), and faculty concern about restructuring and the "hybrid" model.“There’s a lot of epicness on this road.” That’s how a farmstand owner in Stockbridge sums up VT Route 100. Another, a stone worker, calls it “the golden ribbon.” And in Gov. Phil Scott’s estimation, the road “really is quintessential Vermont.” Five Seven Days writers set out to explore the entire length of the iconic state route, a tag-team travelogue packed with state parks, smash burgers, local arts, and turnip seeds. The stretch from Killington to Warren spotlights a thriving creative scene that includes a vase maker, a glassblower, and a master woodcarver whose birds are astoundingly lifelike. Live-stream a deep-sea voyage into the unexplored Atlantic. While NASA’s Webb telescope peers ever farther outward, NOAA Ocean Exploration journeys deeper inward to observe the 80 percent of underwater earth never seen before. Inverse has an interactive feature showcasing some of the sea-creature footage that NOAA’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) has been collecting a mile deep along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge since May. (Use your left/right arrow keys to navigate.) And until Monday, you can watch a narrated live feed of the ROV as it scopes the ocean floor—like deep-sea pioneering in real time!The Friday Vordle. Okay, Vordlers! I've seen that crazed look in your eyes (lookin' at you, PS). Bowing to popular demand, Daybreak will now send a reminder email each weekend morning. If you signed up for the vacation Vordle emails in the past, you don't need to do anything. If you haven't, go here to do so. BUT THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure you use the email address you already use for Daybreak. Otherwise, you'll start getting Daybreak twice.
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Well, it's a drive, but really, how could you not? The North Country Moose Festival gets underway today at 3 pm in Colebrook, NH with a street fair, helicopter rides, live music, a classic car parade, and fireworks. Then, tomorrow at 10, it picks up across the river in Canaan, VT (way at the tippy top) with the Axe Women Loggers of Maine, and dog show, and moose-calling and maple-syrup-tasting contests.
If you're up for dinner and music (and the weather cooperates), starting at 5:30 this evening jazz guitarists Billy Rosen and Ted Mortimer will be set up and keeping the music flowing until 8:30 on the Lebanon Mall, between Three Tomatoes and Salt Hill. Tomorrow evening, it's the Fred Haas Trio featuring vocalist Sabrina Brown. (No link.)
And at the same time, at Skunk Hollow Tavern in Hartland Four Corners, Sensible Shoes (Barbara Blaisdell on keyboards and vocals, Tim Utt on guitar and vocals, Pooh Sprague on bass, Steve Drebber on drums) will be offering up their mix of original work (they've got a year-old album out) and covers. Fair weather only.
At 6 this evening, Pentangle Arts' Music By the River series continues at East End Park in Woodstock with the Freese Brothers Big Band and Sabrina Brown. The men and women who make up the band come from central and southern NH, range from professional musicians to high school students, and they definitely know how to swing. Jazz vocalist Brown is one of the founders of Interplay Jazz and Arts (and a former Pentangle executive director). In Woodstock's Town Hall Theater if it's raining.
Tomorrow from 10-4, Corinth artist Chris Groschner is holding a pop-up gallery in Cookeville—look for the small wooden door next to the Crossmolina Farm Market on the village green. "A little bit Steampunk, a little bit Vermont," Vershire's Anne Strainchamps writes, his "cigar box collages and surrealist sculptures are like the magical stepchildren of Neil Gaiman and Edward Hopper."
Tomorrow at 1, Windsor's What Doth Life collective kicks off its third DIY Music Festival with a dozen local artists at the Windsor Exchange. "We call it the DIY Music Festival," they write, "to highlight the independent spirit of original artists and entrepreneurs. Many venues in the area prefer to book cover bands and ignore original, left-of-the-dial music. The situation has only worsened during the pandemic as small, independent venues have shut down or scaled back operations." Derek and the Demons, McAsh, Dutch Experts, Chodus, and others. Plus a variety of vendors. Runs until 11 pm.
And tomorrow at 6 pm, Star Mountain Events in Sharon brings in Drumstick (Brandon Klarich and Rory Loughran on drums/percussion and vocals, and Jofus on Chapman stick and vocals) for an evening of reggae covers and original tunes.
On Sunday at 2 pm, the Justin Morrill Homestead in Strafford is hosting landscape historian and master gardener Margie Carpenter for a talk on Justin Smith Morrill's landscape plans and plantings, which he filled with new plants just being introduced to this country from Europe, Asia, and South America.
And at 7 pm on Sunday, Thetford playwright Duncan Nichols' "utopian musical" play Myth Makers has its one-evening run at the Hotel Coolidge in WRJ. With a cast of local actors that includes Kate Magill, Chico Eastridge, Chris Hebb, Neal Meglathery, Ria Blaas, Dan Deneen, and others, paintings by Antoinette Jacobson, and plenty of music. It's a fundraiser for Hartford/Lebanon housing activists Doorways into Good Shelter.
Lizzie No burst onto the folk scene with her 2017 debut album, then made it big on the college radio circuit with her followup a couple of years later. "She's got a way of writing songs that are tender, incisive, gentle and intense, all at the same time," NPR said recently. She's a double threat on guitar and harp—and if you follow the folk world, you may also know her as the co-host with Cindy Howes of the
Basic Folk
podcast.
—which has the added allure of having been produced by the Listen To The Dog Collective.
Have a very fine 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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