VERMONT ROVERS
Story, photos by Dave Sweetapple
PROPER PLACE / PROPER TRAILS
D
o you really need a good reason to host a gathering of Land Rovers? The answer is “No,” but a weenie roast is as good as any. Our Vermont Rover Club has no charter members, no bylaws and no dues. The closely knit group gets together infrequently to hit some trails. Over the past few years, we have organized weekend-long events incorporating camping, off-roading, bonfires and of course food. Last February, Glenn Parent and I decided to host a one-day “Vermont Rover Club First Annual Weenie Roast” held on his family’s 15 acres in Grafton, VT on April 16, the day after federal tax returns were due. Weather in this area can be very uncooperative during April, but we took a chance and officially announced it. We both reached out to all the known Land Rover enthusiasts, followed by a general announcement on social media. As the date approached, the weather forecast read “100% chance of rain for the next 10 days.” This prompted a lot of queries as to
Above: Chef John Vallerand mans the grille; Right: Maggie Bucci, Leif Counter and Nala; Far right: Meradith Ganow tackles Vermont’s mud season
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whether we planned to cancel or stay the course. It’s Land Rovers; of course we would welcome the sun, but it would go ahead, rain or shine. I reached out to Brattleboro chef and buddy Zach Corbin of Peter Havens Restaurant to help me source a bulk order of quality hot dogs. He offered to buy premium, all-beef frankfurters for me through his supplier in Boston. I didn’t know the attendance in advance, so I ordered 240 hot dogs and buns to be safe. On top of the hot dog staple, we invited attendees to bring their favorite snacks or picnic food. Glenn and I, along with our wives Zoie and Robin, respectively, and a couple of other volunteers, arrived at the event location on Friday to set up the fifty feet of canopy tents, assuming that it would rain all day Saturday. The huge burn pile we had assembled for the bonfire a few weeks prior was still covered with tarps. We were all set for the main event. On the “Weenie Roast” day, we were quite pleased, as Land Rovers of every vintage began filling the field from about 9:00 am onward. At the height of activity, I counted 55 Land Rovers, with a few that had come and gone beforehand and a few more that arrived later. People came from all six New England states and New York. The farthest may have been Leif Counter, who ferried and drove from Martha’s Vineyard with his girlfriend Maggie Bucci in his Series III 109”. John Vallerand drove five hours from Greene, ME, in his Defender 130 towing an aluminum teardrop sleeping trailer. Jon Peter Fudge and his son-in-law Brian made the trek all the way from the New Haven, Connecticut area in his newly restored ‘69 Series IIa. There were a couple of Series Is along with an assortment of Series II, IIAs and IIIs. Defender 90’s, 110’s and 130’s showed up in a few different configurations. Several Discovery and Range Rover Classics also came, including Chef Brent’s early 90s
