A new Wednesday Edition for you! Monday and Friday are reserved for news and events. Wednesdays are for everything else worth highlighting.

And before you start, these extra Wednesday editions take a lot of effort to cook up, so if you truly enjoy these and want them regularly, let me know by replying to this email, and (hopefully) sending me a coffee donation!

Sometimes you don’t want to read, you want to listen (or watch). Which is why I built my own Local Podcast Homepage and for watching curated videos, BTown TV.

Onto this week’s pick. 802 News with Mark Johnson sits down at Ohavi Zedek with Aaron Goldberg and Bob Duncan of the Lost Mural Project to walk through Intersections, their interactive digital atlas of the Old North End's four founding immigrant communities. The project goes back to 1986, when Goldberg and fellow synagogue archivist Jeff Potash took the 1926 Burlington city directory, typed out every name they could identify in the neighborhood then known as Little Jerusalem, printed the residences on yellow paper and the businesses on pink, and glued the little slips onto a map by hand. Forty years later that same idea is being rebuilt on Google maps layered over the old Sanborn insurance maps, with the Jewish, French Canadian, Irish, and Italian communities each getting their own color coded icons you can toggle on and off decade by decade from 1850 to 1950. Researchers hired from the local colleges have finished 1850 through 1910 and are pushing to wrap 1920 through 1950 by the end of September, with hopes of publishing the finished atlas by the end of 2026, free for anyone at lostmural.org.

The most interesting stretch of the interview is about what the map shows once the icons go on. The four communities never sorted themselves into hard ethnic enclaves the way the big cities did. Even Burlington's little Italy had everybody in it, and the map puts a French Canadian family next door to a Jewish peddler a stone's throw from an Irish one. Duncan and Goldberg also talk frankly about how much of that world urban renewal bulldozed, and they shared a number that stuck with me. By 1910, a third of all Vermonters were either foreign born or the children of foreign born parents. The project wants your family's history too. There will be a QR code for submitting wedding photos, graduation portraits, and old storefront shots, each one pinned to the street address where it happened. Goldberg calls the finished product catnip for history buffs, and after 44 minutes I believe him. The mural behind the whole effort has its own saga, painted in 1910 by Lithuanian immigrant Ben Zion Black, hidden behind a false wall in 1986 to save it, and finally extracted, moved, and restored over the past decade.

Abstract VT hit episode 70 with Giovanina Bucci, the musician and painter who runs The Marigold Gallery in the South End. She found the space in November 2020 while hunting for a small third floor studio, took the bigger room when the property owner offered it, and has been repainting it ever since, with a new accent wall color and a new mural every year. In April 2024 she started hosting The Listening Room there, a live music series capped at 25 seats for people who actually want to hear original songs instead of shouting over a bar. Performers set their own ticket prices and keep all of the sales, plus 10% of any original art Bucci sells during their show. She wants to get to eight or ten shows a year and hopes the room starts filling up no matter who is on the bill.

The back half turns into a long songwriting conversation with host Abbey Berger-Knorr. Bucci describes being stuck writing the same way for years and getting out of it by separating her guitar from her lyrics, says some songs pour out in 45 minutes while others take six years of workshopping, and talks about testing brand new material on the Listening Room crowd. They close the episode with her song "Mix Tape," written about making mixtapes in middle school and hovering over the record button waiting for the radio to play the right song.

Since it is podcast day, a victory lap for the house team. Kwame Dankwa, the award winning radio vet who hosts the BTown Brief Arts Podcast, sat down with HAYLA at the Ilesoniq festival in Montreal, the Grammy nominated voice of "Escape" with 6 million monthly Spotify listeners, and got her talking about the cruise ship years, watching her dad bet on himself, and her brand new album DARK. It ran in Friday's edition, but it deserves a second look on podcast day. Watch the full interview on YouTube, browse past interviews on BTown Arts, and follow Kwame on Instagram.

This week in Vermont podcasts, The Frequency kept up its tight daily format with bear encounters on the upswing and officials weighing a longer bear hunting season, the developing race for Vermont's next House Speaker, and a practical heads up that the state just eased car inspection rules on windshield cracks, so you might want to postpone that appointment a few days. Vermont Edition had a strong week too, profiling three Vermont authors for your to read list, a Booker Prize nominee, a poet published in the New Yorker, and a professor with a new thriller, and convening a panel with guest host Jenn Jarecki on the new federal hemp regulations expected to send ripple effects through Vermont's cannabis industry. Over on The Morning Drive, campaign season is in full swing, with Burlington District 14 House candidate Adam Franz and Franklin County Senate candidate Alexander Bobella joining Kurt and Anthony, Republican Chittenden Southeast Senate candidate Javen Sears making his case, and Independent Dave Hartnett talking his Chittenden 18 run. Vermont Talks gave a full hour to Owen Leavey, photographer and front person of MOMDAD, while Net Zero Energy pulled back the curtain with Burlington Electric's director of policy and planning James Gibbons on what it actually takes to manage a 100% renewable portfolio. Vermont This Week convened the state's top journalists on the St. Albans dairy plant dispute, psychiatric hospital cuts, and the Montpelier bird noise device saga. Start Here, VCET's startup show, talked with Myti's Bill Calfee about keeping buying power in the community and how living on a boat shaped his thinking. Load-In Through The Back closed its fourth season with rock royalty, 38 Special's Don Barnes. There's No "A" in Creemee dropped a post primary debrief straight from the booth, getting into crossover Republicans, the incumbency wall, and the strange grief of running for office. And United In Green ran a full post mortem of Vermont Green's 2026 season with head coach Chris Taylor.

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

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Help South Burlington throw its greenest party of the year.

The Green Community Festival takes over 180 Market Street outside City Hall and the library on Saturday, September 19th from 11 AM to 3 PM. Live music from Matt and Jodi Johnson, Linda Bassick, and Matt Van Wagner, an Ask an Expert corner where you can grill real humans about solar panels and heat pumps, a bounce house, face painting, and a community yard sale running behind City Hall beforehand. It is free and all ages.

The SB City Center Collaborative is putting out the call for volunteers to make it happen. Shifts are just two hours each, anytime between 10 AM and 4 PM, and their event page says it best, no special experience needed, just bring your community spirit. They need help with:

Email [email protected] with your availability and they will slot you in.

Check out this volunteer page for links to find volunteer opportunities all around Burlington.

Someone in the r/burlington subreddit treated themselves to solo dinners with a book all summer and asked for more spots in “best places to get dinner alone”. Rankings are based on the net upvotes of recommending comments. Here's what I tallied:

Top Recommendations:

Onion City Chicken & Oyster just missed the cut at 32, and the pattern in the comments was clear, grab the bar seat.

Check out the post here for every answer: Link

Someone also asked "Best BBQ takeout" besides the famous Bluebird Barbecue. The believers still made their cases:

Top Recommendations:

Taste of Texas sells out, so check their Facebook before driving to Fairfax. Check out the post here for every answer: Link

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!

Five for the last stretch of summer, when the days are still warm but the light starts leaving earlier. Spend a day at the Champlain Valley Fair, which opens this Friday and runs through September 6th with midway rides, exhibits, concerts, and classic fair food in Essex Junction. Watch the sunset from Battery Park, still the most popular and easily accessible spot in town for the daily spectacle over the lake. Or claim one of the iconic porch swings at Waterfront Park and let the boardwalk do the work. Make your causeway bike ride even more rewarding with a stop at Seb's Snack Bar in South Hero, known for classic roadside fries and creemees. And hike the trails at Red Rocks Park in South Burlington to find a spot on the cliffs overlooking Shelburne Bay before the evening cools off.

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

Since the last Wednesday edition I have been busy building things for you, and the pile got big enough to deserve its own section. The headline is play.btownbrief.com, a free arcade of about 40 games all made for Burlington, from Church Street Skate to Queen City Chess, with monthly leaderboards and your name in the Brief if you top one. Maple Scramble is the daily habit, a 16 tile word sprint where everyone races the same board once a day. Burlington Pulse puts every local headline, Reddit thread, and blog post on one fast page that refreshes all day. Btown TV is a hand picked channel guide of Vermont YouTube worth watching, about 50 shows deep. What Now answers boredom with one tap and one answer, a single thing to do in Burlington right now. And Out Loud turns downtown into a walking audio tour, 30 GPS pins that play Burlington stories in your ears when you walk up to them. Everything is free so check them out!

July was a great month for the Leaderboards! KP topped five different boards including Pothole Patrol and BTown Wordle, which makes them July's undisputed arcade royalty. juice flew Champlain Glider to 58,588, Bob ran up 15,777 in Church Street Runners, kate took Where in BTown?, Kory won Trivia Ladder, Plt claimed the News Quiz, Tyler F conquered FILED!, and AJM tapped their way to the Tap the Maple crown. August's race has a storyline too, since one player named carb currently leads 11 of the 22 claimed boards this month. Can anyone stop carb? You have until Sunday night. The full recap lives on the monthly champions card.

Shout Out To Kindness A mom at Shy Guy Gelato realized she had emptied her purse peach picking and came up short at the register, and a stranger quietly covered the gelato for her and her daughter before slipping out.

VT Comedy Club cancels all Reggie Watts shows in November Vermont Comedy Club pulled every November Reggie Watts date following the allegations reported by Rolling Stone, announcing the decision with a statement the subreddit broadly backed.

Vermont Green FC Qualifies for 2027 US Open Cup The boys in green punched their first ever ticket to the US Open Cup, and the subreddit celebrated accordingly.

Potential for northern lights on Thursday night Fresh this morning and already climbing the weekly feed. No promises with aurora forecasts, but if the sky cooperates Thursday, you know where the dark spots are.

Events Coming Up Soon:

Champlain Valley Fair Friday, August 28th – Sunday, September 6th

The ten best days of summer are back at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. Gates run daily with midway rides, animal barns, fried everything, and a grandstand concert series that includes Warren Zeiders on opening night and Jordan Davis on Saturday. Admission is $15 on weekdays and $20 on weekends for adults, kids five to twelve get in for $7, opening day is Kid's Day with $5 kids' admission, weeknights after 5 are $10, and Wednesday, September 2nd is the $99 carload day.

Bread & Puppet: The Upside-Down World Circus Friday, August 28th

Vermont's weirdest institution comes downtown for one night only. The Glover puppet theater brings its stilt dancers, papier-mâché beasts, and brass band to the Flynn Main Stage at 7 PM, and true to form they serve their sourdough rye bread with aioli after the show, alongside the famous Cheap Art sale. Tickets through the Flynn.

Monster Truck Show at the Fair Sunday, August 30th

The fair's first Sunday belongs to the grandstand's loudest tradition. Trucks hit the dirt at 4 PM, and it is exactly as subtle as you are imagining. A reliable pick if you have kids who measure fun in decibels.

Winooski Friendship Festival Sunday, August 30th

The first ever Friendship Festival takes over the Winooski School District campus at 60 Normand Street from 2 to 9 PM. It is a free, family friendly celebration of Winooski's many cultures with local food, live performances, and community booths, and it is exactly the kind of first year event worth showing up for so there is a second year.

ZZ Top with George Thorogood Friday, September 4th

The big get of fair week. That Little Ol' Band from Texas shares the grandstand with George Thorogood, doors at 5 and show at 6, with tickets running $39 to $69. You will know every word whether you meant to or not.

Park Fest Saturday, September 5th

South Burlington's brand new music festival spreads nine artists across five parks from 1 to 4:15 PM, with themed stages at Baycrest, Goose Pond, Jaycee, Wheeler Homestead, and the Overlook at Underwood, plus a food vendor at each stop. It is free, and there is a Park Fest Passport you can stamp at each park for prizes.

Bow Wow, Soulja Boy & Fat Joe Saturday, September 5th

The fair grandstand's most 2008 night ever kicks off at 7 PM. Whether that lineup reads as nostalgia or a fever dream probably depends on when you graduated, and honestly both camps will have a great time.

International Food Festival Saturday, September 5th

The perfect nightcap to Park Fest. South Burlington Rec's tasting festival runs 5:30 to 7:30 PM at Veterans Memorial Park with vendors including Aba's Kitchen, El Gato, and India Bazaar. Registration is $35 and includes five tasting plates, with extra tickets and a cash bar on site. It caps at 250 people and requires advance registration, so grab a spot early.

Let’s look a little further out and see what events are worth keeping on your radar:

South End Art Hop Friday, September 11th – Sunday, September 13th

The 34th annual Art Hop fills the South End Arts District with open studios, galleries, and installations. Hours run Friday 5 to 10 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 10 PM, and Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM, and wandering it is free. Mark the weekend now, this is one of Burlington's best traditions.

Oktoberfest Vermont Friday, September 18th + Saturday, September 19th

The Coal Collective lot at 377 Pine Street goes full Bavaria for two days. Tickets are $45 and include an Oktoberfest glass and 12 drink tickets, with a $75 VIP tier and $20 designated driver option. Strictly 21 and up, and it has been a South End fixture since 2015.

Grand Point North Friday, September 18th – Sunday, September 20th

Grace Potter's homecoming festival stretches to three days at Waterfront Park this year. She plays both Friday and Saturday, joined across the weekend by Portugal. The Man, The Devil Makes Three, Jackson Browne, Dawes, Trampled By Turtles, and a Sunday anchored by Dark Star Orchestra. Single day and weekend passes are on sale now through the festival site.

Party on the Bricks Fall Series Saturdays, September 19th – October 10th

The Church Street block party returns as a Saturday afternoon fall series, 3:30 to 6 PM with bands at 4. Jenni Johnson & The Junketeers open the run on the 19th, followed by Jon McBride's Big Easy, Mother of Pearl, and Night Protocol on the following Saturdays, each paired with a Marketplace restaurant.

Champlain Dinner Club: Waterbury Edition Wednesday, September 23rd

The mystery dinner series heads to downtown Waterbury. A two minute quiz matches you with five strangers, you find out the restaurant the morning of, and every table converges on a surprise after party spot. A genuinely fun way to eat dinner with people you have never met.

PechaKucha Night Burlington Thursday, October 1st

The 20 slides, 20 seconds each talk night returns to the Main Street Landing Film House, doors at 6:30 and talks at 7. Their pitch for presenters says it best, no sales pitches, just pure passion, and they are recruiting speakers right now if you have a Burlington obsession worth eight minutes.

We are a Meetup group too! Come hang out with us at any of these.

The locals on r/burlington had another week full of civic ideas, animal rescues, and hyper-specific requests. Here's what the community has been buzzing about:

A Vacancy Tax for Downtown? The week's big civic ideas thread was a long, earnest proposal to tax long vacant downtown storefronts, prompted by the 188 Main Street sale, arguing that empty windows should cost the owners who keep them that way.

Moo Comes Home: A lost dog named Moo ran off from East Woods and triggered full community mobilization, with sighting reports tracked along Swift Street until the thread ended the way we all wanted, "FINAL UPDATE: Moo is home!"

TOAD: A brand new arrival celebrated their first day living in Burlington the only correct way, by posting a photo of a toad and attempting a shaky Fowler's toad identification. Welcome to town.

The Pigeon on the Log: One poster spotted a flightless pigeon stranded on a log drifting toward the Winooski dam and offered to adopt the bird outright if anyone could net it. Peak Burlington animal rescue energy.

Orange Envelope Watch: One observer cannot believe how many people are driving around with the bright orange parking ticket envelope still on the windshield, directly in their own line of sight. "You alright out there chat?"

What's Going On With Poco? A thread from this morning is asking the question quietly worrying the food scene, since Poco has been open just three nights a week and keeps trimming hours. No answers yet, keep an eye on this one.

Sherpa Kitchen Regulars Are Worried: Longtime fans report the food suddenly tastes different and are asking what changed.

Rage Party at the Intervale: A couple wants to know if anyone has thrown an absolute raging dance party wedding at the Intervale Center. The venue research thread we all deserve.

Three Strangers and a Mosh Pit: The week's best community formation story started with "Anyone wanna go to a hardcore/metal show with me? 🥺👉👈" and grew into a group chat three strangers strong headed to Higher Ground this Saturday.

Monster Romance Book Club: A self described monster romance girlie followed through on an earlier thread and is officially recruiting a club.

Is Nightmare Vermont Dead? Halloween planners are asking whether the beloved haunted theater event is gone for good. No official word in the thread.

The Peace & Justice Center Is Moving to the Old North End: After decades downtown, the 40 plus year old institution has a new home at 12-22 North Street, and they are throwing a new location celebration and open house this Friday from 6 to 8 PM. Go see the new digs.

Students Are Back at the New BHS: The new Burlington High School and Technical Center campus opened its doors and students returned this week, the first time since the 2020 PCB shutdown that the high school and tech center share a campus. The Macy's era is officially over.

Get Your Address Ready for November: The general election is November 3rd, and if you have moved since you last voted, take two minutes at the Vermont Voter Portal to make sure your registration address is current and check where your ballot is headed before the fall mailings go out.

Eclipse Next Friday: Set an alarm, there is a total lunar eclipse coming next Friday around midnight.

The Sub's New Astronomy Department: One redditor is single-handedly turning r/burlington into an astronomy club, posting a new telescope and then the sun through it, days apart.

Skies Today: The week's single top feed item was, fittingly, just a gorgeous photo of Sunday's skies. Sometimes that's all it takes.

Crosswalk Near Miss: An open letter to the person who almost hit them at the crosswalk by Frankie's, sign on, right of way and all.

The Patchen Road Question: A polite new arrival wants to know if there is some unspoken rule about the 25 MPH limit on Patchen Road, because driving it at the limit apparently earns you a tailgater every time. Relatable.

The Water Tastes Weird: "Am I crazy or has the water gotten drastically worse... or am I having a stroke?" No official answer in the thread yet.

Birthplace of the Navy!? After a Navy Week preview claimed Lake Champlain as the birthplace of the US Navy, one history nerd gently fact checked the several other cities that claim exactly the same thing.

Let It Rip: "This is gonna sound silly to most," begins the 23 year old looking for fellow Beyblade collectors to hold a Burlington tournament. It does not sound silly. It sounds awesome.

New Wednesday tradition. I ask a question, you hit reply, or post them directly to the social game I created Stay Awhile.

Is Burlington getting better or worse?

Post your answer to the site! Or, reply to this email with your answer.

And before you leave, these extra Wednesday editions take a lot of effort to cook up, so if you truly enjoy these, let me know by replying to this email, and (hopefully) sending me a coffee donation!