Vermont Travel Notes

Burlington City Arts is presenting the Festival of Fools this weekend. It is described as a "curated festival of street theater" but it looks to me like a mix of goofy fun, slapstick, circus stunts, and silly music - some very funny entertainment in other words.

There is a Feast of Fools web page that describes the performers in detail and has links to each one's web site.

Looks like a lot of fun and worth checking out if you are in the area. And there is all the usual great things to see and do in Burlington such as Church Street Market Place, ECHO Aquarium and Museum, Waterfront Park (great place to watch the sunsets over the Adirondack mountains on the other side of Lake Champlain), Maritime Museum, cruise boats, ferry to NY, etc. Lots of good restaurants and pubs too. Plus people watching.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Stowe's annual antique and classic car show draws about 800 automobiles for display and a goodly number of other interesting vehicles driven by "spectators" who drive their own unique car just to see the show but not as participants. Just look around the parking lot when you arrive and you're bound to find some interesting cars that are "drivers," not official show cars.

One of the most well attended parts of the show is the Car Corral where cars are not part of the official judging but are there just to be sold. The Corral is at the back corner of the display field.

Also, this is a good parts collector show where you will find a fairly good number of professional and amateur parts sellers.

You can find the show on Route 100 a mile or so south of Stowe village. Take Exit 10 from Vermont Interstate 89 and go north. It's about a 10 or 15 minute drive from the highway.

The car show runs Friday through Sunday, August 8 - 10. It has been rainy here, so bring your umbrella and best mud shoes or boots. If your car is dirty, just wash the upper part because the lower part will get muddy.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

The American Society of Dowsers is holding its annual convention at the Killington Grand Hotel from August 6 through the 14.

If you have ever been curious about dowsing, this is a good place to look into it. There are speakers, workshops, vendors, books and lots of folks to talk to about this ancient practice.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Vermont Free Family Days at State Parks and Historical Sites

Admission to all state owned parks and historical facilities is free. Here is the best source of information on this event and others throughout the summer.

Echo Aquarium and Science Center
Burlington, VT
Echo's Body Language exhibit is geared toward children but interesting for adults too. It covers the topic of how our bodies move and the complex but fascinating physics behind it. There are 17 interactive displays including dancing with your shadow and emailing the image to your family or friends. Continues through September 1.

Manchester Antique and Classic Car Show
Manchester, VT Friday - Sunday, June 13 - 15, 2008
Address: Dorr Farm, Route 30, Manchester, VT
A large show with some 800 old vehicles on display in one of Vermont's prettiest towns.

Ethan Allen Days
Friday - Sunday, June 13 - 15, 2008
Hildene Mansion 1005 Hildene Road Manchester, VT
A weekend of Revolutionary war displays, camps, battle re-enactments, displays, kid's tent, fife and drum corps - located in the area where Ethan Allen lived in during a very important time in Vermont's history.

Antique Gas & Steam Engine Show
Saturday and Sunday, June 14 and 15
Old Stone House Museum , 109 Old Stone House Road, Brownington, VT

Hot Air Balloon Festival
Quechee, VT
Friday - Sunday, June 13 - 15
One of Vermont's top events. Also includes craft fair and food tents. Bring the camera to get some great shots.

Vermont Culinary Classic
Stowe, VT
June 13 - 22, 2008
A ten day celebration of culinary arts that includes cooking demonstrations and tastings.

Green Mountain Corvette Classic
Saturday and Sunday, June 14 and 15
The fifth year of this well attended car show which gets a large number of old and new Corvettes.

Kids' Pirate Festival
Saturday and Sunday, June 14 and 15
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, 472 Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes, VT
A popular event for families that encourages kids to participate in pirate-themed activities.

Green Mountain Brass Band Concert
Sunday, June 15, 2:00 pm
Waterbury Center State Park 177 Reservoir RD Waterbury Center, VT 05677 +1 802-244-1226

Carving Studio & Sculpture Center Gallery
Annual Members' Show
West Rutland, VT
Saturday and Sunday, June 14 and 15

Indoor Livestock Barn Days
Adams Farm, 15 Higley Hill Road, Wilmington, VT
Saturday and Sunday, June 14 and 15
A good event for families with young children. Hands-on activities such as goat milking, demonstrations, learning how farms work.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

Vermont is chock full of food producers. Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Ben and Jerry's ice cream, King Arthur Flour, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Cabot Cheese are the best known but the list goes on and on with what seems like hundreds of small and medium size companies making items as diverse as cookies, pizza, beer, and tea. If you like good quality food, you will love Vermont.

This weekend is a good opportunity to sample chocolate from Vermont and other places in New England. The Vermont Chocolate Show was formerly held in Stowe but it has moved to The Inn at Essex, a larger venue near Burlington.

The exhibitors are mostly made up of chocolate manufacturers but also some surprises such as an art exhibit and a Vermont vodka company that makes chocolate flavored spirits!

The event is scheduled to run Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18th.

(c) Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn

The Vermont Craft Council, an association of several hundreds craftspeople throughout the state, started the Open Studio Weekend 16 years ago as a way to increase awareness of the craft-making community.

It's easy now to not only see the scale of the craft industry here, but also the deep wealth of skill right here in our little 'ol state. The trees, farms, and mountains are beautiful but they can overshadow a great supply of talented people here sometimes.

This year's Open Studio Weekend is taking place Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25. It's a great time to see both studios that are open frequently to the public and also the "off the beaten path" studios that are rarely open to visitors.

There is an incredibly detailed Open Studio guide and map guide on the Vermont Craft Council website. Some 250 studios will be open on the weekend. Let me emphasize that this is not people making flea market junk. These are first rate craftspeople. For example, take a look at the Studio and Gallery page on the Craft Council's website.

If you don't want to print a lot pages from the website, you have enough time to order the complete tour guide free by US Postal mail. Just click here. It will also be available at most of the studios and also the state's official welcome centers on the highways and main roads leading into the state.

It's a great time to visit. Everything here will be fresh and green, the daytime temperatures will be warm and the night time cool.

(c) 2008 Jeff Connor Grunberg Haus Inn