Community Compass
Community Compass is a service of OITM. GLBT organizations from around the state are invited to provide brief — 200 words or less — descriptions of recent or upcoming activities and events. Send your submissions to us by email by the 15th of the month.
Mountain Pride Media Wishes To Thank . . . Each month, Mountain Pride Media (MPM) acknowledges the individuals who help get OITM out into the community. Thanks to Jess, Judy, Mary, Al, Mike, Stephen, Dustin, Cindy, Dan, James, Liz, Trese, Fred, Patrick, Marsha, Aldora, Don, and Chicky. A special note of thanks to Don and Chicky for allowing us to borrow their truck and delivering the mail to the Richmond Post Office on Friday and also to Mike who unlocked the office Thursday afternoon so the papers could be delivered. The May “Stuffing” will be on Thursday, May 30th starting at 5:30 p.m. at our office, above The Daily Bread, in Richmond, Vermont. Please feel free to stop by, say hello and help out.
Mountain Pride Media welcomes the newest members to our staff and Board of Directors. Tania Kupczak has been hired as Mountain Pride Media’s first Operations Manager. Vicky Phillips has joined the Board after serving as a community member on our Strategic Planning Committee. Please help us welcome them.
We also extend thanks to Jenn Ponder (Advertising Sales Manager) and Mack Roark (Web Editor/Designer) for all their work for MPM. Mack has been volunteering for MPM since 1998. He has been our Web Editor/Designer since June 1999 and also served a term as the Art Director of OITM. Jenn has been our Advertising Sales Manager since July 2001. Both have been incredible assets to Mountain Pride Media, and we applaud their work and dedication.
Mountain Pride Media thanks everyone who attended our Spring Fundraiser in Leicester, VT and especially Carrie Rampp and Jenn Ponder, our hosts. We would like to acknowledge everyone who made a donation or a pledge at this event. The Publishing Committee thanks everyone who came out to our “Be A Hero Open House” on Tuesday, April 16th. A special thanks to the Daily Bread Bakery for their donation of baked goods. We’ve also recently benefited from Tom Jiamachello’s generous donation of office furniture and supplies. Thanks Tom!
Pride Vermont Gets Busier
With less than a month before June 1 rings in with the Montpelier kick-off parade and festivities, Pride Vermont 2002, Peace in Unity is shaping up to be a wonderful month of activities. Check the insert in this issue for a preview of events, as we receive word of them. As a state we can come together, displaying strength through representation in the global community. If you are interested in planning or already are planning an event in your locale, contact Brian Cina at 859-9238 for more information and assistance by May 10 to be included in our June publicity and calendar.
Pride VT committee members will be hosting 2 raffles at 135 Pearl in Burlington this month on Fridays: May 3 and May 10, during Womyns Night and Shakti. Its a great way to twist and shake to the rhythms of spring while contributing to this Junes events.
The second weekend of May holds a number of events to benefit this years Speak Out Rally, Parade and Festival Saturday, June 15 in Burlington. Friday, May 10 sees Pride VT’s annual Silent Auction move to Burlington. Co-hosted by the St. John’s Club and Bobs Karaoke Kapers, the evening includes a hearty buffet with vegetarian and organic options and numerous delectable treats to bid for in the Auction. Contact Rose at 879-6654 for more information. The St. John’s Club is located at 9 Central Avenue in Burlington.
At the Holiday Inn Rutland on Saturday the 11th, the Barony of All Vermont is holding Investitures II. The 8p.m. show is hosted by the lovely Barons and Baronesses of Vermont. Tickets are $15/$20. Please email
baronyofallvermont@yahoo.com for more information and group accommodation rates.
For those in the Champlain Valley that evening, the House of LeMay is hosting a benefit performance. The show is being hosted at 135 Pearl in Burlington Saturday night, and Sunday the 12th at the St. John’s Club with a dinner included.
If you feel its your destiny to MC during the Festival on June 15 – if its in your stars and speech to bless the community during the performances that day, then let us know by sending us a letter of up to 100 words on why or how you can enliven the proceedings. Send it to Pride VT, PO Box 1433, Burlington, VT 05401.
We are meeting twice on Tuesdays, May 14 and 28, from 7 to 9 pm at the McClure Multi-Generational Center, 271 No. Winooski Ave, Burlington. If you have any ideas, proposals, or just want to lend a hand and mind, stop in. For any more information, please contact Brian at 859-9238 and check the website: pridevermont.org
A History of Pride
The Vermont Queer Archives at the R.U.12? Community Center and Pride Vermont 2002 would like to hear from you! We are putting together a History of Pride as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pride in Vermont. Let us know your stories as we assemble a comprehensive history of the event from the 80s through the Millennium. We would love to hear from everyone, from organizers to marchers to entertainers and those who participated in other ways. Email archive@ru12.org or call Meg at 860-7812.
Outright Vermont’s Youth Pride 2002
Queer, Questioning and Allied youth and their adult supporters are cordially invited to attend Outright Vermont’s Youth Pride 2002 Celebration on Saturday, May 11th. Organized by Outright’s queer youth activists, this year’s Celebration will be bigger and better than ever before! Don’t miss this chance to come out, learn a little about queer youth issues and concerns, and party the night away at our Drag Wedding Prom.
All events are on Saturday, May 11 in various venues around downtown Burlington. Here’s all the 411 you need:
SAFE COMMUNITIES OPEN FORUM at 1:30 p.m. in the Fletcher Free Library Community Room (235 College Street). This panel is for and by Queer Youth and their youth allies ages 22 and under. Youth will discuss ending harassment and heterosexism through youth activism. Adults will have a separate space to discuss how to be good allies.
YOUTH PRIDE SPEAK OUT on the steps of City Hall (at the intersection of Church and Main) at 3 p.m. Step up to the mike and share your hopes and concerns for our community.
THE YOUTH PRIDE PARADE will step off from City Hall at 4 p.m. and head up Church Street. Come shock the shoppers and show your pride colors!
Finally, THE YOUTH PRIDE PROM starts at 7 p.m. at the YMCA, 266 College Street. This year’s prom theme is “Drag Wedding.” Wear your finest wedding day duds and come ready to dance to the music of the Sound Factory. Food, entertainment and more. Admission is $5.00, more if you can, less if you can’t, no one turned away for lack of funds.
And, if you don’t want it to end, Outright Vermont is hosting a youth sleep over at Xando, our drop-in center. If you want to come from far away, you can sleep over in our space and drive back the next day. Space is limited, so let us know if you want to bring your sleeping bag and camp out with us. Contact us at 1-800-GLB CHAT or via email at info@outrightvt.org. This year’s events are co-sponsored by Vermont CARES, R.U.12? Community Center and Club Youth Speak Out!
Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force Celebrates
The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force (VFTMTF) will celebrate the second anniversary of the landmark Civil Union law with a huge cake and float on Pride Day, June 15th, in downtown Burlington. The theme will be “We Cut the Cake!”
The cake will be at the VFTMTF booth and will contain several “lucky beans” which entitle recipients to great prizes like free weekends at luxury resorts. Lake Morey Inn in Fairlee has donated a weekend for two that includes dinner, breakfast, and all amenities and greens fees.
The Task Force will host a number of friendly get-togethers around the state in May and June to work on this event and begin planning for fairs this summer and fall. We will be seeking volunteers to “adopt a fair” by helping to plan and staff the VFTMTF booths. Fair sign-up sheets will be available at the regional meetings and at Pride.
The Bennington County region will meet on Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m. at Bennington Free Library. For information call Rose at 823-0257. Keith Ribnick is putting together a meeting for Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties. Please contact him at 878-9711 for more information.
The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force mission is to educate Vermonters regarding the issues surrounding the freedom of same-gender couples to enter into civil marriages. To volunteer or to learn more about meetings in your area, please call Task Force Coordinator Mitzi Johnson at 802-372-5272.
The Garden at North Hill Open as Benefit for Aids Project
Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd, partners in North Hill, will open their extensive garden in south-central Vermont this summer to benefit the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont. North Hill Garden will be open for touring on Sunday, June 30; Wednesday, July 31; & Saturday, August 31, from 9 am to 3 pm.
Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd, nationally recognized garden designers and horticulturists started the garden at North Hill 1977. It now comprises about seven acres under intense cultivation, surrounded by a larger tract of mature hardwoods of beech and maple. The mission of the garden has become to grow as many species as might be hardy in a climate that experiences winter lows of -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Contributions to the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont are taken at the entrance to the Garden. The mission of the AIDS Project is to provide services to people affected by HIV and AIDS and to prevent the transmission of HIV. Our services are free to all those whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS. Tours generally take an hour. If you are interested in touring North Hill, please send your request in writing to the Project. It should include the following information:
1. Choice of Date: Sunday, June 30; Wednesday, July 31; or Saturday, August 31.
2. Choice of time: 9 am - 3 pm (tours every 20 minutes, include 1st and 2nd choice)
Limit is 4 tickets per request. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail the request to: North Hill, c/o AIDS Project, PO Box 1486, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
Sowing the Seeds of Love at 15th Annual AIDS Walk
Join us on Saturday, May 18 for the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont’s 15th Annual Walk for Life. We will walk up Main Street to the Brattleboro Town Common wearing red ribbons, carrying balloons and holding love in our hearts.
The Walk for Life combines several aspects: it is our major public event and fundraiser and it is also a focus for the pride and spirit of the community. We will have a program with singing and remembrance of family and friends lost and in recognition of those who are living with HIV/AIDS. Afterwards the Project will provide lunch to all participants.
The Project asks those who participate in the Walk to seek sponsors for their effort. Last year, donations raised from the Walk exceeded $12,000. The AIDS Project of Southern Vermont offers prevention programs and direct services to persons living with or at risk for HIV and AIDS in Southern Vermont.
Last year the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont served 70 people living with HIV or AIDS and 40 family members and partners. These individuals live in Windham, Bennington, and southern Windsor Counties in Vermont, and in adjacent areas of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The Project also provides HIV prevention services to people at highest risk, including: youth, women, gay and bisexual men, users of injection drugs, and HIV-positive individuals and their partners. This is a time to celebrate because people are living longer, because education and prevention are working and because the community cares. In this spirit the Walk symbolizes courage and compassion and strength. The AIDS Walk is an opportunity for you to show support for this vigorous fight against AIDS. A Pledge sheet is all you need to participate in the AIDS Walk. Pledge sheets are available online at www.aidsprojectsouthernvermont.org or call 802 254-8263 or e-mail mff@sover.net for more information.
Theatre on a Shoestring
Theatre on a Shoestring is proud to present the hilarious comedy Love, Sex, and the IRS by William van Zandt and Jane Milmore on May 16-18 at the Recital Hall on the Redstone Campus in Burlington. Tickets are now on sale by calling the Flynn Regional Box Office at (802) 86-FLYNN or online at www.theatreshoe.com. Tickets are $8 / adults and $5 / children 6-12 and senior citizens. Parking is available at the Campus Presbyterian Church’s parking lot adjacent to the recital hall on May 17 and 18 only!
TOAS is seeking a musical director/pianist for its fall production of Nuncrackers – The Nunsense Christmas Musical by Dan Goggins – a Vermont premiere. Auditions are August 23 from 7-9PM and August 24 from 1-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at the McClure Multigenerational Building / Champlain Senior Center. Rehearsals begin the following week from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and 1-4 p.m. on Saturdays with productions at 7:30 p.m. at the FlynnSpace on Nov. 28-30 (as well as a 1p.m. matinee on the 30th). A $300 stipend is available. If you are interested, please send a resume and references to Nuncrackers MD/Pianist, c/o TOAS, PO Box 1012, Burlington, VT 05402-1012. We hope to be able to fill this position by June 1.
TOAS is also seeking an experienced lighting director for Nuncrackers who can create a spectacular lighting scheme. Must be familar with FlynnSpace lighting equipment as well as being able to work both by yourself and as part of a group. A $300 stipend is available. If you are interested in this position, please send a resume and references to Nuncrackers LD, c/o TOAS, PO Box 1012, Burlington, VT 05402-1012.
For more information, please feel free to contact TOAS at info@theatreshoe.com.