Arts and Entertainment - page 3

NEWPORT — The Fyre and Lightning Consort, a trio of musicians living in Central Vermont dedicated to the study and performance of Medieval and Renaissance music, will be performing this Sunday, May 14, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Newport.

Throughout its performing history, the group has become increasingly interested in traditional music of various types, including the music of the Sephardic Jews and traditional music of the British Isles, as well as arrangements and new compositions created by ensemble members.

The upcoming performance features Ellie Hayes, Kathy Light, and Steven Light.

The program includes music found in France, Italy, and Spain from the Middle Ages and early Renaissance as well as music of the Sephardic Jews. The performance will conclude with traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, and England, including 17th-century compositions by the blind harper Turlough O’Carolan.

Fyre and Lightning endeavors to present this fascinating music in an informal, accessible style. The music and instruments will be described and audience members are invited to ask questions and try out the instruments after the concert.

The show starts at 3 p.m. and there is a suggested donation at the door of $10. Lite refreshments will be served during the intermission.

NEWPORT — Recycled art is not something that’s beautiful but just a waste of time and space. It’s like alchemy which turns base metal into gold. The MAC Center for the Arts, located at 158 Main Street, in Newport, will be celebrating the second annual Recycling Exhibit.

The opening day will be April 28, 2017 with a reception from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

The event is free, and all are welcome to attend.

The exhibit will continue thru May 27 and features artists repurposed and recycled whimsies and unique sculptures making for an interesting and sometimes odd exhibition.

A call to artists for this unusual exhibition engages the talents of many local collective artists guilds in the Northeast Kingdom.

Visit the MAC Downstairs Gallery for some rediscovered artistry that leaves no carbon footprint. Visitors are promised to be amazed by the beauty of reformed trash.

For more information, visit www.maccenterforthearts.com or call 802-334-1966.

NEWPORT — The Orleans County Conservation District will be hosting a free community viewing of the documentary film “Forgotten Farms,” that examines class divides in our farm and food communities, followed by a discussion panel with filmmakers, local dairy farmers and Vermont Housing and Conservation Board Agricultural Director, Nancy Everhart.

The screening will take place March 30 at Newport City Cinema, and will start at 4:00 p.m.

Most people buy their food in supermarkets and don’t have a chance to “know your farmer,” as the bumper sticker recommends.

In more affluent communities, farm-to-table restaurants, farmer’s markets, and CSAs are booming and the new farmers are celebrated. But there is another farmer who is left out of the local food celebration.

The Vermont Dairy Promotion council economic assessment lists Orleans County as having 15.3 percent of the state’s dairy farms with 131 dairy farms, 22 of which are Certified Organic, with a total of 21,081 cows.

Dairy farmers are a significant foundational part of our local economy and cultural in Orleans County, but often these farmers are overlooked.

This event will showcase these farmers by highlighting the importance of the dairy industry which is very relevant to our Northeast Kingdom communities.
 
Only 100 years ago, New England produced most of its food on 16 million acres of farmland. And now, climate change demands that more of our food is grown closer to where we live. As we strive to revive local production, we have much to learn from dairy farmers who have been managing most of the farmland and sustaining the farm economy for generations.

The film gives us a glimpse into the past and a vision for a future regional food system through conversations with farmers and policy experts and reconsiders the role of the vital but forgotten farmers.

NEWPORT — The MAC Center for the Arts, located at 158 Main Street, in Newport, is gearing up for their “Le Junque du Jour Sale,” which will take place on Saturday, April 1.

April Fool’s Day will be replete with fun for shoppers of all ages when the MAC Center hosts their first ever indoor yard sale.

The event starts at 10:00 a.m and runs until 3:00 p.m. The sale will take place in the downstairs gallery.

There are many one-of-a-kind items, including four antique sewing tables, two weathered spindle back chairs, vintage wood rolling office chair, hand painted end table, a Roland electric digital piano, display racks, three drafting tables, small bookshelf, coveted Glass Hurricane lamps, signed artwork, windchimes, and vintage pottery.

Going on a trip? They’ve got luggage. Need a chapeau? They’ve got hats. If you’re not into that kind of hat, how about a lampshade?

There will be art supplies, jewelry, books, new items, gently loved items, and a plethora of collectibles.

Everything is priced to sell or make an offer because everything must go.

All proceeds benefit the MAC Center for the Arts and the continuing arts programming.

For more information, please visit their website, www.maccenterforthearts.com or call 332-1966.

NEWPORT — The MAC Center for the Arts in partnership with ACT 1, the Northeast Kingdom’s Premiere Theater Academy, have announced plans for 2017.

Saturday, January 21, will debut “Once Upon a Time: Peter Pan,” for students 5 to 8 years old, and will provide a half day of theater learning and fun.

Starting at 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., students will be led through exploratory activities to learn about all aspects of storytelling, culminating in a short performance for family and friends at 4:00 p.m. 

“Once Upon a Time: Peter Pan” will teach participants about learning music and movement for the stage in addition to creating costume pieces and decorating the space to reflect Neverland as they imagine it.

Character work will be a major theme throughout the afternoon as the students learn the roles of “Lost Boys” and “Pirates,” bringing their unique personalities to the performance as an ensemble.

Local middle school performers will act as “Show Captains” borrowed from the term “Dance Captains” in the theater business, and will lead the little ones through their show. 

Cost for the afternoon is $25 for one participant and $40 for a pair.

Registration includes water, materials, and an ACT 1 t-shirt in addition to professional training.

All are welcome, no experience required, just a love of creativity is all your child needs to have a memorable afternoon.

To register for the January 21 event, please stop by or call the MAC Center for the Arts.

All questions regarding the day of the event should be directed to ACT 1 at nekacademy@gmail.com or Lynn Leimer at macartspr@yahoo.com. 

For more information and registration, visit www.maccenterforthearts.com or call 802-334-1966. 

NEWPORT — The MAC Center for the Arts will host an Exclusive Opening for its new exhibit, “Portrait of a Forest: Men and Machine,” on Friday, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The opening is in conjunction with the annual Holiday Reception at the MAC.

The exhibit, on loan to MAC from the Vermont Folklife Center, combines contemporary photographs by Weybridge photojournalist, George Bellerose, with historical photographs and commentary by the logging and forest products community, will run through December 31.

“Unlike Vermonters of the past, many of us no longer have a direct connection to the working landscape,” Bellerose said of the origin of his project. “We see logging trucks and the occasional roadside log collection, but rarely do we have contact with loggers or fully understand their importance to the state.”

Coverage ranges from solo loggers with a chainsaw to multi-machine chipping operations, from backyard sawmills to state-of-the-art flooring mills.

“My hope is that this documentation will help everyone better understand the challenges facing the industry today and appreciate its role in preserving a healthy forest,” Bellerose added. “This project is an essential part of the Vermont Folklife Center’s mission to help people become visible to one another,”

Greg Sharrow, co-director of the Center commented, “George Bellerose’s photography opens a powerful window into the lives and work of loggers in Vermont.”

The exhibit and projected book are companion pieces to an earlier Bellerose and Vermont Folklife Center project, Forty-Six Years of Pretty Straight Going: The Life of a Family Dairy Farm.

“Both occupations involve long days and hard work,” Bellerose commented. “Both are often a generational way of life and a tough way to make a living. Both have shaped the landscape and culture of Vermont. Both face economic challenges today, and both often feel that the work they do is not understood or appreciated.”

This exhibit and reception is free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit www.maccenterforthearts.com or call 802 334 -1966.

NEWPORT — A local theater workshop for young people was recently showcased in Newport. This new and timely venture that has emerged at the MAC Center for the Arts, is called the Academy for Children in Theatre.

Conceptualized and created by Lynn Leimer and Sunny Naughton, a pair that began working together over 20 years ago, the project aims to bring their knowledge to area theater lovers, both young and old alike.

Participants recently completed the ACT 1 Workshop, and ranged in ages from 8-13, hailing from Derby, Newport, Barton, Westmore and even downtown Manhattan.

The ensemble spent eight hours learning the business of Broadway, choreography, staging, vocalization and high-speed musical training.


“Knowledge is power and we intend to fill each student with an arsenal of theatrical savvy, on stage and behind the scenes,” said Leimer.

Organizers say the workshop will not only enhance the cultural tone of the community, but sustain the mission of the Memphremagog Arts Collaborative and their commitment to all facets of the arts.

Leimer is a founding and charter member of MAC and sits on the Board of Directors as Secretary, and is the Chair of the Performance Committee.

Naughton is a MAC member/writer/performer and sits on the Performance Committee.


Before the end of 2016, Leimer and Naughton will announce the spring workshop schedule with upcoming programs.

“They say to be the person you needed when you were a kid,” said Naughton. “I had exposure to a lot of wonderful artists here in the Kingdom so I didn’t need much. However, after working in theater across the country, what I do believe our theater lovers can benefit from is a place to come together, outside of rehearsal for our wonderful community theaters and high school productions, to hone their craft.”


Naughton and Leimer say they want a space where all students who want to put in the time and effort can learn to appreciate not only the stage, but all aspects of putting on a show.

They plan to produce workshops for musicians, wardrobe, hair and make-up, scenic design and more.


The pair believes that in the past fifteen years more students have gone into paying jobs in the arts than the larger community realizes.


For more information about upcoming workshops keep an eye on the MAC Center website or email nekacademy@gmail.com or www.maccenterforthearts.com

NEWPORT — Green Mountain Farm-to-School (GMFTS) is teaming up with Smitty’s Farm in Newport, as part of their On-Farm Community Dinner series.

The evening will feature a free dinner that uses Vermont seasonal produce and brings together community members for a celebration of local agriculture and the season’s harvest.

Taking place on Friday, October 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Smitty’s Farm located at 1292 North Derby Road in Newport, the On-Farm Community Dinner is free and open to the public.

The meal will be prepared on the GMFTS Lunchbox food truck and the menu will feature berries from Smitty’s Farm along with other seasonal produce from surrounding, local farmers.

Community members attending the event will also get a chance to explore the farm through a family-friendly activity that will give them an up-close of a small, Vermont farm.

“We’re bringing together community members and farmers to celebrate the season’s harvest over a delicious meal,” says Becca Mitchell, consumer education coordinator with GMFTS. “The Northeast Kingdom is full of great farmers and amazing, local food and we want to show that off to the community.”

This year marks the fourth year that GMFTS has partnered with local farms for the On-Farm Community Dinner series. The series was created to raise awareness about the abundance of local, healthy food available in the Northeast Kingdom and to cultivate relationships between communities and the area’s farmers.

The events have been held all over the NEK including Joe’s Brook Farm in St. Johnsbury, Peace of Earth Farm in Albany, and Harvest Hill Farm in Hardwick to name a few.

“Everyone wins when communities support their small, local farmers,” says Katherine Sims, executive director of GMFTS. “Residents are eating tasty, healthy foods, farms are taking advantage of new market opportunities, and it’s creating a shared sense of community.”

NEWPORT — The MAC Center for the Arts is getting ready to present its latest exhibition, “Plein Air Northeast Kingdom.”

The opening reception is Friday, September 16, from 5-7 p.m. at the MAC Center, 158 Main Street, Newport.

The Plein Air Exhibit consists of work by landscape artists who have painted all over the Northeast Kingdom this summer.

The art work is in direct response to the beauty the painters find in nature. They use a variety of media, from oils, through watercolors and pastels.

Plein Air painting was developed in France in the mid-19th Century and is becoming increasingly popular. Presently, there is a nationwide following of both Plein Artists and Collectors.

The juried artwork produced at these paint-outs will be on exhibition at MAC Center for the Arts, in the downstairs Gallery, September 16th, 2016 – October 15, 2016. 

“There is a joy about painting outdoors and this is a chance for people to see the result of works produced by professional artists,” event organizer Donna Walsh says. “At Plein Air Northeast Kingdom we paint tomorrow’s history today, onsite.”

The event is FREE and open to all. Many of the pieces are for sale.

Collectors and art enthusiasts will not want to miss this unique and unprecedented event.

For more information, please call 802-334-1966 or visit www.maccenterforthearts.com.

September 16, 5-7 Reception, 158 Main Street Newport.
Exhibition run: September 16-October 15

NEWPORT — The MAC Center for the Arts will be participating in the Newport is for Booklovers Event, on September 24.

Five of the eight authors that belong to MAC will be reading from their original works. Award-winning authors: Lynda Graham-Barber, Tanya Sousa, Patty Oliver-Smith, Jerry Johnson and Cat Holm will share the spotlight as follows:

11:00 a.m. – Cat Holm – Reading from Voice Lessons. Award-winning author Catherine Holm’s writing ranges from literary fiction to cat-themed memoir and fantasy fiction. She is a freelance writer, life coach, and yoga instructor and loves gardening, outdoor recreation, and the thrill of new experiences and new places. She lives in Norton. 

11:15 a.m. – Tanya Sousa – Reading from The Starling God. Sousa writes books, short stories, essays and articles that promote empathy. Her books and essays have received awards, accolades and excellent reviews – including her most recent novel, “The Starling God”, which made the short-list for the national “Green Earth Book Awards.” Tanya was raised and still lives, in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

11:30 a.m. – Patty Oliver-Smith – Reading from Martha’s Mandalas. Martha (Patty) Oliver-Smith was born in Rhode Island into a family of writers, artists, and scholars. She spent most of her childhood moving between her grandmother’s home in Peace Dale, RI and living in New York City. In 1972, she moved to the west coast to begin her teaching career and raise her family. She returned to the east in 2002 to live and work in Vermont. She earned an MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in 2006. After 36 years of teaching college and high school literature and writing courses, Oliver-Smith retired to complete the biographical memoir Martha’s Mandala based on her grandmother’s life as an artist who struggled with mental illness. She lives with her husband, two cats, one dog and six chickens in Albany, where she is working on a second memoir.

2:00 p.m. – Lynda Graham Barber – Reading from her children’s book SAY, BOO. Lynda Graham-Barber lived for over two decades in New York City, where she worked as a free-lance magazine writer, children’s book editor, and writing teacher.  The author of 14 books, 12 for children, Lynda lives in a stone cottage on 160 wooded acres in the Northeast Kingdom with her artist-husband, David, and their rescue dog, Biscuit.  

2:15 p.m. – Jerry Johnson – Showing a DVD of Children’s Book – Noah’s Song. Author of Up the Creek Without a Saddle, Noah’s Song and A Bed of Leaves. In Jerry’s own words: “I was blessed when Jon Gailmor and Pete Sutherland, two legendary Vermont master musicians, took a number of my poems in Up the Creek Without a Saddle and set them into song for a beautiful CD album to accompany the book.

The three additional authors featured at MAC are Internationally renowned photo journalist/author – Diana Henry, Women on the Move and new release – Through the Photographer’s Eyes; and works carried posthumously by John Stevens – Woodshed Wisdom, More Woodshed Wisdom, and Memorable Fish and Fisherman; and Phyllis Joy Hammond aka P.J. Hammond – Traveling with Flowers (from Newfoundland to Alaska); Through the Eyes of Children (traveling with the Artist), and Iceland (a Second Visit…a Necessity).

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, MAC Center for the Arts, 158 Main Street, Newport VT 05855 802-334-1966 www.maccenterforthearts.com

NEWPORT — The biggest beer festival around is coming to Newport this Saturday, July 23, as Dr. Les Lockridge and the Northeast Kingdom Hematology Oncology (NEKHO) gear up for the Second Annual NEKHO Kingdom Brewfest, taking place at Kingdom Brewing in Newport.

The event will feature brew, food, live music and fun as NEKHO celebrate and work to replenish their Patient Caring Fund, which helps to fill in the healthcare gaps faced by their patients.

Last year the event raised $14,000, and this year the goal is to add $30,000 to the fund.

All money stays local to help local cancer patients with their living expenses during treatment. Proceeds go directly to patients who need it the most, whether that is a food card, a gas card, or medication and treatment co-pays.

The cost is $20 for one person, $35 for two people, which includes a full BBQ dinner, live music, beer tasting and a special event glass.

Festivities start at 1 p.m. and continue until 6 p.m.

Additional beer will be available for purchase from the event sponsors at Kingdom Brewing, which is located at 353 Coburn Hill Road, in Newport.

All are welcome, with plenty of fun scheduled for kids as well, so come on down.