Barnes dragon in First Night parade

View the photos that the video is based on.

Also, check out photos of the Barnes dragon in the Burlington Free Press photo gallery (photo 3 of 6 is an under-the-dragon shot of Hassan Dayo, photo 6 of 6 is some feet from the Barnes dragon)

Old North End Nutcracker video

Or view on a larger screen at blip.tv/file/559962/

The Old North End Nutcracker Goes on the Road

12/25 at 2pm: Multigenerational Center on N. Winooski (for the Center's Holiday Dinner)
12/26 at 2pm: Shelburne Bay Senior Residence
12/26 at 4pm: The Arbors in Shelburne
12/27 at 2pm: Starr Farm Nursing in the New North End

The Old North End Nutcracker on Channel 17

Catch a broadcast of the Old North End Nutcrackers on Channel 17 at any of these times:

Fri Dec 21, 7:00 PM
Sat Dec 22, 6:05 AM
Sat Dec 22, 12:05 PM
Sat Dec 22, 6:05 PM
Sun Dec 23, 5:45 AM
Sun Dec 23, 11:45 AM
Sun Dec 23, 5:45 PM
Mon Dec 24, 7:00 PM
Mon Dec 24, 10:00 PM
Tue Dec 25, 3:00 AM
Tue Dec 25, 9:00 AM
Tue Dec 25, 3:00 PM

Old North End Nutcracker Packs the House

Barnes parents and Old North End community members packed the Barnes cafeteria this afternoon for a performance of the "Old North End Nutcracker." Based on the famously Tchaikovsky ballet, but adapted by the kids who performed it, the Old North End Nutcracker tells the story of how the girl Clara receives a magical Nutcracker as a gift while celebrating the winter season with friends and family. The Nutcracker comes to life, toy soldiers battle mice, but Clara makes the King of Mice and the Nutcracker stop fighting and become friends. The three are then entertained by dancers from around the world, including both the Spanish, Arabian and Russian dances from the ballet and Nepali, Somali Bantu and Turkish dances from the cultures of various Barnes families.

The Turkish dance (with Clara and the Nutcracker in the lower right):


The crowd:


The Spanish dancers take a bow:

Saturday: The Old North End Nutcracker

Don’t miss this great neighborhood production!

The Old North End Nutcracker
3 p.m.
Saturday, December 15
Lawrence Barnes Elementary
Admission: Free
(donations accepted)

The Barnes Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) will be selling hot chocolate, coffee, tea, popcorn and home-made baked goods.

Students from 6-11 years old have practiced all semester to bring you the Nutcracker as you’ve never seen it before!

Summer Beautification slideshow

Barnes Beautification Project, Day 3

Barnes Beautification Project, Day 2

On day 2 of the Beautification project, gardening took center stage. Focusing on the "reuse" part of "reduce, reuse, recycle," we made a small terraced garden in one corner of the grounds using bricks and rocks from the pile of debris from Burlington Telecom putting in a transfer station:


The mural project continues to get filled in as well:


And, of course, the bobcat continues its work getting ready for the delivery of woodchips tomorrow:

Barnes Beautification Project, Day 1

In the spring of 2006, the kids at Barnes presented the PTO with a petition asking us to replace the pea stone under the play equipment in the front playground with something less abrasive. This summer, with support from Lowe's, CEDO and Alderson Environmental Contractor, we have taken this on as part of our summer beautification project, using all-volunteer labor. In addition to re-surfacing the front playground, we are increasing our garden space and muralizing the back entrance.

Thanks to the generous loan of a bobcat from Alderson Environmental Contractor, removing the pea stone from the playground won't be quite as labor-intensive as it would be by hand:


Our resident parent-artists Rebecca Hartwick and Maria Chomentowski are designing and organizing the painting of murals on the columns and ceiling of the back entrance to the school, with a sustainability theme:



(those are windmills, painted by one of the non-artist parent volunteers)

Of course, it wasn't all work, and there's nothing like working while surrounded by playing children:

2nd grade classes visit JDK design studio

More about this trip on the "vlog" it's from, Stuck In Vermont

Lawrence Barnes Mural and Gardens

A slideshow of the mural and gardening projects organized by the Lawrence Barnes community during the summer of 2006.