Happy Fall from the crew at Coldwell Banker Islands Realty! The Lake Champlain Islands are one of the most spectacular spots to spend autumn days. As the leaves begin to change, local farmers gather their crops and invite members of the community to enjoy the fruits of their labor. There are an abundance of ways to get into the fall spirit throughout Grand Isle County from pick your own apples to fall festivals.

Weekend in the Islands
Head to South Hero for a culinary celebration of the Lake Champlain Islands. Many local businesses are partaking and will have fun events as well as great local products available during this fall festival on October 9th-10th. See the map to learn more! Map 

Emmon's Island Haunted Trail

The annual Emmons Island Haunted Trail  will take place on October, 9th in Grand Isle. Tickets are sold the night of the event. The children's walk is free from 4:30pm - 6pm with a costume contest at 5pm. The main event will take place from 6:30pm to 10pm. Entry is $10 a person or bring seven non perishable goods to donate to the food drive.

Farmers Market Harvest Fest 

The Champlain Islands Farmers Market will be holding its annual Harvest Festival from 10am to 3pm on October 9th at the Saint Rose of Lima Church in South Hero. Stop by to support your local farmers and makers while enjoying music and games! 

Evening Nature Ramble 

Head to the South Hero Recreational Park for a mile nature walk hosted by the South Hero Land Trust. This will take place Wednesday evening on October 13th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. RSVP here

Pick Your Own Apples
Apple picking is plentiful throughout the Islands during the month of October. Hacketts, Allenholm, or Halls Orchard all host the best varieties of Vermont Apples from Honeycrisps to Macintosh.

Green Mountain Marathon
The Green Mountain Marathon and Half Marathon will be held at the Folsom School on South Street. On October 17th at 8:30am runners will take to the West Shore of South Hero and Grand Isle. Register here

Champlain Islands CROP Hunger Walk
The CROP Hunger Walk will take place on Sunday, October 17th, from 1pm - 4 pm at the Congregational Church of South Hero. Diane Irish, local Yoga instructor, will warm everyone up for the walk; Joe Pobieglo will send walkers off with his rousing bagpipes; Robin Way of CIDER will lead the 1/2 mile to the site of the new senior housing project, Bayview Crossing. Register here

As we head into September we’re savoring the last of the Summer moments. While we will miss Summer, Autumn is one of our favorite times of year in the Champlain Islands. Cool mornings, warm days, and the smell of Fall in the air.

During this time of transition while kids head back to school there is a temporary pause for some families searching for their next home. Continuing into Fall, new listings will come on the market as sellers prepare to list and sell their home before the end of the year. Despite being in a tight market, we have helped buyers and sellers navigate this fast paced market to get the best terms possible. Coldwell Banker Islands Realty remains busy as ever helping guide our clients into their next home.

Throughout the country businesses are struggling to find workers and this is being felt in our community. Are you or someone you know searching for a job opportunity? Read to see who is hiring in Grand Isle County. Let's get back to work, Vermont! 

Summer 2021 is flying by so far! Your local Island guides are here to ensure that you stay in the know about all of the remaining Champlain Island happenings. From live music to yoga, the month of August is full of awesome activities that you won’t want to miss. We have gathered just some of the top upcoming events in our close-knit community below. Also, make sure to stop by the Snow Farm Vineyard Thursday, August 12th as the team at CBIR will be there handing out local treats!

August 2021 Events

Yoga at Kraemer & Kin
Kraemer & Kin will be hosting yoga sessions every Sunday throughout the month of August from 10:30am - 11:30am with instructor Majken Tranby, founder of Moodra Yoga.

Reserve a spot here.

Oliver, Jr. A Musical

Island Arts Center will be showcasing Oliver Jr. a Musical at the Homer Knight Barn August 6th - 8th. Purchase tickets. Island Arts also has a handful of events throughout the month of August including Tai Chi, concerts, and a variety of music lessons. 

See all events.

New Grand Isle Tasting Room
Ellison Estate Vineyard opened a new tasting room located on Grand Isle’s East Shore open on Thursdays and Saturdays 11:30am - 5pm. 

Book now.

South Hero Land Trust
Storywalks, Nature Ramble, and a Community Celebration Dinner are just some of the great events hosted by the South Hero Land Trust during the month of August.
Explore all events.

Live Music at Snow Farm
The Snow Farm Vineyard is a summer Island staple with Live Music every Thursday evening from 6:30pm - 8:30pm in South Hero.
See Live Music Line Up
See Snow Farm Event Calendar

Champlain Islands Farmers Market
Support your local farmers and makers at the Champlain Islands Farmers Market every Wednesday at St. Rosa Lima Church from 3pm - 6pm and Saturdays at St. Joseph’s Church from 10am - 2pm.

Live Music at Pier Bar
Head to the Steamship Pier Bar & Barbeque for Live Music from 5:30pm - 8pm every Wednesday and Saturday. Also, be sure to try out some of their new Summer BBQ 2021 menu items.

---

It is hard to believe that July marks one year since we moved into our new office at 38 Community Lane! Since the big move we have enjoyed the state of the art building designed by Nate Hayward of Hayward Design Build as well as the communal space and the synergy it brings. 

We are proud to announce that our success in 2020 has titled Coldwell Banker Islands Realty as a Bronze Level Premier Office. This designation is given to the top 32% of all Coldwell Banker offices in North America. Thank you to our community and clients for the continued support. Join us in also congratulating Co-Owner, Franz Rosenberger , who was named the 2020 Number One Coldwell Banker Sales Associate in the state of Vermont! Congratulations, Franz, on this outstanding achievement from all of us at Coldwell Banker Islands Realty.

The summer selling season has started off with a bang! So far in 2021, Coldwell Banker Islands Realty had 47 closings, listed 42 properties, has 19 active listings and 20 listings under contract.* While Grand Isle County is our home base, we have broken into new markets and are selling more homes than ever throughout Northwestern Vermont. The historically low inventory of homes for sale makes this a great time for homeowners to take advantage of one of the hottest real estate markets we’ve ever seen! 

In 2020, we transacted over $43.5 million of real estate sales in Grand Isle County! Our company’s success is proven in the numbers and we are dominating the lakefront and second home market in Grand Isle County. From 2017-2020, we have seen a 27% average annual growth rate. Our systems drive results and we continue to innovate ways to uniquely market homes.

 

Reopening The Champlain Islands

We are thrilled to announce that our office doors at 38 Community Lane are open again to the public! Our Realtors are now on duty, in-person, five days a week to provide our community with immediate walk-in service. In addition, we are thrilled to share that we have welcomed Paul Habersang to Coldwell Banker Islands Realty as a licensed sales associate! The timing couldn’t be better as we are busier than ever! As many of you know, the real estate market is booming with no sign of slowing down this summer. Our knowledgable agents are readily available to help guide you whether you are buying a new home or preparing to sell. The Champlain Islands is the place to be in Summer of 2021 and we can't wait to start gathering with our community again!

New to the Island Neighborhood

As we welcome the warm weather, we also welcome new small businesses into the Champlain Islands community! Check out the latest additions to the town of South Hero below! 

Arbor Farm Market

South Hero Village recently welcomed Arbor Farm Market full of local goodies; the market resides at 324 US Route 2 in South Hero,VT. Make sure to stop by Wednesdays- Sundays to check out the wide variety of local farm products and grocery items.

Two Heroes Brewery 

Another new addition in the town of South Hero is Two Heroes Brewery! They opened their doors in February and have just recently added a biergarten! Be sure to visit them this summer at 1 Ferry Rd in South Hero!

The Hive Cafe 

Located at Allenholm Farm on South Street, the Hive Cafe is serving burgers, mac and cheese, salads, and even fish tacos! Enjoy some good eats and don't forget to save room for one of Allenholm's famous maple creemees!
Photo credit: Allenholm Farm

Lola's Latin Kitchen

Champlain Island's Candy Lab has added a new food truck outside of their storefront! Lola's Latin Kitchen is offering authentic latin cuisine featuring dishes such as enchiladas, Mexican Chili and much more!
Photo credit: Lola's Latin Kitchen