Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of one of my best friends and was honored that he and his new bride chose Sugarbush as the venue. Many of their guests came from North Carolina, one from Texas and another from Utah. Some had never been to Vermont. Even though peak foliage had passed, they loved the Valley, the mountains of Sugarbush and the resort itself. Everyone commented on how friendly and helpful our staff was throughout the occasion.
John and Maryanne wanted to celebrate and show off Vermont as much as possible. They hired musicians from the Vermont Symphony Orchestra to play before and during their wedding ceremony, chose wine from East Shore Vineyards, used local vegetables for their salad, served Misty Knoll chicken (there is none better), and ended with a flourless chocolate cake and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The ceremony was held in a wedding tent in the Clay Brook courtyard under torrential rain. Jim Westhelle, Dawn Lamonia and Alan Candor gave everyone big golf umbrellas so that they could stay dry on the short walk from Clay Brook to the courtyard. The Irish say that getting married in the rain is good luck. Given the volume of water that came down while the minister was administering their vows, it is a safe bet that this couple will have plenty of good fortune. Their reception was held in Timbers, which was decorated with over a hundred candles. The ambience was special indeed.
It has been a full wedding season for us and now it is time to turn our focus to the upcoming ski season. We have already had employee orientation for Ski Patrol and Ski & Ride and this week we will have orientation for our snowmaking team. The snowmaking system has been tested and we are ready to fire-up as early as Saturday if temperatures permit. At this point it looks like temps will be warm for the weekend and cool air will not arrive until next week, but nevertheless we will be ready to go at both mountains.
As you know, we are shooting for an opening day on Saturday, November 17th. To celebrate the start of the new season, Sugarbush and Mad River Glen with be hosting The Big Kicker party at Big Picture Theater in Waitsfield. So plan on being here. It will be a fun evening.
At SHaRC we have created an Adventure Zone which will house our bungee trampoline, bounce house and swing set for the winter. The Sugarbush Health & Racquet Club also has a climbing wall, ping-pong table, and basketball hoop so that there are always fun things for kids and adults to do when they are through with the slopes or the weather isn't great.
Gerry Nooney will be serving Thanksgiving Dinner in Timbers again this year. This amazing feast has always been well received. Our new chef, Rich Scarzello, and our new restaurant manager, Marcus Champoux, are looking forward to welcoming you to their new Timbers.
As I mentioned last week, Rumble's energy level is soaring and that fact was even highlighted by NECN's veteran weatherman, Tim Kelley, in a recent broadcast. And if the recent wet-weather pattern that has swelled the streams and risen the water table continues into winter, it is going to be a terrific season.
Think Snow! But right now also Think Cold so we can begin snowmaking!
Win
So what would you expect a former Executive Vice President of Merrill Lynch to do when he retires? Lay low in the islands? Nope. He moves north and works seven days a week right here at Sugarbush. Check out what he's been thinking.
