Hear live outdoor music. JazzEssentials, a jazz trio born in COVID-19 quarantine playing favorites from the Great American Songbook, will perform at the front entrance of the Middlebury Community Music Center — the big yellow building across Main Street from the Middlebury town green — on Thursday, July 2, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. 
The trio consists of MCMC and Middlebury College faculty member Bear Irwin on trombone, MCMC faculty member and Vermont first-call bassist Ron White, and Vermont newcomer and Middlebury scholar in residence Bill Vitek on piano. 
Feel free to walk or drive by, with proper social distancing. It’s good for what ails us and is honoring America’s Black musical roots in blues and jazz.
No seating available. Music for those in motion.
 
Make It Together: Homemade Bouncy Balls.
Materials:  
2 disposable plastic cups
2 Tablespoons hot water (from the tap)
½ teaspoon Borax
1 Tablespoon white glue
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Food coloring (optional) 
Directions:
Pour the water and Borax into the first cup, and stir until dissolved.
Pour glue, cornstarch and food coloring into the second cup and mix. (You can try adding a FEW sprinkles of glitter into this mixture.)
Add the mixture from the first cup into the second cup. Let the ingredients sit for 15 seconds, then stir.
Once the mixture becomes hard to stir, scoop it out of the cup and roll into a ball.
Enjoy — or make another for a friend!
 
Learn about racial equality. Rose Archer, a Vergennes resident will speak of racial equality at the next Voices in the Park on Saturday, July 11, from 4-5 p.m. at Vergennes City Park. Bring a chair, wear a mask and keep six feet apart for social distance. 
 
See some art. Edgewater Gallery’s two locations in Middlebury are now open with social distancing restrictions in place. “Reflections” is a group exhibition featuring artists Kathleen Kolb, Lori Mehta and Karen O’Neil, and will be on view for the months of June and July at Edgewater Gallery on the Green, at 6 Merchants Row. “Three Summer Solos at the Falls,” solo exhibitions from painters Hannah Bureau, Sara Katz and Jill Matthews, will be up at Edgewater Gallery at the Falls at One Mill St. While the gallery has have reopened their doors for in-person viewing, the exhibits will also be viewable online at edgewatergallery.com.
 
Dig in to strawberry shortcake. Even though Bristol’s traditional July 4 festivities are called off this year, you can still get your fill of strawberry shortcake on Saturday, July 4, beginning at noon, at St. Ambrose Parish, 11 School St. Line up your car along Park Street to order and pay with car-side delivery next to St. Ambrose on School Street. Please, stay in your car, servers will come to you. Each serving is $6 and includes a fresh biscuit, strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream. Serving goes until 3 p.m. or until it all runs out. Proceeds benefit the St. Ambrose Knights of Columbus and their charitable mission of supporting the community and those in need.
 
Sheep and goat camp. On July 18, youths ages 8-18, are invited to take part in the Virtual Sheep and Goat Camp 2020, sponsored by University of Vermont Extension 4-H. The free camp, offered through Facebook Live, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants do not need to be enrolled in 4-H, just have an interest in broadening their knowledge of sheep and goats. 
Presenter Jill Merkel, owner of Hestholl Icelandics in Richmond, will give a presentation on “Stop the Bleed,” providing information on what to do in an emergency. A second presenter, Siri Swanson of Yankee Rock Farm in Orwell, will discuss what necropsy is and offer tips on showmanship to help youths excel in the show ring. 
To register, go to go.uvm.edu/sheepgoatcamp. To request a disability-related accommodation to participate, contact Wendy Sorrell, UVM Extension 4-H livestock educator and camp organizer, at (802) 651-8343, ext. 531, or [email protected] by July 10.