GOOD MORNING, UPPER VALLEY!
Sunny, even warmer. There's a warm front lifting northward through the region today, with high pressure behind it: We're looking at a near-cloudless day, with calm breezes and temps getting into the low 50s. Mostly clear tonight, lows either side of 30.As night falls:
The deep blue sky over downtown Lebanon about a half-hour after sunset. "A long exposure shows the cars' lights as they drive around the green," writes photographer Lisa Lacasse. "It makes me wonder, where are all the people going? Out to dinner, home for dinner, meeting friends, heading to work...."
And twilight over Lake Fairlee, the patchy clouds and deep amber light making the sky (and reflecting lake) look almost marbled, by John Pietkiewicz.
La Salette Christmas display won't light up the night after electrical inspection. The Enfield Shaker Museum, which now owns the shrine property, made the decision after a town inspection found substandard wiring, reports the VN's Liz Sauchelli. “The wiring on the hillside is not even close to adequate or safe,” museum interim director Carolyn Smith tells her. The display has been an annual tradition since the 1950s, and involves thousands of lights; the museum will instead put up a small display. In all, a wiring upgrade will cost over $100K."Wherever we lived, he would know the birds, and he would know the rocks, and he would know the trees." That could be a description of Ian, the protagonist in Ken Cadow's novel, Gather, but it's actually how Cadow's sister describes Cadow himself. In Seven Days, Alison Novak pens a striking profile of the Oxbow High prinicpal and his YA book, one of five finalists for a National Book Award: the years of writing in the pre-dawn hours; his career (Navy supply-ship sailor, general-store owner, teacher, principal); and the book's nuanced, sympathetic portrait of a rural teen's struggles and concerns. Says former Randolph Union principal Elijah Hawkes of Cadow, "He's able to see the humanity and the worth in so many different people and professions."
Cadow was at last night's National Book Award gala in NYC, where the award for young people's literature—the category that included Gather—went to Dan Santat's A First Time for Everything, a graphic memoir of a class trip to Europe. Here's the NYT's coverage (gift link). More tomorrow on what it was like to be there.
That's Sian Beilock, Dartmouth's president, talking to Hanover town manager Alex Torpey in his latest
Hanover Happenings
podcast. It's a wide-ranging conversation, from mental health and the loneliness epidemic—"even though we're so connected, we don't talk to each other"—to the regional housing market and Dartmouth's role in shaping it, to how the college "can take the best of startup culture and be in this constant iteration of going from idea to impact."
And
prepping to get back on skis after a long time away.
Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital and Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire are hosting their second annual holiday art and craft fairs—together! Jewelry, pottery, cards, ornaments, leatherwork, and much more.
including AVA, LACA, and Lebanon Rec.
Sponsored by Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital
.
Ice cream recall affects Hanover, Leb Co-ops. Wilcox's Ice Cream of E. Arlington, VT, has recalled a suite of its products over concerns about Listeria contamination, according to NH's Dept. of Health and Human Services. It's "recommending that consumers, restaurants, and retailers check their freezers and throw away recalled ice cream products or return to the place of purchase for a full refund," they write. In addition to the Co-ops—which have been alerting members who bought the ice cream—Wilcox's is sold at Mac's, the Woodstock Farmers Market, the Springfield VT Co-op and chain supermarkets.In Weathersfield, boiling cider since 1882. That's how long the Woods family has been concentrating drinking cider into the richer, "sweet-tart elixir" that used to be called cider molasses, writes Melissa Pasanen in Seven Days. Once pre-refrigeration means of preserving cider, it's now an "an endangered food tradition"—but one with a growing clientele. First it was just old-timers who wanted it, Tina Woods tells Pasanen; then came hippies, then "yuppies buying little 10-ounce jars. Now, it's gourmet cooks who want it, and bars for cocktails.""The Poseidon of submarine sandwiches" comes to West Leb. That's how Jersey Mike's enthusiasts feel about the sandwich chain, writes the VN's John Lippman, and yesterday at 9:56 am, they got what they've been awaiting for months: the Upper Valley's newest eatery opened on 12A in the former Pier 1 spot. "Not since Target opened up two years ago has such a frenzy erupted across social media about a yet another chain wedging into the Route 12A shopping plaza corridor," Lippman writes; the first people in line showed up an hour-and-a-half ahead of opening. First day proceeds went to Leb High.SPONSORED: Stay busy this winter! Osher at Dartmouth’s winter term registration opens Monday, November 20, and there are plenty of courses available! Enjoy explorations of Irish literature, Shakespeare, and the archives of The New Yorker. Challenge yourself by examining the history of Japanese internment during WWII, or test your knowledge of American civics. Learn how to solve Killer Sudoku, get your toes tapping to Big Band music, and enjoy the chance to create your own Valentine’s cards from scratch. There’s so much to do! Become a member today. Sponsored by Osher at Dartmouth.Hartford Fire hopes to hire community nurse: "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Some 70 percent of the department's calls, fire chief Scott Cooney explains to WCAX's Adam Sullivan, are for medical emergencies, and of those, over half are for people 65 and older. “Why did that person fall in the first place? Was there issues with noncompliance with medications? Do they have a lack of primary care?” Cooney says—all issues a nurse on staff could deal with. Leb's had a community paramedic for two years: "We are reducing the frequency of emergency room visits," he tells Sullivan.US Forest Service gives go-ahead to Lake Tarleton logging. You may remember that the proposal to log nearly 700 acres around the lake in Piermont and Warren—and to build a new boat launch at nearby Lake Katherine—drew heated opposition from some nearby residents, who engaged VL&GS's advocacy clinic to help out. But in yesterday's Journal Opinion newsletter, Alex Nuti-de Biasi writes that the forest service has approved the plan. "No substantive alternatives were brought forward by the public that met the purpose and need," district ranger Brooke Brown noted.We have a date! Or NH does, anyway, for its 2024 presidential primary. It's Jan. 23. As NHPR's Josh Rogers reports, Secy of State David Scanlan's decision "would ensure the state keeps its historic spot as the first-in-the-nation primary for both major parties, placing it ahead of South Carolina's Democratic primary, which is currently planned for February 3"—and, not incidentally, thumbing the state's nose at the Democratic National Committee, which wanted SC to go first. NH pols of both parties say they'll abide by Scanlan's choice.Remember that NYT video about violence against emergency room workers at UVM Health? It's been played 1.5 million times on the NYT website and another 500K times on the hospital's Instagram page. It's part of an effort by the hospital to shine a light nationally on the burgeoning problem of assaults on health care workers. And in Seven Days, Colin Flanders follows up, detailing some of the incidents, the hospital's efforts to combat violence—from de-escalation training to 24-hour metal detectors and handing out swim caps to prevent hair-pulling. Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George says she now meets with emergency room staff every few months.Got an artful ice shanty in you? As Susan Apel writes in Artful, February will mark the fourth year for the "annual nod to the unlikely marriage of art and ice fishing" by the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center and the Retreat Farm—but the deadline to register is Dec. 15. "Artful Ice Shanties can be traditional or conceptual, functional or wacky, permanent or temporary—as long as they can be moved and can withstand the wind, snow, and ice in mid-February," the museum explains. Past entries have included a shanty shaped like a giant fish and another that used recycled lenses to simulate the northern lights.Please remain in your stall with your halter securely fastened. Or not. A horse being flown from New York to Belgium somehow got loose in the hold of the cargo plane and wandered around in search of … peanuts? The Air Atlanta Icelandic pilot requested a return to JFK and a vet. A reconstruction on the YouTube channel “You Can See ATC” lets us follow exchanges between the pilot and air traffic controllers, as well as the flight path, which included a diversion over Massachusetts waters to dump some 20 tons of fuel before a safe landing was possible. No word yet on the health of the horse.The Thursday Vordle. With a word from yesterday's Daybreak.
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Today at noon, Upper Valley Music Center cello instructor Ben Kulp provides "A Little Lunch Music" in UVMC's Bach Room. He'll be playing works by by Bach, Reena Esmail, Ed Sheeran, Andrew Norman, and others. No charge.
At 5:30 pm, Sustainable Woodstock hosts a presentation and discussion about stream debris by Marie Caduto of the VT Agency of Natural Resources and Courtney Buckley of VT Fish & Wildlife. They'll be talking about when to remove debris, when to leave it be, and when it could even be best to add more to keep stream ecosystems healthy and thriving. Online via Zoom.
At 5:45 pm (singing starts at 6), Bradford Parks & Rec launches a monthly Bringalong Singalong series organized by "thriftstore-Americana" duo Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler, whom you might know better as the Rough & Tumble. In the Bradford Academy auditorium, with lyrics projected on a screen. "Bring your voices, your families, your friends... and, if you want, your on-the-go supper, to eat in neighborly company after we sing," they write. They'll run monthly into next fall with a variety of guest hosts, including Patrick Ross, Fifth Business, and others.
Also at 6, the Norwich Public Library hosts chef and sommelier Suphada Rom for an evening of food (and drink) talk. Let's just let them describe it: "Got a spice in the back of your pantry you never actually use? Wondering how to better cook with local ingredients? Need advice on wine pairings, cookbooks, or just a refresh of your usual recipe rotations? We’ve got you!" In the community room.
At 6:30 pm, the Howe Library hosts Dartmouth astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser, talking about his recent book, The Dawn of a Mindful Universe, and its call for a new Enlightenment. Gleiser ranges across the universe and discoveries from Copernicus to the last few years, arguing that we've lost our moral mission and compassionate focus in our scientific endeavors. In-person in the Mayer Room and online via Zoom.
At 7 this evening, the Norwich Bookstore hosts Meg Hurley, reading from and talking about her book, The Dog Who Ate the Vegetable Garden & Helped Save the Planet. The book's second edition was published earlier this year: Set partly in Norwich (where Hurley grew up) and partly in Rochester, NY, it looks at the world through the eyes of Dori, a vegan dog, who ruminates on life, humans' treatment of animals and eating habits, the state of the world, and more.
Also at 7, JAM in WRJ presents AMP Night—a night of art, music, and poetry organized by the VT nonprofit Sundog Poetry, whose mission is to "celebrate the power, playfulness, and musicality of poetry, giving voice to what is often left unspoken and connecting the outer world with our inner lives." Tonight's version is led by former VT Poet Laureate Sydney Lea, with guests Djeli, Nana¡, Diana Whitney, Barbara Murphy, and Jolivette ‘the poet warrior’.
And anytime, JAM's got a pile of video highlights for the week: Ndakinna, its film for the Lebanon Heritage Commission on the city's connections to the Abenaki past; a presentation on renters' rights in VT; VT Law School's mock supreme court for Lebanon High School last week, with VLGS president Rod Smolla arguing both sides of a First Amendment case and the students sitting as justices; Revolution's Tip Top Couture Fall Fashion Extravaganza in the Briggs Opera House; and Osher lecturer Maynard Goldman, who's advised governors of both parties, on the 2024 presidential contest.
And music for a Thursday morning.
Brought to us today by Tiny Habits, an acoustic folk-pop trio formed early last year by
Maya Rae, Cinya Khan, and Judah Mayowa, who met at Berklee College of Music in Boston. They began by singing in stairways and dorm rooms, then moved on to TikTok and Instagram, where they've built a major following for their snippets of popular songs and tight, creative harmonies—
"I think they are the best new singing group I've heard," David Crosby tweeted back in March. A year ago, they hit the peak for a new, indie group: a Tiny Desk concert on NPR backing Lizzie McAlpine.
and, what the heck,
on TikTok.
See you tomorrow.
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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Written and published by Rob Gurwitt Poetry editor: Michael Lipson Associate Editor: Jonea Gurwitt About Rob About Michael
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