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Dear Fellow Vermonter,
It’s no secret that, whether you love the cold or not, winters in Vermont can be long.
Fortunately, a number of towns around our state have found a way to embrace the long, dark season. That includes the town of North Hero, a community of about 950 people in the Champlain Islands. Every February, North Hero holds The Great Ice: a festival that offers ice skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, dog sled racing and more right on the frozen shores of Lake Champlain.
The idea for The Great Ice began in 2007, when the late Bob Camp – then-owner of the local general store, Hero’s Welcome – decided he was tired of how quiet and long the winters were in the Islands. He started this festival, held each President’s Day Weekend, to bring people to North Hero to enjoy the outdoors, shop locally, and get together as a community. Nearly 20 years later, locals and visitors alike can enjoy a wide range of good old-fashioned fun with activities like: skating and hot cocoa, a Christmas tree bonfire, a chili cookoff, a snowbuilding competition, Zamboni rides, and a community potluck and Vermont trivia night at the community hall.
Our Bernie Buzz team bundled up and headed outside to share the experience of The Great Ice with our readers. They spoke to attendees and volunteers, who help make the festival possible. When asked what he hopes for the Great Ice in the coming years, one volunteer shared “I hope it continues to be something that is special and that people in the community take a lot of pride in…. I hope it continues to grow and be about family, outside, and about people putting their phones away and enjoying each other.”
I hope you will check out the photos below, and that they inspire you to recreate, break bread, and enjoy winter with neighbors in your communities. As the folks at The Great Ice say, this is “winter done right”.
Sincerely,
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