On the Hill and at the Mill: Johnson's Winter Arts Calendar Is Priced for Neighbors
Between tonight, Thursday, November 5, and Sunday, December 13, Johnson has 11 public arts events listed across two venues. Eight of them are free. The most anyone pays is $25, and that's only a visitor without a local county ID buying a ticket for one of the two paid Dibden shows. The single event that costs everyone money is a $20 community drawing session at the Vermont Studio Center.
Most of what goes on stage in Johnson between now and mid-December is priced and scheduled for people who already live within driving distance of Dibden Center for the Arts on the Vermont State University campus and the Red Mill on Pearl Street. Tonight both venues have events on the same evening.
Thursday, November 5 is the clearest example of how the two venues share the season. Here's the order of the evening.
The concert is listed to end at the same hour the reading begins, so the two events are a handoff from the hill to the village. Anyone hoping to catch the tail end of one and the start of the other should check the timing on the night rather than count on it.
The Dibden ticket structure makes the case most directly. Catamount Arts, which handles ticketing for the Vermont State University shows at Dibden, uses one price ladder across the fall season.
| Event | Date and time | General admission | Local county ID | Free for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knorrwood: "Over the Hills & Far Away" | Thu., Nov. 5, 7 p.m. | $25 | $10 | VTSU staff, faculty and students |
| Champlain Trio | Sun., Nov. 8, 2 p.m. | $25 | $10 | VTSU community, students and children |
| Concert Band Performance | Wed., Dec. 2, 7 p.m. | Free | Free | Everyone |
| Danceland | Fri., Dec. 11, and Sat., Dec. 12, 7 p.m. | Free | Free | Everyone |
At the two paid shows, a local county ID cuts the ticket from $25 to $10, a 60 percent discount. The Champlain Trio concert is also free for children. Catamount describes it as a family-friendly, interactive chamber music performance, and it's set for a Sunday afternoon. A household with kids pays only for the adults, and only $10 each with local ID.
The Red Mill side of the calendar takes the idea further. Every Vermont Studio Center reading, artist talk and craft talk listed between now and December 9 is free and open to the public. The morning craft talks require registration because seating is limited. The evening events have a register link but don't say registration is required.
Dibden has a gap after November 8 until the Concert Band on December 2, and the Vermont Studio Center fills it. Its visiting artists and writers run on a steady Wednesday and Thursday 8 p.m. schedule in the Red Mill at 80 Pearl Street.
The Sickels weekend repeats the Erdrich pattern, with an evening reading followed by a morning craft talk. That makes early December the second chance this season to hear a visiting writer read their work one night and talk about how they make it the next morning.
Most of November's lineup is visiting talent: a touring tribute act, a chamber trio, visiting writers and artists. December's Dibden shows put students and community performers on stage.
The Concert Band Performance on Wednesday, December 2, at 7 p.m. at Dibden features a student-and-community ensemble, and Catamount lists it as free to all. Danceland, on Friday, December 11, and Saturday, December 12, both at 7 p.m., is the end-of-semester dance production. It features VTSU students performing original choreography alongside showcases from local guest groups, and admission is free. Catamount Arts carries the ticket links for both December shows, so its listings are the place to check before heading up S. Pond Road.
The last event on the calendar puts residents themselves at the easel. On Sunday, December 13, from 2 to 4 p.m., the Vermont Studio Center holds community figure drawing at 80 Pearl Street. It's for adults 18 and older, community members pay $20, and registration and payment are required in advance. It's the only event on the six-week calendar where everyone pays, and it's also the only one where attendees make art themselves.
| Date | Time | Venue | Event | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 5 | 7 p.m. | Dibden | Knorrwood Led Zeppelin tribute | $25 GA, $10 local ID |
| Thu., Nov. 5 | 8 p.m. | Red Mill | Heid E. Erdrich reading | Free |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | 10 a.m. | Red Mill | Erdrich craft talk | Free, registration |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | 2 p.m. | Dibden | Champlain Trio | $25 GA, $10 local ID, children free |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | 8 p.m. | Red Mill | David Humphrey artist talk | Free |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | 7 p.m. | Dibden | Concert Band Performance | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | 8 p.m. | Red Mill | Carter Sickels reading | Free |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | 10 a.m. | Red Mill | Sickels craft talk | Free, registration |
| Wed., Dec. 9 | 8 p.m. | Red Mill | Yuri Kobayashi artist talk | Free |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 11–12 | 7 p.m. | Dibden | Danceland | Free |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | 2–4 p.m. | 80 Pearl St. | Community figure drawing, 18+ | $20, prepaid |
Wednesday and Thursday nights carry most of the season. Six of the 11 listings fall on one of those two days. Sundays are reserved for the family concert and the drawing session.
For a meal in the village before a Red Mill reading, Marsala Salsa at 21 Lower Main Street serves dinner and has a full bar along with beer and wine. Its Seven Days listing asks diners to call for hours at 802-635-7626, which is worth doing on a weeknight in November. Seven Days reported on the restaurant's 2023 reopening in Johnson, eleven years after it closed in Waterbury, and described a menu spanning Mexican, Caribbean and Italian food. Vermont State University's Johnson campus page still lists it as the downtown spot with food from four cuisines.
Every Red Mill evening on the calendar is free, so dinner is the only cost of the night.
When the Studio Center and Dibden calendars shape your Johnson weeknights, it helps to work with people who follow the town the same way. The team at Carlson Real Estate Group keeps track of the Lamoille County places and events that fill a year, from the Red Mill to the hill above it. Speak with a local Stowe expert whenever you want to talk about Johnson, or what's on there this season.
If you’re looking for the largest selection of real estate available in our area, you’ve come to the right place and we’re here to help you.
