Posted on behalf of The Pipers Gathering, Inc.
Best wishes.
Steve
Friends of the Pipers’ Gathering,
We are writing to announce some important and exciting changes in the Pipers’ Gathering for 2005. We will be moving both the location and the timing of the event this year. The reasons for these changes are detailed below, and we hope everyone will share our excitement at having found a new home. This new location will help us address many of the suggestions made by participants and will allow us greater flexibility in our program. If you are interested in reading the responses to our participants’ survey, we have posted them on our Web site at http://www.pipersgathering.org/Participant%20Survey.htm.
Read on for more details concerning our move to Killington Grand Hotel.
Basic reasons for moving
Our base in North Hero, VT has long-term problems that we are unable to solve:
–The town hall, our original home, has been condemned as unfit for use and the town has no immediate plans to rebuild it;
–The tents at Shore Acres, which were to be a temporary measure for one year while renovations were carried out to the town hall, would have to be our permanent base if we were to stay in North Hero;
–The tents are expensive (over $5,000 in 2004). They leave us at the mercy of the weather, and are noisy in windy conditions.
–Participants have great difficulty finding accommodation in or near the village;
–There is a lack of places to buy a meal in North Hero.
For over twenty years, the Pipers’ Gathering, and its predecessor the North American Northumbrian Pipers’ Convention has been held in North Hero. We all loved the picturesque setting in the Champlain Islands, but regretfully it is time to move on.
Change of Venue and Change of Date
Our new base at Killington is near Rutland, VT., some 60 miles south of Burlington and more accessible for the majority of participants who arrive by car. The new date for the 2005 Pipers’ Gathering, August 12 - 15, 2005 (Friday through Monday), is intended to help those people who were unable to attend in previous years due to “back to school” scheduling problems with children. We are also trying to avoid conflicts with various other Celtic events.
Details about Killington Grand Hotel & Conference Center
A ski and convention center high in the Green Mountains, Killington Grand provides ample indoor workshop facilities, vendors’ area and concert hall and a variety of places where small groups may gather to have informal jam sessions; the Pipers’ Gathering will occupy the whole ground floor. And there is no problem finding accommodation to suit all budgets, either at Killington Grand, at nearby hotels/motels, or at the local campground. Room rates vary from $39 to $116 per room per night; the more expensive rooms are suites containing a separate bedroom, living area and kitchens for self-catering. These are special group rates; please call 1-800-282-9955 to book and mention the Pipers’ Gathering. Do not book through the Web site. To benefit from a price reduction on the workshop facilities, we have reserved a limited number of rooms for participants. Calling the 1-800 number will ensure that your booking is counted as part of our block reservation.
To help you choose accommodation at Killington Grand that fits your needs, here is a short description of the three types of rooms available:
–Suite ($116/night): Kitchen and living room area with a separate bedroom and a full bathroom. The kitchen is fully equipped with a stove, fridge, dishwasher, microwave and a full supply of crockery and utensils. As well as having tables and chairs, the living area has a sofa-bed and a Murphy bed (queen-size bed that folds up into the wall). A door leads from the living area to an outdoor balcony. The separate bedroom contains a queen-size bed.
–Large room ($105/night): One room (combined kitchen/living room/bedroom) plus a full bathroom similar to the suite but with one queen-size bed and one Murphy bed (also queen-size). May not have a balcony;
–Standard room ($92/night): Regular hotel room with two queen-size beds and a bathroom.
Other rooms, at various prices, are available at nearby hotels. They can all be booked through the 1-800 number listed above.
On the workshop level, a very attractive restaurant and bar serves breakfast, lunch and evening meals. In addition, a gift shop/café adjacent to the main entrance serves coffee and pastries in the morning and hot entrees or sandwiches at lunchtime. There is also a good selection of cafes and restaurants within a short driving distance.
If your partner and family members are not enthralled with bagpipes, perhaps they would like to swim in the heated outdoor pool, play golf or tennis, take a gondola ride to the top of the mountain, go biking on the 50 miles of woodland trails, or just walk for miles and admire the glorious mountain views. We will post more pointers to local activities and facilities in the coming months.
Please continue to support the Pipers’ Gathering
We feel we have to make this move to respond to participants’ needs. We are excited and working very hard to make the move a success - and we are doing it for you. Please add your support and make the 2005 Pipers’ Gathering a great event!
Rick Damon, Chairman
Bill Gority, Board Member
Dawn Littlepage, Board Member
Richard Shuttleworth, Board Member