New Birch Ridge dinner menu design 

Don't panic!

We have just expanded our menu and made the format more friendly. Same great food, same great service.

Food and wine go hand and hand in our restaurant at Birch Ridge. In the last 12 years (its been that long?), we have seen a lot of trends sweep over the restaurant business, in general, and here in Killington.

Peoples approach to alcohol has changed. Quality has replaced quantity. The whole area of "Specialty Martini's" has just taken off. On the wine side of the house, many guests have found that it can be more interesting to have a couple of different nice glasses of wine instead of having a bottle.

Our guests approach to dining out has also changed. The trend has gone to eating lighter. Instead of a traditional 4 course meal, many choose an entree and dessert. Multiple appetizers instead of an entree is also becoming de rigueur. Mixed with a couple of nice glasses of wine, that can make for a very satisfying evening.

Adapting to these trends, we have changed the way our menu looks at Birch Ridge. We have expanded our selection of starters to include more choices of appetizers. We have kept the concept of recommending different wine selections, but we have also highlighted some of our popular martini's and wines by the glass.

The goal of these changes is to make it easier and more fun to dine at Birch Ridge. When you visit us, let us know. We appreciate your feedback.

Green Mountain National Golf Director Dave Soucy congratulates 2009 Ladies Club Champion Nina Tasi 

Under a beautiful sunny sky on Thursday, Nina Tasi took the top honors in the 2009 edition of the Green Mountain National Golf Course Ladies Club Championship.

In this years event, Nina was pressed hard by second place finisher, Patty McGrath, innkeeper at the Inn at Long Trail on Route 4 in Killington. Nina took Patty by 1 shot to take the top honors.

Closer to home, Mary finished comfortably in the "middle of the pack". After a difficult first round in the tournament, Mary "settled down" and improved by 12 shots during the second round. Mary reports that the course is in beautiful shape. While there are still a few wet spots with all of the rain we have had in July, the course is playing very well.

Where ever you may be, hit it long and straight....and don't forget your sunscreen.

Mary with club championship first round playing partners Jennifer Runette and Bert Lynch 

Even though I am out for the season while my shoulder heals, golf continues to play a large role this summer at the Birch Ridge Inn.

Inn guests are continuing to book golf packages at the usual rate. While July weather slowed things down, now that we have had a few days of sunshine, many of our inn guests are out enjoying the local courses.

Mary, for her part, is trying to do her best to represent the inn on the course in my absence. This week Mary is playing in the Ladies Club Championship at the Green Mountain National Golf Course. The first round took place yesterday under a partly sunny sky and the obligatory pre-tee off downpour. Retired innkeeper, Nina Tasi, is the first round leader. The second round tees off this afternoon.

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

Bear near Roaring Brook Road (Photo by JohnnyC) 

In addition to rain showers visiting Killington on a regular basis this summer, visits by Eastern Black Bears are also on the rise around towm.

While occasional bear sightings are nothing new, this year there seems to be a larger bear population in the area than normal. Over the last 12 years at the inn, we have never noticed a bear on the property. We pay particular attention to our trash dumpster, as this is prime pickings for wild life. In the last couple of weeks, the situation has changed. Up and down the Killington Road dumpsters have been "raided" by a bear making the "circuit". Dumpsters up and down the road are sprouting tie down straps to make it harder for the late night poacher to get inside and make a mess.

During the day, many of our friends have reported bear sightings along the roads in the area. Today's picture is from JohnnyC, the gentleman who cuts our lawn at the inn. He lives approximately 800 yards away from the inn as the crow flies. He took this picture from his front deck of a black bear walking at the edge of the forest in his yard. No special camera or telephoto lens...JohhnyC was just up close and personal with a black bear in his back yard.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has published a lot of information on Black Bears in Vermont. Follow the link for more information.

Mary on the deck at Bear Mountain 

I guess it's a good thing! Summer has arrived this week to Killington.

The cold and wet weather that has been hanging tough at Killington for the last couple of months appears to have been broken. In its place, we have seen warm (low 80's) and damp (humidity around 70%) conditions overtake the area. While I tend to enjoy the cool weather, I live in Vermont after all, the last few warm days have been glorious.

This afternoon Mary and I took advantage of the weather to venture out on the mountain. We packed a lunch and wound up on the deck over at the Bear Mountain Base Lodge. Bear Mountain is very secluded this time of year, being on the "other side" of the resort. We had the deck to ourselves except for some barn swallows, and the roar of streams cascading down the mountain side. It was great to be outside!

Where ever you may be this weekend, get outside... and don't forget your sunscreen!

Noelie and Dick Gluck 

Small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

11 years ago, Noel Gluck was diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead of adopting a "woe is me" approach, she decided to fight back. With the support of her husband, Dick, and her many friends, she has beaten back the disease. But she did not stop there.

Noel and Dick harnessed their family and friends to support research and treatment efforts for other women fighting breast cancer. "Team Killington" was born 10 years ago to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Since its inception, "Team Killington" has gotten hundreds of Killington locals and second home owners involved in raising money for the Komen Foundations' efforts. In the last 10 years, over $60,000 has been raised through the dedication of the Glucks and "Team Killington".

This year, Noelie was chosen Vermont Survivor of the Year by the Komen Foundation for her work to help fight breast cancer.

Small acts of kindness CAN make a big difference.

The Eighth Annual Killington Wine Festival went off without a hitch the last weekend. Even the weather cooperated with bright sunshine during Saturday afternoons Grand Tasting.

Embeded above is a video from the Killington Resort taken at this years festival... Enjoy! (Editors Note 7/22: I changed the link to a Youtube Feed from a Brightcove feed for better performance and to allow it to run on an Iphone/Itouch.)