Daybreak's Weekend Heads Up 10/1/26

Twin State Comics and Zine Fair at JAM in WRJ. In all, this year’s TWIST features 35 Upper Valley and New England presses, cartoonists, and zinesters—including students and alums from the Center for Cartoon Studies. Free to attend. 4-8 pm.

At Kyle Timothy Fine Art in Hanover, Dartmouth’s Class of 1960, which for years has been purchasing one piece of art from every studio art major at the college during their senior show and donating it to the Office of Residential Life for student public spaces, will hand off the "Dorm Art Project" to the Class of 1990, with faculty, past recipients, and others looking on. 4-6 pm. More on the program at the link.

Author and bird researcher Scott Weidensaul gives two Upper Valley readings. VCE and Birds & Beans Coffee host him and his latest book, The Return of the Oystercatcher: Saving Birds to Save the Planet on Friday at the Lake Morey Resort (4 pm reception, 5 pm talk, book signing follows) and on Saturday at Woodstock’s North Chapel (4 pm talk, book signing follows).

Sol Y Canto workshop and concert. In the workshop, Rosi Amador helps participants explore Cuban salsa, Afro-Puerto Rican bomba, Afro-Uruguayan candombe, Brazilian rhythm games, and Venezuelan joropo; then she and New Mexican guitarist, singer and composer Brian Amador lead a pan-Latin ensemble with a series of original songs. Both are sponsored by Upper Valley Music Center, and both are at the Norwich Congregational Church: workshop at 5 pm, concert at 7:30 pm.

Opening reception at Artistree for “Local Color.” The annual exhibition of local artists dwelling on autumn: landscapes, people, animals, harvest time, and, of course, foliage. Reception 5:30-7:30, runs through Nov. 7.

Adaptation at the Thetford Arthouse Cinema. Spike Jonze’s 2002 film stars Nicholas Cage (playing twin brothers), Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, and Tilda Swinton, exploring the FL swamps for rare orchids and lots more. 7 pm in the Martha Rich Theater at Thetford Academy.

Pentangle Arts screens Hadestown: The Musical. Anaïs Mitchell’s remarkable musical, captured live at the Lyric Theatre in London (though it’s not a live stage performance). 7 pm in the Woodstock Town Hall Theatre.

The North Mississippi Allstars at Lebanon Opera House. The Grammy-nominated band has been led for a quarter century by brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson—a “beacon of so-called ‘Modern Mississippi Music,’” LOH writes, with “their one-of-a-kind mix of soulful country blues, high-energy rock, and groovy psychedelic improvisations. Plus, electric washboard solos!” 7:30 pm, general admission.

Granite Garden at Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover. Despite its name, the band’s from NYC: The “use the language of grunge, folk, jazz, legends, and dreams to weave a patchwork of old and new ideas that is magnificent at a distance and joyously cutthroat up close and in person.” 9 pm.

Styrofoam collection event hosted by the Town of Hartford. For all Upper Valley residents. Details on what can be recycled at the link. 9-11 am in the Mascoma Bank parking lot, 243 Sykes Mountain Ave., WRJ. Rain date Oct. 17.

Buddy Teevens Tribute Plaque unveiling. Exactly what it says: the unveiling of a new plaque honoring the late Dartmouth football coach. 9:30 am at the Crosby Street entrance of Buddy Teevens Stadium at Memorial Field in Hanover.

The Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds. Shepherd talks, vendor demos, herding demos, weaving, needle felting, lots of fiber talk, food, music, and more. Saturday 10-5, Sunday 10-4.

Vermont Fall Open Studio Weekend. Tour artists’ and craftspeople’s studios throughout the state. At the top link, a tour that takes you to six artists and two galleries in Norwich, Barnard, WRJ, and Woodstock. Full studio map here. 10-5 both Saturday and Sunday.

Billings Farm’s Harvest Celebration. Wagon rides, cider pressing, barn dancing, flax processing, goat shearing—plus donuts, hot cider, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bowling, and lots more. 10-5 Saturday and Sunday.

At Dartmouth, “Back to Class” with engineering prof Bijan Mazaheri. “What do cross-country rankings and computational biology have in common?” Mazaheri built a system to compare runners who never race each other — a problem that turned out to have a lot in common with bio computation. He talks about the similarities, and why AI struggles with them. Open to the public, 10:30-11:30 am, Gilman Auditorium, Hood Museum.

Hanover Conservancy hawk watch at Balch Hill. Views, breezes, and above all, migrating hawks. 11-1, register at the link.

Sensoria: Attending to the Wonder and Vitality of Nature at the Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock. Gavin Van Horn, editor, and poetry editor Heather Swan talk about the works they selected for the book that “call attention to the wondrous ways in which humans and other-than-human beings experience and perceive the world.” 2 pm.

Twin State Derby double-header at Union Arena in Woodstock. First, the Upper Valley Vixens take on the Lehigh Valley A team at 4:00 pm. Then at 6, Twin State Derby's all-gender Bandits B Team rolls all over Lehigh Valley’s B Team.

Taco Night at Flying Dog Farm in Tunbridge. Street tacos, Kiss the Cow ice cream, and music by The Spring Chickens. It’s the last taco night of the season; last burger night is next weekend. 5-8 pm.

The Lonely Days Are Gone: Community Square Dance in Brookfield VT Old Town Hall. The tour is headlined by Dorset fiddler, singer, and educator Ida Mae Specker, alongside Shrewsbury caller Sarah Gibson and The Ida Mae Specker Band: children’s folk music concert at 4 pm, potluck meal at 5 pm, concert and square dance 6-8 pm, and old-time jam afterward.

Hop Film screens Tony. Matt Johnson’s 2026 biopic: “In 1975, 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain (Dominic Sessa) wants to be a writer, but instead takes a summer job at a Cape Cod restaurant. Under the tutelage of a Brazilian-born restaurateur (Antonio Banderas), Bourdain stumbles into the chaotic world of the restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life and career.” 7 pm in the Loew.

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy at Lebanon Opera House. The amount of musical talent in this single family is other-worldly. The Ontario-based Celtic power couple bring their two eldest kids, Mary Frances and Michael, to the stage with them. There are just a handful of tix left, so grab them while you can. 7:30 pm.

Skynyrd’s Hatchet at the Claremont Opera House. A southern rock extravaganza: The Lynyrd Skynyrd & Molly Hatchet Tribute. 7:30 pm.

Market Day at Brookfield VT Old Town Hall. Brookfield farmers, artisans, crafters, cooks, and bakers “present a unique day of shopping, eating, community and fun.” Everything from lots of local food to pottery to handwoven crafts. Plus lunch. Noon to 3.

Met Opera in HD’s Così fan tutti at the Hop. “Phelim McDermott's ‘colorful, inventive’ (The New York Times) staging, inspired by Coney Island in the 1950s, sets the uproarious story at a boardwalk amusement park, where the two pairs of lovers at the heart of the tale find themselves on one emotional—and literal—thrill ride after another.” 1 pm, Spaulding Auditorium (heads up: runtime is nearly 4 hours).

Hop Film screens Underland. Based on the magisterial nature writer Robert MacFarlane’s book of the same title, the film “presents a groundbreaking perspective on our relationship with the earth beneath our feet—a realm that most associate only with darkness and fear but that holds wonder and knowledge for those courageous enough to explore.” And here’s the thing: MacFarlane himself will be on hand for a discussion afterward. This film only runs 1:19. 4 pm in the Loew.

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