For the 15th anniversary of the Daysies, we thought we’d sneak in a big surprise: the first-ever Daylilies. What are they, exactly? Seven Days staffers’ own personal picks for what’s best in Vermont. Sharing is caring, after all. The unofficial categories, created by our writers, cover everything from best show of Vermont spirit to best word to say with a Vermont accent. This silly section celebrates — and sometimes pokes fun at — some of the state’s hidden gems. Readers did not vote on these. These winners will not receive Daysies plaques. Like actual daylilies, whose flowers typically last only 24 hours, these made-up awards are fun but fleeting. Who knows if they’ll be back next year? Enjoy them while you can. Best show of Vermont spirit Adamant Blackfly Festival When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When Vermont gives you a plague of bloodthirsty black flies … don your mosquito netting and throw those suckers a party. At least, that’s what the village of Adamant does at its annual Blackfly Festival in early June. “After a long, cold winter here in Adamant, we need something to celebrate, and God only knows we have plenty of black flies,” explains the fest’s website. Every June for the past 14 years, the townsfolk have turned out for “general mayhem” ranging from a Blackfly Pie Contest (featuring “black- and blood-themed confections”) to a Blackfly Parade & Fashion Show (“the Macy’s Day Parade of the Insect World!”). When it comes to meeting Vermont’s various bugs with hugs, Adamant flies high. [location-3] Town doing the best job of keeping Vermont weird Glover Plenty of stuff is weird in Vermont, from Burlington’s so-called “Foreskin House” to Leicester’s “Queen Connie” gorilla sculpture. But if we had to pinpoint the epicenter of weirdness on a map, it would surely be in the Orleans County town of Glover. This honor is largely thanks to the resident Bread and Puppet Theater and its barn packed to the rafters with politically radical puppets — some more than 15 feet tall. A mere five minutes down the road, the Museum of Everyday Life (another “turn-the-lights-on-when-you-enter-and-off-when-you-leave” venue) catalogs the quotidian in all its strange glory. Exhibits have featured dust bunnies, Halubian bell-ringer costumes and broken mirrors. Glover, your bucolic hills are bizarre indeed. Keep on keepin’ weird. [location-4] Best all-around picnic package Willey’s Store & Barr Hill Natural Area The best picnic package in…
For the 15th anniversary of the Daysies, we thought we’d sneak in a big surprise: the first-ever Daylilies. What are they, exactly? Seven Days staffers’ own personal picks for what’s best in Vermont. Sharing is caring, after all. The unofficial categories, created by our writers, cover everything from best show of Vermont spirit to best word to say with a Vermont accent. This silly section celebrates — and sometimes pokes fun at — some of the state’s hidden gems. Readers did not vote on these. These winners will not receive Daysies plaques. Like actual daylilies, whose flowers typically last only 24 hours, these made-up awards are fun but fleeting. Who knows if they’ll be back next year? Enjoy them while you can. Best show of Vermont spirit Adamant Blackfly Festival When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. When Vermont gives you a plague of bloodthirsty black flies … don your mosquito netting and throw those suckers a party. At least, that’s what the village of Adamant does at its annual Blackfly Festival in early June. “After a long, cold winter here in Adamant, we need something to celebrate, and God only knows we have plenty of black flies,” explains the fest’s website. Every June for the past 14 years, the townsfolk have turned out for “general mayhem” ranging from a Blackfly Pie Contest (featuring “black- and blood-themed confections”) to a Blackfly Parade & Fashion Show (“the Macy’s Day Parade of the Insect World!”). When it comes to meeting Vermont’s various bugs with hugs, Adamant flies high. [location-3] Town doing the best job of keeping Vermont weird Glover Plenty of stuff is weird in Vermont, from Burlington’s so-called “Foreskin House” to Leicester’s “Queen Connie” gorilla sculpture. But if we had to pinpoint the epicenter of weirdness on a map, it would surely be in the Orleans County town of Glover. This honor is largely thanks to the resident Bread and Puppet Theater and its barn packed to the rafters with politically radical puppets — some more than 15 feet tall. A mere five minutes down the road, the Museum of Everyday Life (another “turn-the-lights-on-when-you-enter-and-off-when-you-leave” venue) catalogs the quotidian in all its strange glory. Exhibits have featured dust bunnies, Halubian bell-ringer costumes and broken mirrors. Glover, your bucolic hills are bizarre indeed. Keep on keepin’ weird. [location-4] Best all-around picnic package Willey’s Store & Barr Hill Natural Area The best picnic package in…