Come join us on September 10, 11 and 12, 2010, for the First Annual Woodstock Art Festival.  Join the Gallery Tour Friday night from 5 to 7 pm, and then stroll through the artists’ tents on Saturday and Sunday.  Take an art tour of the Rockefeller Mansion which has a wonderful collection of Hudson River School painters.  Sculpt Fest is also ongoing not far from the Village Green.  Fill your weekend with beauty!  Check out the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce website for other activities that weekend – www.woodstockvt.com.  Call us now.  We still have a few rooms left!

We just received word last week that David and I have been selected Innkeepers of the Year for 2010 by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.  We are very proud of the honor bestowed on us and honored to be acknowledged for doing the work we love. 

Enough about us!  There is a lot going on this month and next in Vermont.  Check out the Chamber of Commerce website www.woodstockvt.com  for upcoming events.  There is something for everyone!  What are you waiting for?  Besides, the innkeepers of the year are waiting for YOU!

That is the Alhambra behind us not Deer Brook Inn!

Here we are in August.  The July weather has been very hot and  humid but as always in Vermont, the night brings cooler temperatures and a respite from the heat.  Hopefully August will be a combination of warm sunny days and comfortable breezy evenings, like only Vermont can offer.  How better to beat the heat than to escape to our lovely state where the grass is still green despite  the temperatures?  

So much is happening in Woodstock this August.  The Billings Farm has a full agenda.  The 24th Annual Quilt Exhibit runs until September 26.  Sunday’s at the Farm are Ice Cream Sundays.  Tuesday’s are for Time Travel, go back in time and see how people lived in the 19th century.  Wednesday’s are for wagon rides and  Sunday, August 8th is Tractor day!

On August 22, we have the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival, and every Thursday is the Brown Bag Lunch Series on the Green at noon.  Go to www.pentanglearts.org  for a schedule of entertainers.  August 7th is Plymouth Old Home Day when the governor will open the New President Calvin Coolidge Museum and Education Center and on August 9, the Woodstock History Center hosts Antique Appraisals. It may not be the Antiques Roadshow but it is our version of it!  Check out www.woodstockhistorical.org for details.

You don’t want to miss TASTE OF WOODSTOCK on Saturday, August 14th from 10 AM til 8 PM.  This street festival offers food, wine and beer tasting, cheese tables, craft vendors, kid activities, live music and dancing in the streets.  Every Wednesday is a Farmers Market on the Green and I almost forgot, August 21st is the Pierce- Arrow Auto Show. So call and make your reservation now for these events and relax with us at Deer Brook Inn.

What is a 4th of July celebration without the fireworks?   East or west you can find what you are looking for. In Woodstock there is an incredible fireworks display at the high school or head west to Rutland and the Vermont State Fairgrounds has quite the show on the 4th.  Did you know that Calvin Coolidge was the only president born  on Independence Day?  Head over to the Coolidge Homestead for the celebration.

July is packed full of activities for you.  Pick a day, it doesn’t matter.   Tuesday’s at the Billings Farm are Time Travel Days.  Lend a hand with late 19th Century chores. The kids will love it.  On Wednesday’s visit the Farmer’s Market on the Woodstock Green and then head over to the Billings farm for horse drawn wagon rides.  Thursday’s  Brown Bag Concerts on the Woodstock Green are always fun.  Downtown Saturday Night in Woodstock has great music and the shops stay open late, not to mention the Killington Music Festival- 28 Years of Music in the Mountains, is a short ride west of us.  There are so many more events, I can’t list them all!

Whatever your pleasure, our area offers fun activities for the whole family.  We are waiting here to host your visit to Woodstock.

• We are celebrating the 190th birthday of the farmhouse that has become known as Deer Brook Inn.  Built in 1820 on 300 acres  by Tories, our knowledge is a little sketchy.  We know that the original builders  only lived in the house for a short time because as Tories, they were not  welcomed with open arms by the settlers of this area.  We understand that one night they disappeared under the cloak of darkness after many skirmishes with their neighbors.  They showed up in Boston in what is known as Tory Row.  How the house fell into the hands of the next family is not clear but we understand it was in this new family for over 120 years.  Operated as a farm for all that time, we assume the family ran out of children willing to continue to work the acreage as a farm. The house became a rental property for a couple of decades and then fell into disrepair.  In 1985 it was purchased by a young couple with a dream who totally renovated this gem into the beautiful bed and breakfast it is today.  So come help us celebrate 190 years in the Vermont countryside.

With so much to do this spring and summer, you will be captivated by the area.  Whether you like outdoor activities or more scholarly pursuits interest you, Woodstock has it all.   May 9th is the Road to the Pogue Run, and of course in June is the Covered Bridges Half Marathon, two very popular races in this area.  June also has the Quechee Balloon Festival, Billings Farm is in full swing by then, and of course there is Bookstock in July.  So many reasons to come– stop making excuses!!