Vermont
The 7 Best Vermont Events: September 25-October 2, 2024 | Seven Days
Meet Me at Midnight
Thursday 26
Vermont author — and Seven Days contributor and consulting editor — Margot Harrison launches her debut adult novel, The Midnight Club, at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge in Burlington. The speakeasy-style setting offers the ideal backdrop for listeners to drink in the twisty, wistful wonders of her work — an exploration of our innate and very human desire to revisit the past.
Kinetic Kora
Thursday 26 & Friday 27
Audiences around the globe are dazzled by Yacouba Sissoko, a West African master of strings — and now it’s Vermont’s turn to witness the magic, at York Street Meeting House in Lyndonville and Dibden Center for the Arts in Johnson. The virtuoso musician handles the 21-stringed kora with deft precision while sharing the traditions, history and culture of his Malian heritage.
Stone-Cold Satire
Friday 27 & Saturday 28
There’s a reason David Sedaris is heralded as one of America’s foremost humor writers. An evening with the author at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe is your chance to experience his dry wit and keen observations of the human condition firsthand. Audiences will leave feeling inspired, beguiled and a little more accepting of the mundane.
View From the Top
Friday 27-Sunday 29
The Vermont Climbing Festival at Farr’s Field in Waterbury offers three jam-packed days of unbridled mountaineering bliss, underscoring the community aspect of climbing and emphasizing a fierce appreciation for the state’s scalable landscapes. Highlights include a Friday night story hour around a crackling campfire, as well as a Saturday pancake breakfast (you’ll burn it off).
Illuminating Sounds
Saturday 28
An international concert series debuts in Burlington: Candlelight: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & More, at the First Unitarian Universalist Society, pulls listeners into an intimate environment brimming with thousands of candles. Local musicians perform melodious classical works in a setting that perfectly befits the composer’s tone. The only question remains: Is there a concerto for mud season?
Prettiest Pooches
Sunday 29
Cue “God Loves a Terrier”! Pups vie for Best Pooch in the Noosk at the Winooski Farmers Market, a dog show highlighting the area’s favorite four-legged fur babies. Prizes are awarded for superlatives such as “Cutest,” “Looks Most Like Their Human” and, let’s face it, “Worst Breath.” Every dog has its day — could this be your canine’s?
Going Solo
Ongoing
AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, N.H., hosts three scintillating solo exhibitions this month: Janie Cohen‘s “Clothwork Assemblage,” Cameron Davis‘ “Magnolia’s Desire” and Jennifer McCandless‘ “Life Among the Animals.” The featured works contain distinct and diverging mediums, subject matters and voices yet somehow collate into a cohesive viewing experience.
Vermont
Wrong-way driver stopped on I-89, charged with DUI
BOLTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A wrong-way driver was safely stopped on Interstate 89 overnight Sunday.
Vermont State Police say just before 12:30 a.m., they stopped the car near marker 77, near Bolton.
The driver, Denise Lear, 60, of Revere, was charged with driving under the influence and gross negligent operation.
Lear is expected in court Monday.
Copyright 2026 WCAX. All rights reserved.
Vermont
Women’s Lacrosse Bested in Burlington by Vermont – University at Albany Great Danes
Score: UAlbany 4, Vermont 14
Location: Virtue Field | Burlington, Vt.
Records: UAlbany (10-5, 5-1 America East) | Vermont (8-6, 4-1 America East)
Short Story: UAlbany women’s lacrosse fell to the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday afternoon.
Key Stats
- Grace Cincebox recorded a total of 14 saves with 13 goals allowed for a .565 save percentage.
- Ravan Marsell led the Great Danes with two points on one goal and one assist.
- Four different UAlbany players scored in the contest.
- Reggie Williams was the team’s leader with three ground balls.
- Delilah Mile caused a team high three turnovers.
How It Happened
- The Catamounts came out of the gates hard and heavy, scoring all three goals between both sides in the first quarter.
- Vermont would take an 8-0 lead in the second quarter before Amanda Williamson found the back of the net on a women-down goal to put the Great Danes on the board and make it 8-1.
- The Great Danes would allow one more goal in the first half to trail 9-1 after 30-minutes of play.
- Grace Cincebox would enter the half with 10 saves.
- Riley Forthofer started the Great Danes off in the second half to make it a 9-2 game, before Vermont put up three more goals to take a 12-2 lead entering the final quarter of play.
- Mya Carroll and Ravan Marsell both scored on back-to-back free-position goals to make it a 12-4 game.
- The Catamounts finished the game with two more goals to take the win 14-4.
Up Next
The Great Danes will next have a bye week and wait to see the outcome of next week’s Vermont vs UMass Lowell game to see who will host the America East Tournament.
Social Central: Stay up to date with UAlbany women’s lacrosse by following the team on Instagram (@UAlbanyWLax), Facebook (UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse), and X (@UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.
Vermont
Vermont lands two cities in America’s top 15 happiest list
Is creativity the missing key to better health?
Research suggests creative activities like art, music and crafts may benefit mental health as much as other key health habits.
Here’s another reason Vermont is the best New England state: It’s home to one of the top 5 happiest cities in the United States.
Plus, it has another within the top 15.
Massachusetts, on the other hand, doesn’t even break the top 50. Nor, does Connecticut or Rhode Island.
The personal finance website analyzed 182 of the largest cities in the country, and ranked Boston 63rd overall. Although the city is home to some of the nation’s top universities, high-ranking hospitals, and well-regarded companies, it didn’t break the top 50.
To get the rankings, WalletHub compared the cities using 29 metrics, including life-satisfaction index, depression rate, poverty rate, job security, and acres of parkland per 1,000 residents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and cities were assigned an overall happiness score.
Here’s a look at how the cities ranked.
South Burlington is No. 4 happiest city, Burlington is No. 11
South Burlington came on top for Vermont in WalletHub’s list of the happiest cities in the United States, ranking at No. 4. In scored very high for emotional and physical well-being coming in at the No. 4 spot, which made up for coming in No. 48 for community and environment. It was No. 9 for income and employment ranking. That gave it a total happiness of score of 70.15
Burlington wasn’t far behind at all, taking the No. 11 spot on the list and a happiness score of 67.54. It’s highest score was for income and employment ranking where it came second. It ranked No. 13 for community and environment and No. 21 for emotional and physical well-being.
Happiest cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 happiest cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Fremont, California – 74.09
- Bismarck, North Dakota – 73.11
- Scottsdale, Arizona – 71.36
- South Burlington, Vermont – 70.15
- Fargo, North Dakota – 69.36
- Overland Park, Kansas – 68.45
- Charleston, South Carolina – 68.44
- Irvine, California – 67.99
- Gilbert, Arizona – 67.96
- San Jose, California – 67.79
- Burlington, Vermont – 67.54
- Madison, Wisconsin – 66.35
- Columbia, Maryland – 66.28
- Chandler, Arizona – 65.69
- Seattle, Washington – 65.62
- Plano, Texas – 65.34
- San Francisco, California – 64.99
- Lincoln, Nebraska – 64.90
- Portland, Maine – 64.59
- Tempe, Arizona – 64.30
- San Diego, California – 64.30
- Raleigh, North Carolina – 63.47
- Peoria, Arizona – 63.38
- Durham, North Carolina – 62.84
- Huntington Beach, California – 62.80
Least happy cities in the US, per WalletHub
Here are the 25 least happy cities in the U.S., and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- Detroit, Michigan (#182 overall) – 29.55
- Memphis, Tennessee (#181 overall) – 34.39
- Shreveport, Louisiana (#180 overall) – 34.93
- Cleveland, Ohio (#179 overall) – 36.50
- Huntington, West Virginia (#178 overall) – 37.20
- Toledo, Ohio (#177 overall) – 37.21
- Augusta, Georgia (#176 overall) – 38.24
- Fort Smith, Arkansas (#175 overall) – 38.66
- Dover, Delaware (#174 overall) – 39.08
- Akron, Ohio (#173 overall) – 40.11
- Baltimore, Maryland (#172 overall) – 40.28
- Birmingham, Alabama (#171 overall) – 40.37
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (#170 overall) – 40.47
- Columbus, Georgia (#169 overall) – 40.61
- Montgomery, Alabama (#168 overall) – 41.35
- Gulfport, Mississippi (#167 overall) – 41.65
- Charleston, West Virginia (#166 overall) – 42.18
- Jackson, Mississippi (#165 overall) – 42.60
- St. Louis, Missouri (#164 overall) – 43.53
- Knoxville, Tennessee (#163 overall) – 44.04
- Wilmington, Delaware (#162 overall) – 44.34
- Little Rock, Arkansas (#161 overall) – 44.48
- Mobile, Alabama (#160 overall) – 44.85
- New Orleans, Louisiana (#159 overall) – 45.19
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (#158 overall) – 45.33
Where New England cities ranked
Here are the 12 happiest cities in New England, and their happiness scores, according to WalletHub’s 2026 list:
- South Burlington, Vermont (#6 overall) – 70.15
- Burlington, Vermont (#11 overall) – 67.54
- Portland, Maine (#19 overall) – 64.59
- Nashua, New Hampshire (#27 overall) – 62.49
- Manchester, New Hampshire (#51 overall) – 59.10
- Boston, Massachusetts (#63 overall) – 56.88
- Warwick, Rhode Island (#66 overall) – 56.59
- New Haven, Connecticut (#95 overall) – 54.14
- Bridgeport, Connecticut (#96 overall) – 54.01
- Providence, Rhode Island (#98 overall) – 53.52
- Worcester, Massachusetts (#116 overall) – 50.12
- Lewiston, Maine (#145 overall) – 47.28
-
Austin, TX3 minutes agoHow Texas’ road, bridge conditions compare to other states
-
Alabama9 minutes agoAlabama edge to pattern his game after 2-time Super Bowl Champ
-
Alaska15 minutes agoAlaska Senate committee advances draft capital budget, boosting funds for school maintenance
-
Arizona21 minutes agoPerson accused of making terroristic threats to medical facility in northern Arizona
-
Arkansas27 minutes agoCentral Arkansas council hands out 300 free produce bags at Saline County fresh market
-
California33 minutes agoCalifornia regulators kill charity fireworks for America’s 250th, sparking outrage
-
Colorado39 minutes agoOutgoing Colorado Buffaloes Sebastian Rancik, Bangot Dak Make Transfer Portal Moves
-
Connecticut45 minutes agoOne arrested after a multi-car crash in Naugatuck Saturday