Future Visions

Friday 16-Sunday 18

For members of the Loom Ensemble, moving past the trauma of 2020 is not about getting back to normal but steering toward a better world. To that end, the Dubai- and New York City-based interdisciplinary collective gathered Vermont performers to create the dance-theater work "Twenty Twenty / Twenty Twenty-One." Held outdoors in Montpelier and Brattleboro, the show imagines a world beyond COVID-19, wildfires and social injustice.

Benefit Bazaar

Friday 16 & Saturday 17

Summertime is special for so many reasons: creemees, beach days, lightning bugs — the list goes on. For thrifty shoppers, summer is also known as yard sale season. Bargain hunters can browse gently used and like-new items at Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity's eighth annual Yard and Attic Sale next to Bethany United Church of Christ in Randolph.

Stringing Along

Saturday 17

When it comes to musical inspiration, the Moon Shells aren't bound by borders. Traditional sounds from Appalachia, Louisiana and West Africa inform this Connecticut old-time string band. The five-piece group plays at Catamount Airfield in Cabot at a combination concert and fiddlers gathering. Musicians are welcome to bring instruments and tents for a night of jamming and camping.

Local Nightlife

Thursday 15

Food, music, friends and neighbors — what more could one ask for on a summer evening? The fifth annual SoBu Nite Out series offers these good-time staples every Thursday through August 19. Gathering at Veterans Memorial Park in South Burlington, folks feast on food truck fare amid live tunes from local acts. Burlington rockers the Devon McGarry Band take the stage on July 15.

Moving Meditation

Saturday 17

The Japanese practice of forest bathing is one way folks can experience the great outdoors while reaping the restorative benefits of nature immersion. Certified nature and forest therapy guide Duncan Murdoch leads a Summer Forest Bathing session at the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington, encouraging participants to engage all five senses through a mindful woodland walk.

Animal Planet

Friday 16 & Saturday 17

Families get up close and personal with local fauna — scat, skulls and all — during Magnificent Mammals Day at Quechee's Vermont Institute of Natural Science. This educational and entertaining event kicks off with the virtual talk "The Language of Wolves" on Friday evening. Saturday's in-person schedule includes wildlife encounters and opportunities to explore animal pelts, tracks and trail-camera footage.

Behind Closed Doors

Ongoing

"If these walls could talk about the things that we say and what we hide from the public, what would they tell us?" This is the driving question behind Vermont artist Christy Mitchell's solo installation "Holding Pattern." On view at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in Burlington through August 7, the show features artifacts from the past that tell stories about modern-day topics — both universal and personal to Mitchell.