Snakes, Bears, & Meeting the Lt. Governor.

Another unexpected perk of having your own ice cream biz, sometimes you get to meet the governor of Massachusetts. Ok, so it wasn't the governor governor, but pretty close. Lieutenant Governer Timothy Murray paid Easthampton a visit today. First stop, the Easthampton City Arts building to meet the gang that made it all happen. Ellen Koteen, head bear honcho, invited a few ECA folks, some artists (famous artist Silas Kopf among them), and a few local business owners that have been 'impacted' by the BearFest 2009, to meet the Lt. governor and sit down with him and Mayor Mike to discuss what the bears have meant to them. Artists talked about how it showcased the talents of the many great artists in Easthampton. Biz owners like me gushed about how good the bears have been for business. It was cool. The local press was there so I'm sure you can read all about it in tomorrow's Daily Hampshire Gazette.

It seems Mayor Mike does indeed have friends in high places. After a tour of the town, they were off to a Mayor Mike fundraiser at the Apollo Grill.

While I was at the Old Town Hall, I checked out the complete set of tabletop bears assembled in the main hall. Silent auctions continue on all...


And if you haven't already noticed, all the other bears have been relocated to Main Street. I expect lots of bear-peepers, as I like to call them, out this weekend, the grand finale. Especially Saturday for the ArtWalk Easthampton and other events like the bear chainsaw extravanza I mentioned the other day.

Finally, this shot I thought was worth sharing. It seems a little garter snake lost its way the other day and somehow found herself slithering through the candy aisle. This little girl seemed unfazed by the uninvited guest. Don't worry, we caught and quickly relocated her (the snake not the little girl) to the backyard.

Hope to see you this weekend. Next up, caramel pumpkin cheescake ice cream. Just in case bears and chainsaws weren't enough to get you out.