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All the wedding events will be held at
Ohana Camp in Fairlee, Vermont. Assuming good weather, the
ceremony will take place outside on a grassy slope with stunning
views of one of the region's biggest lakes and the mountains ringing
it. The reception (and the ceremony, if the weather doesn't
cooperate) will be in the camp's beautiful, rustic lodge—a
Craftsman-style building with a wrap-around porch, a huge stone
fireplace, and newly installed murals by noted Vermont artist
Sabra Field.
The wedding reception will be catered by the
Hanover Inn, well known in the area for its award-winning
cuisine.
Ohana was recently purchased by
the Fairlee, Vt.-based Aloha Foundation, a nonprofit organization
that runs several summer camps in the area. Aloha just finished the
first stage of a thorough renovation and refurbishment of the camp's
buildings and grounds. Ohana was built in the early
1900s primarily as lodging for families with children at the many
summer camps then active around Lake Fairlee. Known originally as
Shanty Shane, the property was described in a brochure of the day as
a “vacation camp for adults and families in the hills of the high
country west of the Connecticut River, with cozy little houses built
for two or more, and a main hall on such a height as to afford a
view unsurpassed in New England.” The property currently has
18 rustic guest cabins (which are among the
lodging options for out-of-town guests), a handsome dining lodge, and a
variety of outbuildings on 112 acres of woods, fields, and waterfront
with grand views of the Middlebrook River valley and the mountains
to the west.
The Ohana waterfront is
equipped with swim docks, rafts, and boat docks for launching the
camp’s canoes, kayaks, sailboats and rowboats. Land sports
facilities include tennis courts (bring your own rackets),
basketball and volleyball courts, a horseshoe pitch, and open
spaces for Ultimate Frisbee, dodgeball, and other group games. Back
roads for walking and biking and woodland trails for hiking abound
around Ohana's 112 rural acres.
For dedicated hikers, the Green and White Mountains are just a day
trip away. The Lake Morey Golf Course is five miles up the road.
Lovers of history, architecture, art, crafts, and local culture will
discover many quintessential New England towns nearby.
Here are some photos of the camp
grounds, the lodge, and the cabins.
If you're wondering what one wears to a wedding at a camp, or
what the weather may (or may not) be like during your stay, some of
your questions have been answered here.
And if you're wondering what you can do to keep busy,
here is a list of area attractions
that might be of interest.
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The main lodge, where the reception will be held.
One of the many scenic vistas from the camp grounds. |
Directions:Ohana Camp is located about 15 minutes from
the Thetford exit of Interstate 91 (exit #14, at milepost 84).
Here are downloadable, easily printable
directions. And here is a downloadable,
easily printable map of the region.
An Important Note
Be sure NOT to use MapQuest to
get to the camp!!!! For starters, the camp is located within the
borders of Thetford (if you want to get really specific, in the
village of Post Mills). But if you put the camp's street address and
either "Thetford" or "Post Mills" into MapQuest, you'll be told the
location doesn't exist. Even worse, if you look on MapQuest and are
able to figure out the nearest intersection, MapQuest will give you
directions that take you there by an impassable dirt road. (And
if you find an address on the Ohana website, don't use that either.
It'll work in MapQuest, but it won't get you to the camp! They post
the address for the central offices of the organization that owns
Ohana and several other camps in the area, and they're located about
6 miles from Ohana.)
This is more than a little ironic, since the founder of the
company that developed the software on which MapQuest is based lives
in the Upper Valley, and Joanna's mom runs into him occasionally in
the grocery store (they used to serve on a board together). And,
furthermore, Jo's mom works in the same office park where the
map-software company is headquarted. And she still hasn't been able
to do anything about this egregious oversight. So if you get lost
while you're in the Upper Valley, you'll know who to blame!
So just put "Thetford" and "VT" as your destination into MapQuest; that will give you directions that will get you to Route
113, whence you can continue with the
downloadable directions. In addition, Jo's parents would be glad
to give anyone personalized directions from whatever your starting
location is. So don't hesitate to contact them.
(One more caution: We suggest you not use the directions to Ohana
that are posted on the Aloha Foundation website, as several of the
mileages they give are incorrect.)
For more information on traveling to the area, check out the
Travel & Directions page.
Lodging:
All of Ohana's cabins are reserved for Nate and Jo's wedding
guests. Please go to the Lodging page for
more information about lodging options, including area hotels and
the cabins at Ohana.
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