Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Event #3: Small Town Agricultural Festival


Initially, the plan had called for a state fair, like the Big E, but all major state fairs occur after Ioannis leave, so improvisation was needed. Luckily, Vermont came to the rescue. Unlike most agricultural products, maple syrup is cultivated in the cold of winter. The first weekend in May, the town of St. Alban celebrates the Vermont Maple Days. This is a celebration of all things maple. We decided that the most economical thing to do would be to camp out the night before due to seasonably warm weather. We found a campsite located in Burlington city limits and along the shores of Lake Champlain, and among the throngs of college-aged hippies made ourselves a home for the weekend. Although Saturday evening featured a thunderstorm, that did not dampen our spirits. We made friends during the downpour and Ioannis was able to shotgun his first beer. We toured downtown Burlington, got dinner at the Vermont Pub and Brewery, and then spent the night enjoying a small fire, small marshmellows, and a soggy night's sleep. Early in the morning, we went for a run, then rushed up to St. Alban to take part in their pancake breakfast. Many Vermontans, including the current governor, took place gorging themselves in all-you-can-eat pancakes. A quick tour through the midway and then we returned to Burlington to go to the Magic Hat Brewery Tour. Finally, we went to Red Rocks Park and lunch at Red Onion to finish our trip before Matt had to return to Boston and its water emergency.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Event #2: Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner


A major group was on hand to celebrate Thanksgiving in April. All the traditional meals were served and turkey hand place mats, done by elementary students, were on display. Many came early to enjoy a run around Milton. The rest trickled in throughout the afternoon. The evening concluded with a viewing of Super Troopers.



Event #1: Minor League Hockey Game

Our kick-off event was a minor league hockey game featuring the Providence Bruins against the Worcester Sharks. A motley crew of seven made the trek down to the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence to watch the home team beat the visitors 3-1. Afterwards, a trek was made to Dave and Busters to enjoy the recreation of a carnival mid-way. Skee-ball, Pop-a-shot, and other games were played vigorously. The tickets won by the group went to the acquisition of a Patriots' Football.




Sunday, May 2, 2010

The First Post

Many people wonder what "Ioannis America" is. Well, it is a epic voyage into the heart of what America has to offer. Whether quintessential or stereotypical, we will help our friend Ioannis experience as many "American" things as possible before he goes back to Greece in July. So enjoy, because we have on all our adventures.