In 2010, garden designer Itaru Sasaki of Japan installed a telephone booth in his garden that he called a "phone of the wind." The rotary phone line was not connected to anything, but the booth gave Sasaki a meaningful place to have a one-way conversation with his cousin, who had died of cancer. The following year, an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan, killing nearly 20,000 people. Sasaki opened his booth to the public, and thousands have since visited to "call" their loved ones, their words carried on the wind to the other side. "Wind phones" have caught on around the globe, including ..read more

In addition to Dune: Part Two, here's what is playing in Northern and Central Vermont movie theaters this week. Listings include new movies, vintage films and a directory of open theaters. new in theaters KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: On an Earth that has been ruled by apes for 300 years, a young chimp goes on a life-changing road trip in the latest series entry, directed by Wes Ball and starring Freya Allan, Kevin Durand and Dichen Lachman. (145 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Roxy, Star, Sunset) THE LONG GAME: Set in 1955, Julio Quintana's sports drama tells the ..read more

Burlington had never seemed so far away to Joel Rosinsky. His heart was set on making it to the Flynn theater to attend a 50th-anniversary performance of Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show, his favorite, on April 20. But Rosinsky, who no longer drives, faced a now-familiar conundrum: He had no way to get there from his home in Essex Junction, a mere 10 miles away. Since Rosinsky gave up his driver's license three years ago because of eyesight loss to macular degeneration, his world has closed in on him. The nearest bus stop is a half-mile walk. The bus trip to Burlington ..read more

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Many Burlingtonians know that Battery Park served as a military base during the War of 1812 and Americans there repelled a British naval attack with cannon fire. Far fewer know that they can thank a long-shuttered glass company for turning the space into a park. Queen City historian Diana Carlisle documented the connection in a history journal nearly 25 years ago. Now she's behind an effort to install a commemorative marker in Battery Park to share its unique history with a wider audience. "I love the story of people who are behind everything," Carlisle said. The glassworkers were "super impo ..read more

A story often hits harder when viewers know it's true, and tick, tick... BOOM! is — at least as far as make-believe musical comedy can be. The composer Jonathan Larson wrote an autobiographical monologue in 1991, when his career seemed stalled. It wouldn't be long before Larson broke through with the prize-winning Rent, a Broadway success he didn't live to see. Converted to a three-person musical after his death, BOOM! is Larson's story of early disappointment and unshakable hope. The Vermont Stage production bounces with youthful conviction. The show begins with a ticking clock as Jon tells ..read more

Pop art seems a little deflated. A movement that once used everyday objects to interrogate capitalism has mutated into a shiny kaiju of commerce, stomping all over its rebellious roots. Which makes "Circles & Squares," a two-person show of post-pop paintings by Jack Kenna and Miles Shelton at Hexum Gallery in Montpelier, so surprising. Kenna's intricate, brightly colored portraits of milk crates vibrate with energy. Shelton's minutely observed paintings of price stickers offer up the blurs, blobs and blunders that personalize the mechanical, ordinary and brutal act of declaring worth. Bot ..read more

The Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn in Burlington is only open on Saturday afternoons and to patrons prior to theater shows. Currently, extensive work on Main Street makes just getting to the gallery a bit challenging. Despite these restrictions, making the effort to experience "Heavy Kinship Vol. 9" is very much worthwhile. Viewers will find an installation that inventively transforms the space and stimulates both eye and mind. Danish artist Nana Francisca Schottländer works "at the intersection between dance, performance, installation, and conceptual art," according to the Flynn's descr ..read more

After floods hit downtown Barre last summer, City Councilor Thom Lauzon toured the damage with other local officials and met with residents whose homes had been destroyed. Lauzon, 62, a businessman known for his strong opinions and assertive nature, said the experience convinced him that he should seek another term as mayor, a position he held from 2006 to 2018. He's facing City Councilor Samn Stockwell, 71, an English professor at Community College of Vermont. If elected on May 14, she would be Barre's first woman mayor, as well is its first openly gay one. She often speaks about helping und ..read more

When you've been anointed a "next big thing" by gilded outlets such as Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, there's a danger of being typecast. With an ethereal voice and guitar chops for days, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy is already wearing a cape as the Next Great Indie-Rock Hero. Observe Glaspy's irresistible charm and effortless sense of cool in the video for "Act Natural," the first single from her acclaimed 2023 LP, Echo the Diamond. All fuzzy guitars and indie-rock stomp, the song shows Glaspy at the intersection of riot grrrl and ingénue as she takes turns sipping coffee a ..read more