Sharon Audubon MapleFest, Saturday, March 17th, 2012

Sharon Audubon MapleFest  Few foreigners realize that March is typically New England’s 5^th season- “Mud Season”! However, it is also our “sweetest season” which we owe completely to the abundance of Sugar Maple trees in our region. The sap flows due to the crisp nights and warmer days.

“The mild weather caused the season to start earlier and hasn’t produced the quantity of sap we would like because of the lack of freezing nights and 40-45 degree days,” said Scott Heth, Director of the Sharon Audubon in an interview earlier today. But the Sugar Maples definitely haven’t let us down completely- the sap is still flowing!

Heth also said that they typically produce about 60 gallons of maple syrup annually and the oldest Sugar Maple at the Sharon Audubon is approximately 250 years old!

Interested in the process? It is truly amazing and a lot of work- it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to get just 1 gallon of the delicious sweet syrup we like to drizzle over, well, just about anything from mom’s buttermilk waffles to making savory root vegetables!

The Sharon Audubon MapleFest takes place this Saturday, March 17^th from 10am-4pm. Tour guides will lead you through the trails where you can see first hand the collection process from start to finish. The sugar house is definitely my favorite part of the tour where they boil down the sap over a wood fire stove and let you taste the finished product! The sticky, steamy, sweet air will leave you anxious to purchase your very own bottles of maple syrup from the Audubon’s gift shop. And yes, Scott admits to tasting the finished product himself regularly, after all, someone has to be in charge of quality control! Be prepared to have breakfast for dinner Saturday night!

Our neighbor, The Sharon Audubon, is located at 325 Cornwall Bridge Road in Sharon, CT 06069 just 8 miles from the Interlaken Inn.

Value of Face to Face Meetings

Once again, let's check in with Kristy Barto - Interlaken's Corporate Sales Manager.  Kris - take it away!

Do you think Face to Face business meetings are a waste of time? Perhaps these are some reasons why you feel that way:

• Not enough ROI (Return on Investment) or ROO (Return on Objective)
• Our meetings are constantly interrupted.
• We don’t accomplish our goals during our meetings.
• We don’t remain on-target during our meetings.
• The same people always do all the talking.
• Our meetings start late or run past the set end-time.
• Our meetings are boring

Along came the technology enabling us to sit in the comfort and privacy of our own offices/houses/beachfront and use applications such as GoToMeeting and Skype to participate in a business meeting or conference call. It is definitely a convenience and costs a lot less than hosting a meeting at a destination site. Or does it?

At what cost are you willing to sacrifice face to face time with your team? Certainly there are some meetings where it makes perfect sense to use any of the above applications but no series of webinars are going to replace training a sales team in person. 

Why Face to Face Meetings are a valuable asset to your business:

• Real-time communication
• Allow employees to engage and interact within the group
• Provides human contact and relationship development
• Allows for “side-line” conversations to accomplish various tasks which cannot be done while video-conferencing or teleconferencing
• Quality of decisions made increases and more likely to be made as a team than by individual
• Helps develop team-bonding
• Easier to inspire/motivate in-person than via media outlets
• Less distraction at face to face meetings than computer mediated devices 

 Interlaken’s Culinary Challenge is the perfect addition to any meeting day to further develop team bonding.

The answer isn’t an all or nothing attitude but a combination of using technology and face to face interaction within your company to achieve goals and make decisions.

Planting Interlaken's Garden

Nine times out of ten, if you ever see Brandon in a meeting with someone, you know he is talking either food or beverage.   Today was no exception:  he was planning the Interlaken Fruit & Vegetable Garden!  And we all know how important our fruits and veggies are.... 

Farmer Joseph Church of Sharon has been growing many of our local fruits and veggies for over two years now and that we use in many of our dishes in Morgan's.  This season he will continue to provide us with the highest quality homegrown items.  In addition to the usual favorites, this year he'll add some new plantings to the Interlaken garden:

• Heirloom varieties of kale
• French cantaloupe
• Baby turnips
• Twenty types of heirloom tomatoes
• Not just sweet corn, but "sweet sweet corn"

The first fresh crops we'll be receiving this year from Farmer Church will be spinach, peas and radishes.  If you like to eat meals with the freshest ingredients possible, be sure to visit Morgan's this spring season! 

Creativity is in the Air!

If you had the chance to learn about quilting, wouldn't you want to learn it from these two nice ladies? 

Let me answer that question for you:  YES!  Two of the nicest and most knowledgable quilting ladies you'll ever meet!  Nancy and Claire are here today as part of our Weekend Getaway package "Life Discovery Series" and this is their invitation to you:

Sit with us while we talk about the rich history of quilting, with emphasis on traditional quilts and patterns.  Discuss the re-emergence of a solid interest in quilting, the development of the art and craft of quilting since then, up to the modern day of art quilts using non-traditional materials.  Patchwork and quilting techniques to make very wearable clothing.  Throughout our presentation we will have many quilts to show, lots of show and tell to bring the stories to life.  Pick up a new hobby or just increase your appreciation for the beauty of quilts!

So you may have missed this week (regrettably so!), but it's not too late for next Saturday where you can join Rachel Hay and have "A Pilates Experience", followed by "The Body as a Mirror of your Pain and your Health" with Lynn Simpson.  You can sign up for our Weekend Getaway in CT package anytime (either Friday night or Saturday night, or both nights!) or choose any of our packages and still join us (for a nominal attendance fee).  We have programs running through early May, and the full listing of these programs is right on our packages page.  Hope you'll join us one of these weekends!

October Wedding Opportunity!

October is a splendidly colorful month in New England, from beginning to end.  I always use to think that by the 20th the leaves and the color was pretty much gone, but as evidenced over the last several years and by these photos this is not the case!  These photos were taken on October 27th - and that happens to be the only date left in October 2012 that is available for a wedding.  Tell me this would not be the perfect background for some amazing photos?

Can you imagine you and your new spouse in front of this pretty tree, surrounded by your family and friends for a stunning photo?  Or your Guests mingling amongst the pumpkins and mums in the courtyard area, drinking a hot toddy in the crisp autmn air?

Our wedding pavilion is the perfect size for 100 people up to 220, and anywhere in between.  You could bring the same autumnal colors inside the enclosed heated pavilion just like this couple did:

Transform the pavilion anyway you'd like!  How about a Halloween Masquerade Ball?  Years ago there was a wedding held here at the end of October (wish I took pictures!) and everyone came in costume, there was trick or treating (I mean really, can you imagine what the candy bar would be like with all that Halloween candy?!), bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving.  How fun would the photo booth be?  The base cloths could be black, topped with yellow and orange and white (who doesn't love candy corn?), centerpieces of mummies and witches - OK I could keep writing about this as there are so many ideas!  Anyway, what I really wanted to tell you was that this (October 27th) is the only fall date available for a fall wedding in 2012, so if you are thinking of the autumn time please visit our wedding page for more photos, our packages and how to arrange coming to take a tour soon!

Employee Social Relationship-Building Experience

Guest Blogger today:  Kristy Barto!  Kristy is the Sales Manager for the Interlaken Inn & Resort in Lakeville, CT.

Employee Social Relationship-Building Experience

An intense meeting agenda is planned for your group which is why you need an event that is perhaps less of an event but more of an experience. It is an experience that will lead to team bonding and will form lasting relationships.

In today’s era of texting, tweeting, and Facebook messaging, there is less and less actual face-time amongst employees. Are we losing the ability to form a relationship? We know the foundation of every successful business is built on great relationships. Relationships are built over time involving trust and shared experiences and most definitely not formed through a tweet. We can “like” someone but that doesn’t mean we have a relationship with them.

It costs 1.5 times the average salary to replace an employee, but develop relationships, camaraderie among employees, and employees will be devout to much more than the weekly paycheck. After all, each of us wants to feel valuable and be of value at work, at home and to our friends. Relationships have power and value.

You need ideas of ways to encourage relationships among your team and the perfect opportunity to create a team experience is when you are all together for the off-site board meeting, manager’s meeting or corporate conference.

Here are some ideas which I have seen work at our property:

• A Lakeside Evening Bonfire- complete with tiki-torches, s’mores and hot cocoa
• Interlaken’s Radical Race- 2 hours of fun tasks involving a blind wine tasting, chocolate eating and tent building.
• Executive Lounge & Game Room- Poker, Ping-Pong, Air Hockey, Pool Table, after dinner drinks & snacks – a leisurely way to end your day
• Wine or Bourbon Tasting Reception- Let our sommelier guide the group in an informal tasting event prior to dinner
• The Mixer Reception- We provide the ingredients, you provide the creativity to develop the perfect cocktail. 

As we tumult into the new “Social Era” we all need to stay focused on moving forward but basic fundamentals such as relationship building shouldn’t be tossed to the curb.

A Winter Wedding to Warm the Heart

A winter wedding.  I love them!  Today is the perfect day for a gathering of 100 family and friends to celebrate the love of Katie and Mike.  I did my usual venture out to the wedding pavilion where the ceremony is set to happen, and had I not have known where to go, this cute sign would have helped me:

Our Atrium is set up for the ceremony, complete with evergreen trees topped with snow!

Now, this picture is a bonus!  It's not too often I run into the entire bridal and their groomsmen... and they didn't mind one bit gathering to pose for me.  The gowns are gorgeous, the men with their hats - admit this is a great shot!

Another bonus!  I didn't want to get in the way of Katie coming down the stairs to meet her Dad, so I stepped way to the side and zoomed in and caught this shot.  How beautiful!  Off they go out to the Atrium...

The wedding pavilion is all set for their family and friends...

The DJ is ready to rock the room!

The Chefs have prepared Swordfish with fennel stuffing, Chicken stuffed with proscuitto & mozzarella and Filet with shallots, accompanied by baby carrots with chived butter and potato gratin.

Another cute idea!

Congratulations Katie and Mike!

The Convenience of Interlaken Inn

Interlaken may be located in the rural hills of Litchfield Country in the very Northwest Corner of Connecticut, but we are so close to so many things:

Morgan's restaurant - 0 miles

ELLORA Spa & Sanctuary - 0 miles

Hotchkiss Golf Course - .2 miles

Hotchkiss School - .5 miles

Indian Mountain School - 2 miles

Lime Rock Race Track - 2.7 miles

Skip Barber Racing School - 3 miles

Harney and Sons Tea Room - 3.4 miles

Harlem Valley Rail Trail - 3.4 miles

Salisbury School - 6 miles

Tri-Arts Theater - 6.1 miles

Sharon Audubon Center - 8.3 miles

Wassaic Train Station - 13.6 miles

Housatonic Outfitters - 13.9 miles

Mohawk Mountain - 14.3 miles

Infinity Hall - 17.8 miles

Just 15 minutes south of the Berkshires and 2 miles east of the quaint village of Millerton, NY, Interlaken is more convenient than you think.  Let us make your accommodations while you visit any of the above destinations!

Romance any time of the year

Today is the official day of showing that special someone in your life how much you love them.  Why not celebrate love every day?  You can at Interlaken.  Valentine's Day can be alot of work, but simple romance doesn't have to be.

We've created the "Survival List for the Romantic at Heart".  We've listed several ideas for you to choose from and with a few details and small effort on your part, we'll help you look like a thoughtful and romantic superstar!  Here's just one idea...

Arrive back at your Guestroom after a busy day... Upon entering your room, you notice the scent of soft candlelight coming from the bathroom. You hear the sounds of your significant other’s favorite romantic music and notice the bath has been drawn with your honey’s favorite scented bubble bath. The latest copy of your sweet's favorite magazine is laying right next to the booklight and robe.

We've got many more of these sweet and special ideas up our sleeve, so be sure to watch as our list of romantic options grow! 

Show the one you love how special they are any day of the week at Interlaken.

Refresh and Renew at Interlaken, Lakeville, CT

We know how long the winter months can be, and a "refresh and renew"ing of the body is usually necessary to get us through to Spring.  Perhaps you are like me and work on the weekends, so a mid-week getaway is right up your alley.  We've got you covered on both! 

Laura Hess-Hay, owner of ELLORA Spa & Sanctuary, just put together this special "Refresh and Renew" Spa Package for mid-week travelers only.  Perfect for both single Guests and those traveling with another, this package includes just what you need to invigorate yourself!  The true focus of the package is the spa service - and you receive two: an exfoliating, buffing and hydrating facial as well as a classic massage performed by the expert staff at ELLORA Spa. You will have a restful night's sleep in one of our special King accommodations and awake to a veggie egg white omelette (if you choose) in our complimentary continental breakfast room.  Refresh and renew at Interlaken!