Wednesday Editions! Monday and Friday are reserved for news and events. Wednesdays are for everything else worth highlighting in the community.

Sometimes you don’t want to read, you want to listen. So if you enjoy local podcasts about Vermont, you might enjoy this recent episode:

Vermont Public's Vermont Edition, hosted by Mikaela Lefrak, dedicates the first half of this packed 50-minute episode to Australian director Nick Sweeney, who made the new Netflix documentary "Noah Kahan: Out of Body." What comes through immediately is how small the production actually was. The crew included two guys from the Upper Valley, Henry Allison and Asher Brown, who went to Hanover High with Kahan and served as co-producers, cinematographer, and sound recordist. That intimacy is what allowed the film to capture moments Sweeney himself kept expecting Kahan to veto, scenes dealing with body dysmorphia, disordered eating, and the fallout of writing about his family's private life in an album that then exploded. Kahan hadn't asked his family for permission before their stories went into Stick Season, and the documentary catches them living in the aftermath where everyone suddenly knows everything. Sweeney says the crew kept waiting for him to push back on including that material, and "it just never happened." He chalks it up to Kahan understanding how much it could help people to see someone not solving those problems but, as Kahan puts it, "poking at it with a stick."

One of the more striking revelations is the contrast between Kahan's creative life on the road versus at home. Sweeney describes watching him sit stuck for hours in Salt Lake City unable to write, then walk into Tuck's Rock Dojo back in Strafford, where he played in bands as a kid, and have a song spill out of him almost immediately. As Sweeney tells it, in Nashville people ask about your streaming numbers, while in Strafford they ask how your folks are doing. The film also won a 2026 South by Southwest Audience Award, and there are genuinely funny local moments woven in, like Mel from Coburn's General Store, now legendary in the Kahan universe, casually admitting he doesn't listen to Noah's music. "It felt very Vermont," Sweeney says. Equally surprising: the documentary was never supposed to drop alongside the new album. The team was told there was "just no chance" the two would align, and Sweeney figured the record was maybe 2027 given how burnt out Kahan was. They only found out late last year.

The back half is worth sticking around for. Animator JLee MacKenzie explains how he built a DIY motion capture studio in his USC dorm during the pandemic and eventually moved the whole operation into the Vermont woods to make his feature "Definitely Gangster," which just premiered at the Made Here Film Festival. And in the monthly music segment, Seven Days critic Chris Farnsworth spotlights longtime sideman Bob Wagner's debut solo record and its sly "murder ballad" about killing the richest man on earth by simply refusing to give him any attention, then digs into Roost.World and Burlington's quietly growing rave scene that most people over 30 probably don't even know exists.

This week in Vermont podcasts, Vermont Edition has a packed slate, we just dicsussed their feature with director Nick Sweeney where they discuss the new Netflix documentary "Noah Kahan: Out of Body," which explores the Strafford musician's struggles with fame, body dysmorphia, and his deep Vermont roots. Elsewhere, the show visits Royalton for its ongoing Town by Town series, examines the push and pull over repealing key portions of Vermont's most significant recent land use law, and traces the remarkable comeback story of the state's forests, which have rebounded from just 25% coverage a century ago to roughly three quarters today. Brave Little State flips the script on Vermont pride in a breezy 22-minute episode asking where the state actually ranks dead last. Over on The Frequency, the daily news digest covers farming snow and climate impacts on the ski season, the governor bracing for another veto battle, a local researcher's new findings on multiple sclerosis, Quebec's fake maple syrup scandal, the rise of concierge medicine, new music from a Lincoln singer-songwriter, an Earth Day look at shopping to help the environment, and a quick five-minute Capitol Recap on the legislature's education reform "end game." The Morning Drive on WVMT keeps its steady rotation of newsmakers going with State Senators Scott Beck and Russ Ingalls weighing in on the legislative session, COTS' Rebekah Mott previewing the upcoming COTS Walk and the organization's services for people experiencing homelessness, gubernatorial candidate Aly Richards laying out her vision, Chittenden County Sheriff candidate Kevin Bloom discussing his candidacy, Karen Price on developmental disabilities housing, and Leahy Burlington International Airport's Jeff Bartley with an update on all things BTV. There's No "A" in Creemee delivers a nearly hour-long conversation featuring Ways & Means Chair Rep. Emilie Kornheiser on taxes alongside Andy's birthday moose expedition recap from the Northeast Kingdom. 802 News with Mark Johnson features investigative journalist Jasper Craven discussing his new book "God Forgives, Brothers Don't," which examines how military training institutions have shaped American manhood and fueled toxic masculinity. Vermont This Week brings together top journalists to tackle the decision not to charge ICE raid protesters in South Burlington, UVMMC's financial losses, and the pressures facing Vermont's small colleges. Net Zero Energy Vermont hosts Jigar Shah, former DOE Loan Program Office director, and Navneet Trivedi of Vrinda to map out Vermont's path to sustainability. Vermont Talks spotlights The Makery with Arianna Soloway and Jessica Webster, The Octagon wraps up its second season with a lively recap of powder days, epic travel stories, and friendly bets between co-hosts, and United in Green kicks off pre-pre-season Vermont Green FC talk with player signing predictions, Hank Steinbrecher Cup chatter, and a teaser for an upcoming standalone women's pod.

Find all the different podcasts by visiting this page I made of local Vermont podcasts

Someone in the r/burlington subreddit asked the question “Where to get the best breakfast sandwich + coffee in Burlington?” and it received 59 comments. Rankings are based on the net upvotes of recommending comments. Here’s what I tallied:

Check out the post here for every answer: https://reddit.com/r/burlington/comments/1snjiui/where_to_get_the_best_breakfast_sandwich_coffee/

Check out the previous polls I tallied: ”Best of” Btown Eats Polls Archive

Do you agree? If not, send me your favorite recommendation by replying to this email!

This Week’s Food & Drink Picks

View the full list of food & drink deals here.

Have corrections? Email me at [email protected]

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Five more to match that almost-summer stretch when everything starts feeling a little easier. Start with a walk or bike ride along the Burlington Greenway where the lake is fully back and the path starts to fill up again. Stop by the Burlington Farmers Market and take your time grabbing something fresh to eat while you wander. Head to Oakledge Park and hang out by the water, whether that’s to dip your toes in, a picnic, or just sitting on the rocks for a bit. Make your way through the South End and pop into a few spots along Pine Street where things feel lively again with doors open and people out. Finish with a sunset at Battery Park where the longer evenings make it easy to stay out without thinking twice.

Full list’s always waiting here when you need a plan: 202+ Things to Do

Green Up Day Saturday, May 2nd

Take part in Vermont’s celebrated spring tradition this Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Thousands of Vermonters will be out picking up roadside litter to keep our communities beautiful. You can pick up official Green Up bags at various locations on the day of the event, including Dewey Park, the Miller Center, and the YMCA. Be sure to dress appropriately, wear gloves, and consider downloading the Green Up Vermont app to organize your team and track your progress.

Breaking Windows Saturday, May 2nd

If you're missing the usual Waking Windows festival this year, head over to Standing Stone Wines in Winooski for an awesome evening of live music. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the music kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with an exciting lineup featuring Eastern Mountain Time, Missy Bly, Small Potatoes, and more. It shapes up to be a perfect, intimate weekend outing for local music lovers.

COTS Walk Sunday, May 3rd

Lace up your walking shoes for the annual COTS Walk, starting at Battery Park with registration at 1:00 p.m. and the walk at 2:00 p.m. This family-friendly 3.6-mile trek through downtown Burlington raises vital funds and awareness for the Committee on Temporary Shelter. Along with the walk, attendees can enjoy live music from Jenni & the Jazz Junketeers and a scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, making it a spirited Sunday for a great cause.

2026 Moth GrandSLAM Wednesday, May 6th

An ultimate battle of wits and words comes to the Flynn Main Stage at 8:00 p.m. The Moth GrandSLAM brings together ten previous open-mic storytelling champions to compete for the title of City Grand Champion. It's a night dedicated to the unusual, the unexpected, and the magical, offering a truly captivating theatrical experience for anyone who loves a good story.

The Price Is Right Live! Thursday, May 7th

"Come on Down!" to the Flynn at 7:30 p.m. for the interactive, live stage adaptation of the legendary television game show. Randomly selected audience members will get the chance to play classic games like Plinko, Cliffhangers, and The Big Wheel to win appliances, vacations, or even a new car. Sounds like an energetic, family-friendly evening filled with all the excitement you know and love from the screen.

Build A Bouquet Saturday, May 9th

In celebration of Mother’s Day, participating stores on the Church Street Marketplace will be giving away free flowers and greenery starting at noon. You can stroll the marketplace collecting your blooms, then head to the dedicated booth outside Homeport to wrap up your beautiful, custom bouquet. Flowers are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, so plan to arrive early!

Burlington Farmers Market Opening Day Saturday, May 9th

The quintessential Burlington Farmers Market returns to the South End at 345 Pine Street for its summer 2026 season kickoff. Running from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., this beloved weekly gathering brings together a vibrant marketplace of farmers, specialty food producers, and artisan crafters. Whether you're hunting for fresh local produce or just want to grab a pastry and an iced coffee, it’s a Saturday staple you won't want to miss.

An Evening with Ken Burns Wednesday, May 20th

Join Vermont Public and the Flynn at 7:30 p.m. for an exclusive evening with the iconic, award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Moderated by Jane Lindholm, the event will explore his remarkable nearly fifty-year career creating acclaimed historical films like The Civil War, Baseball, and The National Parks. It promises to be an insightful and deeply engaging night for history buffs and film enthusiasts alike.

Mother’s Day Hike at Indian Brook Sunday, May 10th

Celebrate Mother's Day by getting outside with fellow readers for an easy-going hike at Indian Brook Reservoir in Essex. Kicking off at noon, people can choose between a leisurely 2-mile inner loop or a slightly longer 3.6-mile outer loop. Carpooling is encouraged, and for those who work up an appetite, the group will be heading over to The Mad Taco at the Essex Experience for an optional post-hike lunch.

Pickleball Open Play Sunday, May 17th

Grab your paddle and join the Btown Brief crew for an active afternoon of informal, open-play pickleball. Meeting at the South Burlington High School courts from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., this two-hour session is a fantastic, low-stakes way to enjoy the spring weather, practice your dinks, and connect with other folks.

Hike and Beer Crawl Saturday, June 6th

Combining fresh air with local flavor, we are hosting a laid-back Saturday that hits some of the area's best spots. The day begins at 11:00 a.m. with a scenic, hour-long hike at Red Rocks Park in South Burlington. Afterward, the group will head out for an optional, pay-your-own-way pub crawl featuring stops at Switchback, Burlington Beer Company, Queen City, and Zero Gravity. Feel free to join for just the hike, just the breweries, or the whole adventure. Excited for this one!

Week of April 22-29, 2026

The locals on r/burlington were busy this week. Missed connections are having a moment, fiddleheads are popping, and one man on Elmwood really, really loves Creed. Here's everything the community has been buzzing about:

Waterfront Wins: Huge shoutout energy this week as cyclists and walkers noticed the massive cleanup underway on the Waterfront's North 40 area near the dog park. At the same time, a separate piece highlighted how the waterfront cleanup revealed the depth of Burlington's homeless crisis, a reminder that the issue is far from resolved.

Overheard & Observed: Someone at the waterfront overheard a woman tell a man, "My goal is to make you love yourself as much as I love you" and just needed to share the sweetness. Meanwhile, a mysterious and delightfully weird photo or sight had one user saying "I'm not sure what I'm seeing, but I want to see more of it." A gorgeous sunset photo also made the rounds, with the poster noting how great it was to see so many people out enjoying it.

Noise Complaints & Neighborly Notes: Someone on Elmwood would like the person blasting Creed for over an hour to kindly invest in headphones. And in what might be the most Burlington exchange ever, a porch joint-roller and a ginger-mustached man in a white truck had a shouted interaction that both parties posted about separately, with the consensus being: next time, just stop and share.

Retail & Business: Long-time Apple reseller Small Dog is closing its retail store, though the company itself isn't going away, just the brick-and-mortar side. Folks are also urging people to stop shopping at Michael's in South Burlington due to the deteriorating conditions and understaffing. And questions swirl around Electra's in Shelburne, where employees have reportedly been missing paychecks while collection notices pile up.

Burlington's missed connections scene is absolutely thriving. It started when someone got tired of waiting and just created a BTV missed connections page. Now the posts are flowing: there's the person crushing on the cute stranger at the Field Medic show at Radio Bean who took their photo, the solo lunch admirer at the Dutch Mill on Shelburne Road who liked their target's socks (and face), and even a missed connection from a World of Hurt wrestling show. Burlington, you're out here shooting your shots. Just, you know, retroactively.

Music & Live Entertainment: Burlington's live music scene remains resilient despite ongoing changes, as one article about the community keeping the scene alive explored this week. Odd Fellows continues to be a hub with all-ages, substance-free shows coming up. Wrestling fans should mark their calendars because Green Mountain Wrestling is bringing WWE superstar Carlito to Barre on May 17, and a feature on Vermont Natives wrestling highlighted the community-building power of local headlocks. Pattie Gonia's SAVE HER! show at Higher Ground was the hot ticket, with multiple posts swapping tickets.

Festivals & Expos: Festival of Fools has been officially announced. The Burlington Anime Fest drew cosplayers and vendors to the DoubleTree, and a local indie game studio called A Frog's Pond exhibited their debut game at the Vermont Sci-Fi Expo.

Workshops & Community Gatherings: Generator Makerspace posted about their Bike & Gear Repair event at Zero Gravity and is also looking for photo/video volunteers. A free Friday night talk on working with fear and awakening compassion was offered as a weekend program. The Vermont Circle of Sapphics is hosting its monthly first-Sunday meetup for 25+ with great ice cream and good vibes. And for the plane enthusiasts, a C-130 was spotted doing touch-and-goes at BTV, which is its own kind of event.

A Violent Chapter Closes: The community absorbed some heavy news this week as Denroy Dasent was sentenced to at least 45 years in prison for gunning down two people in a single night. Meanwhile, residents were disturbed to learn about a Burlington man facing child sex crime charges, with the WCAX report making the rounds fast.

ICE, Protests & Political Fallout: The fallout from the Dorset Street ICE raid continues to ripple through local politics. Sarah George dropped charges related to the incident, but the BPD union publicly pushed back, and state officials escalated their feud with the prosecutor over the decision. On the council front, the ouster of the Progressive Public Safety Committee chair by council Democrats sparked a contentious debate about the city's direction on crime and policing.

Street-Level Trouble: Someone on St. Paul Street had their tire stabbed overnight and is trying to figure out if it was targeted or random. Separately, federal authorities announced the arrest of 54-year-old Victor Allen following a year-long investigation.

It was a rough week for lost things and lost loved ones. A frantic pet owner posted that their dog Martini was hit by a car after slipping off the leash near Loomis Street. Another user shared an urgent post about a lost and injured pet with updated details. On a human note, a family reached out because their 17-year-old sister left the house and went silent, asking the community for help before involving police since she's anxious around them.

On the lighter end of the lost-and-found spectrum, someone is desperately seeking a machine remote that fell off on I-89 between exits 12 and 13. It's black with multicolored buttons and a nylon strap, if you happen to be driving by. A lost wallet was reported between St. Paul and Shelburne Road by someone moving across the country in two days who just wants their ID back. Someone even found a Harvard ID card near City Market and a giant rabbit roaming the NNE, so if either of those are yours, speak up. Oh, and a kind neighbor helped reunite a wandering brown lab found on South Union near Spruce with its grateful owner.

The eternal quest for the perfect meal continues. One user is on a mission to find food from as many different cultural restaurants as possible in the area, sparking a great thread of recommendations. Another is chasing a very specific dream: the full gas station trifecta of nachos with liquid cheese, a slushee, and a hot dog, all three or nothing.

A former UVM student posted a heartfelt plea for help recreating the New World Tortilla Thai Chicken Wrap at home, hoping a former employee might share the sauce secret. Someone looking for a nice coffee spot for a casual meetup got plenty of suggestions, and a user in Winooski is bummed that Shaw's dropped farro and is now hunting for it at other local grocery stores.

Fiddlehead Season Is Here: Multiple posts reminded foragers that fiddleheads are popping up now and to get out this weekend before it's too late. For the uninitiated, someone helpfully asked how to pick them and which ones to avoid. Spring is officially in session.

Lake Safety PSA: With warmer weather tempting everyone toward the water, a stark reminder went out: stay off Lake Champlain during early season because the water is still dangerously cold. No sugarcoating it.

Birding Corner: One local is on the hunt for the elusive American Woodcock. They've heard the signature "peent" and want to see the cute little birb in person.

Amtrak News: Big news for commuters: the new Ethan Allen Express schedule starting May 18 will save up to 32 minutes on the Burlington-to-NYC run. Multiple people also asked about overnight parking near the Amtrak station and early-morning BTV airport logistics, with the general consensus being that 4am for a 6am flight is probably fine.

Burlington's subreddit continues to double as the world's most niche help desk:

A special salute to Dave, who ran McDonald's completely solo after his entire morning crew bailed. You're a legend, Dave.

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