Stowe Guide & Magazine Winter/Spring 2018-19 by Stowe Guide & Magazine

WINTER / SPRING 2018-2019 FREE

STOWE G U I D E & M AGA Z I N E

ARTS & EVENTS • DINING • SHOPPING • OUTDOORS • HOME • PEOPLE • THINGS TO DO

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CONTENTS w i n t e r

s p r i n g

2 0 1 8 - 2 0 1 9

features

The Kidd from Stowe by Robert Kiener

Famous son talks winning an Olympic medal, his lifelong love of skiing, and what he owes his hometown. He says, “Everything!”

Postie: Glider pilot’s loss felt deeply in Stowe by Caleigh Cross

A crash this fall claims the life of three: A vacationing couple and Don Post, a beloved man who kept himself elbow-deep in his hometown’s day-to-day life.

Bustered: Stowe’s season-long ski program by Mark Aiken

Kids and coach team up for 30 days of skiing, with a few snowball fights and life lessons along the way.

Fine tuned:

by Tommy Gardner

Don’t be a hack. Hook up with a ski shop tech and make your good ride even better.

Pictorial: Light & shadow by Paul Rogers

Stowe photographer trains his lens on light, shadow, shape, and texture in this stunning photo series.

126

Hot glass by Caleigh Cross

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: JESSE SCHLOFF, COURTESY PHOTO, GORDON MILLER, GLENN CALLAHAN

Glassblower Michael Trimpol has a deal for you. Walk into his Little River Hotglass Studio and he’ll help you blow your own. A handmade glass treasure, that is.

162

Life of a Stowe chef by Kate Carter

Our intrepid contributing editor meets up with six self-taught chefs and pulls away from the table fulled sated. As will you.

182

Sled on! Child’s play in the Notch by Robert Kiener Whoopee! Dave Day’s got a passion

for sledding.

196

Timeless, not trendy by Robert Kiener

Couple brings a touch of Europe, chalet-style, to Stowe.

220

Barn raisings by Caleigh Cross

Hope rises at fire-ravaged farm, artist’s studio.

182

CONTENTS /

s p r i n g

2 0 1 8 - 2 0 1 9 FROM TOP LEFT: STOWE REPORTER.; COURTESY PHOTO; XYZ

w i n t e r

essentials 10

Contributors

From the editor

Goings on

Rural route

On the mountain

Outdoor primer Cross-country • Ice skate • Fishing Snowshoe • Snowmobile

104

Galleries, arts, & entertainment Helen Day Art Center • Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center • Guides to exhibits, music, and mixed media

First person

144

Edibles: Spirit makers, honey farmers, CBD, food & bar scene

departments 14

First person: Swingin’ 60s

Party pix: The Stowe scene

Cool things: Hassle-free vacation

Off-piste: Hall of fame, no footprint

Stowe people: Keene in China

10 questions: Mike Leach

Ski history: Nose Dive ski trail

Trail journal: Cotton Brook

114

Stowe sounds: Sound Mind

118

Art spotlight: Belle’s pastels

122

Travelogue: Brother Dutton

124

Coffee house: Arts, film, talks

136

History lesson: When the trains ran

140

Film festival: Story Labs

142

Found in Vermont: Shopping list

190

Real estate: Got $10 million?

192

Hammer & nails: Gordon Dixon

GETTING OUTDOORS

104

SHOPPING & GALLERIES

144

RESTAURANTS & LODGING

180

REAL ESTATE & HOMES

230

BUSINESSES & SERVICES

240

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

ON OUR COVER For many years, artist Hulda Werner (18992002) came to Stowe to enjoy the mountains and paint, often the last week of September and the first week of October. She made lifelong friends in Stowe, many of whom own a Werner canvas or two. Born in Caldwell, N.J., Werner painted this scene looking up School Street to the Stowe Community Church. Holly and Rusty DeWees bought this delightful gem (“Stowe Church,” watercolor, 14.5"x10.5") for their parents, Marilyn and Bill, from Ann Lackey’s art shop, which lived next to the former Lackey’s Variety Store on Stowe’s Main Street (now Country Store on Main). The Lackeys not only ran the store and art shop, but lived in the attached house. “The painting was especially significant to our family,” said Rusty, “as we were members of the Stowe Community Church.” Born in Switzerland, Werner arrived in the U.S. at the age of 3. She studied with her artist father, Alfred Egle, Junius Allen and others at the Old Mill in Elizabethtown, N.Y., and in New Jersey with WPA artist Michael Lenson (Montclair Museum), and the Art Center of the Oranges.

GETTING AROUND 55

Rural route

110

“I have a beautiful painting, done from our house on Pike Street in the village that she painted the second day after we moved in in 1969,” said Pat Haslam, who helped us compile information on our cover artist, along with Mrs. Lackey and Karin Gottlieb.

Step Afrika, Spruce Peak Arts Center

She painted in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, oil, and casein. Her paintings are sometimes found on online art auctions, where they are snatched up quickly.

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CONTRIBUTORS

GUIDE & MAGAZINE

Robert M. Miller

Gregory J. Popa

Irene Nuzzo

Gregory J. Popa

Thomas Kearney, Kate Carter, Robert Kiener, Hannah Marshall, and Tommy Gardner

Leslie Lafountain

Ed Brennan, Michael Duran, Lou Kiernan, Bryan Meszkat, and Lisa Stearns

ROB KIENER Mitzi Savage

IN THIS ISSUE: A Kidd from Stowe, p.76. Behind the scenes: Ask almost anyone in Stowe to name a famous skier who has local connections and invariably they

Glenn Callahan & Gordon Miller

Katerina Hrdlicka, Kristen Braley, Bev Mullaney, and Joslyn Richardson

mention Billy Kidd. That’s remarkable when you consider that Kidd won his Olympic medal in 1964 and hasn't lived in Stowe for more than five decades. But it is a testament to Kidd’s popularity and a realization that he has never shied away from thanking Stowe for much of his success. “Without Stowe, and the people there who helped and supported me as a young skier, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he’s quick to say. Most memorable takeaway: Billy Kidd claims he is still “passionate” about teaching skiing and in the middle of our

Stuart Bertland, Kate Carter, Orah Moore, Roger Murphy, Paul Rogers, Kevin Walsh

Mark Aiken, Kate Carter, Evan Chismark, Caleigh Cross, Nancy Crowe, Willy Dietrich, Elinor Earle, Tommy Gardner, Robert Kiener, Brian Lindner, Hannah Marshall, Andrew Martin, Peter Miller, Mike Mulhern, Roger Murphy, Julia Shipley, Nancy Wolfe Stead, Kevin Walsh

Stowe Guide & Magazine & Stowe-Smugglers’ Guide & Magazine are published twice a year:

Winter/Spring & Summer/Fall Stowe Reporter LLC P.O. Box 489, Stowe VT 05672 Website: stowetoday.com

interview he asked me to set my notebook aside, stand up and follow as he showed me the best way to manage a turn on skis. After this impromptu lesson he told me, “Now you’re ready to go after that Olympic medal!” Currently: Kiener, a frequent contributor to the Stowe Guide & Magazine, has been an editor and staff writer with Reader’s Digest in Asia and Europe, and now writes for the magazine and other publications from Stowe. More at robertkiener.com.

TOMMY GARDNER IN THIS ISSUE: Fine tuned, p.92. Behind the scenes: Gardner once worked in a ski resort

rental shop where currency didn’t always involve money when it came to tuning friends’ boards. Did you know you can wax the bottoms of other things, besides skis and boards? Snow tubes, sleds, and loafers all slide a little better after a wax job. Gardner has treated plenty of snowboards like he has treated plenty of his vehicles—get them into the shop once a year and ride them until they’re done. Don’t treat your gear like Tommy Gardner. Currently: News editor for the Stowe Reporter, Waterbury Record, and News & Citizen who long ago perfected the

art of the endo.

Editorial inquiries: gpopa@myfairpoint.net Ad submission: ads@stowereporter.com

KATE CARTER

Phone: (802) 253-2101 Fax: (802) 253-8332

Behind the scenes: For this issue, I set a record by inter-

Copyright: Articles and photographs are protected by copyright and cannot be used without permission. Editorial submissions are welcome: Stowe Reporter LLC P.O. Box 489, Stowe VT 05672 Publication is not guaranteed. Enclose SASE for return. Subscriptions are $12 per year. Check or money order to Stowe Guide, P.O. Box 489, Stowe, 05672 Advertising inquiries are welcome.

Best Niche Publication, New England Newspaper & Press Association 2010 through 2017

viewing nearly 40 people. In reflection it seems overwhelming, but at the time, it wasn’t. Everyone I spoke with was delightful and willing to share their stories. I left every interview feeling uplifted and energized, and thankful that I was able to meet so many interesting people I probably would not have met otherwise. It’s not often a job gives you the opportunity to meet happy, upbeat, positive people, and that is the main reason I continue to write for this publication. That, and the editor! Currently: Kate is a freelance writer and photographer,

and when she’s not researching stories or sitting at her computer, she’s photographing real estate for Vermont Realtors, hiking with her dogs, and digging in her and others’ gardens.

CALEIGH CROSS IN THIS ISSUE: Hot Glass, p.126. Behind the scenes: I knew glassblowing would be fun,

but I had no idea how rewarding it would be to craft a vase, swirled intricately with shades of violet, with Michael Trimpol of Little River Hotglass guiding me. He wanted to let me do as much of the work as possible, so he took a step back and let me guide the process, leaving me with a piece of usable art I truly feel I made. Currently: Cross, a reporter with the Stowe Reporter, News & Citizen and Waterbury Record, contributes to Stowe Guide & Magazine. At home, she writes poetry,

plays the violin, reads obscure 1970s books about the history of the space program, and chases chickens.

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FROM THE EDITOR

Michael Kloeti of Michael’s on the Hill restaurant, formerly Villa Tragara, owned by Tony Di Ruocco, inset.

Behind the line with Tony Di Ruocco

If allowed just one word to describe Tony Di Ruocco, it would be colorful. In fact, when he died in August at 72 from cancer, his obituary asked people to come remember him wearing bright colors, noting Tony’s love of salmon, yellow, purple, and light blue. Chef and owner of Villa Tragara restaurant in Waterbury Center, Antonino Di Ruocco—everyone called him Tony—created and nurtured one of Vermont’s best restaurants for over two decades. Tony specialized in two things, from this former waiter who once worked for him: inventive northern Italian cuisine and a certain look—occasionally served with a loud voice—that sliced and diced many a shoddy server. Occasionally diners got a taste of Tony’s temper, almost without fail directed at someone on the waitstaff—if the kitchen doors swung open just at the right time. But as tough as Tony seemed, he could charm anyone, and was very kind. And, truly, all Tony wanted was for his waitstaff to understand the food he served and the love and care that went into its preparation, and to serve that food hot. Not 30 seconds or a minute after it went on a plate. Now!

PHOTO BY GORDON MILLER

And, he was right. There is no surer sign of a badly run restaurant than food served lukewarm or baked dry by hot lights. Or, even worse, cold. Tony met his former wife Patricia in Switzerland, and followed her home to Canada when her father became ill. Later, Tony and Patricia—everyone called her Tish—opened Villa Tragara, in the elegant white farmhouse on the hill in Waterbury Center now home to Michael’s on the Hill, run by another capable husband-and-wife team, Michael and Laura Kloeti. In 1999 the Italian president awarded Tish and Tony the Insegna Del Ristorante Italiano “for being one of the most prestigious Italian culinary establishments outside of Italy.” The cuisine differs, but Michael’s carries on the same fine tradition under chef Kloeti, whose restaurant and food preparations win accolades, not only from the prestigious givers of awards, but from its patrons. Like Tony, Kloeti learned on the job, not in culinary school, but working in kitchens in his native Switzerland, and later New York, Hawai’i, and Vermont. He’s one of six chefs we profile in this issue (“The life of a Stowe chef,” p.162), and he’s the rule, not the exception. All six of our subjects learned on the job, by working here and there, moving up the ladder, soaking up tips and techniques and ideas from the more learned men and women around them. Kloeti works with a staff of five in the kitchen. And like his fellow chefs—like Tony—he’s loyal to them. As he says, “I am nothing without them. My staff is very important to me. Most of them have been here at least 10 years. We are one unit here, to make guests happy. It’s not about me or the server or the day we had. It’s about the client and serving great food. ... When I hire someone it’s more about attitude than cooking skills. You can learn to cook; attitude is a lifetime.” Stowe’s collective palate, it seems, is in talented hands. —Greg Popa

Correction Stowe ski historian Brian Lindner points out that in our story “Den Daze: Mansfield’s original dive bar still warms up skiers” (Stowe Guide & Magazine, Winter / Spring 2017-18), we jumbled a date. We wrote that “The bar vanished until some time in the 1990s when it reappeared in the State Shelter, also known as the Mansfield Base Lodge.” But Lindner uncovered a document researched by Kim Danforth of the Mountain Company in the 1980s that The Den opened in the Mansfield Base Lodge in 1978. “Her research was very good so I’m confident in her date,” Lindner reports.

FIRST PERSON

GLORY DAYS MJ Shaw, Trude Erhard, Rock King, and Claudia Elliman at the Mount Mansfield Ski Club championships at Little Spruce. Engagement party of Pansy Prince, in the white pantsuit, thrown at the Octagon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The lifts closed at 4, last skier unloaded, then a very slight hiatus before it reopened carrying guests to the top. Champagne and strawberries served, everyone over-served, then most people skied down, to their peril. It was spring, patchy snow, hard to tell the bare patches from a felled skier,â&#x20AC;? writer Nancy Stead recalled. Ted and Joan Kennedy, with children Ted Jr., and Kara, skiing in Stowe, April 4, 1969. Inset: Ken Strong at The Shed, 1960s.

Stowe Resort GOSSIP, TO BE GLEEFULLY DIGESTED AND DISSECTED, HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MAJOR SUBJECT IN THE REPORTER. NANCY GRAHAM’S COLUMN “STOWE AFTER DARK”

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SWINGIN’ 60s Reporter puts another 10 years in the rear-view The Stowe Reporter, which publishes this magazine, celebrates 60 years in December, so in honor of that milestone, we reprint Nancy Wolfe Stead’s column commemorating the paper’s 50th anniversary. The Reporter’s 50th has made me look back to the days of my arrival in Stowe in the mid-1960s. The paper had been around long enough by then for it to be the most popular event in town every Thursday, when you would gladly plunk down a nickel to relish its six to ten pages and see what had happened and who was being talked about. The office of the paper was in the Old Shoe, behind what is now the building on Pond Street with the copper roof. Tuesdays and Wednesdays were frantic in those precomputer days, with reporters typing up their stories— sometimes all Tuesday night—and the print coming out of the processor in long rolls of shiny white “paper” in columns to be trimmed and waxed for layout on the boards. Photos would have to be resized, shot on a huge statcamera, hand-bordered with thin black strips, and waxed. Bill Dewees would be waiting for the final layouts so he could race them to the printer in New Hampshire. Gossip, to be gleefully digested and dissected, has always been a major subject in the Reporter. Nancy Graham’s column “Stowe After Dark” was often a frontpage item. She supplied running commentary on what was going on and who was at Stowe’s nightspots—and in those days there were a multitude of watering holes for juicy tidbits. Henry Simoneau ran the Stuberl at Spruce, a favorite place for lengthy, uproariously alcoholic lunches after the ski bum races and for après-ski. The Den at the Lodge, with Bernie Stasiak on accordion, was the next logical stop heading down the Mountain Road, and The Grand, George and Debbie Rigby’s Hob Knob, and Topnotch vied with each other to give ski instructors the best rates, knowing that where glamorous instructors went, crowds would follow. The Matterhorn was always packed and Ted McKay had the ingenious idea of getting around Sunday blue laws by offering really cheap food all afternoon and evening because on Sunday you could only drink with a meal. For two years, I cooked a turkey and made vats of spaghetti for Ted in exchange for, well, privileges. Rock King held forth at Sister Kate’s nightly, singing along as he pounded his piano, telling, with perfect timing, joke after joke, and reminding patrons the martinis were so dry they used a dustpan in the men’s room. >> ESSAY BY

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FIRST PERSON The Baggy Knees and The Bunny Club at Town and Country were also nighttime hot spots, and The Centre Bar was quieter but always worth a stop. In town, there was the reasonable, mellow, upscale Five Flies and Chuck Batchelder’s Yankee Tavern, a place so scary I would go in only with strong male company. In the Dec. 31, 1965 issue of the Stowe Reporter, Graham wrote, “I am still waiting to get to Ken Strong and Ted Ross’ new spot ‘The Shed.’ … They should be open this week.” Thus a new institution was born, which has given fodder to multitudes of writers to this day. In 1966, no doubt sparked by an unusually picturesque account of a costume event at the Grand, where Pansy Prince appeared in leopard coat and cat’s whiskers, a new column appeared to run beside Stowe After Dark called Stowe in the Broad Daylight, by Sonny Day. Former owner and publisher Trow Elliman has never, ever divulged who Sonny Day was, but we always assumed it was Pansy. Sonny Day noted the comings and goings of Stowe’s beautiful people, not only here but in Sun Valley, Vail, and Europe. The shenanigans of the Kennedy family were duly reported, as was John Glenn’s visit here to see them. The column was, said M.J. Shaw, so “in” that most of the town didn’t know what it

In 1966, Stowe hosted the International Giant Slalom Championships, the most ambitious and prestigious ski race ever to come to town. It was a late-season race and gathered the cream of international racers. Jean Claude Killy and Guy Perillat came, as well as Karl Fahrner, Stein Eriksen, Othmar Schneider, Dixie Nohl, Suzy Chaffee, Jimmie Heuga, and coach Willy Schaeffler. The race added a luster to Stowe’s fame that was felt for the following decade, and the Stowe Reporter’s coverage of the racing scene grew as well. By the late 1960s, the paper’s coverage of Eastern ski racing had become the best. Linda Adams’ stories would beat those in Ski Racing, the official American organ of both the national and international racing scene by a week. The paper’s letter to the editor section reflected a real sense of what was going on in town … often prodding selectmen to attend to matters they would just as soon have left unattended. Just to prove not much has changed over 50 years, in 1966 David Bryan and Helen Wilhelm wrote a scathing letter on winter traffic from the mountain, noting that it often took 45 minutes to get down to the village and that there was never a traffic cop directing traffic to alleviate the mess. Happy birthday Stowe Reporter, and thanks for always being interesting. n

was about. But we all assuredly liked to read it. On Feb. 11, 1966, a Stowe in the Broad Daylight column included this classic about the Perry family, who owned the Green Mountain Inn and Five Flies: “Parker Perry Family Comings and Goings. … Parker back from Africa, Dottie down to Pennsylvania, Parker off to Europe, Tony in San Moritz, Parker in Kitzbuhel, Tony still in San Moritz, Parker back from Lech, Dottie off to New York, Parker off to Waterbury.” But Nancy Graham and “Sonny Day” ran out of steam and there followed a series of anonymous writers who took matters too close to libel, confessed Elliman. When Debbie Fitzgerald was editor, she would occasionally step down from her editorial perch to write observant and very funny dirt. For years Helen Nay wrote Over the Fence, an ongoing litany of who was seen shopping up to Morrisville and who was just out of hospital and now up and taking nourishment. This item, lovingly clipped years ago and passed to me by a friend, is quintessential Nay: “Joe Green, Sr., of Winooski, who fell through a skylight and was in hospital in Burlington has gone home but has to stay in bed in traction, because of a broken neck and pins in his head for damages that have to be removed daily and cleaned.”

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GOINGS ON GLENN CALLAHAN; INSET: GORDON MILLER

NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 2 A Traditional Christmas in Stowe Tree lightings, children’s lantern parade, Christmas tree festival, wagon rides, Santa visits, carolers, Christmas fair, candy cane pulling, cookie and gingerbread house decorating, more. Venues in Stowe and Stowe Mountain Resort. stowevibrancy.com.

DECEMBER

DECEMBER 1 Stowe Community Church Christmas Fair Needlecrafts, baked goods, collectibles, wreaths, Pocket Lady, Stowe afghans. Quilt raffle. 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Stowe Community Church, Main Street. (802) 253-7257. stowechurch.org.

DECEMBER 1 – 29 Festival of Trees and Light & Members’ Art Show Work by art center members and community-decorated Christmas trees. Family Day is Saturday, Dec. 8, 1 - 4 p.m. Helen Day Art Center, Stowe Village. (802) 253-8358. helenday.com.

DECEMBER 8 24th BrewFest Part 1 Sample local and regional craft beers. Music, food. 6 - 10 p.m., 21 and older. $20. Meeting House, Smugglers’ Notch Resort. smuggs.com.

JANUARY 13

S TOW E D E R BY

DECEMBER 15 & 22 Skate with Santa Skate with Santa at the Stowe Arena. Holiday music, seasonal treats, and write letters to Santa. Stowe Parks & Recreation. 3:30 - 5 p.m. stowerec.org.

DECEMBER 17 Handel’s Messiah Community Sing-In Dan Bruce conducts. 7 p.m.; doors open 6:30 p.m. $8/person. Stowe Community Church, Main Street.

JANUARY 19

JANUARY 25 – 27

Bolton Valley Splitboarding Festival Explore the backcountry on splitboards and allmountain snowboards. Free demos, clinics, games, tours, food, and beer. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Base of the Vista Quad, Bolton Valley Resort.

Smuggs’ Ice Bash Gear demos, clinics, dry tooling competition, raffles, fun. Smugglers Notch, Jeffersonville. smuggsicebash.com.

JANUARY 26 – 27 FIS Men’s Slalom and GS Smugglers’ Notch Resort. fis-ski.com.

DECEMBER 22

Spruce Peak Lights Festival, Torchlight Parade, & Fireworks Tree and village lighting, Northern Bronze Bells, food, photos with Santa (also on Dec. 23), family photos. 2 - 7 p.m. Torchlight parade and fireworks at 4:30 p.m. Spruce Peak Village. Stowe Mountain Resort.

UVM Winter Carnival Downhill Division 1 college ski teams compete. Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org.

DECEMBER 31

U16 Super G Championships Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org

FEBRUARY 1 – 2

FEBRUARY 10 – 11

New Year’s Eve Fireworks & Torchlight Parade Stowe Mountain Resort comes alive with spectacle of light. Spruce Peak Village Center. 7 p.m.

DECEMBER 31

JANUARY 23 – 27 Winter Rendezvous Five days of wintery fun with the largest contingent of gay skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast. Fun events all weekend, open to the public. winterrendezvous.com.

DECEMBER 31

JANUARY

JANUARY 13 Stowe Derby Oldest downhill cross-country race starts at the top of Mount Mansfield and winds its way 16k to the village. Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org. (Bad weather date is Sunday, Feb. 24.)

FEBRUARY 16

Cruise into 2019 Race Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org.

Jay Peak New Year’s Eve Party & Fireworks Fireworks on Tramside, 9 p.m. Shake, The Band concert, Foeger Ballroom. jaypeakresort.com.

FEBRUARY

JANUARY 24 Valcour Bog on Snowshoes Take a walk with Stowe Land Trust executive director Kristen Sharpless. All welcome. No RSVP required. 3 - 4 p.m. stowelandtrust.org.

JANUARY 25 – 27

FEBRUARY 21 Smugglers’ Notch Winter Carnival Music, face painting, games, bonfire, barbecue, and Goodtime Charlie, Mogul Mouse, Billy Bob Bear, and the Friendly Pirate. Village Green, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Smugglers’ Notch Resort. smuggs.com.

FEBRUARY 25 – 26 FIS Women’s GS & Slalom Stowe Mountain Resort, Spruce Peak. fis-ski.com.

Stowe Winter Carnival See event spotlight, p.20.

EXHIBITS: p.104

Mill Trail Snowshoe Strap on your snowshoes and explore Mill Trail’s layered history ending with a warm drink by the fire at the cabin. All ages. Mill Trail, Notchbrook Road. 1-3 p.m. stowelandtrust.org.

•••

MUSIC, MIXED MEDIA, THEATER: p.110

GOINGS ON PHOTOS BY PAUL ROGERS

FEBRUARY 27 Taste of The Kingdom Sample foods prepared by region’s top chefs. Desserts, wine, craft beer, cider. Silent auction, live music. 6 - 10 p.m. Foeger Ballroom. Jay Peak Resort. jaypeakresort.com.

MARCH

MARCH 3 Hope on the Slopes American Cancer Society fund raiser. 7:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m. Jay Peak Resort. jaypeakresort.com.

MARCH 6 – 8 NCAA Nordic Championships Best college ski racers in the U.S. 5 and 10K freestyle March 6; 15/20K classic March 8. Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe. Fantastic setup for spectators. trappfamily.com.

MARCH 6 – 9 NCAA Alpine Ski Championships Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org.

Ice carving. Inset: Snowgolf competition.

MARCH 12 – 15 FIS Women’s GS & Slalom Stowe Mountain Resort, Spruce Peak. fis-ski.com.

MARCH 13 – 15

S T O W E W I N T E R C A R N I VA L

NorAm Finals Slalom and GS. Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org

Januar y 25 – 27

MARCH 15 Pork Takeout Dinner Pork loin dinner with all the fixings. 4 - 6 p.m. Route 100, Waterbury Center Community Church.

MARCH 16 – 17 Ski The East Extreme Comp Finals East Coast's heaviest hitters battle it out on The Face. Jay Peak Resort. jaypeakresort.com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25 Townwide Ice Carving Demonstration Day & Ice Carving Stroll 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Professional ice carvers create masterpieces in front of businesses on Main Street, Mountain Road, and surrounding Stowe area. Demos: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Main Street; 1 - 6 p.m., Mountain Road.

MARCH 16 – 17 George Tormey Challenge USSA giant slalom. Sterling Mountain Practice Slope. Smugglers’ Notch Resort. smuggs.com.

MARCH 22 – 23 TRIP Dance Company Dozens of dancers perform ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, tap, and hip-hop. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday. sprucepeaksarts.org.

MARCH 22 – 25 FIS Men’s GS & Slalom Stowe Mountain Resort, Spruce Peak. fis-ski.com.

MARCH 22 – 25 Eastern DEVO Races Men’s GS and slalom. Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org

MARCH 23 39th George Syrovatka Ski Race Dual slalom on Lower Can-Am, ski and snowboard. All ages. 8 a.m. with races at 10:30 a.m. All day. Jay Peak Resort, jaypeakresort.com.

Ice Carvers’ Welcoming Party Meet and greet the ice carvers. Friday night, Sunset Grille & Tap Room, Cottage Club Road. Live Music Dance Parties 9 p.m. Take the chill off of Old Man Winter with live music. The Matterhorn and Rusty Nail.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 Youth Ice Fishing Derby 9 a.m. - noon. Ages 1 - 14. Awards for longest, shortest, and most fish caught. Fishing holes, bait, and equipment provided. Commodores Inn pond, Route 100, south of Stowe Village. Pre-registration encouraged. stowerec.org. 19th Nationally Sanctioned Ice Carving Competition Noon - 4 p.m. Pro ice carving competition. Competition theme is outer space. The Alchemist Brewery, 100 Cottage Club Rd.

MARCH 24

Family Sugaring Sugarhouse tour, sap gathering, and samples for all ages. Space limited, preregistration required. Sage Farm and Percy Farm, Weeks Hill Road, 2 p.m. stowelandtrust.org.

NICA Ice Carver’s Apres Awards Celebration 7 p.m. Meet the carvers and find out who won. Stowe Inn, Mountain Road.

Ice Carvers Meltdown Parties 9 p.m. Take the chill off of Old Man Winter with live music. The Matterhorn and Rusty Nail.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 Snowvolleyball Tourney 9:30 a.m. Bring your own male/female sixperson team to dig, set, and spike. Lunch and apres awards. Sunset Grille & Taproom Cottage Club Road. Show up with your team or preregister at jfroy683@gmail.com. Snowgolf Tournament 10:30 a.m. Costumed teams play 11 holes of wacky golf at Stowe Country Club. Aprés awards. Information/register: (802) 777-5510.

GOINGS ON MARCH 30 Blast from the Past Skiers bash gates and relive their glory days. GS and pro-style dual slalom. Barbecue. 9:30 a.m. Smugglers’ Notch Resort. smuggs.com.

MARCH 30 24th Annual BrewFest, Part 2 Sample Vermont and regional beers and more. 6 - 10 p.m. $20. Mountain Grille, Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Jeffersonville. smuggs.com.

APRIL & MAY

DEB MARTIN

APRIL 6 – 7 Sugar Slalom One of the oldest ski races in the U.S. Shoot the gates, enjoy sugar on snow at the finish. Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsc-mmwa.org.

APRIL 19 Vernal pool at Page Forest Take a walk with Stowe Land Trust executive director Kristen Sharpless. All welcome. No RSVP required. 3 - 4 p.m. stowelandtrust.org.

APRIL 20 Pond Skimming & Beach Party Classic season-ender, followed by party in indoor waterpark. Costumes, please. jaypeakresort.com.

APRIL 21 Stowe Easter Sunrise Service & Easter Egg Hunt Service atop Mt. Mansfield. Gondola rides starting before sunrise. Ski or ride down. Easter egg hunt, Spruce Peak Village Center, 9 a.m. stowe.com.

APRIL 21 Easter Sunrise & Easter Egg Hunt at Jay Peak jaypeakresort.com.

APRIL 26 Turkey Takeout Dinner Turkey dinner with all the fixings. 4 - 6 p.m. Route 100, Waterbury Center Community Church.

MAY 3 – 5

Stowe Weekend of Hope Celebration of life for people with cancer and those who love them. stowehope.org. n

Black Cap Coffee & Beer of Vermont Breakfast/Lunch Coffee Espresso Pastries Craft Beer Store Wine Selection Tasting Events 63 Lower Main Street, MORRISVILLE 144 Main Street, STOWE Across from Stowe Community Church Open every day at 7 a.m. â&#x20AC;¢ See us on Facebook

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Philip F. Palmedo, who lives on Long Island, also attended Williams College and was on the ski team. He’s a physicist with a degree from MIT, and has written about a vast range of topics—nuclear reactor physics, technology, wines of Long Island, modern sculpture. He wanted to write his father’s biography because he thought people should know more about him and what he had done. “I was curious about how he did all the things he did and at the same time was a good father,” Philip said. “I also wanted to understand him and to pass on the family history. I didn’t want it to be all positive and sugarcoated, but I had a hard time finding anything negative about him, except that he had a definitive idea of the way things should be done and could be overbearing.” The author also wants today’s skiers to understand how much the sport has changed in the past hundred years. “For young people now, it’s such a comfortable and posh way of experiencing skiing,” he said. “I wanted to convey the adventurousness of skiing in the 1920s and felt the best way to do that was through an individual’s story.” In his father’s letters, Palmedo learned “how involved he was in the commercial side of aviation and with Lehman Brothers. He had a banking background and was an aviator and became Lehman Brothers’ aviation expert,” providing advice on investments in the early aviation industry, including corporations that became Pan American Airways, American Airways, and Trans World Airlines. “In all of his ski enterprises, he bought shares along with everyone else and was not a founding owner,” Palmedo said. The book begins with the Palmedo family’s early history, then moves on to Roland’s aviation experiences in World War I and life during the Roaring 20s in New York City, where he and his wife raised a family and he started his career in banking. The book moves chronologically

COURTESY PHOTOS

Roland Palmedo was a lot of things—naval aviator, philosophy student, graduate of Williams College, skier, banker, traveler, husband, father, daring adventurer. But his biggest impact happened in Vermont, on the sport of skiing. “Without the 1930s vision and finances of Roland Palmedo, who first identified Stowe and Mount Mansfield as an ideal location for a ski resort, it might have taken many more decades to bring the young sport to an otherwise agricultural community,” said ski historian Brian Lindner. After Palmedo was finished in Stowe, he moved a few miles south and helped to develop Mad River Glen. Then he helped to create the national ski patrol. Roland’s son, Philip F. Palmedo, has published a biography of his father’s colorful life: “Roland Palmedo, A Life of Adventure and Enterprise.” In telling Palmedo’s story, the book provides a detailed look at the early days of skiing in the United States and the beginnings of Stowe Mountain Resort. Palmedo the son received a gift from his father: His dad was a prolific letter-writer who saved all his correspondence, which in those days wasn’t easy. Those letters revealed many things Palmedo didn’t know about his father, and deepened the portrait. The biography provides an in-depth look at Roland Palmedo’s personality, passions, and panache, much of it in the context of Stowe Mountain Resort’s beginnings. The son blends thorough and extensive research about his father’s accomplishments with his own perspective of a complex man.

SKI GIANT Roland Palmedo commutes to the Burlington airport, 1938. Single chair opens in Stowe on Dec. 9, 1940, with Ann Bonfoey ("Nosedive Annie") in chair, J. Negley Cooke, and Gov. George Aiken.

through his life and includes chapters on Stowe and the National Ski Patrol, returning to the Navy during World War II, his time at Mad River Glen, life in Dorset Vt., family, nature, and ultimately his legacy. —Kate Carter

ESSENTIALS: “Roland Palmedo, A Life of Adventure and Enterprise,” Enfield Publishing & Distribution Co., 142 pages, $21 Available at Bear Pond Books, Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum, and Stowe Free Library in Stowe •••• enfielddistribution.net

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Stowe library showcases collectibles Teacups, toasters, and other treasures are on a rotating display in the foyer of the Stowe Free Library. The display case was installed in the early 2000s, when the Freeman Foundation donated money for Vermont library renovations statewide. At first, no one was sure what to put in the display, then someone had the idea of displaying collectibles. One frequent contributor was former circulation librarian Cindy Stafford, who shared her own collections of antique Wizard of Oz dolls, along with a copy of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. She also displayed her uncle’s pristine antique toasters. Stafford was instrumental in getting people in the community involved in sharing their collections, too, and locals have displayed far-ranging items, such as a whimsical collection of Pez dispensers, hand-crafted bird carvings, and blown-glass paperweights. “It’s really fun to see people get excited about what’s in there. One frequent visitor to the library takes a picture of the cabinet whenever the display changes,” Stafford said. “Nothing is off limits,” said Jessica Psaros, systems and programs librarian at the Stowe Free Library. “It’s fun to see who is collecting what.” Psaros recently displayed her own collection of teacups that friends and family gave her at her garden tea party bridal shower. “After my wedding, I packed them away. It was fun to get them back out and see them again, and share them with the community.” The library staff tries to change the display every month to keep it fresh. Sometimes the Helen Day Art Center will participate with an exhibit that ties to a current theme at the gallery. Often presentations are tied to holidays, and have included Santa Clauses in December and a Darth Vader display in July, called “May the Fourth Be With You.” “We want the community to engage with the library, explore it, and see the library as a resource beyond books,” Psaros said. Donors may remain anonymous if they wish, and the cabinet is secure. It has shelving, lighting, and accessories for enhancing presentations, which can be historical or not. Nancy Rumery, the current circulation librarian, is the point person for the display case. If you have a collection you’d like to share with the community, email her at librarian@stowelibrary.org. —Kate Carter

FROM TOP: KATE CARTER, CARTER, CINDY STAFFORD

STORYBOARD

Winter is lined-up along the front wall, the wall with the gingerbread windows. Shovels, snowshoes, skis, poles, all slightly leaning toward the open door, as if eager to get going. A poke of glinty sun ricochets from the skis bindings; it etches a jagged shadow along the opposite wall, from ceiling to floor, as thin as a spider’s thread. Most of summer is cramped between corners: lawn chairs, umbrella, hammock; all of them having a hard time settling down. I almost hear them yelling; “Not now: it’s too early for this.” The rest of summer; what won’t fit in the shed; I roll up, like a tarp; strap her to my back; head deep into the mountains hoping to find the perfect boulder for her re-imagination of herself.

the POEM the shed

Ankle deep in leaves, the path looks as if it has been drizzled, with molten copper; the late day sun has a tangerine glow, broadening the crooked purple shadow outline of the jagged peaks of Mount Mansfield. Along this trail I come upon a blazing fire pit tendered by elders, all of them aglow with an orange aura; this is the place I imagined for her long rest. Gene Arthur, Stowe

The STOWE GUIDE & MAGAZINE won Best Niche publication for the 8th consecutive year in the 2017 New England Newspaper & Press Association’s Better Newspaper Competition. STOWE WEDDINGS magazine took third in the same category. The award considers publishing strategy, content mix, audience and advertiser appeal, plus quality of writing, design, and production. Judges said: “Very impressed with the OVERALL QUALITY OF CONTENT, DESIGN, AND ADVERTISING. Loved the feature on mountain jobs by Kate Carter. Great use of photos by Gordon Miller. Very nicely done.” For Stowe Weddings, the judges wrote: “BEAUTIFUL WEDDING MAGAZINE. I enjoyed reading the editor Hannah Marshall’s note with her own story—any woman would. Great quality advertising as well.” Overall, the STOWE REPORTER weekly newspaper, which publishes both magazines, won 23 awards in the contest with more than 3,000 entries from organizations in six states. 2018 winners will be announced early next year.

Daily Classes | Individual + Private Groups Customized Retreats The Yoga Barn – a serene yoga studio located in the red barn behind Well Heeled – offers a full range of classes from vigorous flow to restorative practices. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned yogi, the talented instructors at our peaceful studio offer something for everyone. 2850 Mountain Road, Stowe • behind Well Heeled • theyogabarnstowe@gmail.com • theyogabarnstowe.com

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COURTESY PHOTOS

SEARCH AND RESCUE John Bradley, Jaana Gustafsson, and Francis Marley. Inset: Lt. John Pritchard, a U.S. Coast Guard pilot; Cpl. Loren Howarth of the U.S. Army; and Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Bottoms of the Coast Guard. All three were killed in a plane crash in Greenland in 1942 in the line of duty. For updates or to donate: globalexplorationandrecovery.com.

t was during World War II, Nov. 9, 1942. Over Greenland, the air was muddled and shifting, making it hard to navigate. Nine volunteer crew members aboard a B17 bomber were scanning the ground for five men who’d gone down earlier in a different plane. All survived, and sent out a distress call. The B-17 crashed too, but all nine survived, put their radio back together, and sent out distress call. Late that November, Coast Guard pilot John Pritchard and radioman Benjamin Bottoms landed their Grumman Duck on a glacier and rescued two of the men. They went back for another round, and picked up Cpl. Loren Howarth. That’s where their luck ended. The Duck crashed in a storm, and Pritchard, Bottoms, and Howarth were all killed. The remaining stranded men were eventually rescued, but the remains of Pritchard, Bottoms, and Howarth were not recovered. John Bradley is going back for them. The Stowe native, 38, left for Greenland in July with three others from Global Exploration and Recovery Inc., a nonprofit organization he founded in 2010.

Bradley lived in Stowe until the early 2000s, then moved to Alaska and then to Denver, where he’s now an outdoor guide. Pritchard and Bottoms are the only two U.S. Coast Guardsmen whose remains have never been recovered, Bradley said. The Coast Guard hired Bradley to help find the remains, but the money ran out, even though “we were getting really close to finding the debris.” So, he formed Global Exploration and Recovery with acquaintances Francis Marley and Nicholas Bratton and began raising money for an independent search for the Grumman Duck and the three men buried with it. All its work is funded by donations. His work with Stowe Emergency Medical Services and Stowe Mountain Rescue helped prepare him for Greenland. “Like everything in

life, you get a passion for something, there’s always a community of people with which you circulate around the world. You can learn from each other. I’ve been really fortunate to be able to do that.” He marvels that Pritchard was able to land the Grumman Duck. “This plane is only meant to land on flat land and on water. To land it like he did, between crevasses and everything, it’s amazing,” he said. Bradley has tried, and failed, to reach the Grumman Duck before. “When you go out there, you’re being dropped off on a blank canvas. Last time a plane was ever recovered like this, it took decades, and that plane had been moved miles” from its original location because of glacier activity, Bradley said. Bradley was hesitant to predict success. But the crew has already covered a lot of ground in Greenland, which narrows things down. “I care very much for the families” of the three men, Bradley said. “You can only imagine it means everything. Nancy Pritchard, she’s 94 years old. She’s always wondered, just like (the others), they’ve grown up with this story and they’ve always wondered why their family members weren’t brought home.” —Caleigh Cross

Karen Wagner, Stowe ski patrol director ‘My predecessors were pioneers in the ski industry. I have huge boots to fill.’ Karen Wagner is the new ski patrol director at Stowe Mountain Resort. She grew up in Woodbridge, Conn., and attended Colby College in Maine. After a gap year and a month at law school, Wagner came to Stowe to join the ski patrol. A decade later, she became the resort’s risk manager. Now she is back to patrolling full-time and overseeing the department. Wagner lives in Stowe with her husband, Nate, and their two children, Anika, 14, a ski racer at Mount Mansfield Winter Academy, and Beck, 12, a tennis player and spelling bee champ who attends Stowe Middle School.

How did you end up in Stowe? When I was growing up, my family came to Stowe to ski. My parents, who had great friends with a home here, would come to Stowe all the time. They ended up getting a second home here. I had planned to go to law school, but after a month I knew it wasn’t for me. I wanted to be at a ski area. My memories of Stowe are why I came here, and because it’s a great ski mountain.

GOR

DON

MILL

Why is ski patrol appealing to you? I love skiing and mountain life, and thought ski patrolling would be a good way to help people. I broke my leg when I was 5 and was very impressed with the patrollers. After I started patrolling in the winter of 1993, it became as much about the group’s camaraderie. I think all ski area operations are appealing. As a member of the ski patrol, you work with the other operations departments very closely, and it’s a big and great team, especially now, with good cooperation among all departments.

When did you start risk management?

the intErviEw

I was on ski patrol from 1993 to 2000, then the risk management position became available. I had a penchant for gathering facts and liked accident investigation. I had natural potential and was offered the job, and it turned out to be a great job for me. I went part-time when I had kids. I’ll never forget how flexible the resort was for me and my family. It was fantastic. I still filled in on ski patrol on a very part-time basis.

What are your responsibilities as director? Recruiting, hiring, creating and adhering to a budget, daily oversight of operations, communications with other departments. It’s exciting to be part of Vail Resorts. There are many others who hold the same position as I do at other ski areas and we can problem-solve as a group and not have to do it on our own. As ski patrollers, the essence is first aid and transportation of people, but we also do a lot of trail maintenance, answer guests’ questions, and just be there for the people and offer a premium ski experience.

Ski or ride? INTERVIEW CONDUCTED & COMPILED BY KATE CARTER

Definitely ski. I’m a “keep it under control” kind of skier. When I first met my husband, he tried to teach me to snowboard, but I just kept falling.

RURAL ROUTE What improvements would you like to see in skier safety? People need to respect each other and give each other ample space on a trail. When you’re passing, give plenty of room for the unexpected. You need to share the trails with respect and avoid collisions. Also, woods skiing is very popular now. We try to educate people to go in threes and stay together. When people ask where to go for woods skiing, we suggest they start with our named glades. No one should be in the woods alone and no one should go to unfamiliar woods without someone who is familiar with them.

Describe the significant changes in ski patrolling over the last 20 years. Uphill traffic is now an issue. This is significant for ski patrol, because when we encounter skinners, we need to educate them about our daytime policies. We allow uphill traffic only on one specific trail. Skinners need to stay to the side of that trail and yield to downhill traffic, and no dogs are allowed. When we see uphill travelers at the end of the day, we educate them on the hazards of grooming and other nighttime resort operations. These issues are significant because they provide us with additional opportunities to educate people on safety, as well as additional opportunities for injuries that take place outside of our normal rescue scenarios, and we need to be prepared for them as well.

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What is the best part of your job? Camaraderie. We have an eclectic group of patrollers who bring different skills and perspectives to the team. It’s never boring. It’s a real team effort and I’m just one of an intricate team. Also, it’s an amazing feeling to be on the mountain at sunrise and sunset. It’s an incredible mountain to ski and a great opportunity to be a steward of it.

Worst part of job? Going to work in the dark and going home in the dark. And for me, personally, being away from my kids, but the time commitment is worth it.

Are you Stowe Mountain Resort’s first female ski patrol director? I’m the second. Mary Bozack was the first in the 1990s. Vail Resorts is super-supportive of women in the ski business, which is not necessarily typical across the industry. The history of the ski patrol is fun. A lot of guys who don’t do it anymore come to visit. There have been a lot of great characters over the years. We even have a historian, Brian Lindner. My predecessors were pioneers in the ski industry. I have huge boots to fill.

Spare-time activities? I try to be with my family whenever I can. Trying to keep up with my kids keeps me going in different directions. We like to sail Lake Champlain and I like mountain biking. The riding around Stowe is amazing. I like bird watching. I was once the youngest member of the New Haven Bird Club. n

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① ②

Do you have a photo of our magazine on some far-flung island or rugged peak? Send a high-rez copy to ads@stowereporter.com, with Stowe Magazine in the subject line. We’ll pick the best ones and run them in a future edition.

③

1. “I happily lugged an issue of Stowe Guide & Magazine—my favorite magazine, by the way—on a recent trip to Peru,” Elmore resident Doug Geller told us. Here he is with a local Peruvian in the small village of Yucay in the Sacred Valley, outside of Cusco. “I was so engrossed in the magazine that I forgot to go to Machu Picchu,” said Doug. We sort of doubt that! 2. Mavi Noel, a frequent visitor to Stowe, on a visit to the region of Calabria, Italy, to visit her grandparents. Mavi shows off her magazine while in the village of Montepaone, in the province of Catanzaro, at the famous disco club on the Ionian Sea called La Pietra Grande (Big Rock). “We love Stowe and visit every winter, and especially love your magazine. We are always sure to grab a few copies for our home,” said Mavi’s mother Monica Toraldo, aka singer and songwriter BluAzur. “My husband, who is from the Umbrian region, has become very fond of Stowe, with its exquisite views and enchanting snow-covered mountains. Mavi loves to ski, and everything about the Stowe Mountain Resort makes us all feel very special, being in such a beautiful natural setting. Our favorite musical is, of course, ‘The Sound of Music,’ and we’re always sure to make our annual stop at the Trapp Family Lodge.” 3. Caroline Williams of Elmore Mountain in Morrisville on a visit to Sydney, Australia, in September 2018. Her husband Jeffery is a massage therapist at the Stoweflake spa, while Caroline teaches at Wolcott Elementary School and formerly the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy.

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RURAL ROUTE SMELL THE ROSES Party host Denny Bender, right, with Dave Flagg at a gathering of former Stowe ski patrollers. Ed Billings shows what 97 can look like.

The Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol has a grand tradition of closing the winter season with a party featuring serious awards and, at least in former years, epic shenanigans. Less well-known is the sporadic gathering of the patrol’s old guard, the sleeping lions who once thundered down Mansfield and are now occasionally prompted to rumble in unison at a gathering dubbed “Smell the Roses.” Ten years ago, Denny Bender instigated the group to honor Ed “Edu” Billings on his 87th birthday. In late August, Denny and his very game wife, Sandy, organized a repeat event to salute the astoundingly fit Edu at 97, joined by Lee “Choo Choo” Fay, Phil “Puke” Tomlinson, “Captain Billy” Truax and, by telephone in Colorado, “Mother” Jeff Snyder, as they cruise into their 80s. Over 30 patrollers and their women showed up to feast on Sandy’s prime rib and perfectly steamed Maine lobster caught and brought by Edu’s son Ray. Old stories were rolled out and new ones invented but mostly the assemblage relaxed in the company of old, old friends.

old

guard

Stowe Ski Patrol

As Ed “Booger” Bombard, whose ski season attendance on the mountain remains legendary, said to Edu, “Two Eds are better than one.” —Nancy Wolfe Stead

INNOVATORS Company co-founders Paul Maravetz and Josh Reid at their Waterbury office.

ROME SNOWBOARDS SOLD The iconic Rome SDS snowboard brand has a new owner, but the same principals: Josh Reid and Paul Maravetz. Rome, headquartered in Waterbury, is one of the original rider-driven brands, and has been at the forefront of snowboard progression over the past 17 years. Now it’s joining forces with European snowboarding leaders, with a foot in both Europe and the United States. Rome SDS will join Bataleon, Lobster & Switchback as part of Low Pressure Studio, which will operate from Amsterdam in the Netherlands. All of Rome SDS creative, R&D, and design will stay in Waterbury.

The Rome co-founders are happy with what’s happening. “Since we launched in 2000-01, we’ve always been pretty clear about what we believe is important in snowboarding,” said Josh Reid, Rome co-founder. “One of those things is having snowboard companies owned and directed by snowboarders. In partnering with LPS and the Nidecker brothers, we’ve made sure this will continue to be a core value at Rome.” (The Nidecker brothers, Cédric, Xavier, and Henry, have acquired a

majority stake in Low Pressure Studio, home of Bataleon, Lobster & Switchback, from Jorgen Karlsen, founder of Bataleon Snowboards and inventor of Triple Base Technology/3BT and SideKick technology.) Paul Maravetz, the Rome co-founder who’s a famed board designer, said the new partnership is the first to bring together riders with deep roots in both American and European snowboarding.

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PHENOMS Olympian Betsy Snite, left, with fellow Olympian Penny Pitou, who won two silver medals at the Squaw Valley Olympics. Snite took home the silver in slalom.

flashback

OLYMPIAN BETSY SNITE

On Saturday, Feb. 20, 1960, my family huddled around our black-andwhite TV to watch the women’s downhill at the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. I say huddled, because the TV reception was so bad it looked as if the women were skiing in a blizzard. (For the record, it was not snowing in Squaw Valley, just on our TV.) As loyal New Hampshire-ites we tuned in to watch Penny Pitou, a local skiing star and

favorite to win. But as the race unfolded, the course became the focus. The Airplane Turn near the bottom of the hill took a toll on the racers. In fact, 14 out of 41 skiers failed to negotiate that turn. Apparently a warm day followed by a cold night iced the corner more than the racers saw during their practice runs. Penny survived the Airplane Turn and ended up with a silver medal. However, another U.S. racer did not fare as well. Betsy Snite from Vermont lost her right ski in the turn. The ski cartwheeled and struck her helmet hard enough to leave a dent. It so stunned Snite that course workers had to unceremoniously drag her off the hill. Six days later Vermonter Betsy Snite would redeem herself with a silver medal in the slalom. Snite grew up in Norwich, Vt., where her father put her on skis when she was only one-

and-a-half years old. By age 11 she was winning races, usually against the boys. In 1955, at 16, she won the U.S. slalom championship, beating none other than Andrea Mead Lawrence. Her success led to her being named to the 1956 Olympic team. After a disappointing result in the giant slalom, Snite tore knee ligaments practicing for the downhill. In 1958 Snite and Pitou became ski bums in Europe. They realized that to beat the Europeans they had to learn from the Europeans. So they worked during the week, raced on weekends and “accumulated European boyfriends.” Betsy found that skiing with the boys “you learn to ski fast or spend a lonesome winter.” The strategy worked. Snite began to win races on the European circuit, including the prestigious Arlberg Kandahar slalom in both

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SKI SENSATION Betsy Snite in 1976. The silver medalist settled in Stowe in 1964.

 MAIL BAG COLUMN NOT FUNNY

To the editor: I volunteer at the Waterbury visitor center during the summer and fall and often reference the Stowe Guide & Magazine when tourists ask about things to do, see, etc. The Mike Mulhern column in the summer/ fall issue (“Bucket List: Live like you’re dying people”) is not funny. In fact, it is in extremely poor taste. Cannot believe he wrote something this crass and that you actually saw fit to print it. Guess he has never cared about or even met anyone who is actually terminally ill. Linda Parks, Waterbury

EDITOR’S LETTER BROUGHT BACK POIGNANT MEMORIES

To the editor: I just found your editor’s letter (“The day Tom Rooney died,” Stowe Guide & Magazine, Winter/Spring 2013-2014) about being at the Rooney farm in Morrisville the day Tom died. It was very moving and captured the Vermont spirit that I have found so admirable in my 45 years of both living in, and traveling to, Vermont.

1958 and 1959. In the buildup to the 1960 Olympics, a dominant Snite and Pitou were favorites for Olympic medals. Snite’s success led to Sports Illustrated naming her “Sportsman of the Year” in 1959. Betsy Snite was a beautiful woman. Sports Illustrated put her on the cover of its issue before the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics. Andrea Mead Lawrence said that Snite was “the best looking woman skier I’ve ever seen.” In the 1959 offseason, Snite modeled for a San Francisco fashion firm. She loved clothes and at one time had a dozen pair of stretch pants. Her time in San Francisco led some to question her training regimen, which she herself described as “dating, dancing, and learning to sail and drive a sports car.” Despite her fall in the downhill, Betsy had a successful 1960 Olympics, finishing fourth in the GS as well as that silver medal in slalom. She retired from racing at the end of the 1960 season after a final appearance at the American International race in Stowe. Betsy would stay involved in fashion, becoming a rep for Bogner and eventually DuPont. In 1964 she married Mount Mansfield Company marketing manager Bill Riley and settled in Stowe. In 1977 she opened an exclusive skiwear boutique, Betsy Snite Sports, on the Mountain Road in Stowe. Betsy Snite Riley died in 1984 from cancer at age 45, way too young. Her ashes were spread on the trails of Mount Mansfield. According to Norma Stancliffe, who was with Snite when she passed away, her motto was “it’s not over til it’s over and fight to the end.” Snite and her sister Sunny are part of “NORWICH,” a new book written by New York Times sportswriter Karen Crouse. Crouse was intrigued by the fact that Norwich, Vt., had produced more Olympians per capita than any other place in the country. —Greg Morrill

I ran the office for the Manchester lumber mill in Johnson from 1974 to 1980. (The mill closed last year after over 60 years operation in Johnson and Waterville.) Tom and his brother, David Rooney, used to come to the mill to buy sawdust for their dairy farm. While we sold wood chips to International Paper and places like that, our sawdust was always sold to dairy farmers. … I always enjoyed chatting with Tom and David on their trips to the lumber mill when they would come into the office to pay for the sawdust. On one occasion, my boss, Alan Manchester, and I stopped in at the Rooney farmhouse for a visit with David and Tom. I am curious if you may happen to know how old Tom was when he died? (Editor’s note: Tom Rooney was 41 when he died. ) Phil Dolinger, Herndon, Va.

DARBY CHAMBERS WAS ‘A FORCE OF NATURE’

To the editor: I just finished the current Stowe Guide & Magazine and wanted to write you a fan letter about the piece on Darby Chambers (“A lust for

life: Darby Chambers,” Summer / Fall 2018). Here’s some more information for your brain file. My wife Dona and I moved to The Mad River Valley over 50 years ago from Manhattan and scrounged a semi-living while raising our kids in Fayston. Dona made do as a freelance secretary and one of her clients was Darby. Dona was also a horse person and a member of The Green Mountain Hounds, a drag hunt in Stowe and the Valley. Darby was one of the moving forces behind the hunt and served as master of foxhounds. Johannes von Trapp was also a member—as was Arthur Kreizel and Charles and Hesterly Black, among others. I’ll never forget one year’s Hunt Ball in late October at The Lodge at Smugglers’ Notch, when a sudden early snowstorm made latenight driving questionable. Johannes invited all who were concerned to spend the night as his guests. The next morning brought bright sun, blue sky, and a white five-inch deep winterwonderland. It was magical. Darby, of course, was right there with us. She once invited the whole hunt down to her place in Westport, Mass., right on the water. She made the world’s best cornbread—ever. Darby was indeed a force of nature. Thanks for the profile. Tony Egan, Fayston

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Mountainfilm on Tour

Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, Saturday, Sept. 22

Juan Salazar and Linda Shaw.

Ethan Thompson, Rhiana Schenck, Trisha Preston, and Tom McCleod.

Festival sponsor Ron Feinstein and Hillel and Mitzi Becker.

Mitzi McInnis and Rob Apple.

Jacob Pollayil and Frank Motter.

Robert and Marni Wise, Susan and Bob Schechter, and Deborah and Ron Feinstein.

40 40

Riccarda de Eccher, subject of one of the films, “Montagna,” and DJ JaBig. GRANT WIELER PHOTOGRAPHY

Pascale Savard, Brenda Goss, and Carrie Nourjian.

Bart Newhouse, Ian Lanpher, and Rich Marron.

Sylvia Fjeld.

Town & Country Resort:

Marron family era endsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the last party, Saturday, April 28

Jeb Lipsky and Rich Marron.

Brian Leven. Ryan Daniels and Allison Ruschp.

Kitty Coppock and Debbie Crow.

Billy Annacone and Courtney Brown.

Shap Smith, Melissa Volansky, Sheri Baraw, and Jill Haas.

Benny Wax and Tom Ashworth.

Mark and Rachel Vandenberg. 42

Kirsten Cardenas and Kathi Kiernan. GORDON MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

RURAL ROUTE YOU’VE GOT MAIL Tony “The Mailman” Cote walked his final route on April 27.

For 27 years, his feet pounded out the same steady beat on the concrete, 8 miles a day, with a messenger bag slung over his shoulder and a stack of newspapers tucked tightly under one arm. Wind, rain, hail, or snow, the U.S. mail had to go, and for Waterbury village, Tony “The Mailman” Cote was always there, head bent low, moving forward. But with his 57 years catching up to him, knees aching and back in pain, Cote decided to retire. Over the years, Cote watched families grow and change as he dropped off the day’s letters, bills, and catalogs. The mail has changed a lot too. “There’s very little first-class mail sent, and we

PHOTOS BY GORDON MILLER

TONY ‘THE MAILMAN’ HANGS UP MAILBAG

don’t handle the mail locally anymore,” Cote said. To send a letter from Morristown, Cote’s hometown, to Waterbury, for example, it will take two days for first-class envelopes, because they are trucked to a New Hampshire sorting facility and back, rather than just the 18 miles from one town to the other. Cote initiated the National Association of Mail Carriers “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive in Waterbury and helped collect turkeys for the Thanksgiving drive, taking in 120 birds on average and $1,500 in donations. Cote now takes life day by day with his longtime partner Sheila Tarbox, his three children, and three grandchildren. And he finally has time to focus on his antique and classic cars, fixing up his 1938 Chevy street rod, 1957 Pontiac, and 1975 Chevy Impala.

A new sculpture affixed to a train bridge near the Route 2-100 roundabout in Waterbury has so much going on that you might miss it, even if you circle back again, and again, and again. The town may sit at the crossroads of two highways, an interstate and a still-operating railroad route, but it also sits at a figurative crossroads, where history and modern day intersect. The art installation, created by Randolph sculptor Phil Godenschwager, is called “The Waterbury Special,” and it depicts a train whose cars are different structures prominent in downtown Waterbury. Every component on the 60-foot-long, thick aluminum sculpture is backlit with LEDs that shine light on the building “cars.”

Let’s shine a little light on each of them. Going from left to right on the sculpture, the train is led by an old steam locomotive, the kind that would have been rolling into town in the early days of the railroads. Godenschwager took inspiration for his locomotive from a skilled, detailed pencil drawing by Merrill Bennett, a former patient at the state mental hospital. The hospital, also known as the Waterbury Asylum, was built in 1891, originally designed to hold the criminally insane, although it later accepted patients with all types of mental illnesses. It used to be, when someone intimated that you’d be “headed to Waterbury,” they meant you were going nuts. Nowadays, it’s more

likely you’re going for a pint of local ale and some piquant cheese. Next is the Central Vermont Railroad Station, which now houses the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters café, followed by: • Waterbury Grange Hall, in nearby Waterbury Center. • Waterbury High School, located on Stowe Street, built in 1898 and now home to Thatcher Brook Primary School. • Green Mountain Seminary, which can be seen from Route 100 atop a small hill on Hollow Road in the Center.

• The White Meeting House at 8 N. Main St. • One South Main, at the high point of Waterbury Village, at the intersection of Stowe and Main streets. • WDEV Block on Stowe Street. • Dr. Henry Janes House, the home of a prominent Civil War surgeon located at 28 N. Main St. • Acting as a caboose is a Lake Boat made by the Cooley Manufacturing Co., which eventually moved into metalwork, a fitting end to this artistic tale. —Tommy Gardner

COURTESY PHOTO; INSET: PHOTO BY PAUL DRINKWATER/NBC

RURAL ROUTE

JEFFERSONVILLE WOMAN Jeffersonville native Nicole Sweeney was hanging out with a friend in San Francisco, helping her put together a resume, when she got a call that would change her own future. Sweeney was going to be a contestant on “Making It,” a new NBC show produced by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman, whom many know from their key roles on “Parks and Recreation.” “Making It” pits eight artisans from around the country against one another over six episodes. Sweeney made it to the third round before she got bumped, but came away with a great experience. Sweeney, 32, grew up in Jeffersonville, graduated from Lamoille Union High School and earned a degree in architecture from the University of Arizona. Along the way, she learned woodworking and welding, and got a job in San Francisco, designing and building displays for Anthropologie, a home and clothing retailer. Three years later, she struck out on her own as a woodworking artist. Her intricate inlays blend together several different types of wood in geometric shapes. “It’s kind of crazy when you find what you’re supposed to be doing,” Sweeney said. “What I learned is that I don’t really have any desire to sit behind a computer and draw buildings. I wanted to actually build them, or build things and make things with my hands.” Sweeney and a group of friends all applied to be on “Making It.” She was the only one selected. “There was a really pivotal moment on the show. Amy Poehler came up to me and she said, ‘There are going to be thousands of little girls across America that are going to want to be Nicole someday.’ That literally made me cry.” She dreams of moving back to Vermont and establishing her craft in a classic barn. —Caleigh Cross

WORKING IN WOOD Inset: Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman’s new show, “Making It,” a six-episode competition for artisans features Nicole Sweeney, a Jeffersonville native and woodworker. Sweeney in her studio.

STOWE REPORTER BUYS SIXTH WEEKLY NEWSPAPER The Other Paper in South Burlington joined the Stowe Reporter newspaper family in August. That brings to six the number of micro-local weekly newspapers in the Stowe Reporter group. ••• The others are the Shelburne News; The Citizen, which covers Charlotte and Hinesburg; the Waterbury Record; and the News & Citizen of Morrisville. “We’ve had a long collaboration with The Other Paper , and now we’re part of the same family. The paper’s commitment to community journalism is strong, and we’re excited to now own three newspapers in Chittenden County,” said publisher Greg Popa. “It’s a perfect fit for us.” ••• Judy Kearns, who has owned The Other Paper for the past decade, will continue working for the paper, focusing on advertising sales and offering her institutional knowledge to the newspaper’s expanded news staff. Kearns will be director of sales and oversee the sales effort for the Shelburne News and The Citizen as well. Popa said it’s important to continue the tradition of local news coverage provided by The Other Paper, and no immediate changes are planned. •••Lee Kahrs has been hired as managing editor of The Other Paper, Shelburne News, and The Citizen. She had been managing editor of the Brandon Reporter, where she had worked since 2007. She has earned many reporting and writing awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. ••• Earlier, she was a staff writer for the St. Albans Messenger and for a weekly newspaper in Cornwall, N.Y., and spent seven years as a New York-based Equity stage manager for on- and off-Broadway theater and tours in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

RURAL ROUTE

PLASTIC STRAWS A group of Stowe restaurants plans to wind down handing out plastic straws as soon as possible. Rachel Vandenberg, who owns Sun and Ski Inn and Suites and Stowe Bowl, coordinated the effort. She’s up to the task; she has a career background in sustainable trade. Vandenberg had been reading reports about the harmful effects of plastic straws, but her resolve didn’t solidify until a presentation about sustainability at Stowe Elementary School, where her children go to school. “Seeing that presentation just reinforced how timely and how absolutely necessary it is for us all to be taking measures. They’re being encouraged at school to take these kinds of measures. How can I look them in the eye and not take these measures myself?” she said. The owners of Piecasso, Commodores Inn, Stowe Mountain Resort, Stowe Mountain Lodge, Sushi Yoshi, Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa, and others agreed with Vandenberg, and by the end of 2018, plastic straws won’t automatically come with every beverage at those restaurants.

U.S. SENATE PHOTOGRAPHIC SERVICES; OTHERS: COURTESY

In 2013, plastic made up about 11 percent of household trash and 12 percent of commercial trash, says Anne Bijur, an environmental analyst with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. No breakdown is available on how much of that plastic is in the form of straws. The straws don’t biodegrade, Bijur said; the sun will make them brittle, and brittle plastic will shatter into small pieces. When those small plastic scraps find their way into streams or lakes, “sea birds or marine animals can die from ingesting the plastic,” Bijur said. Micah Greene, the math teacher who made the presentation about plastic use, said Stowe Elementary School stopped allowing straws three years ago after he conducted a “trash audit” with students. Milk cartons and plastic straws are the top two items thrown out. “That’s awesome that everybody’s doing it,” Greene said of the straw phase-out. “It’s really impressive where we’ve gone in the past few years.” Instead of plastic, restaurants are using alternatives, such as paper, wooden, or bamboo straws. —Caleigh Cross

STATE BANS ‘THRILL KILLS’ Vermont has become the second state in the nation to ban coyote-killing contests, following California. Gov. Phil Scott allowed the bill to become law without his signature, saying it’s confusing to ban contests when coyote hunting remains legal. But he didn’t veto it because other parts of the bill made “significant improvements to fish and wildlife law.” A Stowe organization, which disagrees with Scott’s opinion, led the charge to ban coyote-killing contests. Coyote-killing contests are “thrill killing. The participants have no intent on using the animals in any shape or form,” which defeats the purpose of hunting, said Brenna Galdenzi, Protect Our Wildlife co-founder. Galdenzi emphasized that she isn’t against hunting, but is against senseless killing. “If you’re going to eat meat—I don’t—what’s more moral than eating what you’ve killed yourself?” she said. “We were not and are not going after hunting, but this is different than killing a deer.”

According to Galdenzi, many coyote-killing contestants come back with piles of dead coyotes stacked on top of their hunting-dog cages, and after the contest is over, the carcasses, often with lead shot in them, are discarded in the woods for scavengers and raptors to eat. There is still an open season on coyotes, dating back to the 1940s, after wolves were eradicated from Vermont and coyotes moved in. The state estimates there are, on average, 7,500 coyotes in Vermont, but the population varies from as many as 9,000 in the spring during pup rearing to 6,000 in the winter.

Jen Kimmich.

BUSINESS: Jen Kimmich, who’s only in her 40s, received a lifetime achievement award this year from Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. “Jen’s career as a business owner and advocate is exemplary of every principle we promote as an organization,” said Jane Campbell, the organization’s executive director. “We couldn’t have chosen a more deserving person.” The award goes to a person who shows commitment to community, the environment, progressive public policy, and the workplace. Kimmich and her husband, John, cofounded The Alchemist brewery about 15

years ago in Waterbury. “As a business, our two strongest assets are our employees and our community,” Kimmich said. “This isn’t my belief. This is our entire team’s belief—John, and mine, and our 50-plus employees’ belief. When The Alchemist opened its main brewery in Stowe two years ago, “we were able to expand our footprint” to Lamoille County. That led to even more partnerships with local nonprofits such as the Clarina Howard Nichols Center, Meals on Wheels, Capstone, Heartbeet, and ReSource. —Tommy Gardner

at spruce peak

GLENN CALLAHAN

RURAL ROUTE

FARM LIVING Merton Pike in his element—in the field with his kids and grandkids.

you didn’t know Mert Pike, you knew Mert Pike, but you didn’t know it. For the past 10 years, heading south from Stowe on Route 100, about a quarter-mile beyond Dollywood (the gas station with three car washes that work every now and then), the hearty farmer driving his Cub Cadet lawn tractor along the shoulder of the road to the big farm 200 yards down and on the right, was Merton Pike. Arriving at the farm, Mert, through his 80s to mid-90s, would climb off his Cub Cadet and then climb up onto a huge red and white dually International tractor. He’d settle comfortably in the seat, adjust his cap, turn the ignition key, and go farm. Through the sparkling clean window of the tractor’s enclosed cab, you’d see the bouncy ride cause the ultra-rugged yet everrelaxed Merton Pike the slightest left-toright upper-body sway. Mert would cut and ted hay, cut corn, and by drawing the farm’s impressive green tow-behind tanker, he’d spread liquid fert.

Mert spread fert starting not long after 1921, the year his “folks,” as Mert referred to them, moved the family from Lyndon Center to Stowe when Mert was a yearling. The fourth-generation Pike farm, run by Merton’s son and daughter-in-law and their kids, turns 100 in three years. Merton Pike died April 18, 2018, two days short of his 98th birthday. His wife, Ora, predeceased him by a handful of years. They were married more than 70. Merton told me he was looking forward to his 100th birthday, particularly because he’d be celebrating in tandem with the 100th birthday of the Stowe Community Church. “Course my church means a lot to me,” Mert said when I interviewed him for my first video 20 years ago. His church helped him survive a farm accident he had in the winter of 1971. Far-off in a field spreading fertilizer, a coupling that connected the crawler-tractor to the manure-spreader unhinged, and dug into the

snow. Off to reconnect it, standing on deep, thick crusted snow between the pieces of equipment, Mert reached with a long bar to disengage the clutch to stop the slow backward progress he had set that was needed to re-hitch the spreader. Right then his legs broke through

survivor, inspirer

MErt PIKE

ESSAY BY

/ Rusty DeWees

the crusted snow, and he sank too deep to reach and disengage the clutch. The crawler crept over Mert’s legs. “One leg under the one side of the tracks and the other leg under the other side … I was pinned right there.” He applied a tourniquet to each leg and lay lonely in the cold snow for a spell, patiently waiting for help to show. Amputation commenced. One leg below the knee, the other above the knee to get all the gangrene that had crept north in that leg.

Not a year after the accident, Mert was back running tractors. He was back to farming. He lost both legs when he was 51, but kept moving and working, and living, 47 more years. And I know a woman who’s been drawing disability for six years cause she’s got “a bad case of tech-neck.” Cripes. “What do you need to get through something like that?” I asked him. Mert answered, “Eeevvverything. You’ve got to have a lot of people who are rooting for ya … and I had ’em from all over the Northeast.” He had calls of support from several countries and about every state in the union. “People like your folks. And … all my relatives and my family. Family is the root of all things that are good.” He more than paid back the kindness by visiting scores of folks who lived both near and far who had suffered traumatic accidents, comforting them and educating them on how to adapt physically, mentally, and spiritually to their recently ill-adjusted bodies. The past couple of years, Mert couldn’t wear his legs for the pain they caused. Therefore he didn’t get out much. So I’d go to him. Our visits were full of laughter, forward thoughts, and singing. Old hymns were Mert’s favorites. I’d start playing, and when he recognized the hymn he’d bend forward and reach for his hymnal and explain, “I can’t ever remember the words, but I like to hum along with the music.” He sounded good. Mert’s voice was at once raspy and smooth, and while his authentic Vermont accent was thick, each word he spoke landed sure. I hold Mert’s handshake second only to my dad’s in strength and earnestness. Merton Pike, with his green-tinted glasses, and tractor cap tilted just so, was Hollywoodhandsome. And for cripes sakes, his name was Merton Pike. Put it backwards. Pike Merton. Pure farmer name any way you put it. A month before he died, in spite of acute lower back pain, Mert, using his strong arms, as would a gymnast working the pommel horse, pressed himself up from his comfy chair, hovered out and over his wheelchair, twisted his body clockwise 90 degrees, and gently settled into his wheelchair to accompany me to the door and bid me farewell. I didn’t expect it would be our final farewell. It was. During the video interview, I asked Merton, “So when you’re plowing those straight rows into the fields, are you seeing the beauty just as deep as when you were young?” Standing/balancing, close and toward the front of the red and white International, he responded instantly, “I see it more and more every day. The longer I live, the more beauty I see.” Mert Pike, lived long. Mert Pike, saw beauty. Mert Pike, was a beauty.

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RURAL ROUTE

FINDING, EATING, PROTECTING NATURE’S SPRING TREATS

WILD Spring in Vermont is a magical time, with budding leaves, warmer days—OK, maybe a bit of snow—and new life springing up everywhere. After a long winter, primitive instincts kick in and the desire for fresh, green foods intensifies. “Meat’s fine and dandy, but come spring, you have to have something new,” said Jack Pickett, longtime Stowe chef. While you could just head to your nearest grocery store or farmers market, there’s something so satisfying about foraging for your own food. Native edibles such as ramps, fiddleheads, and mushrooms are commonly sought in the spring. Adventurous eaters can even get a little wilder—how about some cattail shoots or Japanese knotweed? “Twenty years ago, nobody ate this stuff,” Pickett said. “And now it’s getting really popular. You can go into any store and see ramps, fiddleheads, occasionally pheasant-back mushrooms.” As popular as these spring delicacies are, it’s important to know the right way to harvest them. A recent walk in the woods with members of the Stowe Land Trust focused not just on how to enjoy the fleeting crops of spring, but on how to protect their future. Allium tricoccum, known as ramp or wild leek, is a perennial plant with a sleek white or purple-tinged bulb and broad, vibrant green leaves. Ramps are part of the onion family, growing wild in tightly clustered patches in moist, rich soil. While the bulb remains rooted a few inches in the ground all year, the leaves die back after a few weeks around late May, and a single stalk emerges, bearing a white flower containing small black seeds. It takes five to seven years for a ramp to reach maturity, and up to two years for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow. Overharvesting and invasive species have threatened the ramp’s existence in some areas, to the point where the law is needed to protect it. In Quebec, a person can collect only 50 bulbs or plants per year for personal use, and any commercial or restaurant sale is forbidden. Vermont has no laws about the harvest or sale of ramps, but conservationists encourage responsible foraging; take only a small amount. “You have to be careful of overharvesting,” Pickett said. “In all my years of being a chef, I’ve seen people come in with 20-, 30-pound bags” of ramps, he said. “It’s too much.”

Ramps in the wild

Stowe Land Trust members recommend collecting no more than 10 percent of a patch every 10 years. Another way to harvest ramps sustainably is by carefully cutting just one leaf of the two that usually sprout from a single bulb. That way, the greenery left allows the ramp to properly photosynthesize and continue growing. Ramps’ bright green leaves are pretty delicate and bruise easily, and can be used in a similar way to scallions for a garnish or finishing touch on creamy soups, risotto, or pasta dishes, or in springy salads. They make an excellent addition to hummus, or a base for pesto—and a little goes a long way. If you do harvest some bulbs, they’re delicious grilled, sautéed, or slow-roasted, or pickled like dilly beans. If you stake out a patch and wait until later in the season to harvest, the bulbs will be bigger, with a stronger flavor. “You want the ones that have got a little guts to them,” Pickett said. “In the middle of winter, going into a little jar of ramps … you have to treat them as a delicacy, because they are a delicacy,” FOR SOME WILD EDIBLE RECIPES: Pickett said. Go to bit.ly/2P6VqOG

Sustainable harvesting

Fiddleheads are another cherished spring snack in the Northeast, high in antioxidants, iron, and fiber. Look for tightly curled, bright green spirals, sometimes with an “onion skin” covering, without any scaly or furry parts. “Leave the fuzzy ones alone,” Pickett said. While not poisonous, other varieties of ferns may make the eater feel slightly sick if consumed in large quantities. Snap off the coiled heads—they should break easily at a certain point—and rinse and dry once you get them home. If you’re not sure of

Other edibles

GET RAMPED! Keep the roots on ramps until you’re ready to use them, then slice the roots off with a sharp knife. Forage responsibly; take only a small amount of wild edibles. Chef Jack Pickett leads a hunt for spring edibles. Inset: Fiddleheads. the water or soil quality surrounding the fiddleheads, it’s best to cook them thoroughly. You can treat them like asparagus—steamed, sautéed, or grilled, with garlic, butter, and lemon zest—or use them in salads, soup, or pasta. Another spring green you can find without even leaving your yard is dandelion. The leaves can be used raw in salads, by themselves or mixed with other greens, or sautéed with lots of garlic if they seem too bitter. But avoid dandelions that have started to flower. “As soon as you see milk, don’t even bother,” Pickett said. Venture further into marshy areas to find cattail shoots, which eat like hearts of palm, Pickett said. “It’s a mucky job, but the tasty rewards can be reaped by picking the nice little pointy shoots and peeling off the outside layer. If you don’t know the source, cook them well. A light steam isn’t going to be enough to kill E. coli.” Cattails are less common now, though, as invasive purple loosestrife occupies the same wetland territory. But you can fight back by harvesting and cooking as much Japanese knotweed as you like; it resembles bamboo when fully grown, and asparagus when young. “It seems like people like it sweetened up, and you can kind of compare it to rhubarb,” Pickett said. He made a crumble out of the knotweed, topped with an oat-sugar streusel; it quite resembled rhubarb crisp. He also recommends making it into a classic fool, a fruit compote layered with whipped cream that’s easy to make. “Japanese knotweed 101.” —Hannah Marshall Normandeau

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COURTESY STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT

O N M O U N TA I N

SKI STOWE

towe’s two magnificent mountains, Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, form a grand panorama defined by the rugged cliffs of Smugglers Notch. Stowe’s bounty of natural snow, its open glades, uninterrupted fall line, and the spectacular twin summits of Vermont’s highest peak were a magnet for the pioneers of skiing in America. Today, almost 100 years later, alpine, cross-country, and freestyle skiers—and snowboarders—continue to bring world fame to this proud mountain community. In fact, of all of America’s winter Olympic teams, few have failed to have a representative from Stowe. Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak capture skiers’ and snowboarders’ interest because they boast a total of 2,360 feet of vertical on 485 acres, offering the longest average trail length in the East. Skiers and riders will find every type of terrain, from wide-open cruisers to narrow, winding trails and glades. What makes Stowe so special? It starts with Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest mountain at 4,393 feet and home to the East’s greatest natural ski terrain. Stowe thrills guests with its famous double-diamond Front Four trails: National, Liftline, Starr, and Goat. The Front Four are the quintessential classic New England trails, with steeps and bumps that pump even the most accomplished skier’s adrenaline. They hold their place with the world’s great runs, and among skiers the world over they’re household words. Its awesome and timeless beauty inevitably strikes first-time skiers at Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. Gliding toward the top of Mansfield, one is embraced by the stillness of a panoramic bowl that stretches toward forbidding cliffs guarding the narrow pass known as Smugglers Notch. Many of the trails gracing the flanks of Vermont’s highest mountain can trace their history back to the birth of skiing in North America. Nathaniel Goodrich, a Dartmouth College librarian, made the first

Long history of skiers

Areas of Stowe Mountain Resort marked outside of the ski area boundary on trail maps and with signage on the mountain itself, is hazardous backcountry terrain, containing unmarked hazards such as cliffs, thick, brushy terrain, riverbeds, stumps, rocks, avalanches. This area is not patrolled or maintained. Vermont law states that any person who uses ski area facilities to access terrain that is outside the open and designated trails shall be liable for any costs of rescue, medical, or other services. —stowe.com

O N M O U N TA I N

STOWE STATS ■ ■

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Mount Mansfield summit elevation: 4,393 feet (USGS) More mile-long lifts than any other resort in the East. One inter-mountain transfer gondola, 1 high-speed summit gondola, 4 quads, 2 triples, 2 doubles ,and 2 surface lifts Highest skiing elevation: 3,625 feet Vertical drop: 2,360 feet Average annual snowfall: 314 inches Total number of trails: 116 Skiable acres: 485 Total miles: 40 Percentages: beginner 16%, intermediate 55%, expert 29% Snowmaking coverage: 83% Total lifts: 12 Total hourly lift capacity: 15,516 Source: stowe.com passengers

NSAA SKIER/ SNOWBOARDER CODE* Always stay in control. People ahead of you have the right of way. ■ Stop in a safe place for you and others. ■ Whenever starting downhill or merging, look uphill and yield. ■ Use devices to help prevent runaway equipment. ■ Observe signs and warnings, and keep off closed trails. ■ Know how to use the lifts safely. Be safety conscious and know the code. It’s your responsibility. ■ ■

* This is a partial list. Source: National Ski Areas Association

PHOTOS COURTESY STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT

recorded descent in 1914. Others soon followed. By the 1930s, even before the first lift, skiers flocked to Stowe. These ski pioneers came here first for a simple reason: best mountain, best snow. Most of Stowe’s trails were cut in the first half of the 1900s, and without the benefit of bulldozers. The first ones were handcut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1940s. Charlie Lord, the architect of trails like Nose Dive, Goat, and Perry Merrill, had a natural sense of a mountain’s fall line. His trails flow down the mountain like poetry. Those of you who like to follow the sun will find Stowe is laid out perfectly to ski around the mountain. In the morning, the Front Four bask in soft morning light. In the early afternoon, work your way to the right and ski off the gondola. And to catch that elusive afternoon warmth, head to Spruce, which gets magnificent afternoon sunshine. The forgiving terrain of Spruce Peak’s sun-washed slopes also provides a haven for the youngest or newest skiers. On Mansfield, the 3.7-mile-long Toll Road is the perfect spot for beginners. The wonderful thing about the Toll Road is that it allows beginners to enjoy an experience that advanced skiers get all the time: seeing the whole mountain. Intermediate skiers can test themselves on miles of groomed cruising runs. The broad expanses of Gondolier and Perry Merrill at the Gondola, or Sunrise and Standard, where the sun shines late on the shortest days of winter, are popular with skiers and riders of every ability. Skiers who like wide cruisers will be completely exhilarated after taking a few runs down Gondolier. A favorite of many skiers is at the top, off the quad. Ridgeview, not quite as wide open as Gondolier, provides the perfect place to practice short-radius turns. Spruce Peak is also an intermediate skier’s paradise. For those learning to tackle bumps, Gulch is covered with medium-sized moguls, so skiers can concentrate on technique without being tossed around. For the adventurous, Mount Mansfield also has premier glade skiing. After a storm, when there’s a solid base of snow, advanced intermediates will want to head for the consummate off-piste experience. Stowe Mountain Resort offers a number of gladed areas—all described on the ski area’s interactive trail map—including Tres Amigos, Sunrise, and Nose Dive glades. n

COOL THINGS

HASSLE-FREE Make your vacation ... well, a real vacation! STORY

/ KATE CARTER

Wouldn’t it be great if your ski vacations in Stowe were completely hassle-free? No extra luggage to check, shopping done for you, lessons confirmed, lift tickets purchased, dinner reservations made, dog walker arranged—all that stuff you’re trying to escape from by going on vacation. The news from Stowe is good. We have several industrious businesses and individuals who are ready and willing to go the extra mile to make your vacation spectacular, so that you’ll be planning your next trip before the one you are on is over. And pssst: Locals take advantage of these services, too. Most arrangements can be made online ahead of time, such as renting a classy ski outfit for everyone in your family, to be delivered to your door, wherever you are staying. If you’re a once-a-year skier, this makes total sense. The company that is waiting to dress you up in the latest ski gear is Kit Lender. Forrest Shinners, born and raised in Stowe, started Kit Lender when he moved to New York City after college. “I traveled to Stowe with friends almost every weekend. My parents own AJ’s Ski & Sports, and our house is a warehouse full of clothes. I always told my friends not to bring anything; we have it all.” That somewhat innocuous remark grew into an idea that bloomed into a full-blown business. “We saw a gap in the apparel market,” Shinners said. “I discussed it with my dad and he said, ‘You do it,’ and I said, ‘No, you do it.’ ” They partnered and launched Kit Lender, now in its fifth year. Their clients are a mixed bag, coming from cities and Southern states, everyone from millennials to international folks. “If you go skiing just once a year, renting clothing, goggles, and gloves is so much cheaper,” Shinners said. “You even save the cost of checking an extra bag for all that gear.” Customers can go to kitlender.com and choose from top manufacturers. Select your size and rental duration. Submit. A package with your goodies will arrive wherever you want it sent. It comes with a prepaid return label and FedEx box. Sometimes you just don’t feel like going out for dinner after a day on the slopes. You might prefer to relax in a hot tub or in front of a movie. But what about dinner? Stowe to Go is a new food delivery service that will bring food and drink right to you. When Stowe to Go owners Dan and Angela Alario were on vacation in Virginia Beach, they had a good experience with a

Food delivery

COURTESY PHOTOS

food delivery service. “We realized it would be a perfect fit for Stowe,” Dan said. “We live in Stowe and recognize there are limited options for food delivery. We saw an opportunity to provide something that both locals and vacationers could take advantage of to simply make life easier.” Stowe to Go is partnering with local businesses to include groceries, provisions, beer and wine, baked goods, and fresh prepared meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Simply go to deliverstowe.com—or download the app—and place your order. The Alarios plan to broaden their partnerships in the future. “In our first season this winter, we are launching with select Stowe eateries and grocery providers,” Dan said. “In the future, we hope to be able to deliver a wide range of goods from local businesses. If it can be delivered, we’ll be happy to deliver it.” You can also work with an expert ahead of time to organize your entire vacation. Stowe Mountain Concierge is a great place to start. Owner Elaine Flynn gained experience as a concierge at the Stowe Mountain Club, where she saw a need for second-home owners and rental guests to have the same services she was providing. She branched out on her own and started Stowe Mountain Concierge in 2010. Flynn’s services are soup to nuts, from one-on-one vacation planning to pre-arrival grocery shopping to party favors and gift-basket delivery. “I can even arrange for personal chef and catering services,” Flynn said, “and I will ship anything you left behind directly to you. My goal is to make a visitor’s trip as easy and stress-free as possible.” Flynn calls herself “Your personal assistant in Stowe.” n

Get organized

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: stowemountainconcierge.com. Others purveyors include: kellycanlaunch802.com, stowecountryhomes.com, stoweresorthomes.com. Many short-term rental agencies offer similar services.

OFF-PISTE

GORDON MILLER, COURTESY PHOTO; GLENN CALLAHAN

he Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame in Stowe added to its ranks in the fall, and also presented two major awards. Hall of Fame inductees: • Chuck and Jann Perkins of Stowe and Burlington, who founded Burlington’s Alpine Shop and have been integral in creating and preserving ski culture and history in Vermont. The building that houses the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum bears their name. • Ann Battelle, a Williston native who became a world champion mogul skier. • Dickie Hall of Waitsfield, the godfather of telemark skiing in the U.S. • Jim Fredericks of Underhill, who established some of Vermont’s strongest Nordic programs. The Paul Robbins award for journalism went to legendary Vermont photographer/author Peter Miller of Waterbury/Colbyville. Snowboarder Kevin Pearce received the first-ever First Tracks Award, which honors exceptional and ongoing contributions to the sport in Vermont by someone under age 35. Pearce was on track to be a snowboard competitor in the 2010 Olympics before he crashed and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Since then, he has set up the Love Your Brain Foundation to help others with that type of injury. The First Tracks Award was given in memory of Ian Graddock, a Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum board member, lifelong skier, and ski racer, who died in 2016 at age 35. “Pearce exemplifies the spirit that Ian Graddock lived by,” said museum co-chair Poppy Gall. “Hard-charging, thoughtful, and dedicated. After surviving a horrific snowboarding accident, Kevin turned his talents to helping others in a way that makes him a unique role model.” Since 2002, the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame has recognized more than 60 people who have made history in snowsports in the state.

FOUNDERS Chuck and Jann Perkins. Inset: Hilary Engisch-Klein.

Hall of Famers

SKI/BOARD ON

Hilary Engisch-Klein of Stowe is adding another honor to her resume: member of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. She’ll be formally inducted next April at ceremonies in Salt Lake City. She’s already in the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame, and in the University of Vermont’s athletic hall of fame.

Stowe woman named to national hall of fame

In 1999, Sports Illustrated named her No. 16 among Vermont’s greatest athletes of the 20th century. Engisch-Klein is a four-time Women’s World Cup moguls champion and has 35 World Cup victories. Skiing magazine named her the “greatest female mogul skier alive.” Her career ended before moguls skiing became an Olympic sport. She grew up in Williston and was a standout soccer player for Champlain Valley Union High School and the University of Vermont. After nine years on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, Engisch-Klein retired and co-authored the book “Freestyle Skiing.” She served on the USSA board of directors and was a director of the Vermont Ski Training Foundation. She is the founder and CEO of Kids On Top, a nonprofit organization that provides fun and exciting winter experiences for children who have suffered from serious diseases.

Vail, the ski resort giant that bought Stowe Mountain Resort’s ski operations for $41 million in June 2017, hopes to have a net operating footprint of zero by 2030. That goal includes zero net emissions, zero waste to landfills, and zero net operating impact to forests and lands. The company dubbed its goal the Epic Promise for a Zero Footprint, and will attempt to reduce its electricity and natural gas use by 15 percent, on top of Vail plans footprint to invest $25 million in low-energy snowmaking equipment, green building design and construction, and more efficient grooming practices and equipment. It plans to plant trees to offset gasoline and diesel use, and to buy renewable energy. For every acre of forest displaced by company operations, it plans to plant or restore another acre elsewhere. It will also continue to work to fund organizations dedicated to forest restoration and management. It will encourage guests to reduce or offset their carbon footprints. Composting and recycling programs will be improved, and the resort will work with vendors to reduce packaging.

Zero

GLENN CALLAHAN; INSET: COURTESY PHOTO

STOWE PEOPLE

30 YEAR JOURNEY Bud Keene at Mount Mansfield in Stowe. Inset: With Shaun White.

A FACTOR OF KEENE

Snowboard pioneer and coach teams up with Chinese

Snowboarding pioneer Bud Keene, who started riding in Stowe in early ’84 before snowboarding was allowed, was just named head slopestyle and big air coach for the Chinese National and Olympic teams through the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing. In those early days, Keene hiked every day for his runs down the Mountain, harassed by the “police and the ski patrol.” Today, Keene is the most decorated snowboard coach in the sport’s history. “I moved to Stowe in 1983 determined to become a world-class skier—overnight,” he said. “That dream quickly changed when I spotted Lowell Hart headed down the road with a wooden snowboard.” Hart was one of Stowe’s earliest converts to the new sport of snowboarding, and he and Keene quickly became friends and poachers. Of his latest gig, Keene said, “I am very psyched to be working with Team China, and their seriousness and resources bode well for our efforts. I am already the most successful Olympic action sports coach of all time, but if we can capture podiums I will have won medals with three separate nations over six Olympic Games.” After five years on the pro circuit, Keene went on to build the Mount Mansfield Ski Club’s first snowboard program, producing many local champions, including Jake Blauvelt, Kyle Clancy, Thomas O’Brien, Travis Kennedy, Zach Leach, Jess Huffman, Colin Langlois, and others. “Bud gave me the confidence to go that much bigger and hold the grab for that much longer,”

said Blauvelt, originally from Waterbury Center; he’s one of Transworld and Snowboarder magazine’s top 10 riders in the world. Keene later moved to an assistant coaching position on the U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Team. At the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, the U.S. swept gold, silver, and bronze medals for the men and took gold for the women. As head halfpipe coach at the 2006 Torino games, all of his small eight-rider contingent made the finals, taking home two gold medals and two silvers, with two fourth-place finishes, a sixth and a 12th. In 2006, Keene was named the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s International Snowboard Coach of the Year, the USSA’s Overall Coach of the Year, and U.S. Olympic Committee’s National Coach of the Year, the committee’s highest coaching honor. As Shaun White’s personal coach at the 2010 Olympics, Keene coached White to his second consecutive Olympic halfpipe gold medal in dramatic fashion. White went on to win a third gold medal at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyongchang, South Korea. At the Pyongchang Olympics, as a staff coach for Team New Zealand, Keene helped to coach 16-year-old Nico Porteous to a bronze in the men’s ski superpipe. “Nico won the bronze medal by laying down the most technical run in the history of the sport,” said Keene. Before working with Keene, Porteous had never skied the halfpipe. “I worked with all athletes … and Nico was a self-proclaimed slopestyle specialist. When we first met, he flat-out said, ‘I am not a halfpipe skier.’ But I saw his talent and knew differently. I convinced him to ski the pipe, and he became very good at it.” Another New Zealand athlete he coached, Zoe Sadowski-Synott, won bronze in women’s big air, also at age 16. “In one day, we broke a 26-year medal drought for the tiny nation, and tripled its all-time medal count as well,” Keene said. Keene owns and runs a global snowboard and freeski performance camps business called BKPRO out of Telluride, Colo. It stages progression camps worldwide, and runs a snowboard and freeski academy that provides training and competition support. He lives in Telluride with his wife, Alexandra, where he cooks, runs, hikes, climbs rock and ice, writes, and plays golf. —Stowe Magazine editorial staff

¨ ≠

Ø Æ SNOWMOBILE CLUBS: LAMOILLE COUNTY: Snopackerss / snopackersoflamoillecounty.com EDEN: Gihon Trak Packers / Facebook MORRISVILLE: Morrisville Snow Riders & Packers / Facebook JEFFERSONVILLE: Smugglers’ Notch Snowmobile Club / Facebook JOHNSON/HYDE PARK: Sterling Snow Riders / Facebook STOWE: Stowe Snowmobile Club / stowesnowmobile.org WATERBURY: Green Mountain Roamers / Facebook

∞

OUTDOOR PRIMER On skinny skis

Stowe boasts one of the most diverse cross-country trail systems in the United States. More than 150 kilometers of groomed and 100 kilometers of backcountry trails crisscross its landscape. One of those backcountry trails is the Catamount Trail, 300 miles of wilderness skiing over the spine of the Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Quebec. It connects 15 ski centers throughout the state, including those in Stowe. Trapp Family Lodge, the first commercial ski center in the U.S., is the heart of Stowe’s network with 60k of groomed trails and 100k of backcountry trails. Stowe Mountain Resort Cross-Country Ski Center’s accessibility to the downhill ski area creates an uncommon fusion of Nordic and alpine skiing. Stowe Mountain Resort’s 45k of groomed and 30k of backcountry trails are the highest in elevation in Stowe. Topnotch at Stowe Resort and Spa offers additional terrain. Over the mountain in Cambridge, the Smugglers’ Cross Country Center at Smugglers’ Resort offers 30k of trails dedicated to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Figure 8, anyone?

Public skating is offered daily at Stowe Arena. The arena has skate rentals. For public skating schedules, check out stowerec.org.

Winter fish tales

This may be the Ski Capital of the East, but don’t tell the fish that! Fish do not go dormant in the winter. Their metabolism slows, but they still need to eat. So if you enjoy eating—or just catching—fish, there’s nothing better than a mess of yellow perch out of Vermont’s frigid waters. Local outfitters will be thrilled to help you set your line.

Snowshoe heaven

The Stowe area is home to some of the most extensive and diverse hiking trails in the East, making it the perfect destination for snowshoeing. From the flat 5.3-mile Stowe Recreation Path to the challenging summit of Madonna Mountain, snowshoers go at their own pace and reap the benefits of safe, aerobic exercise. The Green Mountain Club, on Route 100 in Waterbury Center (green mountainclub.org), has compiled a list of favorite snowshoe hikes in the Stowe-Smugglers’ area. Stowe Land Trust (stowelandtrust.org) allows snowshoeing on many of its conserved properties.

It’s VAST out there

Imagine a 5,000-mile highway that suddenly appears every winter. One that goes through backcountry and snow-covered mountains, secluded valleys, and friendly villages. In Vermont, you don’t have to imagine it; it’s the winter world of snowmobiling. All riders in Vermont must belong to the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST), a non-profit, private group of over a hundred snowmobile clubs with tens of thousands of members. (See our list of local clubs at left.)

Maple mojo

Mid- to late-winter means maple time in Vermont, producer of the world’s best maple syrup. Many maple producers keep their sugarhouses open year round. It’s most fun during boiling time! A great resource is vermontmaple.org. n

BEAUTIFUL SMILES FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

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10 Q U E S T I O N S

RECORD KEEPER

SKI HISTORIAN Mike Leach.

Mike Leach wants to keep Mount Mansfield Ski Club history ‘down on paper’ Mike Leach is passionate about skiing. He grew up in Jeffersonville, skiing and racing at Smugglers’ Notch Resort, and went to UVM, where he raced on the ski team and earned his master’s degree in statistics. Now he’s an assistant coach at Mount Mansfield Ski School, where he works primarily with the U14 division, Friday through Sunday. During the week, he works full-time at Burlington Electric as a forecaster and analyst, forecasting hourly electrical use to help determine daily, monthly, and yearly usage. He lives in Stowe Hollow with his wife, Diane. They have two daughters, Jordan, 25, and Ali, 21. Leach is also the self-appointed historian for Mount Mansfield Ski Club, and his STORY / KATE CARTER passion for comPORTRAIT / GORDON MILLER piling the club’s history matches, or even possibly excels, his passion for skiing.

How did you become interested in the ski club’s history?

I like history in general, and the club’s history overlaps with the resort’s history. When the club moved its base of operations from Spruce Peak base lodge to Main Street Restaurant, it went through several renovations. Around 2005 I came across two or three binders of old club newsletters. The director at the time wanted to toss them in the dumpster, but I took them home. They were from about 1950 to the mid-1970s. I had raced at Stowe against Billy Kidd in the early 1970s, but didn’t know much about the club’s history until I read those newsletters. They were incredibly interesting and I wanted to find more, so I went to Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum and it had some from the 1930s and 1940s. I also checked UVM’s special collections and they had back to 1935. Then I contacted the New England Ski Museum and they had a couple more. Now I have almost a complete collection, from January 1935 to now. I’m missing a few from 1936 to 1937, a critical time, when Sepp Ruschp came to run the ski school and the Toll House rope tow went in. In one newsletter, I read a quote by Charlie Lord about a newsletter: “It might not be good reading, but it’s down on paper.” When I saw that, I wanted to document them as soon as I could.

How did you document them?

What was the club’s mission?

I scanned every one that I had, created an index, and put them on the club’s website. The site was recently revised, and now they are missing. I plan to get them all back online, so people can reference them. I also want to put up a section on alumni. There’s still a timeline on the site that I update with noteworthy events, such as the NorAms, and that the club now offers ski tuning at its base of operations.

It was originally formed by a bunch of skiers to help get ski facilities, like trails and lifts, going on the mountain. In the early 1930s, things started moving from the town to the mountain, and the club incorporated in 1934 as the Mount Mansfield Ski Club. ... It wasn’t about racing, although in the late 1930s they tried to create a race team. It wasn’t until the 1960s that a race team was formed with a coach, and Sepp and his Austrian instructor friends taught racing. The club also started the ski patrol, the oldest ski patrol still in existence. Minnie Dole helped put it together and went on to help start the National Ski Patrol.

When did the club start? It was founded in 1921 as the Stowe Ski Club. A group met at Akeley Memorial Building in Stowe, to discuss bringing people out of the doldrums of postWorld War I with a winter carnival. One source says it was called the Stowe Ski Club and the other says it was the Stowe Civics Club. They held the winter carnival successfully for three consecutive years.

Who started the newsletter? Abner Coleman of Montpelier. He and Charlie Lord conceived the Nose Dive trail.

What are some of the more interesting things you’ve discovered in the newsletters? When C.V. Starr, an AIG man, came to Stowe to ski, he didn’t like waiting in line at the single chair, so he put in a T-bar. Spruce Peak was owned by the Craig Burt Lumber Co. Everything was decentralized in terms of who owned what, and you bought a separate lift ticket for each lift. Roland Palmedo owned the single chair and sold it to C.V. Starr. Starr bought up different assets and eventually acquired everything and started the Mount Mansfield Co. in 1949-1950. Palmedo moved to Waitsfield and started Mad River Glen. In 1938, the club held the first U.S. Nationals on Nosedive, before there were any lifts. You had to hike up. The men raced one week and the women raced the next. Marilyn Shaw raced in them at about age 13. Basically, if you could finish without falling, you had a good chance of winning. There was often a 30-second difference between the first and last person. Marilyn won the National Championships at age 15 or 16 and was named to the 1940 Olympic Team, but they weren’t held due to World War II. She was the club’s first noteworthy competitor. In 1952, the club started holding big races, including nationals, and brought heavy hitters from Europe for the American International Races. Jean Claude Killy won in 1966.

How has the club evolved over the years? Now the club’s purpose is racing and cultivating racers. It holds races and has junior programs. At one point it was a ski and snowboard club, but now it’s back to just skiing.

Is there still a newsletter? No. The old newsletters documented everything, but now we do Constant Contact emails. Nothing on paper, so we are losing the documentation.

Why does documenting the club’s history interest you? People who live here now don’t know the history of the mountain or the club. It had a really big impact on the town. There was a lot of pioneering in the early years. For example, the club helped modernize race timing. They wanted to go from handheld stopwatches to a photocell beam, and they made it happen. In the 1960s, the club had 4,000 members, partly because AIG, which owned the resort, gave lift ticket discounts to club members.

What’s next? Finding the newsletters was the impetus for cataloging the history. Now I’m thinking about doing a book. My email address is on the club’s website, teammmsc.org, and if anyone has any interesting photos or stories about the club or the resort I would love to hear from them. One family, Winston and Patty Morris, donated old photos, an old trail map, a U.S. Nationals program from 1938, and a 1938 Nationals pin. I just feel like all this information needs to be collected and preserved. As Charlie Lord said, “It might not be good reading, but it’s down on paper.” n

DON LANDWEHRLE

SKI HISTORY

CCC BUILT Blue sky surrounds an old trail sign directing expert skiers to the Nose Dive. Inset: Nose Dive architect Charlie Lord’s 1940 map of the trail.

A LORD LEGEND:

Stowe’s famous Nose Dive trail

Before the chairlifts, before the base lodges and summit restaurants, there was the Nose Dive. There are few skiers alive who can remember Vermont’s highest peak without this serpentine signature etched onto its flank. No eastern racer can forget the terror or thrill, depending on skill level, inspired by the notorious Seven Turns. This is the story behind the legend. The Nose Dive was conceived of by two local skiers, Charlie Lord and Abner Coleman. The late Charlie Lord recounted to me how he and Coleman skied up the Toll Road to the top of what is now the Nose Dive. As they peered down into Smugglers Notch, Coleman BY / DAVID GOODMAN exclaimed, “God, that’d be a nice place to ski, wouldn’t it?” Lord nodded his agreement, and the two plunged down the mountain. “We spent many trips up and down the mountain laying out the Nose Dive,” Lord recounted. “We probably changed it a half-dozen times. The original trail was a lot narrower and a lot rougher.” It was the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Depression-era jobs program, that ultimately transformed the Nose Dive into a world-class ski run. In 1933, the CCC retained Lord, then an unemployed highway engineer, to help it with trail building and other conservation projects. The avid skier knew just where to direct his troop of axwielding men: he first had them cut the Bruce Trail down the southwest side of the mountain. Then he unleashed their energies to craft an epic ski run down the northwest face of the mountain. The Nose Dive opened for skiing in the winter of 1934-35.

The trail was named during a meeting in state forester Perry Merrill’s office that was attended by Coleman and Lord. They were kicking around names when “someone finally offered Nose Drop,” said Coleman. “The fact that the trail started on the Nose

set the general line of thought. The transition to Nose Dive was automatic.” When lifts finally came to Mansfield in the late 1930s, the Nose Dive became the centerpiece of the trail network, and the Bruce Trail fell into disuse. The Nose Dive quickly earned a reputation among top racers as the trail where you could test your mettle. Between 1937 and 1946, the trail was the site of numerous state championship races and four eastern downhill championships. In 1938, the national downhill ski championship was held on the trail. The Nose Dive had to be lengthened for this race, so racers hiked up from the Stone Hut about a half-mile on what is now an abandoned start of the trail (you can still see it when looking up from the Stone Hut or Octagon). The lore surrounding the Nose Dive was captured in the names that skiers had for every twist in the trail. “The course snaked the corkscrew-like Seven Turns and across Upper Schuss, then careened into Shambles Corner— which was usually just that,” wrote Sports Illustrated in a 1966 story about America’s best ski trails. “The Dive had a reputation as the country’s wickedest—the trail was only 25 feet wide in some spots—and ‘just plain skiers’ stayed away.” In 1966, the Nose Dive was significantly widened to meet FIS downhill racing standards. The famous Seven Turns were turned into three wide turns at the top, and the trail assumed the character that skiers today experience. I asked Charlie Lord, the master designer of Stowe’s ski trails, which of his numerous skiing creations he liked most. His answer was immediate and unequivocal. “Nose Dive is the ultimate. That is IT! It’s inviting, it’s not too particularly difficult, yet you can develop pretty good speed on it.” He effused, “Nose Dive is really good—if you want to take it easy and swing turns, you can, and if you want to pick up speed, you can get going pretty fast.” Reflect on the lore that has grown up around this Stowe masterpiece, the ski architect mused, “I’m not surprised it is a famous trail because I had a feeling it was a real good trail (when we cut it). I just had a feeling it was.” So go ahead. See for yourself what the Nose Dive has in store. Hit it right, weave the top turns into one seamless line, then plunge down the wide straightaways til your thighs give out. Carry enough speed on the long bottom runout to get back to the quad. And marvel in the thrill of a trail that has had skiers spinning tall tales about it for the past 70 years. See you on the turns. n

David Goodman is a journalist, radio host, and the author of 11 books. dgoodman.net.

TRAIL JOURNAL

COTTON BROOK A quiet winter oasis awaits, just minutes from Stowe Village STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS

/ KATE CARTER

Want to get off the beaten trail, away from crowds, and enjoy views of apple trees, animal tracks, and long-ago farms? Cotton Brook is for you. It’s popular year-round. Walkers, runners, bikers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, parents pushing strollers, dogs, horses—all are welcome. Snowmobilers are welcome in the winter, but no other motorized vehicles are allowed. Cotton Brook offers a lot of variety, and lots of hills that add a certain amount of excitement to a lovely outing. Cotton Brook is part of Mount Mansfield State Forest in Waterbury, on the western banks of Waterbury Reservoir. A logging and farming community existed there long ago; today, stone walls, apple orchards, and an occasional homestead foundation are all that remain. The main track is Cotton Brook Road, the original and only road in this area; it’s still used to reach logging sites when the state determines it’s time to harvest trees. That road begins in Moscow, crosses the Waterbury town line at a red iron gate, and goes for 6 more miles, where it dead-ends at a log landing. The gate, about a half-mile in, is closed, blocking off motor vehicles, except during the winter, when it opens for a Vermont Association of Snow Travelers trail. WINTER HIGHWAY Lil brings up the rear in Cotton Brook in Stowe. Inset: Fresh animal tracks.

TRAIL JOURNAL Many skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobilers go out and back on Cotton Brook Road and the side trails that loop off it. For the ambitious, an 11mile loop uses the road and a double-wide mountain-bike trail called Foster’s Trail. More casual snowshoers and skiers can stay near the bottom and explore the woods, cornfields, and banks of Little River where it feeds into Waterbury Reservoir.

Here is where you will see birds feeding on sumac and the tracks of deer, turkey, fox, mink, coyote, and other critters that forage the area. Snowmobilers are happy to share the multi-use trail with twoand four-legged visitors, and often gawk at them as they noisely, but politely, pass by. The snowmobiles are a blessing and a curse. They are loud and they stink, but they also keep the logging road and some of the side trails groomed. On a day when the groomer has passed through, the road is as good as it gets for cross-country skiers, both classic and skating. About those hills: Cotton Brook Road starts out flat, but in a mile, after passing by the red iron gate, it begins to climb. Then, a downhill descends to a junction with a small shed. That shed is a landmark, and many people use it as the turnaround point for an out-and-back excursion. But you don’t have to stop at the shed. You can continue on Cotton Brook Road for another few miles, or you can take the left fork and descend on Foster’s Trail to a bridge that crosses Cotton Brook. At that point, you have another choice: Turn around, or do the loop. To do the loop, cross the bridge and climb steeply up Foster’s Trail for about a mile to the far end of Cotton Brook Road. Turn right and take the road mainly downhill for about 4.5 miles, back to the shed, and retrace your route to the start, for a total of 11 miles.

WONDERLAND Cotton Brook offers the best winter can offer: solitude, breathtaking scenery—a winter wonderland. Here Lil crosses the brook, while skier David Goodman enjoys a blanket of fresh snow.

For a more gentle climb, you can do the 11-mile loop in the other direction. At the shed, continue on the logging road for a total elevation gain of 800 feet over about 4.5 miles. You will pass by old stone foundations and an apple orchard, all leftover from a community that farmed here in the 1800s. Streams are plentiful, and you will cross six of them, including the area’s namesake, Cotton Brook. As you approach the highest point, the road is flat for nearly a mile. This is where you stand the best chance of seeing moose. You’ll know you’ve reached the top when you start going downhill in an open area with views. Descend for a half-mile and look for Foster’s Trail on the left. It’s a double-wide trail that snowmobilers also use. Descend steeply through several switchbacks. At the bottom, cross the bridge that spans Cotton Brook. Soon the trail takes a hard left and climbs steeply to the shed you passed by earlier. Retrace your steps to the start. For an extended point-to-point adventure, leave a car in Little River State Park, then drive to Cotton Brook Road in Moscow. You can stay on the road or take Foster’s Trail at the shed, depending on whether you like to get your climbing done in a mile or over 4.5 miles. Stay on Cotton Brook Road all the way to the log landing, where you’ll see a trail sign for Ricker Farm Trail. That trail takes you to Little River State Park and a whole other trail network. You can make this tour as long and as difficult as you want, depending on which way you go and what you choose to do when you get to Little River State Park, but plan on at least 10 miles.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: From downtown Stowe, take Route 100 south for 3 miles. Turn right on Moscow Road. Continue for 3 miles. Bear left onto Cotton Brook Road. Park in the large parking area.

MAPS: Stowe Trails Partnership, at stowetrails.org, has an online map of the Cotton Brook block. Vermont State Parks—at vtstateparks.com/assets/pdf/little-river-trails.pdf—has an excellent map that includes Cotton Brook and Little River State Park.

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FISH STORY

ICE FISH Be safe, stay warm, catch fish

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I live in the Ski Capital of the East, but my winter passion is ice fishing. Growing up a flatlander, I was blown away the first time I saw a fish pulled though a hole in the ice. Every type of fish pursued in the summer can be caught in the winter as well. Despite what many folks believe, fish do not go dormant in the winter. Their metabolism certainly slows, but they still need to eat. Actually, most of the biggest fish caught on record in Vermont came from a frozen lake or pond, and if you enjoy eating fish, there’s nothing better than a mess of yellow perch or smelt straight out of Vermont’s frigid waters. Though the fish remain the same from season to season, equipment and techniques are certainly a little different. Some form of auger or spud bar is needed to punch holes in the ice. Of course you need some sort of shelter: a place to play cards, stuff your face, and have a few refreshments. I started out sitting out in the open on a bucket, then graduated to using my pickup truck as a portable shelter, to building a deluxe ice-fishing house. As far as fishing rods go, they vary from a piece of wood with line wrapped around it to plastic tip-ups with a fluorescent flag to a fiberglass jig stick. The equipment is simple as most fish are brought to the surface by hand. Having your gear ready and keeping it simple is a key ingredient when ice fishing. The last ingredients to take along are common sense and preparation. Never walk onto ice without knowing its current condition. To determine the thickness and density of the ice I carry a spud bar. Rope and ice picks worn around your neck are a good idea if you were to ever fall through the ice. Layering clothing, a hearty meal, and good night’s rest will make for a more enjoyable day dealing with winter’s elements. So when you ask me about the skiing, I’ll be apt to reply: “Don’t know, I was gone fishing.” —Story and photo by Willy Dietrich, owner and guide at Catamount Fishing Adventures.

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Famous son talks Olympics, his love of skiing, and what he owes his hometown

THE KIDD FROM STOWE

STORY

: robert kiener

A young Billy Kidd carves a turn at a ski race in Stowe. This photo appeared on the cover of Mt. Mansfield Skiing, published by the Mount Mansfield Ski Club, February 1968. Kidd on a visit to Washington, D.C.

“E

verything!” says America’s first male Olympic medal-winning skier and one of Stowe’s most famous sons, Billy Kidd, when I ask him what the town he grew up in means to him today, some five decades after he left. “Literally, it still means everything to me. Without Stowe, and the people there who helped and supported me as a young skier, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t have had the career I’ve had or lived the great life I’ve lived. I wouldn’t be talking to you.” Sitting in his Steamboat Springs, Colo., home office, surrounded by pictures that depict his full life and illustrious career, he points to a treasured keepsake from his early, formative years in Stowe. It’s a framed cover of Mount Mansfield Skiing, from the mid 1960s, published by the Mount Mansfield Ski Club.. “Whenever I look at that I’m reminded of all those people in Stowe who helped me,” says the 75-year-old Kidd. “There were so many, from my parents to C.V. Starr, Sepp Ruschp, Othmar Schneider, Paul Biedermann, Charley Daly, and so many more. They did everything from encouraging me to training me to backing me financially.” Kidd first strapped on skis when he was just five years old. He remembers the thrill of sliding down a small hill in the backyard of his Brooks Avenue home in Burlington. “The yard was maybe 100-feet long and had a little pitch to start with,” he says with a broad smile. “I would push off and push and pull and skate and go fast enough and make a turn to the right. Then I’d go back, do it again and make a turn to the left. That’s how I learned. I just loved everything about skiing. When I got a little better, Dad took me to the Burlington Country Club to ski down a small hill on the first hole. I was hooked.” Kidd’s father Bill, an avid skier, moved the family from Burlington to Stowe in 1956 when his son was 13 years old, shortly after he placed second in a Vermont State Alpine Championship in Underhill. “My dad realized I had some talent and he knew I could get lots of opportunity to ski and receive the training I needed in Stowe,” remembers Kidd. “He and my mom opened the Buccaneer Motel on the Mountain Road not too far from Mount Mansfield.” (The small lodge’s name was a nod to the Kidd family’s distant relative, the 17th century pirate/buccaneer Captain William Kidd.) Skiing in Stowe during the 1950s was far removed from what it is today. “By comparison, our equipment, wooden skis, leather boots, and bear trap bindings, was prehistoric by today’s standards,” says Kidd. “And there was no snowmaking at the mountain. But we didn’t care. We were allowed to get out of school for two afternoons every week in the ski season to go skiing. If you didn’t ski, you had to stay in the study hall. Needless to say, everyone went skiing.” He’d ski at Spruce Peak with the Mount Mansfield Ski Club and, anxious to get even more time on skis, would go solo tree skiing down a small trail he had cut behind his father’s motel. Kidd joined the Stowe High School ski team as a freshman and claims, “I was never a great athlete.” He explains that he was as “lousy” on the basketball court as he was on the baseball diamond. “I know that sounds odd, because I was a ski racer, but I found that what I lacked in athletic ability I made up for in other ways. Most people think sporting contests are determined by natural ability and by how fast or tall you are. But in ski racing, I found that I could beat people who were taller, stronger, better athletes, because I was very determined and analytical. For example, I eventually discovered I could analyze the fastest way to ski though a race course better than almost anyone else.” Local dairy farmer Paul Percy, a high school ski teammate of Kidd’s, remembers how aggressive Kidd was on the slopes and analytical he was while training. “Billy always attacked the course,” says Percy. “And, unlike many teenagers, he was always open to instruction. He was a student of the sport, determined to get better.” As the New York Times would note after Kidd won his Olympic medal in 1964: “Slender, soft-spoken Billy was considered a better-than-average student when he was graduated from Stowe High School in 1962. He has a calculated and studied approach to skiing.” Sports Illustrated once called him “a scientist,” adding, “Billy studies a slope like Ben Hogan studies a golf course.”

Next page, from top: AP wire photo, Oct. 25, 1962. “Billy Kidd of Stowe, Vt., a top prospect for the next U.S. Olympic team jumps under the eye of his father, also

Bill, as the ski season opened informally atop Mount Mansfield with an eight-inch snowfall. Father and son are skiing at the start of new Skimeister trail, with cables to ski lifts in the background. Billy, as alternate on the 1962 U.S. FIS team, has just returned from a summer skiing in South America where he won several races.” Kidd races in the U.S. Alpine Championships, hosted in Stowe in 1966, with 10,000 spectators and CBS coverage by Bob Beattie and Betsy Snite. Guy Perillat, Jean Claude Killy, and Jimmy Heuga took the podium. Collectible ski card. Above: Olympians Kidd and Heuga made the cover of Sports Illustrated, Feb. 5, 1968.

With international-class skiers coming to Stowe to race, Kidd had many opportunities to watch and learn from the best. His bedroom walls were plastered with pictures of his heroes, skiers such as Buddy Werner, Andrea Mead Lawrence, and other award winners. He remembers, “In the 1950s my dad took me to the American International races on Mount Mansfield where I got to see my heroes and European legendary skiers such as Toni Sailer, Stein Eriksen, and Anderl Molterer. I was in awe but was also excited to be able to study their technique in person.” As Peter Oliver notes in his book, “Stowe: Classic New England”: “For a young Billy Kidd, it must have been like being a teenage basketball hopeful given a chance to play a little one-on-one with Michael Jordan ... in the late 1950s, he was still just a kid with big potential and bigger dreams, and among those dreams was the chance to ski with the greatest racers in the world. “A day or two before the International downhill was to be held on the Nose Dive, [Anderl] Molterer was at the top of the course, preparing for a fast inspection run ... Molterer, who had never raced the course before, wanted to find out just how treacherous this famously treacherous course really was. And when he took off, in his wake followed the adolescent figure of Billy Kidd. “ ‘I managed to stay with him for the first few turns,’ says Kidd. ‘But on the seventh turn, I lost it. I slid on my chin right up to his feet.” Still, for a few precious seconds, he had been able to imagine being the equal of one of the greatest racers of all time, and that, more than 40 years later, remains with Kidd as a shining memory of his youth. ‘It’s where I got hooked on the adrenaline of racing,’ ” Kidd says.

oday, Kidd smiles when he’s reminded of those early days when he met his larger-than-life heroes in person. “Imagine you were a teenager and a die-hard Joe DiMaggio fan. Then one day you not only got to see him perform but you could also step up to the same plate after he did and try to mimic his swing. Some of the best ski racers in the world let me tag along after them on their runs. That was invaluable. Everyone was so generous to me.” Watching his heroes ski with such grace, power, and speed, Kidd would often dream of making it to the Olympics one day. “But then I’d remind myself that no American man had ever medaled in the Olympics,” he says. He was an honor-roll student but admits that his academic life took second place to skiing. Kidd remembers the many times he would sit in his high school study hall drawing stick figures of himself skiing. “These were all about technique. I was drawing the best ways to make my turns, showing where my hips and shoulders should be, where my hands and feet should be. I’d draw sketch after sketch to depict the proper step-by-step sequence of skiing most efficiently.” Thanks to skilled coaches affiliated with the Mount Mansfield Ski Club and his own experience in junior races, Kidd realized he could improve his technique by searching out and skiing on difficult sections of a course, such as icy patches. “I knew I would have to learn how to adjust to skiing on ice so before a big race I’d look for areas on Mount Mansfield where springs had bubbled up from the ground and frozen. Then I’d practice making turns on them,” he explains. Another favorite spot for this snow-to-ice transitioning was a small hill that abutted a skating rink off the Mountain Road. “I’d do my detailed stick figure sketches in high school study hall and then practice my turns there after school,” he says. “I’d start out on the snow then continue onto the skating rink. Looking back, I realize it was an invaluable way to handle the challenges of skiing down icy runs.” Billy Kidd, the self-described “mediocre athlete,” never stopped learning—or improving—his skiing skills throughout his high school days in Stowe. He won races throughout New England and further afield to become a top junior ski racer. Remembers Paul Percy, “We knew Billy was on his way. He was that good.” In 1961, Kidd’s senior year in high school, he was named to the U.S. Ski Team. Next page, from top: UPI photo, Feb. 8, 1964: “Billy Kidd of Stowe, Vt., and Jimmy Heuga of Tahoe City, Calif, are congratulated by coach Bob Beattie after they

earned the U.S. its first medals in an Olympic men’s Alpine ski event. Kidd and Heuga won the medals by finishing second and third, respectively, in the slalom final. Austrian Pepi Stiegler won the race, which took place in Innsbruck, Austria.” March 1961 issue of Mt. Mansfield Skiing with Billy Kidd on the cover. Mount Mansfield Ski Club’s Rip McManus and Kidd were named to the 1964 U.S. Olympic Team in Innsbruck. Above: 1964 Olympic slalom medalists: Kidd, Stiegler, and Heuga.

idd wasted no time making an international name for himself. In the 1962 World Championships in Chamonix, France, racing against the world’s top skiers, he placed eighth in the slalom and 15th in the giant slalom. The Associated Press described Kidd, “the 18-year-old newcomer from Stowe, Vermont” as having “an outstanding showing ... considering the world caliber of the field.” Two years later lightning struck. Kidd, just 20 years old, stunned the world by winning a silver medal in the slalom at the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Austria, becoming the first American man to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing. (He was just 0.14 seconds behind gold medal winner Pepi Steigler and was followed by teammate Jimmy Heuga, who won the bronze.) “Nobody, except our parents and our coach Bob Beattie, expected me to win a medal,” he says. Most of Stowe turned out to welcome home its native son and Olympic medal winner on March 11, which was declared “Billy Kidd Day.” Main Street was packed as Kidd and Jimmy Heuga were honored for their Olympic wins. One of the proudest attendees, which included Vermont Gov. Philip H. Hoff and Malcolm McLaine, chairman of the American Olympic Winter Games Committee, was Kidd’s longtime mentor and legendary ski school director Sepp Ruschp. A few days earlier Ruschp had told the New York Times, “I am very happy, very enthused. As far back as 1962 I realized there was potential in Billy, and from the beginning of the Olympic Games I was confident Billy would bring home a medal.” Injuries kept Kidd off the slopes during the next several years but he would return to rack up a staggering number of firsts, before turning pro in 1970: • First American male to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing; • First American male to win a gold medal in alpine skiing; • First American to win a World Alpine Championship combined gold; • First American male to medal in a World Championship slalom; and • Only racer to win both amateur and professional titles in the same season.

In 1972 Kidd retired from professional skiing and signed on as director of skiing at Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado, a position he still holds. He’s written several well-received books on skiing, has done television commentary on skiing, been a spokesperson for numerous ski-related products, and is developing property he bought when he first came to Colorado in the 1970s. He still skis as often as he can and continues to teach skiing, a lifelong passion. Indeed, visitors to Steamboat are invited to “Ski with Billy” almost every day during the season and receive free lessons from the former Olympian. “I’ve never charged for these sessions,” says Kidd. “It’s a way to pay back for all the help I’ve received along the way.” “Besides, I’m still having too much fun!” Kidd has also donated time to causes such as his former Olympic teammate Jimmy Heuga’s Multiple Sclerosis charity, the Special Olympics, the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, and a variety of Native American (he is part Abenaki) ski programs. “He’s been so generous with his time and so enthusiastic about spreading the joys of skiing,” says Stowe-based ski writer Kim Brown. “He’s an inspiration.” Billy Kidd blushes at such praise and explains he’s just doing what anyone who has been so blessed would do. He tells a story about the time he asked Sepp Ruschp, his former coach and one of his ski mentors, how he could thank him and the people of Stowe for all they’ve done for him. Kidd, who was just 17 at the time, remembers, “Sepp answered, ‘You don’t have to.’ Then he paused a moment and added, ‘Just pass it on.’ “It was great advice and something I’ve never forgotten.” n

Next page, from top: Billy Kidd skiing in Steamboat Springs, Colo., where he is director of skiing. Kidd with Stowe’s Tiger Shaw at the Stowe Challenge, 1983. Shaw, a fellow Olympian who grew up racing for the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club, is president and CEO of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association. The event was in conjunction with the ski club’s 50th anniversary with a “salute to the ‘legends’ of Stowe with costumes and skits. Billy Kidd flew in as an honored guest and speaker. A chicken barbecue preceded the next day’s team races—the U.S. Ski Team Challenge, complete with pari-mutuel betting. The event organized by Joe Welch and Nancy Cooke raised over $12,000” for the club’s educational foundation. “The telemark skiers raced for the von Trapp Trophy and all retired to the Stuberl for the awards party,” according to a historical note on the ski club’s website. Above: Kidd was on hand when the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame inducted its class of 2017 at an event in Stowe. (Thank you to Mike Leach and the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club for copies of Mt. Mansfield Skiing.)

STORY

: tommy gardner |

PHOTOS

: gordon miller |

OPENER

: mike hitelman 83

‘Postie’s loss in glider crash looms large in his beloved hometown Story

/ Caleigh Cross

on Post loved flying—floatplanes, small planes, hang-gliding. He loved that feeling so much that he bought Stowe Soaring 14 years ago so he could help others experience what he had.

On Aug. 29, Post, 70, and a couple from Hamden, Conn., were killed when the glider Post was piloting crashed near the summit of Sterling Mountain in Morristown. A federal investigation of the cause of the crash could take a year. Post’s death shocked the community. Post led a great life, full of fun and community service, and an overflow crowd attended his funeral at Stowe Community Church. The man everyone called Postie was a devoted husband and father who was elbow-deep in Stowe’s day-to-day life.

He was a member of the Stowe School Board from 1991 to 2014, and Cam Page, a fellow board member, remembers his commitment to doing what was best for Stowe’s kids.

CALEIGH CROSS

“ ‘What can we do to help?’ was often his question,” she said. “He made sure administrators would contact him if lack of money was preventing a child from participating in a school trip, sport, or activity.”

“He was a big kid, with boundless enthusiasm and energy, and the biggest, kindest heart. He loved the Rolling Stones, he was a fantastic dancer—think disco, not ballroom—and he had an unrivaled sweet tooth. He had a blast in his life,” Page said.

Post was also a big part of Stowe Youth Hockey for at least a decade and, with a neighbor, co-founded Stowe Youth Soccer. He grew up in Madison, N.J., got an engineering degree at Clarkson University in 1970, then moved to Stowe for the skiing, rock climbing, and hang-gliding.

Photograph

/ Kate Car ter

After several years of competing on the freestyle skiing circuit, Postie ran the Mansfield Touring Center and is credited with reinvigorating the Stowe Derby. He was a hands-on entrepreneur, with several business ventures in energy management and conservation, as well as flight. In recent years, Postie was a consultant for the Freeman Foundation in preserving and enhancing public libraries in Vermont. He personally visited every one of those libraries.

He’d been an observer for the Vermont Audubon Society and Vermont Center for Ecostudies to ensure the well-being of peregrine falcons and Bicknell thrush. He loved windsurfing, kite boarding, scuba diving, hockey, and excelled in all forms of skiing and cycling. At age 53, Postie biked from Seattle to Cape Cod in 30 days. He invariably lent a helping hand when a truck got hung up on a rock, a tree was down, or a meadow needed brush-hogging. His wealth of knowledge meant that, if you were willing to endure a lengthy discourse, any question could be answered.

Survivors include his wife, Linda; his children, Tyler, Alexi, and Graham; and his grandchildren. “I remember Don as a fan, and a volunteer, and a coach, and the thing about Don is he was always there in all three capacities,” said George Gay, a past president of Stowe Youth Hockey. “When anything was needed by youth hockey, like we needed a timekeeper, Postie was always willing to step up.” One year, a team lacked a coach, and Post volunteered at the last minute. That team won the state championship. n

Stoweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s season-long ski program: Skiing and then some

STORY

: mark aiken |

PHOTOGRAPHS

: jesse schloff |

OPENER

: mark aiken

This page: Smiles all around. Kagen Dewey and his Stowebuster group is all smiles on a powder day. Opposite: Shelby Farrell leads her Stowebuster team through the bumps as snowflakes fall. Opening spread:

Instructor Abi Lucia huddles with her Mightybuster (ages 5-6) group as they plan their next move.

K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger weren’t always the best of friends. In fact, Harry and Ron found Hermione rather annoying until they found themselves in a life-or-death struggle with a mountain troll in a locked bathroom. Rowling sums up: “There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a 12-foot mountain troll is one of them.” A similar concept plays out every weekend on the slopes of Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe’s Buster program, the season-long lesson program for ages 3 to 16. Buster groups, depending on the age category, range in size from 3 to

Because a Buster season consists of over 30 full-day sessions, there’s plenty of time to fit it all in. “From a coach’s perspective, it’s an opportunity,” said three-year Buster coach Shelby Farrell. “We can take more time.” What might a Buster group need time for? “We can just stop and listen,” Farrell said. “We can stop to soak in the glow of the trees. It’s not just about the skiing; I try to teach an appreciation for nature and to build an awareness of our surroundings, including potential hazards.” As for Farrell’s assertion that Busters is about more than skiing, make no mistake: “It’s about the skiing!” she said. But even here, Busters are unhurried. Beginning groups can build solid fundamentals through repetition. More advanced groups can mix drills with free skiing runs. Or, said Farrell, knowing that she doesn’t have to cram it all into one lesson, gives her flexibility. Say she skis a pitch of bumps, and she senses several kids are about to have a breakthrough. “I don’t have to move on to the next thing,” she said. “I can come back and ski the exact same pitch again.” For Buster mom Mira Woods (her daughters Alexis and Avery are in the program), it’s about consistency. “These kids don’t get up on weekends and want to watch cartoons,” she said. “In our family, it’s automatic; you just get up and go, and you know it’s going to be fun.” Alexis, 8, skis in Farrell’s group. “We did lots of practice races to work on skills we learned,” she said. “We worked on pole planting and weighting our uphill ski. We even practiced skiing on one ski. “Our coach just really ‘got’ us,” she said. Avery, age 7, concurs. “My coach was a great teacher. He called us his Wolfpack, and we would ski down the mountain howling,” Avery said. “It was so funny.”

Taking Time

Farrell skied with a backpack last season. When Vail took over as Stowe’s parent company last year, it brought many new programs. One such program, Vail’s Commitment to Zero (the company’s commitment to having zero net carbon emissions, sending zero waste to landfills, and having zero net operating impact to forests and habitats, all by the year 2030) made Farrell wonder what she could do with her Buster group. Busters, who ski and play hard, also snack hard in Stowe’s food outlets, often on junk food and going through plenty of disposable plastic cups. Farrell mobilized; she reached out to parents and organized an optional schedule where families took turns bringing snacks for the whole group, which Shelby would carry in the above-mentioned backpack. “She carried the snacks in her backpack and she made us each our own personalized reusable cup,” Alexis said. “We would take breaks in secret spots in the woods and have snacks and water.” Parents provided homemade cookies, raisin boxes, carrots and hummus, grapes. “They were really stoked on the grapes for some reason,” Farrell said. Farrell provided the locals’ knowledge on the secret spots,

Saving the world

10 kids, and they ski together with the same coach on Saturdays and Sundays all winter long. They explore seldom-seen nooks and crannies within the resort’s boundaries. They take time out within lessons to build forts and have snowball battles. And they improve, master new skills, and grow. Like Harry, Hermione, and Ron facing the troll, Busters adventure together, face challenges together, and brave the mountain environment together, regardless of temperature, wind, precipitation, or visibility. Eleanor Moran, age 12, has been a Buster for half her life. “Every year some people leave and others join,” Eleanor said. “No matter who is in your group, you end up being friends with everyone at some point.”

each day’s location cooler than the previous one. And—more evidence that the future of the world is bright—the kids totally embraced and understood the concepts of minimizing waste, saving money, and eating healthy food. Well, mostly healthy. “The pinnacle of the snacks was when one of the parents grilled bacon-wrapped apple slices at his home abutting Inspiration,” Farrell said.

Mike Shaughnessy was a Buster coach from 2013 to 2017 before moving to Maine. “Mike did the greatest impressions,” said Eleanor Moran. “Especially the Minions. And Chewbacca.” Shaughnessy coached the same 10 kids all 4 years he was in the Buster program, and they eventually discovered his full-time occupation. They asked questions; he invited them to come visit his place of employment. Ski instructing was always a side gig for him; his full-time job was being program director for a homeless shelter in Burlington. With their parents, two of his Busters took him up on his offer over a school break. “Mike showed us the rooms where people stayed and ate,” Eleanor said. “He introduced us to some residents, and I thought they were nice.” “She asked a lot of intelligent questions,” said Shaughnessy of Eleanor. That year, Eleanor received some money for her birthday. She donated all of it to the shelter. She went back to her fourth-grade class in Harvard, Mass., and, after taking up a collection there, made another donation.

Intelligent questions

“After the first donation, I realized that it made me feel really good,” she said. “I wanted to feel that way again.” Now, Eleanor volunteers once a week in a soup kitchen in her hometown. But hold on a second: This is about skiing, not carbon emissions, homelessness, or volunteerism. “My favorite trail is Tres Amigos,” said Eleanor. “It’s in the trees, but it’s just open enough that you can huck off rocks.” After Shaughnessy moved away, Eleanor’s group inherited a new coach, Brandon Rist. “Brandon would talk about a friend who was the best mogul skier,” she said. “Then he would ski some bumps. And we’d look at each other like, ‘How could someone be better?’ ” According to Eleanor, everyone in Busters shares a passion for skiing, “but everyone brings something different—a passion for gymnastics or an interest in video games.” From there, the ski program leads in a hundred different directions that may or may not have anything to do with sliding on snow. So what is Busters about? Is it the skiing and technical instruction? The appreciation of nature and the need to protect it? Is it friendships forged through experiences like Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s? “My kids are proficient skiers. That was my goal,” said Mira Woods. “They’re comfortable on all terrain, and the kids in the group support each other.” Shaughnessy reflects on his Busting career: “I just can’t think of anything I would have rather done on those weekends.” Then a short pause. “I could have probably spent some with my wife,” he said. But then he pauses again, remembering something his wife told him. “I’d come home sore and tired,” he said. “But she said that every day I would burst through the door exhilarated with a huge smile on my face.”

What’s it about?

Mark Aiken knows a thing or two about the Buster program; he was a Buster coach himself and his kids are now Busters. He has supervised the program for 12 years. In the off-season, he is a freelance writer and recreational runner who runs with his endurance-athlete wife. Together, the two of them are involved in the ultimate endurance sport—parenting.

Clockwise, this page: Buster coaches establish short, medium, and long-term goals. Kagen Dewey and his team lay out their goals for the day. Kaitlyn DeAngelis gets down to her students’ level. Kagen weighs the options: ski powder? Or ski more powder? Shelby Farrell and her group know all the hidden hangouts and secret spots.

Jason Michaelides of Mountain Ops in Stowe tunes a pair of skis.

Ski shop techs make a good ride even better

FINE TUNED STORY

: tommy gardner |

PHOTOGRAPHS

: gordon miller

Brian Irwin and Doug Adams of Today’s Edge in Stowe. This page: Sparks fly as a ski’s edges get a tune. A whiteboard offers important settings and reminders for the tuner.

kiers and riders want two things when they strap on their skis or snowboards and ride down the mountain: speed and control. They can get varying degrees of both from the countless off-the-rack skis and boards in any sporting-goods shop or online store. But they can always be better, even better than new. And that’s where the folks who tune your skis after a hard day on the slopes—and before the next one— come in. Whether you’re looking for a quick binding adjustment or an overnight basic base grind and edge sharpening, or if you’re looking for a nuanced, customized performance beast, there’s someone out there who can get your good ride and make it better. Here are some of those local tuners. Jason Michaelides takes a little bit of pride in once being the worst ski tech in Stowe, a title that was probably as much self-proclaimed deprecation as it was good-natured digs by his friends. Before becoming a ski tuner at Mountain Ops on Mountain Road in Stowe, he really didn’t take very good care of his gear. Skis were kind of like Subarus; run ’em ’til they’re done. “Full disclosure, I never really tuned my stuff before coming here,” he said. He said doing it for other people, acquiring the know-how and the appreciation for a good tune, helped make him a far better tech than, well, the worst in Stowe.

Jason Michaelides, Mountain Ops

“It was pretty humbling, to start,” he said. “But really, you’re going to have more fun if you do. It makes a big difference.” The shop hopes to fill the alpine touring and telemark niche for the community. It has some wax in the shop, and Michaelides still knows his Blue from his Ultra-Blue, but said most of the skis that come through are waxless, other than the tips and tails. But mainly, he said, Mountain Ops is your “quick and dirty” stop, which has less to do with the quality of the work and more the speed and MacGyver-level make-dos. Base fixes, edge fixes, binding fixes, those kinds of things. “If we can do it right there on the spot, we do,” Michaelides said. Under the workbench is the “boneyard,” an organized but motley collection of random ski parts, bins of binding bits, nuts and bolts and screws. The collection grows little by little after customers leave behind their odd throwaway gear. But someone has a use for everything, and frugal Vermonters don’t just toss stuff because there’s only one of them, or part of one. Don’t let the boneyard fool you. Overlook the overflowing trash can of Twisted Teas, ’Gansetts and PBRs. And don’t mind Michaelides’s old bad habits. “It’s always great when someone comes in and is, like, ‘Oh, my binding’s broken,’ and we’re, like, Ooh, I got you. Gimme five minutes,’ ” he said. “We’re happy to get the rush guy at 6 a.m., but a six-pack of beer does help.” While Michaelides is the relatively new convert to the idea that maintained skis offer a better ride, Doug Adams has been tuning for about as long as Michaelides has been alive. Adams, owner of Today’s Edge, also on Mountain Road, has been tuning skis professionally for 42 years, and has been skiing since he was 7.

Doug Adams and Brian Irwin, Today’s Edge

Danny White, owner of No School Snowboard Shop, in Jeffersonville, over the mountain from Stowe. This page: A rack of boards in White’s shop.

He went to Johnson State College and decided he wanted to be in the ski business. “I said, ‘You know, I’ve seen this tuning thing work out for some people,’ ” he said, holding up pioneering ski tuning shops in Aspen in the late 1970 and early ’80s as models for Today’s Edge. Brian Irwin, another veteran ski tuner and Tuesday racer who’s being skiing Stowe since 1973, works with Adams, as does a third tuner who was vacationing in Hawaii during Vermont’s stick season. Irwin has been with Today’s Edge for five years, and previously did stints at Boots ’n Boards and Action Outfitters, both in Stowe and both now gone. Adams knows skiing can be an expensive sport, and he stocks, and works on, plenty of high-end race skis. Sell a couple of those setups and pop a bottle in celebration. Meanwhile, normal people want normal stuff. “The glory and the ego is in the high end. The money is in the low end,” Adams said. Adams said larger shops or resort rental places give “the car wash” service. Run the skis through the machine once, turn them around, run them back through. Done. Next. When it comes to tuning, Irwin said, all skis get at least some personal attention. “Every ski that comes in here gets handworks, whether it’s the resurrection special or detail work on high-end gear,” Irwin said. Irwin said Today’s Edge can take two identical sets of skis and send them out almost entirely different from one another. Change the beveling on the edges, work the base differently, tips and tails differently. Irwin, who still races, likes to tune his skis for performance and sharp edging. Adams, whose knees don’t allow him to shred as much as he used to because he used to shred like he used to, like to tune his skis for a more relaxed ride. “When you’ve got replacement knees, you don’t need to go that fast,” he said. Adams said Today’s Edge used to do 5,000 pairs of skis a season “back in the good old days.” Now, it’s about half that, but a significant number of people who have their work done there have been doing it since the early days. Adams has seen old customers bring their kids in to get their skis tuned, and those kids are now teaching their young ones how to ski. The store sells a service pass, where you can bring your skis in anytime all year and get them tuned, as much as you need. And since the store is the first one you reach when coming off the mountain, Adams’ customers will stop in and let the shop guys know how the skis performed. “We get instant feedback,” Adams said. “If it sucks, you’ll hear about it. If it’s great, you’ll hear about it.”

On the other side of the mountain from Stowe, Danny White owns No School Snowboard Shop, just a few hundred yards down Route 108 from the entrance to Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Note there is no “ski” in the business name. And that was on purpose from the day White opened the place 24 years ago. “As an angry young man, of course, I didn’t want anything to do with skiing,” said White, a strikingly similar version of that young man, maybe with some extra crow’s feet. An old sign hanging near White’s office came from an old Stratton lift station, advising riders they had to watch a 10-minute video before they could get on the chairlift. He said there was always that one skier in every group of snowboarders who came in, though. It’s the same on a powder day in the Back Bowls, too, or vice versa, a group of two-plankers with a knuckle dragger tagging along. “It got to the point where I was, like, ‘I’m throwing money out the door,’ ” White said. “No question, man, it’s weird to own a ski shop, or to even say that. But I gotta pay the bills.” So, one day, his Rossignol rep—they used to make snowboards, too—came in, and White asked him for some skis. White said he’s always liked tuning boards, the attention to detail, just getting his hands on something and turning it over and eyeing the edges and the pores in the base. He learned when he was riding and working at Stratton, where snowboarding in Vermont really took off and showed respect for these new hooligans who looked a little too much like skateboarders for the haute ski crowd. “I sometimes see snowboards as wider skis,” he said. “The goal is the same—make it sharper and faster.” No School’s tuning area is pretty Spartan—in the basement, with the same Grindrite machine as the other shops, albeit the snowboard model. There’s also a smaller ski tuner built sometime deep into the last century that White has to equip with a water reservoir to make sure the sparks that kick off don’t burn its own components. “It’s the greatest when they poke their heads in at the end of the day and they say, ‘Great tune, man!’ ” White said. “And that’s the point, right? Stoke ’em out.” n

Danny White, No School

light shadow

PHOTOGRAPHS

PAUL ROGERS

“We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.” —Leonora Carrington

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Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nathaniel Hawthorne

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SHOPPING & GALLERIES

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HE HELEN DAY ART CENTER OCCUPIES THE CENTRAL PLACE IN STOWE’S ART scene, both literally and figuratively. Since taking over the top floor of the old Stowe High School building at the head of School Street in 1981, the Helen Day has provided Stowe with world-class exhibits, community programs, art education, and outreach to tens of thousands of schoolchildren. Notable artists, such as Valerie Hammond and Kiki Smith, have shared the space with local artists such as Rett Sturman and Walton Blodgett, and with countless others from throughout Vermont, the region, and the world. On the other side of the mountain, the Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville is named for local artists Mary and Alden Bryan. Mary Bryan died in 1978 and her husband, also now deceased, built and opened the non-profit gallery in her memory in 1984.

EXHIBITS & OPENINGS BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY 180 Main Street, Jeffersonville. Thursday – Sunday, 11 - 4 (February and March, Friday – Sunday). (802) 644-5100. Over 200 artists exhibit, focus on landscape painting. bryangallery.org. Through December 23 Gems and Giants, Main Gallery; Heartbeet Felts, Middle Room; 2018 Legacy Collection, East Gallery. December 23 – February 2 Gallery is closed for its winter hiatus. February 1 – March 31 2018 – 2019 Legacy Collection, Main Gallery; Mary and Alden Bryan, Middle Room; Pop Up Gallery, East Gallery April Gallery is closed for its spring hiatus. May 2 – June 23 2018 – 2019 Legacy Collection, Main East galleries; Mary and Alden Bryan, Middle Room; Pop Up Gallery, East Gallery >>108

COURTESY PHOTOS

Whiter Than Snow, TJ Cunningham, 18" x 24", oil on Ampersand Gessobord. Cunningham’s solo exhibition at Edgewater Gallery in Stowe runs through Jan. 11. Inset: Marie LePre Grabon, from her Barn Super Moon series, Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville.

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COURTESY PHOTOS; BECAUSE OF JOHN: SABIN GRATZ

EXHIBITS & OPENINGS

HELEN DAY ART CENTER THE HELEN DAY ART CENTER and the Stowe Free Library share a beautifully restored 1863 Greek Revival building in the heart of picturesque Stowe Village. The center, with a focus on contemporary art, offers exhibitions of local, national, and international artists. Art classes and workshops, lectures, and children’s programs are offered throughout the year.

HELEN DAY ART CENTER 90 Pond St., Stowe Village. Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free; donations welcome. helenday.com. (802) 253-8358. Through December 29 The Members’ Art Show & Festival of Trees & Light

The community celebrates the season through decorated evergreens, a Hanukkah display, and more than 100 members’ artwork. January 18 – April 13

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through her gestural figures is powerfully resonating. Opening reception, January 18, 5 - 7 p.m. January 18 – April 13 Suzy Spence: On the Hunt

From Joan of Arc to 20th-century suffragist Inez Milholland, the history of women’s empowerment intermixes with the history of women equestrians. Paintings in On the Hunt are executed in Spence’s lucid gestural hand. East Gallery. Opening reception, January 18, 5 - 7 p.m. January 18 – April 13 Ceramics Now

Contemporary sculptors working in ceramics highlight both figurative and abstract work that is both poetic and sometimes haunting, referencing human history, intervention, experience. Opening reception, January 18, 5 - 7 p.m. April Helen Day’s popular spring gala. Stowe Mountain Lodge. Tickets: helenday.com. May 1 – June 1

Dusty Boynton: Reliefs

Student Art Show

From top: Suzy Spence, Ophelia in Spurs (2),

A series of Boynton’s reliefs, painted and cut figures on wood. First exhibition of this type of work, and the sophistication and emotional intelligence that pours

Works from Stowe elementary, middle, and high school students, and guest schools. n

Because of John, 2011-2012, structured relief,

2018, flashe on paper, 13.5"x17". Dusty Boynton, 67"x 47". Members’ art show.

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EXHIBITS

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EDGEWATER GALLERY 151 Main St., Stowe. (802) 760-6785. edgewatergallery.co. Contemporary and traditional fine art from emerging and established U.S. and Canadian artists. December 1 – January 11 TJ Cunningham solo exhibition

Reception Friday, Dec. 7, 5-7 p.m.; artist talk at 6 p.m.

GRACE OLD FIREHOUSE

COURTESY PHOTO

59 Mill St., Hardwick. (802) 472-6857, Tuesday – Thursday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. graceart.org. The art of Grass Roots Art & Community Effort.

Barbara Wagner, Dancing Circles #2, detail, Green Mountain Fine Art Gallery.

GREEN MOUNTAIN FINE ART GALLERY 64 S. Main St., Stowe Village. (802) 253-1818. greenmountainfineart.com. (See p.106) Diverse collection of traditional and contemporary works by a variety of Vermont and regional artists.

HELEN DAY ART CENTER 90 Pond St., Stowe. (802) 253-8358. Tuesday – Saturday, Noon - 5 p.m. Donations welcome. helenday.com. Through December 29 Members' Art Show & Festival of Trees & Light January 18 – April 13 Dusty Boynton: Reliefs, Main Gallery.

Opening January 18, 5 - 7 p.m. January 18 – April 13 Suzy Spence: On the Hunt, East Gallery. Opening January 18, 5 - 7 p.m.

1799 Mountain Rd Stowe VT 802.585.3699

bunyabunya.com

January 18 – April 13 Ceramics Now, West Gallery. Opening January 18, 5 - 7 p.m. Mary 1 – June 1 Student Art Show.

April Spring Gala, Stowe Mountain Lodge.

JULIAN SCOTT MEMORIAL GALLERY

A boutique offering a curated mix of clothing, shoes, accessories and home décor inspired by bohemian beauty, art and wanderlust. Step into our lovely space and discover looks you’ll love. BunyaBunya. 108

Dibden Center for Arts, Northern Vermont University–Johnson, (802) 625-1481. Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Through December 14 Savanah Lescord, Kierstan Slater, and Shastina Ann-Wallace, opening reception December 7, 4 - 6 p.m. >>116

MIXED MEDIA

COURTESY PHOTOS

Clockwise, from top: National Ballet Theatre of Odessa, Gaelic Storm, Under the Street Lamp, and Step Afrika. Inset: Chad Hollister.

SPRUCE PEAK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 122 Hourglass Drive, Spruce Peak at Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeakarts.org. (802) 760-4634. Subject to change. Friday, November 30, Saturday, December 1 & Sunday, December 2

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A Christmas Carol Vermont Youth Theater’s all-original, full-scale musical. 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sunday. Saturday, December 15 Reduced Shakespeare Company: The Ultimate Christmas Show An irreverent, heartwarming trip through the holidays. Over 13. 7 p.m. Thursday, December 27 Warren Miller's Face of Winter Warren Miller 69th ski film. 7 p.m. Saturday, December 29 Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Green Mountain Mahler Festival Holiday Concert Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “The Choral,” is one of Beethoven’s greatest works, and many consider it among the finest achievements of western music. Conductor Daniel Bruce and four vocal soloists. 7 p.m. Friday, January 4 & Saturday, January 5 Scout Film Festival Third Scout Film Festival returns to Spruce Peak for two full days and nights celebrating emerging short film talent from around the world. Check website for screening times. Thursday, January 10 The Bolshoi Ballet—Don Quixote Bolshoi's critically-acclaimed staging of this exalted performance on film. 1 p.m.

BOB MALBON

SPRUCE PEAK ARTS CENTER Saturday, January 19

Rhapsody in Stowe Spruce Peak Chamber Music Society presents Rhapsody in Stowe featuring Mark Dover (clarinet), Peter Dugan (piano), Jia Kim (cello), and Michelle Ross (violin). Gershwin, Beethoven, and Brahms. 7 p.m. Friday, January 18 What is Chamber Music with ArtSmart Moderated by Spruce Peak Chamber Music Society Artistic Director Jia Kim. Reservations required. 1 p.m. Saturday, January 26 Swan Lake by the National Ballet Theatre of Odessa This full-scale production is the legendary National Ballet Theatre of Odessa’s first visit to the U.S. 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 6 Step Afrika Percussive dance styles from African American communities, African traditional dance, and a variety of other dance and art forms. 7 p.m. Saturday, February 9 Chad Hollister Band 10-piece roots and rock ensemble features four horns, mandolin, percussion, bass, drums, guitar, and Hollister's soaring vocals. 7 p.m. >>112

MIXED MEDIA Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan Two of the day’s foremost bluegrass players perform a concert of breakdowns, jigs, waltzes, original songs. 7 p.m. Wednesday, February 20 & Thursday, February 21 American Girl Live All-new musical with your favorite American Girl characters. 7 p.m. Sunday, February 24 Gaelic Storm A multi-national, Celtic juggernaut. A feel good band for the dead of winter. 7 p.m.

Cyrille Aimée.

• Family photos, December 26 – January 1, February 16 – 24 December 22 • Spruce Peak Lights Festival: Tree and village lighting, Northern Bronze Bells, food, photos with Santa (also on Dec. 23), family photos. 2 - 7 p.m. Torchlight parade and fireworks at 4:30 p.m. April 21 Easter Egg Hunt, Spruce Peak Village Plaza.

SPRUCE PEAK FIREWORKS & TORCHLIGHT PARADE Spruce Peak Village Center. December 22 4:30 p.m., with tree lighting, Northern Bronze bells, food, family photos. December 31 7 p.m., with New Year’s celebration.

January 2 January 9 January 16 January 23 January 30 February 6 February 13 February 20 February 27

The Help Marshall Chappaquiddick The Shape of Water Leave No Trace Love After Love Unsane Oceans 8 Trolls

December 15 – 16 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

When the town terrors, also known as the six Herdman kids, forego their usual mischief-making to take over the annual Christmas pageant, they provide a completely new spin on the traditional story. 7 p.m. (2 p.m. on Dec. 16). COURTESY PHOTOS

Saturday, February 16

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A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS IN STOWE Events throughout Stowe village. stowevibrancy.com. November 30 – December 2 Lantern parade with carols, tree lighting, visits with Santa and the reindeer, music, wagon rides, cookie decorating, and more.

FRIENDS OF STOWE FREE LIBRARY Friday, March 8

Cyrille Aimée Jazz vocalist Cyrille Aimée’s debut in Stowe. 7 p.m. Saturday, March 9 The Art of the String Quartet Spruce Peak Chamber Music Society presents the quartet-in-residence at the world-renowned Cleveland Institute of Music. 7 p.m. Friday, March 8 Instruments of the String Quartet with ArtSmart Moderated by Spruce Peak Chamber Music Society Artistic Director Jia Kim. 1 p.m. Friday, March 22 & Saturday, March 23 TRIP Dance Company 35 dancers perform ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, hip hop. Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m. Thursday, March 28 Le Cirque Esprit: Spirit of the Machine Le Cirque Esprit brings its signature brand of sparkle and spectacle to this 90-minute multidiscipline phenomenon. 7 p.m. Saturday, April 13 Under The Street Lamp Classic hits from the American radio songbook. Blend of tight harmonies, doo-wop, Motown, old time rock ‘n’ roll hits. 7 p.m.

SPRUCE PEAK AT STOWE Spruce Peak Village Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, unless noted. Subject to change. Subject to change based on conditions. sprucepeak.com. (*Holiday periods: Christmas: Dec. 26 - Jan. 1; MLK weekend: Jan. 19 - 21; President’s week: Feb. 16 - 24.)

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Ongoing • Spruce Peak Village Center Après ski Featuring beverages, food truck, warm cider donuts, live music, ice carving. Thursdays – Sundays; daily during holiday periods.* • Broom Ball League, Thursdays, January 3 through February 28, Spruce Peak ice rink. • Free public skating, Monday – Thursday, noon - 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, holiday time periods, noon - 9 p.m.

Stowe Free Library, 90 Pond St., Stowe Village. stowelibrary.org. February 14 Gardening for Problem Places with Charlie Nardozzi, garden writer, speaker, radio and television personality. 7 p.m.

HANDMADE CANDY CANE DEMOS Laughing Moon Chocolates, 78 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-9591. Through December 23 Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, watch as candy makers boil, turn, pull, roll, and twist candy canes into works of art. Free demos or make your own for a fee. 11 a.m., with second demo on Saturdays, 2 p.m.

Darol Anger

HIGHLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Pink Talking Fish.

JAY PEAK MUSIC SERIES The Foeger Ballroom. (802) 327-2596, jaypeakresort.com. November 30 & December 1 Two Nights with Everyone Orchestra— Conductor Matt Butler with The String Cheese Incident, The Disco Biscuits, more. Opening set from Strange Purple Jelly and Goose. 8:30 p.m. $25-$50. December 31 New Year’s Eve Party and Fireworks: Fireworks 9 p.m. Shake the Band. Ticketed event. January 26 Pink Talking Fish: Hybrid tribute fusion act, music from Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads, and Phish. 8 p.m. $25. February 23 Deadgrass—Jerry Garcia tribute band. 8 p.m. $15. March 9 Mallet Brothers Band: Independent rock and roll, Americana, country band. 8 p.m. $10. April 6 Get the Led Out: American Led Zeppelin. 8 p.m. $25.

LAMOILLE COUNTY PLAYERS

2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro. (802) 533-9075. highlandartsvt.org.

Hyde Park Opera House, 85 Main Street. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday matinee, 2 p.m. llcplayers.com.

December 1 Legendary fiddler Darol Anger, singer-songwriter Emy Phelps, and mandolinist Matt Flinner and his trio. 7 p.m. $20. December 7 – 8

December 7 – 9 Every Christmas Story Ever Told–And Then Some!

THE LOGGER & THE FIDDLER

The Nutcracker

Stowe Town Hall, Main Street. $25. 7:30 p.m. thelogger.com.

Beloved holiday ballet. Dec. 7, 7 p.m.; Dec. 8, 2 p.m. Movie Night 6 p.m., Performance Studio. $5 donation December 5 Eighth Grade December 12 Hidden Figures December 19 Murder on the Orient Express

December 27 & December 29 – 31 Comedy and music with Rusty DeWees, aka The Logger, and fiddle player Patrick Ross. 7 and 10 p.m. on Dec. 31. December 28 The Logger & Ladies Who Laugh: A Musical Comedy Review

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Katrina Swanson • Oil David Harned • Giclee

Tina Palmer • Acrylic

ROBERT PAUL GALLERIES • American & European Paintings •

Aneela Fazal • Alcohol Inks

CELEBRATING 29 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

Heralded as one of the countries finest art galleries, we offer a truly outstanding selection of original paintings, sculpture and fine glass and porcelain by locally, nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. Open seven days a week Baggy Knees Shopping Center • 394 Mountain Road P.O. Box 1413, Stowe, VT 05672 • (802) 253-7282 www.robertpaulgalleries.com

Alexander Volkov • Oil

Roberto Salas • Oil

Ronald Berger • Oil

Dorsey McHugh • Acrylic

Sheel Anand • Oil

S TOWE SOUNDS

SOUND MIND COURTESY PHOTOS

Start with some Springer, Mix in some Bolio and Barrows ... a band is born

JAMMING Jeff Barrows, Donny Bolio, Frank Springer, and Peter Mix make up Sound Mind, which Springer says is “dormant” and not really scheduling gigs at this point. But all four members are accomplished musicians and play music whenever they can.

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Frank Springer started playing guitar as a young teen in New Jersey. Now 65, the former owner of FixPC in Stowe, plays in Sound Mind—“We’re all so old, it’s all we could hope for,” Springer said with a chuckle. Sound Mind doesn’t play anywhere near as much as it used to, but can occasionally be found playing at Stowe town events, including the Old Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration, when Sound Mind might be found jamming to the crowds on Main Street. Springer is joined by Peter Mix on acoustic and electric mandolin, Donny Bolio on guitar, and Jeff Barrows on the bass. In the 1960s, when Springer started playing, he was influenced by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, James Taylor, and Joni Mitchell. When he heard that music, Springer thought, “Boy, I’ve got to try and play that. I’ve got to figure out how to do that.” He never took formal guitar lessons, although he took piano lessons as a youngster, and sang in a choir. His knowhow comes from experiments on front porches all over town, in New Jersey and after he moved to Philadelphia. “People I knew that played, we’d get together and pound on it and experiment, (asking) ‘How’d you do that?’ Things would come out by accident that I recognized. ‘Where did I hear that?’ Then I’d remember what song I heard. It was just trial and error,” Springer said. “People kind of make up their own stuff and make their own versions of everything. That’s what’s enjoyable to me. Everybody’s always coming up with stuff and making up things,” he said. Four or five years ago, Sound Mind had engagements all over the northern part of Vermont. “We had lots of gigs. We played in the bars all the time and one Wednesday a month at The Shed, and then we ended up doing every Saturday night for one winter up at Hourglass at Spruce Peak, pretty much right after it opened. That’s going back a few years,” Springer said. These days, heavy work commitments on some of the band’s other members have taken away from its capacity to play much, but Springer still loves getting the chance to play live in summer in Stowe. Catch ’em when you can. n —Caleigh Cross

EXHIBITS

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LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS 593 Moscow Rd., Stowe. littleriverhotglass.com. (802) 253-0889. Nationally recognized art glass studio features resident artist Michael Trimpol’s studio, glassblowing demos and participatory glassblowing, by reservation.

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

MO N CHOCOLATES open 9-6 daily free 2pm demonstration fudge | coffee | workshops 78 South Main Street Stowe Village 802.253.9591 laughingmoonchocolates.com

NORTHWOOD GALLERY 151 Main Street, Stowe. (802) 760-6513. northwoodgallery.com. Work by Vermont artisans: jewelry, fiber, wood, pottery, glass, sculpture, illustration, soaps, paintings, photography, more. Regular workshops and artisan demonstrations.

Jennifer McCurdy, Vortex Vessel. At top: Carol O’Malia, Crimson Calm, oil on panel.

RIVER ARTS 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. Monday – Friday and first and third Sundays, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. riverartsvt.org, (802) 888-1261. Through January 9 Colorful & Curvaceous: Captivating Quilt Art,

Judy B. Dales Through January 9 Remembrance—Nina Dubois and Athena Petra Tasiopoulos

ROBERT PAUL GALLERIES Baggy Knees Shopping Center, 394 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-7282. robertpaulgalleries.com. Original paintings, sculpture, and photography from dozens of noted artists.

STOWE CRAFT REMARKABLE THINGS 55 Mountain Road and 34 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-4693. stowecraft.com. Fine crafts, furniture, sculpture, representing artists Dug Nap, Valerie Miller, Jon Olsen, and more.

VERMONT SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUM One S. Main St., Stowe. Open daily except Monday, 12 - 5 p.m. Handicap accessible. Suggestion donation $5. (802) 253-9911. vtssm.com. Winter 2019 Snowboarding 1980 to 1999—A Photo Exhibition. Iconic snowboard images shot

in Vermont. Ongoing Curious & Cool—Unusual and seldom-scene objects from the museum’s eclectic collection. 10th Mountain Division, Skis from the Grant Reynolds Collection: 1910 - 1990, SlopeStyle; Fashion on Snow: 1930 - 2014, and more.

VERMONT STUDIO CENTER LECTURE SERIES VSC Lecture Hall, Main Street, Johnson. 8 p.m. Free, confirm day of the event, (802) 635-2727. vermontstudiocenter.org.

VISIONS OF VERMONT GALLERY Main Street, Jeffersonville. visionsofvermont.com. (802) 644-8183. 20 master painters from the Jeffersonville area, in three historic buildings.

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Ongoing Karen and Jack Winslow, local classical masters, and TM Nicholas (Victorian house); Eric Tobin, plein air painter (carriage house).

WEST BRANCH GALLERY & SCULPTURE PARK Indoor gallery, outdoor sculpture park, promoting contemporary art in varied media styles by regional, national, and international artists. One mile from the village on the Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 825-5683. westbranchgallery.com. Ongoing Sculpture Park: Works in stone, steel, bronze by Jonathan Prince, David Stromeyer, Chris Curtis, John Matusz, Richard Erdman, Claude Millette, Chris Miller, more. Through December Small Works: modestly scaled works by gallery artists. South Gallery. Through December Krista Harris: Moving Pictures, gestural abstract expressionist works on canvas; Susan Wilson’s figurative ceramic sculptures. Central Gallery. March 23 – April 27 JOY: A Visual Exploration of Delight: Work of Carol O’Malia, John Joseph Hanright, Claire Kelly, and Leslie Graff. April 6 - April 27 Jim Westphalen: Dynamic landscapes and disappearing architecture using technique that blurs the line between photography and painting. May 4 - June 1 Charlie Bluett, Janis Pozzi Johnson, and Jennifer McCurdy: Quiet, meditative paintings by Bluett and Johnson with McCurdy’s sensual and delicate porcelain sculpture. n

PHOTO BY GARY MIRANDO

LAUGHING

1 Montshire Rd., Norwich, Vt. (802) 649-2200. montshire.org. Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Exhibits include Making Music: The Science of Musical Instruments, Air Works, Solve lt!, Bubbles, Science Discover, Discovering the Natural World, more.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

BELLE’S PASTELS Career switch leads to a life centered on art Sometime you just have to follow your passion. That’s exactly what Belle McDougall did when she left her medical career to become a fulltime artist. She had been a physician assistant for 30 years in emergency medicine, general surgery, and orthopedic surgery when she made the decision to follow her heart. “Looking back, I can’t believe it was 30 years,” said Belle, who lives in Waterbury Center with her husband and teenage son. “I loved it, it was a great career, but it was time to do something else that I was sure I wanted to do. Life is so short and I wanted to spend more time with my artSTORY & PORTRAIT / KATE CARTER work and do it full-time as soon as my family life would allow it. I wanted to be an active participant in the art world.” Belle started painting 20 years ago with friends in a studio in Montpelier. She enjoyed drawing and painting and the artist community she found there. Her medium is soft pastels because she loves their brilliant colors, made of pure pigments bound with substrate. Her paintings vibrate with color, from deep hues of a threatening sky to vivid reds of a farm tractor. “Oils reflect light differently and watercolors don’t reflect light as purely,” she said. “The color of pastel pigments reflects the light brilliantly. That’s why I like them.”

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Unlike oil and watercolor painting, where you mix your colors on a palette before brushing them onto the canvas, pastel colors are blended right on the paper. “I blend colors based on what I see and what I like. I use paper that is similar to a 400- or 600-grit sandpaper. The texture allows you to build up layers of color. It’s painting, but not with a brush.” Inspiration for Belle comes during the golden hour of the day, when low-angle light caresses the landscape. She primarily paints from photos, but is developing the skills of plein air painting, where she mounts her easel and pastel tray on a sturdy tripod and paints outdoors. As a member of the Vermont Pastel Society, Bryan Gallery in Jeffersonville, and Pastel Painters of Cape Cod, Belle can participate in their exhibitions and juried shows. She submitted a painting to Pastel Painters of Cape Cod’s juried show and was happily surprised when it was accepted. She also won an award for a painting in the Vermont Pastel Society’s juried show called “Making the Most of Color.” When Belle wants fine art prints of her paintings, she takes them to Ward Rice in Stowe. Rice photographs the paintings, color-matches the digital files to the originals, and prints on canvas. For notecards, she uses Xpress, also in Stowe. Her paintings and notecards are on display and for sale at Stowe Street Emporium in Waterbury. Notecards are sold at Trapp Family

A few of Belle McDougal’s paintings: Underhill Side, Trapp Highlands, and Bolton Village Snowcat. Previous page: Belle paints a scene en plein air.

Lodge Gift Shop, Northwoods Gallery, and Stowe Kitchen Bath & Linens. She has a regular presence in the community at Art on Park in Stowe, held throughout the summer, as well as the Waterbury Arts Fest and two shows in Cape Cod. Belle has always liked sharing her knowledge, and teaches drawing and pastel painting to children. She also paints on commission. Anyone is welcome to visit her studio in Waterbury Center and see her inventory of Vermont scenes in all seasons. “The whole notion of switching career gears has played out well. Now that I’m just focused on my art, I can be so much more productive,” Belle said. “To get good at something, you have to put in the time. Finally, I am able to do that.” n

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: bellemcdougall.com.

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Bringing the Outdoors Indoors for Over 10 Years

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GORDON MILLER; AT TOP: COURTESY PHOTO

TRIP Dance Company, see p.125.

Conductor Daniel Bruce.

STOWE COMMUNITY CHURCH Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-7257. stowechurch.org.

“Snowy Woodland Stream” oil by Thomas Curtin, in the Legacy Collection

Bryan Memorial Gallery The Best of Vermont Local Arts. Come see why. &Žƌ ŚŽƵƌƐ ĂŶĚ ĞǆŚŝďŝƟŽŶƐ͕ ĂŶĚ Ă ƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞ ŽĨ Ă ĂďŝŶ &ĞǀĞƌ ůĞĐƚƵƌĞƐ Θ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƟŽŶƐ

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December 1 Stowe Community Church Christmas Fair Needlecrafts, baked goods, collectibles, wreaths, Pocket Lady, Quilt raffle. 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. December 17 Handel’s Messiah Community Sing-In Sing the choruses and celebrate winter solstice and holiday season. Featured soloists: Bill Bickford, Gary Moreau, Hannah Marshall, Bailey Hoar, Terry Dwyer, Mark Yakubosky, Taryn Noelle, Melissa Volansky, and Courtney DeRienzo. Audience members encouraged to join in for the choruses from the Christmas section of the oratorio, “Worthy Is the Lamb/Amen” and the “Hallelujah Chorus.” Bring your own score, or some are available for the evening at the door. Conducted by Daniel Bruce. 7 p.m.; doors open 6:30 p.m. $8 per person. December 19 Christmas Carol Sing Well-known religious and secular music selections. 7 p.m.

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STOWE FREE LIBRARY 90 Pond St. (802) 253-6145 or stop by the library. stowelibrary.org. Events subject to change; new events added, check website. No storytimes during school vacation weeks or during school closings due to weather. Storytimes and ongoing programs • Mondays, 10:15 a.m., ages 2 - 3 (except first Monday of the month); Wednesdays, 10:15 a.m., preschoolers ages 3 - 5; Fridays, 10:15 a.m., babies & toddlers up to 2. • Musical Munchkins with Andrea Soberman Music, songs, and stories. First Monday of the month, 10:15 a.m. • Nature programs for Pre-K, with Lamoille County Nature Center, ages 4 & up. First Thursday of the month through April, 10:30 a.m. November 30 A Stitch in Time—Children’s author Daphne Kalmar from Hardwick talks about and reads from her middle grade novel. 3:30 p.m. February 28 Modern Times Theatre Puppets, all ages. 1 pm.

STOWE LAND TRUST Stowe’s premier land conservation organization. stowelandtrust.org. Ongoing Walks with Kristen—Get outside with SLT executive director Kristen Sharpless. No RSVP required. Fridays, 3 - 4 p.m. Valcour Bog on snowshoes, January 24; vernal pool at Page Forest, April 19. February 16 Mill Trail Snowshoe Snowshoe exploration of the Mill Trail’s layered history ending with a warm drink by the fire at the cabin. All ages. Mill Trail, Notchbrook Road. 1-3 p.m. March 24 Family Sugaring Learn about maple sugaring from some of Stowe’s own sugarmakers. Tour, sap gathering, and samples. All ages. Preregistration required. Sage Farm and Percy Farm, Weeks Hill Road. 2 p.m. >>125

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COURTESY PHOTOS

T R AV E L O G U E

BROTHER DUTTON Stowe pilgrims seek sainthood in Honolulu, Moloka’i Five Vermont pilgrims went to the St. Damien and St. Marianne Cope Catholic Conference in Honolulu Oct. 5 to 7. Their mission: to support Brother Dutton’s “cause for sainthood.” He would join St. Damien and St. Marianne, who also served the lepers on Moloka’i in the 19th century. The pilgrims were Monsignor Peter Routhier, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe; parishioners Mary Skelton, Mindy Parisi, and Lynn Altadonna; and Denise Cope Parry of Berlin, Vt., the great-greatniece of St. Marianne Cope. Blessed Sacrament Church has 12 murals that Andre Girard painted on the sides of the Stowe church showing Brother Dutton, Fr. Damien and Sr. Marianne ministering to lepers on Moloka’i. The people in Hawaii treated the Vermont pilgrims with the respect associated with royalty. Sister Jovita and Sister Cheryl met them the airport, with leis of course, and introduced them to Honolulu. The day after the conference, the group flew to Moloka’i to tour the former settlements at Kalawao and Kalaupapa. In 2016, the bishop of Hawaii established a guild to evaluate Brother Dutton’s service. Guild members determined that Brother Dutton possessed the qualities for sainthood, and the bishop sent a letter formally asking authorities in Rome to open an investigation for Brother Dutton’s cause.

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If the answer from Rome is yes, the church will begin an investigation, but the process may take years to complete. The path to sainthood goes through the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Rome. The Congregation declared Sr. Marianne “heroically virtuous” in 2004, which led to a papal declaration of “Venerable.” Following authentication of a miracle—prayers for healing youngster Katherine Mahoney, with multiple organ failure—Marianne was beatified in 2005. When a second miracle was verified, Marianne was canonized in 2012, 94 years after she died. Father Damien was canonized in 2009, 120 years after his death from leprosy—the disease that killed 8,000 people in Kalaupapa. Is Brother Dutton, born in Stowe in 1843, worthy of consideration for

From top left: Sister Jovita and Stowe pilgrims visit the statue of St. Marianne Cope. Both Father Damien and Brother Dutton are buried next to St. Philomena Church on Moloka’i. A historical photo of St. Philomena, with sea cliffs in the background. Br. Dutton sits at his desk in his office at Kalawao, reading the original manuscript of his memoirs and reminiscences.

sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church by virtue of his 45 years of service to the leper colony on Molokai? Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church in Stowe certainly hopes so. The pastor, Monsignor Peter Routhier, led the four Stowe pilgrims to make Brother Dutton’s case. They spoke with the committee assigned to investigate Brother Dutton’s case for sainthood. While the people at the conference were receptive, the pilgrims were told that the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church is expensive, long, and slow. Blessed Sacrament Church was built in 1949 on the farm where Brother Dutton was born. His family soon after moved to Wisconsin. The Stowe church, however, was dedicated to Brother Dutton because of his extraordinary service to “the least of God’s people.” n —Lynn Altadonna

COFFEE HOUSE COURTESY PHOTOS

Makeba I, Seb Sweatman, 54"x72", synograph on canvas.

llen DeGeneres thinks Seb Sweatman’s painting is “fantastic.” She praised the Stowe artist on her TV show while interviewing her wife, Portia de Rossi; a small selection of Sweatman’s pieces are part of her new art sales business, General Public, which aims to get works of art, in as close to their original form as possible, to as many people as want to own them. General Public uses 3D technology to create synographs, technology developed by de Rossi and Fujifilm that replicates a painting’s texture, as well as its pigmentation. Sweatman began to paint as a child in South Africa, where he was born. He vividly recalls the smell of oil paints. Now, he paints mostly in acrylics, in a garage studio at his West Hill Road home in Stowe. For years, he struggled to sell paintings, even though his work has been featured in plenty of galleries around the area. Sweatman said the internet has allowed him and other artists to transcend local markets. He currently sells pieces on Saatchi Art, an online art market. He sold a piece to a well-known person, who’s associated with de Rossi, who wanted to see more of Sweatman’s paintings for General Public. “I like what they’re trying to do,” he said. “For an artist, any exposure is great. If they want to print it on T-shirts, that’s all right with me.” He likes the process of painting more than he often likes the end result, and wants to get his art into the hands of people who really like it. General Public is one way for him to do that. —Caleigh Cross

Portia de Rossi FEATURES STOWE ARTIST

Friends of the Stowe Free Library host Charlie Nardozzi, an award-winning, nationally recognized garden writer, speaker, and radio and television personality on Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the Stowe Free Library. Nardozzi will talk about gardening in problem places. The discussion will cover ornamental gardening, the best plants and techniques for problem areas around your home such as shade, wet spots, hot, dry locations, slopes, and clay or poor soil. He has worked for more than 25 years bringing expert gardening information to home gardeners through radio, television, talks, tours, on-line, and the printed page. Charlie delights in making gardening information simple, easy, fun, and accessible to everyone.

The backyard CHARLIE NARDOZZI

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Stowe filmmaker Israel Brooks didn’t expect his next short film idea to come from National Public Radio. But when he heard a report about undocumented immigrants living in the United States who flee to Canada in fear of deportation, the story came to life for him. Brooks, who owns the Stowe-based production company Fast Fire Films, knew he had to commit it to film. “The idea just never occurred to me that there were people living in this country, and had come here seeking freedom and the promise of opportunity, and hopefully the promise of escaping their situations in their home countries, and the idea that all these people were suddenly fleeing this country in droves to cross the border into Canada, that really struck me,” Brooks said. “The Four Keys” was filmed in just three weeks, spanning locations from Kingston, N.Y., to the U.S. border crossing in Highgate, Vt. Rosa, the main character, is a floor manager at an unnamed company and a housekeeper for a white woman in New York. She is played by Aris Mejias, a Puerto Rican actress who appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s “Che: Part One (2008),” co-starred with Martin Sheen in “The Vessel (2016),” and had roles in the 2017 drama “Sol de Medianoche” (Midnight Sun), and other feature-length and short films. Through the 14-minute film, viewers watch Rosa dismantle the life she’s built in the U.S. When she quits her job as a floor manager, she gives up one of the four keys on her key ring—the film’s title, as well as a metaphor stringing the film together. “Keys are a small symbol of what we have in the world that’s ours,” Brooks said. Brooks said his film, produced last February, is especially poignant in light of family separations at the southern border. “I’m proud of it.” —Caleigh Cross

Filmmaker

IMMIGRANT STORY

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Raffi

Lilla P

Margaret O’leary

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Tolani

TRIP DANCE COMPANY FUNDRAISER Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 1 Hourglass Lane, Spruce Peak. sprucepeaksarts.org. March 22 – 23 Dozens of dancers perform ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, tap, and hip-hop. March 22, 7 p.m.; March 23, 3 p.m.

VERMONT SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUM One S. Main St., Stowe. Open daily except Monday, 12 - 5 p.m. Handicap accessible. Suggestion donation $5. (802) 253-9911. vtssm.com. Red Bench/Thirsty Thursday Series Each month brings a new subject and speaker. 6 p.m. Beverages available. Entrance donation $10. December 6: History of the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol, Vermont historian Brian Lindner and others.

VERMONT TASTE Various venues around Stowe. Full list of participants, schedule, and tickets at vermonttaste.org. May 20 – June 30 Community celebration of the area’s chefs, brewers, bakers, and creators. Events at restaurants, resorts, breweries to benefit Copley Hospital.

WATERBURY WINTERFEST Locations throughout Waterbury. waterburywinterfest.com. January 25 – February 3 Broomball, dance, cross-country skiing, Christmas tree bonfire, human bowling, moonlight snowshoe, open mic, hockey, more. COURTESY PHOTO

Zach Nugent.

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HOT GLASS

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STORY

: caleigh cross

PHOTOGRAPHS

: gordon miller

Caleigh Cross works under the direction of glassblower Michael Trimpol to craft a swirled vase.

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‘BLOW YOUR OWN GLASS’ Clockwise from top left: Writer Caleigh Cross concentrates as glassblower Michael Trimpol of Little River Hotglass Studio shows her how to use jacks, a tool used to shape glass. As he helps her make a vase, Cross watches Trimpol’s technique. Using a paddle-shaped tool creates a slight dip in the bottom of the vase for decorative purposes. Using jacks gets easier with more practice.

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t’s pretty scary—get a glob of red-hot molten glass on the end of a long rod and then blow, hard, to turn it into a shape. Michael Trimpol will coach you through it. Trimpol and his wife, Monique LaJeunesse, own Little River Hotglass, a professional glassblowing studio on Moscow Road in Stowe. Recently they opened up their studio for “blow your own glass” sessions, in which Trimpol gives glassblowing lessons and guides people through crafting their very own handblown glass item. Most people choose to make vases, drinking glasses, or bowls, Trimpol said, but he’s also had requests to teach people how to make plates, or delicate pumpkins with intricately spiraling stems. Whatever they want to make, Trimpol does his best to accommodate. “The main goal is for them to have a positive experience with as much handson as is practical,” Trimpol said. Maintaining a glassblowing studio can be expensive, and solitary, so Trimpol welcomes the chance to invite tourists and residents into his studio to teach them. “Younger people, meaning pretty much anybody under 30, they’re looking not so much to acquire objects or things, but they’re looking for experiences,” he said. “By offering the blowyour-own, it provides something in town for people on rainy days or people who don’t want to go skiing or hiking. “We’re really passionate about glassblowing, and it also is a way of sharing something that we feel really passionate about with people. It’s a pretty good fit” for Little River Hotglass. Trimpol started blowing glass after taking a summer course while pursuing a degree in fine arts; his studies focused on printmaking, “of all things,” he said with a chuckle. But it also included a chance to blow glass, and “I got hooked,” he said. So he left Montreal, where he was attending school, and went to Toronto to further his glassblowing education.

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HEAT! Clockwise from top left: A bulb of glass is heated in one of Little River Hotglass’s three furnaces. It’s much easier to shape glass when it’s freshly heated. Trimpol uses a pair of jacks to coax a bulb of hot glass forward on the blow pipe.

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After working in a few Ontario studios, Trimpol opened his own studio in Toronto and ran it for eight years. Owning a glassblowing studio is expensive, he says. Furnaces run yearround and consume massive amounts of propane. “Once you’re hot, you have all these ongoing costs of gas and glass. You want to take advantage of using it. It would be like having a restaurant and going down from three meals a day to one meal a day and only on weekends,” Trimpol said. ince costs are high, glassblowing is not a casual hobby. But Trimpol’s blow-your-own can give people an hour-long experience. “It’s not, in most cases, something they want to drop everything (for) and make into their own very expensive hobby. It’s still not as accessible as many other things,” he said. But, he thinks glassblowing encourages mindfulness, and he loves introducing people to the craft on which he built his life. “Glassblowing really has you focusing down on what you’re doing, on your emotions, on what you’re doing next, on how the glass is moving, and you’re trying to relate to it. Anything can be a mindfulness practice, but by its very

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SHAPING GLASS Clockwise from top left: Michael Trimpol reheats the vase to allow him to shape it more easily in his reheating furnace. His studio has two. Trimpol trims the rough edges off the top of the vase. Blasting the bottom of the vase with a blowtorch smooths off any remaining misshapen glass before it cools. Using a piece of damp newspaper to shape the glass allows for more dexterous control. Inset: Looking into the vase from the top.

nature and the potential danger by working with a really hot material like that, you have to have that focus. Even once you get to a professional skill level—where you’re not having to constantly think of the minutiae, it’s become if not reflex, at least semiautomatic, and you’re able to talk to somebody or look around or whatever—it still requires a certain percentage of your focus to be that same sort of meditative, active, zen focus,” Trimpol said. “It’s a really nice state to be in.” rimpol’s studio is warm and open, with windows that cast light onto a collection of multicolored glass orbs that were made in the studio. For guests, the first thing he does is name the tools—the jacks, which resemble giant tongs and help shape the glass once it’s hot; the block, a piece of fruitwood soaked in water that can be used to stabilize glass and give it support while it’s malleable; and the blowpipe, through which the artist blows to expand the glass. Each guest chooses colors, and Trimpol prepares the glass and melts it in his melting furnace, advising people not to look directly at the white-hot fire within. Its normal operating temperature is about 1,950 degrees Fahrenheit, but it can get up to 2,500 degrees while Trimpol is refilling it.

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The studio’s two reheating furnaces operate at about 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t tell Trimpol that anything about glassblowing is “cool”; he’ll laugh and tell you, “No, it’s hot.” Writer Caleigh Cross crafted a vase, with Trimpol’s careful guidance. He even allowed her to make decisions about the piece—“Do you want it fluted, or even?” he asked about the top of the vase—and then helped turn, reheat, and shape the molten glass, which looks like a glowing Q-Tip at first, until, like magic, it becomes a vase, a bowl, or a drinking glass. Most people tell Trimpol it’s like nothing they’ve ever done before. He loves teaching groups best of all. “The people watching, the slightly off-color jokes and double entendres that glassblowing tends to encourage, they have a great, great time. I want people to have a good time,” he said. n

A GLASS MENAGERIE Samples of Trimpol’s work. Monique LaJeunesse, Trimpol’s wife and business partner, co-own the glassblowing studio on Moscow Road.

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////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: Little River Hotglass Studio, 593 Moscow Rd., Stowe, is open Thursday through Monday 10-5, and often on Tuesdays and by appointment. A working studio, people are welcome to come in and watch or even make their own handblown item. For a hands-on experience, make reservations at info@littleriverhotglass.com or (802) 253-0889. littleriverhotglass.com.

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HISTORY LESSON

MAKING TRACKS Clockwise from top: “Little Italy” where Italian construction workers lived during the building of the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad. The site was across the road from today’s Ben and Jerry’s factory. (Photo courtesy Skip Flanders) Winter scene of a train car, location unknown. Stowe-bound over the Waterbury Center trestle. Note the overhead wires that powered the train. (Photos courtesy Stowe and Waterbury historical societies)

WHEN THE TRAINS RAN New information emerges on Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad Just when you think you’ve done your best research and written the best story, new information comes to light. At least that’s what I thought after writing about the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad in the Stowe Guide & Magazine (Summer / Fall 2008). But a surprising amount of long-forgotten information continues to surface. Although little trace of the old railroad (1897-1932) still exists, it was once the primary mode of transportation between Waterbury and Stowe. In the 1800s, communities generally needed a railroad to entice new business and to generate prosperity. Towns fought to attract railroads STORY / BRIAN LINDNER to build tracks through their villages. Nobody thought of protesting either the construction or major disruptions to the landscape. Why, then, was there a neartotal lack of newspaper coverage with the coming of the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad? For example, although hundreds of people showed up at the official groundbreaking ceremony, not one word appeared in the local paper.

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In the 1890s, photographs were expensive, difficult to take, develop, and print. For those reasons, only special events attracted photographers. New evidence has recently been uncovered to indicate the opening event was so significant that multiple photographs were taken at the ceremony, although none have come to light … yet. The lack of newspaper coverage seems to have perpetuated a myth that recent research has finally corrected. Prior histories pinpoint the first day of

operation as Dec. 11, 1897. We now know the line was carrying passengers over the completed portions of the line from as early as October. Still, zero coverage. Somebody decided in 1897 that the official opening of a new, high-tech railroad was not worthy of mention. We will probably never know why the newspaper so thoroughly ignored the biggest local story of the time. News of the construction should have been front page in every issue. Did the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad and newspaper owners dislike each other? Maybe a future researcher will discover an explanation. The paper did have occasional small stories. The first article appeared on May 18, 1897, and simply said, “George Gibbs began work blasting for the Mount Mansfield Railroad last week.” This tells us construction began someplace in the middle of the line, as there was nothing to blast at either terminal. As construction proceeded, there was no further reporting until Aug. 10, when construction workers were mentioned. Italian immigrants, for

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the most part, built the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad; they lived in two camps throughout the construction. The first, “Camp Italy,” was located on the mud flats across Route 100 from today’s Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury. The workers lived in mud and stick huts as they built the first sections of the 10-mile line. During that August, according to new information, some of the workers moved to the Will Adams farmhouse—home today of Stowe Maple Products near the junction of Route 100 and Moscow Road. Finally, in a rather complimentary tone, on Aug. 31 the newspaper reported that a steam locomotive had run that week, going toward Stowe and the point where construction was ongoing. “The end is now in sight,” the newspaper reported. Although short, the article clearly portrayed a sense of excitement at the knowledge that the new train would soon be running the full distance to Stowe. By early October, iron rails were laid through Waterbury Center. To test the giant wooden trestle, the first engine pushed three cars loaded with passengers over the 60-foot-high span. Nobody seems to have expressed concern that the largest wooden train trestle in Vermont was tested with men, women, and children on board. Although there was very little coverage of the ongoing construction, there was splashy >>

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coverage when drinking at Camp Italy led to one Robert Snow being found “insensible” with a “badly bruised head.” James Savage and Michael Angelo (“an Italian”) were arrested for assault and battery on Snow. They were hustled off to the Montpelier jail to await trial; justice was a lot faster in 1897. It is unclear if they were convicted. As the railbed and tracks moved toward Stowe, it seems they pushed right through the middle of Henry Thomas’ new beanery. He had to dig up all his plants. In today’s world, one can picture a crowd of protestors. Back in 1897, it appears Thomas just moved his plants. By Nov. 30, the tracks had been laid all the way to the Depot Building in Stowe village. A powerhouse to generate the power—the train ran on DC electricity—was located on Shutesville Hill near the Stowe/Waterbury town line and also neared completion. Workers installed the poles and hung the overhead power lines up and down the 10 miles of track. According to one report, “The Italians have finished their work on the job and 40 took the night express last evening (back to) Boston.” A huge cut in a massive clay bank in Waterbury had already begun to slide. The same George Gibbs mentioned earlier was quickly hired with 12 men and two teams of horses to clear the slide, time after time. Although the location is unknown, the same Mr. Gibbs left three sticks of dynamite near a hot woodstove in a Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad work shed. Minutes later he heard “a terrific explosion.” The railroad lost a shed, but nobody was hurt. During its years of operation, the railroad had several accidents but only one fatality. Given the safety standards of the time, that was a remarkably good record. Nonetheless, the Vermont Railroad Commission once issued a very critical safety review and in 1907 and ordered all non-electric heaters removed from the cars. In 1909, the massive trestle in Waterbury Center was replaced by a new one, also made of giant wooden timbers. The Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad operated from 1897 until 1932, when its rickety financials combined with pressure from the state of Vermont forced the doors to close. Officials wanted the railbed to use for automobiles as they began to replace trains around the country. Unlike the railroad’s opening, the demise was covered in sad detail. The Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad was replaced by bus service and a newfangled concrete highway called Route 100. During 2018, that concrete, which has plagued modern vehicles for decades, finally got a desperately needed upgrade. William Warren, who was the conductor on the Mount Mansfield Electric Railroad for most of its existence, is probably looking down and saying, “You should have left the MMER alone.” n

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COURTESY PHOTOS

F I L M F E S T I VA L

STOWE STORY LABS Workshop pairs aspiring filmmakers, mentors The digital age has made it easier than ever to make movies, and thousands of people are shooting short films on their phones and editing them in iMovie. A lot of those films are surprisingly good, but never make it past YouTube and the immediate circle of friends who subscribe to that aspiring filmmaker’s channel. So how do you get that unique film seen by the rest of the world? “The film industry is nearly impenetrable,” said David Rocchio of Stowe. “Making something that actually has a chance of being seen is nearly impossible.” Rocchio has firsthand experience in working to advance his own work and a long-held dream of writing film scripts. He had some success with a film that reached the 2012 Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner, where he met David Pope, a consultant on training and professional development for the international, independent film industry. Rocchio sat in on a workshop about pitching your script to producers, facilitated by Pope. The experience got him thinking about hosting a similar workshop. Rocchio reconnected with Pope a year later at the Rotterdam Film Festival’s CineMart, and proposed hosting a story lab in Stowe. Pope signed on immediately and the two launched Stowe Story Labs in 2013. Their objective is to help aspiring film writers bridge the gap between writing a script and getting it produced. MAKING MAGIC At top: A still from Brian Padian’s “Black Sea.” “My vision with Stowe Story A still from “Insomnia,” proof of concept. Written and directed by Labs is to pair aspiring filmmakDanielle Karagannis. Stowe Story Labs founder David Rocchio of ers with mentors from places like Stowe, at right, with some of this year’s attendees. NYC, London, and LA to talk about the industry and what they look for, and to provide consultation about how to look at your work as art and also as business,” Rocchio said. “It’s an opportunity for top-emerging screenwriters, filmmakers, and creative producers to help gain access to the industry and get their work made and seen.” Stowe Story Labs had 16 participants and four mentors that first year; in 2018, it had 50 participants and a pool of about 35 mentors. Participants and mentors come from around the world for an intensive four-day session on how to get a film made. The participants bring one well-developed script that they fine-tune at the lab, based on feedback from mentors. The primary objective is learning how to pitch that script successfully to producers. Esra Saydam is from Istanbul, Turkey, and came to the U.S. for college and graduate school. She has been living in New York City since 2008, working with an established film company.

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/ KATE CARTER

She had success with one film, “Across the Sea,” available on Amazon Prime. Now she is working on another script, which she brought to Stowe Story Labs. She pitched that film six times to six different mentors. As a result, “I am now able to look at my script from another point of view and feel confident and prepared to make my pitch to producers.” Those other perceptions are crucial, she said. “We are often stuck in a balloon with people similar to us in looks, thoughts, tastes. This lab had diversity in all senses. I learned from people who have other things going on in their lives, besides meeting with producers and financers.” Stowe Story Labs was based at the Helen Day Art Center. Participants meet in groups of six, with one mentor. They give a three-minute pitch on what their films are about, describing the characters, setting, theme, and timeline. Mentors, who work in many different aspects of the film industry, give a seven-minute critique and identify where the pitch is failing. The goal is for the filmmaker to be able to pitch a script really well to any film executive anywhere. Stowe Story Lab participants submit applications that are reviewed by a committee. The lab fee is $2,250 plus lodging and expenses. Thirteen no-fee fellowships and 10 partial scholarships are available. “There’s a whole network of aspiring artists from around the world who crave coming to Stowe to work on their craft and be inspired, and they fall in love with the place,” Rocchio said. About 70 percent of Stowe Story Labs participants are women, 30 percent are lowincome, 30 percent are people of color, and 30 percent are over age 55. The geographic diversity is from everywhere. So are the film genres, from drama and documentary to horror and humor. Each participant brings a unique story, shares it, improves the promotional pitch, and learns to navigate the complex world of getting films made and seen. Get ready, world—here comes the next Greta Gerwig! n

Honing the pitch

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FOUND IN VERMONT SIMPLY METAL, SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL Jon Black is an award-winning jeweler who lives and works in Stowe. He creates contemporary, fluid, graceful jewelry and works primarily in sterling silver and copper, as well as gold and nickel for accents. His style is elegant simplicity with subtle embellishments that unexpectedly catch the eye. He uses recycled materials whenever possible. After studying fine-metals and receiving his bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of Vermont, Jon has his own studio jewelry business, with a focus on handmade, high-quality work. INFO: See his jewelry at Edgewater Gallery and Stowe Craft Gallery in Stowe.

BE WARE, SAID THE POTTER SNOW CARE FOR YOUR SKIN Snow Wakeman has been making wholesome skin care products in Greensboro, Vt., for more than a decade. She started Snowspun out of personal necessity, when, as a ski instructor, her sensitive skin suffered from exposure to weather and she couldn’t find a remedy that was safe, organic, and actually worked. A trained herbalist, she turned to natural ingredients, such as shea butter, aloe vera, beeswax, and essential oils, and created lotions, creams, and salves in her kitchen. Coworkers were her guinea pigs and she fine-tuned her potions based on their feedback, tweaking the Snowspun products to what they are today. Her lineup includes Snow Cream, Snow Lotion, Snow Remedy, and Insect Free. INFO: snowspun.com.

Andy Snyder likes to throw things. Bowls, platters, vases, honey pots. He throws them in his studio, Mud Puppy Pottery, located in Burlington. Snyder is all about having fun in the mud, creating pottery that is functional, artistic, and makes customers smile. His work feels carefree, with swirls, swooshes, and splashes of color that bring a lightness to the clay. According to Snyder’s neighbor and photographer Colette Klug’s blog, his colors are usually “earthy tones with subtle pops of color, the textures natural, that mimic bark, stones, brush strokes.” Snyder vends his wares at craft shows and his studio. His inventory is vast and he takes custom orders. INFO: Need a bowl for your mudpuppies? Find him online at mudpuppypottery.com.

WE WILL ROCK YOU No doubt you will seriously impress friends when you pull a rock out of the fridge with a bottle of wine stuck on it. Funky Rock Designs are made by a funky guy in Elliot, Maine, who spends hours collecting natural ocean and river stones from the New England coast and riverbanks. The Stone Drink Dispenser, aka The Booze Dispenser, is made of cobbled granite and comes in four colors. Simply tip an opened bottle of your favorite non-carbonated beverage into the dispenser and pull the tap. Or get the strong guy to hold the rock upside down, slide it over the bottle, and flip them together right side up. You can store the rock in the fridge for a cool pour anytime. INFO: Available exclusively in Stowe at Stowe Craft Gallery, stowecraft.com. They’ll even ship.

ENDLESS SCARVES FOR ENDLESS WINTERS Infinity scarves by Nicole’s Threads are handmade in Vermont by seamstress Nicole Carey. She designs and sews these beauties in small batches in her Burlington studio. Some are made of stretchy organic cotton jersey in plain colors and patterns, while others have winter and warmth in mind. The ones that best represent Vermont are made of 100-percent organic cotton flannel and come in traditional Vermonty colors: red and gray, blue and black, mustard and gray, orange cream … you get the idea. Nicole also makes baby blankets, scrunchies, and headbands. —Kate Carter INFO: nicolesthreads.com

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GLENN CALLAHAN

DINING & LODGING

The Stowe area boasts a variety of cuisines and dining atmospheres, from swanky bistros that embrace the local food movement to fine-dining establishments featuring award-winning chefs and busy pubs with the latest microbrews—and everything in between! Check out the area’s great places to stay, as well, from full-service resorts to quaint country inns. Our guide to dining and lodging outlines the myriad choices from which to choose, and perfectly complements the Stowe Area Association’s menu and dining book.

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EDIBLES

ON THE HOOCH TRAIL Local distilleries craft top-shelf spirits

LET A LITTLE SUNSHINE IN Howie Faircloth and Tim Danahy in the tasting room of Green Mountain Distillers.

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS

Vermont has a long and complicated history with hooch. Well before the state incorporated in 1791, community life centered around taverns, with alcohol consumed in large quantities. In the 1800s, Congress placed an embargo on all goods imported from England, but that did not deter liquor trafficking and consumption. As a workaround, the Brits shipped cargo to Canada and smuggled their goods into the U.S. through a rugged pass in northern Vermont, now called Smugglers Notch. Large caves in the Notch were perfect for hiding all kinds of products, and roads between Canada and Vermont were largely unpatrolled. Bootleggers gladly took advantage of the situation. Vermonters wanted their spirits, but that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop reformers from fighting the evils of drunkenness. The Vermont Temperance Society formed in 1828, and by the 1830s towns were petitioning the Legislature to end liquor sales. After the repeal of Prohibition (1920 to 1933), many Vermont communities enforced local option laws to limit the use and sale of alcohol. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until the craft beer movement exploded in the 1990s that the regulatory attitude toward alcohol began to relax. No one could deny that craft beer sales provided a shot to the economy.

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/ Kate Carter

Distillers soon joined in the fun, and tapped into the opportunities that brewers had already discovered: People love locally made, smallbatch booze. The state now boasts 18 distilleries; four within a short drive of Stowe. The small but robust community of brewers, distillers, farmers, and even beekeepers collaborates on many levels to bring unique spirits to the table.

Green Mountain Distillers

Five miles north of Stowe, overlooking Route 100 to the west and the Worcester Range to the east, is Green Mountain Distillers, maker of the popular Sunshine Vodka. Business partners Timothy Danahy and Howie Faircloth released their first batch of vodka in 2003. Longtime pals who grew up in the same Baltimore neighborhood, they both have roots in brewing, and installed and ran The Shed brewery (now Idletyme) in the 1990s. Then Faircloth attended a distilling school in Lexington, Ky. He returned to Stowe, where he and Danahy launched Green Mountain Distillers.

EDIBLES Green Mountain Distillers new run of maple barrelaged rye whiskey, available only at the distillery, just a few minutes north of Stowe.

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“Distilling is a natural extension from brewing,” Faircloth explained. “It’s a basic distillation process; you can use the same equipment, and they share a lot of the same skill sets.” Sunshine Vodka is the company’s biggest seller. It’s gluten- and sugar-free and made from 100 percent organic white corn. “All of our ingredients and our process are certified organic by Vermont Organic Farmers,” Danahy said. Green Mountain Distiller’s regular and flavored vodkas, as well as its gin and maple liquor, are available in any state liquor store, but its limited run of Hypothesis maple barrelaged rye whiskey is not. Hypothesis was released in fall 2018 and is available only at the distillery. “We got our start with whiskey, but we age it 15 years, which is a long time to wait to bring a product to the public,” Danahy said. “We realized we needed to do something more immediate, so we came out with Sunshine Vodka in 2003. We are primarily known for vodka, but our hearts are in the whiskey.” Danahy and Faircloth provide a tasting experience at their distillery, where visitors can see the still and learn about the distilling process. Their private tasting room is available for small parties; in the summer they have an event tent for larger groups. “We’re here, we have a still, and we’re making some of the best booze around,” Danahy said. INFO: greendistillers.com.

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EDIBLES ‘DOUBLE GOLD’ Caledonia Spirits has been making its award-winning gin and vodka since 2009. Company president Ryan Christiansen. Inset: Barrels of Tom Cat gin.

From Green Mountain Distillers it’s a half-hour drive to Caledonia Spirits in Hardwick, via Route 15. Its Barr Hill gin is so well-known that many people think Barr Hill is the name of the distillery, when in fact it’s the name of the gin and vodka made by Caledonia Spirits. Honey is the driving force here. Todd Hardy, a beekeeper who made mead from his honey, started Caledonia Spirits in 2009, when it was a winery. He joined forces with Ryan Christiansen, owner of a home-brewing store in Plainfield, and Christiansen persuaded Hardy to try distilling. Their first product was Barr Hill Gin, named for a nearby natural area. “Our gin recipe is not complicated,” said Christiansen, now Caledonia Spirits’ president and head distiller. “We start with juniper berries and add honey. Todd was the dominating force in using honey, and it was a home run.” When they began distilling gin, they used about 650 pounds of raw honey a year. That has exploded to 70,000 pounds in 2018. “We buy from a family farm in New York,” Christiansen said. “We want to stay with one apiary so our product is consistent. They are the only apiary nearby that can provide what we need.”

Caledonia Spirits

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Barr Hill gin won “Double Gold” at the New York International Spirit competition shortly after it was released. A year later, Caledonia Spirits introduced Tom Cat gin, which uses the same distillation process, but is aged in new, fresh-charred, American oak barrels. “It’s sort of bourbon meets gin,” Christiansen said. In addition, Caledonia Spirits produces Barr Hill vodka, also made with 100 percent fermented and distilled raw honey. In 2015, Christiansen and several partners acquired Hardy’s share of Caledonia Spirits; he returned to farming and now provides Caledonia Spirits with 4 acres of barley, 24 acres of rye, and 200 elderberry plants. Most of the ingredients in the distillery’s spirits are grown in Vermont. The future looks sweet for Caledonia Spirits. It is experimenting with new ingredients, such as burdock root, and in May 2019, will

EDIBLES Craig Slaughter on the Caledonia Spirits label line, noting date and bottle number of Barr Hill vodka. The bottles are flipped upside down and the neck dipped in a golden beeswax for a final sealing.

move to Montpelier and double the size of its facility. In addition to a tasting room in Hardwick, it has a presence at Edelweiss Mountain Deli on the Mountain Road in Stowe, Wednesday to Saturday from 11 to 6. INFO: caledoniaspirits.com. The next distillery is 40 minutes from Hardwick, in Jeffersonville, where you’ll find Smugglers’ Notch Distillery. It produced its first bottle of vodka in 2010 and immediately rose to the top of the rating charts. What’s the secret? According to coowner Jeremy Elliott, it’s love and care. Smugglers’ Notch Distillery is owned by the father/son team Ron and Jeremy Elliott. Ron was a business executive and Jeremy was a research chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, a background that has served him well in the legal compliance aspect of running a distillery. When he left the drug industry, he immersed himself in spirits by volunteering at a number of distilleries in California.

Smugglers’ Notch Distillery

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GROWTH SPURT Smugglers’ Notch Distillery in Jeffersonville has grown rapidly over the last decade. Jeremy Elliott showcases the company’s line of liquor. Inset: Tasting room display.

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Smugglers’ Notch Vodka is made from corn, winter wheat, and Vermont spring water. “All vodka is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, which is achieved by process controls or by charcoal,” said the younger Elliott. “Ours is unique because we don’t use charcoal. It’s wellrounded, chewy, viscous. It’s got body and feel. The distillery also makes gin, rum, whiskey, and bourbon. WhistlePig Whiskey, based in “Gin is an Shoreham, Vt., has a tasting expression of room in the Vermont Artisan Coffee building, 11 Cabin Lane, personality,” Waterbury Center. Elliott said. “We made several and could not decide which one to go with, so we crowdsourced and had people choose their favorite. We ended up with Blend No. 802 Gin, made of organic juniper berries, coriander, and angelica root, the three main staples of London dry gin, plus grains of paradise, lemon peel, and licorice root. It has an outstanding mouth feel.” The company also makes hopped gin in small batches with Vermontgrown Cascade hops. The Bourbon Barrel Aged Rum and the Maple Rum are a nod to

New England’s rum heritage and to Vermont’s maple industry. The company’s line also has two bourbon whiskeys and a limited-edition Dead Duck Bourbon Whiskey. “Our straight bourbon whiskey sold out in 2013 during the bourbon craze. People love it,” Elliott said. “When we brought out Litigation Wheat Whiskey, it rose to one of the top 100 spirits in the U.S.” Elliott, chosen as one of 20 emerging leaders of Vermont, is keen on educating consumers about making spirits “so they understand what goes into it.” He will be able to take that goal to a higher level in the company’s new facility, seven times larger than the place where they started. It’s a renovated postand-beam structure and features an extensive tasting room. “We started in a garage and now we’re in a dream space,” Elliott said. You can also visit a Smugglers’ Notch Distillery tasting room in Waterbury Center, next to the Cabot Annex. INFO: smugglersnotchdistillery.com.

EDIBLES

BEE HAVEN HONEY FARM Couple turns beekeeping into bulk honey, body-care product biz Japanese knotweed, that awful invasive species, is actually good for something: Honey. Bees love it and its pollen makes some of the best honey you will ever taste. That, according to Rick and Genevieve Drutchas. They own Bee Haven Honey Farm in Worcester, Vt., and can identify the pollen that goes into all their honey—clover and other legumes, basswood, locust and linden trees, honeySTORY & PHOTOGRAPHS / Kate Carter suckle, brown knapweed, goldenrod, and the dreadful Japanese knotweed, just to name a few. Rick Drutchas has been fascinated with honey since he was a kid. As a young adult, he worked for a commercial queen rearer in Alabama and the next thing he knew he had a few hundred hives. In the early 1970s, he bought a former dairy farm in Worcester—now the home of Bee Haven Honey Farm—and was the Vermont state apiarist for over a decade. When he left that job, he bought a commercial beekeeping operation in the Champlain Islands. He had 38 apiaries >>

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and 700 hives in northwestern Vermont. Enter Genevieve. A former psychotherapist in Hyde Park and an avid gardener and lover of everything herbaceous, she met Rick in 2008 and eventually joined him in his beekeeping and domestic endeavors. She tends a garden of medicinal plants and common food at their home, and makes natural and medicinal body products from honey, honeycombs, and herbs. Oils, balms, tonics, tinctures, extracts, soaps, and candles come to life in her semi-industrial queen bee kitchen. “This is something where I’ve felt like I’m only doing good,” she said.

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With time, things change, including the agricultural climate in the Champlain Islands. The fields that fed the bees for so long could no longer sustain them. “Dairy farming is symbiotic with apiaries. Dairy farms have pastures with clover and many other pollinators, but clover is the best,” Rick said. “Any field with a wide gamut of plants is a beautiful place for bees.” But when a dairy farm shuts down and the fields are abandoned, the bees are suddenly homeless. Many dairy farmers in the Champlain Islands threw in the towel, while produce farmers turned to GMO crops. The bee population declined. When he started, Rick produced three tons of honey in one day of production. Over time, that diminished to one ton. Between the diminishing bee population and his failing knees, it was time to scale back. He sold the Champlain Islands apiaries and >>

EDIBLES retail accounts, but retained a handful of favorite apiaries. Rick and Genevieve’s plan was to only sell high-quality bulk honey from their home. No more farmers markets and retail accounts. “It was an interesting transition from retail to what we do now,” Genevieve said. “We reached out to the flower community, friends into herbalism, and people who are seriously interested in honey—medicine makers, home bakers, hemp growers. It’s a small and supportive community. Now we only sell in bulk, mostly one-pound and five-pound buckets, and some smaller sizes. “We sell to people who are food-focused and have a quality-focused ethic. We get a lot of Eastern European customers. One Russian woman came to taste our honey and started crying. She said store-bought honey was dead. She was so happy to find us.” In many ways, honey is like wine. An astute palate can discern subtle differences in flavors that can be described in similar ways: overtones, big, bright, hints of (fill in the blank), earthy, you get the picture. Someone with a fine-tuned palate can distinguish the difference between honey that contains basswood pollen and honey that has knotweed pollen. As with red wine, honey has resveratrol, which its advocates say helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces low-density lipoprotein, and prevents blood clots. “When you eat raw honey, the difference is amazing,” Rick said. “People like to see clear honey, but to get clear honey it must be heated, and when you heat it you lose much of the aroma and flavor, and when it’s pasteurized you lose the beneficial aspects—antibacterial, antiviral, and moisturizing.” Rich and Genevieve honed in on a niche when they realized people wanted varietal honey, so instead of blending everything they harvest at one time, they harvest twice a year, with a summer crop and a fall crop. “The summer honey is a lighter color and flavor,” Genevieve said. “The winter crop is darker and stronger, more exotic and complex. People love to taste it and know where it comes from.” Honey lovers can buy in bulk at Bee Haven Honey Farm on limited Sunday afternoons. n

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/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: Check the website for dates and hours: beehavenhoneyfarm.com.

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life of a stowe

CHEF “Who? Who? Who cooks for you,” called the owl in the woods.

In Stowe, it’s an amazing crop of talented chefs who cook for you! There are nearly 50 restaurants in Stowe, where chefs create delicious meals, seven days a week, just for you. Passionate about their profession, these chefs work hard to bring their best plates to your table. Running a kitchen has endless challenges. In fact, it can be all-consuming, from sourcing local food and meeting with vendors, and from hiring the right kitchen crew to meeting a budget. Here we present six chefs who have been cooking for Stowe guests and locals for years. They love what they do and take pride in their work. They have all gone to the “school of hands-on experience,” and bring to the table a love of food, creativity, and a desire to make people happy—food that not only tastes good, but satisfies the soul. So forget about the owl, and dive in … (Chef profiles continue on pp.164-174) Editor’s note: At press time, we learned that a few of our subject chefs were contemplating a move. What? But really, they’re all still shaking their saute pans locally, and our profiles are about the men, not where they work. Bon appétit.

Story by KATE CARTER

Photography by GORDON MILLER

MICHAEL KLOETI MICHAEL’S ON THE HILL Born and raised in Switzerland, Michael Kloeti dreamed of living in the United States, land of opportunity, since he was a child. He came to the U.S. in 1993 and bought the former Villa Tragara from Tony Di Ruocco in 2002, renaming it Michael’s on the Hill. In 2016 he became a U.S. citizen. He lives in Stowe with his wife Laura, where they raised two children, both now in college.

“Substitutions are never a problem!”

Serving people good food.

Best part about being a chef I guess you could say simplicity and farm to table. I grew up in a farming town in Switzerland and I have so much respect for farmers. They work so close to nature. When food comes out of the earth it is perfect. I try to respect this and learned the best way to cook a carrot.

Cooking style

Pork should taste like pork, scallops like scallops. Today, people don’t go through the steps of learning how to cook. I didn’t come into the job wanting to create, I wanted to learn. You must listen to good chefs and follow their lead.

First I was a kitchen soldier doing exactly what I was told, over and over. Once I learned, then I could create my own style. My creativity is inspired by what comes through the door. Specialties are about what the farmer gives me. I care where it comes from and much of it comes from right here in Vermont. No, we use products from other areas, such as peppercorns, lemons, truffles, but I try to be as close as I can.

Are you a locavore chef?

I was a dishwasher at age 12. When I was 17 I apprenticed as a chef, doing restaurant study, learning everything about the restaurant business. I met Laura working in a Swiss kitchen and together we moved to New York, the melting pot of every nationality, where you get true food— real Chinese, real Korean, not American’s idea of these foods. I ended up at New York City’s 4-star

Beginnings

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Lespinasse. But I am a country bumpkin and wanted to leave the city, so we went to Hawai’i, where I worked at the Lodge at Koele in Lana’i. We returned briefly to Manhattan, but moved to Stowe to raise our family. That’s when I opened Michael’s on the Hill. In Switzerland I learned the basics, in New York I fine-tuned my cooking, and in Hawai’i I learned to live again. Altogether there are five. I am nothing without them. My staff is very important to me. Most of them have been here at least 10 years. We are one unit here, to make guests happy. It’s not about me or the server or the day we had. It’s about the client and serving great food.

How many chefs work with you?

When I hire someone it’s more about attitude than cooking skills. You can learn to cook; attitude is a lifetime. I don’t want to lose my staff. When you find good staff, hold onto them!

Calamari salad appetizer, for one. It has always been on the menu. People love the beef tenderloin. I get my beef from Northeast Family Farms. It’s hard to say because the menu changes with the seasons and what is available from farmers.

Most popular dish

They are not a problem. We prepare a lot of food in advance and combine them later. It gives us the flexibility to accommodate allergies. Our servers know exactly what I have available and can offer options.

Food allergies and substitutions

Being a chef is not what you see on TV today. If you want to learn from the TV, watch the old shows, Julia Child, Jacques Pépin. It was about learning how to cook. Now it’s about entertainment. Do you want to cook or entertain? If you can do both, great.

TV reality cooking shows

No, I am not a galavanting chef. But people can poke their head in the kitchen door and say hi.

Do you ever come out and talk to the diners?

The locals are my bread and butter. The tourists are the cream on top. A restaurant cannot be successful without locals who come any time of year. I feel we have become part of the fabric here. I truly love where I live and that I can make a living in Vermont. It reminds me of Switzerland, not the way it looks, but the way it feels.

Who are your customers?

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“The whole process, from the ground and onto people’s plate, is an interesting journey.”

MICHAEL BOOMHOWER PLATE Born and raised in Enosburg, Vt., a true dairy community close to the Canadian border, Michael Boomhower started his career at age 14, blanching fries at the wildly popular Pine Cone Snack Bar in Richford, Vt. All the kids his age worked there. Twenty years later he lives in Morrisville and is head chef at Plate, a California-inspired restaurant with Vermontmade food. I got into pizza and spinning dough at Mimmos in St. Albans. That’s where I first saw pans and pasta dinners come together.

What happened after Pine Cone?

I went to Johnson State College for small business management. I didn’t go with the intent of working in an office, I wanted to be more

Education 166

active. It’s been good for me, managing people in a small environment. After college I went to work at Piecasso in Stowe, working on the line. Then I left Vermont for California at 21, hoping to get away from dough and into limitless cooking. I did not put pizza on my resume. I got my first professional job at Dopo and Adesso. I stayed in California for four years

and learned everything I could. Then I came back to Stowe to be near family.

I had a short stint at Topnotch and learned corporate cooking, with paperwork and mandatory breaks, and I had never experienced that before. I really missed the Californian cooking scene. When Plate opened I stopped in to check it out.

It had the right vibe, right music, right cocktails, a relaxed atmosphere where you can explore food. They wanted California cuisine, which is what I do, and everything fell into place.

The camaraderie of working with the crew and the rest of the team. It’s fun. We have a singular goal of creating good food and having fun together and bringing that to the customers. And I’m obsessed with food.

What do you like about cooking?

Limitless possibilities. I like to make simple food that tastes extraordinary, that seems familiar but is unique. And I like the challenge. We’re in Stowe, using whatever ingredients are in season, and it’s fun to try to create something unique that no one else is doing. >>227

What’s the obsession about?

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AARON MARTIN BLACK DIAMOND BARBEQUE Following a four-year stint at Plate on Stowe’s Main Street, where he helped start the business, Aaron Martin is now at Black Diamond Barbeque, where he creates authentic barbecue and California-inspired cuisine. Martin was born and raised in Hyde Park, and his two kids go to the same elementary school he attended. When Jason Pacioni offered me the job, I had been at Plate for four years. I really wanted to scale back, be closer to home, and spend more time with my family, so I took the job. Jason taught me a lot, but it took me about a year to dial it in. There are so many variables when cooking outside with wood. Now I’m branching out beyond the basics, with things like clear Carolina-style sauces for chicken, miso barbecue sauce, black garlic vinaigrettes, and Asian and Korean food.

Why Black Diamond Barbeque?

I did a food adventure trip with my mother to the San Francisco Bay Area and met Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Alice is the godmother of farm-to-table dining. She invited me to come work at her restaurant three times for a week each time. A lot of my inspiration comes from that restaurant and also the Bay Area.

Cooking inspiration

I also worked with Eric Warnstedt of Hen of the Wood in Waterbury. He is a strong influence and mentor. Also, my father, Keith Martin. He’s the chef at Harvest Market in Stowe. He and I love to cook together and we usually have a weekly family dinner.

I never went to culinary school, but learned by osmosis, growing up in kitchens, traveling. I like to eat my way through foreign cities. My career accelerated pretty fast and here I am today. Instead of going to school I learned from passionate people. I recently brought back a dish from a few years ago. It’s an heirloom tomato salad with

Favorite creation

“Everybody has to eat. It’s what we all have in common.”

seared Vermont tofu on top of tomatoes and baby arugula, with a sherry vinaigrette and a basil salsa with shallots, garlic, crushed red pepper. It’s my version of a vegan Caprese salad. Sometimes I think I do and sometimes I think I don’t. It comes with confidence and experience. I love the smells of cooking, especially chanterelles in a saucepan. It’s therapeutic to cook with them.

Do you have a discerning palate?

We buy local as much as possible. I get produce from Naked Acre Farm, and also from local foragers. Our pork and beef come from Helm at Snug Valley Farm, and from Black River meats, which are all New England farms. Most all of the chicken is from Quebec. I purchase some commodity briskets and pork shoulders through a small family-owned purveyor in Barre. When we do pig roasts, I buy whole local pigs from Braults Meat Market in Troy. I truly believe in Alice Water’s philoso-

Food suppliers

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phy of shrinking our global food system wherever possible. I started as a dishwasher and then worked at the Alchemist when they had their pub in Waterbury. That’s where I met Eric Warnstedt and trained with him at Hen of the Wood. I had a short stint at Topnotch, and also had the opportunity to work at the James Beard House in New York City. I was the executive sous chef at the Cliff House and at Stowe Mountain Resort. That’s where I learned how to run a restaurant, and was the corporate chef with a desk in an office at Spruce Camp.

Cooking resume

Besides creating food people want to eat, you have to run a kitchen in a cost-effective manner. You have to be able to buy food without wasting money and be fiscally responsible. You also have to be a handyman, keep track of inventory, and mentor your staff. I spend one full day a week doing non-food-related work.

Running a kitchen

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“When we create a new dish it’s trial by knowledge.”

PAUL MORAN TRES AMIGOS A resident of Underhill, Paul Moran makes the drive to Stowe five days a week, either through Smugglers Notch or down Interstate 89. He uses the windshield time to plan his course of action for the day. His wife, Nancy Jones, teaches grades one and two at Underhill Central School and their two daughters are in college. I was at Waterworks in Winooski a long time ago, then I ran Rí Rá Irish Pub in Burlington, for seven years. That’s when I met Chad Fry and Mark Frier, owners of Reservoir Restaurant in Waterbury. They offered me a job at Reservoir, specifically to help them with the volume of business they’d stepped into. I thought it would be a good change for me and it was.

Cooking background

After Reservoir, I helped Chad and Mark open The Bench in Stowe. They asked me if I wanted to go “up the street” and I said yes. I didn’t know it would be a Mexican restaurant, but they saw a Mexican niche to fill and sprung it on me. We researched it, experimented, and created a Mexican menu. We’ve been open a year now and I’ve grown in a whole other direction in food repertoire.

How did you end up at Tres Amigos?

Why do they keep asking you to help open restaurants?

I ran two big restaurants and they knew volume wasn’t an issue for me. I have a really good rapport with the staff and I enjoy teaching. I was able to create a menu that was new to the public that we could do at high volume and with good variety. We use local meats year-round and local vegetables in season. Our produce supplier is Eliza from Knee Deep Farms in Jeffersonville. She brings cilantro, tomatoes, kale, hot peppers, fennel, corn, potatoes, mixed greens. During the offseason they have to be sourced out.

Local sources

We get really nice cod from Wood Mountain Fish and some meats and seafood from Stowe Seafood. Of course, some things we can’t get locally. We get avocados from Mexico, California, and Peru, depending on the season. Citrus comes from Mexico, Florida, and California. Street corn. It’s made with basil crema, cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime. It’s fantastic!

Popular dish 170

Avocados. I try to order enough in advance so that I have ripe ones today, and ones that will be ripe the next day, and the next. I really try to order so that food won’t be wasted.

Biggest challenge

At first, training the chefs was a challenge, but I like what I do and I like teaching.

Probably the biggest challenge is that it’s different every night. You never know what might happen, and you need to be able to react in a positive way. I encourage being successful, happy, upbeat, and to deliver a great meal to the customer. We have labor numbers and food costs, but those things tend to fall in place. We will start to do more specials, but it’s a process, growing as a team and what we can do successfully. We are going into our second year and have a better idea of what to expect. Another challenge is limiting purveyors so I’m not making 20 calls a day.

David Chang and his Momofuku restaurant group. I follow him on Instagram. Social media is where I get many ideas. I watch what others do, and if it looks good, we give it a try and practice in the kitchen. I read magazines and learn from others and eat at different restaurants. There’s no limit of new ideas.

Inspiration

Six, plus myself.

How many chefs work with you? We take allergies seriously and we’re usually pretty good about substitutions. If we’re really busy, I have servers give options. Some people know the menu so well they ask for some of this and some of that, but if it’s way too busy we might not be able to do it. It’s nice to be accommodating and creates a better, more intimate relationship with guests.

Allergies and substitutions

Best Dining in Stowe Yankee Magazine - 2015

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Diners’ Choice

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Gosh, so here we are in our 7th winter running the Bistro. It all kind of happened by accident. We never really set out to open a restaurant but we’re delighted we did. Customers we’ve met have become friends and Linda and I are honored to have celebrated milestone moments of their lives with them here in the Bistro. We’ve been blessed with some terrific employees - our current group is a joy to work with. This winter Chef Dustin is introducing The Bad Hombre – an 18oz. pan seared, bone in Rib-Eye steak. Last winter’s Mushroom Risotto was so popular we had to bring it back. Bistro at Ten Acres favorites: Braised Pork Shank, Duck Confit, fresh Fettuccini Carbonara, Pan Seared Lobster, Thai Red Curry and our Seafood Epiphany are all on the menu as well.

Reservation can be made via our website www.thebistroattenacres.com or on Reserve.com. Please join us Wednesday through Sunday starting at 5:00. Best as always, Mark & Linda

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“If you want to be a chef, there’s nothing like practical experience.” 172

JOSH BARD DOC PONDS Josh Bard followed his father to Jeffersonville, Vt., in 1992, and started working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant. His favorite cuisine styles are Japanese and Mexican, but there’s not a style he doesn’t enjoy. Bard became head chef at Doc Ponds in early 2017, when owners Eric Warnstedt and William McNeil offered him the job. “It’s a great restaurant group to be a part of, but small enough to not feel too overwhelming.” I started as a dishwasher and worked my way up. I was fortunate that the place where I started, Le Cheval d’Or, in Jeffersonville, served nice French food. It was my first time being immersed in a real restaurant setting. Seeing everything made from scratch and working under Chef Yves Labbé was amazing. Later I did a three-month sushi program in Los Angeles. There was a time I wanted to go to culinary school, but it seemed if I put in the time I would learn.

Formal education

After Le Cheval d’Or, I was a prep cook at Harvest Market. Then I moved to Utah to Park City and Vail, working in ski shops and various restaurants. I came back to Vermont and spent a number of years at Blue Moon Café with Jack Pickett, doing everything from line cook to shared chef position.

Prior to Doc Ponds

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When it closed I went with Pickett to Frida’s and was a chef there. Last winter I did sushi with Nate Kulchak’s mobile sushi bar at Spruce Peak.

Time commitment and staffing. Staffing is a challenge everywhere right now. It’s industrywide and there are a number of different factors: housing is a problem, being a chef takes a certain level of dedication, and there are so many jobs where you make more and work less. It takes a certain amount of passion. If it’s a goal to make it in the restaurant business you have to have that passion and dedication. We don’t get many job applicants. We are fortunate to have the crew we have right now.

Challenges

Sometimes, for me, the pace and excitement of it keeps me coming back. There’s never a dull moment. When you have a good crew it makes it easier.

Favorite aspect

We are more of a good restaurant with a great beer bar. Most of our protein is from Vermont. The fish is only wild caught or day-boat >>228

Doc Ponds food style

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“Food is one of the few arts that touches all your senses.”

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vtartisan.com 174

JASON BISSELL

After Whiskers I went to Lakeview Inn in Greensboro. The day I started the sous chef walked out and the chef put me on the line. As time progressed I became the lead line cook. After that I went to Harrison’s in Stowe, then Winding Brook in Johnson.

EDSON HILL

The path to Edson Hill

Jason Bissell started his career in the dish pit at the former Whiskers Restaurant in Stowe many years ago. “When you’re in that job you strive to not do it anymore, but I learned a lot. I was always observing and I did some light prep work. It gives you a feel for working in the kitchen. It’s high energy—work fast, get a lot done, be efficient.” Bissell lives in Morrisville with his partner and three children. “My partner is a Godsend, she has my back. Not a lot of people can deal with someone in the restaurant business.”

Then I left Vermont for a stint in Durango, Colo. When I came back I worked at Idletyme. I’m drawn to the smaller, intimate inn settings and Idletyme was the biggest place I’d been. I’d had my eye on the position at Edson Hill for awhile, and when the position became available I took it. I started in June 2017. >>229

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EDIBLES

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Mural restoration brings old friends to light

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Waterbury has regained a mural by local artist Sarah-Lee Terrat, depicting Vermonters from all ages chatting over a few pints. Actually, two Terrat murals had been featured at the former Arvads Grill & Pub on Main Street. One, which depicted Waterbury in the 1930s, was carefully removed in 18 pieces when Arvads closed in 2016. It was given to the Waterbury Historical Society, and now is displayed a few blocks down the street at the historic train station. However, the owner of Allium, the restaurant that succeeded Arvads, decided to paint over the upstairs bar scene mural, said Maryanne Larkin, who owns the building and who ran Arvads for nearly 30 years with her husband, Jeffrey. Larkin was upset by its loss. “It’s a historical piece. It has so many past and present Vermonters who have done great work in our state, in our community. It was a slap in the face to the community that he didn’t care about the historical piece of it,” Larkin said. With the restaurant space open again, Larkin set her mind to restoring that mural.

“Nothing’s done with unless you try. I tried and it worked to take the paint off,” Larkin said. When Terrat painted the mural, she used latex paint, and coated it with four coats of polyurethane and a few extra coats of gloss with a chemical hardener. “I think that was the one that saved the mural,” Larkin said.

Terrat had to do some very minor touch-ups, but all the characters came out of the woodwork. The mural means so much to Larkin that she got choked up while talking about the familiar faces she revealed. “It’s amazing to me,when a new character pops out of the wall. It’s like, ‘Hi, friend!’ ” In a single day, Larkin regained a raccoon, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Calvin and Grace Coolidge. Terrat is grateful. “I thought, ‘Oh, we’re never going to see these people again.’ It’s almost like a death in the family” when a mural is painted over. “Now we’re rolling away the stone.” n —Caleigh Cross

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Stowe • Winooski

OUT OF LOVE Maryanne Larkin restores the mural at the former Arvad’s.

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GORDON MILLER; CALEIGH CROSS; INSETS: CROSS

NEW ERA DAWNS Employee Gail MacDonald at CBD Vermont in Waterbury. Erik St. Croix, owner of Elevated State VT in Stowe. Peppermint spice salve. CBD chews for dogs.

FROM FIELD TO SHELF CBD stores open in Stowe, Waterbury Retailing has entered a new era: stores that specialize in cannabis extracts. You can’t get high, but you might get well. CBD shops have opened in Stowe and Waterbury Center, and no doubt more are on the way. CBD is short for cannabidiol, an oil derived from the hemp plant. It’s a cousin to marijuana, but contains only minuscule amounts of THC, the substance that delivers pot’s high. Proponents of CBD claim it relieves a dictionary’s worth of medical and mental ailments, including anxiety, joint pain, and insomnia. CBD can now be found in shops, coffee shops, restaurants, and bars across the state, or mixed into hand-crafted truffles and cocktails, or in easy-to-use lip balms or salves. And now there are CBD specialty shops. Douglas Bell has opened CBD Vermont in Waterbury Center, where customers can learn about CBD use, see how the product is made, and buy it if they choose. Bell, a Middlesex resident, is working with 14 Vermont farms that are growing hemp on behalf of his business. In the spring, Bell gave each farmer as many as 1,000 hemp plants to grow. “We’re paying the farmers a substantial increase in what they can get per acre,” he said. “We’re interested in keeping small farms alive.”

Erik and Alexis St. Croix are the husbandand-wife team behind Elevated State VT, a CBD shop on Stowe’s Mountain Road. Alexis is the daughter of Walt Zuber, a prominent Stowe dentist who died earlier this year. Her husband, Erik, is from Lowell, Vt., and went into construction, a career he cherished until he hit his head and severely injured his neck and back. Erik St. Croix was often in pain, and prescription medications were ineffective. Finally, he tried a CBD tincture. “Twenty minutes and the pain was gone,” he said. “That was kind of my introduction” to CBD. Soon, St. Croix began growing his own hemp on Zuber’s land. After Zuber’s death, St. Croix moved his hemp operation to Hinesburg, where he and his wife cultivate 350 plants. Elevated State VT has 15 suppliers of CBD products, including Lily Hill, a farm in Johnson, and the CBD products of Carter Roberts. The store sells CBD-infused tea, water, candy, truffles, lip balm, pet treats, salve, and oil, to name a few forms in which customers can find the substance. St. Croix is confident his shop will thrive because he will be an adviser, not just a salesman. “A lot of people have no idea how to use it.” n —Josh O’Gorman and Caleigh Cross

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BIG KIDS Dave and Melissa Day, ready for a day of sledding in Smugglers Notch. The original price of a Flexible Flyer.

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A morning of child’s play in Smugglers Notch STORY / ROB KIENER PHOTOGRAPHS / GLENN CALLAHAN

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“Whoooooopee,” I yell as I barrel down the hard-packed, snow-covered Smugglers Notch road atop a vintage Flexible Flyer, the sled we all—or many of us—grew up on. Picking up even more speed as I zip down the Notch, I instinctively lean and shift my weight as I turn the sled’s wooden front steering bar to the right to manage a sharp turn and avoid a massive boulder on the side of the steep road. I (happily) steer clear of the boulder and straighten out the sled as it speeds down the straightaway. “Yahoooo!” I shriek again, as I pick up even more speed and smile at the sheer joy of zipping “clickety-clack” down through the Notch. For a few moments, it’s as if I have traveled back through time and am a kid again, riding my Flexible Flyer down a snow-covered hill, without a care in the world. When the road flattens out and I coast to a stop, I remember what one writer had said about sledding: “It turns old men back into little boys.” >>

HIKE UP What comes down, must go up. Heading uphill into Smugglers Notch.

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Dave Day had called me earlier in the morning with the news, “Conditions look perfect. Let’s meet at the base of the Notch road.” It was the call I’d been waiting for. Ever since I’d seen the collection of Flexible Flyer sleds hanging on the walls of Day’s cabinetmaking shop in Stowe and learned that he was a “sledding aficionado,” I’d been anticipating going sledding with him. Day, who is something of a Renaissance man (skilled cabinetmaker, musician, violin maker, skier, snowboarder, and keen outdoorsman), explained that sledding is a great way to get outside in winter when conditions are not great for skiing or snowboarding. “You want hard-packed snow, not freshly fallen powder that’s too deep for the sleds,” he said. “A bad day for skiing usually means it’s a great day for sledding.” Today’s weather conditions are ideal. The sun’s out, there’s no wind and, as I soon discover when I meet up with Day and his wife, Melissa, the road through Smugglers’ Notch is covered with firmly packed snow, thanks in part to the snowmobilers and snowshoers who have helped pack down the snow along the steep, 3-mile-long winding road. >>

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HAIRPIN TURNS Both Dave (top) and Melissa Day take runs down the road through Smugglers Notch.

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“They’re beauties, aren’t they?” says Day as I help him unload his three sleds from his truck. They are all vintage but sturdy iron and wood Flexible Flyers that Day has purchased over the years, mostly from nearby flea markets. He turns over Melissa’s sled and shows me that it still has its original purchase price, $6.95, inked onto its underside. “That was a lot of money when it was first sold in the 1940s,” he explains. “And it’s still in great shape.” While there are more modern, high-tech versions of sleds, such as the high-performance Hammerhead or Mad River Rocket, Day says it’s hard to beat a Flexible Flyer, first produced in 1861, for general sledding on hard-packed snow. He loops a harness around each of the three sleds and we all begin walking up the Notch road, each pulling our sled behind us. As we walk up the road, Day tells me he’s been sledding hereabouts for decades. “Melissa had a job in Jeffersonville when we were dating,” he says as the three of us wave at a trio of snowshoers who are hiking down the Notch with their Labrador. >>

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BACK IN TIME Dave Day’s collection of Flexible Flyers.

“I lived in Stowe and instead of driving the long way via Morrisville to see her, I’d pull my Flexible Flyer up here and sled down a couple of miles on it, past Smuggs, to meet her. It was faster than driving—and more fun. It got us both hooked on sledding.” Over the years, the pair continued sledding whenever they got the chance. “It’s just so liberating and so much fun,” says Melissa. “And you don’t need expensive equipment or a lift ticket. When the weather’s right, you just toss your sleds into the car and take off.” They tell me they are part of an informal group of local sledders who sometimes sled together. More importantly, members also let each other know, via a sort of a underground “sledding telegraph,” about conditions and the best places to sled, often a closely held secret. “We are careful about letting too many people know where the best sledding may be on any given day,” Day says. “For example, there’s one place where technically we’re not supposed to”—he stops midsentence and smiles. When I ask him for his best “secret” place to sled locally, he answers, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

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Near the top of the Notch, Melissa and Dave Day put on their helmets and goggles, lie down on their sleds and begin their first run down. I’ve hung back so I can watch them expertly twist and turn down the hairpins and zip between the Notch’s massive roadside boulders and see if I can pick up any pointers. As they pass by me, both of them give me a thumbs-up and a broad smile.

I join them on a few subsequent runs and, after feeling more confident about my steering, am soon barreling down the road behind them, filling the crisp March air with “Yahoos” and “Whoopees.” At the end of our last run, Dave Day turns to Melissa and me and says. “I have work to do this afternoon but I’m going to put it off. I’m having too much fun!” Proof that sledding actually does turn old men back into little boys. n

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COURTESY PHOTO

R E A L E S TAT E

GOT $10 MILLION? Own 1.6 percent of Stowe; 766-acre tract now on the market STORY

More than 60 years ago, love delivered 766 acres of Stowe to Genevieve Story for her first wedding anniversary. Christopher Story, an executive at the oil company that later became CITGO, gave his wife a gift every day. And for their anniversary, he made it a big gift: More than 1 percent of the land in Stowe. And now, her family has put it up for sale for $9.95 million. The land is in eastern Stowe, out toward Moss Glen Falls, at the end of Brownsville Road. It’s bordered by almost 13,000 acres of state forest, with great views of the Worcester Range. Stowe has 46,528 acres of land; the Story property is 1.6 percent of the town. “Every day, he bought her a gift,” said Nancy Hughes, Genevieve’s niece. “He ended up passing away from kidney problems in 1960, so they were only married a little over 10 years. “Even when he was sick and not able to get out, he was still a consultant for the City Service Oil Co., and he would have a person there come and bring her gifts every day. They were the love of each other’s lives. They came up from New York and just loved it here,” Hughes said. “It was their getaway from the city.” Genevieve Story continued to come to the property until she died in 2011 at age 96. Today, Hughes and her three brothers own the property. She lives in Kentucky and her brothers are scattered across Georgia and Florida. “Our lives have changed. My aunt passed away in 2011, and we had planned on keeping everything, but as time goes on, everyone’s lives change,” Hughes said. “We all now have grandchildren, and families are spreading out.” In July, the family put the land on the market. Property taxes run about $14,000 per year—artificially low since much of the property is in current use. Initial talks with Stowe Land Trust have taken place.

Times change

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/ CALEIGH CROSS

“The Story family property is the largest remaining unprotected piece of private forestland in Stowe by a long shot,” said Kristen Sharpless, executive director of land trust. “Given that it’s right next to CC Putnam State Forest, it would be great for people to be able to resume enjoying access for hiking, skiing, biking, hunting, and more again.” “It’s a special property that Mrs. Story has protected for years in Brownsville, and I think those properties should be maintained and preserved for the future, for use that would be basically town use. It’s such a special property, I don’t believe that we need any development on a piece like that,” said Pall Spera, who owns Pall Spera Company Realtors in Stowe. “We just love it,” Hughes said. “I just have fond memories of my aunt and my grandmother, just spending time and enjoying it, walking. I remember just walking down the road toward Moss Glen Falls. By then I was a teenager, and it was just so beautiful. It’s truly one of God’s creations.” n

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GORDON MILLER

HAMMER & NAILS

GORDON DIXON ‘In a small town like Stowe, customers, vendors, and employees become friends’ Robin Dixon. Both graduated from UVM and lived in Shelburne, where Gordon was a carpenter. He also Gordon Dixon owns Gordon Dixon Construction, located on Mountain Road in Stowe, with his wife, taught skiing for Sepp Ruschp at Stowe Mountain Resort. When Robin got a job in Stowe, they decided to make Stowe their home. They bought some land and set about building a house.

“I was 25, and it was the first house I built,” Gordon said. “I had a crew of Robin, a friend, and a few

carpenters. We moved into the house when it was bare bones, no trim or finishes, and we still live there.”

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That was 29 years ago. Now they have three grown children and a dog, Rufus, the company mascot.

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When did you decide to go into the construction business?

I knew for a while that I was going to be building homes and doing renovations. After building our house, the next house I did was a spec house on the Stowe/Waterbury town line on Waterworks Road. I hired Terry Spear, who was born and raised in Stowe. He was my first employee and he still works for me.

How long have you been in your location on Mountain Road? About 12 years. Before that we worked out of our home.

What do you like about the construction business?

It’s different every day. I’m in the field, I manage projects, meet clients, architects, contractors, suppliers. I would not be content sitting in an office. I enjoy the people I meet and, in a small town like Stowe, customers, vendors, and employees become friends.

Mostly custom homes, renovations, and some light commercial. We built Dr. Bauman’s optometry office, Mount Mansfield Winter Academy, and the building where Ranch Camp (bikes, beers, burritos) is located. We pretty much do whatever comes our way. Right now we have three new houses in various stages. Sometimes a project will involve an architect, designer, landscaper, and us, the builders. Other projects will be lower-budget and might involve just us. At the end of a job, we will work with folks who don’t have a design team and help them with decisions and finishes. We are malleable and will work with everybody.

What is your scope of work?

Is energy efficiency an important aspect of your buildings?

All our projects typically exceed Vermont energy codes. We always try to find ways to make a home more efficient. Efficiency is always a balance of working with the architect, customer, and budget.

Right now, 12. Two project managers, who also do carpentry, two full-time office staff, and the remainder are onsite carpenters. We usually bring on more carpenters in the summer. We’ve had a good relationship with the Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol and have had several patrollers work for us when they’re not on the mountain. Our daughter, Lucy, who lives in New York City, does social media for us. We have a Facebook page, a website, we do Instagram, and we have won awards on Houzz.

How many employees?

We have three employees who have been with us over 20 years. They stay because they are totally vested in the business. We have a good benefit package, including 401k, and we do profit sharing. We used to pay 100 percent of our employees’ health insurance, but now it’s

What do you do to retain your employees?

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too expensive, so we adjusted their hourly pay accordingly, and many are covered by their wives’ insurance. We do have workers’ comp. We are strictly 40 hours a week because we believe life after work is important.

What are your strengths as a construction business owner?

I have open, honest dialog with my clients. I am straightforward and don’t sugarcoat. I pay strong attention to detail. When we create a timeframe and budget, I am at least 95 percent accurate, every time. I don’t set up false expectations and I’m diligent about reviewing everything. Our organization is transparent and our books are open to anyone. There’s the building aspect of the business and there’s the coordinating of all the moving parts. We’re good at keeping track of the moving parts.

What are the top three skills of running your business?

The first is managing expectations. What are the client’s priorities? Design, budget, efficiency? You have to have that conversation right away. Second is good communication. We always answer the phone and emails, and we use Google Docs to track projects, which clients can access and follow. Third is understanding the client’s needs. Getting to know the client is important. A lot of our clients have become friends.

What important changes have you seen in the construction business since you started? Energy efficiency is a big one. The difference is night and day. The actual building packages are much tighter now. The internet is also a big change. When I built my first house 29 years ago, there was no internet. Now people will find something on the internet we’ve never heard of. It has opened the doors to more sourcing options for customers, architects, and builders. Third, we use reclaimed wood now, more than ever. Hard work, attention to detail, staying small. We’ve made an effort to maintain quality of life for us and our employees. It’s hard work, but if I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be doing it. Also, Robin keeps me grounded!

To what do you attribute your success?

I’m an avid skier and endurance runner and I mountain bike, hike, and fish. I serve on the Stowe Historic Preservation Commission and I’ve been a soccer coach for 18 years. Currently I’m the high school soccer coach assistant. We are big UVM fans. Robin and I both graduated from UVM; one son, Calvin, is in graduate school there, and our other son, Billy, is a freshman. We have season tickets to UVM basketball games and we go to most home soccer games. n —Kate Carter

What do you do in your spare time?

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TIMELESS, NOT TRENDY Couple brings a touch of Europe, chalet-style, to Stowe STORY

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Timeless,â&#x20AC;? said the homeowner, when asked

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PHOTO AT LEFT: KATE CARTER; RIGHT, ERICA ALLEN

for a word that summed up what she and her husband were looking for in the design of their new home set high in the hills of Stowe. “We didn’t want trendy, we wanted something classic.” Her husband chimed in: “The last thing we wanted was a home that might look out of date in a decade or so.” Stowe-based architect Paul Robert Rousselle remembered his preliminary meetings with the couple, who had just purchased a lot with dramatic 180-degree views of Mount Mansfield and its ski slopes. “They wanted a design that was elegant and rich, but at the same time simple, something that would stand the test of time and not become dated. I began thinking of the design as the ‘forever house.’ ”

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KITCHEN DESIGN by BRYAN HILL The couple had long been entranced by the modern chalet-style homes they had seen during frequent travels to France and Switzerland and felt such a traditional, albeit updated look, was perfectly suited to their new six-acre lot and its drop-dead views. When a local designer friend saw the lot, he told them it was perfect for a home in the modern-chalet style. That helped them seal the deal; chalet it was. “We loved the appearance and feel of modern European chalets that featured lots of natural materials such as wood, stone, and glass, and had simple but elegant lines. And we wanted a home that would take full advantage of our views,” the wife said. The couple had been collecting numerous modern chalet design books that included homes from around the world. They paged through them with Rousselle at early design meetings, pointing out details they liked—creating a wish list of sorts—as well as design elements they didn’t care for. “This helped me understand their likes and dislikes, as well as discover the details and minutiae of what make these modern chalet homes so special,” said Rousselle. Eventually, he came up with a 3-story, 4,500 square-foot design that responded as well to the site as the owners’ needs.

towe’s Steve Sisler of Sisler Builders was part of the team from the very beginning. From the first day that Rousselle, the owners, and Sisler walked the site, it was obvious that the west-facing house had to withstand the heavy snowfalls and fierce winds that blew down from nearby Mount Mansfield. “The harsh weather was obviously going to be a factor, so designing and building an energy efficient home was paramount,” said Sisler. Early plans included a geothermal heating and cooling system, radiant heating, triple-pane windows, a robust insulation envelope, solar panels, and more. The couple asked for a plan that included a master bedroom with attached home office, bedrooms for each of their three children on a separate floor, an >>

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open-plan living/great room, a porch, and a basement recreation room. “We also wanted a kitchen that could accommodate both of us cooking at the same time. We didn’t want it to be too ‘kitchen-y,’ but to blend in with the rest of the open plan,” the wife said. The couple also stressed they wanted to build as environmentally friendly a house as they could. In addition to locally sourced wood and stone, they wanted to use only noVOC (volatile organic compounds) and lowVOC paint. They hoped to use reclaimed wood for kitchen cabinets and asked that any wood used be treated with a simple oil finish and left slightly rough for a natural appearance. Said the husband, “We wanted a look that was more rustic than manufactured, a look that was ‘perfectly imperfect.’ ” Rousselle describes the design process as a true collaboration between the owners, the builders, and himself. “Everyone had a voice in the design that changed and morphed as the construction progressed,” he said. “Making changes during the construction phase can be challenging, but it also assures that the owners are getting exactly what they hoped for,” Sisler added. Fourteen months after breaking ground, the home was completed.

rom the moment a visitor drives up to the house it is evident that this collaboration between architect, builder, and owners paid off handsomely. Rousselle’s take on the modern chalet style nestles perfectly into the lot and is anchored to the ground by a flagstone facade. Eastern white-cedar siding, hemlock architectural brackets, varied roof lines, and expansive windows all evoke modern chalet design. Although the home is 4,500 square-feet, Rousselle has broken down (or disguised) the mass of the house by angling the porch, garage, and master bedroom off the main core of the home, making the three-story home appear much smaller than it is. Once inside, seven floor-to-ceiling windows frame the mountain and forest views and bring the outside in, bathing the 11-foothigh, open-plan great room in light throughout the year. Rousselle designed a hybrid postand-beam structure and chose locally-sourced hemlock for the structure’s exposed beams. Wood is everywhere; in addition to the hemlock post and beams, the floors are constructed from dense, country-quartered and rift-sawn white oak and the walls are paneled with lightly oiled hemlock and spruce. To break up the horizontal lines of the great room, Rousselle added vertical elements such as pylons and floor-to-ceiling display shelves. The walls are covered with paneling of different widths to add variety and “a sense of surprise” to the home. This random sizing is

another nod to European chalet design, which often features differently sized wood, because wood is often harder to come by there. “It was challenging to work with wood of different sizes but worth it,” said Sisler. “Details like that help to give the home a classic, yet contemporary, look and feel.” Inspired by their modern chalet design research, the owners wanted to anchor the great room by adding a massive fireplace that occupies much of one wall. Happily, they found just the fireplace they wanted in one book and used it as their inspiration. “We didn’t want a mantle but wanted to keep the fireplace as simple as possible” said the wife. The fireplace is comprised of local fieldstone, including a 12-foot-long hearth fashioned from a three-ton flagstone boulder that was found nearby and moved to the site via heavy equipment. The owners chose a muted color palette for the home’s furniture, which is minimal, because, as the wife explained, “We like the clean look and didn’t want to distract from the view.” They chose a variety of reclaimed barn wood—elm, pine, oak—for the kitchen cabinets to both set off the space and link it to the rest of the ground floor. Their custom-made dining table is fashioned from salvaged slabs of an elm tree in Charlotte, Vt., once one of the tallest in the Northeast, that had died from Dutch elm disease.

hortly after the owners moved into their new home they threw a party for the friends and professionals who had made their dream home come true. One of the guests, who owns several homes in Europe, including a residence in the south of France, took Rousselle and Sisler aside to congratulate them on their collaborative creation. “Well done!” he told them. “If I didn’t know I was in the United States, I’d swear I was standing in a chalet in France or Switzerland. You got it just right.” n

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David Boyden in his tasting room. Inset: Apple brandy.

The final stop on this spirited tour is in Cambridge, five minutes west of Jeffersonville. Known for its vineyard, Boyden Valley Winery takes wine to another level, with three liquors: Vermont Ice Maple Créme, a maple cream liqueur; Pomme Noir, an apple brandy; and Pomme Noir De Glace, an apple brandy blended with Boyden Valley Farm’s Vermont Ice Cider. “We wanted to make something with our maple syrup and Vermont apples,” said David Boyden, who was born and raised on the former Boyden dairy farm. “Our maple syrup is wood-fired and its robustness gives a distinct flavor to our Vermont Ice Maple Créme,” Boyden said. “We blend it with our apple brandy made from McIntosh, Northern Spy, and Empire apples, all grown in Vermont.” Vermont Ice Maple Créme, launched in 2010, is available at the farm, and in liquor stores around the state. Brandy enthusiasts must try the Pomme Noir apple brandy. It’s cold-fermented in a Vendrom pot still, proofed down to 40 percent alcohol in American oak bourbon barrels, and aged for four years. The smooth flavor has hints of apple, vanilla, and oak. For an intense spinoff, the Pomme Noir De Glace is a blend of the Pomme Noir brandy and

Boyden Valley

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Boyden Farm Ice Cider, aged two to four years. The alcohol is 35 percent. It’s best served over ice, which reduces the viscosity and alcohol content, but feel free to sip straight up. “It’s unlimited in Vermont with what you can ferment and distill. We wanted to focus on the fact that what we distill is coming from Vermont produce,” Boyden said. “We sell out of the Pomme Noir apple brandy all the time. People who like bourbons like the complex brandy. Its wood flavor and depth is very smooth, like a smooth whiskey.” Boyden Valley Farm is at the junction of Routes 14 and 104 in Cambridge and offers tours of the winery and tastings. INFO: boydenvalley.com. n

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BARN RAISINGS

Hope rises at fire-ravaged Wallace Farm, artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studio

S T O R Y:

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PEOPLE POWER Previous page: The skeleton of a 1,200-square-foot monitor barn is built on the property of Thea Alvin, a renowned Morrisville stonemason and artist, that she shares with her partner, Michael Clookey, also a stone sculptor. The barn that stood there burned to the ground during a fire last December, destroying all of Clookey’s art and some of Alvin’s, as well as killing some of the pair’s goats and chickens. Center: Friends and family members from all over the world, as well as area residents, came to help Alvin rebuild. Alvin, pictured at bottom left, pitches in. At right: Rosina Wallace lost 23 cows and her Waterbury Center

dairy farm in April to fire. In October, about 10 contractors, with the help of others, built a big part of a new barn.

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You’ve seen the photos in history books—neighbors gathering to help raise a new barn. The tradition has continued into modern times, with barn raisings this year in Waterbury and Morrisville. In Waterbury, the new barn is for Rosina Wallace, who lost 23 cows, her farm buildings, and her home in a fire in April. In Morrisville, stone artist Thea Alvin has a new barn to replace one consumed by flames last December. Inside the barn were countless works of art. Phil Sweet, a contractor and designer in Waitsfield, had a hand in both barn raisings. At the Wallace farm, about 10 contractors, with the help of a few others, raised the new barn in a day. It was going to take another day to finish the roof, and work was needed inside the building, but the shell of the barn was ready. Wallace stored her farm equipment in it for the winter. It’s also home to her bull calf, Ferdinand, which she purchased after the fire. Wallace’s new barn has both a literal and metaphorical foundation—it’s built

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COMMUNITY SPIRIT Rosina Wallace looks on as crews build a barn to replace the one lost to fire last April. Wallace, however, doesn’t plan to go back to dairy farming.

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atop the concrete foundation her grandfather had put in two generations ago, Sweet said. “She wanted to incorporate those historic elements that were still there, and that’s what we did,” he said. The barn measures 26 feet by 36 feet and has three sides, so it resembles a big shed, Sweet said. He based the barn’s design on conversations with Wallace. As winter approached, and there was nowhere to store her farm equipment, things were getting “extremely difficult to handle emotionally. … The further we got away from the fire, the loss seemed greater. Probably, it was because we weren’t getting things pulled together,” Wallace said. The new barn went up quickly, said Peter Kulis, a neighbor. “It was impressive. It’s just all these people came together just to donate their time, and didn’t ask for anything. They did it because of how important Rosina is for the community.” Donations from around the state, and the nation, totaled more than $80,000 after the Wallace Farm fire. Some of that went to buy a new-to-Rosina tractor and farm equipment. “I come from farm families in Waterbury,” Sweet said. “Rosina is a part of the community for everybody, beloved because of how she let the school-age kids tour through her barn every year. It broke our heart to hear her barn succumbed to a fire.” Wallace, 71, says she’s done with dairy farming—the milk market is in a long slump— but still plans to work the land. “I am so totally blessed that the people came together and did such a fantastic job,” she said. “It was just absolutely wonderful that people could take the time out of their busy lives to come and work on such a project, and accomplish so much. What can I say? Words kind of fail you.”

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HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS One of Thea Alvin’s stone sculptures graces the front of the home and studio she shares with artist and partner Michael Clookey on Route 100 in Morrisville.

About 20 people spent nearly two weeks talking, planning, thinking, sawing, and hammering at Thea Alvin’s house in Morrisville, then they erected the frame of a new barn in a single day. Alvin, the Morristown stonemason and artist, and her partner, Michael Clookey, also a stone sculptor, gathered friends and artistic colleagues from around the world to help them reconstruct the barn lost in a fire last December that also destroyed a farmhouse on the property that housed five other artist tenants, and all of Clookey’s work since college. “Any chance to pitch in and help a friend,” said Phil Sweet, who also designed Wallace's new barn. Sweet works with Alvin at Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, and worked with a friend on the design. A crane lifted the components of Alvin’s new 30-by-40-foot barn into the air while the gathered troops scrambled to assemble its timber-frame pieces. Remembering the animals she lost in the fire is the most painful part of Alvin’s recovery. “They were our children,” she said of the goats and chickens that died in the fire. Alvin has adopted three new goats, related to the original set, and has replenished her flock of chickens; just two survived the blaze. After the fire, “we were afraid for months,” she said. Now, “I can snap out of it,” as it’s been healing to see friends and colleagues travel from far and wide to support her. n

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I love the fall. The weather is changing and so are the flavors. I cooked a lot of summer food in California, but fall is such a robust season.

Flavor favorites

I follow a lot of bakers and restaurants on Instagram. I like Massimo Bottura’s playful spirit. He never loses his childlike wonderment. He really enjoys what he does. I strive to be like that. There are so many chefs to follow on Instagram it’s insane.

Social media

It’s a lot of work and not what it looks like on TV. We spend time cleaning, scrubbing, organizing, maintaining a budget. Don’t expect to jump straight into creativity. Do your homework, then you can play. Get into the team aspect. Focus on what you like, appreciate it, and be happy with it. Don’t think you have to be a rock star or party animal. Chefs are speaking out about the party scene, which I think is good.

Advice

The people I work with. We spend all day together. We get ideas at other restaurants and we have fun cooking for each other. It comes from the front of the house, back of the house, and the owners. It depends on where I am and who I’m with. I could cook anything and be pretty happy. n

Inspiration source

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BARD

>>173 products. We use Alaskan cod from Starbird Fish and we also use Wood Mountain Fish, whatever is fresh day-boat fish, and Vermont meats and cheeses. When we can, we buy local, but we also buy what we need to keep the price point where it is. Some things you just can’t get from here.

I try to work just five days. I have a son and not enough family time. It’s the nature of the business.

Days at work

When food is well received and they are happy. If they are coming back a couple times a week, it’s a good sign.

Favorite customers

The burger. You can feel good about eating it. It’s local beef and cheese, locally made bun, and under $10.

Popular menu item

We don’t have the staff right now to pull that off, but I plan to make some changes soon. The food that’s here now is great, but I would like to give customers new variety. The staples would stay, such as the Bayley Blue Balls, made with Jasper Hill’s Bayley Hazen Blue cheese, wildflower honey, and salt. We’re still in the testing process for new ideas.

Menu changes

I’m always reading new cookbooks for different reasons. They might not apply to what we do at Doc Ponds, but seeing new things is inspiring. Noma, a Danish restaurant with over-the-top food, has an Instagram account that I follow called #nomaferments. They post all their successes and failures as they ferment different things. That level of dedication is impressive. They are trying to use everything, every bit of every ingredient, and cut down on waste. n

Inspiration

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BISSELL I grew up in Walden, Vt., and I try to cater to New England-style flavors. I try to cook with a feeling: spring is light comfort but getting into brightness. Summer is light and fresh. Fall and winter are warm and comforting. I try to be different but up-to-date. Fall is my favorite season to cook for. I love the earth tones and fall spices—star anise, cloves, cinnamon.

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Describe your food style

I did not go to culinary school. I’ve been in the industry a long time and I’ve worked under many talented chefs and with people who have worked elsewhere.

Education

The people I hire keep me motivated. They’re very talented.

Motivation

There is no typical day. I’m not a clipboard chef. I’m on the line and prepping food every day. The best way to get a good end product is with an open mind toward the evolution of food. If you have an idea, I want to hear it. My sous chef is a painter and very artistic. His plates are beautiful. I like surrounding myself with those types of people, and being choosy about who I hire goes a long way. I have a very talented group of peers in the kitchen.

Typical day

From all over. Anthony Bourdain and his passion and intelligence for food is one place. Alinea restaurant in Chicago is another. I follow them on Instagram. I’m not trying to copy them, just learn from them. I try to have passion for what I do.

Inspiration

If you’re patient, have a work ethic, absorb as much as possible, and stay focused, you can do anything in this business. Stay away from drugs and alcohol. Build your confidence. A lot of kids come out of culinary school thinking they’re a chef and will get a job. It doesn’t happen that way. You have to put in the time.

Advice

Staffing gets more difficult every year. We have to hire people from outside of Stowe. Another challenge for me is not taking things too personal. On social media platforms like Yelp and Trip Advisor someone can write a negative review and just crush your soul.

Challenges

I absolutely love it here. It’s so majestic and I thought they needed food that matched the place and the views. It’s the best experience I’ve had in my career, plus it’s a really beautiful setting. Every night the staff has a family meal together. It’s a good time to talk about the specials and go over new dishes. It’s huge to have that bonding relationship. n

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S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY AIRPORT & AVIATION STOWE AVIATION Stowe Aviation at the Morrisville-Stowe State Airport (KMVL) enables effortless access to Stowe from cities such as Boston and New York, with scheduled flights from Westchester Airport and non-stop flights on demand, 24 hours a day. (802) 253-2332. (855) FLY STOWE. stoweaviation.com.

AMERICAN CRAFT GALLERIES REMARKABLE THINGS—STOWE CRAFT Come explore our collection of unique handcrafted treasures direct from talented American artists and craftspeople. Established 1983. It’s quite remarkable, isn’t it? 55 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4693, stowecraft.com.

TRUEXCULLINS ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN Designing luxury-custom homes that connect with their natural setting and meet the desires of our clients. View our homes at truexcullins.com. (802) 658-2775.

VOLANSKY STUDIO ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING Andrew Volansky, AIA. The term studio in the firm name refers to a process of collaborating with individuals and goes well beyond the walls of the studio. volanskystudio.com.

Over 10,000 square feet of unique antiques, furniture, and finds to complement a wide range of decorating styles. With a constantly changing inventory no two visits are ever the same. 3093 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne. (802) 497-3342, ardesh.com.

APPLIANCES COCOPLUM APPLIANCES Fastest growing kitchen appliance dealer in the area. Carrying most major brands and providing sales, installation, and service for everything we sell. Jenn-Air, True, Dacor, Miele, more. Locally owned and operated since 1985. (888) 412-1222, appliancedistributors.com.

ARCHITECTS HARRY HUNT ARCHITECTS Modern green homes—true to the spirit of Vermont. Member American Institute of Architects. Certified passive house designer. (802) 253-2374, harryhuntarchitects.com.

J. GRAHAM GOLDSMITH, ARCHITECTS Quality design and professional architectural services specializing in residential, hotel, restaurant, retail, and resort development. Member Stowe Area. (800) 862-4053. jggarchitects.com. Email: VT@jggarchitects.com.

LEE HUNTER ARCHITECT, AIA Stowe-based architectural firm offering a personal approach to creative, elegant design. Residential, commercial, and renovations. (802) 253-9928. leehunterarchitect.com.

MEYER & MEYER ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS Our homes are like no other, because they are uniquely conceived with inspiration from the owners’ preferences. Each home is designed to be cherished for generations and last for centuries. meyerandmeyerarchitects.com.

PAUL ROBERT ROUSSELLE, ARCHITECT AIA Architectural services offering creative design approach for environmentally responsible homes true to their surroundings. We create spaces that move clients functionally, aesthetically, and emotionally with exquisitely detailed, beautifully built, inspiring designs. (802) 253-2110.

SAM SCOFIELD, ARCHITECT, AIA Professional architectural services for all phases of design and construction. Residential and commercial. Carlson Building, Main Street, Stowe. samscofieldarchitect.com. (802) 253-9948.

TEKTONIKA STUDIO ARCHITECTS

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Dedicated to the craft and composition of sustainable, siteinspired design. Emphasis on a collaborative design process to meet our client’s vision and budget. Located in Lower Stowe Village. (802) 253-2020. tektonikavt.com.

House baked pastries and tasty treats fresh every day, light breakfast, and lunch options. Fresh coffee and authentic espresso. Open daily. 144 Main St., Stowe, 63 Lower Main St., Morrisville. See us on Facebook.

HARVEST MARKET Homemade muffins, cookies, tarts, pies, cakes, and other luscious treats. Incredible breads, including our own French country bread baked in traditional wood-fired ovens. Fine coffees and espresso. Daily 7-7 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CUSHMAN DESIGN GROUP Architectural, interior, and landscape design featuring beauty, craftsmanship, and excellent energy efficiency. Creative, intuitive, functional, efficient. (802) 253-2169. cushmandesign.com.

ANTIQUES ARDESH

BLACK CAP COFFEE & BEER

ART GALLERIES BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY Vermont’s premier gallery for landscape painting features over 200 artists in a year-round exhibition schedule. Open Thurs. – Sun. 11-4 through June 25. Daily 11-5 June 27 – Oct 8, and by appointment. Closed January. 180 Main St., Jeffersonville. (802) 644-5100. bryangallery.org.

EDGEWATER GALLERY Contemporary and traditional fine art from emerging and established U.S. and Canadian artists. Located at 151 Main St., Stowe. (802) 760-6785. Two additional locations in Middlebury, with a home design boutique and event space. edgewatergallery.co.

GREEN MOUNTAIN FINE ART GALLERY In the heart of the village. Displaying Stowe’s most diverse collection of traditional and contemporary works by regional artists. Open daily 11-6, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 64 South Main. (802) 253-1818. greenmountainfineart.com.

HELEN DAY ART CENTER Center for contemporary art and art education, established in 1981. Local, national, and international exhibitors. Art classes. Cultural events. Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday 10-5. 90 Pond St., Stowe. (802) 253-8358, helenday.com.

NORTHWOOD GALLERY Gallery featuring exclusively Vermont artisans. Come explore the talent that Vermont has to offer. We host artist workshops, live demonstrations, and provide custom woodwork. 151 Main St., Stowe. (802) 760-6513. northwoodgallery.com.

BOOKSTORES BEAR POND BOOKS Complete family bookstore. NY Times bestsellers and new releases. Children and adult hardcovers, paperbacks, Vermont authors, daily papers, puzzles, greeting cards. Open daily. Depot Building, Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-8236.

BREWERIES THE ALCHEMIST A family owned and operated craft brewery specializing in fresh, unfiltered IPA. You can visit our tasting room and retail shop Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. 100 Cottage Club Rd., Stowe. alchemistbeer.com.

ROCK ART BREWERY Brewing beers we love for you to enjoy. Visit our tasting room and gift shop Mon.-Sat. 10-6. Grab bombers, cans, and growlers, as well as local art and food. (802) 888-9400. rockartbrewery.com.

TRAPP BREWING & BIERHALL Von Trapp Brewing offers a selection of authentic Austrian lagers. Stop by for a pint and enjoy our mountaintop views in our new Bierhall, lounge, or dining room. (802) 253-5705. trappfamily.com.

BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS AARON FLINT BUILDERS Creating inspiring spaces in Central Vermont for over 20 years. (802) 882-7060, aaronflintbuilders.com.

COMPASS CONSTRUCTION ROBERT PAUL GALLERIES An outstanding selection of original paintings, sculpture, and fine art glass by locally, nationally, and internationally acclaimed artists. Celebrating 28 years. Open daily. 394 Mountain Road, Baggy Knees Shopping Center, Stowe. robertpaulgalleries.com. (802) 253-7282.

VISIONS OF VERMONT We feature Eric Tobin, the Winslows, Thomas Curtin, Emile Gruppe, and many more. A century of painting history is made on the Jeffersonville side of Smugglers’ Notch. (802) 644-8183. visionsofvermont.org.

WEST BRANCH GALLERY & SCULPTURE PARK Central Vermont’s premiere contemporary fine art, sculpture, and private event space exhibiting work by over 50 nationally and internationally recognized artists. Visit westbranchgallery.com for more information.

BAKERIES AUSTRIAN TEA & TAP ROOM Offering a variety of baked goods, soups, salads, sandwiches, daily specials, and our Trapp lagers. Open daily 8 a.m.2;30 p.m. Hours vary seasonally. (802) 253-5705. trappfamily.com.

Commercial design build services. Construction management, custom steel building solutions, Centria architectural siding dealer. We innovate it. We simplify it. We build it. What can we build for you? (802) 497-2827. compassvt.com.

DONALD P. BLAKE JR INC. Handcrafted quality in building, offering experienced and reliable contracting services since 1985. Specializing in custom home new construction, renovations, commercial construction, construction management, and property management services. (802) 888-3629, stowebuilder.com.

GEOBARNS Geobarns is an environmentally conscious, minimal waste builder, specializing in artistic barns using modified post-andbeam structures with diagonal framing to achieve a combination of strength, versatility, and beauty at reasonable prices. (802) 295-9687. geobarns.com.

GORDON DIXON CONSTRUCTION, INC. Fine craftsmanship, attention to detail, integrity, dependable workmanship. 30 years of award-winning experience. Custom homes, additions, renovations, design/build, project management. 626 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-9367 or visit gordondixonconstruction.com.

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S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY GRISTMILL BUILDERS Incorporated company 25 years, Gristmill Builders specializes in unique details and net-zero construction. You dream it, we can build it. (802) 279-2000.

MOUNTAIN LOGWORKS, LLC Handcrafted log homes. Specializing in Scandinavian Full Scribe and Adirondack-style log structures with log diameters up to 30 inches. In-house design service available. (802) 748-5929. mountainlogworks.com

PATTERSON & SMITH CONSTRUCTION, INC. A custom builder, remodeling firm, and general contractor in Stowe. Our mission is to provide each customer and their designer/architect with the highest degree of customer service, management, and craftsmanship. pattersonandsmith.com. (802) 253-3757.

PEREGRINE DESIGN BUILD Peregrine Design Build specializes in remodeling and building custom homes and teams with Vermont architects and designers as their builder of choice. Visit peregrinedesignbuild.com to see our range of work.

RED HOUSE BUILDING Full-service, employee-owned building company. Emphasis on timeless craftsmanship. Meeting the challenges of unique and demanding building projects, from contemporary mountain retreats, meticulously restored historic buildings to high-efficiency homes. (802) 655-0043. redhousebuilding.com.

SISLER BUILDERS INC. Custom home building, remodeling, woodworking, home energy audits and retrofits, quality craftsmanship, resource efficient construction, modest additions to multi-million dollar estates. 30 years in Stowe. References available. sislerbuilders.com. (802) 253-5672.

STEEL CONSTRUCTION, INC. Steel Construction, Inc., has consistently proven to be one of Vermont’s finest custom homebuilders. We have three decades of proven experience and a long list of satisfied homeowners. (802) 253-4572. steelconstructionvt.com.

TIM MEEHAN BUILDERS Building excellence, exceptional homes, professional project management creative remodeling. 30 years plus in Stowe. Tim Meehan, (802) 777-0283. timmeehanbuilders.com.

YANKEE BARN HOMES For more than 45 years, Yankee Barn Homes has been designing and prefabricating custom post-and-beam homes built with the finest materials for durability, weather protection, and energy conservation. yankeebarnhomes.com, (800) 258-9786.

BUILDERS—TIMBERFRAME WINTERWOOD TIMBER FRAMES, LLC Hand-crafted, custom-designed timber-frame structures and woodwork, SIPs insulation, sourcing local timber and fine hardwoods, building in the Vermont vernacular. Cabinetry, flooring, butcher-block tops, and staircases. (802) 229-7770. winterwoodtimberframes.com.

BUILDING MATERIALS BARRE TILE Your total flooring service, Barre Tile is your No. 1 choice for all residential, commercial, and industrial floor covering needs. We offer carpet, tile, hardwood, exterior stone, and are experts in granite countertops. barretile.com, (802) 479-5572.

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Beautifully crafted Douglas fir windows and doors for the discerning homeowner. Double- and triple-glazed options available in aluminum, copper, and bronze clad. Style Inspired By You. loewenvtnh.com, (802) 295-6555, info@loewenvtnh.com.

RK MILES Founded in 1940, rk Miles is a family-owned leader in providing services and materials for all types of building and design. Six locations serving Vermont and western Massachusetts, including Stowe and Morrisville. rkmiles.com.

CAKES & CATERING BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAM Time to celebrate. Ice cream cakes serve 1-36 people and are ready-to-go or can be custom ordered. Call (802) 8822034. Ice-cream catering inquiries-cups and cones to full sundae bars. Call (802) 222-1665.

CHURCHES & SYNAGOGUES BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH Mass schedule: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. See bulletin for daily masses. Confession Saturday 3:30-4 p.m. Monsignor Peter A. Routhier, Pastor. 728 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-7536.

HUNGER MOUNTAIN CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY Route 100, Waterbury Center. Sunday worship service at 10 a.m. (802) 244-5921.

JEWISH COMMUNITY OF GREATER STOWE For information regarding services, holiday gatherings, classes, and workshops: JCOGS, P.O. Box 253, Stowe, Vt. 05672. 1189 Cape Cod Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-1800 or jcogs.org.

THE MOUNTAIN CHAPEL At the halfway point on the Mt. Mansfield Toll Road. A place for meditation, prayer and praise for skiers, hikers, and tourists. Seasonal Sunday service 2 p.m. The Rev. Dr. David P. Ransom. (802) 644-8144.

ST. JOHN’S IN THE MOUNTAINS EPISCOPAL At the crossroads of Mountain Road and Luce Hill Road in Stowe. Holy Eucharist celebrated every Sunday at 10 a.m. The Rev. Rick Swanson officiating. St. John’s is wheelchair friendly; visitors and children welcome. Office open Tuesday, Thursday. (802) 253-7578. stjohnsinthemountains.org.

SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Located in Hyde Park. Sunday worship services begin at 10:15 a.m. Sunday school is held at the same time September through June. Handicapped accessible. All are welcome. (802) 888-3636 or check us out on Facebook.

STOWE COMMUNITY CHURCH Adult bible study: Sundays at 8:30 a.m. Traditional service with children’s program: Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Contemporary service: Sundays at 4:30 p.m. The Rev. Will Vaus. (802) 253-7257.

ECCO Burlington’s original designer boutique has been dressing Vermonters in top brands for over 20 years. From denim to dresses, boots to stilettos, ECCO has it all. On Church Street Marketplace. 81 Church St. (802) 860-2220. eccoclothesboutique.com.

FIRST CHAIR ALPINE COMPANY—BOGNER Located adjacent to the outdoor ice skating rink in the Spruce Peak Village Center, this exclusive shop features Bogner and other fine outdoor apparel, accessories, unique Vermont items, jewelry, books and more. (802) 760-4695.

FIRST CHAIR ALPINE COMPANY-KJUS Located in Spruce Peak Plaza, featuring KJUS as our prominent apparel provider and complimented with Postcard, Dale of Norway, Canada Goose, Hestra, unique books and jewelry. Stowe Mountain Resort. (802) 760-4695.

FORGET-ME-NOT-SHOP Treasure hunt through our huge selection of famous label off price clothing for men, women, and teens at 60%-80% off. Route 15 Johnson, just 1.5 miles west of Johnson Village. Open 10-7.

GREEN ENVY Award-winning boutique with an eye for contemporary style. Vince, Rag&Bone, Paige, Tata Harper, Longchamp. Showcasing unique fashions, jewelry, shoes, and accessories from over 300 designers. Best source for premium denim in New England. Open daily. 1800 Mountain Rd. (802) 253-2661, vermontenvy.com.

IN COMPANY Come see what’s in. Specializing in personalized customer service and top designer labels: 360 Sweater, Johnny Was, Lilla P, Tolani, and more. 10-5:30 p.m. daily, 10-5 p.m. Sunday. 344 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4595, incompanyclothing.com.

JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL Quality brands for the whole family. Casual, workwear, rainwear. Patagonia, Carhartt, Prana, Toad & Co, Columbia, Kuhl. Huge selection of footwear, hiking and camping, gardening. You name it, we got it. Route 15, Johnson. (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

JOHNSON WOOLEN MILLS Home of famous Johnson Woolen Outerwear and headquarters for Carhartt, Filson, Pendleton, Woolrich, woolen blankets, fine men’s and ladies sportswear, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, socks. Since 1842. Johnson, VT. (802) 635-2271. johnsonwoolenmills.com.

PINK COLONY Vermont’s largest selection of Lilly Pulitzer. Premiere high-end boutique featuring women’s and children’s clothing, accessories, and shoes. 1940 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-PREP. Visit us on IG. pinkcolony.com.

WATERBURY CENTER COMMUNITY Route 100 next to the Cider Mill. We warmly welcome visitors. (802) 244-6286. Sunday worship 10:45 a.m. Handicapped accessible. Church is a National Historic Place. Pastor John Lucy.

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES BOUTIQUE AT STOWE MERCANTILE Fabulous contemporary fashion for women. From casual to professional, Boutique can make you feel beautiful any time. Lingerie, dresses, skirts, tops, jeans, sweaters, more. We’ll dress you for any occasion. Depot Building, Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-3712.

BUNYABUNYA An on-trend boutique curated with apparel, jewelry, shoes, and gifts inspired by the West Coast. Think California bungalow, bohemian lifestyle. 1799 Mountain Rd., Red Barn Shops, Stowe. (802) 585-3699.

SPORTIVE Largest Bogner selection in northern New England. Toni Sailer, Kjus, Parajumpers, Kindness Cashmere, White + Warren, Cashmere, Hestra gloves, Eisbar hat, Pajar, Alpen Rock, more. (802) 496-3272. Route 100, Waitsfield. sportiveinc.com.

WELL HEELED Sophisticated collection of shoes, boots, clothing, and accessories for an effortlessly chic lifestyle. Stylish interior combined with personalized service and by appointment shopping available—a #mustdoinstowe. Daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (802) 253-6077. wellheeledstowe.com.

YELLOW TURTLE Exceptional selection of clothing and outerwear for babies, kids, and teens. Patagonia, Pink Chicken, Tea, KicKee pants, O’Neill, Roxy, Appaman, Natives, BOGS, Hatley, Johnnie-O, Hudson. M-S 10-5:30, Sun. 11-4. 1799 Mountain Rd., (802) 253-2661, yellow-turtle.com.

COFFEE HOUSES BLACK CAP COFFEE & BEER Fresh coffee and authentic espresso in a warm inviting atmosphere. House-baked pastries and tasty treats, light breakfast and lunch options. Open daily. 144 Main St., Stowe. 63 Lower Main St., Morrisville. See us on Facebook.

HARVEST MARKET Homemade muffins, cookies, tarts, pies, cakes, and other luscious treats. Incredible breads, including our French country bread baked in traditional wood-fired ovens. Fine coffees and espresso. Daily 7-7 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

PK COFFEE Coffee, espresso, tea, lattes, fresh baked goods, and the bestgrilled cheese in town. Join us for the treats; stay for the conversation. 1880 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 760-6151, pkcoffee.com.

VERMONT ARTISAN COFFEE Come visit our state-of-the-art coffee roaster and coffee bar. Delicious coffee espresso drinks and whole bean coffees. 11 Cabin Lane, Waterbury Center, vtartisan.com.

VERMONT COFFEE COMPANY® Our unique style of slow-roasting brings out big, bold flavor and complex character of our certified-organic coffees. Find us in grocery stores, local markets, and food co-ops throughout New England. (802) 398-2776. vermontcoffeecompany.com.

DELICATESSEN

WHISTLEPIG WHISKEY Showcasing the tremendous flavor potential of rye while maintaining a smooth and balanced profile, identifying it with the most acclaimed whiskeys in the world. (802) 897-7700. whistlepigwhiskey.com.

EDUCATION & COLLEGES COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE Learn at 11 of the most stunning mountain communities in Colorado. Choose from two-year career training, bachelor’s degrees, and transfer degrees. Small classes, dedicated faculty. coloradomtn.edu.

NORTHERN VERMONT UNIVERSITY One university, two unique campuses. With our Lyndon and Johnson campuses, NVU combines the best of our nationally recognized liberal arts and professional programs. northernvermont.edu.

THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT The University of Vermont offers bachelor’s through doctoral degree programs in nearly every field, taught by world-class faculty in an extraordinary setting. Explore uvm.edu and follow along: universityofvermont on Instagram.

ENGINEERS VERMONT TESTING & CONSULTING CORPORATION Engineering, structural, geotechnical. Laboratory and fieldtesting and inspection, consulting. vermonttesting.com. (802) 244-6131.

THE BAGEL Bagels boiled and baked daily. Breakfast and lunch sandwiches, baked goods. Gluten-free options available. Seasonal specialties. 394 Mountain Rd, Stowe. (802) 253-9943. 6:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. daily.

EDELWEISS MOUNTAIN DELI Stowe’s #1 deli featuring delicious sandwiches, fresh chili, soups, salads and baked goods. Specialty foods store. Come taste Vermont’s finest spirits. Barr Hill gin and vodka. Great beer and wine selection. Daily 6:30-6. 2251 Mountain Rd. (802) 253-4034.

DENTISTRY CONTEMPORARY DENTAL ARTS PC Contemporary Dental Arts is a unique practice offering high quality, state-of-the-art, esthetic, restorative and implant dentistry… where the smile of your dreams becomes a realty. New patients invited. (802) 878-9888. contemporarydentalartsvt.com.

STOWE DENTAL ASSOCIATES Jeffrey R. McKechnie, DMD & Christopher P. Altadonna, DDS. (802) 253-7932. stowedentalassociates.com.

STOWE FAMILY DENTISTRY Creating beautiful smiles for over 40 years. Always welcoming new patients. 1593 Pucker St., Stowe. (802) 253-4157.

DISTILLERIES GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTILLERY Vermont’s No. 1 organic distillery. Vodkas, gin, maple liqueur, and small-batch whiskey. 171 Whiskey Run, (Route 100 between Stowe and Morrisville; turn on Goeltz Road). (802) 253-0064, greendistillers.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH DISTILLERY Come taste our award-winning vodkas, gins, rum, bourbon, maple bourbon, and wheat whiskey. Tasting rooms in Jeffersonville, Waterbury Center, and Burlington for samples, sales and more. Daily. (802) 309-3077, smugglersnotchdistillery.com.

EQUIPMENT RENTALS JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL Equipment rentals for every job, residential and commercial. Excavators, bobcats, lifts of all sizes, tractors, rototillers, chippers, log splitters, road fabric, culverts, pipe. Best service in the business, always expanding our rental fleet. Delivery available. Route 15, Johnson. (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

EXCAVATING

• • • • •

Housewares Cabot stains Painting supplies Electrical supplies Ice and snow removal • Cleaning supplies • Minwax stains • Best selection of fasteners

DALE E. PERCY, INC. Excavating contractors, commercial and residential. Earthmoving equipment. Site work. trucking, sand, gravel, soil, sewer, water, drainage systems, and supplies. Snow removal, salting, sanding. Weeks Hill Road. (802) 253-8503.

FISHING & HUNTING CATAMOUNT FISHING ADVENTURES Guided fly-fishing, spin-fishing, ice-fishing adventures. River wading, canoe, drift boat, motorboat fishing. Guiding Vermont since 1994. Equipment provided. All abilities. Willy, owner/guide, (802) 253-8500. Federation of Fly Fishers certified. Licensed, insured. catamountfishing.com.

FLY ROD SHOP Vermont’s most experienced guide service. All kinds of tackle, live bait, more. Guided fly, ice, and family tours. Beginner and advanced anglers welcome. Great selection of gear from Simms, Winston, Scientific Anglers, more. Route 100, Stowe. flyrodshop.com, (802) 253-7346.

FITNESS EQUIPMENT TOTAL FITNESS EQUIPMENT Vermont’s premier specialty fitness equipment company has just opened its second location in South Burlington. Visit our huge showroom to see the latest treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, indoor cycler gyms and more. (802) 860-1030. totalfitnessequipment.com.

430 Mountain Road, Stowe

Mon-Sat 8-5:30 • Sun 9-3:30

253-7205

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S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY FLOORING FLOOR COVERINGS INTERNATIONAL The largest inventory of ceramic tile, hardwood floors, and carpets in Vermont. Seven in-house crews that do expert service and installation. Visit our showroom and speak with our in-house designers. 31 Adams Dr., Williston. (802) 891-9264, vermontfci.com.

FLOORING AMERICA Customize your home with flooring that compliments your space while honoring your style. Choose from our leading collection of hardwood, carpet, tile, laminate, vinyl, and rug selections. Williston, (802) 862-5757, flooringamerica-vt.com.

PLANET HARDWOOD Vermont business specializing in green materials, with an emphasis on wood flooring. Our 6,000-square-foot showroom is the best place to really see wood as well as fabulous green products. (802) 482-4404, planethardwood.com.

FLORISTS & FLOWERS

THE COUNTRY STORE ON MAIN Luxury bedding, dreamy candles, kitchen gadgets, children’s items, pet goods, rugs, frames, clocks, greeting cards, and more. Located in the former Lackey Building next to Stowe Community Church. 109 Main Street, (802) 253-7653, countrystorevt.com. countrystorevt.com.

RED BARN SHOPS Yellow Turtle (children’s clothing/outdoor apparel); The Body Lounge (luxury bath & body); Stowe Wine & Cheese; The Toy Store/Once Upon a Time Toys; BunyaBunya (clothing/accessories). 1799 Mountain Rd., 2 miles north of downtown Stowe.

STOWE MERCANTILE Fabulous old country store, Vermont specialty foods, penny candy, clothing, bath and body, wine, craft beer and cider, gift baskets, and toys. Play a game of checkers or a tune on our piano. Depot Building, Main Street. (802) 253-4554. stowemercantile.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE SPORT & GIFTS Trapp Family Lodge books, music, clothing, and food. Austrian specialty gifts and gourmet products. Vermont-made products and maple syrup. Visit our two locations. Shop online: trappfamily.com. (802) 253-8511.

FROM MARIA’S GARDEN Floral design studio specialized in natural garden style, simply beautiful floral designs, unique to your personal style. In-season organic and sustainable cutting gardens. By appointment. (802) 345-3698. maria@frommariasgarden.com.

FOOD DELIVERY

HAIR SALONS SALON SALON World-class Aveda concept salon for men and women. Haircuts, highlighting, coloring, straightening, manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing, body treatments, massage, shellac, lash and hair extensions, wedding services. Downer Farm Shops, 232 Mountain Rd. By appt. (802) 253-7378, salonsalonvt.com.

STOWE TO GO Order online for delivery of fresh produce, groceries, beer/wine, platters for entertaining, and freshly prepared foods from Stowe’s best restaurants. Check out all of your options at deliverstowe.com.

FUEL BOURNES ENERGY Propane, wood pellets, bioheat, biodiesel, heating, cooling, plumbing, auto-delivery, remote heat monitoring, expert service. Bourne’s Energy—Fueling the Future. (800) 326-8763. bournesenergy.com.

FURNITURE

HARDWARE JOHNSON HARDWARE & RENTAL, FARM & GARDEN We have everything you need and more. Equipment rentals, Cabot stain, Valspar paint, electrical and plumbing, largest Milwaukee dealer and authorized repair shop. Nuts and bolts too. Gardening, grain and pet supplies. Route 15, Johnson. (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

STOWE HARDWARE & DRY GOODS Unique hardware store providing North Country necessities and quality products. Craftsman tools, Cabot Stain, complete selection of fasteners, housewares, home-care products. Open 8-5:30 Mon.-Sat., Sundays 9-3:30. 430 Mountain Rd. Established since 1829. (802) 253-7205.

ALL DECKED OUT One of the largest selections of casual furniture in Northern New England. Teak, wicker, aluminum, wrought iron, and envirowood. Best selection for dining, entertaining, and lazing. Delivery. (802) 296-6714. alldeckedoutcasual.com.

BURLINGTON FURNITURE We are Vermont’s destination for furniture, interior design services, and lighting. Come see why we were voted Best Furniture Store nine years in a row. Locally owned, connected to the community, and to sustaining the environment. 747 Pine St. (802) 862-5056, burlingtongfurniture.us.

HEALTH CARE COPLEY HOSPITAL Exceptional care. Community focused. 24-hour emergency services, The Women’s Center, Mansfield Orthopaedics, general surgery, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, oncology, and rehabilitation. Morrisville. (802) 888-8888, copleyvt.org.

SKIN BLISS Skin Bliss offers customized facials, hydra-facials, waxing services and skin-care products in a soothing environment located on the waterfront in Burlington. skinblissvt.com, (802) 373-8755.

MATTRESS & SOFA WAREHOUSE Dining room, living room, and bedroom furniture by Ashley, Lazy Boy, Coaster. Mattresses by Simmons, Beauty Rest, Tempurpedic. Fine home furnishings at affordable prices. Delivery available. (802) 888-3979.

GIFT & SPECIALTY SHOPS

STOWE FAMILY PRACTICE Stowe Family Practice provides routine medical care and treats winter related and sports injuries. (802) 253-4853. chslv.org.

HEALTH CLUBS & FITNESS RIDE

BUTTERNUT MOUNTAIN FARM & MARVIN’S COUNTRY STORE

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Country store focused on all things maple—a carefully curated selection of our favorite products. Specialty cheeses, honey, jams, Vermont-made products, crafts, and gifts. (800) 899-6349, marvinscountrystore.com.

Gorgeous state-of-the-art studio with indoor cycling and fitness classes that leave you feeling empowered and exhilarated. Enjoy the smooth bikes with live time data, incredible instructors and music, and welcoming community Memberships, packages, and drop-in rates. rideindoorcycling.com. (802) 279-0845.

THE SPORTS & WELLNESS CENTER AT STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT Fully equipped Cybex fitness center, dedicated Spinning™ studio, women’s-only workout center, classes from yoga to STOTT Pilates. Certified fitness professionals. Pools, Jacuzzi, steamroom, sauna. Golf, tennis, and racquetball/squash. (802) 760-1083. spaatstoweflake.com.

SWIMMING HOLE Stowe’s premier family fitness and recreation center. 25-meter lap pool, children’s pool, waterslide, group exercise classes, personal training, masters swimming, swim lessons,. State-ofthe-art facility. Day passes, memberships available. (802) 253-9229. theswimmingholestowe.com.

HOME ENTERTAINMENT & SMART HOMES ALARIO TECH Stowe’s premier technology partner providing installation and service of WiFi systems, smart home solutions, video surveillance systems, and computer repair. Monitor your home from anywhere. Visit alariotech.com for more info.

SYSTEM INTEGRATORS Since 2003, System Integrators has delivered for clients throughout Vermont. Success rooted in mastering key deliverables: system design focusing on ease of use, reliability, and performance; rapid response— 24/7; timely, accurate execution; professional staff. (802) 735-1400, info@sivermont.com.

VERMONT ELECTRONICS Providing local support for custom design and installation of home theater, whole house audio, lighting control, shade control, thermostat control, home automation, and your security needs.(802) 253-6509. info@vermontelectronics.biz.

INNS & RESORTS COMMODORES INN Spacious rooms, 3-1/2 acre lake, kayaks, row boats, fireside living room, indoor and outdoor pool, Jacuzzis, and saunas, restaurant, popular sports bar, kids free, pets welcome. Route 100, Lower Village. commodoresinn.com. (802) 253-7131.

GREEN MOUNTAIN INN Classic 1833 resort in Stowe Village. Over 100 rooms, luxury and family suites, apartments/townhouses, many with fireside Jacuzzis. Two restaurants, outdoor year-round heated pool and in-ground spa, health club, Jacuzzi, sauna, Stowe Village Massage, game room. Complimentary tea and cookies. (802) 253-7301. greenmountaininn.com.

STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA Nestled in the heart of Stowe, surrounded by over 30 shops, restaurants and attractions, featuring casual yet elegant guest rooms and townhouses with multiple on-site activities, including a world renowned spa, award-winning restaurant, snowshoeing. AAA Four-Diamond rated. On Mountain Road Shuttle Route. (802) 253-7355, stoweflake.com.

THE LODGE AT SPRUCE PEAK Steps from the slopes, in the heart of it all. Luxury ski-in/ski-out lodging featuring heated outdoor pool, world-class spa, and a variety of on-property dining and retail options. (866) 976-7940, sprucepeak.com.

TOPNOTCH RESORT & SPA Stowe’s only luxury boutique resort wows with contemporary rooms, suites, and 2-3 bedroom resort homes, airy bar and restaurant, top-ranked bistro, world-class spa and tennis center, indoor/outdoor pools. (802) 253-8585. topnotchresort.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE Mountain resort in the European tradition. 96-rooms and suites with spectacular mountain views. European-style cuisine, music, fitness center, indoor pool, climbing wall, yoga, crosscountry and backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, von Trapp history tours. (802) 253-8511. trappfamily.com.

VILLAGE GREEN AT STOWE Fully furnished condominiums at the center of all Stowe has to offer. Fireplaces, indoor pool, sauna, Jacuzzi. Affordable. (802) 253-9705 or (800) 451-3297. vgasstowe.com.

INSURANCE

INTERNET SERVICES STOWE CABLE Providing reliable high-speed internet, cable television, and phone service throughout Stowe and Jeffersonville for over 30 years. Located at 172 Thomas Lane, Stowe. (802) 253-9282, stowecable.com.

STOWE INSURANCE AGENCY, INC. Stowe’s premier multi-line insurance agency since 1955. Our pricing and service is second to none. Glenn Mink, Teela Leach, Robert Mink, and Renee Davis. (802) 253-4855.

INTERIOR DESIGN

JEWELRY FERRO ESTATE & CUSTOM JEWELERS Stowe’s premier full-service jeweler since 2006. We specialize in estate jewelry, fine diamonds, custom design, jewelry repair, and appraisals. In-house repair studio. American Gem Society. 91 Main St. (802) 253-3033. ferrojewelers.com/stowe.

VON BARGEN’S JEWELRY A Vermont family business with five locations. We specialize in distinctive artisan jewelry, fine, ideal cut diamonds, and custom jewelry. Stowe Village. Monday-Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-5, Sunday noon-5. (802) 253-2942. vonbargens.com.

AMBER HODGINS DESIGN Full-service interior architecture and design. Specializing in décor, renovations, and new construction for residential and commercial projects. (802) 585-5544. amberhodgins.com.

CUSTOM COVERS Custom Covers at the Grist Mill is a full-service shop. Designer fabrics, trims, wallpaper, custom-made slipcovers, upholstery, window treatments. By appointment. (802) 324-2123. 92 Stowe Street, Waterbury.

DESIGN STUDIO OF STOWE Creating beautiful interiors from classic to modern with respect to client’s taste, property, budget, deadline. New construction, renovations, and updates to existing spaces. Residential to light commercial projects. Allied Member ASID. 626 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-9600. designstudiovt.com.

DOVETAIL DESIGNS BY JENNY VOLK Kitchens, baths, interiors provided by Jenny and Randy Volk. 65 years combined experience. Unparalleled design and craftsmanship. Outstanding showroom waits to inspire. Happy customers. Hinesburg, (802) 482-2600, dovetaildesignskitchen.com.

INTERIOR CREATIONS Full-service kitchen and bath showroom. Providing custom cabinetry, countertops, stone tile, plumbing accessories, and more for remodel and new construction projects. Monday through Friday 8-4 or by appointment. (802) 479-7909.

PIPER INTERIOR DESIGN A full-service residential design studio. We believe in telling the story of each project through meaningful design with an emphasis on supporting specialized craftspeople. (802) 793-0420. piperinteriordesign.com.

SELDOM SCENE INTERIORS INC. All aspects of interior design. Stowe and Boston. Full architectural services, design build, and project management. Large comprehensive portfolio. By appointment only. 2038 Mountain Rd.. (802) 253-3770. seldomsceneinteriors.com.

REMARKABLE HOME—STOWE CRAFT Voted best interior design service in 2018 regional 4393 awards. Susan Bayer-Fishman combines project management, art, craft, and interior design to create spaces just for you. 34 South Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-7677, stowecraft.com.

STOWE KITCHEN BATH AND LINENS Interior design and stylist always available. We have an enormous furniture selection at every price point. Specializing in bedding, rugs, furniture, lighting, right down to all your kitchen needs. Free consultations. (802) 253-8050. 1813 Mountain Rd., Stowe. kate@stowekitchen.net.

The process of uniting program, context, form and materials provides the basis for our work, crafting modern sculptural landscapes expressing the essential inherent beauty of natural materials. (802) 864-0010. wagnerhodgson.com.

LAWYERS

HICKOK & BOARDMAN, INC. Providing superior service and innovative solutions for all your insurance needs. Home, auto, and business insurance since 1821. “Here when you need us.” 618 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-9707.

WAGNER HODGSON LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

KITCHENS & BATHS BLODGETT BATH SHOWPLACE Your dream bathroom or kitchen begins at the Blodgett Bath Showplace in Williston. We offer quality bath and kitchen products and provide expert help to make your project run smoothly. blodgettsupply.com.

BURLINGTON MARBLE & GRANITE We manufacture and install the finest handcrafted stone countertops for Vermont’s premier builders, fine kitchens and bath designers and discriminating homeowners. Warehouse stocked with over 100 full slabs to view. (802) 860-1221. burlingtonmarbleandgranite.com.

CLOSE TO HOME Locally owned and operated since 1999, we have the finest selection of bath fixtures and vanities, kitchen sinks and faucets, door/cabinet hardware, and more. A culture of customer service. 10 Farrell St., S. Burlington. (802) 861-3200. closetohomevt.com.

ANDERSON & ASSOCIATES General practice of law: civil, family, and criminal litigation, probate and estate planning, business law, and transactions. 954 South Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-4011. andersonlawvt.com.

BARR LAW GROUP General litigation and commercial transactional representation: civil litigation, class actions, arbitration, court trials, criminal defense, business/real estate, aviation, estates, more. Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts bars. 125 Mountain Rd., Stowe; 100 Park Ave, N.Y. (802) 253-6272; (212) 486-3910.

DARBY KOLTER & NORDLE, LLP General civil practice: commercial and residential, real estate, environmental, estate planning/administration, personal injury & worker’s comp, mediation services, business formation, family law. Stowe: 996 Main St., Unit 1A, (802) 253-7165; Waterbury: 89 S. Main St., (802) 244-7352.

HORSLEY LAJOIE GOLDFINE, LLC General practice including civil litigation, personal injury, real estate, corporate, estate planning/administration. Located in Stowe village at 166 S. Main St. (802) 760-6480. hlgattorneys.com.

OLSON & ASSOCIATES, PLC General law practice: commercial and residential real estate, estate planning and probate administration, business formation and maintenance, general litigation, family law, mediation services. 188 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-7810.

STACKPOLE AND FRENCH Litigation, real estate, corporate, utility, wills, and estate administration. 255 Maple St., Stowe. (802) 253-7339. stackpolefrench.com.

STEVENS LAW OFFICE COUNTRY HOME CENTER Our kitchen and bath department offers many types of custom cabinets, solid surface countertops, custom tile showers, energy efficient fixtures, and green products for today’s Vermont lifestyle. 85 Center Rd., Morrisville. (802) 888-3177. countryhomecenter.net.

Residential and commercial real estate, criminal and family law, civil litigation, personal injury, estate planning, and business formation. 30+ years experience. Stowe, Derby offices. (802) 253-8547 or (866) 786-9530. stowelawyers.com.

LIGHTING

MAD RIVER CABINET DESIGN BARRE ELECTRIC & LIGHTING SUPPLY, INC. Locally owned and operated since 2001. We offer countertops, sinks, faucets, tile, and six lines of cabinetry for all budgets. madrivercabinetdesign.com. 1144 Waterbury Stowe Rd., Waterbury. (802) 244-4044.

STOWE TILE AND STONE Your local family owned and operated shop. Specializing in designer porcelain, ceramic, glass and stone tile, custom countertops, cabinet hardware, and installation supplies. First in customer service. 59 West Hill, Stowe. (802) 253-7001. stowetileandstone.com.

Indoor and outdoor lighting, fans, home accents. Supplier of choice for area electricians and builders. Visit our 3,000-square foot showroom featuring working displays for kitchen and bath lighting. Route 302, Barre. (802) 476-0280. barreelectric.com.

MAD RIVER ANTLER Handcrafted one-of-a-kind antler creations in the form of chandeliers, sconces, table lamps, floor lamps, and custom creations using naturally shed antler from moose, deer, and elk. (802) 496-9290, madriverantler.com.

THE LAMP SHOP

LANDSCAPE DESIGN AMBLER DESIGN Full-service landscape architecture and construction company in Stowe. Working with plants, water, stone, and earth, we create unique, exceptional, and beautiful outdoor spaces. (802) 253-4536. amblerdesign.com.

Vintage lighting, colorful lamp shades, professional lamp repair. Browse through the decades of our restored lighting or let us design something for you. Customer service is our specialty. 424 Pine St., Burlington. (802) 864-6782, shopthelamp.com.

MARKETS THE BUTCHERY

KNAUF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE We transform landscapes into beautiful outdoor living spaces that ignite the senses and seamlessly connect inside and out, with balance and harmony. Member ASLA. (802) 655-0552. cynthiaknauf.com.

Butcher shop, fish monger, fromagerie, sourcing prime beef, all-natural pork, free-range chicken and game, domestic and international sauces and spices. Serving artisan sandwiches, housemade soups, prepared foods. 504 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-1444. butcheryvt.com.

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S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY COMMODITIES NATURAL MARKET Best market 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. One-stop grocery shopping featuring organic produce, groceries, artisanal cheeses, bread, local meats, craft beer and wine, bulk, gluten-free, wellness, CBD products. Open daily. (802) 253-4464. commoditiesnaturalmarket.com.

HARVEST MARKET Stowe’s one-stop gourmet store. Grab and go section, premade sandwiches and salads prepared by our own chefs and bakers. Vermont cheeses and charcuterie. Farm fresh produce. Vermont microbrews and wines. Daily 7-7 (in season) (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

MASSAGE & BODYWORK BRAD HIGHBERGER, LMT, RCST Specializing in chronic pain and injuries of the neck, shoulder, jaw, arms, hands and feet. Thirty-five years of experience working with neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release and biodynamic cranio-sacral therapy in Stowe. (802) 730-4955.

KATE GRAVES, CMT, BHS Relaxation, deep tissue, moist heat, energy work (Brennan graduate), maternity, Thai. Practicing integrative medicine over 30 years. Competitive rates. Stowe Yoga Center, 515 Moscow Rd. kgravesmt@gmail.com, (802) 253-8427, stoweyoga.com.

STOWE VILLAGE MASSAGE Massage center offers exceptional bodywork services from relaxation to injury recovery. Certified practitioners in a casual atmosphere. 60-minute massages starting from $80. Daily from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. 49 Depot St., Stowe. Book online at stowevillagemassage.com. (802) 253-6555.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE FITNESS CENTER Massage therapists use a blend of techniques to address needs including Swedish, deep tissue, acupressure, and Shiatsu. Other treatments include reflexology, salt glows, and hot stone therapy. Appointments available daily. (802) 253-5722.

MATTRESSES BURLINGTON MATTRESS We’re here to help you get a better night’s sleep. Mattresses, bedroom furniture, lifestyle bases, and futons. Trusted brands covering the bases from bed in a box to luxury mattresses. 747 Pine St. (802) 862-7167, burlingtongmattress.us.

NEEDLEWORK

PHYSICIANS

THE WOODEN NEEDLE

ADAM KUNIN, MD, CARDIOLOGIST

Charming needle arts shop in heart of Stowe Village. Counted cross-stitch and needlepoint featured. Specializing in linens, hand-painted canvases, Paternayan wool, Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Art cottons, fun fibers. Park and Pond Streets. (802) 253-3086, wooden-needle.com.

OPTOMETRY MYEYEDR. Two Vermont locations: Stowe, 1248 Waterbury Rd., (802) 253-6322; Williston, 5399 Williston Rd., Suite 102, (802) 864-5428. We welcome all insurances. myeyedr.com.

ORIENTAL RUGS VINCENT J. FERNANDEZ ORIENTAL RUGS In the Oriental rug business since 1973. Apprenticed for a Lebanese rug expert, certified appraiser with Oriental Rug Retailers of America, and past board member. We buy good antique Orientals. Expert cleaning and restoration. Custom search and acquisition. orientalrugsvt.com.

PAINTERS—INTERIOR & EXTERIOR LAMOILLE VALLEY PAINTERS, LLC Custom painting company in Stowe, specializing in high-end interior and exterior painting, staining and wall-coverings for homes, decks, barns, commercial businesses in the Lamoille Valley. dan@lamoillevalleypainters.com. (802) 730-2776.

NATURAL MATTRESS OF VT We have a unique selection of natural chemical-free mattresses. FSC-certified furniture, organic bedding, and home décor. Everything for a healthy night’s sleep. 3198 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne. (802) 985-2650. naturalmattressvt.com.

PERFORMING ARTS FLYNN THEATER Featuring world-class music, Broadway, theater, dance, and family performances on the MainStage, with additional touring shows added throughout the year. 153 Main St., Burlington. Box office (802) 86-FLYNN, (802) 863-5966. flynntix.org.

SPRUCE PEAK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER The Stowe region’s premier, year-round presenter of music, theater, dance, film, educational, and family programs on stage, on screen, and across the community. (802) 760-4634. Visit sprucepeakarts.org for more info.

CBD VERMONT CBD Vermont features all Vermont-made CBD products including oils, topicals, and edibles. We also produce our CBD extract onsite. 1930 Waterbury Stowe Rd., Waterbury Center.

ELEVATED STATE VT

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A full-spectrum CBD shop. CBD for everyone with information to help you determine what is best for you, your pet, family, and friends. 407 Mountain Rd., Stowe.

Access to your personal physician 24/7, longer appointments, house calls, and personalized medical care. Annual membership fee. Limited enrollment. Board certified in family medicine. (802) 253-5020. davidbisbeemd.com.

DONALD DUPUIS, MD, AND COURTNEY OLMSTED, MD, GENERAL SURGEONS Board-certified general surgeons. Specializing in advanced laparoscopic procedures. Providing a wide spectrum of inpatient and outpatient surgical care. Morrisville. (802) 888-8372, copleyvt.org.

MANSFIELD ORTHOPAEDICS Comprehensive orthopedic care. Nicholas Antell, MD; Brian Aros, MD; Bryan Huber, MD; John Macy, MD; Joseph McLaughlin, MD; and Bryan Monier, MD. Morrisville and Waterbury. (802) 888-8405, mansfieldorthopaedics.com.

THE WOMEN’S CENTER Board-certified specialist William Ellis, MD, and certified nurse midwives Kipp Bovey, Jackie Bromley, Marge Kelso, and April Vanderveer. Comprehensive gynecological care. The Women’s Center, (802) 888-8100, copleyvt.org.

PRINTING From blueprints and banners to business cards and brochures, we print it. Shipping, scanning, and every other business service you can think of, we are your locally owned business partner. 112 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-2233. store2614@theupsstore.com.

THE X PRESS Custom business and personal print, copy, and design services. Brochures, letterhead, business cards, forms, labels, invitations, banners, specialty products for over 30 years. Office supplies, shipping, scanning/fax. (802) 253-7883 (fax). Stowe Village, M-F, 8-4:30. (802) 253-9788. thexpressink.com.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COPLEY REHABILITATION SERVICES Therapies include physical, occupational, hand, speech, aquatic, pediatric, cardiac and pulmonary, work conditioning, and other comprehensive rehab services. Clinics in Stowe, Hardwick, and Morrisville (Mansfield Orthopaedics and Copley Hospital). (802) 888-8303, copleyvt.org.

PINNACLE PHYSICAL THERAPY

NATURAL REMEDIES

DAVID BISBEE, MD—PRIMARY CARE

THE UPS STORE

PHYSICAL THERAPY MATTRESSES—ORGANIC

Personalized cardiac care. Board-certified in cardiology, nuclear cardiology and internal medicine. Providing general cardiology, advanced cardiac tests, and imaging. Morrisville. (802) 888-8372, copleyvt.org.

Skilled physical therapy for orthopedic and neuromuscular conditions, sports, family wellness, pre- and post-surgery. Personal, professional care: 1878 Mountain Rd., Stowe. Appointment within 24 hours, M-F. (802) 253-2273. info@pinnacleptvermont.com or pinnacleptvermont.com.

UVMHN CVMC REHABILITATION SERVICES Physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Specialized service: Parkinson’s disease, urinary incontinence, vertigo, concussions, and more. Clinic in Waterbury. Get evaluated within 48 hours at Rehab Express in Berlin. cvmc.org/rehab. (802) 371-4242.

RURAL RESOURCES Comprehensive property and household management services. Full-service professional management team specializing in the details of preserving your investment. Concierge/housekeeping, vendor management, design/remodels, much more. (802) 253-9496, admin@ruralresourcesvt.com.

STOWE COUNTRY HOMES Property management, maintenance, repair, and renovations specialists. Lawn and garden care, landscaping, trash removal, etc. Renovations large and small. Quality work guaranteed—on budget and schedule. (802) 253-8132, ext. 102, or jeanette@stowecountryhomes.com. stowecountryhomes.com.

STOWE RESORT HOMES Personalized management for Stowe’s vacation homes. Home checks, personal shopping, remodeling project management, maintenance coordination, more. We also offer marketing and rental agent services for select vacation homes. (802) 760-1157. stoweresorthomes.com.

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS COLDWELL BANKER CARLSON REAL ESTATE Real estate sales and rentals, representing Stowe and surrounding communities. Our talented team leads the industry in technology, innovation, and passion. 25 Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-7358. stowevermontrealestate.com.

FOUR SEASONS SOTHEBY’S INT’L REALTY Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty strives everyday to exceed our clients’ expectations. To learn how we can put the power of our brand to work for you, visit us at fourseasonssir.com or (802) 253-7267.

GREEN RIVER RESERVOIR LAKEFRONT ESTATE Impeccably built on 16 acres with 1,000 feet of frontage. Four residences each with own kitchen. Total of 17 bedrooms. Boathouse, beach, barns, pond, and rifle range. Fully furnished for $2,750,000. ondinevt.com. (561) 835-8980.

THE BISTRO AT TEN ACRES Simply great, handmade, flavorful food. Craft beers, delicious wines, fresh-pressed cocktails. 1820s Vermont Farmhouse with bar seating, elegant dining rooms, fireside lounge, outside dining and beautiful views. Barrows and Luce Hill Roads, Stowe. tenacreslodge.com. (802) 253-6838.

BLACK DIAMOND BARBEQUE We only use quality meats prepared with homemade rubs and marinades, then slowly smoke using native hardwoods. Our bar features craft beer and cocktails. blackdiamondbbq.com.

Charlie B’s is a true Stowe classic. Warm and cozy atmosphere with wood-burning fireplace, inviting wrap-around bar, eclectic menu ranging from comfort food to lighter fare. Featuring a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list, Vermont craft beer, creative cocktails. (802) 760-1096, charliebspub.com.

DEPOT ST. MALT SHOP Lunch and dinner, kids’ menu. 1950s soda fountain atmosphere. Thick and creamy malts, frappes, sundaes, ice cream sodas, Vermont beef burgers, sandwiches, homemade soups, fabulous maple walnut salad dressing. Take-out. Stowe Village. (802) 253-4269.

MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATES REALTORS Bigger is not always better. We have chosen to remain small, allowing us to offer experienced representation, personalized service, and a team approach to residential and commercial sales. (802) 253-8518. mountainassociates.com.

NEW ENGLAND LANDMARK REALTY Stowe, Vermont real estate. Professional real estate sales. Beautiful Stowe homes and land. You’re going to love our Stowe, Vermont lifestyle. Call today. (866) 324-2427. (802) 253-4711. nelandmark.com.

PALL SPERA COMPANY REALTORS Stowe and Lamoille County’s leading real-estate company serving Central and Northern Vermont from 3 offices and 24 hours a day at pallspera.com. Mountain Road, Stowe (802) 253-9771, Stowe Village (802) 253-1806, Morrisville (802) 888-1102.

RED BARN REALTY OF VERMONT An office of dynamic professionals, each with a unique love of Vermont. We look forward to helping you fulfill your real estate sales and rental needs. 1878 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4994. redbarnvt.com.

STOWE COUNTRY HOMES Vacation homes and condos for short- or long-term rental. Professionally and locally managed. Luxury slopeside properties, secluded private homes, affordable condos—we have what you want, meeting all budgets. 253-8132. stowecountryhomes.com.

STOWE MOUNTAIN RENTALS Premier vacation rental company specializing in Stowe Mountain Lodge rentals. Stay in privately owned units, enjoy lower prices than booking direct. Slopeside rooms, ski-in/skiout. Lodge amenities: spa, pool, hot tub, car valet, ski valet, more. (802) 798-3142, stowemountainrentals.com.

STOWE RESORT HOMES Luxury vacation homes for the savvy traveler. Book some of Stowe’s best resort homes—online. Well-appointed, tastefully decorated homes at Topnotch, Spruce Peak, and throughout Stowe. (802) 760-1157. stoweresorthomes.com.

RESTAURANTS

Chef owned and operated. An expansive menu including authentic southern Italian cuisine, homemade pasta, fresh seafood, classics like lasagna and veal parmigiano, and fresh baked bread and desserts. 18 Edson Hill Rd, Stowe. (802) 253-5677, salutevt.com.

SOLSTICE Artisan-inspired cuisine served in a warm and casual atmosphere. Reservations recommended. Ask about our Chef’s Table and wine-tasting options. (802) 760-4735, solsticevermont.com.

CHARLIE B’S PUB & RESTAURANT

LITTLE RIVER REALTY Your trusted real estate advisors representing buyers, sellers ad rentals. Your goals are our priority. We are full-time realtors who appreciate the importance of your real estate decisions. (802) 253-1553, info@lrrvermont.com and lrrvermont.com.

SALUTE STOWE

DOC PONDS Eat and drink. Many beers from 24 rotating taps to 50 different bottles and cans, craft cocktails, natural wine, updated bar food. Two turntables with 1,000 records. Bar, lounge, dining room. 294 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 760-6066. No reservations. docponds.com.

HARRISON’S RESTAURANT & BAR Located in historic Stowe Village serving elevated takes on American dishes with wine, craft beers and cocktails in a unique, parlorlike space. Reservations accepted. (802) 253-7773, harrisonsstowe.com.

HOB KNOB BAR & LOUNGE Enjoy a drink in or lounge and some comfort food from our kitchen Thursday-Sunday, put your feet up sit by the fire. Bring the family, play some games and enjoy. hobknobinn.com. (802) 253-8549.

IDLETYME BREWING COMPANY Small-batch craft lagers and ales. Lunch and dinner daily from 11:30 a.m. Innovative cocktails, extensive wine list, family friendly, fireplace dining. Apres ski. Beer to go. 1859 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4765, idletymebrewing.com.

MCCARTHY’S RESTAURANT / CATERING Delicious breakfasts and lunches. Soups, daily specials. Kids’ menu, low-calorie, low-carb offerings. Homemade muffins, pies etc. Gluten free bread, gluten free muffins, cappuccino, milkshakes, smoothies. 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-8626.

MICHAEL’S ON THE HILL Farm-to-table cuisine. Swiss chef owned. Restaurateur & Chef of the Year, Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, Best Chefs America, certified green restaurant. Bar, lounge, groups. 5:30-9, closed Tuesdays. 5 minutes from Stowe. Route 100, Waterbury Center. (802) 244-7476. michaelsonthehill.com.

PIECASSO PIZZERIA & LOUNGE Traditional, hand-tossed New York style pizza with modern style, eclectic music, and great vibes. A local favorite, voted a “Top 11 Slice in the Country” by travelandleisure.com. Creative entrees, craft beer, gluten-free menu, online ordering, takeout, delivery. (802) 253-4411, piecasso.com.

STOWE SANDWICH CO Soups, salads, sandwiches, and more. Visit us on Mountain Road for eat-in or take-out. Check our website for full menu and catering options. stowesandwich.com, (802) 253-7300.

SUNSET GRILLE & TAP ROOM Northern-style southern barbecue with a side of sports. Craft beers and cocktails. Patio dining, family friendly. NFL Sunday ticket. 30 TVs. Just off the beaten path. Cottage Club Road, Stowe. (802) 253-9281. sunsetgrillevt.com.

SUSHI YOSHI Experience the best in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Eclectic menu with something for everyone. The entire family will enjoy our gourmet hibachi steakhouse. Daily outdoor seating in summer. Call for free shuttle. 1128 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4135. sushistowe.com.

TAP 25 Visit Tap 25 for a social vibe and relaxed atmosphere, featuring 25 rotating handles of American craft beer from Vermont and beyond. Enjoy great beer, food, wine, and local live music with us. 151 Main St., Stowe.(802) 760-6481, tap25stowe.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE—LOUNGE & DINING ROOM Seasonal menus reflecting both Austrian and Vermont traditions. Open daily. Dining room: breakfast 7:30-10:30 a.m.; dinner 5-9 p.m. Reservations: (802) 253-5733. Lounge: lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; tea 3:30-4:30 p.m.; dinner 5-9 p.m.; bar nightly until 11 p.m.; (802) 253-5734. trappfamily.com.

TRES AMIGOS Authentic Mexican fare highlighting fresh produce and local meats and cheeses; tequilas and mezcals, margarita and cocktail menu, 24 drafts focusing on Vermont and Mexicanstyle craft beers. Intimate music space with upper level viewing. 1190 Mountain Rd., (802) 253-6245. tresamigosvt.com.

WHIP BAR & GRILL Friendly, casual atmosphere with open grill and fireplace dining. Fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks, vegetarian specialties, children’s menu, homemade soups, breads & desserts. Serving dinner daily, lunch Wed. – Sun. & Sunday brunch. Located at the Green Mountain Inn. (802) 253-4400, for reservations. thewhip.com.

ZENBARN Globally inspired cuisine, craft beer and Vermont spirits. Live music, events, yoga classes, more. Beautiful setting in renovated dairy barn with outdoor seating. Quarter mile from Ben & Jerry’s. 179 Guptil Rd., Waterbury. zenbarnvt.com. (802) 244-8134.

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

BENCH Unique to Stowe, wood-fired comfort food including pizza. Local ingredients in a relaxed, rustic modern Vermont atmosphere. Enjoy après ski or dinner with family and friends. 28 taps, craft beer, cocktails, and extensive wine list. Daily. 492 Mountain Rd., Stowe. benchvt.com or (802) 253-5100.

THE RESERVOIR RESTAURANT Located in the heart of Waterbury, The Reservoir serves dinner 7 days a week and lunch Saturday and Sunday. We specialize in local Vermont food and some of the best beers available. (802) 244-7827, waterburyreservoir.com.

COPLEY WOODLANDS Come home to Stowe, where retirement living is easy. Spacious condos, fine dining, activities. Available for adults 55+. Copley Woodlands, 125 Thomas Lane, Stowe. (802) 253-7200, copleywoodlands.com.

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S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY MAYO HEALTHCARE Residential care assisted living at Mayo means joining a vibrant, welcoming community—and letting your worries go. Get back to living your life, knowing that supportive nursing care is here 24/7. Northfield, Vt. (802-485-3161), mayohc.org.

PINNACLE SKI & SPORTS Voted No.1 in customer service. All new rental and demo skis and snowboards. All major brands. Clothing from Marmot, Obermeyer, Fly Low, Helly Hansen, others. Complete line of accessories. Tuning services. Open nightly till 8 p.m., 10 p.m. Fri., Sat. and holidays. (802) 253-7222. pinnacleskisports.com.

WAKE ROBIN A vibrant non-profit life-care community located on 136 acres just south of Burlington in Shelburne, Vt. Residents enjoy independent living in cottages and apartments and comprehensive, on-site health care for life. wakerobin.com, (802) 264-5100.

SHOE STORES JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL A huge selection of quality footwear for the whole family. Shoes and boots for contractors, outdoor enthusiasts, and all lifestyles. Clothing too. Keen, Timberland Pro, Chippewa, Muck, Columbia, Dansko, Birkenstock, Salomon, Merrell, Bog, Sorel. Route 15, Johnson. (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

WELL HEELED Unique collection of shoes, boots, handbags, belts, clothing, and jewelry in a chicly updated Vermont farmhouse halfway up Stowe’s Mountain Road. Shoes are our specialty and effortlessly chic our motto. Daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (802) 253-6077. wellheeledstowe.com.

SKIING–Cross Country TRAPP FAMILY LODGE OUTDOOR CENTER Over 100 km of groomed and backcountry trails in woodlands and meadows with spectacular mountain views. Private, group instruction, rentals, retail shop. Lunch at the Slayton Pasture Cabin. (802) 253-8511. Snow reports: (802) 253-5720.

SKI RESORTS BOLTON VALLEY SKI RESORT Bolton Valley is the best value in big mountain skiing and riding in Vermont. Enjoy ski-in/ski-out lodging with access to trails and night skiing. Just 10 minutes from Waterbury. 1-8779BOLTON, boltonvalley.com.

AJ’S SKI & SPORTS Stowe’s largest selection of rentals and demos. K2, Volkl, Atomic, Line, Nordica, Rossignol, Blizzard, Burton snowboards. We rent ski clothing, jackets, pants, gloves, mittens. Reserve online and save: stowesports.com. Daily 8-8, Friday and Saturday until 9. (802) 253-4593.

PINNACLE SKI & SPORTS Voted No. 1 in customer service. All new rental and demo skis and snowboards. Choose from Atomic, Blizzard, Burton, Dynastar, Fischer, Head, K2, Kastle, Nordica, Rossignol, Salomon, Volkl. Open nightly till 8 p.m., 10 p.m. Fri., Sat. and holidays. (802) 253-7222. pinnacleskisports.com.

STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT Three on-mountain rental locations, with ski and snowboard equipment for all ages and ability levels. Save time and money by booking in advance through rentskis.com/stowe.

SKI & SNOWBOARD SHOPS—Retail AJ’S SKI & SPORTS Patagonia, Arcteryx, Burton, Leki, Helly Hanson, Prana, Nordica, Sorel, Dalbello, Volkl, Dale of Norway, Eisbar. Skiboot fitting/sales from Lange, Tecnica, Salomon, Atomic. Oakley and Smith goggles, accessories. Gloves, mittens, hats. Daily 8-8, Friday and Saturday until 9. (802) 253-4593. stowesports.com.

MOUNTAINOPS Full-service ski shop specializing in backcountry, alpine, telemark, A/T. Nordic sales, service and rentals for all winter activities. All in a cozy atmosphere like no other. Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-4531. mountainopsvt.com.

OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE & GEARX.COM

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Locally owned since 1995, offering the area’s best prices, service, and selection of gear and clothing for Nordic, telemark, alpine touring, snowshoeing, ice climbing. Open 7 days. Burlington. (802) 860-0190.

Award-winning science center known for its interactive exhibits, outstanding programs, science park and water features, and woodland garden. Daily 10-5. Norwich, Vt. montshire.org

SHELBURNE MUSEUM Forty-five acres, 39 buildings, 22 gardens, over 100,000 items in the collection. A steamboat, carousel, locomotive, special exhibitions, paintings by Impressionist masters and American artists like Wyeth, Homer, and more. 6000 Shelburne Rd. (802) 985-3346, shelburnemuseum.org.

STOWE HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM Preserving Stowe’s rich history. Museum at the West Branch and Bloody Brook Schoolhouses, next to Stowe Library. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, noon-3 p.m., and when the flags are out. (802) 253-1518. stowehistoricalsociety.org, info@stowehistoricalsociety.org.

STOWE BOWL Stowe’s greatest hotspot. Come bowl in a swanky setting with a state-of-the-art visual experience, a full bar, tasty food, ad fireplace lunge. Casual entertainment, parties, and events. stowebowl.com.

JAY PEAK RESORT Jay Peak offers skiing and riding on the most snow in the East. Vermont’s only aerial tram, Pump House indoor waterpark, Ice Haus indoor skating rink, and new Clips & Reels recreational center with climbing gym, arcade, and movie theater. (800) 451-4449 jaypeakresort.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT, VERMONT

SKI & SNOWBOARD SHOPS—Rentals & Demos

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

America’s Family Resort. Mountainside lodging. Award-winning kids’ programs. Zipline canopy tours. Summer: 8 pools, 4 waterslides, disc golf, mountain bike park. Winter: Three interconnected mountains, 2,610 vertical. FunZone 2.0 entertainment complex. (888) 256-7623, smuggs.com/sg.

SPA

SPECIALTY FOODS HARVEST MARKET Balsamic, olive oils, Italian pastas, and other gourmet specialties. Fresh food to go made fresh daily by our chefs and bakers. Party platters and specialty dinners available to order. Daily 7-7 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES What the New York Times calls “some of the best chocolate in the country.” Made from fair-trade certified chocolate, Vermont cream, other natural ingredients. Caramels, truffles, creamy fudge, hot chocolate, factory seconds. (802) 241-4150. lakechamplainchocolates.com.

THE SPA AT SPRUCE PEAK Relax and rejuvenate with a natural spa treatment in one of our 18 rooms, unique healing lodge, and full-service salon. (802) 760-4782. sprucepeak.com.

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS ARBORTREK CANOPY ADVENTURES AT SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH Family-friendly, year-round treetop adventures including an award-winning zip line canopy tour, treetop obstacle course, and climbing adventure. Adventures from serene to extreme. Ages 4+; Good to moderate health. Reservations recommended. (802) 644-9300. arbortrek.com.

COLD HOLLOW CIDER MILL Watch apple cider being made on an old-fashioned rack-andcloth press. Hours vary, check website. Apple cider and hard cider samples. Live observation beehive. Maple products, bakery, cider donuts made daily. Route 100, Waterbury Center. (800) 327-7537. Daily 8-6 p.m. coldhollow.com.

KING ARTHUR FLOUR Visit King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vt., for all things baking. Shop our retail store, sign up for a class, or enjoy a delicious meal in our cafe. (802) 649-3361. kingarthurflour.com.

SPORTING GOODS POWER PLAY SPORTS Old-fashioned customer service meets the best modern gear. Full-service bike shop, new and used. Trek and Giant bikes, service rentals, accessories. All team sports including lacrosse, baseball, soccer. Open daily. 35 Portland St. (802) 888-6557. powerplaysportsvt.com.

WATERBURY SPORTS Old-fashioned customer service meets the best modern gear. Specializing in selling, servicing, and renting bikes. Wide selection of team sports equipment, camping gear, footwear, apparel. 46 S. Main St., (802) 882-8595. waterburysportvt.com.

SURVEYORS LITTLE RIVER SURVEY COMPANY Surveying, mapping. Boundary, subdivision and topographic surveys. Site plans, FEMA elevation certificates and LOMA’s. Forestry services available. Large document copying, scanning, reducing. (802) 253-8214, littleriversurveyvt.com.

LAUGHING MOON CHOCOLATES Handmade Laughing Moon Chocolates open 9-6 daily. 78 South Main St., Stowe Village. Chocolate dipping demonstrations and sampling at 2 p.m. daily. (802) 253-9591. laughingmoonchocolates.com.

LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO Walk into the studio and experience the art of glassblowing up close. Adjacent gallery features works of resident artist Michael Trimpol. Thurs. – Mon. 10-5. (802) 253-0889. littleriverhotglass.com.

TOYS & GAMES JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL Toy extravaganza for the whole family. Educational toys, Legos, arts and crafts, outdoor games, board games, puzzles, trucks and tractors, science and stem kits. Schleich, Melissa & Doug, Ravensburger, Bruder, John Deere, more. Route 15, Johnson. (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

LOCAL CHURCHES ONCE UPON A TIME TOYS Ever launched an Estes rocket? Tested your skills on a ninjaline? Heard a baby DINO roar? Vermont’s most exciting store for 43 years. Lego/Playmobil, science/building toys, party/art supplies. Birthday? Come in for a free balloon. 1799 Mountain Rd. (802) 253-8319. stowetoys.com.

TRANSPORTATION & TAXIS GREEN MOUNTAIN TRANSIT MOUNTAIN ROAD SHUTTLE GMT offers year-round service in Lamoille County and free seasonal service between Stowe Village and Stowe Mountain Resort and many points in between. For schedule information, ridegmt.com or (802) 223-7287.

WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS BLACK CAP COFFEE & BEER Awesome selection of Vermont, American and imported craft beers. Regular tasting events. Fresh coffee, authentic espresso, house-baked pastries, breakfast, sandwiches. Open daily. 144 Main St., Stowe, 63 Lower Main St., Morrisville. See us on Facebook.

BOYDEN VALLEY WINERY & SPIRITS Vermont’s award-winning winery, cidery, and distillery. Tastings, free tours, gourmet cheese and chocolate boards, Maple Creme liqueur milkshake cocktails. Just 7 miles from Smuggler’s Notch at 64 VT Route 104, Cambridge, VT 05444. (802) 644-8151. boydenvalley.com.

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Stowe, 253-7536

Cambridge Christian Fellowship, Main St., (802) 335-2084

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Johnson, 635-2009 Church of the Nazarene, Johnson, 635-2988

Cornerstone Foursquare Church, Morrisville, 888-5683

Elmore United Methodist Church, Elmore, 888-3247

FLEET TRANSPORTATION, LLC A premier provider of luxury sedans, SUVs, Mercedes Sprinters, minibuses, buses, limousines, and shuttle transportation services. Fleet provides luxury transportation services throughout Vermont. 1878 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 735-0515. fleettransportation.com.

FINE WINE CELLARS Fantastic wine selections from around the world. Great prices. From the rare to the exceptional value. Under $10-$100+ we’re nuts about wine. Please see our ad on page 2. (802) 253-2630. finewinecellars.us.

HARVEST MARKET

TRAVEL & TOURS 4 POINTS BREWERY TOURS Vermont is home to some great microbreweries and several are close by. We pick up in the local area, make 5 stops and guarantee a good time. Call Rick at (802) 793-9246, 4pointsvt.com.

SOJOURN BICYCLING & ACTIVE VACATIONS From Vietnam to France to Glacier National Park, Sojourn offers 24 award-winning bucket list destinations spanning seven countries, three continents. Exceptional trips, impeccable service, luxury hotels, carefully designed routes, custom-fitted bikes, professional leaders. gosojourn.com, (800) 730-4771. Save $150/pp with code: stoweguide.

WEDDING FACILITIES EDSON HILL Edson Hill offers you an exclusive, quintessential Vermont country estate with picturesque views, 23 luxurious guestrooms, and a talented culinary team to help create the wedding of your dreams. edsonhill.com, (802) 253-7371.

STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA Leave the planning to us. Perfect wedding location in the heart of Stowe in any season. Indoor and outdoor spaces for weddings, receptions, or rehearsals. Spa bridal services from hair to make-up. (802) 253-7355, stoweflake.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE From intimate ceremonies in our lodge to grand receptions under a tent with spectacular mountain views, we tailor to individual tastes and budgets. European-style cuisine, accommodations. (800) 826-7000, (802) 253-8511. trappfamily.com.

WELLNESS BEING WELL CONSULTING Healthy lifestyle coach: Behavior change can be challenging. My role as your coach will be to guide and inspire you along your journey of change. Heidi Joyce. (802) 279-9762. A.C.E.

WINDOW TREATMENTS TINA’S HOME DESIGNS Hunter Douglas Blinds, shades, and shutters at discount prices. Draperies, over 1000 area rugs, stair runners, custom cushions, unique home furnishings. Free measuring, installation, and in-home consultation. 21 Church St., Burlington. (802) 862-6701, tinashomedesigns@aol.com.

Fine wines, weekly deals, Vermont microbrews, and hard ciders. Cabernet to Vermentino, Harvest Market has you covered. Case discounts. Daily 7-7 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

SHELBURNE VINEYARD Taste our award-winning wines and enjoy touring our ecofriendly winery to learn about our adventure growing grapes and making wine in Vermont’s northern climate. Open every day 11-5, May-October; 11-6, November-April. (802) 985-8222. shelburnevineyard.com.

STOWE BEVERAGE Full-service wine, beer, liquor, mixers, snacks. Stowe’s best wine and beer selection. Best price in town on Vermont maple syrup. Cigars. Free local paper with wine purchases. 9-9 Monday through Saturday; Sunday 11-6. (802) 253-4525.

STOWE PUBLIC HOUSE 700 highly rated and local craft beers, wine, and hard ciders. Vermont cheeses and specialty foods. Gifts, gadgets, books, and accessories. Bar open daily. 109 Main St., Stowe Village. (802) 585-5785, stowepublichouse.com.

First Congregational Church of Christ, Morrisville, 888-2225

Grace Bible Church, Stowe, 253-4731 Hunger Mountain Christian Assembly, Waterbury Center, 244-5921

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jeffersonville, 644-5322; Morrisville, 888-5610

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, 253-1800

Living Hope Wesleyan Church, Waterbury Center, 244-6345

Morrisville Baptist Church, 888-5276 Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Morrisville, 888-3318 Mountain Chapel, Stowe, 644-8144 New Beginning Miracle Fellowship, Morrisville, 888-4730

Puffer United Methodist Church, Morrisville, 888-2225

Second Congregational Church, Hyde Park, 888-3636; Jeffersonville, 644-5533

Seventh-Day Adventist, Morrisville, 888-7884

St. John’s in the Mountains Episcopal, Stowe, 253-7578

WOODWORKING MOUNTAIN WOLF WOODSHOP Tucked away in scenic Stowe, we offer the highest quality handcrafted furniture available. Founded by Jakub Tirreno. No detail is overlooked. Find us online at mountainwolfwoodshop.com.

YOGA & PILATES

St. John’s the Apostles Church, Johnson, 635-7817

St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Cambridge, 644-1909

St. Teresa’s Parish Center, Morrisville, 888-2761

Stowe Community Church, 253-7257 Trinity Assembly of God, Hyde Park, 888-7326

STOWE YOGA CENTER

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Gentle multi-level classes include guided meditation. Special series: chakra yoga and art, prenatal, chair yoga. Custom classes for your event on-site or at the studio: retreats, bachelorette, athletic recovery. Online schedule. 515 Moscow Rd. (802) 253-8427, stoweyoga.com.

YOGA BARN AT WELL HEELED A serene studio offering a full range of classes from vigorous flow to restorative practices. Talented instructors at our peaceful barn studio offer something for everyone. Privates, groups, retreats available. 2850 Mountain Rd., Stowe. theyogabarn.

Stowe, 326-2098

United Church of Johnson, 635-7249 Waterbury Alliance Church, 244-6463 Waterbury Center Community Church, 244-6286

Wesley United Methodist Church, Waterbury, 244-6677

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INDEX AARON FLINT BUILDERS 221 AJ’S SKI & SPORTS 1 ALCHEMIST 147 ALL DECKED OUT 216 ANDERSON & ASSOCIATES 226 A&N STONEWORKS INC. 193 ARBORTREK CANOPY ADVENTURES 63 ARDESH FINDS & FURNISHINGS 129 BAGEL 177 BARRE ELECTRIC 143 BARRE TILE 227 BENCH 151 BEN & JERRY’S CATERING 175 BIERHALL AT TRAPP FAMILY LODGE 153 BIRDS BE SAFE 225 BISTRO AT TEN ACRES 171 BLACK CAP COFFEE 23 BLACK DIAMOND BARBECUE 169 BLAZING DESIGN 205 BLODGETT BATH SHOWPLACE 224 BODY LOUNGE 133 BOLTON VALLEY 67 BOURNE’S ENERGY 189 BOUTIQUE 135 BOYDEN VALLEY WINERY & SPIRITS 159 BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY 120 BUNYABUNYA 108, 133 BURKE MOUNTAIN 61 BURLINGTON FURNITURE CO. 43 BURLINGTON MARBLE & GRANITE 191 BURLINGTON MATTRESS 183 BUTCHERY 25 BUTTERNUT MOUNTAIN FARM 139 CATAMOUNT FISHING ADVENTURES 74 CBD VERMONT 73 CLOSE TO HOME 187 COCOPLUM APPLIANCES 53, 226, 231 COLD HOLLOW CIDER MILL 155 COLDWELL BANKER CARLSON RE INSIDE FRONT COLORADO MOUNTAIN COLLEGE 71 COMMODITIES NATURAL MARKET 176 COMMODORES INN 169 COMPASS CONSTRUCTION 225 CONTEMPORARY DENTAL ARTS 141 COPLEY WOODLANDS 16 COUNTRY HOME CENTER 215 COUNTRY STORE ON MAIN 143 CUSHMAN DESIGN GROUP 225 CVMC EXPRESS CARE 22 DEPOT STREET MALT SHOPPE 178 DESIGN STUDIO OF STOWE 203 DOC PONDS 145 DONALD P BLAKE JR BUILDER 180 DOVETAIL DESIGNS BY JENNY VOLK 229 ECCO 137 EDELWEISS DELI 9 EDGEWATER GALLERY 117 EDSON HILL MANOR 157 ELEVATED STATE 116 FERRO ESTATE & CUSTOM JEWELERS 2 FINE WINE CELLARS 2 FIRST CHAIR ALPINE COMPANY / BOGNER 37 FIRST CHAIR ALPINE COMPANY / KJUS 3 FLEET TRANSPORTATION 75 FLOOR COVERINGS INTERNATIONAL 209 FLOORING AMERICA 191 FLYNN CENTER 123 FORGET-ME-NOT-SHOP 139 FOUR SEASONS SOTHEBY’S RE 181 GEOBARNS 223 GORDON DIXON CONSTRUCTION 211 GREEN ENVY BOUTIQUE 119

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ADVERTISERS

GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTILLERS 160 GREEN MOUNTAIN FINE ART GALLERY 109 GREEN MOUNTAIN HOT TUBS 209 GREEN MOUNTAIN INN 167 GREEN MOUNTAIN TRANSIT 47 GREEN RIVER RESERVOIR ESTATE 211 GRISTMILL BUILDERS LTD 213 HARRISON’S RESTAURANT 158 HARRY HUNT ARCHITECTS 195 HARVEST MARKET 152 HOB KNOB INN BAR & LOUNGE 160 IDLETYME BREWING CO. 144 IN COMPANY CLOTHING 125 INTERIOR CREATIONS 223 J. GRAHAM GOLDSMITH ARCHITECTS 207 JAY PEAK VERMONT 45 JOHNSON HARDWARE RENTAL, FARM & GARDEN 35 JOHNSON WOOLEN MILLS 138 KATHERINE GRAVES MASSAGE 67 KING ARTHUR FLOUR 173 KNAUF LANDSCAPE DESIGN 219 LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES 175 LAMP SHOP 51 LAUGHING MOON CHOCOLATES 116, 179 LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO & GALLERY 115 LITTLE RIVER REALTY 185 LODGE AT SPRUCE PEAK 152 LOEWEN WINDOW CENTER OF VT & NH 229 MAD RIVER ANTLER 120 MAD RIVER CABINET DESIGN 223 MARTIN WERTH LANDSCAPING & EXCAVATING 231 MATTRESS & SOFA WAREHOUSE 185 MAYO RESIDENTIAL CARE 143 MCCARTHY’S RESTAURANT & CATERING 177 MCKENZIE MEATS 161 MEYER & MEYER ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS 207 MICHAEL’S ON THE HILL 149 MONTSHIRE MUSEUM 71 MOUNTAIN LOGWORKS 187 MOUNTAINOPS OUTDOOR GEAR 17 MOUNTAIN WOLF WOODSHOP 137 MYEYEDR. 51 NATURAL MATTRESS CO 228 NORTHERN VERMONT UNIVERSITY 59 NORTHWOOD GALLERY 143 ONCE UPON A TIME TOYS 133 OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE & GEARX.COM 69 PATTERSON & SMITH CONSTRUCTION 201 PAUL ROBERT ROUSSELLE ARCHITECT 194 PEREGRINE DESIGN/BUILD 218 PIECASSO PIZZERIA & LOUNGE 165 PINK COLONY 11 PINNACLE PHYSICAL THERAPY 54 PINNACLE SKI & SPORTS 7 PIPER INTERIOR DESIGN 218 PK COFFEE 176 PLANET HARDWOOD 223 POWERPLAY SPORTS 54 RED BARN REALTY OF VERMONT 213 RED BARN SHOPS 133 RED HOUSE FINE HOMEBUILDING 189 RESERVOIR RESTAURANT & TAPROOM 151 RIDE 54 RK MILES 219 ROBERT PAUL GALLERIES 113 ROCK ART BREWERY 175 RURAL RESOURCES 31 SALON SALON 31 SALUTE STOWE 167 SELDOM SCENE INTERIORS 4,5 SHELBURNE MUSEUM 53 SHELBURNE VINEYARD 175

SISLER BUILDERS 221 SKIN BLISS 74 SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH DISTILLERY 173 SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT 33 SOJOURN BICYCLING/ACTIVE VACATIONS 13 SPA AT SPRUCE PEAK 49 SPORTIVE 39 SPRUCE PEAK ARTS 21 STEEL CONSTRUCTION 203 STOWE BEVERAGE & LIQUOR STORE 148 STOWE CABLE SYSTEMS 215 STOWE COUNTRY HOMES 216 STOWE CRAFT REMARKABLE THINGS 121 STOWE FAMILY DENTISTRY 65 STOWE FAMILY PRACTICE 75 STOWE HARDWARE & DRY GOODS 233 STOWE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 69 STOWE KITCHEN BATH & LINENS 131 STOWE MERCANTILE 111 STOWE MOUNTAIN RENTALS 49 STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT 57 STOWE PUBLIC HOUSE 178 STOWE RESORT HOMES 15 STOWE SANDWICH CO. 158 STOWE TILE & STONE 221 STOWE TO GO 19 STOWE VILLAGE MASSAGE 65 STOWE WINE & CHEESE 133 STOWE YOGA CENTER 67 STOWEBOWL 29 STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT INSIDE BACK SUNSET GRILLE & TAP ROOM 177 SUSHI YOSHI 165 SWIMMING HOLE 63 SYSTEM INTEGRATORS 224 TAP 25 179 TEKTONIKA STUDIO ARCHITECTS 217 TIM MEEHAN BUILDERS 217 TINA’S HOME DESIGNS 228 TOPNOTCH RESORT & SPA 41 TOTAL FITNESS 73 TRAPP FAMILY LODGE 153 TRES AMIGOS MEXICAN 151 TRUEXCULLINS ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS 227 UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT 141 VERMONT ARTISAN COFFEE & TEA 174 VERMONT COFFEE COMPANY 138 VERMONT ELECTRONICS 74 VILLAGE GREEN AT STOWE BACK COVER VINCENT FERNANDEZ ORIENTAL RUGS 54 VISIONS OF VERMONT 135 VOLANSKY STUDIO 213 VON BARGEN’S JEWELRY 105 WAGNER HODGSON LANDSCAPE ARCH 195 WAKE ROBIN 205 WATERBURY SPORTS 54 WELL HEELED 27 WEST BRANCH GALLERY & SCULPTURE PARK 107 WHIP BAR & GRILL 148 WHISTLEPIG WHISKEY 171 WINTERWOOD TIMBER FRAMES 221 WITTUS FIRE BY DESIGN 193 WOODEN NEEDLE 131 YANKEE BARN HOMES 211 YELLOW TURTLE 108, 133 YOGA BARN 27 ZENBARN 174

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THE HEART OF STOWE 7KH 6SD :HOOQHVV &HQWHU DW 6WRZHĂ DNH

â&#x20AC;˘ Over 150 natural and non-invasive treatments and services â&#x20AC;˘ Aqua Solarium with cascading waterfalls â&#x20AC;˘ Full-service salon â&#x20AC;˘ Ayurvedic Consultations â&#x20AC;˘ Private men and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sanctuaries â&#x20AC;˘ Day access passes available Â&#x2021; )LYH Ă&#x20AC; WQHVV VWXGLRV ZLWK GDLO\ FODVVHV â&#x20AC;˘ Indoor and outdoor heated pools â&#x20AC;˘ Squash and racquetball court â&#x20AC;˘ Easy access to X-Country and Snowshoe Trails

Charlie Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub & Restaurant

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On the Mountain Road shuttle route A true Stowe classic with apres ski Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner Kid-friendly dining & menu Vermont Farm Fresh Network Dining Wine Spectator Award-Winning Wine List â&#x20AC;˘ Vermont craft beers, ciders & spirits â&#x20AC;˘ Fireside dining â&#x20AC;˘ Live music in season

Located in the heart of Stowe, Vermont, this family owned & Operated resort is surrounded by over 30 shops and restaurants -- we invite families and friends to relax and reconnect while enjoying all the year-round resort and Stowe have to offer.

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THE VILLAGE GREEN AT STOWE A Condominium Resort For All Seasons Offering affordable rentals for 2 nights or more

Our Town Homes Provide

Amenities 2 pools (1 indoor) * whirlpool * sauna * 2 outdoor tennis courts * recreation center * video games * ping pong * pool table

*spacious 2 & 3 bedroom accommodations * fully equipped kitchens * fireplace * cable TV

Other Special Features Include * Majestic views from 40 acres of beautiful property * Direct access to Stowe’s award winning recreation path * Surrounded by the Stowe Country Club & golf course * Discounted rates for midweek, weekly or monthly stays

1003 CAPE COD ROAD, STOWE, VERMONT 05672 802-253-9705 • 800-451-3297 Visit our website at www.vgasstowe.com for more info and rates