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Articles by Sally Pollak
Rev. Nathan Strong 'Was Just a Good Ol' Country Boy'
click to enlarge Nathan Strong (March 18, 1953-January 6, 2024) had chosen the hymns for the church service he was to lead on Sunday, January 7. He had prepared the church bulletin, selected scripture readings and started to write his sermon, which he titled "Dodging Bullets." The service at Albany United Methodist Church was held that Sunday morning, but the pastor who had served the congregation for 31 years wasn't there: Strong died of a heart attack at his home on Saturday evening, January 6.
Burger Night at Winooski's Four Quarters Brewing Is a Soon-to-Be Smash
click to enlarge If I'd been smarter — or at least quicker — I would've timed how long it took to get my Cheeseburger in Paradise on a recent Tuesday night at Four Quarters Brewing in Winooski. Then I would've clocked myself eating it, and I could say with certainty which was faster: cooking or eating. I can attest they were both high-speed events. I'd taken just a few sips of beer before a double cheeseburger with the works was placed before me at the bar.
Remembering Burlington's Glenn Taulton: 'He'd Always Have a Tune to Sing'
click to enlarge This "Life Stories" profile is part of a collection of articles remembering Vermonters who died in 2023. In the public housing complex in Clairton, Pa., where Glenn Taulton grew up, he wasn't allowed to practice his tuba at home. The apartment was small, and Glenn's father didn't want his kids to be musicians. "Anything but music," was the message from their father, recalled Byron Taulton, Glenn's younger brother.
A New Mini Golf Course at Middlebury College Aims to Educate Players on Reproductive Justice
Anyone who's taken birth control pills, or knows someone who's used oral contraception, will recognize the large pill case on display at Middlebury College. Its distinct feature is a month's worth of little holes, or pill pockets, punctuating a white plastic circle. Other aspects of this pill container are less standard, including its placement in a miniature golf course in the hockey rink at Chip Kenyon '85 Arena.
A New Outdoor Exhibit in Montpelier Reflects on the Climate and Housing Crises
click to enlarge Jeb Wallace-Brodeur A few weeks before Nick Pattis installed a new exhibit at the Vermont Arts Council sculpture garden, he visited the site on State Street in Montpelier. Pattis, project manager at Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, was viewing the space for the first time. "I was like, Wow, this is up front!" he recalled.
Herd Mentality: The Life and Times of Cow No. 74
was born in Bellows Falls and began drawing comics at an early age. He is cofounder of Eureka Comics, specializing in educational and informational graphic novels. In April, he was named the fourth Vermont state cartoonist laureate. He lives in West Townshend with his wife, Cindy. Learn more at rickveitch.com
A Storied Life: Plainfield's Country Bookshop Nears the Half-Century Mark
click to enlarge Sally Pollak Ben Koenig was a conscientious objector fulfilling his public service duty at a children's hospital in Westchester County, N.Y., when he enrolled in Goddard College's adult degree program. It was the late 1960s, and times were good at Goddard. Folks called the low-residency program in Plainfield the "adultery program," Koenig recalled. "It was a friendly place," he said. Born and raised in the Bronx, Koenig had never been to Vermont before his student days at Goddard.
Steve MacQueen Named Executive Director of Vermont International Film Festival
click to enlarge Courtesy of Steve MacQueen Steve MacQueen, former artistic director of the Flynn, will be the new executive director of the Vermont International Film Festival, the organization announced Monday. MacQueen assumes leadership of the Burlington-based nonprofit on June 12, succeeding Orly Yadin. VTIFF presents films and affiliated programming through three annual film festivals, including its namesake festival, Made Here and Global Roots.
Tim Jennings Makes His 'Grand Reentry' Into Solo Storytelling
click to enlarge Courtesy Of Jeb Wallace-Brodeur One day about 50 years ago, Tim Jennings was riding in a van with students from the Mountain Road School in Jeffersonville, returning to campus with a class after a trip to the library. Winding through Lamoille County, the young teacher told the students a story called "Dimwit," a so-called "three brothers" tale in which two older boys are unable to do something that their youngest brother, clever and lucky, can do.
Madbush Falls Merges Biking, Beds and Booze
click to enlarge Jeb Wallace-Brodeur Jonny Adler jumped into the natural pool at the bottom of Madbush Falls on the last day of June 2021. He was visiting the property in the Mad River Valley with an interest in buying it. The day was hot; the water was super cold, but Adler swam for a while in the clear pool below the waterfall.
Late Cartoonist Ed Koren Makes His Film Debut in 'The Farm Boy'
click to enlarge Courtesy In spring 2016, filmmaker George Woodard attended a film festival screening of the 1916 silent film A Vermont Romance. At the show, he recognized a fellow audience member: cartoonist Ed Koren. Though Woodard knew Koren only through his work, he approached the artist that night in Burlington. “I said, ‘Ed, you look good! Wanna be in a movie?’ ‘’ Woodard recalled. “And he said, ‘I don’t know.
Page 32: Short Takes on Five Vermont Books
click to enlarge Courtesy Seven Days writers can't possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a skulk of foxes. So this occasional feature is our way of introducing you to a handful of books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book just a little and quote a single representative sentence from, yes, page 32.
From the Publisher: 40 Years on Deadline
click to enlarge File: Glenn Russell Sally Pollak was in the middle of reporting two stories for the Burlington Free Press in fall 2016 when she received — and ignored — an email warning that she was about to lose her job. Two days before her 58th birthday, Gannett made it official. "An HR flunky in from out of town told me my position had been eliminated," she wrote in a well-observed essay, titled "Last Word," published in Seven Days on November 9, 2016.
JAG Productions Founder Jarvis Antonio Green Steps Into the Spotlight in 'Every Brilliant Thing'
click to enlarge Courtesy Of Rob Strong At a recent rehearsal for Every Brilliant Thing, Jarvis Antonio Green stepped away from the practice space momentarily, took off his black Doc Martens sneakers, and put on a pair of black-and-white slipper socks. When Green returned to the rehearsal floor, the 41-year-old actor seemed to inhabit the body and spirit of a young boy who was, instinctively, doing what he could to comfort himself: wearing warm and cozy slippers.
Cartoonist Ed Koren Dies at 87
click to enlarge Courtesy of the Center for Cartoon Studies Ed Koren, a New Yorker cartoonist and longtime Brookfield resident, died on Friday morning at his home, according to his wife, Curtis Koren. He was 87; the cause of death was lung cancer. Koren’s artwork is warm, approachable and instantly recognizable. He's known for his drawings of people (and other creatures) who often had lots of hair, and for gags that display a nuanced understanding of human nature.
Tillie Walden Becomes Vermont's New Cartoonist Laureate
click to enlarge Rob Strong It's not wrong that Tillie Walden's accountant listed her occupation as "author" on her tax return. After all, Walden will publish her 11th book this year. But it's not quite right, either. Walden is a cartoonist, a profession that perhaps confounded the tax pro. "I think he was like, Cartoonist. What the hell is that?" Walden said last week in her Norwich studio.
The Over-60 Crowd Steps Up With Bill McKibben's Climate Action Group Third Act
click to enlarge James Buck Michael Weiss stood apart from the group of protesters outside Chase bank in Burlington last week. He was a few feet and four or five decades removed from most of the people demonstrating on Church Street. Weiss, 24, is an environmental justice organizer for Rights & Democracy who attended the protest organized by Third Act, a climate activist group for people 60 and older. "There are so many adults who have constructed a world that discounts my future," Weiss said.
Farmer-Filmmaker George Woodard Premieres 'The Farm Boy'
click to enlarge Courtesy Henry Woodard grew up in front of his father's camera. As a kid on his family's Waterbury Center dairy farm, Henry was a "guinea pig," he said, for short movies made by his dad, farmer-filmmaker George Woodard. In one little movie, Henry played a boy who goes into the woods to get a Christmas tree. Back home, his grandmother is waiting for him with an apple pie. Henry wore a wig and played the grandmother, too.
Whatever Job Alice Goulet Smith Did, 'She Did It Well'
click to enlarge Courtesy Alice Goulet found purpose in the small town of Washington, Vt. Her school, the post office and home were within walking distance of each other in the Orange County village where she grew up. This made it convenient for her to stop at the post office and pick up the mail for some villagers — folks who entrusted her with the combinations to their post office boxes and wanted home delivery.
Bill Busier of Essex Junction, Survivor of German POW Camp, Turns 105
click to enlarge Courtesy If Bill Busier could have his favorite dessert on Wednesday, his 105th birthday, it would be a bowl of orange-pineapple ice cream. But the Essex Junction resident will eat chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream because his family can't find orange-pineapple ice cream near their home. That’s OK, said Busier, who doesn’t sweat the small stuff. He also seems to shrug off the momentous, including how he reached the age of 105.
Tillie Walden to Become Next Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont
Tillie Walden of Norwich will be Vermont’s next cartoonist laureate, the Vermont Arts Council announced on Wednesday. She will officially become the state’s fifth cartoonist laureate on April 13 at a ceremony at the Vermont Statehouse. Walden is the author and illustrator of several graphic novels, including Spinning, her memoir about coming of age as a competitive figure skater, which won the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work.
Local Actor Casey Metcalfe Appears in 'Champions' With Woody Harrelson
click to enlarge Courtesy of Casey Metcalfe When Casey Metcalfe, a 27-year-old actor who lives in Burlington, auditioned for a role in Champions, he needed a basketball. The movie, which stars Woody Harrelson, is about a basketball team whose players have developmental disabilities. Metcalfe, who has autism, auditioned for the movie from his family’s home in West Brattleboro; his mother, Prudence Baird, filmed him on her iPhone. The Metcalfes don’t have a basketball, but they do have hens.
Williston's Majestic 10 Cinemas Plays Bollywood Movies
click to enlarge Daria Bishop The word for "prince" in Hindi — shehzada — is also the name of a Bollywood movie that opened nationwide on February 17, including at Majestic 10 in Williston. The title character is a prince — with a twist. This wise hero played by Kartik Aaryan is also a dancer, singer, lover, fighter, peacemaker, biker and family man. In one scene, he saves a man who's been stabbed with an umbrella; in every scene, he's good-looking AF.
251: Culture (and Car Repair) in Putney
click to enlarge Sally Pollak A couple of weeks ago, as I headed south on Interstate 91 to Putney for an outdoor art walk, my windshield wiper finally succumbed to February in Vermont. So before I hit the woods, I pulled into Rod's Towing & Repair for new wiper blades. The service station is just off the highway in this Windham County town, convenient for gas and a good bet for more than a fill-up. "I think you got a brake light out, too," co-owner Greg Winchester told me.
Viral TikTok Post Brings Delayed Fame to Montpelier Author
click to enlarge Courtesy A Vermont TikTok video promoting a book published in 2012 has gone viral with 42.1 million views (and counting) in a week. The book, Stone Maidens by Lloyd Devereux Richards of Montpelier, has catapulted to No. 1 on Amazon’s Serial Killer Thrillers list. “It’s hard to fathom,” Richards, 74, said. “I don’t have an account. I don’t understand it.” His daughter, Marguerite Richards, created the TikTok account @stonemaidens on February 7 to alert viewers to her father’s book.
Vermont-Made Fantasy Film 'The Butterfly Queen' Premieres in Brattleboro
click to enlarge Courtesy of Liam O’Connor-Genereaux Liam O’Connor-Genereaux was born 27 years ago in a church in South Ryegate. His family moved from the converted church to a sheep farm in the same town when he was a young boy. But Liam and his brother, Caleb, would sometimes go back to the former Presbyterian church to play. They’d swing from the rope that hung from the bell tower, ringing the church bell with their games. No one ever knew what time it was.
Middlesex's Red Hen Baking Raises Prices, Eliminates Electronic Tipping
click to enlarge Courtesy of Mason Lamb If you go to Red Hen Baking in Middlesex on Tuesday, February 14, to buy a sweet for your sweetheart, you’ll notice a change when you pay for the pastry. The electronic point-of-sale system will no longer present a tipping option. This is a nuanced change because Red Hen has never accepted standard tips, but that hasn't stopped customers from dropping money in a jar or adding it to their electronic payments.
High School Sweethearts Share Their Love Stories
click to enlarge Courtesy If humor and honesty are keys to a lasting relationship, it's little wonder Frank and Diane Farrington are closing in on seven decades of marriage. Frank, who will turn 89 on February 20, was sweetly discreet about the couple's Valentine's Day traditions. "Some of it," Frank said, "I shouldn't tell you." But the Farringtons shared other stories of their romance, which started when they were sweethearts at Randolph Union High School.
Vermont International Film Festival Executive Director to Step Down
Orly Yadin, executive director of the Vermont International Film Festival, will step down from that position at the end of June, the organization announced on Thursday. Yadin, a former board member, has been its executive director since 2012. As she prepares to leave, Yadin said she's pleased that the organization is in a "solid position." "I'm very happy with where we have come, and I feel it's time for some new voices to be heard," Yadin, 73, told Seven Days.
Shelburne Museum Hires Curator of Native American Art
click to enlarge Courtesy of Shelburne Museum Victoria Sunnergren was in Santa Fe, N.M., last August, attending the centennial of the Santa Fe Indian Market — the world's largest juried Native American art show — when she got a phone call from an 802 area code. It was Shelburne Museum, offering her a job in its curatorial department as the inaugural associate curator of Native American art. In October, Sunnergren joined the staff in that role.
251: Skiing On the Cheap at Cochran's in Richmond
click to enlarge Daria Bishop What will $10 buy? If it's Friday and you're in Richmond, it'll get you a trifecta of recreation, food and drink. Skiing is $5 every Friday at Cochran's Ski Area. A grilled cheese sandwich at the snack bar costs $4; a cup of hot chocolate is $1. If you're a little kid and you don't have $1, the drink is free, as I observed recently.
Vermont Composer and Poet Offer Music and Words in Celebration of Black Culture
click to enlarge Courtesy In two performances this weekend, the works of composer Erik Nielsen and poet Rajnii Eddins will celebrate the influence of African American artists and activists on U.S. history and culture. The compositions in "We're All in This Together," to be presented in Richmond and Montpelier, are connected by a longtime commitment to racial and social justice, the composer said.
Vergennes PE Educator Robyn Newton Coaches Fitness and Fun as Vermont's Teacher of the Year
click to enlarge Caleb Kenna Robyn Newton starts her day as the crossing guard at Vergennes Union Elementary School, encouraging students to walk and helping them arrive safely. By the time she assumes her afterschool post in the same gig, she's clocked more than 20,000 steps on her Fitbit and taught students about ball control, fitness, focus and vowel sounds. A physical education teacher, Newton begins her term as Vermont Teacher of the Year this month.
Page 32: Short Takes on Five Vermont Books
click to enlarge Courtesy Seven Days writers can't possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a conclave of cardinals. So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to a handful of books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book just a little and quote a single representative sentence from, yes, page 32. Sugaring Down Dan Chodorkoff, Fomite Press, 418 pages. $15.
Bread and Puppet Theater Expands With the Purchase of Glover Land
click to enlarge Jeb Wallace-Brodeur Late last year, Bread and Puppet Theater expanded its home base in Glover with the purchase of 23 acres of neighboring land. The acquisition, which includes a four-bedroom house and a defunct veal barn, will allow the nonprofit theater company to increase its gallery and performance space, add storage, and provide living quarters for more puppeteers, cofounder Peter Schumann said.
Artwork by Ukrainian Children To Be Sold at Burlington Fundraiser
click to enlarge Luke Awtry Artwork by Ukrainian children who’ve been displaced by war will be for sale at a fundraiser on Wednesday, January 11, at Burlington City Hall Auditorium. “Resilience: The War Through Ukrainian Children’s Art” consists of 70 paintings and drawings done by children ranging in age from 5 years old to teenagers. Proceeds from the event will benefit the nonprofit Actions Beyond Words, said board member Adam Roof.
Backstory: Most Neurotic Interview Prep
click to enlarge Oliver Parini This "backstory" is a part of a collection of articles that describes some of the obstacles that Seven Days reporters faced while pursuing Vermont news, events and people in 2022. Throughout the pandemic, I regularly queried Tim Lahey, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Vermont Medical Center. "Whaddya think of dining in a plastic bubble at a ski resort?" I'd email him.
Chris Cleary to Burn a Wooden Champ Sculpture on New Year's Eve
click to enlarge Courtesy The Champ sculpture that Chris Cleary is building in his Jericho Center front yard will burn to embers on New Year’s Eve in a multi-colored blaze at the Burlington waterfront. But just because his work will go up in flames, doesn’t mean Cleary is letting aesthetic details slide. Spikes and other ornate elements of Champ are made of walnut, mahogany and tiger maple.
Life Stories: Musician Pete Sutherland Was 'a Unifying Force'
click to enlarge Courtesy In a small house on a dirt road in Shelburne, Pete Sutherland (May 13, 1951-November 30, 2022) and his brother Michael played imaginative games when they were young. The boys were "quick and sharp," Michael said, and the bond they formed in early childhood felt magical. "We created a world of bright color and sound and vision in a very black-and-white decade and time," Michael, 69, said.
Teens Create Immersive Theater Piece in Burlington
click to enlarge Luke Awtry Last Friday night, I was one of 25 people awarded a TIPS certificate of achievement, which certifies that I completed Level 1 training in Time, Infinity, Portal and Space. My fellow TIPSters and I received our diplomas in the basement of 208 Flynn Avenue in Burlington's South End. I'm pretty sure my trainers would say it's OK for me to call my hot-pink printed certificate a diploma.
Wintervention: Vermonters Spill Their Secrets to Surviving the Cold Season
click to enlarge Courtesy On a June day in 1922, the month of the summer solstice, Vermont's first poet laureate wrote "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Six months separated Robert Frost from the cold, dark days of winter, yet he immortalized the season for generations of Vermonters. With its official arrival in two weeks, winter once again moves from imagination to real life.
Vermont Folk Musician Pete Sutherland Dies at 71
click to enlarge Courtesy Pete Sutherland, a beloved Vermont musician who excelled at — and took great pleasure in — making music with others, died in Montpelier on November 30. He had cancer and ended his life with medical assistance using Vermont’s Death With Dignity Law, his friend Mark Sustic said. Sutherland was 71. Sutherland was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, composer and arranger who played traditional and folk music.
Local Artists Create a Massive Mosaic Along the Burlington Bike Path
The SOS went out on IG on October 7. Artists Mary Lacy and Corrine Yonce needed material for the mosaic they were making on the Burlington bike path: "Do you have excess tiles/ plates/ plastic or rubber objects/ old kids toys/ plexi glass you'd like to have immortalized forever??" Lacy posted on Instagram. Help arrived in the form of bottle caps, a Wiffle ball, a superhero figurine, a set of wedding plates, jewelry and tiles.
Barre Family Featured in HBO Max Documentary 'Santa Camp'
click to enlarge Jeb Wallace-Brodeur For a person who likes to travel by sleigh, Fin Ciappara lives in the right place: a house in a hilly neighborhood in Barre where a sled would pick up speed with ease on a snowy eve.
Page 32: Short Takes on Five Vermont Books
Seven Days writers can't possibly read, much less review, all the books that arrive in a steady stream by post, email and, in one memorable case, a skulk of foxes. So this monthly feature is our way of introducing you to a handful of books by Vermont authors. To do that, we contextualize each book just a little and quote a single representative sentence from, yes, page 32. Home Movie<!—4—> Charles Barasch, Finishing Line Press, 70 pages. $19.99.
Mike Nick Recalls How Early Skiboards Expanded Skiing and Shaped His Professional Path
click to enlarge Daria Bishop Mike Nick, a winter X Games gold medalist in 1998, can't remember the last time his feet were over his head on a pair of skis. But the 46-year-old Essex Junction resident has a vivid memory of the winter more than 25 years ago when he taught himself to ski backward — fast and with style.
Life Stories: Willem Jewett 'Was a Real Doer'
click to enlarge Courtesy In the days before Willem Jewett (August 23, 1963-January 12, 2022 ) died last winter, he was too sick to eat more than a few nibbles or drink more than a sip. His wife was concerned that Willem, who was terminally ill, might be unable to swallow the physician-prescribed medication he intended to drink to end his life.
Burlington's Battery Street Jeans a Lifeline for Those Who Need Free Clothes
click to enlarge Sally Pollak ©️ Seven Days Every week at Burlington thrift shop Battery Street Jeans, owner Stu Sporko gives away more than 1,000 articles of clothing. The items are placed outside the College Street store in a big wooden bin, new on the sidewalk this week. The container replaces a set of plastic receptacles. "Everything I own pretty much came from here," said Kim Rooney, 39, a self-described "floater" who is homeless in Burlington.
The Road to 'Riddleville,' Burlington Sculptor Clark Russell's Work of a Lifetime
click to enlarge Luke Awtry Clark Russell was a student at the University of Vermont when he formed a punk rock band called No Fun with guitarist and fellow student Bill Mullins. "I got myself a microphone and decided I wanted to be a singer," Russell, now 61, recalled. No Fun practiced in the trash room at dormitory Christie Hall, playing for a "stumble-in crowd" that followed the noise to the garbage. Pieces of refuse, such as words printed on a cereal box, became impromptu song lyrics.
A Journalist Is Felled By the Waterbury Adventure Challenge
click to enlarge Jeb Wallace-Brodeur I was stuck in my own personal Waterbury roundabout — endlessly circling the town offices inside and out — when a public servant extraordinaire came to my rescue. William Shepeluk, Waterbury's municipal manager, led me to the second clue of the Waterbury Adventure Challenge. The game, which costs $50 to play, is organized by Discover Waterbury, the tourism branch of the nonprofit Revitalizing Waterbury.
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