Slow This Summer Down!

PLLLLLLLLLLLEase, won't someone make summer slow down! How did we get to the July 4 weekend so darned fast? No matter...can't stop the clock or the calendar from rolling on, so do as we do here in Stowe. Embrace the summer! (Carpe summer?) Our summer season is so short, we revel in it intensely. Concerts in the Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow (Presenters are Stowe Performing Arts and Vermont Mozart Festival) are a must. This weekend marks the first, and there is an opportunity to experience great music throughout the summer in this incomparable performance venue. Just don't forget your picnic...and your wine. Great opportunity for kids' first concert-going experience, too. Here is the key: plunk your blanket on the periphery of the seating area, and when you're kids get ansty take them away from eye and earshot and let them run around. But risk the glare of your neighbors if you make a ruckus while they're trying to enjoy their Beethoven al fresco.

July 4 in Stowe is a hoot--check it out: The World's Shortest Parade in Moscow, VT, which is actually a part of the town of Stowe. The main street is so short that the parade has to turn around and come back the same way! Here are a few fun facts that make this parade NOT your ordinary tramp down the asphalt:

• Particpants aren't allowed to begin creating their presentations until the morning of the parade. The trampers often interpret both local and national political themes--hmmm....Clinton/Obama/McCain anyone? Think oil prices and the economy with make a show?
• Music is provided by boomboxes strategically placed in the villagers windows--local AM station WDEV plays the Sousa marches, etc.
• Last residents who move to Moscow clean up after...well, whatever makes a mess.

Parade is on Friday, July 4 at 10am.

July 4 sales are a tradition in Stowe, too. This is the time, believe it or not, to stock up on skis and skiwear! (Last year I got a great deal on ski boots) And not just cold weather goods, but arts & crafts, clothing, and many other items. This Independence Day will mark the first “7 Miles of Sales Independence Day Sidewalk & Tent Sale” on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, July 5. Shop owners have joined together to deliver an ideal experience for shoppers, who can feel good about declaring their independence from chains. Stores in Stowe are unique and independent and sized to become part of their neighborhoods, staffed by locals who are enthusiastic about the goods they sell. Shops will be decked out in Red White and Blue, beckoning you and your debit card with some eye-popping bargains! Look for the balloons, tents, and sidewalk displays on Route 108 and Route 100.

And did you think a grand ole' historic town like Stowe (214 years and counting...) would forget Fireworks? We've got 'em; festivities start at 5:30pm. Fireworks at dusk. All at the Stowe Events Field. On the 4th, of course. All of Stowe's events for the summer, in case you want to plan ahead before it's GONE:
http://www.gostowe.com/thingstodo/calendar/

Check Out Stowe Garden Fest's "Growing Green"!

Cool in Stowe right now, but expecting some nice warmer weather next week. And while it's difficult to predict the weather for June 27-29, we DO know that Stowe will become garden-centric that weekend as the Stowe Garden Festival comes to town. I'm not a big gardener, but even I can tell that some of these events are pretty intriguing. I definitely plan to head up to Stowe Mountain Resort's Stowe Mountain Lodge on Saturday, June 28 because I've been dying to check out the new restaurant, Solstice, at the opulent and mucho impressivo new hotel at Spruce Peak. This is a great (and affordable!) opportunity, because the Garden Fest is sponsoring the "Farm to Table" Dinner, in keeping with their "Growing Green" theme at Solstice. For sixty bucks (plus tax, tips and drinks) you can have a 3-course dinner of sublime Vermont-y foods at the hottest new hotel and restaurant in Vermont, and maybe in all of New England.
But the complete experience would include attending the very, very, very exclusive Stowe Mountain Club Golf Course's workshop "Habitats in the Landscape at Stowe Mountain Club Golf Course". Led by course superintendant Kevin Komer, the discussion will be all about the creation and maintenance of the course that is solely for guests and members. This Bob Cupp-designed mountain course was named one of Golf Magazine’s Top Ten New Courses for 2008, and is the first Audubon International Signature Sanctuary, a role model of sustainable development and environmental protection.
After the course tour, you can head to the hotel's bar, Hourglass (named for one of Stowe Mountai Resort's backcountry ski trails) and get primed for the dinner by attending an Organic Cocktail Party (Don't you love Vermont? Organic spirits!) with creative hors d'oeuvres. Cash bar, but the nibbles are free. Here's the catch: A Stowe Garden Festival Pass must be purchased for entrance to these events. Weekend passes are $25, 2-day passes are $15 and 1-day are $10. You can buy passes at The Garden Central, Golden Eagle Resort on the Mountain Road/Route 108.

BUT! With your passes you'll also have access to some other pretty cool events, like:

• Rain Gardens at Ten Acres Lodge
• Growing Shiitakes (the leader of this workshop is Eric Swanson, owner of a company which has probably one of my favorite manufactured words ever: Vermush)
• Spiritual Gardens, led by the authors of Sacred Gardens, Judy & Michel Marcellot
• Where are the Birds at Trapp Family Lodge
• Beautiful Gardens with Minimal Intervention
• Create Your Own Spa Treatment at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa. After you stroll the meditative seven-circuit flower and herb labyrinth you'll be able to create our own home treatments
• Tour the gardens of Trapp Family Lodge, Stoweflake, Golden Eagle, Cactus Cafe. And don't forget the Private Home Garden Tour and Tea, always a huge hit (and $25 extra)
• Learn to make wine from weeds at Grand View Winery
• Learn to cook with fresh herbs in Mediterranean and Italian cuisine at Trattoria La Festa (an extra $15 gets you in)
• More, more more...all the info is here: http://www.stowegardenfestival.com/index.htm

To complete your Stowe weekend (all kinds of info on Stowe here: www.gostowe.com) you can see a performance of the musical ANNIE at the Town Hall Theatre in Stowe Village and stay over on Sunday night for a concert in the incomparable Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow. And check that Stowe website for Stowe Garden Festival Lodging Packages.

Easy Travel Decision: Do the Math!

I've just returned from a travel trade show promoting international inbound travel, and the good news is that the international traveler is coming to the USA in droves, thanks in part to the devastatingly low US $ and the extremely high Euro and British Pound Sterling. And they think our gas is CHEAP!


But the domestic traveler? They're looking for hassle-free, affordable travel. AFFORDABLE is definitely the key; let's face it, it's on everyone's minds. We want to travel, we NEED to travel, to get away, to bond, to explore, to REST and to ZONE OUT. And here in the Northeast, as in other cold weather climates we need to be able to pay our heating bills come winter.


There are an estimated 80 million people in the Northeast Corridor from Washington, DC to Montreal, QC, and Stowe should be on everyone's short list 0f "backyard" vacation spots. Ideal for a simple 2 night refresher or a longer stay (during which you actually unpack you bag and use the dresser drawers provided!) Here are the simple mathematical facts, keeping in mind that in college I majored in theatre . . . not math. (BTW, I've never found an occasion to use algebraic
equations in MY lifetime)


So, here goes the math, based on 15 mpg (if your auto gets that minuscule mpg you may want to think about making a change) and $4.25/gallon--can't believe I just wrote that. The airfares are the lowest found on Kayak.com today, for weekends in August, to Burlington International Airport, which is 35 miles from Stowe. Be sure to add rental car and that ornery fuel cost to these totals, too.


Here are some examples:

Miles from Boston, 410 miles Round Trip to Stowe=$116 PER CAR vs $250 PER PERSON Airfare

Miles from NYC: 650 RT=$184 PER CAR vs $204 PER PERSON Airfare

Miles from DC: 1,074 RT=$305 PER CAR vs $149 PER PERSON Airfare

Miles from Montreal: 280 RT=$79 PER CAR vs $636 PER PERSON Airfare

Miles from Providence: 498 RT=$141 PER CAR vs $382 PER PERSON Airfare

Miles from Hartford: 440=$125 PER CAR vs $590 PER PERSON Airfare



So, for a family of four, your total would be...well, you can see the equation. We are talking about maybe hundreds as opposed to thousands of dollars. Stowe is affordable, and that's the bottom line. No, the bottom line is that we're the anti-stress, chill place where you can call your own activity shots: Active or Not. In a magnificent landscape. Simple, and hey, it's your right. Call our central reservation folks at 1-800 467-8693 or go online to http://www.gostowe.com/ and check rates at our hotels--we have so many affordable options. Restaurants run the gamut, too, and we have some of the most awesome picnic spots anywhere, including the Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow, where you can sip your vino, break your bread, load it with Vermont artisan cheeses, and soak up some culture at at a concert. (you will have to pay for your ticket, though)



But PLEASE don't ask me to do any more math. Sing: yes, math: no.