Do the Locomotion

Saturday 21 & Sunday 22

All aboard! Families hop on the Okemo Valley Holiday Express at Chester Depot for an hourlong adventure through bucolic landscapes. As winter wonderland scenes zip by, passengers enjoy hot cocoa and cookies, caroling, coloring — and maybe evena visit from that certain special someone with a big, white beard.

Lilies of the Valley

Friday 20

Brattleboro roots band Low Lily bring their winter solstice concert to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater for a warm, joyful ushering in of the year’s shortest day. The performance showcases the trio’s talents in mandolin, guitar, fiddle and banjo, as well as its infectious, high-energy stage presence — sure to brighten up even the darkest of December nights.

Spinning Yarns

Thursday 19

Local “social entrepreneur” Samara Anderson hosts Vermont Library Storytelling: Best of 2024 at the South Burlington Public Library auditorium — where neighbors step into the spotlight à la “The Moth” to share true, vulnerable narratives. The event is part of Anderson’s much larger statewide effort to bring a community storytelling platform to all 185 public libraries.

Pride and Presents

Through Sunday 22

Shaker Bridge Theatre’s charming production of The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley, at Briggs Opera House in White River Junction, is a yuletide sequel to Jane Austen’s novel of manners Pride and Prejudice. Audiences can expect to encounter Mr. and Mrs. Darcy — as well as fresh faces such as Cassie, the eager maid, and Brian, the lovesick footman.

Horsing Around

Friday 20

The Opera House at Enosburg Falls rolls out the red carpet for an exclusive screening of Khoa Le’s freshly released romance dramedy, Christmas Cowboy. The movie’s cast and crew sit side by side with excited locals to take in the Hallmarkesque flick that was filmed right here in Vermont — including a few scenes shot at the historic opera house itself.

Flurry of Fun

Friday 20

BarnArts’ original concert “Winter Carols” at First Universalist Church and Society in Barnard summons magic and wonder through music. In keeping with the org’s mission to enrich rural communities through participatory arts, Michael Zsoldos directs local talent of all ages in works centered on the season of solstice — including some festive audience sing-alongs.

Gifts From the Art

Ongoing

The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery’s annual “Small and Large Works” exhibition in Burlington boosts the holiday shopping experience by showcasing gift-size artworks by 130 local artisans. All pieces are either smaller than 12 inches or larger than 24 inches and come ready to wrap — with prices to suit all budgets.

Last Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch that set off a cascade of preparations across Vermont. 

On that same day, Vermont Department of Mental Health announced that it had received an extension of funding for its Starting Over Strong program to support the mental health of flood-affected Vermonters.

Two days later, reports revealed that the rain and snowmelt had caused little damage to Vermont homes and infrastructure. But the mental health department’s deputy commissioner, Samantha Sweet, said it is exactly these repeat flooding events that could cause continuing struggles for Vermonters who have been hit hard by previous storms. 

“The rain hitting their roof in years past used to be soothing and comforting to people, and they enjoyed hearing (the) sound, and now it causes them incredible anxiety,” Sweet said. 

The state’s repeat flooding disasters was also part of the reason the program has been extended. The department initially received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration after the July 2023 flood to operate the program through October 2024. But after the July 2024 flood, the program’s funding was extended through July 2025. 

The core purpose of the program is to provide outreach and connect flood-affected Vermonters to a variety of mental health services from regional providers. The program operates a hotline at 802-651-1767 and has reached out to Vermonters in a variety of other ways — from door-to-door knocking to booths at local farmers markets, Sweet said. 

The program has interacted with 14,000 Vermonters so far. That includes Vermonters who have reached out on behalf of a loved one or friend, Sweet said. 

“As these services are going door to door and just telling people about the service, they’re hearing a lot, ‘well, I’m okay, but my neighbor three doors down is really struggling,’” she said. “It’s truly a Vermont way.”

Sweet added via email that of those 14,000 Vermonters, about 1,150 have had more in-depth visits from the program and 1,000 have attended support groups run by some regional providers. 

Program staffers can also connect Vermonters to more long-term mental health support and other community resources like their local food shelf, Sweet said. 

However, the program does not provide mental health crisis support. Sweet urged Vermonters in crisis to call the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

The program is completely free, Sweet said. The sole eligibility criteria is location: You must be in one of the counties that had a declared disaster, which includes Chittenden, Washington, Addison, Lamoille, Essex, Caledonia and Orleans counties. 

The level of support someone receives from the program is up to them, she said. 

“It can be just touching base with someone and connecting and sharing their story and having someone listen to how things have been for them,” she said. “All the way up to, visiting with them three or four (times), and they’re having that short term support to kind of get their story out and and receive the support that they need.”

CNN
 — 

The University of Vermont earned its first-ever NCAA Division I national championship in a team sport in dramatic fashion on Monday.

The unseeded Catamounts upset No. 13 Marshall University 2-1 in overtime in men’s soccer at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Vermont was down 1-0 after Marshall senior forward Tarik Pannholzer scored in the 67th minute. But the Catamounts showed their fighting spirit.

Forward Marcell Papp drew the game level for the underdogs in the 81st minute as the match would eventually go into overtime. In the extra period, Vermont forward Maximilian Kissel got free on a long ball and scored the game-winner.

“This is the place that I wanted to be. This is the place to win the national championship. This is best team in this country. I’m just happy that we could prove it,” Kissel said after the game. “This is no Cinderella. This is no underdog. This is not luck. It’s will. It’s skill and … talent.”

Both the Thundering Herd and Catamounts knocked out two of the tournament favorites in the semifinals to reach the Cup final.

Marshall blanked No. 1 Ohio State 1-0 while Vermont came from behind to down No. 3 Denver in penalties.

Vermont also defeated No. 2 Pittsburgh 2-0 in the quarterfinals and is the third team to oust two top-four seeds in the same tournament in the last decade.

“We’re the toughest team,” Vermont head coach Rob Dow said. “To rally back again, the cardiac cats, we did it. … It’s been really hard for everyone but the best things in life are also the hardest things.”

Vermont, who was appearing in its first-ever team sport national championship game, has won individual national titles in men’s and women’s skiing.

The Thundering Herd were seeking their second title in the last five years.