West Mountain Inn Blog

Chef Jeff Scott Partners with Farmers, Food & Families

2012-01-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

West Mountain Inn Chef Jeff Scott

Jeff Scott, our chef at West Mountain Inn, is not only the man who serves up delicious, creative, seasonal menus for our guests every night...he also does some meaningful work in our community teaching his passion for local, healthy food and giving back to families. Below is an excerpt from the Community Food Cupboard newsletter all about Jeff's work last year in a program he and CFC volunteer Dale Coppin started called Grateful Hearts - a partnership of local farms and the Vermont Foodbank to prepare and distribute healthy meals through the Community Food Cupboard. Great work Chef Jeff and all our awesome local farmers!......

Last winter, Dale Coppin, a friend of the Food Cupboard, brought several hundred pounds of beets to the Community Food Cupboard (CFC) that had been gleaned from a local farm by students in the Twilight Program at Mount Anthony High School. This led to a conversation about how the lack of proper cooking facilities, food knowledge, and time can make it difficult for many families in need to use some of the fresh foods available at CFC. Shortly thereafter, Dale had a plan. In February, 2011, he recruited renown chef Jeff Scott of the West Mountain Inn in Arlington to begin a group dedicated to using locally grown and produced foods, as well as bulk foods available from the Vermont Foodbank to prepare healthful meals, soups, and salads to be distributed by CFC. The two named their program Grateful Hearts, in honor of both their shared desire to help others and their love of the Grateful Dead.

The Mighty Food Farm Team donated over 2500 lbs of fresh produce!

Clear Brook Farm workers with baskets of fresh organic beans

Each weekend, Dale picks up produce generously donated by Andrew Knafel of Clear Brook Farm, Lisa MacDougall of Mighty Food Farm, Rich and Kathy Moses of Moses Farm, and Roger and Penny Preuss of Equinox Valley Nursery. On Monday morning, following Jeff’s instructions, volunteers gather in the kitchen at St. Paul's to wash, peel, and chop on cutting boards donated by our friends at J.K. Adams. In the afternoon, Jeff assembles and cooks the menu items which are then packaged into portions by a second team of volunteers. When completed, the meals are delivered to CFC for distribution on Tuesday. In just nine months, these dedicated folks have provided hundreds of meals that have been enjoyed by our CFC families.

Our deepest thanks go out to Dale and Jeff, to the students of the Twilight Program, to Christ our Savior parish for the use of their bright and beautiful kitchen, to all the farmers for sharing their harvest, and the more than 80 volunteers whose efforts are making this program a huge success for CFC families!

Volunteers begin the cooking process in St. Paul's kitchen

2011 Festival of Santa Lucia

2011-12-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

Wes Carlson, my dad, was Swedish and made Saint Lucia a special tradition at the Inn beginning almost 30 years ago. Each year we love spending time with our guests - decorating the Inn's Christmas tree cut fresh from a local farm; eating cookies, drinking Gloog, telling Troll Tales, holding a Troll treasure hunt and singing carols around the fire. In the morning Saint Lucia delivers coffee and Lucia buns to guests in their rooms followed by a delicious Swedish Smorgasboard brunch. This year's Santa Lucia Festival was a beautiful celebration of community and the spirit of giving.

Organizers and speakers Paula Maynard, Stephanie Moffett Hynds, MaryAnn Carlson, Father Scott and many local children contributed to Saturday night's pageant at the Saint James Church in Arlington which had a wonderful turn out. We wanted to share with you a few images and excerpts from the evening's presentation and hope it will inspire you to come stay with us next year and enjoy this special celebration.

Tonight we gather again, as we have for more than three decades in Arlington, to celebrate the Swedish Festival of Light honoring the ancient saint named Lucia, who took it upon herself in 304 AD to do something. We will also look at this sense of giving of oneself through the more recent stories of a few remarkable human beings from around the globe who, like Lucia, answered and acted on the question … What Can I do? This is the season of hope and it is our hope that these powerful examples of ordinary people doing extraordinary things will inspire each of us to think globally and act locally to better the lives of those in need … to become a light where light is needed.

While the Festival of Santa Lucia is a Scandinavian tradition that has made its way into American culture by way of Swedish immigrants, the origins of this Christmastime celebration are not actually in Scandinavia. The story of Lucia was written more than 1700 years ago in a town named Syracuse on the Italian island of Sicily. According to the Sicilian legend, Lucia’s mother, a wealthy lady, had been miraculously cured of an illness. Lucia, a Christian, persuaded her mother in thankfulness to give her money to the poor. So, by candlelight, the mother and daughter went about the city secretly feeding and ministering to the poor of Syracuse. Unfortunately during this time, Christians were being persecuted by the emperor and Lucia was martyred for her beliefs. Those whom she served -- never forgetting her kindness -- spread her story.

Tonight we will honor the memory of this brave young woman who lived almost two thousand years ago far from here, by speaking of the lives of others from around the world who, against all odds, also dedicated their lives to serving those in need, bringing peace and light to their darkened worlds. The story of Lucia’s life is global and far reaching and the same can be said for these modern day Lucias.

The evening's speakers (children and adults) shared the stories of activists and Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Jane Adams, Nelson Mandela, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, Mother Teresa, and even our local community members Sally and Don Goodrich. Their examples connected us back to the message of bringing light into the world - whether thru fighting poverty and working for children's and women's rights in America, helping to overturn apartheid in South Africa, founding the Community of Peace People in Northern Ireland, caring for the poor and ill throughout Asia and India, and building a school for girls in Afghanistan.

As our friend and neighbor Don Goodrich said:

“We need this kind of hope to cross divides of culture and religion, tribes and nations, families and neighbors – to live with dignity and search for understanding. These things cannot be achieved everywhere and all the time or even predictably, but, it is in striving, reaching for them that life has its meaning.”

Happy New Year Everyone!
We hope your days are filled with light and happiness.

Renee's DIY Wedding Tips - Fall Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-22T16:36:00.001-08:00

West Mountain Inn's wedding coordinator Renée LaBelle is blogging today with a great DIY wedding activity and decor idea from one of last month's beautiful fall weddings at the Inn.

In November Sara and Tracy celebrated their wedding at the Inn and planned a fun rehearsal dinner activity which also served as a great fall wedding decor idea I wanted to share with everyone. The new trend in weddings is all about DIY and after a few meetings over hot chocolate, Sarah & Tracy explained they wanted to do something different on Friday night before their rehearsal dinner that would involve their friends in creating their wedding decorations together.

They knew they wanted pumpkins as part of the decor for their fall wedding and after we talked further they decided to have a pumpkin carving party.

I just loved this whole idea because it was a way for Sara, Tracy and their friends to relax, have fun and create a special memory of their wedding together. They carved their names, their wedding date, words like LOVE into the pumpkins and placed them along the stone wall near their ceremony site the next morning.

The candle-lit pumpkins had a beautiful orange glow that evening which they used to decorate their dessert table and line the walk up to the barn for their reception.

So for any brides planning fall weddings for next year - keep this fun idea in mind. A pumpkin carving party is a creative DIY way to include a Friday night activity with your friends and add a pretty, warm glow to your fall wedding decorations. Congratulations to Tracy and Sara!

Photos courtesy Heather Trimm Photography

www.heathertrimmphotography.com

www.facebook.com/heathertrimmphotography

Ellis Paul & Richard Shindell House Concerts

2011-10-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

In late August this year we had two wonderful house concerts with renowned folk musicians Richard Shindell and Ellis Paul, joined by Radoslav Lorkovic. This will be our third year in a row organizers Tim & Lori Blixt of Cabin Concerts have brought a group of about 50 folk music fans for 3-5 day retreats, complete with private living room performances, free song writing workshops, delicious group BBQ's and time to get up close and connect with their favorite folk musicians.

Every year our house concerts have been completely sold out and we're so pleased they've grown to become an annual event here at the inn. In fact they've been so popular - this year we held 2 separate concerts instead of one! Many fans who attended our first ever house concert have come back again and again for the chance to experience the music, friendship and intimate atmosphere of these music retreats.

Each night guests gather in the living room for a private all acoustic performance where there are no repeated songs. It's a brand new show each night. Many guests bring their own guitars and take part in the free songwriting workshops offered during the day. Shows and workshops are open only to the folks staying at the Inn so when they sign up to attend, guests truly have the artists to themselves. Once in a while guests will even sit in on a song or too as Ellis Paul fan Karen Zundel did.

So if you're a folk music fan, look for our updates on next year's house concert and book your retreat early. If you've never had the chance to experience a house concert with your favorite folk artists, private living room performances, and kicking back with a small group of die-hard fans - we promise you'll love it!

- photos courtesy Dave Marion

Summer Fun

2011-07-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

You could come to Vermont in summer just to soak in the beautiful views, dip in a lake or take a walk through the woods, but there are also a ton of fun local summer events going on just a few miles from the Inn. Most of our weekends are still busy with weddings but our guests are out enjoying music performances, summer theater, horse shows and a host of other great activities nearby. Here are a few great events coming up in July and August.

July 6th - Aug. 14th - Vermont Summer Festival Horse Shows

The Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset hosts the fourteenth annual Vermont Summer Festival with a beautiful backdrop of the Green Mountains. The Festival welcomes all spectators to the show grounds so you can watch the horses and athletes, shop the onsite boutiques, or plan to have lunch and a drink. The show grounds boast FIVE all weather rings, including one of the largest Grand Prix fields in New England, as well as several all weather schooling and riding areas, permanent wash racks, paddocks and extended trails for casual enjoyment.

July 7th-Aug. 18th - Thursday evenings of Music at the Southern Vermont Arts Center

The Southern Vermont Arts Center’s performance space, the Arkell Pavilion, is a 400 seat acoustical gem in Manchester where a season of great music events take place. Completely restored in 2000, The Arkell has been entertaining audiences since its opening night nearly 50 years ago.

The 2011 performance series includes three exciting shows:

Homemade Vermont Jam with The Samples, Gold Town, and The Gordon Stone Band

Come Fly with Me - a Frank Sinatra Tribute with vocalist Rob Zappulla

DooWop Legends - Original recording stars Jay Siegel and the Tokens, Jay Traynor of Jay & the Americans, and Shirley Alston Reeves - lead singer of The Shirelles

July-August - Summer Theater

Southern Vermont and the surrounding area have some of the best summer playhouse line-ups you'll see anywhere off Broadway. The Dorset Playhouse, Oldcastle Theater, the Weston Playhouse and the Williamstown Theater Festival are all a short drive from the Inn and showcase a season of great plays and top-notch actors. The Dorset and Weston Playhouses are beautiful restored historic buildings providing unique Vermont settings for theater. Oldcastle in Bennington is an intimate 250 seat playhouse and the Williamstown Theater Festival has 3 performance venues and attracts star-studded casts, big productions and up and coming playwrights. All of these festivals attract audiences from throughout the Northeast and several have been going strong for over 30 years so you can count on some great entertainment from any one of them.

Aug. 5 - 7 - Manchester's 33nd Annual Southern Vermont Arts Festival

Artists and Artisans exhibit under gorgeous camelot-style tents at the Hildene Meadowlans in Manchester. You'll find everything from birdbaths and patio tables to handcrafted pottery, hand painted clothing,furniture, jewelry, leather purses and bags, photography, original paintings and more. You get to stroll into 150 boutiques and meet the actual artists and hear their stories. A fun day of outdoor art and food and a great way to support handcrafted products!

Aug. 6 - Norman's Attic Craft Fair

Right in our backyard, you can't miss Norman's Attic - a craft fair with over 60 vendors, plus antiques, collectibles and a town wide tag sale. You’ll find woven items, pottery, art, jewelry, china, linens, antiques, dried flowers, home made jams, knitwear, and the folks at St. James Episcopal Church serve a great assortment of home cooked food at their popular grill and food booths. This fun family event has been held for 17 years in historic Arlington, Vermont, the home of beloved American artist Norman Rockwell and his family from 1939 to 1953. In addition to the town green and main street being lined with vendors, the town-wide tag sale includes over 20 locations, stretching from Sandgate to Sunderland. You might even meet one of the models for Norman Rockwell's paintings in town!

2011 Spring Weddings

2011-06-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

We're well under way with our wedding season now. It's always wonderful to see so many happy couples and families celebrating at the Inn each year. After 30 years, we've probably had thousands of weddings, but each one is truly unique and we feel very lucky to help create so many special memories. We wanted to share just a few spring weddings with you from 2011.

Now we don't want to make any brides' mothers nervous, but one of our first lovely weddings in April was an elopement. Eric and Rebecca had a private ceremony in our living room followed by cake cutting and champagne. The Inn was quiet and the lilacs were in full bloom - so perfect and romantic.

Sarah and Chris had a late April wedding at the Inn with their ceremony in our meadow and reception in the barn. They had a great time dancing and as you can see below, really got into the old tradition of the bouquet and garter toss.

One of our loveliest early June couples was Melissa & Nathan. They had a bit of spring rain early in the day, but as they say - rain just ties the knot tighter!

We loved their maple syrup favors which were also made beautiful place cards for their guests seating assignments.

Congratulations to all our spring brides and grooms! May you enjoy a lifetime of happiness.

photos courtesy Jay Cavallaro Photography

Alpaca Shearing and Spinning Weekend

2011-06-10T05:02:00.000-07:00

At the end of May our lovely alpacas got their annual haircuts and we held an Alpaca Shearing and Spinning weekend here at the Inn. We've had quite a few different animals at the inn over the years, from llamas to mini french lop rabbits, to pygmy goats and bubble eye goldfish. We've had our alpacas for about 3 years now. John Conboy of Schoharie Llamas does our shearing every spring. He owns a llama farm and shears about 350-400 llamas and alpacas every year.

We also had the pleasure of a fiber spinning demo from Sheila Jillson who came up from Cape Ann, MA with her spinning wheels - and one of her beautiful angora rabbits. Sheila raises angora rabbits, has been spinning for about 17 years and knits beautiful hats, gloves and scarves.

John talked with guests about shearing and how alpaca fiber is considered one of the ultimate fibers because of it's warmth and softness. The fiber is actually hollow, which is why it's so warm. With shearing the first cut from the from the torso to the upper thigh is considered the best.

Sheila demonstrated the spinning process starting with her drum carder which straightens the fibers like a comb to spinning the fibers out on her various wheels. She said with her rabbits that she plucks their incredibly soft hair every three months or so and then cuts it short. The going rate for angora fiber is $9 an oz and is seven times warmer than wool!

We were also holding our work week during the shearing so several of our guests helped John out with the alpacas. They have to be lifted onto a table and secured, which some of them don't like very much, but in the end they are much happier and cooler.

Thanks to John, Shelia, and our guests who made our alpaca shearing and spinning weekend a great event!

Work Week 2011

2011-06-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

We finished up our 2nd annual work week on May 25th and wanted to share a few photos with you and send out a big THANK YOU to all of our guests who participated. We started our work week tradition last year and it's been a wonderful experience for all of us here at the Inn. We had just finished up our big interior renovation project (pics on that coming soon!) so this year's work week was mostly focused on sprucing up the grounds. It can be a challenge to get all of our gardens ready at the same time for the spring season, but with all the help from our work week guests, the grounds are looking more beautiful than ever.

Every year we post our work week invite on our website but guests find out about it in different ways. We ask that guests contribute 4 hrs of work a day in exchange for a free stay at the Inn, so it leaves them plenty of time to relax and explore while they're here.

Bob Hartley from Melrose, MA attended last year's House Concert series with Tracy Grammer, Lori McKenna and Mark Erelli and decided to come back for work week. Gary and Gail Cooper found our work week info on our website and came all the way from Sarajevo. Ellen Watson from East Hampton, NY explained that she loves the whole concept of bartering and thought it would be a great way to travel anywhere. Malcolm and Ann Broderick of Boston had come to the Inn in January for their honeymoon and decided to come back for a visit. They ended up helping John Conboy of Schoharie Llamas shear our Alpaca's when he arrived for the weekend.

Work week will definitely continue annually at West Mountain Inn and we can't thank this year's guests enough for all their weeding, edging, mulching, window painting, energy and good spirit!

Renovations 2011

2011-04-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we last posted and we've had lots of changes going on with our recent renovation project. The catalyst for our renovations wasn't something we wanted or expected, but as they say - every cloud has a silver lining.

On January 28th we experienced a small fire in our living room. Fortunately guests were safely moved to other buildings and the fire was contained very quickly by our wonderful Arlington Fire Department and responsive town workers. In fact our alarm and extensive sprinkler system worked so well, much of the damage was actually from water and soot.

We decided to close the Inn for several months to clean up and renovate the entire downstairs. Things have been moving along smoothly and we'll be back open with a fresh new look the week of May 15th. We have a great crew who has been busy putting in new windows, refinishing floors, building a new bar in the tavern, painting walls and updating bathrooms.

These are just a few photos of our progress - the beginning stages. In the coming weeks all the final touches will be done, new furniture will be moved in and we'll be kicking off our 2011 wedding season. A few guests have told us they don't want our renovations to change the cozy, antique feel the Inn has had for so many years. Well, we will have some beautiful new colors on the walls and a fresh finish on our antique floorboards, but don't worry, we'll be preserving the familiar Vermont Country ambiance we've always had and we can't wait for you to come back and see it. So we'll be posting more when our renovations are done and we're wishing you all a healthy, happy spring!

Vacation with a Folkie 2010

2010-09-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Photos by Dave Marion

For the past 3 years we’ve had the pleasure of hosting sold out house concerts with some of folk music’s most prestigious singer-songwriters. Cabin Concert organizers Tim & Lori Blixt first began bringing folk music fans to the West Mountain Inn in 2008 for 3 nights of intimate living room performances and songwriting workshops with the renowned Ellis Paul. In 2009 their “Vacation with a Folkie” event featured Richard Shindell, and this year fans enjoyed the perfect trifecta of folk music talent with musicians Tracy Grammer, Lori Mckenna and Mark Erelli. We talked with Tim and some of the fans about what it’s been like to spend 3 days in Vermont with a small group of other music lovers, getting up close and personal with their favorite artists.

West Mountain Inn (WMI): Tim, Tell us what a house concert is and how you got started organizing them.

Tim Blixt: A house concert is just what the name implies---a concert that takes place in someone's home. Though many folks miss the cool lights and the pounding sound system of a "real" club, for the kind of acoustic music we present, many fans find the subtle pleasures of a quiet living room where they're no more than 20' from the artist to be a wonderful alternative to the clubs that normally present these artists. Lori and I were always fans of this music and long about 1994 we started hearing about house concerts. Our understanding was that they were quite popular out west---where the distances between big cities and real clubs can often be imposing. Artists had taken to picking up a gig in someone's home along the way. Often, a bed is included for the night, and because usually all of the money collected goes to the artist, these can often be fairly lucrative gigs for the artists. We've always felt that the kind of music these singer songwriters perform lends itself to a really intense listening environment, which is exactly what these small, un-amplified spaces provide. The opportunity to have a really "up close and personal" experience with some fairly well known artists has proven irresistible to a growing number of fans as the growth in the popularity of house concerts has shown. We presented shows in our home for over ten years, and along the way, it occurred to us that maybe we could really stretch the boundaries of what a house concert could be. We realized that the only thing better than a night with some of these very talented folks in a tiny living room, would be three, or in some cases even six, nights with them!! Early efforts included really ambitious events in Scotland, France, Nova Scotia, Gettysburg, and Stowe, Vt. But when we did our first shows at the West Mountain, we knew we'd found our "home" for these things.

WMI: What makes attending a house concert special compared to seeing music events in another performance setting?

Jela Webb: The intimacy of the performance, the closeness between artist and audience. The unplugged nature of the performances makes them extra special because you know that you are hearing the music in its rawest form, there is 'no hiding place' so only the best and most confident of musicians are willing to 'expose' themselves in this way. What is also special is the opportunity to attend the guitar workshop (Ellis Paul) and songwriting workshop (Mark Erelli and Lori McKenna) and hear how they write, develop and play their material. Having been a long time supporter of these musicians it is wonderful to listen to the talk about the creation of their art, their inspirations and influences.

Pat D’Amico: It’s the intimacy and access to the musicians it affords...it's like having them play in your own home. I also enjoyed the West Mountain Inn grounds, labyrinth garden, front yard etc. I sat out on the stone bench in the labyrinth each morning with a cup of coffee and played my guitar. It is an amazing setting.

WMI: Tim, how did you choose the West Mountain Inn that first year?

Tim: We first found you when a friend, knowing about our love of B&B's, gave us a copy of the Select Registry. We actually booked our first event with you without ever having seen the place!! As it happened, later that year (2008) we were on our way to attend a concert in Chester, Vt. (yes---we often travel a VERY long way to see an artist we really like!!), it happened that we were going right near Arlington and so we stopped in to see what the place we'd booked looked like! Needless to say, we were thrilled. When Amie showed us what she envisioned as the performance space, we knew we'd hit a home run.

Photo by Richard Webb

WMI: What got you excited about coming to the West Mountain House concert this year or in years past?

Jela Webb: I live in the UK, travelled to WMI with my husband Richard; we are keen music fans and go to many shows. We came in 2008 and 2010 each time to see and hear favorite musicians 'up close and personal' The opportunity to spend a few days with like minded friends and fans in a beautiful setting, listening to the music we love, made the decisions to travel 3000 miles quite easy!

Dave & Sheri Marion: Being big hikers, kayakers and skiiers. . .there is just too much to do in Vermont. We have been long time admirers of New England anyway so traveling up there for us is a no brainer. We also bring several of our family and friends with us to the shows, I think there about 11 of us all together, and we expect that number to grow as we spread the word about these events. The intimacy of your living room and the opportunity to spend time with these special artists make these concerts all the more wonderful for myself and my family.

WMI: What are some of the reasons you've chosen to make the West Mountain Inn house concert an annual event?

Tim: We've done these things in a number of places, not just in this country, but all over the world. Though everyone of these things has been special, no place we have ever used has offered the degree of comfort and enjoyment that your Inn has. We have a number of fans who've attended all of our events---or at least a lot of them---and EVERYONE agrees that the West Mountain is clearly the best place we've ever used for these things. Our fans have loved their rooms, the attentiveness of the staff, the incredible food, the gorgeous surroundings, the perfect little concert space we use, the proximity of the performance space to the bar (always a favorite aspect of music fans!!), and the ability to roam around the grounds and maybe bump into the artist (who always stays on site with us).

WMI: What are some stand out memories you have from the house concerts at West Mountain Inn?

Tim: One of the really enticing aspects of our shows is that we promise the fans that over the course of their three night stay, the artist we not repeat ANY songs!! This is a pretty tough chore for lots of artists. What we do is not something every artist is capable of. The artist first needs a catalog that gives them three nights of material---but just as importantly, they actually have to REMEMBER how to do some of their old chestnuts!! So on any night I can think of out of the nine we've now spent listening to music in your parlor, literally EVERY night has offered me something I have maybe not ever seen or heard---or certainly something that I haven't seen or heard in many many years.

Sometimes it can get kind of crazy as an artist struggles to recall a song that they maybe haven't performed in over a decade---but in that is often the most fun. I do remember one song that Ellis Paul did during his first run at the Inn. He was accompanied on that tour by a gal who worked in his manager's office. They were good friends and Ellis knew a good bit about her---but not everything. As it happened, it was Rachels' birthday while they were at the Inn. One night Ellis broke into a song that was maybe titled "Happy Birthday Rachel". It turned into an eighteen minute saga---one of the funniest songs any of us had ever heard---in which Ellis sang the complete life story of this gal. He actually had to ask her for details while he was singing, and then he wove those details into the next verse. It was as creative a moment (or many moments I guess) as I had ever heard. We all knew we'd been treated to not just a whole lot of laughs, but also a once in a lifetime moment.

Jela: Being together in a large group, with friends and sharing such special times together. Hearing songs performed that do not normally get played during the more traditional tour dates. Hearing rarities and also brand new songs that have literally only been written and never before played in front of a live audience.

Tim: I could also add that for each of our events at the Inn, our artists have offered a free songwriting workshop for any fans interested.

Although neither Lori nor I are players, those who've attended these workshops have spoken of them as nearly life changing experiences. The opportunity to be one on one with a real musical hero of yours is something many of these fans cannot pass up!!

2011’s “Vacation with a Folkie” events are already in the works and 2 separate groups are being planned - one with Ellis Paul and a second with Richard Shindell. We’re thrilled to have these wonderful musicians and dedicated folk music fans back each year. Check in with us later for more details. Please visit Cabin Concerts and the musicians sites to learn more about house concerts and the talented artists who’ve graced our living room stage.

www.cabinconcerts.com

www.ellispaul.com

www.richardshindell.com

www.lorimckenna.com

www.tracygrammer.com

www.markerelli.com

Weddings - Style Me Pretty

2010-08-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Style Me Pretty - The Ultimate Wedding Blog - recently featured the West Mountain Inn so we wanted to share their site with you.

Style Me Pretty Blog - West Mountain Inn Feature

Check out Style Me Pretty for the best DIY wedding tips, inspiration and some great photos of our weddings this season. This wedding blog is chock full of gorgeous photo galleries, fashion, color palettes, creative details and real wedding stories. If you're looking for inspiration, this is a great place to research ideas for your celebration.

Wedding season has been going strong at West Mountain Inn and we're now heading into the fall, which is always an especially romantic, colorful time for weddings in Vermont. Congratulations to all you lucky brides and grooms - may the romance never end!

Summer Theater

2010-08-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for some exciting local entertainment, attending one of our area's many live theater productions is a great way to spend a summer evening. You can passively take in a movie or television any day, but going to a live theater production is an intimate, interactive experience. It's a living, breathing performance that changes every night. Your laughter, applause and attention are part of the energy and emotion of the play. Here in Southern Vermont, we're fortunate to be within a short drive to a host of renowned summer theater festivals that attract top-notch directors, actors and playwrights every season. There are family friendly shows, outdoor performances, opening night galas, musicals, and after-show talks with actors; so if you haven't had the pleasure of seeing a great live performance recently, plan a special night out this summer and support these excellent local theaters.

Dorset Theater Festival

The Dorset Playhouse opened in 1929 and in typical Vermont style, the theater included the use of three local barns in its construction. In 2001 it underwent a $3 million restoration. Their summer theater festival, now in it's 35th season, attracts A-list actors with a great line-up of shows. The theater has a small art gallery and cafe where they also feature family performances, live music and tapas.

Williamstown Theater Festival

With three state of the art stages in the magnificent 62' Center Theater at Williams College, the Williamstown Theater Festival is renowned for it's Broadway level productions and casts. Every year WTF audiences enjoy brilliant performances of well-known stage, movie and television actors - Christopher Reeves, Gwenyth Paltrow, Marisa Tomei, Christopher Walken, Blythe Danner and many more have graced their stages. From Sondheim to Shakespeare to gifted contemporary playwrights, WTF offers an exciting season of world-class shows.

Weston Playhouse

Named "The most beautiful theatre in New England" by the Boston Globe, the Weston Playhouse offers spacious seating in an intimate 300 seat auditorium as well as spectacular views of an historic mill and waterfall. In August and September you can still catch their productions of Damn Yankees and Death of a Salesmen (starring Christopher Lloyd). Enjoy a pre-show dinner at the Cafe on the Falls or catch their Cabaret shows every evening following the plays.

Old Castle Theater

In it's 39th year, Bennington's Oldcastle's summer season features professional equity actors from New York and around the globe. From comedies, to edgy and thought-provoking dramas, to your favorite classics, Oldcastle is a true company of actors, writers, directors and designers working together over time to create first-rate productions in the Green Mountains.

Farm to Table

2010-07-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

The sweet juiciness of a ripe garden tomato or the sugary crunch of the summer’s first corn on the cob - there's just nothing like eating fresh whole foods in their season. July is a time when our local farms are busy harvesting a bounty of beautiful, healthy, organic foods which means lots of exciting flavors and colors for the Inn’s summer menus.

We’re fortunate to live in a place where family farms and artisan food producers have always been an important part of Vermont’s agricultural history and food culture. Long before local, organic & sustainable became the big buzz, many independent farms and small businesses were using traditional, ethical practices to create some of the best foods (like our famous Vermont maple syrup and cheddar cheese) in the country. The number of organic producers in Vermont has more than doubled since 2001, we have the highest percentage of people who buy locally grown food in the country, and an explosion of CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) and farmer’s markets.

We also have a state government more supportive of small farms and artisan entrepreneurs than most, encouraging local, sustainable food production with organizations like the Vermont Fresh Network, the Vermont Small Business Development Center, the Vermont Farm Viability Enhancement Program, the Vermont Food Venture Center, the Vermont Cheese Council and the University of Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese - the only one of its kind in the country.

The Inn’s chef, Jeff Scott, has been working with our many local, independent farm and specialty food partners to create his menus since he first began at the Inn 9 years ago. Here are just a few of the people who help create the delicious ingredients Scott uses to design the Inn’s farm fresh New England cuisine:

Taylor Farm, Londonderry, VT

http://www.taylorfarmvermont.com

A 180 year old family owned working dairy farm, Taylor Farm provides us with it’s scrumptious artisan cheeses. A wonderful place to visit while you’re in the area - they have a farm store where you can buy cheeses, maple syrup, homemade preserves and local honey direct. They also offer cheesemaking workshops, sleigh rides and farm educational activities.

Anjali Farms, South Londonderry, VT

http://www.anjalifarms.com

Run by a husband and wife team (Emmet and Lini Dunbar) Anjali Farm supplies us with beautiful certified organic produce - vegetables, herbs, garlic, melons, berries and honey. Lini also has a line of medicinal herbal tinctures and beauty products (Lotus Moon Medicinals) and Emmet was the Farmer’s Market Coordinator for NOFA-VT (Northeast Organic Farming Association). You can visit their farm stand and they offer a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program every year.

Vermont Butter & Cheese, Websterville, VT

http://www.vermontcreamery.com

While Vermont Butter & Cheese Company has earned worldwide recognition, the company is proudest of its contribution to the health of local agriculture. Crafting prize winning artisanal dairy products in the European style the company supports a network of more than 20 family farms, providing milk meeting the highest standards of purity. From creamy goat cheeses to cultured butter, mascarpone and aged bijou, Vermont Butter and Cheese provides delicious dairy products for our menus all year.

Might Food Farm, Pownal VT

http://www.mightyfoodfarm.com

Certified organic since their first growing season, Mighty Food Farm grows a large variety of produce and raises 300 organically fed laying hens for eggs. Chuck Currie and Lisa MacDougall are the farmers at Mighty Food Farm and both graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with Degrees in Plant, Soil, and Insect Sciences. They offer summer and winter CSA programs and sell at many local farmers markets in Southern Vermont.

A Week in the Country - Exchanging Hands

2010-06-09T11:30:00.000-07:00

While talking with some long time inn guests about their recent work week vacation at a wooden boat school in Maine, innkeeper Amie Emmons wasn’t convinced at first that she’d have any takers for a volunteer work exchange at the West Mountain Inn.

Guests Barb and Mark Turpin of Troy, NY encouraged her to try it, saying their experiences were, “hard work, but a great time and we met some wonderful people. We got free room & board in exchange for our work & the chefs tried out their new recipes for their school season.”

The idea reminded Amie of a recent New York Times article on “crop mobbing” where volunteer groups of young farmers and the agricurious descend on a farm for an afternoon of tasks like mulching, building greenhouses and pulling rocks out of fields; providing an invaluable boost of farm productivity and camaraderie. Like a throwback to the days of town barn raising parties, could a modern movement of bartering labor and community building be re-emerging? As the long winter began to thaw, the inn was still in their slow season - a time when extra revenue to hire staff is low but the inevitable “to do” list of spring tasks is mounting. Amie decided to send out an email to all of the inn’s repeat guests to find out if anyone would actually sign up for a bed and breakfast work week vacation in the green mountains of Vermont.

The email went out offering the inn’s 20 beautiful guest rooms and delicious country breakfasts for three to seven days the first week in May, in exchange for donating approximately four hours each day to ready the inn for it’s busy season. Guests were asked to tell the inn what kind of work they enjoyed doing and any special skills they could offer, so that Amie and Gerry, the inn’s maintenance manager, could organize and set goals before their volunteers arrived. The emails started rolling in and before Amie knew it, eighteen people responded enthusiastically to the offer. Some volunteers had come to the inn many times, some added the stay onto an larger trip already planned to the area, others heard about it through a friend and had never visited the inn before. Travelers came from as far as Virginia, Montana and Manhattan and as close by as right in the town of Arlington.

Connie Rutter, who was born in Arlington, decided to make Work Week a mother/daughter get-away. “I looked up the Inn online, saw the info about work week and thought it was a great idea. My daughter, Ginny, came up with our adventure plans. Since I live in Maryland and she lives in Maine, I would fly to Manchester, NH where she would meet me at the airport and then we would drive to Arlington.”

Given the current sluggish economy, more than one volunteer had been laid off from a job and used work week as an inexpensive vacation they might not otherwise be able to justify or afford. Regardless of layoffs, most people are cutting back on spending and vacations these days, so the timing of the offer was appealing.

Volunteers Madeleine Page and Jason Vazquez said. “When Jason and I got the email for Work Week, we knew we had to sign on. We love the West Mountain Inn. It was where we took our first weekend away together. We wouldn't have been able to afford going otherwise this spring and it was such a treat to schedule the unexpected visit in May.”

As it turned out, not only did work week get a bigger response than expected, but people even showed up with some serious skills like carpentry, landscaping and interior design. Some even arrived ready with their own tools from special trim painting brushes to hammers and furniture clamps. Guests worked in small groups started quickly whipping all of the grounds and the main inn rooms into shape. They helped with everything from re-painting the entire foyer, bleaching the marble walkway to sparkling, putting air conditioners in rooms, weeding the gardens until they looked magazine beautiful, repairing dining room chairs, building flower boxes, putting in new storm windows and moving patio furniture into the gardens. Amie found that guests were even seeing things that weren’t on her list of jobs. “Some of the volunteers were asking for wood glue or fixing a screen door on their own, just because they noticed something around the inn they could quickly help improve.”

John Schatz, a firefighter and carpenter said, “I traveled from Queens, NY last year to stay at the Inn for a weekend and fell in love with the place. Sometimes I can't help my critical eye. I look and say ‘That needs to be fixed’ or ‘I can fix that easily!’ It’s just in my nature. When Amie sent the email about work week I jumped on it. For me it meant that I would get the chance to go back to a place that I loved, and that I could go around and fix those things that I saw that just kind of bug a guy like me.”

The exchange was fruitful from both sides of the barter. About 145 man hours were contributed over the course of the week and the room and food exchange (calculated with the inn’s regular rates) worked out to a value of about twenty-five dollars per hour of work donated. But ultimately, the experience wasn’t just about trading physical improvements to the inn for free room and meals. It was also about the feeling of involvement, cooperation and friendship for the volunteers and for the inn’s staff. Although Amie worried her maintenance manager would tire of organizing a big unfamiliar group and making multiple daily trips to the hardware store, by the time work week ended, Gerry was the first to say she wished it could have lasted two weeks. The group enjoyed a mid-week garden barbeque party and though most people worked more than requested, they had plenty of time for relaxing and exploring the area. Volunteer Connie Rutter agreed the experiment was a great idea, “Creative thinking produces creative results.”

Reflecting on her time at the inn, Madeleine Page felt, “There was a great sense of camaraderie and fun between all the workers. And frankly, versus sitting in an office, getting to spend four hours weeding outside felt like a vacation, even if it was "work." We hiked and read and slept and ate - it was perfect. I hope this becomes a tradition!”

“It was really great to meet people who had the same type of desire and mindset as me. I made some nice friends in the time I was there. Good people, kind, giving and unselfish - a very rare thing to find in such a self centered world these days.” said John Schatz.

Amie said she realized how, “an experience like this really makes people feel like the inn is ‘their’ place because they’ve come and given it their personal care and attention. It takes us back to old those values of community we’ve lost in our more stressful, time-poor lifestyles.”

The welcome sign on the West Mountain Inn’s front walk has always read “You’re One of the Folks” and after this year’s work week vacation, the phrase rings true more than ever.

A very big THANK YOU to all of our Work Week volunteers who helped get the inn ready for a beautiful summer season!

It's Fly Fishing Season!

2010-05-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here at the West Mountain Inn we are fortunate enough to enjoy the renowned Battenkill River right at the base of our drive. There are not many inns so perfectly suited for a fly fishing experience as it used to be - a beautiful river, native (unstocked) trout, a private guide service, hearty meals, and elegant accommodations! Our local guide has been fishing the Battenkill all his life - he is a wonderful teacher and has incomparable knowledge of the river and the fishing.

Whether you're a pro or a novice, the beauty of a day out on the river is like no other. Here's a bit of fly fishing poetry to paint a picture of why this ancient sport continues to be a beloved obsession for so many people.

Why I Fly-Fish by Ernie Harrison
The fly-line traces lazy arcs against an azure sky And close upon it follows the leader and my fly. The water flows around my boots and mesmerizes me Until the problems of the world, I no longer see. An ouzel dips upon a rock and dives into the stream It walks upon the bottom, unlikely, as it seems. The river plays a melody upon its bed of rocks Off in the distance it sounds as though it talks. Sweetly scented breezes whisper through the trees It seems as though they're saying, follow me, follow me. A deer stands upon the bank drinking in the stream Then it looks up startled and vanishes, it would seem. The fly descends lightly to a likely looking place A trout ascends and sips it in with dignity and grace. You wonder why I do this; do you really need inquire? I'm as firmly hooked as any trout; it is my hearts desire.

We hope you'll come visit and enjoy our May Fly Fishing special this year:

* Two Nights lodging

* A full country breakfast each morning

* Picnic Lunch for the two of you each day

* One night Elegant 5-course dinner

* Two mornings of flyfising with a private Orvis-approved guide (equipment included)

The package price of $369 per person, for the weekend or midweek (Based on Availability - April and May only. Inn gratuities included, tax and guide gratuities are additional)

While you're here make sure to take a short trip up to Manchester to see the excellent exhibits and angling history at the American Museum of Fly Fishing - http://www.amff.com/

If you want to check out the best in fly fishing gear, gifts and clothes you can also stop right next door from the museum and visit the beautiful Orvis Flagship store:

http://www.orvis.com/manchester

Happy Fishing!!

A Romantic Winter Wedding

2010-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

When you think "wedding", March may not be the first month that comes to mind... but then you probably haven't been to a winter wedding at West Mountain Inn. This year Kim and Rob Jackson hosted a gorgeous, romantic winter celebration - complete with little white chapel ceremony, crimson red bridesmaids gowns, cocktails around a crackling warm fire, and some serious contra dancing and live music in our historic hundred year old barn. Family and friends came from Colorado, the mid-west, and many other far and wide locations, taking over the whole inn for the weekend and enjoying a mini Vermont vacation together.

As Kim and Rob discovered, winter is a spectacular time for a wedding celebration. Our 100 acres of trails are perfect for guests who want to do some snowshoeing or cross-country skiing in between festivities. Bromley and Stratton Resorts are also a short drive for downhill skiing. Back at the inn there will always be a warm fire burning - you can share a drink with friends in the tavern, sip on some hot cocoa, and enjoy views of the snow-capped mountains from every window. Here are 8 other good reasons to host a winter wedding:

1. Winter wedding themes are striking and affordable. Seasonal decorations are readily available and simple things like red rose petals, holly berries and lots of candlelight can help keep your wedding decor budget under control.

2. You don't have to worry about heat. Outdoor summer weddings can bring high temperatures so with winter celebrations you won't have to stress about being too hot or re-touching make-up for photos so often.

3. The slower winter wedding season gives brides more choices of dates. With booking a date at the inn and/or for a church or synagogue ceremony, you're much more likely to get your first choice!

4. You can have a destination wedding at a fraction of the cost. Whether it's room rates, air fare or facility fees, costs all go down in the off-season.

5. You can include some of your favorite warm "comfort foods" and beverages in your winter menu. A spicy butternut squash soup, a vegetable lasagna or drinks like hot cocoa or Irish coffee hit the spot in the winter.

6. Wedding services are less expensive in the winter. Again, it's easier to book your first choice of photographer, florist or band - and they'll often negotiate a better rate since they aren't so busy.

7. Your honeymoon will be less expensive. Maybe you can stay longer or go someplace farther or more special for less.

8. You may be able to invite more guests if you plan near Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's or spring breaks as people already have time off and won't miss work or important school obligations to come celebrate with you.

Congratulations to Kim and Rob on their beautiful winter celebration! We hope more couples will take their lead and enjoy all the beauty and perks a winter wedding has to offer.

Folk Music and Friendship

2008-09-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

We just had a great weekend here at the Inn with a musician named Ellis Paul. Ellis is a really well-known (in the folk-singing world) singer/songwriter who came to spend the weekend here with some of his most devoted fans. It was a truly wonderful experience even for a newbie like myself. Aside from hearing Ellis' very personal and literate lyrics and singing for the first time it was nice to see how much he was appreciated by the folks that were here and how much he gave back to them in return.

Ellis gave very intimate concerts in our living room for three nights in a row, singing some songs that apparently he had not sung for years, and discussing the lyrics with the group as he went. Often he would still be playing after 11pm and then went with the group up to the bonfire to continue into the wee hours (I went to bed!). It was just a really great way get to the basics of what singing/songwriting is about with the artist and audience in close communication, both really enjoying the process!

For the staff at the Inn it was a terrific weekend and a nice break from our usual wedding craziness! If anyone has any ideas for other weekends like this, I'd love to hear them!

Check out Ellis Paul's web site at http://www.ellispaul.com

Summer Theatre in Southern Vermont

2008-07-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is off to a great start! The days have been warm and the nights cool and the activities are abounding. There is a lot of great summer theater in our area if you are a theater buff like I am.

I have some friends with whom it has become a summer tradition for us to go to a series of plays at the Williamstown Theater Festival. Williamstown is about 40 minutes south of us and always has a "star" or two on its roster each year, so it is fun to pick out the actors we have seen before. Right now Cambell Scott is starring in The Atheist and has been getting rave reviews. You can check out their schedule at www.wtfestival.org.

Also to the south of us, just outside of Bennington, the Oldcastle Theatre puts on some great plays - right now The Grass Is Greener has gotten some great reviews ("Brilliant" says the Albany Times) in a nice, intimate theatre. Their schedule can be found at http://www.oldcastletheatreco.org/.

To our north, the Dorset Theatre Festival has been active for many years putting on plays in their old (now new) barn theatre. Starting this weekend they will be having A.R. Gurney's The Dining Room, which I am very interested in seeing, since it got great reviews in its off-Broadway production. Their schedule is at http://www.dorsettheatrefestival.org/.

The Weston Playhouse is also a long-running summer theatre spot in a wonderful old theatre. Right now Doubt is playing, which is a Tony Award winning play - that I would like to see as well. They are even putting on Les Miserables later this summer, which shows how ambitious they are! Their schedule can be found at http://www.westonplayhouse.org/.

This, of course, does not even include all of the outdoor productions that are popping up all over the place. So, if you are interested in visiting a beautiful place and getting your theatre on - we are it!

Wedding ABC Poem

2008-06-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

We have just finished the weekend and we hosted a beautiful wedding for a wonderful couple. It was just a really nice weekend-full wedding where they really used all of our spaces and had a great time. One of the guests left this poem in the diary in her room which I thought was really sweet:

A frican Violets & Alpacas
B occi Balls
C ardinals
D aisies for the Wedding
E lephants of wood and rock
F rogs - Owen and I were looking at them in the pond
G arden flowers and Grapevine arbor
H ostas - Humongous!
I rises
J enn, the bride - 06/07/08
K ennedy-Buxbaum Wedding - 06/07/08
L ily pad pond
M isty Morning
N utcrackers
O wen - "Hi, I'm Owen and I'm 2 1/2"
P inecones
Q uilted Pillows
R ock Garden
S ean, the groom - 06/07/08
T rolls
U ndulating hill views
V ermont Verdure
W reath of daisies at the door of the Inn
fo X es by the road on the way in - babies
Y ellow finches
Z enith - mountain tops

Father's Day Weekend Activities

2008-06-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

I just realized that Father's Day is just around the corner. It is a great weekend for Dads in our area because there are two "manly" events going on that are a) great for whole family and b) lots of fun!

The first is our annual Ethan Allen Days revolutionary re-enactment and encampment. This event started in Arlington - the home of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys - but has now grown so big that it has moved to the Hildene Meadowlands in Manchester. Tons of re-enactors and their families set up camp to live like revolutionary or British armies and stage elaborate battles replicating famous revolutionary battles. They all stay in character and love to explain what life was like - educational and fun!

The second event that weekend is the Classic and Antique Car Show also taking place in Manchester. This is a big car show that attracts lots of participants from all over with judging and prizes. It's not quite as fancy as the Concours d'Elegance that I have been to but seems just as large and diverse to me. I can't think of a dad who would not love to go and oogle all of those cool old cars!

We have a special going for the weekend, because we are not full yet -- all Dad's get $75 off their room rate each night!!

Wedding Season Is Starting

2008-06-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

We have our first wedding of the season this weekend and the staff has really been working hard to get everything ready. I have to say that the gardens have never looked better - everything is really lush and the irises are really starting to pop! The labyrinth especially is beautiful - next month we will be on the Garden Club's Garden Tour with a special emphasis on the labyrinth so I hope it stays colorful.

Weddings here at the Inn are a lot of fun and although I think it is supposed to be on the hot side this weekend, I know that they will all have a great time. My favorite weddings are ones where the wedding takes over the whole inn for the weekend. Our couple this weekend are having a big rehearsal dinner/welcome barbeque under a tent in the Meadow Field on Friday night, followed by a bonfire in the Sanctuary, then the ceremony on Saturday in front of the Labyrinth with cocktails in the Side Yard followed by dinner and dancing in the Barn. Then on Sunday, everyone has a big breakfast and says goodbye and a whole weekend of fun, family and friends is over. It seems so much better to me than a 5-hour event where no one really gets a chance to visit. Our Renee coordinates all of the wedding details for the wedding couple so that I think for them the whole thing is as stress-free as possible (I don't think any wedding can be totaly stress-free).

I think we have about 14 weddings this year which is a little less than usual, but is probably a good thing since it will leave some weekends free this summer and fall for our "regular" guests who we love to see.

Summer Travel

2008-05-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

The weekend is almost over and the weather has been really lovely. I just noticed that the Peonies have started to bloom and the irises are well on their way. We can't do any planting until this weekend is over, but it is so nice to have the annuals to keep us cheerful.

Summer is just around the bend and it is a great time to visit our part of Vermont. We are hoping that this Summer will bring us all of our friends and guests to visit since we are SUCH AN EASY DRIVE and NOT NEARLY AS EXPENSIVE AS EUROPE! :)

If you are the Outdoors type, there are a ton of activities that we coordinate for our guests when they are here:
Bike Touring
Canoe/Kayak Trips
Hiking/Walking Treks
Swimming Holes
Golfing
Tennis
Horseback Riding

If you are the Cultural type, there are a ton of great museums, galleries and theatre in our area:
Theatres: Williamstown, Dorset, Oldcastle, Weston, Salem, Cambridge, West Mountain Inn (!) all have great summer theatre
Museums: Hildene (Lincoln Home), Clark Art, MassMoCA, Bennington Museum, Slate Valley, American Museum of Flyfishing, Park McCullough Estate, Robert Frost House
Galleries: Southern Vermont Art Center, Artists Guild of Manchester, Fiddlehead, Gallery North Star, Norman Rockwell

If you are the Traveling with Kids Type - we love kids and will go out of our way to make sure they have a great time!

Welcome to the West Mountain Inn

2008-05-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the West Mountain Inn Blog! I thought this would be a fun way to keep our guests updated on what is new at the inn, what it is like to be an innkeeper and what's happening in Vermont.

So, as far as the Inn goes, we are gearing up for our Summer season, but it is still pretty quiet here this time of year. I'm never quite sure why Spring is so looked down on for travellers, because I really love it. I suppose the weather can be somewhat unpredictable, but it is so beautiful with everything just waking up and all the birds and animals really active.

(A note for this weekend (Memorial Day) - we still do have room at the inn and are doing a third night 1/2 off special for anyone still at loose ends!)

We have had some fun recent animal visitors here - last week a black bear came to the side yard during our Fireside Music Night and everyone here got a great look at him/her. We also had a mother fox and her two kits living under the culvert on the driveway for a while, but she seems to have moved them now.

I have a funny bear story * see below.

There are a couple of exciting things in the works for the next couple of months. Next weekend we are hosting a benefit in our Barn for a local farmer who's barn burned down. There will be 4 bands, barbeque food and beer and wine, it should be great fun.

We are very lucky to have a wonderful playwright living in our area named Ed Weissman. He and his composer/collaborator Mary Feinsinger have written a musical called Ethan Allen And The Green Mountain Boys Invent Vermont and Ed, who is very interested in Outdoor Drama, and is working with the UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Outdoor Drama, wants to do an outdoor dinner theater here on our Stable Lawn! So far we have scheduled performances for July 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23. I am very excited to be able to use our property for other things and really hope this works - I'll keep you posted.

The other thing that is going on this year is that it is our 30th Anniversary. I have been trying to figure out what to do to celebrate it - but have just been twirling around with ideas that don't seem to settle down. I have definitely blocked off the weekend of October 31 for a party, but I have also been thinking of doing some sort of Summer BBQ. Maybe after next weekend's Barn Benefit I will have jelled on my ideas. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

Well, this seems pretty bloggy for now so I think I'll sign off.

Hope to see you all soon!
Amie

*A couple of years ago a church group from New York City came to visit with us for a few days. They arrived by bus and so some of them were planning to bike into Manchester for the day, but not being used to the country, they were worried about bears and other forest animals being out there with them. I, of course, told them there was nothing to worry about, that we hardly ever saw bears, that even if we did they stayed in the woods and mostly ran away. So the cyclists set off, fully reassured that there was no way they would encounter any wildlife. I had agreed to drive another group of non-cyclists into Manchester and so I took them the back way to we could go through the East Arlington Covered Bridge (the same route I had outlined for the cylists). And as you can guess - what did we see right on the side of the road, taking down someones birdfeeder - a BEAR!