Waterbury, VT - In June, Greg Trulson and Willie Docto were recognized by the Vermont Lodging & Restaurant Association as the 2005 B&B Innkeepers of the Year. They are the first openly gay innkeepers in Vermont to be so recognized.
      The award has been presented since 1997, and was given at the VLRA annual meeting in Burlington. Docto thanked the organization for the award recognizing owner-operated B&Bs, "which are usually Mom and Pop shops, but in this case, Pop & Pop."
      Moose Meadow Lodge opened in 1998, two years after Docto and Trulson moved to Vermont.
      In addition to innkeeping, Willie Docto owns the only association management company in Vermont and produces the very popular Vermont Brewers Festival. He is also a free-lance classical violinist, performing in symphony orchestras and community theater productions in Vermont and Washington, DC.
      Greg Trulson is a former computer systems architect and trainer. He is an accomplished woodworker who created many of the furnishings and rustic decorations in the Lodge. His twig furniture and other works are made with wood from the property. His creations have been commissioned by people from as far as Maryland and Puerto Rico.
       Both are involved with their community. Willie is the former president of the Waterbury Tourism Council and has served on various nonprofit boards. Trulson is a former Justice of the Peace and serves on the Duxbury Cemetery Commission. He is also a non-denominational minister and officiates at weddings and civil unions at the Lodge and throughout the state. The co-owners and partners are founding members of the Vermont Gay Tourism Association – a group of gay-welcoming businesses and individuals devoted to marketing Vermont to the Gay & Lesbian traveler.