GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
The weather's starting to break. In a good way, though it's going to take a while. For much of today, there's a chance of rain and thunderstorms (and a likelihood late this afternoon and evening) as all that warm, moist air we've been swimming through gets funneled upward. Temps will be a bit lower, reaching the mid-80s today—though only dropping into the high 60s overnight. Winds today from the south, chance of showers tonight.Family ties. "Navajos call them god's dogs," Ted Levin writes about the scene on Erin Donahue's E. Thetford trail cam. "Mammalogists call them Canis latrans, from Latin for 'talking dog.' We call them coyote from Mexican Spanish, the most vocal wild North American mammal: barks, yips, mesmerizing howls. Coyotes (like people) vary their social structure according to their needs... packs, pairs, solitary. Packs are extended families: alpha male and female, betas and omegas—two-year-olds from last year. Alphas breed; everyone else helps: babysitting, playing, teaching, protecting. Altruism in the green hills."So much drama in the air last night! Okay. That was a storm. Not only did it bring power lines down—and a large tree that shut down NH Route 4 in Lebanon for a bit before and after midnight—but it brought in these two indelible images:
A sense that something big was coming, in this view from Thetford Center by JoAnn Berns;
And this moment in Hanover last night, best described by Maggie MacArthur-McKay, who sent in the video: "This is what I believe to transformer explosion last night around 9 pm, across from the Hanover Quaker Meeting House parking lot. Shortly after, smoke billowed from the explosion site, until pouring rain dowsed the fire."
A week's reprieve on that Exit 20 closure. Due to this weekend's weather, NHDOT has rescheduled that southbound I-89 bridge shift to take place next Sunday night, Sept. 17. This means that the Exit 20 southbound ramp down to 12A won't close until that night—the closure is expected to last until the morning of Thursday, Sept. 21. The detour, as you'll remember, is down to Exit 19 and then back up. As NHDOT notes, there'll probably be delays between the I-89 southbound exit to I-91 in VT and Exit 19 in NH while the work's underway.Advance Transit expands hours and days starting Monday. To begin with, the Blue, Red, Green, and Orange routes will each operate further into the evening than they do now. The bus company is also moving into Saturdays, effective a week from tomorrow—including, until the end of October, a stop at the Norwich Farmer's Market on the Green Line serving Sachem Village, Hanover, Norwich, Wilder, and WRJ. Meanwhile, the Yellow Route will now offer new midday service. Details at the link.Cyanobacteria alerts on several area lakes. Since we're talking public notices, you should know that this week Vermont issued high alerts for the Fairlee town beach and the state access area on Lake Morey and for Silver Lake in Barnard, while NH noted "flecks of green specks in the water, and thick green clouds" in Enfield's Crystal Lake. If you plan to go in any of them, make sure you steer clear of areas where you see blooms.
In S. Royalton, a neighborhood feels "terrorized." That, reports Darren Marcy in the Herald, is the word people living near a mobile home on Moses Lane use most often. You may remember that in March, multiple brawls broke out there over several days, with gunshots and a group destroying a camping trailer with baseball bats. The only neighbor who'll go public is a combat vet, but Marcy got an earful from others about finding syringes with needles (there's a school nearby) and feeling threatened by people who frequent the home. Royalton's chief says there haven't been any arrests for drugs there.New parking coming to WRJ—but first, you're going to have to walk a bit farther. The project to improve and upgrade the big South Main lot behind Northern Stage began this week, reports Patrick Adrian in the Valley News. Ultimately, it will add 37 spaces, safety improvements (including a pedestrian connection to new sidewalks on Currier Street), and more landscaping. But while it's underway, the lot will lose a bunch of spaces—including, while it's being paved, all of them. The town has worked with private lot owners at the courthouse, the TipTop, and elsewhere, to provide alternates.More on Jim Vanier. This time in the letters section of the VN, where sentiment runs heavily toward praising the role he's played in the lives of generations of Lebanon kids who frequented CCBA's Youth Drop-In Center. Though one letter-writer takes columnist Jim Kenyon to task for "twist[ing] the facts about Jim Vanier and CCBA to try to run another female leader out of her job" in his piece last week about the organization and its plans for both Vanier and the drop-in center.The future of Woodstock Aqueduct is up for grabs. As you know, for 10 days the July floods took down the water system run by the 143-year-old private company, and ever since, the town and company officials have been debating what's next. At a public forum last week, reports Tom Ayres in the Standard, principal shareholder Jireh Billings and board member Tom Debevoise said the company is deeply in debt for previous system upgrades and in no position to raise more funds; other options are for the town or outside investors to take over—an option Billings said "would be the worst thing for all of us." Ayres explains the options and looks ahead to what's next.A conversation about pruning apple trees turns into a "slow story" on place, loss, and restoration. Norwich filmmaker Ben Silberfarb's 65-minute film about apple grower Terry Dorman and the Quechee orchard he runs, Whitman Brook, came out last year; it's now being featured on VT Public's local film series, "Made Here." In a conversation with VP's Jenn Jarecki, Silberfarb talks about the careful efforts to bring back the 100-year-old orchard—and his own belief that the rejuvenation is in some manner a way for Dorman to heal from the loss of his wife, "a way to bring back her memory." Film at the link, too.Mountain biking close to home: Rochester Valley Trails. The Upper Valley Trails Alliance checks in with this trail system that boasts a wide variety of options with scenic views along the Route 100 valley. Over 20 miles of multi-use trails can be accessed year-round at multiple trailheads and parking locations throughout Rochester, including the USFS Ranger Station and Green Mountain Bikes. Doubletrack, singletrack, flow trail, and loop trails with overlapping connectivity of varying difficulty offer something for everyone. Check the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective website for current trail conditions.Okay, so how much do you know about what's been going on in the Upper Valley? Because Daybreak's News Quiz has some questions for you. Like... oh, shucks, what's the name of that place in Pomfret that's been drawing hordes of foliage season tourists? And why did police shut down Dartmouth's Dewey Lot last week? 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 what one Addison County Head Start teacher did on his summer vacation.
And NHPR's got a whole set of questions about doings around the Granite State—like, what did Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut announce he won't be doing this year and next?
The plan, announced yesterday, aims to expand early intervention in a bid to eliminate the state's long practice of "boarding" people in crisis in ERs, as well as to boost inpatient psychiatric beds and housing for people who've been in care and are headed back into the community. In the
Concord Monitor
, Sruthi Gopalakrishnan writes that the effort relies on community-based "crisis stabilization units" as an alternative to hospitals in the early stages of a crisis; two are set to open this fall, in Laconia and Derry.
That, at least, is the conclusion of a report last week from the Fiscal Policy Institute analyzing the state's economy. In
NH Bulletin
, Annmarie Timmins runs through it: Older workers are retiring, and growing numbers of younger residents are staying home to care for kids; and meanwhile, affordable housing and child care have grown tough to find.
Median monthly rent and utility costs for a two-bedroom apartment, the report notes, have risen 40 percent statewide since 2017, and home prices have jumped even more.
After leading Burlington police on a furious chase last week during which he got away, Eric Edson—wanted on armed robbery and other charges—was nabbed after state troopers and wardens, responding to a tip, saw him land a kayak on the Lamoille River near Georgia, VT yesterday afternoon. He fled on foot, jumped in the river and swam to the facing bank, where was arrested. On Wednesday,
police had reported sightings of Edson on a John Deere tractor and in a dump truck, both of which they believed stolen.
"I felt not only seen, I felt invited. It absolutely transformed my trajectory." That's VT-raised musician Grace Potter talking about the Governor's Institute on the Arts, the summer program she attended while in high school. It's now the Governor's Institutes of Vermont, celebrating its 40th anniversary with a vastly expanded repertoire: medicine, tech and design, entrepreneurship, and more. On The Vermont Conversation, host David Goodman talks to GIV director Elizabeth Frascoia—herself an alum—and to a brace of other alums, both past and recent, about the institutes' impact on their lives and dreams.UVM's growing out-of-state student population leads some to wonder about its role in the state. That's because, as Peter D'Auria writes in VTDigger, the state's flagship university "educates relatively few students who actually hail from Vermont. Instead, the institution caters in large part to students from elsewhere." This past spring, of 10,700 undergrads, less than 25 percent were from VT. That's in part because the state doesn't generate enough students who want to go there—though the school's been trying to attract them. D'Auria explores all the issues this raises, including for Burlington.Down, down, down to Earth. If you’ve ever dug a hole for, say, a fence post, you’ll have a special appreciation for Nile crocodiles, who burrow underground as far as 12 meters. That’s nothing, says Dr. Paula Koelemeijer in “3 Minutes to the Centre of the Earth,” from BBC and the Royal Society. At 85 meters, you’ll reach Elengubu, the subterranean city in Turkey from 370 BC where 20,000 people once lived. Life ends at 3 km, but keep going through the creeping mantle, past the outer core and the molten metals that form a “sunless sea with its own currents and jetstreams,” until you reach the Earth’s core.Oh yeah, definitely going to not try this! Looks like it's no longer enough just to learn to unicycle any more. Now there's extreme unicycling—and, in particular, an all-electric off-road unicycle that can reach 68 mph and travel 99 miles on a single charge. Says its maker, Chinese company InMotion, it offers "powerful hill-climbing capabilities” from a “frighteningly powerful motor.” Sorry, all you circus parents; hide your kids' eyes.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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At 4 this afternoon, the Etna Library brings in naturalist and children's author Susie Spikol for a program on "The Wonderful World of Insects." Spikol, who lives in Hancock, NH and is the recipient of a state Environmental Educator Award, will "guide children through observations of insects, will entertain with bug-related songs and games, and will lead young adventurers on an insect safari," the library writes. Outdoors if it's not raining, indoors if it is.
Today at 5 pm, Billings Farm is hosting "Moos & Brews & Cocktails, too!"—which is exactly what it sounds like. Cows and calves up close, the gardens and sunflower house, and something to fill your cups as you wander from Vermont Spirit Distilling Co., Rutland Beer Works, Upper Pass Beer, and SILO Distillery. Plus ice cream, cheese and other food, lawn games, giant bubbles, butter churning, and music by Ali T.
This afternoon at 5:30 and again tomorrow at the same time (or Sunday if it rains), Star Mountain Events in Sharon presents a dance/theater collaboration between Lucia Gagliardone and Carol Langstaff, WANTING. The full-length piece "builds a vision for a future filled with loving community and abundant resources. How can we use community to create structural change? How can we create structural change and also lean on individual connection?" Music both recorded and live, performed outdoors in Star Mountain's orchard.
And at 10 tonight, Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover throws a dance party, with DJ Sean hitting the tunes.
Saturday
At 9 tomorrow morning, the 13th annual Sprouty 5K run/walk and 10K run kicks off at Sharon Elementary School. The event's an annual fundraiser for the school's gardens and farm-to-school and outdoor ed programs. There'll be music by the Seven Stars Community Fiddle Band, a raffle with prizes from local businesses, a special raffle prize (a hand-carved wooden jigsaw puzzle called "School's Out" from Stave, plus food. Register at the link or at the school from 7:45 to 8:45 am.
The annual Walk to End Alzheimer's isn't until Sept. 30 (more info here), but the first in a series of leadup events is tomorrow: West Leb Feed & Supply is hosting "Bark to End Alzheimer's"—a pet photo session. All the morning photo-shoot slots are filled, but there are still some spots open in the afternoon.
Amazingly, Upper Valley Yoga has been in existence for two decades this month, and tomorrow from noon to 1 in Hanover, founders Leslie Carleton and Kat Smith are celebrating the milestone with a free, all-levels yoga class. At the Richard W. Black Center, where it all began. You can sign up or just show up.
At 2 pm tomorrow, the Lebanon Historical Society is throwing a book launch party for city historian Nicole Ford Burley's new history-of-Lebanon-through-photographs in the "Images of America" series. Copies will be available to buy, and Burley will be signing and talking about the book. At the Carter House, 1 Bank Street.
Tomorrow at 4 pm, the Twin State Derby Vixens take on the Bay State Brawlers in the last roller derby home bout of the season, at Union Arena in Woodstock. The crucial thing to know, in light of yesterday's item about a flamboyance of flamingos, is this, from derby official Scott Henkels (aka Hop Along): "In roller derby parlance at Twin State Derby, we refer to Non-Skating Officials as a 'flamboyance'...and skating officials as a 'dazzle'. Together we call ourselves the Flamboyant Dazzle. Why? Non-skating officials have traditionally worn pink (more recently, black) shirts to make us identifiable around the track as officials. Skating officials wear black and white stripes...a group of zebras being a Dazzle." So really, tomorrow's your last chance of the season to see the Flamboyant Dazzle in action. The team members? They're just a sideshow.
Tomorrow at 7:30 pm (and Sunday at 2 pm, as well as next weekend, same times) the Springfield (VT) Community Players launch their run of Puffs — or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic. The play is a parody by Matt Cox of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series told from the point of view of various Hufflepuffs—in which the characters live parallel lives to their more famous schoolmates and, from time to time, run into their bizarre doings and behavior. The show is for mature audiences, due to language and sexual innuendo.
Also at 7:30 pm tomorrow, the Norwich contra dance has been moved from Tracy Hall and will be held instead at the E. Thetford pavilion, 140 Pavilion Road, with dance-calling icon David Millstone at the mic and veteran New England contra musicians Laurie Indenbaum (fiddle) and Mary Cay Brass (piano, accordion), both from the tiny village of Athens, VT, providing the tunes. Refresher session begins at 7:15.
And at 8 tomorrow evening, Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover hosts longtime Upper Valley favorite Bow Thayer, along with veteran percussionist Steve Ferraris and guitarist and singer Krishna Guthrie (Arlo's grandson) for Thayer's improvisation project, Choirs of Aether. As Thayer describes it, "I have discovered a way to break out of the mold of traditional six string guitar and five string banjo by fusing the two and using predominantly open tunings... After about two years of writing with this new instrument and variations of it, I am finally getting comfortable enough to travel into the realm of improv.”
Sunday
Starting at 10 on Sunday, Whaleback unveils a new series of September Sundays: an outdoors craft and prepared foods market that runs until 2, with concerts starting at 1 pm and running until 3. This Sunday it's Brooks Hubbard on stage.
And to take us into the day...
The oldest penitentiary in the US, and one of the most notorious, is located in Parchman, Mississippi, in the Delta. Surrounded by swamp, it inspired the prisons in
O Brother, Where Art Thou
and
Cool Hand Luke
, is the setting for Jesmyn Ward's celebrated novel
Sing, Unburied, Sing,
was where Alan Lomax made the first recordings of Leadbelly, and over the years housed Son House, Booker “Bukka” White, Mose Allison, and other notable musicians. For three years, music producer Ian Brennan had been seeking permission to record there, and this past February, finally got it—with one week's notice. He was able to record a Sunday service live, with musicians drawn from the prison's various different church services—and with no photos or video. Just the raw, unprocessed voices of the men inside. The result,
Parchman Prison Prayer
, comes out a week from today. Here are an unnamed singer and pianist—and, eventually, others—
: part prayer, part meditation, fully of the heart.
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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