CHESTER, Vt. – 2027 marks Barre Pinske’s 20th year living and working in Chester, Vt. – and he’s still finding new ways to surprise people.
Best known for his wooden bears, Pinske has built one of the more unlikely creative resumes in New England. His work has landed him on CNN Headline News three times, and in the pages of USA Today Weekend and The Boston Globe. A sculpture of his is placed in the entryway of Prince’s Paisley Park Museum. During the Reagan administration, the Pentagon commissioned one of his “Bear in Eagle” pieces as a diplomatic gift to Russia during nuclear disarmament talks. All of the Aerosmith band members collect his work. In 2016, he finished in the top three out of a thousand entries in an A&E-sponsored reality competition, working with director Alex Strandling, of Fact8 in Bellows Falls. For 15 years, he produced the Big Buzz Chainsaw Carving Festival throughout the region.
His latest project is Pinske’s Rising Tide, a dedicated performance space inside his 50 First Avenue studio, built around a passion for stand-up comedy, and a belief that rural Vermont deserves a real stage.
Open mics have been running since December, on alternating Saturday nights, at 8 p.m., and the response has been stronger than expected. Comics are traveling more than an hour to perform. Locals are showing up both to take the mic, and to enjoy the show. Every performance is livestreamed and recorded to YouTube, and comics get a full 10 minutes – double what most open mics offer in larger markets, which Pinske says makes a real difference.
“Giving comics more time helps because they don’t have to rush their jokes – there’s actually room for people to laugh,” he says. “The theater-style space and professional sound system put the focus where it belongs: on the performers.”
Pinske points out that open mics have always been where comedy begins. Gilbert Gottfried’s sister brought him to his first one at 15. Dave Chappelle started as a teenager. Adam Sandler, who grew up in New Hampshire, was encouraged by his brother to try one, and the rest is history.
“The fact that we have a pro-level space in a rural area and can broadcast to the whole world is really cool,” says Pinske. “Who knows – the next big talent might come right out of Chester, Vt.”
All are welcome. Admission is free. Nonalcoholic drinks and snacks are served.
Upcoming dates are Saturday, March 20, and every Saturday starting in April, all at 8 p.m.