Central Vermont: Let’s Play Some Games!

Play is – all jokes aside – very serious.

In fact, a 1938 treatise by Johan Huizinga, the Dutch pioneer of cultural history, suggests that society is itself but a series of games with its very title: Homo Ludens (translated from Latin, Playing Man). This is not to trivialize human activity, rather offering a new lens to approach the study of our traditions.

I, for one, am a huge proponent of play. Huizinga would posit that “it is through this playing that society expresses its interpretation of life and the world.” By my judgement, the way Central Vermont interprets life and the world – consider the creativity, collaboration, and joy that abound here! – is its greatest asset, economically and otherwise.

And summertime is playtime, even for those of us who have outgrown the ten weeks’ vacation off school. This summer in Washington County, a number of businesses worked together to keep us cool and engaged. CVEDC was proud to support the games hosted by Bridgeside Books in Waterbury and Village Grocer in Waitsfield. Moreover, we were thrilled to get to play along.

Waldo in Waterbury

Last winter, I really did think that I saw Waldo in Waterbury; as it turns out, I had just mistaken an old-timer enjoying his après-ski in a suspiciously cartoonish red and white striped hat and sweater.

During the month of July, if you thought you saw Waldo in any number of Waterbury businesses, chances are you were not mistaken. Bridgeside Books was selected by the publisher of Where’s Waldo, Candlewick Press, to promote the annual “Find Waldo” event.

Waldo, spotted (and striped!) in front of Bridgeside Books

Twenty-five Waterbury businesses, including Bridgeside Books, agreed to play by hiding a six-inch cardboard cut-out of Waldo among their wares. From there, the rules were simple: players could pick up a stamp card from Bridgeside Books or print one from their website, then seek out Waldo at each participating business, including many local favorites. With 10 stamps, a player became eligible for a $1 coupon off any Waldo book. At 20 stamps, players were entered into the grand prize raffle and one lucky winner received a deluxe set of Waldo books.

Katya d’Angelo, owner of Bridgeside Books, was excited to host the game for the first time in 2022. In its second year, “Find Waldo” continued to engage community members and businesses – next year there may even have to be a waitlist for businesses to participate! Katya noted that Waterbury locals and tourists alike were been encouraged to visit places they may not have otherwise, like the Waterbury Historical Society Museum.

Waldo stops for directions

The game asked a small – though not insignificant – commitment from businesses, from promoting the game on social media to expecting increased foot traffic. But for Katya “the more small businesses can do in their community, the better; Bridgeside Books exists because the community supports us.” Importantly, she added, “it has to go the other way too.”

For more information, and to join in the fun next time, visit Bridgeside Books at 29 Stowe St. Suite 2 or online: https://bridgesidebooks.com/events/17451.

Mini Golf in the Mini Mart

Troy Kingsbury asked me if I had ever played a par two hole of mini golf in a beer cooler. I was able answer very honestly that, no, I have not – although that is due to change as soon as I am able to visit Village Grocery at 4348 Main St in Waitsfield.

Escape to the Village Grocery Beer Cooler for a chill brew and hole of mini golf

Troy described working in his family’s outfit, Kingsbury’s Country Store, once located in Warren. As a young man, working in the family business “sucked.” Appreciating the friendly faces that he came to know by virtue of being in a small-town country store, Troy identified what was missing: community engagement.

Some may remember when the mini golf course at the Kingsbury Country Store went up in the mid-90’s. Troy saw that McDonald’s – which hardly had the heart, soul, or charm of Vermont’s independent businesses – with its technicolor PlayPlaces was becoming a destination for families on Saturday afternoons. He realized that with mini golf, and without a megalithic corporation, he could do the same.

After Kingsbury’s Country Store closed, Troy opened Village Grocery in 2006. Only recently, after re-doing the beer cooler, did Troy begin to offer recreation in addition to convenience shopping once again. Now, there is a new vision underway. Troy imagines a nine-hole mini golf “course” spread across businesses in Waitsfield.

This golf course will require no membership. What it might lack in manicured putting greens, it will make up for with Astro-turf and the distinction of being home-grown. The current game in the beer cooler includes only a couple of balls, a donated putter, and the sort of modular single hole set-up that I have only ever seen in movies about Wall Street. Other businesses might be able to arrange their games with upcycled pallets or haybales. In other words, the start-up cost is close to nothing; the reward is genuinely priceless. Troy was delighted watching a gaggle of older women reluctantly enter the beer cooler to play, then hearing their giggles for upwards of twenty minutes.

Of course, there are prizes too. So far, there is another hole located at Mad River Glen Ski Area. Players there can win a token to redeemable a free creemee at Village Grocery. For playing the Village Green hole, you can earn a pin to take to Mad River Glen in exchange for a large bucket of fries.

This could be your token to a free treat!

Getting Serious

When a community can coalesce around an ideal of mutual support, interdependence, and quality experience, life really can be infused with fun and games. Returning to our Dutch philosopher, Johan Huizinga, “it is the moral content of an action that makes it serious.”

So, when “Find Waldo” comes to Waterbury or mini-golf takes over Waitsfield, involvement is more than a silly exercise. Your involvement, and business’s involvement, is actually a moral imperative. Having fun, or “playing” - as grown-ups can be reluctant to admit - contributes to our wealth and health and security as individuals and as a community.

Source: Huizinga Johan. 1944. Homo Ludens : A Study of the Play Element in Culture. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.