On Friday, September 4, Marissa will be with us offering chair massages from 1pm to 5pm. A sign up sheet will be on the admin table when you arrive at the retreat.

The cost is $1 per minute in 15 minute increments, payable directly to Marissa. She accepts cash, check, and credit card. 30 min max per person please until everyone has had a chance to sign up. 

In our current Covid reality, we all know that things are changing daily... However, as best as I can, I want to paint a picture of what the fall retreats will look like. Please understand that things could change.

Please use this information to plan accordingly. If you have already signed up for the retreat, but decide that you are no longer comfortable attending, that is ok and you will get a full refund. I also ask that if you start to feel ill, develop any symptoms, or if someone you know comes down with Covid in the two weeks prior to the retreat, that you not come for the safety of others. Again, you will get a refund.

Upon arrival at the retreat, you will need to fill out a health screening form. (More details on this to come later.)

My priority is to keep everyone safe and healthy, while still being able to gather together to share our passion for scrapbooking and other crafts. Here are some details about the weekend:

• The September retreat will be a smaller group than we typically have for retreat weekends. (Group size for October and November retreats is to be determined at this time.)
• Due to hotel policy, everyone is required to wear a mask at all times unless you are in your hotel room or in your seat in the crop room/ballroom.
• Social distancing of 6' will be practiced. As always, each person gets 6' of table space. Also, aisles will be wider to meet these requirements.
• We will not be able to set up the die cut center, as I would not be able to adequately disinfect it between each person using the dies and die cut machines.
• I have decided that it would be best not to hold the page contest and charity raffle to avoid congregating in the hallway for those activities. I will be bringing those back to future retreats, though, just as soon as it is safe to do so.
• There will be lots of disinfecting happening in the hotel and in the ballroom. Hand sanitizing stations will be set up around the ballroom as well.

All of this good stuff will still be happening!

• Goodie bag items for each cropper
• Bingo prize for each cropper
• Door prize raffled off on Saturday
• Milestone gifts
• On site shopping with lots of new product lines
• A great group of friendly and helpful crafters
• Plenty of inspiration to go around
• Uninterrupted time to work on your crafts and chat with friends, new and old
• 24x7 access to the crop room
• Chair massages by Marissa (optional, you pay her directly)
• Collecting of new and used crafting supplies that will be donated to local organizations to use in community classes and programs

Food and Drinks
Breakfast at the hotel is currently served as "breakfast to go", which is a bagged breakfast that can be eaten in the lobby or taken back to your hotel room to eat. (It cannot be eaten in the crop room/ballroom.) Coffee is served from behind the front desk during breakfast hours. I will update you if this should change before the retreat.

Due to Covid policies, the hotel is unable to have our current setup of snacks and a coffee/beverage station in the ballroom. There is a coffee machine in every hotel room, though, so you will be able to have coffee whenever you would like. At this time, it looks like we will have bottled water available to us in the ballroom. I am staying in close contact with the hotel about food and beverage options and will update you all if anything changes. We have been talking through several other scenarios, but so far nothing has panned out.

No outside food will be allowed in the ballroom at this time. What this means is that meals cannot be eaten in the ballroom. If you order out, or bring food, it will need to be eaten in the lobby or your hotel room. Keep in mind that each hotel room has a refrigerator and microwave. The lobby will be set up with socially distanced tables for eating. As far as snacks in the ballroom, if you have individual snacks or candy, you may eat that at your seat. However, there cannot be any bowls of snacks or shared snacks in the ballroom. Please do not eat while walking around the ballroom or around public areas of the hotel.

Housekeeping
When you check in at the front desk, they will ask what your preference for housekeeping is. You may choose normal everyday housekeeping in your room, no service, every other day, etc. It will be completely up to you to decide what you are comfortable with.

I will continue to monitor Covid guidelines and will continue to be in touch with the hotel. I will provide updates with any new developments or changes.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone and the fun projects you are working on!