Central Vermont Weekend

Fall Happenings

2010-09-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

So once you've found a nice pet-friendly central Vermont home to settle into for the weekend, what's next?

Autumn brings a special air to New England, and in particular to Vermont. The crisp mornings flow into sunny afternoons and make for perfect outdoor adventure, whether it be fishing, hiking, biking or touristing. for a special treat this fall, stop by a local orchard, farm or winery.

There are several in the area, but if cider is your thing be sure to visit Wellwood Orchards in Springfield, VT. Want to see a production line cider orchard? Step over the boarder to New Hampshire to Farnum Hill Ciders

Want to view a beautiful alpaca farm? You're about 6 miles from Parrish Hill which has a vista of Mount Ascutney.

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For a hiking adventure, approach Ascutney from the oposite side on the Weathersfield Trail, but better plan on making it a day event, because you will definately feel the magnetism pulling you further and further along. (Be sure to allow for the return trip!)

Still if shopping is your idea of a weekend afternoon well-spent plan on visitting downtown Woodstock - just 13 miles north of Reading - called the "prettiest small town in America."

For more ideas on day-tripping around Central Vermont, visit us at ReynoldsRentals.com

BENNINGTON IRISH MUSIC FESTIVAL

2010-08-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

Bennington Irish Music Festival
September 4th & 5th
Colgate Park
www.benningtonirishmusicfestival.com

Southern Vermont is proud to host the first annual Bennington Irish Music Festival We have spared no expense to ensure an unforgettable experience that we look forward to sharing with you year after year! This is a family friendly event and kids 12 & under will get in free.
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Black 47

Black 47 espouses an unblinkingly political and thoroughly Irish form of rock 'n' roll, with songs covering topics from the Northern Ireland conflict to civil rights and urban unrest in contemporary New York. Black 47 plays on the Main Stage Saturday, Sept. 4th.

Maura O'Connell

Widely acclaimed throughout her career as a vocalist and interpreter of utmost grace and insight, O'Connell's latest album is a defiant, boldly undiluted statement on art of singing. Maura will be performing on the Main Stage Sunday, Sept. 5th.

Young Dubliners

Seamlessly blending their rock and Celtic influences into a high energy, anthemic and lyrically poignant mix, the band jumps energetically from ballad to barn burner, documenting as they go the vibrant yet chaotic world they find themselves in. From edgy political tunes to the travails of life in an internationally touring band... The Young Dub's will be performing on the Main Stage Saturday, Sept. 4th.

Shana Morrison

The daughter of legend Van Morrison, Shana Morrison's musical style has been called pop with a side of blues and a side of rock. She has also been known to include other ingredients, like country, R&B, and jazz into the mix. Her material seems to be ever-changing and hard to pin down categorically. What always remains the same is Shana's unique and wide-ranging voice. Shana will be performing on the Main Stage Sunday, Sept. 5th.

McPeake

For generations of folk music enthusiasts the name of the McPeake Family of Belfast has stood for one of the most distinctive sounds in Irish music. Francis McPeake IV, the fourth generation of this world-famous musical dynasty and one of the few authentic uilleann pipers in the world today, has put together a revived band, 'McPeake', which is unique in the world of music with its fusion of original Celtic compositions and contemporary rhythms and styles. McPeake will be performing on the Main Stage Sunday, Sept. 5th.

Seamus Connolly

Seamus Connolly is one of the world's most respected master Irish traditional musicians and teachers. A native of Killaloe, County Clare he now resides in Maine. Séamus won the Irish National Fiddle Championship 10 times, a feat unequalled by any other musician. He was also the winner of the internationally acclaimed "Fiddler of Dooney" Competition. Seamus Connolly will be performing on the Main Stage Saturday Sept. 4th.

CELTIC KIDS ZONE
KIDS 12 & UNDER GET IN FREE!!

Storytelling
Face Painting
Dance Workshops
Instrumental Workshops
There will also be a variety of carnival inspired games like ring toss, basketball shoot, duck pond, soccer kick and lots of other fun stuff to keep the kids busy!

www.benningtonirishmusicfestival.com

QUECHEE GORGE: Quick & easy Site-seeing

2010-06-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

If you've passed it by but never stopped, you owe yourself a visit. The view is inspiring and the height dizzying.

The adjacent parking lot makes the walk an easy minute, but be prepared to have your breath quickly drawn away. One time I even saw a girl collapse with jelly-kneed terror!

If you are in a hurry you can be in and out in 5 minutes, but if you care to explore there are paths that lead down the ravine. You may even go as far as the dam, which is both tranquil and idyllic. A longer walk will lead you across the Ottauquechee River and into the Village Proper, which is a photo-shoot in waiting, itself.

Many restaurants and shops are situated around the gorge, and the greater area boasts other day trip stops such as The Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) raptor & education center, King Arthur Flour Mill Store, Harpoon Brewery, Sugarbush Farms, and the Billings Farm.

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of winter

2010-02-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry to say -- and much to anyone's surprize -- Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow again this year, and it seems there will in fact be 6 more weeks of winter.

In the words of Bill Murray, 'I'm predicting March 21st.'

Looks like planting will be delayed again this year.

Reading Public Library: Free showing of "FOOD, INC - THE MOVIE"

2010-01-08T15:00:00.000-08:00

A free showing of "FOOD, INC - The Movie" will air at the Reading Public Library on January 23, 2010, 6:30-8pm, sponsored by our neighbors, the Springfield Food Co-op.

Following the show will be a presentation of Reading's progressive Farm-to-School program.

If you have not yet seen this film, you owe it to yourself to take this free opportunity to learn more about food security, nutrition and the American corporate take-over and destruction of your health.

In a related story, hunger is on the rise in the USA - and particularly in Vermont, which now rates as the 6th hugriest state in the nation. According to the USDA's Food Security Report, 1 in 8 Vermont households are now considered "food insecure," skipping meals and malnurished.

If you or someone you know is in need of food assistance, please contact 3SquaresVT, or the Reading Food Shelf on Tyson Road, Reading, VT.

WOODSTOCK WASSAIL, 2009

2009-12-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

The Woodstock Wassail celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and this weekend marks the festivities.

Originating in the European tradition, Woodstock's festival follows that which continues today in the UK and Eastern Europe: a ritual celebration of the apple harvest.

Wassail (pronounced wossal or wossail) is the spiced seasonal drink "Yule:" apple juice, cider, or hard cider, flavored with cinnamon, clove and other spices. The festival supporting local apple economies dates back hundreds of years.

In 1135, Geoffrey of Monmouth recorded in 'History of the Kings of Britain' his understanding of the origin of the toast:

"While Vortigern was being entertained at a royal banquet, the girl Renwein came out of an inner room carrying a golden goblet full of wine. She walked up to the King, curtsied low, and said "Lavert King, was hail!" When he saw the girl's face, Vortigern was greatly struck by her beauty and was filled with desire for her. He asked his interpreter what it was that the girl had said and what he ought to reply to her. "She called you Lord King and did you honour by drinking your health. What you should reply is 'drinc hail.'" Vortigern immediately said the words "drinc hail" and ordered Renwein to drink. Then he took the goblet from her hand, kissed her and drank in his turn. From that day to this, the tradition has endured in Britain that the one who drinks first at a banquet says "was hail" and he who drinks next says "drinc hail."

In the heart of horse country, Woodstock Vermont puts its own spin on local wassailling, complete with the equestrian parade around the Green.

For more information be sure to visit the official site Festivities begin friday, December 11, 2009.

If you're looking for a place to stay, please visit us at www.ReynoldsRentals.com, for a lovely country home, weekend rental.

Enjoy Christmas in Vermont!

THINGS TO DO IN CENTRAL VERMONT: Wellwood Orchard & Petting Zoo

2009-10-26T05:54:00.000-07:00

Situated on an idyllic hillside, Wellwood Orchard in Springfield makes an ideal desitination for a lovely autumn afternoon.

Family-friendly, the orchard is home to a menagerie of small farm and exotic animals, which you and your children can feed and walk amongst.

Delicious apples abound to which you may walk or hayride to. Over sceanic Springfield Valley you might see gliders on a warm afternoon, and there are distant views of Mt. Ascutney to the north.

Beautiful.

Be sure to visit the store for homemade cider doughnuts.

Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, Sunday Aug 23, 2009

2009-08-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Vermont is the premium artisanal cheese state producing over 50 different varieties of cheeses!

On Sunday, August 23, 2009 the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival will kick-off its 13th annual gala. Visitors may experience the passion for making fine cheeses, taste local and fresh foods, and meet the artisans who make them.

In addition to cheese tastings, educational seminars, cooking demonstrations by star chefs, and cheesemaking demonstrations will be presented throughout the day. The festival will be a “one-of-a-kind East Coast cheese event of the year”.

Spend a high summer day along the shores of Lake Champlain at the historic Shelburne Farms Coach Barn sampling, buying, learning, and networking.

The Vermont Cheesemakers' Festival is organized by Vermont Butter and Cheese Company in partnership with the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese and the Vermont Cheese Council.

Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms.

For more information be sure to visit the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival site

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THINGS TO DO IN CENTRAL VERMONT: Billings Farm & Museum

2009-06-14T06:04:00.000-07:00

Billings Farm is a living museum celebrating Vermont's rural history. Today the museum is also a working dairy farm, and features regular demonstrations and educational events. The Billings Farm dates to 1871, when owner Frederick Billings (name-sake of Billings, Montana) a lawyer, railroad entrepreneur, and philanthropist began importing cows from the Isle of Jersey.

Today the farm still dairies Jersey cows as well as other livestock including sheep, horses, oxen, and chickens.

Billings Farm also features an authentically restored 1890 Farm House and abuts the
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park. It is within walking distance of beautiful downtown Woodstock, VT, and within a resonable drive of all central Vermont destinations.

If you are looking to rent a vacation home for the weekend (or a week) during Foliage Season or Ski Season, be sure to visit ReynoldsRentals.Com for a lovely nearby village farmhouse.

Good Stuff

2009-06-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Mid-stride through our first CSA week we just received the following email from a satisfied share-holder. Of course we're only too pleased to share:

"Hi, I just wanted to let you know that my family really enjoyed all the great food we recieved on the monday CSA. You went above and beyond, and I really appreciate it. I will see you on Monday!"
-- L and Family

Reading, VT area

2009-06-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

This quintessential New England town is just 2 hours from Boston, 3 hours from western Connecticut, & conveniently located between the ski resorts of Okemo, Ascutney, Killington & Suicide Six. Only minutes from scenic Woodstock Green and historic Windsor., fine dining, art galleries, Harpoon, Long Trail, & Black River brewery tours, maple syrup & cheese-making, Simon Pearce, Vermont Salvage, & antiquing are among the areas many attractions. But you'll also find the world's longest wooden covered bridge, the birthplace of the Morgan horse breed, VAST snowmobile network, 80-foot Cascade Falls, Ascutney State Park hiking trails, a gorgeous Alpaca Farm in Brownsville, golfing at Crown Point Country Club, hot-air ballooning in Quechee, horseback riding at the Green Mountain Horse Association in South Woodstock, a wintry sleigh-ride in Plymouth-Bridgewater, trout fishing in the Black River (the north branch of which babbles behind our house), and moose-watching up at the wallow. In addition to world-class skiing, beautiful autumn foliage, and gorgeous summer vistas, this area is also home to the President Calvin Coolidge Homestead, Ethan Allen & the Green Mountain Boys, New England's largest gorge, & the Billings-Marsh-Rockefeller Farm & Museum.

For more information about staying in this area visit: www.reynoldsrentals.com

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This is Vermont

2009-05-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

Vermont is a special place - there can be no doubt.

A place at once backward-viewing, but simultaneously foward-seeing. The catamount landscape has been protected from over-development right down to legislation banning highway billboards. Farms are valued as a matter of tradition, functionality and an all-too immiment future. People shape the land with their hands, and here, the land shapes people. There is an independent spirit, but a sense of neighborly community. There is a movement to secede from the US, but a union of Green Mountain traditions. The seasons are ruggedly extreme, but poetically diverse and beautiful. Perhaps the best summation made was by Vermont native and US President Calvin Coolidge: "Vermont is a state I love. I could not look upon the peaks of Ascutney, Killington, Mansfield, and Equinox, without being moved in a way that no other scene could move me. It was here that I first saw the light of day; here I received my bride, here my dead lie pillowed on the loving breast of our eternal hills..."

This is Vermont.