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Keep a warm layer within reach this week, because the temperatures ride a roller coaster on the way to Halloween. Monday starts with some sun before clouds roll in ahead of a cold front, with a high near 57 and maybe a few sprinkles up north, though Burlington should stay mostly dry. Tuesday is sunny but sharply colder, topping out near 47 with a light north breeze, and Tuesday night drops to about 25, cold enough that a few spots around Vermont could see record lows Wednesday morning. Wednesday warms back up to a sunny 54, and Thursday is the pick of the week, mostly sunny and breezy from the south with a high near 63, before a chance of light showers Thursday night. Early looks at Halloween are dry and crisp, so plan on a jacket for trick or treating. Track it all week on my new weather page at Burlington Right Now.

Monday

Also Monday, volunteers help run the Intervale's Fair Share free CSA, which feeds over 350 families, from 2:30 to 6:30, setting up, refilling produce bins and helping in the pick your own garden, and you're welcome to take some fresh produce home as supplies last. In the evening, Black Flannel in Essex runs weekly trivia at 6, and Forever 38's Ladies Book Club [MEETUP] meets at Barnyard Woodcrafted Pizza in South Burlington at 6:15 to talk about The Witch, even if you didn't finish the book. DJ Craig Mitchell hosts free trivia at the Monkey House at 7, so bring a phone and play alone or with a group.

Tuesday

Also Tuesday, Vermont's tech community trades waffles and conversation at Tech Tuesdays [MEETUP] at Zero Gravity from 8 to 10, with no agenda and no slides. At 5:30, Aerial for Grief on Lakeside Ave. offers a way to feel and process grief and loss through movement and being held in the air by an aerial apparatus, no experience required (register ahead), and the Vermont Figure Drawing Collective holds its weekly two hour session at Karma Bird House at 6, all skill levels welcome ($20 cash).

The Burlington Odd Fellows throw a Halloween Potluck & Storytelling Night at their North Ave hall at 6:30, and the Ladies Social Group's monthly Crafting in Community [MEETUP] night in Essex Junction at 6:30 welcomes whatever you're working on, from coloring to knitting to a scrapbook. At 7, Vermont City Marathon founder Gordon MacFarland talks with physical therapist Dr. Karen Westervelt at Phoenix Books about Staying With It, his book on how to keep running well as you age (free, RSVP). Later, Dobbs' Dead plays its Grateful Dead tribute at Einstein's Tap House at 8 ($15), Vermont Swings holds its weekly DJ dance from 8 to 9:30, and Big Easy Tuesdays with Jon McBride, a weekly jazz night, starts at The 126 at 9.

Wednesday

Also Wednesday, help Burlington Parks and VolunteerBTV plant over 200 native trees at Leddy Bike Park from 4 to 6, from dogwood and cherry to birch and oak. From 5 to 7, the Main Street Multimodal Study holds a public meeting in Contois Auditorium on draft ideas for walking and biking on Main Street, with a brief presentation at 6. At 5:30, 100+ Women Who Care Chittenden County holds its quarterly meeting at Faith United Methodist Church in South Burlington, where members pool $100 each for three local nonprofits and guests can register to join, and Getting Active in Burlington heads out on a 3 to 4 mile run [MEETUP] from Four Quarters Brewing in Winooski (bring a running light). Outright Vermont hosts a free Podcast, Policy & Pizza Party at 6 to listen to its youth organizers' podcast Transmission of Truth together, followed by a Q&A with the creators.

At 7, VSO music director Andrew Crust and composer James Stewart host Halloween on the Rocks, a listening party at The Venetian with drinks and snacks that walks through the orchestra's Oct. 31 program, from the scores of NOPE and The Nightmare Before Christmas to The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Tyler Daniel Bean plays the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge with Jack M Senff & The Heartland Mission and Yabai!, doors at 7 and show at 7:30, Rí Rá runs weekly trivia with a $100 gift card for first place, and the 802 Westie Collective teaches a West Coast Swing lesson at 7 followed by social dancing at North Star Community Hall (suggested donation). The Ray Vega Quartet plays Jazz Night in the Hotel Vermont lobby at 8:30. The beginner block printmaking workshop at E1 Studio Collective is full, so stay plugged in to catch the next one.

Thursday

Also Thursday, local artist Kadina Malicbegovic leads a beginner friendly Paint Along Class at City Market on Flynn Avenue at 6, with all supplies included ($15 to $20). Black Flannel's Spirits Night fills its Barrel Room from 6 to 9 with three hours of Milton Busker & the Grim Work, a hearty buffet, a spirits tasting and a costume contest (21+, $39 including tax and gratuity). Wild Meadows Books & Café in Williston holds its first Horror Book Club at 6 to discuss Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and trivia nights start at 6 at Four Quarters in Winooski and Einstein's Tap House.

The Burlington Odd Fellows host Thursday night figure drawing with Emanata Art Collective at their North Ave hall, and The Gringos, an alternative rock band from Athens, Georgia, play the Higher Ground Ballroom with MOMDAD, doors at 7:30 and show at 8. Green Mountain Roller Derby runs a Learn to Skate session at the Champlain Valley Exposition, an introduction to roller skating for skaters of all genders with loaner gear available, and The 126 closes the night with its weekly Funk Jam at 9, hosted by a rotating band of local legends. Thursday's Farewell to Girls Nite Out is sold out, though Friday's show still has seats, so stay plugged in to catch the next one.

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:

If you missed it, here’s my answer to the pesky algorithm. All Day is nine curated feeds for Burlington, built by me. Instead of scrolling four apps, the Wire gives you every local headline as it breaks, the big national ones, and a Square for what people around town are actually talking about, sifted from Reddit, X, Facebook and Instagram. Watch has tonight’s showtimes and what to stream. Food has the deals and late night spots. People has the run clubs, game nights and new friends. What Now picks something for you, and the Top 100+ gives you a list to work through. Vintage maps every thrift shop around town, On Air has local TV and this newsletter read out loud, Habits grows a tree for every habit you keep, and Games has a Burlington arcade plus the weekly news quiz. Find it at guide.btownbrief.com/all-day and tell me what’s missing.

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.

Why support? Every week, I sort through TONS of local sources: Seven Days events, Front Porch Forum calendar, Facebook events, Hello 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. 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!

About Me

Btown Brief Presents: Homeward Bound By Kwame Dankwa

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Siobhan Neela-Stock, a freelance journalist, has spent her career telling other people's stories. Now she's about to tell her own; tracing her roots back to India, where she was adopted as a baby, and preparing for a search that will finally tell her who she came from. In Kwame's 7 minute interview, Siobhan talks about being adopted by a white couple and growing up with three sisters also adopted from India, sometimes the only brown kids in their school, and about the year she finally went through her adoption papers and came away with more questions than answers, starting with her own birthday. She has since written about South Asian adoption for The Juggernaut and learned from other Indian adoptees that what the records say is not necessarily true.

Siobhan was born in India and adopted at a year and a half, and she grew up in Vermont. To find her birth family she has enlisted Arun Dohle and Anjali Pawar of the Adoptee Rights Council, which helps Indian adoptees find their biological families, and her GoFundMe covers the first three years of search costs, with more than $3,100 raised toward its $11,268 goal so far, so give if you can, and share her story with anyone it might reach.

Essex Experience Goes Up for Sale, but Longtime Owner Peter Edelmann Plans to Stay Involved

Edelmann, 73, who turned a dying outlet mall into a hub of locally owned shops, cafés and makers, has listed the shopping center for $27.75 million, but he'll keep Essex Cinemas, which he plans to upgrade, and the Double E performance center. He's also building Phun, a 15,000 square foot entertainment center next to the Hannaford with duckpin bowling, high tech darts, an arcade and a sports bar. He says he wants a buyer who'll hold true to what they've built and won't price the tenants out.

Desjardin inspires Seahorses soccer team

Mariella Desjardin is one of just a couple of freshmen on Burlington High School's varsity girls soccer team, and she's playing through kidney disease that has now put her on the deceased donor list for a transplant, so the call could come at any time. Before their game against Essex the Seahorses held a special ceremony for their teammate, encouraging people to sign up as organ donors with Donate Life America or even explore living kidney donation. She says she's looking forward to staying on varsity and playing for the next three years.

Vermont experts say bats need our help. How do we get over our fear of them?

It's International Bat Week, a good excuse to get to know the nine bat species that call Vermont home, five of which are listed as threatened or endangered, and white nose syndrome has killed nearly 6 million bats across the Northeast since 2006. Milton's Barry Genzlinger, known as Barry the Bat Guy, estimates he has rehabilitated at least 1,000 bats and keeps the ones people find in their homes over winter safe until he can release them in spring. If you find a bat inside in the middle of winter, don't toss it out in the snow, call the Vermont Bat Center instead. This is also the time of year bats look for a place to hibernate, so Fish & Wildlife has guidance for safely keeping them out of your attic.

'Vermont is not a climate refuge': UVM researchers release new climate assessment

UVM's third Vermont Climate Assessment, released Friday, finds the state warming faster than the global average, with Burlington now seeing triple the days above 90 degrees it did in 2020 while just a third of Vermont households have air conditioning. The surface of Lake Champlain is on average 7 degrees warmer than in the 1960s, fueling the cyanobacteria blooms that regularly close the only beaches Burlingtonians can walk to. One bright spot is skiing, which the last assessment questioned by century's end, since researchers now expect ski areas to have the water they need for snowmaking.

Bernie Sanders Hits the Campaign Trail With Amanda Janoo in Winooski

Sanders joined the Democratic/Progressive candidate for governor outside the Community Health Centers in Winooski, his first time campaigning publicly alongside her since endorsing her on Oct. 7, to champion her plan for publicly funded primary and preventive care. Janoo estimates the program would cost at least $320 million a year and says higher taxes on wealthy Vermonters could raise roughly $260 million of it, while Gov. Phil Scott argued in their debate that Vermont can't afford another experiment like that and it has to be done nationally.

Vermont weighs new tax on high earners amid budget pressures

The Fair Share campaign, backed by Janoo and Molly Gray, claims raising taxes on households making $250,000 or more could bring in $345 million a year for primary care, with an extra 2% on some 22,000 households under half a million and an extra 8% on about 4,500 households above it. The Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce says those households already pay more than a third of Vermont's income tax and worries they'll leave, while the Public Assets Institute's Anika Heilweil says many higher earners are older and not as mobile. Scott, if reelected, would almost certainly veto it.

Vermont commits $15.3M to expand heating assistance amid high fuel prices

Following up on Friday's draft plan story, the state's Emergency Board unanimously approved the package Friday, with heating oil up about 76% since last fall and kerosene up 61%. It raises this year's seasonal aid for households heating with oil and kerosene, likely covering about 62% of their fuel needs instead of the usual 45%, and doubles the crisis fuel program so an extra 2,400 households can avoid a heating emergency. Benefits generally go out in November.

A Vermont woman scrubs grime from gravestones and researches who is buried there

Caitlin Abrams is one of the many creators posting videos of herself cleaning graves, focusing on 18th and 19th century headstones in remote Vermont graveyards like a modest one in Rupert, and researching the young women and children buried there through birth, marriage and death records and old newspaper clippings. A restoration professional warns that aggressive brushing can damage old stones, and Abrams agrees that proper cleaning and permission from the cemetery come first. She hopes her work helps take the fear out of cemeteries.

AI Political Ads Are Proliferating in Vermont, but Are Clearly Fakes

AI political ads have arrived in Vermont, mostly as campy parodies instead of the deceptive deepfakes lawmakers moved to curb this year, like Rep. Becca Balint cast as Dr. Evil and Molly Gray as Mini-Me. A federal judge blocked the attorney general's probe of one AI video of Balint, ruling it would likely qualify for the law's satire exemption. Sen. Ruth Hardy, the lead sponsor of the state's AI law and a frequent target of retired history teacher Curtis Hier's Flip Vermont Red memes, sees a pattern of conservative men going after Democratic women, though she says the attacks have mostly rallied supporters to her side.

Officials advance plan for parks and open space in South Burlington

South Burlington meets all but one of its own park standards, and the gap is a park or nature area within walking distance of every resident, with the areas around Route 7, East Terrace and the streets near Rice Memorial High School among those without one. Only one of the city's 11 recreation parks has a permanent bathroom and two have drinking fountains, and contractor CivicSol suggests fixing basic amenities first at parks that serve the most people. The city is taking public comments on the draft plan through Oct. 31 and expects to finalize it in November.

Chris Taylor steps down as VGFC men's head coach

Taylor is stepping down after two years in charge to spend more time with his family, leaving with a 45 game unbeaten run, a Steinbrecher Cup and back to back USL2 national championships, the first won on Maxi Kissel's 91st minute winner in front of a madhouse at Virtue Field. His teams won 38 games, drew 7 and lost zero, with seven trophies in total. The club has already started searching for his replacement.

Free haircuts in an art gallery? This installation is more than a snip off the top

For one week this month, artist and scholar Ace Lehner turned a Burlington City Arts gallery on Church Street into a barbershop art project, with a giant disco ball, a pink and zebra striped rug and a comically large red comb, where Lehner, who is not a trained barber, gave free haircuts on a first come, first served basis. Before each cut, people committed to an act of "queer world building," like starting a weekly game night, and afterward each one wrote that commitment on a Polaroid that went up on the wall. The residency has since wrapped with a closing performance.

UVM trustees approve up to $10M for Tarrant Center — The long delayed multipurpose center between Gutterson Fieldhouse and Patrick Gym, with a new arena for both basketball teams and concerts, is moving again after trustees authorized up to $10 million for pre-construction, made possible by a $10 million appropriation from the Legislature. Next up is figuring out the final cost and how much more fundraising it needs.

4th annual Sock Out Cold Feet in Vermont underway — Jason Fitzgerald's drive is collecting new socks for people experiencing homelessness across Chittenden County, with more than 13,000 pairs collected and distributed in its first four years. He delivers them himself to parks, bike paths and the Burlington waterfront, and now Winooski and South Burlington too.

$60 million coming to Vermont for rail line completion — Vermont's congressional delegation announced $60.3 million in federal funding to complete about 60 miles of the western corridor rail line, which leaders say will connect western Vermont to New York's Penn Station.

El Gato Cantina Reopens in Essex Junction as El Bar — After its planned move into the old Silver Palace on Williston Road fell through over building problems, El Gato is back at 4 Park Street as El Bar, a sports cantina with a full bar, pool, darts, a simplified menu with new tamales and chiles rellenos, and comedy, open mics, DJs, drag and karaoke.

Rodgers, Gray face off in Vt. lieutenant governor WCAX debate — Both candidates already know the job, with Republican John Rodgers first elected in 2024 and Democrat Molly Gray holding the seat from 2021 to 2023. Gray is running on lowering health care and housing costs with universal primary care, and Rodgers on helping small businesses grow and reforming Act 250.

Blue Paddle Bistro files for bankruptcy — The beloved South Hero restaurant, which closed in August after 21 years, filed for Chapter 7 on Sept. 29, reporting more than $27,000 in assets and nearly $589,000 in liabilities.

Winter outlook favors fewer cold days, more ice/mix events — NOAA's outlook favors a warmer than normal December through February in Vermont, meaning fewer prolonged cold stretches and subzero nights and more chances for rain, sleet or ice instead of snow. Burlington normally gets about 60 inches of snow over those three months.

Vermont's unemployment rate remains low, but its aging population is leaving the workforce — Vermont's jobless rate held at 2.6% in September, tied for third lowest in the country, and Chittenden County was lowest in the state at 2.2%. The labor force shrank by nearly 10,000 people in the past year as baby boomers retire.

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 beat Clarkson 2-1 at Gutterson on Friday, getting second period goals from Colin Kessler and Daniel Sambuco while Jacob Oster made 24 saves, and the win snapped a five game Clarkson winning streak in the series. Sunday's rematch at Cheel Arena went the other way. Ethan Burroughs tied it with 3:58 left on Vermont's first power play goal of the season, and Talon Sigurdson won it for Clarkson at 2:30 of overtime, with the goal surviving a UVM interference challenge. At 2-3-0, Vermont and Omaha are the only NCAA teams that haven't allowed a power play goal, 11 for 11 on the kill, and Oster's .949 save percentage ranks 15th in the country. The Cats host New Hampshire on Friday at 7 and Halloween Saturday at 4, with PC Construction beanies for the first 250 fans Friday and 20% off all available tickets for the weekend at go.uvm.edu/spooky.

Field hockey beat Bryant 3-1 on Senior Day Friday, sending its eight seniors off with a win. Gabby Santini batted a Consu de Castro pass out of midair for the opener in the 35th minute, then Gloria Allen and Veerle Nijhuis converted penalty corners three minutes apart, both off insertions from Fiona McMahon. Vermont outshot Bryant 13-2 on goal. The Cats close the regular season at Maine on Thursday at 3 on AmericaEast.TV.

No. 12 men's soccer lost 1-0 at UAlbany on Saturday night, the Great Danes' first home win over the Catamounts since 2018. UAlbany scored off a corner kick in the 65th minute, and the Cats didn't get another shot on goal the rest of the way. At 9-2-3 (3-1-1 America East), they come home Friday at 4 for Senior Night and Salute to Service against Binghamton at Virtue Field, with a free ticket for military and first responder personnel with ID and a 27 match regular season home unbeaten streak on the line. Women's soccer fell 4-3 at New Hampshire on Sunday after trailing 3-1 at the half, with Madeline Gardner, Aubrey Bough and Della Weir scoring. The loss drops the Cats to 4-5-7 (2-1-4 America East) and ends a nine game unbeaten run. They host Binghamton in the regular season finale on Sunday at 3:30 on ESPN+, also a Salute to Service game.

Men's basketball beat Stonehill 77-61 at Patrick Gym on Saturday in the programs' first ever meeting. Gus Yalden scored 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting, Darrel Yepdo added 14 and Khalil Badru pulled down 10 rebounds as Vermont built a 40-24 halftime lead. Both teams host Saint Michael's on Wednesday, the women at 5 and the men at 7:30 in their final exhibition. The men play at Iona on November 2, with a Catamounts on Tour gathering at SmokeHouse Tailgate in New Rochelle from 5 to 6:30 beforehand.

Both cross country teams run the America East Championship in Albany on Friday, the women at 11 and the men at noon, both on ESPN+. Swimming and diving hosts Maine at Forbush Natatorium on Saturday at 11 for its Rally Against Cancer meet. Women's hockey plays at Boston College on Friday and Saturday at 2, then comes home for the Pack the Gut Challenge against Northeastern on November 6 at 6 and a Salute to Service game on November 7 at 3. Today is also the last day of the Catamount Challenge, with gifts of $5 or more counted until 11:59 p.m. at go.uvm.edu/gocats.

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

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

Brush up on your city at Burlington, Briefly, the short version of how this place came to be.

That's the week. Bundle up for a frosty Wednesday morning, soak up a mild Thursday, and enjoy a dry Halloween weekend. If the Btown Brief makes your week 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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