At a creemee stand in Bristol, an older woman noticed a display of Vermont Creemee Passports near the counter. She bought one, received her first stamp, and began jumping with excitement.
New Haven, Vt. resident Adam Rice, who created the passport, said the moment gave him goosebumps.
He had expected children to be the project’s most enthusiastic participants, drawn to the challenge of collecting stamps. Instead, adults between the ages of 50 and 69 have become its largest demographic. They are mapping routes, making spreadsheets and traveling across Vermont in search of their next stamp.
Rice created the first passport at the end of March for his father-in-law’s 85th birthday. His father-in-law loves creemees, so Rice gathered gift cards from several stands and placed them in an envelope with a handmade passport.
His father-in-law showed the gift to others so enthusiastically that Rice began wondering whether the idea could become something larger.
The Vermont Creemee Passport went live April 15.
By the time Rice spoke with the Vermont Standard last week, approximately 4,000 passports had reached holders in more than 210 Vermont towns. Eighty-two businesses were participating, with additional stands expected to join.
The booklet contains 20 stamp spaces, and six of the participating businesses are located in our area, which Rice described as the “breadbasket of creemees.” They include Silver Lake Syrups in Barnard; Abracadabra Coffee Co., Farmer and the Bell, White Cottage Snack Bar and Woodstock Scoops in Woodstock; and Sunrise Farm in White River Junction.
Sonya Withington, who owns and operates Silver Lake Syrups with her husband, Eric, said the Barnard business joined because the passport celebrates a Vermont tradition while encouraging people to explore locally owned businesses.
For more on this, please see our July 23 edition of the Vermont Standard.
