According to Wake Robin resident Rudyard Colter, last year his family and friends "entered into a gentle conspiracy" to surprise Janet, his wife of 68 years on her 93rd birthday. He said he wanted to give her a gift that would "knock her socks off."

The Art on Burton examines the profound role of art and design on the culture of snowboarding by exhibiting work from artists who have contributed to the design and image of Vermont's own Burton Snowboards. Snowboarding's imagery and products have consistently re-enforced its position as a counter-culture lifestyle.

Shelburne resident Geoffrey Penar will be performing in the opera Don Giovanni in Montreal on Jan.26 and 28. Penar is in a master's program in opera studies at McGill, having graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance last May.

The St. Andrews Highland Dancers (SAHDVT) will host the 3rd annual Celtic Winter Gathering (CWG) in Shelburne at the All Souls Interfaith Gathering on Saturday, Jan. 14. CWG organizers Heather Morris and Doug Webster have planned a Highland Dance competition starting at 10 a.m. through 3 p.m. Workshops in drumming and Cape Breton Step dance will occur during the day. There will be an evening performance starting at 7 p.m. Food, tea, coffee and music will be available throughout the day.

Parents, friends, and students filled CVU's hallways and theater seats last Thursday evening when they celebrated the arts-all of the arts-with aplomb. The CVU performing arts department presented Celebrate the Arts Night with a lively and all-encompassing show.

Chittenden Solid Waste District's (CSWD) art competition, Creative Reuse Showcase, is now in its 16th year. And it is more than than just an art contest for high school students in Chittenden County. There's a twist: Chittenden County high school students create this art from items typically thought of as being at the end of their useful life.

Select Design, in collaboration with Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne, will exhibit "Variations in Abstraction: Steven P. Goodman, Beth Pearson, and Gail Salzman" through Feb. 17. An opening reception will be held Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the company's headquarters in Burlington.

OK, so perhaps the 'prime objective' of Steve Waltien and Andrew Knox's return to 05482 is to enjoy the holidays with their families. But come the night after Christmas (funny how you never hear about that night...) these two native sons are jumping up on stage in Burlington to do what they do best - make us laugh.

The Renaissance School children and families gathered Friday Dec. 16 for the school's annual holiday performance at the Shelburne Town Gymnasium. This year they presented an adaptation of "The Mitten Tree" by Candace Christiansen.

The Essex Children's Choir will present the Twenty-Fifth Twelfth Night Celebration, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012, at 6:30 p.m., at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel, at Saint Michael's College in Colchester.

Burlington Ensemble will launch its new rehearsal series "Music 101: Workshops & Cafe" on Saturday, Dec. 17 at All Souls Interfaith Gathering on Bostwick Road in Shelburne.

The Vermont Symphony Orchestra has just produced "Triple Doubles," a compact disc featuring soloists violinist Jaime Laredo, the VSO's music director and conductor, and his wife, the noted cellist Sharon Robinson.

The group of six women gather together weekly and have done so for years. Their agenda is to paint, although other pursuits are apt to be incorporated into their gatherings.

As long as the snow shows up, Shelburne Farms will again be offering its nostalgic sleigh rides daily from Dec. 22 - Jan. 1 (except Christmas Day). The rides are scheduled for every half hour, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Ted Koppel, former anchor of ABC's "Nightline" and a special correspondent for NBC's "Rock Center with Brian Williams," interviews former ABC News Foreign Correspondent Barrie Dunsmore of Charlotte about his new book "There and Back" at the Newseum in Washington D.C. Sunday, Dec. 11.

Let the magical voices of Bella Voce move you into the holiday spirit. Gather friends and family and enjoy an evening full of seasonal treats, fabulous Vermont art, and a concert in the sanctuary featuring the Bella Voce women's chorus!

The choir of the Shelburne United Methodist Church (UMC) will present a Christmas cantata "Lead Me Back to Bethlehem" at the church's morning worship service on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 9:30 a.m.

Former ABC News foreign correspondent Barrie Dunsmore will be at the Flying Pig Bookstore Thursday, Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. to speak and sign his new book "There and Back."

At a time of year when tradition blends with the new, Counterpoint continues its annual series of holiday concerts, but under the direction of a new Artistic Director, Dr. Nathaniel G. Lew, with the addition of some new voices and with a guest artist, organist Susan Summerfield.

Young Tradition Vermont and the Vermont Folklife Center will present "Nowell Sing We Clear" on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. at the Unitarian Church in Burlington. This is a raucous, irreverent event...a true sense of merrymaking from ages past!

Three SCS students deserve congratulations: Erin Bundock, eighth grade, Natalie Senior, fifth grade, and Jamie Ray, fourth grade.

At 7 p.m. this Thursday and Friday, Dec. 8 and 9, the Alpha middle school team of Shelburne Community School will be performing the musical comedy "Tumbleweeds" in the SCS cafeteria.

The 30 member ME2/orchestra is composed of individuals with mental health issues and the people who support them.

Shelburne photographer Paul Boisvert and his wife Ellen McShane joined friends and fans and Wind Ridge Publishing on Tuesday evening Nov. 29 at the Ice House to celebrate the release of Boisvert's new book, "Burlington ~ A Sense of Place."

Vermont Ballet Theater is returning for its seventh season with the luxurious production of "The Nutcracker" ballet. With four sold-out performances last year at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, it has quickly become a Christmas tradition for Vermont families.

Handel's Messiah is a traditional favorite during the holiday season and on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m., it will be performed at the Charlotte Congregational Church by a group of well-known musicians and singers with one special caveat - the audience is invited to sing-a-long.

"Art on a Wire," a small show of original watercolor paintings by Katra Kindar from her ongoing series "Les Bicyclettes de Paris" will be exhibited at rD studio/gallery in Vergennes through Dec. 24.

It's interesting that the human brain is pulled like a magnet toward creating music and even more interesting that music pulls our bodies to dance. But when the desire to dance is so intense that a crowd willingly forms a moshpit, that's music with power.

Residents that hope to shop locally and to find something particularly unique need only stroll about town this holiday season. The work of dozens of Vermont's gifted and accomplished artists have been gathered in winter exhibits at two of Shelburne's art galleries, offering a unique opportunity to celebrate the season and support Vermont's vibrant creative community of artists and businesses.

The Vermont International Festival will be held Friday, Dec 2 through Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction.

Paul Boisvert recalls the camera he received from his father when just eight years old and growing up on Shelburne Farms. It was a portent of things to come: passions to be cultivated, and books to be published.

Nearly 200 people were at the Burlington Hilton Saturday night, Nov. 19, to honor the winners of the annual Vermont Association of Broadcasters (VAB) awards. Four people were inducted into the VAB Hall of Fame, including news reporter Andy Potter, sportscaster George Commo, VPT CEO John King, and legendary crooner and broadcaster Rudy Vallee.

Shelburne Players held a very special reception at the opening of their final performance of "The Homesteaders" last weekend. The play's author, Nina Shengold, came from New York to see the production.

Four local artists are combining their talents in an art show and sale to help the victims of Tropical Storm Irene through the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.

Sage Tucker-Ketchum, left, executive director of the Shelburne Art Center (SAC) and Jill Fox, Wake Robin resident and visual artist, attended SAC's silent auction wreath sale and wine-tasting fundraiser held at Shelburne Vineyards last Thursday evening.

Madeline Weaver of Charlotte rehearses for the Lake Champlain Waldorf High School Drama Club's upcoming production of "South Pacific."

A gala dinner party with celebrity guests preceded the Vermont Symphony Orchestra's Masterworks Series concert at the Flynn Center on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Vermont based Burlington Ensemble produced four concerts recently that generated $8,166 in cash contributions donated toward local Burlington non-profit organizations.