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If you have outdoor plans this weekend, Saturday is the day to make them. Friday brings a mix of sun and clouds with a high near 59 and a gusty west wind, plus a round of pop up showers late this afternoon into the early evening. Tonight drops to around 40, and frost is likely away from the lake by Saturday morning, so cover or bring in anything tender. Saturday is sunny all day with light winds and a high near 57. Sunday turns milder, near 65 on a breezy south wind, as clouds thicken ahead of the remnants of Isaias, which are likely to bring showers Sunday night, mostly before 2 AM. Monday dries out after a possible stray shower early, with a bit of sun and a high near 66, before more rain arrives Tuesday. Track it all week, with patio, swim, and sunset scores, at Burlington Right Now.

Friday starts on College Street, where a Burlington native opens Shakurs Vintage, a Y2K and vintage shop on the second floor of 209 College that also carries pieces from a few Burlington Vintage Market regulars. At 2, UVM athletic director Jeff Schulman talks about the challenges and opportunities facing UVM Athletics at the EEE lecture series at Faith United Methodist Church in South Burlington, and UVM's Humanities Center opens a free conference on Religion and the American Founding at the Alumni House, with registration required. Runners can meet at Burlington Beer Co. at 5:50 for the Green Mountain Athletic Association's monthly beer and social run, with a route preview before heading out at 6 and two route options for shorter and longer distances.

Friday night fills up fast. New York comic David Drake starts at 6:30 at the Vermont Comedy Club, with two more shows Saturday. At 7, Déjà Rêvé Actors Guild opens David Ives' 'Venus in Fur' at Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, about an actress who shows up unannounced to audition for a first time director (also Saturday at 7 and Sunday at 2). Also at 7, 686 hosts the free Burlington premiere of the ski film Aim For The Bushes at Karma Bird House with the crew and director there, Foundry Collective launches Unframed, a new underground hip hop series with Mavstar, MC Humble and DJ Kanganade, at the Venetian by donation, and dads can drop in for ping pong night at Dad Guild's Guild Hall in the Soda Plant. Austin rockers White Denim bring their thirteenth album to the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge at 7:30 with Arc Iris opening, and the Mad Robin contra dance gets going at 8 at First Congregational Church, with a beginners' lesson at 7:40 and no partner needed. At 8, Shelburne Vineyard hosts four comics for Wit & Wine Comedy Night, rock band B-Town plays free at The Old Post, and the Monkey House in Winooski has the October edition of Untapped drag and burlesque show (21+, $15 at the door). Benjamin Tod of Lost Dog Street Band plays Higher Ground at 8:30 with Candi Jenkins opening, and tickets from Thursday's show, which was canceled for illness, are good tonight. Night owls can catch DJ Taka at Standing Stone in Winooski at 11.

Saturday is the sunny one, and we're spending it outside. BTown Coffee Club [MEETUP] is at Zero Gravity at 10, then at 11 we head to Shelburne Orchards for Apple Picking + Cider Donuts [MEETUP], meeting near the orchard store before we go pick. At 1, Pub Crawl II [MEETUP] starts at Switchback and works its way to Burlington Beer Co. and Citizen Cider, so join for one stop or the whole crawl. Make a Saturday of all three, we'd love to see you!

Early risers have plenty to choose from at 9. Mater Christi School hosts a Red Cross blood drive in its gym until 2, with appointments requested and walk ins welcome, and the Heineberg Senior Center's fourth annual Pie Breakfast serves all you can eat sweet and savory pie and quiche until 11 ($15), with proceeds going to its free nutrition programs for older adults. Winooski's monthly Community Clean-Up Crew meets outside Specs at the bottom of the circle until 10:30 with gear provided, and Friendly Tabletop Gamers host a Board Game Brunch [MEETUP] at Old Town Cafe & Comics in Williston. The Burlington Farmers Market runs 9 to 2 on Pine Street, and next door at Barge Canal Market the Burlington Vintage Market Fall Flea has vintage clothing, Y2K finds and $5 piles. Ski shoppers get two big swaps, with Skirack's Winter Swap celebrating 45 years on Main Street (Saturday 9 to 6, Sunday 10 to 5) and the Smugglers' Notch Ski & Snowboard Club sale filling the Tarrant Recreation Center at St. Mike's from 9 both days. At 10, the PANS/PANDAS 5K starts at the Burlington Surf Club with a DJ and finisher medals, Friends of the Horticulture Farm leads a Conifer Walk through the UVM Hort Farm's collection with its curator (register ahead), and the South Burlington library opens both its bargain book sale, with most books $1 and $2, and a Halloween costume swap where you can trade in gently used costumes for new ones. From 11 to 3, the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory throws a free Flannel & Fall Fest with train rides, a bouncy house, cider donuts and a pop up bar.

The afternoon brings VTIFF's Cookie Queens to the Main Street Landing Film House at 1 and 3:30, a film following four Girl Scouts chasing the top seller title, and back at Shelburne Orchards, Rowan plays Celtic and traditional folk from 2 to 4 for a free Live in the Orchard set. Party on the Bricks wraps its fall series on Church Street, with Night Protocol's live synths, guitar and sax starting at 4 outside Ken's Pizza, and out at the Champlain Valley Expo, Green Mountain Roller Derby hosts Boston for a renaissance faire themed Ye Olde Bout, with doors at 4, first whistle at 5 and costumes encouraged. Shelburne's Flying Pig Bookstore celebrates its 30th anniversary at Shelburne Museum's Pizzagalli Center from 5:30 to 7:30, an adults' party that asks you to RSVP, and the Oom Yung Doe school in the New North End offers a free tai chi seminar at 6:15. At 7, internationally acclaimed comedian Randy Feltface brings his stand up show Gimmick to the Flynn, Queen City Indivisible's Dance for Democracy fills First Congregational Church with a DJ and a bake sale benefiting the group and Old Spokes Home ($10 suggested donation, kids welcome), and CASAN's Music to Celebrate Immigration benefit brings Sara Grey and Mark Greenberg, William Lee Ellis, Migmar Tsering and the Freedom and Unity Chorus to College Street Congregational Church ($20). Skiers can get fired up at Higher Ground's Level 1 Ski Film night, doors at 7, with swag and a big prize giveaway, and at 8 Virginia's Dogwood Tales play free at Foam with Burlington's own Blueberry Betty opening.

Sunday starts early for dads, with Dad Guild's Run Club heading out from Staniford Road on a casual 3.5 mile bike path run at 7:30. The Winooski Farmers Market runs 10 to 2 with more than 25 vendors, and from 11 to 2 Passion 4 Paws brings adoptable dogs and their fosters to Heritage Toyota on Shelburne Road for its fall adoption event, with adoption fees cut to $295 for dogs at the event. Switchback has football on the big screen from noon with house smoked BBQ, and Foam hosts Matt Hagen's Sinister Sunday Songs at 1. Four Quarters in Winooski throws a free, all ages Fall Harvest Fest from 1 to 6 with local artists, producers, food and kids' activities, and the Neon Ramblers play from 4 to 6. Shelburne's Hi, Neighbor gathering runs 2 to 4 at the Bay Ridge community playground, with a light snack and bubbles for kids, and at 3 Rusty DeWees hosts a book party at the St. John's Club for the 43rd anniversary edition of Real Vermonters Don't Milk Goats, with trivia and nibbles. The Venetian's Karaoke Night starts at 6, Goose drummer Cotter Ellis brings Cotter & Friends to Foam for a free night of jam, rock and jazz at 7, and musical comedian Stephen Lynch closes out the weekend at Higher Ground with a seated 18+ show, doors at 7.

Scroll down to Events Section for full list of events. Or check my events page.

We’re now seeing 20–30 people at our weekly events! Thanks to everyone helping host events with me. And thanks to those that show up to make it worth it. Be sure to stop by for our weekly Saturday Coffee meetup at Zero Gravity at 10am. 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:

This Coming Week:

I put out a redesign of the website that holds all 80+ projects I made for the city, be sure to take an afternoon and check them all out.

And of course, one of my favorites, the ALL DAY FEED.

There are 3,308 of you reading this every week, and 70% of you actually open it, which kind of floors me and isn't something I take for granted. Right now 39 readers chip in to keep this going, which works out to just about 1%, and I'd love to get that closer to 3% so the Btown Brief feels like it can stick around for the long haul. We just hit 1.5 years and I'm hoping for many more. Thanks again to all the supporters!

Here's what goes into it. Every week, I sort through TONS of local sources: Seven Days events, Front Porch Forum calendar, Facebook events, Hello Burlington, Love Burlington, Meetup.com, Eventbrite, Church St Marketplace calendar, Flynn, Higher Ground, Vermont Comedy Club, and then news stations like VTDigger, Seven Days, WCAX, WPTZ, Vermont Public, Community News Service, VT Cynic, The Other Paper, Vermont Business Magazine, Williston Observer, MyChamplainValley, The Charlotte News, to keep you connected. I do all of it around a night-shift job, so your support honestly makes a real difference. It takes a long time to curate and write about all this local content, so if this lengthy newsletter saves you time, or has introduced you to new experiences in Burlington, then definitely consider chipping in!

2026 goal: 5,000 subscribers. We're at 3,308 right now. If you know someone who'd get something out of this, send them to BtownBrief.com.

About Me

Burlington radio station celebrates 80 years on air

WJOY began broadcasting in 1946 and moved to its current home on Joy Drive in South Burlington in 1967. On Thursday the station marked 80 years by inviting listeners in to reminisce, and host Ginny McGehee was there to celebrate with them. Happy 80th, WJOY!

One Dish: Sabah’s House Shares Shawarma From a Family Recipe

Mustafa Khudaier, 19, reopened the city owned kiosk at the corner of Church and College streets in late June as Sabah's House, the spot Leunig's used to run as Petit Bijou, and his mother, Sabah Abbas, is the one with the recipes. The family came to Vermont 12 years ago as refugees from the Iraq War, and the $14 chicken shawarma wrap has already built a loyal following. Sabah's House opens at 10 every day except Monday, though made to order dishes like the shawarma don't start until noon.

Governor proposes funding Burlington shelter with overdose center money

Speaking in Rutland on Wednesday, Gov. Phil Scott suggested moving the money set aside for Burlington's proposed overdose prevention center toward the low barrier, 100 bed shelter for chronically homeless people that city and business leaders keep calling for. He still believes a congregate shelter is the wrong approach but says he won't oppose it if the city has a location and people to staff it, and his administration is also looking at a handful of smaller shelters across Chittenden County.

Hurdles Remain for Burlington’s Overdose-Prevention Center

More than two years after a 2024 law cleared the way for it, the center still hasn't opened, and the city has signed a letter of intent on a building while declining to say even which neighborhood it's in. There's no zoning classification for the use yet, so the planning commission has to write rules, and a bloc of council Democrats wants it kept out of the downtown core and waterfront or doubts it's needed at all. Operator Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform has looked at about a dozen properties in 18 months, and the center would cost an estimated $1 million a year from opioid settlement money. Overdose deaths fell 25% statewide in 2025, but Chittenden County recorded 18 in the first six months of this year, well above its three year average of 11.

Police face barrage of questions but provide few answers about shooting by Williston officer

Around 4:50 Thursday morning, a man drove up to Williston officers who were dealing with downed wires across Route 2A, and one of them shot him in the hip. The man has since been released from the hospital, the road reopened around 4 that afternoon, and two officers are on paid administrative leave while state police investigate. At Thursday's press conference, police said they still had to review body and cruiser camera footage and would not identify anyone involved.

'Tailgate party for birders' will commence in Huntington this weekend

The Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington hosts its 12 hour Big Sit! on Sunday from 6 AM to 6 PM, with birders camped in a 17 foot circle counting every species they spot. The international event started in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1992, the museum has hosted its own circle since 2003, and donations are pledged based on how many species turn up. No birding experience is required, and you can show up any time during the 12 hours.

Parents of cyclist who was killed in crosswalk file wrongful death lawsuit against driver

Shiloh Skalka, 16, a Burlington High School student, was killed on her e-bike in the crosswalk at Pine and Locust streets on July 16, and her parents are now suing driver Douglas Knapp, the 80 year old folk artist known as dug Nap, for unspecified damages. The suit says the crossing's warning lights had been flashing for 7 seconds when the crash happened, and police estimated he was driving 28 mph in a 25 zone. Knapp has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle resulting in her death.

Beware of were-hens: Vermont theater company launches successful Halloween show

Hatchford Hotel is an original Halloween musical comedy written by Greg Skillman and Adam Rabin, and it's only the second musical the Shelburne Players have staged in their 24 years. The show heads into its second weekend with this weekend's performances almost sold out, though there is a waitlist.

Valcour Island’s Unknown Soldiers Are Finally Laid to Rest

The gunboat Philadelphia sank at the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776 and stayed on the bottom of Lake Champlain until diver Lorenzo Hagglund found the wreck in 1935, and teeth recovered with it will now be buried with full military honors. The funeral, dedicated to five soldiers believed to have died in the battle, is Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, N.Y. The Philadelphia itself, the country's oldest surviving warship, is undergoing a $1.7 million cleaning and conservation effort.

Festivities underway for 250th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour

Sunday marks 250 years since the battle, and Plattsburgh's one time weekend of events runs Friday through Sunday. The highlight is Sunday's reenactment with replica boats on Lake Champlain, staged off Plattsburgh City Beach so it's easier to watch, with more than 100 reenactors from as far as Ohio and Virginia, and a memorial service closes out the weekend.

Fossil fuel prices are up, and Vermonters are struggling to foot the bill

Heating oil is up about $2 a gallon from this time last year and gasoline almost $1.50, and Northeast Kingdom Community Action says it's getting upwards of 20 calls a day, including from households earning $60,000 to $70,000. State officials expect this year's federal LIHEAP heating assistance to be released on time, before Nov. 1, and federal assistance is generally available to households at 185% of the federal poverty level or less, about $2,500 a month for a household of one. Crisis fuel assistance is available up to 200%.

UVM Medical Center and support staff unions reach contract agreement — Just days after more than 3,000 unionized technical and support staff overwhelmingly authorized a strike, they reached a tentative two year contract with UVM Medical Center. The deal still needs union ratification.

Burlington begins process to seek Act 250 exemption — Burlington has started applying for Tier 1A status under Act 181, which could exempt some development in the city from Act 250 review, and city planners say Burlington's rules are already nearly identical to the requirements. The state Land Use Review Board's review will take months, with approval possible by early next year.

Vermont summer food aid for families expires this weekend — Most families' Summer EBT grocery benefits expire Oct. 10, and as of early September cards for more than 12,000 Vermont kids still had more than $20 left on them. The $120 per child benefit works at grocery stores, online retailers and farmers markets, and more than $1.4 million could go back to the federal government if it goes unused.

Vermonters turn to wood stoves as heating costs rise — Stove and Flag Works in Williston has sold up to 150 wood and pellet stoves this year, up from its usual 50 to 60, with a gallon of heating oil running around $6. Efficiency Vermont rebates can knock $400 off a new stove, and firewood runs $200 to $500 a cord.

Looking for a side hustle? The Hinesburg Fire Department may have a role for you — The Hinesburg Fire Department is recruiting on call and volunteer firefighters and EMS through the national "A Hustle Worth Having" campaign, and Chief Prescott Nadeau says you don't need any experience because they'll train you. The department holds an open house Saturday from 9 to 1.

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!

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

Men's hockey opens its season Friday at 7 at Bentley, the program's first ever trip to the Falcons, streamed on FloHockey and on WVMT radio. Bentley has won Atlantic Hockey two seasons running with a program record 23 wins both years. Vermont is 2-0 all time against the Falcons, both wins at Gutterson in December 2016, and Michael Hagens has seen them before, in Boston College's 3-1 win in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The home opener is a big one, with No. 14 Boston University at the Gut on October 16 and 17 at 7 on ESPN+.

Women's hockey is ranked No. 15 in the USCHO poll, its first top 15 ranking since 2023. Tara Bach was Hockey East co-goaltender of the week with 61 saves and a .953 save percentage in her first two games for Vermont, and Linnéa Misner was Hockey East defender of the week after three assists in her debut weekend. The Cats play at Franklin Pierce on Friday at 7 and Saturday at 4 on FloCollege, against a Ravens team that made its first NCAA Tournament last season.

The PWHL's Walter Cup comes to campus on Monday. Natálie Mlýnková, the first Catamount ever to win it, brings the trophy to the Victory Club Room from 11:30 to 12:30 for autographs and photos with the Cup. It's free and open to the public, the first 200 fans get a commemorative 5x7 card, and there will be Domino's pizza. As a rookie she played all 30 games for the Victoire and led the team with three game winners as they became the first Canadian team to win the Cup. That evening she brings it to Cairns Arena with Girls4Hockey for a $40 skills clinic from 5 to 6, then a free meet and greet and photo op from 6 to 6:45.

Field hockey (8-2) hosts UMass Lowell on Friday at 3 in the Spread Respect game, then Appalachian State on Sunday at 11 in a memorial game honoring Lauren Burke Smith that is also the alumni game, both on AmericaEast.TV. Alicia Battistelli was America East Offensive Player of the Week after her hat trick against Queens, and the Cats lead the nation in assists per game, points per game and scoring margin. Yale visits on October 18 at noon for Rally Against Cancer presented by Mascoma Bank.

Men's soccer (7-1-3) is unbeaten at home at 5-0-2 and visits UMBC on Saturday at 7 on ESPN+ before hosting New Hampshire on October 17 at 1. Women's soccer is 2-0-1 in America East and plays at Bryant on Sunday at 1 on ESPN+. Cross country runs the New England Championships in Hopkinton, N.H., on Friday, where Zoey McNabb arrives as America East Performer and Rookie of the Week after running the fastest 6k in program history in Missouri. The Fall Foliage Invite in St. Albans is October 18, and men's basketball plays a Holy Cross exhibition at Patrick Gym on October 17 at 4.

Upcoming Home Games

This is the curated cut. The full calendar, 25 sources refreshed twice a day, lives at Burlington events.

General Events

Performances

Live Music/DJ

General Events

Performances

Live Music/DJ

General Events

Performances

Live Music/DJ

The full list of things to do around town, always waiting for you when you need a plan: Things To Do in Burlington

Every restaurant and bar in town, with their real hours, so you can see what's actually open right now: Open Right Now

Every happy hour, daily special and cheap-night I've gathered so far: Food & Drink Deals

And if you'd rather just have one link for all of it: the guide, the arcade, the whole lot hub.btownbrief.com

Best of r/burlington gathers what the subreddit actually recommends, linked straight to the threads.

That's the weekend. Grab a jacket for Friday's showers, soak up all that Saturday sun, and keep an umbrella handy for Sunday night. If the Btown Brief makes your weekend a little easier, you can support it at ko-fi or on Venmo (@btownbrief), and it genuinely helps keep this thing running. Got a tip, a favorite haunt, or an event we should have on our radar? Send it our way, we are always listening.

See you later, Burlington.

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