The Jan. 21 Presidential Inaugural Parade was impressive, no matter what one’s politics. It was steeped in patriotism, a marvel of logistics and a spectacle of security at its best. That President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama twice got out of “The Beast,” their armored limousine, to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue was likely part wanting to revel in the moment, and much to do with what one parade participant said appeared to be more police officers than spectators.The marcher who made that observation was Steven Bartomioli of Falls Village, a first sergeant and cavalry troop commander in the Corps of Cadets at Norwich University (and the son of this reporter). He is not in the Norwich University Regimental Band that was chosen to represent Vermont (each state gets one group) but he was asked to carry the banner. For this reporter, it was almost too exciting not only to have a son in the parade, but also to get a close-up virtual look behind the scenes — one that came mostly in real-time text messages.Norwich cadetsJust after Christmas, the band learned it had been chosen from the 2,800 that had applied. Located in the exact geographic center of Vermont, in Northfield, Norwich includes both civilian students and the Corps of Cadets. Most cadets are in an ROTC branch. They start out in basic training and live a military lifestyle while carrying a full course load.Norwich is a distinct place, with a respectful atmosphere where even civilians are likely to call you sir or ma’am. It is the only remaining private military college in the nation and the origin of the Green Mountain Boys. The regimental band is the oldest U.S. collegiate band. It is not surprising this will be the seventh time it has marched from the Capital to the White House. The first time was in 1961, when John F. Kennedy took office.“It made me feel proud to be there, representing Norwich,” Steven said shortly after the parade ended. “The commentators mentioned to the crowds that the Norwich band is the oldest in the nation and that the school is the oldest private military college in the country. It was also fun marching past hundreds of servicemen and women who lined the streets.”The band made the 10-hour bus trip on Saturday, giving them all day Sunday to sightsee. Steven reported walking down the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue that day, without parade. All the roads around the route were already closed and had been cleared of vehicles. Spectators were allowed in via specific streets.At 7:45 a.m. Monday, they were back on the bus and headed to the Pentagon for a 10:30 a.m. appointment for a security check. They had no idea what that was going to entail. They only knew that they would be sent to a “penalty area,” whatever that meant, if they were late.At close to 11 a.m., he texted that they were still waiting. So were about 100 other buses full of marchers. It was “hurry up and wait,” a pace that continued throughout the day.“There was a giant staging area at the Pentagon with tents. Inside were metal detectors that we all went through. They had German shepherds sniffing inside the tubas and all the instruments.”Once their bus was deemed “clean,” they reboarded with a Pentagon staff sergeant and a female volunteer who would stay with them through the march. Hours of waitingFrom that point, they were essentially in security isolation. The band waited on a museum lawn near the Washington Memorial, arriving at 2:30 p.m., when the parade was scheduled to step off. Being in the fourth division (there were five, each led by a branch of the military), it was estimated they would join the parade at about 4 p.m.But the toasts at the presidential luncheon did not end until nearly 3 p.m. The president still had to review the troops and travel in his motorcade to the White House. By then, they were behind by almost an hour. The president and his family entered the reviewing stand at 4:45 p.m.As appreciative as Steven and his fellow cadets were about the honor, standing around for hours, 45-degree weather or not, with no opportunity to do anything for physical comfort, became annoying. They amused themselves by marveling at the vast sea of people, the sky full of helicopters and the protective sharpshooter on every roof. They called upon their military training for patience. Were nerves an issue?“Not really, to be honest. It was mostly because we felt that we deserved our place there.”They finally stepped off around 5:30 p.m., marching the 1.2 miles after dark and passing the glass-enclosed reviewing stand just before 6 p.m. Carrying the banner on the side closest to the stand, Steven passed within feet and was able to clearly make out President Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden. He called it a surreal experience.He was especially impressed with the float in front of their band, representing the Tuskegee Airmen and featuring a replica P-15 Mustang fighter plane.While Washington partied that evening, the cadets headed back to the National 4-H Youth Conference Center for some down time and sleep before the early morning departure to Vermont.Abo-Hamzy’s invitationAnother Falls Village resident, Ameen-Storm Abo-Hamzy, was invited to Washington, to the Inaugural Ball. Abo-Hamzy said he has absolutely no idea why he was mailed the “beautiful, engraved” invitation. He joked that maybe they wanted to up the diversity at the ball with a Lebanese or a poet, or a Lebanese poet. The award-winning poet is also a teacher. The state Commission on the Arts also has named him a Master Teaching Artist.Had last-minute logistical issues not prevented him from going, he said he would have truly relished the experience from a patriotic standpoint. What many people don’t know about Abo-Hamzy: He was a ranking student officer on the Norwich Corps of Cadets and served with the Army Rangers.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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