Rainy Days Don't Have to Get You Down! (but we can''t do much about your Mondays...)

It's no secret: Stowe and Vermont have been under seige from the Rain Gods. But while the rain can be a barrier to some activities, (but not all: I witnessed a lot of bikers outfitted for the elements and happily cycling along) I love the rain. Okay, not in overload, but here's what I love: The sound: better than counting sheep as a sleep aid; the Green Mountains of Vermont become greener than ever; the already incomparably clean air of Vermont is washed even cleaner.

And finally--the point of this blog today--there are so many indoor activities that beg your attention! Here are the high points of a rainy day in Stowe:

• Read a Book. Recall the joy of imagining as you get comfy with fiction or non, historical or modern, romance or mystery. See it in your mind's eye, and not on a screen. In Stowe we have options for accessing those reading materials. Pay a visit to Lackey's Variety Store for a selection of magazines second only to those in the big box stores. Buy the latest best-seller or children's book at Bear Pond Books on Main Street in Stowe Village. Browse the Stowe Free Library's Porch Book Sale. Or, grab a book or magazine from the library's stacks and make yourself at home. Kids love the Stowe Free Library, too, so check their website for info on programs for kids and teens. Mosey upstairs to the Helen Day Art Center for a viewing of their latest, "Without Boundaries" by Mexican artist Raphael Cauduro


• Eat. Drink. Stowe's dozens of restaurants are cozy and welcoming. Take your time, relax, savor the flavor. Take part in a wine tasting at Trapp Family Lodge. Nibble for free: cider samples at Cold Hollow Cider Mill, award-winning Cabot Cheddar Cheese at the Cabot Annex (or travel a wee bit longer to their factory tour in Cabot); chocolate at Lake Champlain Chocolates--all on Route 100 South. On the same route is Ben & Jerry's, where the tour is a couple of bucks, samples included


• Visit the Vermont Ski Museum, whose mission is to "Collect, Preserve and Celebrate Vermont's Skiing History".


• Shop without a purpose. See what great and distinctive merchandise in our shops strikes your fancy. Try on that great outfit at In Company or Well Heeled! Take the time to pour over the scores of types of penny candy at Stowe Mercantile. Check out the Flying Monkey at Shaw's General Stowe.


• Learn how to dip chocolates at Laughing Moon, blow glass at Little River Hotglass, paint pottery at the Painting Place.


• Spa it up! Luxurious destination spas Topnotch Resort & Spa and Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa are top options.


• Dinner, then a show? You have choices! Cinema or live theatre? We've got both. Stowe Cinema is now showing HANCOCK; MAMMA MIA! and the uber-est movie of all, THE DARK KNIGHT (Marvel at the acting skills of our U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy in a cameo) LIve theatre includes Stowe Theatre Guild's BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL, Waterbury Players; ANTON IN SHOW BUSINESS, and Lamoille County Players' GREASE .

Just a short list. When you're in Stowe stop in to our Visitor Information Center on Main Street, and one of our info specialists can help you explore more options. And remember, you're STILL in Stowe. A pretty special place to be, rain or shine.

In The Thick of The Arts in Stowe

We're in the thick of it: Stowe and summer arts. Everywhere you turn, there's the creative energy of actors, musicians, crafters, sculptors and other visual artists. Stowe is rife with creative types, and it's easy to find their wares, be it singing, dancing, acting, glass blowing, watercolor artistry, or jazz and blues guitar. Coupled with a perfect summer day or evening. the arts enhance the charm of Stowe. Here's your menu: (speaking of menu--dozens of places for a leisurely meal, a quickie cocktail, all of the above, and all al fresco, if you chose. I would so chose--summer, and life are short)

Starting with visual arts and crafts
EXPOSED! 2008 Outdoor Exhibition, presented by Helen Day Art Center, Stowe's non-profit arts organization. This is a walkable outdoor art exhbition that entertains and provokes the age-old question "what is art". Ho hum. Just enjoy. Their current indoor exhibition is Mexican master painter and muralist Rafael Caudero. Helen Day Art Center is also a part of one of the 4th Annual New Taste of Stowe Art Festival, This is a great culinary AND arts fest. Best of all worlds! Plus, 150 juried crafters--no junk here, folks--to quote their website, "All three dimensional media are represented including clay, glass, leather, jewelry, metal, wood, wearable and non-wearable fiber, sculpture, and other categories The ensemble makes for creative shopping and the region’s best art/craft show."



Little River Hotglass's Michael Trimbol is the creator of vivid and memorable blown glass art. You can see him at work here: http://www.littleriverhotglass.com/visit-process-video.html You can see Michael live and in person and puffing away by visiting the studio. Really fun for kids as they see bags of sand turn into something they can drink juice out of.



West Branch Gallery is an exceptional place. Right on the Little River, large scale sculpture to browse among, exquisite art from both emerging and established artists, both out and inside the indoor exhibition hall. Founders /owners Chris Curtis and Tari Swenson are enormously talented scultor andwatercolorist, respectively, and the heart and soul they bring to their art is apparent the moment you enter.

Lest you think that art is something that you hang and gaze upon, you may want to expand your knowledge at Cotswold Furniture Makers, where craftsman John Lomas makes your piece by hand. A sure-fire guarantee your heirs will end up with an heirloom.



Can't possibly omit Stowe Craft Gallery. Susan Bayer Fishman is an artist in her own right--breathtaking stained class is her medium. She and her husband Stephen Fishman are advocates and promoters of American craft, and their gallery is a testiment to that mission



Regional visual artists are featured at the Green Mountain Fine Art Gallery--you can definitely afford to invest in a collectible from a Vermont artist! Check out owner Sandra Noble's watercolors. Sandra and her husband Scott are also the driving force behind Third Thursdays gallery hop.



On to Performing Arts!

Since its humble beginnings in 1995, the Stowe Theatre Guild has presented oh, a zillion shows-- musical, comedy and a little Arthur Miller and Edward Albee for good measure. The Town Hall Theatre right in historic Stowe Village summer offers BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL; A DELICATE BALANCE (that's the Edward Albee part...), and an original comedy written and directed by Stowe Theatre Guild vet Carole Vasta-Folley.



Now this is REALLY historic: The Lamoille County Players began trodding the boards in 1954. This summer they will present GREASE and later this fall, 1776 (it's an election year! as director Dean Burnell qualifies).



New kid on the block Waterbury Festival Players consistently gives us first-rate comedies (sorry, but summer is made for laughing), including ANTON IN SHOW BUSINESS; INDOOR/OUTDOOR, and later this fall WAIT UNTIL DARK. Wait...that's not a funny show. Oh, well.

The Vermont Mozart Festival gives you the opportunity to wine and dine in one of the most beautiful and music-friendly venues anywhere: Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow. Picnics underscored by fabulous music (or, music underscored by fabulous picnics...) are a huge summer tradition in Stowe. BTW, Beethoven RULES this summer.

Stowe Performing Arts is our non-profit arts presenter, and now that their Trapp Family Lodge Music in the Meadow concerts have run their course they've moved on to the smaller village venue, The Gazebo on the Helen Day Memorial. Picnics again are encouraged, and you can't miss a New England tradition, the Morrisville Military/Waterbury Community Combined Bands. Our friends and neighbors from the towns both north and south of Stowe bring a concert of favorites. And, because the Stowe Free Library shares the Helen Day Memorial Building, you can browse the hugely popular Porch Book Sale! A total of four concerts in the Gazebo, all presented by Stowe Performing Arts and The Friends of Stowe Free Library.

Cheers, and seize the summer!

Books? Big Art? Win a Coffee Maker?

Stowe's summer is well underway, and it's so great to see the evolution of events that happen every summer. For locals and frequent visitors, these events are a harbinger of settling into the summer rhythm. And for first-time visitors to Stowe they're obviously must-sees!

First off is the Stowe Free Library Porch Book Sale. Browse, browse, browse. Stroll over to the library on the green in the village after dinner, or before seeing a performance of Stowe Theatre Guild's BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL. Shameless promotion: I'm in it. And I'm probaby the least talented of all these amazingly gifted performers, and I do consider myself somewhat capable. And I'm definitely the oldest--by decades. The creative team are all in their early twenties and profoundly professional. See http://www.stowetheatre.com/ to buy tix.

But back to the book sale. Thousands of books are both donated and culled from the library's stacks, and there are categories too many to even begin mentioning. A great way to build a kid's library too. Oh, and did I mention they're really inexpensive?

Another of the signs of mid-summer is the Helen Day Art Center's EXPOSED! Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. Wander the village and Stowe Recreation Path, turn a corner and BOOM! You might say "WHHAA??? You may marvel. You will be intrigued.

This weekend is also the annual Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa Hot Air Balloon Festival. If you've never seen a hot air balloon launch it's loads of fun, especially the early morning ones, like 6am. http://www.stoweflake.com/ Evening launches feature lots of food and fun actitivies on the Stoweflake Events Field, too.

UNCOVER OUR SECRET is our theme this summer, and we're running the SECRETS OF STOWE SWEEPSTAKES. Just visit www.gostowe.com/uncoveroursecret and you're eligible to win a 5-night stay in Stowe or dinner for 2, or a $50 gas card or a Keurig Coffee Maker from Green Mountain Coffee. Go try your luck! Contest ends the first day of Autumn, which is September 22.

Still time to plan a visit to Stowe for the 51st (that's FIVE ONE!) Annual Stowe Antique & Classic Car Meet, August 8-10. And this is the second year that we'll close off Main Street in Stowe Village for the Oldies Street Dance & Block Party. Closing Main Street is a very rare occurrence, so this is really a big deal. Our great Stowe Police also clear the street of modern vehicles and they're replaced by vintage ones. Think 57 T Bird convertibles. The owners love to show them off, too, and will gladly engage in automobile repartee.
The dance is Saturday night, August 9, and earlier that afternoon is the antique car show parade.
And speaking of cars: Stowe really is a car-show intense. for good reason. Cruising Vermont back roads is a recreational activity that is really popular. Our scenery is exceptional, and you set your own pace. See here for some self-guided tours: http://www.gostowe.com/thingstodo/sports/drives/ . More upcoming car events include Cobras in the Mountains http://www.cobrasinthemountains.com/ and the British Invasion http://www.britishinvasion.com/, with featured marques Jaguar and Morgan.

And of course for all of Stowe's events and other info our website is invaluable: http://www.gostowe.com/