The Queen Has Spoken

Susan Rousselle, our Sales Manager, and more importantly--at least this time of year--our Queen Leaf Peeper, has decreed that Thursday, October 2 at 5:17pm was absolute Peak Foliage Color this year. Notably, this is nearly two weeks earlier than last year, when Peak was October 14. The Queen states, "My AHA! moment was on Stagecoach Road. I was driving north, the lighting was spectacular. It honestly looked like a painting instead of real life; the color was brilliant. It's the moment when you know nothing could look prettier."

And so, we close the Stowe book on fall, and proceed to lifting the cover on Winter. To continue the metaphor (please bear with me, it's Friday...), the first page in this book is snow-covered. As of this writing, there are FOURTEEN inches of snow at Stowe Mountain Resort. Now that I write that, it seems rather paltry when I realize that HUNDREDS of inches fall in the heart of winter, but we're pretty psyched to have fourteen before the onset of November. Intrepid (and very fit...) skiers/riders are hiking up and sliding down. See some cool photos and be inspired! The Mountain opens on November 22.

LET IT SNOW - LET IT SNOW!

Yup. Snow in Stowe. Stowe Mountain Resort. And it's still coming at 2:30pm on Wednesday. Two words: WOO and HOO! We're off!

Remember: SMR kicks off the season on November 22.

Spooky, Snowy Stowe

Stowe has gone from Fire on the Mountain to Snow on the Mountain in pretty short order, folks. Wednesday morning found enough snowfall on Mt Mansfield to whet the appetite of winter sports buffs. Skiing/riding at Stowe Mountain Resort opens in just a few short weeks, on November 22nd. Starting November 1st, snowmaking will begin, adding to Mother Nature's lode. But the stuff--known as White Gold around these parts--has begun its descent. Last winter was epic in the amount of snowiness, and winter sports boomed. Snowshoers plodded happily along, dogsledders mushed at a rapid clip, snowmachines roared through the glades, skiers-- both Nordic and Alpine--swooshed. I think we deserve two great snow years in a row...we begin praying right about.....now.

However, should you have a hankering for fall color, it can still be found..but hurry. Some color is apparent in the hollows deep in the forest, and some on the hillsides. But officially, we're in Stick Season. Soon those sticks will be frosty and white, but for now they're rightfully recovering from their summer and fall glory. Well done, leaves!

Hallowe'en is what we're focusing on now. Stowe can be a pretty spooky place, if you look in the right places! We've got Emily's Haunted Bridge, Stowe at Night Lantern Tours, and a steady stream of wee characters roaming the streets in search of sugar-laden treats. Actually, Hallowe'en is a pretty cool day for kids. It starts with the Stowe Elementary School Ghost Parade on Main Street in Stowe Village. (FYI: the guy with the pumpkin on his head is Mr. Smiles, the principal...yes, our principal's name is Smiles, and he wears a pumpkin on his head every year). Our offices at the Stowe Visitor Info Center are right in the line of fire, so we load up on candy and put ourselves at the mercy of passing ghouls, goblins, skeletons, and more topical and timely costumed characters (let's bet on how many Sarah Palin/Tina Feys we see this year! Do I hear Heath Ledger/Joker?) We're alerted to the impending invasion by the sounds of the local radio station, WDEV-AM playing "Monster Mash", which resonates as a music worm in my head for many hours. Then kids go home and rest up for the Big Event: Trick or Treating on Main Street and the big party at the elementary school, all in the village.

Many years ago the idea was hatched that in order to have a safe place for sugar-solicitation, the cops would block off Main Street, the Boy Scouts would ask for candy donations and the candy would be distributed to the households that would be descended upon for trick or treat. From 4:30 to 6pm the elementary school Parent Teachers Organization hold the perfect Hallowe'en party. With games, food and free Glo Stick Necklaces from the Stowe PD, you can't go wrong. Having nurtured a Shy Little Kitten, a Killer Whale (I was up all night for that one), Calvin (w/ Hobbs), Waldo (as in "Where's ...?" --my total favorite) and countless others, I have a pretty good idea of how special Hallowe'en can be in Stowe.

Kids are ready to hit the hay by 7pm. Bring in the babysitter and Hallowe'en-oephile grownups can don their costumes and head out to revel the night away. It's a FRIDAY!

Bless You, Farmer Sue

Last Sunday, I stopped at the Stowe Farmer's Market, as I always do after my morning spin class. It's a great place to meander, mulling over whether to buy the tomatillos, and what the heck would I do with them. Truth-be-told, my sole purpose was to beeline for the late-season blueberries (4 bucks a pint, and so darned sweet), pick up a JinJi potsticker to sustain me post-workout, chat a few minutes with JinJi about our singing careers, grab some cilantro and move on out.

There are many times, especially when I have guests or am with a friend, that I'll mosey through, more of a "shopping" experience. But this time was not one of those.

I stopped for my cilantro at the last booth (or first, depending on whether you're coming or going...). This was Farmer Sue's booth. Since this was the second-t0-last Stowe Farmer's Market of the season, I asked her how business has been. Great, she said. She harvests acres of lettuce, garlic, peas and beans and beets of all kinds, zukes and cukes and broccoli and its cousin rabe, makes jelly and she pickles a bunch of the aforementioned veggies. She works 7 days a week, and gets help from her husband on Sundays. And, her week is made up of traveling to markets in South Hero (Wednesdays) , Jericho (Thursdays), Shelburne (Saturdays) and Stowe on Sundays.

I'm telling this tale to honor the work of these farmers. They are the backbone of Vermont. Stop and see them at the Stowe Farmer's Market and chat awhile. One last market coming up this Sunday, then they're done until May. Savor a real-life rural experience.

After you've stocked up on pumpkins, pickles and potatoes, keep moving up Mountain Road to the 26th Annual Stowe Foliage Art & Craft Festival in Topnotch Field. These guys have been putting this fest on for a long time, and they've got it just right. Two hundred artists and artisans will "represent the pinnacle of artistic quality in the region". Camelot-style tents are heated, just in case...And OH, wow, new this year: Vermont Cheese, Beer and Sausage Tent! With a picture-postcard-perfect fall vista as the background, you can shop, sup, listen to live music and shop yet again. Choose from elegant pottery, glimmering blown glass, fantastic furniture, svelte clothing, wondrous weavings, luxurious leather, original art, and fabulous photography. These are some of the finest crafts that you'll find in New England, all under one (or two) tents.

More and more and more great stuff in Stowe this weekend, too. Great Pumpkin? Boy, do we have it, smack in front of Town Hall on Main Street. Enter the Pumpkin Weight Guessing Contest here at the Stowe Visitor Center. If you can ascertain the weight of Jabba the Hut, you're in the ballpark. Corn Maze? Get here soon, 'cause the harvest is coming!

PS. Foliage is still brilliant, but visit this weekend for the best of the remaining color. Truly, some of the finest I've seen in a decade. If the finery of fall translates into white gold for winter, we're looking at another fine, fine winter sports season.