Trapp Family Lodge A Legendary Legacy Sam von Trapp speaks about the past , present , and future of the Trapp Family Lodge .
STORY BY BENJAMIN LERNER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY TRAPP FAMILY LODGE
Nearly a century after the real-life
Maria first met Baron Georg von
Trapp and his children in Salzburg , Austria in 1927 , the younger generations of the von Trapp clan are continuing to expand the family business into new and exciting ventures and niches . By merging past traditions with contemporary programs and practices , they have created a rare and remarkable guest experience at the Trapp Family Lodge that magnificently preserves their family legacy .
As the Great-grandson of famed composer Irving Berlin , I understand what it ’ s like to feel responsible for carrying my family name forward . I know from personal experience that it ’ s never easy to face the pressure that can come from growing up in a high-profile artistic family . Rather than buckle under the considerable stress of public expectation , the von Trapps have faced every challenge that has come their way with bravery , poise , and clarity .
According to Maria and Georg ’ s grandson Sam von Trapp , that kind of positive and adaptive thinking has always defined the von Trapp family . “ Sometimes things happen that force you to reinvent yourself .
We ’ ve always been firm believers in the fact that every setback gives you an opportunity to get creative and find another way around it . Some people choose to see failure as final . Others see challenges as obstacles that can be overcome .”
Sam currently serves as one of the two Executive Vice Presidents and Directors of the Trapp Family Lodge . When I asked him what it was like to grow up as a von Trapp , his answer was both candid and enlightening : “ As far as the family legacy was concerned , it was a little bit confusing for everyone in the beginning . We didn ’ t quite understand why so many people seemed to know about our family history . It took a while before we truly realized that The Sound of Music was such a huge phenomenon . Sometimes it made me a little self-conscious when I was younger . Over time , I came to realize that my family story made a lot of people happy . It feels great to be able to continue to engage in interactions with people that really mean a lot to them . It ’ s wonderful to have a conversation with someone and know that they ’ re going to remember it for the rest of their lives , because of their emotional connection to the history and the music .”
Sam takes a great deal of personal pride in the new and exciting developments at the Trapp Family Lodge . “ There are a lot of recent additions to our facilities that are really incredible – such as our new brewery and Bierhall . The Trapp Family Lodge is an amazing place for outdoor recreation year-round . It ’ s not every day that you get to mountain bike or cross-country ski right up to a world-class brewery . We want to continue to add more activities to our roster , and conduct even more educational tours . There are so many ways that we can help people connect with our surrounding environment to teach them more about nature . There are a number of striking similarities between Vermont culture and Austrian culture : the mountain lifestyle , the focus on the outdoors , the focus on local agriculture , and that sort of tough , hard-working , resourceful , and resilient ethos . Vermont is an amazing place , and the Trapp Family Lodge provides an incredible Vermont experience . We like to think of it as a little bit of Austria , and a lot of Vermont .”
Moving forward , Sam says that he is most interested in using his position as one of the directors of the Trapp Family Lodge to make a positive impact in the lives of his
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