Orvis Sandanona gets a facelift

Page 4
October 31, 2012
Orvis Sandanona
gets a facelift
Peggy and Brian Long, managers of Orvis Sandanona, are proud to show
off their newly renovated lodge. Photo by Rona Boyer
By Rona Boyer
Newly renovated, Orvis Sandanona’s main lodge (originally
built when Thomas Jefferson
was president) has been expanded but not profoundly changed.
Preserved is the feeling of entering a world that cherishes the
traditions of the field and the
hunt. Noted for its fly fishing and
shooting schools, its sporting
clays shooting grounds (consistently ranked among the best),
its line of clothing and sporting
gear and the famed luxurious
outdoor adventure trips, the
Orvis brand represents a special lifestyle. The Sandanona
property in Millbrook (off the
Sharon by-pass) has the feeling
of a private club—yet it is open to
the public. Spacious rooms are
furnished with cozy leather sofas and chairs grouped around
wood-burning fireplaces. With
these recent renovations, Peggy
and Brian Long, the managers
of Orvis Sandanona, have created an ideal environment for
their corporate clients to bring
staff and conduct team-building
exercises that use the sporting
clays, fly fishing and wing shoot-
ing facilities as well as the indoor
spaces for meetings and meals.
The oldest permitted shotgun-shooting club in the country (New York State was the
first to issue such permits), Sandanona offers a 30-stand sporting clay course that is open to
the public. It has been the site of
numerous championships because the diversity of the course
offers shooters an ever-changing shooting challenge. Local aficionados who shoot frequently can save by becoming a
member ($150 per annum).
Of Sandanona’s 400 acres,
250 are dedicated to upland
bird hunting. These four fields
are reserved for hunting pheasants, chukar, and Hungarian
partridge; an exceptional beaver-dam duck hunting area;
and a most unique continental hunting area. The preserve
hunting season runs from
September 1 to March 31 and
is reserved to those who have
purchased a private “Upland
Hunting Membership.” Fees
are $3,500 the first year and
$2,500 each consecutive year.
The Sandanona estate was
originally one of the four (along
The Millbrook Independent
with Thornwood, Daheim, and
Edgewood) pre–World War I
properties that encircled the
village and created the country-estate reputation of Millbrook. The Wing family owned
and maintained Sandanona
until 1985, when it was sold to a
family friend, George Bednar,
who in 1994 sold it in turn to
the Orvis Company. The acquisition and renovation of Sandanona has provided the Orvis
brand with a flagship property
on which to showcase the Orvis
lifestyle and feature the company’s main products. The newly
renovated lodge is reminiscent
of a turn-of-the-century hunting club, recalling a bygone
era when game was plentiful,
hunting seasons long and bag
limits generous—a hunting club
where friends can meet to hunt
and fish together and enjoy the
comforts of a private clubhouse.
In addition to the Millbrook
destination, Orvis holds fly fishing and wing shooting schools
in about 20 different locations
across the country. One-day to
three-week courses combine
instruction with practice. Orvis
can guide the serious outdoors
enthusiast to hunting and fishing camps across the country or
arrange trips to faraway places.
With Orvis, you will find a network of excellent fishing and
shooting operations with expert guides. For the true adventure lovers, Orvis has combed
the world for breathtaking sites
of nature’s splendors, to which
they organize luxurious sporting trips. Orvis clients travel
in groups or on their own with
Orvis guides to help every
step of the way. For example,
groups of eight or fewer fly-fish
together on Africa’s Zambezi
River, where it is routine to spot
lions, elephants, leopards, hippos, and water buffalo in their
natural habitats. For those who
prefer seeing nature from the
lap of luxury, there is the South
African vacation package featuring Victoria Falls and all the
best accommodations from Capetown to Pretoria. Or one can
sail, snorkel and scuba dive on
an action- packed luxury cruise
that explores the beautiful and
remote islands of the South
Seas. Belcampo Lodge, on a
hillside above the Rio Grande
Fall has arrived
at the Market
—
Our pumpkins,
gourds and
corn stalks are here
And we now have PORK
538 Route 343, Millbrook 12545 / 845.677.6221 / For hours please visit walbridgefarm.com
in a 12,000-acre private reserve in Belize, offers lavish
accommodations from which
to observe tropical birds and
fly-fish in the tropical forest.
Whether you select a privateyacht, guided tour of the Galapagos Islands, a riverboat trip
up the Amazon, or sailing in
Alaska, Orvis will plan it all for
you. For those whose thirst for
knowledge is as great as their
themillbrookindependent.com
famous for their quality fishing
fly-fishing rods made right here
in Vermont. There is an old joke
that says, “Grandpa left all his
money to his nurse, but, thank
God, I got the Orvis fly rods.”
Orvis fly rods are considered by
most experts as the very best in
the world—especially the topof-the-line Helios brand, which
is reputed for its light weight,
accuracy and balance. Orvis
Orvis supplies the complete outfit, including guns and ammo, but you
supply the talent to hit the target.
thirst for adventure, Orvis organizes trips that feature guest
lecturers—renowned naturalists, Mayanists, archaeologists,
and scientists—who, through a
series of lectures and informal
discussions, introduce you to
the culture, history, birds, wildlife, and marine life of some of
the most unforgettable lands.
Orvis can provide you with
the perfect gear for any fishing
destination. The company is
has designed a vast array of excellent rods in different sizes,
weights and materials and can
guide you in selecting the one
that is most suited for the type
of fishing you are planning to
do. The fishing line is completed with all of the accessories
and gear a fishing enthusiast
could hope for.
Orvis offers a line of quality shotguns, starting with the
lowest price entry at $3,495 (the
Knockabout, for the shooter who
wants one gun for both the field
and clays), up to custom shotguns handmade by the highly
skilled gunmakers of Arrieta in
Elgoibar, Spain, for $10,495.
The Orvis clothing brands
include Barbour, Holland and
Holland, Sharptail and Steinbok. The Orvis line of women’s
cashmere sweaters and sportswear is practical yet feminine
and fashionable. Famous Le
Chameau, Gokey, Wetlander
and Danner boots for both men
and women, as well as all the
requisite accessories, are readily available. There is also a line
of attractive items for dogs and
dog owners. Customers may
shop at the retail store on the
property in Millbrook, authorized Orvis dealers throughout
the country and around the
world, through print catalogues
or online at www.Orvis.com.
With its love of the outdoors,
it is only natural that Orvis is
committed to protecting the
environment. By contributing
5 percent of its pretax profits to
conservationist causes through
a dollar-matching program, it
doubles the impact of donations. Orvis asks its customers
to contribute to one of their selected causes and then matches
those contributions to a specific
ceiling. The causes currently
benefitting from the program
are Ducks Unlimited; Petfinder.com’s dog rescues; the Chesapeake Bay Foundation water/
oyster project; American Bison,
which provides winter grazing territory for bison; and its
own effort, in conjunction with
Trout Unlimited, to reconnect
rivers and streams by replacing
or repairing faulty culverts.
Orvis Sandanona attracts
a steady stream of visitors to
Millbrook for shooting, shopping and special events. The
staff often are asked for advice
on places to stay overnight, restaurants and other worthwhile
stops to visit while in our area,
and they are open to having promotional brochures available
to offer their visitors. So if you
have a gallery, a gift or an antique shop, a restaurant, or any
other type of place that might
interest visitors to our fair village, by all means drop them off
with Peggy.