While there’s no Warren Fourth of July parade this year, there are still many fun things to do both outside and inside this weekend and throughout the summer. And although there won’t be revelers in Warren Village on Saturday, there will be a communitywide and community-created display of Warren Prayer Flags hanging throughout the village. People are encouraged to visit to view the display.
Sugarbush is offering physically-distanced fireworks at dusk on July 4. The fireworks are a fundraiser for the Mad River Valley Community Fund and Sugarbush president Win Smith’s family foundation will match donations. Registration is required. Do that here: www.sugarbush.com/event/4thofjulyfireworks/.
Also, Mad River Valley Television is broadcasting a marathon of Fourth of July parades on July 3 and 4 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Tune into the MRVTV YouTube Channel and Channels 44 and 244 on Waitsfield Cable for live broadcasts.
The Waitsfield Farmers Market will be open for its regular Saturday market on July 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The local swim holes are open and people are encouraged to wear masks when not in the water and stay physically distanced from others. Dogs are not allowed at Lareau Swim Hole in Waitsfield, but are allowed at other sites, such as Riverside Park and the Sugarbush snowmaking pond in Warren. Dogs must be leashed or under their owner’s control.
Blueberry Lake in Warren is open with the same COVID-19 safety requirements. Clearwater Sports is offering canoe, kayak and stand up paddleboard rentals for those interested. The Waterbury Reservoir at Little River State Park is open for swimming, paddling and motorized boating as well as fishing. Camping is also allowed with reservations. The park’s cabins are not being rented this year due to COVID-19.
HIKING AND BIKING
Local town forests are open for hiking, and mountain bike trails throughout The Valley and beyond are open for biking. The Long Trail is open (see related story) as is the Sugarbush Golf Club. Sugarbush will begin offering other summer activities after the state’s most recent extension of the COVID-19 state of emergency ends on July 15.
Icelandic trail rides are available through the Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm in Fayston and both the Bridges Resort and Sugarbush Health and Recreation Club are open for swimming and gym access. Neither facility is offering massages currently. The Bridges is offering tennis as well as lessons.
Local libraries are offering digital events as well as curbside delivery and local restaurants are now offering indoor and outdoor service as well as takeout.
Check out www.madmarathon.com for details on how to participate in a virtual version of The Valley’s Mad Marathon. Check out the Bundy Gallery in Waitsfield for an outdoor sculpture tour. Visit www.bundymodern.com for details and to make a reservation to view the indoor exhibit.
Also visit valleyartsvt.com and find out what the local arts foundation has to offer this summer. The last call is out for the Brienne Brown workshop, which will take place on July 25 and 26. Bring paints, easel and set up en plein air, and be ready to learn.
See some spectacular gardens on a self-guided tour, as well as wander the American Flatbread gardens complete with organic vegetables, chickens, turkeys and young piglets. The tour is free, with a donation box at each garden. Maps will be available around the shops in The Valley and on the website. On August 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a rain date on August 2, artists will be working in each garden.
A competition is being planned, open to artists all over Vermont, for a banner design. The winning design will be manufactured and flown over Route 100 on existing posts in the middle of town. Prizes will be offered.
