 Hello everyone, thank you for tuning in to the service-rendered show. I'm Bruce Wilson, executive director of service-rendered Incorporated, and this is actually the Straight Talk Vermont show. I was just talking to my guest here, Joe, about how many different shows we had, so I stuck them on the show. That's good. But Straight Talk Vermont is a program of service-rendered Incorporated. It's been around since 1999. Actually we do a lot of things within the community. We do a lot of things in helping individuals with their goals, their dreams, their aspirations. We teach classes within communities around how to get better in life and work with a lot of partners. So I'm very proud to be able to host this show and being a part of one of our programs. I just wanted to make an announcement about our Arts So Wonderful Art Gallery. It's in the University Mall. We love that place. It's like for youth and families to come and just check out what's going on with the arts in the communities. Our arts gallery are from artists from around Vermont. And we have a lot of you-naming-art, and there's in there, including sculptures. And a lot of some people, I was just in there because we were renovating it the day and somebody was saying to me that it looks like an art museum. And so how cool is that? You know what I mean? That's great. Like an art museum. So today, I guess I'm with my friend and our wonderful guest, Joe Carton. And he's a Chief Operating Officer for Westport Hospitality. So Joe, wow, man. Yeah, thanks for having me, Bruce. No doubt about it. No doubt about it. I mean, God. It's so much a pleasure for me to have you on it because we go back a long ways and wow. And I think it was from the Radisson Hotel. Yeah. My God. What year was that, Joe? Well, it was the 90s. The 90s. I think that changed to a Wyndham in 1999 and then to a Hilton that is this today. Yeah, like it's kind of right next door to your places. And so, since that, I mean, those times that we were a part of all those hotels was you helped Hustley sponsor us with youth events that we would put on for youth around, probably around Chinden County, you know, congratulating them and celebrating them, graduating from high school and, you know, and even doing a back to school events and, well, I mean, we were using like the ironic ballroom and I don't like that place hold like 500. Yeah, that was good. You know, youth will come from all around the county and we have like, and it was free for them and we have refreshments and DJs and, you know, and God. And because of that, you know, we, we continue to do those, those type of events around this county, Chinden County, and we still do that same type of thing. We got like one, two. We got some events coming up when you form boards that we that we created for the city of Browns and at the contours auditorium on April 22nd, and we have it on June 7th at the same same deal at the contours auditorium. Then we got before that we had with Maze something at the T-Rex Theater in that's going to be so nice. That's great. You know, I'm on one of the stage, T-Rex Theater is the largest theater within the S.S. experience and it's going to be like, you've got to be like, you know, it's called Youth Takeover, you know. Yeah, that's terrific. You've got to be performing and, you know, we're going to have like dance and music and poetry, everything we've always done when we were, you know, when we was doing at the Marriott, I mean, at the Hilton Hotel, you know. So we continue to do that, you know. Well, that's one of the great things about being able to have a hotel and space that you can invite people into, and oftentimes a lot of kids don't get to go into those spaces. They don't understand, you know, what it takes to run them, but, you know, I firmly believe ever since I got into the business that it's important to get people into your space so they feel comfortable with it and, you know, get a job and, you know. And that's one of the things that we pride ourselves on is like, you said, you, boy, you said it right there, you know, giving them the youth opportunity to go on spaces, not only to go into them, but be a part of doing some things in those spaces that they probably would never go and be a part of. And two years, we've been a part of, like, Jazz Fest and First Nights and Kids Day and we've done events at Shelby Museum and, you know, parks all around the, you know, county, you know. And so you usually don't necessarily, not necessarily don't have the opportunity, maybe they don't, but we also, we make sure they go right to the top. We don't mess around. We don't say... Well, sometimes they just don't feel welcome. And that's not really the intention, I think, or they just don't feel comfortable in a space like that or they hadn't been in, and it's been our philosophy over time is to invite people into spaces that they don't normally get into, you know, and we love to do tours and we'll take you to the kitchens and we'll take you to the laundry and, you know, it's more than just the fireplace and the lobby that makes those things go. No, man. And I know, Joe, you said it all, man, and so, and I know that's why you do these things for our organization, get these youth opportunities and showcase, let them showcase something that tells in a place where they can feel good about. And another thing about it, too, when you do those things, they are, their goals and their dreams and aspirations and the things they want to do in life or things like perform or whatever it is, it makes them feel good. They want to work hard. I think, jeez, instead of maybe doing something or covering something, let me write my own song now. I'm performing next year, you know, at the Marriott or, you know, at Hotel Vermont or something. Well, they just don't know. They don't know. You know? You don't know what you don't know. So when you get introduced to things and you introduce kids a lot into programs and I know we've worked together for, as you mentioned, 30 plus years to try to, you know, bring kids into spaces that they can call their own and feel comfortable in them. So I don't know if you know this, Joe, but this is our ninth year, ninth year. First-rate talk for our show, our art show at the Marriott. Knife coming up on the Knife. It seems like yesterday. It does. I guess I'm trying to get some dates from Mimi. We want to try to do it. Right. Well, he had the great one at Hotel Vermont a couple of months ago. Yeah. That was awesome. It was a fundraiser. I get it. The body painting individual was most unique. Oh, no. We did the body painting, man. Wow. And our girl there, she's an expert at doing it in Kadina and she brought the model in. Yeah. I think so. It was cool. And then our director, Alondra D. Lacquasta, was like, Bruce, are you sure? I'm like, well, we're not going to have no kids there this year, you know what I mean? We're just going to be all adults, you know what I mean? And it was a great thing. And then we had Jack Hassan Jazz performing, and we had Sophia Gloria performing, you know. Some beautiful artwork. There's something in the talent that these kids exude is amazing, so it's great to give them opportunity in space to showcase it. No doubt about it. I think this year, we're writing it up so I can present it to you. It's going to be tattoo art. Oh. Yeah. So, you know, it's the creativeness of tattoo artists and their... It's amazing the amount of people that have tattoos. Well, you know what it is? It's one... We did some research. One in three people in Vermont have a tattoo. For that. Yeah. I'm not one of them. One in three. One in three. There's a funny story, since we're talking about... So, in 1997... So in April... I remember this very much... My wife, April 28, 1997, said, Bruce, I'm going to get you a birthday present. And I said, yeah. You know, she said, come on, go with me. And so I go with her. And then we went downtown to Yankee Tattooists. Oh, yeah. And so I'm kind of like, damn, she's going to put my, you know, put my, you know, I get a little bruise on her. You know what I'm saying? Bruise was here or something. It's a family show, right, Bruce? Oh, yes. It's a family show, you know. But we can't say that. But anyways, and so, I wind up being, she put her horoscope on my chest with her name on it. It's right here, Joe. I believe it. I wasn't planning on getting no tattoos either. And I was like, but we've been together for 27 years, two kids. And we went to high school. I was like, what the hell, you know what I mean? She deserved to get her name. But I'm telling you, Joe, and it's funny because I was talking to Bob Bilt, who was going to see her this year, a little week, because I wanted him to do this piece at the Air Place tattoo art. And I was telling the story and I was showing the tattoos again. And I said, you know what? I never felt like, it felt like, Joe, it felt like somebody was stabbing me and burning me at the same time. I could still feel that. I thought, I'm going to take this. I was like, oh, no, no, no. Stabbing me and burning me at the same time. He said, yeah, that's the worst spot. No, it's that near chest. So I still feel that, man. So she got a lot on me. So anyways, but it's OK. I don't have the more tattoos. I am planning to get no more. But I don't knock the people who does. I mean, they got our self-expression and they want to put something on it, make them feel, you know, every morning they wake up in the morning and say faith or wisdom or something, you know. It's an inspirational thing. Inspirational empowerment, things like that. So I'm not mad at them. But I thought because when I was in there, when we think of the tattoo art, I was looking through their booklets of art that they have done or created and all around them. They're wild. I'm like, wow. Look at those crazy designs. Can you imagine? I'm sure you might. I'm sure you've seen all kind of different types of tattoo art. How did they even think of those things? Something like that. Yeah. It's amazing that what they can create with the dots and the, yeah. So I know it's going to be very famous that this, when I can handle, when I can handle by doing no tattoo or nothing in there, it is more like a showcase and let them show, you know, we'll have, maybe they'll show some of their art and maybe some of their paraphernalia. And I know it's a lot of, you know, since, Bob Bill was the, Yankee Tattoos was like the number one, it was no one else. He said it was one more person. In the state or abroad? Yeah. Other than him. And he's like nationally, you know, Bob Bill's name. National. He go to Vegas all the time. They got some stuff coming up in Vegas this period. And so, because we know it's going to be like very popular, you know. And so, and that's something we did to graffiti art before, you know. I mean, but we never did the, this is different. A lot of the graffiti artists, it was so funny. This kid in there at Yankee Tattoos named Jason is a tattoo artist and he always was good. And then, and I walked in and he was like, Bruce, Bruce. I'm like, he said, this is Jason. I'm like, hey, Jason, you know. He said, I was the first guy who did the graffiti, you know, who put a mural on one of your locations. And he was telling Bob Bill, Bruce gave us, you know, we had to go through this program, you know. That's when I think I first met you was in the graffiti abatement program that you put together in those days. Yeah, because we was like, I was like, Joe, some graffiti on your, on your building needs to come off. You need to get that off. And thank you, by the way. Well, man, I always act. I pray that no graffiti come on your building, you know. And when I'm around, I check. I walk around it too. I do. And I check and say, make sure I say, thank God. I have power, you know. But anyway, so Jason was like, telling Bob Bill, like, man, they let us put a murals up there. And they need some other kid that had to go through the restorative justice piece. And then they brought all the paint. He said, man, they brought us like 80 cans of paint. He knew stories better than I did, you know. And so it was another reason why I said, yeah, we need to do this graffiti, I mean, you know, because he's a measurement. He's a story, you know. Now he's actually doing something. He's not bombing the walls no more. And he was talking about, yeah, remember when you go around bombing the walls and all the stuff that he used to do. Now you take that and earn a living. Yeah, you know. So he's a measurement. And it's art. He's in Bruce, this is my art right there. I'm looking around like, jeez, Christ. He got all this beautiful art that he created. I'm thinking, wow. That's right. And then part of it is because we said to him and people like him is, listen, I believe in restorative justice, you know what I mean. So let's go clean the graffiti. I'm going to help you get this graffiti off the wall. Yeah. How do those conversations go when you, you know, in the restorative justice? Yes. When you're not the only kid that, hey, this was the wrong thing. Let's try to turn it around. Right. So the whole thing about, but I'm a founder and member of the community just in Toronto State. Yeah, I know. And so how it works is we try to help individuals identify the things that, well, we try to help them to understand what the harmony is done within the community or individuals or whatever. Right. You know, and just set us in. Bruce painted the wall. That's worth six months. Yeah. Give him a six, whatever. Yeah. We like Bruce painted the wall. First of all, he painted the wall without talking to Joe, getting permission to paint the wall. Joe now got to pay for paint to, you know, people to come get it off. Now, because it seems like a popular place, Joe's got to put cameras up there so they can catch the people that do it. And it's a grimy spot for visitors and people who come to his place and say they don't want to go down this way because it's grimy looking at all this, you know. And so this is the harm that you've caused. And also, and then would they have a person like a testimony or like, let's say, my friend, you know, like, I'm the idea to graffiti, but here my friend is women. He's testifying, too. He's like, Bruce, now when I'm walking down the street with you, everybody think I'm like you. Like, I go around bombing once, so now, you know what the harm is, you know what I mean. Yeah. And so that's what I like about the restorative justice. But you got to make a, in order to really make it work, you got to still help people with their goals and the question was, you know, you help me do that every time. Like, Joe, can you help me? And you say, yes. But, and so we say, let's clean this up now. And then everybody should help because you never know when somebody else, your wall might be bombed. Right. And you should help this, even though he's his offender, clean this stuff up. And then so we do that. So he might have 25 hours, 50 hours to do the community service, clean the wall up and da-da-da. But then another 24 hours, I guess what? You get to put a mural up there. Something nice you can show your mama. Yeah. You know what I mean? You can, um, police can hand you a damn paint brush. You know what I mean? It can be your paint, you know. And so, so that's, so they be like, huh. They can't believe it. Yeah. That's terrific that you can turn that around and make it a positive. They can't, they don't believe it. They don't believe that if we're going to get them, the other part of their community service is to create the wall. Create the wall. Create a new wall. A new look. Yeah. And we'll help you. We'll buy all the paint. And, you know, and so that's so, man, people went on to, um, we have some great stories about people like, like, um, I'm not going to say his name, but people like, um, the person I'm talking about and who, um, some people have, um, started to put their art on, their, um, their work on, um, canvas. Yeah. And they were selling art like crazy at their Marriott through our graffiti art program. And, um, a few of these people were like, you know, they were selling a big piece of art to incredible people that would paint like, Yeah, that is terrific. Like up to $1,000 a pop, you know what I mean? And, um, and then one kid like, wanted to go to college. And, um, we'll show, we'll show cases are that your place, Echo Center, Daily Planet, you know, we put it in, so because he started putting on, um, canvas. And we started selling that everywhere. You know, it was, um, I mean, he was selling them at those places. Then he said, put someone to college, so he went to like, uh, arts college. God. And then he was showing me art some years ago, years ago. It's showing me art in like a neighborhood museum. That is, it was his art in there. Yeah. That's terrific. Good for him. Well, you know, all we did was help him with his goals. And I asked him, we didn't say, we didn't say you should be a carpenter. You know, he said, I want to be a doctor. We're going to, we're going to introduce you to Dr. Lewis first or whoever somebody. You know what I mean? We're not going to introduce you to some carpenter. Right. We're going to introduce you to a doctor. That's what we're going to do, you know? Yeah. You change your mind. Many people change their mind about things they wouldn't do if they were introduced to the person that they, to the profession that they wanted to be. Right. You know, but they stuck on something different, you know? That's part of the, our goal is to bring kids into the hotels as well is for them to understand that, hey, I could be a chef or I could be a, you know, the head of the accounting department or whatever. Why not? Man, you said I want to be a chef. My stomach growling. I could eat something blue right now or hint in the woods. God, I mean, blue restaurant, let's see, seafood, oh, at the Marriott. Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm. Glad you like it. Yeah. Well, since I almost switched off. So how did, how did it come up with the, this was B-L-U-B-L-U-E-A, right? B-L-E-U. E-U. How did that happen? I mean, how did you come up with that? Well, we were, we wanted to find a restaurant that wasn't being served, a cuisine. And when we first opened Blue, it was Northeast seafood, which kind of takes in the parameters of, you know, Quebec and Atlantic Canada and New England and kind of the Northeast. And so we thought Blue obviously had water. Right. That indicates seafood. And so we've evolved since then. We renamed it Northeast, Blue Northeast Kitchen. So it's not singularly directed toward seafood, but it's a great evening out. Yeah. An evening out. I see people all the time. They're going, where should I eat? I'm like, right down there and go to the Blue. Yeah. You know. Well, that's, thank you for that. Yeah. Man, listen. It's not, you know, I don't have to make it up, Joe. You know, I don't have to make up that hotel from what I got was built from woods and different things from around Vermont. You know, it was created from art. What should I say? How should I say that? Yeah, local products. Local products around Vermont. I don't have to, I don't have to make that up. It is what it is. You know what I mean? So, and if they want to just be in a room and know that all the stuff come from around Vermont, how wonderful is that? And how's it in Henland and the woods? It's good too. It's a beautiful restaurant. Eric Warnstad does a great job from that. So that's in the hotel of Vermont, right? Yeah. We lease that space to Eric to the end of the wood group. Yeah. And they do a fabulous job. It's great, you know, partnership. Yeah. No, do they have another one somewhere? They do in Waterbury. Really? Yeah, and they also have the prohibition pig in Waterbury. Oh, okay. And one in Stowe. Well, you know, it was funny, but oh, I think I know about the ones in Waterbury, because I used to go out there and do some department correction. I had to do a lot of meetings there. And so we would stop right on the strip up down before you get to the part of the OC, and that's where they are right down there. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, but the blues, that's my favorite, you know. Oh, good. Yeah. It's kind of quieter than some of the others. Yeah, yeah. So you got the bar right on the other side, and you know, sometimes you have soft music playing, some live soft music. Mm-hmm. A lot of time. And it's a good sitting space. You know, people be conversating about a fireplace. Yeah, it's very comfortable. Mm-hmm. And when I come see you, I'm like, damn, he can take it all the time he want. Slow down, Joe. Can I sit here? You know, don't even, I could wait here for a long time. I like sitting there just reading, and you got the free newspapers, and then you have refreshments there, and those delicious cookies, chocolate chip cookies you have there, and coffee and water, you know. Just for people who were just waiting or sitting there just chilling, you know. And I'd be like, slow down, Mimi. Slow down. I don't need to leave right yet. I don't have to leave right now. Don't worry. I just got two more cookies with my name on it here. I started in the hotel business in the sales side. So I would negotiate with this tour operator out of Philadelphia, and he would come to Burlington to visit, and at that time I had a office that overlooked Lake Champlain. Don't today, but then I did. And so he goes, I, Joe, I want to come and talk to you Friday at five. He figured I had to leave at five, and he goes, you never gave me a good rate. You just liked sitting out, looking out the window. Saw the lake. So I could never get out of there, because I had to quit it. No, man. It's so awesome. Then you got the views out there from, you write there on Lake Champlain. God, what nice views you have. Well, yeah. The whole community's got those views. I just don't have them. Well, not from your office, because I'm like, where's Joe at even in the hotel? I'm like, you know him. You ain't got no view there. But another thing too, Joe. You know, we both were kind of like looking forward to this, for the BTV plan, whereas that this trip was college, what's that street? Cherry Street, right? Run down to the lake. Oh, yeah. How wonderful is that? Yeah. We just got to get everything reorganized there. You know, the city place has to get built. All the landscaping and design work needs to be done to beautify that Cherry Street, because I think it's a big opportunity. Well, it's only one side you're going to be able to do, right? Because what else on the other side? I mean, you got the court building and everything else going up that way. It's like, you got, boy, you got that church there. St. Paul's Church. St. Paul's Church. Somebody on Baldy, I think. Oh, yeah. The cathedral. But we just got to focus a little more as a community on that street. I know why we've been waiting, but we've got two beautiful properties at the end of it, and we want to make sure that the streets are paved. No doubt. High school there. And let me tell you a funny thing. Well, before I say it, the funny thing is that, you know, College Street, it's an incredible street, you know what I mean? But it really, like, you know, you just walk in the college street to her to get down to the bottom to Echo or to the waterfront. You know? You don't stop. You know, you're not trying to go, you know, see, you know, Burlington Bay, you know, would go Bangs Place, but we're not trying to, it's nothing really, nothing to scenery or, you know, it's nothing that you really want who gives crap about, you know what I mean? You know, going down the street. You're just trying to get down to the bottom. And so, but Cherry Street, your street, it's something you can see, you know, from the church street, all the way down, you know, you got dirt buildings, you got Hotel Vermont, you got the Marriott, you got the Downwood Investors' Property City Place coming up. What a scene. They're about to open up two streets in green space and all this stuff, you know. And so, how incredible that's going to be. You should be able to go down to the bottom. You should have to go back south to go down. You should be able to go, you know. It'd be like in Quebec City if they have a funicular that will take you right down from the hill right to the water. I don't think that's going to, I think that was cool, but, you know, still they did it there. They always on church street. That would have been a good thing for them, but I don't think, you know, it would help promote skiing, snowboarding in Vermont. But I don't know. You'd love to see a gondola from UVM to Church Street or the waterfront. That'd be interesting. Yeah. A little bit of a dream, but. I know, I think it'd be cheaper just to go ahead and build the damn steps down at the bottom. Just tear everything somehow. But it's a steep way down, but you can't really put those, you can't put down like, you know, like stairs like, like, you know, like you're going down in a mountain, you know, like, you know, I don't think you can do that. It's kind of liability reasons, but you got to make it really like. Well, no engineer, but I know you can put stairs if you wanted to. Oh yeah, stairs. Yeah, you can stairs. I mean, but not, not like, like if you're going down a mountain, you know, like even some fancy, you know, some fancy country or something. You go down the stairs and look at that. There's a water, you know. Yeah. I think, I don't know how you can do it, but I know you can put stairs down there. Right. You can put some flats there. Put some flats. Yeah. Stairs down there. But the thing is that you got to, you got to lay it out where it says not like nine million stairs. Yeah. How you get to seniors there down there, you know, even, I don't know. And then so, I don't know how you do that, but I know it's going to be done. It would be great if it could. It's an open space. There's nothing down there. I think you got Main Street Landing. Somebody owned like six acres or something. They might have part of that down there. Yeah, I think they do. Well, I'm sure they want to get people down there. I know they do. Oh, so my dear friend, Oisama Kukwu is now the Main Street Landing CEO. Oh, that's terrific. She's awesome. You know, it's nice to see her down there. She's, she's very important. Oh, such beautiful buildings. And really a treat for the waterfront. Yeah. To have those there. And yeah, you know, this is where it is. And so I got to come right down and boom, it's a space right between it. This is perfect to come, come right straight down. And I want to see that. So. Don't you love what, you know, I think there's two theories of thought on the waterfront. I love what it is today. And I know it's hard to get there. You know, 20 or 30 or 40 years ago. But a lot of good decisions were made to get us there. Because my wife, for example, grew up in Sandusky, Ohio, right on Lake Erie, beautiful little town, 25,000 people, but locals can't get on the water. They don't own it. They don't own the land. Right. There's no beaches. Like we've got two beautiful beaches. All available. Yeah. So it's really. Just so you know, we had rock shows on the North Beach. We had a waterfront park. We've done all the many, many events down on those beaches and parks. You know, because of, you know, something you respond to. You probably don't remember, because you sponsored so much stuff from us. But we have, you know, we've had rock shows every year. North Beach with the Whistle 107 points. I mean, 99 in the bus, rock bands down there. W-I-Z-N. I-W-I-Z-N, you know, Dan Madubaneg, you know, they respond to our stuff. And what was it before they sold it? Ernie, he's the owner. He's the owner at Radio Station Sky. I don't know. But he was our guy. You know, but I missed those shows down there. And we had rock shows, bounce houses for the kids. Oh, we had stuff all going on. We were down free from the vintage areas. Yeah, we got to remember as a community, keep those things going. Keep the activity vibrant. You know, it's just not for locals. The visitors love to see them too. And anytime you can get people enjoying themselves, it's a positive thing. No doubt about it. And all our events, you know, if it's not indoors, I mean, when we need, like, or earn a nickel or something, it's all free. And the most of our events are outdoors. And so, and the goal for us is to, like, it's exactly what you're saying. You know, it's like, give an individual, like, part of the mission is to get people educating them on drugs, and I call tobacco, get them a safe place where there's no drugs, where they can get resources to do this information, and have healthy outlets. You know, we have a program called Get Treated for Mott. I mean, it's youth working, like, skiing, there's snowboarding, and walking, and all these type of things for years. And so, we do these events, and, like, most of all, everybody's coming up. Like, even once a day at a T-Rex company, it's like we're only going to charge a dollar to donate a dollar to our space. You know, so we got to hustle, like, a couple thousand. But, um... Now, do you partner with other people in the Essex community when you do the T-Rex? City, we're going to do the city, city of Essex, and we're working with the Rotary businesses down there. So, we have to, you know, show. Yeah, that's the way to do it. I know, you know, it's like, we always still don't meet our goal, but, I mean, we meet our goal, but we don't, you know, like, I'm saying, I had to come back to the joke, and, you know, at the end or whatever. But, you know, we do, we have done events like Free Pool at Main Street Pool, like, right here, pop by the pool, you know, and the whole goal is to, like, feel good. Oh, you have three-on-three basketball tournaments, too? That's right, for 15 years, Joe, at the Roosevelt Park. That's very popular. We get free trophies and teachers and have music, live entertainment and food, and all that stuff. And we was going to do, you couldn't do it, you know, in the last couple of years, but we're going to do one, you know, and it was tight. People, it'd be the winter time, they'd be like, Roots, when are you going to put on the basketball? I'm like, come on, man, it's the winter time. She's crazy. Hey, it's Baronecton. You can play outside in the winter. I know. Well, that's what we did in Chicago. Yeah. We'll get up, you know. We did in northern Maine, too. We played early and wanted to be freezing, and it's warm around the court, and I'm kind of crazy, you know. But that was good, and that's part of the reason why I do these things, because I get it, you know. And it helps, you know, and it makes you feel good, you know. Like, you know, people still have economics to be able to pay for everything, and family should be included as well. So that's why we do our basketball tournament. We have, like, music, a different type of collective of music genres. We have, you know, middle school, high school, and college and adult teams. And we have trophies, you know. Right. And we have bounce house with the kids, and we know parents gotta come and they're gonna bring in little kids to the bounce house. So we have something for everybody. Right. And so that's what I try to do with all our events, you know, is have everybody to come out, have something for themselves like a... Well, you gotta get them off, you know, the phone and the internet to get out and run around and have fun. Yeah. And then we have parents who's part of some of our youth boards, whatever, parents. We make sure that they're involved and that all of them know me because I'm not your traditional executive director. And they know that... So now we need your help to host the bounce house. Right. You know, like kids, when they bounce up, we need you there to shop on this. Right. Make sure they're safe. That's right. And they like that because they won't have opportunities to do too. Right. You know. And we got some stuff coming up where parents are gonna help us with, like, a knitting and crocheting at the argument they're gonna trying to build that damn back room, man, whereas they're gonna have an educational room for art and crafts and, like, these type of things for parents and youth and colleges. But where are you gonna build that? It's gonna be the right university. We got a back room. It's like a, like, 900 square feet or so, back in the back. Right. And we gotta do it, you know what I'm saying? It's gotta happen, you know what I mean? So we'll work with the high school. We'll work with the... Well, that's soft... We already work with the sophomore and high school arts department. We'll work with the middle school there. I think the name of it, but... And everybody, you know what I mean? But mostly right there, you know? Because that is just where it is, you know? Yeah, right. And in any parent, we've already done things with Howard Middle Health. They did this big old thing, you know, with all their... their peoples, you know, clients did this art. I mean, it was like over 100 people when we gave them, like, they won something. And we did, you know, they won money, whatever, and we did national... What was it? What was it? Working with the DEA. It was about anti-drugs. Right. And whoever have... Whoever can, you know, we'll pick your art. You can see, drugs-free looks like me. That was in the movie. Yeah. Yeah, so that was cool. It's a good slogan. I know. So we had to make a painting or something. There was this 150, 250, and 300 that we got from the DEA or some other people. And it's people one. Some other social services or organizations, I forget what they are, but we do things in our gallery, let them use it. We got something that's coming up through CVO. They're doing a fair April... They do an art show in April, something. We're meeting with somebody. Well, it's amazing the amount of students and youth you do have that are talented in the arts. Wow, my God. You know, you're giving them an outlet to actually show it and participate. Well, so far, I get a story. So, you know, we're here, you know, in his scene, we're talking about myself, but you are our stuff, you know what I mean? It wouldn't happen without you. For real, for real. I'm not even... You do a good job of reaching out, you know, when you need help. He's crazy, man. I'd be like crying almost. But we so... So, we work with Vermont University of Vermont Art Club, the president, Patrick Mann. And so, Patrick, you know, we met him, we was doing some mural somewhere else. And he came up to me, and he told me, I'm the youth in, you know, Art Club president. I'm like, shit, that's very important, you know what I mean? Which it is. And plus, for me, I'm thinking like, wow, we can get a lot done. You know what I mean? Because I'm thinking like... A lot of resources. And so, I said, Patrick, if you want to work with... If you want to do some murals and things like that, then you need to work with us. And you, you know, you won't be believed what you'll be doing. You're like, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, kind of like, you know. And so, and you know what I mean? I don't like next week, I'm like the next day, you know what I mean? And so, he was like... So, he did a mural on... He helped build... He did help build an Aegean house. He did help do the mural on University Mall. He helped do the mural and Pro Street Brevers. And he was doing... He was on our, you know, he was like on our TV... On our TV shows. He was on a part of our social media. I mean, well, like Channel 3 and interview our director. He's a big champion. Yeah, so all of a sudden, now here's... So, here it is. So, here's a guy. Now, I'm the director, I mean, president of the art club at UVM. And then look what he got to talk about. From like one day on to the next. You know, we've done the one in the UVM. Where's the Aegean house? And they come out and they're talking to him, right? And then we're doing this one on the Pro Street Brevers. And da-da-da-da. So now, wow, how big, how important are they? And then how important we are. Yeah. Because of him. And so, that's what we do. And like, I said, I told you, Patrick, you know what I mean? Well, they want to get invested in the community, too. You know, that's what he did, but he didn't know he was going to get into it like that. That deep. That deep. I'm like, oh, yeah. Okay. We got you, buddy. But the good thing about it is like, now he got things he can put on his resume, his press kit. You know, he can apply for scholarships for art from, you know, get his MFA or whatever, you know. And so, because of these things, because nobody, I don't, we don't know, I don't know nobody like you in charge of things that they are like in charge of what we do. You know, they, and you literally in charge. Our art director is only 20, she was 24, not in Alondra. And she's, you know, she's been with us for over two years now. And she's like, she's curated. That's terrific. She works with Mimi, you know. Yeah. But so, and our coordinators, our event coordinators is like, we have high school ones and college one, they're all young. Because our age group is 14 to 25. So we only want to, we don't only want, but people who are, that age group should run our approach, should coordinate our programs. It makes more sense, you know, because I've got- I understand what that age bracket wants and what they're into, and that's good. Now, when you're talking to someone, I'm like, you know, hypothetically, I'm like, we should do this, do this, and then they say, well Bruce, you know, if we had to use the color pink, didn't we would have got more kids? You know, I said, so I said, but we use, but you use the color blue. And so that's why we didn't get nobody. Yeah. And I'm like, so I'm like- Yeah, like what we always say in the autobus, we're not the target market. That's right. Joe Curtin's not the target market. That's right. We had to know what other people want to buy. That's right. So I left that a lot of many times. And another thing, too, like I remember my expression was dance company that we did at, we do at Moisu. We're about to start it back up because we've got a wonderful freshman coming in from, she's Caroline. She's coming from New Jersey. She lives on New Jersey Beach or something. And she's coming as a freshman in April and she's going to go by our expression, dance company and our theatrical piece because that's what she does. And I'm so happy about it because now we're better to put those shows back. She's about to do, she's going to put a musical piece, skits and like a SNL piece. Oh, really? T-Rex and you know. Oh, that sounds great. I know. She's about to put that on. And so I just remember a story when through our last, one years ago, our expression dance company and they would do ballet and hip-hop and modern dance, you know, type stuff and showcase it at the counters all the time. And then I'm sitting because I got to sit through all the practices. You know, I got to be an adult. Some adult got to be there, and then I remember one when our choreographer was saying to one of the students like, why don't you put an attitude mood in this, you know? And so the girl, she said, you okay? So they did, and then the girls turned around, right? And I'm like, come on. You call that attitude? That's some damn attitude in this. And he looked at me like, Bruce, that was perfect. I didn't know it was a move. You wanted to move with attitude. Yeah, I didn't know, yeah, I didn't know that that was a type of move you make, you know? Like the attitude was a mood, like a... The pirouette. Yeah, yeah. So I like, from that point on, that was a shot from, I'm out of this, you know what I mean? We're not talking to you, Bruce. I'm like, are you gonna, are you, come on, put some attitude in this damn thing. Come on, you call that attitude, you know? That's good. So I've had examples like that through the years, you know? Whereas they're just like, just shut up, man. My job is to get the building, get the insurance, get the security, get, you know what I mean? That's right. And then just let them do their thing, you know? And I learned that. And so it's so funny because I learned that a lot because, you know, we're sitting on all these, you know, advisories for you for blah, blah, blah. Once I was in Rutland, I had a director there, Shannon, and I used to work there. You know, I used to work there, Shannon, and we was at a meeting. You know, and I, because I don't care if it's with, if you, I don't care if it's with the governor, who the hell it is, if it's with you for genitis on it, I'll bring it to you for me. Yeah. This makes sense to me. And so, so I took her to this meeting that all these directors were talking about what they were doing and what they do. For youth. For youth, right, you know? And so, when they were all saying these wonderful things, ladies, oh, we had 25 kids came to this dance, and kind of, I'm thinking, that's good, 25 kids, you know what I mean? Where there's no drugs, knock off tobacco, you know, Bruce, we know you had a big dance here, it was a ruffler. Big dance here in one of your spaces. What happened? I wasn't. So I look at Shannon and Shannon goes, she goes, she put her head down, go, no, no, no. And then I'm like, Shannon, you know? And then, they say, oh, what's wrong, Shannon? It didn't go right. She said, no, you know, she said, rest of you four said we weren't going to show that face in town no more. That's what she said in the space in town no more. And they said, oh, man, what happened? And they said, well, how many people came? And she said, 185, they said 185, you, she said, yeah, she said it was a flop. And they said, oh, they wanted two times that? Well, you know, because they normally do, they get over 300. She said, we usually get over 300, because we were like in like a Mill Rivers Ruffler High School out of Creek, you know what I mean? So they always get over 300. And anywhere we do, so, so, I was laughing at the event because I'm like, here's 185 kids in here. I'm laughing at them. And I'm like, yeah, you got to set the heights higher. Yeah. You know, and they like, we're like, how much more time is, you know, I mean, they try to get it over. And, and I'm thinking, y'all got 185 kids in here and you call it a flop. You ain't going to show your face around town no more. And I'm thinking, so I'm laughing at that day at the event. And I'm still laughing as you can tell. Oh, yeah. So, but the point is, why they get 185, while we get, why they got 185 kids there and, or 300, whatever it is, is because they plan it. They bring their peers in. Oh, yeah. And that's not, I don't do it. Right. Like I said, I do, you need to build it? You like that? Okay, let's go look at it. Oh, you like that? Okay, cool. So I got to bring the security, you know what I mean? I got to bring in the insurance. I got to, all these things that, you know what I mean? So, what about you? You know, so I always quit because I can, you know, I can do it fast because it's not really, you know, it's just, it's just something we've, we've done over 700 events. So it's like, it's just a no brainer kind of, you know, it is a brainer because I got to figure out how I'm going to get the money, but it's a really no brainer how the steps to take, you know. Right. And so, so we still, so the same with today, you know what I'm saying? And so we continue to do these things that come up with, they come up with some incredible stuff. And I want to do it, you know, I want to do it. And then I want to lift them up because like, if they're doing something like dance or music or all these, IT or gaming systems, if they're chilling when I sit or whatever, if they're doing that, guess what? They're not on using no drugs, no alcohol, they're not hanging out in the woods. We can see them. They're like, you know, like, they get to know each other. They get to know each right. Yeah. So you got, you got a little more time. Yeah. So since you said that, here's a code. So like, we'll help you provide your boys, you know, and, you know, it was like, it fell apart a little bit because of COVID, but we got to, we bring it back together. And so we had them from Mill Rivers. I mean, well, in that, really kind of, that's different, but we have them from, like, Vermont Common School, Water of School, Winnowsky, Burlington, South Burlington, because they always do once and make decisions on the events we do, whether, and the good thing about it is we would do events in their, their schools, in their neighborhoods, or wherever the hell they speak. And so, it's so funny. It's, it's so cool, how they, when I used to, when they used to come to the meetings, because, like, the ward off kids or, not to say the Vermont Common kids, like, you know, we got the Winnowsky kids, like, damn, Paris again? We just went there, we took Grandma there and we know that it's damn leaning, you know, it's the boys, you know, so the Winnowsky kids, like, parents, you know what I mean? And then the ward off girls be like, well, we had so much fun, we loved going through the, they, they, they're adventurous, they go through the woods, you know, I never knew it was a yellow beetle Charlie Bug, you know what I mean? You know, Winnowsky kids looking like that, and, and then Winnowsky kids or, or, or Barone to get talking about it. Yeah, I'm glad, we was in a, we was in a recording studio, laid down that track, that, that, that, and so they're all different, right? Yeah. They're all different, they all do things differently, but one thing they, they are, they all know what the, what the color is, they all know what, what colors are where, they all know what the music is, you know, so, you know, and so that's how funny is that, you know, a lot of those, those comic school kids are like, gosh, we gotta go to Paris again, you know, because they do that on like, they summer, they just, just trips, you know, these kids go to the Echo Center and these kids go to Paris, you know, so how funny is that? You know, and then the wall of girls like, oh, we go to, we all go with the same need, wanting to be, you know, noticed, wanting to be lifted up, whether they're laying down on the track or, that's what they're getting on the air. And so, and they all get along, you know what I mean, it's like, it's not hard to do, they're like, well, let's do, let's do, let's have John John Band there, or let's have they all, yeah, John John Band, you know, some, like, bikers, you know, flipping and stuff, you know, so these like, we're my comic kids, like, let's have some Ferrari, you know, something, you know, like, make it cool, you know what I mean? Well, it's just so many, oftentimes, adults don't understand, you know, often, when we were had kids and grew up in nothing, so my wife and I got gone mostly my wife and we got the wrecked department to build a skate park there. Oh, wow. So all of a sudden, there would be two people on the basketball, 28 to the skate park, yeah, yeah, and you see the same thing downtown. That's right, that's right. They're in a skate park 11 months of the year on the waterfront, and it's packed. They do. It is great. We just, my, Sherwin's Rendez Corporation just got to, we got to go around through, they were my comic and I got it. You know, we're just turning the money over to Cedar and Winniski so they can do that. Everybody can do that. Oh, the kids love it. Skate park, that's a big deal. And so, you're right. A number of years ago, it's trouble. Oh, yeah. No, it's trouble there. There's a concert down at the skate park on the waterfront, and Andy is one of our, we helped bring Andy up, Adog, Andy Williams to, where he was out of the United College Club on the deep, turntables. I miss him so much. But, you know, I got so many members of Adog, Andy Williams. Yeah, man. So, Joe, so, what's going on? What's going on? What's going on? How was, it's okay, people are coming to the hotel Vermont and they are coming to stay at the Marriott, right? And so, how's that, how's that? It was difficult. Two years, bro. Yeah. Down like that, that's a lot. So, you know, we were even closed a couple of months at hotel Vermont. Didn't take any guests and serve any meals. But, last July, things really perked up, you know, with international travel down and the Omicron hadn't surfaced yet. So, there's a lot of domestic travel. You know, certainly you couldn't come down from it was very busy, July through end of December. And then slowed down again, but that's typical January, February. And we, we hope the summer's going to be great again. So, wow. So, how do you, how do you, I don't know, you had to close down in the hotel for over two months so that was a lot, long time. Yeah. What months for those? Well, January, February, March, then we started part-time and then kicked in gear, basically, first of May. But, you know, at the courtyard, for instance, blue was closed Monday, Tuesday, almost all last year. I mean, that's 25% of your business. Wow. Wow. Just because we, one, we couldn't find employees. Yeah, man. Couldn't find cooks, couldn't find servers. So, anybody out there wants to work this summer, we would have to, oh, God, that's a big hit. So, now, it's picking up. So, Joe, so, let me ask you, how in the world do people, you know, we got the stimulus money, yeah. And so, like, everybody was like, okay, when soon that stimulus money go, people are going to lay in low because they try to go back to work because we're getting the stimulus checks and soon when that dry out, everybody's going to go back to work. So, and... A lot of theories on that. You know, I don't think people are, I don't think they're just sitting home on the couch, but I think a lot of people decided that I wanted to do something else. It's my theory. Oh, yeah, me too. You know, it's like, office and times in our business, especially on the food and beverage side, people think it's a transitory. You know, I'll go to the wait tables, make some money and travel here or there when they didn't have the job because it's like a inertia. You go to a job every day and you go and you go. But then they had a chance to think, oh, what do I really want to do? It kind of changed. It's starting to come back. We noticed that, one, I think because we're a good employer with benefits and we care about getting the team member. It's like you with kids. You know, you're getting opportunities. You get in the door of your business. It's us or other companies. So, if you've got an aptitude for it, we certainly encourage folks to come and, you know, I've made a career out of it and one of the guys that I work with, guys and girls. Well, boy, Joe, I don't know. So, you know, you've been a part of so many major decisions on hospitality. I know, God, period. I mean, people will listen to it. And, we're always happy. You know, we have friends and no people know, and I'm always trying to figure out, damn, I always ask you, Joe, how can I help you? And I be meeting that, you know, I mean, and I'm trying to figure out, damn, how can we help, you know, are really, really meeting. You know, I'm really happy. But, you know, I'm just happy that you help me with the youth and the families, it's like an uplifting. And, for everybody, we don't, with us, and it also gives individual opportunities, you know, to do the things that they want to do in life and showcase their talents, you know. Well, that's what we always feel in the hospitality business, like we're on the sideline. Yeah. You know, we're just facilitating, it's like those dance that the youth has, they go and have the ball, you just set it up. Yeah. We set it up, and then we watch people enjoy themselves. Yeah, that's true, you guys do a lot. Man, I just got to see if something, you know, so, whoa, well, I'm actually, you can have the last part in words, but what do you think about, um, well, like all these governors, not all these governors, but they got some keys, I think it's California, Illinois, and some, maybe New York, I don't know, talking about, don't write, kids, go to school, take off your mask. It's okay now. We, we ain't got to wear no damn thing. I don't think it's time, it's right, but right now, but what do you think about that? Well, you know, I'm no expert, but, uh, human behavior, you know, if you have people and, uh, tell them what to do, and then, it's all about the disease. If the disease comes down, and people have had COVID, you probably are not spreading it anymore. So, you know, we've had a, we fall at the hotels, we follow the CDC guidelines, we follow the city of Burlington guidelines, and sometimes we're even, uh, more strict because people expect, you know, a certain safe environment, and, and some push back and say, you know, I don't want to wear a mask. I don't want to have a vaccination to get a meal, but, we do it for the safety of you, and me, and Everett. Sure. Well, I'm not an expert. Yeah, yeah, I get it. And so, for a lot of experts, I don't know what, I think they're kind of, like, on both sides of the corner, maybe like, yes, yes, the people are. I think it changes so quick, you know, it's, we're making an up as we go along. Damn Joe. So, like, you know, I'm like, I'm thinking like, I was talking to one of, one of my LinkedIn friends, Dr. Jane Morgan, about, LinkedIn, you know, about COVID, she's an expert at Piedmont, different things. And, I'm all like, damn, I called Dr. Jane, Dr. Jane. It's sound like we're building up for another damn backs booster shot, you know, I mean, I already had to, I had to, and I had to boost it. No, it's sound like, you know, it's the way you talking, everybody talking like, come on, I don't have to, why are we, are we going to have another damn shot? You know what I mean? You know, she, like, you know, she was a good word, well, I think, you know, she used the, the good words, you know what I mean? Like, CDC words or whatever, you know, but, like, you know, I don't think we're solving that one here, on straight talk from on. No, we ain't going to solve that one. You know, I'm not trying to solve, I'm just trying to, you know, figure it out, you know what I mean? Well, I think, as this summer, I think we'll have a really great summer, and I don't see, you know, they're going to hit them damn masks anyways, like, and I don't know. So, I'm down with not having no masks, but I just want to make sure it's right, do it right, you know? And like, they said, I'm just going to say this about it, and I'm not going to, you know, because we're not going to solve no straight talk from on, is that people are saying that, people who are, who have not taken, who have not got the shots, are the ones who's actually getting, getting the, acquiring the vaccine, I mean, acquiring the virus. Virus. And so, Certainly statistically, it would say that, statistics with it. Yeah. Well, okay, Joe. Well, Bruce, that's it. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well, I really appreciate all your, you do for the community, and the youth, and the Chittenden County, and what you've done in Rotland, that probably a lot of people don't know about. Yeah, they don't know about it. There's a lot, a lot to it, so thank you. Thank you, sir, for supporting us, is what you do for all those, you say it with 30 years gone. It's a long time. Well, you know what? Joe, you know, well, we got to do it, man. You know, we got to do it because, you know, how do we want to feel good about ourselves if we don't help these youth and families, you know, be who they want to be without worrying about how they can make another goal, you know. And the goal, the steps are easy, like, if you want to be a doctor, a lawyer, Indian chief, all I got to do is, like, introduce you to a doctor, a lawyer, Indian chief, because I know him. Right. And how easy is that, man? You know, I don't know. No doubt about it. Let me show you how I got here. No doubt about it. And that's what, you know, you expect the me and you expect the other people. No doubt about it. Yes, I do. And I think, like, you know, we got to, they have to do because this ain't just Bruce's kids. It's like all our, all our peeps, you know, we got to try to do, we can't, and then earn our points in heaven and wherever. You know, we got to earn our points, too, you know. So, yes, sir, thank you very much. And that'll be all for our show. Thank you for tuning in. Thanks.