Stowe Vermont is one of the most active small communities I have ever seen when it comes to the arts. There is strong community support for the arts and it shows in the abundance of plays, concerts, exhibits and more. Music in particular is popular with outdoor concerts nearly every Sunday with everything from Mozart to Cajun music. On August 15th through the 18th, the Stowe Summer music festival is here. The performances take place just down the street from us ( you could walk if you wanted to) and feature the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. Amazingly, the concerts each night are free and present a great opportunity to enjoy classical music. If you want more information go to www.stowemusicfestival.orgor you can always contact us at Ten Acres Lodge. We will probably be hosting some of the musicians.
I attended a meeting the other day here in Stowe where the topic was the growth in mountain biking. I had no idea how many people had taken up the sport and how many trails there are here in Stowe for mountain biking. There is a local club in town that has been building trails and working to make more land accessible for bikers. I found it a typical Vermont story when he told us 30-50 people would gather on a Saturday morning with shovels and build trails all day. The people here are outdoor enthusiasts and often will contribute their time to make the area cleaner, spruce up the landscape or build whatever is needed. Stowe has trails for all levels of bikers. Many bikers who venture out to the roads during summer and fall are frequent guests of our lodge. One day hopefully we can put in a rack for bikers to keep their bikes overnight but for the time being, they leave them in our barn.
The meeting left me wanting to give this biking thing a try. Perhaps if I ever get some time away from this place, I’ll do it…after I play golf first!
The view from the front of our place is truly spectacular. A guest that stayed at Ten Acres several years back took this photo showing one of the many rainbows we get around here. Lately, there have been a few more than wanted as we have been getting a lot of rain, but it looks like the sunny days are ahead for us.
This view seems to be one the most photographed in Stowe as all the cars that pull over in our parking lot can attest. I’ve thought about charging a toll during foliage season! I guess the view is appealing for several reasons. One, the cows. Most everyone likes taking pictures of the many cows that are across the street. It’s interesting that the cows that occupy this land are all pregnant and every week or so, a truck will pull up, find the new mother and her calf, and take them back to the main farm. Then the truck will return and drop off another expecting mother.
The barn you see off in the distance is another reason for people to like this view. It was abandoned long ago but it is in surprisingly good shape. It helps one look into our past, to see America as it once was, a landscape dotted with family farms, as this land once was. Ten Acres Lodge was originally a simple farm house, built by the Bigelow family in 1836.
I like having a classic Vermont landscape right out my front door. It’s a view everyone should take in at least once in their lifetime.
The Fed Cup is an exciting event coming to Stowe next week. The town is buzzing about the tourney and hopeful that the US can pull off a win. The Williams sisters are scheduled to play. It should be a great atmosphere around here. The visiting Russian team will provide stiff competetion but we are hoping for a USA victory.
