…Locally dense fog this morning… Fog has developed across much of east central New York and western New England especially in the river valleys with some of it locally dense fog, visibilities less than a half of a mile. Motorists are urged to be prepared for rapid changes in visibilities and to give themselves some extra time to reach
Study Showing 70 Years of Improving Campus Climate For LGBTQ Students Raises Concerns About Federal Policies
The author of a new study showing slow but consistent progress in the experiences of LGBTQ students on college campuses over the past 70 years is concerned that for the first time since 1944, that trend may be reversing.
The article, recently published in the Journal of College Student Development, shows generational progress and improved perceptions of campus climate for LGBTQ undergraduates from 1944 through 2013, based on data form the National LGBT Alumni Survey. Key factors included support by LGBTQ faculty, co-curricular involvement with peers, choice of major, and geographic location. Graduates of rural institutions reported more negative campus climates, while students who attended colleges in New England had the most positive experiences.
Perhaps the most interesting finding, however, was the role that historical events in U.S history and the LGBTQ movement played in the perceptions of campus climate. Wartime policies such as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, the Vietnam War draft, and the federal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy created isolating experiences for LGBTQ students with regard to identity disclosure and the criminalization of LGBTQ people in the armed forces.
“In the wartime Navy, anyone openly gay would have been given a dishonorable discharge and lost the support of his college education,” responded a gay man who graduated in 1945.
“Had I revealed my sexuality I most likely would have lost my scholarship and would have immediately been inducted into the U.S. Navy as a Seaman recruit,” reported a gay Hispanic man at an Ivy League school in 1970.
“I was closeted and in the ROTC, so discussing my orientation was not an option during the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell …. The pressure from being closeted had a direct effect on my academic performance,” wrote a gay man who graduated in 1994.
Not coincidentally, the study showed that the first time the mean standardized score for campus climate perceptions showed a positive value was 1998 – the same year Matthew Shepard was murdered, sparking widespread attention to homophobia and violence against LGBTQ people. A proliferation in the number of on-campus resources for LGBTQ students followed suit in the early 2000s.
“The gradual acceptance and affirmation of LGBTQ people in mainstream society are inextricably linked to increasingly progressive social policies for LGBTQ people and more positive perceptions of campus climate in higher education,” says study author Jason Garvey, assistant professor of higher education and student affairs at the University of Vermont, who co-authored the article with graduate students Laura A. Sanders and Maureen A. Flint from the University of Alabama.
New federal, state policies having negative affect on campus climate
Garvey is concerned that recent policies by President Donald Trump, coupled with a rise in anti-LGBTQ state-level proposals, are negatively impacting the overall climate for LGBTQ people on – and off – college campuses. In particular, he cites Trump’s ban on transgender individuals in the military; the so-called “bathroom bill” to restrict the use of public restrooms by transgender people; and a filing by the Justice Department asserting lesbian, gay and bisexual people have no protections under Title VII of the Civil Rights of Act.
Garvey says the State of California’s recent ban on publicly-funded travel by state employees to Kentucky, Texas, Alabama and South Dakota in response to anti-LGBTQ rights laws is representative of the regional differences for LGBTQ state-level legislation. California lawmakers also passed legislation last year banning non-essential travel to North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
“This study shows that the warmth or chilliness of higher education for LGBTQ people differs greatly depending on the region and whether an institution is urban or rural, and I think a lot of these geographic differences are coming to the forefront because of the Trump administration,” says Garvey. “There is no one narrative for LGBTQ student success, but these federal and state-level decisions have a direct impact on how welcome or unwelcome LGBTQ people feel. It feels like we’re moving in the wrong direction, which is especially discouraging considering the gradual progress across the last seven decades.”
No data, no power
Less publicized, but no less important, says Garvey, is Trump’s decision to not include data collection from the 2020 Census related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and the removal of a question allowing respondents to identify as transgender from the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants. The Department of Housing and Urban Development also withdrew two notices expected to impact data collection and implementation guidelines for a homelessness prevention initiative targeting LGBTQ youth.
“There’s a data-void for LGBTQ people and we, therefore, have difficulty legitimizing our experiences through empirical data,” says Garvey. “Only recently have scholars and higher education administrators begun to understand the importance of data-driven experiences for LGBTQ people. It may not sound like a big deal that the Trump administration is erasing LGBTQ and trans people from federal data collection, but by empirically tracking the experiences of LGBTQ, we’re demonstrating the need for increased resource allocation, more LGBTQ affirming policies, and a greater depth of understanding of our stories.”
Source: UVM News
Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum to Host Hall of Fame Gala October 21 in Stowe
Inducts five legends into Hall of Fame and presents new First Tracks Award to Kevin Pearce
The who’s who of the ski and snowboarding world will gather at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort in Stowe on Oct. 21 for a dinner and silent auction to celebrate the 2017 Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame inductees. The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame will also announce and present a new First Tracks Award this year.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Williston native Ann Battelle, a world champion mogul skier; Waitsfield’s Dickie Hall, the godfather of telemark skiing in the U.S.; Underhill’s Jim Fredericks, the man who set in place some of Vermont’s strongest Nordic programs; and Chuck and Jann Perkins of Burlington and Stowe. The Perkins founded Burlington’s Alpine Shop and have been integral in both creating and preserving ski culture and history in Vermont. The Paul Robbins award for journalism is going to legendary Vermont photographer and author, Peter Miller, of Waterbury/Colbyville. Peter Graves, a former Hall of Fame inductee and an announcer for many Olympic events, will be the master of ceremonies.
“This year, for the first time, we are also handing out the First Tracks Award, to honor exceptional and ongoing contributions to the sport in Vermont by someone under 35,” says co-chair Greg Morrill. The First Tracks Award will be given in memory of Ian Graddock, a Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum board member, lifelong skier and ski racer, who passed away in 2016 at age 35.
In its inaugural year, the First Tracks Award goes to snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who was on a trajectory to snowboard in the 2010 Olympics when he crashed and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Since then, he’s gone on to set up the Love Your Brain Foundation to help others with TBIs.
“Pearce exemplifies the spirit that Ian Graddock lived by,” says Museum co-chair Poppy Gall. “Hard-charging, thoughtful and dedicated—after surviving a horrific snowboarding accident Kevin turned his talents to helping others in a way that makes him a unique role model.”
Since 2002, the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame has recognized more than 60 people who have made history in snowsports in our state. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor athletes, special contributors, and pioneers of Vermont skiing who promoted and/or contributed to the sport of skiing in Vermont; to document the histories of Inductees in the Museum’s collection; and to recognize their accomplishments through the Induction ceremony and the Hall of Fame exhibit. The Hall of Fame committee looks at candidates in three categories: Athletes, Pioneers, and Special Contributors.
The 2017 Hall of Fame dinner and films are sponsored by: Rossignol, Sisler Builders, and VT Ski + Ride Magazine, NJoy Events, The Violettes, Stowe Reporter and Xpress Print and Copy. Sponsorships are still available.
The event at the Stoweflake Resort in Stowe on Oct. 21 is open to the public and usually sells out. Tickets are $90 and are available at www.vtssm.org/events.
Bios are attached. If you are interested in a media pass, interviews with the honorees, photos or additional information please contact: Susan Dorn, sdorn@vtssm.com
About the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum is a welcome home for alpine, Nordic, and snowboard enthusiasts in the landmark ‘Old Town Hall’ of Stowe, Vermont. In fulfilling its mission of collecting, preserving and celebrating Vermont’s skiing and snowboarding history, the Museum has assembled the definitive collection of Vermont skiing and snowboard artifacts and memorabilia. It has produced videos and films honoring Vermont athletes and pioneers as Hall of Fame inductees. The Museum implements numerous exciting and memorable programs each year, including exhibit grand openings, exclusive speakers and collection showings, film festivals and much more. It is a key asset and attraction to Vermont and the Town of Stowe.
2017 Hall of Fame Inductees
Ann Battelle
Growing up in Williston, Ann Battelle would get dropped off at Cochran’s ski hill with her school’s Friday afternoon program and at Bolton Valley every weekend. One day she went to Whiteface to see a World Cup mogul event. As she describes it: “Solid ice bumps down the steep Wilderness trail. I had found my calling.” After graduating from Middlebury College, moved to Steamboat, Colo. and by her second season competing made the U.S. National Team. Battelle went on to ski on the U.S. Freestyle team for 11 years. She was a two-time World Cup champion, won the World Championships in 1999 and competed in four Olympics. She retired after the 2002 Games.
Jim Fredericks
When Jim Fredericks first learned to Nordic ski at Johnson State College, he went on to become one of the East’s top racers. He coached at his alma mater and then, in 1978, started the Craftsbury Nordic Ski Center program and grew it into a hotbed where Olympic-level athletes now train and compete. After Craftsbury, Fredericks launched the Nordic program at Green Mountain Valley School, a program that turned out a number of National Junior Champions. He then went on to Rossignol, working with their Nordic products and athletes. Finally, when Rossignol moved west, Fredericks took on the role of the Catamount Trail Associations’ executive director. Under his leadership the organization grew to become one of the strongest outdoor non-profits in the state and a voice for backcountry travel. Fredericks also started The Race to the Top of Vermont.
Dickie Hall
Waitsfield’s Dickie Hall, the founder and director of North American Telemark Organization from 1975-2015, introduced Telemark skiing in every ski state with his Telemark Festival Series. He also conducted a yearly schedule of workshops, camps, expeditions and guide and instructor training. “Over the years I’ve probably taught over 40,000 skiers and trained 1,000 instructors and guides worldwide.” Hall started his career on the Killington Ski Patrol in the early 1970s and became Chief Examiner and Certification Chairman for PSIA-E Nordic. In the late ’70s Hall started the annual NATO Telemark Festival at Mad River Glen and ran it for decades. “This was the world’s largest public event for telemark skiing, attracting over a thousand skiers for the weekend,” he recalls. During his career, Hall also produced five movies on telemark and backcountry skiing, consulted and trained staff for the nation’s leading outdoor schools and was an adjunct professor of ski mountaineering for the University of Alaska Wilderness studies program.
Chuck & Jann Perkins
Chuck Perkins, a University of Vermont grad, was working for J.C. Penney when he and his wife Jann decided to open the Alpine Shop in Burlington. That was 1963. Over the next 47 years, the Perkins (and then their daughter Peg and husband Scott Rieley) built the Alpine Shop into more than just a retail outlet. They sold it in 2011 to Andy and Becky Kingston. The shop quickly became a hub of ski culture, sponsoring Warren Miller films, promoting events like the Sugarbush Triathlon and serving as a gathering point for skiers. Along the way, the Perkins became avid fans of ski history and collectors of ski memorabilia. Because of the couple’s devotion to ski history, another collector, Roy Newton, drafted them for help with the Vermont Ski Museum. They raised enough money to purchase Newton’s collection and convinced the town of Stowe to lease them a condemned meeting house on Main Street. Jann says. “We have been board members and life members since the very start of the museum, and we promise it will always be an asset to the village of Stowe.”
Peter Miller: Paul Robbins Journalism Award
Most people know Peter Miller as the author and photographer behind the stunning photo books, Vermont People, Vermont Farm Women and most recently, Vanishing Vermonters: Loss of a Rural Culture, all self-published through Silver Print Press. What they may not know is that the first of Miller’s 11 published books were ski books, The 30,000 Mile Ski Race (Dial Press, 1973), about Americans in Europe on the World Cup circuit and then The Skier’s Almanac (Nick Lyons Press and Doubleday, 1980). Miller grew up in Weston, Vt. and has always followed ski racing. From 1965 to 1988 he was a contributing editor to SKI Magazine and has visited 104 ski resorts on four continents. Miller got his start as a photographer when, as a student at the University of Toronto, he had the chance to work with the legendary portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh. Miller assisted him in 1954 as they photographed celebrities living in Europe. Miller went on to work as a reporter and writer for LIFE Magazine before moving back to Vermont in the 1960s. He set up shop next door to the Waterbury Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Colbyville.
Kevin Pearce: The First Tracks Award
The son of glassware giant Simon Pearce and his wife Pia. Kevin Pearce grew up snowboarding at ski areas around Vermont. By 18 he had turned pro, excelling in the halfpipe. In 2008, Pearce became the first athlete to win three medals at the X Games (and bested Shaun White in Slopestyle). That year he was also crowned overall champion of the international Swatch Ticket to Ride series. White and Pearce were the top contenders for the 2010 Olympics. Both had sponsors build them private half-pipes where they could practice. On Dec. 31, 2009 Pearce was training in a half-pipe in Utah, working on a cab double cork, when he crashed hard. He suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was hospitalized for four months. He was, in his own words, “lucky to be alive.” Pearce’s story made headline news and a movie Crash Reel, about his injury and recovery, played at Sundance in 2014. It took Pearce nearly two years to recover enough so that he could snowboard (no air or halfpipes anymore). He’s since turned his energy to helping others. Pearce started the Love Your Brain Foundation to help others with TBI and serves as a sports ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society (his brother David has Down Syndrome).
Source: Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum to Host Hall of Fame Gala October 21 in Stowe
Inducts five legends into Hall of Fame and presents new First Tracks Award to Kevin Pearce
The who’s who of the ski and snowboarding world will gather at the Stoweflake Mountain Resort in Stowe on Oct. 21 for a dinner and silent auction to celebrate the 2017 Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame inductees. The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame will also announce and present a new First Tracks Award this year.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Williston native Ann Battelle, a world champion mogul skier; Waitsfield’s Dickie Hall, the godfather of telemark skiing in the U.S.; Underhill’s Jim Fredericks, the man who set in place some of Vermont’s strongest Nordic programs; and Chuck and Jann Perkins of Burlington and Stowe. The Perkins founded Burlington’s Alpine Shop and have been integral in both creating and preserving ski culture and history in Vermont. The Paul Robbins award for journalism is going to legendary Vermont photographer and author, Peter Miller, of Waterbury/Colbyville. Peter Graves, a former Hall of Fame inductee and an announcer for many Olympic events, will be the master of ceremonies.
“This year, for the first time, we are also handing out the First Tracks Award, to honor exceptional and ongoing contributions to the sport in Vermont by someone under 35,” says co-chair Greg Morrill. The First Tracks Award will be given in memory of Ian Graddock, a Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum board member, lifelong skier and ski racer, who passed away in 2016 at age 35.
In its inaugural year, the First Tracks Award goes to snowboarder Kevin Pearce, who was on a trajectory to snowboard in the 2010 Olympics when he crashed and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Since then, he’s gone on to set up the Love Your Brain Foundation to help others with TBIs.
“Pearce exemplifies the spirit that Ian Graddock lived by,” says Museum co-chair Poppy Gall. “Hard-charging, thoughtful and dedicated—after surviving a horrific snowboarding accident Kevin turned his talents to helping others in a way that makes him a unique role model.”
Since 2002, the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame has recognized more than 60 people who have made history in snowsports in our state. The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to honor athletes, special contributors, and pioneers of Vermont skiing an snowboarding who promoted and/or contributed to the sport of skiing and riding in Vermont; to document the histories of Inductees in the Museum’s collection; and to recognize their accomplishments through the Induction ceremony and the Hall of Fame exhibit. The Hall of Fame committee looks at candidates in three categories: Athletes, Pioneers, and Special Contributors.
The 2017 Hall of Fame dinner and films are sponsored by: Rossignol, Sisler Builders, and VT Ski + Ride Magazine, NJoy Events, The Violettes, Stowe Reporter and Xpress Print and Copy. Sponsorships are still available.
The event at the Stoweflake Resort in Stowe on Oct. 21 is open to the public and usually sells out. Tickets are $90 and are available at www.vtssm.org/events.
Bios are attached. If you are interested in a media pass, interviews with the honorees, photos or additional information please contact: Susan Dorn, sdorn@vtssm.com
About the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum is a welcome home for alpine, Nordic, and snowboard enthusiasts in the landmark ‘Old Town Hall’ of Stowe, Vermont. In fulfilling its mission of collecting, preserving and celebrating Vermont’s skiing and snowboarding history, the Museum has assembled the definitive collection of Vermont skiing and snowboard artifacts and memorabilia. It has produced videos and films honoring Vermont athletes and pioneers as Hall of Fame inductees. The Museum implements numerous exciting and memorable programs each year, including exhibit grand openings, exclusive speakers and collection showings, film festivals and much more. It is a key asset and attraction to Vermont and the Town of Stowe.
2017 Hall of Fame Inductees
Ann Battelle
Growing up in Williston, Ann Battelle would get dropped off at Cochran’s ski hill with her school’s Friday afternoon program and at Bolton Valley every weekend. One day she went to Whiteface to see a World Cup mogul event. As she describes it: “Solid ice bumps down the steep Wilderness trail. I had found my calling.” After graduating from Middlebury College, moved to Steamboat, Colo. and by her second season competing made the U.S. National Team. Battelle went on to ski on the U.S. Freestyle team for 11 years. She was a two-time World Cup champion, won the World Championships in 1999 and competed in four Olympics. She retired after the 2002 Games.
Jim Fredericks
When Jim Fredericks first learned to Nordic ski at Johnson State College, he went on to become one of the East’s top racers. He coached at his alma mater and then, in 1978, started the Craftsbury Nordic Ski Center program and grew it into a hotbed where Olympic-level athletes now train and compete. After Craftsbury, Fredericks launched the Nordic program at Green Mountain Valley School, a program that turned out a number of National Junior Champions. He then went on to Rossignol, working with their Nordic products and athletes. Finally, when Rossignol moved west, Fredericks took on the role of the Catamount Trail Associations’ executive director. Under his leadership the organization grew to become one of the strongest outdoor non-profits in the state and a voice for backcountry travel. Fredericks also started The Race to the Top of Vermont.
Dickie Hall
Waitsfield’s Dickie Hall, the founder and director of North American Telemark Organization from 1975-2015, introduced Telemark skiing in every ski state with his Telemark Festival Series. He also conducted a yearly schedule of workshops, camps, expeditions and guide and instructor training. “Over the years I’ve probably taught over 40,000 skiers and trained 1,000 instructors and guides worldwide.” Hall started his career on the Killington Ski Patrol in the early 1970s and became Chief Examiner and Certification Chairman for PSIA-E Nordic. In the late ’70s Hall started the annual NATO Telemark Festival at Mad River Glen and ran it for decades. “This was the world’s largest public event for telemark skiing, attracting over a thousand skiers for the weekend,” he recalls. During his career, Hall also produced five movies on telemark and backcountry skiing, consulted and trained staff for the nation’s leading outdoor schools and was an adjunct professor of ski mountaineering for the University of Alaska Wilderness studies program.
Chuck & Jann Perkins
Chuck Perkins, a University of Vermont grad, was working for J.C. Penney when he and his wife Jann decided to open the Alpine Shop in Burlington. That was 1963. Over the next 47 years, the Perkins (and then their daughter Peg and husband Scott Rieley) built the Alpine Shop into more than just a retail outlet. They sold it in 2011 to Andy and Becky Kingston. The shop quickly became a hub of ski culture, sponsoring Warren Miller films, promoting events like the Sugarbush Triathlon and serving as a gathering point for skiers. Along the way, the Perkins became avid fans of ski history and collectors of ski memorabilia. Because of the couple’s devotion to ski history, another collector, Roy Newton, drafted them for help with the Vermont Ski Museum. They raised enough money to purchase Newton’s collection and convinced the town of Stowe to lease them a condemned meeting house on Main Street. Jann says. “We have been board members and life members since the very start of the museum, and we promise it will always be an asset to the village of Stowe.”
Peter Miller: Paul Robbins Journalism Award
Most people know Peter Miller as the author and photographer behind the stunning photo books, Vermont People, Vermont Farm Women and most recently, Vanishing Vermonters: Loss of a Rural Culture, all self-published through Silver Print Press. What they may not know is that the first of Miller’s 11 published books were ski books, The 30,000 Mile Ski Race (Dial Press, 1973), about Americans in Europe on the World Cup circuit and then The Skier’s Almanac (Nick Lyons Press and Doubleday, 1980). Miller grew up in Weston, Vt. and has always followed ski racing. From 1965 to 1988 he was a contributing editor to SKI Magazine and has visited 104 ski resorts on four continents. Miller got his start as a photographer when, as a student at the University of Toronto, he had the chance to work with the legendary portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh. Miller assisted him in 1954 as they photographed celebrities living in Europe. Miller went on to work as a reporter and writer for LIFE Magazine before moving back to Vermont in the 1960s. He set up shop next door to the Waterbury Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Colbyville.
Kevin Pearce: The First Tracks Award
The son of glassware giant Simon Pearce and his wife Pia. Kevin Pearce grew up snowboarding at ski areas around Vermont. By 18 he had turned pro, excelling in the halfpipe. In 2008, Pearce became the first athlete to win three medals at the X Games (and bested Shaun White in Slopestyle). That year he was also crowned overall champion of the international Swatch Ticket to Ride series. White and Pearce were the top contenders for the 2010 Olympics. Both had sponsors build them private half-pipes where they could practice. On Dec. 31, 2009 Pearce was training in a half-pipe in Utah, working on a cab double cork, when he crashed hard. He suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was hospitalized for four months. He was, in his own words, “lucky to be alive.” Pearce’s story made headline news and a movie Crash Reel, about his injury and recovery, played at Sundance in 2014. It took Pearce nearly two years to recover enough so that he could snowboard (no air or halfpipes anymore). He’s since turned his energy to helping others. Pearce started the Love Your Brain Foundation to help others with TBI and serves as a sports ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society (his brother David has Down Syndrome).
Source: Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
Local Music paired with Local Eats
<p>Restaurants are reaching beyond ingredients to source all kinds of goods from Vermont producers – from tables and appliances to hand soap in the bathroom. That’s why it comes as no surprise that locavore restaurants across the state are <strong>turning to local sounds to pair with their local bites</strong>. Whether hosting weekly music residencies or shutting down regular service for full-blown rock shows, the <strong>partnerships between Vermont’s chefs and musicians are stronger than ever</strong> – giving Vermont musicians a chance to play for a captive audience of local-loving diners and restaurants a chance to more fully engage their guests. We asked a few of our restaurant partners why local music and food pair so well…</p><p>”<strong>Live music adds another layer to the experience, it feeds the senses</strong>,” describes Marilee Spanjian of <a href=”http://vermontfresh.net/search-members/member-list/member/inn-at-weathersfield-the” target=”_blank”>The Inn at Weathersfield</a> in Perkinsville, VT where they host musicians every Friday. At the Inn, it’s more about adding ambiance and music that accompanies their cozy atmosphere and conversation but that doesn’t stop people from feeling the boogie. Marilee shared that often times, “guests have just felt moved to stand up and dance!”</p><p><a href=”http://vermontfresh.net/search-members/member-list/member/juniper-bar-and-restaurant-at-hotel-vermont” target=”_blank”>Hotel Vermont</a> programs music to introduce guests to Vermont’s thriving local music scene, fitting perfectly with their ethos. “Much of what we do at Hotel Vermont and Juniper is focused on community. <strong>We offer live music three nights a week to support our local musicians, provide an experience for our hotel guests and encourage locals to gather in our space,</strong>” explains Matt Canning, Food and Beverage Manager for the hotel. Located in the heart of downtown Burlington, shows at Hotel Vermont can really pull a crowd. Matt shared a memory from this year’s Burlington Discover Jazz Fest where local jazz celebrity, Ray Vega, brought a surprise to his Wednesday set. “On this particular Wednesday in June, the Ray Vega Quartet had the lobby and restaurant packed with eating drinking and dancing guests. Half way through, a gentleman walks in off Cherry Street and picks up a trombone lying next to Ray. <strong>In a matter of fact announcement Ray introduced Trombone Shorty to play a couple tunes.</strong> A night before he played a sold out water-front main stage show, Trombone Shorty blew away our guests in a free lobby performance.” </p><p>Chef Eric Warnstedt of <a href=”http://vermontfresh.net/search-members/MemberSearchForm?Categories=&SubCategories=&RegionID=&Keywords=hen+of+the+Wood-&action_doMemberSearch=Search” target=”_blank”>Hen of the Wood in Burlington and Waterbury</a> and <a href=”http://vermontfresh.net/search-members/member-list/member/doc-ponds” target=”_blank”>Doc Ponds</a> in Stowe is a music lover and huge supporter of the local music scene – just <strong>check out the vinyl collection at Doc Ponds</strong> sometime. For Eric, the Vermont music scene has a kinship to the restaurant scene. “I love how close we can get to everything. Everyone seems to play in many bands – they all seem very supportive of each other. It’s similar in some ways to the restaurant business,” Eric describes. How does Hen staff like to get down? “<strong>We like stuff that swings, gets funky and sets the mood for a party</strong>. For us, it’s just fun. When we have music at Hen-Waterbury it’s more like we are throwing a party. We usually partner with a brewery and cook up cheap eats, a total departure from Hen business as usual,” Eric explains. </p><p><a href=”http://vermontfresh.net/search-members/member-list/member/citizen-cider” target=”_blank”>Citizen Cider</a> on Pine Street in Burlington built their tasting room and restaurant complete with a stage for local sounds. “<strong>We love bluegrass, hence Brett Hughes being our resident musician,</strong>” shares Cheray MacFarland, Citizen’s Marketing Director, “but the Tasting Room crew definitely prefers new and upcoming music.” Though the staff’s musical taste varies at Citizen, they look at featuring live music as a way to support their community in the Arts District of Burlington. On Sunday, September 24th, Citizen will feature a <strong>Pine Street Battle of the Bands</strong> in their loading dock where bands will compete to be the reigning band of Pine Street and play a slot for <a href=”https://www.facebook.com/events/500944356917329/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2229%22%2C%22ref_notif_type%22%3A%22plan_user_invited%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&notif_t=plan_user_invited&notif_id=1504716490455392″ target=”_blank”>CiderFest at Happy Valley Orchard</a> in October! </p><p><strong>A couple questions, just for fun…</strong></p><p><strong><em>What local food or beverage would you pair with local music? </em></strong></p><p><strong>Matt Canning, Hotel Vermont:</strong> I recommend our Hotel Vermont private label gin or vodka martini (try our Farmer’s Tan Martini with pickled veggies) and a number of small plates like house charcuterie, Vermont Creamery’s St. Albans baked brie, fried Lake Champlain perch or vegetable momos. </p><p><strong>Cheray MacFarland, Citizen Cider: </strong>Any cider goes well with live music – especially in a 16oz can</p><p><strong>Marilee Spanjian, Inn at Weathersfield:</strong><em> </em>Great question. Think it would have to be something fun like a seasonal corn soup or pickled vegetable salad.</p><p><strong><em>What’s the most popular order for your musician guests? </em></strong></p><p><strong>Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood and Doc Ponds: </strong>I love when I see local rock stars housing a few dozen oysters in Burlington!</p><p><strong>Marilee Spanjian, Inn at Weathersfield: </strong>I’d say most choose steak or veal – sometimes a burger. </p><p><strong>Matt Canning, Hotel Vermont: </strong>Our eclectic group of musicians enjoy a wide range of dishes available on Juniper’s menu but the combination of a Zero Gravity Green State Lager, Templeton Farm grass feed beef burger and our world famous french fries must be the most popular.<em> </em></p><p><strong>Cheray MacFarland, Citizen Cider: </strong>That ranges for sure, but the corn dog is always a favorite. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Looking to catch some live music and local eats?</strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><em>Citizen Cider, Burlington: <a href=”http://www.citizencider.com/events/”>http://www.citizencider.com/events/</a></em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Doc Ponds, Stowe: <a href=”https://www.docponds.com/events”>https://www.docponds.com/events</a></em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Hotel Vermont, Burlington: <a href=”http://hotelvt.com/calendar”>http://hotelvt.com/calendar</a></em></strong></p><p><strong><em>Inn at Weathersfield, Perkinsville: <a href=”https://www.weathersfieldinn.com/iw-vermont-calendar”>https://www.weathersfieldinn.com/iw-vermont-calendar</a></em></strong></p><p> </p><p><strong><span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>Other Restaurants Featuring Live Music</span></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href=”https://barantidote.com/livemusic/”>Bar Antidote</a>, Vergennes </em></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href=”https://www.facebook.com/mojocafevt/”>Mojo Cafe</a>, Ludlow</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href=”http://perfectwife.com/events/”>The Perfect Wife</a>, Manchester</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href=”http://www.waterburyreservoir.com/#!music”>The Reservoir</a>, Waterbury</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href=”http://windsorstationvt.com/live-music/”>Windsor Station and Barroom</a>, Windsor</em></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href=”https://skinnypancake.com/”>Skinny Pancake</a>, Burlington + Montpelier </em></strong></p><p><strong><em><a href=”http://www.twobrotherstavern.com/entertainment/”>Two Brother’s Tavern</a>, Middlebury</em></strong></p><p> </p>
Source: Dig in VT Trails
Meet the Maker: Boyer’s Wine & Cider
<p>It’s Vermont wine month! Vermont’s wine scene has grown and blossomed so much over the past few years, <strong>we’re gaining national recognition for some of the most talented wine makers in the country and setting the standard for cold climate grapes</strong>. Our small state offers an impressive diversity of flavor and styles with options to match any palate. We want to both celebrate winemakers this month and draw your attention to the impressive diversity of flavor and styles of wine made in our small state. <strong>We hope you’ll join us in exploring some new tastes, starting with Boyer’s Orchard in Monkton</strong>. We asked Mark Boyer about his journey into wine and cidermaking in Vermont. Learn about Boyer’s and go grab a bottle of their craft wine or cider for the complete experience.</p><p><strong>Meet the Maker Q&A with Mark Boyer</strong></p><address><strong><em>Head Cider and Winemaker <br/></em></strong><strong><em>Boyer’s Orchard | Monkton, Vermont <br/></em></strong><strong><em>Onsite Tasting Room at the Orchard | Open September – November | Saturday & Sunday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM</em></strong><strong> </strong></address><p> </p><p><strong>What’s the history of your orchard?</strong></p><p>We started our fruit tree orchard a little over 37 years ago; apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots and cherries. Cider has always been in my family’s history, my parents use to work for cider houses on the weekends when we were kids growing up, I know the smell of fresh cider all too well. We have expanded to include not only tree fruit but also vegetables and berries in the last 10 years.</p><p><strong>When did you start producing wine and hard cider? Why?</strong></p><p>I started making hard cider and wine with my father when I was around 12 years old and am 50 now and still love it, back then we made wines and ciders for fun. We went official with production of wine and ciders three years ago. I always wanted to grow grapes and finally ten years ago, when the cold climate grapes were introduced to our region, I started planting them with great success.</p><p><strong>What kind of grapes are you growing? </strong> </p><p>We grow 25 varieties of grapes, our vineyard is primarily made up of; Marquette, St. Croix, La Crescent, Frontenac Gris, Swenson White, Petite Pearl and Brianne Grapes. The remainder of the variety of grapes are experimental.</p><p><strong>What kind of wine are you making?</strong></p><p>We make a wide variety of wines and ciders, the wines are semi-dry to dry, Reds, Whites and Rosés. Our ciders are varied as well; our flagship cider has been a sparkling champagne cider, we make less bubbly ciders as well. The Standard (a 6.5% original cider, semi-dry), Raspberry Cider (a sparkling cider that we use our own raspberries in that we grow on the farm), a bourbon barrel aged cider (cider aged in Mad River Distillers barrels for 6+ months). New this year, we have a cider donut hard cider (hints of cinnamon and sugar, back sweetened with Maple Syrup that we produce on site) and an Elderberry Cider using elderberries that we grow on the farm (semi-dry, somewhat tart). We also make an ice cider done in the traditional way of freezing the cider outdoors in the early winter. </p><p><strong>Which is your favorite and what’s special about it? </strong></p><p>My favorite . . . that’s a hard decision, I really like them all! The Marquette has an amazing cherry, plum and blackberry character. The La Crescent has amazing honey and apricot qualities. The Frontenac Gris has excellent tropical fruit character. The Boro Hill Sparkling Cider has semi-sweet champagne flavors. The bourbon barrel aged cider has a nice bourbon hint as well as oak flavors. The raspberry hints of my favorite berry, we pick 200 gallons of them every summer. The Elderberry has an excellent tangy/ tart flavor to it. The Apple Cider Donut Hard Cider pairs very well with, you guessed it, Cider Donuts! </p><p><strong>What is challenging about growing grapes in VT? </strong></p><p>Growing these cold climate grapes is really not all that difficult. I have planted a fair amount of varieties to see what works best for our soil types, glacial till (somewhat loam/ gravel type soil). I have seen some grape vines take five years for their roots to get deep enough in the soil to get good flavor characteristics. We do a fair amount of shoot thinning in the early summer to eliminate too many shoots on the vine which would tend to shade the grapes later in the season.</p><p><strong>In your opinion, what’s unique about VT wines?</strong></p><p>I think that VT wines and ciders are unique based on all of our different soil types, and wine and cider makers experiments with fermentation. I think it’s amazing how many grape and apple choices that we have for making these great wines and ciders.</p><p><strong>Tell us a little about the heirloom apples you are growing? </strong></p><p>I have always been intrigued by heirloom apples; I’ve traveled the state to other interesting orchards to taste some of these non-mainstream apples! We use both dessert and heirloom apples for our ciders. For hard cider making the heirloom apples provide extra tannins for the ciders that you don’t normally find in a sweeter dessert apple. Some of the heirloom apples that we are growing are: Yarlington Mills, Kingston Black, Wickson and Russet.</p><p><strong>Anything else you’d like to add? </strong></p><p>I think that VT is an amazing state in that we have so many unique farms raising food so close to home. There are so many great restaurants to choose from and so many great beverages being created throughout our state.</p>
Source: Dig in VT Trails
Refuge From Cancer
When Emily Speck learned in eighth grade that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer she focused on staying strong for her parents. Consequently, she never spoke about her own internal struggles throughout her mother’s treatment and recovery.
Speck ’17 shared her experience publicly for the first time this summer at a camp for children who lost a parent to cancer or have one in treatment or remission that she co-founded with Morgan Medeiros ’18 and Alex Cohen ’16. Her story helped campers open up about their own experiences during an empowerment ceremony at the first UVM-student-sponsored Camp Kesem in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire.
“I wish I had a Camp Kesem when I was going through that experience,” says Speck. “It was really hard to speak out loud about it, but it seemed to empower the kids to share their own stories. Their ability to be brave in that situation is a testament to their own strength, but also to the environment that we created at camp.”
Speck was part of a handful of dedicated students, including Emily Torsney ’18, who worked tirelessly to bring a chapter of Camp Kesem — a nationwide community of college students who support children through and beyond their parent’s cancer — to UVM.
Cohen, who heard about the camp from a friend, first discussed the idea with Speck while volunteering together at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. “We saw a need, but had no idea how much work it would take to get a chapter,” says Cohen, adding that Harvard, Dartmouth, Boston College, MIT, Yale and Brown were the only New England schools with chapters.
It wasn’t long before students from a broad range of majors including education, math, business, economics, nursing, biochemistry, and computer science joined the effort. Some were motivated by the loss of a parent, although most just wanted to help children. “Being able to say that we have 30 students willing to put in so much time for a great cause just shows how great the UVM community is,” says Medeiros, a nursing major who served as camp co-director with Torsney.
The reward far outweighed the sacrifice, according to many of the 28 students who served as counselors for the 26 campers, ages 6-16. “It was absolutely the best week of my life,” says Cohen. “It was incredibly powerful to hear the kids tell these raw stories that other campers could relate to in a very deep way.”
Coupled with those moments of sharing common experiences and emotions, the camp came with ample opportunity to escape into activities you’d find at any other summer camp. Much of daily life at UVM Kesem revolved around the simple, yet powerful, motto: “Let Kids Be Kids.”
Source: UVM News
Special Weather Statement issued September 13 at 4:36AM EDT by NWS
…Areas of dense fog… Areas of dense fog with visibilities less than a half of a mile has developed across portions of east central New York and western New England mainly in river valleys and near bodies of water. Motorists are urged to be prepared for rapid changes in visibilities and to give themselves some extra time to reach their
Humanitarian Mapmaking
In the wake of disasters around the world, Noah Ahles ’14 and Nina Loutchko ’20 like to throw a party. So, last week, when Hurricane Harvey roared through coastal Texas, they did it again. “There’s chips and salsa and Oreos,” Ahles calls out cheerfully, over some soft music, to a group of about twenty UVM students and others who have gathered in a computer lab in the Aiken Building on campus.
But this party is no joke. It’s a mapping party—with a deadly serious aim to help first-responders, disaster planners—and anyone else in the region who needs an accurate map of what the storm has done on the ground. “We’re going to be working tonight in Houston to help them get back up on their feet,” Ahles says.
The students are volunteering their evening for the UVM Humanitarian Mapping Club—and it seems a bit like a video-game competition as they focus intensely at computers, drawing magenta squares on satellite maps. Each box goes around a building and then is classified—“tonight we’re mostly just looking at houses,” Ahles says—joining their work to a global effort called OpenStreetMap that include teams of engineers, GIS professionals, humanitarians, and other groups of college students around the world.
“This is a just a picture, a satellite image,” says Emily Kornfien ‘19 (above), a transfer student who’s new to the club. She points to her screen at what looks like a curving cul-de-sac of houses and swimming pools. “The computer doesn’t know anything is there. That’s why these lines are being added: you put in the lines, for a road or school or whatever, and then you name it.”
The UVM club is part of an organization called YouthMappers with 74 chapters in 24 countries. “We’re exchanging emails with universities in Kenya, South Africa, and India,” says Loutchko, who joined the effort last year and now serves as president. “We’re collectively trying to get young people involved in mapping and humanitarian work.”
Noah Ahles (above left)—who graduated from UVM in 2014 and is now on staff at UVM’s Spatial Analysis Lab—describes OpenStreetMap as the Wikipedia of maps. “Anybody can edit, anybody can download, and anybody can use it for free,” he says. “It’s powerful because it takes the red tape away from organizations that need to do damage assessment, or disaster recovery, or any situation where they need open-source data immediately.”
The global effort began in 2010 following a terrible earthquake in Haiti. “We started at UVM in October 2014 during the Ebola outbreak,” Ahles explains. “Doctors Without Borders requested maps to be able to plan out exactly how to get from one village to another in Sierra Leone. They needed all the roads to be digitized.” So he began to volunteer.
“We take it for granted that we’re able to use our phones to find every single turn to reach any address in New York City,” he says. “That’s all vector information. That’s lines. That’s geographic information that a lot of developing countries don’t have.”
And some places in the U.S. too—including Houston—don’t have complete datasets of where buildings and roads are that would allow a computer to create before-and-after images of flood-damaged areas. “Let’s find neighborhoods that are underwater,” Ahles tells the group, showing them striking images, on a projector at the front of the room, of submerged houses where Harvey dumped feet of water. “We’re using both pre-storm and post-storm imagery,” Ahles explains, to help aid groups and others “understand how many buildings are within the area of flooding.”
Two students get up from their workstations and come to the front of the room. “We’ve earned a cookie,” one says, with a smile. “It can seem intimidating—all this geospatial technology,” says Loutchko, “but it’s really easy and fun. We listen to music and put in to a really great cause.”
By the end of the evening, twenty-four people have mapped 3,960 buildings in Houston. Three days later, Ahles posts another invite to the club’s Facebook page: “I’ll be doing some mapping,” on Saturday, he writes, “to help provide building footprints in preparation for Irma in Florida/Carribean Islands. Feel free to stop by.”
Source: UVM News
Special Weather Statement issued September 12 at 2:45AM EDT by NWS
…Locally dense fog… Locally dense fog with visibilities less than a half of a mile has developed across portions of east central New York and western New England mainly in river valleys and near bodies of water. Motorists are urged to be prepared for rapid changes in visibilities and to give themselves some extra time to reach their destination.