Vermont

February is a short but sweet month on the Vermont arts-and-entertainment scene

Published

1 year ago

January 30, 2025

February is a short but sweet month on the Vermont arts-and-entertainment scene

February is totally out of whack. Every other month has at least 30 days, but February apparently showed up late for the day-allocation meeting and only got a measly 28 days. Every now and then the day allocators feel bad for February and give it an extra day, but it still comes up at least a day late and a dollar short.

That just means you have to pack a lot more fun into each of those 28 days than you would in one of those longer, more drawn-out months. Fortunately, the arts scene in Vermont gives you plenty of opportunities to do just that. Here are 28 events to consider this month to really make time fly when you’re having fun.

Current exhibition at The Current

Through April 12, the solo exhibition “The Painters’ Hands” featuring the work of graffiti artist Timothy Curtis, which opened Jan. 16, continues at The Current, Stowe. Free. www.thecurrentnow.org

David Lynch films in Burlington

3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, the Vermont International Film Festival pays tribute to inventive filmmaker David Lynch, who died in January at age 78, with a trio of films starting with 1997’s “Lost Highway” starring Patricia Arquette and Bill Pullman, followed at 7 p.m. by the influential 1986 movie “Blue Velvet” and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 with what might be his masterpiece, 2001’s “Mulholland Drive,” The Screening Room, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington. $6-$12 per film. www.vtiff.org

Farmers Night author talk

7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, author and Bradford school principal Kenneth M. Cadow, whose young adult novel “Gather” was a National Book Award finalist, delivers a talk as part of the Farmers Night series, Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier. Free. https://legislature.vermont.gov/the-state-house/events/farmers-night-concert-series

The return of Mdou Moctar

8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, West African guitar act Mdou Moctar is back with opener Janel Leppin at the Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $25 in advance, $30 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com

Abstract landscape art in Middlebury

5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, the opening reception for “Landscape Complexions,” a collection of abstract paintings by Addison County artist and architect H. Keith Wagner, celebrates the exhibition that will be on display through March 15, Jackson Gallery, Town Hall Theater, Middlebury. Free. www.townhalltheater.org

‘Wake Up’ call in Waitsfield

7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, The Valley Players open their world premiere fully-staged reading of Roxbury playwright Jeanne Beckwith’s Depression-era play “Wake Up, Gloucester,” which runs through Feb. 16, Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield. $14. www.valleyplayers.com

Acoustic roots music in Lincoln

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, acoustic roots musician Eli West, joined by Stephanie Coleman and Matt Flinner, performs at this month’s installment of the Burnham Presents series, Burnham Hall, Lincoln. $20-$25. www.burnhampresents.org

Made-in-Vermont hip hop

9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 8, now based in Brooklyn, hip-hop musician Jarv is a Windsor native who’ll perform with King Green and Damn Skippy at Nectar’s, Burlington. $20 in advance, $25 day of show. www.liveatnectars.com

Folk/bluegrass act in Richmond

4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9, the “P.M. Sundays” series presented by Valley Stage this month features folk/bluegrass duo Bookmatch, Richmond Congregational Church. $17.50-$27.50. www.valleystage.net

Michael Marcagi is back in Vermont

8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, Ohio-based singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi, who performed in Burlington last summer at Grace Potter’s Grand Point North concert series, returns to the region for a show with Ashley Kutcher in the Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $20 in advance, $25 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com

Middlebury presents August Wilson play

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, The Acting Company presents a one-night-only performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running,” Wright Memorial Theatre, Middlebury College. $5-$25. www.middlebury.edu/arts

Stealing from Work is back at work

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13-Saturday, Feb. 15, 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15-Sunday, Feb. 16, the Burlington-based sketch-comedy revue Stealing from Work returns to the stage with its new show, “Love… Well, Actually” Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, Burlington. $17 or “pay what you can.” www.offcentervt.com

The Bad Plus adds Vermont show

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, jazzy, eclectic foursome The Bad Plus plays the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington. $30 in advance, $35 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com

Sweet jazz for Valentine’s Day

7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, with Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday it provides all sorts of opportunities for romantic nights out, including this concert by jazz supergroup Artemis as part of the University of Vermont Lane Series, UVM Recital Hall, Burlington. $7.50-$38.50. www.uvm.edu/laneseries

Romance (sort of) with Yes Darling

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, they flirt, they bicker and they sing – it’s Ryan Montbleau and Hayley Jane of Yes Darling, who on Valentine’s Day bring their staged concert to The Double E, Essex Experience. $25-$110. www.essexresort.com

Dwight & Nicole offer ‘Big Love’

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, the soulful Burlington-based group Dwight & Nicole presents a Valentine’s Day concert titled “Big Love,” Town Hall Theater, Burlington. $15-$35. www.townhalltheater.org

Lutalo plays Radio Bean

8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 14, rising Vermont-based indie-rock musician Lutalo performs following Burlington rockers Dari Bay, Radio Bean, Burlington. $18 in advance, $22 day of show. www.radiobean.com

VSO does modern classical

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s program “Modernism and the World of Yesterday” begins with works by Wojciech Kilar and Felix Mendelssohn and after intermission presents Anna Clyne’s “Sound and Fury” with narration by Vermont author M.K. Anderson followed by pianist Stephen Hough performing his piano concerto “The World of Yesterday,” the Flynn, Burlington. $8.35-$62. www.vso.org

Zenbarn welcomes Session Americana

7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, the Boston folk amalgam Session Americana joins the South Dakota-born group Humbletown at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center. $25 in advance, $30 day of show. www.zenbarnvt.com

Warren Haynes hits the Flynn

8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, rock guitarist Warren Haynes, known for his work with Gov’t Mule and the Allman Brothers Band, arrives with his solo band for a show presented by Higher Ground at the Flynn, Burlington. $49.75-$359. www.highergroundmusic.com

Rock with Rough Francis

7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, Burlington rock heroes Rough Francis headline a show that includes DJ Collin Hagood, Blossom and Violet Crimes, Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington. $20 in advance, $25 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com

Higher Ground hosts ‘Love, Kelly Winterfest’

9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, the “Love, Kelly Winterfest” brings a night of hip hop with Famous Dex, YBN Nahmir, North Ave Jax, Souly Had and Kal Banx, Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $25 in advance, $30 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com

‘Black Experience’ with Ta-Nehisi Coates

7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, author Ta-Nehisi Coates (“Between the World and Me”) headlines “The Black Experience ’25,” which includes music from SistaStrings and appearances by local guests DJ Melo Grant, poet Rajnii Eddins and racial-justice advocate Traci Griffith, the Flynn, Burlington. $23-$49.25. www.theflynn.org

A smoke-and-mirrors magic show?

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, billed as the “world’s dopest magic show,” “Smokus Pocus” is a weed-themed magic show coming to the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington. $33-$53. www.smokuspocus.com

Winter Is a Drag Ball under new management

8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, the annual Winter Is a Drag Ball enters its 30th year presented by Mike Oxready (taking over for long-running hosts The House of LeMay) with the theme “ResisDANCE and RevoluSHINE” benefiting Vermont CARES, Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington. $32 in advance, $37 day of show. www.highergroundmusic.com

‘Tonight Show’ comic in Burlington

7 and 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28-Saturday, March 1, comic Mary Beth Barone, who made her late-night TV debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” stars in four shows at the Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington. $25. www.vermontcomedyclub.com

Getting gory with ‘Sweeney Todd’

7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, Vermont Repertory Theatre opens its run (through March 7 and with warnings from the producers of a “blood zone” close to the stage) of the Stephen Sondheim musical about “Sweeney Todd,” aka “The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington. $25-$40. www.vermontrep.com

Solas celebrates in central Vermont

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, the Irish-American group Solas brings Celtic sounds to the Barre Opera House. $24-$42.50. www.barreoperahouse.org

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

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Vermont

6 of the Quirkiest Towns in Vermont

Published

2 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Vermont is, for many visitors, the postcard-perfect New England state. A part of the United States since 1791, the first to join the Union after the Thirteen Original Colonies, Vermont has many unique, and sometimes quirky, features. The place has attracted artists and other creative geniuses, some of them decidedly eccentric, from its earliest days. The natural parts of Vermont, like the famous Lake Champlain, offer unusual points of interest for visitors and locals alike. With a state as rich in traveling attractions, it should be little wonder that some of them come with a quirk or two.

Montpelier

Summer Farmers Market in Montpelier, Vermont. Editorial credit: Phill Truckle / Shutterstock.com

Montpelier, while being Vermont’s charming capital, is the tiniest among all US state capitals with just around 8,000 residents. For comparison, the second-smallest, Pierre in South Dakota, has a population of about 14,000. Established in 1787, this historic town warmly welcomes visitors with a variety of landmarks, including the Vermont History Museum and the sprawling 200-acre Hubbard Park. The State House is also open to the public for tours. Just a short drive west, less than an hour away, lies Lake Champlain, one of the Northeast’s most beloved watersides.

The town’s name pays homage to Montpellier, a beautiful city in southern France. This naming reflected the high regard for France at the time, especially for their support during the US War of Independence. Interestingly, Montpelier has experienced its share of flooding, with significant damage occurring in the years 1927, 1992, and most recently in 2023.

Elmore

Elmore, a charming small town in Lamoille County with fewer than 900 residents, is a favorite spot for autumn leaf-peepers. Located north of Montpelier, this peaceful town has its own unique charm, including several local landmarks sharing the name ‘Elmore,’ which adds to its character. It’s important to note that Elmore town is separate from East Elmore. To the west, Elmore Mountain overlooks the area, while Elmore State Park lies just north of the town itself. Enjoying waterside beauty, Elmore Lake is often listed among Vermont’s most picturesque lakes, with its waters flowing into the Lamoille River through Elmore Pond Brook. Like Montpelier, Elmore is situated east of Lake Champlain. For those seeking a more bustling scene or a change of pace, the vibrant city of Burlington, just an hour’s drive west, makes for a perfect day trip or weekend getaway.

Stowe

Stowe, with a lively population of 5,300, is Vermont’s top spot for adrenaline seekers and the eccentrics among us, earning its reputation as the state’s premier ski and snowboard destination. The Stowe Mountain Resort proudly calls itself the “ski capital of the east”—that’s the eastern United States. Nestled near the breathtaking Mount Mansfield, Stowe offers more than just winter fun; warmer months bring plenty of activities like hiking and mountain biking in the beautiful Cady Hill Forest.

The town also has a rich history, being the home of Jake Burton Carpenter (1954-2019), the visionary behind Burton Snowboards and a trailblazer in making snowboarding an international sport. While some might have called him eccentric when he launched his company in 1977, today he’s celebrated as a true pioneer whose legacy keeps inspiring young snow sports enthusiasts, like those at Mount Mansfield Winter Academy, a special school dedicated to nurturing the next generation of champions.

Manchester

Manchester, a town with 4,500 residents located in southwest Vermont, is popular among art and architecture enthusiasts. It features Hildene, the estate of Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert, which boasts an impressive Georgian Revival house and grounds. The town’s American Museum of Fly Fishing showcases numerous rods, flies, and related gear, attracting many superstitious anglers. Manchester is also home to Orvis, a renowned fishing and clothing company. The Southern Vermont Arts Center hosts exhibitions, and includes a sculpture garden and performance space. Nature lovers should visit Mount Equinox, west of town, or explore the Green Mountain National Forest to the south.

Eccentric fact: Jonathan Goldsmith, known for portraying “The World’s Most Interesting Man” in Dos Equis commercials, resides in Manchester. Stay quirky, my friends.

Brattleboro

Brattleboro, with a population of 12,100, sits along the Connecticut River and features a variety of attractions and oddities. Located just west of New Hampshire—in which the Connecticut River forms the border—and just north of Massachusetts, the town is an ideal midpoint for exploring the wider New England region. Outdoor enthusiasts will appreciate Fort Dummer State Park, welcoming hikers, bikers, and campers alike. Among the more renowned eccentric figures in history, British writer Rudyard Kipling moved to Brattleboro after marrying a Vermont woman in 1892. Their home, Naulakha, references his birth and childhood in India. Kipling believed that Brattleboro’s conservative small-town culture created an

Woodstock

Woodstock, a town with 3,000 residents located in upstate New York, is separate from the famous 1969 cultural event. This southeastern town attracts architecture enthusiasts, particularly for the First Congregational Church, built in 1807 and featuring a bell cast by American revolutionary Paul Revere, and the Norman Williams Public Library, completed in 1884. For outdoor activities, visitors can walk in Woodstock Town Forest, located south of the town, or enjoy panoramic views from the Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park, the only part of the US National Park system in Vermont besides the Appalachian Trail. Recently, Woodstock has modernized its infrastructure with digital technology, launching the “Wireless Woodstock” initiative in 2011, which provides free Wi-Fi across the entire town. It’s not quirky; it’s just cool.

Vermont’s Quirky Small Towns May Also Be Its Best

These small Vermont towns show the state’s sometimes quirky, but never boring character. Architecture fans will find unusual, beautiful examples state-wide. Montpelier is an oddly pint-sized capital with heavyweight history. Brattleboro has long attracted strange, sometimes brilliant types, whether foreign or domestic. Manchester is interesting enough for the World’s Most Interesting Man. And with abundant natural parks, the Green Mountains, and the majesty of Lake Elmore and Lake Champlain, the quirks of Vermont’s best features should attract even the most straight-laced visitors.

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Vermont

Vermont postal worker allegedly threw away mail she was supposed to deliver for months

Published

14 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Vermont postal worker allegedly threw away mail she was supposed to deliver for months

Crime

During a search of a dumpster where the worker allegedly discarded the mail, police found several packages and holiday cards.

A Vermont postal worker was cited and suspended for allegedly throwing away mail that was supposed to be delivered to other people, according to police.

Natasha Morisseau, 34, of North Troy, was cited on nine counts of petty larceny and five counts of unlawful mischief, Vermont State Police said in a statement. She works as a mail carrier for the town’s United States Postal Service (USPS) office.

Officers were first alerted to the discarded mail on the afternoon of Jan. 23, according to police. Upon finding the mail in a dumpster on Elm Street in North Troy, they determined that none of it was for that address.

Police identified Morisseau as a person of interest and learned that she was a postal employee. They confirmed that she had regularly been throwing away a small amount of mail under her care since at least October 2025, according to the statement.

After searching the dumpster and Morisseau’s mail vehicle, officers found opened and unopened packages, along with several holiday cards, one of which contained money. Morisseau was later cited Feb. 14 and is due to appear March 17 in Vermont Superior Court, police said.

Since Jan. 23, Morisseau has been suspended by USPS, and all recovered mail has been given back to them for delivery, according to the statement. The case has been forwarded to the USPS’ Inspector General for further review.

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Vermont

Vermont Air National Guard joins Iran campaign – The Boston Globe

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Vermont Air National Guard joins Iran campaign – The Boston Globe

On a typical day, some of the 20 stealth fighter jets based in South Burlington, Vt., take off from tiny Burlington International Airport for training runs near the northern border. In recent months, they’ve flown much farther afield.

The Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing was deployed in December to the Caribbean, where it took part in the US campaign to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Shortly thereafter, the squadron joined a military buildup in and around the Middle East to prepare for US and Israeli airstrikes against Iran.

Though both deployments had been widely reported, the military remained mum about the whereabouts of Vermont’s F-35A Lightning II jets. Even Governor Phil Scott, technically the commander of the Vermont Guard, said he only knew what he’d read in the news, given that US military leaders were directing the missions.

On Monday, General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed the deployments at a Pentagon press conference about the war on Iran. Caine praised National Guard members from Vermont, Wisconsin, and elsewhere.

“In the case of the Vermont Air National Guard and the 158th Fighter Wing, they were mobilized for Operation Absolute Resolve,” Caine said, referring to the Venezuela campaign. “And then were tasked to take their F-35As across the Atlantic instead of going home, to be prepared to support this operation” in the Middle East.

Much remains unknown about the Vermont Guard’s recent missions, including the precise role they played in Venezuela and Iran, where the jets are currently based, and how long they’ll remain.

The Guard did not immediately respond to requests for comment., Its recently elected leader, General Henry “Hank” Harder, said in a statement that the force was “proud of the dedicated and professional service of our Airmen” and pledged to support their families in the meantime.

“We will continue to carry out our commitment to these Vermont Service Members until, and long after, they return from this mission,” Harder said.

Vermont’s three-member congressional delegation, meanwhile, has praised Vermont Guard members for their service in Venezuela but has criticized President Trump’s campaigns there and in Iran, particularly absent congressional authorization.

“The people of our country, no matter what their political persuasion, do not want endless war,” said Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent, echoing similar remarks from Senator Peter Welch and Representative Becca Balint, both Democrats. “We must not allow Trump to force us into another senseless war. No war with Iran.”

Paul Heintz can be reached at paul.heintz@globe.com. Follow him on X @paulheintz.

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