(Shelburne, Vermont) This summer season, visitors to Shelburne Museum will be able to cruise the grounds in a new electric, solar-paneled shuttle sponsored by Lake Champlain Chocolates. The new 13-passenger, fully accessible vehicle replaces the Museum’s gas-powered shuttle and will provide Museum campus mobility without the direct use of fossil fuels.
This partnership is an evolution of Lake Champlain Chocolates’ recent successful sponsorship of the Sweet Tooth: The Art of Dessert exhibition, which presented work from a range of contemporary artists reflecting on our culture’s relationship with sugar. By sponsoring the new shuttle, Lake Champlain Chocolates will have a more permanent presence at the Museum, improve visitors’ experiences, support the Museum—an iconic Vermont destination that celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, and contribute in a significant way to the sustainability and care of our environment.
The battery charged, wheelchair friendly vehicle will be christened “A Sweet Ride” at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, June 16 at 5:30 p.m., in conjunction with the Shelburne Museum Classic Auto Festival, which will be held on June 16 and 17.
“Shelburne Museum is incredibly grateful that Lake Champlain Chocolates not only supports the arts in our State,” said Museum Director Tom Denenberg, “but that they think deeply about how their contribution can improve visitor experience while leaving a positive impact on the planet.”
“Lake Champlain Chocolates has always looked up to Shelburne Museum as one of Vermont’s top attractions,” said Eric Lampman, President of Lake Champlain Chocolates. “It is with great enthusiasm that we are able to partner with the Museum to provide visitors ‘A Sweet Ride’ while on the grounds.”
The environmentally friendly vehicle will be climate controlled through solar assist panels and will operate on the grounds through October 31, after which the Museum begins its winter season hours.
MUSEUM INFORMATION
Founded in 1947 by sugar heiress and pioneering folk art collector Electra Havemeyer Webb (1888–1960), Shelburne Museum is the largest art and history museum in northern New England and Vermont’s foremost public resource for visual art and material culture. The museum is now open year-round, with the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education and Webb Gallery featuring important American paintings by Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, Grandma Moses, John Singleton Copley, and many more. For more information, please visit shelburnemuseum.org.
Shelburne Museum
6000 Shelburne Road or PO Box 10
Shelburne, VT 05482
802-985-3346
###