Squid Eats: Highland Center for the Arts

I wouldn't normally categorize a small town performing arts center as a dining destination.  But most small town performing arts centers aren't like Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, Vermont.  First off, I'm not kidding about "small town."  Greensboro boasts a population of just over 800.  That's two zeroes - no typo.  This tiny, remote community has quite a lot going for it including Hill Farmstead Brewery, genuinely one of the best beer producers in the world, and Jasper Hill Farm which has won global awards for its cheese.  So while there aren't many people, the community does have money and they use it to support the arts.

The Highland Center for the Arts (HCA) opened in 2017.  A lot of small towns in New England have what are called "opera houses" which are actually decades-old vaudeville venues.  The HCA follows somewhat in that tradition but with a significant upgrade in style (and monetary investment).  It's still charmingly small.  The main theater only seats 300, though in multiple tiers so it feels more spacious - intimate without feeling cramped.  

For Friday night's Le Vent du Nord concert, the HCA hosted a dinner beforehand.  The set up felt like a country potluck, though all of the food was provided by the HCA kitchen: meat pies, multiple salad options, chips and various dips, a few desserts and so on.  It all seemed homemade but wasn't really - a good thing.

It's also smart.  A town of 800 people can't support much in the way of restaurants.  Nearby communities are similarly small with limited offerings.  So if you're trying to encourage people to come out for a show, feeding them is a wise move.  There was an extra cost for dinner tickets: $22 per person.  Drinks (including Hill Farmstead beer, naturally) were extra.  Well worth it, I think.

The show itself was great.  Le Vent du Nord (French: the wind of the north) is a five-piece Quebecois folk band.  If you can imagine a French Canadian version of the Chieftans, you've about got it.  A lot of their music is traditional but they have original songs in their set list, too.  They've been around in one configuration or another since 2002.  The tour heads to Europe next, beginning with several dates in Sweden.  Check them out.  Here's the schedule.

All five musicians play multiple instruments and all have wonderful singing voices.  My favorite song of the evening was an a cappella number, "L'auberge":