It's not every day we look in bins but when we were on our way to Pack the Paramount the other day, Mama Rutland drew Rut Girl's attention to something glistening in the sun.
Moseying on over to the Center Street bin we saw all the usual things, namely cigarettes (filthy habit Rutters, give it up), a soup cup and other indiscriminate rubbish.
But what really caught our eye was the tin of partially eaten olives. If you look closely enough, you'll actually see olives from the can amongst the rubbish. Tin olives, really? Each to their own we suppose.
Remember Cafe Terra's inclusion on the Friday Fail list a couple of weeks back? A regular reader emailed us last week to let us know Cafe Terra had seen the error of their ways. Finally, we can chalk up a victory to the English language (take that Diamond Run Mall and Ponderosa Steak House). We love it.
An honorable mention goes to the Rutland Creative Economy who fixed their spelling indiscretion not long after we mentioned it.
Side note: we've said it before and we'll say it again. We love Cafe Terra and we mean no disrespect. Best coffee in Rutland by a mile.
Email inboxes and twitter feeds lit up across the weekend as news spread about the Rutland Creative Economy Community Forum scheduled to be held this Wednesday, March 31 at the Paramount Theatre (although we see the event isn't listed on the Paramount's calendar, what's up with that?!).
Some people are genuinely excited about the event (which we hope to make, but we already had plans - seriously folks, a week's notice??!!) but others are angry about the lack of agenda for the forum.
The meeting made front page news of the Rutland Herald today with the Creative Economy's Chairwoman Tara Kelly quoted as saying the group had begun to hear that there was 'public perception that the group wasn't open and accepting of new members'.
It will be interesting to see how receptive the group is to new ideas and new members. Equally it will be interesting to see how receptive non-members are to the ideas presented by the Creative Economy - the emails we've seen doing the rounds from non-members are certainly fiery.
One email we were forwarded called projects undertaken by the Creative Economy 'Disney like' and another called the projects some of the 'worst investments ever'. Harsh. Additionally, the comments portion beneath the Herald's story features some spirited debate.
We have to say the bulk of the ideas up for contemplation during the 'open ideas' portion of the forum that were outlined in today's paper didn't exactly have us in raptures. Another reason for us to try and get there to have our say. The ideas for new groups and projects includes:
Forming a group to spearhead a comprehensive implementation of Rutland's marketing brand (there's a marketing brand?!)
Create a downtown gateway at the train station (we're sure that's the first thing visitors will notice when they stumble off the Ethan Allen at 9.05pm at night or 11.30pm on a Friday night. How about working with Amtrak to promote the service so we can have more than one train a day?)
Beautifying the city's gateways through landscaping and prominent signage (seriously, enough with the signage already, how about filling those vacant stores and promoting local business better?)
No matter what your position is, we think it is fantastic that there are people committed to putting Rutland back on the map so while the drama queen in us is looking forward to the potential fireworks at the forum, we hope that the passion is harnessed into positive projects that will actually make a difference.
Side note: we hate to be spelling Nazi's but a shout out to the Creative Economy - there's a glaring typo on your pages
First of all apologies for the intermittent blogging. Poor health, the weather and a job that pays the bills have conspired against Rut Girl and eaten into her spare time, but this week she'll be back in full force.
Seeing as how we're in such a good mood, we thought we'd share a sign we spied in Rutneyland during a nighttime drive with Mama Rutland.
It is planted outside local drinking establishment The Red Moon Saloon. 'Take Safety Home With You'.....what kind of message is that to send to prospective patrons?!
Admittedly, we haven't been to the Red Moon Saloon. To be honest, we haven't heard great things....although according to the Rutland Herald, The Red Moon put the Vegas in RutVegas!
We also love their Facebook page, in particular the reference to transport in the area. Taxis and limos? Apart from the fact that we have never seen a limo in Rutland, the Friday night we were in the Red Moon parking lot, there was not a car to be seen. In fact, it was dark, desolate and all we could see were a couple of eyes peering through the darkness, watching our every move! In fact it looked closed.
So we did some preliminary digging online and found the minutes from the Board of Alderman meeting in October last year. Seems there was a motion to suspend the Red Moon's 'entertainment permit' because the place is a giant fire trap waiting to happen (our words, not theirs).
We also found a couple of awesome reviews online - one referred to the Red Moon as a 'place for toothless, lower class people' and another mentioned they nearly got into trouble when they emptied their bladder on someone's car.... you don't say?! So maybe the sign is in fact an appropriate public message from Red Moon's management; we're thankful for the warning.
We've got a birthday coming up in April, we may just take a chance and find out for ourselves.
By night they're known as the rockin' and oddly named trio Bogo Guppy. By day this trio rock and rolls in an entirely different fashion.
Our friend Butternut dragged us out last Friday night and despite Rut Girl's persistent flu, she abated, intrigued by the fact that Butternut told us her favorite bus driver plays in the band.
Imagine our surprise when we arrived at the Downtown Tavern and spied a man that looked very familiar to us.
Yes, turns out Butternut's favorite bus driver is Rut Girl's least favorite driver. Regular readers of The Rut will probably remember Rut Girl's encounter with Ross earlier in the month when he declared The Bus would go on strike after voters declined ongoing funding.
You can revisit that delightful ride here.......on the plus side for Ross we did discover he rescued a kitten last year, so we're open to giving him another chance.
So raging and ranting Ross Vumbaco spends his days driving The Bus but he's not the only band member renowned for his day job.
The carving Ken Marisseau, who sings and plays the guitar, is head of Killington Resort's Ski School and has quite a rock and roll past, having played in ski school bands for an eternity.
The swinging Chris Cornelius, who sings and plays the bass, is Rutland's own Dr Feelgood and gets pulses racing at his local clinic. Well actually, maybe not. According to some of the reviews we found online, Dr Cornelius may have gone to the same customer service school as Ross. Maybe the pair should give up their day jobs!
The band entertained the appreciative crowd at the Downtown Tavern with sets of covers including Alien Ant Farm's version of Smooth Criminal, which they dedicated to the late Corey Haim.
It took a while but eventually patrons followed one Guppy Groupie's impassioned plea to join her (we think she might be Ross' wife) and grooved the night away. We particularly like the man doing the two beer fist pump.
We know that we like to joke about Rutland and point out certain inconsistencies but sometimes there are serious causes that we need to get behind and highlight.
This Friday and Saturday is Pack the Paramount, an annual food drive sponsored by businesses including CVPS. Organizers have set their sights pretty high - they're hoping to get their hands on 20,000 non-perishable food items, enough to fill each seat in the Paramount Theatre.
We know everyone is doing it tough right now but if you've got 50c, that's enough to purchase tinned vegetables; just one tin can make a difference.
Three local food shelves will benefit - Rutland Community Cupboard; the Salvation Army and BROC.
We've been sitting on this article from the Rutland Herald for a few days now, contemplating our response. After all, we're new here, we don't have a whole lot of history to draw on but then again without new people and without their input, no matter how naive, how can things improve?
It turns out the Downtown Rutland Partnership and Rutland Redevelopment Authority are submitting two grants for a total amount of $48,000 to purchase.....new signs. New signs?! Who knew signs cost so much?! The purpose of said signs is to welcome travelers to downtown and point out amenities .... particularly the parking garage on West Street (really, the parking garage?!).
Don't get us wrong, some directional signs would be nice. Take for example these signs we saw today for Rutland's Farmer's Market. Some directions (say an arrow or an address as a basic starting point) wouldn't go astray. The Rut's Farmer's Market is a FANTASTIC event on a Saturday, but in its current winter location it is impossible to find. We should be doing everything we can to support and promote local businesses and we think applying for grants supporting those types of endeavors would be a more worthy investment of time.
How about helping existing businesses establish their own websites (so few seem to have them)?
How about encouraging new businesses to setup downtown (a subsidy on the rent perhaps)?
That way when travelers and tourists visit, there's actually something there for them to see, rather than vacant stores (take a look at the number of listings on the Downtown Rutland Partnership's site) or food venues and shops that aren't open weekends when lots of travelers go exploring.
How great would it be to have a few sit down options for breakfast downtown on a weekend? I mean Clem's is great and all but it gets a bit boring week in week out. How great would it be to direct people properly to the Farmer's Market so they can sample and purchase our local wares?
Speaking of the Farmer's Market. Is it our imagination or are there decidedly less vendors at the moment? We seem to remember a Mexican guy who sold beautiful jewelry, a cupcake woman and maybe a person with homemade dips? We didn't see them today. On the plus side our favorite musician was playing today making for a pleasurable trip around the stalls.
Well it isn't everyday that we would nominate the Rutland Police Log as funny but one particular item on the list (published in Wednesday's Rutland Herald) caught our eye. Take a look at the 3.13pm entry on Sunday, February 21. Yes, that's right 'breathing'. Take that as a warning all you Pine Street residents, take one breath and Rutland's finest (what's left of them anyway) will be at your door.
Friday Fail
Following on from last week's Friday fail featuring Cafe Terra's spelling error, we thought we'd found another one when we saw this sign at Ponderosa Steakhouse on Route 7.
That's not how you spell ace is it? Convinced that no one could possibly have erred that badly (who would describe their seafood buffet as ace anyway?!) we googled the term.
Surprise, surprise AYCE is an acronym for 'all you can eat', not one we're that familiar with, but there you go, not only do you learn something new everyday but it's yet another example of the death of the English language (and yes we mean you Diamond Run Mall). It is not like there isn't plenty of white space (obscured by the vehicle) to fit all those words. Lazy!
(apologies for the quality of the photo, but it's not easy when you're a passenger on a bus on the opposite side of Route 7).
We know it seems like we're picking on Rutland's Diamond Run Mall but when we saw this ad in today's Rutland Herald, our reaction was 'what the?'.
Don't get Rut Girl wrong; not featuring the 'over 50 stores' claim is a solid move but replacing it with 'come enjoy our stores and shops to dine and snack' is certainly a unique tactic.
Rut Girl knows she's had a lot of cold and flu medication in the past few days but she doesn't think it's her imagination .... that sentence doesn't make sense. Then there's those first time visitors whose expectations are now no doubt high about the fine selection of dining and snacking they may be able to enjoy upon a visit to the mall.
Let's revisit Rut Girl's list of stores from her visit last week:
So let's do the math: Something Sweet, Orientaste, Sbarro, Gene's Beans and The New American Grill & Tap Room are the 5 dining and snacking options on offer (unless you count Vitamin World). Oh hang on, we forgot, there's also the K Cafe inside of KMart. Make that 6.
Hardly a wealth of choice and let's face it, Something Sweet doesn't really count because as delicious as they're offerings are, you don't really snack on their goodies while walking around the mall (we could be wrong). Orientaste and Sbarro aren't really what we'd consider 'dining' options either, unless you're idea of dining is eating off Styrofoam plates with plastic cutlery. Each to their own though.
And let's not forget about the free parking. That's the biggest reason of all to go? Back to the drawing board marketing team.
After two days of rain (and two days of flu for Rut Girl), it was impossible to resist heading outdoors today to soak up the spring-like conditions. It's funny how blue skies and sunshine make people happy, because everyone we saw today had huge smiles on their faces, like they'd emerged from hibernation. Here's five new things we discovered about Rutland today that made us smile:
1. Newly opened Emma T's Take It To Go Buffet on Center Street. Love that they stress the point that it's a one trip buffet. We're happy to have a new lunch alternative but the story in the Rutland Herald implies they're only open Monday to Friday. Wouldn't it be great to see some life on Center Street on a weekend?
2. This house on Lafayette Street getting into the St Patrick's day spirit, putting a shamrock on the door and rolling out the green carpet, which is more that we can say for Two Sheas on Wales Street. We phoned them to ask if they had anything going on for St Patty's Day....the response of the female staff member who answered the phone? 'Uh, I don't think so' in a tone that suggested Rut Girl was stupid for asking. Awesome. We just thought given the Irish origin of the word Shea and all.
3. That we never noticed this George Bush/Queen Elizabeth graffiti complete with RutVegas' catchphrase on the corner of Center and Wales Street. Is this new?
4. That there's a Rutland Magazine. We love that Rutneyland has its own magazine, but what's with this cover image. It doesn't seem to relate to the featured stories, unless it's the one about spring chickens. Our friend Butternut also drew our attention to the dirty shorts the child in the green shirt is wearing. Hey at least he's not inside watching video games.
5. That there's a gun store next to a church on Route 4. Yep, that's the New England Outdoorsman you see right next door to the Church of the Nazarene, an evangelical Christian group organized in Texas in 1908. Just saying.
Rut Girl has heard and given her fair share of excuses for being late to work but today she heard the best one of the season.
Pesky old daylight savings started today, meaning the clocks moved forward an hour. That played havoc with the work and social lives of those who didn't change their clocks before bedtime.
Amongst those caught out, one Killington Resort employee who turned up late. His excuse? The Beast told him to be late (click here to learn more about the beast)!!! We love it and we hear he wasn't alone and that scores of employees missed the start of their shifts.
Maybe it was the wicked awesome sleepover the Beast threw?
On a recent drive back from New York, Rut Girl was amused to see this billboard for the Diamond Run Mall, which basically positions the mall as a Rutland attraction (closer than you think!). What we loved more was the 'over 50 top name stores claim'. We also love that the 'you' has been abbreviated to a 'u'. Farewell English language, you are officially dead.
Rut Girl has had frequent occasion to visit the mall and to be honest when she moved here, she was just glad there was a mall, because at that stage the movie theater was still closed and entertainment prospects were looking pretty slim.
We were willing to consider that the sign may have been old, after all, there's still a Pickle Barrel billboard on that road promoting a Bret Michaels concert that happened a year ago. But then when we went to the mall Friday, we saw this banner strung up.
Yes, even indoors at the mall, the claim is that there are over 50 stores, and even more amusingly, an invitation to 'rediscover the NEW Diamond Run Mall'. Rut Girl would hate to see what the old mall was like.
Rut Girl couldn't fathom the idea that there were over 50 stores under the mall roof so with pen and paper in hand, she dutifully made her way around the mall, carefully counting the stores, stopping only for something to eat at Orientaste, which she knew would be a mistake but goddamn it she loves Asian food. The results speak for themselves (and we're not talking about the boneless pork and rice). For authenticity, we present Rut Girl's notes:
So as you can see, the list of stores comes in at 44 (Kay Toys Bee and Steak Out were shuttered). Now Rut Girl is of the opinion that you can't really count hair and nail salons or food court/restaurants as stores, so if you take those out of the equation, the number is more like 37.
Actually, make that 36, we just noticed we hadn't asterisked Regis Hairstylists. We don't think phone providers like AT&T count either but in the interest of fairness, we'll count them. We also think 'top name stores' is a bit of a stretch, no offense Rock'n Willy's or Novelty Tees.
And while we make light about the inconsistencies of the marketing campaign, the disappearance of stores, whether it be recession based or other, is cause for concern particularly as the people of Rutneyland themselves dismiss the mall.
Since Rut Girl moved here, pretty much everyone has labeled Rutland's mall as a joke. I countered with Mama Rutland today that it seemed a little unfair and how could one expect big name stores to stay if not even the local folk support them. Her response was resounding 'it's simply a joke; it's not a mall and if I want to go shopping I'd rather drive to Lake George or Burlington.' Harsh words indeed!
To prove her point, Mama Rutland drove Rut Girl to Wilton Mall. I saw lots of similarities - Victoria's Secret, Kays, Old Navy and Sears were all there. Then there was all the stores that we don't have - H&M, Banana Republic, Forever 21 and the list goes on. Wilton was also bright, airy and playing current music, something you definitely don't encounter upon a visit to the Diamond Run Mall.
I tried to rationalize it, thinking to myself, Wilton must have a bigger population. So, here are the results from the US Census Bureau's website:
On a brighter note, in honor of Bret Michael's debut on Celebrity Apprentice tonight, we thought we'd throw in some footage we found from his gig at the Pickle Barrel. Enjoy.
Rut Girl took The Bus to the mall today (more on that tomorrow) and it was like stepping back in time. The driver had a show tunes compilation blaring (and we mean blaring) including California, Here I Come from the 20s musical Bombo.
Not sure if he was dreaming of a warmer climate but it was a ray of sunshine in Rut Girl's day. The five people on board couldn't help but tap their feet. We just thought we'd share the ride with you.
Rut Girl could be wrong but she doesn't believe that Carmel is actually a flavor. A girl's name yes. The town Clint Eastwood was mayor of, yes. A cappuccino flavor, no. The spelling offender is Cafe Terra on Center Street. Maybe the drink really is named after someone or it's a play on the flavor. It's dubious no matter which was you look at it. We still love them though; best coffee in Rutneyland.
The second winner of Rut Girl's Friday Fail is Rutland's dog owners. With the weather warming up, lots more people are out and about, many with their prized pooches. Unfortunately many have not bothered to take bags with them to clean after their dogs. West Street is a veritable minefield. Rut Girl is disgusted and you can bet that if she catches you in the act, she'll have absolutely no hesitation in shaming you. Consider yourself warned.
Friday Funny
Rut Girl couldn't help but laugh out loud when she was out for her afternoon stroll yesterday. She was walking down Woodstock Avenue and saw this peculiar bear statue outside the Rodeway Inn. What it is that the baby bear is doing is somewhat unclear. Feel free to send in your interpretations. Keep it clean!
Not really, but Rut Girl is intrigued by these graffiti images around Rutneyland. We've found three of the George Bush/Queen Elizabeth images around town; two with accompanying quotes.
Rut Girl isn't quite sure what it's all about. We did discover that George Bush is the 13th cousin of Queen Elizabeth II twice removed though.
You can find the graffiti in the following locations - on the corner of West and Wales Street (which we noticed this afternoon now has an addition of a swastika on George's forehead); Another on the wall of Grand Union and a third on Woodstock Avenue beside Stewarts. If you see anymore, let us know.
Well Killington was about as rocking as an Enya concert last night. So Rut Girl had to entertain herself by taking photos - they're from the parking lot at the Inn At Long Trail where one driver took the angled parking sign a little too far.
This was Rut Girl's first visit to the Inn At Long Trail, and it was very quiet but the service was great and the bartender told us that St Patrick's Day is going to be huge there. No surprise, it's their biggest night of the year and apparently people start lining up outside the pub doors well before its opening time of 11.30am.
Expect the Guinness to be flowing, the Irish music to be pumping and plenty of the Irish eats that the Inn does so well. Only five sleeps to go. We'll be there, to be sure, to be sure.
The photo is deceptive but the car's tires are literally up on the ice...too much Guinness
Last week it was Andy Reid's customer service skills that made us laugh. This week it's the staff at Killington's Snowshed Rentals desk whose shabby service upset some visiting snowboarders, although sadly, unlike at the Deli at Killington Corner, there were no Christian Bale inspired antics.
With spring like conditions across the weekend, anyone who was anyone hit the slopes. Even Rut Girl managed to fit in a few runs. Runs to the bar that is. The sun was shining, the sky was particularly blue, there wasn't a lot to complain about.
Unless of course you were at Snowshed trying to get some help with your snowboard. Rut Girl received an email (rutgirl@gmail.com) from a disgruntled New Yorker who vented that when they went to the rentals desk to have a snowboard adjusted, the five staff working were more interested in chatting to each other than customers.
Designated slow zone....you're not wrong
The group had to wave to get attention and when they did the staff continued to ignore them until one girl yelled 'can we get some help here?'. A female staff member sauntered over and proceeded to patronize the group rather than offer any genuine assistance.
Under the impression the board they had was a 'righty', the group went to exchange it for a 'goofy'(Rut Girl loves snowboarding terminology). The staff member rolled her eyes and remarked 'it's a twin tip board; you just lift this' and promptly returned to the gossip session. Even better, she didn't actually adjust the board for them, she left them to figure it out for themselves. The New Yorker told us she's glad she wasn't a first timer and was able to figure it out. So are we.
Not really, but Rut Girl chuckled to herself yesterday when she walked down West Street and saw an ambulance parked outside Jones Donuts and Bakery.
No emergency, we guess just an ambo in need of a sugar rush. Not sure that's the best message for a health care professional to be sending but Jones Donuts are very, very good.
Mama Rutland alerted Rut Girl's attention to a cool photo on the Rutland Herald's website this week. It was a fire that took place alongside the parking lot at Walmart on Wednesday.
Intrigued, Rut Girl perused the Herald's site for some kind of story about said fire but turned up nothing. We got in touch with Lalena Conklin who posted the video and accompanying photo to see what she had heard.
We were hoping for an exciting story about a pyromaniac on the loose (not that Rut Girl condones intentionally setting fires; just hoping for a good yarn is all) but sadly that wasn't to be.
According to the very helpful Lalena, the fire was caused by faulty wiring in the outlets located underneath the bushes. Fortunately Rutland's finest were there to put the fire out before things got out of control. We love the bit at the end where you can hear a bystander remark 'that bush is hot'. Aaah another Rutter telling it like it is.
Anyway, Lalena, a photographer, also has some pretty cool photos. Friend her on MySpace to see them (Rut Girl especially likes her ice photos).
For whatever reason we can't watch the video without humming our localized version of Talking Heads' Burning Down The House.
'Hold tight, we're in for nasty weather. There has got to be a way, burning down The Rut'. Catchy.
After a week of texts and emails from regular riders of the 7.15am Rutland-Killington bus, Rut Girl decided to experience the trip for herself and she wasn't disappointed.
The driver was not happy; his mood set off by someone's apparent failure to warm the bus up for him (the bus was seriously like an ice box). Let's call the driver Cowell, after Simon, the original Mr Nasty; except nowhere near as witty.
But the most interesting comment was 'wait till the bus doesn't run for a week and see how they like that'. One rider responded, 'really', and Cowell said 'yep they'll do it'. We hadn't even left the transit center yet and Rut Girl began to fear Cowell might actually pack up his bongos and go home.
More gold followed. As we approached the always busy Court Square stop, rather than drive to the curb, Cowell remained in the left hand lane, forcing the passengers to step on to the road into the exposed right hand lane to get on the bus. Cowell then radioed the driver of the Highridge bus and boasted 'did you see that move?'. Nice.
Here's a thought Cowell. If that's the level of courtesy drivers extend their customers; that might have something to do with why they voted no.
A curious sight on Friday afternoon at Killington Post Office where a car load of middle-aged men adorned with green beads and Jack Daniel’s tartan caps that had bright orange hair attached to them, accosted Rut Girl. They adopted her because she had the same colored hair. For the record, Rut Girl does not have bright orange hair, so she was slightly miffed but happy to accept their gift of beads.
When pressed on their attire, the men simply claimed this was how they usually go out. Fair enough; although we expect the striking head wear was something they attained during Jack Daniel’s weekend. The group had hit the slopes that day and told us the conditions were pretty slushy. When that led them to suggest we make slushies from the melting snow banks mixed with a substance only Bear Grylls would drink (see below), it was time for Rut Girl to move on. The jovial lads moved on to the Wobbly Barn where we can only imagine what hijinks they got up to.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Rut Girl's Friday Fail Walgreens is the winner of Rut Girl's inaugural Friday Fail. Some residents on Woodstock Avenue today were rudely jolted from their sleep by the sound of an industrial strength leaf blower which was in use at 5.30am. While Walgreens' parking lot may look pristine today, the same can't be said for the mood of locals.
Rut Girl's Friday Fun It's a bit silly but there's an email that's been doing the rounds at Killington titled 'Another Two Feet of Snow'. You get the picture. It made Rut Girl smile today.
Rut Girl's Friday Bus Ruckus Not a day goes by when Rut Girl doesn't hear an amusing tale from someone riding The Bus to Killington. Once again it was the 7.15am bus, which predominantly carries Killington and Pico staff, where there was an amusing display of bus driver/customer interaction.
According to Rut Girl's source, The Bus was unusually crowded with standing room only until Pico. When The Bus pulled in to The Nordic Inn, nicknamed Little Jamaica because it is home to many of Killington's Jamaican employees, the driver was unimpressed by one man's indecision about getting on the Rutland-Killington connector versus the Highridge bus which could be seen approaching The Nordic.
The driver, in a tone that indicated indecision would be punished, said 'you're either on or off, make up your mind' followed by 'you better grab some metal (ie a hand rail)' when he finally got on board. We love it.
1) A man walking out of his apartment who then unzips his pants and pees on the wall
2) Being stopped by a nervous Asian man looking for his pigeon
That's exactly what happened to Rut Girl this afternoon on her way home. More disturbingly the incidents happened on the street she lives on. Time to move?
Look out Rutneyland, some of the world's biggest selling artists are on their way to the Rut. Jay-Z? Rhianna? Lady Gaga? Not quite. Try Bryan Adams and Richard Marx for starters. Yes, the guys who once rocked big hair and power ballads are both confirmed to play at the Paramount Theatre. Not together mind you, which is a shame, we'd love a power ballad sing off.
Just when Rut Girl thought it couldn't get any more 80s/90s, Mrs Rutland told us two more superstars were going to rock RutVegas. Excitement pulsed through Rut Girl's veins at the prospect of seeing Bono. Okay, maybe U2 is aiming a little too high. What about Michael Buble? Canada's not that far away after all.
Sadly that wasn't to be. Instead Mrs Rutland revealed Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon will be here in June to rock the fairground. Awesome. It's not the first time they've toured together either so a sing off is definitely on the cards. Mind you, that tour was back in 1995 and the Rut is only the second stop on the tour, so they might be a little bit rusty. And while we jest, Rut Girl would like to point out that needy kids will get a slice of the proceeds.
Look, don't get us wrong, we're very happy to have big names come to town, we just wish it was all a bit more current.....say an artist who had an album or a single that charted in the last two years (and no, compilations, best of's and Christmas albums do not count).
The Richard Marx ad that ran in the Rutland Herald last week was hysterical. 'Over 30million albums sold’ it boldly states. Yes, in the 80s and 90s. Let's look at the stats, because we love stats (thanks Wikipedia, remember to donate everyone, what would we do without Wikipedia?):
Bryan Adams (age, 50). Last album, 2008. Cracked #80 on the Billboard Top 100. Richard Marx (age, 46). Last album, 2004. Failed to crack the Billboard Top 100. Pat Benatar (age, 57). Last album, 2002. Failed to crack the Billboard Top 100. REO Speedwagon (collective age, 290). Last album, 2007. Failed to crack the Billboard Top 100.
On a side note, Rut Girl hears when Taylor 'tell it to my heart' Dayne (age 47, last album 2008) played The Rut she was less than happy about her digs at the Holiday Inn and acted like quite the diva when she was here.
I can't imagine the same behavior from Richard Marx and Bryan Adams, unless there's no hairdryer in the room, then there could be trouble.
So another town meeting has come and gone and with it some more awards were handed out, notably to Andy Reid (not to be confused with the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles) from the Deli at Killington Corner, who took out the Volunteer of the Year award.
It's not the first time Andy has picked up an award for his volunteering efforts. The Killington Chamber of Commerce gave him an award last year.
Not exactly sure what the extent of Andy's volunteer efforts are unless of course its in cussing customers or handing out ass kickings, in which case, he's totally deserving. Rut Girl likes to think of him as the Christian Bale of Killington. Side note, check out RevoLucian's remix of the Bale rant, it's awesome.
Anyone who has spent any time at the deli will have encountered Andy. He's big in voice and big in personality. He also has a wicked temper. Just ask any underage drinker who has a) foolishly attempted to buy alcohol with no ID and b) attempted to talk back to Andy after he's denied their purchase.
In fact the first time Rut Girl ever went to the deli (best sandwiches on the mountain by the way), Andy was chest to chest with some kids from Boston, telling them he was going to call the cops. Rut Girl has been going back ever since, mainly in the hopes of witnessing more great examples of customer service. She hasn't been disappointed.
Rut Girl isn't alone. When she talked to some people about their visits to the deli they had some very disparaging remarks about Andy's customer service skills. In fact, one woman told us Andy threw her sandwiches at her, which actually made me laugh, because let's face it, customers can be annoying.
To be fair to Andy, 1) he's always been lovely to Rut Girl; 2) Rut Girl has it on good authority that he is actually terrific at helping out the Killington community and 3) our brief Google search netted only one negative remark:
A big shout out to Melanie from Peru today who kept commuters entertained on this morning's 7.15am bus to Killington. As The Bus pulled into Lafayette Street, Melanie could be seen in the distance balancing what looked like a plate and a cup. Decked out in her Killington uniform, it was clear Melanie needed to be on the bus as opposed to taking a leisurely breakfast stroll.
Apparently, the Bus driver and all on board offered amusing commentary as Melanie would run two steps, walk twenty steps, run a couple more, taking a total of five minutes to get to the bus, which was clearly waiting. Laughter erupted as Melanie finally stepped on to the bus (weirdly out of breath), carrying a plate of pizza and a cup of tea. As you do.
Some commuters on last night’s 10.15pm Rutland-Killington bus were shocked when two mountain employees engaged in a raunchy make-out session. Rut Girl hears the antics were more like something from Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels than the type of behavior one normally sees on the commute to Killington.
While most tried to ignore the blatant display of passion unfolding before their eyes, Rut Girl hears one regular on the bus was quite the voyeur and remained fixated by the amorous pair.
We’re not that surprised though. Monday nights are ‘international party night’ at Killington, where the international workers from Killington and Pico let their hair down after the weekend with many heading to Charity’s for a few not-so-quite bevies.
In fact, only a few weeks ago a bus driver on the 10.15pm bus threatened to kick a group of Latin American revelers off the bus when they began drinking beer on the bus. The partiers were then made to dispose of their liquid ale or face a long walk home in the cold.
Rut Girl thinks she might have to catch The Bus more often.
Double D’s. The name says it all really. You don’t have to look too closely to notice the connotations which are about as subtle as a set of human DD’s. But what we love more than the strategically placed pair of black diamonds is that the newly opened Double D’s at Killington's Mountain Green Resort offers a kids menu. Oh and there's dancing too, can only imagine what kind. Don't despair, Rut Girl's interest has definitely been 'peaked'; we'll let you know how her visit goes.
It's not every day we look in bins but when we were on our way to Pack the Paramount the other day, Mama Rutland drew Rut Girl's attention to something glistening in the sun.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
