Archive for the 'Community Events' Category

The One-World Library Project is a “world library within a library” with a collection of books, films, and other media about world cultures. OWLP items are available for community members to check out at the Lawrence Memorial Library in Bristol. The One-World Library Project also hosts regular programs at the library on the various fascinating cultures that fill our planet. For more information about the One-World Library Project please call 453-4147 or go to http://http://oneworldlibraryproject.org/. The next program takes place one week from today. 

Thursday, June 24, 2010
Behind the Camel of the Cook: On Foot and On Camel in The Sahara Desert
New Haven resident, yoga instructor and adventure traveler, Sansea Sparling, traveled to the Tasseli Region of the Sahara Desert in Southern Algeria, to live and trek with the Tuareg Nomads for a month. Come join us in learning more about Sansea’s adventures.
For more details click here.
7:00pm, Free, Lawrence Memorial Library. For a map to the library, click here.

The last book club meeting, on Tuesday the 8th, was held at The Brick House at Shelburne Farms. It is part of the Shelburne Museum and an incredible Colonial Revival home overlooking the lake. It was restored by Electra Havemeyer Webb and J. Watson Webb in the early 1900s. We had a tour of the home, a fabulous dinner in the formal dining room, and then a discussion of the book by Edith Wharton, “House of Mirth“. Here  is Christine with her summer hat on!

Vermont Restaurant Week runs from May 14-20 this year, and is a perfect opportunity to visit myriad restaurants throughout the state at an awesome price, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Vermont Foodbank. You can’t go wrong visiting any of the 55 participants, with prix-fixe menus from $15 to $35, but I’ll recommend Vermont Fresh Network member Norma’s Restaurant at the Topnotch Resort in Stowe, VT. Their contemporary American – European menu includes two options for appetizer and entree and one dessert. Look for a complete listing of restaurants and menus in the Wed, May 5th edition of Seven Days.  Bon Appetite!

Green Up’s mission is to promote the stewardship of our state’s natural landscape and waterways and the livability of our communities by involving people in Green Up Day and raising public awareness about the benefits of a litter-free environment.

This year Vermonters will celebrate 40 years of Green Up day. A tradition across the state, Green Up day brings neighbors together to create a more beautiful state. There will be a public celebration on the state-house lawn from 3pm-530pm on Saturday, May 1st with live music and food. After a day of cleaning, grab your friends and head down to meet your fellow Vermonters.

You can participate on your own or join in with a group in your town. To find a coordinator in your area, click here.

Twice a month, Kevin Clayton hosts wine tastings at his shop, Village Wine and Coffee, in Shelburne, VT. Clayton’s shop focuses on wine education and appreciation and has access to 800 wines in-shop and 5000 wines by special order. In his own words…

Twice a month we do wine tastings in our shop.
We feature 6 wines, a mix of white and red
These tastings are free on a first come first serve basis.
Eight people at a time can try the wines,
and you must be at least 21 years old to participate.
The hours for the tasting are from 1PM to 5PM
Please come and enjoy.
Sign up on our e-mail list (on the table by the exit)
for bi-monthly e-mails about our tastings and current wine offerings.
Call for more info. 985-8922

Bronwyn Dunne visits Village Wine and Coffee. She teaches specialty cooking classes at Healthy Living Market and raises grass-fed beef at Bryn Teg in Greensboro, VT.

A few weekends ago, Middlebury held it’s 2nd annual Winter Carnival and Chili Contest. The chili contest is held on the sidewalks of Main Street and Merchants Row and the public choose winners for various categories. This is a great event to attend, (voted one of the Top Ten Winter Events by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce), but, in case you weren’t able to attend,  I’m going to share the most important results of this event – the winners of the chili contest. With over 40 professional and amateur contestants, you can be sure the winning chili recipes are outstanding.

The biggest sled dog race in the lower 48 is coming up, Sat. and Sun, Feb. 27 & 28 on the Kingdom Trails at Burke Mountain Ski Resort. It is a family oriented event and a great weekend for pet enthusiasts. There will be hot food and children’s activities; have your kids bring a helmet and they can participate in 1-dog sled events. Bring your snowshoes too! You can watch from either the start or finish, or find a spot along the trail to watch the dogs dash by.  All events are free, but donations will be accepted to benefit a community center project for Northeast Kingdom kids. Click here for directions and a schedule of events.

The night before the race, Friday, Feb. 26, is the Wafer Family Foundation’s annual benefit dinner and Chinese auction. Clark Gillies (an NHL Hall of Fame member formerly of the NY Islanders) will be there and all proceeds from the dinner and auction will benefit local Northeast Kingdom children. Adult admission is $30 and kids are $15.

Looking for a place to stay while you’re watching the race? Check out the Inn at Mountain View Farm in East Burke, VT or the Wildflower Inn in Lyndonville, VT.

Forget the groundhog…in Vermont we celebrate Woodchuck Day on February 2nd!  Sponsored by Woodchuck Cider, Woodchuck Day is a celebration of more winter to come. There are events throughout VT  (and the US) with the kickoff woodchuck competition and live broadcast today at the Rusty Parker Memorial Park in Waterbury from 7am-2pm.Participants are encouraged to dress up as hearty Vermonters (aka “woodchucks”) and have fun!  All funds raised will benefit the Vermont National Guard Charitable.

Here is a partial list of area events:

Stowe @ The Den, 2/2,  3pm-5pm
Stratton Mt. @ Grizzly’s, 2/2, 3pm-5pm
Jay Peak @ The Tower Bar, 2/2, 3:30pm-5:30pm
Pint Night @ Mr. Up’s, 2/2, 5pm-7pm
Pint Night @ Big Moose Pub, 2/2, 5pm-7pm
Pint Night @ the Reservoir, 2/2, 5pm-7pm
Cider Party @ Cider House Barbecue & Pub, 2/2 5pm-7pm
Mt. Snow, 2/5, 3pm-5pm
Magic Mt., 2/6, 3pm-6pm
Jay Peak @ International Restaurant, 2/6, 3:30pm-5:30pm

Need a place to stay, but don’t want to stay on the mountain? Check out the beautiful Thatcher Brook Inn, centrally located in Waterbury, VT.

UVM’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture is hosting “Bounty: A Celebration of Vermont’s Farming Artists” tonight  (Friday, Sept. 25th) at the Seminary Art Center in Waterbury Center. Artists include Barbara Flack, Kristan Doolan, Kate Stockman, Nancy Hayden, Pete Guenther, Jenn Colby, George Woodard, Gerianne Smart, Phyllis Bowdish, Diane Petrie and Emily Curtis Murphy. The show includes paintings, sculptures, videos, photography and textiles by artists who are also farmers. The show will be at the Seminary Art Center (pictured above) for a while, though specific dates are not yet listed, and then will be travelling to other venues around the state (also not yet specified). I would recommend calling ahead to see if the installations are still there.

The Green Mountain Chew Chew Food and Music Festival is celebrating its 24th and final year this weekend, June 26, 27 and 28 at Burlington’s Waterfront park. The festival has brought together more than 400 food vendors from the area over the years and has become a ‘summer must’ for locals and tourists alike. The decision to end the fest stems from increased production costs and a devastating $20,000 loss after it rained two of three days last year says Rick Norcross of Burlington, the event’s founder and coordinator.

Come partake in the last blast for this great meeting of Vermont restaurants, musicians and eaters. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children 12 and under (first 2000 child tickets are free!) and tokens are 9 for $5. Most food items are 3 tokens, with some being 4 or 2. The event is held from 11-9 on Friday and Saturday and from 12-6 on Sunday. Check out participating vendors here and scope out the music here. You may need to make a full weekend of it!!

This coming Saturday, May 2nd, is the 39th annual Green Up Day in Vermont. Started in 1970 as a way to clean up roadsides after the winter snow had melted, Green Up Day is a state-wide effort to pick up litter wherever volunteers can find it. Each year, more than 40,000 bags of trash are collected by 15,000 volunteers.

Beyond the benefit of cleaning up our state, Green Up Day is also a wonderful opportunity for community members of all ages to work together and to enhance respect and appreciation for the environment.

To find out what’s going on in your community, contact your area’s coordinator here and check out their participation guide to see how you can help.

We’re all about supporting a greener environment and way of living here at Vermont Lodging Properties. While you’re here, check out some of our Green Homes, as well as past posts on Green Living in Vermont.