From the Berkshires to the Green Mountains

Typical rural scene

Some trees are over-achievers during foliage season.

At the Applefest

The rhythm band at the Applefest

Can you believe this group has never been on Letterman's show?

Jack and Donna Jo know how to enjoy a bratwurst!

Today began as a very early morning, and the mist was still in the valleys as we packed the car and headed toward the northern part of Vermont. It was a beautiful drive north on US 7. The sky was clear and blue, and the fall foliage appeared to improve with each mile we drove. The only thing that kept us from stopping hundreds of times to make “just one more” photograph was our effort to arrive at the worship service at the church near Middlebury at a respectable time. The drive was typical New England, even down to the sound of the church bells from the community church as we drove through the village of Brandon. We have been to Vermont several times, but this year the foliage seems to be the best we have ever seen. It is always a gamble to guess which week the foliage will be the best, especially when you have to make reservations months in advance, but this year our timing has been perfect.


Once we arrived at the church in Addison County, we heard a good lesson by Dale Pennock titled, “Come and See”, focusing on how to approach and invite friends to worship services. He had some excellent thoughts.


After the worship service we drove on to Dakin Farms, which is a local farm that sells various foodstuffs by offering free samples of each item in their sales room. We “grazed” through the showroom, tasting samples of different cheeses, summer sausage, pepper jelly, sauces, jams, Vermont crackers…you get the idea. By the time we left Dakin Farms we were not hungry for lunch, so we headed on to the town of South Hero, Vermont. South Hero is located on an island in Lake Champlain, not far from Burlington.


We had read about a festival being held today in South Hero. The festival was an “Applefest”, which sounded good, but you never know what you are getting into when you go to a small-town festival. On a scale of one-to-five, this festival was definitely five stars! First of all, it was extremely well-planned. There were assigned parking areas that were clearly marked, and there was no charge for anything at the festival, except the food. Free fun is always the best kind!


The theme of the festival (as you might have guessed) was to celebrate the apple harvest. Apples in every form were available…by the basketful, in the form of candied apples on a stick, homemade apple pie, apple jelly, etc. The town street (lined with beautiful maple trees) was blocked off for a half-mile or more. No automobiles were permitted, and guests at the festival could either walk the distance or ride in the back of a wagon pulled by a tractor. Some of the wagons had 3-4 musicians on board to entertain the riders. There were several other groups entertaining the crowd here and there along the road. Some of the groups had a little talent, and others were just plain entertaining…like the “rhythm band” group who kept time to recorded music by beating on something that looked like a broom handle with a block of wood, a tambourine, a bell, a cymbal, a bicycle horn and a stuffed animal sitting on the very top. You have to see the pictures to believe it! One enthusiastic rhythm band member even danced with his “broom” during one number. Don’t you just love small town festivals?


There were activities for the children (all free!) like pony rides, dunking booths, petting zoo, races, obstacle courses, and some activity where they used a homemade catapult to launch a rubber ball at the opposing team. It looked like lots of fun.


We left the festival with a bag of Honey Crisp apples (our personal favorite!), two bags of kettle corn, huge oatmeal and chocolate cookies, and a loaf of fresh-from-the-oven bread. Of course while we were there we had consumed bratwurst, hot dogs, and hot apple pie with ice cream. With the items from the Applefest and the items we purchased at Dakin Farms, we should eat well the next few days.


We ended the day at our home-for-the-week near Stowe. This condo is wonderful. We have our own gas fireplace, but today it was much too warm to use it. When she saw the fireplace, Donna Jo asked, “Does it have a remote control?” (No, Donna Jo. You actually have to get up off the couch and flip the switch!) We have three bedrooms, a big kitchen, table for eight, deck that has a spectacular view, and wrap-around windows. We are looking forward to another great week. We just love vacation!