 Passport to Summer Tennis Weekend at StrattonMay 31 - Jun 2, 2013 Set in southern Vermont, the Passport to Summer LGBT Tennis Weekend highlights the best of southern Vermont with a choice of tennis or golf school plus a full menu of activities including hiking, yoga and farm-to-table cooking that features the bounty that is Vermont. Meals and social activities bring the groups together to share their adventures over good food, drink and lively entertainment. More details at Stratton.com/passport. Also offering the Saturday night family style farm-to-table dinner with wine followed by Edge magazine DJ Scotty Thomson on deck at the exclusive Stratton Mountain Club. All for only $100, including tax, gratuity and wine. Enter to Win a "Meet The Brewers" Weekend at Killington
Enter for a chance to win a weekend at Killington, for a "meet the brewers" exclusive guided tour of the Long Trail Brewery and
its new pilot brewing operation with a gift certificates for lunch at the brewery and dinner as well as a day of Golf at the Green Mtn National course in Killington. Plus, winner will receive 3 nights at the Killington Grand, gift cards, and a $75 Cabot Gift Box stocked full of the World's Best Cheddar from the farm families who own Cabot!
Enjoy Vermont's Great Events
Through May 12:
Killington Arts Guild New Gallery Show “A Searching Mind: The Many Transitions of Paedra”. More information
May 31 - June 2:
LGBT Summer Weekend At Stratton Mountain. More information
June 16 - Fathers Day: Duxbury B&B Tour More information
July 12-13: Waterbury Arts Fest More information
August 9-11: Women's Yoga Retreat hosted by Singletrack Mindfulness More information
September 15: Pride Vermont and Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo More information
Click here for more Events.
 Photo by Greg Trulson Vermont’s Newest Tree House B&B Sets Grand Opening June 16th The award-winning Moose Meadow Lodge – an Adirondack style luxury log home B&B on 86 acres in Duxbury, Vermont – will host a grand opening celebration of their new Tree House. The event will take place on Fathers Day, Sunday, June 16, 2013, 12:00 –4:00 pm as part of the Duxbury B&B Tour. The Tour is one of the events in 2013 celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Town of Duxbury, Vermont. Proceeds will benefit the Duxbury Historical Society – a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the town of Duxbury – located between the foodie mecca of Waterbury and the world-class ski areas of the Mad River Valley. The Moose Meadow Tree House will be the newest addition to the international trend of tree house hotels and to a growing number of luxury accommodations known as “glamping” or glamorous camping. “It’s camping without roughing it,” says co-owner Greg Trulson. The 2-story Tree House comes equipped with an electric fireplace and high-speed WiFi Internet. Although there is no plumbing, guests may use bathroom facilities in the main lodge and will have access to a local fitness center for shower and exercise facilities. “We asked guests what was more important -plumbing or WiFi – and they said ‘WiFi.’ Trulson added.” Supported by two mature pine trees and overlooking the pond at Moose Meadow, the 450-square-foot Tree House features a wrap-around deck, a living room, a second-story bedroom with balcony, 24 windows, custom-made antler light fixtures, trees and branches from the property and other locally-sourced materials. The Tree House was designed by its owners, Greg Trulson and Willie Docto, along with lead contractor Eyrich Stauffer of Stauffer Woodworking in Montpelier, Vermont.The platform of the Tree House was built by students of Yestermorrow – a design/build school in Waitsfield, Vermont – as part of their tree house building curriculum. The house was built by a team of skilled craftspeople of Stauffer Woodworking.Interior lighting fixtures made of moose antlers and deer antlers were handcrafted by Ken Kenia of Mad River Antlers in Warren, Vermont. Tickets for the Duxbury B&B Tour are $10 and include tours and refreshments at three other inns. More information about Moose Meadow Lodge can be found at www.moosemeadowlodge.com. Information and tickets for the Duxbury B&B Tour can be found at www.duxbury250.com.
 Amtrak Offers 20% off:Amtrak's Visit Vermont fare gives you a 20% discount for travel to any Vermont station. Click here
for Amtrak's terms and conditions and to book a reservation.
Events:
Gay Ski Week in Stowe - Jan 23-27, 2013
Winter Pride in Killington - Feb 1-3, 2013
Vermont In The News:
Read about Great Weekends In Vermont by Andrew Collins. This article appeared in Rainbow Times as well as several other GLBT newspapers around the country.
Read about Pride Vermont and Northern Decadence by Jerry Nunn in Chicago’s Windy City Times.
Read about VGTA Member Nicole Mondejar Travels to NYC for Sandy Relief
Read about Killington Winter Pride's Naming RU12? Community Center as Beneficiary. The organizers of Killington Winter Pride announced that the Vermont-based, RU12? Community Center has been selected as the principle nonprofit beneficiary for the 2013 event scheduled for February 1 – 3, 2013.
For more information, visit:
Vermont Gay Tourism Association I PO Box 164 Waterbury, VT 05676
www.vermontgaytourism.com I 802-244-6828
 Held on September 22, 2012 in Battery Park in Burlington, the Vermont Pride Parade and Festival, along with the Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo, was a wonderful success and even the rain held out! The NOH8 Campaign was in attendance at Vermont's pride event. The photographic silent protest created by Hollywood-based celebrity photographer Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley, was in response to the passage of Proposition 8. Subjects are photographed wearing white, with a temporary “NOH8” tattoo on their cheeks and duct tape over their mouths. The duct tape symbolizes the way Prop 8 and other anti-LGBT initiatives around the world silence the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons. Check out www.pridevt.com for next year's line-up of fabulous events. Click here to see the calendar listing of all pride events in America.
 Vermont to Celebrate LGBT Community in Northern New England’s Premier Pride Festival
The Pride Vermont Committee announced its plans today for the state’s annual Pride Vermont celebration, scheduled for September 21-22, 2012. The festivities, which will be held in September for the first time in order to better include Vermont’s large student population and foliage tourists, will include a cruise on Lake Champlain on Friday, September 21, a parade through downtown Burlington, and a pride festival, NOH8 Campaign photoshoot, and the Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo in Burlington’s Battery Park on the 22nd. “This year’s Pride Vermont promises to be more vibrant than ever before, with an incredible array of events and activities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and allied people and families to enjoy,” said Madelyn Baer, the Pride Vermont 2012 Director. “We look forward to celebrating Pride with people from all across the great state of Vermont, northern New England, upstate New York, and Canada, and we are honored to host the NOH8 Campaign this year, adding our faces to those from across the country standing up for equality.” The annual Pride Cruise has been a highlight of Vermont’s Pride season since 1993. It is sponsored by Vermont Gay Social Alternatives (VGSA), Vermont’s premier LGBT social organization, and will be an evening filled with dancing and merrymaking featuring hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and entertainment by the House of LeMay and DJ Veena. It will be held on the Lake Champlain Ferry, which departs at 8:00 on Friday, September 21 from the King Street Docks in Burlington. Tickets can be purchased online at www.vgsa.com. “Whether you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, or a proud ally, this year’s Pride Cruise is an event not to be missed,” said VGSA Director Michael Knaapen. “Join us on the lake – it’s the perfect way to start Pride right!” The Pride Parade will start at noon on September 22, beginning at the bottom of Church Street and winding all the way to the Pride Festival site at Battery Park. With students, families, and foliage tourists in town, a record-breaking turnout is expected to view the colorful parade of floats, performers, and marchers of all kinds. The festival itself will last from 1:00-4:00 pm. and include music and entertainment in the Battery Park bandshell, vendors, family, youth and activity tents, and community resources. Produced by the Vermont Gay Tourism Association (VGTA), the Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo will take place during the Pride Vermont festival at Battery Park on Saturday, September 22, 12:00-5:00 pm. Northern Decadence will showcase LGBT-friendly businesses from across Vermont and include food and wine samples, a silent auction, cooking demonstrations, and the popular Decadent Cupcake Competition. Tickets are $5 for adults; children 12 and under are free. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.northerndecadence.com. “Everyone knows that Vermont offers the best things in life: world-class gourmet food, dining, scenery, shopping, attractions, and entertainment,” said Willie Docto, VGTA President. “The Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo is a great way to connect equality-minded Vermonters and visitors with LGBT-friendly businesses. Supporting equality has never been easier, or tastier!” The NOH8 Campaign, which will hold an open photoshoot on September 22 from 1-4pm as part of Pride Vermont, is a photographic silent protest created as a response to the passage of California’s Proposition 8, which stripped same-sex couples of equal marriage rights. Hollywood-based celebrity photographer Adam Bouska photographs subjects wearing white, with a temporary “NOH8” tattoo on their cheeks and duct tape over their mouths. The duct tape symbolizes the way LGBT people around the world are silenced by anti-gay initiatives like Prop 8. Over 20,000 people, including celebrities like Kathy Griffin, Cindy and Meghan McCain, the Kardashian sisters, Jane Lynch, and Lance Bass have posed for the campaign; NOH8’s open photoshoots routinely attract hundreds of people to events across the country. Pride Vermont is teaming up with Truth Wins Out – a national, Burlington-based nonprofit organization that fights anti-LGBT extremism and the “ex-gay” myth – to bring the NOH8 Campaign to Vermont for the first time. More information can be found at www.pridevt.com. “Participation in the wildly popular NOH8 Campaign will offer Vermonters the opportunity to fight hate in a uniquely special way,” said John Becker, TWO’s Director of Communications & Development. “Truth Wins Out and Pride Vermont want to encourage equality-minded people all across the region to attend the 2012 Pride Vermont Festival and get photographed for this great campaign.” Pride Vermont is the statewide pride festival for Vermont’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and ally community. Equality-minded Vermonters gather to celebrate our state for its safe, healthy, empowering community that embraces all of life’s colors. We take Pride in Vermont’s progress towards equality and want Vermonters to know that being queer in Vermont is something worth celebrating. This year’s festivities consist of a week of activities culminating in the Annual VGSA Pride Cruise on September 21 and the Pride Vermont Parade, Festival, and Northern Decadence Food Expo on September 22.
 The Vermont Gay Tourism Association (VGTA) is pleased to announce that it has contracted Jo Sabel Courtney of Sabel PR, LLC to provide membership development and event planning services. Sabel PR will be in charge of membership retention and recruitment, as well as planning the Northern Decadence Food & Travel Expo, which will take place at the the Pride Vermont Festival on September 22nd in Burlington’s Battery Park. As a contractor, she serves as the Festival Director for the Music Festival of the Americas at Stowe; Consumer Trade Show Representative for Vermont Tourism, and now Program Coordinator Consultant with VGTA. As PR and International Marketing Manager at Stowe Area Association, she co-founded the award-winning Stowe Weekend of Hope cancer-survivor event and traveled the world, “selling Stowe”. She is an accomplished singer, actor, and voice-over artist and has performed in many venues throughout Vermont. Jo is also the co-founder of the Stowe Theatre Guild, and board member of both the Center for America's First Horse and the Stowe Free Library. “With more and more destinations worldwide competing for the LGBT traveler, it’s important for Vermont to send a strong message of being a welcoming, safe and beautiful state. We’re excited to have Jo Sabel Courtney bring her many years of tourism marketing experience to help us continue to grow this niche market,” said VGTA President Willie Docto. The Vermont Gay Tourism Association is a statewide membership organization of more than 60 businesses with the mission of promoting Vermont to the LGBT traveler, weddings and conventions. The VGTA hosts familiarization tours for travel writers, buys co-operative advertising, organizes events, exhibits at travel shows and maintains a popular tourism website. More information is available at www.vermontgaytourism.com and www.northerndecadence.com.
 Once again, the famous Ice Cream Corporation of Ben & Jerry's is advocating for equal rights!
This 34 year old company has a history of standing up for human rights. In 1993, the company was legendary for being one of the first of major corporations to recognize unmarried domestic partnerships regardless of sexual orientation in their health and employment benefits plan. In 2009 their Chubby Hubby ice cream was re-named to 'Hubby Hubby' in honor of gay marriage legalisation in the state of Vermont, where the company is based. As stated by Ben & Jerry's: "This March as the UK government debates whether to legalize same sex marriage, we've partnered with gay rights organization, Stonewall, to raise awareness about the importance of marriage equality by renaming our Apple Pie flavour, Apple-y Ever After!"
You can help support this campaign by "marrying" someone of the same sex through their UK Facebook App or by writing the MP using the template provided on the Ben & Jerry's website: click here. From all of us at Connextions Magazine, THANK YOU to Ben & Jerry's! We enjoyed our travels to your beautiful 'home-base' in Vermont and are looking forward to our return. Find Ben & Jerry's on the Net: http://www.benjerry.com
twitter: @benandjerrys
Facebook UK: https://www.facebook.com/benjerryuk?sk=app_314033415319938
Facebook USA: https://www.facebook.com/benjerry
Connextions Magazine visit to Vermont in 2011
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 The popular Cider House BBQ & Pub on Route 2 in Waterbury, Vermont will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a special cider pairing dinner. The event will take place on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 6:00 PM. The four-course dinner will include traditional Irish offerings as well as southern comfort food. The courses will include a choice of appetizer, entree, salad and dessert. Each course will be paired with a different hard cider, made in Vermont and the U.K. A raffle and door prizes will be part of the festivities. The cost is $55 per person or $100 per couple. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Pride Vermont Festival (pridevt.com) taking place on September 22nd at Burlington’s Battery Park. Reservations for the cider pairing dinner are required by calling Willie at 802-244-6828. The full cider pairing menu can be found at www.ciderhousevt.com. This event is sponsored in part by the Woodchuck Cidery.
 photo courtesy: L Camarda Crossing into Vermont, take note of the moose crossing signs. These beautiful animals are much larger than deer, harder to spot, and offer a twinge of excitement at the thought of a rare appearance. With so many things this state has to offer, there is something for everyone all year round. Autumn foliage and winter skiing are not the only highlights that attract the largest crowds to the beautiful state of Vermont. Spring, at the beginning, is when they start making the “world famous” Vermont Maple Sugar. Summer is a great time for hiking, camping, and shopping for antiques & pottery. Two of the largest hiking trails are “The Appalachian” and “The Long Trail.” If you are a lover of the ‘fresh air’ and outdoor activities, their clean lakes and ponds are perfect for swimming, fishing, canoeing and rafting down the white water rapids. And best of all, most accommodations during the summer season tend to have reduced rates. Fall Foliage in Vermont is heavenly. The array of vibrant colors is brief but brilliant in the Green Mountains. In early September, this transformation begins and lasts only about a week. Book your hotel room early; finding a place to stay at the last minute can be very difficult, since leaf peepers come from around the globe. Ski resorts such as Sugarbush and Killington run the chair and gondola lifts specifically for sight seers and Killington has been offering special packages for over half a century now during this season. Winter is the most popular of all seasons in Vermont! Whether it is a romantic getaway or a winter family vacation, Vermont’s rugged hills are legendary to skiers, riders, skaters, kiteboarders and winter enthusiasts. As a haven and historical focal point of Nordic skiing in North America, it’s no wonder why they call Vermont “The ski capital of the East”. After a full day of action packed adventure, try a serene romantic horse drawn carriage ride through the white snow amidst a glistening sunset. Vermont notables: • The 114 covered bridges of Vermont are among its most historic sites and certainly worth viewing! • 120 miles of freshwater - Lake Champlain stretches from the VT and NY border to the Canadian border. • World-famous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory is located in Waterbury, VT and open for public viewing every day, ending the tour with a free sample of their famous delicious treat. In 2000, Vermont became the first US state to legalize same-sex civil unions and then in April 2009, the Vermont legislation enacted marriage equality into the Vermont Statues. The state officially recognizes and issues marriage licenses for gay and lesbian couples without a waiting period and there is no residency requirement. Several of the Vermont Inns offer all-inclusive wedding packages. For all those out-of-towners, many allow you to reserve the entire Inn for your weekend wedding with family and friends. It does not matter if you are a thrill seeker, a romantic, a health enthusiast, or just looking for breathe taking beauty while hiking, relaxing or traveling, Vermont welcomes you! As featured in Connextions Magazine, Issue 3.
 Walking into Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vermont, feels like being enveloped in a long, deep hug. From the constantly burning fire in the cozy and rustic lodge to the plush, enormous beds in the guest rooms to the way the staff smiles, big and genuine, the message is clear: you are welcome here. It’s not just your imagination. The Top Notch Resort is a smart choice for anyone, but it also happens to be the only TAG Approved gay-friendly hotel in the entire ski town of Stowe. Better still: Top Notch offers an elopement package for just $1,500. Where better to tie the knot than Vermont - one of only six states in which gay marriage is legal - and what better way to celebrate than with champagne, dinner for two, cake, flowers, luxurious robes to take home and a Justice of the peace to officiate? Forgo the limo in favor of a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride over the grounds; it’s all included in the package. If you’re not ready to exchange vows, Top Notch can offer you whatever type of getaway you’re in the market for. Those in search of relaxation and pampering will find solace in the spa, which offers everything from a wealth of massages, facial care, full salon services and even a wink at local fare with a maple sugar body scrub. The spa, which spans 35,000 generous square feet and includes 30 treatment rooms, a sauna and steam room, three pools, a Jacuzzi and a hot tub with a cascading waterfall, is open year-round. With six outdoor and four indoor tennis courts and a pro shop on the grounds, those who crave athletic adventure are sure to be satisfied. The Grand Slam tennis package, available from Mid-May through Mid-October includes nightly accommodations, morning small group workshops, racquet tune-up and a discount on pro-shop merchandise. And don’t forget about the mountains! The Stowe ski area is minutes away from Top Notch. Dine on the grounds at Norma’s, a beautiful restaurant with mountain views that features creative, Vermont-inspired cuisine with dishes like a local cheese tasting and roasted beet carpaccio with Vermont feta and endive. Or just order in 24-hour room service and share a meal in your guest room. With stunning views of the natural landscape and resort, as well as decor fit for a king - or a queen - one thing is for certain. Staying at Top Notch Resort is like coming home. Top Notch Resort 1 (800) 451-8686 www.topnotchresort.com4000 Mountain Road Stowe, VT 05672
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