Vermont Public Community Calendar

Join MaMuse for an evening of harmony-rich folk-soul that uplifts the spirit and opens the heart. Expect unreleased songs from their upcoming album, beloved favorites and an audience-inspired improv.

Returning to Randolph, MaMuse (“Ma” as in Mamma; “Muse” as in inspiration) blends folk and gospel traditions with luminous harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. Sorah Nutting and Karisha Longaker perform on upright bass, guitar, mandolins, and flutes, joined by their band, creating a lush and soulful sound.

With five albums and seventeen years of co-creation, MaMuse continues to share music for the thriving of ALL BEINGS. Their performances are described as “vocal bliss” (Dan DeWayne, California WorldFest)—an experience as moving as it is nourishing.

Adults $40 advance, $47 day of show, 16 & under $20.

The Gallery’s largest exhibit of traditional landscape and plein air works, this is also the Gallery's flagship exhibit. The exhibit contains a blend of works by artists who frequently show in the Gallery, as well as some of our newest artists. The works in this exhibit bring viewers to some of the most beautiful vistas around New England, in mediums that range from painted silks to watercolor and gouache. This is the only exhibit for which the Gallery presents awards.

Celebrate back-to-school season with The Flynn Center’s 4th annual Playing Fields Project! Gather with friends and family for an unforgettable night featuring France’s Compagnie OFF’s Les Girafes — a monumental street show that transforms school fields into vibrant stages with a herd of towering red giraffes, music and stunning special effects. Inspired by clowns, vaudeville acts and circus arts, this spectacular show kicks off the school year with fun and delight! Learn more at https://www.flynnvt.org/Community/playing-fields. 

Free admission. Works of Fuchs, Schubert and Anderson performed by bassist Nick Browne and pianist Annemieke McLane.

Family friendly fair with live music, food, craft vendors, a flower show, activities for kids and more.

Jam For The Parks is back & better than ever! Join us on September 6, 2025 to celebrate our 2nd annual Jam for the Parks event in collaboration with Vermont Parks Forever, benefiting Vermont State Parks! A portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to Vermont Parks Forever, benefiting their mission of preserving and advocating for Vermont’s 55 state parks.

This year’s event will occur at Waterbury Center State Park, located on the beautiful Waterbury Reservoir. Secure your ticket now to experience this one-of-a-kind, locally-grown music festival in central VT. Let’s jam!

Music Lineup:
Ryan Montbleau Band, Zach Nugent’s Dead Set, Jahriffe, The Moondogs, Nick Bredice, Rock & Roll Playhouse

Waterbury Center State Park will be festival-ready with multiple bars stocked with your favorite local craft beverages (alcoholic and NA options), multiple food truck vendors, family-friendly activities, and more! Kids 12 & Under FREE

See complete event details

Need a new home? Thinking of building a home or an addition? A wealth of home experts and information will be available to answer questions and give advice at the “New Home Fair” on September 6 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Plainfield Opera House.

The goal of this event is to bring as many new home resources as we can into one room, so that anyone interested in building a house in Central Vermont has access to all the resources that we can gather in one place. This event is being organized by the East Village Expansion Advisory Committee of Plainfield, hoping that if the expansion project proceeds, potential buyers will be ideally situated to build a home in the new planned neighborhood. Also, we want to offer the same resources to anyone interested in building in Vermont!

Over thirty exhibitors will be on hand to answer questions and give advice. Exhibitors will include, TURN-KEY (home is delivered on site ready to occupy with minimal work left before closing), SHELL+  (delivered in parts, panels or a kit; major work needed on site to complete the home but overall time is greatly reduced), On Site Builders - These firms can finish a shell/kit or they can build from scratch, also available will be Designers and Consultants, advice on Homes On a Chassis and Yurts, Do it Yourself helpers, shared equity developers as information and representatives from banks and lending institutions.

Parking is available in the small lot across High Street from the Town Hall Opera House; the large Park & Ride lot up Main Street; near the Recreation Field on Recreation Field Rd and the Health Center parking lot (5 min walk).

Accessibility: The Plainfield Town Hall Opera House is a wheelchair-accessible venue with one accessible parking spot directly outside. There is an elevator to the second floor, where the event will be taking place. We will not be making the event digitally available as there won't be any presentations or talks, just exhibits. However, we will have a brochure available, which we may be able to publish digitally.

Lack of housing, particularly affordable housing, is an enormous problem in Vermont. “The New Home Fair” is just one small way that we can begin to resolve some of our communities' housing issues. More information is available on the website https://sites.google.com/view/new-home-fair/home

For more information contact Lauren Geiger
lauren9334@gmail.com

802-828-2733

Cynthia’s work blurs the lines between realism and abstraction, creating scenes that are totally unique, captivating viewers.
This exhibit will consist of brand new works. She will be experimenting with her color palette, and using a combination of acrylic paint and mixed media. As she experiments with her painting process and palette, the new works will reflect these changes. The one constant: Cynthia continues to paint landscapes en plein air.

Opening Reception:
An opening reception and opportunity to meet the artist!
Saturday, September 6, from 5 – 7 pm.
The reception is free and open to the public.

Celebrate back-to-school season with The Flynn Center’s 4th annual Playing Fields Project! Gather with friends and family for an unforgettable night featuring France’s Compagnie OFF’s Les Girafes — a monumental street show that transforms school fields into vibrant stages with a herd of towering red giraffes, music and stunning special effects. Inspired by clowns, vaudeville acts and circus arts, this spectacular show kicks off the school year with fun and delight! Learn more at https://www.flynnvt.org/Community/playing-fields.

Please join us for a Book Release Party for Katy Farber and Blackstone Publishing's newest thriller, THE BOARD, at Camp Meade in Middlesex, Vermont. We will have signed books for sale by Bear Pond Books, delightful fall treats, a reading and Q and A, and other surprises. Come over to the gallery at Camp Meade, stay for a reading and treats, then head across the parking lot for drinks at The Local or dinner at Chicos!

Thank you for supporting local authors, artists and bookstores!

More about the book and pre-orders from Bear Pond: https://bearpondbooks.com/book/p9798228016880

Recent review: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9798228016880

Straight from Italy to Vermont, The Flynn presents eVenti Verticali’s CUBO, a breathtaking aerial performance on the Statehouse Lawn! High above the ground, acrobats will turn the sky into their stage, visible from every spot on the green. And don’t miss Compagnie OFF’s Les Girafes opening performance!

This free outdoor event offers an astonishing experience for all ages. The evening performance illuminates the night’s sky with dazzling light effects.

September 13 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.
September 14 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Join Chef Ariel Voorhees of Gather Round Chef Service for our first Cook the Book class, featuring Melissa Clark’s Dinner: Changing the Game. Ticket options offer the choice to take a signed copy of the book home courtesy of Waterbury's own Bridgeside Books!

Together, we’ll explore bold, approachable recipes that rethink weeknight meals by infusing familiar ingredients with fresh, global flavors. In particular, we’ll explore the Sheet Pan Dinner, a genius strategy that Clark unveils in this book.

In this hands-on class, you’ll cook a few standout dishes from the book, pick up new techniques and conclude the evening by gathering to share the meal we’ve created.

Whether you’re already a fan or new to Melissa Clark’s world, you’ll leave inspired to bring more joy, ease and creativity to your own dinner table.

Many of these recipes are vegetarian and gluten-free. Particular recipes will be chosen based on the disclosed dietary needs of the participants. Please disclose all allergies and dietary restrictions in the ticket registration. Please note we are not an allergen free facility.

The menu will depend on the number of participants and any disclosed dietary restrictions, but may include:

Smoky Paprika Chicken with Crispy Chickpeas, Roasted Lemon and Baby Kale
Sticky Tamarind Chicken with Crisp Lettuce and Jasmine Rice
Sweet Peppers and Sausages with Ricotta Salata and Fresh Oregano
Roasted Sausage and Cauliflower with Cumin and Turkish Pepper
Spicy Roasted Shrimp with Eggplant and Mint
Shakshuka
Roasted Tofu with Broccoli Rabe and Garlic
Maple-Roasted Tofu with Winter Squash
Eggplant Gratin
Roasted Carrots with Walnuts, Feta and Dill

Tickets must be purchased at Seven Days Tickets.
Many of these recipes are vegetarian and gluten-free. Particular recipes will be chosen based on the disclosed dietary needs of the participants, so make your reservation early!
Please disclose all allergies and dietary restrictions in the ticket registration. Please note we are not an allergen free facility.

The 5th Annual AirPeyton Memorial 5k Walk/Run for Pediatric Cancer will be held Sunday, September 14, 2025, at Montpelier High School (MHS) starting at 11 a.m. All money raised will go to ALEX'S LEMONADE STAND FOUNDATION to support Pediatric Cancer research. You can participate IN-PERSON or VIRTUALLY!

This year, in addition to our spectacular RAFFLE with AMAZING PRIZES, we will also have: Bounce Houses, Lawn Games, Face Painting and FOOD TRUCKS! And of course.... LEMONADE!

This event’s namesake is a courageous and amazing young man named Peyton Smith who bravely battled Ewing’s Sarcoma for over two years before passing in 2020. Peyton graduated MHS in May of 2020 and aspired to be a famous designer making sneakers for professional athletes. He was truly an inspiration to everyone who met him.

This in-person & virtual walk/run, honoring Peyton, has inspired the local community along with friends and family to contribute in numerous ways. This year, the event looks to increase its partnership with schools throughout Vermont and a continued partnership with Norwich University. Note: This event is being held both in person and virtually, wherever you may be in the world. In-person start time on Sunday, 9/14, is 11:00 a.m. at Montpelier High School! You can also come early at 10:00 a.m. and register in person if you did not pre-register online!

All are invited on September 14 in Calais, VT, for the first of three Sunday afternoon readings given by a pair of Vermont writers for this fall’s series, WORDS OUT LOUD: Knowing by Heart, when we’ll welcome presenters Gary Clark reading poetry, and Helen Whybrow reading from her memoir The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherds Life (Milkweed Editions, 2025).

Filled with thought-provoking poetry and prose spoken from the—and sometimes by—heart, the WORDS OUT LOUD readings on September 14, 21, and 28 will be followed by receptions down the road at the Kent amidst the art on display for Art at the Kent’s 2025 exhibit, “HOLDING: Mementos Kept, Memories Kindled,” where attendees may meet and chat with the authors and a selection of books will be available in the old General Store of the Kent.

The Words Out Loud readings take place at the Old West Church and aim to begin sharply at 3:00.

Dear guests: Please arrive early enough to allow time for parking and seating at this historic 200-year-old meetinghouse in rural Calais, bring layers for warmth, and leave pets at home.

Saturday, September 20, 2025 7:30 p.m.
- The Phoenix Gallery Waterbury, VT
Sunday, September 21, 2025 4:00 p.m.
- Main Street Landing Film House, Burlington, VT
Sliding Scale Suggested Ticket Price, youth are free
Tickets are found at sevendaystickets.com

Join TURNmusic as we celebrate the 75th Birthday of Vermont composer Erik Nielsen. The TURNmusic string quartet (Mary Rowell, Brooke Quiggins, Elizabeth Reid, and John Dunlop) will be joined by Dan Liptak on Clarinet for a concert of Nielsen's string quartets and quintet.

"For several years, I have had in mind a musical performance idea that was very important to me. In my head, it was called The String Quartet Project. I wanted to pair some of my large-scale works for the ensemble with a brand new quartet written especially for the occasion. But first, I had to find an ensemble willing and able to take on such a project. Fortunately for me, my friend and long-time colleague Anne Decker immediately said yes when I proposed the idea of having the TURNmusic quartet perform the program, for which I will be eternally grateful.

I already knew that, besides the new quartet, I wanted to have on the program my 2002 Clarinet Quintet, originally a commission from the National Symphony Orchestra and my 2007 String Quartet #2, a commission from the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph to help mark their centennial. However, I needed another piece to open the second half of the program. I reached back to 2001 to my single-movement That Silent Land. It would pair very well with the final work, my new third string quartet, subtitled Three Brothers, since That Silent Land was written in memory of my late older brother, Karl, and the new work is dedicated to Karl and my late younger brother, Lars.

Both multi-movement works on the first half of the program contain a great deal of musical and emotional variety. That Silent Land is quite intense and my third quartet covers a lot of ground in its four movements. I like to think that there is enough balance of hope, humor, intensity, sadness, whimsy and spirituality to engage and satisfy the listeners. We’ll see!"

Erik Nielsen

All are welcome on September 21 in Calais, VT, for the second of three Sunday afternoon readings given by a pair of Vermont writers for this fall’s series, WORDS OUT LOUD: Knowing by Heart, when we’ll welcome presenters Diana Whitney (author of Dark Beds and editor of the anthology You Don’t Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves) reading poetry, and LN Bethea performing her spoken word poetry.

Filled with thought-provoking poetry and prose spoken from the—and sometimes by—heart, the WORDS OUT LOUD readings on September 14, 21, and 28 will be followed by receptions down the road at the Kent amidst the art on display for Art at the Kent’s 2025 exhibit, “HOLDING: Mementos Kept, Memories Kindled,” where attendees may meet and chat with the authors and a selection of books will be available in the old General Store of the Kent.

The Words Out Loud readings take place at the Old West Church and aim to begin sharply at 3:00. Dear guests: Please arrive early enough to allow time for parking and seating at this historic 200-year-old meetinghouse in rural Calais, bring layers for warmth, and leave pets at home.

In a rare concert performance, your local Javanese orchestra Gamelan Sulukala will appear at Plainfield Opera House Saturday, September 27 at 3 p.m. Birthed in the late 1960’s by Dennis Murphy as a village gamelan made of hand-crafted instruments and nurtured through the 2000s by Steven and Kathy Light with a set of court-style cast-bronze instruments, this orchestra has survived through multiple permutations, personnel changes and migrations to once again offer a program of traditional and contemporary pieces, including compositions by current and former members of the group.

Tickets at the door only.
https://sites.google.com/site/gamelansulukala/

Join us for the final Braintree Bluegrass Brunch of the season—featuring Turnip Truck and The Spring Chickens live at the historic Braintree Hill Meetinghouse!

Expect a lively mix of bluegrass, swing, gypsy jazz, old folk, and country music. With tight harmonies, instrument swapping and a flair for improvisation, both bands bring high-energy performances that celebrate roots traditions.

https://braintreevt.gov/about/braintree-historical-society/
Presented by Chandler Center for the Arts, Ridgeline Outdoor Collective, and the Braintree Historical Society.

Free – Donations accepted to support the event and partnering organizations.

All are invited on September 28 in Calais, Vermont, for the last of three Sunday afternoon readings given by a pair of Vermont writers for this fall’s series, WORDS OUT LOUD: Knowing by Heart, when we’ll welcome presenters Harmony Belle Devoe (Inaugural Vermont Youth Poet Laureate) and Carlene Kucharczyk (author of Strange Hymn, winner of the Juniper Prize for a first book of poems) reading poetry.

Filled with thought-provoking poetry and prose spoken from the—and sometimes by—heart, the WORDS OUT LOUD readings on September 14, 21, and 28 will be followed by receptions down the road at the Kent amidst the art on display for Art at the Kent’s 2025 exhibit, “HOLDING: Mementos Kept, Memories Kindled,” where attendees may meet and chat with the authors and a selection of books will be available in the old General Store of the Kent.

The Words Out Loud readings take place at the Old West Church and aim to begin sharply at 3:00. Dear guests: Please arrive early enough to allow time for parking and seating at this historic 200-year-old meetinghouse in rural Calais, bring layers for warmth, and leave pets at home.

Experience the Estonian zombie-folk duo Puuluup, returning to Central Vermont with their genre-defying blend of tradition and innovation. Performing on talharpas—a nearly extinct bowed lyre—Puuluup fuses Nordic roots with loopers, modern effects, and cascading vocals to create an entrancing, danceable sound that’s all their own.

Known for their comedic flair and captivating live presence, Puuluup made their U.S. debut at Feast and Field in 2022 and went on to represent Estonia in the 2024 Eurovision finals.

This is a one-of-a-kind musical journey through languages real and imagined, and a performance you won’t want to miss.

Pay What You Can – $10 to $40
Kids Free