The Lake Champlain Quadricentennial continues with a variety of activities and celebrations in towns throughout the region.

Have you herd? The Bennington moosefest continues through October.

The 37th annual Woodstock Apple and Crafts Fair will be held from 10:00 to 5:00 on October 10 and 11 at Bailey Mills on Rt. 4 in Woodstock. Over 100 craftspeople will be displaying their wares.

The Killington Brewfest will be held on Saturday, October 3 at the base of Killington Peak. There will be live bands, fabulous food, and over 60 local brews to sample. Admission is $25.

The fall foliage is just reaching its peak so we hope you can join us for awhile!

Posted by Ken Felten

How best to enjoy this Fall season? I always like to go for drives along back roads that I haven’t visited in some time. Truly, the fall colors are magnificent where ever you go. I always like to drop into country stores when I travel Vermont. A great many of the rural towns in Vermont still depend tremendously on the General Store. Many throughout the state also contain the local Post Office. You will be sure to encounter a strong aroma of coffee and hopefully some fresh baked goods upon entering. I like to recommend to my customers and clients that are visiting this time of year to plan to be in a village that features a good General Store around lunch time. Sandwiches and drinks will be waiting. It’s also a way to interact with the local Vermonters and fellow visitors, all of whom depend on the General Store for their quick needs. A good source to locate General Stores is the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores. Their website has many, but not all,  General Stores in Vermont  listed.

As to what routes to take to view the foliage, it’s really up to your individual wants. All of Vermont is very picturesque, and yet foliage changes at different times of the season in different parts of the state. The best website to check on  is the Fall Foliage Report.  There you will find what areas of the state and what roads are showing the most color. The only thing left to complete the fall picture, is a stop at a local farm stand for cider and donuts. It really doesn’t get much better.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway

Starting the week before the Fourth, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, VSO, plays at several locations throughout the state. This years theme is The Lake Effect, in celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the discovery of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain. A great tradition of the VSO is the playing of the 1812 Overture accompanied by a spectacular fireworks display. Check their website for locations and times.

Here in the Woodstock area, we start the Fourth with the 33rd Annual John Langhans Green Miles Road Race. All day long is a Celebration at the Woodstock Union High School, which features food, live music, acts and of course the fireworks display after dark.

Barnard has a delicious Chicken Barbeque and Flea Market at the Town Hall, just across from Silver Lake.

Pomfret is famous for its Strawberry Supper with seatings at 5, 6 and 7PM.

The Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock features an all day event with horse drawn wagon rides, spelling bee, ice cream making and an egg toss.

The Fourth of July is a special celebration at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth, VT. Calvin Coolidge is the only US President to be born on the Fourth of July. A special laying of a wreath from the White House at the presidents gravesite takes place at Noon. This is followed by a chicken barbeque.

Don’t want to leave home but want to witness the festivities? Act quickly and you could watch the Woodstock fireworks from your own deck at Rainbow Ridge on Westerdale Road in Woodstock, one of our featured listings for sale.

Need some noise making of your own? Check out The Cannon Store and perhaps the Winchester Model 98 Signal Cannon which fires 10ga blanks will fill the bill. However, it  just might prevent the chickens from laying for a few days.

However you choose to celebrate the Fourth of July, this years events should prove to be memorable.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway

A full schedule of events and happenings can be found on the Celebrate Champlain website. There are ongoing exhibits and individual events all summer long. In addition to the planned events, day trips up and down the shoreline of both Vermont and New York can yield many great towns, restaurants and attractions. One of my favorite places in Basin Harbor Club. The Beach family have been the hosts of generations drawn to the scenic beauty of Lake Champlain. The slow pace and all encompassing attention is truly old world gracious living at its best.

While exploring the Lake Champlain basin, perhaps the idea of owning a shorefront property will come to mind. Here at Vermont Country Real Estate, we specialize in marketing unique properties state wide. On Lake Champlain, we have one of the best preserved, most private land parcels available. Located in Benson, this 75 acre listing, known as Lake Champlain Shoreline, has 1050 feet of shoreline with great views and easy lake access. Owning this property just might prevent one from further exploration of our wonderful Lake Champlain. It is that nice.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway

The Vermont dairy farmer has always been at the mercy of the federal government fixing milk prices. The basic economic factors that dictate the pricing of goods is thrown out the window when it comes to dairy farming. It land prices go up, if equipment prices go up and if fuel prices go up the farmer has no control to raise his milk prices to reflect their increased costs. Thankfully many enterprising farmers and start up farmers have realized that rather than selling milk for below cost, they can use that milk to create cheese. And create they are. Vermont is rapidly becoming recognized as a major cheese producing state.

The Vermont Cheese Council is the first stop anyone should make on their web search of Vermont cheeses. There you will find access to lists of all Vermont cheesemakers, and directions of how to find them. By following the Vermont Cheese Trail you can eat your way through Vermont.

The Vermont Cheese Book by Ellen Ecker Ogden is also a tremendous resource for information on Vermont cheeses. However, as rapidly as new cheeses are being produced, it may need to be amended on an annual basis.

Local outlets are also a good source for trying Vermont cheeses. I regularly sample new cheeses at my local market, Woodstock Farmers Market. They also mail order cheeses as well as other gourmet treats. Sources can be located through the Vermont Cheese Council.

Even though Vermont cheddar is hard to beat, try some of the gourmet cheeses being produced. You won’t be disappointed.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway

We, at Vermont Country Real Estate, like to take our lunch when possible at the Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater. Its close and has an excellent luncheon menu, to say nothing about a great selection of beers and ales. I decided during one of these lunches, that I should write about some of the breweries in Vermont. Little did I know as I started my research just how popular and plentiful they are.

For those searching for Vermonts microbreweries, a quick search on the web of Vermont Brewers gives a full listing of the various producers. It ranges from the smallest brewery in America, Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse, located at the Norwich Inn in Norwich, to such well known brands as Long Trail and Harpoon. The state has microbreweries scattered throughout all regions.

Would people come to Vermont just to jump from brewery to brewery? Apparently so. There are also events at the various breweries, such as the Harpoon Championships of New England Barbecue and the Vermont Brewers Festival. Just proving that man does not live on beer alone.

Vermont Breweries are just one of thousands of reasons that people use to head to Vermont. But I have to say I have yet to have a customer ask me specifically to  find them a house next to a microbrewery.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway

The events are varied and a complete list of activities and times can be located at the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce website. There are events for all ages and interests. Perhaps the most famous of events is the Wassail Parade of Horses and Riders at 2PM on Saturday, 12/13. Equestrians from all over New England turn out in full regalia to the delight of the spectators. So many varied breeds of horses and brightly decorated carriages make for quite a spectacle.

Traditionally and historically, Wassailing, is the act of going door to door singing Christmas carols. In general it is associated with merriment and spirited celebration of the Christmas season. Occurring just a little less than two weeks before Christmas, it is also a wakeup call for those like myself that need to tune into the Christmas season.

If you have an opportunity to be near Woodstock this weekend be sure to come by for a grand celebration.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway

The best place to get answers to the questions of what creates foliage season and reports as to how the season is progressing is Vermont Foliage Information. This is a website hosted by the State of Vermont to keep everyone informed as to the progress of foliage season, and to guide you as to the best locations and drives to take for best viewing.

Foliage by its very nature is not as prone to weather interference as other activities. A planned trip to the beach can be spoiled by a forecast of rain and storms. However, foliage is often better viewed in rainy overcast weather. The brilliance of the colors is further enhanced by the overcast skies. The only detriment can occur late in the foliage season. Almost without fail, we will get a heavy rain or high wind event that overnight can change the landscape from fully foliated deciduous trees to  trees devoid of leaves. So,  no matter what the weather, get out and experience one of natures great shows. This year is proving itself to be one of the best years we’ve had in quite some time.

Posted by Wade I. Treadway