Independence Weekend

July 6-8, 2012

The Craftsbury Outdoor Center invites you to declare your own Independence with a special weekend of programming, lodging, and meals:

• Explore food independence with area farm tours, presentations on composting and agriculture plus hands-on learning opportunities in cheese-making, bread and pizza baking in our wood-fired oven. Even more directly, your learning will be fueled all weekend by meals featuring many locally sourced ingredients!
• Investigate energy independence by visiting a variety of renewable energy projects in Craftsbury, including solar, wind and biomass. Learn how several area homeowners have reduced their reliance on fossil fuels using green building techniques and energy alternatives.
• Draw on local know how in our instructional sessions in rustic construction and composting, plus learn how we built our stone/brick/clay wood-fired oven.

Our Independence Weekend '12 package includes all the presentations, fitness options, instructional opportunities, meals, lodging and additional transportation to farms for the same price as a regular stay at the Center - all Independence Weekend activities will be free for houseguests! Rates start at only $95/pp/nt (for double occupancy).

In addition to the Independence Weekend, Craftsbury will be offering Dirt Road Biking over the same time frame. It's been said: "The best of Vermont is not touched by pavement." There's no better place to test this claim than Craftsbury, with its campus nestled in the middle of a 200 mile maze of lightly traveled dirt roads.

We'll be offering a variety of dirt-road bike tours all weekend. All the rides travel through a backdrop of peaceful hamlets, hill farms, lakes, and forests with knowledgeable guides, with a follow vehicle on longer rides. Find out more about Dirt Road Biking here. Participants in Independence Weekend are welcome to substitute any of these activities or tours in place of Independence programming. A detailed schedule of activities and learning experiences will be available on line on the Dirt-Road Weekend webpage.

So how do you join in? Contact the front office for availability today, or call 802-586-7767

Want to find more details before you register? Check out the following FAQs.

I'm not a house guest - can I join in?
Annual or day membership will also entitle riders to participate in the weekend's programming with meals available to purchase by reservation. Annual membership starts at $25/year (for students and seniors - other groups vary) and you can read more about it here. Day memberships are $10/day. We do ask that members RSVP their interest in tours and activities to the office so that we can be certain to have sufficient staff and resources to cover everyone.

Is there a schedule I can look at?
We have a detailed schedule of rides and activities.

What other activities can I participate in this weekend? Are there things the rest of my family may enjoy?
In addition to the weekend's programming, a mapped system of single track mountain bike trails, disc golf, orienteering, and nature trails are available for houseguests and members. A waterfront with canoes and kayaks and swimming is available for house guests to enjoy.

As mentioned above, The Craftsbury Outdoor Center is also offering a Dirt Road Biking weekend over the same time frame. Participants in the Independence Weekend are welcome to substitute any of these Dirt Road Biking activities or tours in place of other scheduled programming.

Do I need to bring anything special?
We'll be outside and on the move quite a bit. Bring comfortable clothes that allow easy freedom of movement. Biking will be an option for many of the off-campus tours, so bring a mountain, cross or hybrid bike if you have one (rentals will be available for those that didn't bring a bike). Other than that, nothing additional is needed beyond what you'd bring for an active summer weekend.

I don't want to miss fireworks...
No problem! We'll be taking all interested participants to watch a local fireworks display.

Hope you can join us for a full weekend of Independent activities this Fourth of July. Call the office at 802-586-7767 to register today.