Sharon Mayer Retires After 21 Years at Killington Resort

On Wednesday, April 15th, dozens of Killington community members filed into the Oscar Wilde Ballroom at the Killington Grand Hotel for a lively party. For Sharon Mayer, Conference & Wedding Coordinator at Killington Resort for the past 21 years, this was no unfamiliar scene. During her time at Killington, she had a hand in over 3,000 events, weddings, conferences, and more, many of which were in this same venue. But this time was different—she wasn’t putting on the party, and it was just for her, all to commemorate the end of her 40+ years in the food & beverage and hospitality industries.

Sharon’s career journey started in college at UMass Amherst, where she lived and worked at the only dormitory on campus that had its own student-run dining hall. After that, she worked in and around kitchens until she discovered her love for baking, which led to her becoming a pastry chef for 6 years at an American Charcuterie in her hometown of Newton, MA.

While working at a bakery in Massachusetts, Sharon met a woman from Killington who invited her up to Killington for a Fourth of July weekend. “That first weekend, I met a man,” Sharon said. “He’s been my husband now for 33 years.” The man in question, Gary Mayer, was who convinced Sharon to make the move up to Vermont.

Gary Mayer (left) sitting with Sharon (middle) and their daughter Lauren (right).

Upon moving to Killington, waiting tables turned into dining room management before Sharon became the Food & Beverage Supervisor at the Woodstock Inn. After six years there, Sharon eventually found her way to Killington, where she quickly picked up on the conference and sales portions of the new job and found a real home.

In Killington’s long history, there have been a number of employees who have worked here for more than Sharon’s 21 years, but Sharon stands apart as someone who has been in the same role and same department for her entire tenure. “I’ve been doing the same thing for 20 years, so I must really like it,” she said.

Sharon’s time at Killington has spanned three different ownership groups, but she said technology has really been the only major change that’s been noticeable in her position.

“When I first started here, we used a fax machine, and there was still a typewriter in the office. Working from home never would’ve been possible. Besides technology changing, people are still the same. People enjoy the sport [of skiing], people are here for the sport.”

She had many favorite recurring events and conferences over the past two decades, but one day in particular stood out each year. “Talking about the [Vermont] Holiday Festival, my favorite thing was the day after the trees were delivered into the ballroom. I could come in the next morning after the room had been closed all night, and I could be the first one in there and just take a really deep breath of all the, you know, 80 pine trees.”

After helping grow the Vermont Holiday Festival and the Killington Wine Festival (now Killington Uncorked) as part of her work with the Killington Pico Area Association (KPAA), she says she’ll be back in years to come to volunteer at both events. “They are very near and dear to my heart,” she said.

Sharon developed a lot of skills throughout her career, one notable one being proofreading. “I’m a reader, and when something is wrong, it just sticks out to me, like a little siren going off,” she said. As a former menu writer at the Woodstock Inn and a frequent menu editor here at Killington, she learned a few tricks of the trade over the years. “Back then, I had a food terminology dictionary, because at that point, you could not look up online how to spell something... what I do requires a lot of attention to detail, so I guess that’s part of who I am.”

As the coordinator for countless weddings over the years, Sharon has seen it all and accommodated numerous requests. “It’s really tough, but it’s very rewarding, being able to be part of somebody’s day. But getting there is tough, and we’ve done some crazy things here.” A flashbulb memory of this past summer was a mechanical bull that one guest had brought in for their welcome party. “Only ‘cause they see it on Pinterest,” she said. A number of wedding trends have come and gone, including the use of traditional wedding cakes as dessert, which Sharon estimates only seeing at about half of weddings nowadays.

Not every wedding day is as smooth as the last, and that was especially true in the summer of 2023. Vermonters will remember that as a particularly rainy summer—the combination of some washed-out work roads and lightning strikes on our K-1 Gondola towers managed to wreak havoc on a couple of weddings. One wedding ceremony had to be moved from its planned venue at the Peak Lodge down to the K-1 Lodge with just a few hours of lead time.

What proceeded was one of the largest inter-departmental efforts here in recent memory. “When it came right down to it, everybody communicated,” she said. “Everybody did whatever needed to be done to make it happen.” 40 pizzas were ordered, a new venue was constructed, and the wedding came together despite Mother Nature’s best efforts.

An example of one of the K-1 Lodge wedding setups from the summer of 2023.

After precipitation in another form, a snowstorm that dropped 2’ of snow at The Beast on a Saturday in late March, another wedding-centered event felt the effects. “For the Peak [Lodge] weddings, every March we do a group tasting, so all the couples come in and go up to the peak, eat some food, and get a little taste of what their wedding’s going to be like,” she said.

Travel became so difficult by the afternoon that cars weren’t easily able to get up past Snowshed, let alone up to K-1 to head up to the Peak Lodge. Another pivot needed to happen—the event was moved down to K-1 Lodge, but even then, travel seemed impossible until snowcat assistance was called in.

“We walked them from The Grand to Snowshed, and then snowcatted them up to K-1. It was crazy, but the people had the best time. And all of them said, ‘we’re really glad to see how you respond in an emergency.’”

An example of a Peak Lodge wedding setup.

What does it take to be a great wedding coordinator for such a long time? Sharon had this advice: “You have to be a little thick-skinned; you have to have a lot of common sense. You have to be very organized, and you have to like doing puzzles. I feel like what we do a lot is like putting together a puzzle.”

Jessica Alberty, who has worked with Sharon for over a decade as our Conference & Wedding Manager, had this to say about her: “Over the years, Sharon became the heart and soul behind more than 3,000 unforgettable events. From weddings and conferences to KMS Galas, Women's World Cup, and even opening day burritos, she brought creativity, precision, and care to every detail. From the smallest personal touches to the grandest celebrations, Sharon has created lasting memories for countless couples and meeting planners.”

Sharon’s last day at work in Killington is April 24th. After that, she plans on taking it easy and spending time with family. “My daughter lives in Washington, D.C., so we’re thinking about moving closer to her,” she said. Before those plans are set in stone, you may find her at her home course at Proctor-Pittsford.

“I promised my husband that I’ll get serious about golf. He went out and got me new clubs, so I'm gonna have to stick to that promise.”