Vermont State Parks

Notes from Maidstone : Events from the Weekend July 21-22 Eric Bouchard, Assistant Ranger, Maidstone State Park This past weekend, in addition to our regularly scheduled Friday Night Open Mic Campfire Night, Yoga, and Saturday movie night, we also hosted out own version of the 1980's hit Nickelodeon television show Double Dare and also a loon/rock art program. Our Double Dare event was intended for all ages  and involved both trivia and challenges. Each team was asked a trivia question (relating to VT and nature) ans should they be correct, they were safe, those who were wrong had to carry out a physical challenge. The physical challenges included things like, tossing and catching water balloons in a colander that the teammate held over theri head and tossing wet sponges from one teammate to the other in order to fill a bucket to a certain line. Everyone involved recieved prizes, but the winner recieved a free pizza donated by Bruno's Wood-fired pizza on the west end o...

Vermont's Third Annual Festival of the Islands- July 27-29 Free admission at Knight Point State Park : Friday, Saturday and Sunday!  The five towns of Grand Isle County  present the best of the Islands . Adults will enjoy concerts, flea markets, retail events, art exhibits, wine tastings, farm stands, yard sales, even a pig-roast - all in the beautiful Champlain Islands.  The children will love petting paddocks, seeing alpacas and peacocks,eating maple creamies, picnics at beautiful Knight Point StatePark (free admission during the Festival), or just the beauty of farms & lakes on a wonderful summer day. Come, visit, relax, and enjoy. Alburgh The Right Place , take your chance in our lottery for 10-30% off your purchase  The Tie Dye Shop , great recycled & re-dyed clothing Champlain Islands Nursery , discount coupons available at display at The Right Place Alburgh Beverage Mart , Noon - 2PM ,  free drink up to 20 oz., with...

Walking Stick Adventure at Quechee State Park by Lisa Fisher The morning is quiet along route 4 as a small group of people gather in front of the Quechee Gorge Visitor Center. They are all wearing walking shoes of some sort and carry a waterbottle. Some even carry walking sticks, "what are they doing out here at 6:30 on a Thursday morning?" You ask. They are here is begin a walking stick adventure. As they gather they are greeted by the Park Ranger who explains the purpose of this adventure. “Welcome to our walking stick adventure. Today we will be rambling to the bottom of the Gorge and back This is a journey of discovery, we are on an adventure to connect or re-connect with nature. To see, hear, feel, and breathe the forest. This is known in Japan as Shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing”. The purpose of this journey is to breathe in the natural oils that the forest releases and de-stress and boost our immune systems. This ramble is a chance for us to re-connect wit...

Off the Beaten Path: Programming Returns to  Maidstone Eric Bouchard, Assistant Ranger,  Maidstone   State Park What to do? What to do? Our family has driven so many hours to get to  Maidstone  and we have already exhausted all of the park’s recreational options. The closest town is at least a half hour away; and the kids are bored and crying that they want to go home. We want to stay to enjoy the peace and serenity the park has to offer, but we also know that that kids need to be entertained. Does this sound familiar? Well worry no more. We here at  Maidstone , realize that in today’s society, kids and adults alike have become too reliant on TV, computers and video games for entertainment and that when you are out camping, even though you want to relax, you also want to be entertained and engage in activities. That said, we have been diligently working to develop and deliver both educational and entertaining programs for the entire fami...

  A New Car Show Comes to the Champlain Islands! Vermont Auto Enthusiasts , the organization that presents the Stowe Car Show each year, will hold the first annual Automobiles at the Islands Center at Knight Point State Park in North Hero on Saturday, July 7 th .  All vehicles are welcome, including historic autos, trucks, motorcycles and more.  Featured events this year are spectator judging, games, cars, food, and vendors with everything from food and crafts to “those things you have stored in your garage for old cars”.  The automobiles will be on display from 9:30 to 3:30 p.m.  Spectator judging ends at 2, after which prizes will be awarded.  Car games will be in the Show Field.  Watch classic cars compete in balloon breaking, slow racing, and blind driver!  Food and beverages will be for sale.  The VFW is cooking up burgers, hot dogs and ribs, along with fine food prepared by the Champlain Islands Farmers Market.  Hall ...

Sound artist Craig Calorusso is bringing his latest musical performance project, Sun Boxes, into five state parks for five weekends this summer. It's comprised of twenty speakers spread over a large, open lawn operating independently, each powered by the sun via solar panels. Inside each Sun Box is a PC board that has a recorded musical programmed to play continuously in a loop. Because the loops are different in length, once the piece begins they continually overlap and the piece slowly evolves over time. Participants are encouraged to walk amongst the speakers, and surround themselves with the piece. Certain speakers will be closer and, therefore, louder, so the piece will sound different to different people in different positions throughout the array. Allowing the audience to move around will create a unique experience for everyone. In addition, as people wander through the speakers, they alter the composition. Given the option, two people will take different paths through the...

Won't You be our Neighbor? Quechee State Park is hosting a free community event on Saturday, June 30th from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Park entry is FREE for this event. Get to know what's around the neighboorhood to enjoy at Quechee Gorge State Park. Here's some of what's on tap: Green Mountain Rock Climbing Center - Climbing wall, low zipline, rappel line, ropes course EMS - Proper gear for camping and the outdoors LL Bean - How to set a camp and Leave No Trace Hartland Yoga Center - Gentle Yoga Sugarbush Farm - Sample and learn about Vermont-made cheese and maple syrup USA Karate - Demos from students North Hartland Dam & Recreation Area - fun stuff to do Marsh-Billings Rockefeller National Park - more fun stuff to do You can also enjoy a hike in the gorge and many fine local shops.  Everyone is welcome, even if you're not a neighbor. Check out our events page for more fun stuff going on in the parks this summer.