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Weather & Weekend Rundown:

Friday started on the gray and damp side, but the rain is winding down this afternoon and the evening should be dry with a few breaks of sunshine sneaking through before sunset. Temperatures are hanging in the upper 50s to low 60s around the Burlington area. The real headline is what's coming next. Saturday brings sunshine and highs climbing into the mid to upper 70s, right about where mid May should be, though a stray shower or thunderstorm could pop up during the afternoon. Sunday looks similar, settling into the low to mid 70s with more sun. Early next week is when things get exciting. Monday should mark Burlington's first 80 degree day of the year, and by Tuesday we could push even higher as the humidity starts creeping in. A cold front later in the week will knock temps back to the 50s and 60s, but for now, soak it up.

Tonight is absolutely stacked. The South End Get Down kicks off tonight! And the BTown Meetup Crew is down for the fun. We’re meeting at the South End Get Down [MEETUP] at 377 Pine Street, meeting at 6 PM by the entrance, and if you've never been, picture 20+ local food trucks, live DJs, and craft brews from Zero Gravity and Fiddlehead, with beautiful sunset views. Also at 6 PM, the Unheard Stories Community Performance returns for its fourth year at the Winooski Performing Arts Center. This one deserves special attention. Winooski teens with immigrant and refugee backgrounds share their stories through skits, poetry, and personal storytelling. Performances run tonight and tomorrow, donations appreciated. For families, Very Merry Theater's young cast brings Seussical to life at O.N.E. Community Center on Allen Street at 6:30 PM, with two more free shows on Saturday. The live music options tonight are deep. The Mallett Brothers Band plays Higher Ground at 7:30 PM, The Phil Abair Band takes over The Old Post in South Burlington at 8, and Sibling Reverie brings stripped down blues, country, and rock to OnTap in Essex Junction from 5 to 8. Rachel Scanlon brings her touring hour to the Vermont Comedy Club tonight and tomorrow at 7 and 9 PM. Over in Colchester, couples can get their hands dirty at a Pottery Date Night at Mudcraft Studio from 6 to 8 for $110 per couple. The glow gear crowd should head to Farrell Park in South Burlington for the Glow in the Dark 5K at 7:30 PM, complete with a DJ, face painting, food from Vamo Arriba, and a raffle. Car enthusiasts can roll through the Merged Meet at 115 Lakeside Ave at 7:30, a family and pet friendly gathering hosted by 802 Meets & Cruises. And Skida's annual Sidewalk Sale launches today at 16 Kilburn Street and runs through Sunday, with their Vermont made headwear, accessories, and cashmere knitwear from Nepal.

Saturday might be even busier, so pace yourself. UVM Commencement takes over University Green at 8:30 AM with Olympic medalist skier Ben Ogden delivering the keynote, so expect some extra traffic downtown. The Burlington Farmers Market is rolling on Pine Street from 9 to 2, with 70+ vendors, live music, and a kids tent. BTown Coffee Club [MEETUP] meets at Zero Gravity at 10 AM for a relaxed, no agenda morning hangout (might even be outside if it’s nice enough!). The NAMIWalks Vermont event runs from 10 AM to 3 PM at Centennial Field, supporting mental health awareness with a live band, food trucks, a silent auction, and 40+ vendors. If housing is on your mind, the Infill Housing Workshop at the BCA Center on Church Street from 9 to 11 covers everything from accessory dwellings to duplex conversions, with a homeowner panel sharing their experiences. Over in Shelburne, the Vermont Zen Center hosts an Indian Vegetarian Cooking class from 9 to noon. Garden lovers have options too. The Winooski Garden Group Plant Share runs from 10 to noon at Richards Park with free plants, UVM Master Gardeners on hand, and seedlings ranging from hot peppers to eggplants. The Friends of the Hort Farm present All About Lilacs from 10 to noon at the UVM Horticulture Farm in South Burlington, a free guided walk through their collection with curator Kitty Werner. Birders can join the Weekly Bird Walk at Rock Point Center, though registration is required since spots are capped at 20. The Rozalia Project hosts a Community Waterfront Cleanup at North Beach starting at 9:30 AM, with gloves and gear provided. From 11 to 3, the Old North End Repair Cafe at Laboratory B on North Street will fix your broken small appliances, electronics, bikes, and clothes for free. The 41st Annual Kids Day at Roosevelt Park runs from 11:30 to 2:30 with free pizza from Leonardo's, ice cream from The Scoop, rides, face painting, and crafts for the first 350 kids. In South Burlington, a Community Yard Sale takes over the Rick Marcotte Central School parking lot from 11 to 1, and early risers can hit VAE Cars & Coffee at University Mall starting at 7 AM. Williston has a few draws as well, including a Shred Fest at EastRise Credit Union from 9 to 1 for secure document shredding, a Spring Style Swap at Inspired Closets from noon to 2:30, and Kids' Fest at Village Community Park from noon to 2. Over at St. Michael's College in Colchester, the Lines Vermont Showcase features 85 dancers performing everything from ballet to K-pop to burlesque at 1 PM and 7 PM for $22.50. The evening lineup is strong. A free Women's Self Defense Class runs from 6 to 6:45 at the Ethan Allen Shopping Center on North Ave. The Flynn hosts the World Ballet Company's Cinderella at 7 PM, a full scale production with 40 international dancers and 150+ hand sewn costumes. At Higher Ground, Mon Rovîa takes the stage at 8 PM, an Afro Appalachian folk artist whose music channels his experiences as a transracially adopted refugee who survived the Liberian civil war. And at Foam Brewers, Woods with Edsel Axle plays at 8:30 PM, bringing Brooklyn indie psych folk to an intimate standing room show for $22 advance.

Sunday keeps the momentum rolling. The Winooski Farmers Market opens its 2026 season at 20 Winooski Falls Way from 10 to 2, with 25+ vendors, live music, and monthly special events lined up all summer. The grassroots Waterfront Clean-Up continues from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Urban Reserve, where volunteers have already pulled roughly 50 contractor bags of trash out of the park over the past month. South Burlington celebrates the grand opening of Awasiwi Woods Disc Golf Course from 11 to 3 at the high school campus on Dorset Street, with free loaner discs, food trucks, a raffle, and volunteers ready to help beginners. Vinyl collectors should make their way to the Burlington Record Fair at Contois Auditorium from 11 to 4, featuring 20+ vendors from across the Northeast and live DJ sets. Entry is $5 at 11, free after noon. The Game Session at the Boardroom [MEETUP] on Mill Street runs from noon to 2, with access to 650+ board games for $6. Paint & Plant at the Moose Lodge in South Burlington from 1 to 3 lets you pick out a houseplant, paint a pot, and decorate it for $25. The BTown Meetup Crew gets together again for Pickleball [MEETUP] over South Burlington High School from 2 to 4 with beginner friendly open play. For something a little different, the Opening Day Spring Fling Polo Match at Amdez Polo Club in Shelburne is free to watch starting at 2:30, so bring a chair and a snack. The Clothing Swap at HunnyMusturd Shop on Church Street runs from 5 to 7 for anyone looking to refresh their summer wardrobe. And closing out the weekend at Foam Brewers, SKORTS with Burial Woods plays a free show at 8 PM, blending NYC stadium rock with local darkwave synth pop.

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The Btown Brief IRL - We’re now seeing 20–30 people at our weekly events!

Today we’re meeting for the South End Get Down Opening Day, Saturday we have coffee at 10 AM, Sunday we have a meetup at the Boardroom at noon, and also a meetup for pickleball at 2 PM. If any of those sound fun, be sure to RSVP on Meetup.com.

So, be sure to stop by, everyone is welcome! Especially coffee, since it’s a great place to talk about weekend events too, along with news and life updates. So come find things to do this weekend together:

There’s a new 60 second Btown Brief News Quiz! Win monthly Btown merch by reading with intention.

"We've always been taught that the trespassers are the bad guys. But to me it's not about reckless rebellion — it's about exploring, physically and mentally and emotionally," Potter said in a press release, per Seven Days.

Potter's seventh studio album, Trespasser, drops August 21 and is described as a spiritual sequel to 2023's Mother Road. The bigger local news is the Grand Point North lineup for September 18 through 20 at Burlington's Waterfront Park, which includes Portugal. the Man, Dawes, Dark Star Orchestra, the Devil Makes Three, and Trampled by Turtles alongside local acts. Tickets are on sale now, and this is shaping up to be one of the stronger lineups in the festival's history.

"We used to hang out and cut meat," new owner Abbas Mohamed said of his friendship with the restaurant's late founder, Ahmed Omar, per Seven Days.

Anisa Mohamed, Omar's widow, sold the Somali American restaurant at 505 Riverside Avenue to Abbas Mohamed and his wife Mashaer Ebaid, who plan to keep the existing menu while adding Sudanese dishes like eggplant salad and okra with greens. The couple also owns Sudanese Halal Market in Winooski. Anisa Mohamed, now a mother of two, is completing her studies to become a pharmacist, a new chapter after bravely reopening the restaurant three months following her husband's unexpected passing in 2023.

"Colleges and universities across the country are responding to the long-forecast demographic cliff, declining international student enrollment and increased competition for students," UVM administrators wrote in a letter to staff, per Seven Days.

The university is projecting a 7 percent drop in undergraduate enrollment next year, including a 15 percent decline in first-year and transfer students, creating a roughly $12 million hole in the general fund. Because tuition makes up more than two thirds of that fund, the math gets painful fast. UVM plans to cut its fiscal year 2027 budget by 3.25 percent and review staffing, leased space, and nonlabor expenses like software and travel. Leadership is also forgoing raises this year.

"A vernal pool is a temporary, shallow wetland that appears in the spring and is a fish-free breeding ground for amphibians," per Seven Days.

This latest episode of "Stuck in Vermont" follows a group of volunteers on an Earth Day outing to a vernal pool near Lake Dunmore, led by biologist Kevin Tolan and herpetologist Jim Andrews. The expedition is part of the Vermont Vernal Pool Monitoring Project, which trains community scientists to document amphibian egg masses and help map these fragile ecosystems. If you're looking for a reason to get off the trail and into the woods this spring, this is a lovely reminder of what's hiding just off the beaten path.

"We had to start going deeper into the budget to really ask ourselves critically, what are those core services? What programs and services do we need to prioritize? What do we need to let go of?" per Vermont Public.

Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak's proposal eliminates or delays filling 27 vacant positions, following last year's layoff of 18 city workers. A big part of the squeeze comes from one-time state and federal funds drying up, money that had been bankrolling community safety positions tied to the police department. The City Council votes on the budget June 15, and the conversation around what counts as "core" is going to get loud between now and then.

"The hunting of black and brown people in this country has got to stop, and the Vermont State Police are 100% complicit in this situation," protester Peter Booth said as officers carried him out of the building, per VTDigger.

Thursday's action targeted an ICE digital surveillance center at 426 Industrial Avenue in Williston, where four protesters were arrested on trespassing and resisting arrest charges after blocking entrances. This follows a similar February protest at the same site where 11 were arrested, though Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George declined to prosecute any of them. That decision frustrated the property manager, who is now hoping this round of arrests leads to actual prosecution. The protesters are set to appear in court June 30.

"We take these findings seriously. The safety and wellbeing of every child in our care is our highest priority, and we are committed to doing the work required to meet every licensing expectation when we reopen," per NBC5.

ONE Arts Community School in Burlington has voluntarily shut down while the state's Child Development Division investigates an early May incident, with the earliest possible reopening set for May 26. The closure comes at an already tense moment for local childcare after the permanent shuttering of Frog and Toad, where a longtime employee faces seven counts of child cruelty. Families enrolled at ONE Arts have been notified, and the license will shift to provisional status once corrective actions are completed and verified by the state.

"We are confident that we will arrive at a mutually beneficial resolution," Clark said of ongoing FAA certification discussions, per Vermont Public.

Clark's total compensation included $5.7 million in cash and over $10 million in stock awards following Beta's IPO on the New York Stock Exchange last fall, though the company's share price has dropped more than 33 percent since. Beta burned through $138 million in operations during Q1 of 2026 against just $10 million in revenue, but holds over $1.5 billion in cash. The South Burlington company also landed a new order from Surf Air Mobility for up to 100 planes worth $375 million, signaling continued industry confidence even as the stock trades well below its IPO price.

"The property is no longer serving a direct need for us," GlobalFoundries Director of Facilities Dan Forcier told the Williston Planning Commission, per the Williston Observer.

The campus includes three 1980s-era office buildings totaling 430,000 square feet that are nearly empty, plus its own bridge over the Winooski River. GlobalFoundries wants to rezone for warehousing and distribution to attract buyers, but planning commission members are wary, with one explicitly referencing the Amazon warehouse proposal that was rejected in Essex last year. Town planners have a bigger vision for the site involving housing and public access to the bridge, setting up a potential tug of war between what GlobalFoundries wants to sell and what Williston wants to build.

"PopUp Bagels is known for its 'bagel and schmear' combos, which include a rotating menu of weekly specialty cream cheese and butter options," per NBC5.

The Connecticut-founded chain will open its first Vermont outpost at 42 Church Street, though no date has been announced yet. PopUp focuses on bagels with creative cream cheese and butter spreads rather than traditional breakfast sandwiches, and they already have locations in 13 states. Church Street regulars will have strong opinions about this one.

"As we concentrate rainfall, we're asking the land surface of Vermont to drink from a fire hose, and it just cannot do that," said Dartmouth professor Justin Mankin, per Vermont Public.

The study, published in Nature, found that when and how frequently rain falls matters just as much as total precipitation in determining drought risk. For Vermont, this means more rain overall but delivered in heavier downpours with longer dry stretches between them, a pattern that leads to both more flooding and more flash droughts. Anyone who lived through the summer flooding of recent years or watched their well levels drop last fall is already experiencing this shift firsthand.

"No one should be getting rich because of their position in public office, which is why I support a full ban on stock trading for lawmakers and their immediate families," Rep. Becca Balint said, per VTDigger/NOTUS.

All three members of Vermont's federal delegation, Welch, Sanders, and Balint, have median net worths well above the average Vermonter's while holding zero individual stocks. Welch's net worth surged to over $12.8 million in 2025 thanks to money market accounts and mutual funds, and Sanders still earns six figures in book royalties. All three support legislation to ban congressional stock trading, though those bills have yet to gain real traction on Capitol Hill.

"It's easy to pass legislation saying that we should do all these things, and it's another thing to fund them," said Sen. Andy Perchlik, per Seven Days.

This deeply reported piece from the "Ways and Means" series lays out a pattern that runs through nearly every corner of state government. Legislators pass ambitious mandates on everything from PCB testing in schools to ethics enforcement to reading instruction, then fail to appropriate the money needed to carry them out. The consequences are real and wide ranging, from North Country Union High School holding classes in wedding tents after PCB testing revealed contamination but remediation funds ran short, to the state Ethics Commission operating with just two part-time employees while its responsibilities keep growing. It is a long read but worth your time if you've ever wondered why state programs seem to stall out.

Quick Hits

South End Get Down Kicks Off Its 2026 Season The weekly Friday night food truck block party on Pine Street returns tonight, May 15, running 5 to 9 PM all summer. This year brings a rotation of 60 vendors, new food options like Mr. Creemee, rotating DJs and music artists, and free bike parking courtesy of the new Pine Street bike path.

CCV Announces Three New Programs for Fall The Community College of Vermont is rolling out a liberal studies associate degree with an education specialization, a paraeducator certificate, and a justice studies certificate starting this fall. All three were built with input from state agencies and community partners to address workforce shortages in education and justice fields. The fall semester begins September 8.

UVM SpringFest 2026 Was a Hit The UVM Program Board brought a Coachella theme to Fleming Green back on April 25, complete with a Volkswagen photobooth, flower crown stations, and lawn games. Student DJ Jacob Namath and Battle of the Bands winners Swampy Tonk opened, Between Friends followed, and The Driver Era headlined to a packed crowd in cowboy boots and flower crowns.

Vermont Expands Battery Recycling Options Vermont has expanded its first-in-the-nation battery recycling program to cover larger rechargeable batteries from e-bikes, yard equipment, and medical devices. Last year, Vermonters recycled 250,000 pounds of batteries, the highest per capita rate in the country. There are now around 100 collection sites statewide.

Viral Video Star "Thompson" the Squirrel Captured at Watertown Park A squirrel that went viral for chasing park visitors in circles and cornering a man on a picnic table has been safely captured by a wildlife rehabilitator in Watertown, New York. The little guy was likely hand-fed as a juvenile and lost his fear of people. He's been named Thompson after the park and will be released in a more forested area.

How good of a reader are you? Think you’re keeping up with Burlington news? It's time to prove it. Every Monday and Friday, we're dropping a quick 5-question quiz covering the local news you just finished reading. You've got just 60 seconds to answer them all. No looking back allowed. Use the same unique name each time you play so everyone can track your stats in our Hall of Fame, where you'll compete for titles like Sharpshooter (highest accuracy), Speed Demon (fastest average time), and Streak Leader (most consistent player). Make your name (or cool nickname) known to Btown!

And yes, there are PRIZES. Each month, we'll reward the top performers based on the best combination of Total Score and Average Score. That means playing consistently AND playing well will pay off. The more quizzes you complete with high scores, the better your chances of winning. I mean, who doesn’t want cool Btown Merch gear sent to them?

Ready to play? Click the link below, enter your name, and show us what you've got. Btown Brief Quiz

View the potential prizes on the Btown Brief Merch Store

UVM Athletics:

No new updates on UVM Athletics. Instead, be prepared for Vermont Green FC games!

May 2026

Events:

Friday, May 15, 2026

General Events

Performances

Live Music/DJ

Saturday, May 16, 2026

General Events

Performances

Live Music/DJ

Sunday, May 17, 2026

General Events

Performances

Live Music/DJ

Here are some of my favorite BtownBrief links:

Full list of 202+ activities to do at anytime is always waiting here when you need a plan: 202+ Things to Do

View the full list of food & drink deals here.

That’s All, Burlington!

Another weekend, another reminder that this little city on the lake punches well above its weight. Whether you're chasing glow sticks around Farrell Park tonight, grabbing your first farmers market haul of the season tomorrow, or flinging a disc at the Awasiwi Woods grand opening on Sunday, get out there and enjoy it. The warm weather has arrived and the calendar is overflowing.

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