| VOLUME 29 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | February 13, 2025 |
ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column. STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
Franklin County's arts and music gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. There are also booked and acoustic Open Mic Nights that feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.
... FROM THE ARTBITS DESK ...
E-Mail Delivery
Sign up to receive the free weekly ArtBits
newsletter by e-mail
or by RSS feed.
ST. ALBANS--The Artist In Residence collection spotlight is on potter Marissa Mcfadden. The art and fine craft cooperative features paintings, fiber arts, stained glass, sculpture, lamps, pottery, folk art boxes, scarves, hats and more by 38 Franklin County and surrounding area artists. It is owned and operated by the artists and sponsors. The gallery on South Main Street is open Tuesday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Click here or find them on Facebook for more info. ART ON THE WALLS
JEFFERSONVILLE--Bryan Memorial Gallery features Water Flow a pastel by Marilyn Ruseckas. It is in the Stowe gallery and on Facebook .
The gallery has exhibits of the landscape painters of New England. The Stowe Gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 - 5 and the main showcase in Jeffersonville is closed for winter break. Appointments are available. Call ahead (802.644.5100) to schedule or Click here for more info.
ST. ALBANS-- St. Albans Community Arts will have Skate Deck Painting with Jen of Lions & Yellowcake in Uniting for Community in City Hall on Saturday at 12 noon. The cost is $25 for a 17" x 5" wooden skateboard deck or $65 for a 28" x 8" wooden skateboarding deck. All materials are provided and tickets include admission to the Uniting for Community event. Find them on Facebook or Click here for tickets and more info. ART YOU CREATE
ST. ALBANS--14th Star Brewing Company hosts a Pet Portraits Paint n Sip with Linda Oakes Carvalho this evening at 6:30 p.m. Register for the class, email a clear image of your pet, and show up. All supplies are included. Food and beverages are available from 14th Star and Grazers. The cost is $50. Click here or find them on Facebook for tickets and more info.
ST. ALBANS--Awaken Yoga & Creative Arts Studio and Kreations by Katherine host a Penguin Love Valentine's Paint Night on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The party includes all material. The cost is $45 single or $75 as a date night couples price. Click here for tickets or find them on Facebook for tickets and more info.
ST. ALBANS--St. Albans Rec presents the Valentine's Winter Carnival at Hard'ack with live music from the Barn Rats, family activities, and much more on Friday evening and all day Saturday. Friday activities begin at 5 p.m. Saturday kicks off at 10:30 a.m. EVENTS
Activities include the famed Duct Tape Derby, a guided snowshoe trek, lollypop ski races, the Siber Sled Dogs, sleigh rides, ice carving demos, and fireworks. Admission is free. Find them on Facebook for more info.
NORTH HERO--The GreatIce! Winter Festival takes over North Hero's City Bay on Saturday. The oval and the hockey rink are clear and all the skating surfaces are groomed and lit. The features attraction is to Drive the Zamboni! Also look for Ice Bowling, Tic Tac Snow, Frozen Corn Hole, and Iced Ring Toss. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--The Uniting for Community benefit concert and tattoo event will fill City Hall on Saturday at noon - 4 p.m. There will be tattoos, live music, art, vendors, and more. The Folk/Punk and Hardcore show at 4 - 8 p.m. includes Starvation Wages, the Champlain Shoregasm, Vallory Falls, Assorted Fruit, and the Path.
Admission is $10 at the door or $5 with the donation of a non-perishable food item. Proceeds benefit community organizations Spectrum Youth Drop-In Center, Turning Point of Franklin County, and Franklin County Family Foods. Find them on Facebook for tickets and more info.
ST. ALBANS--It is Classic Movie Night (and Matinee!) at the St. Albans Free Library with Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert and Oscar winner Eileen Heckart in Butterflies Are Free this evening at 6 p.m. and reprised at the Friday matinee at 1 p.m. "I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. Mankind will surely not deny to Harold Skimpole what it concedes to the butterflies." The free presentation includes the show, the popcorn, cocoa, and tea. This showing is an after-hours event. Please arrive before the doors close at 6 p.m. Click here for more info. FILM
ST. ALBANS--Osher Lifelong Learning Institute begins the Spring weekly program series with James and Anne Ouellette's Alaskan Cruise and Land Tour in the Greg Brown Lodge at Hard'ack today at 11 a.m. Their seven-day cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage included Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, the College Fjords, and Denali National Park. HUMANITIES
This semester will offer eight lectures, mostly on Thursdays through April 10. A St. Albans series membership is $40 individual/$70 couple for all eight events, or $8 per program if purchased individually. Call 802.656.8407 or Email f or registration questions. Click here for more info.
BRATTLEBORO and ONLINE--Vermont Humanities continues the weekly Snapshot Series with James Lockridge to discuss Finding a Voice in the Arts online and at Brooks Memorial Library on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Mr. Lockridge co-founded the nonprofit Big Heavy World to archive and promote original Vermont-made music. "Register for this free event" for the link to the stream. Call Vermont Humanities (802.262.2626) or Click here or Click here to register and for more info.
MILTON--Social Sunday continues at the Milton Artists' Guild Art Center with free weekly art classes for families at MAG on Sunday at 1 p.m. Each week offers a different project. Stay for 30 minutes or the whole two hours. Click here for more info. WORKSHOPS & CLASSES
ONLINE--Join host Alex Foltz for Season 2, Episode 1 of Foltz Studio, the new series of outdoor oil painting lessons. This episode finds a "grand" landscape scene for Plein-Air painting on YouTube. The Highgate native who now lives in the state of Georgia teaches viewers the art of plein-air oil painting across different landscapes in Vermont.
Episodes air at 5 p.m. on Mondays. The debut episode has been syndicated by 27 cable channels across 12 different states.
Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine, 71, is retiring at the end of March. He has held the position since 2017. He led the state's response to COVID-19 through the pandemic. COVID NEWS
Only about 23 percent of Vermonters have gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccine (not much change in the last few weeks) and 34 percent have gotten a flu shot, according to the Vermont Department of Health dashboard. Franklin County residents have even lower rates of protection: still just 17% have the updated COVID-19 vaccine and 29 percent have gotten a flu shot (unchanged from last week). Adults 65 and over, or aged 18-64 who are severely immunocompromised, are eligible for a booster dose every six months.
COVID-19 is still here whether Vermonters get the shot or not. Variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continue in the population. XEC remains the dominant circulating variant while KP.3 and MC specimens are present at higher levels than the other variants. The current vaccine formula protects against serious outcomes of all current variants of the virus.
COVID indicators have edged up. 189 cases were reported in the week ending February 1, up from 174 the week before. In total, 1,252 pandemic deaths have been reported as of February 1, meaning COVID claimed another five lives in Vermont in the past week.
Vermont's wastewater monitoring has shown shows that the levels of the virus remain steady in Essex, are increasing at South Burlington, and are down from the January peak but remain very high in Montpelier. According to the Vermont Department of Health, wastewater data shows some of the COVID-19 in the community "because an infected person sheds into the water no matter if they're sick or not." Obviously those of us on septic systems (mound systems, tanks, or cesspools) are not included in the data so the actual numbers are higher.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends multiple vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, an updated flu shot, and RSV protection. Medicare continues to cover vaccines without cost sharing. Most adults with health insurance and all children can continue to get the vaccine without cost-sharing. Vermont's universal vaccine program covers the cost of the COVID-19 vaccines at all primary care offices for adults without health insurance or whose insurance does not cover all costs. We can still order four free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov. The tests available for order are rapid antigen, at-home tests requiring no lab drop-off. Many COVID-19 tests have longer shelf life and extended expiration dates.
My own plan remains unchanged, especially since our precautions have waned and the current variants dodge all but the most up-to-date immunity. I got the COVID, Flu, and RSV shots, and the boosters, and I still take precautions because neither vaccine nor "natural immunity" is 100% foolproof. I wash my hands. I double mask with a genuine N95 mask (not a bandana and not a "chin strap") plus a surgical mask everywhere I can't control the airflow. It isn't much of a burden and it mostly protects me from all the people without masks I see in stores and concerts.
Thursday, February 13 ON STAGE LIVE
SOUTH HERO--The Blue Paddle Bistro often hosts live music on Acoustic Thursday at 5 - 7 p.m. Click here for more info.
Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14
COLCHESTER--Bare Bones play music for lovers in the live and free Friday Night Live Music at the Spanked Puppy on Friday at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SHELDON--The Abbey Friday Night Music Series has a special Valentine's Day live performance with Chris & Erica on Friday about 6:30 p.m. Reservations are suggested. Find them on Facebook for more info.
SOUTH HERO--Will Warren plays the Friday Night Wine Down inside the tasting room at Snow Farm Vineyard on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The Winter Wine Down Music Series continues inside the wineries with well known musicians, wine, and food every Friday through March 28. Click here for the menu and more info.
Friday-Sunday, February 14-16
ST. ALBANS--The Valentine's Winter Carnival at Hard'ack has live music from the Barn Rats, on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. Admission is free. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap has two shows this weekend, starting with Summer Sounds favorites IncaHoots with late night music for lovers, plus the Dirty Looks live on Saturday night. Music starts about 9 p.m. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info. Click here to reserve a table.
ST. ALBANS--The Taphouse at Mill River has shows on Friday and Saturday nights in February. John Gratton plays songs for lovers on Friday and the Smokey Newfield Project is live on Saturday. Music starts about 5:30 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
JERICHO--The Jericho Cafe and Tavern fills the weekend with Live Music in February. The Spencer Lewis serenades on Friday. Fiddlehead Hollow performs live on Saturday night. Music starts at 6 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
ST. ALBANS--Twiggs often has shows on Friday and Saturday nights. This week Dan Parks promises a set with some love songs on Friday starting at 6 p.m. and Ryan Hanson plays live on Saturday night about 6:30 p.m. Call 802.524.1405 or find them on Facebook for more info. Click here to book a reservation or to visit the art on the walls.
Saturday, February 15
ST. ALBANS--14th Star presents the Owl Stars for a night of live music in The Room on Saturday at 7 p.m. Find them on Facebook for more info.
Saturday, February 15
HIGHGATE--The Highgate Manor offers A Night of Cha Cha, Chocolate, and Mocktails on Saturday at 7 p.m. The evening will begin with a Cha Cha Dance lesson for seasoned dancers or beginners. There will be a gourmet chocolate tasting with handcrafted chocolates and the Manor's Signature Mocktails. Admission is $100 per couple. Click here for tickets and more info.
Sunday, February 16
KEY COLONY BEACH, FL--The KCB Community Association Concerts in Sunset Park series begins with the KCB Band--Bob and Crystal Carew--live in the new tiki in Sunset Park on Sunday at 4 p.m. Free. Click here for more info.
Tuesday, February 18
SOUTH BURLINGTON--Higher Ground presents singer-songwriter Tyler Ramsey with special guest Troy Millette in the Showcase Lounge on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Doors at 7. Admission is $20 advance or $25 day of show. Click here for tickets and more info.
Libraries will be closed Monday. FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF
ST. ALBANS--The St. Albans Free Library Banned Books Group ("read them if you dare") meets to discuss I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The 1969 coming-of-age autobiography is the first in a seven-volume series, The Book Group meets after hours at the library. Please arrive before the doors close at 6 p.m. Click here for more info.
ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at library events in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site at AllArtsCouncil.org/books. We also take an occasional peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. Those reviews can be found on the ArtBits Bookshelf. ON THE BOOKSHELF
Good News!There are so many events around the region that we miss some of them.Be sure to check these calendars for what's happening near you ... |
||
Music!Links to the Summer Music series in Franklin County |
||
Dick Harper, Chair
P.O. Box 1
Highgate Springs, VT 05460
email us
|
This article may also have been originally published in the traditional print media. It is Copyright © 2025 by Richard B. Harper. All rights reserved. Archival material is provided as-is. Links are not necessarily maintained (if a link in this article fails, try Google.com or your favorite search engine). Thanks to recent misuse of copyright material on the Internet by individuals and archival firms alike, we emphasize that your rights to this article are limited to viewing it and printing it for personal use only. You must receive explicit permission from the All Arts Council and the author before reprinting or redistributing this article in any medium. Visit our Trademarks and Copyright page for more information. |