Tight Lies : Go to jail on GMNGC #9 

Heading into Memorial Day weekend, it is important to tip the hat to all the veterans who have served this country, those currently on active duty, and those how have made the ultimate sacrifice. It is easy to throw barbs because of this problem, or that...it is one of the "great" things our freedoms allow, but without the sacrifice of those who serve and have served, none of it would be possible. Thank You.

Memorial Day Weekend at Killington has an interesting new/old twist this year. The Killington Stage Race makes its' return after a long hiatus. Over 500 riders are expected to be applying pedal power to race through the mountains around Killington. More details, including course layouts and viewing areas, can be found on killingtonstagerace.com.

The weather forecast looks like it is going to be just beautiful for outdoors activities. Both golf courses are up and running in beautiful shape. I was out chasing the little white ball this morning at Green Mountain. Todays "Tight Lie" picture is of my tee shot on the 9th hole. The ball was struck about 240 off the tee down over the right fairway bunker where it decided to take an unfortunate position nestled between 3 rocks. It was your basic, go to jail, taken an unplayable lie position. So it goes...

Have a good weekend. Keep it in the fairway...and don't forget your sunscreen!

Killington Wine Festival returns July 16-18, 2010 

One of the projects I am currently working on is this years Killington Wine Festival, produced through the Killington Chamber of Commerce. The wine festival returns for its' ninth year from Friday July 16 through Sunday July 18, 2010. Over the last 8 years, the wine festival has proved to be a great summer weekend in Killington. How can you beat tasting fine wines from around the world with Killington Peak and the Green Mountains of Vermont as a scenic backdrop?

Once again this year, the Birch Ridge Inn is offering complete wine festival packages for the event. Our base packages include lodging, tickets for 2 people to the Grand Tasting at Killington Peak on Saturday July 17th, and dinner for 2 at the wine dinner hosted at the Birch Ridge Inn on Saturday evening. Rates vary by room type and start at $499 for a 2 night weekend package. More details about our wine festival packages can be found on birchridge.com.

Of course, you can also make reservations online with the Birch Ridge Inn (Specify Killington Wine Festival Package) or call the inn toll free at 800-435-8566 for more information.

Keep it in the fairway...and don't forget your sunscreen!

Washing pine pitch off my parents house on Cape Cod. 

Mary and I took advantage of the quiet time in Killington last week to visit with family in Massachusetts. We are quite lucky in that both sets of parents, in the mid to late 80's, are still with us. We always try to get down to visit them this time of year to do "some projects" around the house.

Today's picture shows one of those project; cleaning off the combination of pine pitch, pollen, and associated mildew from the vinyl siding on the north side of my parents home on Cape Cod.

It was not all work during our get away. Once again this year we stayed at the Liberty Hill Inn near my parents house in Yarmouthport MA. The innkeepers, John and Chris, run a beautiful inn. If you find yourself on Cape Cod, this is a great place to stay. (of course you should be coming to Killington, but we understand that even people who enjoy the mountains year round, sometime need to go to the sea for a change of pace.)

Keep it in the fairway...and don't forget your sunscreen!

Special Town Meeting at Killington. 

In yesterdays special Killington Town meeting on Article 1 to purchase of the "Fireside Lodge" property there were 408 votes cast. 252 were no, 155 were yes, and 1 was a "spoiled ballot". Article 1 went down to defeat. The vote margin was bigger than that which occurred on the regular town meeting day, March 2nd, when a similar proposal went down to defeat with 205 no and 145 yes.

At the open town meeting which took place last night, to vote on funding Article 1, MB Neisner, the town moderator, introduced a motion to indefinitely postpone voting on Article 2, as its' purpose was moot. That motion carried on a "unanimous" voice vote from the 100 or so residents in attendance.

Ignoring the outcome of the vote, Killington residents should take pride in the high voter turnout. I am sure that there will be many conversations in the next few days, on both sides of the issue, about "were the voters right". I believe that the only conclusion that can be drawn from the vote is that a large number of residents of Killington are genuinely interested in the community. Interested enough to participate by learning about issues, and taking the time to vote.

Coming out of the current economic downturn will throw many challenges at Killington. Having an engaged, active, citizenry, while potentially giving elected officials pause, also represents an opportunity to be harnessed to reinvent the town for a strong future. And that's a good thing!

Keep it in the fairway...and don't forget your sunscreen!

Special Town Meeting day at Killington. 

Much has been written in other venues, but here is one last reminder for Killington residents...Get out and vote today in the Special Town Meeting called by the Killington Selectboard.

The issue at hand is to determine the fate of the possible acquisition of a piece of land for the town known as the "Fireside Property". The town meeting is split into 2 sections.

The first article is an "Australian" ballot, better known as a secret ballot. Voting on this article is taking place at Town Hall on River Road from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The article being voted on specifically states:

"Shall general obligation bonds of the Town of Killington in an amount not to exceed Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($900,000) be issued for the purpose of financing the cost of acquiring the Fireside Property for use as an events, tourist, and community venue?"

Article 1 has 2 simple choices... No or Yes. But to vote a Killington resident either has to visit town hall today, or previously requested and submitted an absentee ballot.

The second article to be voted on today in Killington is going to be done in an Open Town Meeting scheduled to take place at 8:00 PM this evening at the Sherburne Elementary School Gym on Schoolhouse Road. The article being voted on this evening specifically states:

"Shall the Town use the 1% Local Option Tax revenues to pay the annual debt payments of this bond issue?"

Article 2 is both simple and complex at the same time. If Article 1 is voted no, then the wording of Article 2 is moot according to an informational meeting held by the town. However, complexity enters the issue as the article is being voted on in an Open Town Meeting. A registered voter in Killington must be in attendance to participate in tonights' Open Town Meeting.

Regardless of where you stand on theses issues, if you are a Killington Resident, go out and vote.

Tight Lies - Approaching the 7th green at Green Mountain National Golf Course 

Just a beautiful day at Killington. Temperatures are in the mid 70's. The sun is shining through a filter of random, wispy, clouds. Bermuda shorts are the outfit of the day. Life is good......

Today is Green Up day through out Vermont. All around the state, volunteers have scattered up and down the roads picking up trash uncovered by the melted winter snow. Distinctive bright green trash bags were given out to Killington volunteers. Mary used one to police the area in front of the inn on the Killington Road.

The snow that the area received a couple of days ago is now all gone. Warm weather the last couple of days took care of the 8 or so inches of snow we received around the inn in pretty short order. While there is still some snow on the mountain, especially in areas where the resort made snow during the winter, lift serviced skiing and riding for the season at Killington are done, having been suspended last weekend. A few physically fit souls are hiking the mountain to take their turns, but more are starting to flock to the local golf courses to chase "the little white ball".

Todays picture is a tight lie from a round of golf we played yesterday at Green Mountain National Golf Course. I actually escaped having one of these yesterday, but our playing partner, Nina, was not as fortunate. The picture shows where her tee shot landed in front of the par 3 seventh hole at Green Mountain. There is a large retaining wall in front of the green. Somehow, Nina's tee shot managed to nestle in between some of the stones, without ricocheting off the rocks. A true tight lie...

Where ever you may be, keep it in the fairway, and don't forget your sunscreen.

Birch Ridge Inn covered in spring snow. 

The ski resort closed for the winter season last weekend. Most businesses in town have shut down during the winter-summer hiatus. The inn is still open for lodging, as Mary and I live here...but our restaurant is closed for a few weeks. And now this!!!!

We did not get any measurable snow at Killington in the last 6 weeks, when it would have made a real difference to the ski season...I have switched my personal focus from skiing to golf...I have changed the inn's website,birchridge.com, from focusing on Winter to Summer...(I did that yesterday)... so last night down from the sky falls 6 to 12 inches of snow all around the town of Killington.

It's actually quite funny. And having called New England my home for most of my life, it is actually quite an ordinary event. Spring snow is often called "poor mans fertilizer" because of the nitrogen it brings down to the ground. So I guess the bright side in all of this is that when it melts over the weekend (temperatures are predicted to be in the 70's), the golf courses will really look nice...

"You can't fool Mother Nature" but we can "Think Spring".