An Icy Evening Walk in Newport City

Took another walkabout through our iced in city. Enjoy the photos:

Surrealism - a new show at Gallery 99

Chris Hudson ceramic

Mary Alice Brenner painting

A cheerful gallery

Surreal all right...

By Manfried Rieder Starhemberg

A new exhibition in Diane Peel's Gallery 99 across from the Family Dollar is a captivating collection of pieces by twelve local artists. Called "Surreal" it is a bit of that all right as different styles, mediums and levels of professionalism make for an enchanting show in this tastefully decorated and easily accessible space.
Mrs Peel, a local nurse who self finances this gallery and community center originally wanted a place to store and perhaps showcase her later father, the noted Seattle painter Donald Peel's remaining work. He is of course represented as well in this exhibit and would possibly have himself a great time being among the local talent some of whose work complement his own whimsical style and others who clash to starkly that it makes for an amusing counterpoint to his disciplined brush work.
The show will be on through the end of January and it is well worth seeing even by people who are not great art connoisseurs but simply because there are a bunch of good fun pieces, mostly quite affordable but all thought provoking and done by local artists

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Great Fun at the Santa Parade

Nancy and I had a lovely time taking our 29 year old Fifth Avenue Chrysler into the Santa Claus Parade in Newport. Cold hands but warm hearts everywhere...We will have to do this again.

Share some pictures with us:

Living Near an International Border

By Manfried Rieder Starhemberg

For more than two thirds of my adult life I have managed to live near an international border and as a former pilot had the dubious pleasure to deal with hundreds of customs officials on three continents, While this makes me no expert on the mostly historically arbitrary lines which divide the globe, it has shown me one thing: Wherever you go across a border, even in today's unified Europe, you are "in a foreign country". There is an initially almost imperceptible aura which strengthens with every step you take into that "other" country and it does not matter if you cross from Austria to Germany or from Italy into Slovenia. You instantly are a foreign intruder not always as welcome as their tourism officials make you believe you are.
I feel this every time I go back to my old home in Sutton, Quebec or over to Knowlton which we are supposed to call Lac Brome. From the French speaking border officials to the road signage, you now are "abroad". It matters little that I know most people on the Quebec side by first name, having been there for more than 18 years. While before I was a displaced Austrian, now my old friends are amused that I have turned Yankee in my old age and suddenly there is a subtle change in my relationship with them. It is no longer acceptable for me to voice an opinion on local politics even though the current franchise of town management is held by some of my best friends. You have to be a Quebeccer to speak about Quebec affairs.
Coming back through Highwater into Vermont its the same. Nobody here speaks French or at lest very few do and I must admit that the people in the Eastern Townships at least make every effort to speak English to American visitors, My friend, former Mayor Bourque of Montreal paraphrased this well when he told me that "every well bred person in Quebec is bilingual". While applauding my efforts to speak his beloved French, he often chided me in not making more of an effort at being good at it. He is right - I had 18 years and did not apply myself as well as I should have.
My first international border was not a border at all but a demarcation line. My town, Linz, Austria, was divided into the American occupational zone south of the Danube and the Russians held the northern part of Upper Austria. My school was in the Russian zone and every morning, together with a few dozen other kids we had to cross into "enemy territory". On our side, the US Army had built temporary shelters so we could stay warm until the Russians deigned to open the gates at the other side of the bridge. Coming back, the Soviet soldiers made us stand in un-plowed snow, sometimes for more than an hour before they grudgingly let us through. I am sure that in some of us certain resentments were formed that possibly influenced our later choices and opinions in life.
Our southern border was with Italy and my family owned a house there in what originally was called Suedtirol, South Tyrolia, until it was given to Italy after the Great War. Most people in what became known as the Italian province of Alto Adige were German speaking and huge resentment built over the years and in the 60's it blew. Austrians flocked to an association that was known as the "Berg Isel Bund", the "Mount Isel Society", determined to re-take the province. Border stations were blown up and bridges spanning the Austria-Italy line. The Italians retaliated and suddenly we had to have visas to enter our own property which lies just a few kilometers south of the border. Well, it all worked out in the end and the Italians granted autonomy to the region and now it looks a little bit like Quebec with signs in both languages, bilingual schools and municipal administrations. The removal of all European borders makes all this hoopla now look like a bad play but the old people still remember and there are families living across the street from one another who may never speak one word to each other in either language.
Vermont also has a separatist group whose great idea would be to secede from the Union. They have been around for a long time and thankfully are not as boorish as their Quebec separatist counterparts. In Vermont they are considered an amusing bunch of patriots who actually sometimes manage to be heard by the state's legislators when they offer sound advise on regional issues. And they are not at all militant or try to repeatedly hit you over the head with single minded asinine proposals. If there were any, Vermont Muslims could wear whatever they want as long as they hold a valid hunting or fishing license.
Here along lake Memphremagog the border is subtle. If you own a boat in Newport and wish to take it into Canada, a friendly customs official will actually come to the marina or the East Side restaurant docks and the city pier to check your papers and give you permission to sail forth. It cannot get any friendlier than that. In my experience, this courtesy extends all along the Eastern Townships border stations. Unless you have a criminal record and are not allowed to cross into Canada, you will never have a problem. Just don't try it - their computer systems are quite up-to-date. There are issues of course that could be ironed out. A friend of mine owns a restaurant in Newport and recently sent an employee across the great divide to buy some Poutine sauce as her chef wanted to experiment with this Quebec staple and add it to the menu for her many Canadian visitors. Big mistake! They held the poor woman for almost an hour because she was smuggling food stuffs across the border or some such nonsense. She could have had three immigrants with Uzis in the trunk and a kilo  or two of cocaine in the glove compartment - nobody asked about that. But to illegally take poutine into the United States? Unheard of! The way I feel about poutine I might actually have some sympathy with the sentiments of our Homeland Security. There is the remote possibility that poutine could be used as a weapon of mass destruction...
Back to the border. Living in Sutton since 1994, I used to be able to cross the border most of the time without stopping. A friendly wave from the guards in Richford and I was through. I used to deliver bread throughout the Townships and sometimes, Claybank road or the evil old road from Abercorn to Frelighsburg was impassable and, even loaded with a truck full of bread, the friendly border guys who knew me for years never bothered me and the old truck. I did occasionally deliver pizza or croissants on my way.This is all gone now, as are the days where we took a pickup truck complete with pipe organ and a diverse group of revelers across the Valley Missisquios border in Glen Sutton to Richford to supply more beer for the annual Glen Sutton Pig roast. Bummer. I blame it all on BinLaden.
Then it was all over. America wanted passports, Canada retaliated in like and now we have this well defended computer and drone controlled line between our two beautiful countries and I sit on my back porch and look over the lake where I can see the distant hills behind which my old house still sits in Sutton, but now, as a newly minted American immigrant, I need a visa, a passport, my special enhanced driving license and possibly a note from my wife that I am allowed to venture forth into a foreign nation for breakfast with my friend Eddie.
However, for all of us living along this beautiful lake with our hills and vistas and the easy access to points north and south it does not matter very much. We are historically and geographically linked, we eat fish that spawn in Vermont or in Canadian waters and do so without government approval, we do lunch in either country or shop there, from Derby Line to Sherbrooke or from Magog to Cowansville, and to no small degree do we, on both sides of the border, enjoy the subtle differences in our environs that enhance the visit even if it is only a few kilometers for Canadians or miles for us Yankees.

Cheerful Downtown Welcomes New Boutique

By Manfried Rieder Starhemberg

It is almost as if someone has waved a magic wand over Newport's downtown in the past week. Walking along main street at 7PM there are Christmas lights aglow, there are people walking and through the well lit windows you can see at dinner with friends. Merchants tell that they are busy and there is even a brand new boutique, "Boutique Unique" next to Brenda's Restaurant.

Owner Azela Tanguay has relocated from her previous location on Route 417 because she feels that downtown will see a renewal soon and when the storefront formerly occupied by a kitchen store became vacant, she grabbed the location. The transformation is well done, subtle lighting and discreet mirrors highlight a superb collection of woman's clothing with a distinctly international flair.

"I buy from sources in New York, Montreal and Europe" explains Mrs. Tanguay. "I did buy from China one time and actually found the quality quite good but the clothe sizes are too small so I now focus on the traditional quality lines you see here".
Azela used to manage clothing and jewelry venues in Canada but luckily for Newport, she married a local businessman and is now in a business all her own.
At first sight, the place looks expensive and some of the dresses, blouses and jewelry "too rich for Newport". Look again. Woman can  get a fine outfit which will highlight her at any party or restaurant for about $ 50.-, bottom blouse and belt included in some examples shown. Dresses start at $ 40.- and even exquisite Koucla outfits are on the hangers for about $ 60.- At these prices almost anybody can afford that special cosmopolitan look at the next candlelight dinner or the night out with hubby.

Business has already been good and interestingly enough, Boutique Unique has attracted Canadian shoppers. Mrs Tanguay finds that more and more shoppers from across the border are attracted to Newport because of the leisurely shopping experience and quality found here.
"The important thing is to make woman understand that these are not just clothes for supermodels but for regular woman who appreciate some chic and color which is why I showcase a variety of garments which are from subtle to dramatic", sums up Azela.

As for this chronicler - I would actually like to see my Nancy in some of those outfits sometime soon. Did I hear Christmas bells ringing around my ears?

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Newport Pipe Dreams or the "Pot O'Gold"?

I WROTE THIS ON DECEMBER 2 IN 2013: FEELS PROPHETIC NOW:

By Manfried Rieder 

In a recent Newport Daily Express issue Marcia Horne of Derby posed a number of questions and objections regarding the planned EB-5 developments for the greater Newport area. She has a great grasp of the issues involved but my question is:

Cui bono /kwiːˈboʊnoʊ/ "to whose benefit?", literally "as a benefit to whom?" The answer has to be Mr. Stenger and his investors and in my opinion it will not be, cannot be if critically examined, the towns of Newport or Burke or surroundings.

Let me begin with the Renaissance block downtown: This is possibly needed as the area is seedy and run-down. But if it is not done with taste and in an architectural style which enhances the Newport heritage, we would be better of reconstructing the existing buildings as they at least have some historical value and could be reconstructed to blend with the existing motif of our downtown district. In a recent article I voiced the opinion that the new development will not bring the promised new jobs because all the good jobs will be had by people re-locating here with the proposed tenant companies and the available jobs will be secretarial, maintenance and other low level positions and will pay no more than existing jobs in the area which our current pool of almost 11% unemployment should be able to absorb if people were willing to work in the first place.

The proposed waterfront development will not succeed for the simple reason that there is not enough money to be made from the rental of dockage space and hotel rooms. We do not have enough attractions here to bring the amount of people into town to fill the hotel and to make the marina prosper in the short summer season we have. Consider the cost of razing the existing structures, the cost of construction and labor to staff and maintain those great visions and you will easily find that the debt load necessary to build all this holy grail can not be supported by income. I have spoken to hotel owners across the state, from Burlington to Stowe, Stratton mountain and the other highly taunted tourist areas and they are lucky to have a 62% occupancy throughout the year. Simple arythmatic allows us to extrapolate that this new hotel complex in Newport with nothing to offer than a handful of restaurants, a fine lake with more than enough underused mooring facilities and no planning to make it any more attractive will not be able to last.

Let's face it folks - this is a pipe-dream. The only way Newport will make itself more prosperous is if me start doing things the old fashioned way: We have to offer people reasons to come to us. I see absolutely no effort being made in bringing attractions here or to engage the local talent to be more than mediocre. We could have a huge outdoor art festival in the park (I organized one in Montreal for many years and it brought thousands to an otherwise unused park in Notre Dame de Grace and made tons of money for the community). We could have a Jazz festival, a Shakespeare-in-the-park event, we could have a huge city wide sale where all the businesses would put stuff outside at reduced prices and get the people in and if we have some great street musicians to support that and a good hot dog stand, we'll be in business. These are all stand-byes that work for neighboring Sutton, Quebec or Knowlton. But they work. Our downtown is a wasteland but it could be a jewel but as long as our local idiots only listen to million dollar pipe dreams, the small things, the building blocks of a tourist industry, will not ever come to fruition.

Newport is beautiful and it actually has the potential to be the crown jewel; of Vermont but it will not happen by enriching some Chinese guys (or taking their money with the prospect of eventual riches). It can only happen if there is a civic understanding of what we can do with available resources, showcasing the existing businesses instead of undermining them and only if there is an administrative body in place which is not bedazzled by the glorious vision of Futurama but has an old fashioned Vermont grasp of reality, of values received and repaid, of things that can be done without a jet airport or helicopters or Governor Shumlin grovelling in Asia.

My vision of Newport would be that of a town of artists, of music festivals which can be brought to town, of a vibrant street culture, of bright boutiques in the downtrodden downtown which could easily be reconstructed, of an international film festival, new exiting bike paths which could be advertised internationally, like I did for the town of Sutton, which now has almost as many bikers in Summer that it has skiers in winter.

And on the lake we could have an annual opera festival like Bregenz, Austria. We already have the boardwalk, the Gateway etc. All we need is a barge and a willing opera company and we would be in business and the area would be recognized for all those easily accomplished things that only take vision and no big international investments.

I am game to help with any or all of the above and anyone willing to make this Our Newport is encouraged to contact me anytime either at:

mapleleafpress@yahoo.com

or by letter or telephone to:

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Newport on a Snowy Night

By Manfried Rieder Starhemberg

I just took a little walk through our sleepy downtown but it was lovely with a light snow falling down and not many people around but the first Christmas lights are on and in the quiet and peace of the place I felt very much at home. The last but one picture is my rear stairway - I like to see the way up in the dark.
Enjoy the walk with me:

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