Vermont Public Community Calendar

The Julian Scott Memorial Gallery is pleased to present a BFA exhibit featuring Amber Boles, Allegra Luzardo, Rose Oakland, and Sayler Ruggles. The exhibit features painting, sculpture, and digital art. It runs from April 13 to May 1, 2026, with a reception and artist talks on April 16th from 12-2 pm. The gallery is located in the Dibden Center for the Arts on the VTSU-Johnson campus. Follow us on social media at VTSU-Johnson Campus Art Department. Information: (802) 635-1469.

The City of Burlington has launched planBTV 2050, a citywide planning initiative aimed at shaping how current and future residents live, move, and work as the City evolves. For the first time, four City departments—the Office of City Planning, Community and Economic Development Office, Department of Public Works, and Burlington Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront—are collaborating to create a holistic vision for a more livable, affordable, sustainable, inclusive, and accessible Burlington.

You are invited to a Community Open House on Thursday, April 30th from 3:30-8pm at One Main Street to explore the challenges, opportunities, and trends that are shaping this plan and share your priorities for Burlington’s future! Community input will inform the unified vision that guides all elements of planBTV 2050.

Visit www.burlingtonvt.gov/planbtv2050 to learn more about this comprehensive planning effort and other ways you can get involved.

Join Vermont authors Kalanni Gagne, Jodi Girouard, and Omega Jade as they share their personal journeys and discuss how these experiences have inspired their writing.

This is an interactive, family-friendly event where Q&A is encouraged! Plus, there will be light refreshments to enjoy.

Thanks to the generous support from the University of Vermont Medical Center Community Health Investment Fund, this event is FREE for all participants! RSVP today at www.namivt.org/community-conversations and spread the word! For questions, please contact our Program Coordinator at program@namivt.org.

560 Railroad Community Artist and Vermont Studio Center alum Jessie Rothwell will host Heartstrings: How Music Pulls Us into our Stories and Ourselves, on two Thursday evenings, April 23rd and 30th, from 6-7:30pm, at Catamount Arts. The workshops are part of Rothwell’s community engagement events during her 560 Railroad Community Artist residency in St. Johnsbury

Explore the magic of music through listening, discussion, and writing. Sometimes music feels like sorcery in the moment. In a piece of music, melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre can become more than the sum of their parts. When lyrics combine with sounds, even more magic is generated.

What’s happening when music gives us goosebumps or songs make us cry? How do particular songs transport us, evoking certain settings or moments long past? Heartstrings with Jessie Rothwell invites curious community members to explore these questions through listening, writing, and discussion. Come and unpack how different areas of the brain respond to music and language, stimulating the parts of the brain responsible for memory and emotion.

The fee for Heartstrings, with Jessie Rothwell, at Catamount Arts, April 23rd and 30th, from 6-7:30pm, is $25. High school students and Catamount Arts members get a 10% discount. Contact Anne at 802-748-2600, extension 109, to inquire about financial assistance. Class size is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Visit www.catamountarts.org to secure a spot.

Join Dr. Alan Berolzheimer, Vermont Humanities scholar, as he leads a community book discussion of the Vermont Reads book The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. Named after a catastrophic storm, Wanda is born into a world that’s rapidly changing. Rising sea levels and devastating weather patterns transform her coastal Florida town. As she moves from childhood to adulthood, Wanda adapts to this remade landscape, finding adventure, love, and purpose in a place largely abandoned by civilization.

Told in four parts—power, water, light, and time—The Light Pirate  is a meditation on the beauty and violence of an untamable wilderness. It considers the dissolution of the human-made world, and helps us see how human connection, adaptability, and a little bit of magic might guide us to a new future.

Join us on Thursday, April 30, at 7 PM EST in Middlebury College’s Humanities House (115 Franklin Street) for the fourth installment of NER‘s Ulysses Reading Series. Named after artist James MacDonell’s Visualizing Ulysses series of schematic prints, which hang throughout the house, this series celebrates new work by writers at all stages of their careers.

Featuring poet and educator Stephen Cramer, writer and Bread Loaf coordinator Jason Lamb, NER contributor Meg Reynolds, and a talented Middlebury student writer.

Light fare and specialty mocktails inspired by Visualizing Ulysses will be served. This event free and open to the public.

The Julian Scott Memorial Gallery is pleased to present a BFA exhibit featuring Amber Boles, Allegra Luzardo, Rose Oakland, and Sayler Ruggles. The exhibit features painting, sculpture, and digital art. It runs from April 13 to May 1, 2026, with a reception and artist talks on April 16th from 12-2 pm. The gallery is located in the Dibden Center for the Arts on the VTSU-Johnson campus. Follow us on social media at VTSU-Johnson Campus Art Department. Information: (802) 635-1469.

Ed Morgan is better known simply as “The Music Man.” For over 10 years he has delighted kids and grownups alike with his interactive blend of original & traditional children’s songs. Singing and dancing for kids ages 1-99!

For more information, contact Becky Hatfield, Youth Services Librarian, bhatfield@stjathenaeum.org or -802-745-1391.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Are your energy bills high? Stop by for a one on one conversation with an Efficiency Vermont representative to learn how you can lower your energy costs and find out whether you qualify for income based services, such as free appliance replacement.

For more information, contact Megan Robinson at mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.
These consultations are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Vermont State University and the college MEISA chapter are proud to announce Greggfest 2026 at the Stonehenge Lot on Friday and Saturday, May 1 & 2.

Greggfest is an annual music festival held in Lyndonville, Vermont with proceeds going to a Memorial Endowment in honor of Jake Gregg, a Lyndon State College student whose musical career was cut short when he lost his battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2015. This festival is to honor the infectious person and cultivator of the arts that Jake was, and to celebrate the spirit that still shines on.

This year’s lineup features Blanket Approval, Paper Lady, Whenzdaze, and Mollie Jean (student band) on Night One, and Dred Buffalo, Chase Murphy, Nate Perry & Ragged Company, and Breaklight (student band) on Night Two. Music begins at 7pm on both days.

Seven-Time Grammy® winner Paul Winter brings his unique earth music to Middlebury, VT, with a solo concert, This Glorious Earth, featuring Paul's soprano sax, along with the voices of whale, wolf, and wood thrush, and other members of what he calls "the greater symphony of the Earth." The program is part of a series of events in the Middlebury VT area, April 24 - May 2, celebrating Vermont's old forests and wildlands.

Cabot songwriter and guitarist Dana Robinson celebrates the release of his new album, "The Sound of the Word," at the Plainfield Town Hall Opera House. "The Sound of the Word" is part thought-provoking look at the state of the world and part meditation on rural life and healing power of the natural world. With the passion of Southern Appalachia and the of grit of Great Britain’s traditional ballads, Dana incorporates elements of oldtime and country blues with rock and folk. In 2019 the Times-Argus  awarded “The Town That Music Saved” Best Album in Vermont.

Story Songs of the 70s is a seasonal concert series by Maine-based singer/songwriter, Tom DiMenna, and features songs by 3 legendary songwriters of the vinyl era — Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens, and Harry Chapin. This folk-rock act blends lush vocals, intricate guitar playing and iconic story songs into a sound that’s both intimate and powerful. While rooted in the folk tradition, this special Spring edition celebrates the first day of Spring with the fresh energy of the season (“Morning Has Broken” by Cat Stevens, “Early Morning Rain” by Gordon Lightfoot, “Taxi” by Harry Chapin) and has toe-tapping rhythms, sing-along choruses, and a fully amplified presence that has charmed audiences all over New England. It’s a carefully crafted presentation of the timeless songs that shaped a generation — performed with heart, humor, and resonance.

In addition: Tom is now officially endorsed by Gibson Guitars and John Pearse Strings, legendary names in acoustic tone.
"Go See Tom!" -Aimsel Ponti, Portland Press Herald

More info
tomdimennamusic.com

Please join us for the 41st annual Colchester Community Concert on Friday, May 1st at 7:30. We are exploring the world of color this Spring through kaleidoscopes, masquerades, rainbows and more!

This is a free event and cash donations are grateful accepted. The event will be held at the Colchester High School, Laker Lane, Colchester VT.

Step into WUNDERLAND and build a tiny home for fairies and gnomes! This free, community-building workshop with artist Loren Brock—creator of Sunderland’s magical fairy path—invites you to craft a whimsical dwelling from natural materials. Bring shells, stones, feathers, or treasures. Your creation will be donated to grow the Wunderland path—thank you for adding a little magic!

Celebrate spring in downtown Montpelier during Mayfest, a weekend full of community events, local food, music, and shopping. Highlights include the return of the Capital City Farmers Market, Green Up Day, and the beloved All Species Day parade and pageant.

Spend the weekend exploring downtown—enjoy sidewalk sales, pop-up vendors, live music, and dining at local restaurants. Stick around after dark to catch Montpelier’s glowing bridges.

Saturday Highlights:
• Capital City Farmers Market (9am–1pm, 133 State St)
• Green Up Day (bag pick-up at Farmers Market & City Hall)

Sunday Highlights:
• All Species Day (12–4pm)
Parade from Hubbard Park through downtown, ending with the Birth of Spring Pageant at the State House.

Plus additional events and live performances throughout the weekend. Sponsored by Catamount Solar.

Green Up Day is a special day in Vermont when volunteers come together for a massive, spring clean-up of litter. Pick up supplies at the Capital City Farmers Market or City Hall!

If you’d like to volunteer for Montpelier’s Green Up Day, stop by the Green Up Day stations at the Capital City Farmers Market (133 State St) or outside City Hall (39 Main St) for Green Up Day bags and gloves for volunteers.

Volunteers can leave their full Green Up Day bags curbside within city limits. The crew from the Montpelier Department of Public Works will pick up the bags of litter after Green Up Day.

Thank you for your help to make Montpelier sparkle!

Celebrate the advent of Spring! Come sit in the hollow square with us and sing a cappella in four-part harmony from the 2025 Sacred Harp song book. No experience necessary! Shape note singing was first practiced in Early America with sheet music that used four shapes as noteheads to help even those with no music training to easily sight read sheet music. The Sacred Harp songbook has been used continually since 1844; we’ll be singing from the 2025 edition.

Parking is available a short walk away at Glover Community School parking lot at 100 School St, Glover. Some accessible parking at the venue is available.

12 PM Potluck dinner on the grounds. Bring a dish to share.

Please test for COVID before arriving. We will not have tests on-site and ask you to make responsible decisions in relationship to your health and masking. Questions? Email ziggybrd@gmail.com.

Ready to be the lead in your own summer? Big vocals. Bold movement. A full musical brought to life by you.

This summer, step into a rigorous, high-energy musical theatre experience with Head Over Heels, directed by Gavy Kessler. Designed for ages 13–19, this Senior Company program is your chance to train, rehearse, and perform a complete production—with the support to grow your skills in acting, singing, and dance every step of the way.

Set to the iconic music of The Go-Go's, Head Over Heels is a joyful, rebellious mash-up of Elizabethan romance and punk-era attitude. Expect mistaken identities, self-discovery, love in all its forms—and a royal quest to save a kingdom that’s lost its beat.

No matter your experience level, everyone who enrolls is cast. This is about showing up, stretching your skills, and making something unforgettable—together.

You must be registered for the program to attend casting workshops.

Green Up at ECHO
Saturday, May 2
10 am–2 pm
Free with Admission or ECHO MembershipCelebrate Green Up Day at ECHO with our friends from Chittenden Solid Waste District and Myer’s. Join us for worm-composting workshops (with real worms!) and get up close to touch a garbage truck. Bring a photo of your filled Green Up bag to the front desk and receive a special edition ECHO sticker.
Please note: Green Up bags are available for pick-up at ECHO’s front desk before Green Up Day!