Rusty Dewees: Eileen Ivers

Ben Vereen Dept: Stowe Mountain Resort's dazzling $400-million makeover will feature the opening next month of the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center and the new South Wing of the luxurious landmark Stowe Mountain Lodge. They are part of the Spruce Peak at Stowe slopeside complex, which includes a contemporary base lodge, a major spa with indoor and outdoor pools, a connector gondola to its sister mountain, Mount Mansfield, revamped trails and new chairlifts, according to Montreal Gazette. The Spruce Peak development, which includes deluxe lodging and slopeside conveniences, has softened Stowe's image as a tough mountain with many trails for intermediates. The steeps and bumps of Mount Mansfield remain legendary and jay Peak and Stowe Mountain Resort continue to dominate the news among Vermont winter resorts with major installations, part of their multi-year expansions, on and off the slopes. Killington, the largest area in the U.S. northeast and one with exceptional snowboarding, will host a big-time event in January on its Olympic-sized super-pipe. Here are some details: The cultural lineup at the 420-seat Performing Arts Center will include music, dance, film, comedy, art exhibitions, lectures and multimedia presentations with lots of kid-friendly material and both matinees and evening shows. The opening week will start with An Evening with Ben Vereen, Dec. 27; the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata, Dec. 28; Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, Dec. 29 and a New Year's Eve Party, Dec. 31, with Rusty DeWees. For more on the centre, go to www.sprucepeakarts.org. As reported in the news.
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