As the lingering piles of snow on the mountain continue to shrink, I’m looking ahead to summer and feeling gratitude about the endless activities that our beautiful area has to offer when the sun is shining. This is the time of year when we tend to have lots of family and friends visiting, so here are some of my favorite things to do to make our time feel special (and show off our great state!).

For Thrill Seekers

We’ve got some of the best mountain biking trails in the state within an hour of Stowe. My wife and I love to do a quick lap at Cady Hill after work - and if we have people visiting, it is easy for them to rent a bike at Ranch Camp so they can join us. Adams Camp is for the days when we really want to work for it! Another network that I really love is at Little River State Park - we can do a great mountain bike ride and then take a snack down to the Waterbury Reservoir to enjoy the sun and views!

For Outdoor Enthusiasts

There are basically an unlimited number of hiking trails in the area, and Stowe is renowned for its scenic trails. Some popular options include Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, which offers breathtaking views from its summit. The Sterling Pond Trail, Smugglers' Notch, and the Long Trail are also excellent choices for hikers. If you’re looking for something a little more relaxing, the Stowe Recreation Path is a picturesque 5.3-mile paved trail meanders through Stowe's scenic landscapes, including fields, forests, and the West Branch River. It's perfect for walking, jogging, biking, or rollerblading.

For Foodies

Every Sunday, the Stowe Farmers' Market offers a delightful array of fresh produce, local crafts, artisanal products, and delicious food. It's a great place to explore and support local businesses. When folks are visiting, another go-to for us is the Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour in Waterbury. Besides the guided tour, you also get ice cream samples and free rein of the beautiful grounds, which include the famous Flavor Graveyard full of hilarious epitaphs. Of course, any perfect day ends at a brewery, which I have already professed my love for in a few of these articles.

For Art & Culture Enthusiasts

The Trapp Family Lodge, established by the famous von Trapp family from "The Sound of Music," hosts outdoor concerts during the summer. Enjoy live music performances in a stunning alpine setting...bring cheese and wine for optimal viewing pleasure! The Stowe Arts Festival happens every August and showcases the work of local and regional artists. Here you can explore a wide range of art mediums, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and more.

There is never a dull moment in Stowe in the summer, no matter your style. I hope to see many of you in the coming months as the weather warms. And if you’re ever looking for something to do, reach out and I would be happy to give suggestions on more of my favorite things.

You’re invited! Join us for a FREE showing of the new Disney movie “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend.

The screening will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, at Stowe Cinema.

Gather your friends and family to celebrate the reimagining of this beloved classic film!

“You’re not getting cold fins now, are you?”

Register today as space is limited: https://form.jotform.com/231205914744049

[PG • Fantasy/Musical • 2 hours]

Living in a resort town like Stowe, I often get asked by visitors while riding a chairlift or playing golf, “Where’s a good place to eat around here?” I always give different answer, not because I want to make sure my Friday night bar seat at Harrison’s is always open, but truly because the choices are great and plentiful. (I am only kind of kidding about my bar seat at Harrisons). 

Well, here are my picks for the best breakfast, lunch and dinner in Stowe. The hard part about this article is that I love so many of the restaurants that it’s difficult to choose just a few, but here goes:

Breakfast: I have two choices, and both are good options, but for a sit-down breakfast, the clear winner is Butler’s Pantry on Main Street. Butler’s Pantry has a very traditional, expertly done breakfast menu with Vermont favorites and local products! It doesn’t hurt that the menu includes a full bar for a morning cocktail. The building itself is very cool, featuring an exterior designed to look like a true French bistro with a white painted brick façade and wide plank pine flooring inside. So the question becomes what do I eat. Answer? French Toast with the house made maple syrup and local bacon. Yes, I know, not exciting. I know that you can make French toast at home… but not like this! The challah bread, local bacon, and real Vermont Maple syrup make theirs hard to replicate. 

If there’s a wait at Butlers Pantry, head directly across School Street for a coffee or latte at Black Cap Coffee while you wait. If you decide not to wait for a seat at Butlers Pantry, you can’t beat the sweet breakfast treats at Black Cap Coffee. In the spring and summer, Butler’s Pantry has plenty of outdoor seating and the side porch is a great place to people-watch while you enjoy your breakfast in Stowe.  

Lunch: My second choice for breakfast is also my pick for Best Lunch Spot: Café on Main. My friend Neil owns this great breakfast and lunch spot, which is a great place to grab a sandwich and go, or enjoy the patio in the Summer and Fall. Whether I am running to a meeting, heading into the woods for a mountain bike ride, or skiing on the mountain, I’ll stop by to grab a sandwich at Café on Main. My sandwich of choice is called the Rachel:a Ruben with turkey piled high on Vermont rye bread, coleslaw and thousand island dressing. On a cold, blustery day, grab one of the homemade soups, and if clam chowder’s on the menu, that would be my suggestion. Don’t pass on a sweet treat for dessert to finish off your lunch. Café on Main has a small indoor seating area, and their outdoor covered patio is another great place to people watch or meet up with friends. Great sandwiches, great service, and a great price makes Café on Main my pick for a great lunch.

Dinner: Most people who know us in town know that my wife and I are regulars at the bar at Harrisons, and have been since we moved to town 10 years ago. There’s no place like Harrisons in the area; we are always there to celebrate family birthdays, holidays, and everything in between.

The owners Andrew and Kathy make you feel like family and the staff are as professional as you’d find in high-end restaurants in NYC or Vegas. As a kid from Boston who grew up watching Cheers, I also love that I can sit at the bar with my loved ones. The only real problem here is choosing what to eat… which is sometimes the most difficult decision of my week. I usually lean towards the steak or their  mainstay, the Harrison’s Burger. Without question, the Harrison Burger is one of the best burgers in Central Vermont and potentially in all of Vermont. I have never found a burger that doesn’t need condiments and I never use condiments on the Harrisons burger. 

Here’s how the meal goes: we usually start with an IPA for me - whatever is on tap- and a glass of rosé for my wife. We typically will split a Caesar salad to start, I’ll go with one of the steak selections, and Kelly will get whatever she’s in the mood for (last time we were at Harrisons she had the Ahi Tuna Poke bowl). Then there’s dessert! The desserts that they make are all homemade in-house by the restaurant owner herself. Kathy is at the restaurant early every day preparing these great desserts. From the Profiteroles to the Carrot Cake, there isn’t a bad decision for dessert (and in the summer, her fruit pies are amazing!). 

There are so many great places to eat in Stowe and I would love to list them all. We keep an updated list of great restaurant options on our website, so feel free to check that out!  

Harrisons: https://www.harrisonsstowe.com/

Café On Main: https://www.cafeonmainvt.com/

Butler’s Pantry: https://www.butlerspantrystowe.com/

The Stowe Area Realty Group at KW Vermont-Stowe real estate team is now Hickey & Foster Real Estate, which will be helmed by Mike Hickey and Steven Foster as part of the larger Keller Williams family.

The new partnership brings together more than a dozen residential and commercial agents of the former Stowe Area Realty Group and The Hickey Real Estate Group with real estate sales and marketing experience reaching from the Northeast Kingdom down into central Vermont.

The KW Vermont-Stowe leadership at the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) Convention in San Diego on November 13, 2021: Ken Libby, Mike Hickey and Steven Foster.

The Stowe Area Realty Group at KW Vermont-Stowe real estate team is now Hickey & Foster Real Estate, which is still part of the Keller Williams family and will be helmed by Mike Hickey and Steven Foster, long-time Stowe Realtors® who work out of the same Mountain Road office.

Ken Libby semi-retired from real estate at the end of 2021 after more than four decades as a Vermont Realtor®.

As of January 2022, the new partnership brings together more than a dozen residential and commercial agents of the former Stowe Area Realty Group and The Hickey Real Estate Group with real estate sales and marketing experience reaching from the Northeast Kingdom down into central Vermont.

“The union of these two teams combines talented agents with local, state and national real estate knowledge plus continued access to Keller Williams’ state-of-the-art technology and extensive agent network,” Hickey said.

Hickey is a leader in the Vermont real estate community. He is president of the Vermont Association of Realtors® and was voted by his peers as the Lamoille County Realtor® of the Year for 2020. He is the former lead broker/owner of The Hickey Real Estate Group.

“We are lucky to have formed a more powerful ‘super team’ merging our two groups,” Foster said. 

Foster brings a focus on commercial and investment properties. As a nationally licensed EMT, he volunteers as a member of Morristown’s rescue squad and serves as a board member for the Morristown Planning Council. Foster was named the 2021 Lamoille Area Board of Realtors’® Realtor® of the Year Award. Foster was a member of the Stowe Area Realty Group.

“With two of the most recent Lamoille County Realtors® of the Year leading this new collaboration, I am excited to see the firm adapt to changes in the market and establish new partnerships to guide them into the future,” Libby said.

Libby takes on real estate advisory role

Libby will still be an active member of the now-formed Hickey & Foster Real Estate, but his role has changed from lead broker to advisor and mentor to the agents as of the end of 2021. Not fully retired yet, Libby is looking to finally “slow down” after 40-plus years in the real estate business.

Libby concluded the year with a number of successes, as he helped broker the purchase of the Stoweflake Resort and Spa for approximately $13 million by MCR Hotels; the sale was finalized on Dec. 23. He also donated roughly $50,000 for a new scholarship fund for the town of Stowe’s parks and recreation department. The Bunny Libby Scholarship Fund is named in memory of Libby’s late wife, Joan “Bunny” Libby, who died in 2018 but who served on the Stowe Recreation Commission for 17 years.

“I think Stowe, particularly, is the best place in the world to raise a family,” Libby said. “It’s been a pleasure and an honor to help Vermont families and business owners fulfill their real estate goals throughout the last 40 years.” 

“Mike, our entire team and I would like to thank Ken for all his dedication to the community, leadership, professionalism and years of service to the real estate industry. We look forward to Ken being available as a mentor and guide in the coming months, offering expertise to new and seasoned agents alike,” Foster said.

Hickey added, “Ken is a wealth of knowledge and a strong advocate for homeowners as well as the real estate profession. His encyclopedic knowledge of Stowe real estate will be an invaluable asset as we head into 2022.”

Libby began his career in real estate in 1979 and became a full-time agent in 1992. A 50-year Stowe resident, raising three kids with Bunny, Libby has served the community as police chief for 17 years, a youth coach, an active member of the Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America (named its 2019 Citizen of the Year) and a mentor in the greater Stowe area.

In 2019, Libby received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), one of only 96 recipients so honored in the 109 years of operations of the association. He’s won numerous other awards, including being named twice the NAR Commercial Realtor® of the Year for Vermont. He served the NAR in a number of roles as a member of the board of directors, executive committee on two different occasions and on various task forces.

Libby has been president of the Lamoille Area Board of Realtors® and held many leadership positions in the organization. In 2012, the board selected him as its Realtor® of the Year. He served as President of the Vermont Association of Realtors® in 2003 and in 2016, was named its Realtor® of the Year (2007 and 2012) and received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication and service to Vermont real estate and its agent community. Libby was also the Vice President and Past President of the Associated Realty of the Americas, an invitation-only association of luxury Realtors® from Mexico, Canada and the United States. 

An updated logo and branding is in the works for the new Hickey & Foster Real Estate. Stay tuned!

Ken Libby and his children accept a plaque in honor of his late wife, Joan "Bunny" Libby, for her dedication to the Stowe Recreation Commission and the family's donation to create the Joan "Bunny" Libby Recreation Scholarship Fund to help send children to the Stowe Recreation Program.

If you are interested in contributing to this scholarship fund, please contact Matt Frazee, Parks & Recreation Director, at mfrazee@stowevt.gov.

Information/photo credit: https://www.townofstowevt.org/

•••

An excerpt from the Stowe Reporter:

In other business, the town [of Stowe] was donated roughly $50,000 for a new scholarship fund for the town’s parks and recreation department. [Go to 6:15 minutes @ Recording of 12/14/21 Selectboard Meeting via Zoom]

The Bunny Libby Scholarship Fund is named in memory of Joan “Bunny” Libby, who died in 2018 but who served on the Stowe Recreation Commission for 17 years.

The money is a rough estimate because it comes in a unique format: Bunny’s husband Ken Libby has donated 800 shares of stock in Exxon Mobil and, as of the end of November the stocks were worth $63.13 a share, or $50,504.

Libby said his wife was keen on making sure youth participated in recreation programs, “and if there was a kid who couldn’t afford it, she’d pay for it.”

[Board chair Billy] Adams said, in thanking Libby for the gift, “I’m usually not at a loss for words, but I am this time.”

Read the full article “Retail cannabis might get Stowe vote after all” in the December 16, 2021, edition of the Stowe Reporter.

"I’m pleased to congratulate the Baraw family on the sale of the Stoweflake Resort & Spa after more than 50 years of ownership. The Stoweflake is one of the two largest resorts in Stowe with a spa ranked as one of the best in the United States. I loved working with them and the buyer, MCR.

I’m excited to see the transformation of this property after MCR enhances the property with their planned 5-7 million dollar investment.

Thanks to the Baraw family for allowing me to be your advocate through this transaction made very difficult by COVID."

— Ken Libby

•••

The sale of the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa was finalized on Dec. 23, 58 years after it first opened around Christmas, 1963. The resort has been managed for over half a century by three generations of the Baraw family. ... There will be no day-one changes, but planned renovations will likely occur next summer and the hotel management company hopes to unveil the new and improved Stoweflake in time for the 2022-2023 ski season.

Read more in the news article about the sale of the Stoweflake property in the Stowe Reporter.