Nothing says “variety show” like drag queens, a touch of ’50s rock ’n’ roll and an art raffle. At least, that’s what made the “Big Bad Box Variety Show” at Club Metronome such an unusually exciting Friday evening.

When I walked in — alone, mind you — I noticed two things: an empty stage and two exuberant drag queens from the House of LeMay standing at the opposite end of the room. I decided that introducing myself to these local legends would be a bit more entertaining than staring at the open stage.... Read more

Most people wouldn’t take directions from a boy wearing neon-checkered Hammer pants, a clown nose and rainbow knee-highs, or think that he could teach you anything about the forces of physics. But I’m not most people.... Read more

As I cruised the grounds of the State of Vermont Surplus Equipment and Vehicle Auction in Berlin on Saturday morning, an impish thought occurred to me: If I was a single lady — or a gay man, for that matter — this place would be pay dirt. Amid the expected vehicle auction scenery of stripped state police cruisers, backhoes, dump trucks, Ski-Dos and flannel-clad duffers sipping from polystyrene were swarms of seemingly eligible men. They were everywhere — all ages, all types — munching hot dogs, inspecting boat motors, pretending to tinker.... Read more

It’s been a long time since I believed in faeries. However, as I sat down in a packed theater for the St. Michael’s Drama Club production of Peter Pan, I was determined to let my faith be born again.

Held on the main stage of the McCarthy Arts Center, the student-produced play featured an impressive array of colorful costumes, swashbuckling scenes and, of course, flying.... Read more

Perhaps it was the time of my arrival Sunday morning at Everything Equine, but there were few examples of real, live horseflesh on display. However, the rich subculture of their fans was well represented. I was greeted by a large horse plop on the walkway toward the Champlain Valley Fairground’s Expo Center, which was surrounded by horse trailers for sale and a fried-dough vendor.... Read more

What to do with that clunker of a computer gathering cobwebs in the garage? Or the purple plastic boombox that went out of style in the Reagan era? Small Dog Electronics provided the answer to those questions and many more, giving individuals and businesses the opportunity to unload their old electronics for free.... Read more

It was a damp, chilly morning, the kind of weather that inspires one to bundle up in extra layers rather than shed them. But for Shelby, one of about 50 sheep in Shelburne Farms’ flock, the weather was a moot point. Livestock specialist and shearer extraordinaire Chet Parsons was waiting.

Preschoolers and their parents — clad in flannel, Gore-Tex and, of course, fleece — gathered in the Farm Barn. Parsons, in suspenders and decidedly elfin moccasins, dispensed wool history and trivia and whetted the audience’s appetite for the main event.... Read more

Last Friday, the St. James Episcopal Church auditorium was the place to be if you wanted to hear, see and taste the traditions of Sudan. The New Sudan Education Initiative (NESEI) was the focus of the night, and Africa inspired the colors: bright tablecloths, orange roses on each table, and a quilted map of the continent on one wall. Church youth served up Sudanese dishes: salty beef and cabbage, thick and pasty red beans, brown rice. Some church members donned African clothing, such as bright purple dresses and neon green shirts, in solidarity.... Read more

The Sled Cats faced the Montréal Dragons last Sunday afternoon at Cairns Arena in South Burlington. The Sled Cats have only been a team for three years, and this was their third game this year. In fact, it was their third sled-hockey game ever.... Read more

Marking the five-year anniversary of the war, “Beyond Iraq: A Community Discussion” was a public forum organized by the band Pariah Beat. With twentysomething antiwar demonstrators, political candidates, press, ’60s-era veterans and others, it was standing-room-only at Langdon Street Café during the two-hour discussion.... Read more