SO MUCH GOOD STUFF, UPPER VALLEY!
Friday
A Little Lunch Music with Play It Forward. Upper Valley Music Center gets the weekend going at noon on Friday with folk and jazz from the local ensemble of Chris Rua on recorders, clarinet and vocals; Thal Aylward on violin; Glendon Ingalls on bass; Ted Mortimer on guitar and vocals; and Bruce Sklar on piano. At UVMC.
Dartmouth’s Rockefeller Center hosts Maggie Blackhawk for “Federal Indian Law and the U.S. Constitution”. The NYU law prof is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe and a specialist in federal Indian law, constitutional law, and the ways in which the tensions between the laws of American colonialism and the resistance of Native people and others shaped consitutional law and history. She’ll be talking with Native American and Indigenous Studies chair Bruce Duthu. 1 pm in Hinman Forum and livestreamed here.
Ted Degener at AVA Gallery. The former owner of Folk in Hanover has spent the last half-century roaming the US with a camera, drawn to its quirkier byways, self-taught artists, roadside attractions, and more—”an intrepid road warrior, a habitué of discount motels and meat-and-three diners, and the kind of traveler who never confuses movement with speed,” as one admirer writes. He’s just out with American Celebration 2: Storefronts and Hand-Made Signs, and will talk about his travels, inspirations, photographs, and more at 5:30 pm.
Mudstock Gala: Pentangle Arts throws itself a fundraising concert. Mud pies and mingling starts up at 6 pm in the old Woodstock Town Hall Theater, followed at 7 by Austin-based Americana, country, folk, and rock singer and band leader Betty Soo. Tix are pay-what-you-will.
Upper Valley Voices kicks off three days of “For the Light of Balance: Songs of Justice, Hope, and Peace”. The community chorus directed by Kevin Quigley performs three concerts of songs from a range of traditions. Friday at 7 pm at the United Church of Strafford; Saturday at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon; and Sunday at 4 pm at the Norwich Congregational Church.
Hop Film screens Forgotten Founder: The Untold Story of Samson Occom at Dartmouth. The new documentary by Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, a descendant of Occom, and Norwich filmmaker Signe Taylor “uncovers the largely erased history of Samson Occom, a Mohegan minister, educator and Indigenous intellectual whose fundraising efforts were instrumental in the founding of Dartmouth College.” No charge, 7 pm in the Loew Auditorium with a discussion afterward with Taylor, Zobel, actor and Occom descendant Bruce Bozsum, other Occom descandants, and scholars Bruce Duthu and Anthony Trujillo.
Ivy Schweitzer and Ezzedine Fishere at Still North Books & Bar. Schweitzer, who taught American Literature and Women’s Studies at Dartmouth, will read from her memoir in verse, Dividing Rivers; Fishere, a career Egyptian diplomat who now teaches Middle Eastern studies at Dartmouth, will read from and talk about his new novel, Nightfall in Cairo, focused on the 36-hour conversation about Egypt between a young Egyptian-American lawyer who’s about to be expelled and a man she meets at her going-away party. 7 pm.
The Anonymous Coffeehouse wraps things up for the season. The Derek Burkins Trio gets it all rolling at 7:30, led by Burkins on guitar and banjo, with Tim Berry on fiddle and Mitch Barron on bass; at 8 pm, the father-daughter duo of Bob and Sarah Amos make their Anonymous debut, stepping “outside of their regular bluegrass setting, performing a wider selection of songs from Bob’s diverse musical catalog, plus a few of their favorite traditional covers”; and at 9 pm it’s The Rough and Tumble, the folk-rock duo and musical movers and shakers Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler. At the First Congregational Church of Lebanon.
At the Hop, the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra and the college’s Dance Ensemble with “Firebird: A Live & Simulcast Stravinsky Experience”. The performance of Stravinsky’s pathbreaking 1910 work for the Ballets Russes takes place simultaneously on two Hopkins Center stages, with the orchestra in Spaulding and the dance ensemble in the Daryl Roth Studio Theater, each projected into the other’s space. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm; dance-side tix are either gone or going fast, but you can still experience the whole thing in Spaulding.
Flight Attendant at Sawtooth Kitchen. The Nashville-based quintet “has built a reputation for delivering infectious power-pop hooks, cinematic soundscapes, and unforgettable live performances.” With Karalyne Winegarner on keys, Vincent Maniscalco on guitar, Nikki Christie on viola, drummer Derek Sprague, and bassist Peyton Rodeffer. 9 pm.
Saturday
It’s Upper Valley plant sale season. And as Liz Sauchelli writes in her very helpful roundup in the Valley News, “The goals are twofold: To raise money to put toward community gardens and other similar projects, and to provide lower cost options for gardeners. Many also feature plants native to the region, which support the greater ecosystem.” The Woodstock Union sale gets underway today (Thursday), but a bunch are on Saturday: Friends of the Meriden Library, Cornerstone Community Center, Hartford Garden Friends. Hanover, Grantham, and Newbury are next weekend, and there are more after that.
Friends of Grafton Library host Cammie Austin for “Sacred Home, Sacred Space.” A certified consultant in the Marie Kondo tradition, Austin “guides individuals on a journey to clear clutter and release what no longer serves.” 10 am.
Mothers Day Plant Benefit at Honey Field Farm in Norwich. This two-day event, hosted with the Friends of the Norwich Public Library, features all sorts of plants, pansy packs and planters, hanging baskets, organic edible planters, and more. Portions of each purchase go to the Norwich Public Library. Starts Saturday at 10 am, runs through 4 pm on Sunday.
The 54th Annual Dartmouth Powwow. This year’s theme is “Honoring the Women Who Carry Us,” and things get underway on the Dartmouth Green at noon Saturday with the Grand Entry (Leede Arena in case of rain), followed by dancing competitions, drumming, food and other vendors. Ends at 5 pm.
Community Day at the Hood Museum. Drop in to celebrate American Pop, an exhibition showcasing artists who remix familiar pop‑culture imagery into bold new works, meet visiting artist Michael Albert, and create your own collage inspired by his playful Pop Art style, using upcycled materials from rePlay Arts. 1-4 pm.
Norman Williams Public Library spring art show, “Fertile Ground”. An exhibition of many local artists working in watercolor, acrylic, photography, scratch board, fiber, wood, and other media. Opening reception at 2 pm.
Upper Valley Educators Institute screens Hopeville: How to Win the Reading Wars. The 4 pm showing at Billings Farm of the 2023 documentary on science-based approaches to teaching reading—followed by a panel discussion— is at capacity. But UVEI’s Marie McCormick has a waiting list running in case there are openings. Email her at [email protected].
Hop Film screens The Last Class. Elliot Kirschner’s 2025 documentary features former US Secretary of Labor and Dartmouth alum Robert Reich as he prepares to teach his last class at Berkeley—a thousand students filling a lecture hall—and reflects on “the impending finality, and his own aging, with increasing candor, introspection and, ultimately, emotion.” 4 pm in the Loew Auditorium.
Green Mountain Honky Tonk Heroes at Tunbridge Town Hall. It’s an all-star honky tonk/bluegrass/trad lineup: Jim Rooney, Danny Coane, Colin McCaffrey, David Rowell, and Don Schabner. You know Rooney and McCaffrey from their regular Seven Stars appearances; Coane, Rowell, and Schabner are central VT music mainstays. Sponsored by Brocklebank Craft Brewing. 7 pm.
A bit of a jaunt, but hey: Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore at the Bellows Falls Opera House. Touring as the Almost Acoustic Duo, the two old friends have different roots—Gilmore was born in Texas and was twice named Country Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone, while Alvin’s from California and is a rhythm & blues rocker, but they share a love for old blues and folk. 7:30 pm.
Contra dance at Tracy Hall in Norwich. Chloe Levine calling, MA-based Joy Factor (Gianna Marzilli Ericson and Rebecca Rose Weiss on fiddles and Henry Yoshimura on guitar) with the tunes. 7:30 pm.
Comedian Bob Marley at Lebanon Opera House. The Maine standup comic is a regular and a favorite: There are just a relative handful of seats left. 8 pm Saturday.
A night of What Doth Life at Sawtooth Kitchen. It’s a triple bill: “The Pilgrims are joined by Bull and Prairie and OWL for a fast and furious fusion of punk and alternative.” 9 pm.
Sunday
Mothers Day party at Spring Road Nursery in Tunbridge. It’s the third annual in what’s becoming a tradition, with homemade cakes and pies throughout the morning, on the house, alongside a greenhouse and field full of rare plants and hand built terracotta made at the farm. As they write, “Bring your mom!” 10 am to 4 pm.
Hōkūpaʻa, Dartmouth's Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander student group, holds its annual luau. Free and open to the public, it “brings together the many different parts of the Dartmouth community to celebrate and learn about Hawaiian and Polynesian culture through food, song, and dance.” Starts at noon on the Baker-Berry lawn—note that food tix are first-come, first-served at the check-in tables.
The Howe Library screens Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes. Japanese sci-fi comedy: “Café owner Kato (Kazunari Tosa) discovers that his computer's monitor shows what will happen two minutes into the future from the perspective of the television in the café, which itself displays what happened two minutes into the past.” Head spinning yet? 2:30 pm in the Mayer Room.
Lebanon Opera House presents Tutti Frutti Productions with Hare and Tortoise. The troupe from Leeds in the UK “breathes new life into Aesop’s beloved fable with upbeat live music, unforgettable songs, and endearing characters who learn that slow and steady wins the race.” 3 + up. 4 pm.
Hop Film screens the National Theater Live production of All My Sons. Bryan Cranston stars in this production of Arthur Miller’s classic about a self-made businessman and his family in wartime. 4 pm in the Loew.
Tunbridge’s Flying Dog Farm kicks off this summer’s Burger Nights. Burgers, salads, fries, and more, along with beer from Brocklebank, ice cream from Kiss the Cow, and live music by locals Moovus Wayopus. 4-7 pm.
Upper Valley Music Center presents Jennifer Turbes, viola and Rose Hegele, soprano, with Chenyu Wang, piano. The program features music by 20th and 21st century composers, including Christian Jost, Akshaya Avril Tucker, Jessica Meyer, and Giya Kancheli, “reflecting the performers’ affinity for showcasing diverse and contemporary sources.” 6:30 pm, First Congregational Church of Lebanon.
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