For those of you that are looking to get out and hit the road on your Bike this weekend there will be a good ride on June 1st in Holyoke Ma to benefit the Holyoke Soldiers Home.  Victory 4 Veterans is a newly formed nonprofit group whose mission is to support the Veterans who reside at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. They will offer support to improve the welfare and quality of life for the 300 Veterans who currently reside at the home. The President of the group is Motorcycle event writer Traveling Tim Aloisio from The Springfield Republican.  This year’s ride starts at the Soldiers home located at 110 Cherry St. in Holyoke with registration from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. with the ride leaving shortly thereafter. The ride will stop at Southampton Harley Davidson for a quick snack and drink and then we will continue on our route to the Moose Family Center on Fuller Rd in Chicopee. Enjoy approximately 60 miles of pristine riding throughout beautiful Western Massachusetts. The after party event at the Moose Family Center will include a full BBQ dinner, with live bands, thousands of
bikes, and multiple vendors. View the Flags of Honor in our “Field of Freedom” which will be honoring veterans from across the eras. Raffles, prizes and giveaways will be going on thought the evening, so stick around and help us raise a ton of money for the Veterans who have served selflessly for our Freedom. The rain date is June 2nd. The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Motorcycle Run was raved as one of the premier rides in Western Mass last year and will be twice as big this year. Don’t miss out on being part of this amazing event.  The event will also feature a raffle for an autographed guitar from Western Mass resident, Aaron Lewis of Staind.

I really thought spring was over. The Snow, Sleet, Freezing Rain and all sorts of crazy stuff that goes with living in New England. We knew it was not pretty  last week when it  rained every day for a solid week, but to wake up today with winter temperatures outside, and snow on the ground in the Northern Elevations of five out of six NE  states.        I give  “Uncle” 

Last week we were in Vermont with T shirts. Today I have the heat on in the house in Western Ma. I hope those of you that went camping this weekend for the start of summer, at least will have a story to tell from that ordeal. For those of you gardeners who historically start your vegetable gardens on Memorial Day Weekend, You can buy your starters next weekend when the prices traditionally drop  by almost  50 percent.  I will fall into that group with Hot Peppers and Tomatoes that I will buy.

Tomorrow is Parade Day,  I hope there will be one  in your neighborhood. The Weatherman is telling us this crummy weather will finally be over. Let the summer  begin. Don’t forget what the Holiday is all about,  Freedom is not free... Its about those who made the "Ultimate Sacrifice" for all of us. 
 

On Sunday the Western Ma Brew Crew held a tour of some Vermont breweries and brew pubs. I  was a day of fun, beers, breweries, food, music, and laughs. And best of all, you could forget about stressing over a designated driver because Rob and Tom  made the trip a joy. The group met at the Marconi Club in Springfield where John treated everyone to his Blueberry pancakes with bacon, sausage, eggs, coffee and a smile. From there we loaded up the crew and headed north on 91 to
make a day of it.

The tour was a great mix of larger craft breweries, smaller microbreweries, and brew pubs. The first stop was the Norwich Inn which also has a Brew Pub by the name of “Jasper Murdock’sAlehouse”. The Alehouse does not mass produce their product. 
They call themselves one of the smallest Breweries in America. The Inn is your classic old school New England Inn right down to the creaking floor boards throughout the first floor. There is a lot of character here for sure. At the Alehouse the group was able to order a sampler consisting of four 4 oz. beers. They were all very good and it’s obvious why the brewer has won 4
silver and a gold medal in recent years at the Great International Beer Competition. We were able to enjoy the following.
Fuggle & Barleycorn ……… A Classic Golden Ale
Whistling Pig Red Ale   …..  A Full bodied Ale smooth with a Hop Flavor
Schwarzpils Lager   ……….  A German style with a medium body and a hint of chocolate flavor
Two Patrick Stout  ………..   A Light, dry with a nutty flavor English style Stout

The next stop was at Harpoon Brewery in Windsor where we were able to take the full tour of the Brewery. The Harpoon operation is hands down a first class operation. Our tour guides were fun and very informative in all aspects of the company. I never knew until that tour that Harpoon was the first licensed Craft Brewery in the state of Ma. There has been no Breweries for over 25 years  At the conclusion of the tour we were able to try all Harpoon products in the tasting area. I must admit I have tried a lot of Harpoon Products in the past but on this trip I did get a first time taste of the limited edition, 100 BarrelSeries that is featured at the Brewery right now. The Hoppy Belgian Style  Blonde Beer, to me was the best beer I tried all day. You can read all about it on their web site. We then enjoyed a great lunch at Harpoons Riverbend Taps and Beer Garden. I had a Reuben Sandwich with a side of Poutine. The Reuben sandwich here is as good as you’ll get anywhere. 
The menu says it’s made with homemade sauerkraut  that I believe is a German Style Winekraut, either way it was very good. 

Our next stop was at the Long Trail Brewery in Bridgewater Corners. The Brewery offers self guided tours of their facility. They have a nice outdoor deck overlooking the Ottauquechee River for enjoying their food and beers or you can also dine inside  in the Pub. The weather had started to rain a little so the group stayed inside rather than enjoying the view from the deck.
At the Alehouse we were able to order a sampler consisting of  six different beers. If you have tried Long Trail in the past you know that they also produce a good line of Ale’s.  We did not stay too long here and loaded up and hit the road south because we had plans to see two more Brew Pubs. 

The next stops were in Brattleboro where we had planned on visiting McNeills Brewery and Whetstone Station Brewery. The Brewery’s are very close to each other so the group just went from McNeills to Whetstone on their own. These two breweries are total opposites of each other in style and looks.

 McNeills is very old and I will say run down and dumpy. But they offer a selection of beers that is award winning and three are always served from old school cask that the bartender has to crank up by hand to get the beer flowing. The joint is old but there is also character here that you don’t find in many places anymore.

The other spot in town is the Whetstone Station Brewery. This place is real nice, sitting on the banks of the CT River and offers a fantastic view and features both indoor and outdoor dining. They offer a huge selection of Craft Beers and Ciders on tap from all over the map.  I will say that for me my taste buds at this point were done for the day but others in the Crew made sure they were good for the last drop. The Whetstone also offered its own first house brew ever on Saturday  night the day before we came in. It was described as a Hoppy Pale Ale.  I’m just going to have to  back and try this at another time.






 

We had another Diggin for Dogs trip this week at two more of Ct. finest stops. The first was Blackies Hot Dog Stand in Cheshire Ct. This is a local institution that is a throw back from a time gone by.  It features counter seating, overhead garage doors that they roll right up in nice weather, classic dark pine walls, a Jukebox and a soda fountain.. The hot dog was ok. I did not think it was as good as I have heard.  It had nice snap but was lacking any flavor of its own. The buns are fresh & toasted.  Blakies does has a secret ingredient to make up for those short comings in the Hot Dog and that is their special homemade pepper relish which is fantastic. It is a bit spicy but not overpowering.  I enjoy pickle and onion relish's so I am not generally strong on a pepper relish but theirs is the exception.  I had one with mustard and relish and was left smiling ear to ear. I really wanted to order a second one but I new I had to leave room for the next stop. The relish here is such a big seller that they
produce it for sale in a jar so you can have it with your own stuff at home. We all know that any good road side stand will have root beer available as well but how about a birch beer on tap? Yes indeed they serve it and it is very good. This is a classic old school road house that is inexpensive and does not bother with all the extras. Burgers, Dogs, Milk, Sodas, Chips and Milk Shakes, thats it. If you’re driving on I 84 by exit 26 and have the time this is a stop that should not be missed. It is the only place I know of that is closed on Fridays and that is probably a throwback from their Irish roots of not eating meat on Friday.

The next stop was Capital Lunch in New Britain Ct  There we each got a dog with mustard, onions, and the Famous House Sauce. Once again I thought the dog was a bit bland but the buns are soft and warmed. The star here is the sauce on the dog. The sauce is not chili or Coney Island style. It has a thick dark consistency. I was not personally overwhelmed with the "special sauce" I rate it as ok. I have been here before and order a dog the same way every time, Mustard, Onions and sauce but I just have not been able to develop that love for it like the locals do. I think it may be cumin that is added to the sauce. I am not saying it was bad but you must have to develop a taste for it. The Capital has been there for over 80 years and the locals just love it. The service is fast and friendly; it’s affordable and right in the heart of New Britain.

With all the dogs I have been yakin about I will try to slow down and experiance some other good stuff ....................If possible

With the long winter past, and spring that moves in slow motion this year I could not help but notice the colors of the blossoms we are experiencing so far. The early perennials have been breathtaking. I am fortunate enough to travel around mid New England for my job; I am amazed at the show of colors that we have been given this year and the intensity of them.

Witch hazel, Dogwood trees, Forsythia, Azaleasand the Lilac bush have all been stunning this year.  I can’t wait to see what the woodlands have to offer. Starting this week, the columbine’s should emerge from their long winters rest.  Then gardens and forest will then each contribute their part throughout the year.. 
 
The blooms are temporary, actors in Mother Nature’s ongoing show of life.  They dazzle us with their performance, leave us in awe and then move on. We will enjoy watching these changes throughout the year and right into the fall.

 As a great philosopher of New England once wrote………. 

“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.”
 Henry David Thoreau

Once again, a sure sign that spring has sprung are this weekend’s food events. There will be events held for the Foodie in all of us every week now for the rest of the year. This weekend will kick off with a big show in Springfield Mass. where they hold the  “World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast”.  It will be the 28th year that the Spirit of Springfield has held the event.  This event  has become the social of spring for Western Mass residents and  will be held this Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. along Main Street.  A giant breakfast table has been set up through the heart of downtown to accommodate everyone .

At a cost of $3 for adults and $1 for children, each guest will receive two pancakes, bacon, juice, milk or coffee. The recipe called for 3,450 pounds of buttermilk flour, 800 pounds of eggs, 350 pounds of butter and 450 gallons of water, enough to
make 35,000 servings. There will be entertainment from local schools and celebrities on two different stages during the event. In addition to munching on some pancakes,

Attendees of all ages can enjoy a display of emergency apparatus from the Springfield Fire Department in Court Square, and have some fun on a pony or horse-drawn wagon ride.  This event has become so successful that other cities in the country have started to copy Springfield's recipe for success.  The city is fortunate to have strong support from many businesses and
volunteers from the community who make this tradition a must see event.