Mount Snow, Dew Tour Raises $3500 for Local School

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Vinnie Lewis

802-464-4013

vlewis@mountsnow.com

Mount Snow, Dew Tour Raises $3500 for Local School

While the Winter Dew Tour at Mount Snow is now over, its effect on the community is more longstanding than one weekend. This year the two entities joined forces to help raise money for the Dover School Playground Project that aims to replace the old playground with a modern one that all the children in the community can enjoy.

The primary source of donations came from concerts held at the Snow Barn on Friday and Saturday night of the Dew Tour, $5 from every door admission was donated to the cause. As well, Dover School teachers and students helped sell raffle tickets to win two athlete autographed snowboards and an autographed bib. In addition, the raffle was held throughout the weekend at the Dew Tour and raised $895.

In total $3,502.31 was raised for the Dover Elementary School, almost half of the overall goal. According to Bill Anton, Dover School Principal, “Not only was the Dew Tour a great event for our kids to see but we are thrilled to have this donation to jumpstart our playground.”

For more information please contact Vinnie Lewis at (802) 464-4013 or vlewis@mountsnow.com.

Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce announces partnership with Pixel Networx, LLC to bring digital signage network to area businesses.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wilmington, Vermont and Simsbury, Connecticut (February 1, 2010). The Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce and Pixel Networx, LLC are pleased to announce their Affinity Partnership Program, designed to bring affordable digital signage to area businesses. Mark Chapman, Consultant for Pixel Networx, remarks, “As a company, we have observed the tremendous impact digital signage brings to the business community and are thrilled to partner with the Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce. Locations that have already installed our systems use a mix of various media content including, menu boards, promotions, community messaging, news feeds, entertainment and other on screen information. This keeps the signage fresh, relevant, informative and most importantly, memorable for the consumer.”

Participating Chamber businesses will now be in a unique position to increase revenue from 3 new sources.

• Sales Lift - The benefit of a high definition digital display screen placed in a business; educating, promoting, entertaining and selling directly to customers. Your content will be fully customized for each location and result in impulse buying that increases the average sale 2 - 5%.
• ScreenShare Advertising Revenue – Your business will earn additional revenue from your display screen by Pixel Networx selling a percentage of screen time to vendors, manufacturers and companies from non-competing industries.
• Mobile Marketing – Short Message Service (text messaging) marketing gets a 95% read rate. Area businesses will now be able to launch a mobile marketing campaign to offer rewards, electronic coupons, exclusive invitations, inventory arrival and customer satisfaction surveys. This technology can be measured, personalized and will reduce print and distribution costs.

Laura Sibilia, Executive Director of the Mount Snow Valley Chamber notes, “The benefits of a digital signage network, projected to grow nationally by 25% in 2010, will now be available to area chamber members. The Affinity Program will assist us by increasing revenue, providing value in advertising to members and attracting new members interested in participating in the network. We invite members to visit our office or Deerfield Valley Real Estate to see the Mount Snow Valley network display for themselves.”

As a direct contact marketing firm, Pixel Networx is dedicated to helping businesses attract and connect with customers by leveraging technology. Chapman adds “Our strategy is simple, consumers want to receive information differently than they did 10 years ago. We believe in creating a digital media experience that combines consumer insight, technology and creativity. Utilizing these strategies, businesses can maximize their impact on customers while driving measurable increases in revenue.”

Pixel Networx specializes in providing Emmy Award winning content design, production, systems management digital hardware, software, ongoing support and training.

For more information contact,

Mark Chapman @

mark@pixelnetworx.net

Mobile 1-802-681-3443

Fax 1-866-681-8120

Mount Snow, Winter Dew Tour Join Forces for Local Charity

Contact: Vinnie Lewis
802-464-4013
vlewis@mountsnow.com

Mount Snow, Winter Dew Tour Join Forces for Local Charity

WEST DOVER (January 27, 2010) - With the world's best snowboard and freeski athletes taking main stage at Mount Snow for the Winter Dew Tour Finals - The Toyota Championship, you would think the last thing on anyone's mind would be a local school playground. However, creating a community binding experience is exactly what the Winter Dew Tour and Mount Snow committed to in year two of partnering for this nationally televised event.

When trying to decide between the plethora of charities one stood above the rest, The Dover School Playground Project. The Dover School is raising money for a new playground that is used on a daily basis by its almost 100 students and countless other town residents.

During the Winter Dew Tour, February 4-7, raffle tickets will be sold for a chance to win one of two autographed snowboards by some of the top athletes in the series including Danny Davis, Scotty Lago, Tyler Flanagan, Andreas Wiig, Simon Dumont, Mike Riddle and Jen Hudak along with art from local area artists from Mountain Dew's Dew Underground program. Each raffle tickets will cost $5 and can be purchased at the Winter Dew Tour Information Tent in Festival Village, Guest Services in The Clocktower, the Marketing Front Desk on the third floor of the Main Base Lodge and the Grand Summit Hotel Front Desk. All of the proceeds raised from the raffle go directly to the Dover School Playground Project.

There will also be two signature concerts at the Snow Barn with $5 from each admission fee donated to the charity. Friday night, February 5th is the Verizon Wireless Dew Tour Concert Series at the Snow Barn with The Constellations opening for Alberta Cross. Saturday is the Winter Dew Tour's Dew Cup Awards Show where overall series champions will be crowned. 40 Ounces to Freedom will be performing live and again $5 from each admission goes to the Dover School Playground Project. Tickets for both shows are available online at mountsnow.com/snowbarn.php or allisports.com.

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Shifting costs to property taxes

By WILLIAM J. MATHIS
here are four solutions for the state's fiscal crisis: cut spending, raise taxes, run up debt and shift state costs to hidden property tax increases. Unfortunately, the cost-shift option is being played at an unprecedented level.

Since 1915, whenever economic times got tough, dour-faced governors, legislators and commissioners (of both parties) proclaimed education spending "out of control." Gov. Douglas has been no exception. The attacks always chastise voters, school boards and educators for their spendthrift ways to justify shifting costs to the property tax. Politically convenient, they can present themselves as fiscally conservative while claiming they didn't raise taxes or cut popular programs.

Whether it was the Hunt-Simpson, Miller, Morse-Giuliani, Foundation, Act 60 or Act 68 funding formulas, the refrain was always the same. And, of course, each time the state underfunded or reduced education appropriations, the formula would be pronounced "broken." (What "breaks" any formula is underfunding).

In today's verse of this Golden Oldie, the governor and former tax commissioner Tom Pelham claim that the citizens are voting too much money for education. Commissions, both official and nonofficial, have met and declared the funding system "broken." Following the tune, our education commissioner has said that "education is inherently inefficient."

These curious statements are contradicted by our uniformly high test scores (whether compared nationally or internationally) and our high ratings on child well-being. The gross state product and the state General Fund budget have both increased at faster rates than school spending in recent years.

The process plays out through a number of smaller, near invisible cost-shifts — that have a huge cumulative impact on property taxes. For example, Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca was joined by Tax Commissioner James Reardon in proposing that costs for wards of the state be shared by local school budgets. Costs for high-needs children would also be shifted to the local school budget. The teachers' retirement fund (historically paid from the General Fund) would be transferred to the Education Fund.

Two additional commissioner proposals simply punish the victims. Towns that have the misfortune of having few students would be penalized by having their small school state aid eliminated. This would increase taxes in at least 100 towns. Additionally, towns that happened to have a recent decline in enrollment would have their "hold-harmless" state aid scaled back. This would aggravate taxes in 120 school districts. The injustice is that neither of these factors is within the control of local citizens.

Further, the tax commissioner proposed increasing the statewide property tax by 2.2 cents in the same year as the per-pupil base amount is frozen. (The decline in property values drives this arithmetic.) If teachers' retirement is transferred to the Education Fund, the statewide property tax needs another 2.5 cent increase to cover the tab. All of this is on top of the continuing $50 million cut from education funds this year.

Astonishingly, the governor, commissioners and many legislators lament the harsh burden of the property tax. Yet their proposals dramatically drive up property taxes. Conservatively estimated, these cost-shifts exceed $95 million, or more than 7 percent of education spending.

In disjointed distraction, school consolidation, vouchers and charter schools are proposed as economy measures despite clear, scientific evidence they do not save money or improve education.

The solution may be much easier and far more obvious. It is demonstrated by the 2 percent increase in education spending last year (90 districts had level or negative budget numbers) and in the fact that increases in school budgets have steadily declined over the past five years.

Why don't we let local democracy work?

School boards fight to balance a solid educational program with fiscal realities. They reduce positions and strive to do this through attrition. Yet, layoffs are still required — and harm our communities with greater unemployment. Negotiated increases are coming down.

Student enrollments, economic cycles, staffing levels, and school costs historically adjust themselves. Vermont's tax burden for education has consistently self-adjusted and remained steady, at 5 percent income, since 1992. As shown by the fact that 93 percent of school budgets pass, these local measures have the confidence and support of the people.

In these difficult fiscal times, the saying "I'm from the state and I'm here to help you" should strike fear in the hearts of Vermonters. Resolving the state's financial crisis through shifts to the property tax and local school budgets is destructive of the schools, the funding system and, ultimately, the economy itself.



William J. Mathis of Goshen is managing director of the Education and Public Interest Center (epicpolicy.org). He previously taught education finance at UVM.

Vermont’s Tourism Sector: Driving our Economy

Op Ed from Vermont Hospitality Council

4th Annual Walk of the Santas

Celebrate the Valley, Inc., in the Mount Snow Valley of VT, announces the Fourth Annual Walk of the Santa’s Weekend, December 11-13.This event was chosen by the Vermont State Chamber of Commerce as a Top Ten Winter Event for the 07-08 season.

The “walk” will take place at Mount Snow Ski Resort December 12th. The weekend will be full of fun, family activities as well as discounts through the valley at shops, restaurants and lodging properties. Saturday activities include an Inn to Inn Cookie Tour, a scavenger hunt through local businesses in an attempt to win prizes, discounts on lift passes for Santa’s skiing or riding in costumes, a ginger bread house display at memorial hall and Santa’s arrival at Memorial Hall in Wilmington.

Prizes will be awarded at a the Matterhorn Inn on Sunday December 13th for best Santa and Mrs. Claus, the winner of the Scavenger Hunt and door prizes for attendees and participants. Also at the Matterhorn, have your own or your child’s picture taken with Santa for a small cash donation which will go to the charity receiving this years portion of the weekends proceedings.

Participants will sign up on Friday evening and are presented with Santa identity cards, which allow them to register as an official participant, as well as qualify them for discounts at local shops, restaurants and lodging properties. A portion of our proceeds will go to a local charity. For more information you can call James P. Angus or go to www.celebratethevalley.com.

Honora Winery & Vineyard Announces Plans for Historic Barn in Wilmington Governor to Speak at Reception

WILMINGTON, VT—Honora Winery & Vineyard will unveil the vision for a major new culinary tourism and community space for Southern Vermont at a “Walking, Talking & Tasting Tour” community reception and press briefing on Monday, November 30 at 11:00 a.m. Governor Jim Douglas and other invited officials have been invited to speak about the importance of tourism for Vermont and the enormous potential in agriculture and culinary tourism. The kick-off will officially launch the fundraising effort to help bring this new food venture to fruition.



Patty Farrington, owner of the building and owner of Honora Winery & Vineyard, said the historic barn was originally purchased in 2004 to operate retail and manufacturing activities. “Since then, we’ve reconstructed the barn to its original foundation footprint and realized there could be a better purpose for the 30,000 square foot space.”



“We’re committed to the new vision that will be an important economic engine for the area. The concept captures the widespread interest in good food and good living and capitalizes on the increasing dollars being spent on culinary travel and food education.”



“Here in Southern Vermont we have all the resources to offer cooking classes, cooking and baking demonstrations, creative dining experiences, food festivals, winery visits and quests for travelers interested in regional specialties. What’s missing is an agricultural and culinary center and food hub to turn this wonderful opportunity into thousands of dollars for our region and Vermont tourism.”



Special guests will include the Junior Iron Chef team, Hakuna Matata, from Wilmington’s Twin Valley High School that won Best in Show at the Junior Iron Chef Competition in Burlington last year for their Veggie Huevos Mullenos
. Team members include Stevie Cunningham-Darrah, 
Shannon Lozito, Chelsea Schneider.



Grafton Village Cheese Company will be conducting a cheese tasting and Honora Winery & Vineyard will offer a wine tasting. Sharon Myers, the Purple Chef, will be providing lite fare.



The reception will take place at 211 Vermont Route 9 East, the site of the historic barn that is situated across from the White House in Wilmington. Community members and media are cordially invited to attend. For more information, please call 802-258-3992.