The Vermont Veteran’s Home and the Bennington Area Chamber Present Bennington’s Home for the Holiday Celebration
(Bennington, VT) –– The Vermont Veteran’s Home and the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce invite locals and visitors to participate in “Bennington’s Home for the Holidays Celebration” which includes the annual lighting of the community tree at the Vermont Veteran’s Home on Wednesday, December 7th.
Starting at 5:30pm, the public is invited onto the Veteran’s Home front yard to enjoy the lighting of the community tree. This year the tree will be lit with all new LED, energy efficient lights sponsored by Efficiency Vermont. The tree will have over 2,000 feet of new energy efficient lights. Also featured at the community tree lighting ceremony will be the Mount Anthony Union High School choir, keynote dignitaries, and a special visit from Santa Clause himself!
After the lighting ceremony, the public is invited to walk along the lit path of the Deer Park with a possible visit from St. Nick’s special friends, the reindeer. The lit path will guide the public to an open house at the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce at 100 Memorial Veteran’s Drive. Featured at the Chamber starting at 6:30pm will be a musical performance, warm appetizers, hot toddies, and the opportunity for the community to give to the Spirit of Sharing initiative.
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Bennington, VT – “Bennington Made,” a local series developed by the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce and CAT-TV was named as a Top 5 Finalist in the 3rd Annual Chamber Innovation Award Competition. “Bennington Made” will be featured alongside the other four finalists in the 2016 edition of Chambers of Inspiration, scheduled for release this fall.
The Bennington Made entry titled, “Lights, Camera, Bennington” describes the innovative series: “When it comes to shining a spotlight on local business, production quality is critical, and the Bennington Chamber of Commerce gets it. “Bennington Made” is a behind-the-scenes tv series that showcases unique Bennington businesses. Similar in format to Discovery Science’s “How It’s Made” and ABC News’ “Made in America,” the production is both modern and intriguing. With a focus on quality, craftsmanship, and locally-made products, the series puts a spotlight on the pride and celebration of products made by residents of Bennington. “Bennington Made” brings great opportunity to member businesses; they benefit from the exposure and they also receive the professional footage for use in their own marketing efforts. The best part? It’s free! The Chamber partners with the local cable access channel to produce the show. Additionally, the Chamber uses the program and videos to draw visitors, other businesses, and workers to the area.”
“The award competition is through our chamber relationship management software company, ChamberMaster,” describes Bennington Chamber executive director and brainchild of the program, Matt Harrington. “We applied a few months ago, thinking what the heck let’s give it a shot!”
The 2016 Chamber Innovation Award Competition is sponsored by ChamberMaster and LaunchGen.com. The competition celebrates and showcases enterprising Chambers of Commerce from across North America. In its third year, the competition encourages innovation by recognizing programs, events, and ideas that challenge the status quo. The 2016 panel brought a wealth of industry expertise to the competition including judges Frank Kenny of Chamber Pro, Jason Stambaugh of LaunchGen.com, and John Cook of ChamberMaster.
Entries are judged on creativity, community impact, and value to the Chamber. The Top 5 Innovators will be featured in the 2016 edition of Chambers of Inspiration due out this fall.
“The concept behind ‘Bennington Made’ and why I thought it was worth our entering the competition is because one of our core beliefs at the Chamber is in aligning community-wide collaboration and direct-value resources,” states Harrington. “We think we can dramatically change the game and create a win-win scenario for our Chamber and our members in the next decade with the right types of innovation. It’s no secret we have to work fast and smart to figure out what the Chamber of Commerce should be in the next 10 years. Our ability to combine community talents, resources, ideas, and strategy not only helps promote our business members and the Chamber globally, but “Bennington Made” also helps our members understand how to compete in the world of new media. It’s an extremely valuable benefit to being part of the Chamber of Commerce.”
The 2016 Chamber Innovation Award Competition finalists will be celebrated this week at the National ACCE Conference in Georgia. First place went to “#LeapOfKindnessDay” from the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, second place went to “Shop Southern Illinois” from the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, and third place went to “LAX Coworking” from the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce. “Bennington Made” and “Davis Regional Amazing Race” from the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce were named as Honorable Mention Winners.
With over 40 years in the arts he brings a wealth of artistic expression to his new designer fashions. Doug's photos will transport you to a place where life is simple and the unspoiled beauty will take your breath away.
Bennington, VT – The Annual Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival, now in its twenty-first year, will take place at Camelot Village on September 3rd and 4th. The two-day event was attended by nearly 15,000 people last year and has been named one of Vermont’s “Top Ten Events of the Year,” selected as a “Top Event” by Yankee Magazine’s Best of New England, and recently considered as one of the Top 10 Garlic Festivals in the world.
The festival, known affectionately as “Garlicfest” for short, opens its gates up on Saturday morning at 10am. Over 200 vendors will feature an array of garlic-inspired booths, from garlic popcorn, to garlic wreathes, to garlic chocolate, there are the traditional items for garlic lovers and items for the more adventurous.
Along with the garlic vendors, the event is widely known for its assortment of great food vendors. This year the event welcomes back favorites like Lemon Love, Pops (popcorn), Bart’s Ice Cream, Good To Go (dumplings), Loopy’s (crepes, espresso, and smoothies), and Sherri’s Crabcakes. Local food vendors include Bennington Lions’ Club, Ramunto’s Pizza, and Hound Dogs. Some new food vendors have been added including Reggae Boy Café (Jamaican food), Caja Madera (Mexican food), RJ’s Famous, and Vermont Botanical Beverages.
Music is always a highlight of the event. Saturday’s line up includes Aviva (10am), Hill Hollow (11:30am), Julie Shea Band (1pm), and The Legato Blues Band (3pm). Sunday’s line-up includes Ray Gifford (10am), Carma (11:30), Roadhouse (1pm), FunkintheTrunk (3pm).
Ramunto’s Pizzeria will be the featured “Beer and Wine Garden” provider for both days. Their tent will include Vermont Craft Brews, wine, specialty drinks like Garlic Bloody Marys & Garlic Margaritas, giveaways and raffles all weekend long.
Lindy Lynch, Event Chair, commented, “Every year this event seems to get better and better. We have such a dedicated group of individuals – from local businesses, organizations, to volunteers, staff and the community – that come together to make this event successful. Over the years we’ve seen visitors from as far as Texas and Alaska, even Germany and China, come to really enjoy all that Bennington and Vermont have to offer.”
Demonstrations begin Saturday morning and continue throughout the weekend on subjects including planting, growing, braiding, and cooking different garlic varieties.
The Kids’ Tent returns with activities from Home Depot, Gamer’s Grotto, Vermont Wooden Blocks, a juggler, bounce houses, as well as other fun events. The Roaming Railroad returns as transportation around the event.
MCing the Welcome Booth again this year are Michael Harrington, Bennington’s Economic Development and Community Director and Matt Harrington, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. Each year they provide commentary on the event, garlic trivia, giveaways, dance-offs, information, music and interviews. Right across from the Welcome Booth at Gate One will be the Garlicfest Merchandise Booth featuring a revamped and new assortment of Garlicfest t-shirts, cozies, hats, stickers, mugs and more.
“Garlicfest is the town’s major event of the year,” states Matt Harrington, the Executive Director of the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, the organization that puts the Garlic and Herb Festival on. “We’re rolling out some new features, vendors and food which I think will excite people. Hopefully, we will be adding some WiFi capability up at the Village to allow people to share pictures and their experience using the hashtag #Garlicfest2016. I’m very proud of the team that continually puts on a world-renowned event. It’s a testimony to the volunteerism and dedication of our community to rally around this event each year.”
The cost for a one-day pass is only $6 online and $8 at the gate for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. A two-day pass is $10. Festival hours are 10am-5pm. Camelot Village is located on Route 9 in Bennington, Vermont. Parking is free.
For aspiring gardeners, garlic growers, garlic lovers or those simply looking for a fun way to spend a late summer weekend, the event promises something for everyone. For more information visit www.LoveGarlic.com or call the Chamber offices at 802-447-3311.
With over 40 years in the arts he brings a wealth of artistic expression to his new designer fashions. Doug's photos will transport you to a place where life is simple and the unspoiled beauty will take your breath away.
Bennington, VT –Bennington Arts Weekend returns this year August 5 to the 7, offering more variety and venues for arts and entertainment. The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, Better Bennington Corporation (BBC), 4Corners North, Homebrew Festival, Cultural Bennington Arts Council (CBAC), and the Craftproducers of the Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival have come together to further enrich and expand Bennington Arts Weekend into one town-wide event that is sure to wow the masses.
“I think with the new momentum at the Chamber, the growth of the Arts Council, the commitment of the 4Corners North partnership, as well as the ongoing success of Better Bennington and the Craftproducers, it made sense to come together to create real synergy around the weekend,” says Matt Harrington, Executive Director of the Bennington Chamber. “The meetings had one consistent thread: How do we package and market this as a whole weekend of events in Bennington? This approach is especially helpful as we talk to visitors and tourists who want a full weekend of things to do when visiting Bennington and the region.”
Bennington Arts Weekend has been growing since it began in 2008. This year, the organizers are excited to present more events, more performances, and more art all over town. Lindy Lynch, Events Committee Chair of the Bennington Chamber adds, “We have 4 billboards promoting the event throughout the region, flyers, sandwich boards, and banners throughout town, thousands of rack cards have been distributed at travel shows and other expos, display ads are running in regional magazines and newspapers, including 80,000 Bennington Chamber Area Guides, posts on Facebook, websites, and more to get the word out.”
The Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival kicks off the weekend: Friday and Saturday 10am - 5pm,Sunday 10am – 4 pm. There are 125 art and craft exhibitors ranging from fine art painting, photography, and sculpture to quality leather, textile, glass, ceramic, and woodcrafters to furniture makers and jewelers. There will be a large food market, as well as the Art Bus. Light fare lunch and snacks, beer, wine and soft drink vendors will be set up in the shaded picnic area with plenty of seating. Stop at the Visitor Information Welcome Tent for local weekend art and entertainment events. Free round trip shuttle service will be provided to the 4 Corners Home Brew Fest, noon to 4:00pm. Adult admission into the festival is $8, kids are free and there is plenty of free parking. For more details on Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival, visit www.craftproducers.com.
Downtown is the place to be on First Friday, August 5th, during Bennington Arts Weekend. Most downtown businesses will be open until 8:00pm. There will be music, theatre, and cinema events along Main Street including an art gallery walk, live entertainment at certain downtown locations, Vermont Arts Exchange Jazz Concert, Chocolate Bowl Sculpture at the Village Chocolate Shoppe, opening night of “The City of Conversation” at Oldcastle Theatre, and Outdoor Family Movie Night at Merchants Park. All are sure to find something enjoyable to do.
The 2nd Annual Homebrew Festival is Saturday, noon to 4pm. It’s a block festival on County Street in Bennington, VT between North Street (Rte 7) and School Street. Expect a vibrant street fair atmosphere with live music, a variety of delicious food from area vendors, and of course, the best home brewed beer in the region! Sales booths will fill the block, so you can shop, sample beer, and enjoy all that 4 Corners North has to offer. There will be homemade root beer and free factory tours at Bennington Potters and Catamount Glass. This is a hometown family friendly event. Free round trip shuttle service is provided to the Arts and Crafts Festival at Camelot Village, noon to 4:00pm.
For the area-wide listing of events guide visit either the Better Bennington Welcome Center located at 215 South Street or the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce offices on Veterans Memorial Drive.
With over 40 years in the arts he brings a wealth of artistic expression to his new designer fashions. Doug's photos will transport you to a place where life is simple and the unspoiled beauty will take your breath away.
Bennington, VT – The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce has invited the Shires Working Group and the Manchester area businesses to their next networking mixer on Wednesday, July 20th at the Bennington Project Independence (BPI) building on Harwood Hill.
The Shires Working Group is a subgroup of the Regional Marketing Organization (RMO) known as the Shires of Vermont. The Shires of Vermont RMO set up the Shires Working Group in response to the Manchester Chamber closing. The region, including the Bennington Chamber, is looking at ways to come alongside the North Shire to help in the absence of a chamber. One of the goals of the working group is to explore if there is interest across the two shires to come together under one regional approach and entity. The working group has also been instrumental in keeping the former Manchester Chamber website alive, creating make-shift info centers at Berkshire Bank in Manchester and TPW Real Estate office located on Main Street, as well as having ongoing informational sessions about their ongoing work.
“We wanted to invite the Shires Working Group to our mixer to have them share updates from the group in terms of the region,” indicated Matt Harrington, Executive Director of the Bennington Chamber. “Having worked closely over the past couple months with the group, as well as connecting with people in Manchester, the Bennington Chamber also wants to provide a mixer for those business people in the Manchester area who are still looking for ways to grow their businesses by networking and connecting. There is no obligation here, just a friendly invite to our neighbors to the north to come down, learn what the group is working on and connect with area businesses.”
The networking mixer at BPI will begin at 5:30pm. At 6pm BPI will provide a brief overview of their organization and services leading into an update from the Shires Working Group. Appetizers will be provided by BPI with a cash bar provided by JC’s Tavern. Sam Clement will provide musical entertainment. The mixer will conclude at 7:00pm. There is no cost to attend the mixer.
The Bennington Chamber is requesting that if you are interested in attending, you RSVP with Marie Shutts of the Bennington Chamber at 802-447-3311 or email her at marie@bennington.com.
With over 40 years in the arts he brings a wealth of artistic expression to his new designer fashions. Doug's photos will transport you to a place where life is simple and the unspoiled beauty will take your breath away.
(Bennington, Vermont) -- The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV), launched the second in a series of episodes for their show “Bennington Made” on Monday afternoon. “Bennington Made,” a show hosted by Bennington Chamber executive director Matt Harrington, focuses on locally made Bennington products and the owner, operators and staff that make these quality products.
The series, scheduled to air throughout the year, takes its sophomore episode and highlights Bennington Museum’s recent exhibit “3D Digital: Here and Now.” All the pieces in the exhibit have some connection to Bennington.
“Each episode has significance.” Harrington explains. “This one was important for multiple reasons. One, we wanted to focus on this historic institute and the value that it continually brings to our community. Second, we thought Robert’s [executive director of the Bennington Museum] vision for bringing what he calls ‘Bennington Modernism’ to the museum is crucial in telling the Bennington Made story. Not only were the pieces in the exhibit made, designed or produced with some affiliation to Bennington, but also the idea of 3D design is so progressive and forward thinking. The direct line to Bennington, as well as the advanced manufacturing and technology that was used excited us. It really shows a Bennington of the future. We hope our audience watches the episode knowing that local things are happening that are really revolutionary.”
The first episode, which highlighted Bennington Potters, currently has over 600 views on YouTube, and 5,500 impressions on Facebook with 110 likes since its launch on April 8th.
With over 40 years in the arts he brings a wealth of artistic expression to his new designer fashions. Doug's photos will transport you to a place where life is simple and the unspoiled beauty will take your breath away.
(Bennington, VT) –– The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce will host a Cinco de Mayo themed event on May 5th to unveil their newest Area Guide publication. Each year the Chamber publishes an extensive Area Guide, which focuses on their member businesses and tourism.
This year the Chamber ordered 10,000 copies more making a total of 80,000 Area Guides that will be distributed throughout the region including New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and the rest of New England.
“We actually ran out of our 2015 area guide a few weeks ago which is a good problem to have,” reported Matt Harrington, Executive Director of the Chamber. “This year we ordered 10,000 more in anticipation that we will need more to distribute. We’ve also increased our distribution channels to include a focus on day-trippers out of the Capital Region/Saratoga Region. We find this tool still relevant as people from all over the world come to Vermont and Bennington. This guide is perfect for them to carry with them throughout their travel providing information on places to eat, sleep, shop and be entertained throughout the Bennington area.”
The process to make the yearly Area Guide starts in early November with design and creative coming together to work on both the cover and the content layout. Additionally, the Chamber works with their members to provide listing information and for advertising opportunities throughout the guide. “This guide would not have made it to the finish line this year without the amazing guidance of our Operations Director, Marie Shutts,” Harrington commented. “The Chamber was on the search for a new director at the end of the year and Marie really spearheaded this process to a great result. Our marketing committee helped along the way with a special effort by Marlene Barriere working on the layout and inside design and Maru León working on this year’s cover.”
“We wanted to make the new Area Guide unveiling special this year,” Shutts added. “Much like the unveiling of a new magazine cover, the Chamber has built a whole event around showcasing the new cover, which only few people have had access to see. We’re excited to show it off and create excitement as this begins our tourism season!”
The unveiling event, which will be held at the Chamber on Veterans Memorial Drive, will embrace the Cinco de Mayo holiday with Mexican-themed live music, a cash bar provided by Chamber member Donovan’s, and light appetizers. Guests are encouraged to walk around the Chamber and see all the new things the organization is working on. The event is set to kickoff at 5pm on Cinco de Mayo and concludes at 7pm. Members and their guests are free, while general public admission is $10. Members who wish to get their hands on the area guides especially to put out in their shops are encouraged to stop by to get their free copies.
For more information or to RSVP please contact the Chamber offices at 447-3311 or by emailing Marie Shutts at marie@bennington.com.
With over 40 years in the arts he brings a wealth of artistic expression to his new designer fashions. Doug's photos will transport you to a place where life is simple and the unspoiled beauty will take your breath away.
(Bennington, VT) –– The Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce invites locals and visitors to participate in a weeklong culinary event. “Restaurant Week” is an initiative the Chamber is launching to help local restaurants and dining establishments see some extra foot traffic in the beginning of spring. Diners can visit any participating, Chamber member restaurant from Saturday, March 19 through Sunday, March 27 and enjoy a delicious meal for only $20.16!
Each participating restaurant will offer a unique culinary menu that fits within that price. Some may offer single lunches, lunches for two, and/or a 3-course dinner meal.
As of this release, the participating restaurants include Jensen’s, Madison Brewing, The Publyk House, Allegro Ristorante, JC’s Tavern, Pangaea, Kevin’s Sports Pub, Ramunto’s Pizzeria, Lil’ Britain, The Grille at the Mount Anthony Country Club, and Powers Market.
A kick-off event will be held at The Tap House at Catamount Glass on Friday, March 18 as a way to launch Restaurant Week and get marketing material to participating dining establishments. Participating restaurants are encouraged to stop by for light appetizers, cash bar, and to pick up posters, table tents, pint glasses commemorating this special week and to mix and mingle with fellow owners. This event is also open to the public.
Diners are encouraged to make advanced reservations with restaurants during Restaurant Week to ensure seating. Prices do not include beverages, tax or gratuity. Upgrades may also be available at certain restaurants for example additions like shrimp or an appetizer.
To add to the excitement, the Chamber is also hosting a contest. After the week is complete come by the Chamber with two proofs of purchase (receipts) that you did indeed participate in Restaurant Week and be entered to win some great prize baskets (valued at over $100)! You can also take a picture of both receipts and email the Chamber at chamber@bennington.com to be entered to win. For more information visit the Chamber’s websitebennington.com/restaurantweek.
