Stowe Guide & Magazine Winter/Spring 2019-20 by Stowe Guide & Magazine

WINTER / SPRING 2019-2020 FREE

STOWE G U I D E & M AGA Z I N E

PEOPLE • ARTS & EVENTS • DINING • SHOPPING • OUTDOORS • LIFESTYLE • THINGS TO DO

91 MAIN STREET, STOWE VILLAGE 802.253.3033 ~ STOWE@FERROJEWELERS.COM WWW.FERROJEWELERS.COM/STOWE LIKE US ON FACEBOOK.COM/FERRO.JEWELERS

CONTENTS w i n t e r

s p r i n g

2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 0

features

Ski bum races by Kate Carter

Little Spruce Standard Race, Tuesday Races, the Ski Bum Series ... Whatever you call them, ski bum races in Stowe have been a tradition since 1970, and while the faces and the names change, the spirit never does.

Everybody’s ice: The Hyde Cup by Tommy Gardner

The annual hockey tourney that unites veteran players with wannabes and newbies for a week of games and a chance to embrace community.

Julie’s last book by Caleigh Cross

Julie Pickett, Stowe’s beloved children’s librarian, shelves her last book.

The Bambi Freeman way by Robert Kiener

This independent, feisty, octogenarian beat the odds to keep her hill farm in Sterling Valley going, raising lamb and meat birds, shearing wool, selling eggs, making a fine life.

Igor the American by Biddle Duke

Igor Vanovac, a former skier on the Yugoslav National Team, takes the helm of a newly joined Mt. Mansfield Ski Club and Mt. Mansfield Winter Academy. This is the story of his journey to Stowe.

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: CALEIGH CROSS; JESSE SCHLOFF; GORDON DIXON; GLENN CALLAHAN

126

Art for history’s sake by Jasmine Bigelow

Photographer Jim Westphalen chronicles the stories of a rural economy and a disappearing way of life.

166

At the Crossroads by Caleigh Cross

Screenwriter John Fusco taps into his roots with the X-Road Riders and a new album.

196

Splitrock by Nancy Wolfe Stead

Longtime Stowe couple builds the ultimate compound, a Craftsman-style cluster for retiring, cottaging, creating.

220

166

Renaissance man by Bob Murray

In honor of Bob, a chapter from his book, “Confessions of a Vermont Realtor.”

Seldom Scene Interiors

Wendy Valliere

Principal Designer

All Aspects of Interior Design 2038 Mountain Road, Stowe 05672

seldomsceneinteriors.com

802.253.3770

CONTENTS w i n t e r

s p r i n g

2 0 1 9 - 2 0 2 0

Contributors

From the editor

Goings on

Rural route

On mountain

FROM TOP LEFT: ARCHIVES; KATE CARTER; COURTESY PHOTO

essentials

Outdoor primer Cross country • Ice fish • Skating Snowshoeing • Snowmobiling

104

Galleries, arts, & entertainment Helen Day Art Center • Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center • Guides to exhibits, music, and mixed media

Rural Route

146

Edibles: Saffron farm, Kaffeehouse, Potlicker Kitchen, Over the Wall

Edibles

departments 14

First person: Titans of industry

Party pix: The Stowe scene

Q&A: Kelly Carmichael

Ski lifestyle: Ski the East

History lesson: MMSC at 85

Trail journal: Wiessner Woods

114

Portrait of an artist: Caroline McKinney

118

Ski people: Authentic trail signs

122

Après ski: Che Malambo

124

Naturalist corner: Animal tracks

136

Found in Vermont: Shopping list

138

Off piste: Maloja opens in Stowe

140

Studio arts: Vermonters’ week

142

Point & shoot: Orah Moore

182

Real estate: What 500k buys?

186

Stowe spirit: Brownsville saved

192

Spotlight: Kathy Dever

ON OUR COVER Our artist this winter is a two-fer. Kathleen Berry Bergeron first appeared on the cover of our winter 2004-2005 edition, just after she was commissioned by the Green Mountain Inn to paint a series of original paintings for its new suites. One of those commissions, Stowe Village, graced the front of our magazine. This winter’s selection, Vertical, 15"x22", is a watercolor of Bergeron’s son, Kevin, skiing on Mt. Mansfield. Bergeron began painting as a child under her parents’ encouragement and support, and after stints in college and Europe she became an art teacher. She painted in oils for many years but then discovered her true passion—watercolors. Her work is representational in style and reflects the beauty of New England. Whether it is the majestic Green Mountains of Vermont or a child tossing stones into a sunlit stream, her work evokes a feeling of tranquility for many who see them. “My goal is to capture the essence of the moment and allow the viewer to be drawn in. Watercolor can be rather unpredictable but to me this is the joy of this medium. I compare it to a dance partner; I do not try to control it but rather move with it.

GETTING AROUND

GETTING OUTDOORS

104

SHOPPING & GALLERIES

146

RESTAURANTS & LODGING

180

REAL ESTATE & HOMES

228

BUSINESSES & SERVICES

240

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

146

“Painting is my passion, my energy, and my source of constant fascination.”

Dave Keller, Spruce Peak Performing Arts

110

She is a member of the Essex Art League, serves on the board of the Northern Vermont Artists’ Association, and is a signature member of the Vermont Watercolor Society. Bergeron teaches classes and workshops in watercolor. The mother of five lives in Jericho, Vt. See her work at Northwood Gallery in Stowe, or at her website, kathleenberrybergeron.com.

GLENN CALLAHAN

CONTRIBUTORS

ROB KIENER IN THIS ISSUE: Bambi Freeman, p.92. Behind the scenes: Thanks largely to her wildly popular farmers market offerings, where she sells everything from lamb to chicken to spun yarn to sheepskins (all produced at her Sterling Brook Farm), Bambi Freeman is a well-known local personality. However, not everyone knows about the dramatic trials and tribulations she has encountered—-and surmounted-—since she first moved to Stowe as a ski bum in 1959. Most memorable takeaway: Spend any time with Bambi and you’ll be amazed by how hard she works, tending her farm seven days a week, year around. Dig a little deeper and you’ll begin to understand why she continues to work so hard. For example, there’s a sign taped to her bathroom mirror that offers a clue. It’s a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” Currently: Kiener, a frequent contributor to

the Stowe Guide & Magazine, has been an editor and staff writer with Reader’s Digest in Asia, Europe and Canada, and now writes for the magazine and other publications from his base in Stowe. More at robertkiener.com.

TOMMY GARDNER IN THIS ISSUE: Hyde Cup, p.84.

IN THIS ISSUE: Splitrock, p.196. In her own words: I was so pleased to write about Splitrock, the unique

and very personal retirement haven created by Frits and Cubby Momsen. Frits is a true Renaissance man, an accomplished woodworker and a deeply thoughtful student, teacher, and philosopher, with the courage to leap into complex new projects without hesitation. Cubby is his muse, sounding board, and dedicated support system, with a complementary artistic vision.

Waterbury Record, and News & Citizen and advocate of

great-er Stowe scene, from its arts and architecture to its many characters and civic conundrums.

helmets for just about every activity these days.

KATE CARTER IN THIS ISSUE: Ski bum races, p.76 Behind the scenes: Spruce Peak has hosted the Stowe ski bum races for almost five decades. For

this issue I sat down with seven racers about why they race and what changes they’ve seen over the years. Their answers were as varied as their abilities, but all mentioned being on the mountain and socializing with friends. Their enthusiasm for their weekly fix was contagious and I often felt like I was standing slopeside, watching them blaze through the course or survive a spectacular crash. I admire their gumption and desire to get out there every week and see how fast they can go on skis. Around gates. Sometimes on ice. With everyone watching. Most memorable takeaway: Of the seven ski bums I interviewed, six mentioned Dustin Martin. My seventh interview was Dustin Martin, and I could barely get him to talk about himself! His peers had nothing but good words for him, a guy who has been winning the races every week for years. One even called him a “great carrot to chase.” It’s refreshing to know that there are winners who are humble, kind, friendly, and happy. Like Dustin Martin. Currently: Kate is a freelance writer and photographer, and when she’s not researching stories

or sitting at her computer, she’s photographing real estate for Realtors and builders in Northern Vermont, hiking with her dogs, and cultivating food and flowers in her and others’ gardens.

Currently: News editor for the Stowe Reporter,

Currently: Nancy is a longtime observer and commentator on the

DIANE ARMSTRONG

NANCY WOLFE STEAD

Behind the scenes: Stowe’s annual exercise in egalitarianism on ice, the Hyde Cup, brings all kinds of skaters to the town arena, from former varsity standouts who didn’t let their skills diminish over the years to people who’ve never laced up a pair of blades. For the latter who want to at least get some stick time in before taking to the tournament ice for the first time, here’s a tip: learn to skate in the summer. The arena could use the extra business and it’s literally the coolest place in Stowe on a 90-degree day, and there are more likely to be people there learning to skate at a time when most people are out enjoying the sun.

EDELWEISS Mountain DELI

SANDWICHES • SALADS • BAKERY • BEER • WINE • CATERING

Made Here. Baked Here.

DISCOVER BARR HILL AT EDELWEISS TASTE AND PURCHASE BARR HILL SPIRITS AND HONEY AT THE DELI.

2251 MOUNTAIN ROAD • STOWE • 802.253.4034 6:30 AM – 6 PM • 7 DAYS A WEEK • EDELWEISSSTOWE.COM

GUIDE & MAGAZINE

Robert M. Miller

Gregory J. Popa

Ed Brennan, Michael Duran, Lou Kiernan, Bryan Meszkat, and Lisa Stearns

Gregory J. Popa

Thomas Kearney, Kate Carter, Robert Kiener, Hannah Marshall, and Tommy Gardner

Leslie Lafountain

Mitzi Savage

Glenn Callahan & Gordon Miller

Katerina Hrdlicka, Kristen Braley, Bev Mullaney, and Joslyn Richardson

Stuart Bertland, Kate Carter, Orah Moore, Paul Rogers, Kevin Walsh

Mark Aiken, Kate Carter, Evan Chismark, Caleigh Cross, Nancy Crowe, Willy Dietrich, Elinor Earle, Tommy Gardner, Robert Kiener, Brian Lindner, Hannah Normandeau, Andrew Martin, Peter Miller, Mike Mulhern, Julia Shipley, Nancy Wolfe Stead, Kevin Walsh

Stowe Guide & Magazine & Stowe-Smugglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Guide & Magazine are published twice a year:

Winter/Spring & Summer/Fall Stowe Reporter LLC P.O. Box 489, Stowe VT 05672 Website: stowetoday.com Editorial inquiries: gpopa@myfairpoint.net Ad submission: ads@stowereporter.com Phone: (802) 253-2101 Fax: (802) 253-8332 Copyright: Articles and photographs are protected by copyright and cannot be used without permission. Editorial submissions are welcome: Stowe Reporter LLC P.O. Box 489, Stowe VT 05672 Publication is not guaranteed. Enclose SASE for return. Subscriptions are $15 per year. Check or money order to Stowe Guide, P.O. Box 489, Stowe, 05672 Advertising inquiries are welcome.

Best Niche Publication, New England Newspaper & Press Association 2010 through 2018

FROM THE EDITOR

Luck of the Irish

In late summer 1985, after graduating university a little over a year before and after a handful of summers “working” in Bar Harbor on Mt. Desert Island during the five-plus years it took me to get a bachelor’s degree, I arrived in Stowe. My one and only winter on the Island so far proved difficult. Stunningly beautiful, but deserted. Winter hiking was glorious, but sadly I’d yet to discover cross-country skiing and those 57 miles of carriage paths remained untracked, at least by any skis on my feet. Main and Cottage and Eden streets, the heart of downtown business, rolled itself up, literally. Most establishments closed after October, save for the hardware and grocery and a few year-round restaurants. I could never get the Bar Harbor Times to take a serious look at me, so that year we decided to trade ocean for the mountains at the end of the 1985 season, nearly a year away. First, we had to come check out Vermont. The memory of that visit is dim, other than Stowe won out over Burlington, our original destination, Darren Zecker showed us a few apartments on Maple Street, and we “met” Diane McCarthy. Surely we ate at least two squares a day, but Diane is one of only a few clear memories of Stowe on that inaugural visit. Where else did we eat? Who knows. Stay? Even a deeper mystery. At that time, McCarthy’s Restaurant sat across the street from Baggy Knees shopping complex in what is now Elevated State VT. The building looked different than it does today, a bit battered, but it sure was cozy inside. Diane tucked us into seats in the front, looking out over the Mountain Road, but not at the shopping center as it did not yet exist. The tables sat close together, and the din of conversation, a mix of local and not so local, filled the small dining rooms. At least, that’s how I remember it. There was nothing fancy about McCarthy’s—a big part of its charm—but the food was hearty and tasty, the service efficient and friendly, with the added bonus of Diane’s smile, seen above with her longtime friend Lee Labier. Then as now, that’s how Diane welcomed everyone. She might not know you, but you immediately felt as if you’d met a new friend. This fall, Diane, after 45 years, closed McCarthy’s. On Halloween, no

less. Sure, it wasn’t St. Paddy’s Day, a beloved yearly celebration at McCarthy’s, but it seemed fitting to go out on a holiday. (See story, p.176) When my then-partner and I finally did arrive to town, Darren moved us into one of those Maple Street apartments, we quickly secured jobs—one as a sous chef at the Stoweflake Resort and me as a waiter at the Spruce Pond Inn, where my new buddy Kevin Vintinner tossed out my skis with the safety straps and set me up on an extra pair of his, some Rossignol GS skis longer than the Great Wall of China. We weren’t a match, the skis and I, but it wasn’t hard to get hooked up in Stowe. Of course, one of our first stops had to be McCarthy’s. It was gone! Fortunately it hadn't gone far, as Diane just moved across the street into the former Sister’s Kate’s nightclub. There it was: The same smile, the same welcome. And, it’s where the restaurant remained a fixture in the community for the next 35 years. Good luck, Diane. We know you’ll do fine. —Greg Popa

Vermont’s Premier Medical Spa

“Beautiful, Radiant, You” MEDICAL AESTHETICS & WELLNESS SPA

Our Services

Colleen Parker, MD

(802)-777-7300 | radiancevt.com | @radiancevt 5399 Williston Rd Suite 101, Williston, Vermont 05495

Botox Filler Kybella TruSculpt Electrolysis Sclerotherapy Laser Hair Removal DermaSweep Microblading Laser Genesis Microneedling Chemical Peels Areola Restoration Permanent Makeup Laser Spot Treatment

3 MAIN STREET, BURLINGTON

Mirror Mirror is Vermont’s premier destination for all things beauty. Offering a full selection of national luxury & organic makeup, skincare & hair care brands.

SKINCARE | MAKEUP | DAY SPA | BLOW DRY BAR Over 120 national lines including:

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK | mirrormirrorvt.com | 802.861.7500

FIRST PERSON

THE VAGABONDS At top: Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, naturalist John Burroughs, and Thomas Edison on one of their many road trips in the early part of the 20th century. Top left: An undated image of Ford at the wheel of a 1914 Model T with Burroughs, left, and Edison. The photo, likely taken by a Ford Motor Co. photographer, was presented to Joseph C. Benson in August 1919. The traveling titans camped on the Benson farm while in Stowe, naming their campsite Green Mountain Camp, which was next to Moss Glen Brook. Bottom left: Edison napping on grass, Firestone, and Ford, location unknown. Map of the Stowe campsite. Next page: Benson Farm postcard, 1920s. (Wendy Snow Parrish collection)

MORE INFO: henryford.org.

Stowe Resort Homes

TITANS OF INDUSTRY 100 years ago, Ford, Edison, Firestone came to Stowe (Burroughs, too) One July day in 1992, while driving Cady Falls Road to Morrisville, I turned right onto Lower Bridge Street near Lake Lamoille. As I approached the Lakeside Garage, a large, fuzzy cat darted in front of the car. I felt a thump. Wondering if I’d just killed someone’s favorite pet, I pulled into the garage, which was also a Ford dealership, to look for the cat and see if I could find its owner. I didn’t want to be a hit-and-run driver. Inside, three men were shooting the breeze with “Rip” Reed, the owner. I looked around at some old framed photos on the walls while I waited to see him. In one photo, three familiar-looking men sat in a vintage Ford. “Tin Lizzie Made of Gold—with John Burroughs, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford,” the caption read. When Mr. Reed was free, I told him about the cat and asked whether he knew who owned it (he didn’t). Then I asked if I could borrow the photo to make a copy for the Stowe Historical Society. A man with a trusting nature, he readily said, “Yes!” Mr. Reed came by the photograph through Charlie and Clara Tinker (18901933), who owned the two-story white house on the corner of Route 100 and Randolph Road, near the StoweMorristown line, as well as the field across Randolph Road through which Moss Glen Brook runs. It was somewhere near that field beside the river where Ford’s group camped on a trip to Vermont, not long after World War I. The trio of travelers brought along Ford Motor Co. photographers, and they may have presented the photograph to the then-owner of the dairy farm, Joseph C. Benson (18711944), who likely left the photo with the house when he sold it to the Tinkers. Clara Tinker later gave the snapshot to Rip Reed. In the 1959 biography “Edison,” author Matthew Josephson details the camping trips this foursome, which included Harvey Firestone, often took during several summers between 1916 and 1924 through New England, New York, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The foursome called themselves “The Vagabonds” when they started these annual trips, but later wives and other friends came along. They vacationed in relative luxury, with servants, and with trucks carrying camping gear, tents, and food. Photos show the “campers” in suits or jackets, white shirts, braces (suspenders), and ties. “Edison usually sat up front with the driver,” wrote Josephson. “No matter how rough the road or how deep the holes, he enjoyed bouncing along with speeds up to 40 mph and never showed fatigue. The shaking was good for him, he believed. Burroughs, at age 79 and very bony, pointed out that Edison could bear the jostling easily because he was well-cushioned.” On the West Virginia trip, the lead car broke down in a remote corner of the state. Ford is said to have repaired the radiator using some old metal obtained from a village blacksmith. >>

STORY BY

/ Pat Haslam

FIRST PERSON Then, according to Josephson, journalists following their trail embellished the story, saying that when they stopped, some village mechanic suggested that the trouble might be with the motor: “ ‘I am Henry Ford,’ said the tall man, ‘and I say the motor is running perfectly.’ “Then the rustic suggested that the electric spark distribution might not be working. ‘I am Thomas Edison,’ said the stout man in the front seat, ‘and I say the wiring is all right.’ “Then the village mechanic, pointing to John Burroughs in his long white beard, remarked, ‘And I supposed that must be Santa Claus.’ ” As word spread, these well-known industrialists, plus the naturalist, brought out the locals in droves at their various stops. A correspondent from the Morrisville Messenger weekly newspaper wrote a news item printed on page one of the Aug. 13, 1919, edition. According to the clipping, the night the campers were at the Benson farm on the brook between Stowe and Morrisville would have been Saturday, Aug. 9-10, 1919. Especially interesting is the fact that Henry Ford was then traveling in a “twin-six Packard, and Edison in his Edison Simplex, a gas car.” So, while The Vagabonds were in Stowe only one night, the occasion created a great deal of excitement in rural Lamoille County, one hundred years ago this past August.

FORD VISITS LAMOILLE COUNTY (Morrisville Messenger, Aug. 13, 1919) N.Y., for a branch to supply this section.

But not for the purpose of locating a branch factory here—just for a pleasure trip, he says.

The party had luncheon at the Vermont in Burlington Sunday and the city papers were all fussed up over the brief call.

A party, including Henry Ford, Thos. Edison, John Burroughs, the great naturalist, Firestone, father and son, of the tire company of that name, and Mayor Kingston of Albany. N.Y., passed through Morrisville about 4 p.m. Sunday, returning from a camping trip through northern Vermont.

The party camped Saturday night in the maple grove near the brook east of J.C. Benson’s arriving about 6 and leaving about 11 Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Benson had a nice visit with them, around their camp fire in the evening, and found they were very companionable people, just like “us folks.” Mr. Kelley formed the same opinion of them.

Mr. Ford and party traveled in a twin-six Packard, and Edison in his Edison Simplex, a gas car. They had two auto trucks carrying baggage, camp and cooking outfits and the men to set up and operate the camps.

They were traveling very quietly but McMahon Brothers, the local Ford dealers, were on their job and had a long visit with Mr. Ford before breakfast Sunday morning. Mr. Ford was very favorably impressed with Stowe and he assured Mr. McMahon that he would come here again and visit Lake Mansfield, Mt. Mansfield and Smugglers Notch.

J.M. Kelley saw and talked with the party during their brief stay, mainly to inquire about the best roads and scenery on the balance of their trip. Mr. Ford says no factory will be located in Vermont, but is favorably impressed with Troy,

Pat Haslam, a native of Michigan, grew up in a suburb of Detroit. “I always felt a certain bond with Thomas Edison, as my father worked at the Detroit Edison Co., a large utility company, for 38 years, and I worked there

for five summers between high school and college.” Haslam has also made many visits to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich., where there is a re-creation of Edison’s Menlo Park, N.J., laboratory.

[RETIREMENT COMMUNITY]

Come home to Stowe...

Walk to the village; skiing, golfing, shopping are minutes away. Spacious 1100-square-foot condominiums with options to own or lease. Enjoy our amenities and fine dining.

Call Penny to take a tour today.

802.253.7200 | www.copleywoodlands.com | 125 Thomas Lane, Stowe, Vermont 16

LIFE OUTDOORS getting people up and down since 1995

freeride sidecountry backountry telemark skimountaineering skimo race avy gear

Quality Rentals and Demos

4081 MOUNTAIN ROAD, STOWE, VT 802-253-4531 â&#x20AC;¢ MOUNTAINOPSVT.COM

Marc J. Langlois

Comprehensive Interior Design Services

Bespoke Interiors

Photo Michael J. Lee

Marc J. Langlois Comprehensive Interior Design Services

Bespoke Interiors

WE MOVE MOUNTAINS Concierge and Event Services

Turnkey Stowe Decking Halls for the Holidays! marcjlanglois

mr-marc.com

617.959.1908 Stowe + Boston

GOINGS ON n

DECEMBER

JANUARY 23-26

S T O W E W I N T E R C A R N I VA L NOVEMBER 26 – DECEMBER 28 Festival of Trees and Light & Members’ Art Show Work by art center members and community-decorated Christmas trees. Opening reception, Dec. 6, 5 - 7 p.m. Helen Day Art Center, Stowe Village. (802) 253-8358. helenday.com.

DECEMBER 6 – 8 A Traditional Christmas in Stowe Tree lightings, children’s lantern parade, Christmas tree festival, wagon rides, Santa visits, carolers, Christmas fair, candy cane pulling, cookie and gingerbread house decorating, more. Venues in Stowe and Stowe Mountain Resort. stowevibrancy.com.

DECEMBER 7 Stowe Community Church Christmas Fair Needlecrafts, baked goods, collectibles, wreaths, Pocket Lady, Stowe afghans. Quilt raffle. 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Stowe Community Church, Main Street. (802) 253-7257. stowechurch.org.

DECEMBER 7 GLENN CALLAHAN

25th BrewFest Part 1 Sample local and regional craft beers. Music, food. 6 - 10 p.m., 21 and older. $22. Meeting House, Smugglers’ Notch Resort. smuggs.com.

DECEMBER 7 River of Light Lantern Parade Community lantern procession. Theme is REinventions! Bring your lantern or join the parade route. Starts at Thatcher Brook primary. 5 p.m. Bonfire and hot chocolate at Dac Rowe field. ariveroflightinwaterbury.org.

DECEMBER 16 Handel’s Messiah Community Sing-In Daniel Bruce conducts. 7 p.m.; doors open 6:30 p.m. $8/person. Stowe Community Church, Main Street.

DECEMBER 21 Winter Solstice Celebration Jeh Kulu Dance and Drum Theater and a dance party with Goodtime Charlie. Glow sticks and hot cocoa for the kids. Meeting House, Smugglers’ Notch Resort. smuggs.com.

DECEMBER 21 Spruce Lights Festival Music, photos with Santa, ice skating exhibitions, fireworks, food. Featuring art by Michael Zebrowski and Clay Mohrman. Spruce Peak Village Center, Stowe Mountain Resort. 3:30 - 7 p.m. sprucepeak.com.

DECEMBER 31 Cruise into 2020 Race Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsca.org.

DECEMBER 31 Spruce Peak New Year’s Eve Fireworks & Torchlight Parade Live music, kids activities, food and family fun (4 - 9 p.m.), torchlight parade (5 p.m.), and spectacular fireworks display (7:30 p.m.). Spruce Peak Village Center, Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeak.com.

DECEMBER 31 Smugglers’ Notch New Year’s Celebration & Fireworks Kid’s activities, bonfire, torchlight parade, firewoods. Music, karaoke. 7 p.m. - 1 a.m. Gazebo, Smugglers' Notch Resort, Jeffersonville. smuggs.com.

JANUARY

JANUARY 6 – 8 NorAm Ski Races Men’s GS and slalom. Stowe Mountain Resort, Spruce Peak. fis-ski.com.

JANUARY 11 Winter Tree ID Walk Learn how to ID trees. Wiessner Woods, Edson Hill Road, Stowe. Bring snowshoes. 10 - 11 a.m. stowelandtrust.org.

JANUARY 12 Trapp’s Cabin Race Race to Slayton Pasture Cabin. 5k classical race. How fast can you ski to the cabin? Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe. trappfamily.com.

JANUARY 22 – 26 Winter Rendezvous Five days of wintery fun with the largest contingent of gay skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast. Fun events all weekend, open to the public. winterrendezvous.com.

STOWE WINTER CARNIVAL

JANUARY 23 – 26

January 23: Sip & Chip Ice Carving Public amateur ice carving class and competition. Alchemist, Cottage Club Road. 6 - 8 p.m. January 24: Ice Carving Demonstration Day & Ice Carving Stroll Ice carvers carve ice on Main Street, Mountain Road, and around Stowe area. 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Main Street; 1 - 6 p.m., Mountain Road. Fire and Ice Pro carver Erik Freay entertains the crowd. 5 - 7 p.m. Hob Knob Inn, Mountain Road, Stowe. Ice Carvers’ Welcoming Party Meet and greet the ice carvers. 7 p.m. Sunset Grille & Tap Room, Cottage Club Road. Live Music Dance Parties Take the chill off of Old Man Winter with live music. 9 p.m. Matterhorn and Rusty Nail. January 25: 20th Nationally Sanctioned Ice Carving Competition Pro ice carving competition. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Alchemist Brewery, Cottage Club Road. Kids Carnival Kaos Games, costumes, bounce house, fun! 1 - 3 p.m. Stowe Elementary School. stowerec.org. >> more winter carnival

EXHIBITS: p.104 • • • MIXED MEDIA: p.110 • • • SPRUCE PEAK: p.110 • • • STOWE LAND TRUST: p.112

NOTHING LESS THAN TOPNOTCH

Whether you Dine, Drink, Stay, Play or Relax, Topnotch is Stowe’s Premier Resort and Spa. DON’T JUST VISIT... EXPERIENCE IT!

4000 Mountain Road • Stowe, Vermont • 800.451.8686 • Topnotchresort.com

GOINGS ON Ice Carvers Meltdown Parties Take the chill off of Old Man Winter with live music. 9 p.m. Matterhorn and Rusty Nail. January 26: Snowvolleyball Tourney Six-person teams dig, set, and spike. Lunch and après awards. 9:30 a.m. Sunset Grille & Taproom Cottage Club Road. Preregister at jfroy683@gmail.com. Snowgolf Tournament Costumed teams play 11 holes of wacky golf at Stowe Country Club. 10 a.m. Aprés awards. Register at Rimrocks Tavern.

FEBRUARY 23

S TOW E D E R BY

GLENN CALLAHAN; INSETS: GORDON MILLER

JANUARY 24 – 25 UVM Winter Carnival Eastern Cup races. Men’s and women’s GS and slalom. Stowe Mountain Resort, Spruce Peak. fis-ski.com.

JANUARY 24 – FEBRUARY 2 Waterbury Winterfest l Broomball, drone races, ice jug racing, Musical Munchkins, bonfire, human bowling, moonlight snowshoe, and much more. Locations throughout Waterbury. waterburywinterfest.com.

JANUARY 25 WinterFest Pie for breakfast, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, mini snowmobiles, bonfire, fireworks, hot air ballons, more. 8 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Cambridge Community Center, 22 Old Main St., Jeffersonville.

JANUARY 26 – 27 Northern VT Council U14 GS & VARA Open GS U14, Jan. 26; VARA Open, Jan 27. Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsca.org.

FEBRUARY

FEBRUARY 2 – 3 VARA Races Vermont Cup GS and VARA Open slalom races. Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsca.org.

FEBRUARY 23 Stowe Derby Oldest downhill cross-country race starts at the top of Mount Mansfield and winds its way 20k to the village. Kids race, short course, and fat bikes. Race headquarters: Town & Country, Mountain Road. mmsca.org.

FEBRUARY 29 – MARCH 1 Extreme Challenge Big mountain skiing, junior and adult freeskiers and riders. Madonna Mountain. 9 a.m. Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Jeffersonville. smuggs.com.

MARCH & APRIL

MARCH 1 Molly Rail Jam Zone Terrain Park, 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Jeffersonville. smuggs.com.

MARCH 1 Hope on the Slopes Pay homage to all those who have lost the fight, and are still fighting their battle with cancer. Jay Peak Resort. jaypeakresort.com.

MARCH 7 Ski Vermont’s Specialty Foods Day Experience the best of Vermont’s hearty, healthy way of life on the slopes and in the community. Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe. trappfamily.com.

MARCH 15 Northern VT Council U8/10 Duals Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsca.org.

MARCH 28 Blast from the Past GS and pro-style dual slalom. Barbecue. 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sterling Mountain Practice Slope, Smugglers’ Notch Resort. smuggs.com.

MARCH 28 25th Annual BrewFest, Part 2 Sample Vermont and regional beers and more. 5 - 10 p.m. $22. Mountain Grille, Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Jeffersonville. smuggs.com.

MARCH 28 – 31 FIS Men’s GS & Slalom Stowe Mountain Resort, Spruce Peak. fis-ski.com.

APRIL 4 40th George Syrovatka Ski Race Dual slalom on Lower Can-Am, ski and snowboard. 10:30 a.m. Fundraiser for leukemia research. Jay Peak Resort, jaypeakresort.com.

APRIL 4 Pond Skimming Zone Terrain Park. Prizes, noon - 2 p.m. Sterling Mountain Practice Slope. Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Jeffersonville. smuggs.com.

APRIL 4 – 5 Sugar Slalom l One of the oldest ski races in the U.S. Shoot the gates, enjoy sugar on snow at the finish. Slalom Hill, Stowe Mountain Resort. mmsca.org.

APRIL 12 Stowe Easter Sunrise Service Service atop Mt. Mansfield. Mountain gondola rides start before sunrise, 4:45 - 5:45 a.m. Ski or ride down. stowe.com.

APRIL 18 Pond Skimming & Beach Party Classic season-ender, followed by party in indoor waterpark. Costumes, please. jaypeakresort.com. n

Black Cap Coffee & Beer of Vermont

Espresso / Lattes Coffee Breakfast / Lunch House-made Pastries Craft Beer Store Fine Art & Gifts 63 Lower Main Street, MORRISVILLE 144 Main Street, STOWE Across from Stowe’s Classic New England Church Open EVERY DAY at 7 a.m. • See us on Facebook

RURAL ROUTE

Allaire has never lived anywhere but Stowe, and says she’s never wanted to, but from her vantage point in the upper floor of the Akeley Memorial Building she’s watched the town evolve and shift from a small town to a nationwide travel destination. She’s giving up her duties with the development review board because driving to night meetings has become difficult. “The guys are so good to me, but it’s just too much. I do love my cemetery work so I’ll still do that as long as I can. There’s a lot I can do from home,” Allaire said. To her, working with the Stowe Cemetery Commission is a way to connect with family members she’s lost over the years and protect and preserve their legacies and final resting places. “My family is all buried here,” she said. “I just have an interest in the cemetery. We’ve got a nice commission trying to keep the cemeteries.” “She not only knows who’s alive, but she knows where everyone’s buried,” said Stowe Town Manager Charles Safford, who said Allaire’s institutional knowledge helped him immensely when he became Stowe’s town manager almost 11 years ago.

GORDON MILLER

Barbara Allaire, the heart and soul of Stowe’s town hall, turned 90 on Aug. 27, and lots of people stopped by her office that day to give her a birthday hug. “I love hugs,” she said. Allaire works part-time handling administrative support for the town. She is Stowe’s longest-running municipal employee, and vehemently rejects any notion of retirement. “I like what I do. I like the people. I like to be around people,” she said. Allaire was hired part-time in 1975 to help appraiser Tom Vickery with poll taxes, back when citizens had to pay a tax to vote. That has long since been ruled unconstitutional. She was also working full-time at what was then Harrington’s Store, which sold meats and cheeses in the Route 100 building that’s now the Fly Rod Shop. For 43 years, Allaire has been recording secretary for the Stowe Development Review Board, a role she also handles for the Stowe Cemetery Commission. Allaire used to work for the Stowe Planning Commission, and had a stint as a secretary in the zoning department. “I don’t remember a single time when I’ve researched old Board of Adjustment minutes from decades ago that they weren’t signed ‘Respectfully submitted by Barbara Allaire.’ She may be the most prolific author in the history of Stowe,” said Tom Jackman, Stowe’s director of planning. Allaire was born in Stowe in 1929, graduated from Stowe High School in 1947 and married Albert Allaire two years later. He fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II. The couple’s four children, Burt, Brian, Joan, and Jill all graduated from Stowe High School and gave the couple a gaggle of grandchildren, and one greatgranddaughter so far. Albert died in 2009.

BARBARA POWER Barbara Allaire turned 90 Aug. 27 with an open house at the Akeley Memorial Building, aka Stowe’s town hall, where she’s worked since 1975. She is Stowe’s longest-running employee. Former fire chief Mark Sgantas presents Allaire with the Cliff Thompson Award at a Stowe Town Meeting. (See more photos, p.44)

Harry Shepard, Stowe’s public works director, described Allaire as a “den mother” with a tear in his eye. “She reminds me in many ways of my grandmother. She helps keep a historical perspective of things, and she’s always good bringing in snacks and institutional knowledge. … I really enjoy the old gal.” —Caleigh Cross

RURAL ROUTE MILESTONE Cameron Stowe and Duncan Hughes, who live in Boston, married June 12, 2019, in an intimate ceremony at Stowe Community Church, the church’s first same-sex wedding.

10 YEARS AFTER: Church hosts first gay nuptials

ANDY DUBACK

As Pride parades wound through cities across the country and rainbows decorated storefronts, T-shirts, flags, and stickers for Pride Month, two men quietly ushered in a new age for Stowe Community Church. Cameron Stowe and Duncan Hughes are the first same-sex couple to marry in Stowe’s most prominent church. “It surprised me that it’s been (two) years” since the congregation voted to host same-sex weddings, said Hughes. The 2017 vote was 71-16, with five abstentions, to approve an openness policy that affirms same-sex marriage, and allowed the Rev. Will Vaus, the pastor, to perform them. The Vermont Legislature legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. Stowe and Hughes married June 12, with just Vaus, a photographer, their own pastor, a quartet from Burlington, and a Stowe Reporter writer in the room with them. The newlyweds have been together seven years, and live in Boston. They vividly recall their first date at Boston’s B&G Oysters. Stowe, a professional pianist at Boston’s New England Conservatory and a faculty member at New York City’s Juilliard School of Music, said neither he nor Hughes, an interior and furniture designer, were certain they’d have a second date. “I so remember that moment when I first saw him. There was definitely something very special there, but … neither of us were really looking for a relationship. It was just the furthest thing from our minds, but something kept bringing us together,” Stowe said. “There was enough of a connection that we knew we had to get together again. … Over the next few months, we just fell in love, slowly but surely.” Stowe’s parents loved taking family trips to Stowe, and Hughes, originally from Montpelier, grew up skiing in Stowe. Hughes’ parents married at Stowe Community Church. Both sets of parents have died, and the couple said for them, marrying at Stowe Community Church was a way to honor their families. The wedding day “was kind of a magical moment,” Hughes said. “There was just the sunlight streaming in, and I felt my parents’ presence there. It was just amazing, and I’d always wished that my parents had met Cameron. I know how much they would have loved him. “Then, Cameron sits down at the piano and pulls out the hymnal and starts playing from memory all these songs that (he) had played growing up. … It was an amazing moment, to see (him) there, this guy that I’m falling in love with, playing the piano in the church my parents were married in, and feeling all the love.” —Caleigh Cross

They become darklings, unaccustomed to light or sound; they misplace leaves, snap twigs, break branches. They forget why they lean over embankments; cannot remember the gossip, river told them this sun shaped morning, about striped trout spawning, and speckled perch burying themselves just below the silty bottom to deceive daydreaming anglers. They forget who just visited; squirrel? owl? black bird singing in the middle of a just tinged night waiting for its rebirth? The dappled dazzle from a colossal constellation confuses them; north is south; but west went where? The wind whisking through their limbs, When trees get speaks a dementia language they once comprehended, but now, they no longer understand those pushed through whispers.

the poem

The snapped-off, hollowed-out trees, the ones with jaggededged circumferences, their insides lined with moss thick as secrets; the ground below them smothered with fantastical insects scurrying over gnarly, rotten roots soon to be dislodged from the base of them, when suddenly, momentarily, a trace of fluttered white feathers supernaturally floats around, escorted by a long-ago bird song, whose fluted melody just now arrives; that puzzles them, as the music no longer resembles the founders. Gene Arthur, Stowe

STOWE GUIDE & MAGAZINE won Best Niche publication for the 9th consecutive year in the 2018 New England Newspaper & Press Association’s Better Newspaper Competition. The award considers publishing strategy, content mix, audience and advertiser appeal, plus quality of writing, design, and production. JUDGES SAID: “Gorgeous and beautifully produced. WINNER!” Other firsts for the magazine included Paul Rogers in three categories—pictorial photo, photo story, and photo series; and HANNAH MARSHALL NORMANDEAU, human interest feature story, for her piece “Outstanding in the Field.” Judges wrote: “This is an example of terrific storytelling. The writer artfully describes a dinner for 150 people on a Vermont farm, taking the reader on a lovely journey.” STOWE & GREEN MOUNTAIN WEDDING magazines took third in the niche publication category. The judges said: “BEAUTIFUL DESIGN and good mix of content.” Overall, the STOWE REPORTER weekly newspaper, which publishes both magazines, won 35 awards in the contest, including second place in general excellence in its circulation class. One of its reporters, ANDREW MARTIN, was named Reporter of the Year.

RURAL ROUTE

INSET: COURTESY PHOTO; STOWE REPORTER ARCHIVES

Editor’s note: Mary Elisabeth Shanahan Augusta, widow of Addison A. Augusta, died in March 2018. She came to Stowe in 1953 and worked for the Mt. Mansfield Co., where she met her husband. After a life living elsewhere, raising children, and having countless adventures, the Augustas returned to Stowe upon retirement, before permanently moving to Fort Myers, Fla., in 2004, and then to Maine. The following reminiscence of her time working at the Lodge at Smugglers Notch was submitted by Elisabeth in 2008. We’re sorry it took us so long to print it.

In November 1953, the train from Boston deposited me in Waterbury to work a seasonal job in the office of The Lodge at Smugglers Notch. Nick Mara was the manager. Priscilla Hess managed the office, with help from Ginnie Snively, ex-Middlebury racer Anne Tucker, and me. We rotated daily shifts, working from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. one day, and 1 to 9 p.m. the following. Rooms were provided for the staff upstairs in the adjoining Den, which burned in April 1969, and we ate in the staff dining room. Our salary was $35 weekly, with unrestricted free skiing, including joining ski school classes. Our chores included typing the luncheon and dinner menus (in French) and running them off on an inky green mimeograph machine. Our main chore was to keep the switchboard open, since it was the only switchboard covering all of the Mt. Mansfield Co.’s buildings. Whether it was Clem Curtis or Dalton Wells calling in the morning ski report from the top of the mountain, or company owner C.V. Starr trying to reach Sepp Ruschp (president and general manager of the Mt. Mansfield Co.) at his home, all calls came through the office. With eight trunk lines, it was a challenge to handle all the inside calls, as well. Paintings owned by C.V. Starr adorned the walls. The fireplaces were always kept lighted. And the food—unequaled in Stowe. The Sunday night buffets compared favorably with those in Boston and New York. The dessert tray was incomparable. Afternoon tea was served daily, often with caviar tidbits, and after the evening meal, demitasse was served. No charge to the guests. Skitch Henderson once played piano during tea time, and Rosalind Russell came to visit. Rates at The Lodge, with three meals included (or a take-away lunch), were $16 per person for a room with running water to $24 per person for a room with private bath. Suites were $30 per person. Many out-of-staters would complain of exorbitant rates, but returning guests realized

BYGONE ERA A couple walks down Route 108 in this June 1956 photograph by Bob Bourdon. The Lodge was renowned for its cuisine, and celebrities and politicians frequented the hotel. Inset: Michel Martinet became executive chef of the Lodge in 1954, a position he held for 24 years. Martinet, who died this fall, enjoyed telling the story of Alfred Hitchcock, known to bring his own wine and food while on film locations, didn’t have to while dining nearly every night at the Lodge while shooting “The Trouble with Harry.”

the quality of the food, and were more than satisfied. The evening entertainment was next door at the Den, where Rudi Alber and Luis Sturm, Austrian ski instructors, entertained with accordion, guitar, and zither after they finished playing in the dining room. I wonder if those staffing the offices of the lodges today enjoy Stowe as we did then. The world was smaller, the lodges more intimate, and you enjoyed your meals where you stayed. And, at The Lodge, you didn’t have to leave the premises for evening entertainment. A fun era, and more so for me, as I met my husband when he was teaching part-time for the Sepp Ruschp Ski School. —Elisabeth Shanahan Augusta

RURAL ROUTE

Micheline Woman Junior ski program director pushes the limits Micheline Lemay, known to friends and students as Michy, is the junior program director at Mount Mansfield Ski Club and Academy and the co-founder of Rugged Adventures summer camps for kids. In 2018 she received the Junior Development Coach of the Year award for U8/U10/U12 (ages 7 to 12), presented by Vermont Alpine Racing Association. She lives in Stowe with her husband Igor, executive director of Mt. Mansfield Ski Club & Academy, their two children, Sofija and Hugo, who attend Stowe Elementary and Middle Schools, and their yellow Lab, Mala.

Have you always been a skier? I grew up in Gilford, N.H., and my family skied at Gunstock. My parents raced in college and they enrolled us in all the ski programs. I have four siblings, but I’m the one with the passion to make skiing my life. I didn’t get recruited for college, I just showed up for dryland training. I was right up with the front of the pack in all the testing, and made it onto the ski team. You could never pull that off today. I was the only kid not from an academy. I was the underdog or black sheep from a blue-collar family. I worked really hard for everything I had on and off the hill.

the interview Where did you go to college?

I went to the University of New Hampshire. I had no idea what I wanted to do and was reading the course catalog and thought, “Outdoor education, that looks sweet.” Later I got my master’s in education at Johnson State College.

GORDON

MILLER

What is it you love about skiing? Everything. But what I love most is the weather and going fast with the wind and snow on my face, the feeling of freedom, exhilaration, and joy from arcing a turn. It’s a place where I’m truly happy. I have been living and navigating my life by following my heart. We can get so caught up in what we should do and societal norms. My parents were very supportive. The mix of them is what I’ve become. They just let me be who I am. They gave me the gift of “go do it,” and to live life through passions.

How did you end up in Stowe? The day after I graduated from college I got in my car and drove west. I lived in Breckenridge for a few years, but then my mom got sick with Lyme disease. I came back East to help and be there for her. I looked for a ski mountain within driving distance, and came to Stowe for a hike. On a whim I walked into the ski academy and got hired. Starting in the winter of 2002-2003 I worked full-time in the mornings teaching science and health and wellness, and I coached at MMWA fulltime in the afternoons. I taught J3 (now U16) for 3 years. At that time there were 50 kids and six staff. I became the junior program director in 2015. Now I manage 140 kids and a staff of 25.

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED & COMPILED BY KATE CARTER

When did you stop teaching? Igor and I were married on the mountain in December 2007. We had Sofija in 2008, plus I was in graduate school doing my master’s thesis in education and running the junior program. A lot was going on, so I stopped teaching in 2009. Then we had Hugo in 2010.

Do your kids ski? They are skiers and they love it, and they are definitely their own little beings. They are in the ski club program, which is pretty awesome.

Why did you start Rugged Adventures? A few ski club families were looking for something for their kids to do in the summer and they approached me, Taylor Mikell, and Tyler Arnot. That was in 2009 and I was pregnant with Hugo. We just took the idea and ran with it. Now it’s Taylor and I. Taylor coaches skiing with me as well. We just completed our 10th year with Rugged Adventures.

Women’s Healthcare and Aesthetics Over 25 Years’ Experience in Women’s Healthcare for All Ages • Annual Exams • Birth Control • Menopause Counseling • Hormone Replacement Therapy

Why do you think Rugged Adventures has been so successful? We offer a wide variety of activities and unique experiences. Taylor and I work really well together and it’s a fun, carefree environment. The day camps are full of outdoor activities plus we tie in education, character building, and self-esteem, and we do some overnight adventures. These experiences are so powerful for kids. This summer we did a trip to Switzerland with five kids for nine days. We went mountain biking, did hut-to-hut hiking, rock climbing, and had a cultural day in Zermatt. Then the kids stayed on for MMSCA summer ski camp.

Do your kids do Rugged Adventures? Every week, and they love it. It’s like a summer-long play date for them. My kids have to share me a lot and so does Igor. We talk to them about how lucky they are and that this is our job and they won’t get our full attention. But with everything in life, it’s about being present when we are with them at home and other times.

What is it you like about the junior ski program at MMSCA? I enjoy teaching these three pillars: safety, fun, and fundamentals. If you’re not safe you can’t learn, and if you’re not having fun you can’t learn. My end goal is to instill passion and the lifelong love of sport. At MMSCA and Rugged Adventures, I look for educational moments to teach not only skiing and riding skills, but also character development. I try to instill respect, sportsmanship, and being helpful. I look at each child holistically and help them grow in all areas of their lives—physically, socially, emotionally, and mentally. Being outdoors in nature is an amazing environment to foster growth and build confidence.

Have you had any injuries?

Over 10 Years’ Experience Performing Aesthetic Services • CoolSculpting • Injectables • Skin Rejuvenation • Hair & Vein Removal

Five knee surgeries. The first four were ski accidents and the last one was a clean-up. I’ve dislocated my shoulder 10 times. In 10 years, that’s a lot of surgeries, and I have come to accept that I will never be back to what I was. Every ounce of my body is about movement, and when I was going through recovery for 10 years, I realized a lot about myself. I didn’t want to give up what I love and how I’ve always lived. I gained a lot of perspective through navigating recovery and I have great empathy for others who are recovering, because it is not easy. Now I’m into longevity and the power of my mind— being aware and thoughtful and slowing down. I’m not giving up my thrill and excitement, but I have a newfound respect and gratitude to be able to do what I can still do. I took it for granted before. This past year has been a big one for me. It’s the first full year in four years with no surgery. I know you can’t control everything, but I can be grateful and better at pacing myself.

How did you manage to recover from all those surgeries? I had a great team. Brian Huber of Mansfield Orthopedics was my surgeon, Kathleen Doehla of Points North and Jane Eliasson of Pinnacle Physical Therapy were my physical therapists, and my chiropractor was Kirsten Alexander of Little River Chiropractic. I called them my dream team. The amount of time, support, and expertise they have given me in my recoveries has been amazing.

What do you do in your spare time? Walk with my dog, ride my mountain bike, be active in nature by myself. I need the time to recharge. I also love music, listening and going to concerts. My favorite bands are Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Phish, and all kinds of reggae. I also like to read articles on topics of interest, and I like to just sit in the sun with my 13-year-old dog and listen to podcasts. n

645 South Main Street • Stowe 1775 Williston Road Suite 220 • South Burlington (802) 861.0200 LuminaMedSpa.com

Changing The Way A Woman Sees Her Doctor 33

RURAL ROUTE

①

②

Do you have a photo of our magazine on some far-flung island or rugged peak? Send a high-rez copy to ads@stowereporter.com, with Stowe Magazine in the subject line. We’ll pick the best ones and run them in a future edition. (PS: We’re not fans of ripping-off-the-cover-and-taking-it-for-trip, but if you’re compelled, we might still use it.)

1. The Morrisville Soccer Club on a recent trip to Barcelona where the team played three friendly matches against Spanish club teams. “We traveled to the Dalí Museum in Figueres; the mountaintop monastery at Montserrat; Girona; and we also visited Sagrada Familia basilica; Tossa de Mar; Barcelona Futbol Club; Las Ramblas; Barcelona’s Old City center; Olympic Stadium, among other places,” said Jim Eisenhardt, who started the soccer club in 1993 and started coaching the Peoples Academy girls team in 2000. He’s stayed active with the club, focusing on the trip to Europe. “The trip is designed to experience different cultures through the sport of soccer. I began taking teams to Europe, the first in 2000 on a tour to Ireland with my oldest child when I coached with Nordic Spirit. I began taking Morrisville soccer club teams to Europe in 2005 and have taken a team each summer to Spain, Italy, Denmark, Holland, or France. Here is the team at the top of Montserrat, which is a multi-peaked mountain range near Barcelona, in Catalonia: Linden Osborne, Meghan Kimball, Gracie Beck, Katie Crouse, Wesley Carlson, Mychaela Watson, Addison Baranyay, Hannah Cleary, Morgan Reeve, Ariana Keene, Marketa Pittinaro, Josie Simone, Anna Isselhardt, Mallory Hubbard, and team manager Nate Cosgrove.

2. Doug Geller of Elmore spends in the Orkhon Valley in Central Mongolia with Galaa, a nomadic herder. “My wife and I stayed with Galaa and his family for three days. After seeing the magazine, he had to admit that if he ever left Mongolia, the Stowe area would be his first choice.” Previously, Geller shared his travels with our readers from the small village of Yucay in the Sacred Valley, outside of Cusco, Peru, and the deserts of Morocco.

RURAL ROUTE

①

1. In August 2018, Joan and Dwight Stecker, who own a condo at the Village Green in Stowe, and their 13-year-old granddaughter, Ava Stecker, a frequent Stowe visitor from South Orange, N.J., enjoyed two weeks in Alaska and are seen here on a land excursion. “The magnificent experience was made especially memorable by Ava’s presence,” the couple said. 2.

Lynn Altadonna and Mary Skelton at the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, last May. Lynn and Mary, both Stowe residents, visited Skelton’s son in Vienna, where he lives. “At the palace, I learned the proper placement of 15 pieces of flatware per place setting,” said Mary, a 1966 Stowe High School grad who now runs the Hobble Inn, her childhood home. The bed and breakfast is notable for offering stays to veterans for free.

② 36

Do you have a photo of our magazine on some far-flung island or rugged peak? Send a high-rez copy, with Stowe Magazine in the subject line, to ads@stowereporter.com. We’ll pick the best ones and run them in a future edition. (PS: We’re not fans of ripping-off-the-cover-and-taking-it-for-trip, but if you’re compelled, we might still use it.)

RURAL ROUTE

STOWE REPORTER ARCHIVES

GLORY DAYS Sepp Ruschp, in a shot from the late 1930s, was the legendary founder of the ski school in Stowe and a key builder of the ski industry. He went on to be president and general manager of the Mount Mansfield Co. Ruschp cuts an elegant turn off Upper Nose Dive, across the Toll Road and into the Seven Turns, early 1950s. Ruschp, pictured here in Stowe in 1963, with Othmar Schneider, an Austrian ski champion, and Mansfield ski instructor Karl Fahrner.

flashback

GETTING SEPP STATESIDE Sepp Ruschp, the “father of modern skiing” in Stowe, was born in Linz, Austria, on Nov. 17, 1908. His uncle introduced him to skiing when Ruschp was 10 years old. A quick learner, Ruschp took lessons from the famed Hannes Schneider Ski School in St. Anton, and soon got involved in competitive skiing—cross-country, ski jumping, downhill, and eventually slalom. Being a natural athlete, Ruschp excelled across all the disciplines. Ruschp completed his education in mechanical engineering and in 1931 landed a job with the Steyr automobile company. However, due to economic instability in Austria, Ruschp was soon laid off. A member of the Austrian national ski team, Ruschp continued to ski race and began studying to become a professional ski instructor, which in Austria required passing an examination that included knowledge of skiing, mountaineering, first aid, and teaching. The exam was administered by specialists in each category. Only about 25 percent of those who took the exam passed. When Ruschp took the exam, the teaching skiing examiner was none other than Hannes Schneider. Ruschp passed. Ruschp’s competitive success drew the attention of a sports equipment company, which hired him to be manager of the sports department in its Linz store. Recognizing that he needed more education related to his new job, Ruschp took night classes to get the equivalent of a business administration degree. In 1934, after the Austrian National Championships, the head of the Austrian Ski Association told competitors that he had received a letter from the U.S. Ski Association with a list of ski clubs looking for ski instructors. Hitler was on the rise and Austria was in a difficult position. Ruschp saw the opportunity to escape the uncertainty of Austria by coming to the United States to be a ski instructor. Ruschp wrote letters to 90 ski clubs in the United States. He enlisted a tutor in English to help him write the letters and to understand the responses. He got responses from Colorado Springs, Mount Hood, Mount Rainier and, of course, the Mount Mansfield Ski Club. Letter writing in those days took a while since they traveled back and forth by ship. Eventually Ruschp struck an agreement with Frank Griffin and the ski club in Stowe. Griffin had been able to line up coaching jobs with UVM and Norwich to sweeten the deal. It took another length of time to obtain a U.S. visa. On Dec. 4, 1936, Sepp Ruschp set sail and arrived in New York City on Dec. 10; he was met by a contingent of New York Mount Mansfield Ski Club members. He took the overnight train and got to Burlington on Dec. 11, 1936, where Frank Griffin met him and brought him to Stowe. As they say, the rest is history. —Greg Morrill Greg Morrill is a retired computer programmer and college professor. He writes a weekly column in The Stowe Reporter during the winter months.

COURTESY PHOTOS

RURAL ROUTE

NORTHWEST PASSAGE

Vincent Moeyersons had a heck of a view when he woke up Aug. 19. Moeyersons, who lives in Stowe, was traveling in the Northwest Passage, en route to Greenland’s Disko Island with his brother Olivier and a childhood friend, Jean Englebert. The three men left July 7 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, setting sail for the Aleutian Islands, where they’ll winter their ship, the Alioth, a 56-foot Azzuro 53 sailboat. They head there via Greenland. Moeyersons, 61, was able to connect with Stowe Magazine on a satellite cellphone. At the time, the crew was in the Northwest Passage, heading for Cambridge Bay, an area off the coast of Canada’s Nunavut. They’d been in the Northwest Passage for 11 days. “The ice covers one-tenth of the ocean’s surface here. It’s ice pack that’s slowly melting and dissipating. It’s actually sunny, and we have a little bit of wind from the north behind us,” Moeyersons said. The temperature was about 45 degrees Fahrenheit that day. At night, temperatures drop to below freezing, and to keep from being chilled to the bone, the men were taking turns on the deck, sailing. To Moeyersons, sailing to Greenland was a lifelong dream. He’s ticked off a lot of his other travel boxes, including sailing with his brother to Norway, Ireland, Scotland, and Iceland. “I’m not sure what made me do this,” he said, chuckling. “I grew up sailing, I raced a lot, and

this was a very intriguing part of the sport. There are a lot of challenges. Because of the conditions and the geography and the ice and all that, it’s a challenging part of the world to be sailing in. “Within the next 24 hours, we should be freed up of ice for the rest of our trip. We have been sailing amongst ice” for weeks, he said. Ice is difficult to dodge in a ship as long as the Alioth, Moeyersons said. “As long as the visibility is good and the wind is not too strong, we just go very, very slowly. We have ice poles to push ourselves off the ice if it gets too dense. We can only do that when the boat is close to a standstill,” he said. “The highest concentration we’ve seen was a few days ago. Six-tenths of the water was ice, and it gets very challenging. You’re constantly changing direction and going through narrow passages. It takes two people, one to steer the boat and another to look for a passage.” Being essentially trapped among ice floes on the crown of the world gives Moeyersons a unique feeling, “very isolated and very vulnerable, including when we got here 36 hours ago when we had a transmission problem with the boat. ... The sense of vulnerability is something I don’t ever remember feeling anywhere else. It’s not fear; it’s being more totally dependent on the outside surroundings.”

GOING WITH THE FLOE The yacht Alioth, a 56-foot sailboat owned by brothers Vincent (top left) and Olivier Moeyersons, carried the two men and their childhood friend, Jean Englebert, to Greenland and finally to the Aleutian Islands.

He says the crew has an extra month’s worth of food on board, and a device that allows them to make drinkable water from seawater. He knows that 17 other ships are sailing nearby. They don’t know each other, but know they’re traveling a similar route. Moeyersons aimed to be back home in Stowe by the end of September. “I miss Stowe and my wife (Barb Bull Fitch, who grew up in Stowe) and all that. I miss all of that terribly. It’s really strange,” he said, but “it has been a longtime dream to do it. It’s fantastic and very challenging at the same time.”

Homeward bound

The Alioth arrived in Nome, Alaska, on Friday, Sept. 13. “The approach to the Bering Strait lived up to its reputation; beam reaching for 24 hours in up to 40-plus knots of wind and breaking 10foot seas. When passing Cape Prince of Wales, the finish line of the Northwest Passage, our attempt converted into mission accomplished!” But that wasn’t the end of the trip. Olivier and Jean headed for Belgium, and two new shipmates, Bob and Alan, climbed aboard for the final leg, Sand Point on Popoff Island in the Aleutians. —Caleigh Cross MORE: sites.google.com/view/yacht-alioth/home.

FURNITURE, INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES AND LIGHTING

Voted: Best Furniture Store - 10 Years in Row!

747 Pine St. Burlington â&#x20AC;¢ 802 862-5056 Monday-Saturday 10-6, Sundays 12-5 www.burlingtonfurniture.us

Sandra Heath and Larry Heath.

Helen Day Art Center

Work by Mildred Beltré.

Opening, Unbroken Current, Friday, September 20

Artist Rob Hitzig and Helen Day board chair Diane Arnold.

Rachel Zheng and Austin Furtak-Cole.

Diane and Walt Looney.

Board members Gunnel Clarke and Maiya Keck.

Molly Davies and Polly Motley.

Jen Schoeberlein with work by Carrie Mae Weems.

ALL PHOTOS: GORDON MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Harlan Mack and Mildred Beltré, both artists in the exhibition.

West Branch Gallery:

Summer gala, Saturday, July 6

Gallery director Stephanie Gueldner, Jim Westphalen, Chris Curtis, and Jessie Pollock.

Artist Helen Shulman, right.

Jessie Stark (gallery manager) with a visitor and Edee Simon Israel.

Elke Mahoney and John Bauer.

Spruce Peak Arts:

Henry Binder, Lisa Beach, and Joan Binder.

2019 Folk Fest, Saturday, August 10

Folk Fest fun.

Parsonfield lead singer Chris Freeman.

Headliner Shawn Colvin.

Singer Lowell Thompson chats with guests.

Jo Sabel Courtney. Bob Maynard, Tari Swenson, Chris Colter, and Cindy Maynard.

ALL PHOTOS BY GORDON MILLER

Barbara Allaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 90 birthday bash: Akeley Memorial Building, Stowe, Tuesday, August 27

Bob Davison greets Barbara.

Becky Olson and Mary Black.

Mary Godfrey (far left), Dick Marron, and Leighton Detora. Brian Allaire with his mom, Barbara Allaire.

Kitty Coppock and Bodo Liewehr.

Barbara greets Dottie and Paul Rogers.

Morgan Nichols and Charles Safford.

Barbara shares a laugh with Suzanne Clark.

Sarah McShane and Barbara Baraw. Rep. Heidi Scheuermann.

44 44

Liz Lackey and Lee Darrow.

Abby Earle and Kelli Millick.

RURAL ROUTE

LOOKOUT BELOW! COTTON BROOK SLIDES ually infiltrated through the silt and sand, it couldn’t penetrate the clay, and the whole upper crust simply slid off in one huge chunk. Gale believes the initial slide happened so abruptly, trees were still standing erect, still rooted to the topsoil, as they “rode down like on a magic carpet.”

VTRANS

Asia. Central America. Disaster movies. That’s where you expect landslides to occur. Not in Waterbury, Vt. But what may be Vermont’s largest landslide in modern times has so far taken out more than a dozen acres— about 250,000 cubic meters of material—on a hillside abutting Cotton Brook in Waterbury. Vermont state geologist Marjorie Gale has warned people to keep their distance. The landslide started on Memorial Day weekend, but it may not be finished. “It’s still active and still dangerous,” she said during the summer. “We have a crust over it all, but if you were on it and it started to move, you wouldn’t be able to get out.” Gale calculated the actual slide area at 12 acres, but walk around the whole thing, and you can see numerous ground cracks all around. “We have another 2.2 acres that is ready to fall in,” she said. Gale said the unique soil composition in the Cotton Brook area—it’s a 14,000-year vestige of Glacial Lake Winooski—made for a unique slide. Rather than being undercut by the river, as slides often start, this one started right from the slope. Gale said a layer of clay lay under the topsoil and sand and gravel, and that layer was sloped at 28 degrees. So, as surface water grad-

 MAIL BAG

OPAL’S BEAUTIFUL STORY To the editor: My healing artist sister, who lives in Hyde Park, Vt., sent me the article on Opal’s gender journey in your latest edition. (“The Valedictorian,” Stowe Guide & Magazine, Summer / Fall 2019). Beautiful, both the journey itself and your tender handling of the story. As a former journalist and priest, I appreciated your telling of Opal’s story. Rick Prashaw, Ottawa, Ontario

MAGAZINE MADE MEMORIES FOR VISITOR To the editor: My husband and I stopped in Stowe in 1982 on our way back from our Cape Cod honeymoon. Since then we have visited Stowe twice a year for the last 36 years.

At the bottom of the slide, the trees were strewn like a dropped box of toothpicks. Sediment carried away by the landslide created a 2.8-acre delta at the mouth of Cotton Brook where it dumps into the Waterbury Reservoir—a dangerous swath of quicksand.

We fell in love with Stowe and have spent time in just about every hotel along Route 108. We have too many special restaurants to mention, but always started out every trip with a visit to the Sunset Grille, sitting on a barstool with a cold draft. My husband was a huge fly fisherman and I was his accomplice, who would drop him off streamside and go back for him four hours later, after shopping at all my favorite haunts. Our children have loved the slopes at Mt. Mansfield and now visit on their own with their partners. Jim passed away in October 2018 and even though I have many of your issues around our home, many are now weathered. I was hoping to get four clean covers that I could frame. I would be happy to take a drive down to Vermont from Ottawa and pick them up and pay for the cost. Karen Mitchell-Morrison, Ottawa, Ontario

(Editor’s note: We sent her six!)

Upstream, Cotton Brook was so choked off that it formed a new 1.8-acre pond. State officials worried that if it gave way, it would send a sudden deluge downstream. Rachel Fussell, executive director of the Stowe Trails Partnership, said she and her husband and dog were on their mountain bikes, heading up Foster’s Trail, the day the slide started—not that they knew it. “My husband was ahead of me, and he turned around and came back, ghostwhite,” Fussell said. She thought maybe he’d seen a bear cub and an angry mama. “He was like, ‘Turn around, we’ve gotta go. Move quickly.’ ” The Fussells may have been among the first people to come upon the slide on May 31. An hour earlier, and they could easily have been on the trail when the hillside gave way. About 650 feet of Foster’s Trail vanished in the slide. “Foster’s Trail is just not coming back,” said Michael Snyder, a Stowe resident who’s commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. “It’s gone. No one was hurt in the landslide, and state officials hope people will stay away from the landslide area.” —Tommy Gardner

AUNT PROUD OF NIECE’S JOURNEY To the editor: Thank you so much for telling Opal’s story (“The Valedictorian,” Stowe Guide & Magazine, Summer / Fall 2019)). It was told with truth and warmth and showed a new woman of poise, depth, and strength. She is my niece and I am very, very proud of her. You were able to capture her whole story and really helped me to see Opal again, in a brand new way. Robin Schuldt, Washington, N.H.

WRITER, MAGAZINE GO TO HEAD OF THE CLASS To the editor: Three-way kudos on your article “The Valedictorian” in the Summer / Fall 2019 issue.

ANDREW MARTIN

freedom wheels A stop at a local pizza joint and a trip to the local swimming hole with friends— seems like a fairly typical day for a Morrisville teenager on summer break. But that’s anything but ordinary for Nate Cosgrove. Cosgrove, who will be a junior at Peoples Academy this fall, was able to do all that thanks to a granted wish. Nate has the genetic disorder Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which causes muscle degeneration and weakness. He was diagnosed when he was 4, and is now wheelchair-bound. For the last five years an electric wheelchair has allowed Nate to get around his home and school without much trouble, but that chair isn’t made for the more strenuous, off-road outings that many teenagers participate in as they grow up. “I just wanted to be able to do things with my friends. Go hiking, or take it to a friend’s house,” Nate said. Cue the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Last June, a new track wheelchair was delivered to his Maple Street home, and after a pizza party with friends the group headed for the Basin, a local swimming hole located several hundred feet through the woods. “It’s just a little more freedom, and the ability to do more of what he wants,” said Tom Cosgrove, Nate’s dad. — Andrew Martin

Build it. Don’t just dream it.

NET ZERO CONCRETE HOME IN WAITSFIELD, VT.

Your future sustainable home is possible. Build a home that powers, heats and cools itself built by Gristmill a leader in Net Zero development.

gristmillbuilders.com

802 279 2000

First to Julia Shipley for recognizing a story needing to be told and doing it so honestly. Second, to Opal for her willingness to put herself out there so openly. And third, to the magazine for being brave enough to publish this with its somewhat mainstream/tourist readership … paired with the very thoughtful editorial statement at the opening of the magazine. Margaret Ramsdell, Craftsbury Common •••• We have a clarification to make from last issue. In our house feature, “Call of the Mountains” (Stowe Guide & Magazine, Summer / Fall, 2019), we neglected to credit Benjamin Keaton of BK Custom Woodworks in Waterbury for crafting the exquisite kitchen cabinetry. One of Keaton’s friends wanted us to know. We all need more friends like that!

RURAL ROUTE

INSET: GLENN CALLAHAN; TOM ROGERS

BACKCOUNTRY SERVICE Stowe’s Dennis Reinhardt, in foreground, with Stowe Mountain Rescue member Graham Govoni and Chief Doug Veliko atop Mount Mansfield during a training session. Reinhardt stepped down from the squad after nearly 20 years. Inset: Reinhardt, center, during his long career with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Stowe Guide & Magazine profiled Reinhardt in 2013.

towe resident Dennis Reinhardt hung up his ice axe and stepped down from Stowe Mountain Rescue in the fall of 2018 following nearly two decades of service. Reinhardt was one of the senior members of the team, capable of leading the group on difficult search-and-rescue missions, and skilled at teaching new members during training sessions. The Stowe Mountain Rescue team is an all-volunteer search-and-rescue team that responds to roughly 40 calls a year. Missions typically involve injured or missing hikers, bikers, climbers, backcountry skiers, or swimmers. The team often coordinates missions with local and state police, local fire departments, other volunteer search-andrescue teams, and game wardens. Reinhardt first joined the team in 1999, when he was a district Vermont state game warden. Many of the backcountry skills of a warden easily translated to his work with Stowe Mountain Rescue, such as searching for missing persons, land navigation, wilderness survival, and the use of ATVs and snow machines. Reinhardt quickly excelled at the demands of the more technical skills required of team members, such as high-angle rope work and swift-water rescue. “It’s been an honor and privilege to serve with Dennis and the entire team is grateful for his hard work and dedication,” said Doug Veliko, chief of Stowe Mountain Rescue. “Whether he was navigating alongside you

searching for a lost hiker in a blizzard or lowering you over the edge of a cliff on a rope, Dennis was always someone you knew you could depend on.” Reinhardt responded to hundreds of calls during his tenure with the team and helped save the lives of countless lost or injured people in the wilderness. He was trained as an EMT, helping manage patients in the backcountry with difficult injuries or illnesses. When the team was called to assist with missions outside of the Stowe area, Reinhardt responded, helping with prolonged searches in the Adirondack Mountains or with difficult evacuations in the Northeast Kingdom. Reinhardt, a major with Vermont Fish & Wildlife, retired from the department in 2015. Besides his work with Stowe Mountain Rescue, he has worked part-time guiding hikers and climbers with Sunrise Mountain Guides and taking people on fishing trips with the Fly Rod Shop. “Dennis leaves a large hole on the team that will be difficult to fill,” Veliko said. MORE: dps.stowevt.gov/smr.

RURAL ROUTE

ATOP THE FOREST Stowe doc builds quirky treehouse

un into David Bisbee around town and talk to him for more than a minute or two, and the affable family doctor might just invite you to his treehouse. Bisbee is proud of the whimsical, quirky treehouse adjacent to his home that he built for his four grandchildren. “I’ve built treehouses in the past, but not like this,” Bisbee said. It has kid-friendly amenities, including a bunk bed just big enough for children, and a small library of kids’ books. Bisbee, 64, is the white coat and stethoscope behind Stowe Personalized Medical Care, a concierge medical practice in Stowe village. Patients may also know him from his many years at Copley Hospital and Stowe Family Practice. Practicing medicine is his life’s work and passion, but building is a close second, he said. Back in the day, he built much of his furniture by hand, and a good deal of it still does duty in the open, well-lighted farmhouse, where he and his wife Tamara live, including a fourposter bed, coffee tables, and an armoire. “Those were back in the days when we couldn’t afford furniture, so I would build it,” Bisbee said. “I’ve always been a builder. I made my way through college and medical school by being a roofer, and working as a contractor’s helper.” That’s how Bisbee learned the skills needed to build a treehouse.

The treehouse

It’s not visible right when you pull up to Bisbee’s house. It’s down a short woodsy path, lit by lanterns. The treehouse perches on three hemlock trees, one spruce tree, and two hemlock posts. It reaches about 16 feet off the ground. It sits level, propped up by clamp-like devices Bisbee says are treehouse attachment bolts, a favorite among treehouse builders. Bisbee said it took three people with levels to ensure the treehouse sat right. “You can obviously see it’s not square,” he said, because the trees in the forest weren’t aligned that way, and Bisbee wanted to work around what nature gave him. “The trees tell you how to make it,” he said.

DON’T PISS OFF THE FAIRIES! Dr. David Bisbee shows off his treehouse at his Hyde Park home. The treehouse features intricate details, such as a wizard carved in relief on the front door his granddaughter named “Blark” and a handcrafted bunk bed on the upper level. Bisbee, who’s now in private practice in Stowe, says building the treehouse was the result of a lifetime’s worth of passion for construction and design. The interior is packed with treasures and toys Bisbee has collected for his four grandchildren over the years.

A cow’s skull hangs over the door; Bisbee jokes it’s a dinosaur skull. A wizard is carved into the skull—Bisbee’s handiwork. His 9year-old granddaughter named it Blark. Eventually, Blark’s staff will connect to a wire pulley system that will open the door when tugged; Bisbee hasn’t finished that component yet. He’s also working on an outdoor shower, a composting toilet, and a water harvesting system. Go through Blark’s door, and you’re in the

treehouse, full of whimsical finds. “I just kind of collect toys for the treehouse,” Bisbee said. Humorous signs hang on the walls; fairy lights twinkle inside. The Bisbees like to sit on the treehouse porch in the summer, but Bisbee confesses no one has ever slept in the treehouse. Bisbee was born in South Dakota; his father was a seventh-generation Vermonter who moved away for college. As a boy, Bisbee came to Vermont every summer. Bisbee’s Hardware, which has stores in Waterbury Center and Waitsfield, was started by Bisbee’s grandfather after World War II, but in 1972, the family sold the business. As Bisbee the boy was trying to figure out what he wanted to be when he grew up, “Marcus Welby” was on TV, and Doc was a key

GORDON MILLER

figure in “Gunsmoke.” “I always said, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to live in a small town in rural Vermont and deliver babies and be a general doctor,’ ” Bisbee said. He reckons he’s delivered more than 1,500 babies. When he finished the treehouse, he invited a bunch of Stowe residents to visit, with the stipulation that each bring a child. About 40 came with 32 kids in tow. —Caleigh Cross

RURAL ROUTE LAST CALL

Longtime Stowe firefighter Wendall Mansfield being carried to his burial place in Stowe’s 1929 American LaFrance fire truck. Mansfield died April 18 at the age of 85 after serving on the department for 58 years and as its chief for 28. Mansfield’s memorial service drew hundreds of firefighters, police officers, friends, and family to the Stowe Community Church to remember his service, his spirit, and his life. Fire trucks lined Stowe’s Main Street in honor of Mansfield, and firefighters attended from Burlington, Cabot, Elmore, Hinesburg, Hyde Park, Johnson, Waitsfield, and Waterbury. Inset: Mansfield in the old LaFrance truck during a recent parade.

LONGTIME STOWE FIRE CHIEF CASTS LONG SHADOW

STOWE A man who shares his name with Vermont’s highest peak died this year, after more than a half-century fighting fires around its foothills and in its valleys. Wendall Mansfield died at 85, after 28 years as the Stowe fire chief and 30 more as a firefighter. “One thing he told me was, ‘You’re never getting rid of me,’ ” said Mark Sgantas, Mansfield’s successor. “The fire service was his family, it was his life, and it was his passion.” “I’m on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year except for leap year,” he said in a 2011 interview with the Stowe Reporter. “People ask if I’m going to retire. I say, ‘Why? I’m not dead.’ ” If you didn’t know Wendall, he could come off a little prickly, Sgantas said, but he was a good leader who allowed other officers to voice their opinions on how to approach things. “Everybody bumped heads with him at one point,” Sgantas said. “But, he really was a teddy bear. And even if you had a disagreement, once it was over you could just go have a beer.” When not fighting fires—or, in the past

decade, manning the phones or other tasks at the fire station—Mansfield had his own business, Wendall’s Small Engines. He also spent his late winters and early springs sugaring with his brother-in-law, Paul Percy. Former Stowe town clerk Alison Kaiser, also

roads and back roads well, having been born in the village and lived in town all his life, save for his tour in the Korean War. Sgantas said that knowledge extended to knowing where all the dry hydrants were located, or good water sources hidden in the trees. “He usually knew them by their old PAUL ROGERS names, like, ‘take a left at the old Smith place,’ ” Sgantas said.

Memorable fires

a Stowe native, said the man and his syrup were sweet. “He was a fixture of the community, one of my many sources of maple syrup from my days in the Memorial Building, and I always looked forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the Brush Buggy in his dress uniform in any parade,” Kaiser said. “He was always smiling when he did that!” Sgantas said Mansfield knew Stowe’s main

STORY BY

/ Tommy Gardner & Caleigh Cross

Mansfield, in his 2011 interview with the Stowe Reporter, detailed two of the more memorable fires he and his crews ever had to battle, and lose. One destroyed Trapp Family Lodge just before Christmas in 1980. Fourteen fire departments battled the flames, and firefighters rescued Maria von Trapp and more than 40 guests at the lodge. A guest died after running into the burning building to retrieve his wallet. The other was on a bitterly cold January night in 1994 when The Shed Restaurant burned to the ground. “It was 43 degrees below zero,” Mansfield said. “A fire officer lived above the restaurant and called the department when he smelled smoke, but they couldn’t get it snuffed out.” Between Wendall and his father, Stanley, there was a Mansfield involved with the Stowe Fire Department for nearly a century. Stanley was a volunteer firefighter from 1921 to 1961, including a stint as assistant chief. Wendall started with the department in 1952,

GORDON MILLER

but joined the military during the Korean War. When he came back in 1961, the firefighting force was at full strength, and there wasn’t any room for him. Eventually, a spot opened and Mansfield remained part of the team for the rest of his life.

A firefighter’s funeral

In a slow, light rain—the way the air feels after a firefighter shuts down the last hose—Wendall Mansfield was celebrated and mourned in downtown Stowe. More than 150 firefighters were in the crowd at Stowe Community Church to honor and reminisce about the man who’d been the Stowe fire chief for as long as most of them could remember. They came from all over Vermont for a funeral laden with tradition and brotherhood. Men and women in uniform saluted, schoolchildren carried flags, and fire trucks formed an honor guard up and down Main Street. Inside the church, the Rev. Alden Launer focused on what Mansfield loved—Phyllis, his wife of more than 60 years; the Stowe Fire Department; and his community. “You did everything together,” Launer said to Phyllis. “Together, always together, you shared a lifetime.” At the fire department, “his tall, straight posture, his authority and calm voice made Mansfield the chief you wanted in a crisis,” Launer said. Mansfield was carried to West Branch Cemetery in the Stowe Fire Department’s 1929 American LaFrance fire truck—the one he always drove in town parades—under a giant American flag held above Main Street by two ladder trucks. Memories of Mansfield will loom large in Stowe’s mind, Launer told the mourners. “Let them stir and shake you.”

PHIL SWEET, PT MARY CHUDZIK, PT JANE ELIASSON, PT HEATHER GARDNER, DPT

Life is Waiting. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Get Moving. Pinnacle Physical Therapy has been serving the local community for 22 years, expertly treating a wide range of injuries, post-surgical rehab needs and many other medical conditions.

We can help you reach new heights!

802-253-2273 pinnacleptvermont.com

O N M O U N TA I N

STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT

SKI STOWE

towe’s two magnificent mountains, Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, form a grand panorama defined by the rugged cliffs of Smugglers Notch. Stowe’s bounty of natural snow, its open glades, uninterrupted fall line, and the spectacular twin summits of Vermont’s highest peak were a magnet for the pioneers of skiing in America. Today, almost 100 years later, alpine, cross-country, and freestyle skiers—and snowboarders—continue to bring world fame to this proud mountain community. In fact, of all of America’s winter Olympic teams, few have failed to have a representative from Stowe. Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak capture skiers’ and snowboarders’ interest because they boast a total of 2,360 feet of vertical on 485 acres, offering the longest average trail length in the East. Skiers and riders will find every type of terrain, from wide-open cruisers to narrow, winding trails and glades. What makes Stowe so special? It starts with Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest mountain at 4,393 feet and home to the East’s greatest natural ski terrain. Stowe thrills with its famous double-diamond Front Four trails: National, Liftline, Starr, and Goat. The Front Four are the quintessential classic New England trails, with steeps and bumps that pump even the most accomplished skier’s adrenaline. They hold their place with the world’s great runs, and among skiers the world over they’re household words.

Long history of skiers Its awesome and timeless beauty inevitably strikes first-time skiers at Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. Gliding toward the top of Mansfield, one is embraced by the stillness of a panoramic bowl that stretches toward forbidding cliffs guarding the narrow pass known as Smugglers Notch. Many of the trails gracing the flanks of Vermont’s highest mountain can trace their history back to the birth of skiing in North America. Nathaniel Goodrich, a Dartmouth College librarian, made the first

Areas of Stowe Mountain Resort marked outside of the ski area boundary on trail maps and with signage on the mountain itself, is hazardous backcountry terrain, containing unmarked hazards such as cliffs, thick, brushy terrain, riverbeds, stumps, rocks, avalanches. This area is not patrolled or maintained. Vermont law states that any person who uses ski area facilities to access terrain that is outside the open and designated trails shall be liable for any costs of rescue, medical, or other services. —stowe.com

O N M O U N TA I N

STOWE STATS ■ ■

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Mount Mansfield summit elevation: 4,393 feet (USGS) More mile-long lifts than any other resort in the East. One inter-mountain transfer gondola, 1 high-speed summit gondola, 4 quads, 2 triples, 2 doubles ,and 2 surface lifts Highest skiing elevation: 3,625 feet Vertical drop: 2,360 feet Average annual snowfall: 314 inches Total number of trails: 116 Skiable acres: 485 Total miles: 40 Percentages: beginner 16%, intermediate 55%, expert 29% Snowmaking coverage: 83% Total lifts: 12 Total hourly lift capacity: 15,516 Source: stowe.com passengers

NSAA SKIER / SNOWBOARDER CODE* Always stay in control. People ahead of you have the right of way. ■ Stop in a safe place for you and others. ■ Whenever starting downhill or merging, look uphill and yield. ■ Use devices to help prevent runaway equipment. ■ Observe signs and warnings, and keep off closed trails. ■ Know how to use the lifts safely. Be safety conscious and know the code. It’s your responsibility. ■ ■

* This is a partial list. Source: National Ski Areas Association

JESSE SCHLOFF; INSET: STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT

recorded descent in 1914. Others soon followed. By the 1930s, even before the first lift, skiers flocked to Stowe. These ski pioneers came here first for a simple reason: best mountain, best snow. Most of Stowe’s trails were cut in the first half of the 1900s, and without the benefit of bulldozers. The first ones were handcut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1940s. Charlie Lord, the architect of trails like Nose Dive, Goat, and Perry Merrill, had a natural sense of a mountain’s fall line. His trails flow down the mountain like poetry. Those of you who like to follow the sun will find Stowe is laid out perfectly to ski around the mountain. In the morning, the Front Four bask in soft morning light. In the early afternoon, work your way to the right and ski off the gondola. And to catch that elusive afternoon warmth, head to Spruce, which gets magnificent afternoon sunshine. The forgiving terrain of Spruce Peak’s sun-washed slopes also provides a haven for the youngest or newest skiers. On Mansfield, the 3.7-mile-long Toll Road is the perfect spot for beginners. The wonderful thing about the Toll Road is that it allows beginners to enjoy an experience that advanced skiers get all the time: seeing the whole mountain. Intermediate skiers can test themselves on miles of groomed cruising runs. The broad expanses of Gondolier and Perry Merrill at the Gondola, or Sunrise and Standard, where the sun shines late on the shortest days of winter, are popular with skiers and riders of every ability. Skiers who like wide cruisers will be completely exhilarated after taking a few runs down Gondolier. A favorite of many skiers is at the top, off the quad. Ridgeview, not quite as wide open as Gondolier, provides the perfect place to practice short-radius turns. Spruce Peak is also an intermediate skier’s paradise. For those learning to tackle bumps, Gulch is covered with medium-sized moguls, so skiers can concentrate on technique without being tossed around. For the adventurous, Mount Mansfield also has premier glade skiing. After a storm, when there’s a solid base of snow, advanced intermediates will want to head for the consummate off-piste experience. Stowe Mountain Resort offers a number of gladed areas—all described on the ski area’s interactive trail map—including Tres Amigos, Sunrise, and Nose Dive glades. n

QUESTION & ANSWER

AN EPIC JOB Not your grandmother’s ticket booth, but Kelly’s got it! STORY & PHOTOGRAPH

/ KATE CARTER

At Stowe Mountain Resort these days, it’s all about the pass. Epic, that is, and the person who oversees the resort’s ticketing and passes is Kelly Carmichael, a native Vermonter who lives with her husband Joe in Wolcott. A longtime Vail Resorts employee at Heavenly Valley in Lake Tahoe, Calif., Kelly joined the Stowe staff in July 2018. Her official title is senior manager of product sales and scanning. In addition to ticket and pass sales, she supervises lift access, ski school sales, and the switchboard information center, where all guest calls come in.

How did you end up at Heavenly Valley?

A friend decided to go to college in South Lake Tahoe, and my husband and I decided to tag along. I had a degree in horticulture and landscape development from Vermont Technical College and was hoping to find a job in that field. But it was fall and no one was hiring, so I went to a job fair and took a job as a ticket seller at Heavenly. They kept promoting me and I really enjoyed what I was doing and ended

up staying in the ski industry. I was doing the same thing at Heavenly that I’m now doing in Stowe, which is what brought us back to Vermont.

Did you have any special training? Not specifically. I started at Heavenly in 2001 and worked my way up, learning along the way. Ticket sales is a constantly evolving technology. Policies and procedures change constantly and it’s my job to stay on top of those changes.

QUESTION & ANSWER Do you train staff? Yes, especially last winter when we were integrating Vail systems. I was on call to solve ticketing problems on the spot. We are now fully integrated and have plans in place for more indepth training.

What’s new in ticket sales this year? Express lift ticket pickup is our big news. Anyone who purchases a ticket online can go to an express window to have the ticket fulfilled. It’s really fast and we highly recommend people purchase online to avoid waiting in a line. During busy times we can deploy handheld mobile ticketing devices. We are also launching the Epic for Everyone—deeply discounted daily lift tickets. You can use Epic for Everyone at any resort. It provides lift ticket holders with the same benefits as a season pass. Lift tickets are discounted through an advanced purchase program and you can buy multiple tickets and use them at any of the Vail Resort areas.

What has been your greatest ticketing challenge? In previous years, Buddy Tickets were a challenge for us as well as for guests. Buddy Tickets are a passholder benefit that provides a

discount for friends of passholders, and in the past could only be purchased in person. It was a problem, especially on busy days. Our solution is that now passholders can buy them online.

mountains come with their own set of weather challenges. Stowe gets cold, windy days and Heavenly has serious wind issues. Last year 60 days were impacted by wind.

Do you have face time with skiers?

Would you leave Stowe to work at another Vail Resort ski area?

Yes, I’m usually in the field. Guest interaction is a daily occurrence.

Do you ski? I do, but I haven’t skied at Stowe yet. It was just too busy last year and I struggled to make the time to get out. This year I plan to ski as much as I can. My office is right next to the gondola, so I should be able to make it happen.

What is your job in the summer? Selling tickets for summer attractions—zip tours, tree-top adventures, driving up the Toll Road, gondola rides, and Stowe Rocks Climbing Center.

How do you like Stowe? I love it! It’s beautiful and the people are awesome in town and at the resort. My view coming to work every morning is the highlight of my day.

How does Stowe compare to Heavenly Valley? The weather is drastically different, but both

I have gone through an integration and have helped with a few other resorts that Vail acquired—Northstar and Kirkwood, both in Tahoe. Vail is constantly evolving and acquiring new properties. I imagine helping with those future resorts and being involved with the enterprise, which presents more opportunities. I really don’t want to relocate too far from family in Vermont, but I’m not opposed to discussing opportunities.

What is the best thing Stowe Mountain Resort has going for it? It’s history and it’s beauty. It’s full of tradition and people love that. It’s a very cool mountain.

What is your primary goal for winter 2020? Get people up on the mountain as fast as possible. n

Changing lives… one artful smile at a time!

WIESSNER WOODS Zip down Mount Mansfield, suspended in air

Lauren J. Shanard, DDS, AAACD & John H. Viskup, DMD VERMONT’S ONLY ACCREDITED COSMETIC DENTIST

New Patients Welcome!

AESTHETIC & FAMILY DENTISTRY RESTORATIVE • COSMETIC • I M P L A N T S

Accredited Member

75 Talcott Road, Suite 60 Williston, VT 05495 • 802.878.9888 • contemporarydentalartsvt.com

¨ ≠

Ø Æ SNOWMOBILE CLUBS: LAMOILLE COUNTY: Snopackers / snopackersoflamoillecounty.com EDEN: Gihon Trak Packers / Facebook MORRISVILLE: Morrisville Snow Riders & Packers / Facebook JEFFERSONVILLE: Smugglers’ Notch Snowmobile Club / Facebook JOHNSON/HYDE PARK: Sterling Snow Riders / Facebook STOWE: Stowe Snowmobile Club / stowesnowmobile.org WATERBURY: Green Mountain Roamers / Facebook PHOTO CREDITS: STOWE MAGAZINE ARCHIVES; FISHING AND CROSS COUNTRY: PAUL ROGERS.

∞

OUTDOOR PRIMER On skinny skis

Stowe boasts one of the most diverse cross-country trail systems in the United States. More than 150 kilometers of groomed and 100 kilometers of backcountry trails crisscross its landscape. One of those backcountry trails is the Catamount Trail, 300 miles of wilderness skiing over the spine of the Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Quebec. It connects 15 ski centers throughout the state, including those in Stowe. Trapp Family Lodge, the first commercial ski center in the U.S., is the heart of Stowe’s network with 60k of groomed trails and 100k of backcountry trails. Stowe Mountain Resort Cross-Country Ski Center’s accessibility to the downhill ski area creates an uncommon fusion of Nordic and alpine skiing. Stowe Mountain Resort’s 45k of groomed and 30k of backcountry trails are the highest in elevation in Stowe. Topnotch at Stowe Resort and Spa offers additional terrain. Over the mountain in Cambridge, the Smugglers’ Cross Country Center at Smugglers’ Resort offers 30k of trails dedicated to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Figure 8, anyone?

Public skating is offered daily at Stowe Arena. The arena has skate rentals. For public skating schedules, check out stowerec.org.

Winter fish tales

This may be the Ski Capital of the East, but don’t tell the fish that! Fish do not go dormant in the winter. Their metabolism slows, but they still need to eat. So if you enjoy eating—or just catching—fish, there’s nothing better than a mess of yellow perch out of Vermont’s frigid waters. Local outfitters will be thrilled to help you set your line.

Snowshoe heaven

The Stowe area is home to some of the most extensive and diverse hiking trails in the East, making it the perfect destination for snowshoeing. From the flat 5.3-mile Stowe Recreation Path to the challenging summit of Madonna Mountain, snowshoers go at their own pace and reap the benefits of safe, aerobic exercise. The Green Mountain Club, on Route 100 in Waterbury Center (green mountainclub.org), has compiled a list of favorite snowshoe hikes in the Stowe-Smugglers’ area. Stowe Land Trust (stowelandtrust.org) allows snowshoeing on many of its conserved properties.

It’s VAST out there

Imagine a 5,000-mile highway that suddenly appears every winter. One that goes through backcountry and snow-covered mountains, secluded valleys, and friendly villages. In Vermont, you don’t have to imagine it; it’s the winter world of snowmobiling. All riders in Vermont must belong to the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST), a non-profit, private group of over a hundred snowmobile clubs with tens of thousands of members. (See our list of local clubs at left.)

Maple mojo

Mid- to late-winter means maple time in Vermont, producer of the world’s best maple syrup. Many maple producers keep their sugarhouses open year round. It’s most fun during boiling time. A great resource is vermontmaple.org. n

Vermont’s only Year-round Fishing Guide Service. River, Brook, Lake, Ice and Pond Fishing. River wading, Canoe, Motorboat or Drift Boat Fishing Adventures. Guiding Vermont waters since 1994. 1/2 Day and Full Day Trips. All Abilities Welcome. Federation of Fly Fishers Certified. Licensed and Insured.

Willy Dietrich - P.O. Box 82, Stowe VT 05672 • (802) 253-8500 www.catamountfishing.com

SKI LIFESTYLE

COURTESY PHOTOS

EAST COAST, BABY Chris James and Geoffrey McDonald, the guys behind the Ski the East lifestyle brand. Women’s Powder Day Shredder sweater in teal and gray. A “Merica” tailgater pom beanie.

SKI THE EAST The Meathead guys sell a winter lifestyle Loud powder. Blue snow. Corduroy. In lieu of endless knee-deep fluff like you can find in the Rocky Mountains, skiers in New England learn to appreciate the type of snow they get. As the guys at Ski the East say, the ice just makes you go faster. “Out here, we're a breed apart. The

STORY

/ TOMMY GARDNER

tight trees, variable conditions, and brutal weather have helped to produce some of the toughest and most talented skiers in the world,” the Ski the East website notes. “We share a common identity and a common way of looking at the mountains. Eastern skiers think positively: a 4-inch storm is a powder day, -10F is mild for January, and ice is simply referred to as ‘frozen granular.’ ” Ski the East is what you get when you take the talent behind Vermont ski movie company Meathead Films and turn it into a lifestyle. Say what you will about the tenets of East Coast skiing, dude, but at least it’s an ethos.

The company sells ski apparel, but also just everyday apparel like hoodies, flannels, and Oxfords. And holy moly, the hats. So many cool hats. And if you’ve seen the Subaru or pickup truck with the plain black on white sticker that just states Ski the East, well there’s the company. Geoffrey “Big Idaho” McDonald and Chris “Rooster” James met at the University of Vermont in the early 2000s and started making ski movies that captured the same vibe that once set skaters, surfers, and snowboarders apart in their bad-ass and boozy, punk rock-driven milieu.”

ORTHOPEDICS

REGENERATIVE NON-SURGICAL

Considering joint replacement? Rotator cuff repair? Knee arthroscopy? “In the winter of 2002, Geoff was rolling with the park crew pretty heavily and I was rolling with the backcountry crew, and we brought that together and mixed and matched our crews,” James said. Like the crew in the movie “Twister” that chased tornados, McDonald and James would head out to wherever the big snows were. They were there for Snowmaggedon, when nearly 18 inches got dumped on the nation’s capital in early February, 2010. They were in Boston the next year, when the city got hit with four feet. “Getting out there on the shittiest days and the best days and everything in between, we really got an appreciation for the big things and the small things,” McDonald said. Urban skiing was a big part of Meathead films, with the city landscape turning into an ice- and snow-covered playground. Living in New England, it’s easy to forget that when your company’s rallying cry is >>

Now there are proven non-surgical alternatives that use image guided injections of your body's own blood and marrow derived cells to help heal damaged joints, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Regenexx® procedures offer research validated and often better alternatives to elective surgery or joint replacement due to injury or arthritis. If physical therapy, medications, cortisone injections and even surgery haven’t worked for you then Regenexx® procedures may be the right option.

Triple Board certified and a national & international teacher and innovator in Interventional Orthopedic Medicine, Dr. Fenton has been treating patients in Vermont for 27 years.

Dr. Jonathan E. Fenton 321 Main St, Winooski, VT (802) 859-0000

VermontRegenerativeMedicine.com Regenerative Interventional Orthopedic Medicine

Call to see if it is right for you. Stop living in pain, get back in the game!

SKI LIFESTYLE

BORN FROM ICE Mansfield longsleeve waffle shirt in indigo. Hooded windbreaker in teal.

“Ski the East!” you’re talking about a huge swath of territory, all the way from Newfoundland down to D.C., and inching further south into North Carolina. “A big part of it was trying to get the balance between park and urban, backcountry and powder stuff like the Presidentials, Newfoundland, and the Chic-Chocs,” James said. “Those last ones were always our big mountains.” The crew started getting corporate sponsors like Subaru of New England, which is still with them. Stowe Mountain Resort was one of the earliest sponsors, and turned into such a good relationship that the resort asked them to help with its short-lived “Stowked” promotion. “Thank God we had the Clif Bar sponsorship, which really helped offset the high intake of ramen,” James said. Eventually, DVD sales started to dry up—and if anyone out there still has the VHS version of the duo’s first film “A Natural Force,” good on you, and even better if you still have something to play it on. The team had already started selling Ski the East stickers and other schwag. In 2006, if you wanted something, you’d send a check and the guys would pack it up in the basement of McDonald and his wife. They stayed in the basement until 2015 when Ski the East got its first office space. Now based out of Williston, the company has a seven-person crew, more than 100 wholesale accounts and a vibrant online presence. The company hasn’t given up on movies, either, churning out tons of regular online webisodes. “As we’ve grown up, we’ve tried to make our business grow up, too, and get to the point where we can support a staff,” James said. Added Geoff, “We did work with a lot of our buddies in the beginning because they worked for free, or Clif Bars, or gear. Now, we have a 401k plan.” The buddies estimate they are still growing at a rate of 40 to 70 percent every year. They are a small, agile business, which means that unlike some of the bigger brands, like Burton, Ski the East can capitalize on current trends and be able to capture that lightning in a bottle this year, instead of trying to predict trends three years out. They have no interest in picking on the big guys, though, and found “huge inspiration” in how Burton changed snowboarding. “We can move fast and take chances every year,” McDonald said. Speaking of snowboarding, how does a company with the word “ski” in its name welcome riders? “We welcome them all, man,” James said. “If you’re sliding on snow, or if you love the East Coast, or even if you don’t, you can still buy our stuff.” And what about the trend toward ski resort consolidation, with giants like Vail Corporation gobbling up mountains left and right?

“I think it makes it a little more boring, because those places might lose their identities a bit,” McDonald said. “At the same time it’ll bring in a lot of new skiers. I mean, more people can afford to ski at Stowe now than ever before.” And, as Rooster notes, when you get off the lift, or you hike to the Chin and hit the backcountry—“And obviously, Vail doesn’t want people talking about that,” he said—you’re still in Stowe, and “there’s nowhere as rad on the East Coast as Stowe.” “It’s really about how many people show their buddies, who show their buddies, where the secret stashes are.” n

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: skitheeast.net.

HISTORY LESSON

COURTESY PHOTOS

ORIGIN STORY This is where the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club started the Mt. Mansfield Ski School, seen in this circa-1930s photograph. A few years later the club would shift management of the ski school to Sepp Ruschp, and it would be soon be named the Sepp Ruschp Ski School. One of the biggest influences on skiing in those early years, Ruschp went on to be the president and general manager of the Mount Mansfield Company. Inset: The club’s first patch.

A SCHUSS IN TIME Stowe’s Mount Mansfield Ski Club turns 85* Looking up at Mount Mansfield today, it’s easy to see the intricate network of lifts and trails that make Stowe Mountain Resort a world-class ski destination. But in the 1930s, when a small group of winter sports fanatics looked up at the mountain, they saw opportunity. The Mount Mansfield Ski STORY / JOSH O’GORMAN Club turned 85 this year, and its impact on the mountain—from hosting races to cultivating generations of Olympic athletes—cannot be overstated. “The club was vital to Stowe,” said Mike Leach, a coach for the Mount Mansfield Winter Academy and historian for the ski club. “The club started the ski school and the ski patrol,

and coordinated all of the development of the mountain for the first 10 years or so.” The Stowe Ski Club was formed in 1931, and in 1934 was reorganized as the Mount Mansfield Ski Club. Its mission: “To provide, maintain and improve skiing facilities in the Mount Mansfield region of Vermont; to assist members in obtaining the most enjoyment from these facilities; to further the technical skill of members; to promote ski competitions; and, generally, to cultivate an interest in skiing.” Considering the state of downhill skiing in those days, those were ambitious goals. In December 1933, Civilian Conservation Corps workers had just cut the Bruce Trail, a 4.5-mile run that started near the top of the Toll Road and ended near Ranch Camp, site of the first clubhouse. Two months later, the club host-

* The club, now called the Mount Mansfield Ski Club & Academy, turns 86 in 2020. See story on p. 98.

ed its first race down the Bruce Trail, facing off against the Amateur Ski Club of New York. In 1937, the club established the Mount Mansfield Ski School. By then, Sepp Ruschp was on the scene. He was one of the biggest influences on skiing in those early years, a legendary ski instructor from Austria who’d been on his country’s national team. The ski club invited him to come to Stowe to start the ski school, and he went on to be president and general manager of the Mount Mansfield Co. (See related story, p.38)

EXPECT EXTRAORDINARY The All-New Skier’s Edge

ALL-NEW POWER BAND CONFIGURATION 5 band configuration creates the perfect elasticity for powerful yet smooth turns.

ALL-NEW ALUMINUM CARRIAGE SYSTEM

ALL-NEW ALUMINUM FOOTPADS Independent footpads pivot side-to-side engaging more muscle groups in legs and calves and improve edging and weight transfer in skiing.

Extra wide carriage tops our most robust and stable machine yet.

ALL-NEW MULTI-STANCE PLATFORM 8 different settings so you can personalize your workouts. Easily adjust settings in 20-30 seconds.

ALL-NEW ALUMINUM RAILS Precision designed aircraft aluminum rails.

ALL-NEW & COMPLETELY REIMAGINED QUICK ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM Resistance is easy to adjust in seconds with just one hand.

ALL-NEW TRUSS FRAME This wider frame enhances stability and features high quality, heavy gauge steel and aircraft aluminum.

30-DAY TRIAL SKIERSEDGE.COM/1399 800-225-9669 EXT 1399

The Skier’s Edge Company

HISTORY LESSON ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY Ranch Camp, the ski club’s first headquarters. This building was used as the headquarters beginning in the 1933-34 season. A humorous Lee Jackson cartoon from the club’s newsletter, Mt. Mansfield Skiing, March 1950. The club heads off for a ski trip to Europe, which happened annually beginning in 1957.

The club has hosted many important races through the years, including the U.S. Nationals in 1938, 1952, and 1966, American International races in 1955, 1957, and 1960, and the North American Championship in 1953. And, to keep skiers safe and rescue them when they’re injured, the club established the Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol in 1934; it’s the oldest organization of its type in the United States. By the late 1940s, with the ski school and the ski patrol under the management of the Mount Mansfield Ski Co., the club shifted its focus to instructing young people, with establishment of the Friday Program in 1951, giving all Stowe schoolchildren a chance to ski on the mountain. By 1950 the club had about 500 members, and then the sport exploded. By the early 1960s the club had more than 4,000 members. The club taught and supported skiing, and offered incentives to members—including a 10 percent discount on the single-chair lift installed in 1940, and on its successors. The discount continued until the late 1980s. The club also organized ski trips to the Alps from 1957 until the mid-1970s. And for a small skiing community, the club has produced an abundance of Olympic athletes, including Marilyn Shaw (1940), Ann Cooke (1940), Madi Springer-Miller (1952), Marvin Moriarty (1956), Tom Corcoran (1960), Billy Kidd (1964, 1968), Rip McManus (1964), Rosie Fortna (1968), Tiger Shaw (1984, 1988), Nancy Bell (1992 biathlon), Erik Schlopy (1994, 2002, 2006), Harper Phillips (1994), Chip Knight (1998, 2002, 2006), Jimmy Cochran (2006, 2010), and Ryan CochranSiegle (2018). “Today, the club continues to host major ski racing competitions, including the Sugar Slalom, Stowe Derby, and the popular ski-bum races, and offers ski racing programs for more than 200 racers, many of whom are enrolled in the club’s ski academy,” Leach said. n

TRAIL JOURNAL

STOWE LAND TRUST

CURE FOR CABIN FEVER A skier enjoys the solitude and convenience of a ski through Wiessner Woods, centrally located in Stowe.

WIESSNER WOODS Just off a busy Mountain Road, yet a world away

If it’s a beautiful late winter day in Stowe, you feel almost guilty if you aren’t skiing—downhill, cross-country, backcountry—or at least snowshoeing. The expectation is that you will dedicate at least one of your weekend days to a serious winter sport and anything short of that is somehow a waste of being in northern Vermont. But let’s just say that you had been following that approach for years and years until one day— heresy!—you find yourself oddly content with puttering around the house, doing some errands, taking care of laundry, catching up with correspondence . . . and suddenly it’s early afternoon. All opportunity to launch a STORY / NANCY CROWE day of adventure has passed, even if the sun glinting on the snow still beckons. Thank goodness for Wiessner Woods, a dependable ally in such times, just off Stowe’s Mountain Road, offering 80 acres of gentle trails that are always in good shape for a winter outing. My snowshoes rest in the back of my car, but as I drive up Edson Hill to this gem of a place—conserved thanks to Muriel Wiessner (widow of world-renowned alpinist Fritz Wiessner) and looked after by the Stowe Land Trust—I begin to wonder if the snow might be so wellpacked that a simple hike might be in order. Aha! I retrieve my pair of snow grippers that take up their winter residency in my car’s glove box. Snow grippers, or their cousins, ice grippers, are not new inventions, and my pair must be one of the first—simple to put on over boots, with

cleats to dig into ice or snow. Into my pocket they go (that’s how easily transportable they are) as I step out of the car and walk to the welcome box. More and more of these welcome boxes are popping up at trailheads all the time. The hope for the hiker/skier is that a pile of maps will be within, and that hope is, in my experience, nearly always dashed. But never at Wiessner Woods. There are always maps in the box. I attribute this to the good karma attracted by the gnome who inhabits this quasi-magical place (but more on him later). There are plenty of days when locals jump out of bed with less than an hour to spare and race to Wiessner Woods to put down “first tracks” in the snow. Because the woods are

C R E AT E , C O N N E C T, & C E L E B R AT E

GRANGE HALL C U L T U R A L

C E N T E R

Multi-functional

EVENT SPACE Waterbury Center, Vermont featuring theater, music, art exhibitions, film screenings, dance, and much more HOME OF MOXIE PRODUCTIONS

Shows run January through April, 2020 Rental of the Grange Hall Cultural Center is available for many kinds of arts, recreation, and life events Go to www.grangehallcc.com to learn about upcoming events or to book your own 317 HOWARD AVE, WATERBURY CENTER, VT grangehallcc@gmail.com â&#x20AC;¢ 802-244-4168

TRAIL JOURNAL

so well protected, any wind on such a day is relegated to the canopy of mostly hemlocks and the snow falls with a determination to lay an even blanket on the trails. This makes for perfect cross-country skiing conditions. On the other hand, if there are a few days without a refresher layer, the trails get packed pretty quickly and are ideal for just about anything—skiing, snowshoeing, and winter hiking, especially with that pair of snow grippers. You can even bring your dog (don’t forget a Baggie for clean-up), as long as he’s under your control.

This is a well-marked, generously signed trail system. It can be unsettling to find yourself lost when everything you’ve heard about a place blithely claims that “you can’t get lost,” but truly, in Wiessner Woods, you can’t get lost. That said, the map is a must for a first-timer or anyone whose sense of direction is not always reliable. Besides, the map directs you to such places as Meadow Overlook with its panoramic sweep of the half dozen ski trails spilling down Mt. Mansfield in the distance. If there’s the faintest of breezes astir in the woods, console yourself with this thought: it’s probably so windy up there they’ve closed the gondola. I’ve started up the trail to Four Corners and taken a left on the Meadow Trail to arrive at the Overlook. There’s a sweet bench at this viewpoint and I sit down to put on my snow grippers. Already I’ve come to one slippery patch and had a little scoot; there will be more of these spots ahead. Wiessner Woods brings out the naturalist in all of us. The pace is slower, the required locomotion fairly undemanding, and you can’t help but notice your surroundings. Moss-covered slabs of rock and shelf mushrooms of rosy red and violet stand stark against the snow.

Owls can be heard and seen along with deer, fox, and much more rarely, bear and moose. In the warmer months, songbirds find this inviting refuge, though even in winter partridge and woodpeckers are common. (See our guide to animal tracks, p.124) You will likely spot a sugarhouse on your way down, a friendly reminder that private trails begin at this spot. I take out my map to reorient myself, appreciating the shower of bark a chattery gray squirrel is raining down in front of me. Now I am on the Catamount Trail, feeling at one with those adventurers who spend entire days, weeks, even months on this trail which travels more than 300 miles through the Vermont forest from Massachusetts to Canada. I am on the way down, following the Hardwood Ridge Trail, when I come to a gnome home in the base of a rotten tree. This is a well-dressed gnome (maybe they all are) with a bright red cap and merry eyes peeking out above his beard. I thank him for keeping the map box stocked and wait for him to wink, to blink, to scratch his beard, really any sign will make my day, but gnomes, despite all our endeavors, are pretty low down on the conversation scale. Soon I am at the Four Corners intersection from which I can just about see the meadow adjacent to the parking lot. I look at my watch: I’ve been to a different world and back, exercised and restored my soul, and just an hour has passed. n //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: From Stowe Village, take the Mountain Road (Route 108) 3.5 miles to Edson Hill Road. Turn right onto Edson Hill, and the parking lot is the next driveway past Stowehof Inn on the right.

an olive oil taproom and trattoria

BREAKFAST & LUNCH SERVED MONDAY – FRIDAY

40+ Olive Oils & Balsamics 15 Sea Salt Varieties Pesto, Sauce, Tapenade, Salsa & More Unique Maple Products Wine Selection/Wine Club

Free Tastings Daily Gifts for Every Occasion

where life

tastes better

27 State Street, Montpelier

225-6526 • allavitavermont.com

SKI BUM RACES The Little Spruce Standard Race. The Tuesday Races. Stowe Ski Bum Series. Ski Bum Races. Whatever you call them, ski bum races in Stowe have been a tradition since 1970. Faces and names may change, but the spirit never does. Here are seven current bums, all living the dream.

Dustin Martin, No. 93, flanked by his parents, Mike and Deb Martin, and Rob Apple. The White Tails.

DUSTIN MARTIN PROPERTY MANAGER / SKI COACH / SKI RACER

“I could never sit at a desk. I need to be moving.” A longtime racer, Dustin, 28, is the guy to beat in Stowe’s weekly ski bum races. Born and raised in town, he’s been skiing since he was 2 years old. “I love being outdoors. Being on the mountain every day, doing what I love, is awesome.” At the end of last year’s ski bum races, Martin remained unbeaten in his ski bum racing career, which started in 2015. That’s right, he’s never lost a race. Well, except his first one, which, on the advice of a friend, he tanked so “he could establish a good handicap.”

Ski bum team We have a family team—my mom and dad, Deb and Mike—plus Rob Apple. We’re the White Tails, because my dad and I are big hunters. We do well, usually fighting it out for first place.

Day job I work for my parents’ business, ARFA Property Management. It’s named for my grandfather, Albert Ray Field Associates. He built Stonybrook and passed the business on to my dad. I start work at 4 a.m., then head up to the mountain for more work. I’m the head U12 coach for Mount Mansfield Ski Club & Academy and I help with the U16-19 skiers weekday mornings.

Skiing roots I went through the Stowe Busters program and at age 7 I started as a junior racer with the ski club. During high school I attended Mount Mansfield Winter Academy. (The Mount Mansfield Ski Club and Mount Mansfield Winter Academy merged in 2019.)

College I went to St. Lawrence University, where I was a member of the ski team and captain for two years. I raced at both the U.S. National Championships and NCAA National Championships. I graduated with a degree in environmental studies and a minor in sports studies and exercise science, which we called “coaching.” After I graduated, I had an internship with the National Wildlife Federation working on preserving the Worcester Range.

Skier type I’m more of a racer, but an all-mountain skier as well. I’m skiing all the time, so I don’t have the desire as much to ski on my own, but I try to get in a few runs every day by myself. My favorite thing is to rip around the groomers on my race skis.

Gear I have several pair of Head skis, but mostly I ski on their race skis and boots, and their Kore powder skis. I love those skis!

Last ski trip I’m always going somewhere to race, but the last ski vacation I had was to Snowbird. One day it snowed two feet. The skiing was incredible.

Spare time I’m a huge hunter. From October to December I’m hunting focused. I enjoy observing wildlife with game cameras, and I have 12 cameras set up in areas where I like to hunt. I’ve observed bobcats, fishers, an owl scooping up a mouse, bear, moose. The video clips are 15 to 30 seconds and start when an animal triggers the camera.

Summer I’m a big softball player for a men’s league and Stowe’s co-ed league, and I like to hike and set up my game cameras. Right now, with my dad’s help, I’m building a place in Elmore, where my fiancé, Erin Nichols, and I plan to live.

STORY

: kate carter P H O T O G R A P H S : jesse schloff 77

ALI VIGNEAU DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND SALES AT ROUND HEARTH AT STOWE / OWNER OF GREEN MOUNTAIN BASKETS

“I came out of a 20-year retirement to race in the ski bum races.” Like many Stowe kids, Ali, 31, started skiing at age 2. “It was the usual. If you could walk, they put you on skis and sent you up to the mountain.” After graduating from Stowe High and leaving Stowe for 10 years, she returned in 2016 to run the Round Hearth with her brother and mother. When her brother stopped racing for Team AJs in the weekly ski bum races, teammates Alison and Spencer Brown asked Ali to fill in. “I thought, ‘You guys are really cute, but no way!’ ” Well, that didn’t last. Ali started as a substitute; the second year she went full time. “Alison and Spencer are phenomenal. They got me onto race skis and I’m steadily improving. The last time I skied was when I was 8. Here it is, 20 years later, and I’m racing on a team. It’s a nice addition to my week.”

Why the 20-year break? I was snowboarding. It was the thing to do. I snowboarded from age 14 to 25.

Education I went through the Stowe school system, from preschool to graduation. There were 12 of us in my graduating class who did that. Then I went to Gordon College outside of Boston and majored in sociology and minored in sports management. I went on to get my masters in sports leadership at Northeastern University. After college I was the sports information director at Bridgton Academy in Maine. When I left, I went to Connecticut, where I was the director of social media and field hockey coach at Suffield Academy. Now I’m the field hockey coach at Stowe High School.

Time on the mountain I average three to four mornings a week and weekends with friends. Not as much time as I’d like. When I’m up there I call it work, because I take Instagram photos for the Round Hearth.

Skiing passion I like everything about it. The fresh air, the views. Being up there clears my head. With the ski bum races it’s just fun. I like the social aspect, but also the challenge and the adrenaline rush. I’m competi-

tive by nature. When I’m fun skiing I try to think about the tips Alison and Spencer give me and work on my technique. But I’ll be honest, my favorite day is a groomer day.

Gear Alison’s old skis, Völkl Racetigers. My first run with them I took six seconds off my time. Now I’m skiing on Kästles. I got them from a friend, too. My boots are Lange.

Spare time I’m all over the place. My interests are vast. I play ice hockey and do winter hiking and crosscountry skiing. In the summer I hike and mountain bike. I own Green Mountain Baskets and teach basketry and in the summer I sell my baskets at Art on Park. I co-run, with my mother, the annual Green Mountain Basketry Festival.

Future I’m having fun running the Round Hearth, weaving baskets in my basement, all the outdoor activities, and being social. I never thought I would be back in Stowe, but the timing was right. I’ve become reacquainted with old friends and made new ones. I took advantage of this town growing up, and I’m happy to be back. I expect to be here for the foreseeable future.

BRIAN IRWIN FORMER PROJECT MANAGER FOR SISLER BUILDERS

“I beat Dustin Martin the first race he did. After that it was second place all the time for me. He’s a great carrot for all of us to chase. If I can be competitive with Dustin at age 50, I’m pretty happy with how I’m skiing.” Born and raised in Essex, Brian, 49, started skiing at 3. By the time he was in fourth grade his family skied most weekends at Stowe. “My dad started the ski program at Champlain Valley Union High School and later at South Burlington High School. I grew up around racing clubs. I raced Nordic in high school, but was always an alpine skier.” Brian attended UVM and then Johnson State College, where he received his masters in education. He taught high school social studies for 16 years at Lake Region Union High School in Orleans, where he was also a ski coach for three years.

Love affair with skiing My ski passion comes from my parents. My dad is 81 and still skis the Front Four daily. My mom was a ski instructor at Jay Peak in the 1960s. That’s where my parents met. I can’t say it’s in my DNA, because I was adopted, but it’s what our family did, and now I’m doing it with my daughter. She skis in the Busters program at Stowe.

Ski time Typically I just ski weekends and, like many others in town, I took a two-hour break for the ski bum races. If we got a big dump I’d cut out from work at the end of the day and catch a few runs. Sisler Builders was great about that. They know why we are here and I’m grateful for the flexibility my job afforded me. During Christmas break I’d take the week off and teach skiing. With cell phones, someone work-related could still find me if they need something to keep the path going forward.

Favorite type of skiing Alpine, but I’m also a proficient tele skier and crosscountry skier, and was even a short-line tournament water skier for 10 years.

Gear I don’t throw anything out, and as a result I have 15 to 20 pairs of skis. My basement is a ski museum. I’ve got something for any condition. Currently, 9 out of 10 times I’m on Stöckli Laser AX, an allmountain ski with race construction. I race on an old pair of Völkls I got from Andy Shaw in 2007. They know their way down the ski bum hill. I keep going back to them like a comfortable pair of blue jeans.

Looking back When I first started racing in the Stowe ski bum series it was the “who’s who” of ski racing. On any given day it could be any of 15 men who won. The top used to be a lot more competitive. If you made the top 20, that was an impressive result, considering who was in front of you. There are not as many top-tier skiers now as there were back then. Now, the top collegiate skiers go west when they graduate. Early on there weren’t any snowboarders or tele skiers. Now there is more diversity. And the parties were wilder back then. The one thing that hasn’t changed is we’re all there to have fun. Also, Marion Baraw is still announcing and Kitty Coppock still does registration and announcing. They’ve been doing it for 50 years. They are awesome! You really meet the nicest people ski bum racing. Most don’t have a racing background. They’re all there for the social aspect and to have fun. I’d love to be ski bum racing in my 70s.

NATE HAZARD

“I like being aggressive, uncomfortable, and at my limit, flat-out going fast. That’s what I’m addicted to.” A Burlington native, Nate, 45, and his twin brother Zach, grew up skiing at the famous Cochran family’s ski area in Richmond. “That’s where I fell in love with racing. I was coached by college kids, as well as the family—Lindy and Bobby Cochran. Now I follow their kids’ skiing careers.” Nate lives in Stowe with his wife, Erin, a snowboarder and professional reading interventionist, and their two daughters, Chloe, 15, a skier, and Ella, 12, a snowboarder.

Why race? Having grown up ski racing, it wasn’t something I wanted to give up and there are no other opportunities for people my age to race. I don’t really know why I do it year after year, but I know I would regret it if I didn’t. I would miss seeing the people. Some I only see each winter at the races. We break up for the summer, then get back together for the winter. I enjoy the camaraderie, and the networking is great. You get to know people of all walks of life. Like Lefty Lewis, who was on the New York Stock Exchange. He raced on The Nice Guys team, and he was the nicest guy you’d meet. He passed away a few years ago. If you looked at the race results from 1979, you’d see that almost half of the same people are still doing it.

First ski bum race I’ve been doing them for 23 years. My first race was on straight skis. Now I’m on non-FIS-compliant old race skis.

INDEPENDENT CARPENTER standing in the starting gate, the same great crew is giving out bibs, and the same voices on the loud speaker still encourage you. Or make fun of you. Every once in awhile someone of worldclass capabilities will show up at the ski bum races and put us all in our place. It’s always humbling. (Olympian) Chip Knight, for one. I grew up racing with him in Stowe, but he took it a lot further than I did.

Worst run The first one I ever did on a pair of dull, straight skis. I thought that considering my background, no problem. I was really slow, but it was great for my handicap.

Spare time Strengths For me to do well, I have to take chances and go as straight as possible, and I am willing to do that. I usually finish in the top 10.

Looking back I feel like ski bums in their 20s and 30s are not represented like they used to be, in town as well as on the race course. You don’t see the cooks and bartenders. Back when I first started, you worked at night so you could ski days. And big packs of people don’t hang out afterwards like they used to. The camaraderie is not like it used to be. Now it’s the best of two runs; it used to be only one. Now you have a chance at redemption, but it doesn’t keep you honest. The times I’ve won were never when it was only one run. One run makes it harder to get lucky. Also, the demographics have changed. It’s an older group of people and the parties after each race are more subdued. We used to race against Sugarbush every year. It was a cool rivalry, but we don’t do it anymore. I still get the same feeling in my belly when I’m

I like boating, and I just got a motorcycle. I get the same speed adrenaline as skiing, but in an instant. You walk out, get on the bike and go. My wife didn’t mind. She got a dog, a Tibetan Terrier. The last book I read was “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. (Nate’s good taste in literature has long roots. He’s the great-grandson of F. Scott Fitzgerald.)

ALISON BECKWITH OWNER OF BECKWITH REAL ESTATE “I learned to ski in my 30s and it shows. I get down the hill, but it’s not pretty.” A mother of four children ages 12 to 30, Alison, 55, juggles family time, running her business, and skiing. “I have a wardrobe of ski attire that I wear to work. I’m promoting the lifestyle, the ‘living the mountain life’ that people aspire to.” In addition to real estate sales, she also manages real estate rentals.

Why race? I used to compete at springboard diving. I loved having a sport I was passionate about. I would dive and swim eight hours a day. I had the athlete mindset and I needed a replacement for that determination to get better at something. I’m highly competitive and don’t do uphill sports, so when I was invited by an all-girls group of friends who started a ski bum team, I decided to go for it. With a few pointers—look ahead, hands in front—I’ve moved from the third page of results to the first page and occasionally I’m in the top five. However, it’s important to point out that the handicap system favors weaker skiers.

Team info My team is Miso Fast. We used to be sponsored by Sushi Yoshi. We loved the name so we kept it and now we are primarily a team of Mount Mansfield Ski Club moms, including past racers like Kristi Brown Lovell, plus some great skiers who never ran gates before.

Other sports Years ago I did the annual Wintermeister, which consisted of a downhill race, a cross-country race, and a speedskating race, all in the same day. I had perseverance and the complete satisfaction that I survived. This year I was invited to compete in the USASA Skier Cross Nationals, for me, a milestone challenge for turning 55. I won the gold medal for the Kahuna age group (50-59), a nice finish for my 2019 ski racing season, inspired by my son, Conrad, who is three-time National Skicross Champion. Sadly, he dropped a ski after posting the fastest time of the day for all age groups, so he finished 4th this year, but was really happy for old mama!

Ski bum idol My sights are set on Deb Martin. She makes it look easy and she’s just that must faster than I am. You sort of look at 10 people who finish around you and you want to be at the top of those 10. Deb is always at the top. I think I caught her once, otherwise she always beats me.

ing, the parties would last past midnight and the “bowl” would travel from bar to bar. Now everyone goes home earlier, but I’m still often the last person holding down the fort, along with Pete Hussey.

Memorable moments Changes over the years There used to be many more people in the ski bum races. The town’s demographics have changed, older people have stepped away from racing, and there isn’t a pool of younger people who’ve moved to Stowe to be ski bums. We still have former racers and the ski industry businesses that will let employees off to race, but the hospitality industry isn’t resupplying us with new racers. We do have a group in their 40s with flexible jobs who can make time to race, so we’re on the cusp of either a resurgence or fading away. The WoW program (Women of Winter) has brought in an influx of women in their 40s who want to challenge themselves to get better. When I first started rac-

Racers would often show up for the ski bum finals in costume. In 2011, the Helen Day Art Center fundraiser theme was James Bond 007. I went as Goldfinger, well, the lady victim (Pussy Galore), and wore what became “The Famous Gold Suit.” I thought it would be fun to get some mileage out of the suit, and wore it in the ski bum finals. Deb Martin asked if her son, Dustin, could borrow the gold suit for the Sugar Slalom a few weeks later. He squeezed into it and won the slalom, and the gold suit made the cover of the Stowe Reporter, with Dustin blasting over the knoll.

Motivation I love it because it keeps me young. I’m still learning how to ski in the woods and moguls. The challenge is a big draw. It also keeps me connected with girlfriends. We challenge each other to be better skiers. They motivate me to get out the door. Nothing will ever happen if you don’t leave home. For me it’s entirely social.

GREGG GOODSON VETERINARIAN / OWNER OF STOWE VETERINARIAN CLINIC “I’m a racer wannabe, but the older I get, the slower I get.” Gregg, 61, grew up in Montreal. His parents bought a house in Stowe, where the family spent weekends skiing. “Our social life was always in Stowe. I know more people from the Stowe graduating high school class than from my own graduating class in Montreal. When we came on weekends, Dad would drop us off at Sunday school in ski clothes and he would go skiing. Then Mom picked us up at Lackey’s Variety Store and we’d all go up to the mountain.” Eventually his parents emigrated from Canada and Gregg made Stowe his home. He’s married to LeeLee (Black) Goodson, also a ski bum racer. They have two grown children, Matthew, who coaches skiing at Park City, Utah, and Kelsey, a charter boat captain in the Caribbean. Both grew up in Stowe playing hockey and skiing with the Mount Mansfield Ski Club.

Veterinary education and vocation I went to vet school at Tufts in Boston. It took me awhile to get there, but I always knew it was what I wanted to do. I started Stowe Veterinary Clinic 25 years ago. Before that I worked for Dave Sequist at Sequist Animal Hospital for three years. He was our vet when I was growing up. Prior to working for Dave I worked at Boots ’n Boards for a few years. I was Maurice LaFerriere’s understudy as a boot fitter. My first ski bum team was Boots ’n Boards in 1981. Whey they closed, our team became the Sick Puppies and has been the Sick Puppies since 1994. We’ve had a lot of different people on the team over the years. Our son Matthew, a freestyle skier, was on the team for awhile. He would switch direction on his way down the course, on regular race skis, much to the dismay of some people, who got beat by someone going backwards.

Duty calls Once in awhile I’ll get an emergency call on the hill, or as I’m walking out the door. The staff is used to it and has been really tolerant. I always put myself last. Every now and then I’ll miss a race for an emergency. Mostly it’s up to the mountain, race, and back to the clinic, with a stop for a sandwich on the way back. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. is surgery time. For years we didn’t do surgery on Tuesdays, race day. Now we do, because we have another vet.

Best part of race day Why race? For the social aspect. Many faces are the same as when I started in 1981. There’s a whole group of people I don’t see otherwise, but I get to see them for 10 minutes once a week and it maintains the community. The competition is good. For some reason my ranking hasn’t changed much in nearly 40 years of racing. I’m always somewhere between 35 and 50 on the roster. Often my practice run was the previous week’s race. Usually it’s the only time I get to ski. Sometimes LeeLee and I will go up midday on Sundays after the crowd has thinned and take a few runs.

Marion Baraw and Kitty Coppock’s announcing is worth the price of admission. My wife is a really good racer and she usually beats me. They would say things like, “Once again, Gregg’s shown he’s not a wife beater. LeeLee beat him again!”

Changes The guy at the top has changed over the years. Now it’s Dustin Martin. Before that it was Nelson Reilly, Sam von Trapp, George Tormey, and MMSC coaches. Dan and Andy Susslin and Whit Hartt dominated for a few years. Gerhard Schmidt and Chuck Baraw held the mantle for the first 10 years or so. Now we have teleskiers and snowboarders. The day a snowboarder beats me is the day I hang up my skis. The skis have obviously changed and the grooming has gotten better, but the staff remains consistently great. n

KRISTY MOE CARLSON CEO OF THE FAMILY HOUSEHOLD / HELEN DAY ART CENTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“Teaching my kids to ski and love it is my favorite thing.”

Favorite runs

Kristy, 40, grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and learned to ski at the now defunct Ski Valley. “I didn’t grow up racing and actually am terrible at it. I learned to ski bumps and also did ski ballet. I loved that.” Kristy earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at St. Lawrence University and skied weekends at Whiteface and Tupper Lake. She and her husband, Ethan Carlson, owner of Carlson Management Consulting, have three children, Tanner, 10, and Harper, 7, who both are in the ski club; and Elliot, 4, who is currently in the Busters Program at Stowe Mountain Resort on weekends and does the Munchkins program during the week.

In good conditions I love Hayride, Nose Dive, and Main Street when it’s open, which is rarely, and tree skiing off both sides of Nose Dive. My favorite family run is the Bruce Trail to the Matterhorn. We usually get a few other families to go and the kids respond well to the peer pressure. We all love it and it’s fun to use the Matterhorn as an objective.

The road to Stowe We were living and working in Boston and had a ski place in Killington. We wanted to move to a ski town full time. We started researching places in New England and immediately decided on Stowe, pulled the trigger, and moved. I love Stowe. It’s an amazing place to raise kids and I like all the outdoor activities. Here, people look forward to snowstorms. In Boston, they dreaded it. Here, it’s easy to meet up with friends and take a few runs.

Geer

Why race?

I hike and mountain bike (a new sport for me), and run around with the kids. I’m very handson. I really like my kids.

I like being outside, fresh air, the freedom of going fast on skis. I love to go fast! At one point in high school I got bored with skiing and tried snowboarding, but I couldn’t go fast enough. Alison Beckwith asked me to join her team, Miso Fast. I said sure, I’ll try that. It was a good challenge and I liked the camaraderie of an all-women team. My finish times were not great for someone who likes to go fast. It really takes skill; you can’t just go out there and do it. I didn’t race last year because my schedule is too busy, but I hope to get back into it when the kids are older. I’m never out past 7 p.m. these days.

Ice Those who grew up racing are so much better in any conditions. I don’t mind ice because I grew up skiing on it. I’m an East Coast skier through and through. It took me awhile to get the hang of powder.

Völkl Women’s 90Eight all-mountain skis and Nordica boots. I demo’ed Rossignol Soul 7 powder skis, which I really want to buy.

Summer sports

Other passions I love to travel. My last trip was to Paris with my siblings. No kids or parents around. Last February my husband and I went skiing in Alaska. It’s beautiful there. Lifts don’t open until 10:30 because of the light. We also went hut skiing. It’s similar to heli-skiing, but we took a snow cat from the resort to the huts. n

Evan Carty. Next page: The Hyde Cup.

HYDE CUP everybody’s ice

annual tourney unites veterans, newbies over hockey It’s the rare occasion where being not as good equals being really good, where sometimes fortune favors the old, the women who didn’t get a chance earlier in life because the chance wasn’t there, the men who didn’t try out sooner, the high school all-star who stuck around and the professional who came back, the mom who taught her girls and now wants her time on the ice, the skaters and the flailers, the jokesters, ass-patters, puck hoggers, pre-game cheerers and postgame heroes, assisters and finishers, blue-line huggers and Bud Light chuggers, and maybe a goalie, if you’re lucky. That rare occasion happens in Stowe every March: the Hyde Cup, a five-day hockey tournament now pushing 30, created to give a chance once a year for people to haul out their old skates and sticks from the basement and find a sweater that still fits. And, it’s a chance for freshly minted skaters to get on the ice in an environment designed to elevate their game.

S T O R Y : tommy gardner

PHOTOGRAPHS

: gordon miller 85

“For most people, they haven’t played with many other people, or a ref, so we like to get them pumped up, play music,” says Evan Carty, a Stowe native and one of the tournament organizers, during last year’s event, sitting in the scoring booth, blasting “Mr. Blue Sky” over the loudspeakers at the Stowe Arena. “We’ve started getting fans, and this whole rink can be packed for the Saturday game.”

Hyde’s her story The tournament was established in 1993 as the Jackson Cup, named after the storied Jackson Arena, Stowe’s original open-air rink, torn down in 2013 and much missed among those whose memories conflate frostbite with fun and suffering with community—and they aren’t wrong; the modern arena that replaced it in 2013 is more comfortable, but still needs another decade or two to build up a comparable patina of nostalgia. Brigham Hyde, in a March 2013 love letter in the pages of the Stowe Reporter on the last Hyde Cup played at Jackson, said the idea for an egalitarian spring tournament came about from “a mix of good intentions and spare ice time.” Former rink superintendent Bruce Godin and several hockey-loving volunteers wanted a tournament where anybody, men and women, 18 or older, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons could play in a welcoming environment. Kiel Britton, an arena regular from Craftsbury, said his mother, Laura, was one of those early hockey moms on the ice. He was 10 when the first event was held in 1993. “My mom was the very first MVP, when it was still known as the Jackson Cup,” Britton said. “She was a goalie.” Another woman who came out for the early Jackson Cups was Leslie Bauer Hyde, who gathered a bunch of hockey moms and formed a women’s team calling itself the “Mother Puckers.” Hyde died of cancer in 1995, and the tournament was later renamed in her honor, on Godin’s recommendation. The foundation she and her friends left for a burgeoning female hockey league still runs today, through the daughters; the Stowe High School girls’ hockey team won its first state title last year and got a shout-out on ESPN. “In my family, hockey was only short of perhaps religion and fresh powder days. As my brother and I ran off to 80-plus games a year, my mother’s burgeoning hockey career was cut short. In the years following her death from cancer, the local hockey community rallied to show its support,” wrote Brigham. “As I look back on it today, it is an honor that I

am truly proud to be associated with, and a sentiment I am so pleased is still alive.”

Hyde homecoming The Hyde Cup is, for some people, a reason to come back to Vermont, visit with family for a minute, and head to the arena. For many, it’s a reunion with former Stowe High School varsity teammates. In a town that long sported the open-air Jackson Arena—like a little Lambeau Field of small-town municipal rinks—it may come as something of a surprise that

Stowe didn’t have a varsity team until 1995. But the foundation from Stowe Youth Hockey was already in place, and those first high school teams made an immediate impact. They won three state champi-

POST GAME SHOW Above: Brittany Rogers, Lynne Rogers, Kim Rice, and Joanne Priestley officiate scoring and work the game clock on St. Patrick’s Day during a recent Hyde Cup. Brittany Rogers and Kelly Lilly present awards. C.P. Lindig, Brittany Rogers, Evan Carty, and Ben Novogroski pose during costume Saturday, the day before the final games. Previous spread: Jed Lipsky (bottom, far left) raises a glass to a cheering crowd at the Hyde Cup awards celebration at Sunset Grille & Tap Room. Graham Rogers and Chris Sawyer share an embrace. Dave Wykoff kisses The Cup after a solidified Team Rimrocks victory. Alan Thorndike keeps the crowd entertained during a speech at the awards ceremony. George, Frost, and Harper Gay (left) pose with Chick and Alex Hight.

onships before Y2K, and have added two more since being moved up to a higher division. In its quarter century, the team has made it to the semifinals 13 times, and on to nine state championship games. A lot of the guys who played on those teams are some of the same ones who’ve stuck around on teams like the Stowe Slugs or play in regular open nights. And in December, there’s always the Stowe High alumni game, which pits players in their 30s and 40s against more recent graduates.

One of those Slugs, Graham Mink, is probably Stowe’s greatest hockey success story, playing on the 1990s high school teams and going professional, until he retired a few years ago. “My hockey friendships have lasted me my whole life,” Mink said. New this year, Stowe Arena launched a late-night hockey league for the winter, Mondays and Thursdays, keeping the ice hot until 10 or nearly 11 p.m. It’s a no-frills gig—call your own fouls and keep your own score—but it ought to

give people extra chances to stay in shape, get in shape, or learn to play hockey before March’s Hyde Cup.

Two times the fun Hyde Cup hockey isn’t the prettiest version of the world’s fastest game. There are plenty of missed passes and plays that get broken up. Some skaters need to make longer loops to circle back into the action. Some of them use the boards to push off of to give them a little boost. Some stay mostly in the middle of the ice, roving back and forth between the blue lines, waiting for the action to come to them instead of skating into the fray. But if you close your eyes and just listen, the sounds are the music of any other hockey game, like musicians rhythmically sharpening knives or drivers scraping off their windshields in the middle of January, as the horn of the scoreboard blares and people in the stands cheer. “When it started, it was dads and moms, and most of the moms were just learning to play, so they were all the 2-pointers, and a lot of the dads had played for a really long time, and they just set them up,” said Brittany Rogers, last year’s Cup Commissioner. The Hyde Cup scoring system is set up so that it often pays dividends to have more veteran players set up less experienced ones with scoring opportunities. Partially because, per tournament rules, experienced players—and everyone knows who they are—can only score once, and then they become helpers. Sometimes the veterans will notch a goal early and then settle in to ensure that more occasional or new players get a chance to score. That’s paramount, because goals from newbies count as two points on the scoreboard. The heart of the Hyde Cup scoring system is the heart of the event itself. Everyone wants the new skaters to score, whether it’s the folks in the stands running smartphone video of their loved ones, in the arena wings holding Solo cups, on the bench or on the ice. For the skater netting that first puck, it’s a thing of joy. “It’s tough to say who gets more excited when someone scores their first-ever goal, the person who scored it or everyone else, maybe even on the other team,” said Rogers. That meant—and still means—no hard checking into the boards and certainly no fisticuffs. If you’re expecting to go to a fight and watch a hockey game break out, as the saying goes, you’re in the wrong place. “Sportsmanship is the name of the game,” Carty said. “If anyone’s being an a-hole, you get kicked out.” n

COMMUNITY SPIRIT Above: Surrounded by teammates, Trevor Halperin raises The Hyde Cup in victory for 2019 for Team Rimrocks, its second tournament win in a row. CP Lindig of Team Piecasso battles in the corner for the puck against Karl Lipksy of team Stowe Vet Clinic. “Good game, man.” Next page, clockwise from top: Team Rimrocks and Stowe Vet Clinic shake hands after the game. A few shots of the action on ice at Stowe Arena.

THE LAST BOOK: Julie wraps up 32-year career STORY

/ CALEIGH CROSS

ulie Pickett spent 32 years helping kids find mirrors and windows. Mirrors, says the longtime children’s librarian, are books that reflect kids and their worlds the way they already understand them—for instance, kids going camping or mountain biking or maple sugaring in Vermont. “Kids need that. They need to read about themselves,” said Pickett, 66, who wrapped up a 32-year career at Stowe Free Library last spring. Other books are “windows into other people’s worlds. You’re reading about other people and other cultures and it gives the child more empathy for life,” Pickett said. “That’s one of the joys of working here—when you can put the right book into that child’s hands and you can see how that child then develops a love for reading. They come back and say, ‘Do you have another book like that?’ and it’s very special when that happens.” Pickett began her career as a librarian immediately after college. “I kind of fell into it,” she said. After graduation, she took a seasonal job as the substitute assistant children’s librarian at the Forbes Library in Northampton, Mass. “It was just great. I really liked it and I didn’t want to leave,” Pickett recalled. When the assistant children’s librarian returned, Pickett transferred to the interlibrary loan department. But her love was always the children. She was in charge of everything that has to do with children at Stowe Free Library, including story hour, event planning, book, audio, and DVD purchasing, and for six years, Pickett helped curate the Dorothy Canfield Fisher book list, which serves as circulated reading for middle school kids. “You have to read a lot of children’s books. You have to like children’s literature,” Pickett said of her work. Pickett’s husband, Jack Pickett, a prominent Stowe chef who’s currently with Trapp Family Lodge, remembers her bringing home stacks of books, reading as many as six a week. “She has a pretty good eye for what kids will read and what they won’t read,” Jack said.

‘You have to know kids’ Pickett says the themes of children’s literature evolve and change over the years, but the overarching themes have remained the same. “Sometimes, it’s things like overcoming poverty, or overcoming homelessness. ... Bullying is a big topic. A lot of books now have a dead mom or parent, and the kid now has to learn to survive without a parent. “There are a lot of books about overcoming odds, whether it’s a hero, like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, or just everyday heroes,” Pickett said. Animals, too, are reliable staples in kids’ lit. “Kids love to read about a dog in the story. Especially dogs, more than cats,” Pickett said. The Dorothy Canfield Fisher book list has grown and changed over the years, too, Pickett said. It’s more windows than mirrors, to use her earlier analogy. “Those have definitely become more diverse, now. You really want to include books from other cultures. There have been books about LGBTQ people, there have been graphic novels on the list, there are nonfiction materials. That list has changed a lot,” Pickett said. When it comes to reluctant readers, Pickett has a few tricks up her sleeve. Series books can give them a nudge, since they’re already familiar with the characters, she said. Stickers defining a book’s genre can help kids narrow down what they like to read. “Sometimes it’s hard to break kids out of a habit. They just want to read Harry Potter or the “Lightning Thief,” and it’s kind of hard to get them to read something else, but that’s where the Dorothy Canfield Fisher list is great.”

Julie Pickett, 66, children’s librarian at Stowe Free Library for 32 years, retired June 1.

PHOTOGRAPHS

/ GORDON MILLER

The Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games series, and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series remain favorites, Pickett said. She sees many adults in the children’s book section, too, picking up young adult novels with maybe a bit of a blush, but plenty of enthusiasm. “They’re really good,” Pickett said of young adult books. Library director Cindy Weber admires Pickett’s resolve to treat young patrons with the same amount of respect as the adults. “The main thing is being an advocate for juveniles. The children’s patrons should be treated like the adult patrons. They should have the same kind of rights and freedoms. That’s the thing she’s really excelled at,” Weber said.

Home away from home Between 2:45 and 4 p.m. on weekdays, the Stowe Free Library children’s section is filled with laughter, turning pages, and inquiring voices. That’s when the kids leave school and wait for sports practice to start, or for their parents to pick them up. “This library is extremely busy after school from October to March. We are really busy because kids are waiting to get on the ice rink or on the basketball court,” Pickett said. Pickett admits that sometimes she has to do the stereotypical librarian’s “shhh,” complete with finger on lips, but kids generally know how to behave. “Anybody can take mayhem for an hour,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. After terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center towers in New York City Sept. 11, 2001, Pickett said a number of families from that area relocated to Stowe. “The kids came here after school and their parents were so grateful to have a safe place for their kids to come and we all bonded. They were here every day after school. Some of them were great readers; some of them weren’t. They just needed a place to come to,” Pickett remembered. Jack Pickett says many of those families remained friends with the Picketts after their kids had aged out of the children’s library section. “When a little kid sees Julie and runs up and gives her a hug, you figure she has a pretty good influence on kids,” Jack said. “She’s given literally generations of kids a love of reading and books from the library. n

Independent, feisty ... getting it done

BAMBI FREEMAN WAY the

PHOTOS THIS PAGE: GORDON MILLER

eet Bambi Freeman: hard-working farmer, experienced entrepreneur, multiple sclerosis survivor and—but don’t tell her I told you—octogenarian. First, her smile. It’s one of those bright, high wattage smiles that lights up a room, invites you in and makes you feel welcome. It’s almost always on. And there are her iridescent blue eyes that sparkle, especially when she lets out her quick, high-pitched laugh that is as frequent as it is infectious. On this wickedly cold March morning Bambi, all five feet, one inch of her, is wrapped in a cozy Carhartt winter coat, woollined canvas pants, wool gloves, sturdy boots, and a knit white brimless wool toque, and is carefully pushing her Nitro walker down the path from her 171-year-old farmhouse to the nearby barn. She’s bent slightly at the waist as she carefully maneuvers the flashy red walker, “my Ferrari” she calls it, along the curving, icy path. She’s recently healed from a knee replacement— her other knee and both hips were replaced earlier—and she moves slowly and deliberately, favoring her right shoulder a bit, which she admits has been giving her “some problems” recently.

S T O R Y : Robert Kiener

It’s sheep shearing day on Freeman’s Sterling Brook Farm and Bambi is on her way to oversee Vermont sheepshearer Peter Brandt and his crew shear her flock of 35 home-bred sheep. Once in the barn she exchanges her “Ferrari” for a battered walker that’s more suitable for navigating over the barn’s uneven floors. The always-on barn radio is blaring away, tuned to the local station, and the air is filled with the baaing and bleating of sheep about to be shorn. Freeman’s whip-smart sheepdog Fergus dashes around her, clamoring for her attention, as she watches Brandt’s helpers corral her sheep. After conferring with Brandt, she joins a visitor who is watching the shearing. With a broad smile she confesses, “These guys are my life. Don’tcha just love them?” Bambi is soon handed a baby lamb that has had a hard time standing erect on its misshapen legs since birth. “Poor thing,” says Freeman as she cuddles it against her chest. “Look at her little legs. She has rickets. But we’ll take care of her. Hope she’s a fighter.” •••• Ask anyone who knows Bambi Freeman what makes her run, what makes her continue to put in eight-hour days, seven days a week on her 25-acre farm when far younger farmers have

P H O T O G R A P H Y : Glenn Callahan

OPENING

P A G E : Gordon Miller

Portrait of Bambi Freeman by photographer Glenn Callahan on last winter’s sheep shearing day at Freeman’s farm in Sterling Valley, above.

retired—or been put out to pasture—and you’ll get a variety of answers. “She’s full of spunk, works so hard and never complains. That’s just her nature,” says Sam Guy, owner of Guy’s Farm and Yard and a decades-long friend. Photographer Peter Miller, who has written about her in his book “A Lifetime of Vermont People,” says simply, “Bambi is a Vermonter; she loves hard work as much as she loves that farm and her animals.” Tom Younkman, a Hyde Park farmer who has helped Freeman obtain some handicapped-related aids for her farm, explains, “She’s been up, she’s been down, but she just keeps going. She’s an inspiration.” Says her son Scott, 50, who lives with her and helps run the farm, “Mom’s always been independent. I suppose it’s in her DNA.” Bambi laughs when she hears about her son’s DNA quote. “Well, I come from Scotch, Irish, and German folks. I suppose he’s right. My dad taught me to work hard; there were no handouts. Maybe that’s where I got this Type A personality. I like to get things done and if no one else will do it, I do it.” She pauses, smiles and admits, “I’ve been called feisty.” Sitting at her maple dining room table in her cozy, albeit a bit tumbledown, 1848 farmhouse, she recalls how her mother used to watch her dress for school as a first grader in Westfield, N.J.

“I’d put on my dress, then a pair of pants,” she says with a laugh. “My mother would object but I wouldn’t listen and I wore both to school. Why? I don’t know. It was just something I wanted to do. I liked them. And my mother didn’t want to fight me. I just did things my way.” Later in life, when her mother reminded her of those days, she told Bambi, “You just had a mind of your own.” Says Freeman today, “And I still do!” One day she’d need every bit of that feistiness. And that independence. And that commitment to hard work. Indeed, these qualities would help save her life.

•••• On a snowy December morning in 1984 Bambi woke up in the snug second-story bedroom she shared with her husband of 23 years, Dave Freeman. He was away, working a part-time job in Alaska. It was close to six o’clock, still dark outside, and the windows were lightly frosted with snow. The couple married in 1961 and had two children, Laura and Scott. Bambi and Dave, both former self-confessed ski bums, held various jobs but also raised some 160 breeding ewes on their 25-acre farm and prospered by selling their much-in-demand meat to restaurants and eager customers.

Bambi brings in a crew to help shear the sheep. From top, next page: Sheep patiently wait to be shorn. Matt Desrochers compresses the wool. Peter Brandt shears a sheep. Below: Sporting a new coat.

Over the last few years Bambi had been concerned about her health. She had suffered from bouts of double vision and various nagging aches and pains but these had dissipated over time. This morning however, she was alarmed to wake up and not be able to feel her legs. She tried to kick off her blankets but couldn’t move her legs. As she remembers, “It was terrifying. Suddenly I realized I was paralyzed from the chest down.” She grabbed the phone next to her bed and called a longtime friend. The diagnosis was devastating: multiple sclerosis. After less than a week in the hospital, where she regained some of the feeling in her legs, she came back to the farm. But she still couldn’t walk. “I had to learn how to walk all over again,” she explains. Before she could walk, she had to learn to crawl. She exercised in her basement, crawling first along the floor on her belly, then on her hands and knees. “Eventually, I progressed enough so I could walk with the aid of crutches. Then canes,” she says. “But I had little feeling in my hands and feet. It was as if I had to will my hands and feet to move.” Another blow: Dave divorced her and sold their herd. But he left her the farm. She remained slightly paralyzed on her right side but worked hard at rehabilitation. How hard? As she explains today, “There were times when I couldn’t get my leg to move unless I looked at it, then touched it and willed my brain to move it. Same with knitting. I’d hold the needles in my hands and concentrate, telling my right hand what to do, then telling my left what to do next.” It took her some time but eventually she recovered enough to buy nine sheep and, as she explains, “start over.” Remarkably, eventually getting back to work on the farm even in her limited capacity, helped her heal. “I was slower, weaker than I used to be before MS but I really think I grew stronger by taking full responsibility for myself, my farm, and my animals. Farming has kept me going,” she explains. Her blue eyes sparkling, she adds, “I guess it helps being a Type A personality.” She was also helped by her children, friends, customers, and neighbors. When she found it nearly impossible to climb up the rickety ladder to her barn’s hayloft, the local Rotary Club, church friends, and others helped her get a stairway made to replace it. She also helped herself, adding fold-up stairs to the tailgate of her battered Chevy pickup truck. When she realized it was too tiring to have to walk out to the barn to continually check on her flock during lambing, she installed a baby monitor in the barn. Eventually she even recovered enough to be able to work as a “Girl Friday” for Stowe dentist Dale Neil. She put in eight hour days at Neil’s office, then tended to her sheep at home. “It’s amazing how badly I wanted to pay off the mortgage on this place,” she says. “And how hard I worked to do that. I had a huge party when it was paid. I invited a bunch of friends over, ordered a keg of Rock Art beer and we all cheered as I burned the mortgage papers.”

Over the years she built up her herd of sheep again and, to boost her income, added laying hens and meat birds. For years she was a regular at several weekly farmers markets, where she sold her much-admired lamb, chicken, and free-range eggs. She also began selling spun wool yarn, wool, sheepskins, dog beds, and duvets, all produced from her flock. In 2000 she was voted Farmer of the Year by the local conservation district. It was the first time a woman had ever received the award.

•••• It’s nearly noon on a Sunday in early October and Bambi Freeman is manning her regular table at the Stowe Farmers Market, a spot she’s occupied ever since the market first opened 30-some years ago. Sitting in her director’s chair with “Bambi” embroidered on the seatback and her cane propped alongside, she smiles as she reports that sales have been “going nicely” today. “So far I’ve sold a sheepskin, a dog bed, two blankets, lots of chicken and three whole lambs.” She has fresh and frozen lamb and chicken in coolers. Between visits from customers, some of whom come up just to say hello, she explains that she now only sells at two farmer’s markets, here in Stowe on Sundays and in Waitsfield on Saturdays. “I used to sell at more markets but I’ve cut back. You know, I’m getting older,” she says with a wry smile. One of Bambi’s regulars, Kate Chang from Somerville, Mass., greets her and picks up the meat of three lambs she has ordered a few months ago for herself and her friends back home. The lamb has been processed by Troy, Vt.-based Brault’s Meat Market & Slaughterhouse. “I’ve been buying from Bambi for at least 10 years,” says Chang. “I often visit and ski here and I think it’s so important to support local farmers. Besides, everyone I know raves about Bambi and her lamb.” After the two chat and promise to swap recipes, Bambi admits that she enjoys this socializing at markets as much as making sales. “It can be lonely on the farm and sometimes I think I’d be a hermit if I didn’t have these markets as outlets.” After the market closes and she has packed up her pickup truck, she pauses for a beat after she’s asked if she ever thinks of retiring. “Retire? I don’t have any hobbies. What the heck would I ever do?” she answers. “Besides, working keeps me healthy.” She walks slowly, using her cane to support her right side, and before opening the battered 18-year-old truck’s front door, says, “There’s a quote from Theodore Roosevelt that I love. I liked it so much I printed it out and have hung it on my bathroom mirror so I can read it first thing every morning. He said, ‘Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.’ “And you know what? He was right.” n

98 COURTESY SKIRACING.COM

Igor Vanovac on the home hill in Stowe.

IGOR the American

“I was born under mountains and introduced to sport of skiing by my father,” Igor Vanovac told me some years ago, skipping certain articles and pronouns in his accented English, as if a man in a hurry, which he often has been. “I have been in love with skiing since I was boy and have traveled from winter to winter all around world because I love sport.” After more than a decade in Vermont, most anyone in New England ski racing knows—or knows of—Igor. He’s the boss at the races at the storied Mount Mansfield Ski Club in Stowe, where he’s the director. He’s the brash and insistent man who assisted with course prep at the women’s World Cups at Killington. And, he is true to his name: the unmistakable Slavic accent, a mixture of tough and tender, his sheer dimensions. Imagine Gru from “Despicable Me,” but on skis. Less well known is his remarkable story to match his name. Nearly 30 years ago, Igor’s career as a budding Yugoslav national team ski racer was cut short by the collapse of that cobbled-together nation. A bloody, brutal, neighbor-against-neighbor war had erupted. Within months he himself was injured, hit by shrapnel. Igor’s a guy who looks ahead; he doesn’t dwell on the bad stuff. Questions about the injury and that dark time are deflected with self-effacing gruffness. “Friends were killed … I survived … I was lucky …” Details have emerged in bits and pieces of conversation over the years. Igor was born auspiciously on the first day of 1971 and grew up comfortable, the son of college professors, in a leafy neighborhood in Sarajevo, then a thriving multicultural city in a storied land with an ancient history. As a kid he dreamed of snow-covered peaks; when he was just 4, he strapped on skis and sped down his hometown Bijelašnic and Jahhorina mountains. A few years later, as an aspiring teenage ski racer, Igor watched, transfixed, as the skiing greats of that era—the Mahre brothers, Franz Klammer, Pirmin Zurbriggen, Bill Johnson—competed on his home slopes in the 1984 Olympics. The Yugoslavians in the races wowed the home crowd, with two top-10 finishers in the GS and three in the top-15 in slalom. Igor vowed to make ski racing his life, too.

STORY

| BIDDLE DUKE 99

100

COURTESY PHOTO

The family: Igor, Sofija, 11, Micheline, and Hugo, 9, on closing day 2019, at Stowe.

Like all Yugoslavs at the time, upon turning 18 Igor was drafted into compulsory military service. This was before the war in Yugoslavia, and everyone served, but even then, in the late 1980s, ethnic and religious tension had begun to simmer among the ranks. After completing his service, he returned to the slopes with the Yugoslav national ski team to compete on the international circuit in the Alps. It was short-lived. Within two years, beginning in 1991, one by one the Yugoslav republics seceded, sparking violence, then all-out war. Every able soldier was joining or being strong-armed into the fight for one side or another. Millions would eventually be displaced and 140,000 are estimated to have died in almost a decade of bloody killing as religious and nationalist factions sought supremacy, territory, power. “I love Yugoslavia,” he would tell me years later, but he wanted no part of the fight. His hometown of Sarajevo became the bloody frontline. He won’t talk about it, but he witnessed the worst of humanity, neighbors turning against neighbors, the killing of comrades and friends. Then, when he was a bystander to a firefight in Sarajevo, an explosion sent shrapnel into his side, delivering a searing message: Go! At age 21 in the spring of 1992, and encouraged by his parents, he fled. It would be eight years before he would see any of his family again. “My father gave me the family car, and I remember driving away with him on old bicycle behind us, waving, ‘Go! Go!’ ” A friend, a pregnant woman, traveled with him. They sped across the Sarajevo airport runway, the frontline at the time, bullets whistling overhead and striking the pavement. They headed north. They passed bombed-out towns and buildings, charred vehicles. He moved bodies from the roadway to press onward. He left the car in Belgrade and carried on by bus, train, and on foot. For months he hitchhiked through Europe—Austria, Switzerland, Italy— stealing food as he went, working odd jobs, checking his pride in the face of virulent prejudice against Serbs like him, finding floor space from friends of friends or sleeping in the open. Igor must have had an angel riding shotgun: At every turn, he made improbably generous and powerful friends, and new hopeful signs pushed him onward. And skiing was always the pass-key. Thanks to his standing on the Yugoslav national team, he’d obtained a passport and permission to travel from the former Yugoslavia. Ever after, skiing found him jobs, housing, recognition, friends, credibility, love. y late 1992 Igor worked his way across Europe to the glitzy principality of Monte Carlo with nothing but the clothes on his back. “I had my Levi’s 501s and a white shirt, which I washed every day, no matter what. That’s all I had. And, my army boots.” Like so much of Igor’s story, the Monaco chapter began with an astonishing chance meeting. For a time he was sleeping—hiding at night would be more accurate—under Monte Carlo’s seafront boardwalk, tucked up just out of sight from the most exclusive real estate in the world. Climbing onto the boardwalk to chart his next move one morning, gaunt and unshaven, hungry and penniless, something about him caught the eye of a woman passing by. Life turns on such moments. He struck up a conversation, telling his story quickly: ski racer, refugee from the hell of war. The woman was sympathetic. She knew someone who knew someone in the Monaco ski world who might be able to help. That woman opened doors. One conversation, then another, and he eventually landed a job coaching the principality’s ski club, then its national team. He learned French—badly, but well enough. Even more improbably, he met and befriended Prince Albert of Monaco, who it turned out was quite a skier himself. With Monaco friends, Igor established a successful summer ski camp in the Alps. After a few years full time in Monaco and France, Igor found work coaching in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Australia suited him so well he stayed and became a citizen. There was also a girl, of course. “I love Australia,” he says about that time. He was by then in his mid-20s. The war back home was raging still and he hadn’t seen his mother or father in years. Through American friends made on the slopes, Igor was recruited in 1999 to come to America, to western Massachusetts, to coach at Berkshire East Ski Resort. He got one look at the place and remembers thinking, “Where are mountains?” One midwinter day, a friend recalled, Igor returned from a ski run and announced: “I have just seen camel!” Turns out, he’d spotted a moose. From Berkshire East, Igor coached at Mount Snow in Vermont, then shaped and led a championship UMass ski team. That was followed by a stint coaching at Diamond Peak in California.

101

We met in 2004, when he took the reins at the Mount Mansfield Ski Club. I had been on the hiring committee, and I remember being immediately charmed, but I had reservations: There was a loose-cannon feel about him; he’d need harnessing. The time at Diamond Peak had its bumps. Igor immediately had huge ideas for the Stowe program, and when he arrived he let loose with criticisms and frustrations—and then went to work. Anyone who knows Igor will tell you he can have the delicate touch of a dictator. He stepped on toes—crushing them in some cases— to accomplish objectives. ut he transformed the Stowe club. He befriended key benefactors, and with their help built a vast new clubhouse. He built a state-of-the-art, quarter-of-a-million-dollar club tuning shop, which draws steady business from around the region. Both bullying and sweet-talking resort officials, he succeeded in building a premier, summit-to-base training and race trail suitable for super-G and tech disciplines at every level. By all accounts, Igor was a good hire. Club membership swelled. New sources of revenue flowed in. The organization’s finances, always a source of worry, stabilized. In 2017, at an event attended by hundreds of friends and colleagues, Igor was honored by the Vermont Alpine Racing Association as alpine official of the year for his contributions to the sport. It was at the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club soon after his arrival that Igor COURTESY PHOTO

met Micheline Lemay, an MMSC coach with snowy mountains in her own DNA. She grew up on skis in New Hampshire. They were wed a little over a decade ago—fittingly, on the winter solstice—at a chapel accessible only on skis halfway up Mount Mansfield. It was a joyful convergence of friends and family from far and near, including Igor’s mother, Lula, in from Serbia. In the falling snow that day, Igor spoke with optimism like only a man who has been freed from hell can. He read a letter to the crowd about his journey and his search, and how he’d arrived here and met Micheline and found happiness. Then everyone skied down in the powder to a local tavern and rejoiced in the magic of it all. Igor called me after our interview to make sure I understood something important for this story. “Without Micheline, none of this would have happened. No way. We did it together.” Micheline Vanovac has shaped and runs the hugely successful programs for the youngest MMSC skiers. But that wasn’t exactly what he meant, or what I took away from the call. The surprisingly tender gesture reminded me what I had found so beguiling the first time we met.

102

Igor, Hugo, Sofija, and Michy celebrate the couple’s 10th wedding anniversary at the church where they got married, on Mansfield’s Toll Road.

Last year, Igor became an American citizen at a ceremony in Burlington, with Micheline and his children Sofija and Hugo at his side. Forty-eight nations were represented at the event, including others who’d fled the Balkan wars as refugees. The federal officials conducting the ceremony “called me Yugoslavian,” Igor said, laughing. “I liked that. It no longer exists, but that’s where I was born, Yugoslavia.” He tells me he misses Yugoslavia, he cherishes it, the memory of it in his youth. “It is beautiful.” And America? “I am married to an American girl, I have kids born here, I live here, I pay taxes here, I want to be here, and I want to have my own home and land.” He pauses, and adds, “America, it is the only way to go. Right?”

Exciting future ahead The Mount Mansfield Winter Academy in Stowe has merged with one of the nation’s oldest ski racing clubs. And Igor is now executive director of the combined Mount Mansfield Ski Club and Academy. The ski club and the winter academy have worked closely together in the past, with countless student-athletes logging countless hours on Spruce Peak’s Main Street race course. Where they separated was when the teens at the academy had to put down the skis and pick up the books. Lori Furrer, who has run the academy since it reopened in 1993—it was founded in 1982 but closed in 1990 and was shuttered for three years—will remain as the school’s academic director, but Igor will oversee the whole entity. A new academic building is being constructed, and should open for classes in the fall of 2020. “The idea is to give people a better experience and better classrooms,” Igor said. “And the mountain facilities, they are the best in the country.” He said combining the two institutions has been on the agenda for a while. Typical enrollment at the academy runs between 47 and 50 students, grades 7 and 12. Once the new academic building is ready, the school might expand its capacity. And its affiliation with one of the oldest ski racing organizations in the country is a powerful recruiting tool. Igor said winter academy alumni have gone on to “some of the really high-end schools” known for high-level academic programs and elite ski teams, like Dartmouth, UVM, Babson, and others. “Honestly, our priority is always going to be academics, and we are going to put resources toward that,” he said. “By streamlining all this, they can pursue their academic dreams and their athletic dreams.” Some of Mount Mansfield Ski Club’s elite alumni—from Olympian Tiger Shaw to current ski bum race king Dustin Martin—attended Stowe High School year-round. Igor said that tradition will continue. “Both locations will remain the same” in their mission, he said. “The club is going to do the business the same, still going to host events, NCAAs and Sugar Slaloms, and U-14, U-12, U-18 races, whatever comes along.” n

A version of this article first appeared at skiracing.com. For more information about the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club & Academy, check out mmsca.org.

103

COURTESY SKIRACING.COM

PAUL ROGERS; INSET: COURTESY POHTO

SHOPPING & GALLERIES

t 104

FB - Eye, Sergei Isupov, 2019, porcelain, slip, glaze, 7"x7"x5", part of the summer 2019 exhibit Composing Form that featured contemporary sculptors

working in ceramics, highlighting “both figurative and abstract work that is both poetic and humorous, referencing human history, intervention, and experience.” The show was curated by Rachel Moore, executive director of the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe.

HE HELEN DAY ART CENTER OCCUPIES THE CENTRAL PLACE IN STOWE’S ART scene, both literally and figuratively. Since taking over the top floor of the old Stowe High School building at the head of School Street in 1981, the Helen Day has provided Stowe with world-class exhibits, community programs, art education, and outreach to tens of thousands of schoolchildren. The Helen Day produces major exhibitions featuring internationally and nationally recognized artists and local Vermont artists and artwork. Recent exhibitions have featured contemporary photography, sculpture, painting, mixed media, and installation artwork from Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, New England, Canada, China, Mexico, and from the perspective of journalists, muralists, dissidents, environmentalists, travelers, cartoonists, and Native Americans.

EXHIBITS & OPENINGS BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY 180 Main Street, Jeffersonville. Through Dec. 24. Closed Dec. 25 to Feb. 1, April 1-30. Winter hours Thursdays to Sundays, 11-4. (802) 644-5100. bryangallery.org. Year round

2019 Legacy Collection Through December 22 2019 GEMS & Giants and Mary & Alden Tropics

HELEN DAY ART CENTER Stowe Village, Stowe. (802) 253-8358. Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. helenday.com. See exhibits, page 106.

LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO 593 Moscow Rd., Moscow. littleriverhotglass.com. (802) 253-0889. Nationally recognized art glass studio, features Stowe artist Michael Trimpol’s studio.

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE 1 Montshire Rd., Norwich, Vt. (802) 649-2200. montshire.org. Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Exhibits include Science Discovery Lab, Making Music, Elements of Glass, Air Works, Solve It, and more. Nature trails.

Detail, Haiti, Mary Bryan, Bryan Memorial Gallery. Exhibits & openings, 108 >>

COURTESY PHOTOS; HANDS-ON ROOM: PAUL ROGERS PHOTOGRAPHY

EXHIBITS & OPENINGS

HELEN DAY ART CENTER LOCATED ON THE SECOND FLOOR of the historic Greek Revival building in the heart of picturesque Stowe Village, Helen Day Art Center is a vibrant contemporary art exhibition and education organization. Exhibitions feature local to internationally renowned contemporary artists, and an extensive education program focuses on classes, camps, and workshops for students of all ages throughout the year. Admission and all public programs in the galleries are free, as is the drop-in hands-on room and art lounge (opening January 2020).

HELEN DAY ART CENTER 90 Pond St., Stowe Village. Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free; donations welcome. helenday.com. (802) 253-8358. November 26 – December 28 The Members’ Art Show & Festival of Trees & Light

A community exhibition and sale to celebrate the season through decorated evergreens, a Hanukkah display, and more than 100 members’ artwork. Opening celebration, Dec. 6, 5 - 7 p.m. Family Day, Dec. 14, 1 - 4 p.m. January 16 - April 18 Love Letters

106

Group exhibition celebrates love, with artists working before and during the digital era, not with gender or power politics, not between traditional structures or restraints, but by looking at how love has the power to be a memory, honor, hope, call to

action, or global changemaker. The show is part of the statewide Vermont curatorial project, 2020 Vision: Seeing the World Through Technology, and

will be the kick-off exhibit and feature a keynote event in March 2020. April 4 Springtime in Paris

Helen Day Art Center's annual gala fundraising event. This black-tie, mustattend event takes place at The Lodge at Spruce Peak. Tickets at helenday.com. May 1 – May 30 Student Art Show

This community exhibition displays works from Stowe elementary, middle, and high school students, along with one guest school. n

Video still from “Driving Dreams,” Molly Davies, part of the center’s Love Letters exhibition. Artist Jeroen Nelemans also exhibits in the show. The hands-on room. A child checks out a tree at the Members’ Art Show & Festival of Trees & Light.

EXHIBITS

<<104

NORTHWOOD GALLERY 151 Main Street, Stowe. (802) 760-6513. northwoodgallery.com. Work by Vermont artisans: jewelry, fiber, wood, pottery, glass, sculpture, paintings, photography, more. Rotating demonstrations.

RIVER ARTS CENTER 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. (802) 888-1261. Class schedule, fees, registration, materials: riverartsvt.org. Through December 27 Heartbeet Lifesharing Fiber Arts Through December 27 The View from Here: Local Landscapes by Jennifer Hubbard

ROBERT PAUL GALLERIES Baggy Knees Shopping Center, 394 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-7282. robertpaulgalleries.com. Original paintings, sculpture, and photography from dozens of noted artists.

STOWE CRAFT REMARKABLE THINGS

For every room in your home, from full decorating services to cooking classes, we have it all. We love creating happy homes.

Stowe Kitchen Bath & Linens

1813 Mountain Road, Stowe | 802.253.8050 | stowekitchen.net

55 Mountain Road and 34 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-4693. stowecraft.com. Fine crafts, furniture, sculpture, representing artists Dug Nap, Ryan Fowler, Valerie Miller, Jon Olsen, and more.

VERMONT ARTISANS’ GALLERY 20 Bridge St., Waitsfield. Daily 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (802) 496-6256. vtartisansgallery.com. Artists’ cooperative filled with juried handcrafted work of Vermont artists.

VERMONT SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUM One S. Main St., Stowe. Daily except Monday, 12 5 p.m. Handicap accessible. Suggestion donation $5. (802) 253-9911. vtssm.com. ORIGINS: Skiing & Riding in Vermont,

an exhibit in three parts—Green Mountains, White Gold: Origins of Vermont Skiing & Surfing Snow: Vermont Inspired Boards, both opening Dec. 6; and Two Contests: Competing in Biathlon, opening Feb. 14.

WEST BRANCH GALLERY & SCULPTURE PARK

108

Indoor gallery, outdoor sculpture park. Contemporary art in varied styles by regional, national, and international artists. One mile from the village, Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 825-5683. westbranchgallery.com. Ongoing Sculpture Park: Works in stone, steel, bronze by Jonathan Prince, David Stromeyer, Chris Curtis, John Matusz, Richard Erdman, Claude Millette, Chris Miller, more. n

COURTESY PHOTOS

MIXED MEDIA

Met Opera, Akhnaten; Bolshoi Ballet, Nutcracker; Après Ski fundraiser with Ice Dance International; Illusionist Vitaly Beckman; and John Pizzarelli.

SPRUCE PEAK ARTS CENTER SPRUCE PEAK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 122 Hourglass Drive, Spruce Peak at Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeakarts.org. (802) 760-4634. Subject to change. Saturday, November 23

Emergency 1st Responders Soul & Blues Bash Dave Keller’s Soul Revue with John Fusco and the X-Road Riders, with special guest Seth Yacovone, 7 p.m. Emergency 1st responders, buy one, get one. Friday, November 29 Vitaly: An Evening of Wonders Interactive theatrical experience with one of the most unique and innovative illusionists in the world. 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, December 21 John Pizzarelli Trio “For Centennial Reasons: 100-Year Salute to Nat King Cole” Pizzarelli returns to his roots to honor his hero, the legendary jazz/pop vocalist and pianist Nat King Cole. 7 p.m. Sunday, December 22 Warren Miller’s “Timeless” Warren Miller Entertainment’s 70th film features a cast of fresh faces, including Olympic mogul skier Jaelin Kauf and Canadian World Cup ski racer Erin Mielzynski, Vermont native Jim Ryan, alongside industry veterans Glen Plake, Rob Deslauriers, and Marcus Caston. Monday, December 23 The Nutcracker Bolshoi Ballet in HD film. 3 p.m.

110

Friday, December 27

“Winterland” A celebration on film of ski and snowboard culture with a new crop of modern-day pioneers. 7 p.m. Saturday, December 28 Green Mountain Mahler Festival Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 “the Choral,” is one of Beethoven’s greatest works. Join the festival orchestra and chorus, conductor Daniel Bruce, and four Vermont vocal soloists for their festive holiday concert. 7 p.m. Saturday, January 11 Martin Sexton American singer-songwriter tours with his ninth studio album, “Mixtape of the Open Road.” 7 p.m. Saturday, January 18 Spruce Peak Chamber Music Society: Beethoven’s 250th With Jinjoo Cho (violin), Margaret Dyer Harris (viola), Eunataek Kim (piano), and Jia Kim (cello). 7 p.m. February 5 Che Malambo All-male Argentine company Che Malambo excites audiences through precise footwork and rhythmic stomping, drumming of the bombos, singing, and whirling boleadoras. 7 p.m., student matinee, 10 a.m. (See story, p.122) Sunday, February 16 Spruce Peak Chamber Music Society: Intimate Letters Peter Dugan (piano), Jia Kim (cello), and Yoonah Kim (clarinet). 7 p.m. >>112

MIXED MEDIA

<<110

A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS IN STOWE

Wednesday, February 19

Dirty Dozen Brass Band with Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Cha’s Mardi Gras boogaloo with two Louisiana musical legends. 7 p.m. Saturday, March 14 Après Chic Winter gala, with performance by Ice Dance International, the culmination of a week-long residency in Stowe. 5 p.m. to late night. Saturday, March 28 Spruce Peak Chamber Music Society: Voices of Women Molly Carr (viola), Jia Kim (cello), Jennifer Liu (violin), Yannick Rafalimanana (piano). 7 p.m.

Events throughout Stowe village. stowevibrancy.com. December 6 – 8 Tree lightings, children’s lantern parade, art center full of festooned trees, traditional holiday decorations, wagon rides, visits with Santa & Mrs. Claus, caroling, live holiday music from local bands The Blue Diamonds and The Skeleton Keys, candy cane pulling, holiday cookie decorating, gingerbread house decorating, Disney Frozen characters at Stowe Cinema’s screening of Frozen 2, a Santa stroll, and more.

FRIENDS OF STOWE FREE LIBRARY Stowe Free Library, 90 Pond St., Stowe Village. stowelibrary.org.

MET OPERA HD SERIES AT SPRUCE PEAK

February 13 In Our Own Backyard program with Charlie Nardozzi, garden writer and personality. 7 p.m.

Thursdays at 2 p.m. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 122 Hourglass Drive, Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeakarts.org. (802) 760-4634.

HANDMADE CANDY CANE DEMOS

December 19: Manon (Massenet)

Laughing Moon Chocolates, 78 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-9591.

December 26: Madama Butterfly (Puccini) January 23: Akhnaten (Glass)

Through Christmas Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, watch as candy makers boil, turn, pull, roll, and twist candy canes into works of art. Free demos or make your own for a fee. 11 a.m., with second demo on Saturdays, 2 p.m. (No chocolate dipping demos on those Saturdays) Daily Chocolate Dipping Demos Demonstration of hand-dipping. Free. 2 p.m.

February 13: Wozzeck (Berg) March 5: Porgy and Bess (Gershwin) April 2: Agrippina (Handel) April 30: Der Fliegende Holländer (Wagner) May 28: Tosca (Puccini)

SPRUCE PEAK LIGHTS FESTIVAL & FIREWORKS

November 30 Complimentary cider donuts, musical performances, ice skating exhibitions, kids activities, more. Tree and village lighting at 5:45 pm, followed by fireworks.

STOWE LAND TRUST Stowe’s premier land conservation organization. Free, but please register. stowelandtrust.org. December 5

Moose Status in the Northeast Learn about challenges moose face. Green Mountain Club Visitor Center, 4711 Waterbury-Stowe Rd. 7 - 9 p.m. January 11 Winter Tree ID Walk Learn how to ID trees with Jed Lipsky on a gentle walk through Wiessner Woods. Bring snowshoes. 10 - 11 a.m. February 15 Nordic Ski in Brownsville—Story Ridge Forest Fun ski through the rolling hills of BrownsvilleStory Ridge Forest. 10 a.m. - noon. Nordic skiing experience required. See requirements online. No pets. March 6 Moonlight Snowshoe in Brownsville—-Story Ridge Forest Meet at end of plowed portion of Brownsville Road. 7 - 9 p.m. Bring snowshoes. See requirements online. No pets.

TRIP DANCE COMPANY FUNDRAISER Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 1 Hourglass Lane, Spruce Peak. sprucepeaksarts.org. March 20 – 21 Dozens of dancers from Stowe Dance and Mad River Dance academies perform ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, tap, and hip-hop. 7 p.m.

GORDON MILLER

Spruce Peak Village Center, Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeak.com.

over the Christmas pageant and provide a new spin on tradition. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., and Sunday, 4:30 p.m. By donation.

VERMONT SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUM

December 21 Music, photos with Santa, ice skating exhibitions, fireworks, food. Featuring art by Michael Zebrowski and Clay Mohrman. 3:30 - 7 p.m.

One S. Main St., Stowe. Open daily except Monday, 12 - 5 p.m. Handicap accessible. Suggestion donation $5. (802) 253-9911. vtssm.com.

SPRUCE PEAK NEW YEAR’S EVE FIREWORKS & TORCHLIGHT PARADE December 31 Live music, kids activities, food and family fun (4 - 9 p.m.), torchlight parade (5 p.m.), and spectacular fireworks display (7:30 p.m.)

STOWE COMMUNITY CHURCH k Main Street, Stowe Village.

SPRUCE PEAK AT STOWE APRES SKI Spruce Peak Village Center, Stowe Resort. sprucepeak.com. Ongoing • Beverages, oven roasted raclette, cider donuts, and more. Thursday to Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. Live music Saturdays 2:30 - 7 p.m.; music nightly during holiday periods. • Free public skating: Spruce Peak ice rink. Sunday to Thursday, noon - 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and holiday periods, noon - 9 p.m.

SPRUCE PEAK HOLIDAY EVENTS Spruce Peak Village Center, Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeak.com. • Spruce Peak ice chair, ice carving, Dec. 26. • Free curling demos, noon - 2 p.m. Dec. 28 and 31 and Feb. 15 and 19. • Complimentary family photos, Dec. 26 - 30 and Feb. 15 – 20. 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.

112

• Red Bench Speaker Series Each month brings a new subject and speaker. 6 p.m. Beverages available. Donation $10. January 9: Vermont’s Backcountry Skiing February: TBD March 19: Ski & Snowboard graphic design April: Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas • Bound Film Series February 20 Four-part series, presented by Backcountry Magazine

Conductor Daniel Bruce, Stowe Community Church.

Spruce Peak Village Center, Stowe Mountain Resort.

December 7

Stowe Community Church Christmas Fair Needlecrafts, baked goods, collectibles, wreaths, Pocket Lady, Quilt raffle. 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. December 11 Christmas Carol Sing Well-known religious and secular music selections. 7 p.m. December 16 Handel’s Messiah Community Sing-In Sing the choruses and celebrate winter solstice and holiday season. Featured soloists. Bring a score; a few at the door. Conducted by Daniel Bruce. 7 p.m.; doors open 6:30 p.m. $8 per person. December 20 – 22 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Delightful play featuring Stowe area actors, directed by Taryn Noelle. The six Herdman kids forego their usual mischief-making to take

WINTER RENDEZVOUS Locations around Stowe. winterrendezvous.com. January 22 – 26 Annual gay ski week, with karaoke party, bonfire bash, indoor pool party, drag bingo hosted by the House of LeMay, drag icon Varla Jean Merman, and comedian Jen Kober.

HIGHLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2875 Hardwick St., Greensboro. (802) 533-9075. highlandartsvt.org. December 7 – 8

Ballet Wolcott Presents: The Nutcracker Beloved holiday ballet. 7 p.m.

>>123

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST SPIRIT ANIMAL Caroline McKinney in her studio with some of the pets and portraits she’s painted over the years. Clockwise from top right: Blue Dog. John Sargent. Bodacious.

BY THE WATERCOLORS Caroline McKinney finds her passion in paint

114

Every Sunday morning, Caroline McKinney couldn’t sit still and be quiet in church. So her mother gave her a pencil and while the preacher preached young Caroline drew pictures on the backsides of offering envelopes. Her subjects? The backs of the heads of the people sitting in front of her. Sketching those heads was the beginning of a lifelong passion for McKinney. Even when she pursued a career in pottery, drawing remained a part of her life. About four years ago, McKinney transitioned to watercolors, but it was a circuitous route that brought her to the STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS / KATE CARTER brushes and paints. She was a potter for 20 years and then a graphic designer for 20 years. “As I got closer to 70 and slowing down, I decided to try watercolors, even though I have no background in painting,” she said. Just one look at McKinney’s watercolors and it’s obvious she has natural talent, skill, and patience for the medium. It’s hard to believe she’s only been painting for four years, but watercolors have found a strong presence in her artistic repertoire. “I like the way the paint moves on the page and how you can mix colors on the paper. And I like the transparency. It’s challenging, and there is a lot I don’t know how to do, a lot to learn.” Her subjects are humans and other animals, the title of her one-woman show at River Arts, a community arts organization based in Morrisville. “I love living and looking and moving, and am not attracted to still life painting. I can appreciate the skill, but overall I find it boring. I’d like to learn landscaping and

play with it. I like it when an artist can make a landscape interesting, but right now I am focused on humans and other animals.” McKinney’s watercolors of people and animals, mostly family pets, are stunningly accurate, and from a distance they seem to step off the page. Up close, you can see the subtle differences in the colors, layers, light and shadow, and fine detail. “Something I’ve realized is I don’t have to paint reality. If it makes a better painting, I change or add colors, but that’s hard for me. Sometimes it takes several doovers to achieve what I’m trying to relate.” McKinney works mostly from photographs, and learning that she doesn’t have to be exact has been difficult. “I love human anatomy. One thing I’ve discovered is that it’s much more difficult to paint dark skin. And water is difficult, all the different shapes and forms and movement.” Her studio is above her home on Elmore Mountain Road, which she shares with her husband, John Sargent, also an artist, who works in oils and acrylics. “With those types of paints you can worry something to death. >>

115

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST

Caroline McKinney in her studio. Inset: Coffee Shop.

LAUGHING

MO N CHOCOLATES open 9-6 daily free 2pm demonstration fudge | coffee | workshops 78 South Main Street Stowe Village 802.253.9591 laughingmoonchocolates.com

AMAZING TOYS AND GIFTS FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES

43 YEARS OLD AND STILL GROWING! Voted Vermont’s Best Children’s Store by Locals -Seven Days

HAVING A BIRTHDAY? Stop by to get a FREE balloon!

Just look for the little elephant and our cosmic sign! Stowe • 802-253-8319

116

STOWETOYS.COM

You can’t do that with watercolors, which suits my temperament,” McKinney said. She also shares the studio space with her two standard poodles, Malia and Fin, who are often her willing subjects. Dog beds, water bowls, and toys are scattered about the studio. A sound system, good natural light, and two couches create a comfortable atmosphere—or are those couches there for the dogs? McKinney grew up in Tennessee and attended Lake Forest College near Chicago for art history, and then Pratt Art Institute in Brooklyn, where she majored in photography and ceramics. That’s when she met John, who grew up in Morrisville. Together they moved back to Vermont, where McKinney got a job as an apprentice to Jean-Paul Patnode at Stowe Pottery. She also taught pottery at Upward Bound and was an adjunct teacher at Johnson State College. Eventually she set up her own studio in Hyde Park, where she threw pots for 20 years. But 20 years of throwing pottery can take a toll on the body. Even though painting is now her main focus, she still draws, and helps facilitate the figuredrawing drop-in classes at River Arts, where she also taught a watercolor class on painting faces. In addition to her one-woman show, she’s had paintings accepted in a Vermont Watercolor Society juried member show at the Southern Vermont Art Center in Manchester, as well as LaRue Farm in Waitsfield, the T.W.

Wood Gallery in Montpelier, and the Helen Day member show in Stowe. McKinney’s advice to anyone wanting to try watercolors is to find someone whose work you admire and take lessons. She took lessons with Stowe watercolorist Lisa Forster Beach and attended workshops at Landgrove Inn, which hosts nationally acclaimed artists to teach seminars. McKinney also says to get the best paper you can afford and don’t get student-grade paints. “It’s easy to get sucked into buying more and more colors, and teachers have different opinions on which colors to use. I’ve stopped buying more colors. It’s an interesting exercise to try to paint with only the three primary colors.” As she continues to gravitate toward people and pets, it’s dogs that get her greatest attention. McKinney has an uncanny ability to catch pets’ personalities, especially facial expressions and the brightness in their eyes. “I enjoy doing commissions and have done a lot of dog portraits. I like trying to catch something the owner loves, finding that fun, special thing about a dog that the owner wants to remember.” A definite upgrade from drawing the backs of peoples’ heads. n ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: McKinney flies under the radar. Reach her at mayamck45@gmail.com.

SKI PEOPLE MY FAVORITE TRAIL James Binginot in his studio laminating his ski trail signs, which are sold at resorts across the country.

WHAT’S YOUR GOAT? James Binginot will put it on a sign—authentically!

118

You know those signs that every ski resort has, with each trail’s name and ability level ranked by circles, squares, or diamonds? Has it ever crossed your mind that, gee, I had my best run ever on Nose Dive; wouldn’t it be great to have that Nose Dive sign in my man cave? Or she shed? Or game room? Well, you can, no pilfering necessary! James Binginot makes replications of ski trail signs found at resorts across the country. His family owns Authentic Trail Signs in Morrisville and produces signs for about 40 ski resorts. Binginot got the idea for the business when skiSTORY & PHOTOGRAPHS / KATE CARTER ing at Sunshine Village Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada. Its retail store had a rack of colorful Sunshine trail signs, exactly like the ones on the slopes. Turns out people had been stealing the slopeside signs, so the resort decided to make them available in the shop. Not only did they sell well, but the pilfering stopped. That was in 2003, when Binginot was working in a sign shop. He wanted to branch out on his own and eventually bought all the machinery, computers, and materials needed to go into production. His first clients were Stowe and Smugglers’ Notch resorts. “I skied and took pictures of their signs on the slopes, designed and reproduced samples with their resort logos,” Binginot said. “I asked if they would try offering them in their retail shops. They agreed and the signs flew out the doors.” >>

Visit a Cocoplum Showroom to see the latest from Miele

SKI PEOPLE

James Binginot.

SALES, INSTALLATION & SERVICE OF MOST MAJOR BRANDS Locally Owned & Operated Since 1985 27 Park St. Essex Junction, VT (802) 878-6868 • 1300 Putney Rd. Brattleboro, VT (802) 254-9104 cocoplumappliances.com 540 Main St. Keene, NH(603) 355-8200

BEAUTIFUL SMILES FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS

ALWAYS WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS 1593 Pucker Street (Route 100N), Stowe | 802-253-4157 | stowefamilydentistry.com

120

Seventeen years later, Binginot has about 50 signs of actual trails in regular production. His best sellers are “Goat” at Stowe and “Black Hole” at Smuggs and his best clients are Stowe and Stratton Mountain resorts. When he was getting started Binginot, an accomplished skier, visited as many resorts in the East as possible, taking photos of slopeside trail signs. The photos provide all the information he needs to make the signs authentic— fonts, colors, layouts, difficulty levels, exact wording, shapes, and directional arrows. Authentic Trail Signs are produced in a space above the family garage. Most measure 4 by 24 inches on heavy-gauge white aluminum plates. Each color is individually printed onto high-quality vinyl, then clear-coated with an anti-scratch, ultraviolet light inhibitor layer and stacked in a drying room. His son helps with production, computer issues, and the website, and his wife helps with bagging, labeling, and shipping. Looking to expand his offerings, Binginot has added a summer product—signs related to hiking. A best seller is a sign that honors all the 4,000-footers in the Northeast, with each summit and its elevation listed. He also does “elevation” signs of historic summits in the White Mountains for the Appalachian Mountain Club, and offers local signs relating to popular hiking peaks and summits in Vermont. Also popular are ski resort warning signs: “Out of Bounds,” “Avalanches,” “No Inverted Aerials,” and the like. Specialty signs are available on the company’s website, where you can design pretty much anything that strikes your fancy. One coach requested a sign that says, “Listen Means Shut Up.” Binginot attributes his company’s success to staying small and flexible, with the ability to offer variety and adapt easily to change. He says Vail’s purchase of Stowe Mountain Resort has increased his business, even though he does signs only for Vail’s resorts in the East. The signs have gone from memorabilia to collector’s items. N //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: At retail shops at Stowe Mountain and Smugglers’ Notch resorts. authentictrailsigns.com.

FRANK WIESEN

APRÈS SKI

CHE MALAMBO TO DAZZLE IN STOWE The powerhouse all-male Argentine company Che Malambo absolutely dazzles audiences with its rapid-fire footwork, called zapeteo, drumming of bombos, and whirling boleadoras. With its roots in gaucho dueling, the 400-year-old Argentinian malambo dance is executed solely by men and based entirely on rhythm similar to Spanish flamenco and American tap. See the very high energy Che Malambo perform in Stowe, Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center. Malambo is at the heart of the gaucho (South American cowboy) tradition and is now captivating audiences around the world with this new production created by renowned choreographer Gilles Brinas. The Paris-based Brinas first learned about Malambo while researching traditional dances. He soon fell under its spell and travelled to the Pampas region of Argentina to engage with the gaucho and further his exploration of their traditions. “Stowe audiences will absolutely love Che Malambo,” says Hope Sullivan, executive director of the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center. “It is an exhilarating percussive dance and music spectacle, and the fiery, fast-paced malambo is a perfect antidote for the dark days of February.” Malambo began in the 17th century as competitive duels that tested skills of agility, strength, and dexterity among the gaucho. It soon evolved to include its hallmark, zapeteo, the fast-paced footwork inspired by the rhythm of galloping horses. In addition to zapateo, malambo features the drumming of traditional Argentine bombos and whirling boleadoras, a throwing weapon made up of intertwined cords and weighted with stones. “The malambo was practiced as a kind of rhythmic duel,” said Brinas, who has performed with dance companies throughout Europe, including Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon, the Ballet of the 20th Century, and the Grand Ballet de France. “One performer danced a rhythmic sequence, which was taken up by the other, who completed it, but not before it was taken up again by the first, who extended it even further.” Reviewing Che Malambo’s performance at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Siobhan Burke of The New York Times said the dance group “sent the audience into uproarious applause. … The pawing, galloping footwork and legwork, which often accelerate into a swiveling blur of motion below the waist; the astoundingly elastic ankles that support balancing, improbably, on the outside edges of the feet; the speed with which the dancers, their chests held proud and legs darting out from under them, can swallow up space.” Since its premiere in Paris in 2007, Che Malambo has performed around the world, including a 32-city world tour during 2015 and 2016. n

ESSENTIALS: Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m. •••• $25 - $55, sprucepeakarts.org Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Hourglass Lane, Stowe 122

MIXED MEDIA

<<112

Raffi

Lilla P

Margaret O’leary

White+Warren

Tolani

December 21 – 22

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever The six Herdman kids forego their usual mischief-making to take over the Christmas pageant and provide a new spin on tradition. Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. January 19 The Telling Project: The Same Moon Stories focus on eight new Vermonters who have come to Vermont from all over the world to settle, work, and learn. 3 - 5 p.m.

JAY PEAK MUSIC SERIES The Foeger Ballroom. jaypeakresort.com. December 31 - January 1

New Year’s Eve Celebration & Fireworks Music by Lazer Dad, dancing, and fireworks at Tramside. 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. February 29 Into the Mystic: The Van Morrison Experience 7:30 p.m. March 14 The Lil Smokies Charged acoustic music. 8 p.m. April 11 The Peacheaters: Allman Brothers Experience 7 p.m.

LAMOILLE COUNTY PLAYERS Hyde Park Opera House, 85 Main Street. Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday matinee, 2 p.m. $20. llcplayers.com. December 14 – 15

GORDON MILLER

Holiday Variety Show Evening of music and entertainment, hosted by humorist and entertainer George Woodard.

RIVER OF LIGHT LANTERN PARADE Beautiful lantern procession through Waterbury. Theme is REinventions! Bring a lantern or join the parade route. ariveroflightinwaterbury.org. December 7 Starts at Thatcher Brook primary. 5 p.m. Bonfire and hot chocolate at Dac Rowe field.

designer labels & personalized service in Stowe

WATERBURY WINTERFEST Locations throughout town. waterburywinterfest.com. January 24 – February 2 Broomball, dance, drone races, ice jug racing, winter dance, game show, Musical Munchkins, Christmas tree bonfire, human bowling, moonlight snowshoe, and much more.

ZENBARN 179 Guptil Rd., Waterbury Center. (802) 244-8134. zenbarnvt.com. Wednesday Night Dead Live Grateful Dead Music, 7 - 10 p.m. Thursdays American Roots Night. Local players team up with Berklee College music students. n

Open 10 - 5:30 Daily | 10 - 5 Sunday 344 Mountain Rd., Stowe | 802.253.4595 | incompanyclothing.com

360 Cashmere

Johnny Was

Fly London

Tyler Boe

123

N AT U R A L I S T C O R N E R

BEAR

BEAVER

DEER

FOX

LYNX

MINK

MOLE

MOOSE

RABBIT

RACCOON

SQUIRREL

TURKEY

ANIMALS TRACKS: ID animals as you hike, walk, and ski Winter is the time to look for animal tracks. So as you’re out walking, skiing, or snowshoeing in the woods, take a few moments and look down. Experts offer several tips for identifying tracks. • Be aware of the types of animals in the area. • Measure the print’s length and width. Most often, front feet will be larger as they support more weight. • What’s the stride, or length between prints. And, then, check out the straddle, or width between prints. This observation will tell you how fast the animal was moving. • Observe whether the print has a heel, look for claw marks,

124

and count the number of toes. • Note patterns of movement and location. Observing animal tracks, a skill still used by any successful hunter, was first perfected by those whose survival depended on hunting and gathering. Today, identifying animals by their tracks is made easier with cellphones, naturalist guides, flashcards, or our handy ID tracker.. n

Largest Clean Beauty Store in Northern New England

Hello Clean Beauty!

Winter is here Spring is near

gifts bedding bath kitchen

109 Main Street, Stowe, Vermont Open daily 10-6 802-253-7653 | countrystorevt.com

Aether Beauty DedCool Ellis Brooklyn Gryph & Ivyrose J. Hannah Jack Black Kahina Giving Beauty Kaia Naturals Kari Gran Khus + Khus Kjaer Weis Kypris La Mend Lab to Beauty Luk Beautyfood Patchology Priti NYC Pursoma P/Y/T Beauty Rodin Olio Lusso Saint Jane Beauty Suntegrity Ursa Major Vertly Wildist

CHAMMOMILE RT 100, WATERBURY CENTER (10 mins from Stowe Village) PINE STREET & CHURCH STREET IN BURLINGTON LakeChamplainChocolates .com

CLOTHING + CLEAN BEAUTY 25 MAIN STREET | STOWE @chammomilestowe

125

art for historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake PHOTOGRAPHY OF JIM WESTPHALEN

126

â&#x2013; Brook Road farmstead

STORY

: jasmine bigelow

WORKS

: jim westphalen 127

he photo bug bit Jim Westphalen as a kid, when he was given an Instamatic camera. He quickly became fascinated with the concept of clicking a button and two weeks later picking up the prints, capturing something forever. “It was the most magical thing,” he recalls. Decades later, Jim the professional photographer, has reached a certain sweet spot in his career: work that he enjoys, and a notable talent that can be put to use to benefit others. The best part? He’s aware of how sweet it is to be in this particular place in life. In fact, “fortunate” and “thankful” are words he uses quite often when talking about his work and his artistic journey. He is—of course—referring to how he feels, and yet, they are the

T 128

same words those of us who appreciate art, history, and local stories might use when exploring and explaining the details of his work. We are fortunate to experience a converging of cultural importance, and thankful to him for doing it. “You get to a certain point in your career, where you find you have a passion, and you want to do more with it,” says Jim, a tall, blue-eyed, gentle, engaging man, who is forward thinking in a nostalgic kind of way. “I feel super fortunate because people are really understanding my vision.” Well known throughout the region as a commercial photographer, primarily for architecture, resort lifestyle, and food, Jim has enjoyed a long, busy career doing what he loves. Now, he’s making an intentional shift to do more fine art landscape photography, and in the process is gaining notability as a fine art photographer. And, as a documentarian.

â&#x2013; Kendra Dew Westphalen portrait of her husband, photographer Jim Westphalen, as he photographs The Church of the Brethren, circa 1915, Kremlin, Mont.

129

■ The Church of the Brethren, circa 1915, Kremlin, Mont. ■ Hay stack, Ryegate, Mont.

■ Red Barn 3, circa early 1880s, Charlotte, Vt. Still in use, this barn sits on the land that was originally settled by Capt. James Hill, who purchased it before the Revolutionary War. After the war, he sold the 240-acre parcel to his son, Thomas Chittenden Hill, who developed it into the largest apple orchard in New England. The Hill family continued to live on the site until 1946. Now used as a woodworking shop, it has been in the Tuttle family for half a century.

Born and raised in suburbia Long Island, Jim is a selfdescribed country boy, which he attributes to his childhood summers spent with his grandmother in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. As an adult, he visited Vermont frequently with friends, and his moving-to-Vermont story is similar to those heard so often—he just couldn’t stop thinking: wouldn’t it be great if we could live here? In 1996, he discovered Burlington’s creative, urbanized vibe and he found there the potential to continue his already established commercial photography business. But moving his young family here—his kids were 2, 4, and 9 at the time—was a leap of faith. He knew he preferred to live in a place like Vermont, but the big question remained: “Do I believe in my abilities and what I can do?” He chose to believe. He uprooted himself and his family and began the challenging process of planting roots in northern Vermont. Fortunately, commercial clients in New York stuck with him while he built a reputation and clientele closer to home. s a result of his ongoing faith and the support of the people around him—notably his wife, Kendra Dew Westphalen, kids and family, production manager Bill Killon, and the galleries who’ve taken a chance on him—his Vermont roots have grown deep in the past 23 years, influencing a positive local reputation, inspiring a shift to fine art, and spawning a more widespread purpose. “Here in Vermont, the landscape is phenomenal,” Jim says. “In my travels around, I’ll happen upon a structure that will capture me, and I have to make plans to go back and revisit it in the right light or season.” He has diligently gone back, and the result is “Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America.” A ten-year-in-themaking artistic project, “Vanish” captures what Jim describes as “the built landscape; those features and patterns reflecting human occupation within the natural surroundings.” His artistic muse, so to speak. While “Vanish” is an art project, there is a deep historical and anthropological side of it. “Now is the time we are witnessing this profound loss of the ordinary and extraordinary structures that our common heritage and the very soul of Vermont were built upon,” he explains. Along with them, the stories of the rural economy that was once our way of life may also disappear. Some of the historic structures Jim has captured on film have already vanished. On several occasions, he has gone back to a location of note to find that the building that once stood there is gone, the victim of a natural collapse or an intentional teardown. “The ones that got away,” he says.

130

131

■ Orwell Barn 1, Orwell, Vt.

■ Sugarhouse 1, South Enosburgh, Vt.

132

For those that don’t get away, his photography captures a certain mood with an exquisite, show-stopping quality. It reveals the loneliness and vulnerability of the changed rural economy. Jim is not only photographing an artistic catalog of historically significant structures of our cultural and economic past that sit in disrepair or abandonment, but he is also serving as documentarian, gathering facts and anecdotes, and weaving it all together on gallery walls, in a book, and in a documentary film—coming in 2020. Vermont features heavily in “Vanish,” but Jim is also including structures that are indigenous to specific regions of the U.S. Barns, outbuildings, coal sheds, grain elevators, one-room schoolhouses, and churches. In a tangible example of his forward-thinking but nostalgic personality, Jim uses a 35-year-old vintage view camera to shoot. But he adapted it to digital, in a sort of marrying of old and new. The camera has been a trusted friend for over three decades. Jim’s on-site approach to photography tends to be methodical, but, “if the light is fantastic in this moment, you better figure it out quick because the right light is everything,” he says. Some of his on-site tricks include merging and overlapping exposures, and moving the camera just slightly to blend it all together. He photographs everything in color, later transitioning some images to black and white; he sometimes gives a patina to details.

CHAMMOMILE CLEAN BEAUTY + CLOTHING 25 MAIN STREET | STOWE OPEN DAILY 802.253.5005 @chammomilestowe

CBD Vermont’s retail store features CBD products from Vermont-based companies. CBD oils, capsules, topicals, and edibles (gummies, honey, chocolates, etc.) 1930 Waterbury Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT 05677 | 802.882.8377 | OPEN EVERYDAY 10AM - 6PM

133

■ Salisbury Barn 1, Salisbury, Vt. It is known that this barn was used for horses and milking cows in the early 1950s. Three families have owned the structure in the decades since; it was used mostly for hay and machinery storage until the 1990s. The barn is no longer structurally sound and sits vacant. ■ Mount Tabor Grain Mill 2, Danby, Vt.

Built by Goodwin Crosby as a grain mill in the 1950s, the original structure burned to the ground in 1963. A new mill was rebuilt and completed in 1967. This structure is no longer in use.

is images are not overly manipulated, either on-site or in his Shelburne studio, but his choices are a means to the end. He knows what he wants the final image to look like, and uses technology to achieve his vision. Final images have a painterly quality, and it’s unsurprising to learn that his influences include Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, and A. Hale Johnson—all painters. The first time he had an emotional experience viewing a piece of art was when he first saw Johnson’s work at a gallery in Vermont. He couldn’t believe that human hands could create such an incredible thing, and he even wrote a note to Johnson; they’ve since become good friends. His images are presented like paintings, and that’s because he wants people to get the textural sense from his work. He prints on 100 percent rag paper, which is specifically designed for fine art applications. The paper has tooth to it. There is no glass, and prints are not matted. The works are also extremely large, because it’s easier to see, acknowledge, and appreciate the intense detail. For “Vanish,” the research is an additional process of its own. Jim knocks on doors, visits historical societies, and has discovered that six degrees of separation is all part of the adventure. He’s found that people are open and willing to share their stories, and the stories behind the buildings he’s set his lens upon. There will always be those that get away. But, fortunately, they won’t all get away. ■

ESSENTIALS:

• Westphalen exhibits at West Branch Gallery, Stowe. • Documentary film: “Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America.” View trailer at jimwestphalen.com. Feature film coming in 2020. • Book: “Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America.” Available at the gallery. 134

WHAT WILL YOU

WITH SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS

DISCOVER?

` 150+ Hands-On Exhibits ` Daily Science Activities

` Aquariums and Animals ` Miles of Nature Trails

WWW.MONTSHIRE.ORG // NORWICH, VERMONT 135

FOUND IN VERMONT FUNCTIONAL ART GLASS Known worldwide for its lead-free handblown glassware and handthrown pottery, Simon Pearce is a Vermont icon. The beautiful, functional, and sometimes whimsical products reflect owner Simon Pearce’s Irish heritage. Headquarters are in Quechee, Vt., where you can watch artisans blow glass and throw clay, shop for the perfect wedding gift, and dine in their restaurant overlooking the Ottauquechee River waterfall. Other Vermont stores are in Windsor and Burlington. Of note: Simon Pearce’s son, snowboarder Kevin Pearce, sustained a traumatic head injury while training for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Kevin has recovered remarkable well and subsequently started a foundation called LoveYourBrain. Simon Pearce donates 20 percent of proceeds from their LoveYourBrain glass collection to support the foundation’s efforts. Pictured, the company’s Stowe lamp, inspired by Mount Mansfield.

UDDERLY VERSATILE

INFO: simponpearce.com.

SWEET, SPICY, SAUCY It’s Arthur’s Fault! is a family-owned business in Jericho, Vt., that makes small-batch gourmet sauces. The products range from spicy to sweet and are the creation of the family’s stay-at-home dad, Arthur Shelmandine, whose love of cooking resulted in a line of sauces with names like Penuche Caramel, Pineapple Pepper Tiki BBQ, Garlic Caper Marinade, and 21 more. They are so delicious you might be tempted to eat them by the spoonful straight from the jar. Next time you need a bit of sauciness in your life, reach for a jar of It’s Arthur’s Fault!, and blame it on Arthur if you end up binging out. INFO: Available at Cabot Farmer’s Store in Waterbury and online at itsarthursfault.com.

Want to get a grip on dry, chapped winter hands and lips? Look no further than Bag Balm, that tried and true, versatile, long-lasting moisturizer, made right here in Vermont. The legendary balm was born in 1899 in the Northeast Kingdom, when farmers used it to condition cow udders. Its healing powers were quickly proved, and people started using it on their hands. Soon it became a go-to product for chapped lips, cycling saddle sores, cuts and scrapes, and even as a balm for puppy paws. After more than 120 years, Bag Balm continues to protect, literally sealing out the elements and letting wounds heal. INFO: Available at pharmacies, other local retailers, and online at bagbalm.com.

COURTESY PHOTOS; STOWE MAPLE: GLENN CALLAHAN

HOW SWEET STOWE IS If you’re looking for something sweet and Vermont-y, look no further than Stowe Maple Products, located in the colorful and seasonally decorated barn on Route 100 between Stowe and Waterbury. Open year-round, shelves brim with all grades of maple syrup in assorted containers. They also have maple candy, Vermont Maple Almond Brittle, and maple popcorn. If you’re into sarcasm, you might enjoy their collection of signs with barbed quips like “The deadline for complaints was yesterday” or the friendlier “Stressed spelled backwards is desserts!” The family-run sugarhouse produces syrup in the spring months, but is open year-round for retail. INFO: Hours vary seasonally, so call ahead. (802) 253-2508. Find them on Facebook at Stowe Maple Products.

HATS OFF—AND ON—TO POPIA Bright colors, pretty winter patterns, and soft merino wool are the only ingredients that go into Popia ski hats, plus a little love from knitwear and apparel designer Poppy Gall of Stowe. The hats are made in Italy by a second generation, family-owned knitting business, who Gall has worked with for decades. “Color and pattern fuel my spirit,” said Gall. “I’m thrilled to share my design passion with everyone who will wear a Popia hat, each a piece of art and an expression of individuality.” The hats are made of premium merino yarn, a natural fiber that retains warmth when wet, is breathable, odor resistant, and perfect for winter wear. With proper care, Popia hats are designed to last for generations, and unlike synthetic products, will biodegrade naturally. INFO: Available at Trapp Family Lodge and Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum. popiadesign.com. —Kate Carter

136

Have a product you’d like us to feature? Send us, not your sales rep, a two-sentence description of why our readers need to know to kate_carter@comcast.net. No phone calls please, and no tweets, por favor, Mr. Trump.

Located at 5 Stowe Street in historic downtown Waterbury

Open Tuesday - Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-4 Shadow Boxes Mat, Glass, Mirror & Plexi Cutting Ready-made & Pre-owned Frames Fine Art Lamination (Affordable

Alternative to Custom Framing) @AxelsGallery @AxelsFrameShopGallery

Custom Picture Framing Canvas Stretching Minor Frame Repairs Drymounting Existing Frame Fits (802) 244-7801 www.AxelsGallery.com

“Stowe Village” oil by Eric Tobin, in the Legacy Collection

Bryan Memorial Gallery The Best of Vermont Local Arts. Come see why. &Žƌ ŚŽƵƌƐ ĂŶĚ ĞǆŚŝďŝƟŽŶƐ͕ ĂŶĚ Ă ƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞ ŽĨ Ă ĂďŝŶ &ĞǀĞƌ ůĞĐƚƵƌĞƐ Θ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƟŽŶƐ

ǁǁǁ͘ďƌǇĂŶŐĂůůĞƌǇ͘ŽƌŐ

ϭϴϬ DĂŝŶ ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ :ĞīĞƌƐŽŶǀŝůůĞ sd 802-644-5100

CRAIG MOONEY STUDIO craigmooneystudio.com New York | Stowe @craigmooneyartist 137

aloja, the European-based outdoor and lifestyle apparel brand, decided to open its first North American flagship store and chose Stowe. Headquartered in Rimsting, Germany, the company in September opened its Stowe location, Mountain Road Outfitters, at 409 Mountain Road, across from the Baggy Knees shopping center. “We chose Stowe because it is a mountain town with an active community of outdoor enthusiasts,” said Landon Stirling, brand manager for Maloja North America. The outlet features the brand’s fall and winter collections for mountain and road cycling, climbing, Nordic and backcountry skiing, as well as lifestyle apparel. For two years, Maloja has partnered with the U.S. Biathlon team to adapt its designs for optimal performance. A portion of the proceeds from sales of U.S. Biathlon apparel benefits athlete development programs. The store in Vermont joins seven global flagship locations, many based in mountain communities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Korea. Maloja says its flagship stores “fully embody the brand’s product, messaging, and spirit.” “What I love about Maloja is its commitment to making functional outdoor clothing that also carries a value of social responsibility and sustainability that embodies a real love for the outdoors. It’s a perfect fit for the Stowe community,” said Kate Ball-Young, store director. INFO: mountainroadoutfitters.com. Oh, and it’s pronounced “mah-low-yah.”

flagship store MALOJA

Waterbury-based Ursa Major is poised for growth. A pioneer in the clean skincare market, Ursa Major has partnered with Fenwick Brands, a private equity fund focused on providing capital and strategic guidance to emerging brands, to raise $5 million in growth equity financing. This is the company’s first round of institutional capital. Founded by Emily Doyle and

Oliver Sweatman in 2010, the Vermont-based company has attracted a loyal following for its skincare products, which it says are designed to be “low maintenance, but highly rewarding.” The company, which has grown average annual revenue by more than 60 percent year-over-year for each of the past five years, says it has found success by “cultivating an approachable brand ethos that emphasizes wellness over vanity and celebrates the outdoors.” Ursa Major features 18 core products, available online at specialty retailers such as credo, Goop, REI, FREE People, and more recently at boutique fitness studios and hotels. “The financing will allow us to fill key talent gaps and invest further in product innovation, while carefully ramping up marketing and sales,” said Sweatman, company CEO. INFO: ursamajorvt.com.

growth spurt URSA MAJOR

Camilla Schmitt last summer opened Chammomile, a clothing and clean beauty boutique on Stowe’s Main Street. The store specialized in “emerging designers and family owned, domestically produced brands from the U.S. and Europe,” and boasts the largest brick-and-mortar collection of Emerson Fry. Chammomile also chammomile carries an extensive array of clean beauty brands—Lab to Beauty, Suntegrity, Wildist, Kjaer Weis, Khus + Khus, Aether Beauty, J. Hannah, Jack Black, and many others—facial and makeup services, shoes, and accessories. INFO: 25 Main St., chammomile.com, (802) 253-5005.

on main

138

MALOJA; OTHER PHOTOS: COURTESY

OFF PISTE

THE EVERYDAY WORK HAT YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!

• Looks, fits & feels like a regular baseball cap

• Protective highdensity foam liner • Antimicrobial & moisture wicking Your logo, our logo or no logo ... we’ll customize hats for you!

noswearheadwear.com

"Life's a party. Dress like it!" — Lilly Pulitzer Vermont's largest selection of Lilly Pulitzer. Luxury styles for the sun and the slopes. Offering women's and children's clothing, accessories and shoes!

1940 Mountain Road, Stowe | pinkcolony.com | 802.253.PREP 139

STUDIO ARTS HOMEGROWN TALENT Arista Alanis stands amid works she created during Vermonters-only week at Vermont Studio Center in Johnson. A colorful cavalcade of works by Chris Murray. Inset: Vermont Studio Center.

STATE OF THE ART Studio Center hosts 35th Vermonters-only week

140

The Vermont Studio Center, along the banks of the Gihon River in Johnson, bills itself as the largest international writers and artists residency program in the country. But it’s also uniquely Vermont. Since its founding 35 years ago, the center has set aside a week in the spring where it shuts out the world and invites more than 50 STORY / TOMMY GARDNER Vermonters to stay for a week PHOTOGRAPHY / GORDON MILLER and work. “It’s an expression of our deep gratitude for our place in Vermont,” said Gary Clark, a writer who is the studio center’s executive director. “We hope to create a neutral continuum where people can connect with the part of them that was born to write and make things.” This year, Vermont Artists Week culminated with a three-hour open studio tour. Artists adorned their spaces with the works they’d labored over, giving the public a fleeting glimpse of what they accomplished and a suggestion of how they did it. And then, ephemeral as a sand castle, the art was packed up and the

Vermonters retreated to their corners of the state, likely with plenty of new friends’ contact information. The Vermont Studio Center was founded in 1984 by Jon Gregg, Fred Osborne, and Louise von Weise. Its mission is “to provide studio residencies in an inclusive, international community, honoring creative work as the communication of spirit through form.” The big difference during Vermont Artists Week: No global flavor. But everything else is there. The center is one of the largest property owners in the village of Johnson. It has acquired about 30 buildings over time, all within walking distance of the Red Mill on Pearl Street, the beating heart of the center. The buildings house painting and writing studios, photography darkrooms, a sculpture shop, and a print shop. There’s a 24-hour meditation house, a yoga studio, lecture hall, and eight residence buildings. The buildings blend in perfectly with downtown Johnson, save for the small green and white signs indicating they’re part of the center. The studio center offers both solitude and solidarity, a place where artists and writers can take a month off and live in a purposeful commu-

nity within a community. It’s not an enclave on a hill or out in the woods, but a small village with a river flowing and a mountain range flanking the south side of town, making cellphone service spotty. “People here get up, eat, and go to work, just like everyone in this town,” Clark said. It just so happens that those workplaces have easels, kilns and writing GLENN CALLAHAN desks in them. Clark said Vermont Artists Week comes at a subsidized, highly discounted rate. All the artists must be Vermont residents, and the application process is competitive—the 58 Vermonters selected this year were culled from more than 2,000 applications. In a typical year, the center receives about 5,000 applications for four-week residencies that average just over 50 artists. In this small state, the Vermont-only week provides arguably the most practical networking and friend-making opportunities of any of the studio center’s residencies. This residency is a chance to get away from the obligations of normal lives. No kids, partners, pets, cars, bosses, housework, none of that. Just a river, a mountain, and population of more than 50 like-minded people. “Here, they have a gap in their lives, where it’s new all over again,” Clark said. “It’s about stepping out of your life for a brief time.” /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: Vermont Artists Week 2020 is April 27 through May 5.

WATCHES WANTED Collector/Dealer Seeking Vintage and Antique Pocket and Wristwatches. With Special Interest in 1940s-1980s Military, Pilot’s, Diving, and Other Sport/Work Watches. Rolex, Omega, Heuer, Breitling, Longines, Patek Philippe, Hamilton, Elgin, Waltham, Howard, and More. In Any Condition. (Parts, Pieces, and tools Also Desired) ALSO BUYING JEW ELRY, CO INS, SILVER, AR TWORK & OTH ER AN TIQUES.

F RE E

HOUS E VI S I T S !

Contact Brian Bittner | 802-272-7527 | References Available bittnerantiques@gmail.com or www.bittnerantiques.com 141

POINT & SHOOT PEOPLE POWER Every day for a year, photographer Orah Moore took a picture of a different person, and the resulting work was the subject of a one-woman show last summer. She’s continued work on the project, extending the elements already seen in the images in graphite. Here’s “George, Vermont,” a shot of Waterbury Center farmer George Woodard. Says Orah: “George is good behind the motion picture camera and in front of any camera. He maintains a good balance between everyday dairy work and storytelling and filmmaking. If I could have gotten both in the same frame I would have been pretty pleased. As is I am happy to capture the everyday work of a farmer.” Two of Moore’s images will be shown in the December Members’ Art Show at the Helen Day Art Center in Stowe.

THEY SHOOT PEOPLE, DON’T THEY? Photographer Orah Moore does; every day another face in the frame COURTESY PHOTOS

STORY

142

Well-known local photographer Orah Moore tackled a different kind of project last year, photographing one person every day for an entire year. It started when Moore got a new iPhone X and wanted to teach herself to use the camera. As a commercial photographer, she uses only professional gear, but “art is different. With art, you can do whatever you want,” she said. Moore, who’s based in Hyde Park, photographs things wherever she goes—food, landscapes, things she sees along the roadside—and while

/ CALEIGH CROSS

she was playing around with her new iPhone, she had a thought: “I love photographing people … and I want to do something that has people in it with no stipulations at all.” She wanted to capture them in their natural environment, without posing them or aiming to sell her work. Anyone who knows Moore knows she has a penchant for asking friends, family, and the occasional stranger to hold a pose, or look in a different direction for the few seconds it takes her to snap them into her camera’s memory chip. “The project of photographing someone every day sounded really fun,” she said. She started Feb. 8, 2018, and finished Feb. 7, 2019. All the photos in the exhibit are black and white. “My roots are as a black-and-white photographer,” Moore said. She learned to use a darkroom at 14, and says “black and white is in my veins.” >>

ROUTE 15 • JOHNSON, VERMONT (11⁄2 miles west of the village)

Open 7 days a week: 10AM – 7PM

Famous Label, OFF PRICE Clothing for Men, Women & Teens Bringing the Outdoors Indoors for Over 10 Years

Fabulous

YARNS

Friendly Fiber Community

80 S. Main St Waterbury, VT (802) 2412244

802-496-9290

Visit Our Website for Shows and Online Ordering or Call Us to Schedule a Free In-Home Estimate.

143

Lighting for the way you live

An eclectic collection of lighting to choose from Chandeliers • Sconces • Lamps Lamp Repair

856 US Rt. 302, Barre, VT Mon-Fri 7-5, Sat 9-2 802-476-0280 • BarreElectric.com

Dr. Katie Piet

Johnson Woolen Mills Factory Store Quality Woolen Garments for the Entire Family SINCE 1842

Quality Woolens Fabrics by the Yard Hudson Bay Point Blankets

Main Street, Johnson, Vermont (15 minutes from Stowe, 40 minutes from Jay) Open Mon-Sat 9-5 & Sun 10-4 • 802-635-2271 • 877-635-WOOL (9665)

www.johnsonwoolenmills.com 144

She thought working in black and white would enhance the artistic aspect of the project. Her project started out as a technical exercise, as Moore learned the ins and outs of her new equipment. As the year went on, though, she found herself using it as an opportunity to get to know people she might not have otherwise talked to. “I learned that the world is wide, that people are wonderful everywhere, that I just absolutely love all types of people from all walks of life and all cultures, and this is a great way to reach out and meet a few more of the world’s people. Her favorite subjects included two brothers walking alongside their mother last July 4, all wearing red, white, and blue. Moore heard that they’d framed the Day 142. photo and hung it on a wall. Moore offered the photos to her subjects for free. “A lot of people are just thrilled because they don’t get interesting pictures of themselves,” she said. Moore said she didn’t get any outright refusals, though she did have to talk a few people into it, such as Doris and Butch, photographed at a barbecue restaurant in Texas where Moore and her boyfriend were traveling. “They did not look like the kind of people who wanted to take any time beyond, ‘What did you want to eat?’ ” Moore said, so “I explained a little bit about who I am, ate, then I start to say, ‘I’m doing this project where I photograph someone every day for a whole year, wherever I go.’ At first she said no, and then I showed her a few other pictures. By that time, the lunch crowd had cleared out and it was just myself and my boyfriend. I started taking a few pictures. Pretty soon, she starts telling us all these stories about her life and how she’d been working here for 46 years,” Moore said. “It’s an example of how I made these little connections with people for not very long, but it really was meaningful to me in my life. I love getting these little vignettes.” Despite her best efforts, Moore missed a day or two of finding new subjects. “I did not think of how difficult it would be to get somebody every day. There were challenges,” she said. Sometimes she’d call up someone she knows and ask them to help her out, such as her neighbor, Marilyn. “I’d say, ‘Marilyn, I haven’t gotten to my picture today,’ and she said, ‘Come on down to the barn, I’m feeding the horses.’ That’s where I got one of my pictures from, a one-bulb light in the barn where she’s silhouetted with her house. It’s so cool,” Moore said. ■

145

GLENN CALLAHAN; HANNAH NORMANDEAU; GORDON MILLER

DINING & LODGING

The Stowe area boasts a variety of cuisines and dining atmospheres, from swanky bistros that embrace the local food movement to fine-dining establishments featuring award-winning chefs and busy pubs with the latest microbrews—and everything in between! Check out the area’s great places to stay, as well, from full-service resorts to quaint country inns. Our guide to dining and lodging outlines the myriad choices from which to choose, and perfectly complements the Stowe Area Association’s menu and dining book.

146

#NotJustBBQ blackdiamondbbq.com

EDIBLES

HOUSE OF CROCUS Brian Leven in his greenhouse at Golden Thread Farm in Stowe. Inset: Stigma, or threads, are removed by hand and the lower yellow parts will be plucked off.

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY Saffron farm blooms in Stowe As Vermont’s foliage flushes crimson and gold before falling from the trees, one small flower is just beginning to bloom. Inside the purple petals lies a tiny treasure that’s worth its weight in gold. Brian Leven is growing crocuses to produce saffron at his small organic operation in Stowe, and October means harvest time at STORY / Hannah Normandeau Golden Thread Farm. Leven, a PHOTOGRAPHS / Gordon Miller practicing attorney and property manager—among other ventures—by day, lives with his wife, two tween- and teenage sons, and two dogs off Stagecoach Road. A meadow on his property was growing wild, but Leven said local farmer Ryan Percy told him he remembered growing corn there when he was young. Leven grew up in Caledonia County, and his family had a huge garden and a root cellar, which kept them supplied with vegetables throughout the

148

year. While he doesn’t consider his upbringing a direct inspiration for his saffron farm, he’d wanted to do “something agricultural” with his land in Stowe for a while. So a few years ago, Leven dug a well, built a shed, and hooked up electricity in the meadow. “I was open to ideas, and then UVM did all this research into growing saffron in Vermont,” Leven said. The U.S. imports more than 46 tons of saffron each year, and that’s projected to triple in the next decade, according to the UVM-based North American Center for Saffron Research & Development. About 150 crocus sativus flowers will yield one gram of dry

EDIBLES saffron threads; it takes several thousand flowers to produce one ounce (28 grams) of saffron, and hundreds of thousands to yield a pound. The flowers are easy to pluck but must be harvested by hand, and the labor-intensive process and miniscule yield per flower makes saffron the most costly spice in the world. A pound can retail from $3,000 up to $10,000. A little goes a long way with this potent seasoning; Leven’s saffron currently retails for $15 per quarter-gram, or $50 per gram. To put that in perspective, gold currently costs $48 per gram. Most of the world’s saffron is grown in Iran, Spain, and the Kashmir region of India. Greece and Morocco also produce large amounts of varying quality and strength. Smaller production areas include Italy, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the U.S. The plant thrives in a Mediterranean climate, but tolerates winters well. The quality of saffron is important to its value, and lower-cost saffron found commercially is sometimes mixed with safflower—similar in appearance and color, but lacking in saffron’s distinct aromatic compounds. The University of Vermont’s studies in recent years have found that the plant can be grown relatively easily in the Green Mountain State—and with high yields and excellent quality. It offers a chance for farmers to diversify their crops and bring in revenue. Harvesting and processing are laborintensive during the month or so when the flowers peak, but the rest of the growing process is low-input. High tunnels provide PLENTY OF STIGMA Clockwise from top: Brian good protection in Leven picks the crocuses just as the flowers begin Vermont winters, and to open. Batches of stigma, or threads, next to a can be used for other greenhouse, and bowl of crocus flowers picked clean. Each flower crops in the spring one bed outside it, contains three threads that are dried to become and summer. The fenced with mesh saffron. Leven keeps the crocus petals for a few crocuses can even be to keep deer out. days. The smell is reminiscent of fresh figs, a much planted in portable The weeds are lighter scent than saffron itself. containers like milk more aggressive crates, and stored out outside, but the croof the way in their dormancy. cuses themselves are hardy. The plants are susceptible to hungry critThe crocuses bloom here in October. Leven said ters like rabbits, mice, and moles, but last year his first flower bloomed around Oct. 5, they’re deterred by hardware cloth under and this year he found the first violet blossom on the raised beds, a sonar repellent device, Oct. 10. The blooming starts sporadically, a few and even some slithering assistance from hundred flowers every day at first, then there’s garter snakes that Leven said are “more about a two-week period where thousands of flowthan welcome” to patrol the flowerbeds. ers are ready to be picked. He started with one high tunnel greenThe stigmas are gently removed from the flowhouse—an unheated structure of half-hoops ers, then Leven dries them in a low oven, spread covered in plastic—and finished building a out on a custom copper pan he had made by Leo second next to it this year. Currently there Trombley of LWI Metalworks in Morrisville. are four large raised beds in Leven’s active Leven said his wife and sons help him at harvest

150

time, but he’s always happy for volunteers to come for a few hours to help when the periwinkle wave sweeps through the greenhouse.

Golden threads Saffron has been cultivated for more than 3,500 years worldwide, used for a variety of culinary, ritualistic, and medicinal purposes. Historical records show it was used for gastrointestinal and circulation disorders; a tea made from it was said to fight depression; and Cleopatra was reported to have bathed in it as an aphrodisiac. Modern studies have suggested it can be used as an alternative to stimulants to treat ADHD. Saffron contains hundreds of aromatic compounds, a complicated, heady mix with notes of hay and metallic honey and bright florals. The taste is a little sweet, a little sour, a little bitter. A small amount goes a very long way, and not much is needed to impart its hazy golden

DROP IN awesome food, over 100 beers and 1,000 records

serving dinner every night and lunch friday - monday

802 760 6066 docponds.com @docponds

EDIBLES Leven tends the crop.

Dinner Monday-Saturday

Combined flavors of Latin & Asian foods Thursday - Tuesday | Open at 4p.m. | 802.253.9333 2160 Mountain Road, Stowe | overthewallvt.com

essence. The flavor overall is difficult to describe, but it’s intense. “It’s not so much a flavor as a smell,” Leven said. “You don’t get it on your tongue. You get it when you breathe in. After you swallow, it’s a different experience. But it’s amazing.” It goes especially well with seafood and rice dishes. Going by the adage “what grows together goes together,” it features prominently in recipes like Spanish paella, Milanese risotto, and bouillabaisse from the French seaside. It can be used in savory or sweet applications. Leven said Aaron Martin, chef at Plate Restaurant in Stowe, has used it in dishes, including an Indian-style milk doughnut bathed in saffron syrup. Leven sells his saffron to a few other local shops and restaurants, including Commodities in Stowe. A Brooklyn restaurateur recently purchased some of Leven’s crop for his three Italian restaurants. He wanted to be able to tell his customers “that this is domestic, Vermont-grown, pure saffron,” Leven said. Leven’s 2018 harvest yielded about 150 grams of dried saffron. If it’s well protected from air and moisture, it can last for years. “Assuming my harvest continues to grow each year, which is how we’re trending, my goal is to be able to sell to more and more restaurants,” Leven said. Leven first planted about 20,000 corms, which he purchased from the Netherlands. He’s now on his third saffron harvest, and estimates that production has quadrupled each year of growing. “Someday, it would be wonderful if it was my only job and I could grow lots of different things out there,” he said. “I love good food, I love the farm-to-table movement . ... I think it’s where agriculture is steering itself, to agritourism,” Leven said. “It’s fun to find a niche product that can sort of get me involved, and I can contribute to it.” n //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: goldenthreadfarm.com.

152

EDIBLES

CARROT CAKE, YAY! Nancy Warner stirs the pot at Potlicker Kitchen, a speciality jam business in Stowe. Racks of preserves cool on racks.

POTLICKER KITCHEN Stowe food producer marries beer with jam and it’s a hit! The term “Potlicker” originated in the South, usually referring to something made with pork fat. But it can also describe a starving person who licks the pot clean, or the kitchen help who serve guests first and feasts on the remains from the bottom of the pot. To Nancy Warner, it means downright potlick’n good! Warner, a Southeastern archeologist by trade and STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS / Kate Carter canning addict by night, started a blog in 2009 about Southern food and Southern-inspired recipes. She called it The Potlicker, a nod to her Southern heritage. When she moved to Vermont, she became fascinated with the food and beer culture, and decided to produce jams and jellies using local beers. She named the business Potlicker Kitchen. At the time, Warner

154

lived in Barnard, followed by a brief stint in Waterbury, where, as Warner puts it, “the business exploded.” Potlicker Kitchen was growing 10-fold and needed a loading dock, which prompted a move to the Grainery Building on Thomas Lane in Stowe, where Warner now produces 70,000 jars of jam a year and ships to over 40 states. Her staff consists of one full-time employee, but during December that ramps up to six people in the packing department, one person in kitchen support, and two in the warehouse, all filling Christmas orders. Not all her jams and jellies involve beer. The Carrot Cake jam is Potlicker Kitchen’s bestseller. A few years ago, it won the National Specialty Foods Association sofi Award (specialty outstanding food innovation). But there’s nothing like spreadable beer, and beer jelly is Warner’s signature product.

M I C H A E L'S ON THE HILL Farm to Table Cuisine Vermontâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Certified Green Restaurant #1 Most Romantic Restaurant in Vermont - TripAdvisor, MSN.com & Delish.com Best Restaurant, Best Steak & Best Wine List in Stowe - Forbes Traveler Wine Spectator Award of Excellence Best Chefs America Best European Inspired Farm-to-Table Restaurant - Vermont - Lux Life Restaurant & Bar Awards

Rehearsal Dinners | Weddings | Special Events 4182 Waterbury-Stowe Road Route 100 North, Waterbury Center, Vermont 5 Minutes from Stowe & I-89

802.244.7476 | michaelsonthehill.com

EDIBLES

“I produce more beer jelly than anyone else in the country, and I use all Vermont beer,” she said. The alcohol evaporates during the boiling process, while the flavor remains. “I look for a solid representation of beer from each style and from a variety of local brewers,” she said. “My jelly has to taste like beer.” The traditional ingredients of beer (hops, malt, yeast) are rendered into jellies that balance malty sweetness with the hop profiles of the beer styles produced in Vermont. They add a unique touch to cheese platters and can be used for glazing foods, in cocktails, and in salad dressings. Warner attributes her business’s rapid success to her accuracy of flavor and a high-quality product. “My jams and jellies are not just breakfast spreads,” she said. “A lot of people cook with them or use them in dips.” Warner believes in the “try it and buy it” philosophy. She markets by being a presence at craft and specialty food shows, brewfests and other events, where she puts out jar after jar of samples so buyers can actually taste the product first. “I know that if they love it they will buy it, and then they will buy more,” she said. She had appeared on the QVC home shopping network and her products are in the Uncommon Goods catalog. Her jams and jellies have been reviewed in a variety of publications, including Bloomberg News, Food Loves Beer, and Draft Magazine. n /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: Potlicker Kitchen jams and jellies are available at Stowe Mercantile, Stowe Public House, Tangerine & Olive, and online at potlickerkitchen.com.

156

TIDBITS

Rich and Nancy Haab.

Business group celebrates Rich and Nancy Haab In running a business, it helps to love what you’re doing. In running a business in Stowe for more than 30 years, it really helps to love who you’re working with. The Stowe Area Association has honored Rich and Nancy Haab, the owners and handson operators of Stowe’s Sunset Grille and Tap Room, as the group’s business leaders of the year. Rich Haab was actually behind the line at Sunset until just before the awards ceremony, showing up in a pair of shorts and a familiar black, yellow, and orange Sunset T-shirt. “Had I known, I would’ve put on a clean shirt,” Rich said. State Rep. Heidi Scheuermann, R-Stowe, presented the award to her friends, “two of the hardest-working people in Stowe.” Scheuermann said Rich and Nancy met as two young culinary graduates, both starting out in careers that would become “their life’s work and passion. “In over 31 years they have raised four incredible daughters, have employed hundreds of people, many of whom have gone on to their own careers in the industry, and have been the friendly faces at the door, behind the bar, and serving,” Scheuermann said. “But, especially, they’ve been the two behind the line in the hot kitchen, preparing the food for their guests.” Haab told the magazine a couple of years ago that he and Nancy “were both up here being ski bums and chefs,” and decided to specialize in what they call “Northern Southern barbecue,” because they couldn’t find any decent bar food in town. In accepting the award, Haab credited the Stowe Area Association for pushing summer tourism in a ski town, pointing out the town is busier in the summer now. “It really does touch us here in the heart,” Nancy said. “Stowe is a wonderful community, and we’ve been very lucky to raise our family here.”

158

91 Main Street, Stowe | platestowe.com | Chef Owned

DINNER WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY | SUNDAY BRUNCH 10 TO 2 PLEASE CALL FOR RESERVATIONS 802-253-2691

159

TIDBITS Morrisville gets Thai restaurant Siam Valley Thai Restaurant has opened in what was once an A&W snack bar in Morrisville. This is the first restaurant for Thai-born Pantita Pasukdee, who lives in Stowe. The menu covers all the Thai notes, with an array of curries, rice dishes, noodle dishes, soups, appetizers and desserts, none of them more than $10. There’s also a house special menu with more elaborate fare. Siam Valley is open every day, serving lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday and dinner only on Sundays.

Local distilleries best of the best, says USA Today

31 Lower Main Street in Johnson, VT (802) 635-7483 | (800) 899-6349 marvinscountrystore.com

A local distillery recently earned a nod as one of the best craft distilleries in America, according to the USA Today “2019 10Best Reader’s Choice Awards.” “Nominated by a panel of distilled spirits experts, Smugglers’ Notch Distillery has again been chosen by fans across the country as one of the top 10 vodka distilleries in the USA,” the newspaper noted. “Smugglers’ Notch Vodka is made from Idaho-grown grains and water from the Mount Mansfield watershed of Northern Vermont,” according to USA Today. “The grain wash gets distilled in a four-column still and passed through a multi-stage filtration process for a smooth vodka with just a hint of sweetness.” The distillery just opened a new facility and tasting room in Jeffersonville.

McGillicuddy’s opens Irish pub in Waterbury Waterbury has yet another place to get a burger and a beer—but for sports fans it’s the only one with 28 TVs. Doors opened at McGillicuddy’s Irish Pub on South Main Street last summer and it’s quickly becoming a go-to place in town already full of casualfare dining establishments. Burgers dominate the menu, with options ranging from blue cheese to mushroom Swiss, and from black bean to the 5 Alarm Burger— banana peppers, jalapenos, cherry peppers, atomic sauce, and pepper jack cheese. Also on the menu is typical Irish fare, like corned beef and cabbage, a slow roasted brisket, and fish and chips, in a basket or on a bun. Owner David Nelson also owns four other pubs and sports bars, one in Barre and three in Chittenden County. With four competitors within spitting distance from the Main and Stowe streets intersection, Nelson acknowledged there is no shortage of downtown restaurants that offer a burger and pint. “Competition makes us all better,” he said. n

160

161

EDIBLES ‘A LITTLE BIT OF AUSTRIA...’ Trapp Family Lodge executive head baker Maurizio Helmut Odermatt holds a tray of one of his many specialities, large pretzels made in the traditional Bavarian manner, which rumor has it, go really well with beer. Inset: Linzertorte.

HOUSE FOR COFFEE Kaffeehaus keeps Trapp Lodge baking traditions alive The sign heading up to Trapp Family Lodge says “a little of Austria, a lot of Vermont,” but with the addition of executive head baker Maurizio Helmut Odermatt, they might have to change it to “a lot of Austria …” Odermatt comes from a long line of chefs, all women, who cooked for the likes of the Bavarian royal family and the House STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS / Kate Carter of Hapsburg. Now Odermatt, who remains culturally attached to the old country, has introduced his authentic Austrian/German repertoire of baked goods to the lodge’s three restaurants. One of Odermatt’s bona fide Austrian cakes is the Sachertorte, perhaps the most famous chocolate cake of all time. Created by pastry chef Franz Sacher in 1832 for the prince of Austria, it consists of chocolate sponge cake cut into two layers, with apricot jam spread between the layers, and on the top and sides. The entire cake is then iced with a velvet-like chocolate and

162

served with a side dish of whipped cream. Thanks to Odermatt, you can get that very cake at Trapp’s Kaffeehaus deli and bakery and Bierhall at von Trapp Brewing. You can also savor a Black Forest chocolate sponge cake made with kirschwasser (cherry schnapps), or how about a vanilla almond Danish filled with pastry cream? Always on hand is the classic apple strudel made from apples grown at the lodge. When they run out of Trapp apples, Odermatt sources them from Champlain Orchards. This past Indigenous People Day weekend—formerly Columbus Day—60 cases of apples went into 200 strudels. “Everything we make is made from scratch. I use local products as much as possible and I also import a lot of food and goods from

NEWLY REFURBISHED ROOMS!

Your Home Away From Home

• Spacious Rooms with pillow-top beds • Fireside Living Room • 3 Jacuzzis, 2 Saunas • Tropical Indoor Pool • Game Room • Kids Stay Free

• • • • • •

Popular, Casual, Affordable Family Owned & Operated Central to all Stowe Events Pet Friendly Lakeside Dining Room Popular Sports Lounge

800-44-STOWE (78693) 823 South Main St., Stowe, VT • 802-253-7131 • Fax 802-253-2360 reservations@commodoresinn.com • commodoresinn.com

163

EDIBLES

Caramel apple cake.

Europe,” said Odermatt, who has the freedom to run the bakery kitchen to his standards. “I run the place like it’s an authentic German/ Austrian bakery. Everything we make in the Kaffeehaus is mine. The only way I took the job was if I had the ability to run the operation as if it were my own.” After a lengthy interview process and a “bench test,” where he baked for 20 people, Odermatt took the job in November 2017. He immediately purchased a bread oven and bread racks and began making several different breads for daily rotation. His signature loaf is the rye, made in the Austrian style, with 90 percent rye flour. He also introduced a dozen different pastries and cookies, as well as large pretzels made in the traditional Bavarian manner. They go really well with beer. Born in Germany, Odermatt came to the U.S. at 12. As a teen he did a baking apprenticeship in Germany and later attended Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island, where he made many connections in the food industry. He is happy to sink his teeth into Trapps, where he can bring a bit of the old country to a third-generation-run business. “It’s challenging, but worthwhile. What I make is the best I can do and I enjoy it. I taste everything I make, and everyone on staff must taste what they make, too. The other bakers are still learning, and I do a lot of teaching.” “I’ve always been drawn to the old, which is hard to do in America,” he said. “I like history, architecture, and caring for buildings. The first time I came to Trapp Family Lodge, I understood why Maria von Trapp said ‘yes’ to the mountains. It feels like home.” n /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: Daily 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. 700 Trapp Hill Rd. (802) 253-5705, trappfamily.com.

164

EVERYONE TAPS THE TONAL BAR WITH THEIR GLASS, MUG, OR TEACUP IN A TOAST No reaching or stretching, no spilling, and no one ever gets left out.

802.476.7391 | winechime.com 165

AT THE CROSSROADS Screenwriter John Fusco taps his roots for new album

166

167

168

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS

| Caleigh Cross

OPENING COVER PHOTO

| Gordon Miller

John Fusco says you know when you’ve made it. He ought to know. On his 200-acre farmstead in Mud City in Morristown, Fusco spent an hour unspooling the story of his life, from a rebellious teenager with a fierce love for his father’s forbidden Hammond T-200 organ to his current eagleeyed focus on the X-Road Riders, the band he brought together—friends from every chapter in his life. Fusco, leonine, with a ramrod-straight spine and a cowboy’s bearing, talks like someone with a bit of patina on his soul. He’s built like his house—the outside a New England façade and the inside pure Southwestern Americana. It fits him. Fusco is the quick-draw pen behind the Western movies “Young Guns” (1988) and “Young Guns II” (1990). He cut his screenwriter’s teeth on “Crossroads” (1986), a script he’d written for a film school competition. He won, and netted a pair of Nissans and a screenwriter’s credit on a cult film. It also rolled out the red carpet Fusco, then just 25, would walk for the rest of his life, tracking Vermont dirt with every step. Fusco, 60, was born in rural Connecticut. His father presided proudly over a junkyard and a camp in Stockbridge, Vt. “I always had one foot in Vermont, in a little cabin on the Tweed River,” Fusco said. “My first real love was writing. I used to get up early in the morning and you know those marbled composition notebooks? I would get up before anyone else and I would sit in some quiet corner and I would write short stories and give them titles and chapters. “That grew into a real love for movie narratives. I started to really appreciate movies and wanted to make movies. My mother had a Super 8 camera, pre-video, and every Tuesday on her shopping day she would buy me 50 feet of film and I would write scripts and recruit the kids in the neighborhood.” Fusco, at 10, was already well-equipped for the director’s chair. “I even had a megaphone. When I see those kids today, grown up, they’re like, ‘You were like a tyrant of a director,’ ” he said with a laugh. “I started directing these things, and just thought, this is what I want to do,” he said. Fusco’s mother was behind him 100 percent, but his father, who was very practical, tried to discourage his son from pinning his hopes on such a high-up and unlikely star. “He grew up Italian-American in the Depression. You can’t blame him, but as I got older, I just stuck to my dream, and he said, ‘That’s not going to happen, and you’ve got to start thinking about business administration or taking over the family junkyard.’ “I thought, ‘No, I want to do this,’ ” Fusco said. “I had one teacher that fanned the flames of that passion. She was the first teacher who recognized that just because I flunked math, it didn’t mean I didn’t have a talent for English, and that people have different types of learning styles. She would sit down with me and say, ‘Let’s find a way for you to pursue this.’ ” Fusco started hanging around local garage bands, bringing in lyrics he’d written during school. “Next thing I knew, I was involved in music,” he said. After repeated tussles with his dad after sneaking the Hammond T-200 out of the house for gigs, Fusco, then 16, had enough and ran away from home, taking his dedication for the blues and little else. “I really wanted to know what was underneath the blues, what was underneath the heart of this type of blues rock like the Rolling Stones were doing, and all these rock musicians who were creating something all brand-new by playing the music of these obscure blues legends.” So he headed for the South. >>

Screenwriter, producer, and musician John Fusco sits in the writing room at home in Morristown with his dog, Mahto. Opening spread: John Fusco and the X-Road Riders played Rocktoberfest in Morrisville in September. A mix of rock and blues and grit, Fusco’s debut album, “John Fusco and the X-Road Riders,” was released in early 2019.

169

In the viewing room at his home, Fusco is surrounded by posters of films he wrote or produced. On the set of his film, Young Guns, between actors Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen. Fusco wrote the film, which came out in 1988. Fusco on the set of his 1992 film Thunderheart. On his horse, Hidalgo, aka Oscar, in Vermont. Fusco wrote the film, Hidalgo, released in 2004. Oscar was one of three American paint horses in the movie and the one Fusco brought home.

“That started a whole odyssey for me of traveling through the South, working at gas stations and doing odd jobs to stay alive, and riding railroads. “I would travel through the South and in these hobo jungles. I was exposed to blues, and I started to track down these old blues masters, African-American elders in areas of Mississippi, Louisiana, and New Orleans,” he said. “My high school was being a student of the blues under a lot of these old masters, and just learning about the truth of it.” Anyone who’s seen Fusco’s first film, “Crossroads,” will find this story familiar. “Crossroads” is about a 17-year-old music student who tries to track down a lost song by one of his heroes, Robert Johnson. Along the way, he meets other blues legends while living like a hobo in the South. The real Fusco returned home at 18 and renewed his connection to a

170

few of those garage bands. One was the opening act for a bigger group, which asked Fusco to go on the road with them. At first, he loved being part of a touring band. But then … “I remember sitting in the back of that bus. They were all in their 30s and 40s and tattooed Lynyrd Skynyrd types, and I was a 19-year-old kid. I was always writing in the back of that bus. I would call home from pay phones to check in on my family, and I found out my grandfather died. We were very close, and so I was heartbroken, and said, ‘I need to get home.’ “I stayed awake all night long on that bus, traveling, sleeping, bus full of smoke, and I just started doing this soul-searching. I always describe it today as half meditation, half prayer.” He realized he’d been happiest when he was writing his short films. He decided to go back to school and study filmmaking. >>

171

COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY PHOTO

Clockwise from top: John Fusco and the X-Road Riders. Fusco at

the piano at home in Morrisville. Album cover. Another publicity still of the band.

UPCOMING: Nov. 23: Emergency First Responders Soul & Blues Bash with the Dave Keller Soul Revue, Seth Yacovone, and John Fusco and the X-Road Riders, Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe, 7 p.m. Tickets: $18-28.

172

Fusco started at a small community college, where went to a college play and was “blown away” by a woman in the cast. “She’s the one who designed this house,” he said with a wry smile. He and that woman, Richela Renkun, got married on the set of “Crossroads.” Columbia Pictures had picked up the screen rights to the script Fusco had written in a course at New York University’s film school. Renkun went to NYU, too. Both had blue-collar backgrounds, and stayed afloat by picking up jobs in the city. Then came “Crossroads” and “a very large, mind-blowing sum from Columbia Pictures,” Fusco said. He didn’t know what to do with himself. “I was tending bar and I had student loans and suddenly, it was a game-changer.” Agents pressured Fusco to move to Los Angeles, and he and Renkun tried that for a little while, but the shallowness of certain parts of Hollywood didn’t agree with them. So Fusco reached deep into his roots. He and Renkun took a holiday in Vermont, and bought a home on Worcester Loop. “My agents about had cardiacs” said Fusco, when he told them he wasn’t coming back to Los Angeles, but he was implacable. And there was more: “They said, ‘So what are you going to write on spec?’ and I said, ‘A western.’ The color just bled out of their faces,” Fusco recalled. “They said, “Do you realize the western has been dead for 20 years? … You’re hitting all the wrong boxes. You’re moving out of town, you’re going to write a western on spec.’ Basically, they were saying, ‘This is career suicide. Goodbye.’

The Wine Vault Wine • Ports • Chocolate • Cigars

Featuring wines from around the world.

1 Elm Street, Corner of Elm and Main (first floor) 802.244.1111 • thewinevaultvt.com

“Well, I went back, holed up in the cabin and started writing a script called ‘Young Guns.’ ” “Young Guns” came out in 1988 and opened No. 1 at the box office, netting $45.6 million, and Fusco was asked to write the sequel just a year later. Fusco’s filmography also includes Netflix’s “Marco Polo,” on which he was writer and producer; 2002’s “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”; 2004’s “Hidalgo,” and this year’s “The Highwaymen,” about Bonnie and Clyde. Fusco’s writing has taken him all over the world, but in many ways, he’s still standing at that crossroads he crafted in 1986. His band, The X-Road Riders, put out its debut album this year; unsurprisingly, it’s bluesy, folksy and gritty. “The man takes a drink, the drink takes another, and the drink takes a man,” from the album’s second track, came from a conversation with an Irish friend about drinking culture. He put the band together after work on “The Highwaymen” brought him back into the world of music. “I just started to feel music again in a different way,” he said. n

SHOP. DINE. LEARN. ENJOY. Watch artisan bakers at work in our bakery. Shop for all your baking needs in our retail store. Sign up for a baking class. Sample treats from our demo kitchen. Enjoy a gourmet coffee and pastry from our café. Settle into a comfortable chair; check your email. Relax—and welcome to King Arthur Flour!

135 RT. 5 SOUTH, NORWICH, VT | 802 649 3361 KINGARTHURFLOUR.COM

173

The stunning renovation of the former Cactus Cafe and the new home of Over the Wall. Scallop tacos in a hand-pressed tortilla.

OVER THE WALL Come Visit Our Tasting Room & VT Gift Shop Open Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

174

632 LaPorte Rd., Morrisville, VT 802.888.9400 rockartbrewery.com

New restaurant fuses Latin, Asian flavors Over the Wall, which opened last spring on Stowe’s Mountain Road, offers a subtle fusion of Asian-Hispanic flavors, and its owners’ hope is that the fusion of two disparate cultures will help break down the barriers between people and cultures through food and drink. At the very least, start some conversations. Owner Kim Kaufman, in a letter to the Stowe Reporter newspaper, said she and her partner Jimmy Goldsmith chose the name Over the Wall to honor the food cultures and people who live south of the proposed border wall. “As we prepared our menu, we added flavors from Asia, also to highlight the culinary accomplishments of that part of our world. … we believe the walls of our society need to come down and that good food is a way to bring people together,” wrote Kaufman. The restaurant is the latest, and third restaurant project from Kaufman and Goldsmith. The Blue Donkey is just down the Mountain Road in Stowe, while their 10 Railroad Street and Railroad Café anchors one end of Portland Street in nearby Morrisville. Goldsmith told Seven Days newspaper that Over the Wall “will channel a polished, grownup vibe. Our goal is to create an adult space for people to stop, have a small meal or a drink with friends, go on a date night.” The margarita and spirits list would whet

anyone’s palate. You just might have to go back every night for a week to work through the inspired specialty cocktail choices. The kitchen team at Over the Wall switches up the offerings, but over the past months, the fusion menu has featured mouthwatering choices from a Barbacoa lamb shank with fried sweet plantains and braised chili leaks, to a smoked beef brisket with apple endive slaw and polenta. Yum! The ever-evolving menu offers inspired choices for sides outside of the usual fare—beef bulgogi, sweet chili fried shrimp, smoked chicken tinga, crispy pork belly, creamy polenta—and everything is housemade. Small plates are inspired, from margarita shrimp (tequila lime glaze and green onion) to a banchan (a mix of kimchi, spinach salad, and bean sprout salad), and from a soba noodle salad (enoki mushrooms, seasonal vegetables, and a miso vin) to crab beignets (with choux pastry and a sweet chili aioli). Mix and match a few tapas and fuse together your own meal. And, start the conversation. n //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: Daily. 2160 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-9333, overthewallvt.com.

COURTESY PHOTOS

EDIBLES

FAMILY RESTAURANT & SPORTS BAR

Coffee, espresso, tea, lattes, fresh baked goods, and the best grilled cheese in town. Join us for the treats; stay for the conversation.

Over 30 years of Food, Fun & Friends Stop by for dinner and see why we’re one of Stowe’s favorite spots for more than 30 years!

BBQ • SEAFOOD • BURGERS Lunch • Dinner • Late Night Great children’s menu!

“You can’t beat that flavor!” Open daily 140 Cottage Club Road, Stowe

1880 MOUNTAIN ROAD, STOWE 802.760.6151 | PKCOFFEE.COM

802-253-9281 NFL SUNDAY TICKET 30 TVs including 6 Big Screens!

Join us at our bottle shop and bar located on Main Street in Stowe. Featuring over 700+ different beer, wine, and ciders from Vermont and beyond, as well as a variety of local cheese and meats. Come relax, shop, hang, sip, and expand your brew-rizons!

109 Main Street, Stowe VT www.stowepublichouse.com

Located 15 minutes north of Stowe, the Fork and Gavel cafe serves breakfast and lunch daily. We invite you to dine in, take out, or have us cater your next event. We offer breakfast and lunch all day, a great atmosphere, friendly service, and awesome specials!

246 Main Street, Hyde Park VT www.forkandgavelvt.com

175

EDIBLES

15, T 20 2016

VOTED 19! B 0 2

CAL MA T LO R S E

, 20 017 18 & ,2

176

END OF AN ERA Popular breakfast joint closes after 45 years It’s the end of a delicious era: McCarthy’s Restaurant closed its doors—with a party —on Oct. 31. Owned and operated by Diane McCarthy, the landmark restaurant has served breakfast and lunch for 45 years to generations of locals and visitors on the Mountain Road in Stowe. McCarthy’s has remained popular throughout its four and a half decades of serving up most excellent breakfasts and lunches— crispy-cushy home fries, corned beef and Reubens, fluffy pancakes and Belgian waffles piled high with berries and cream, eggs any way you want them—to early risers and latecomers alike. Thousands have lined up at the crack of dawn to get a seat at the annual St. Patrick’s Day party. The restaurant operated at 454 Mountain Rd., since it moved across the street to the old Sister Kate’s location in 1985. In an interview during the restaurant’s 40th anniversary, McCarthy said that while the town retains its reputation as a “ski mecca,” the clientele has calmed down since the party days of the 1970s and ‘80s. “People would come in for breakfast after dancing all night at the Baggy Knees,” McCarthy laughed. “It was crazy.” She’s seen multiple generations grow up— and grow old—at the restaurant. Many employees have worked with her for years, including server Jill Warner and several members of the Kelly/Ruschp family, as well as her own three daughters. McCarthy was known for her quiet generosity, supporting countless local organizations, individuals, and families. She was named businessperson of the year by the Stowe Area Association in 2010, and then-president Chuck Baraw called her “an unsung, extraordinarily generous member of the Stowe community.” McCarthy’s Restaurant was voted best breakfast/brunch in every year of the Stowe Reporter’s 4393 Awards, its annual readers’

Get out of the kitchen and into your life!

Chef Briellen

Personal Chef ~ Services ~

GORDON MILLER; INSET: GLENN CALLAHAN

Vacation Services Weekly/BiWeekly Meal Plans Catering for all Occasions Intimate Dinners Dietary Plans Cooking Lessons

IRISH EYES McCarthy’s owner Diane McCarthy, in green and white scarf, with the crew, St. Paddy’s Day 2018. Andrew Kimsey, Halimah Barnett, Harper Gay, Jacqueline Crittendberger-Geissler, and Frost Gay celebrate St. Patrick’s at McCarthy’s, a longstanding Stowe tradition. Inset: Longtime emcee Peigi Guerra.

choice contest that began in 2015. McCarthy herself was nominated as Ms. Stowe every year, taking the title twice. Readers also gave kudos for McCarthy’s family-friendly dining and catering services. Countless fans turned out to get a final breakfast, cup of coffee, or just a hug from

Diane—on Halloween, no less—and while it’s not St. Paddy’s Day, Peigi Guerra was on hand to emcee an all-day party. “It is bittersweet,” McCarthy said. “There are so many great memories.” n —Hannah Normandeau & Tommy Gardner

sweetsavorystowe.com 802.730.2792 sweetsavorypc@gmail.com 177

GORDON MILLER

EDIBLES

OFF THE DEEP END In pursuit of the best Neapolitan pizza

178

E.W. Bitter is aiming to craft the best pizza in Vermont. The lacrosse mogul, who bought Town and Country Resort at Stowe nearly two years ago, has worked steadily since, making changes to the property. One of the first orders of business? Getting The Deep End, the resort’s new pizza restaurant, open. Early reviews are strong—tasty pizza with inspired toppings, great service, and an inviting atmosphere. “Our name harkens to previous use, which is the indoor pool. There’s an indoor pool underneath the Airstream” in the restaurant, Bitter said. That’s right, there’s an Airstream in the restaurant and it serves as a focal point for the light, modern, yet retro, space. The restaurant has room for 60 people, some beers on tap, and housemade cocktails. “Our specialty is pizza, and we’ve been focused on making the best Neapolitan-style pizza possible. The food team has done extensive research, meeting with

NOT YOUR COUSIN’S TRAILER PARK From top right: Dana Wesson chats up some bar patrons at The Deep End. Neil Solis (in green) and a partner-in-pizza box up some pies—the Vegilante, with mozzarella, garlic, red onion, sweet and spicy pickled peppers, forest mushroom, basil and spinach. View of the bar from the service window. Yes, it sits inside an Airstream. Plating up a classic—pepperoni.

chefs and going to other pizza establishments around the country, to build a formula for making the best pizza in the Neapolitan style,” Bitter said. Neapolitan pizza is regarded as the original Italian pizza, typically using whole pieces of mozzarella cheese and featuring a thin, airy crust and sauce made with fresh tomatoes and flavored with basil. The Deep End kicks up its standard pepperoni a notch: red sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella and pecorino Romano, of course, with the addition of sweet and spicy pickled peppers. Try the Bad Hombre, which comes with pork carnitas, Cabot cheddar, pickled jalapeño, red onion, charred pineapple, salsa verde, and cilantro, or, for an inspired take on a mushroom pizza, try the Funky Fungi—organic spinach, blue cheese, mozzarella, smoked mushrooms, and red onion. The Happy Clam, well, tucks Atlantic little necks atop that airy dough.

“We have over 10 different varieties at the moment, beginning with the baseline cheese pizza, focusing on making the best possible crust,” Bitter said. The mozzarella is housemade, and the menu also features a selection of shellfish, some small plates, and an array of salads, while the adjacent Town & Country bar offers tacos, wings, sliders, and sides, a full bar, a simple yet very satisfactory wine selection, and a nice array of beers on tap or by the bottle and can. Pizzas are made in a wood-fired oven handmade in Maine that Bitter says can cook a pizza in 70 seconds, give or take a few seconds! n —Caleigh Cross

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: Dinner, Thursday – Monday. 876 Mountain Rd, Stowe. (802) 585-1742, deependstowe.com.

179

R E A L E S TAT E & H O M E S Are you searching for the perfect home or vacation getaway? Looking to update your 1970s kitchen, add a great room, or find a stone mason to redo your uneven terrace? Well, the search is over. Our guide to real estate and homes is your one-stop shop to find a new home or connect with the finest architects, interior designers, builders, and other craftsmen and suppliers for everything home-related. Our websitesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;stowetoday.com, stowereporter.com, newsandcitizen.com and waterburyrecord.comâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;are great real estate resources.

J. Graham Goldsmith Architects

Quality Design and Professional Architectural Services tel: 800 862 4053

www.jggarchitects.com

M E M B E R O F T H E S T O W E A R E A A S S O C I AT I O N

180

For those who seek an exceptional life

580 MOUNTAIN ROAD | STOWE, VT | 802.253.7267 | FourSeasonsSIR.com Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

R E A L E S TAT E

WHAT $500K BUYS Along the Route 100 corridor, Morrisville to Waterbury TEXT & PHOTOS BY / KATE CARTER

STOWE

$500,000

Built in 1981 Cape, with three bedrooms, including a master suite on the main floor 3,476 sq. ft., 3.24 acres Taxes: $9,420

F 182

rom the front, this house looks like a classic Cape, but from the back, it is so much more, with a three-season sunroom, deck and patio, stone walls, lawn, and woodlands. Located near Robinson Springs, the home is in a nice neighborhood, close to the ski resort. The main floor has a master suite with Âž bath, a living room with Rumford fireplace, a modest kitchen, dining room, mud room, sun room, and laundry room. Upstairs are two large bedrooms that share a full bath. Heating is baseboard and passive solar. Other features include cedar closets, central vac, unfinished basement, and a two-car attached garage with storage above. Outside: A nice yard with classic stone walls, landscaping, shade trees, and established perennial gardens. The reasonably flat gravel driveway is privately maintained. >>

R E A L E S TAT E

WATERBURY

$499,000

Three-bedroom custom home Built in 2003 3,079 sq. ft., 1.29 acres Taxes: $8,805 Interesting angles and attention to detail are this contemporary home’s finer points. The great room has an open floorplan and large windows, as well as hardwood maple flooring and a stone fireplace. The modern kitchen’s highlights are soapstone countertops, cherry cabinets, and walk-in pantry. A half-bath, access to a two-car garage, and screened-in porch complete the first floor. The finished walk-out basement has a rec room, spare room, and full bath. Upstairs is the master suite with walk-in closets and jetted soaking tub, as well as two more bedrooms and a full bath. Heat is baseboard hot water. Outside: The end-of-road location is in a pleasant neighborhood surrounded by woods and close to common land with walking and skiing trails. The gravel road is privately maintained by a homeowner’s association.

MORRISTOWN / $499,000 Four-bedroom farmhouse-style home Built in 2006 4,006 sq. ft., 2.2 acres Taxes: $11,084 Sited high on a hillside, this custom home is surrounded by views and undeveloped land. The interior is open, spacious, and full of natural light. Chefs will appreciate the modern kitchen, large central island, and wellthought-out work flow. Flooring is a combination of hardwood, ceramic tile, and carpet. The covered porch and patio let you experience nature up close and personal. Upstairs is the master suite, as well as three other bedrooms and a full bath. A partially finished basement and attached two-car garage complete the package. Outside: This home is located near popular multi-use trails. A steep and winding gravel driveway is privately maintained, while a homeowner’s association maintains the road.

184

MGa 129 Kingston Street Boston MA | 617.542.6060 | mgaarchitects.com

STOWE SPIRIT

STEVE MERMELSTEIN

A FOREST EXPANSE A view of Brownsville lands from above. Following pages: Brownsville, named after one of the prominent farming families with properties in the area that borders Elmore, Morristown, and Worcester, enjoyed a prosperous existence in the first part of the 20th century. The area is a haven for crosscountry skiers.

WALK IN THE WOODS 750-acre Brownsville forest officially opens uccess: The Stowe Land Trust raised the $6 million it needed to buy the 750-acre Brownsville-Story Ridge Forest, a wilderness area in the northeast corner of town. The land trust had Brownsville on its wish list for years, and jumped at the chance to conserve it. It was the last large, undeveloped parcel of forest that can be protected in Stowe. Once the land trust had it, it placed the property under a permanent conservation easement, so it can never be developed, and transferred the ownership to the state of Vermont. The property is now part of the sprawling C.C. Putnam State Forest, which covers 13,633 acres in Stowe, Elmore, Waterbury, Worcester, and Middlesex. Putnam is the fifth-largest state forest in Vermont, and its five major peaks are considered the third range of the Green Mountains. The $6 million purchase got a huge boost from an anonymous $5 million donation through the Vermont Community Foundation and a $175,000 grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. The remaining money came from more than 750 donations. Those donations included: • A $75,000 challenge grant from a group of supporters, triggered when the number of donations reached 750.

S 186

• “Coins for Conservation” collected by more than 150 Stowe Elementary School students during the last two weeks of the school year. “It’s a fantastic outcome for the land and our community,” said land trust executive director Kristen Sharpless.

The Worcester range

Brownsville is the trust’s largest purchase—in both acreage and cost—since the organization was founded in 1987. It joins such large forest tracts as the 10,000 acres of Burt Lumber Co., land transferred to Mount Mansfield and C.C. Putnam state forests in 1979; the town’s purchase of the 1,000-acre Sterling Forest in 1995; and Stowe Land Trust’s own protection of Cady Hill Forest in 2012. In acquiring the land from the trust, the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation adds a large block of land—758 acres—to the CC Putnam State Forest, protects the headwaters of Moss Glen Brook and numerous beaver ponds, and allows access to outdoor recreation opportunities along the western flank of the Worcester mountain range. The range is perhaps Vermont’s wildest and least protected, and includes popular hiking destinations like The Pinnacle, Mount Hunger, and Elmore Mountain. >>

Gristmill Builders | Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture | Nat Rea Photography

www.flavinarchitects.com

STOWE SPIRIT “Protecting this gem for the public not only provides wonderful benefits locally, but it also enhances a significant statewide asset for all Vermonters and our guests to enjoy now and into the future,” said Michael Snyder, commissioner for Forests, Parks and Recreation. The next step for the department is to come up with a management plan for the area, in line with its overall long-range plan for the Worcester Range Management Unit, of which this property is now a part. As this long-range planning occurs, the land will be open and available to the public for recreational uses that are in keeping with protecting the area’s quiet and remote character, and include hiking, hunting, skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife observation. A part of the existing trail network is already open to the public for pedestrian use. STOWE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Brownsville history

At the turn of the 19th into the 20th century, Brownsville was an active hill-farm community, with its own school and several working farms. That continued through the 1940s, but today the forest feels wild and remote. Esteemed Vermont journalist Mavis Doyle, writing in the Burlington Free Press in August 1968, called Brownsville “one of the state’s few ghost towns.” When Doyle wrote her story, almost all of the buildings in Brownsville had disappeared, and a dozen of them were “being helped along in their deterioration by vandals who have stolen timbers from the old buildings.” Charlie Lord, who headed the crews that cut many of the ski trails at Stowe Mountain Resort, wrote a series of 1974 and 1975 pieces in the Stowe Reporter, sharing anecdotes and histories of the area. Here’s some of what he reported. “Walling’s map of 1859 shows that portions of Brownsville had been settled, for there was a starch factory and sawmill in the Moss Glen Falls area, a schoolhouse established at the top of the hill and roads extended as far as what is now known as the McCall place and the place towards Brush Hill known as the Sylvester place. The road connecting with Brush Hill had not been built. However, the so-called Elmore Mountain Road was in existence although no school is shown in this area. ... >>

188

STOWE SPIRIT

A distinctive advantage during every real estate transaction.

CERAMIC • GLASS • NATURAL STONE • CARPET HARDWOOD • AREA RUGS • GRANITE COUNTERTOPS Countertops are Manufactured in Our State of the Art Facility here in South Barre, Vermont

889 South Barre Road - Rt. 14

802.476.0912 • barretile.com 190

“For a number of years, the Burt Lumber Co., had a steam mill about one-half mile beyond (to the east) the McClean place, which they bought in 1893, plus 2,500 acres of timberland. They operated the mill for two seasons, then moved the machinery to the mill in Stowe village. … “By toil and perseverance, the farms in this area proved that an existence could be wrested from the environment. The usual crops were grown, such as corn, wheat, hay, plus vegetables for home consumption. ... Most every farm had a sugar orchard and an apple orchard. ... Some dairy products, such as milk, were delivered to the local creamery and extra butter might be bartered at local grocery stores, as well as poultry, eggs, beef, pork, etc. So, all in all, a fairly substantial living was made from these farms. ... Slowly the economic picture changed and the socalled hill farms gradually declined. ... As the families moved away, less and less pupils attended the school so that in 1953 the Brownsville schoolhouse closed its door forever.” STOWE LAND TRUST

No motors or mountain bikes

Before the property was posted several years ago, neighbors and residents used the land for hunting, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, walking, and more. Currently,, mountain biking, horseback riding, and motorized traffic—snowmobiles, ATVs, and dirt bikes—are not allowed. The land trust says the forest is mainly northern hardwoods—sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, and similar trees. But there are also hemlock and red spruce forests on the property. At the center of Brownsville Forest are two open meadows that cover 7 acres and offer views across the valley to the Green Mountains and a variety of meadow and related habitat for wildlife. An avid birder, Liz Lackey of Stowe credits exploring the property’s woods, beaver ponds, and old pastures as a child in the 1960s with her appreciation for nature. “This property is such a gem,” she said. “I am thrilled that it will be protected, and I hope that it will continue to inspire similar passions for wildlife and natural places in future generations.” —Tommy Gardner and Caleigh Cross //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ESSENTIALS: stowelandtrust.org.

191

SPOTLIGHT DEFT TOUCH Kathy Dever in her studio in Stowe.

STORY

PHOTOGRAPH

Kate Carter

A DESIGN STUDIO FOR STOWE From concept to completion, Kathy Dever works well with others “Interior design can be very powerful. It can change attitudes and behavior,” said Kathy Dever, owner of Design Studio of Stowe. She and her father, Gerald Dever, opened the business in 1982, when the family moved from Barre to Stowe. Gerald passed away in 2015 and Kathy, an allied member of American Society of Interior Designers, has continued to run the business with the help of her mother, Isabel, who fills in as bookkeeper and also helps consult with clients. They have a storefront on Mountain Road, where clients can see colors, touch fabrics, and experience the look and feel of paints, furniture, draperies, carpets, and accessories.

How did you end up in Stowe? My two brothers, sister, and I grew up in Barre and skied for the Mount Mansfield Ski Club throughout elementary and high school. Our parents wanted to be closer to the mountain and purchased land in Stowe in the 1960s. I have been here ever since.

Was your father an interior designer? Right after WWII my father attended St. Michael’s College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. During his college years he worked at various furniture stores in Burlington, where he learned to install draperies, carpets, and flooring. In the 1950s he opened Finnie &

192

Dever Inc., in Montpelier, which specialized in all types of floor coverings. When my daughter was born I wanted a part-time job, so we started the business together. He had the hands-on knowledge and I started with choosing colors and accessories.

What do you like about your profession? It’s never the same. Some days you might be space planning, another day choosing draperies. There are various levels of projects. I like the challenge. It’s not just picking paint colors. It’s about the scale, proportion, flow, color, lighting, and the intricate balance of how a room will function best for the user. It’s important to have a plan and the plan has to happen first. >>

We don’t sell mattresses! – We sell a good night’s sleep…

SPOTLIGHT Rooms will feel most comfortable if they are well planned, well done, and you have a strong desire to stay there.

11 a.m. and on a day that’s not too overcast. Sometimes the owner will give me a key so I can come and go as needed.

Where do your customers come from?

How does a typical project begin?

Stowe. There’s always a lot happening in Stowe.

People will call and ask for my help. I will have an initial meeting to find out what their needs are, what they want from me, and what the overall goal is. Is it just consulting, just draperies, several rooms? A lot of people have no idea how to start, even if it’s just one room. The concept of what you are trying to achieve must come first, and often it is overlooked. If there’s an architect involved with new construction it’s important to work with the architect and the client to continue the concept. You all need to be on the same path.

What are your interior design strengths? Space planning. I enjoy this early part of the process, ensuring the footprint works well to support the activity the clients expect. Drapery design and window treatments are another area I find important to the end success, as well as concept development and paint and finish specifications.

What rooms requires the most attention? Kitchens and bathrooms. There are so many details to work out. Every job requires a lot of attention. If you change one thing, you change everything.

What is the scope of your work? Some new construction, and I do a lot of renovations, additions, and updating. They are puzzles to me, looking at what has transpired, looking at something new, and making all the connections.

What changes have you seen in the 37 years you’ve been in business? The urgency and willingness people have to just go online and order. At first people were reluctant, but younger homeowners are not. The younger customer is more willing to try bolder colors and different products. With imports from China, pricewise, online ordering is appealing, but now consumers are realizing that if they pay more, they might well enjoy it more.

Do you spend time at the site? Yes. I take photos and measurements. I go back and forth from my office to the site with fabrics and paints. I try to choose paints on site before

• SEPTIC SYSTEMS • DRIVEWAYS/ROADS • FOUNDATIONS • PONDS • UNDERGROUND UTILITY INSTALLATION • DRAINAGE ISSUES • DANGEROUS TREE REMOVAL

194

Do you feel competition from online places such as Wayfair? I don’t. There are certain people who want some-

thing right away. Most of my customers want a planned outcome, not a quick fix. To have a room really lovely requires a good plan. It becomes urgency vs. quality of process. People don’t come to me for the least expensive. Most of my goods come from North Carolina, including my main furniture company, Century Furniture. They have a wide range of products and great service. I don’t want to sell something that I can’t get serviced, and my sources all back their products. It’s nice to be able to go back to a manufacturer to get parts. I can often get parts for a 20-year-old product. Trying to get parts online is usually a problem and frustrating.

What is a project you have really enjoyed? I worked on a building that was built for multigenerational living. Everyone living there had a place that worked for them. The lower level was for grandparents for easy access. The living space and a bedroom were on the first floor and the top floor had the master suite. It was well thought out. Architects have a lot of power in creating a workable space. I often work with local architects. It’s my job to facilitate and fulfill the concept, while being respectful of the architect and the clients. The best projects are when everyone works well together. n

SPLITROCK

Craftsman-style cluster for retirement, the cottage life, and creating STORY

: nancy wolfe stead |

PHOTOGRAPHY

: glenn callahan

197

SPLITROCK Tucked away from suburban bustle on the Waterbury-Stowe town line is a home complex that is simply perfect in concept and design. It was conceived in surprise, the owners having only undefined conversations about building a one-floor home more suitable for their retirement years, and executed with love and exquisite attention to detail. The three-building cluster in the Craftsman-style tradition—a multi-level workshop and barn, a cottage called “Badger,” and a perfectly realized retirement home—form the latest residence of Frits and Cubby Momsen, two gifted souls who met in Stowe in their early 20s and together created rich, productive lives. recommended: read the story first, p.214

198

photographs, p.200 >>

199

200

compounded

59 Old Creamery Road

Morrisville, VT

802.888.3629

stowebuilder.com

201

202

easy living

It’s all about the details.

• Custom home builders • renovations • Additions • custom cabinetry & woodworking • Painting - Exterior and interior • Professional project management

PATTERSON & SMITH Construction Building Homes. Building Long Term Relationships.

Stowe, VT (802) 253-3757 www.pattersonandsmith.com 203

204

easy living

205

206

easy living

207

208

custom kitchen

209

210

at dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end

211

212

circular motion

213

JESSE SCHLOFF PHOTOGRAPHY

FINE HOMES ADDITIONS & RENOVATIONS FOR OVER 30 YEARS

626 Mountain Road, Stowe | 802.253.9367 | gordondixonconstruction.com

Enjoy the Stowe Life,

RURAL STYLE Full Service Property and Household Management for the Vacation Home Owner. With meticulous attention to detail our experienced team of professionals will preserve your investment and make your time in Stowe enjoyable.

admin@ruralresourcesvt.com

802.253.9496 214

About the time the Momsen nest emptied, land became available from good friends and neighbors—an old farm on the south side of North Hill. The land featured a secluded hillside setting of forest punctuated by dramatic rock faces, a pond, a network of walking trails, and a location closer to family and services in Burlington. Years before, Frits declared he had little interest in moving unless the new place had a view of Camel’s Hump, Vermont’s iconic mountain with no ski trails, no cell towers, no nighttime lights, or signs of human occupation. The old farm had 270-degree views >>

215

L ANDSCAPE A RC HI T EC T URE

P H OTO : D E R R I C K B A R R E T T

8 0 2 . 5 2 2 . 0 6 7 6 C Y N T H I A K N AU F.C OM

to the west with—Eureka!—Camel’s Hump smack dab in the center. A lovely secluded knoll where a white birch had grown, splitting a large rock, begged to be their homesite. The two couples bought the land, saving it from developers, and the Momsens started their list of wants and needs. First on the list? A multi-level workshop/barn accessible on two floors. This was vital as Frits intended to do the lion’s share of site preparation and construction and needed a place for equipment storage, as well as a workshop. The upstairs, with its own entrance, would allow the couple to store their furniture and equipment during the long construction period. >>

216

Eck|MacNeely Architects Boston, MA + Hancock, NH www.eckmacneely.com 617.367.9696

217

cocoplumappliances.com 27 Park St. Essex Junction, VT 05452 (802) 878-6868 1300 Putney Rd. Brattleboro, VT 05301 (802) 254-9104 540 Main St. Keene, NH 03431 (603) 355-8200

218

Next, the roof would need perfect exposure for solar panels. Then, a cabin, to be called Badger, would serve as their home at the outset and a guest cottage or caregiver’s home in the future. A new home would come last. Frits, a transplanted Dane with voracious appetite for new skills, is a reader and a philosopher, and he laughs well—and a lot. When he does, his blue eyes lock on yours, crease and twinkle, awaiting your response. He likes nothing better than being presented with a knotty problem and solving it. His approach to all projects is always as an artist, but with functionality. Over the years, his talents have ranged from public television production to all aspects of the building trades, culminating in the construction of unique, elegant, complex staircases throughout the 1990s. To find the solution to marrying continuously curling and climbing tangent handrails with straightforward stair treads, Frits searched out rare books going back to the 1700s, relearned plane geometry, experimented, and redesigned appropriate tools. He founded Sterling Staircase and Handrail and his staircases are found in exceptional homes across the U.S. Cubby is English, a former equestrienne of many talents and a successful seller of real estate, and she, too, is focused and aesthetically astute. The couple knew exactly what they wanted and conferred on every detail. Postponing house construction until last turned out to be a blessing. Living in Badger was comfortable and so, with no sense of urgency, they progressed one step at a time. As one space neared completion, unexpected opportunities were revealed. Adding a curve here, a nook there, a change in lighting or ceiling height allowed more excitement and originality. The first step was sketching out floor plans. They agreed on two wings meeting at a 135degree angle, but that couldn’t fit all of the rooms they envisioned into the space. Milford Cushman of Stowe’s Cushman Design Group was brought in for consultation and solved the problem by adding a five-foot bump at one end. Cushman associate Chad Forcier later came into the project to provide what Frits calls very satisfactory “a la carte service.” He was an excellent resource for specific issues and provided working drawings of the floorplan and elevations. The home has proved perfect, in concept and design, for the couple, both when alone and when filled with visiting family and friends. The Momsen’s verdict is every homebuilder’s envy: “We have no regrets, we wouldn’t change a thing,” Cubby says, with a grateful sigh. “I feel like I’m on vacation. I don’t need to go anywhere else. I am content, extremely content.” n

219

CONFESSIONS OF A VERMONT REALTOR

GLENN CALLAHAN

SWEET SPOT Bob Murray on his farm, Hunger Acres, in Waterbury Center, circa late 1990s.

RENAISSANCE MAN Bob Murray’s love affair with Vermont, its land, and its people Bob Murray would have had fun and done well—certainly done it colorfully—whatever he decided to do. Luckily for Stowe he chose to move here sometime mid-century and never left. The result has been a love affair with the area by a man who has been a bard at area lodges, ski partner to just about everyone, real estate broker par excellence, and writer. Well, to be honest, he’s always written, but several decades ago he sat down at his Royal typewriter and pulled together several dozen of his best Stowe stories into “Confessions of a Vermont Realtor.” Robert “Bob” Philips Murray, 93, died a year ago, in October 2018, at the Greensboro Nursing Home after many years of residence at his farm, Hunger Acres, on Gregg Hill Road in Waterbury. A Larchmont, N.Y., boy, Bob loved his years at Mamaroneck High School, playing ice hockey and his guitar. Bob was proud of his heritage, and rightly so. Three Philips boys fought alongside Gen. George Washington at the Battle of the Brandywine. He always said he got his spirit and determination from his genetic forefathers. >>

220

Service. Quality. Integrity. FLEET TRANSPORTATION, LLC is a premier provider of LUXURY SEDAN, LIMOUSINE, AND SHUTTLE TRANSPORTATION SERVICES SUV’S, VANS, MERCEDES SPRINTERS, MINI BUSES AND BUSES. Providing luxury transportation services to Southern, Central and Northern Vermont – servicing Boston, Burlington and Montreal airports.

COMPLETE TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS FOR EVERY OCCASION 802.735.0515 | 866.933.2600 | INFO@FLEETTRANSPORTATION.COM | FLEETTRANSPORTATION.COM 6 years in a row!

Affordable near on-demand pre-arranged luxury transportation for all your LOCAL NEEDS and to/from BTV, BOS, YUL, KMVL Airports. IF YOU LIKE UBER BLACK YOU'LL LOVE US!

RIDES.COM SIMPLE · FAST · EASY

— A division of Fleet Transportation LLC —

BOOK ON LINE NOW

STOWERIDES.COM 221

CONFESSIONS OF A VERMONT REALTOR Bob was a Wharton School alum, a Navy man, and Manhattan adman before venturing north to Vermont and a lifelong career in real estate. His hockey and downhill skiing in the Stowe area were legendary, as was his singing at Trapp Family Lodge and other local haunts. He never married. His farm, the local ice Bob Murray. rink, and his dog Buddie were his great loves. We are pleased to once again reprint a chapter from “Confessions,” which is as much about his adventures and successes in real estate as it is about his love of the land, Vermont, and its people. “Confessions” is a gem, full of self-deprecating humor, fun, and Stowe history. And yes, Bob did once meet Prince Albert of Monaco. But that’s a story for another edition. So here’s “Kirby,” the story from “Confessions of a Vermont Realtor” on how Bob came to be a Stowe, Vt., real estate agent.

Kirby In many respects I’m a loner, and I was warned at business school about the pitfalls along the slippery slope of partnership. So my first eight years in real estate were spent as a lone eagle. I had a natural affinity for forests, meadows, and streams, so over the months I walked hundreds of miles of Vermont’s countryside studying the qualities of the land, its access, views, and terrain. I became something of an authority on land acquisition, with a minor in residential structures. Then, Bob Kirby, whom I’d long admired as the owner of the Yodler Lodge, acquired his real estate license. Bob was the type of character with the magnetic personality that everyone wanted to be around. I also knew him to have a natural love and grasp of residential real estate, acquired through his past experience in purchasing and renovating houses. I couldn’t help but think that we’d complement one another as an ideal team, but I hesitated to approach him because I was afraid the admiration might run only one way. However, a mutual friend called, suggesting that Kirby might like to work with me, so I initiated contact, and before we knew it, we had set up office in an old house Kirby owned

222

on the Mountain Road, across from the Yodler, known as the Echo. We were both apprehensive about a partnership commitment, so we agreed to join forces on a “two-week cancelable” basis. He technically worked for me, but in reality we were a partnership from the word go. Whoever I didn’t know personally in the area, Kirby did, and in no time “the land office was doing a land-office business.” I guess my antipathy to partnership until that time had been the apprehension that I wouldn’t be strong enough, vis-a-vis a partner, to stand up for my opinions and my share of the pie. Those fears were quickly and resoundingly dispelled. If Diogenes was looking for one honest and generous man, it must have been Kirby. Our only recurrent difference of opinion was that I thought he should take a greater share of our mutual earnings than he did. Besides that, he proceeded, very subtly, to organize and systemize the office. Before I knew it, we had developed from a couple of free-lance characters to a respected organization. Kirby accomplished it all while he was still technically my employee. Of course, I rectified the situation to an equal partnership as soon as the real estate law would allow, but meanwhile it was a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. Our eight years of association really enhanced my faith in my fellow man and taught me a profound lesson. If you invest belief in your associates, grant them authority to accompany responsibility, respect their individuality, keep criticism constructive and your mind open to change, then they can become amazingly generous, productive, and nurturing. For me, partnership was a great teacher. But Kirby was also a uniquely independent and idiosyncratic character. Though quite universally popular, he was, at his core, a very private person. So to moderate the intimacy of our business relationship, he would consistently keep our personal lives at arm’s length. For instance, after we had been working together for a year, he threw a large dinner party at the Ten Acres Lodge. In calling the office to accept his invitation, a number of his friends happened to reach me. I took their messages of acceptance. By the end of a week, I came to the stunning realization that I was not going to be invited to the party. My partner, with whom I worked daily, was having a major party for mutual friends, and I wasn’t invited. I felt rejected and hurt. Then an unusual thing happened.

As Kirby owned the building out of which Murray Real Estate operated, he kept an apartment upstairs. One night I was working quite late at my desk when I realized he was up those stairs, with his door open, dreaming and talking in his sleep. It became obvious that he was at a Realtor’s meeting in his dream, and he was upset that the membership had failed to take a clear stand on an issue. Suddenly, he very firmly and audibly said, “There’s only one person in this organization worth his salt, and you know who that is. It’s Bob Murray!” I remember turning beet red with embarrassment at having heard his private somnolent utterance. But the next day, I realized how important my inadvertent eavesdropping had been. I realized that, even if I wasn’t about to receive the overt affection of my partner, at least I had his respect. That respect and the fun of working with this unique man were enough to sustain our business relationship for the next seven years. Kirby’s reserve of inner privacy manifested itself in other ways. Having been a beloved ski lodge owner over the years, he had a great pool of former lodgers and friends who would arrive in Stowe, expecting to stay with him or generally share their visit with him. In defense of his privacy, he actually acquired a house that had only one bedroom, and kept an up-todate list of recommended alternative lodging and activities for his presumptuous friends. Kirby had also learned, early on, that the bane of many real estate showings is the two or three kids that Mom or Dad bring along when they are out looking at properties. In many restaurants, the noise level generated by children, to which the parents have become desensitized, can become very distracting to the couple trying to conduct an intimate tete-a-tete at the next table. Similarly, when a Realtor is trying to impart a large amount of actual data to a prospective buyer and is temporarily dominating the parent’s attention, the child in the back seat can become quite insecure, causing an escalating competition between child and broker for a parent’s attention. It can be a very trying process when you’re reduced to virtually shouting at your prospect. So Kirby made a hard-and-fast rule: children may remain and play with the designated toys in the office or the buyers can follow in their own car with the children, but like W.C. Fields, who is purported to have spiked Baby LeRoy’s orange juice, he simply refused to enter into competition with the young cherubs. In our early months, Kirby and I had a couple of disappointing experiences with young women hired as receptionists. In a resort area, their priorities are quite naturally skiing and boyfriend, and then employment, in that order. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, we had finally opted for a part-time, mature woman and a telephone answering device. >>

223

Then late one evening at home, attired in my bathrobe, I answered an unexpected knock on my door, and there stood a vision of young, blond loveliness in a modified miniskirt. Whispering a sub rosa thanks to God, I invited her in, only to find she had come seeking a job in real estate. Seems she had recently passed the Vermont broker’s exam and had heard that ours was a really convivial office. Trying not to show my disappointment at the purpose of her visit, I explained that my partner had developed an unfortunate aversion to very young women in the office and that I simply couldn’t avail myself of her services. I did promise that I would mention the situation to my partner before pronouncing a final no. Next day I related the visit to Kirby and drew a predictable, “Look, if you want to hire her, train her, be responsible for her, and keep her out of my way, then that’s your prerogative.” With that great well of encouragement, I advised Gretchen that she could come in on weekends, and we would ty to work her into the system.

603.359.1912 | geobarns.com SALES, INSTALLATION & SERVICE OF MOST MAJOR BRANDS Locally Owned & Operated Since 1985.

cocoplumappliances.com 27 Park St. Essex Junction, VT 05452 (802) 878-6868 1300 Putney Rd. Brattleboro, VT 05301 (802) 254-9104 540 Main St. Keene, NH 03431 (603) 355-8200

224

The fastest growing professional kitchen appliance dealer in the area. Featuring Jenn-Air!

What a surprise we were both in for! Turned out this “sweet, naive young waif” had graduated top of her class at Rochester University, possessed somewhat more gray matter than either Kirby or I, and was a selfstarter needing very little direction. The upshot was, that within a couple of weeks, she and Kirby had developed a conspiratorial bond that I could hardly penetrate. She was a consummate asset and a joy, and was subsequently to become Vermont Commissioner of Banking and Insurance. I think one of the saddest days in Kirby’s life was when she left us to attend law school. You just can’t tell a book by its cover, even if the cover stops just above the knees. Other Kirby stories are legion. One of them reflects the fact that Bob, although one of the kindest, most generous people I knew, had fallen out with his ancestral Catholicism and found a lot of hypocrisy in organized religion. Although I was a flawed, clay-footed Christian and fully aware of my imperfection, I think there was always a subtle suspicion that I might harbor some holier-than-thouedness under my tolerate exterior. So when Kirby returned from a trek in the Himalayas one spring, and we had the occasion to be seated at either end of a Realtor’s conference banquet table at Ten Acres Lodge, fortified with a scotch or two, he made the solemn pronouncement that, having looked into comparative Eastern religions, he’d concluded that “Christianity was on the very lowest rung.” At that moment, God must have inspired me with the words, because I spontaneously responded that, “by my yardstick, Kirby, you’re the best Christian in Stowe.” Without another word, he stiffened, got up from the table, and left the meeting. The interesting thing is that I didn’t mean to “hoist him by his own petard.” I really believed my assessment of his qualities. >>

AARON FLINT BUILDERS 11 North Main Street Waterbury, VT 802.882.7060 | aaronflintbuilders.com

True Triple Sealed Units with LowE surface coatings for maximum performance. Our standard 1/8” (3mm) double strength glass oﬀers greater strength and clarity over thinner glass, making our products more insulative, more soundproof, more resistant to impact and stresses caused by ﬂuctuations in temperature.

LOEWEN WINDOW CENTER OF VERMONT & NEW HAMPSHIRE

loewenvtnh.com • 52 Bridge Street, White River Jct., VT 05001 800.505.1892 802.295.6555 • info@loewenvtnh.com Project image: Nelson Cabin - courtesy Stefan Hampden of CAST architecture

225

Custom Cabinetry

Countertops

Stone

Tile

Plumbing

Accessories

202 g n i k o o wB

Schedule a FREE Consultation! We are your local kitchen & bath showroom with a design for every budget!

Vermont’s Finest Showroom | 30+ Combined Years of Experience | Simple Refreshes to Full Renovations 6576 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury Center, VT | 802.479.7909 | interiorcreationsvt.com Located Between Waterbury and Stowe on Route 100 next to “Where The Bear Carvings Are”

Commercial refrigeration refined for the home, envied in the industry, and crafted — gorgeously – in America.

cocoplumappliances.com 27 Park St. Essex Junction, VT 05452 (802) 878-6868 1300 Putney Rd. Brattleboro, VT 05301 (802) 254-9104 540 Main St. Keene, NH 03431 (603) 355-8200

226

Quite coincidentally, I was to evoke another religious note in our relationship when Kirby was called on the carpet by the Realtor Board’s ethics committee for a technical advertising violation. Ironically, the agent who had cited the alleged offense had a reputation for the most questionable ethics on the board, while Kirby was known for his blunt honesty. As the proceedings were petering out for the lack of a clear-cut breach, I found myself quite spontaneously interjecting, “May I suggest that ‘he who is without sin cast the first stone’” ... and on that all-too-appropriate note, the hearing just slowly dissolved. Kirby possessed one of the greatest senses of humor of our times ... he would enter a room or a party, and within a very few minutes, an otherwise funereal atmosphere would erupt into spontaneous laughter ... it was truly a gift. Then one spring I happened to be planning a 30-day trip to the British Isles, and at a friend’s behest I was talked into visiting Mrs. Laferia, a clairvoyant farm lady in Plainfield, Vt. (Plainfield is on the other side of the Worcester Mountain Range and quite remote from Stowe.) This lady had become aware, even as a young girl, that she had a special gift for locating her friends’ lost objects, and this ability had developed to a point where she had aided authorities in locating missing persons and had participated in criminal cases, yet she was a very modest, genteel lady who refused to take more than $10 per consultation lest she lose her gift. From the moment I met Mrs. Laferia, I felt an extrasensory communication. She unerringly described my current romantic situation and then reflected that I would forthwith be traveling to England. After we had run over the allotted time by almost an hour, and she had refused to take additional money, I was finally saying goodbye at her farm kitchen door. For some reason, I said, “Now that you’ve correctly surmised that I’m going to England for a sojourn, do you have any feeling about how my partner will fare with our business in the meantime?” Having no way of directly knowing who my partner was or even what our business was, she didn’t respond to my question but merely replied, “Doesn’t he have the most infectious laughter?” I left that farm in a sense of awe: in one phrase she had described the Kirby that she had never met or heard of. Kirby and I finally broke up the office and the partnership after eight years. We had actually become too successful for my liking, and I was often working more feverishly than I had in New York. Gretchen decided to pursue the world of law and politics, and Kirby headed west to California, Alaska, and eventually the state of Washington. I returned to a reduced, lone-eagle operation, but the partnership had been a joyful learning experience for me, and we sure-as-hell never had to invoke that two-week cancellation clause. I hope he’s having the time of his life in the beautiful Northwest. I miss him! n

227

STOWE-SMUGGLERS AIRPORT & AVIATION STOWE AVIATION Stowe Aviation at the Morrisville-Stowe State Airport (KMVL) enables effortless access to Stowe from cities such as Boston and New York, with scheduled flights from Westchester Airport and non-stop flights on demand, 24 hours a day. (802) 253-2332. (855) FLY STOWE. stoweaviation.com.

AMERICAN CRAFT GALLERIES REMARKABLE THINGS AT STOWE CRAFT Jewelry, local art, prints, sculpture, beautiful functional crafts. Supporting American makers for over 35 years that align with your lifestyle. Stowe’s go-to craft gallery for years. Quite remarkable, isn’t it? 55 Mountain Rd. (802) 253-4693. stowecraft.com.

ANTIQUES BITTNER ANTIQUES

The Furniture Shop & Design Studio of Stowe Kathleen Dever, Allied ASID | 626 Mountain Road | 802-253-9600 designstudiovt.com designstudiovt

Third-generation Vermont antique dealer Brian Bittner: broad experience with pocket and wristwatches, jewelry, silver, artwork, coins/paper money, historical/military, older collectibles, heirlooms. Free house visits, (802) 272-7527. bittnerantiques.com.

APPLIANCES COCOPLUM APPLIANCES Fastest growing kitchen appliance dealer in the area. Carrying most major brands and providing sales, installation, and service for everything we sell. Jenn-Air, True, Dacor, Miele, more. Locally owned and operated since 1985. (888) 412-1222, appliancedistributors.com.

ARCHITECTS

adj.

first

ANDREW VOLANSKY, AIA / VOLANSKY STUDIO ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING

(fûrst)

growth

(grōth)

The term studio speaks to an open process of collaborating with our clients and individuals who execute our designs. This respectful approach has proven to contribute to project success. 1815 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 793-4999, volanskystudio.com.

ECK MACNEELY ARCHITECTS

1. Forests undisturbed by human activity or natural catastrophe 2. A collection of flooring at Planet Hardwood milled from hand-hewn barn beams. Before motors were invented, early settlers to North America fashioned timbers by hand to shelter their families, their cattle, and their feed, using logs cut from ancient forests. Nearly all recycled wood flooring in today’s marketplace is authentically repurposed from structural timbers, but not necessarily from ancient trees. Although catalogues and web pages of “antique” wood flooring manufacturers show a somewhat romantic picture of an abandoned barn, the bulk of their production is from industrial or military buildings that offer high volumes of the same species. A re-sawn 2X10 from your local lumberyard satisfies the definition of recycled wood, but without the historical pedigree. Planet Hardwood has partnered with a mill that draws their raw material exclusively from hand-hewn barn beams. These were trees that were standing not only before the Pilgrims landed, but before the Pilgrims were born! Like dinosaur bones, they’re irreplaceable and irreproducible remnants of ancient North American history. Someday, this resource will be exhausted, but in the meantime there’s over 10,000 square feet of First Growth Flooring in inventory at: Planet Hardwood 157 Barber Rd. St. George VT 05495 802-482-4404 www.planethardwood.com M-F 9-6 Sat-Sun 10-3 228

Home is a place where comfort is found and given. Since 1976, we have considered every design detail an opportunity to create the spirit of home. 560 Harrison Ave., Suite 403, Boston 02118. (617) 367-9696. eckmacneely.com.

ELD ARHITECTURE Creating thoughtful design inspired by place. We utilize sophisticated three-dimensional technology to accurately model our buildings, allowing both architect and client to envision the project as it develops. (802) 521-7101. eldarchitecture.com.

ELIZABETH HERRMANN ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN EHA+D is an award-winning residential architecture firm based in Central Vermont. We specialize in designing exceptionally beautiful, well-crafted, energy-efficient homes. (802) 453-6401, eharchitect.com.

FLAVIN ACHITECTS A modern architecture firm focused on contemporary home design. Our designs relate beautifully to their surroundings with sculpted lines and timeless materials. flavinarchitects.com, (617) 227-6717, instagram: @flavinarchitects.

HARRY HUNT ARCHITECTS Modern green homes—true to the spirit of Vermont. Member American Institute of Architects. Certified passive house designer. (802) 253-2374, harryhuntarchitects.com.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY J. GRAHAM GOLDSMITH, ARCHITECTS Quality design and professional architectural services specializing in residential, hotel, restaurant, retail, and resort development. Member Stowe Area. (800) 862-4053. jggarchitects.com. Email: VT@jggarchitects.com.

LEE HUNTER ARCHITECT, AIA Stowe-based architectural firm offering a personal approach to creative, elegant design. Residential, commercial, and renovations. (802) 253-9928. leehunterarchitect.com.

MAD MOOSE ARCHITECTURE Mad Moose Architecture was founded on a commitment to provide a more thoughtful way of designing shelter, with reverence for the environment and respect for the earth and its inhabitants. (802) 234-5720, madmoosearchitecture.com.

MARCUS GLEYSTEEN ARCHITECTS Our goal is to create architecture that is personally and culturally useful, giving form and purpose to built space. We look beyond stylistic preferences and are committed to the thoughtful use of our clients’ resources. mgaarchitects.com. (617) 542-6060.

PAUL ROBERT ROUSSELLE, ARCHITECT AIA Architectural services offering creative design approach for environmentally responsible homes true to their surroundings. We create spaces that move clients functionally, aesthetically, and emotionally with exquisitely detailed, beautifully built, inspiring designs. (802) 253-2110.

SAM SCOFIELD, ARCHITECT, AIA Professional architectural services for all phases of design and construction. Residential and commercial. Carlson Building, Main Street, Stowe. samscofieldarchitect.com. (802) 253-9948.

TEKTONIKA STUDIO ARCHITECTS Dedicated to the craft and composition of sustainable, siteinspired design. Emphasis on a collaborative design process to meet our client’s vision and budget. Located in Lower Stowe Village. (802) 253-2020. tektonikavt.com.

TRUEXCULLINS ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN Designing luxury-custom homes that connect with their natural setting and meet the desires of our clients. View our homes at truexcullins.com. (802) 658-2775.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN CUSHMAN DESIGN GROUP Architectural, interior, and landscape design featuring beauty, craftsmanship, and excellent energy efficiency. Creative, intuitive, functional, efficient. (802) 253-2169. cushmandesign.com.

ARTS & CRAFTS LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO Walk into the studio and experience the art of glassblowing up close. Adjacent gallery features works of resident artist Michael Trimpol. Thurs. – Mon. 10-5. (802) 253-0889. littleriverhotglass.com.

ART GALLERIES THE ARTISANS’ GALLERY An inspired collection of fine art and craft from Vermont’s established and emerging artists. A must-see destination. Gifts and cards for every occasion. 11-6 daily. Historic Bridge Street, Waitsfield 05674. (802) 496-6256. vtartisansgallery.com.

BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY Vermont’s premier gallery for landscape painting features over 200 artists in a year-round exhibition schedule. Thurs. – Sun. 11-4 through June 25. Daily 11-5 June 27 – Oct 8, and by appointment. Closed January. 180 Main St., Jeffersonville. More art galleries l (802) 644-5100. bryangallery.org.

CIVIL ENGINEERS – LAND USE PLANNERS Land Development Projects

Subdivisions & Site Plan Design Residential & Commercial

Local, State, and Act 250 Permitting Water & Wastewater Systems Stormwater Drainage Design Structural & Environmental

454 MOUNTAIN ROAD STOWE, VT 05672 802-881-6314 tyler@mumleyinc.com www.mumleyengineering.com 229

S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY HELEN DAY ART CENTER Center for contemporary art and art education, established in 1981. Local, national, and international exhibitors. Art classes. Cultural events. Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday 10-5. 90 Pond St., Stowe. (802) 253-8358, helenday.com.

NORTHWOOD GALLERY Gallery exclusively featuring Vermont artisans. Jewelry, pottery, prints, and more. We host artist workshops, live demonstrations, and provide custom woodwork. 151 Main St., Stowe. (802) 760-6513. info.northwoodgallery@gmail.com.

ROBERT PAUL GALLERIES An outstanding selection of original paintings, sculpture, and fine art glass by locally, nationally, and internationally acclaimed artists. Celebrating 29 years. Open daily. 394 Mountain Road, Baggy Knees Shopping Center, Stowe. robertpaulgalleries.com. (802) 253-7282.

WEST BRANCH GALLERY & SCULPTURE PARK Central Vermont’s premiere contemporary fine art, sculpture, and private event space exhibiting work by over 50 nationally and internationally recognized artists. Visit westbranchgallery.com. for more information.

AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR 253 AUTO Fast, friendly, reliable service on all makes and makes and models. Tire sales, mount/balance, repairs, Vermont state inspections, computer diagnostics, Intoxalock installation and service. Give me a call and we’ll give you the cost. 745 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-9979.

BAKERIES BLACK CAP COFFEE & BEER Freshly made pastries and treats, light breakfast, lunch options. Fresh coffee, espresso, lattes. Beers and wines from Vermont, U.S., around the world. Free wi-fi. Daily. 144 Main St., across from Stowe’s classic New England church; and 63 Lower Main St., Morrisville. Facebook.

HARVEST MARKET Homemade muffins, cookies, tarts, pies, cakes, and other luscious treats. Incredible breads, including our own French country bread baked in traditional wood-fired ovens. Fine coffees and espresso. Daily 7-5:30 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

BREWERIES THE ALCHEMIST A family owned and operated craft brewery specializing in fresh, unfiltered IPA. You can visit our tasting room and retail shop Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 100 Cottage Club Rd., Stowe. alchemistbeer.com.

LAWSON’S FINEST LIQUIDS Award-winning brewery, stunning timberframe taproom and retail store featuring world-class beers and light fare of the highest quality. Open daily. 155 Carroll Rd., Waitsfield. (802) 496-HOPS. lawsonsfinest.com.

ROCK ART BREWERY Brewing beers we love for you to enjoy. Visit our tasting room and gift shop Mon.-Sat. 10-6. Grab bombers, cans, and growlers, as well as local art and food. (802) 888-9400. rockartbrewery.com.

VON TRAPP BREWING & BIERHALL Von Trapp Brewing brews a selection of authentic Austrian lagers. Stop by for a pint and enjoy Austrian fare and mountaintop views at our Bierhall, lounge, or dining room. (800) 826-7000. trappfamily.com.

BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS AARON FLINT BUILDERS Creating inspiring spaces in Central Vermont for over 20 years. (802) 882-7060, aaronflintbuilders.com.

DONALD P. BLAKE JR INC. Handcrafted quality in building, offering experienced and reliable contracting services since 1985. Specializing in custom home new construction, renovations, commercial construction, construction management, and property services. (802) 888-3629, stowebuilder.com.

GEOBARNS Geobarns is an environmentally conscious, minimal waste builder, specializing in artistic barns using modified post-andbeam structures with diagonal framing to achieve a combination of strength, versatility, and beauty at reasonable prices. (802) 295-9687. geobarns.com.

GORDON DIXON CONSTRUCTION, INC. Fine craftsmanship, attention to detail, integrity, and dependable workmanship. 30 years of award-winning experience. Custom homes, additions, renovations, design/build, project management. Stop in at 626 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-9367 or visit gordondixonconstruction.com.

GRISTMILL BUILDERS NORTH COUNTRY CAKES Donuts, desserts, and custom cakes by our award-winning pastry chef. Check out our menu online to pre-order for your next event. 73 Lower Main St., Morrisville. (802) 851-8258, northcountrycakes.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE KAFFEEHAUS Offering a variety of European pastries, soups, salads, sandwiches, wine, and our von Trapp lagers. Open daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hours vary seasonally. (800) 826-7000. trappfamily.com.

BEER, WINE, & SPIRITS STOWE PUBLIC HOUSE 700-plus highly rated and local craft beer, wine, cider, Vermont cheese, and specialty foods. Gifts, gadgets, books, and accessories. Bar open daily. 109 Main St., Stowe Village. (802) 585-5785, stowepublichouse.com.

BOOKSTORES

Incorporated company 25 years, Gristmill Builders specializes in unique details and net-zero construction. You dream it, we can build it. (802) 279-2000.

MOUNTAIN LOGWORKS, LLC Handcrafted log homes. Specializing in Scandinavian Full Scribe and Adirondack-style log structures with log diameters up to 30 inches. In-house design service available. (802) 748-5929. mountainlogworks.com

PATTERSON & SMITH CONSTRUCTION, INC. A custom builder, remodeling firm, and general contractor in Stowe. Our mission is to provide each customer and their designer/architect with the highest degree of customer service, management, and craftsmanship. pattersonandsmith.com. (802) 253-3757.

PEREGRINE DESIGN BUILD Peregrine Design Build specializes in remodeling and building custom homes and teams with Vermont architects and designers as their builder of choice. Visit peregrinedesignbuild.com to see our range of work.

SISLER BUILDERS INC. Custom home building, remodeling, woodworking, home energy audits and retrofits, quality craftsmanship, resource efficient construction, modest additions to multi-million dollar estates. 30 years in Stowe. References available. sislerbuilders.com. (802) 253-5672.

STEEL CONSTRUCTION, INC. Steel Construction, Inc., has consistently proven to be one of Vermont’s finest custom homebuilders. We have three decades of proven experience and a long list of satisfied homeowners. (802) 253-4572. steelconstructionvt.com.

YANKEE BARN HOMES For more than 45 years, Yankee Barn Homes has been designing and prefabricating custom post-and-beam homes built with the finest materials for durability, weather protection, and energy conservation. yankeebarnhomes.com, (800) 258-9786.

BUILDERS–TIMBERFRAME WINTERWOOD TIMBER FRAMES, LLC Hand-crafted, custom-designed timber-frame structures and woodwork, SIPs insulation, sourcing local timber and fine hardwoods, building in the Vermont vernacular. Cabinetry, flooring, butcher-block tops, and staircases. (802) 229-7770. winterwoodtimberframes.com.

BUILDING MATERIALS BARRE TILE Your total flooring service, Barre Tile is your No. 1 choice for all residential, commercial, and industrial floor covering needs. We offer carpet, tile, hardwood, exterior stone, and are experts in granite countertops. barretile.com, (802) 479-5572.

CAMARA SLATE National supplier of roofing slate, slate flooring, flagstone, countertops, and other structural components. Committed to delivering a standard beyond our competitors’ abilities with excellent service and quality-valued products. Fair Haven, Vt. (802) 265-3200, camaraslate.com, info@camaraslate.com.

LOEWEN WINDOW CENTER OF VT & NH Beautifully crafted Douglas fir windows and doors for the discerning homeowner. Double- and triple-glazed options available in aluminum, copper, and bronze clad. Style Inspired By You. loewenvtnh.com, (802) 295-6555, info@loewenvtnh.com.

NOSWEAR HEADWEAR NoSwear Headwear is made for every day, all day easy wear, providing the familiar, comfortable fit of a baseball hat but with significantly more protection. Wear it for a few days and you won’t leave the house without it. noswearheadwear.com.

RK MILES Founded in 1940, rk Miles is a family-owned company providing services and materials for all types of building and design. Six locations serving Vermont and western Massachusetts, including Stowe and Morrisville. rkmiles.com.

CAKES & CATERING BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAM Time to celebrate. Ice cream cakes serve 1-36 people and are ready-to-go or can be custom ordered. Call (802) 8822034. Ice-cream catering inquiries-cups and cones to full sundae bars. Call (802) 222-1665.

RED HOUSE BUILDING BEAR POND BOOKS Complete family bookstore. NY Times bestsellers and new releases. Children and adult hardcovers, paperbacks, Vermont authors, daily papers, puzzles, greeting cards. Open daily. Depot Building, Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-8236.

230

Full-service, employee-owned building company. Emphasis on timeless craftsmanship. Meeting the challenges of unique and demanding building projects, from contemporary mountain retreats, meticulously restored historic buildings to high-efficiency homes. (802) 655-0043. redhousebuilding.com.

THE KITCHEN Casual catering for fun events. American, Italian, and Mexican fare, as well as sandwich platters, salads, and homemade hot/cold soups. Vegan, vegetarian and glutenfree options. stowesandwich.com or (802) 253-7300.

Traditional Vermont Homes and Outbuildings

CBD PRODUCTS CBD VERMONT CBD Vermont features all Vermont-made CBD products including oils, topicals, and edibles. We also produce our own CBD extract onsite. 1930 Waterbury Stowe Rd., Waterbury Center. (802) 882-8377.

Local Vermont Timber Energy-Efficient Construction

ELEVATED STATE VT A full-spectrum CBD shop. CBD for everyone with information to help you determine what is best for you, your pet, family, and friends. 407 Mountain Rd., Stowe.

We love creating happy homes. COMPLIMENTARY

INTERIOR DESIGN FOR YOUR HOME Rugs, Furniture, Bedding, Art Work, Lighting, Accessories and More

CHIROPRACTORS STOWE CHIROPRACTIC 21st-century natural health care, utilizing functional neurology, upper cervical, full spine chiropractic, biohacking, nutrition, exercise and lifestyle. Our passion is your health. Creating healthy individuals and families for 40 years. 68 Central Dr., Stowe. (802) 253-6955. stowechiro.com.

CHURCHES & SYNAGOGUES BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH Mass schedule: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. See bulletin for daily masses. Confession Saturday 3:30-4 p.m. Father John Schnobrich, Pastor. 728 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-7536.

HUNGER MOUNTAIN CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY Route 100, Waterbury Center. Sunday worship service at 10 a.m. (802) 244-5921.

JEWISH COMMUNITY OF GREATER STOWE For information regarding services, holiday gatherings, classes, and workshops: JCOGS, P.O. Box 253, Stowe, Vt. 05672. 1189 Cape Cod Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-1800 or jcogs.org.

4663 Route 2, E. Montpelier, VT 802.229.7770 WinterwoodTimberFrames.com

1813 Mountain Road, Stowe 802.253.8050 | stowekitchen.net

THE MOUNTAIN CHAPEL At the halfway point on the Mt. Mansfield Toll Road. A place for meditation, prayer and praise for skiers, hikers, and tourists. Seasonal Sunday service 2 p.m. The Rev. Dr. David P. Ransom. (802) 644-8144.

ST. JOHN’S IN THE MOUNTAINS EPISCOPAL At the crossroads of Mountain Road and Luce Hill Road in Stowe. Holy Eucharist celebrated every Sunday at 10 a.m. The Rev. Rick Swanson, rector. St. John’s is wheelchair friendly; visitors and children welcome. Office open Tuesday, Thursday. (802) 253-7578. stjohnsinthemountains.org. office@ stjohnsinthemountains.org.

SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Sunday services at 4:30 p.m., St. John’s in the Mountains Episcopal Church, Mountain and Luce Hill roads, Stowe. Weekly from Sept. 1 to June 1. All welcome. For information: (802) 253-8291, UU Fellowship of Stowe on Facebook, or bit.ly/stoweuu.

WATERBURY CENTER COMMUNITY Route 100 next to the Cider Mill. We warmly welcome visitors. (802) 244-6286. Sunday worship 10:45 a.m. Handicapped accessible. Church is a National Historic Place. Pastor John Lucy.

STOWE • WAT

43 9 3 B

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP

PLACE W E•

Y R

Adult bible study: Sundays at 8:30 a.m. Traditional service with children’s program: Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Contemporary service: Sundays at 4:30 p.m. The Rev. Will Vaus. (802) 253-7257.

L IL

STOWE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Located in Hyde Park. Sunday worship services begin at 10:15 a.m. Sunday school is held at the same time September through June. Handicapped accessible. All are welcome. (802) 888-3636 or check us out on Facebook.

We Service Foreign and Domestic Vehicles

AWA R D

Repairs, Diagnostics, VT State Inspections and Intoxalock® Ignition Interlock Devices

745 S Main Street, Stowe

802-253-9979

231

S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY CLEAN BEAUTY CHAMMOMILE Widest assortment of clean beauty brands in skin care and makeup in northern New England. Variety of on-floor and by-appointment facial and makeup services. 25 Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-5005. @chammomilestowe, chammomile.com

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES BOUTIQUE AT STOWE MERCANTILE Fabulous contemporary fashion for women. From casual to professional, Boutique can make you feel beautiful any time. Lingerie, dresses, skirts, tops, jeans, sweaters, more. We’ll dress you for any occasion. Depot Building, Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-3712.

BUNYABUNYA An on-trend boutique curated with apparel, jewelry, shoes, and gifts inspired by the West Coast. Think California bungalow, bohemian lifestyle. 1799 Mountain Rd., Red Barn Shops, Stowe. (435) 640-1259.

CHAMMOMILE Clothing, shoes, accessories, and clean beauty. Specializing in emerging designers and family owned brands from the U.S. and Europe. Largest brick and mortar collection of Emerson Fry anywhere. Daily. 25 Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-5005. @chammomilestowe, chammomile.com.

FIRST CHAIR ALPINE COMPANY—BOGNER Located adjacent to the outdoor ice skating rink in the Spruce Peak Village Center, this exclusive shop features Bogner and other fine outdoor apparel, accessories, unique Vermont items, jewelry, books and more. (802) 760-4695.

FIRST CHAIR ALPINE COMPANY–KJUS Located in Spruce Peak Plaza, featuring KJUS as our prominent apparel provider and complimented with Postcard, Dale of Norway, Canada Goose, Hestra, unique books and jewelry. Stowe Mountain Resort. (802) 760-4695.

MOUNTAIN ROAD OUTFITTERS / MALOJA (MAH-LOW-YA) FLAGSHIP STORE Made for the mountains. A European outdoor sport, lifestyle, apparel, and accessories brand. Stocked with Nordic and alpine winter, mountain and road bike summer. 409 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 760-6605. mountainroadoutfitters.com.

GREEN ENVY Boutique with an eye for contemporary style. Vince, rag & bone, Paige, Tata Harper, Longchamp. Showcasing fashion, jewelry, shoes, accessories from over 300 designers. Best source for premium denim in New England. Daily. 1800 Mountain Rd., Stowe. 3 Main St., Burlington. (802) 253-2661, vermontenvy.com.

IN COMPANY CLOTHING Celebrating 20 years. Specializing in personalized service and top designer labels. Come see what’s in. 10 - 5:30 daily, 10 - 5 Sunday. 344 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4595. incompanyclothing.com, @incompanyclothing.

JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL Quality brands for the whole family. Casual, work, rain, active and outer wear. Patagonia, Carhartt, Prana, Toad & Co, Columbia, Kuhl, more. Huge selection of footwear, fully outfitted hiking and camping department. Route 15, Johnson. (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

JOHNSON WOOLEN MILLS Home of famous Johnson Woolen Outerwear and headquarters for Carhartt, Filson, Pendleton, Woolrich, woolen blankets, fine men’s and ladies sportswear, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, socks. Since 1842. Johnson, Vt. (802) 635-2271. johnsonwoolenmills.com.

232

Stowe’s #1 deli featuring delicious sandwiches, fresh chili, soups, salads and baked goods. Specialty foods store. Come taste Vermont’s finest spirits. Barr Hill gin and vodka. Great beer and wine selection. Daily 6:30-6. 2251 Mountain Rd. (802) 253-4034.

PINK COLONY Vermont’s largest selection of Lilly Pulitzer. Premiere high-end boutique featuring women’s and children’s clothing, accessories, and shoes. 1940 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-PREP. Visit us on IG. pinkcolony.com.

ROAM VERMONT Adventurous footwear and apparel for men and women. Explore in style with Patagonia, Kuhl, Prana, Dansko, and Blundstone. Located on historic Langdon Street in downtown Montpelier. Open daily. (802) 613-3902. roamvt.com.

SPORTIVE Largest Bogner selection in northern New England. Toni Sailer, Sportalm of Kitzbuhel, Kjus, Parajumpers, Kinross Cashmere, Repeat Cashmere, White + Warren, Hestra gloves, Eisbar hat, Pajar, Alpen Rock, more. (802) 496-3272. Route 100, Waitsfield. sportiveinc.com.

THE VERMONT FLANNEL COMPANY Family-owned company providing finest quality flannel clothing for men, women, and children, celebrating over 25 years. Locations in Johnson, Burlington, Ferrisburgh, Woodstock, and East Barre. Handcrafted in the USA. (800) 232-7820. vermontflannel.com.

DENTISTRY CHRISTOPHER P. ALTADONNA, DDS, JEFFREY R. MCKECHNIE, DMD, & NICHOLAS A. BRYAN, DMD (802) 253-7932. stowedentalassociates.com. stowedentist@gmail.com.

CONTEMPORARY DENTAL ARTS PC Contemporary Dental Arts is a unique practice offering high quality, state-of-the-art, esthetic, restorative and implant dentistry… where the smile of your dreams becomes a realty. New patients invited. (802) 878-9888. contemporarydentalartsvt.com.

HARDWICK DENTAL GROUP Community focused dental group. Specializing in general and preventative services, and restorative and cosmetic services. Dr. Katie Piet and Dr. Priya Vasa. (802) 489 7560. 49 West Church St., 05843. hardwickdentalgroup.com.

STOWE FAMILY DENTISTRY Creating beautiful smiles for over 40 years. Always welcoming new patients. 1593 Pucker St., Stowe. (802) 253-4157.

WELL HEELED Sophisticated collection of shoes, boots, clothing, and accessories for an effortlessly chic lifestyle. Stylish interior combined with personalized service and by appointment shopping available—a #mustdoinstowe. Daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (802) 253-6077. wellheeledstowe.com.

YELLOW TURTLE & YELLOW TURTLE BABY Clothing, gifts, baby rentals and gear for children ages 0-16 years. 1799 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4434, yellow-turtle.com.

FORGET-ME-NOT-SHOP Treasure hunt through our huge selection of famous label off price clothing for men, women, and teens at 60%-80% off. Route 15 Johnson, just 1.5 miles west of Johnson Village. Open 10-7.

EDELWEISS MOUNTAIN DELI

COFFEE HOUSES BLACK CAP COFFEE & BEER Fresh coffee, espresso and lattes in an inviting atmosphere. Free wi-fi. House-baked pastries, light breakfast and lunch options. Open daily. 144 Main St., across from Stowe’s classic New England church, and 63 Lower Main St., downtown Morrisville. See us on Facebook.

HARVEST MARKET Homemade muffins, cookies, tarts, pies, cakes, and other luscious treats. Incredible breads, including our French country bread baked in traditional wood-fired ovens. Fine coffees and espresso. Daily 7-5:30 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

PK COFFEE Coffee, espresso, tea, lattes, fresh baked goods, and the bestgrilled cheese in town. Join us for the treats; stay for the conversation. 1880 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 760-6151, pkcoffee.com.

VERMONT ARTISAN COFFEE Come visit our state-of-the-art coffee roaster and coffee bar. Delicious coffee espresso drinks and whole bean coffees. 11 Cabin Lane, Waterbury Center, vtartisan.com.

DELICATESSEN THE BAGEL Bagels boiled and baked daily. Breakfast and lunch sandwiches, baked goods. Gluten-free options available. Seasonal specialties. 394 Mountain Rd, Stowe. (802) 253-9943. 6:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. daily.

DISTILLERIES GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTILLERY Vermont’s No. 1 organic distillery. Vodkas, gin, maple liqueur, and small-batch whiskey. 171 Whiskey Run, (Route 100 between Stowe and Morrisville; turn on Goeltz Road). (802) 253-0064, greendistillers.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH DISTILLERY Come taste our award-winning vodkas, gins, rum, bourbon, maple bourbon, and rye whiskey. Tasting rooms in Jeffersonville, Waterbury Center, and Burlington for samples, sales and more. Daily. (802) 309-3077, smugglersnotchdistillery.com.

WHISTLEPIG WHISKEY Plan your visit to our WhistlePig tasting room in Waterbury Center. Sip on drams of our award-winning whiskeys while browsing the specialty branded glassware, clothing, and much more. whistlepigwhiskey.com.

DRY CLEANING & LAUNDRY STOWE LAUNDRY CO. Full-service Laundromat and dry cleaners. Drop-off washand-dry and fold, same-day service, and alterations. Professional dry cleaning and shirt service. 44 Park Place, Stowe Village. Open 7 days. (802) 253-9332.

EDUCATION & COLLEGES NORTHERN VERMONT UNIVERSITY One university, two unique campuses. With our Lyndon and Johnson campuses, NVU combines the best of our nationally recognized liberal arts and professional programs. northernvermont.edu.

THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT The University of Vermont offers bachelor’s through doctoral degree programs in nearly every field, taught by world-class faculty in an extraordinary setting. Explore uvm.edu and follow along: universityofvermont on Instagram.

ENGINEERS

FLOORING

MUMLEY ENGINEERING INC.

FLOORING AMERICA

Civil engineering services for residential and commercial land development projects. Planning and design for subdivisions; site plans; water, wastewater and stormwater systems; construction oversight, and more. Local zoning, state, and Act 250 permitting. (802) 881-6314, mumleyengineering.com.

VERMONT TESTING & CONSULTING CORP. Engineering, structural, geotechnical. Laboratory and fieldtesting and inspection, consulting. vermonttesting.com. (802) 244-6131.

EQUIPMENT RENTALS JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL Equipment rentals for every residential and commercial jobs. Excavators, bobcats, lifts, tractors, rototillers, chippers, log splitters, road fabric, culverts and pipe. Best service in the business; ever-expanding rental fleet. Delivery. Route 15 Johnson, (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

EXCAVATING DALE E. PERCY, INC. Excavating contractors, commercial and residential. Earthmoving equipment. Site work, trucking, sand, gravel, soil, sewer, water, drainage systems, and supplies. Snow removal, salting, sanding. Weeks Hill Road. (802) 253-8503.

FIREPLACES & WOODSTOVES

Customize your home with flooring that compliments your space while honoring your style. Choose from our leading collection of hardwood, carpet, tile, laminate, vinyl, and rug selections. Williston, (802) 862-5757, flooringamerica-vt.com.

PLANET HARDWOOD Vermont business specializing in green materials, with an emphasis on wood flooring. Our 6,000-square-foot showroom is the best place to really see wood as well as fabulous green products. (802) 482-4404, planethardwood.com.

FUEL BOURNES ENERGY Propane, wood pellets, bioheat, biodiesel, heating, cooling, plumbing, auto-delivery, remote heat monitoring, expert service. Bourne’s Energy—Fueling the Future. (800) 326-8763. bournesenergy.com.

FURNITURE BURLINGTON FURNITURE We are Vermont’s destination for furniture, interior design services, and lighting. Come see why we were voted Best Furniture Store nine years in a row. Locally owned, connected to the community, and to sustaining the environment. 747 Pine St. (802) 862-5056, burlingtongfurniture.us.

ETHAN ALLEN An incredible variety styles, countless custom options and complimentary design service. Enjoy 20 percent savings and free delivery and shipping when you join the Ethan Allen Member Program. 2735 Shelburne Rd. ethanallen.com.

GIFT & SPECIALTY SHOPS

GREEN MOUNTAIN FIREPLACES Offering the finest in heart products for home or business. We will take your project from concept to design to installation. 800 Marshall Ave., Williston, (802) 862-8311. greenmountainfireplaces.com

FISHING & HUNTING

BUTTERNUT MOUNTAIN FARM & MARVIN’S COUNTRY STORE Country store focused on all things maple—a carefully curated selection of our favorite products. Specialty cheeses, honey, jams, Vermont-made products, crafts, and gifts. (800) 899-6349, marvinscountrystore.com.

THE COUNTRY STORE ON MAIN CATAMOUNT FISHING ADVENTURES Guided fly-fishing, spin-fishing, ice-fishing adventures. River wading, canoe, drift boat, motorboat fishing. Guiding Vermont since 1994. Equipment provided. All abilities. Willy, owner/guide, (802) 253-8500. Federation of Fly Fishers certified. Licensed, insured. catamountfishing.com.

FLY ROD SHOP Vermont’s most experienced guide service. Guided fly fishing, ice fishing and family tours. Weekly Taste of Vermont Tours. Fly Tackle, fly tying supplies, spin and ice fishing tackle. Route 100 South, Stowe. flyrodshop.com, (802) 253-7346.

FITNESS EQUIPMENT EARL’S CYCLERY AND FITNESS Serving Vermont’s cycling and fitness community since 1953. Residential fitness equipment from Matrix, Horizon, Landice, Bodycraft, and more. We build it. We service it. We deliver it. 2069 Williston Rd., South Burlington. (802) 864-9197. earlsbikes.com.

Luxury bedding, dreamy candles, kitchen gadgets, children’s items, pet goods, rugs, frames, clocks, greeting cards, and more. Located in the former Lackey Building next to Stowe Community Church. 109 Main Street, (802) 253-7653, countrystorevt.com. countrystorevt.com.

• • • • •

Housewares Cabot stains Painting supplies Electrical supplies Ice and snow removal • Cleaning supplies • Minwax stains • Best selection of fasteners

STOWE KITCHEN BATH & LINENS More than just a kitchen store. Two floors of accessories, gifts, and food for the entire home. Gourmet kitchenware, bedding, shower curtains, lotions, gels. Tons of unique clothing and gifts. 1813 Mountain Rd. (802) 253-8050. stowekitchen.net.

STOWE MERCANTILE Fabulous old country store, Vermont specialty foods, penny candy, clothing, bath and body, wine, craft beer and cider, and toys. Play a game of checkers or a tune on our piano. Depot Building, Main Street. (802) 253-4554. stowemercantile.com.

TANGERINE AND OLIVE Independent makers from across North America. Eco-friendly clothing, jewelry, vegan bath and body, letterpress cards and stationery, gifts, and more. Downer Farm Shops, 232 Mountain Rd. (802) 760-6692, tangerineandolive.com.

SKIER’S EDGE TRAPP FAMILY LODGE GIFT & SPORT SHOPS Recognized as the world’s #1 technical ski conditioner, the Skier’s Edge offers a non-impact cardio workout that simulates the motions of downhill skiing while building lateral leg strength and balance. skiersedge.com.

TOTAL FITNESS EQUIPMENT Vermont’s premier specialty fitness equipment company has just opened its second location in South Burlington. Visit our huge showroom to see the latest treadmills, ellipticals, rowers, indoor cycler gyms and more. (802) 860-1030. totalfitnessequipment.com.

Trapp Family Lodge books, music, clothing, and souvenirs. Austrian specialty gifts, gourmet products, outdoor gear, and maple syrup. Visit our two locations or shop online. (800) 826-7000. trappfamily.com.

WINE CHIME Innovative centerpiece joins everybody together around the table with their glass, mug, or teacup in a unified toast without reaching, stretching, or spilling—no one ever feels left out. winechime.com, peter@winechime.com, (802) 476-7391.

430 Mountain Road, Stowe

Mon-Sat 8-5:30 • Sun 9-3:30

253-7205

233

S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY HAIR SALONS HARMONI HAIRSTYLES A boutique salon specializing in organic, chemical-free treatments, Harmoni offers unmatched personal consultations and impeccable cutting services with master stylist, Moni Liberman. 591 S. Main St., Stowe, (802) 505-3756, bit.ly/harmoniVT.

SALON SALON World-class Aveda concept salon for men and women. Haircuts, highlighting, coloring, straightening, manicures, pedicures, facials, waxing, body treatments, massage, shellac, lash/hair extensions, teeth whitening, wedding services. Downer Farm Shops, 232 Mountain Rd. By appt. (802) 253-7378, salonsalonvt.com.

HARDWARE JOHNSON HARDWARE & RENTAL, FARM & GARDEN Largest Milwaukee dealer in the Northeast; authorized Milwaukee repair shop. Cabot, Valspar, Vermont Natural stain. Fully outfitted hardware store, Echo tools, large selection of growing/gardening supplies, soil, mulch, grain, pet supplies. Route 15 Johnson, (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

STOWE HARDWARE & DRY GOODS Unique hardware store providing North Country necessities and quality products. Craftsman tools, Cabot Stain, complete selection of fasteners, housewares, home-care products. Open 8-5:30 Mon.-Sat., Sundays 9-3:30. 430 Mountain Rd. Established since 1829. (802) 253-7205.

HEALTH CARE COPLEY HOSPITAL Exceptional care. Community focused. 24-hour emergency services, The Women’s Center, Mansfield Orthopaedics, general surgery, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, oncology, and rehabilitation. Morrisville. (802) 888-8888, copleyvt.org.

MANSFIELD ORTHOPAEDICS Fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons. Comprehensive orthopedic care and sports medicine. Nicholas Antell, MD; Brian Aros, MD; Bryan Huber, MD; John Macy, MD; Joseph McLaughlin, MD; and Bryan Monier, MD. Morrisville and Waterbury. (802) 888-8405, mansfieldorthopaedics.com.

STOWE FAMILY PRACTICE Stowe Family Practice provides routine and urgent medical care and treats sports injuries. (802) 253-4853. chslv.org.

HEALTH & FITNESS CLUBS RIDE Gorgeous state-of-the-art studio with indoor cycling and fitness classes that leave you feeling empowered and exhilarated. Enjoy the smooth bikes with live time data, incredible instructors and music, and welcoming community Memberships, packages, and drop-in rates. rideindoorcycling.com. (802) 279-0845.

SWIMMING HOLE Stowe’s premier family fitness and recreation center. 25-meter lap pool, children’s pool, waterslide, group exercise classes, personal training, masters swimming, swim lessons. State-ofthe-art facility. Day passes, memberships available. (802) 253-9229. theswimmingholestowe.com.

HEATING/AC & PLUMBING FRED’S ENERGY Experienced, licensed professionals. Quality plumbing, heating, AC installation/service; heating oil; propane; water heaters/softeners; sewer pumps; generators; bathroom remodels; 24/7 emergency service. Morrisville: (802) 888-3827, Derby: (802) 766-4949, Lyndonville: (802) 626-4588. callfreds.com.

234

HOME ENTERTAINMENT & SMART HOMES SYSTEM INTEGRATORS Since 2003, System Integrators has delivered for clients throughout Vermont. Success rooted in mastering key deliverables: system design focusing on ease of use, reliability, and performance; rapid response— 24/7; timely, accurate execution; professional staff. (802) 735-1400, info@sivermont.com.

VERMONT ELECTRONICS Providing local support for custom design and installation of home theater, whole house audio, lighting control, shade control, thermostat control, home automation, and your security needs. (802) 253-6509. info@vermontelectronics.biz.

INNS & RESORTS COMMODORES INN Spacious rooms, 3-1/2 acre lake, kayaks, row boats, fireside living room, indoor and outdoor pool, Jacuzzis, and saunas, restaurant, popular sports bar, kids free, pets welcome. Route 100, Lower Village. commodoresinn.com. (802) 253-7131.

THE LODGE AT SPRUCE PEAK Steps from the slopes, in the heart of it all. Luxury ski-in/ski-out lodging featuring heated outdoor pool, world-class spa, and a variety of on-property dining and retail options. (866) 976-7940, sprucepeak.com.

STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA Nestled in the heart of Stowe, surrounded by over 30 shops, restaurants and attractions. Casual yet elegant rooms and townhouses with multiple on-site activities. World-renowned spa, award-winning restaurant, snowshoeing, dogsledding. AAA Four-Diamond rated. On Mountain Road Shuttle Route. (802) 253-7355, stoweflake.com.

THE STOWEHOF Classic alpine hotel on 26 acres. Fritz Bar + Restaurant open daily. Mountain views, x-country skiing, indoor pool, hot-tub, cozy living room with two fireplaces. 434 Edson Hill Rd., (802) 253-9722, thestowehof.com.

TOPNOTCH RESORT & SPA Stowe’s only luxury boutique resort wows with contemporary rooms, suites, and 2-3 bedroom resort homes, airy bar and restaurant, top-ranked bistro, world-class spa and tennis center, indoor/outdoor pools. (802) 253-8585. topnotchresort.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE A mountain resort in the European tradition. 96-rooms and suites with panoramic mountain views. European-style cuisine, fitness center, indoor pool, climbing wall, yoga, cross-country and backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, von Trapp family history tours. (800) 826-7000. trappfamily.com.

CUSTOM COVERS Custom Covers at the Grist Mill is a full-service shop. Designer fabrics, trims, wallpaper, custom-made slipcovers, upholstery, window treatments. By appointment. (802) 324-2123. 92 Stowe Street, Waterbury.

DESIGN STUDIO OF STOWE Creating beautiful interiors from classic to modern with respect to client’s taste, property, budget, deadline. New construction, renovations, and updates to existing spaces. Residential to light commercial projects. Allied Member ASID. 626 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-9600. designstudiovt.com.

INTERIOR CREATIONS Full-service kitchen and bath showroom. Providing custom cabinetry, countertops, stone tile, plumbing accessories, and more for remodel and new construction projects. Open Monday through Friday 8-4 or by appointment. (802) 479-7909.

MARC J. LANGLOIS COMPREHENSIVE INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICES Collaborating with our clients to create bespoke interiors from classic to contemporary. Our finely honed design vision extends from project management to all aspects of event and home services. Decking halls for the holidays. Stowe and Boston. (617) 959-1908. mr-marc.om. IG: marcjlanglois.

REMARKABLE HOME AT STOWE CRAFT Voted best interior design service of the greater Stowe area two years. Susan Bayer-Fishman combines project management, art, craft, and interior design to create spaces just for you. Furniture/home accessory showroom in historic Stowe village. 34 S. Main St. (802) 253-7677, stowecraft.com.

SELDOM SCENE INTERIORS INC. All aspects of interior design. Stowe and Boston. Full architectural services, design build, and project management. Large comprehensive portfolio. By appointment only. 2038 Mountain Rd.. (802) 253-3770. seldomsceneinteriors.com.

STOWE KITCHEN BATH AND LINENS Interior design and stylist always available. We have an enormous furniture selection at every price point. Specializing in bedding, rugs, furniture, lighting, right down to all your kitchen needs. Free consultations. (802) 253-8050. 1813 Mountain Rd., Stowe. kate@stowekitchen.net.

INTERNET SERVICES STOWE CABLE Providing reliable high-speed internet, streaming TV, cable television, and phone service throughout Stowe and Jeffersonville for over 30 years. Located at 172 Thomas Lane, Stowe. (802) 253-9282, stowecable.com.

VILLAGE GREEN AT STOWE Fully furnished condominiums at the center of all Stowe has to offer. Fireplaces, indoor pool, sauna, Jacuzzi. Affordable. (802) 253-9705 or (800) 451-3297. thevillagegreen-stowe.com.

INSURANCE HICKOK & BOARDMAN, INC. Providing superior service and innovative solutions for all your insurance needs. Home, auto, and business insurance since 1821. “Here when you need us.” 618 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-9707.

STOWE INSURANCE AGENCY, INC. Stowe’s premier multi-line insurance agency since 1955. Our pricing and service is second to none. Glenn Mink, Teela Leach, Robert Mink, and Renee Davis. (802) 253-4855.

INTERIOR DESIGN AMBER HODGINS DESIGN Full-service interior architecture and design. Specializing in décor, renovations and new construction for residential and commercial projects. (802) 585-5544. amberhodgins.com.

JEWELRY FERRO ESTATE & CUSTOM JEWELERS Stowe’s premier full-service jeweler since 2006. We specialize in estate jewelry, fine diamonds, custom design, jewelry repair, and appraisals. In-house repair studio. American Gem Society. 91 Main St. (802) 253-3033. ferrojewelers.com/stowe.

VON BARGEN’S JEWELRY A Vermont family business with five locations. We specialize in distinctive artisan jewelry, fine, ideal cut diamonds, and custom jewelry. Stowe Village. Monday-Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-5, Sunday noon-5. (802) 253-2942. vonbargens.com.

KITCHENS & BATHS CLOSE TO HOME Locally owned and operated since 1999, we have the finest selection of bath fixtures and vanities, kitchen sinks and faucets, door/cabinet hardware, and more. A culture of customer service. 257 Pine St., Burlington. (802) 861-3200. closetohomevt.com.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN KNAUF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE We transform landscapes into beautiful outdoor living spaces that ignite the senses and seamlessly connect inside and out, with balance and harmony. Member ASLA. (802) 522-0676. cynthiaknauf.com.

LANDSHAPES Serving Vermontâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residential and commercial landscapes with design, installations, and property maintenance. Projects include unlimited varieties of stonework, gardens, water features, and installation of San Juan pools and spas. (802) 434-3500. landshapes.net.

WAGNER HODGSON LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE The process of uniting program, context, form and materials provides the basis for our work, crafting modern sculptural landscapes expressing the essential inherent beauty of natural materials. (802) 864-0010. wagnerhodgson.com.

LAWYERS BARR LAW GROUP Complex litigation and commercial transactions, including class actions, securities litigation, EB-5 fraud, arbitrations, trials, appeals, criminal defense, corporate mergers/acquisitions, Native American/tribal matters, real estate, aviation, personal injury/wrongful death, estates, and other matters. Licensed in Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts. Offices at 125 Mountain Rd., Stowe, and 100 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. barrlaw.com. (802) 253-6272 or (212) 486-3910.

DARBY KOLTER & NORDLE, LLP General civil practice: commercial and residential, real estate, environmental, estate planning/administration, personal injury & workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comp, mediation services, business formation, family law. Stowe: 996 Main St., Unit 1A, (802) 253-7165; Waterbury: 89 S. Main St., (802) 244-7352.

HORSLEY LAJOIE GOLDFINE, LLC General practice including civil litigation, personal injury, real estate, corporate, estate planning/administration. Located in Stowe village at 166 S. Main St. (802) 760-6480. hlgattorneys.com.

OLSON & ASSOCIATES, PLC General law practice: commercial and residential real estate, estate planning and probate administration, business formation and maintenance, general litigation, family law, mediation services. 188 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-7810, olsonplc.net.

STACKPOLE AND FRENCH Litigation, real estate, corporate, utility, wills, and estate administration. 255 Maple St., Stowe. (802) 253-7339. stackpolefrench.com.

STEVENS LAW OFFICE Full service: We provide over 30-plus years of experience and in-depth representation in real estate, estate planning, family and criminal law, and business formation. Stowe, Derby offices. (802) 253-8547 or (866) 786-9530. stowelawyers.com.

LIGHTING BARRE ELECTRIC & LIGHTING SUPPLY, INC. Indoor and outdoor lighting, fans and home accents. Supplier of choice for area electricians and builders. Come visit our 3,000-square foot showroom featuring working displays for kitchen and bath lighting. Route 302, Barre. (802) 476-0280. barreelectric.com.

MAD RIVER ANTLER Handcrafted one-of-a-kind antler creations in the form of chandeliers, sconces, table lamps, floor lamps, and custom creations using naturally shed antler from moose, deer, and elk. (802) 496-9290, madriverantler.com.

235

S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY MARKETS COMMODITIES NATURAL MARKET Best market 2015-2019. One-stop grocery shopping featuring organic produce, groceries, artisanal cheeses, bread, local meats, craft beer and wine, bulk, gluten-free, wellness, CBD products. Open daily. (802) 253-4464. commoditiesnaturalmarket.com.

HARVEST MARKET Stowe’s one-stop gourmet store. Grab and go section, premade sandwiches and salads prepared by our own chefs and bakers. Vermont cheeses and charcuterie. Farm fresh produce. Vermont microbrews and wines. Daily 7-5:30 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

MASSAGE & BODYWORK BRAD HIGHBERGER, LMT, RCST Specializing in chronic pain and injuries of the neck, shoulder, jaw, arms, hands and feet. Twenty-five years of experience working with neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release and biodynamic cranio-sacral therapy in Stowe. (802) 730-4955.

KATE GRAVES, CMT, BHS Relaxation, deep tissue, moist heat, facilitated stretching, hot stones, Thai, energy work (Brennan Healing Science graduate 2000). In practice over 35 years. Competitive rates. Stowe Yoga Center, 515 Moscow Rd. kgravesmt@gmail.com, stoweyoga.com. (802) 253-8427.

STOWE VILLAGE MASSAGE Massage center offers exceptional bodywork services from relaxation to injury recovery. Certified practitioners in a casual atmosphere. 60-minute massages starting from $80. Daily from 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. 49 Depot St., Stowe. Book online at stowevillagemassage.com. (802) 253-6555.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE FITNESS CENTER Massage therapists use a blend of techniques including Swedish, deep tissue, acupressure, and Shiatsu, reflexology, salt glows, and hot stone therapy. Appointments available daily. (800) 826-7000. trappfamily.com.

MATTRESSES

DONALD DUPUIS, MD, & COURTNEY OLMSTEAD, MD, GENERAL SURGEONS Board-certified general surgeons. Specializing in advanced laparoscopic procedures. Providing a wide spectrum of inpatient and outpatient surgical care. Morrisville, (802) 888-8372. copleyvt.org.

UVMHN CVMC REHABILITATION SERVICES Physical, occupational, and speech therapies. Specialized service: Parkinson’s disease, urinary incontinence, vertigo, concussions, and more. Clinic in Waterbury. Get evaluated within 48 hours at Rehab Express in Berlin. cvmc.org/rehab. (802) 371-4242.

THE WOMEN’S CENTER (OB/GYN) Board-certified specialist William Ellis, MD, and certified nurse midwives Kipp Bovey, Jackie Bromley, Marge Kelso, and Jennifer Tramantana. Comprehensive gynecological care and obstetrics. Morrisville, (802) 888-8100, copleyvt.org.

MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS GRANGE HALL CULTURAL CENTER Presenter of local and world-class theater, music, dance, film, and art in an intimate setting, including The One & Only Series (January-April); The Irish Arts Festival (March); art exhibitions (ongoing); film screenings; rentals. 317 Howard Ave., Waterbury Center. grangehallcc.com, (802) 244-4168.

SPRUCE PEAK PERFORMING ARTS CENTER The Stowe region’s premier, year-round presenter of music, theater, dance, film, educational, and family programs on stage, on screen, and across the community. (802) 760-4634. Visit sprucepeakarts.org to be entertained.

NEEDLEWORK

PHYSICIANS DAVID BISBEE, MD—PRIMARY CARE Access to your personal physician 24/7, longer appointments, house calls, and personalized medical care. Annual membership fee. Limited enrollment. Board certified in family medicine. (802) 253-5020. davidbisbeemd.com.

VERMONT REGENERATIVE MEDICINE Only Regenexx clinic in New England, offering non-surgical procedures using a patient’s own cells for treatment of joint, tendon, and ligament problems, instead of surgery. Jonathan E. Fenton DO. Winooski, Vt. (802) 859-0000, vermontregenerativemedicine.com.

PICTURE FRAMING AXEL’S FRAME SHOP & GALLERY Providing quality picture framing to the Central Vermont community for 35 years. Keeping custom picture framing affordable is just as important to us as providing incredible customer and design service. 5 Stowe St., Waterbury. (802) 244-7801. axelsgallery.com.

THE WOODEN NEEDLE Charming needle arts shop in heart of Stowe Village. Counted cross-stitch and needlepoint featured. Specializing in linens, hand-painted canvases, Paternayan wool, Weeks Dye Works, Gentle Art cottons, fun fibers. Park and Pond Streets. (802) 253-3086, wooden-needle.com.

PAINTERS—INTERIOR

PRINTING THE UPS STORE From blueprints and banners to business cards and brochures, we print it. Shipping, scanning, and every other business service you can think of, we are your locally owned business partner. 112 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-2233. store2614@theupsstore.com.

& EXTERIOR THE X PRESS LAMOILLE VALLEY PAINTERS, LLC Custom painting company in Stowe, specializing in high-end interior and exterior painting, staining and wall-coverings for homes, decks, barns, commercial businesses in the Lamoille Valley. dan@lamoillevalleypainters.com. (802) 730-2776.

Custom business and personal print, copy, and design services. Brochures, letterhead, business cards, forms, labels, invitations, banners, specialty products for over 30 years. Office supplies, shipping, scanning/fax. (802) 253-7883 (fax). Stowe Village, M-F, 8-4:30. (802) 253-9788. thexpressink.com.

BURLINGTON MATTRESS We’re here to help you get a better night’s sleep. Mattresses, bedroom furniture, lifestyle bases, and futons. Trusted brands covering the bases from bed in a box to luxury mattresses. 747 Pine St. (802) 862-7167, Burlingtongmattress.us.

MEDICAL SPA

PERSONAL CHEF SWEET & SAVORY PERSONAL CHEF SERVICES Sweet & Savory’s goal is to prepare and deliver high-quality, healthy, and delicious meals to locals and visiting out-of-towners. Personal chef services, weekly meals, catering for all occasions. Easier than takeout. (802) 730-2792, sweetsavorystowe.com.

LUMINA MED SPA Dr. Nancy Carlson created Lumina to support a growing aesthetic demand within her women’s health care practice. An array of aesthetic services in a professional and caring environment. luminamedspa.com, (802) 861-0200. 645 S. Main St. Stowe.

MOVIE THEATERS

PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL ROGERS PHOTOGRAPHY Since 1982, offering quality photographic services to Vermont businesses. Creative images of people, products, and locations. Photography of artwork. Private photographic instruction. RIT photo graduate. paulrogersphotography.com.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT RURAL RESOURCES Comprehensive property and household management services. Full-service professional management team specializing in the details of preserving your investment. Concierge/housekeeping, vendor management, design/remodels, much more. (802) 253-9496, admin@ruralresourcesvt.com.

STOWE COUNTRY HOMES Property management, maintenance, repair, and renovations specialists. Lawn and garden care, landscaping, trash removal, etc. Renovations large and small. Quality work guaranteed—on budget and schedule. (802) 253-8132, ext. 102, or jeanette@stowecountryhomes.com. stowecountryhomes.com.

STOWE RESORT HOMES STOWE CINEMA 3-PLEX First-run movies, all new 7.1 Digital Surround EX and 5.1 digital sound with silver screens and RealD 3D. Full bar. Fresh popcorn, real butter, full concession. Conventional seating too. 454 Mountain Rd. Movie phone (802) 253-4678; stowecinema.com; or Facebook.

MULTI-SPECIALTY CLINIC

PHYSICAL THERAPY COPLEY REHABILITATION SERVICES Therapies include physical, occupational, hand, speech, aquatic, pediatric, cardiac, and pulmonary, work conditioning and other comprehensive rehab services. Clinics in Hardwick and Morrisville (Mansfield Orthopaedics and Copley Hospital). (802) 888-8303, copleyvt.org.

PINNACLE PHYSICAL THERAPY ADAM KUNIN, MD, CARDIOLOGIST Personalized cardiac care. Board-certified in cardiology, nuclear cardiology and internal medicine. Providing general cardiology, advanced cardiac tests, and imaging. Morrisville, (802) 888-8372. copleyvt.org.

236

Skilled physical therapy for orthopedic and neuromuscular conditions, sports, family wellness, pre- and post-surgery. Personal, professional care: 1878 Mountain Rd., Stowe. Appointment within 24 hours, M-F. (802) 253-2273. info@pinnacleptvermont.com or pinnacleptvermont.com.

Personalized management for Stowe’s vacation homes. Home checks, personal shopping, remodeling project management, maintenance coordination, more. We also offer marketing and rental agent services for select vacation homes. (802) 760-1157. stoweresorthomes.com.

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS COLDWELL BANKER CARLSON REAL ESTATE Real estate sales and rentals, representing Stowe and surrounding communities. Our talented team leads the industry in technology, innovation, and passion. 91 Main St., Stowe, (802) 253-7358; 74 Portland St., Morrisville, (802) 521-7962. stowevermontrealestate.com.

FOUR SEASONS SOTHEBY’S INT’L REALTY Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty strives everyday to exceed our clients’ expectations. To learn how we can put the power of our brand to work for you, visit us at fourseasonssir.com or (802) 253-7267.

LITTLE RIVER REALTY Your trusted real estate advisors representing buyers, sellers and rentals. Your goals are our priority. We are full-time realtors who appreciate the importance of your real estate decisions. (802) 253-1553, info@lrrvermont.com and lrrvermont.com.

NEW ENGLAND LANDMARK REALTY Stowe, Vermont real estate. Professional real estate sales. Beautiful Stowe homes and land. You’re going to love our Stowe lifestyle. Call today. (866) 324-2427. (802) 253-4711. nelandmark.com.

PALL SPERA COMPANY REALTORS Stowe and Lamoille County’s leading real-estate company serving Central and Northern Vermont from 3 offices and 24 hours a day at pallspera.com. Mountain Road, Stowe (802) 253-9771, Stowe Village (802) 253-1806, Morrisville (802) 888-1102.

RED BARN REALTY OF VERMONT An office of dynamic professionals, each with a unique love of Vermont. We look forward to helping you fulfill your real estate sales and rental needs. 1878 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4994. redbarnvt.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH MANAGEMENT CO., LTD View condo homes for sale at America’s #1 Family Resort. Full, quarter, third, and half share ownership. Benefits to owners include discounted lift passes, free summer kids’ camps. Betty Brgant, broker, 30 years experience. (802) 644-1122, bbrgant@smuggs.com. Current listings smuggs.com/re.

STOWE AREA REALTY GROUP AT KW VERMONT–STOWE Our dedicated team can help you with residential, vacation, investment, and commercial real estate sales and marketing. KW Vermont’s statewide resources and innovative technology will give your sale a distinctive advantage. 1056 Mountain Rd., Suite 1, Stowe. (802) 760-3100. stowearearealty.com.

STOWE COUNTRY HOMES Vacation homes and condos for short- or long-term rental. Professionally and locally managed. Luxury slopeside properties, secluded private homes, affordable condos—we have what you want, meeting all budgets. (802) 253-8132. stowecountryhomes.com.

BLACK DIAMOND BARBEQUE We only use quality meats prepared with homemade rubs and marinades, then slowly smoke using native hardwoods. Our bar features craft beer and cocktails. blackdiamondbbq.com.

VILLAS AT TRAPP FAMILY LODGE New two-bedroom, 2.5 baths, plus loft triplex villas for ownership. Exceptional craftsmanship, tasteful rustic décor, access to all Trapp amenities and activities. Professional on-site management means worry-free living in private, beautiful Vermont setting. Our version of gemutlichkeit in Vermont. trappfamily.com.

WILLIAM RAVEIS STOWE REALTY We combine the marketing and technology of one of the largest brokerages in the U.S. with the local knowledge and community focus of a Vermont family business. You can count on our family to be there for yours. (802) 253-8484. raveis.com.

RESTAURANTS BENCH Unique to Stowe, wood-fired comfort food including pizza. Local ingredients in a relaxed, rustic modern Vermont atmosphere. Enjoy après ski or dinner with family and friends. 28 taps, craft beer, cocktails, and extensive wine list. Daily. 492 Mountain Rd., Stowe. benchvt.com or (802) 253-5100.

Focusing on local flavors and farm-fresh ingredients, Solstice provides an upscale yet casual atmosphere. Ask about our Chef’s Table for an omakase-style dinner at the best seats in the house. (802) 760-4735, 7412 Mountain Rd., Stowe.

CHARLIE B’S PUB & RESTAURANT A Stowe tradition with a festive atmosphere, Vermont Fresh cuisine, and award-winning wine list of over 40 wines by the glass, martini bar, and Vermont craft beers on tap. Inviting wraparound bar and fireside dining. Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 760-1096, charliebspub.com.

DOC PONDS Eat and drink. Many beers from 24 rotating taps to 50 different bottles and cans, craft cocktails, natural wine, updated bar food. Two turntables with 1,000 records. Bar, lounge, dining room. 294 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 760-6066. No reservations. docponds.com.

HARRISON’S RESTAURANT & BAR Located in historic Stowe Village serving elevated takes on American dishes with wine, craft beers and cocktails in a unique, parlorlike space. Reservations accepted. (802) 253-7773, harrisonsstowe.com.

HOB KNOB BAR & LOUNGE Enjoy a drink in or lounge and some comfort food from our kitchen Thursday-Saturday, put your feet up sit by the fire. Bring the family, play some games and enjoy. hobknobinn.com. (802) 253-8549.

STOWE SANDWICH COMPANY Casual catering for fun events. American, Italian, and Mexican fare, as well as sandwich platters, salads, and homemade hot/cold soups. Vegan, vegetarian and glutenfree options. stowesandwich.com or (802) 253-7300.

SUNSET GRILLE & TAP ROOM Northern-style southern barbecue with a side of sports. Craft beers and cocktails. Patio dining, family friendly. NFL Sunday ticket. 30 TVs. Just off the beaten path. Cottage Club Road, Stowe. (802) 253-9281. sunsetgrillevt.com.

SUSHI YOSHI Experience the best in Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Eclectic menu with something for everyone. The entire family will enjoy our gourmet hibachi steakhouse. Daily outdoor seating in summer. Call for free shuttle. 1128 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4135. sushistowe.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE—LOUNGE & DINING ROOM Seasonal menus reflecting both Austrian and Vermont traditions featuring farm-to-table cuisine. Open daily. Dining room: breakfast 7:30-10:30 a.m.; dinner 5-9 p.m. Reservations: (802) 253-5733. Lounge: lunch 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; tea 3:304:30 p.m.; dinner 5-9 p.m. Bar nightly until 11 p.m.

IDLETYME BREWING COMPANY TRES AMIGOS Small-batch craft lagers and ales. Lunch and dinner daily from 11:30 a.m. Innovative cocktails, extensive wine list, family friendly, fireplace dining. Outdoor patio. Perfect for special events. Beer to go. 1859 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4765, idletymebrewing.com.

MICHAEL’S ON THE HILL Farm-to-table cuisine. Swiss chef owned. Awards: Green Restaurant/Wine Spectator/Best Chefs America; Most Romantic Restaurant in Vermont; Best European Inspired Farm-to-Table Restaurant. 5:30-9, closed Tuesdays. 5 minutes from Stowe. Route 100, Waterbury Center. (802) 244-7476. michaelsonthehill.com.

OVER THE WALL Combination of Latin X and Asian flavors creates delicious and fascinating dining experience. Wide assortment of tequilas and clever cocktails. Chill atmosphere in renovated 1836 farmhouse. Daily 4 to 10 pm. Saturday and Sunday brunch coming this winter. 2160 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-9333. overthewallvt.com.

STOWE RESORT HOMES Luxury vacation homes for the savvy traveler. Book some of Stowe’s best resort homes—online. Well-appointed, tastefully decorated homes at Topnotch, Spruce Peak, and throughout Stowe. (802) 760-1157. stoweresorthomes.com.

SOLSTICE

PIECASSO PIZZERIA & LOUNGE Traditional, hand-tossed New York style pizza with modern style, eclectic music, and great vibes. A local favorite, voted a “Top 11 Slice in the Country” by travelandleisure.com. Creative entrees, craft beer, gluten-free menu, online ordering, takeout, delivery. (802) 253-4411, piecasso.com.

PLATE Chef-owned, California meets Vermont cuisine. “Best new restaurant,” Seven Days. Warm vibrant atmosphere with beautiful open kitchen. “Chefs table” dining for exciting experience. Homemade and locally sourced menu. Dinner Wednesday- Saturday, 5 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations recommended. (802) 253-2691.

RANCH CAMP Stowe’s mountain bike base lodge. Full-service bike shop with Stowe’s best demo fleet. Fast casual eatery, craft beers on tap, and smiles for days. ranchcampvt.com, (802) 253-2753.

THE RESERVOIR RESTAURANT In the heart of downtown Waterbury. We specialize in local Vermont based comfort food and some of the best beers available. Private second floor events space for up to 50 people. Dinner daily, lunch Saturday and Sunday. (802) 244-7827, waterburyreservoir.com.

Mexican fare highlighting fresh produce and local meats and cheeses; tequilas and mezcals, margarita and cocktail menu, 24 drafts focusing on Vermont and Mexican-style craft beers. Intimate music space with upper level viewing. 1190 Mountain Rd., (802) 253-6245. tresamigosvt.com.

WHIP BAR & GRILL Friendly, casual atmosphere with open grill and fireplace dining. Fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks, vegetarian specialties, children’s menu. Serving lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch. Located at the Green Mountain Inn. (802) 253-4400, x615, for reservations. thewhip.com.

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY COPLEY WOODLANDS Come home to Stowe, where retirement living is easy. Spacious condos, fine dining, activities. Available for adults 55+. Copley Woodlands, 125 Thomas Lane, Stowe. (802) 253-7200, copleywoodlands.com.

THE VILLAGE AT WHITE RIVER JUNCTION Vermont’s premier assisted living and memory care community. Private apartments, 24/7 nursing care, expansive amenities and restaurant style dining. Competitive monthly rent with no hidden fees. (802) 295-7500 or thevillageatwrj.com.

WAKE ROBIN Vibrant non-profit life-care community located on 136 acres just south of Burlington in Shelburne, Vt. Residents enjoy independent living in cottages and apartments and comprehensive, on-site health care for life. wakerobin.com, (802) 264-5100.

SHOE STORES JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL Quality footwear and clothing for every lifestyle and the whole family. Footwear for work, hiking, running, casual and dress. Keen, Timberland Pro, Chippewa, Muck, Bogs, Columbia, Salomon, Blundstone, Dansko, Birkenstock, Merrell, Sorel, more. Route 15 Johnson, (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

WELL HEELED Unique collection of shoes, boots, handbags, belts, clothing, and jewelry in a chicly updated Vermont farmhouse halfway up Stowe’s Mountain Road. Shoes are our specialty and effortlessly chic our motto. Daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (802) 253-6077. wellheeledstowe.com.

237

S TOWE-SMUGGLERS BUSINESS DIRECTORY SKI RESORTS JAY PEAK RESORT Let the mountain move you with our indoor waterpark and climbing gym, outdoor pools and hot tubs, hiking trails, championship golf course, tournament ready athletic fields, summer music series, and Vermont’s only aerial tram. jaypeakresort.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT, VERMONT America’s Family Resort. Mountainside lodging. Award-winning kids’ programs. Zipline canopy tours. Winter: Three interconnected mountains, 2,610 vertical. FunZone 2.0 entertainment complex. Summer: 8 pools, 4 waterslides, disc golf, mountain bike park. (888) 256-7623, smuggs.com/sg.

SKI & SNOWBOARD SHOPS—Rentals & Demos AJ’S SKI & SPORTS Stowe’s largest selection of rentals and demos. K2, Volkl, Atomic, Line, Nordica, Rossignol, Blizzard, Burton snowboards. We rent ski clothing, jackets, pants, gloves, mittens. Reserve online and save: stowesports.com. Daily 8-8, Friday and Saturday until 9. (802) 253-4593.

PINNACLE SKI & SPORTS Voted No. 1 rental demo shop five years running. All new rental and demo skis and snowboards. Atomic, Blizzard, Burton, Dynastar, Fischer, Head, K2, Kastle, Nordica, Rossignol, Salomon, Volkl. Open nightly till 8 p.m., 10 p.m. Fri., Sat. and holidays. (802) 253-7222. pinnacleskisports.com.

SKI & SNOWBOARD SHOPS—Retail AJ’S SKI & SPORTS Patagonia, Arcteryx, Burton, Leki, Helly Hanson, Prana, Nordica, Sorel, Dalbello, Volkl, Dale of Norway, Eisbar. Skiboot fitting/sales from Lange, Tecnica, Salomon, Atomic. Oakley and Smith goggles, accessories. Gloves, mittens, hats. Daily 8-8, Friday and Saturday until 9. (802) 253-4593. stowesports.com.

MOUNTAINOPS Mountainops is a full-service ski shop specializing in sales and rental of Alpine, AT, telemark, backcountry and Nordic gear. Best clothing in town tucked in a cozy 1895 barn. 4081 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-4531. mountainopsvt.com.

ONION RIVER OUTDOORS Gear, clothing, and expert advice for all your outdoor adventures. Friendly, knowledgeable sales and service of bikes, skis, and car racks. Visit onionriver.com for our fun events and clinics. Langdon Street, Montpelier. Open daily.

PINNACLE SKI & SPORTS Voted No.1 in customer service. All new rental and demo skis and snowboards. All major brands. Clothing from Marmot, Obermyer, Fly Low, Helly Hansen, others. Accessories, tuning services. Open nightly till 8 p.m., 10 p.m. Fri., Sat. and holidays. (802) 253-7222. pinnacleskisports.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT, VERMONT America’s Family Resort. Mountainside lodging. Award-winning kids’ programs. Zipline canopy tours. Summer: 8 pools, 4 waterslides, disc golf, mountain bike park. Winter: Three interconnected mountains, 2,610 vertical. FunZone 2.0 entertainment complex. (888) 256-7623, smuggs.com/sg.

SPA MIRROR, MIRROR Makeup, skin care, day spa. Located in the heart of downtown Burlington, we are your premier source for beauty, from the inside out. 3 Main St., Burlington. (802) 861-7500, mirrormirrorvt.com.

RADIANCE MEDICAL AESTHETICS & WELLNESS SPA Radiance is dedicated to making patients feel confident and the best version of themselves. Dr. Colleen Parker and her team invite you to experience all that they have to offer. Williston, Vt. radiancevt.com, (802) 777-7300.

SPA & WELLNESS CENTER AT STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT World-class spa integrates natural surroundings, luxurious amenities, over 120 treatments. Bingham Hydrotherapy waterfall, Hungarian soaking mineral pool, lounges, steam, sauna, hot tub, Jacuzzi, yoga, Pilates, fitness classes. Open to public. Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 760-1083, spaatstoweflake.com.

THE SPA AT SPRUCE PEAK Harness the goodness of nature and experience serious relaxation with signature treatments, such as our famous Stowe Cider scrub or CBD facial, then unwind in our soothing sanctuary lounge. (802) 760-4782, 7412 Mountain Rd., Stowe.

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS ARBORTREK CANOPY ADVENTURES AT SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH Family-friendly, year-round treetop adventures including an award-winning zip line canopy tour, treetop obstacle course, and climbing adventure. Adventures from serene to extreme. Ages 4+; Good to moderate health. Reservations recommended. (802) 644-9300. arbortrek.com.

CRAIG MOONEY STUDIO Nationally and internationally recognized artist Craig Mooney maintains a studio in close proximity to greater Stowe. For information regarding available works, commissions, or studio visits please visit craigmooneystudio.com.

ECHO VERMONT Discover Vermont’s innovative science and nature museum. Explore 100-plus interactive family experiences, 70 live species, changing exhibits, and 3D theater. Visit museum shop for educational toys. Open daily. Visit echovermont.org.

KING ARTHUR FLOUR Visit King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vt., for all things baking. Shop our retail store, sign up for a class, or enjoy a delicious meal in our cafe. (802) 649-3361. kingarthurflour.com.

LAUGHING MOON CHOCOLATES

SKIING–Cross Country TRAPP FAMILY LODGE OUTDOOR CENTER Over 100 km of groomed and backcountry trails in woodlands and meadows with spectacular mountain views. Private, group instruction, rentals, retail shop. Lunch at the Slayton Pasture Cabin. (800) 826-7000. trappfamily.com.

SKI RESORTS

Handmade Laughing Moon Chocolates open 9-6 daily. 78 South Main St., Stowe Village. Chocolate dipping demonstrations and sampling at 2 p.m. daily. (802) 253-9591. laughingmoonchocolates.com.

LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO Walk into the studio and experience the art of glassblowing up close. Adjacent gallery features works of resident artist Michael Trimpol. Thurs. – Mon. 10-5. (802) 253-0889. littleriverhotglass.com.

JAY PEAK RESORT Jay Peak offers skiing and riding on the most snow in the East. Vermont’s only aerial tram, Pump House indoor waterpark, Ice Haus indoor skating rink, and new Clips & Reels recreational center with climbing gym, arcade, and movie theater. (800) 451-4449 jaypeakresort.com.

238

MONTSHIRE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE Award-winning science center known for its interactive exhibits, outstanding programs, science park and water features, and woodland garden. Daily 10-5. Norwich, Vt. montshire.org.

SPRUCE PEAK AT STOWE Enjoy the best après ski experience in the Northeast. The WhistlePig Pavilion at Spruce Peak features live music, craft cocktails, beer, open fire raclette, cider donuts, and more. At Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeak.com.

STOWE HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM Preserving Stowe’s rich history. Museum at the West Branch and Bloody Brook Schoolhouses, next to Stowe Library. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, noon-3 p.m., and when the flags are out. (802) 253-1518. stowehistoricalsociety.org, info@stowehistoricalsociety.org.

VERMONT SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUM Collecting, preserving, and celebrating Vermont’s rich skiing and snowboarding history. Free admission. Explore our exhibits and visit the gift shop. Wednesday-Sunday, noon – 5 p.m. 1 Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-9911, vtssm.org.

VERMONT TEDDY BEAR RETAIL STORE & FACTORY TOURS Go behind the scenes, create your own bear and find the perfect gift for any occasion during this interactive experience the family will treasure forever. 6655 Shelburne Rd., 7 miles south of Burlington. (802) 985-1319, vermontteddybear.com.

SPECIALTY FOODS ALLA VITA Highest quality olive oils, balsamic vinegars, made-to-order salads, pestos, marinades, and more, along with unique wines to take home and enjoy for dinner and social gatherings. 27 State St., Montpelier, allavitavermont.com.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES What the New York Times calls “some of the best chocolate in the country.” Made from fair-trade certified chocolate, Vermont cream, other natural ingredients. Caramels, truffles, creamy fudge, hot chocolate, factory seconds. (802) 241-4150. lakechamplainchocolates.com.

SPORTING GOODS OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE & GEARX.COM Locally owned since 1995, offering the area’s best prices, service, and selection of gear and clothing for camping, hiking, climbing, paddling, and a life lived outdoors. Open 7 days. Burlington. (802) 860-0190.

POWER PLAY SPORTS Northern Vermont’s leader in winter gear. Peruse our huge selection of new and used skis, XC, snowboards, splitboard and hockey gear at the area’s best prices. Service and rentals available. 35 Portland St., Morrisville. (802) 888-6557. powerplaysportsvt.com

WATERBURY SPORTS Your recreation destination in central Vermont’s most convenient place to rent, repair, or buy skis and snowboards including XC, backcountry, and splitboards. A huge apparel and hockey selection. 46 S. Main St. (802) 882-8595. waterburysportsvt.com.

SURVEYORS LITTLE RIVER SURVEY COMPANY Surveying, mapping. Boundary, subdivision and topographic surveys. Site plans, FEMA elevation certificates and LOMA’s. Forestry services available. Large document copying, scanning, reducing. (802) 253-8214, littleriversurveyvt.com.

TOYS & GAMES JOHNSON FARM, GARDEN, HARDWARE & RENTAL Sports equipment, Legos, arts and crafts, outdoor/board games, puzzles. Trucks, tractors, science and stem kits, fun and creative toys and games for the whole family. Schleich, Hape, Schylling, Ravensburger, Bruder, Plan Toys, Mindware, Crayola. Route 15 Johnson, (802) 635-7282, jhrvt.com.

LOCAL CHURCHES ONCE UPON A TIME TOYS Test your agility on a ninjaline. Create your own Chalk Board t-shirts. Traditional toys like Lego to eclectic ones like Russian nesting dolls, Vermont’s most exciting store for 43 years. Birthday? Come get a free balloon. (802) 253-8319. nancyteed@comcast.net/fun@stowetoys.com. stowetoys.com.

TRANSPORTATION & TAXIS FLEET TRANSPORTATION, LLC A premier provider of luxury sedans, SUVs, Mercedes Sprinters, minibuses, buses, limousines, and shuttle transportation services. Fleet provides luxury transportation services throughout Vermont. 1878 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 735-0515. fleettransportation.com.

GREEN MOUNTAIN TRANSIT MOUNTAIN ROAD SHUTTLE GMT offers year-round service in Lamoille County and free seasonal service between Stowe Village and Stowe Mountain Resort and many points in between. For schedule information, ridegmt.com or (802) 223-7287.

TRAVEL & TOURS 4 POINTS BREWERY TOURS Vermont is home to some great microbreweries and several are close by. We pick up in the local area, make five stops and guarantee a good time. Call Rick at (802) 793-9246, 4pointsvt.com.

WEDDING FACILITIES EDSON HILL Edson Hill offers you an exclusive, quintessential Vermont country estate with picturesque views, 23 luxurious guestrooms, and a talented culinary team to help create the wedding of your dreams. edsonhill.com, (802) 253-7371.

STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT & SPA Leave the planning to us. Perfect wedding location in the heart of Stowe in any season. Indoor and outdoor spaces for weddings, receptions, or rehearsals. Spa bridal services from hair to make-up. Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-7355, stoweflake.com.

WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS BLACK CAP COFFEE & BEER Carefully curated beer selection of Vermont, American and imported craft beers. Regular tastings. Hand-picked wines and sparkling wines. Fresh coffee, espresso, lattes, pastries, breakfast, sandwiches. Daily. 144 Main St., across from the church; 63 Lower Main St., downtown Morrisville. Facebook.

FINE WINE CELLARS Fantastic wine selections from around the world. Great prices. From the rare to the exceptional value. Under $10-$100+ we’re nuts about wine. Please see our ad on page 2. (802) 253-2630. finewinecellars.us.

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Stowe, 253-7536

Cambridge Christian Fellowship, Main St., (802) 335-2084

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Johnson, 635-2009 Church of the Nazarene, Johnson, 635-2988

Cornerstone Foursquare Church, Morrisville, 888-5683

HARVEST MARKET Fine wines, weekly deals, Vermont microbrews, and hard ciders. Cabernet to Vermentino, Harvest Market has you covered. Case discounts. Daily 7-5:30 (in season). (802) 253-3800. harvestatstowe.com.

SHELBURNE VINEYARD Come visit, then stay awhile to taste, tour, and share our adventure growing grapes and making fine wines in Vermont’s cold climate. We’ll make you feel welcome and surprise your palate. Open all year. (802) 985-8222. shelburnevineyard.com.

STOWE BEVERAGE Full-service wine, beer, liquor, mixers, snacks. Stowe’s best wine and beer selection. Best price in town on Vermont maple syrup. Cigars. Free local paper with wine purchases. 9-9 Monday through Saturday; Sunday 11-6. (802) 253-4525.

THE WINE VAULT Our diverse selection is handpicked to highlight the best, small-batch producers from around the world. Getting married? Register with us. We ship. Waterbury, (802) 244-1111. @thewinevaultvt, IG: the_wine_vault_waterbury. thewinevaultvt.com.

Elmore United Methodist Church, Elmore, 888-3247

First Congregational Church of Christ, Morrisville, 888-2225

Grace Bible Church, Stowe, 253-4731 Hunger Mountain Christian Assembly, Waterbury Center, 244-5921

Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jeffersonville, 644-5322; Morrisville, 888-5610

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, 253-1800

Living Hope Wesleyan Church, Waterbury Center, 244-6345

Morrisville Baptist Church, 888-5276 Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Morrisville, 888-3318 Mountain Chapel, Stowe, 644-8144 New Beginning Miracle Fellowship, Morrisville, 888-4730

Puffer United Methodist Church,

YARN

Morrisville, 888-2225

YARN

Second Congregational Church, Hyde

Yarn offers a wide selection of yarns from near and far as well as needles, accessories, gifts, inspiration, classes, and a friendly fiber community. 80 S. Main St., Suite 3, Waterbury. (802) 241-2244. yarnvt.com.

Park, 888-3636; Jeffersonville, 644-5533

Seventh-Day Adventist, Morrisville, 888-7884

St. John’s in the Mountains Episcopal, TRAPP FAMILY LODGE From intimate ceremonies in our lodge to grand receptions under a tent with spectacular mountain views, we tailor to individual tastes and budgets. European-style cuisine and accommodations. (800) 826-7000. trappfamily.com.

WINDOW TREATMENTS TINA’S HOME DESIGNS Hunter Douglas Blinds, shades, and shutters at discount prices. Draperies, over 1000 area rugs, stair runners, custom cushions, unique home furnishings. Free measuring, installation, and in-home consultation. 21 Church St., Burlington. (802) 862-6701, tinashomedesigns@aol.com.

YOGA & PILATES STOWE YOGA CENTER Practice yoga in a beautiful space. Brightly lit carpeted studio with high ceilings. Weekly schedule online. Special series: chakra yoga, prenatal, chair yoga, meditation. Private classes available. Kate Graves, 515 Moscow Rd. (802) 253-8427, kgravesmt@gmail.com, stoweyoga.com.

YOGA BARN AT WELL HEELED A serene studio offering a full range of classes from vigorous flow to restorative practices. Talented instructors at our peaceful barn studio offer something for everyone. Privates, groups, retreats available. Walk-ins welcome. 2850 Mountain Rd., Stowe. theyogabarnstowe.com for schedule.

Stowe, 253-7578

St. John’s the Apostles Church, Johnson, 635-7817

St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Cambridge, 644-1909

St. Teresa’s Parish Center, Morrisville, 888-2761

Stowe Community Church, 253-7257 Trinity Assembly of God, Hyde Park, 888-7326

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Stowe, 326-2098

Support communty journalism Stowe Reporter • News & Citizen • Waterbury Record Stowe Guide & Magazine Summer advertising deadline Feb. 28, 2020

United Church of Johnson, 635-7249 Waterbury Alliance Church, 244-6463 Waterbury Center Community Church, 244-6286

Wesley United Methodist Church, Waterbury, 244-6677

239

INDEX AARON FLINT BUILDERS 225 AJ’S SKI & SPORTS 1 ALCHEMIST BREWERY 153 ALLA VITA 75 ARBORTREK CANOPY ADVENTURES 71 ARTISANS’ GALLERY 134 253 AUTO 231 AXEL’S FRAME SHOP & GALLERY 137 BAGEL, THE 176 BARRE ELECTRIC 144 BARRE TILE 190 BENCH 149 BEN & JERRY’S CATERING 179 BIERHALL AT TRAPP FAMILY LODGE 29 BITTNER ANTIQUES 141 BLACK CAP COFFEE 25 BLACK DIAMOND BARBECUE 146 BOURNE’S ENERGY 195 BOUTIQUE 111 BRAD HIGHBERGER 54 BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY 137 BUNYABUNYA 108 BURLINGTON FURNITURE CO. 41 BURLINGTON MATTRESS 193 BUTTERNUT MOUNTAIN FARM 160 CAMARA SLATE PRODUCTS 229 CATAMOUNT FISHING ADVENTURES 63 CBD VERMONT 133 CHAMMOMILE 125, 133 CLOSE TO HOME 217 COCOPLUM APPLIANCES 120, 218, 224, 226 COLDWELL BANKER CARLSON RE INSIDE FRONT COMMODITIES NATURAL MARKET 176 COMMODORES INN 163 CONTEMPORARY DENTAL ARTS 60 COPLEY WOODLANDS 16 COUNTRY STORE ON MAIN 125 CRAIG MOONEY STUDIO 137 CUSHMAN DESIGN GROUP 205 DESIGN STUDIO OF STOWE 228 DOC PONDS 151 DONALD P BLAKE JR BUILDER 201 EARL’S CYCLERY & FITNESS 71 ECHO SCIENCE MUSEUM 135 ECK MACNEELY ARCHITECTS 217 EDELWEISS DELI 9 EDSON HILL MANOR 147 ELD ARCHITECTURE 213 ELEVATED STATE 143 ELIZABETH HERRMANN ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN 215 ETHAN ALLEN FURNITURE 121 EXPRESS CARE 10 FERRO ESTATE & CUSTOM JEWELERS 2 FINE WINE CELLARS 2 FIRST CHAIR ALPINE CO. / KJUS 3 FIRST CHAIR ALPINE CO. / BOGNER 35 FLAVIN ARCHITECTS 187 FLEET TRANSPORTATION 221 FLOORING AMERICA 189 FLAVIN ARCHITECTS 187 FORGET-ME-NOT-SHOP 143 FORK & GAVEL 175 FOUR SEASONS SOTHEBY’S RE 181 FRED’S ENERGY 194 FRITZ BAR & RESTAURANT 165 GEOBARNS 224 GORDON DIXON CONSTRUCTION 214 GRANGE HALL CULTURAL CENTER 73 GREEN ENVY BOUTIQUE 107 GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTILLERS 160 GREEN MOUNTAIN FIREPLACES 219 GREEN MOUNTAIN TRANSIT 59

240

ADVERTISERS

GRISTMILL BUILDERS LTD 47 HARDWICK DENTAL GROUP 144 HARMONI HAIRSTYLING 139 HARRISON’S RESTAURANT 152 HARRY HUNT ARCHITECTS 209 HARVEST MARKET 164 HOB KNOB INN BAR & LOUNGE 156 IDLETYME BREWING CO. 159 IN COMPANY CLOTHING 123 INTERIOR CREATIONS 226 J. GRAHAM GOLDSMITH ARCHITECTS 180 JAY PEAK VERMONT 31 JOHNSON HARDWARE RENTAL, FARM & GARDEN 67 JOHNSON WOOLEN MILLS 144 KATHERINE GRAVES MASSAGE 73 KING ARTHUR FLOUR 173 KITCHEN, THE 179 KNAUF LANDSCAPE DESIGN 216 LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES 125 LANDSCAPES 223 LAUGHING MOON CHOCOLATES 116 LAWSON’S FINEST LIQUIDS 157 LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO & GALLERY 113 LITTLE RIVER REALTY 201 LODGE AT SPRUCE PEAK 161 LOEWEN WINDOW CENTER OF VT & NH 225 LUMINA 33 MAD MOOSE ARCHITECTURE 211 MAD RIVER ANTLER 143 MARC LANGLOIS INTERIOR DESIGN 18-21 MARCUS GLEYSTEEN ARCHITECTS 185 MARTIN WERTH LANDSCAPING 194, 235 MICHAEL’S ON THE HILL 155 MIRROR MIRROR 13 MONTSHIRE MUSEUM 135 MOUNTAIN LOGWORKS 207 MOUNTAINOPS OUTDOOR GEAR 17 MOUNTAIN ROAD OUTFITTERS 45 MUMLEY ENGINEERING 229 NORTH COUNTRY CAKES 171 NORTHERN VERMONT UNIVERSITY 61 NORTHWOOD GALLERY 129 NOSWEAR HEADWEAR 139 ONCE UPON A TIME TOYS 116 ONION RIVER OUTDOORS 75 OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE & GEARX.COM 65 OVER THE WALL 152 PATTERSON & SMITH CONSTRUCTION 203 PALL SPERA CO. REALTORS 37 PAUL ROBERT ROUSSELLE ARCHITECT 222 PEREGRINE DESIGN/BUILD 225 PIECASSO PIZZERIA & LOUNGE 171 PINK COLONY 139 PINNACLE PHYSICAL THERAPY 54 PINNACLE SKI & SPORTS 7 PK COFFEE 175 PLANET HARDWOOD 228 PLATE 159 RADIANCE MEDICAL SPA 13 RANCH CAMP 169 RED BARN REALTY OF VERMONT 209 RED HOUSE FINE HOMEBUILDING 219 RESERVOIR RESTAURANT & TAPROOM 149 RIDE 54 RK MILES 188 ROAM 145 ROBERT PAUL GALLERIES 119 ROCK ART BREWERY 174 RURAL RESOURCES 214 SALON SALON 47 SELDOM SCENE INTERIORS 5 SHELBURNE VINEYARD 174

SISLER BUILDERS 188 SKIERS EDGE 69 SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH DISTILLERY 164 SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT 57 SPA AT SPRUCE PEAK 53 SPORTIVE 27 SPRUCE PEAK AT STOWE 11 SPRUCE PEAK LIGHTS FESTIVAL 11 SPRUCE PEAK ARTS 105 STEEL CONSTRUCTION 213 STEVENS LAW OFFICE 54 STOWE BEVERAGE & LIQUOR STORE 158 STOWE AREA REALTY KW VERMONT 190 STOWE COUNTRY HOMES 218 STOWE CRAFT REMARKABLE HOME 205 STOWE CRAFT REMARKABLE THINGS 115 STOWE FAMILY DENTISTRY 120 STOWE FAMILY PRACTICE 73 STOWEFLAKE MOUNTAIN RESORT INSIDE BACK STOWE HARDWARE & DRY GOODS 233 STOWEHOF 165 STOWE KITCHEN BATH & LINENS 108, 231 STOWE MERCANTILE 117 STOWE PUBLIC HOUSE 175 STOWE RESORT HOMES 15 STOWE SANDWICH CO. 156 STOWE VILLAGE MASSAGE 63 STOWE YOGA CENTER 73 SUNSET GRILLE & TAP ROOM 175 SUSHI YOSHI 161 SWEET & SAVORY PERSONAL CHEF 177 SWIMMING HOLE 51 SYSTEM INTEGRATORS 74, 227 TANGERINE & OLIVE 141 TEKTONIKA STUDIO ARCHITECTS 216 TINA’S HOME DESIGNS 227 TOPNOTCH RESORT & SPA 23 TOTAL FITNESS 145 TRAPP FAMILY LODGE 29 TRES AMIGOS MEXICAN 149 TRUEXCULLINS ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS 227 UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT 75 VERMONT ARTISAN COFFEE & TEA 171 VERMONT ELECTRONICS 194 VERMONT FLANNEL 131 VERMONT REGENERATIVE MEDICINE 65 VERMONT SKI & SNOWBOARD MUSEUM 53 VERMONT TEDDY BEAR 122 VILLAGE GREEN AT STOWE BACK COVER VILLAS AT TRAPP FAMILY LODGE 183 VILLAGE AT WHITE RIVER JUNCTION 191 VOLANSKY STUDIO 223 VON BARGEN’S JEWELRY 39 WAGNER HODGSON LANDSCAPE ARCH 215 WAKE ROBIN 221 WELL HEELED 49 WEST BRANCH GALLERY & SCULPTURE PARK 109 WHIP BAR & GRILL 158 WHISTLEPIG WHISKEY 163 WILDEWOOD 37 WILLIAM RAVEIS REAL ESTATE 207 WINE CHIME 165 WINE VAULT 173 WINTERWOOD TIMBER FRAMES 231 WOODEN NEEDLE 120 YANKEE BARN HOMES 211 YARN 143 YELLOW TURTLE 131 YELLOW TURTLE BABY 131 YOGA BARN 49

THE VILLAGE GREEN AT STOWE A Condominium Resort For All Seasons Offering affordable rentals for 2 nights or more

Our Town Homes Provide

Amenities 2 pools (1 indoor) * whirlpool * sauna * 2 outdoor tennis courts * recreation center * video games * ping pong * pool table

*spacious 2 & 3 bedroom accommodations * fully equipped kitchens * fireplace * cable TV

Other Special Features Include * Majestic views from 40 acres of beautiful property * Direct access to Stowe’s award winning recreation path * Surrounded by the Stowe Country Club & golf course * Discounted rates for midweek, weekly or monthly stays

1003 CAPE COD ROAD, STOWE, VERMONT 05672 802-253-9705 • 800-451-3297 Visit our website at www.vgasstowe.com for more info and rates