The 47th Vermont Maple Festival is this weekend!

Vermont maple lovers rejoice! This weekend is the 47th Annual Vermont Maple Festival in St. Albans, Vermont! Maple syrup fiends from around the country flock to this three day event, and for good reason. The list of events seem to be endless. There is an opportunity for everyone in your family to enjoy themselves. Many of the events during the weekend are free of charge, too!

Here’s a short categorized run-down for the weekend events.

Relating to maple food:

• Maple Cooking Contest
• Maple Products Contest
• Craft and Specialty Foods Show
• Pancake Breakfast
• Vermont Maple Buffet Dinner

Shows:

• Craft and Specialty Food Show
• Antique Show
• Youth Talent Show
• Fiddlers’ Variety Show
• Music Shows
• Annual Maple Festival Parade

Other Activities:

• Carnival
• Annual Sap Run: 8.5 mile run
• Sugarhouse Tours

Seems like a lot, doesn’t it? That’s not even a list of half of the things you can do during the Vermont Maple Festival! To see a full list of events happening during April 26th, 27th and 28th, visit the Vermont Maple Festival website. Be a part of a great Vermont tradition by heading to St. Albans this weekend! This event has been named a “Top 10 Summer Event” for 2013 by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

 
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You can rent Rudyard Kipling’s Naulakha House in Dummerston, Vermont! Sit in the study where he wrote some of his best work like “The Jungle Book,” and enjoy rural Vermont.

Having grown up in Brattleboro, I vividly remember a field trip to Rudyard Kipling’s Naulakha House. Even at the ripe age of 7 I knew that visiting this historical landmark was pretty special. The Naulakha House is where Rudyard Kipling, Nobel Prize winning author, wrote The Jungle Book, Captain’s Courageous, The Seven Seas, and The Day’s Work.

The Naulakha House was acquired by the Landmark Trust USA in 1992 after it had been unoccupied since 1942. The Landmark Trust USA restored the home to be as it was when Kipling occupied the property. However, some modern conveniences, such as electricity, have been added to the home, which is now available as a Vermont vacation rental. When the house is not being rented by tourists or writers looking for some inspiration, it is open for school programs. More than 6,000 performances of the Just So Stories have been given to school programs.

On April 4 there will be a rare open house for the public at the Naulakha House to raise money for the school programs. The event will include a full property tour, coffee, and desert. Tickets for this event are by reservation only, and are available by calling 802-254-6868.

If you are interested in staying in the Naulaka House, which is nestled into the woods of Dummerston, Vermont, you can book your stay online. Perhaps when you visit us at Stonehurst this summer you’ll opt out of staying at a bed and breakfast, instead renting Rudyard Kipling’s home. To learn more about this National Historic Landmark visit the Landmark Trust USA’s website.

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Vermont Tourism, Travel well informed with guide in hand

Planning a trip to Vermont? We at Vermont Woods Studios like to promote all the great things about Vermont and help our showroom visitors get the most out of their visit to Vermont. So, we’ll tell you what we tell them: get a copy of Vermont: An Explorer’s Guide. This aptly named guidebook is the definitive Vermont travel resource for anyone interested in exploring Vermont. First published 30 years ago and recently refreshed, this 13th edition will take you through the entire state and highlight the best of what Vermont has to offer. It is the work of veteran travel writer, Christina Tree, and coauthor, Rachel Carter who had the enviable task of traveling all over the state to experience first hand all the best in Vermont lodging, dining, recreation, and sightseeing. What else will you find in the guide? Over 100 inspiring photographs, detailed maps, popular event and festival listings, plus essential travel information. To quote Yankee Magazine, “Our #1 travel tip: get this guide.”

You can order the book or learn more about this comprehensive guide book and it’s authors by visiting their website. In Vermont’s buy local spirit, I decided to purchase my copy of this book from a Brattleboro, Vermont independent bookseller, Everyone’s Books.

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This video shows the Vermont landscape for an entire year from the view at the top of Mt. Philo in Charlotte, Vermont. Everyday, for an entire year, Timothy Cummings climbed to the exact same spot at the top of Mt. Philo to capture this beautiful timelapse. The 10 minute video moves slowly, but is continuously changing. Watch as the seasons change with a show-stopping view of Lake Champlain in the distance.

Mark Twain once said, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.” His words come to life in the video as you can see the ground switch from snow covered, to brown, back to snow covered in a short period of time. This video shows some of the most beautiful days in each season, where the grass is as green as a crayon, the trees are sprinkled with golden leaves, or the landscape has turned into a winter wonderland.

If you’re anything like us, you can’t see enough beautiful videos and photographs of the Vermont landscape. For more gorgeous photos of Vermont’s four seasons, take a look at our “Vermont Beautiful” board on Pinterest.

What’s your favorite season in Vermont? Let us know in the comments!

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Love Vermont Maple Syrup?

So do we! This weekend is the Vermont Maple Open House Weekend. It is a perfect time to visit some Vermont sugar houses to see how nature’s candy is made. There are over 100 farms and sugar makers opening their doors to the public this weekend, giving you a chance to watch the maple sugaring process no matter where you are in Vermont.

Take a tour of a single sugar house or several this weekend (March 23-24). There are sugar makers both large and small scattered through out the state, so you can witness traditional techniques like boiling sap over a wood fire or new high-tech practices. No matter where you go, you will see an exciting process and get to taste some of the best maple syrup in the world.

March and April are prime sugaring months in Vermont, so this is a great time for the Vermont Maple Open House. If you can’t make the trip, or you want to do a little homework before this weekend, visit the Vermont Maple website to learn how maple syrup is made.

You can see a list of participating sugar houses on this Google Map, by visiting the Vermont Maple website, or by searching by county.

See you at the sugar house!

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Here is our Large Hardwood Cutting Board that we donated to the auction. It normally retails for $130, but it sold for $300!

Wags to Riches Auction

As Heather blogged last week, this past weekend was the annual Wags to Riches Auction to benefit the Windham County Humane Society. Peggy, Douglas and I were in attendance to show our support and represent Vermont Woods Studios.

The night started at 6:00pm with the silent auction, which was broken out into three sections, which allowed people to move around and see everything there was to offer. And with close to 200 items in the auction, there was a lot to see! Light hor d’oeuvres were served as WCHS supporters mingled and bid on their items.  Throughout the evening, staff pulled numbers for door prizes and kept everyone updated on when tables would be closing. After the silent auction ended, everyone was seated and the live auction began. It was amazing to see how many people were willing to spend money on multiple items to benefit WCHS. After the live auction, three 50/50 raffle tickets were pulled, in which both Douglas and our friend Annette managed to profit from. We each walked away having donated something to the humane society, either by bidding on an item or making a monetary donation. Annette walked away with a beautiful new Raleigh bicycle, Douglas managed to outbid Peggy on some flowers from Linden Gardens and I was able to score a spa and gym membership.

WCHS managed to sell every item on the list, plus raise an additional $4,000 to buy new computers for their office. We were so happy to be able to donate one of our cutting boards and a vacation trip to such a great organization. Overall, it was a great night and we look forward to the next time we can help out our friends at WCHS.

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Meet the master craftsmen of Dorset Vermont.  From left:  Bill Laberge, Bob Gasperetti, Steve Holman and Dan Mosheim.  These guys are world class expert furniture designers and woodworkers.  Their beautiful creations grace the Green Mountain State as well as public and private homes, businesses and galleries the world over.  

Dorset is one of the prettiest hamlets in all of Vermont, so Dennis and I were happy to make the trek to Dorset Custom Furniture last Friday.  For us, the main attraction wasn’t the quaint New England Village architecture or the view of the Green Mountain Forest.  It was to meet with Dan Mosheim and three more of Dorset’s famous custom furniture makers.  I guess it’s no coincidence that four of the country’s finest craftsmen have set up shop in this idyllic spot.  Dorset is quintessential Vermont at it’s finest and it’s natural beauty inspires artists and craftspeople from all walks of life.

Once we found our way to the slice of paradise that’s home to Dorset Custom Furniture we caught up with Dan, his wife Kit, and their sons Will and Sam.  The whole family is involved in the arts, creating not only furniture but also jewelry, musical instruments and sculpture.

Dan had invited three other powerhouses in custom furniture to meet with us:  Steve Holman of Holman Studios, Bob Gasperetti and Bill Laberge.  We were brainstorming ways to collaborate in shining a light on Vermont’s long legacy of creating sustainable, high end, custom furniture.  Dennis and I extended an invitation to the Dorset crowd to show their furniture at Stonehurst, our new fine furniture gallery so we will be working with them to make that happen before our grand opening this summer.

If you’re wandering around the world of Vermont arts and crafts before that, be sure to drop by Dorset and visit these fine furniture craftsmen in their studios.  I think you’ll find that in commissioning a piece of their custom furniture, you are acquiring much more that a functional piece of art.  I’m not sure how to describe but it has to do with getting in touch with a level of authenticity that is often missing in our lives.  I think you’ll just have to go to Dorset and check it out for yourself.  Then tell us about your experience on Facebook.  Happy travels!

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These good-natured master craftspeople are the winners of the 6th Annual Vermont Fine Furniture & Woodworking Festival.  Find out who they are and see their award winning furniture and accessories on VWMA’s  Flickr page.

Vermont woodworkers: the 10th Annual Vermont Fine Furniture Festival is upon us.  Hard to believe it’s been ten years since VWMA (the Vermont Wood Manufacturer’s Association) first led the initiative to share Vermont’s exquisitely beautiful handmade wood furniture with the rest of the world.  Kathleen Wanner and a number of other visionaries in the Vermont wood working community began work in 2003 on what is now one of the Top 10 Fall Events in New England.  It’s the Vermont Fine Furniture and Woodworking Festival and woodworkers throughout the Green Mountain State are encouraged to participate.

This year the Fine Furniture Festival is being held September 28-29 in Woodstock, Vermont at the Union Arena.  Woodworkers can contact Erin Lorentz at VWMA to register for the show and/or the annual design competition (more about that later).  Just to let fellow Vermont woodworkers know… the show really has an expansive reach.  In addition to hundreds of craftsmanship fans from New England you may well meet customers from across America, Canada and beyond.  We had a couple from California come to visit us at the festival a few years ago and we’ve run into shoppers from Alberta, UK and Germany as well.  Vermont fine furniture has a good reputation and a far reach!

The woodworking festival is paired with the Forest Festival at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park on the same weekend and free shuttle buses run between the two locations.  This gives visitors a chance to see and experience the sustainable forests of Vermont that supply the wood our furniture is made of.  I can’t think of a better way for visitors to spend a sunny Autumn day, than taking in these two quintessential Vermont festivals.  Be a part of it!

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Vermont’s maple sugaring season is right around the corner. Enter for a chance to win the “Tap Into Vermont” getaway! Image via Vermont Tourism

Vermont maple syrup has been a topic of discussion lately at Vermont Woods Studios. We have had a few people mention that they have started to see the iconic metal sap buckets hanging from maple trees. Many of us were in agreement that it seemed too soon for the sugaring season to begin; however, we are beginning to hear that the sap buckets aren’t lying; it is sugaring season.

To commence the Vermont maple sugaring season, Governor Peter Shumlin will tap a sugar maple tree on the Vermont State House lawn. This event will happen on February 27th, with many maple themed events following.

Vermont Tourism has announced that they have joined with Vermont’s Chief Marketing Office, Ski Vermont, Vermont Maple Sugar Makers, Cabot Creamery, Long Trail Brewery, and Amtrak to provide a sweet Vermont travel deal. Amtrak’s Vermonter and Ethan Allen trains will have ambassadors on board every Friday through March 15, showcasing spring skiing and the maple sugaring season. According to a recent press release, the ambassadors will “provide information, concierge services, goodies and ski deals.” During the train ride, passengers will be able to sample Cabot cheddar cheese, Vermont maple syrup and Long Trail beer (March 1 only). The Vermonter train has scheduled routes from Penn Station in New York City to Rutland and to Waterbury, and the Ethan Allen train will have a route between Waterbury and Springfield, MA. For more information about the schedules, please the Vermont Tourism website.

Vermont Tourism is offering several Maple themed travel packages, and the chance to win the “Tap into Vermont” vacation contest. The contest winner will receive a five day lift/lodging package at Killington Resort for two people, plus a Vermont maple gift basket.

Vermont is widely known for it’s real maple syrup, as it is the largest producer in the United States. An additional event to learn about how the pure maple syrup is produced, plan a trip to our state during the weekend of March 23-24. This will be the Maple Open House Weekend in Vermont. We will blog about this event and highlight some Vermont maple sugar producers in March.

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Vernon, Vermont, where Vermont Woods Studios is located, is about 20 square miles and has a population of about 2,200. So, many of us either live in Brattleboro, or travel there a few times a week for necessities (groceries) or entertainment (movies, restaurants). This weekend, our neighboring town has an exciting event for Vermonters and visitors alike: the annual Harris Hill Ski Jump Event.

The Harris Hill Ski Jump is a 90-meter jump, which is designed to International Ski Federation specifications. It is the only 90-meter ski jump in New England, and there are less than a handful of this size in the United States. Skiiers from around the world zip down this huge jump, launching themselves more than 300 feet in the air at 60 miles per hour! As read in the Brattleboro Reformer, “According to event organizers, this year’s event will not only feature the annual Pepsi Challenge and the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament, but also the only U.S. Stop on the International Ski Federation’s FIS Cup and a stop on the United States American Ski Jumping U.S. Cup Tour.”

The ski jump closed in 2005 due to significant maintenance repair that needed to be done. With the help and support of the local community, they were able to complete an extensive renovation to restore the jump to it’s original first-class ski jump in 2009. The Harris Hill Ski Jump has continued to be a popular community based event each year. It is put on entirely by volunteers and local sponsorship. Join the Brattleboro area community during this is a two day event (Saturday, February 16th and Sunday, February 17th). Visit the Harris Hill Ski Jump website for the full schedule and additional event information.

Come visit for Presidents Day weekend and enjoy this event. In addition to flying skiiers, there will be concessions, a beer tent, and souvenirs.  We just had a huge snow storm (thanks, Nemo), so this is a great time to be in Vermont!

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