UNIQUE BEAUTY
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While most folks travel the roadways and pathways of Vermont to see beautiful scenery and enjoy the chance to slow down and relax, there exists a half-mile walk of terror in
North
Danville, Vermont, which is anything but relaxing. Luckily, it only occurs for four nights each October at the Great Vermont Corn Maze. |
Yes, the Great Vermont Corn Maze is still an “amazingly cornfusing” experience for all ages. It still offers approximately 2 miles of pathways, bridges, 360 degree panoramic views, a small science center, life-size Perplexing Puzzles and over 100 feet of underground “Gopher Tunnels” for the kids and kids at heart.
For kids, the Great Vermont Corn Maze also offers one daytime Trick-or-Treat maze, which also includes a hayride and spooky, but not scary, walk, plus candy, candy, candy. Admission is separate from the Great Vermont Corn Maze and all profits go to benefit local children.
Hello again Maple People,
Montpelier, VT -- We have a VIC here at Morse Farm...that's Very Important Cow. Her name is Ilene and she has some great history behind her. First, however, I've got to tell you about another very important lady in our lives. Her name is Dorothy Walka and she used to sell crafts and nick-nacks at our place of business. I'm not good with crafts...can't tell a dried flower wreath from a Yankee Candle, so I usually keep those sales reps at arms' length, but Dorothy was always different. She'd purposely seek me out when she was up here. It didn't take me long to figure out Dorothy was a pistol. She'd speak her mind, loved a good joke, and, strangely, had an interest in everything farm. In fact she told me once that she herself had farmed, for a while.
Fast forward to December, 2009: I was running errands in downtown Montpelier when my cellphone rang. It was Mike Doyle, classmate from Montpelier High School, good friend, and owner of Doyle Guest House. Mike started the conversation with the words, Burr, I'm calling about a Christmas present you're gonna love, and then went on to say the woman who lived across the street from him was in the hospital and not expected to live. She farmed for ten years until the economy forced her out, he said. It seems those ten years were the best years of her life and when she quit, she had her favorite cow,
Ilene was sculpted in granite and set up at her house down on School Street in Montpelier. Mike said the woman was fretting about what would become of Ilene after her death and asked him for advice. I felt honored when he told me he had recommended our place. I was floored when he told me that the woman was Dorothy Walka!
It was ironic that I had never seen or heard about Ilene, and also that I was almost within a stone's throw of her when Mike called. I headed right over there, pulled up in front of the Baptist Church at the corner of School and St. Paul Streets and there, on a tiny patch of urban dooryard, stood the monument I had come to see. Mike was there and we shook hands.
Let me introduce you to Ilene, he said, beaming about the deal he had just put together. As we approached her, I noted that the sculptor had captured perfectly the gentle curiosity of a cow. She stood on a granite pedestal which bore the inscription For Vermont Family Farms, and I instantly accepted her as the world's prettiest sculpture. Mike said that when he had mentioned Morse Farm to Dorothy, she recalled the conversations she and I had had and instantly agreed to the plan. All I had to do was write a letter saying I would accept Ilene and she would be ours!
They brought her up yesterday in a bit unorthodox way for cows being delivered to Morse Farm. She arrived atop a platform crane truck instead of a messy cattle trailer. The truck backed up beside a concrete base that we had previously prepared in a special place by our sugarhouse. One of the attendants was a young man whose interest went way beyond a simple delivery. Gampo Wickenheiser, Ilene's sculptor, later told us that he had promised Dorothy Walka he would preside over Ilene's relocation. He proceeded with the care of a seasoned herdsman as they lowered her onto the base. Gampo belies the traditional Barre granite sculptor, with his youth and lack of Italian heritage. I marveled that he had created this world-class work of art that would adorn our patch of ground in perpetuity, a promise that I had made to Dorothy Walka in my letter to her.
One of the first people to see Ilene in her new setting was a farmer friend of mine from the neighborhood. Good t'see th'old que (the way a real Vermonter pronounces cow) up here in th'country where she belongs...always looked kinda outa place down there in th'city, he said. I agreed with him to a point. Yes, Ilene looks peaceful and very appropriate up here in the country, but she was totally at home down there on School Street in Montpelier, Vermont. She memorialized one woman's dream and such memorials belong everywhere. Dorothy Walka learned the hard way that farms come and go, driven by things like economy and short human lifetimes, but the land is here forever and waiting around for the next family farm. Ilene'll see to that.
Thanks for listening again, folks. I always hope you enjoy my musings and will remember www.morsefarm.com for all your maple needs -- belated Mothers Day or Fathers Day, new way to say Happy Spring to a friend, or just for your next pancake breakfast. Yup, there's as many ways to need Morse Farm maple syrup products as there are maple trees in Vermont (and we've got a lot of them!).
Betsy and I are off to England in three days and praying for a flight full of safety and free of volcanic ash! www.morsefarm.com. email: maple@morsefarm.com. 802-223-2740
Rock of Ages -- Our Quarries are Out of This World!
When location scouts for Paramount needed an impressive cliff from which young James T. Kirk’s car would plunge in the upcoming Star Trek movie, where did they look? Not on Vulcan, not on Romulus or even on the Klingon home world. No, they came to Vermont to film our impressive quarries. The sheer face of Rock of Ages’ Smith Quarry provides the drama in the car chase scene in the latest Star Trek saga. So whether you’re an intergalactic traveler or more earthbound, we invite you to see why our quarries have been featured in films, acclaimed photography and television series, such as Modern Marvels and Made in America.
While touring our quarry, you’ll see our quarriers far below as they cut mammoth blocks from the quarry face and hoist them to the surface with powerful derricks capable of lifting up to 250 tons!
Once you’ve been awed by the cavernous quarry, you’ll want to visit our factory to watch artisans as they cut, polish and sculpt the stone into memorial products, civic statuary and precision products sent all over the world.
Our Visitors Center features computer-based kiosks, a photographic timeline of the Barre granite industry, a video and a gift shop. The gift shop offers beautiful granite gifts, Vermont specialty foods, Vermont-themed clothing, lovely granite and stone jewelry and souvenirs.
Once you’ve seen it, you’ll be inspired to DO IT. Our Cut-in-Stone Center is a BLAST! Step up to the booth, grab the gun and feel the pulsing throb of air and abrasive rush from the nozzle as you learn to cut a design in stone—a fun, affordable family activity. Make a great memory while making a stone gift with your very own hands!
Our one-of-a-kind outdoor granite bowling lane is a real crowd pleaser. And don’t forget to rummage through the grout bin for that perfect granite souvenir before you leave us.
So when you’re warping your way through Vermont, please drop to sub-light speed and beam on over to visit our quarry—soon appearing in a theater near you.
For more information or to shop for
gifts on-line, please visit:
tours.rockofages.com.
You may also e-mail us at
visitor@barre.rockofages.com,
call locally at 802-476-3119 or toll free at
866-748-6877. Rock of Ages Visitors Center is located at
558 Graniteville Road, Graniteville, Vermont 05654.
Vermont Attraction Selected One Of Top 10 In America
The Great Vermont Corn Maze, in North Danville, VT, has been selected as the #2 maze attraction in America. Mike and Dayna Boudreau have been creating and operating their cornfusing attraction on their family's 4th generation dairy farm for twelve years.
When we first opened, no one had ever heard of a corn maze, explains Mike. Now we have to explain that not all corn mazes are the same, and having been selected one of the best in America really helps. The general public usually does not understand that mazes are like ski areas: some are rope tows and other are black diamond resorts. Both can be fun, but you simply can't compare the two. The Great Vermont Corn Maze definitely falls into the black diamond category and has something for all visitors.
It includes a big maze that can take over 2 hours to solve, a kid's maze that takes 20 minutes to solve, the world's first Barnyard golf, petting animals, 100' of underground tunnels and a kid's village. Visitors can also make reservations to play laser tag on a 2 acre outdoor field with up to 10 family or friends. The maze attraction opens August 1 each year when the corn is thick and green and is open 7 days a week (weather permitting) until the second to last Sunday in October.
The Great Vermont Corn Maze is also the only maze in America with a 32' underground tunnel actually buried in the cornfield as well as an actual 28' cabin cruiser which appears to sail on the top of the corn tassels 12' off the ground. Visitors who wish to challenge the big maze should be able to walk for at least an hour, wear appropriate walking shoes, and bring a good sense of humor since frustration is a common theme found throughout the almost 9 acre field of cornfusion.
According to maze owner Dayna, the people who enjoy the maze the most are adult couples and parents with young children (strollers do work on the hard packed trails in the maze, but double strollers are just too wide for the trails). Unfortunately, 90% of teenagers only last about 20 minutes before giving up, which is why all kids and teens must have direct adult supervision. This rule is one of the reasons our visitors enjoy returning year after year, explains Mike, The maze is supposed to be an epic journey of adventure that you experience with family and friends.
For more information on how to lose yourself in Vermont at the Great Vermont Corn Maze, check out www.vermontcornmaze.com or call 1-802-748-1399
Once Upon
a Time…A short story about Story Land, where fantasy
lives!
Once upon a time, far away in Germany
where Bob and Ruth Morrell from North Conway, NH, were
stationed by the US Army during the Korean Conflict, an
old woman named Frau Edith Von Arps knocked on their
door. She was selling dolls she’d made based on classic
children’s fairy tales. After the Morrells bought
twenty-five dolls, she planted a suggestion which Bob
and Ruth turned into an idea, then grew into a business,
and nurtured into an enduring legacy.
She suggested they build a small village
around her dolls. Their idea was to create a village
where storybook animals could live and storybook
characters could come to life. On a patch of land the
previous owner deemed too poor even for pasture, the
Morrells created a handful of colorful buildings and
characters, and opened their theme park in 1954.
The idea grew into a business as they
added amusement rides, live shows, and unique play
areas, creating a fun place for families to make
lifelong memories. The fledgling park was a risky
venture and, although bankers shied away from holding a
mortgage on the homes of the Three Bears & Three Little
Pigs, Story Land survived and grew through perseverance,
ingenuity, and continuous reinvestment in the park.
Over fifty years later,
Story Land continues to be all about families with young
children and still entertains generations of families
every year as the park has grown to include more rides,
more play areas, more shows, more characters, and more
gardens. At the same time, the growth of Story Land has
been carefully created to keep from outgrowing the
little people (and their parents and grandparents) that
the Morrells dreamed of entertaining more than half a
century ago in that land far from home. It all started
with a stranger’s knock at their door, and children have
been playing at Story Land happily ever after.
Story Land is located on Route 16
in Glen, NH. For more information, call 603-383-4186, or
visit
www.storylandnh.com
East Burke: A Community Built on Trails!
From the beginning, Burke Mountain, in East Burke, was a racing hill. As early as 1937, nearly twenty years before the first lift was constructed at the ski area, downhill ski races were held on its Toll Road and the annual Bear Den Trophy Race was drawing skiers from all over New England. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, recreational skiing and racing events were regularly organized on the slopes at Burke.
In 1932, a 160-man crew from the Civil Conservation Corp was sent to East Burke to create the infrastructure of the newly formed Darling State Park, named after a prominent local family who had donated the land to the state. That year, the first two ski trails at Burke Mountain were cut and graded. The Bear Den trail, so named by the crew after they discovered two bear cubs nearby, and the Wilderness trail, remain today as they were then, narrow, curving, rugged corridors through the northern alpine forest, symbolic of the sturdy men who built them. And by the fall of 1935, this hearty crew had converted a neglected carriage road built in the 1860s into the Toll Road we know today, a road which serves as the Deer Run trail during ski season.
The racing tradition that started in Burke’s nascent days got a boost when in 1970, Warren Witherall, skiing legend, member of the Vermont Ski Hall of Fame and author of the seminal ski racing book, The Athletic Skier, founded the Burke Mountain Academy, the first such dedicated ski academy of its kind in North America and today the preeminent ski academy in the country, having produced 45 Olympians and over 100 US National Team members since its founding. BMA, as it is known, continues to feed the US National Team with the cream of the crop and has several graduates on the team competing for a spot on the Olympic Team headed to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.
During the frigid, snowy winter of 1955/56, Abon Atkins and his crew installed the mountain’s first permanent lift to the summit, the Mountain POMA Lift, at the time America’s longest surface lift, and one that after 52 years continues to transport Burke skiers up the Warren’s Way trail today. And thus, in February, 1956, Burke Mountain became a "modern ski area" when Vermont’s "Skiing Governor," Joe Johnson, visited to officially dedicate the state’s newest ski area, and received a guided tour on the inaugural run by current Burke season pass holder, David "Duffy" Dodge.
With its storied history based on the creation of two trails some 73 years ago, it’s no surprise that Burke’s East Bowl trail has been dubbed "New England’s Best Classic" trail and the Boston Globe called the Willoughby Trail the "Northeast’s 9th Most Scenic" trail. Today, East Burke is also home to the Kingdom Trails, a network of over 100 miles of managed and marked mountain bike trails that Dirtrag Magazine, a prominent mountain bike publication, called "home to the best mountain biking in the United States." Come wintertime, the Kingdom Trails Association grooms over 50 miles of its trails, forming some of the finest cross-country skiing in Vermont.
In a feature article in a 1977 issue, Vermont Life Magazine wrote, "The quiet, the solitude, the vast, untouched spaces common in the undeveloped Northeast Kingdom grace Burke with its uniqueness. The least crowded, set in the least developed area of Vermont, Burke’s ski slopes are of incomparable beauty." Over thirty years later, the same can be said of Burke today; and its community, whose very character is defined by the trails it has built over numerous generations, and which offers its visitors a remarkable variety of opportunities in which to explore its magnificent landscape. Submitted by Burke Mountain Operating Company
Danville, Vermont The Village in the Hills
Chartered in 1786, Danville's population numbered over 560 in 1790, and by 1800 had grown to over 1500 people. On average, families owned 100 acres or more. The first mills were built in 1785 at the outlet of Joe's Pond. In 1796, Danville was chosen as the county seat for Caledonia County, after which economic development rapidly ensued.Today, the population is over 2,200 people.
Agriculture was and remains an inherent part of Danville. Many area farms have been operating in excess of 100 years, with several being operated and maintained by the same family for that period. We are proud of our agricultural heritage and actively support it.
Today, Danville represents the quintessential New England town, with a central green surrounded by the Town Hall, the Pope Memorial Library, the Methodist Church, the Masonic Hall and a variety of commercial establishments and private residences. The Danville Green is the center point of many activities in town, with regular summer band concerts from the bandstand, the Danville Fair on the first weekend in August (this year will be the 80th annual), Autumn on the Green Craft Fair on the first Sunday in October, and a weekly Farmer's Market on Wednesday mornings from late May through early October.
Joe's Pond summer activities include swimming, fishing and boating for both individuals and families. Area attractions such as the Great Vermont Corn Maze, Twin Pines Recreational Tree Climbing, the National Society of Dowsers and Sugar Ridge RV Village and Campground provide other sources of family and individual recreation. For a unique treat, try a hayride at Greenbank Hollow Farm, or in winter, a sleigh ride. Snowmobiling offers another winter activity for outdoor enthusiasts, with a multitude of trails emanating out from Danville. Check with the Danville S-Ski-Mos Snowmobile Club for more information.
Danville Historical Society is a good resource for additional information about Danville and its storied past. Learn of the great fire of 1890, or the big depression era bank heist, and more.
While here, take advantage of the unique shopping opportunities in our local gift shops, antique shops and many other small but exceptional and distinctive businesses.
Most of the organizations and businesses mentioned can be accessed through the Danville Chamber of Commerce website at www.danvillevtchamber.org
Sweet Stop
Fun and Funky factory tours at Ben & Jerry's reveal the working of the socially conscious ice cream company.
It all started with a friendship, a big dream and a few dollars. Childhood buddies Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield took a $5.00 correspondence course on how to make ice cream and turned their dream into a company that shares its success with its employees and the community-all while having fun.
At the Ben & Jerry's Factory in Waterbury, visitors can find out more about the company and taste the fruits of its labor.
On the 30-minute guided tour, visitors begin in the theater by viewing a quick video that provides an overview of the company history. From there the group enters the glass enclosed mezzanine which provides a birds eye view of the production floor where the tour guide explains how the ice cream is manufactured. The company currently produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream pint flavors as well as novelty ice cream bars using dairy products from a Vermont owned dairy cooperative along with other high quality ingredients. From the mezzanine the group proceeds down to the Flavoroom to receive a sample of the day and participate in a Q&A session to learn more about new flavors, old flavors, company history and company initiatives.
On days there is no ice cream production, the tour guide uses a video to explain the ice cream making process and of course the sample of the day is still served up in the Flavoroom.
Upon completing the tour, guests can browse the gift shop packed full of everything Ben & Jerry's--from t-shirts to ice cream scoops to pint cozies. The scoop shop tops off the visit offering frozen treats in many forms. Milkshakes, sundaes, chocolate dipped waffle cones, brownies, smoothies and simple cones delight taste buds for all ages!
Outside guests can take photos and wander about the grounds up to the Flavor Graveyard where dearly departed flavors have been layed to rest.
Tours are available daily with the exception of Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day and New Years Day. The manufacturing schedule varies.
Local Winery Wins Major Wine Competition Awards
E. Calais - Grand View Winery won six awards this spring at the prestigious Tasters Guild International wine Competition. All six wines submitted were fruit wines and all six won. Blackberry won a Gold. Pear, Raspberry Apple, and Cranberry wines won Silver awards. Mac Jack Hard Cider and the Red Barn Cassis won Bronze. Wine maker and owner, Phil Tonks, said, "I'm especially pleased to win this recognition for our fruit wines. A well-built and balanced fruit wine can be just as enjoyable as grape wines."
The winery is located just off Rte 14, high on Max Gray Road. The views are exceptional. The winery grows their own fruit and buys from Vermont farms. For example, Tonks grows lots of Rhubarb and buys strawberries from Legare's Farm market on Rte. 14 for his Strawberry/Rhubarb Wine. This wine has a nice balance of the light sweetness of strawberries and the tartness of rhubarb. The person pouring at the tastings is apt to say, "Your nose will say strawberry, but your mouth will say rhubarb." Tonks says Strawberry/Rhubarb wine goes very well with BBQ or spicy foods.
Buying fruit from area farms and orchards goes a long way to supporting the agricultural community. Tonks gives the example of his award winning Pear Wine. The winery does grow pears, but nowhere near enough. It takes 10 pounds of pears to make one gallon of wine. A batch of 500 gallons of wine requires 5000 lbs of pears. Pears have to be picked before they are ripe and ripened in a controlled environment. The grower supplying the pears benefits by using fruit that is not table quality and likely would have been left in the orchard. He is set up to ripen the pears and as a cider maker grinds, presses and delivers the juice. Instead of competing with the orchard by growing fruit, the winery is providing cash to the orchard for less marketable fruit and for value added processing. This arrangement has worked well for over ten years yielding several awards for the Pear Wine.
Grand View also makes a number of unusual wines. At the winery's recent Dandelion Festival, the latest vintage of Dandelion Wine was released. Because it is only made in limited quantities, it is expected to be sold out in a couple of weeks or so. Grand View also makes a delicious dessert Elderberry Wine. Tonks suggests it goes with any dessert, but he prefers the elderberry wine and a very sharp cheddar (Vermont cheddar, that is), instead of dessert. In the past Tonks has made Cucumber Wine, Ruby Red Grapefruit/Mango Wine and Elderflower Wine among his more unusual wines.
It's not just a Destination … It's an Adventure!
CrossRoads Motorcycle Rally Farr's Field, Route 2, Waterbury
July 23rd, 24th & 25th
The Crossroads of Vermont, Routes 2 and 100, are voted among the top ten motorcycle rides in the nation, so it is no wonder Vermont draws motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world to sail through the curves of the Green Mountains. It was only a matter of time before riders joined together to have a little fun while cruising!
The first annual CrossRoads Motorcycle Rally, sponsored by The Flying Hogs motorcycle group, is scheduled for July 23rd, 24th & 25th in Farr's Field, a 50+ acre site just north of Waterbury Village on Route 2. The rally has named the Rhythm of the Reins, a therapeutic riding program for children and veterans, administered by the Water Town Farm in Marshfield, as the charity to be supported through proceeds of the rally. This charity in particular was chosen to support a local, community-oriented program and what better way to support a cause when it mimics our own passions … riding a steel pony is therapy for every rider. We hope to provide The Rhythm of the Reins with a sizable donation to help support their program.
On Friday, July 23rd the event will kick off at 9am with a special focus for children. Kids Day will have events including an animal show compliments of the Water Tower Farm in Marshfield, face painting, games and other fun, kid-friendly activities. Children are often enamored by motorcycles and it will give them a chance to see lots of bikes, too!
The rally is a full 3-day event. Camping is available on site for both tents and RV's; reservations are being taken now. There will be merchandise and food vendors, a bike show, swap meet, a cycle high-wire act, burnout pit, bon-fire, mud wrestling, beer tent, chicken pie supper put on by the Waterbury Center Community Church, motorcycle tours, the National Guard climbing wall and obstacle course and so much more! A full line up of bands will hit the stage and rock the field all weekend long with blues, country and rock music. Jamie Lee Thurston will be taking the main stage on Saturday night for a special concert in his home town.Tickets are on sale now!
Whether you're a rider, motorcycle enthusiast or otherwise, mark your calendars and come join in the fun! Visit CrossRoadsMotorcycleRally.com and stay tuned for the most up-to-date additions to rally events and schedules. Camping reservations and concert tickets may be purchased at Ted's Flying Hogs, Route 2 in Waterbury at 802.244.9960.
Prepare to "Get Buggy" with "Backyard Monsters" ECHO's Summer Insect Exhibit
Burlington, VT — Want to "get buggy" this summer? ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center, at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, is "going to the bugs," with "Backyard Monsters," running from May 15 through September 6. This special summer exhibit features giant robotic insects — a scorpion, praying mantis, and carpenter ants — whose anatomical accuracy has been endorsed by the American Entomological Society; plus interactive, enlightening displays; a collection of exotic insects from around the world; and live creepy-crawlies from the Lake Champlain Basin. "Backyard Monsters" vividly presents the fascinating world of Insecta, up-close-and-personal… perhaps too "up-close" for the faint-hearted! The exhibit is sponsored by The Automaster.
"The huge, animitronic insects in 'Backyard Monsters," says ECHO Executive Director Phelan Fretz, "provide a unique and exciting opportunity for our guests to experience a part of our ecosystem typically too small to explore in-depth with just the naked eye."
"Backyard Monsters" has swarms of buggy encounters, including...
· The Better to Eat You With: Discover how insects suck blood, chew their food, and guzzle plant nectar.
· Robo-Bugs: Grab the remote control, take your insect for a walk, or race your friends!
· The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Explore how looks can deceive and protect.
As with all ECHO exhibits, visitors can deepen their experiences through hands-on educational programs for all ages, such as Bug Bingo, Making Scents (insect pheromones), and creating insects from recycled materials. Additional "Backyard Monsters"-related programming will include competitions and public events. For the up-to-the-minute programming schedule please visit echovermont.org.
Be prepared to learn "what's buggin' you" at ECHO's "Backyard Monsters" — and watch out for that giant dragonfly hovering over your head!
It's Autumn on the Green…
From the first trace of color on the little maple tree at the southwest corner of the Danville Green in late July or early August, through the full blown glory exhibited by the big maples in late September and early October, to starkly majestic branches standing guard over this beloved center of Danville village – it is unquestionably autumn on the green.
In the midst of nature's annual metamorphic cycle, the Green itself transforms into a small city of one hundred fifty plus vendors on the first Sunday in October. On Sunday, October 3rd, 2010, the 8th annual Autumn on the Green will host several thousand guests. 2009 brought visitors from 43 states, the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands, and 22 foreign countries.
The origin of a town green was to provide grazing area for town folk's livestock. Likewise, our guests can literally graze their way from one end of the green to the other. Hearty soups and stews, vegetarian entrees, sandwiches and fries, baked goods and desserts from the gourmet to "just like grandma's," BBQ, cheese, complete hot lunches, hot and cold beverages, and much, much more awaits at nearly every turn.
With caller Bob Grant, the Country Corner Squares demonstrate the joy of square dancing; large crowds gather on the sap bucket and board seats by the bandstand to enjoy soft rock and country ballads played and sung by Skip and Debbie Gray; and enjoyable late afternoon entertainment is provided by Contra-dance band, the Parsnips.
Next to an impressive display of antiques, Danville headquartered American Society of Dowsers, introduce the ancient art of finding underground water veins with dowsing rods to interested onlookers. P.E.T.S of the Kingdom offer children's games and prizes. A recreational tree climbing professional, a blacksmith, painters, basket weavers, wood smiths, rug hookers, knitters, quilters – all demonstrate and encourage participation in their art throughout the day.
The number and quality of vendors who participate in Autumn on the Green is testament to the artistry, creativity and skill waiting to be shared with visitors to Vermont's Northeast Kingdom during its own most spectacular season… and it's just plain fun! Don't forget to take a jug of Vermont Maple Syrup home for "sweet" memories of a wonderful day.
Always the first Sunday in October, reserve the date and make plans to join Danville enjoying and sharing autumn at its peak. Autumn on the Green is recommended by Scenes of Vermont, and a multiple winner of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Fall Event award.
Check www.autumnonthegreen.com or www.danvillechambervt.org. Information is also available by writing aog@charter.net or calling 802-684-2528.
East Burke: A Community Built on Trails
From the beginning, Burke Mountain, in East Burke, was a racing hill. As early as 1937, nearly twenty years before the first lift was constructed at the ski area, downhill ski races were held on its Toll Road and the annual Bear Den Trophy Race was drawing skiers from all over New England. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, recreational skiing and racing events were regularly organized on the slopes at Burke.
In 1932, a 160-man crew from the Civil Conservation Corp was sent to East Burke to create the infrastructure of the newly formed Darling State Park, named after a prominent local family who had donated the land to the state. That year, the first two ski trails at Burke Mountain were cut and graded. The Bear Den trail, so named by the crew after they discovered two bear cubs nearby, and the Wilderness trail, remain today as they were then, narrow, curving, rugged corridors through the northern alpine forest, symbolic of the sturdy men who built them. And by the fall of 1935, this hearty crew had converted a neglected carriage road built in the 1860s into the Toll Road we know today, a road which serves as the Deer Run trail during ski season.
The racing tradition that started in Burke's nascent days got a boost when in 1970, Warren Witherall, skiing legend, member of the Vermont Ski Hall of Fame and author of the seminal ski racing book, The Athletic Skier, founded the Burke Mountain Academy, the first such dedicated ski academy of its kind in North America and today the preeminent ski academy in the country, having produced 45 Olympians and over 100 US National Team members since its founding. BMA, as it is known, continues to feed the US National Team with the cream of the crop and had several graduates on the team who competed for a spot on the Olympic Team in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.
During the frigid, snowy winter of 1955/56, Abon Atkins and his crew installed the mountain's first permanent lift to the summit, the Mountain POMA Lift, at the time America's longest surface lift, and one that after 52 years continues to transport Burke skiers up the Warren's Way trail today. And thus, in February, 1956, Burke Mountain became a "modern ski area" when Vermont's "Skiing Governor," Joe Johnson, visited to officially dedicate the state's newest ski area, and received a guided tour on the inaugural run by current Burke season pass holder, David "Duffy" Dodge.
With its storied history based on the creation of two trails some 73 years ago, it's no surprise that Burke's East Bowl trail has been dubbed "New England's Best Classic" trail and the Boston Globe called the Willoughby Trail the "Northeast's 9th Most Scenic" trail. Today, East Burke is also home to the Kingdom Trails, a network of over 100 miles of managed and marked mountain bike trails that Dirtrag Magazine, a prominent mountain bike publication, called "home to the best mountain biking in the United States." Come wintertime, the Kingdom Trails Association grooms over 50 miles of its trails, forming some of the finest cross-country skiing in Vermont.
In a feature article in a 1977 issue, Vermont Life Magazine wrote, "The quiet, the solitude, the vast, untouched spaces common in the undeveloped Northeast Kingdom grace Burke with its uniqueness. The least crowded, set in the least developed area of Vermont, Burke's ski slopes are of incomparable beauty." Over thirty years later, the same can be said of Burke today, and its community, whose very character is defined by the trails it has built over numerous generations, and which offers its visitors a remarkable variety of opportunities in which to explore its magnificent landscape.
Submitted by Burke Mountain Operating Company
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