November 28th & 29th, 2025

At Green Mountain Orchards, 130 W Hill Rd, Putney, VT

Sandglass Theater's A Rafter of Crankies partners with Green Mountain Orchards to host this magical and intimate thanksgiving weekend tradition. Crankies are panoramic scrolls that are “cranked” on the handles of a box that the scrolls wind through. The effect is like watching the analog ancestor of a movie, or a comic strip that combines with a song or story. Together they create a performance that is charming, and often wildly funny or strikingly haunting. Although they are often associated with Appalachian folk tradition, today’s crankies embrace cultural, musical, and artistic expressions that are contemporary and as unpredictable as the weather!

And why a Rafter of Crankies? Rafter is the group name for turkeys (just as fish group in schools or geese in gaggles). Just look at the ceiling of Green Mountain Orchards and you’ll see why the name fits for a group of crankies as well. And on Thanksgiving weekend, what better way to tie the rafter together than with the traditional meal and a crankie performance!