—Mar 2018 by Heather Plude
The Slate Valley Museum is about 8 miles from the Panorama Motel by car and 7 miles as the crow flies.
We went to the Slate Valley Museum on March 16th, 2018 to see the “Gypsy Reel”
I hadn’t been there in about 10 years—so I wanted to write about how impressed I was with the event and the museum.
It’s a small museum, where it does not take much more than an hour to see everything. Anyone with an interest in slate used in roofing, construction, flooring, or other uses should come see the museum. The patterned slate floors alone are worth the trip. Don’t forget to check out the slate floor in the bathroom!
The stage for the Gypsy Reel show was set up in front of this truck (I got this photo from TripAdvisor page on the Slate Valley Museum).
The pictures I took are much different!
First, I want to say that the show was awesome!
It was the day before St. Patrick’s Day and it was also my parents’ (Peter and Roxann Flynn, owners of the Panorama Motel) 50th Wedding Anniversary!
I grew up on Irish music, so I was looking all over for someplace to take them. I found this Irish festival about 3 hours away—but my parents run a motel! They can’t often pack up and leave for the weekend. So I also found this show a whole lot closer to home.
It’s about 8 miles to the Slate Valley Museum from the Panorama Motel.
Check out that violin in the pictures (above)—the neck is a bust of a man, and there is a very elaborate painting on the back and sides.
I thought it was absolutely beautiful.
And the guy can play, too!
Gypsy Reel band members:
- Fiddle player–Graham Parker
- Banjoist, guitarist and vocalist–Claudine Langille
- Mandolin, bodhran and vocals–Camille Parker
- Standup bass–Silas Hamilton
The Slate Valley Museum has an events page that seems to be fairly up to date with the next event beginning Friday April 6, 2018 between 7-9pm. The show will run through May 27, 2018.
“Of Time and Place: Contemporary Works by Richard Weis”
According to the Slate Valley Museum announcement of this event, “Weis thinks of his work as visual poetry, or visual music sparked by a life exploring and experiencing what is to be human in this world.”
More about Richard Weis
- Former Professor of Art at Green Mountain College
- Studied Painting at American University
- Studied Art education at Bemidji State University
- Lives in Castleton, Vermont
According to the Slate Valley Museum—they feature local artists monthly—which is awesome!
The museum is open to the public year-round.