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Look outside, its snowing.. and sticking to the ground! Burlington's getting its first real taste of winter today, with rain that has transitioned to snow just in time for that evening commute. Bundle up and drive carefully out there. We're looking at temperatures dropping through the 30s today before plummeting into the 20s overnight, with scattered snow showers continuing through Tuesday. Most of us will see a trace to 2 inches of accumulation, though the peaks of Mount Mansfield and Jay Peak could pick up 4 inches or more. The cold snap sticks around all week with highs struggling to reach 40 degrees, well below our usual 49 for mid-November. Friday brings our best shot at dry weather before another round of rain and snow arrives Sunday. Here we go, buckle up, and find the right events to keep you warm, because this just our famous Vermont weather in action!

Standing Stone Wines hosts their Big Annual Thanksgiving Wine Tasting starting at 6 PM, featuring 15 wines perfect for your holiday table. Over at Higher Ground, catch Emery at 7:30 PM, the undisputed kings of Christian emo bringing two decades of post-hardcore chaos and heartbreak harmonies to South Burlington. For those who prefer trivia to mosh pits, Switchback Brewing runs Stranger Things Trivia Night at 7 PM in the Beer Garden, perfect timing for channeling your inner Eleven on 11/11. Doors open at 5 PM. The Champlain Valley Expo continues accepting winter storage through Tuesday at 3 PM if you still need to stash that boat, RV, or motorcycle through April.

Veterans Day brings meaningful ways to honor those who served, starting with a free dinner at Burlington Elks Lodge on North Avenue from 5:30 to 6:30 PM where veterans and a guest eat free, others welcome for $12. True to their motto "As long as there are veterans, we will never forget them," the Elks keep this tradition strong. The evening deepens with Lama Rod Owens speaking on healing and liberation at the O.N.E. Community Center at 6 PM. Music lovers can catch Arkansas roots artist Nick Shoulders at Higher Ground at 8 PM, bringing his family's Ozark musical lineage and punk defiance to an all-ages show, or enjoy the Me2 Orchestra performing "Views of America" at 7:30 PM at St. Michael's College in a free, stigma-free concert conducted by Michael Colburn.

Tuesday packs the calendar with everything from clothing swaps to community meetings. The Grateful Gathering Women's Clothing Swap at Sandbox on Pine Street runs from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, where you can exchange up to five winter pieces for $20 (even less with code SWAPNOW), plus snag 20% off any clothing repairs you bring along. Winooski Memorial Library hosts a community discussion of "The Light Pirate" at 6 PM, Vermont Reads' selection about a girl named after a catastrophic storm navigating Florida's climate-changed coastline. Burlington Technical Center offers a free LinkedIn workshop from 6 to 7:30 PM at their Church Street location, teaching profile creation and connection building for career growth. Ward 1 residents should hit the NPA meeting at Friends Meeting House at 6:30 PM with dinner served early. They're selecting a representative for the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Committee, a real opportunity to influence how Burlington spends federal HUD money. Foodies won't want to miss Black Flannel's exclusive Jasper Hill Beer Pairing Dinner at 6 PM, a five-course collaboration curated by Chef Jonathan Pacheco and three Cicerones for $100 per person. Meanwhile, music fans can catch Bob Wagner & Friends at Shelburne Vineyard at 7:30 PM among the wine barrels, featuring songs from Wagner's forthcoming debut album with special appearances recorded by Oliver Wood and Sturgill Simpson's guitarist Laur Joamets.

Wednesday brings South Burlington's Spotlight 802 featuring Burton owner Donna Carpenter at City Hall's library auditorium, with free appetizers at 5:30 PM before ABC22's Bo-Yee Poon moderates at 6 PM. Hear how Carpenter went from dipping snowboards in polyurethane in the 1980s to becoming Burton's first female CEO and current board chair, continuing her late husband Jake's legacy while committing $2M annually to values-aligned organizations. Thursday gets busy with April Cornell's 50th Anniversary Celebration from noon to 7 PM at their Battery Street flagship, featuring the grand opening of their new Artful Home section with hand-painted artisan furniture, up to 40% off current styles, refreshments all day, and live harp music from local musician Evergreen from 4 to 7 PM. That evening, choose between Jamaican roots reggae legend Chezidek at Foam Brewers at 7 PM for the Croptember Harvest Party with Boston's Roots Alley Collective, The North Face's Trango film screening at Outdoor Gear Exchange at 7 PM following ski mountaineers on Pakistan's first descent of the Great Trango Glacier while benefiting Vermont Adaptive, or Vermont's own Dead Sessions at Higher Ground with doors at 5:30 PM, bringing authentic Grateful Dead tributes from musicians who've shared stages with the Dead themselves.

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We’ve got an official Meetup group for Burlington! The city’s packed with things to do. Btown Brief highlights it, and Btown Brief IRL gets you out experiencing it with people.

Always a great turn out, last Saturday 20 people came and went, my goodness! Another coffee meetup this Saturday at 10am at Zero Gravity. It’s always great seeing familiar faces, and even better meeting new ones each week. We’ll chat about Vermont living, touch on a bit of local news, and share what’s worth checking out around town this weekend. Come hang, have a coffee, and join the conversation.

If you want to connect outside of coffee meet-ups, join the Telegram chat. It’s the easiest place to see what others are up to, share ideas, and make casual plans while I keep improving how these events run. Feedback is always welcome! It’s just a one-man team so any sounding boards are great.

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Main Street now open, but some won't be returning

Main Street will fully reopen to traffic by Thanksgiving as the Great Streets BTV project pauses for winter, marking a key milestone after 21 months of disruptions. The $30 million initiative, which will resume in April 2026, aims to shift 60% of the street's space from cars to pedestrians and public use. However, the construction's severe impact, including 30-50% sales drops for businesses, has led to permanent closures like the iconic music venue Nectar's, which will not reopen.

Burlington Council Wrap: New Parks Director, Student Housing Crisis, and a Major Financial Boost

Posting my City Council summary one edition later than normal, but here goes! At the November 3rd meeting, the Burlington City Council unanimously confirmed Phil Lewis as the new Director of Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront, expressing hope he can provide empathetic leadership to a department struggling with low morale. The UVM Student Tenant Union returned for its third consecutive meeting to detail "horror stories" of dorm conditions, including sewage floods, exposed wiring, and mold, stating that UVM administration claims fixing the issues is "too burdensome." The council also received a major financial boost with the announcement that Moody's upgraded the city's credit rating to AA2, which will lower interest rates for recently approved bonds. Finally, the council unanimously passed a resolution to strengthen its relationship with the city's eight Neighborhood Planning Assemblies, formalizing a better consultation process and providing new training for members. There was way more as well. Read the full summary my checking out this link: Burlington City Council Summaries by Btown Brief

At Champlain Valley Union High School, the path to turf is full of PFAS

A proposal for a $5.5 million privately-funded artificial turf field at CVU High School is facing strong opposition over environmental contamination. The Hinesburg Conservation Commission is opposing the project, citing risks of PFAS (forever chemicals) from the turf contaminating the town's well-water-based drinking supply. While project leader Eli Lesser-Goldsmith states the FieldTurf product is used statewide and meets legal standards, opponents like activist Jennifer Decker argue it violates Act 131, a state law banning PFAS in turf that takes effect in January.

VTGOP Chair Wins Reelection in a Squeaker

VTGOP Chair Paul Dame narrowly won reelection with 50 votes to conservative Sen. Russ Ingalls' 47 at the party's Burlington convention. Dame successfully argued he works well with the media and Gov. Scott's administration, while Ingalls' challenge claimed the party is "broke" and he would be better at fundraising. The tight race highlights internal debates on strategy as the party works to protect its significant 2024 legislative gains, which included 17 new House seats.

How Bernie Sanders laid the groundwork for a democratic socialist mayor in New York

New York City's democratic socialist mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, called Bernie Sanders "the single most influential political figure in my life," crediting Sanders' 2016 campaign for his political language, reports VTDigger. Mamdani, who defeated Andrew Cuomo, studied Sanders' 1981 Burlington mayoral victory and used similar grassroots tactics to connect with working-class voters. Sanders views the 34-year-old as the movement's future, but analysts like Middlebury's Matthew Dickinson question if the model is too progressive to be replicated nationally.

Howard Center Hosts Job Fair in Winooski on November 15

Howard Center, Vermont's largest social service organization, is hosting a job fair this Saturday, November 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the O'Brien Community Center in Winooski. The event aims to fill full-time, part-time, and temporary roles across its 50+ programs, which provide mental health and substance use services to 19,000 people annually. Recruiters will conduct on-the-spot interviews, and those who can't attend can join weekly hiring events, including a virtual session via Zoom.

Mayor, council revamp Sanders-Era assemblies

The Burlington City Council has unanimously passed a resolution to reinforce the role of the city's eight Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPAs), the ward-based citizen groups originating from Bernie Sanders' 1981 mayoral campaign. The measure, signed by Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, directs CEDO to standardize NPA priority lists and requires the council to consult NPAs on major developments and charter changes. Critics, however, dismiss the resolution as "window dressing," arguing it fails to address chronic underfunding (around $2-4k annually per NPA) and declining participation.

Small farmers turning to new tech tools

Small Vermont farms are using new agritech tools to ease labor shortages and climate impacts, with Rutland maple producer Brian Kussel praising the "peace of mind" from an app-based monitor called Farmblox. The system, which he installed with a state grant, alerts him to equipment issues like frozen sap lines, ending his 2 a.m. manual checks. The Montpelier-based Agritech Institute for Small Farms is also helping producers adopt tools like 'Nofence,' a virtual fencing system that uses GPS collars to manage rotational grazing.

City Approves $631,000 Dredging Plan

With Lake Champlain at its lowest level since 1918 (nearly three feet below normal) the Burlington City Council has approved $631,000 for emergency harbor dredging. The low water has left boat slips in mud and forced staff to manually move vessels at the Community Boathouse Marina. The project, the first full dredging in 25 years, will remove sediment from the marina and Perkins Pier by spring 2026 to ensure the waterfront remains functional.

Restored 1950s film editing machines allow students to explore historical film production

Two 1950s-era Steenbeck 16mm film editing machines have been restored for student use at UVM's film and television studies department. Professor Deborah Ellis, who secured the donated machines, says they will debut in the spring "Archival Filmmaking" course, allowing students to physically cut and splice film. The analog machines, restored by the only U.S. specialist, will also be used in a future "Cutting Up Lucy" class to re-edit old episodes and teach the "materiality" of filmmaking from before the digital era.

A conversation with Linda Howe, director of the Winooski Food Shelf

The 40-year resident has volunteered for over a decade, transforming the operation from a tiny church corner to a full first-floor operation adapting to cultural diversity by stocking halal options and lentils for refugee families. COVID drove numbers through the roof, forcing outdoor operations that continue today as volunteers fill 100 bags each Tuesday morning for distribution twice monthly.

Vermont issues food aid as Trump administration appeals court rulings on federal benefits

Vermont issued $6 million in state-funded food aid to 36,000 households on Friday after the five-week federal government shutdown paused 3SquaresVT (SNAP) payments, VTDigger reports. Vermont is one of only a few states, including New Mexico and Virginia, to provide direct replacement benefits rather than just funding food banks. The move came as the Trump administration appealed a federal court order to fully fund the benefits, though an appeals court upheld that order late Friday, with Vermont's Emergency Board ready to reconvene if federal funds don't resume.

On the road Sunday, the men's basketball team remained undefeated (3-0) by clinching a dramatic 89-84 double-overtime victory against Brown. Junior TJ Long was unstoppable, erupting for a career-high 40 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for his first-ever double-double. Long willed the team to victory, but it was a clutch, buzzer-beating shot by TJ Hurley that sent the game into the second overtime, capping a wild road win.

It was a devastating end to a brilliant season for the women's soccer team, which fell to Maine in the America East Championship at home on Sunday. After grabbing an early 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from Emma Warren and Lauren DeGroot, the Catamounts saw Maine battle back to tie the game 2-2. Following two scoreless overtime periods, the championship was decided by a penalty kick shootout, which Maine narrowly won 4-3.

At Patrick Gym, the women's basketball team continued its dominant start, cruising to an 84-49, 35-point victory over Saint Anselm on Saturday. Senior Nikola Priede led all scorers with 23 points and eight rebounds, while Keira Hanson added 18 points in the rout.

It was a difficult weekend on the ice for both hockey programs as they faced ranked opponents. The men's ice hockey team fell 5-0 at Gutterson Fieldhouse on Saturday to #17 Boston College, completing a weekend sweep for the Eagles. The women's ice hockey team traveled to Boston and nearly pulled off an upset against #9 Northeastern, ultimately falling 3-2. Mya Lawrence scored her first career collegiate goal in the effort, and goaltender Zoe Cliche made a career-high 36 saves to keep the Catamounts in the game.

I hope you’re enjoying those Wednedays editions! I have plans for a rotation of Food Deal highlights, Poll Questions, Top Reddit Posts, Volunteer Opportunities, Reader Photos, Restaurant Spotlights, Small Business Features, and Btown Explained (quick local deep dive). Or Dine Out Review, Podcast Pick, Pet of the Week (adoptable to user submitted), new local Job Highlights, a Burlington Throwback Photo or Fact, and a quick Burlington Game like “Spot That Location”, VT crossword, or unscramble popular Burlington terms.

Here are some of my favorite btownbrief links:

Full list of 202+ activities to do at anytime is always waiting here when you need a plan: 202+ Things to Do

Full list of restaurant reviews here.

Soon to be updated with even more Burlington food deals. View the full list of food & drink deals here.

Stay warm out there as winter makes its early entrance. Remember to check those windshield wipers and give yourself extra time on the roads tomorrow morning. Keep sending your tips and local happenings our way, and we'll see you Wednesday with another round of what's brewing in the Queen City.

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