alas, there may be no snow on the ground, but ’tis the season all the same…as in, ’tis the season for  shopping AND music listening! Check out our music listing each week on our website or subscribe to our newsletter. As for shopping, I’m sure it will come as no surprise to regular readers of ‘the Skinny’ that we have a list of suggestions for ways you can BUY LOCAL this holiday season:

First stop, buy the VBSR Local First Coupon book.

Support one of these 182 local business in three counties (Chittenden, Washington, Addison) with your purchasing power & get a great deal in the process! Pictured on the right is VT’s Governor & three local business owners (yours truly on the far right) at a press conference for the Montpelier Middle School who sold 500+ copies of this ‘Local First Coupon book.’

Second stop, get a Skinny coupon with our
Annual Shop ‘N Dine Deal

To further encourage you to keep those dollars in the local economy, we’ve rolled out this once-a-year coupon.

Buy from any of the nearly 20 local, independent retailers in Burlington & Montpelier listed below & get a 15% off coupon for the ‘Cake.

Bring the coupon in with your receipt &…VOILA! You’ve kept your money local AND saved money!!! Burlington participating locations include: April Cornell, Dedalus, Outdoor Gear Exchange, Ski Rack, Tootsies, Salaam, Bennington Potters, Hempest, Stella, Isabean, Common Threads, Mens Store, Boutiliers. Montpelier participating groups include: Shoe Horn, Capitol Kitchen, Men’s Store, Salaam, Onion River Sports!

But wait, there’s more…
Here are some non brick-n-mortar shopping options for you:

Holiday Artist Market (Burlington)
Friday 12.16.11, noon – 6pm
Saturday, 12.17.11, 10am – 6pm
Contois Auditorium
www.burlingtoncityarts.org/BCAEvents/Event.aspx

With over 30 artists present, this is a great opportunity to find absolutely unique gifts. Artists from the BCA Summer Artist Market in City Hall Park join with other local artists for a truly unique holiday shopping experience! Come one, come all!

Capital City Farmer’s Market
Saturday, 12.17.11 10am-2pm (every two weeks November – March)
Vermont College of Fine Arts
www.montpelierfarmersmarket.com/

Get stocking stuffers of fresh, local, value-added foods. While you’re at it, come talk to the New England Culinary Students at the December 3rd and 17th markets and get help with menu planning for your localvore holiday meal.  They’ll have sample menus and recipes on hand — which use many ingredients from our market.

Or…make your own with the Measure Twice Community School: 

This December Measure Twice is partnering with Waste Not Products woodshop to host our first class.  For $120 you can walk home with not one, but two cutting boards made entirely from clean scrap wood.  Rather than a regimented schedule students are welcome to attend as many sessions as they need to complete their projects. Customized design, burned-in inscriptions, and satisfaction will be made available to you.  Friends, couples and families are encouraged to come cheek by jowl as discounts are available.  Tell your friends, and come feel the noise! More info here

Finally, as a capitalist enterprise, we’d be remiss to not gently cajole you to consider some Skinny Pancake gifts…

We now have online ordering! We may have missed Cyber-Monday, but we’re still excited by this ‘Skinny-Innovation.’ Visit us at the live links below…buy a t-shirt or gift certificate online & we’ll send it your way!

T-shirts, get yer t-shirts…great for the localvore in your family! Printed on super-soft, organic, fair trade materials by our pals at www.selectdesign.com, these shirts feature a ‘farm-to-table’ scene on the front & a list of local foodshed on the back. They come in brown & maize are just $25. Order before the holidays & we’ll throw in a Skinny Pancake bumper sticker!

Buy $50 in gift certificates, get $10 more for free! This deal is only available through the holidays. Order online at the link just above or call us at either location…we’ll send it to you.

Romantics take note: FONDUE IS BACK!

Only on Thursdays in Burlington!!!

Come enjoy our Traditional Cheese Fondue. Upon the urging of Mothers-For-Three-Food Groups (MFTFG), you will now find blanched carrots, cauliflower and broccoli along with our house made baquettes & fondue. According to MFTFG, protein is a non-essential, so there is no meat option with this dish. Fondue is still just $22/pot & comes with a small side salad.

Chocolate fondue is available seven days a week in Burlington & every Saturday & Sunday in Montpelier for a modest $16.

Can’t make it on Thursday? Come on by Sunday – Wed for our $25 three-course dinner for two! 

• Two soups or choice of one group munchie
• Choice of two savory classics*
• Choice of either Pure&Simple, Pooh Bear, Lemon Classic or Nutella
Available Sun – Wed, 3 pm – Closing

twas the night before Thanksgiving & all through the towns, the snow was a-fallin’ onto the grounds. Woops, wrong holiday, though one could easily mistake last weeks 10″ of snow for a not-too-distant date a month from now…

Thanksgiving…not a holiday of gifts, but of gratitude. Mustering all my articulation, it is difficult to detail the appreciation we feel for our place in this world. The enthusiasm of our patrons so often wows us. Creating good jobs for good people & experiencing the growing community around us is fulfillment defined. The opportunity we have to help build on & be a voice for a meaningful movement (local food & by extension socially responsible business practices) is quite simply ‘living the dream.’

From the bottom of our hearts here at the Skinny Pancake, thank you all so very much for the privilege of serving you.

 Small Business Saturday:

Thanksgiving…for some, ‘Black Friday Eve.’ Box stores offer “door-busting deals” that start at midnight, retailers make most of their profits in just these few short few weeks to end the year. No surprise, Burlington & Montpelier have a response to the wild drive for consumerism…both use alliteration to make the same point: BUY LOCAL.

Small Business Saturday: turns out this hot lead is actually a “national initiative” intended, “to lead consumers to Main Street Merchants during the holiday season. Last year was the inaugural program and this year promises to be bigger and better, driving millions of dollars to local merchants.” Like ‘Flannel Friday’ there is a large list of discounts at local merchants at the link above!

As for the image on the left…yup, folks…that’s for real. FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS, NOVEMBER 25 -DECEMBER 24 NOON-1OPM, $8 per car. Valet service will be administered by Green Mountain Concert Services. Drop your car off at the corner of Church and Main Streets, get a ticket, and then call the number on the back when you are ready to head back home!

Finally…some of you may recall our “Gift Certificate Gift” deal last year…well, we’re offering it again: Buy $50 worth of SP gift certificates and get the gift of a $10 gift certificate FREE!!! You can call us at either location & we’ll send them to you in the mail or just drop by! Just dying for a Chubby Muffin gift certificate? PLEASE, STOP! There are plenty of them…and if you buy $20 worth, we’ll hook it up with an extra $5 in the same GC or a separate one for you!!!

Food NEWS & specials at the SP:

We have BRAND NEW espresso machines at BOTH the BTV & Montpelier Skinny Pancake!!!!

This is big news for us, folks!!! Espresso machines ain’t cheap!!! Call it an early holiday present for each location. Word from Montpelier, where our brand-spankin’ new “La Spaziale Spazio EK Compact” is already up & running: “This is a paradigmatic shift in the very essence & experience that is espresso.” Ok, full disclosure, I asked someone to say that…But seriously, word is that the quality is phenomenal. Come on in to either location starting Friday & check it out for yourself!

*In honor of our friend, Vermonter Bo Muller-Moore, who is fighting the corporate restaurant behemoth ‘Chick-Fil-A‘ to trademark the term ‘Eat More Kale‘ in a case that makes David & Goliath look disproportionately close in size. Want to help a fellow Vermonter? Sign Bo’s petition here. Let’s make this into the PR nightmare it should be for these jokers.

Presented by Main Street Landing…
Burlington Green Drinks is Today!!!

…and for the first time in years, there is a slight change to our regular format, so take note: Burlington Green Drinks will be from 5:30 – 7:30 in the Main St Landing’s Atrium & Great Room. This is a shift from the Lake Lobby from 6pm-8pm. Same building, just down the hall!

Why would we make such a draconian (not really) change? To make room for “Movies At Main Street Landing.” Every Tuesday into infinity there will be a free classic film projected on the big screen. Yesterday was ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ Next week is ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ followed by a month of Christmas-themed films. Much more information here.

What’s still the same? EVERYTHING ELSE. You can still enjoy one or more of the 125 pints of beer bought by the sponsors at no cost to you. There will still be a fascinating sponsor-of-the-month (Green Mountain Club this month!), FREE PIROGIS, and really great people. And now when you’re done, you can head down the hall & take in a classic flick!

This month’s sponsor is Vermont’s very own
Green Mountain Club! 

A bit about them: “The Green Mountain Club is the non-profit that founded Vermont’s Long Trail in 1910 and continues to steward Vermont’s hiking trails a century later through the support of club members and volunteers. Guided by our mission and tasked through a 1971 resolution by the Vermont Legislature, we strive to preserve and maintain our hiking trails for the benefit of the people of Vermont while fostering, through education, the stewardship of Vermont’s hiking trails and mountains.”

And…they’ve got a call to action: “The Green Mountain Club is a non-profit made up of individuals like you who value the “charm of solitude” we are lucky enough to enjoy in the Green Mountains. Join the club and help ensure another century on the Long Trail for future generations of outdoor enthusiasts!”

HUGE PROPS TO OUR SUSTAINING SPONSORS…

The Main Street Landing Company provides us with their incredible space. They are introducing FREE “Movies at Main Street Landing” starting in November. Every Tuesday @ 7:00 p.m. in the Film House at Sixty Lake Street. This November, they’ll be showing: 15th – The Wizard of Oz, 22nd – Raiders of the Lost Ark, 29th – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Donated funds raised from the month of November will go to The United Way. For more information call Mariah Riggs, Director Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center 802-540-301, mariah@mainstreetlanding.com. Please note: starting in November, Green Drinks will relocate to the other end of the building due to this completely awesome initiative on the part of MSL! 

Burlington Young Professionals are raffling off a Harley Davidson to benefit Chittenden County Children’s Advocacy Center! Purchase a raffle ticket to win a beautiful Wide Glide from Green Mountain Harley Davidson in Essex Jct. Only 275 tickets will be sold at $100 each. Tickets may be purchased on this page and at various Chamber events, and at Green Mountain Harley Davidson. 50% of the net proceeds will be donated to The Chittenden County Children’s Advocacy Center at CUSI. Click here for more information.

THE OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE: “Going only where their legs can take them, the crew at Powderwhores shows the world’s finest skiers hiking for gnar lines, deep powder, and the freshest tracks imaginable. Powderwhores bring to Burlington their newest film “Breaking Trail,” being shown at the Outdoor Gear Exchange on 37 Church Street on December 1^st at 7:30pm. Tickets are $8 gen public / $5 for students and are available at the Outdoor Gear Exchange, and online at Gearx.com.  Food will be available from Pirogi Union and cash bar by Skinny Pancake.  Event to benefit The Catamount Trail Association.  Presented by Outdoor Gear Exchange, Darn Tough Vermont, and PointFM.  Ticket includes an entry to win a free pair of skis from Black Diamond!”

Seven Days is our Media Sponsor. Check them out online at www.7dvt.com & get ‘the Daily 7′ – Vermont’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.  Get the day’s most compelling stories across all media – print, radio, TV and web.  Sign up today: http://www.7dvt.com/daily7

Wolaver’s Organic Ales (www.ottercreekbrewing.com/wolavers.html) helps keep Green Drinks going in a big way. For the uninformed, Wolaver’s is: “One of the nation’s original certified organic breweries, Wolaver’s is committed to producing the best beer in the most ecologically sound way.”

Our pals at Bluebird Tavern are moving!

We’re excited to see this local-foods-sister-in-arms move from their former location on Riverside Avenue to right downtown! Also, having shut down a restaurant for renovations 18 months ago, we sympathize oh-so-deeply…turning the tap of that cash flow off, even for a moment, is kinda scary!

Word is they’re re-opening at 86 St Paul St (former Green Room) next week. Here’s to their continued success! The photo on the right is from their new space. More on their move can be found here.

Photo credit to Alice Levitt of Seven Days.

 New fundraisers…

Friends of Burlington Gardens are working to raise funds for 2012! “We need your support to meet the growing needs of our community & school gardens in Burlington & throughout the state. Your gift will help more people grow more food for themselves, their families & neighbors. Together, we will strengthen our food system & build healthy, resilient communities. Thank you!” The Skinny Pancake has made the following challenge: if Friends of Burlington Gardens get 100 new or increased donors before December 16th, we will donate an additional $500 to their campaign! Click here for more info on how to donate!!!

Much much much more info here: www.facebook.com/events/294575600554768/

Alaina had her first article published in Seven Days newspaper this week. She reviewed local performer Paddy Reagan’s album ‘Bleating Heart.’ Check it out!

In lieu of a show at the Skinny, Alaina recommends you check out ‘This Way’ a five-piece Americana collective from Portland, ME, playing this Saturday eve at Red Square. Check their website for more info…

and HOLY MOLY! There is ALOT of organizing & event planning going on right now in VT! The coordination, cooperation & generosity of businesses, non-profits & individuals is AWESOME. Beyond the incredibly reassuring nature of all this community-engagement, the fact is that there are going to be many wonderful gatherings that come out of this whole mess. Below is another run-down on what we’re doing & what you can do too…

First, what we’re doing:

1. RAISING MONEY NOW: especially for folks outside of VT, here’s a way you can contribute & get a nice gift in the process. We’re selling our organic, fair trade ‘local foodshed’ t-shirts for $50 (ordinarily $25). We will donate $40 of the sale to a farmer disaster relief fund…we’re finalizing which fund & will let you know next week. The remaining $10 will be used to re-invest in another shirt to keep this fundraiser going…which, for the record, is well below our cost of reproducing the shirts! These fine t-shirts, pictured on the right, come in maize or brown. Please contact us here with a phone #, size request & shipping address. We will call you back to get your credit card info. By next week, we should have online ordering set up!
2. VENDING FOR FUNDRAISERS: We’re stepping up to the plate for fundraising events that need a food vendor & donating the proceeds. Just what you need? Write us atfundraising@skinnypancake.com. As with the t-shirts, we can afford to donate all our sales less our costs to these events & plan to do this often over the next few months.
3. CATERING FOR A CAUSE: from Thanksgiving through January 15th, we will be donating 10% of all holiday catering events to farm-related disaster relief work. Got catering? Contact us atcatering@skinnypancake.com.
4. ORGANIZING: at least three different music/food related fundraisers in Burlington, Montpelier & Waitsfield. All three promise to be fun & very fundraising…none are ready to be announced. But rest assured, you’ll know as soon as its ready to go.

Music & food events you can attend to help raise funds:

PHISH: of course, you surely know about the Phish show this Wednesday Sept 14th, their first VT performance since 2004′s Coventry festival. Please do not buy tickets from scalpers…in this case, it is grossly unethical to profit from the event! Hope to see you all there!

Clothing & Food Drive in Burlington:

Thanks to the Main Street Landing Company’s efforts, there is a very successful clothing & food drive going on! From now through Sunday, 09.11.11, bring food and clothing (including infant clothing) in good condition to the Union Station at One Main Street – the Main Lobby and the Lake & College Lobby outside of the Endangered Species Wall. These donations will be collected and distributed throughout the State where there is need.

Three more funds you can donate to directly:

VT Irene Flood Relief Fund (a fund to help small businesses):

“Local businesses are the beating heart of our Vermont communities. The little shop downtown, the restaurant on the corner, the repair shop down the street — these are the places we work and the places we gather. They are vital to the economic health of our towns and the our state.

Hundreds of small businesses were in the path of the raging floods spawned by Hurricane Irene. Getting them back up and running must be a top priority in our recovery efforts – particularly with the critical fall and winter tourism seasons on the horizon. With this pressing need in mind, we have established the Vermont Irene Flood Relief Fund.

NOFA-VT’s Farmer Emergency Fund (a fund to help VT farmers)

The Farmer Emergency Fund was established in 1997 to assist organic farmers adversely affected by natural and unnatural disasters like the recent flooding and damage from Irene. We anticipate many requests for funds after this disaster, so all donations are welcome.

Grants and zero-percent-interest loans are awarded to farmers in need as funds are available.

Mad River Valley Community Fund: The MRV Community Fund has activated a special flood relief fund. We appreciate your donations toward local people and businesses affected by the floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

While the Skinny Pancake emerged unscathed, many of our farming friends did not. The 12 farms on Burlington’s Intervale appear to have lost nearly everything, right as their crops were coming to harvest, when they had the most time & money invested in their foods. The same goes for farms near rivers throughout VT: Dog River Farm in Montpelier, Small Step Farm in Waitsfield (pictured midst-flood on the right) and many, many more.

What to do about it?

First, let’s be very clear: if Irene brought destruction through flooding, Vermont will bring re-construction through a ground-swell of support. Help is on the way. That groundswell has already begun & is growing every day. Volunteers around the state are hard at work helping their neighborhoods repair & rebuild. Fundraising efforts are in the works…’The Skinny’ will DEFINITELY be a clearing house for spreading the word on any & all fundraising efforts that occur, as will our facebook page, twitter & in person. And, of course, you can expect to see the SP actively involved in fundraising efforts.

Bottom line, this is the worst natural disaster to affect Vermont in the lifetimes of everyone reading this email. The damage extends far beyond the local foodshed–entire towns have been compromised. Here at the Skinny Pancake,  we are determined to conduct by far the largest charitable effort in the history of our company & we could not be working harder on it. Me (Benjy), my brother and co-owner Jonny, and Montpelier GM Jeremy Silansky have formed an internal task force to coordinate our contributions. We have decided to focus our efforts on that which we know best, the local foodshed. It is where our ties are the deepest and it is where we can help the most. This is our #1 priority in the coming months. But if I learned one thing from my 9-months volunteering in New Orleans after Katrina, it is that we need to let community organizers take the lead. Thus, we are in communication with several communities & have strongly indicated that we are overwhelmingly prepared to contribute our money, resources & organizational capacity to help in fundraising upon their cue.

What you can do right now:

• BUY LOCAL: if you are a Vermonter, go to your farmer’s market this weekend. Many farmers harvested all the food they could, literally until flood waters forced them to leave their land. Some of that food is perishable. Buy it, eat it, love it!
• DONATE:
  • To the Intervale Center’s Disaster Relief Fund here. The fund will be used by farmers to compensate for crop losses and equipment damage. After you choose the amount you’d like to give, you can designate your contribution to the “Intervale Center Farmers Recovery Fund.”
  • To the Mad River Valley Community Fund here. The MRV Community Fund has activated a special flood relief fund. We appreciate your donations toward local people and businesses affected by the floods in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene.
• Get your hands dirty: there are many independent volunteer efforts going on. For example, in Moretown, local organizer Megan Schultz writes, “Things you can bring to Moretown (or wherever you are lending a hand): Deconstruction tools (crowbars, etc) BUCKETS BUCKETS BUCKETS, MASKS!, medium/small boxes (and tape if they’re broken down) Sponges, bleach, rubber gloves, rags, garbage bags etc… Qs? Call me:8029171729 Thanks & XO.”
• Come visit if you are from out of town or get your out-of-town friends to visit. Vermont is open for business! Footage from a week ago will continue to run in the media and scare people away when, in fact, Vermont will be as beautiful a place to visit as ever this fall.

There are many opportunities in the works to help raise money in fun ways…parties, catered events, music & more. When you hear about them, come on out & celebrate the strength,  conviction & communities of Vermont! As we learn about them, we’ll be sure to let you know.

For the voyeurist in us all…

Ben Jervey recently wrote this excellent update on damage in Vermont, aggregating info from various sources:  www.onearth.org/blog/vermont-irene-damage.

Mr. Jervey is OnEarth’s blog editor, writes about climate, energy, and sustainability for numerous publications and is the former environment editor at GOOD. He’s the author of “The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City” and currently lives in Vermont.

A: The best the Skinny Pancake has to offer via Rob Williams and Co.

The Phineas Gage Project: James Kinne, Erica Stroem, and Rob Williams

If you’re lost, allow us to explain.

The last Thursday of every month, VT’s finest bluegrass band, The Phineas Gage Project plays at the Skinny Pancake.  Their stickers make the claim they are “music for happy brains, ” and the PG Project ain’t lying. You’ve never heard a more cheerful version of Toto’s Africa than you will when James Kinne, Erica Stroem, and Rob Williams pick up their djembe, mandolin, and guitar. This local favorite plays bluegrass versions of songs you can sing along with and dance to, right up until last call at each and every gig.  The band’s namesake is one of VT’s favorite oddities, the foreman of a crew cutting a railroad bed in Cavendish, Vermont in 1848. Gage was wounded by a railroad tamp after a premature detonation launched the iron spike through his head, veritably blinding the man in the left eye. He remained conscious, went to the doctor to have the spike removed, and went on to travel the country as a side show more cantankerous than previously but fully functional. Now, he lives on in the name of the fresh and fun bluegrass band, The Phineas Gage Project.

Railroad Foreman, Phineas Gage with Tamping Iron

In addition to providing toe-tapping tunes Rob delivers the meat, the yak meat! He’s one of the farmers in the VT Yak Co in Waitsfield, Vermont. Throughout the year, The Skinny Pancake offers specials featuring local Yak raised in the hills of the Mad River Valley.

The Phineas Gage Project can be found at the Skinny Pancake the last Thursday of every month.

Next Phineas Gage Gig:  Thursday, September 29th

Playing Friday, August 12th at 8pm

We are really excited to have Jen Chapin play at the Skinny Pancake. You might be thinking to yourself, “Jen Chapin… that name sounds familiar.   Did I see her on Conan? Do I know her from the food ethics and activism community?” Is she related to American folk legend Harry Chapin?

The answer is: Yes!

Jen is the daughter of THE Harry Chapin. In fact, the whole family is extraordinarily musical, Tom Chapin, The Chapin Sisters…  And not only are they a superstar family of folk musicians, they are a family of educators and charitable activists.

In addition to touring, Jen Chapin is a major advocate for the organization WhyHunger. Founded by Harry Chapin in 1975,  WhyHunger connects people to nutritious, affordable food and supports grassroots solutions that inspire self-reliance and community empowerment to end poverty and hunger.  Neat, right?

Wait til’ they take a gander at  The Skinny Pancake Food Shed map!

The Jen Chapin Trio play 8pm-10pm this Friday (8/12/11) at the Skinny Pancake in Burlington.

there are a bunch of great fairs & festivals coming up in the next few weeks. Here’s a quick sampling:

The Festival of Fools:
August 5 – 7, Burlington VT

Burlington City Arts is proud to present the Festival of Fools, now in its fourth year, on August 5-7th, 2011. The Festival of Fools is a curated festival of street theater devoted to community engagement through the celebration of circus arts, music and comedy for family audiences. In accord with Burlington City Arts’ mission to make the arts accessible in greater Burlington, the Festival of Fools offers free events, open to the public and appropriate for all age groups.

The Festival of Fools features the best international street performers from around the globe. Four main stage locations surrounding the Church Street Marketplace and City Hall Park will feature continuous street theater, performing to over 10,000 visitors to Church Street each day. The Festival wraps up on Sunday, August 7th with a grand finale featuring all the performers of the festival.

Rhinofest
August 5 – 7, Plainfield VT
rhinofestvt.com/

The RhinoFest site is a natural amphitheater tucked away in the hills of Plainfield, Vermont. This beautifully unique landscape atop Maple Hill provides every “Rhinofestivillian” with a view of our Main Stage, Side Stage, and DJ Dome from each and every campsite. Our Main Stage was constructed from fallen trees taken from the land surrounding the festival. We are sponsored by local businesses and we are proud to not accept corporate sponsorship or investment. RhinoFest was born from a group of friend’s passion of music, respect for the land, and love for community.

Entering our fourth year of fun, all festival-goers can expect that the positive vibes and amazing music of prior years will be reached and surpassed. RhinoFest 2011 will truly be a summer event that no one should miss! Rhinofestivillians, let’s celebrate!

Addison Fair & Field Days
August 9 – 13, Addison County, VT
www.addisoncountyfielddays.com/

Vermont’s largest agricultural fair always takes place during the first full week of August. Celebrating its 63rd year, this family-oriented fair is a deeply rooted community tradition. From the 4H competitions to the Tractor Pull, the Demolition Derby to the Ferris Wheel, The Fair & Field Days is both wholesome & hopping…and it is absolutely the quintessential agricultural fair…so come one, come all August 9th (Tuesday) through August 13th (Saturday).

Grand Points North Festival
August 13 – 14, Burlington, VT
www.grandpointnorth.com/

Grace Potter, Taj Mahal, Wood Brothers, Anais Mitchell, Rubblebucket & much much more. All on the Burlington Waterfront. Looks like a GREAT time…

Valley Stage Festival
August 13, Huntington, VT
www.valleystage.net

A phenomenal one day gathering!!! Wholesome for the whole family, always an extremely tasteful line-up & a setting that cannot be topped! This is a VT gem, folks. If you’ve been there before, you know. If not, check it out!!!

The Great Vermont Corn Maze
Ongoing, Danville VT
www.vermontcornmaze.com/

Granted, this is not an ‘upcoming fair or festival,’ but I can’t resist highlighting this time-honored tradition. Voted 2nd best in the nation, the Great Vermont Corn Maze boasts an ‘epic journey of adventure’ on 8.5 acres. While it is somewhat far afield for most folks on this mailing list, who knows…perhaps you’ll be passing through Danville sometime in the next few months? If so, be brave!!!

Montpelier Green Drinks is next Tuesday!

Join us on Tuesday, August 9th from 6 – 8 pm in City Center’s lobby for Montpelier Green Drinks. As always, there will be 50 pints of local microbrew, generously bought by our sponsors. We are also thrilled to welcome Pirogi Union back this month…btw, other than Green Drinks, you can get their product at both City Market & Hunger Mountain Coop!

Sponsors? Yep! This month’s sponsor is
1% for the Planet:

And of course, recognition & gratitude is due for our sustaining sponsors:

Thanks to our host sponsor, City Center Associates, for sharing their lobby with us!

Seven Days wants you to check ‘em out online at www.7dvt.com. You can also get ‘the Daily 7′ – Vermont’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.  Get the day’s most compelling stories across all media – print, radio, TV and web.  Sign up today: http://www.7dvt.com/daily7

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility is excited to bring it’s next Networking Get-Together to Hardwick’s Food Venture Center on August 18th.  The event is co-hosted by the Cellars at Jasper Hill and Caledonia Spirits & Winery, so there will be plenty of opportunities to experience award winning wines, spirits and cheeses.  VBSR would also like to remind everyone that the new edition of the BUY LOCAL Coupon Book & Resource Guide will hit stores, shelves and counters starting September 1st.  The book features coupons from over 140 businesses in Chittenden, Addison and Washington counties and will be distributed through over 20 different sites across the region.

Specials at the Skinny Pancake this week: 

Screamin’ Summer (Montpelier): A delightful medley of Sauteed Escarole, Summer Squash, Zucchini, garlic and fresh herbs from Scremin’ Ridge Farm with Pete’s Eggplant and Landaff Cheese.  Wrapped up in a savory crepe with a side of local greens. $10.95

Caprese Salad (Burlington): Pete’s Greens airloom tomatoes, Arethusa Farm basil chiffonade, Maple Brook Farms Burrata Mozzerella & balsamic reduction. $9.95.

Blue-balicious (Burlington): fresh picked blueberries from Charlotte erry Farm with a splash of lemon, & granulated sugar. Comes with a side of Cabot whipped cream. $7.50

Hear ye, hear ye: let it be known by all who walk the earth (or at least those who actually read this newsletter) that the Chubby Muffin is now serving ALL NATURAL CREEMEES!!!

DID YOU KNOW…?

That National Farmers Market Week is August 7 – 13th! This year marks the 12th annual National Farmers Market week. Since 2000, the number of farmers markets has grown from approximately 250%, from 2,863 markets to 7,175 in 2011. Here in VT, we have the highest number of farmers markets per capita. Wahoo!!!

Music this week at the Skinny Pancake:

Thursday, 08.04.11
Nicole Carey (handmade folk)
***$5 suggested donation
www.myspace.com/nicoleerincarey

The Skinny Pancake is proud to bring on back Miss Nicole Erin Carey, a Burlington native whose charming folk music is as prime as her sewing and knitting skills. Whether wielding an acoustic guitar or banjo, Carey’s sweetly unique voice singing songs inspired by the mountains, farms and birds of Vermont is a dead ringer influence from folk legends like Leadbelly or Woody Guthrie. Unlike those two, however, Nicole Erin’s rosy little tunes are from a winsome young singer-songwriter taking in the greenery and wildflowers of our sugar maple state and using its beauty as an artful ingredient. Hear what we’re so excited about right over here!

Friday, 08.05.11
Shannon Hawley (acoustic / folk / indi)
***$5 suggested donation
shannonhawley.com

If Regina Spektor and Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum had a child, and Tom Waits was her nanny, you’d have Shannon Hawley. Shannon lures audiences in with her sweet voice, imagistic lyrics, and spitfire stage-presence. Her performances are like journeys to the present moment, touching on all things that make you feel alive – all the pain and all the joy – and sometimes both at once.

“A dynamic performer, this tiny red-haired spitfire connects deeply and effortlessly to both her heart-felt lyrics and to her audience.”

Saturday, 08.06.11
Victoria Vox (acoustic)
***$5 suggested donation
www.victoriavox.com/

clectic, upbeat and clever, Victoria Vox, has been warming the hearts of her audience across the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Her songs are honest, moving, but also light-hearted. She is  known among the ukulele community for her refreshingly modern and rhythmic ukulele technique. She has been included in Relix Magazine and Washington D.C.’s City’s Best lists of artists to watch and is a multi WAMA (Washington D.C. Area Music Award) winner for her 2010 release Exact Change. She’s an undiscovered gem… but won’t be for long.

Sunday, 08.07.11
Montpelier Sunday Skinny Series

4 – 6 pm: Katie Trautz & Friends
6 – 8 pm: Phinneas Gage trio
www.facebook.com/phineasgagevt

In the pipleline…

Thursday, 08.11.11
Linda Bassick (alt / americana / blues)
***$5 suggested donation
www.reverbnation.com/lindabassick

Friday, 08.12.11
Jen Chapin Trio (folk / americana)
***$5 suggested donation
http://www.jenchapin.com/www.jenchapin.com/

First off…
PICK YOUR OWN SEASON IS IN FULL SWING!!!

Visit Adam’s Berry Farm on the Intervale  weekdays from 10-6 and weekends from 10-4. Enjoy 10 varieties of blueberries…’til raspberry season starts in a few weeks. More info on his farm can be found here: adamsberryfarm.com/. In Montpelier, Richmond, elsewhere…here’s a quick list of PYO farms: The Charlotte Berry Farm, Littlewood Farm in Plainfield and Waitsfield’s Hartshorn’s Farm all have an ongoing or upcoming PYO strawberry season.

On the subject of bumper crops: The Skinny Pancake is currently receiving 200 lbs of basil a week from Arethusa Farm on the Intervale…that’s 40 of the containers pictured here, along side our Chubby Muffin Kitchen Manager, Andrew Godek & his kid brother, Little G. Nobody seems to know his real name. Mr. Godek senior tells me the total will be 1.5 tons of basil, which will be processed into pesto and frozen for use this winter throughout Pancakia. We work closely with Arethusa Farm & were excited to commit this winter to the purchase of this bulk purchase…allowing them to grow ALOT of basil with a gauranteed buyer!

We’ve got new t-shirts!!! They come in two colors…brown & maize….and they’re made on super-soft, premium quality Alternative Apparel fabric.

You can get them at either Skinny Pancake location or call us & we can send one to you!

Also…keep your eyes peeled for a limited edition run of hand-made tie-dyed t-shirts from our last round of printing…coming to Pancakia near you in the not-to-distant future.

The sun will be setting. 100+ people will be in the Main St Landing’s Lake Lobby & on their glorious balcony overlooking Lake Champlain. You will be one of them.

Did our Jedi-mind trick work? I ‘spose we’ll know next Tuesday. This part’s for sure: there will be 125 pints of tasty, cold Wolaver’s Organic Beer AT NO COST TO YOU. And, there will be FREE PIROGIS, FREE MASSAGES & INCREDIBLE PEOPLE. Bring your friends, bring your family. Network…or don’t. Have a good time. See you there.

Sponsors? Oh, yeah…we got plent of them. This month’s sponsor is Vermont’s very own…
All Earth Renewables

AllEarth Renewables, Inc. is a Vermont company that specializes in the design and manufacture of grid-connected solar renewable energy systems. Their goal is to lessen dependence on nuclear and fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating sustainable, well-paying jobs. Their flagship product, the AllSun Tracker, produces up to 45% more electricity than fixed solar installations of the same size. The largest solar installation in Vermont, a 2.2 Megawatt project with a total of 382 AllSun Trackers, will be commissioned on July 27 in South Burlington.

One of the unique things about AllEarth Renewables is that they not only make a great solar product but have put together turn-key financing solutions to complement the great Federal and State incentives available right now.  Their Power Purchase Agreement provides an easy and affordable way to have an AllSun Tracker installed for your home and business.

Finally…a deep bow of respect to our sustaining sponsors…

We at Green Drinks Burlington love Seven Days and recom mend you do too. Check them out online at www.7dvt.com & get ‘the Daily 7′ – Vermont’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.  Get the day’s most compelling stories across all media – print, radio, TV and web.  Sign up today: http://www.7dvt.com/daily7

The Main Street Landing Company has a sweet new website. Check it out here. Also, Melinda Moulton of Main St Landing sends the following message of the month along: ”As the temperatures soar and our Country is burdened with a most unbearable heat wave – and we are perhaps about to head into a dismal economic downturn due to the debt limit, and it seems as the US of A just isn’t leading the World in the areas of economic growth and/or climate change legislation.  That said, Vermont is a leader in both.  We have proven that Vermont’s views on the environment and our strong permitting rules, as well as our commitment to “localism” has supported the State and made us one of the most successful States in the Nation on so many levels.  Here here to Vermont and all of you and the Great work we are doing to stay strong, sensitive, and enlightened.”

The Burlington Young Professionals…Join YP’s for a scavenger hunt for Winooski’s Pop-Up Art show. YP’s will race to collect the randomly selected names and titles of VT artists. First team to make it back to the Monkey House, with the correct information, will win a PRIZE! Runners up for most Foursquare “Check –In”s (#btvypgart) or twitter posts and most creative “Check-in” photo will also win a prize. Teams will meet back at the Monkey House for beer and the bar’s Dirty Bird dinner (food is $8, cash only).  See http://mnkeyhousemusic.co​m/calendar/2011-7-27-dirty​-bird-followed-by-beat-vis​on for more information.
Post your team to register! The scavenger hunt is a free event with priceless prizes!

Wolaver’s Organic Ales (www.ottercreekbrewing.com/wolavers.html) helps keepGreen Drinks going in a big way. For the uninformed, Wolaver’s is: “One of the nation’s original certified organic breweries, Wolaver’s is committed to producing the best beer in the most ecologically sound way.”

Over the weekend, our loving bus ‘Sueno’ was officially declared the Skinny Pancake’s spirit animal. Pictured here is our fantastic crew from the Greyfox Bluegrass Festival along with our new found friend, ‘Smokey’ in the foreground. Smokey makes some mean ‘Que.’ This weekend, you’ll find our crew at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

Where else can you find the Skinny P on the open road? Visit us on South Hero at Snow Farm Winery. Our newly minted airstream, S.P.A.R.R.O.W. (Skinny Pancake Almighty Rad Roving Outdoor Wonder) will be crankin’ out the crepes Thursday evenings, Fridays, Saturday & Sundays this summer.

Green Acres (Montplier): Winding Brook Farm sweet Italian sausage, Screamin Ridge Farm lacinato kale, local purple viking and red norland potatoes finished with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar.  Served with a salad of local greens. $8.95

Blue-balicious (Burlington): fresh picked blueberries from Adam’s Berry Farm with a splash of lemon, & granulated sugar. Comes with a side of Cabot whipped cream. $7.50

Friday, 07.22.11 (9-11 pm)
Last Good Tooth (folk / americana)
***$5 suggested donation
www.myspace.com/lastgoodtooth

Last Good Tooth is: Penn Sultan (lyrics, vocals, guitar), Arthur Kapp (drums), Kevin Sullivan (bass) and Alex Spoto (fiddle).

Penn Sultan is inspired by his parents and grandmothers home of the mountains of NC and the old Appalachian music from the blue ridge area, mixed with his love and hate of New York City. Penn and Kevin met in Providence, RI at the Rhode Island School of design where they pretended to like art for a while so that they could play music for real. Then they met Spoto fiddlin’ around Brown town. He’s some sort of genius but no one understands when he explains what he studied there. Now: the perfect band mates- a love and happiness in the union along with Arthur, old-time-high-school-drummer-buddy-friend. They’re driving around with the drums but parking the car will always be their biggest obstacle.

Saturday, 07.23.11 (9-11 pm)
Flightless Buttress (folk duo)
***$5 suggested donation
www.flightlessbuttress.com

“This pair crafts casually simple yet brutally intricate pieces out of four hands, two instruments, and ten strings, and the dynamics of the two instruments fill up the [music] with an impossible amount of substance.”
-Boston Band Crush

Boston duo Flightless Buttress, John Nolan and Calin Peters play powerful instrumental music that’s easy to listen to but hard to describe. Singer-songwriters without a singer?
Instrumental film score-y new-folk? How about a recent description from a show in Cambridge, MA: “Flightless Buttress plays a moody mix of jazz influenced acoustic,ambient Americana.”

A recent review from the felllow Boston musician
Allison Preisinger helps to pinpoint their unique sound:
“Flightless Buttress creates a sound that sinks in and carries you through their diverse and winding stories like only the best storytellers can.”

“Armed with only a guitar and a cello, the duo write songs that sound like an intricate conversation between the two instruments.” says Jessica Wailes of New Music Collaborative, another Boston music blog. She continues, “If you just need to get lost in something, this music has a forward momentum and a story waiting to be told.”

Touring in support of their newly released, self-produced debut album Balances, Flightless Buttress is ready to bring their unique sound to brand new audiences up and down the East Coast.

Sunday Series in Montpelier:

Katie Trautz & Friends (4-6 pm)
Flightless Buttress (6-8 pm)

Thursday, 07.28.11
Andrew Sterns & Mike Wheeler (bluegrass / folk)
***$5 suggested donation

Friday, 07.29.11
Jake ‘N Chris (Folk Duo)
***$5 suggested donation

Saturday, 07.30.11
Julia Josephine Sloan (pop / rock /soul)
***$5 suggested donation
www.reverbnation.com/juliajosephineslone

• Best lunch location ***especially this one!
  Best Restaurant, if you’re paying (high quality food, affordable prices).
• Best restaurant to take the kids
• Best vegetarian fare
• Best breakfast / brunch location

Wanna vote? Here’s the link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/daysies11-sm. Think we really are the best in any of those categories (or others)? Well…we sure would appreciate your support. THANK YOU!

The Hinesburg Community School

The competition was fierce! With four days left, the two front-runners had about 650 votes each. With four hours left, they both had about 1550 votes. But by midnight, Hinesburg had pushed ahead to win with 1700 votes. When asked how they managed this late night surge, Kelli McGonigal of the Hinesburg Community School explained, “On Saturday night I got on the phone –  and called people and told them to call more people.  Believe me – many people think I am insane now…We are having $500 of soil delivered this week.  Your $500 will pay for that.  If we didn’t get it I was going to do a fundraiser.  And parents don’t particularly like fundraisers.  So I had their attention.”

GREAT BREAKING NEWS: the Skinny Pancake will be offering a Community Gardening Grant every spring, summer & fall going forward. More details to follow!!!

Need some inspiration to buy local this year? Below are some economic reasons from the Farm To Plate Initiative’s Executive Summary to buy local. The full summary can be downloaded here.

• A 5% increase in production would boost total food sector employment by an average of 1,500 jobs over the 10-year period.
• A 5% increase in food production (and related output) would generate an average annual increase in the gross domestic product of $88 million per year.
• Therefore, if a Vermont family were to double its local purchases, it would mean increasing purchases of local goods from $321 to $642 per year (this does not mean adding $321 to the total spent, just substituting $321 for imported food with $321 for local goods). The cost of the shift to purchasing more local food would be about $9.92 per person per month.

The Capital City Farmer’s Market was voted one of the 12 best markets in the country by the Daily Green last year. They begin their 34th summer season on May 7th at the corner of State Street and Elm Street in downtown Montpelier this Saturday with new and returning vendors and great music and demos scheduled for all season long.  More info found here: www.montpelierfarmersmarket.com/.

Visit the Burlington Farmer’s Market every Saturday in City Hall park from 8:30a.m. – 2 p.m and online at http://www.burlingtonfarmersmarket.org/.

Local fiddleheads & ramps are now available as are leafy greens from some greenhouses!!! Asparagus is coming soon!!!

The Farmer-Gatherer (Burlington): Herb Dusted VT raised Red Deer Short Loin, Caramelized VT Ramps, and Grilled VT Fiddleheads wrapped up in a Ramp leaf crepe with a Flag Hill Farm Stair’s Pear Brandy cream sauce. $11.95

It’s Like Lasagna, Only Better (Montpelier): Butterworks Rye Crepe Gratin made with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar and Screamin’ Ridge Farm Spinach.  Served with our house marinara and Ramps and a side of Screamin Ridge Farm Greens.$9.95 HURRAY FOR THE FIRST OF LOCAL LEAFY GREENS!!!

PLEASE NOTE: we are still running our Restaurant Week specials through Sunday evening!!! Menu listings can be found here: vermontrestaurantweek.com/all/

Join us next Tuesday from 6-8 pm at the Montpelier Skinny Pancake for our monthly Green Drinks meet-up. As always, there are 50 pints of beer available to participants at no cost to you thanks to our sponsors. This month’s sponsor is Vermont Businesses For Social Responsibility:

“VT Businesses for Social Responsibility is a statewide association of businesses that believe in supporting People, Planet and Profit.  The largest of it’s kind in the country, VBSR offers a variety of valuable programs and events.  The upcoming VBSR Spring Conference (May 12th), is taking place at UVM’s Davis Center and features workshops, keynote speaker, networking and a silent auction.  Come to Green Drinks and learn more about VBSR and their work across Vermont.” Visit VBSR online at vbsr.org/.

Green Drinks Montpelier is also supported every month by Seven Days newspaper (www.7dvt.com). Seven Days brings you the Daily 7 – Vermont’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.  Get the day’s most compelling stories across all media – print, radio, TV and web. Sign up today: http://www.7dvt.com/daily7.

Well, we’ve been pluggin’ it for the past two weeks, and here we go again: this state-wide volunteer effort produces huge results, so pitch in! Join thousands on the morning of Saturday, May 7th & green up your neighborhood. More information on local green up organizing can be found here: http://www.greenupvermont.org/.

What is Spielpalast?

SPIELPALAST or SPIEL PALAST (n.) a palace of games, drama and theatre. [spiel= game + palast= play

“At the end of the wild whirlwind between WWI and WWII, The Depression (known for it’s loose morals, prohibition, unemployment), The Roaring Twenties (re: hair bobs, jazz, bathtub gin) and the Weimar Rebublic (don’t forget dadism, montage and rebellion), European and American ex-patriates flocked to the literary cabarets and burlesque entertainments. These featured a wide range of scandalous and subversive performance, including political satire, nude dancing, gender bending and elaborate avant-garde nonsense spectacles. In the increasingly oppressive atmosphere of fascisct nationalism, brutality, censorship, and restricted civil liberties, these cabarets and burlesque shows served the purpose of transgressive dis-ordering radical internationalism and a much needed release from the rigidity of “family values.”

Performed in local clubs and cafes the cabaret celebrated the unstompable resilience of the individualistic and alternative human spirit in a time of mass propaganda, blind patriotism and military frenzy.”

Genetically Modified Organisms and the World Food Crisis
Wednesday, May 11, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
City Market Community Room

With world grain prices approaching an all-time high, agribusiness companies and corporate-friendly foundations are pushing for a ‘New Green Revolution,’ featuring even more widespread use of genetically engineered crops. Brian Tokar, co-editor of the recent book, Agriculture and Food in Crisis, will discuss the underlying causes of the emerging world food crisis and why GMOs cannot be seen as part of a genuine solution. Sign up for this free public presentation at City Market’s Customer Service desk. Free.

What’s the Farm Bill Got to do with Local Food?
Tuesday, May 24, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

While we work hard to support our local farmers in Vermont, there are many decisions that take place outside the state that affect our local food and agriculture. The Farm Bill is the most important piece of federal legislation that sets not only national agriculture policy, but also contains many provisions for low-income food assistance programs. With the farm bill up for renewal in 2012, join us for this presentation to get a look at what’s in the farm bill and how it effects what ends up on grocery store shelves across the country. Winton Pitcoff, executive director of the New England Farmers Union, will lead this presentation. Sign up at the Customer Service desk. Free