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.