Snapdragon Literary Club: March meeting set!

Last night we had our first Snapdragon Literary Club meeting. We enjoyed lively discussion and an evening out before the snow storm today. If you are looking for a new book to read, "Room" by Emma Donoghue is a carefully crafted novel with a unique point of view.

One of our attendees mentioned "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese as a favorite novel and we added it for our March read. We will meet on Thursday, March 31st at 7PM in the Max Perkins library at Snapdragon Inn. You can join the facebook event here and look for event updates or email us at innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com if you would like to get on the mailing list.

Success!

On Monday, we had two successful screenings of "The Elders" by Nathaniel Hansen. We laughed, we cried, we felt empathy, joy, and sadness right along with each of the people featured in the film. It was absolutely brilliant. It captured such a range of emotion. It was also wonderful to have Louise join us as she is the thread that ties the film together. She is a gem.

Thank you Nathaniel for bringing your film to the Snapdragon and thank you to all who made it to see the film and meet with the film maker. Good luck in your last push before the final copy is cut. Here's a little video of Nathaniel after the screening talking about how he got the idea for the film.

Friday tid-bits

Here's a little sneak peak at the the Baby Grand we now have in the entry of the Inn. It's from about 1929. It makes the perfect addition and Chaz is working on restoring the wood and making it look shiny. Big Red has already researched the make and model and we'll share more about the lovely piece next week.

Also, we've got some wonderful new reviews up on Trip Advisor this week! A special Friday Thanks to our innkeepers for taking such good care of our guests and their experience at Snapdragon Inn!

My husband and I love, love LOVED the Snapdragon Inn! We had been anticipating our stay for quite some time and it more than lived up to our expectations. Not only was our room cozy, inviting, beautifully decorated, and immaculate, the innkeepers accommodating and attentive, and the bathroom floors oh-so-luxuriously heated, but the Inn itself is tucked away in one of the most peaceful, beautiful, and diverting places you will find in New England, no matter what the season! I am already looking forward to my next stay.

Also, don't forget about the film screening on Monday at 2PM. If you would like a chance to see the "The Elders" a very well done short documentary film, give us a call or email or stop on by!

Happy Weekend!

Documentary screening coming to the Inn

On February 21st at 2PM, we are hosting a final cut (or nearly final) screening and discussion of "The Elders- A coming of age film" by Boston filmaker Nathaniel Hansen.

This project was %100 backed through the support of fans of the project on the innovative and hugely successful kickstarter. In fact, "The Elders" was chosen as one of two honorable mentions under the category, "Best Short Film" projects for 2010, and that is saying something because they have A LOT of projects going.

Nathaniel is an up and coming talented film maker and good friend of ours and we are honored he is bringing his work up to Windsor to share at the Inn. This will be our first in what we hope to be a long line of artistic and creative showcases at the Snapdragon. One of the major contributing narratives in the film is Louise, a dear friend of ours (and mother to Harriet, Reborn Episode One contributor) and we are thrilled that she will have a chance to see herself in the film.

Seating will be limited but if you are interested in attending the screening at 2PM on the 21st please contact us at 802-227-0008 or innkeeper@snapdragoninn.com

Snapdragon Inn: Reborn Episode Three

Maxwell Perkins was a distinguished editor and one of the former owners of Snapdragon Inn. He would travel by train to New York City to Windsor while his family spent summers in Vermont. He wrote to his daughters constantly.

In Episode Three, a Windsor local, Ham Gillett, reads from these letters. Ham Gillett has pursued his passion for acting since his first children's theatre classes in Vermont. He has appeared in numerous summer stock and regional theatre productions and continues to participate on a local level. He is also an accomplished choral singer and since returning to Vermont, he donates much of his time to his interest in environmental stewardship.

For Valentine's Day, Ham also read some of the special notes he wrote to his daughters. If you missed it you can watch here.

Check out Episodes One and Two of the "Reborn" series if you missed them.

Snapdragon Inn Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day. We have posted a small video that was taken during the filming of our next episode of Reborn.

Local actor Ham Gillett reads hand written Valentines from Maxwell Perkins to his daughters. He also offers his own Valentine from Calvin Coolidge to the State of Vermont. Enjoy these special Valentine's Day readings and look for a full episode about Ham in the Reborn series coming soon.

It's in the details

Our innkeepers, Steve and Chaz, work hard to keep the place looking beautiful all the time. Here are some photos from this week's special details.

Happy Weekend! We've got a Valentine's treat coming for you next week so we'll see you back next week.

"I love words"-Doug Hall

photo by Jason Johns

This week we lost one of our beloved Windsor residents. Doug Hall, had been living with leukemia since 2002 and several days ago, he died gently in the night. Just two days before, this feature story was written in our local paper. It is most definitively worth taking a pause in your day to have a read. Doug released a self published collection of writings just last month and is also the author of other children's verse. He loved words and said,

He intends to keep writing until his death, he said. That could be next week, he said, or four years from now. “I love words, love listening to people, and their honky-tonk way of talking sometimes,”

Doug and his wife Rosemary were also dear friends of Bert who lived at our beloved 26 Main Street (one of the daughters of Max Perkins) before the Inn was born and they both attended our open house in July. Doug wrote this in our guestbook and it feels even more potent and lovely today,

Dear Bert,

Thank you for sharing, over the years your friendship and generous spirit. I think you would be pleased with the change. You always thought of Windsor as a dear community and gave much time. This Snapdragon Inn will add vitality to Windsor. You so loved this town. We can feel you here today. " The fancy does not cheat so well as she is famed to do: Keats

Doug's gift with words and his connection to Bert, make a lovely memory and piece of our history at Snapdragon Inn. The closing thought of the article is perfect. Thank you Doug. Our thoughts and prayers are with Rosemary and all their family at this time.

What he would like to tell people, he said, is to “live the story. So many times we can't live the story. In Egypt now, so many thousands of people now are living the story, which they weren't able to do before. It seems to me it’s so important, whatever the story is, to live it.”

Introducing: Snapdragon Literary Club

Building on the great literary history of 26 Main Street (Thanks to former owners Maxwell Perkins & Louise Saunders), we are very excited to announce the first meeting of our Snapdragon Literary Club on February 24th at 7PM. The chosen book is "Room" by Emma Donoghue.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Five-year-old Jack and his Ma live and eat and play and sleep in one room--an 11×11-foot space that is their prison--captives of the terrifying man Jack calls Old Nick. But as Jack grows older and more curious, it becomes clear that the room will not be able to hold him and Ma forever.

Come join us in the Maxwell Perkins library at Snapdragon Inn for a lively discussion. Feel free to bring a snack to share.

Snapdragon Inn:Reborn Episode Two

In the second episode of Snapdragon Inn:Reborn, we meet Wise who relocated to Vermont from Fiji. Starting in the local music scene, Wise has just completed his first studio album set for release in 2011. Enjoy a chat with Wise on his influences, the benefits of the "open mic" culture, and what it means to write music in Vermont. As an extra bonus, hear an acoustic version of "Gone" from his upcoming album.

Snapdragon Inn:Reborn Episode Two: Wise Katubadrau: Musician

Live at Snapdragon Inn: Wise

During the shoot for an upcoming episode of Snapdragon Inn: Reborn, we captured this song from Wise. His episode is going to be great, but in the meantime, enjoy this great sneak peek of a local artist doing his thing, in the Snapdragon Inn dining room...