A creaky old door opens with a sleigh bell jingle, letting a stream of summer sunlight reach across the faded wooden floor. A weathered farmer steps in, clad in a pair of jeans and a blue dress shirt. A tan baseball cap casts a shadow over his eyes, his bushy white mustache framing a tired and disinterested expression on his face. Grabbing a cold case of beer from the cooler, he approaches the smiling woman at the front counter.
“Another hay day?” she asks from behind a pair of golden-rimmed glasses.
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The most recent showing of “Life in Orleans County,” a documentary collaboration between professional videographer Vince Franke and JSC Professor of Humanities Bill Doyle’s Vermont History class, exceeded all attendance expectations at the Goodrich Library in Newport on Jan. 19.
Every seat was filled, with other viewers standing, and some were turned away at the door due to lack of room.
"Yeeaaaahhhhh Roooogeeeerrr!” some girl screams from the back of the crowded room, a cry of encouragement that sails over the whooping and applauding throng of people that cram into the shadowy venue. Whistles and applause dwindle into chuckles and murmurs as all eyes in the room turn toward the stage, eager to get a look at comedian number three.
Laid back, he low-fives the host as he strides confidently into the limelight, planting his sneakers for the first time in the center of that big Higher Ground Ballroom stage. Slipping the microphone from its stand, he picks up the slack cord, shifts a few steps to the left and casually runs his fingers through his long, dark-brown hair. He assesses the room quickly, flashes a comfortable smile and raises the microphone to his lips.
with Kevin Paquet
A commercial I’ve seen running recently begins with the woeful tale of a woman forced to bear the brunt of poor decisions made by an earlier, less enlightened generation. Surrounded by her spacious house, she congratulates herself for owning such a nice piece of property, but bemoans the atrocious bathroom, which she says has a pink tub and avocado green tiles. I’m taking her word for it. I have a black and white TV set that was built around the same time as her bathroom.
“It was so seventies!” she grieves. I think this is rather hypocritical coming from someone sitting on a plaid couch, but that’s just me. Of course, this woman is not a college student. If she was, she’d just be grateful that she has her own, clean bathroom. Listening to her gripe about the color scheme is like having someone drive up to me in a Rolls-Royce and say, “Would you believe it? This thing only plays cassettes!”