I could have been somebody instead of a hack, which is what I am. That’s what I say to myself en route to the ice rink. It’s not that I can’t skate or shoot; I just haven’t learned to play hockey with chutzpah.... Read more

When the Vermont legislature approved same-sex marriage earlier this month by a one-vote margin, many gay and lesbian Vermonters — myself included — were overcome with emotion. Here at Seven Days, many of my coworkers, gay and straight, cried and hugged.

“My first reaction when I heard that we had 100 votes was, Thank God it’s over,” says Creative Director and Associate Publisher Don Eggert. ... Read more

The morning of April 11 began like any other for Dux the Balloon Man. First the 32-year-old Burlington street performer set up his balloon stand on the Church Street Marketplace. As a crowd gathered, he began taking requests for characters such as Elmo and SpongeBob SquarePants.... Read more

April comes as a great, green relief to Vermonters who’ve been cooped up indoors for six months. But this April also offers the outwardly bound a few good reasons to stay inside. In the dark. From April 16 through 26, three eco-themed documentary films will be screened at local venues.... Read more

Jaquelyn Rieke doesn’t make art per se, but she considers herself a creative entrepreneur. Six years ago, the 29-year-old Illinois native began manufacturing “Nutty Steph’s” granola at a Montpelier diner “sans any knowledge of commercial food production.” Her granola biz has since grown by 10 to 20 percent annually.... Read more

Sen. John Campbell walked into a bar at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. It was Wednesday, April 8, the day after the big bill he sponsored — to legalize same-sex-marriage in Vermont — passed by one vote over a gubernatorial veto. Campbell, whose pink face matched the color of his dress shirt, ordered a “Jack and water.” Then he greeted Rep.... Read more

Tom Evslin starts work at 4 a.m., but he isn’t a garbage man, a baker or a day trader. As Vermont’s “Chief Recovery Officer,” Evslin directs the allocation of money received through February’s $789 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — aka the federal “stimulus package.”... Read more

Amy Seidl wants to grow peaches, but she knows she would eat them with mixed feelings. Global warming is raising average temperatures in her Huntington hollow, and thriving peach trees would presage the fall of her beloved sugar maples.... Read more

Some American artists spent the last eight years complaining about a certain Texan. Macklin “Mack” Finley spent the time writing The Mutt, a novel he says attempts to reconcile “artistic intent and class structure in contemporary America.”... Read more

The glass display case in Kevin Deuso’s store is full of nothin’. He likes it that way. Deuso, 51, used to fill the case with watches, toys and paperweights. But having goods on display hurt his ability to buy gold and silver.

These days, Deuso still sells the watches, paperweights and other “collectibles,” but only on request. As he explains: “I don’t want to dick around with $20 purchases when I’m trying to deal with somebody here with 1000 bucks’ worth of gold that I can make a hundred or 200 bucks off.”... Read more