GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Sun's back! After the fog and early clouds. First, let's hold the people of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas in our thoughts as they're hammered by hurricane and flood. Up here, it's a mild, dry day, with temps reaching a bit above normal: up to 70 or above by late afternoon. Otherwise, more sun than clouds, winds from the northwest, down to 50 or a bit below tonight.A good time to look back. And you'll want to set aside some time for Etna photographer Jim Block's latest blog post, which covers his summer of picture-taking and plenty of his usual how-on-earth-did-he-get-that? photos. So many birds, including a beautiful gray catbird, a Harris hawk on the wing and a green heron and red-shouldered hawk likewise, plus a downright Sibley's guide of others, all around the Upper Valley. Bonus at the end: the partial lunar eclipse."Like taking a sledgehammer to the community.” It's fair to say that people in Randolph are not fans of the big new report on VT's health care system, with its recommendation that Gifford Medical Center and a few other small hospitals slash services. In the Herald, Isabel Dreher checks in with Gifford leaders, who raise issues about potential economic and community fallout and the report's focus. “[It] didn’t reflect the lived experiences of Vermonters,” says Gifford's incoming president. “I worry that the consultant and other policymakers are seeing Vermont as they wish it to be, rather than as it actually is."As Woodstock mulls whether to consider town, village merger, it's been there before. It was there in 1957, when a merger failed by 11 votes, and in 1981 (sort of) and in 1983 and in 2007. Now, as merger discussions have rekindled, Lauren Dorsey looks both back and forward in the Standard. In public votes in 1983 and 2007, Dorsey writes, proponents argued for efficiency and tax fairness, while opponents worried about village services and uniqueness. These days, the issues are affordability and the workload on municipal staff. "I feel I’m drowning in this job," municipal manager Eric Duffy told the combined town boards recently. They'll take up the issue again.Around Hanover, the "largest investment in infrastructure” in Dartmouth's history is under way. Nope, not the new dorm projects, though they figure in. It's the campus-wide decarbonization project, which among other things has building being renovated, new hot water heating systems going into the ground, distribution piping likewise, drilling for a first heat-exchange borefield slated to begin at Chase Athletic Field next month, and, eventually, a new central heat-pump plant. In The Dartmouth, Katherine Ginger takes a look at the project, the plans, and the construction.SPONSORED: Get ready for the very first New Hampshire Book Festival! The inaugural festival will bring 50 nationally recognized authors to downtown Concord Oct. 4 and 5, to share their books and experiences with adults and kids. On Saturday, Oct. 5, it's a full day of free author panels and conversations for all ages—plus a book-sale tent, food trucks, and more along South Main St. Keynote events are on Friday with NY Times-bestselling author and Dartmouth alum Jean Hanff Korelitz and Saturday with Newbery medalist Kate DiCamillo. Info at the burgundy link or here. Sponsored by the NH Book Festival. Did you check out "Dear Daybreak" yesterday? As you know by now, it's a collection of short items from readers around the Upper Valley, and keeping it going will depend on you. If you've got an anecdote or a photo or story that'll make us laugh about living in these parts, hit the burgundy link and send it in! And if you didn't see yesterday's edition, here it is!Tomorrow afternoon in Woodstock, tango as metaphor, medium, and muse. After over a decade of work, Hartford playwright Joy Kosta and Wilder composer Bob Merrill are putting their musical-in progress, Tango Tonight!, before a live audience in a staged reading (and singing and dancing) hosted by Pentangle Arts. In the Standard, Nathan Douglas Gardner checks in, with its cast of seasoned local actors and three guest tango champions. It's "an invitation for people to discover tango,” says actor Katie Kitchel. “It’s more than a dance — it’s a way of connecting.”SPONSORED: Take a trip down memory lane with The Doo Wop Project at Lebanon Opera House on Sunday, October 6. Love the classic sounds of Frankie Valli or The Drifters? Ever wonder what Maroon 5 or Jason Mraz would sound like if they had lived in the Doo Wop era? Featuring stars from the Broadway hits Jersey Boys, Motown: The Musical, and A Bronx Tale, The Doo Wop Project brings vocal excellence, thrilling choreography, fashion, and fun to the LOH stage. Sponsored by Lebanon Opera House.Hiking Close to Home: Leaf-Peeping Edition. Sure, you could drive over to the Whites or the Greens. No one would blame you. But there's plenty to do right around here, as the Upper Valley Trails Alliance's Kaitie Eddington makes clear in a guide to great foliage hikes around the Upper Valley, including Mt. Peg in Woodstock, several stretches of the Cross Rivendell Trail, Holt's Ledge in Hanover, Wright's Mountain in Bradford, and Cole Pond in Enfield.But hey, if you want to drive, Outside's got some VT recommendations. Actually, it's really Upper Valley journalist and travel writer Meg Lukens Noonan who's got them, in profiles of nine of "the most beautiful places to check out Vermont’s big show." She's got mountain biking recommendations for Mts. Ascutney and Tom, as well as hiking and biking and "don't miss" suggestions in Underhill, Shelburne, on the Kingdom Trails, up the chairlift at Mad River Glen, atop Mt. Equinox in Mansfield, plus Bennington and Newfane.Wondering whether really vibrant colors will actually show up? “The great fall show begins with kind of a dull show." That's former VT parks commissioner Mike Snyder talking to Happy Vermont's Erica Houskeeper. He's been working on this theory: "The first wave of color...it includes a lot of the poor, unhealthy leaves that had a rough summer," he explains. They turn "in this pale, dusky, muted way. But it’s not over because that’s just a veil of leaves on the surface of the forest. Once those leaves are gone...there’s still a lot of green left, and [it] starts to change in much more vibrant, distinctive ways."Been paying attention to Daybreak? Because Daybreak's Upper Valley News Quiz has some questions for you. Like, which Hanover store is due to close the middle of next month? And, shucks, what's the name of the café that just opened in WRJ? Those and other vital questions at the link.But wait! How closely were you following VT and NH?
Because Seven Days wants to know if you know what kind of school a university in Michigan wants to open in Vermont.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, what percentage of New Hampshire renters are spending more than 30% of their income on rent?
NH Biden robocall guy gets hit with $6 million fine. Steve Kramer, the political consultant who was allegedly behind the whole February scheme to keep Democratic voters away from the polls, has been ordered by the Federal Communications Commission to pay up, reports NHPR's Todd Bookman. “Let me be very clear. If you flood our phones with this junk, we will find you and you will pay,”FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement yesterday. Kramer told NBC back then he'd coordinated the calls as a warning against deepfakes.Maybe second time's the charm? NH again chooses buyer for former Laconia State School site. You may remember the hoo-hah back in April when the first proposed developer couldn't come up with the money. Now, reports Annmarie Timmins in NH Bulletin, the Exec Council has approved a $10.5 million sale to NH developer Michael Kettenbach—even though, as Timmins writes, Kettenbach "has two years to close, and the project may begin with commercial development, not the housing city officials say is desperately needed." The state has been trying to market the site for years.If you're a registered voter in Vermont, keep an eye out for your general election ballot. Unlike for town meeting and the August primary, Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas's office started sending ballots out Monday to every active registered voter in the state. Hanzas is now out with a helpful summary of the various ways to vote: mailing the ballot in to your town clerk's office; bringing it in to the clerk's office; dropping it in an official ballot drop box; or bringing it to the polls on Nov. 5 (you'll need to sign an affidavit to get a new ballot if you don't have it with you).
NH, of course, has a different approach. Here are its rules on getting an absentee ballot.
That Quechee State Park print is a knockout! And the one for Barnard's Silver Lake isn't bad, either. The first Vermont state park, Mt. Philo in Charlotte, was established 100 years ago, and in the centennial's honor, a Burlington arts boutique called Common Deer five years ago started commissioning a bunch of artists to create prints dedicated to each one. In Seven Days, Leah Krason profiles the project, which now has 27 prints and still a long way to go. Krason talks to several of the artists about their experiences; a portion of the proceeds goes to Vermont Parks Forever. Here's the collection so far.In for a penny... We started with birds, let's (almost) end with birds: in this case, the Bird Photographer of the Year winners. A peregrine fledgling playing with a butterfly, a stunning photo of Mute Swans in England, an Adélie penguin tobogganing, South African shrikes huddled together for warmth on a wire at night... As The Guardian's collection—with photographers' comments—makes clear, birds' lives are a bit of everything: fun and games, heartache, death from below—or, in the case of window collisions, straight ahead. There are beautiful images in here, and startling ones, and plenty to keep your eyes open.Speaking of startling images... The BBC asked Australian climber and photographer Simon Carter to showcase five of the world's most beautiful rock climbing spots. He does, and if you're a climber you can drool at his written descriptions, with the BBC's Graeme Green. But if you're a mere mortal like the rest of us, it's the photos that'll stop your breath. Seriously. People can do that?
Daybreak doesn't get to exist without your support. Help it stick around by hitting the maroon button:
We may be the middle of nowhere to everyone else in VT and NH, but
we
know what's good! Strong Rabbit's Morgan Brophy has come up with the perfect design for "We Make Our Own Fun" t-shirts and tote bags for proud Upper Valleyites. Plus you'll find the Daybreak jigsaw puzzle, as well as sweatshirts, tees, a fleece hoodie, and, as always, the fits-every-hand-perfectly Daybreak mug. Check it all out at the link!
If you missed her in Norwich last night, the prize-winning filmmaker will be talking about her new biography of the legendary singer,
Bring Judgment Day
, at 4 pm today. Introduced, no doubt, by her sister, the NWPL's Liza Bernard.
Martínez Celaya's exhibition, "The Grief of Almost", is on display at the museum through next April. It features four large-scale paintings and one monumental sculpture, and today at 5 pm, he'll be talking about its creation and what it explores.
Cole, author most recently of
Party Like It’s 2044,
has been teaching writing for a quarter century, both here and across the country. In this "prompt" workshop, she'll give what the bookstore calls "a mini masterclass in narrative craft." 7 pm tonight.
One of the leading groups in Québec's traditional music scene, the trio of Pascal Gemme, Yann Falquet, and Nicholas Williams have carved out a prominent place for themselves on the international traditional, folk and Celtic music scene. At Alumni Hall, 7:30 pm.
Not local, but you've got two chances to see Béla Fleck and the VSO.
and
, it's the East Coast premier of Fleck's arrangement of
Rhapsody in Blue
for banjo, and the VSO performing works by Adolphus Hailstork, Gershwin, and William Grant Still—with Hailstork there in person.
The soul and funk band's a regular below Allen St. It's a night, Sawtooth says, "
of deep grooves, soaring vocals and original Vermont-made Funk." Pay what you can, 9 pm.
Also, tonight's Blues Traveler show at the Lebanon Opera House is sold out,
.
Saturday
It's Public Lands Day tomorrow, so entry fees are waived for this set of talks, tours, and demos on sculpture-making—with music by the Villalobos Brothers and Myra Flynn kicking things off at 10 am, a fire organ band, and more.
The annual health and wellness fair runs from 10 am to 2 pm, with scores of groups, tents, demos on everything from chair yoga to CPR to Cuban social dance,
. Plus the Panhandlers steel drum band from 11-1. Lots of details to check out at the link.
It runs from 10:30 to 2:00 tomorrow (pies need to be submitted by 10), with pie-judging, a pie auction, other food (though really, do you need other food?) and baked goods, crafts, and more.
As you saw above, it's a staged reading of a new musical by
Hartford playwright Joy Kosta and Wilder composer Bob Merrill, plus a performance ahead of time by tango artists Adriana Salgado and Orlando Reyes. Demo 1 pm, reading at 2.
The special Saturday Anonymous brings in Liz Simmons (Low Lily co-founder), fiddlers Lillian Chase and Micah John, and Montana-based Andrew Brozek. And
and their efforts to document music-making in the Upper Valley. First Congregational Church of Lebanon starting at 7:30 pm.
Sunday
The walk, from 10 am to noon, at 7 Belknap Brook Rd. in Tunbridge, is geared toward families with kids aged 5-10 and will be led by the collaborative's Forest Management Team as a way to "spark curiosity and connect [kids] with nature." No charge but you'll need to register.
Hanover Parks and Rec and the town's Bike/Walk committee are hosting this event, open to anyone in the region, for young riders to improve on their bike safety road skills. Runs from noon to 2 Sunday. Bring a bike and a helmet!
On the patio at King Arthur, Tommy Crawford and Ben Kogan. It's an afternoon of music, with Tommy on piano and Ben on bass, mostly Tommy's original songs, with bluegrass and folk covers mixed in. From 2-4 pm. No link.
The southern VT-based vocal folk quartet of Lauren Breunig, Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, and Will Rowan will be at Revels' new Center for Traditional Arts near Colburn Park at 3 pm on Sunday. Stirring harmonies across a broad expanse of voice-powered music.
And as we head into the weekend, two music links.
Just can't resist. First up,
—the orchestral version of which will be at the Flynn tonight and in Rutland tomorrow night.
Have a fine weekend out there! 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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