Contacts:
Kelly Loftus, Agency of Agriculture, (802) 828-3829
Erica Houskeeper, Department of Tourism & Marketing, (802) 828-0528

Thursday, September 25, 2008

MONTPELIER, Vt. – A Burlington man is the first winner of this year’s statewide “Apples to iPods” contest, a promotion that gives visitors to apple orchards a chance to win Apple iPods.

Scott Moody recently went apple picking at Shelburne Orchards in Shelburne, where he found a wooden apple that won him an iPod touch. Twenty-four specially marked wooden apples have been placed in apple trees at Vermont’s pick-your-own orchards. Customers who find the wooden apple replicas will win an Apple iPod Nano, Shuffle or Touch sold by Vermont’s Apple Specialist, Small Dog Electronics.

“I am really happy about winning the iPod,” said Moody. “I enter all kinds of raffles, lotteries, contests and have never won anything, so this was finally a nice shiny little star in the win column.”

Now in its second year, the promotion is sponsored in partnership with Small Dog Electronics, the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture.

“People come from all over the world to enjoy Vermont’s spectacular scenery and to participate in activities such as apple picking,” said Bruce Hyde, Commissioner of Tourism and Marketing. “Visiting an apple orchard is a perfect family outing and a perfect way to explore the beauty of Vermont’s countryside.”

The State of Vermont and Small Dog, which launched the promotion in 2007 with 11 prizes, decided to expand the promotion this year and offer 24 iPod prizes.

Vermont has almost 4,000 acres of commercial apple production, and the state’s leading apple varieties are McIntosh, Cortland, Red Delicious and Empire. In 1999, the Vermont legislature designated the apple as the state fruit, and the apple pie as the state pie.

Small Dog Electronics is the top Apple Specialist in New England, and third largest in the U.S. The company, which started in 1996 as a web retailer, has offices in Waitsfield and opened a flagship retail store in Burlington in 2006. For more information, visit www.smalldog.com.

For contest details about “Apples to iPods” and a list of participating orchards, please visit www.applestoipods.com.