By Dennis Shanoff

Since tropical storm Irene hit us this summer I had taken a little break from writing about Vermont’s happenings and attractions. I wanted to allow some time for the people, businesses, and roads to heal from the unexpected and in some cases overwhelming destruction. And just about all my favorite destinations and roads were hit pretty hard and I felt it was best to just stay out of the way until things had a chance to mend. Well tremendous progress has been made the past few months so I have begun to revisit my favorite places and resum my deeper exploration of this interesting and beautiful state.

Most of you probably know that Vermont is renowned for its fine arts & craft population. Scattered about the state are thousands of artists and craftspeople who make their living from their handiwork. And throughout the year various regional Vermont craft associations sponsor a “craft tour” weekend. What this means is that you visit a region where you can drive from artist studio to studio. And one of the more famous ones is coming up soon! Thirty two years in the running, the Putney Area Craft Tour will host their open studio event during Thanksgiving weekend from November 25 – 27. Putney has a great concentration of fine artisans so here is your chance to visit 27 working studios, meet the artisans and see where and how these unique craft objects and fine art are created. You name it and you will find it here, from all art mediums, to jewelry, textiles, wood & metal works, and of course pottery and glass blowing. You can preview the artisans work and plan your visit at the Putney Crafts Tour website. Here you will find a tour map as well as information on places to eat and stay. And it’s timed just right so that perhaps you can make this part of your American Made holiday shopping experience. Sounds more fun then the typical “mall madness trip” experience, doesn’t it? Hope you can make it!

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