Vermont Travel Notes

Barre Blizzard snow sculpture

We're in the midst of winter carnival season here in Vermont. Here are four more coming soon from far northern VT to southern VT and in between:

Winter Carnival, Island Pond VT, February 6-8, 2009
Snow sculpture competition, ice skating, bonfire, children’s fishing derby, snowshoeing, horse-drawn rides, torchlight parade, sled racing and more. See the Island Pond Chamber of Commerce website for details.

Blizzard Blast (my choice for best carnival name) Barre VT, February 6-8, 2009
Tobogganing/sledding, snowshoe and extreme sled demos, ice skating in the old quarry, a sugar-on-snow party, snow sculpture competition, neighborhood snowman competition, Saturday night bonfire, and more. Most events originate from The Lodge at Millstone Hill, 59 Little John Road, Websterville (map and directions on web site).

Winter Carnival Shebang (second best name), Manchester VT February 7-14, 2009
Fireworks, family fun slalom at Magic Mountain, full moon snowshoe hike, dog sledding, a chili contest, and more.

Snowmobile Torchlight Parade and Winter Carnival,
Poultney VT, February 13-14, 2009
Friday evening snowmobile parade at the East Poultney Green followed by a spaghetti supper at the Poultney United Methodist Church. Saturday Snowmobile Carnival with snowmobile rides, sledding, snowmobile poker run, games, and more. Free. Information available on the town website - click the events calendar dates in the right hand column for details or call (802) 287-9755.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

If you are on Twitter, you can follow me at twitter.com/GrunbergHausVT/. If you are not familiar with Twitter, you can read about it on Wikipedia.

The graphic above is a clever illustration of the links between me and those who I am following, plus those following me, and who we have in common on Twitter.

If you go to my TweetWheel page, hover the cursor on a user to see which friends we have in common. Click the users' names to see their profile pages.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Three types of festivals here in Vermont this weekend: two winter festivals, a music festival, and a distinctive, old time ice harvesting festival. Imagine all that in this one tiny state!

Not just a winter festival, but a Viking Winter Festival! Saturday and Sunday, January 31 and February 1 in Ludlow VT.

Make a snow sculpture and enter in the sculpture contest, watch the parade on Main Street, play in the kids' obstacle course, view fireworks in the town park and enjoy the bonfire and hot chocolate.

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The Bennington Winterfest is Saturday, January 31.

There will be an ice sculpture contest, Penguin Plunge, house tours, dog sled rides, indoor food featuring a chili tasting, and for the kids, face painting, bouncy house, games, prizes, band and some other nonsense. Be sure you see the pet winter fashion contest and bring your own well dressed dog or cat to enter.

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In nearby Brattleboro, the Northern Roots Festival is celebrating its second annual gathering this Saturday.

The festival brings together about two dozen local and regional musicians who specialize in old musical traditions including Irish, Scottish, English and French Canadian.

It will be held at New England Youth Theater, 100 Flat Street, in downtown Brattleboro.

Performances start at 1:30 and go to about 5:00. There is also a 7:30 evening performance.

Northern Roots has a MySpace page you can visit here and listen to some of the music.

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The 30th Annual Brookfield Ice Harvest on Saturday, January 31, recreates ice harvesting as it was done in the days before refrigeration. Back in the old days, large chunks of ice were carved form lakes and ponds to be stored in buildings with thick walls sometimes insulated with hay, wool, newspaper or whatever else was lying around. It provided an efficient way to store food to keep it from spoiling.

There will be a talk, a demonstration, cutting competition, and hauling competition that adults and kids can try (prizes will be awarded). Also, there will be snowshoeing and ice sculpting. Brookfield is famous for its floating bridge.

Thee will also be food, ice skating, and dog sledding. Brookfield is a wonderful little town full of Vermont charm.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

The Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce (Waitsfield and Warren VT) is sponsoring a drawing for an incredible grand prize.

Some very lucky winner of the Ultimate Ski Vacation will get:

- Cat skiing at Sugarbush- a ride in a luxury cabin Snow Cat to have first tracks in the best terrain before the lifts start running.
- Seven nights lodging in a slope side luxury condo with two outdoor hot tubs, heated outdoor pool, fitness center, game room
- Six day "Ski the Valley" pass good at Mad River Glen and Sugarbush ski areas, plus Ole's Cross Country Ski Center
- Free use of high-end demo equipment
- Four dinners for two people at four of the area's best restaurants
- A lunch for two at the very popular Warren Store Deli
- Fresh flower bouquet from Blue Toad Florist
- 60 minute couples therapeutic massage at Mad River Massage
- Guided naturalist program with your very own experienced environmental educator, taking you on a personalized, guided outing in a unique alpine setting.

I have no idea what a "gold class" vacation like this would cost but I'm sure it's thousands of dollars.

And that is just the Grand Prize Winner. There will also be a First Prize Winner and five Second Prize winners.

Somebody has to win - it might as well be you. It's easy to enter and no purchase is required. Entries must be received by March 8.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Cabot Coop is a group of Vermont dairy farmers that was founded in 1919. They have a very good blog with lots of helpful information including recipes.

The blog just posted some Super Bowl Recipes I think you will find useful. They certainly sound delicious:

Point Spread
Cheese and Bean Quesadillas ("Sudden Turnovers")
Habanero Cheddar and Black Bean Spread
Hot as a Torch! Jalapeno Poppers
Baked Jalapeno Poppers
Hot Broccoli-Cheddar Dip
Pizza
"Pig Skins "
Hero Sandwiches
Nachos

The website also features a handy online recipe box you can use to store your favorites for future reference.

There is even a beer and cheese pairings page.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Limited edition note cards and posters with this special Nordic relay artwork are available on the American Cancer Society website

While we are on the topic of fundraiser to help battle cancer (see Tubbs Romp to Stomp article below), there is an all night relay on March 7 at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe.

The only event of its type in the country, the 2009 Nordic Style Relay For Life starts at 6:00 pm on March 7 and runs until 8:00 am the next morning. Participants can use cross country skis, snowshoes, or walk.

More details are on the website, including an informative six steps to prepare for the event.

If you are going to be a fund raising participant or volunteer at this event, let us know and we will be happy to give you a ten percent discount that weekend as our way of saying thanks.

(c) 2009 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn