Sharpening the Ice Cream Saw.

If you're a long-time Ice Cream Diaries reader, you may remember that late October is usually the time I add a rant about my annual trek to the New England Ice Cream Retailers Association (NEICRA) conference. It's basically a couple days of hobknobbing with ice cream shopkeeps, ice cream ingredient and equipment suppliers, and other frozen dairy dessert industry folk, swapping secrets and ideas, enjoying a nice dinner, and unlimited free sweet samples. What's not to like about that?

And another great thing about this ice cream gathering is it's always held at a different location. Last year was Providence, Rhode Island. I went to Cape Cod for it once. This year, Stowe, Vermont. At the Trapp Family Lodge. Since it's just after peak leaf peeper time and before ski season, I think we doubled the population of Stowe, and certainly filled the Lodge.



If my ride was any indication, Vermont is pretty empty this time of year.

I won't bore you with all the cool tips and tricks of the trade I picked up during the conference, except to mention the great recipe for a banana flambe ice cream I learned from the person sitting next to me at dinner, but I thought I would share a few shots from the roadtrip.


I must say Stowe is a very cool small New England town. It looked a little different without snow, but no less beautiful, even post Fall colors...


I always look for the old country store. There's just something so timeless in the datedness of these old places...


Guess this is why they called the place I stayed 'The Riverside Inn'. This was the back window view. Nothing wrong with that...


And wouldn't you know, next to the Inn was a big old fiberglass cow, I'm guessing from a CowFest public art display somewhere in Vermont...


I even stopped at the Ben & Jerry's factory on the way home. I figured it'd be worth a little inspiration, a giftshop ice cream trinket, and perhaps a flash of insight for the mere cost of an hour and three bucks.




They wouldn't let me take photos of the factory floor so we'll have to settle for their famous flavor graveyard. Had to wander up to see that one...



By the way, I did try the free sample at the end of the tour, and throwing all modesty aside, I think my mint chocolate chip would give theirs a run for their money. But that's just one ice cream guy's opinion.

Gotta get me one of these...

Of course with a giant Mt. Tom's logo and some bears on the side. And the Ben & Jerry's crossed out.

Speaking of bears, guess who just started a Fall internship here at Mt. Tom's...

Thanks to Peter Gunn, winner of Chrome Bear II, for graciously offering up Chromey for all to enjoy. He's a little tacky still, but we hope to include him in upcoming holiday window displays.

And finally, a shot of the post Labor Day crew, compliments of Mimi and a couple days with the cat away...

Must go warm up the throwing arm for the Rag Shag parade coming up here soon...

Happy Halloween to you & yours, and feel free to stop by anytime (except Monday)for a scoop of your favorite pumpkin pie ice cream or perhaps try my latest, banana flambe.

Spoke too soon: There is a Hollywood Ending for Chrome Bear!

Well, BearFest 2009 is officially a wrap. Last night's hugely successful gala and auction up at the Log Cabin netted Easthampton City Arts and its amazingly talented artists over $54,000! A capacity crowd of artists, bankers, business owners, Williston School folks, and bear art enthusiasts alike rubbed elbows with each other and the 34 bears we've all come to know and love. As you can see in this shot, even the schoolkid-designed tabletop bears were in attendance...

(image by Patrick Brough)

A huge round of applause once again goes out to the core Easthampton Team that made it all happen. From Ellen Koteen, brainchild and grant-go-getter, to Briana Taylor, lead coordinator and the engine behind just about every aspect of BearFest, to J.P. Pasche, John Polak, Denise Riggs, co-chair, Stuart Beckley, our city planner, Amy Davis, designer of the original bear shape and form, and the rest of the ECA gang, these are the overworked and grossly underpaid (most aren't paid at all!) who did what it took and then some to make this event one that will be talked about for years to come...

(image by Patrick Brough)


It was a full house, and there were more than a few that came to play...

And even a few who came to party...

Silas Kopf, Aloha Bear creator, rocking the aloha! suit. Nice. I wonder if he'd let me borrow it for Halloween?

And wouldn't you know, Chrome Bear was brought back from his horrible demise, just in time to fetch over $2000 at the auction...

Actually, Michael MacTavish graciously volunteered his time to create a Chrome Bear II from scratch. Safe to say, the new owner of CB2 will be keeping him in a warm and safe place.


Kneeling next to Hiding Bear is creator Chrystal Popko. How psyched was she to see her bear fetch over $5000! Wow. I guess I'll just have to savor the month or so I got to hang with HB back in August...



The good news is at least a few of the bears were purchased by local folk who plan to return them to their original 'BearFest map' locations. Here's Marlies Stoddard, proprietor of Nashawannuck Gallery next door, standing next to Something Fishy bear, by Greg Stone. Marlies spearheaded a grass-roots effort to keep SF bear in the family, so to speak, and was able to gather donations from generous locals who really wanted this guy to stay, myself included. This one turned out to be a pretty heated bidding war, so big hat tip to her for the last minute working of the room fundraising at the gala...


(image by Patrick Brough)

You will likely see your old bear friends in a few unexpected spots too. The 'Bearon', created by appropriately red-topped for the night, Jim Johnson, was won by the owner of Packard's Bar, so you might expect to see this cool bear hanging above the bar someday soon...


(image by Patrick Brough)

Here's the complete list of winning bids.

Well, that ought to wrap it up too for BearFest Diaries installment number 57. I hope you enjoyed my coverage. It's been great fun. And thanks again to Patrick Brough (here's his great coverage) for kindly allowing me to swipe photos from his FB page and blog when mine didn't measure up.

By the way, we still have some Bear Tracks ice cream left, a few mugs and some of those cool bear posters, if you're needing one last bear fix. And I'm pretty sure the ECA office in the old town hall has t-shirts and other bear keepsakes left too.

And so the curtain closes on BearFest 2009. Nicely done.

No Hollywood Ending for Chrome Bear.

Photo by Patrick Brough

As you've probably heard by now, gone since day one of BearFest 2009, Chrome Bear, has finally been found. Or rather has been returned. You can read about it HERE and HERE.

Unfortunately, Chrome Bear seems to be in a state of 'beyond repair'. There are no suspects as of yet. Soas not to dwell on the one dark chapter in what has been an amazing run for our 35 bear friends, let's move right along to what's been happening in this the final week of BearFest.


This past weekend, among the many events during the 'weeklong celebration of the arts', was a fun little 'bear picnic'. The blueberry pie eating contest seemed to be the highlight of that event...


The chain saw artists were pretty cool too. Don't worry, these guys weren't at the kids' picnic.


And it was great to see all the bears lined up together along Main Street (even if it didn't help the Cottage Street walking traffic as much this time)...

Until Monday morning, when all the bears were brought inside for repairs and final makeup by the artists that created them.


Berry Bear gets put in an embarrassing position as artist Diedrick Snoek prepares to do some touching up...




The rest of the bears await their turn to be brought back to their original splendor...


It seems some bears needed a little more attention than others...


And then there were none...

I must admit the town does look a little bear without the bears.


Here's hoping a few that get purchased at tomorrow night's auction find their way back to their old spots.

In case you're thinking about it, here's a video summary of the bears on the block...



It's been fun, great for the city (and for biz), and certainly great for conversation and blogging (it's felt more like 'The Bear Diaries' around here than ice cream). Easthampton City Arts again should be complimented for putting together such a great, successful, and challenging event, and making it look easy. I'm sure they're all ready to get back to life as they knew it before the bears overtook most of their waking lives.

Hope to see them, or some other fiberglass entities, again next year.

Ok, how about the year after?

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.

BearFest HomeStretch.

Seems like only yesterday when our 35 fiberglass friends magically appeared around town early one day in June. Well, we've now come to the home stretch for BearFest 2009. Tabletop bears are being rounded up as I type, the Easthampton City Arts team frantically finishes up the prep for the upcoming 'Weeklong Celebration of the Arts', and soon will be gathering up, touching up, and moving up all the outside bears to the Log Cabin for the big gala slash live auction.

A detailed schedule of events is now available here at Mt. Tom's as well as the usual art places (Old Town Hall, Nashawannuck Gallery).

If you don't have an opportunity to get your hands on one, most of the info you need is right here.

A few highlights:

Saturday, October 10th, Old Town Hall, 2pm Bear Chainsaw carving. (don't worry, they're actually carving bears out of logs). Lots of ArtWalk Bear excitement and great art.

Sunday, Oct 11th, 7pm, Jazz Concert at the White Brook Middle School, starring Grammy nominated singer Karrin Allyson and many more.

Monday, October 12th, Teddy Bear Picnic, 12-2pm on the Easthampton Savings Bank lawn, (pie will be served...along with Mt. Tom's Homemade Ice Cream... Bear Tracks of course. And vanilla)

And much more...

So why don't you take advantage of this fine Fall weather, grab your camera and kiddos, and take one last Bearfest stroll through town before they're gone.

And we still have lots of Bear souvenirs, including the cool new BearFest posters, proceeds as always go to great local art causes...


Enjoy the grand finale, and feel free to join the bidding fun.

The Mt. Tom's/BearFest Pro Shop is open.

Check out the new Mt. Tom's ballcaps. Be the first on your block to sport one...



And a fresh batch of Mt. Tom's tee's, the thick custom colors kind. All have 'you know what' written on the back. Ok, if you don't know what - 'Life is Short. Eat Ice Cream.'


We still have plenty of Easthampton BearFest 2009 collectibles too. From left, water bottles, beer glasses, coffee mugs, maple sugar candy pops, pure local maple syrup, honey, and buttons.

Lots of BearFest tees too, from youth thru XXL.

All proceeds go to supporting great BearFest causes.



The glasses and mugs are pretty sweet. Just $6 each or 2 for $10. How can you beat that.


Hope you're enjoying these last days of summer, even if it feels a little like Fall right now.

Safe Haven for Bears.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the fifteen little bears of BearFest Easthampton fame, except for wire-haired bear, have been brought inside from the dangerous streets (for bears anyway) of Easthampton. After a number of thefts and near-thefts of these prized pieces of art in the form of fiberglass bears, the Easthampton City Arts group responsible for the very cool and successful public art display, made the decision to move all the small bears inside. It's sad really, that the actions of a very small number of hoodlums, for lack of a better word, have tried to put a dark cloud on an event that's been so positive for the city of Easthampton in so many ways.

In any event, the show goes on. You can still see groups of people, maps in hand, wandering around the bears, taking photos, and having fun. Here's to hoping the lowlifes that have stolen the bears are found and prosecuted to the full extent.

I'm thinking chain them to one of the empty logs in town for a few days and let the people decide what punishment suits the crime...taking a piece of art that someone spent hundreds of hours creating, taking money that would have been raised from its sale and spent on arts programs for kids...

Ok, I feel better now. Meet Hiding Bear, if you haven't already, the coolest small bear in town if you ask me. Meticulously created in a mosaic of intricately cut stained glass by Crystal Popko. You might recognize him from the front lawn of Jim's Package Store.

In more bear news, it looks like the silent auction site for the bears is just about set. Bear Auction Site. The live auction takes place on October 15th at the Log Cabin.

Note the large selection of t-shirts in the photo above (hint, hint)...

Some are BearFest tees, proceeds go to the cause. The rest are Mt. Tom's tees, new ones just in, heavier cotton (same as the 'Life is Good' tees) and a wider variety of colors. You know you want one.

In other Easthampton news, it sounds like the pond dredging project is finally a go. Here's the latest. It's looking like mid-August we'll start to see the water level dropping. I'll be keeping keen eye on things and will definitely be keeping you up to date right here, your place for all things dredge.

Soas to end on a brighter note, here's another bear image from my growing collection...

Hope you enjoyed National Ice Cream day this past sunday. Snuck up on me this year, sorry for not warning you.

Fear not though, July is National Ice Cream month, so you've still got plenty of time to grab a spoon and celebrate.

Better go check that sump pump now.

See you soon.

The Bears: An Update.

As you've already heard, Rubber Ducky bear was dislodged from its log a few weeks ago by some local hoodlums. Luckily and unlike Chrome Bear, he wasn't actually bear-napped.


Check out the facebook page for the still missing bear... Where is Chrome Bear?



Rubber Ducky bear enjoyed his respite in the window of Mt. Tom's, has been wiped clean of ice cream fingerprints, and is now perched on a log outside Pick Your Flick video store, just up the way on Cottage Street. Please update your bear maps accordingly...

And in other just breaking bear vandalism news, 'Three Bears' was tipped over last night by another group of bear-art haters. He sustained a bit of damage, but I'm told it's nothing a little bondo and paint can't remedy.

He should be fixed up in short order and back in action soon. Probably in a different location though... will keep you posted on where that might be.

In the meantime, the sun is shining, and it looks like a go for the fireworks tonight. Of course, that could change in a New England minute, but here's hoping...

Enjoy the festivities, be on the lookout for bear defacers, and hope to see you soon.