I am very excited to tell you all about the crop room at our new location!  The table space will be awesome!  We will have 2 croppers per 8' banquet table just as we did at Watson Homestead, but the tables are deeper (3' deep).   In addition, there are thinner tables to be shared between neighbors.  These extra tables are the perfect width for Cricut or similar machines.  Each cropper will also enjoy the comfort of a high back chair on wheels throughout the weekend.  If you prefer not to have a rolling chair, there are standard banquet chairs available as well.  While there are plenty of outlets in the walls, there are also outlets in the floor.  Extension cords and power strips will still be needed, but it doesn’t appear that we’ll have to run cords as far as we had grown accustom to.  It is my hope that all of these improvements will improve our experience.

Due to the extra table space for all, there is not ample room behind each cropper for lining the walls with totes and supplies.  As long as we give some thought to what supplies we need to pack, this shouldn’t pose a problem.  The increased table space will give us more room on the tables, as well as under the tables.  Please note that there will not be room for croppers to bring their own extra tables, so please leave all tables at home. 

Since the crop room at Beaver Hollow is a different shape and setup than the crop room at Watson Homestead, there will be some changes to the seating arrangements.  Please know that you will still be seated with the tablemates you listed on your registration form.

One last note about the room...  Lighting!  While there seemed to be a good amount of natural light in our crop room during daylight hours, Beaver Hollow understands that scrapbookers can never have enough light, so they will be setting up extra standing lamps around the room for us.  In addition, I would still recommend bringing your own desk lamp or OTT light to ensure you have enough light once the sun goes down.

More details about our new retreat venue, Beaver Hollow.

All meals are included in the retreat package:

Thursday dinner (Thursday check in guests only.)
Friday breakfast (Thursday check in guests only.)
Friday lunch (Thursday check in guests, and Friday check in guests who opted for the Friday lunch add-on for $15.)

Friday dinner
Saturday breakfast
Saturday lunch
Saturday dinner
Sunday brunch

All meals will be buffet style in one of the dining rooms in the main lodge (same building as our crop room).

I realize that we all have different tastes and different standards when it comes to food, so I hesitate to make a statement claiming that everyone will be happy with all the meals…  However, I can tell you that the lunch I had at Beaver Hollow when I toured the grounds was super fresh and really good!  And to top it off, it was healthy and low on calories, too, which makes me happy.  The dessert was mouth watering and under 100 calories, which makes me even happier!  For those who watch The Biggest Loser, Beaver Hollow is an Official Biggest Loser resort, so they are accredited with their healthy food options.  All of the food is handmade and much of it is local, as well.  Beaver Hollow states, "We have a passion for fresh, organic ingredients. With our new Farm to Table initiative, we work directly with local farms that practice environmentally sound farming, and produce sustainable products. By using local produce we decrease our trucking carbon footprint by over 430%."

After sending out the announcement regarding the new venue, several croppers have written to me about times when they have been at Beaver Hollow for various events in the past.  Some attended meetings, conferences, weddings, workshops, etc.  Even though they were there for different events, they all said that the food was really good.  I am hopeful that we will all enjoy and feel good about the meals we eat while there!

One big difference between Watson Homestead and Beaver Hollow is that Beaver Hollow is run as a hotel and Watson Homestead is run as a conference center.  As is the case with most hotels, guests are not permitted to bring in any outside food or drinks.  Beaver Hollow will provide all food and drinks for the entire weekend.  This is not a bad thing by any means!  However, snacks will look different, as there will not be a table with prepackaged snacks for you to pick from throughout the weekend.  In it's place, from 8am - 10pm each day, there will be fresh snacks available to us in our crop room that were prepared in the kitchen at Beaver Hollow.  Snacks such as fruits, vegetables, make your own trail mix, fresh baked chips, etc will be available all day.  Once each day there will also be a “warm snack” served.  In addition, there is a nightly bonfire complete with s’mores.

Gourmet coffees, decaf, tea, iced tea, water, and cans of soda will also be available to us in the crop room all the time.  Tea drinkers will be thrilled to the see the “tea bar” just outside the crop room with many different flavors of tea to choose from.  This is also included as part of our retreat package.  You will want to be sure to bring your covered cups from home to use while scrapbooking to avoid any spills.

I specifically talked with Beaver Hollow about how many scrapbookers need their own supply of chocolate while scrapbooking… (at least I do!)  and they have generously made an exception regarding outside food. They said that we may bring our own bag of chocolate (or whatever candy/snack you wish) to have at your own spot or to share with your neighbors.  While they have agreed to bend the rules and allow us this luxury, they did specify that whatever candy/snack you choose needs to be store bought.  Home made food is not permitted.  

So that brings me to the subject of lunches.  With check-in time around lunch time on both Thursday and Friday, many of us have gotten used to bringing our lunch with us on check in day.  Outside lunches are not allowed to be eaten in any public areas at Beaver Hollow, inside or outside.  This means that if you bring something from home for lunch, or stop and get lunch on the way, you will only be allowed to eat it in your guest room or in your car.  There are many tables in the public areas inside and outside at Beaver Hollow which would be tempting to sit and grab a quick lunch, however, this will not be permitted.  So for Thursday lunch, plan to eat before arriving.  For Friday check in, you will have the option of purchasing a Friday lunch option for $15.  You would need to arrive prior to lunch time on Friday (time to be determined) , and have purchased this add-on option when you sent in your final balance.

While there will be a small fridge in our crop room. It is designated for holding creamers, salad dressings, or other small items to be used with food from Beaver Hollow and there will not be room to hold drinks or food from home. Please plan accordingly.

Please be sure to indicate any dietary restrictions when you register, so I can make Beaver Hollow aware.  Beaver Hollow will accommodate any dietary restrictions, assuming they have proper notice.

Understandably, one of the biggest questions out there is about how much all of the extra amenities and added benefits available to us at Beaver Hollow will cost.  Please know that keeping costs down was a priority for me and while I see the value that Beaver Hollow offers, my primary concern was (and always will be) maintaining the affordability of our retreats.  I was not willing to risk losing any members of our community to large price increases.  I wish that I could tell you that the prices will remain unchanged but, as hard as I tried, I was not able to strike such a deal.  That being said, we did manage to keep the costs very close to what they were at Watson Homestead for most of the packages.  As you can see below, those staying in doubles, triples and quads will pay just $20 more for the whole weekend! That's just $7-$10 per day depending on your length of stay.  Regrettably, the increase for single occupancy rooms was more substantial and for this I apologize but this is the lowest rate Beaver Hollow would permit.  Given all the improvements that we will experience, I am very pleased with the value we have been offered at Beaver Hollow. 

Please let me know if you are looking for a room mate.  I am more than happy to help connect you with others also looking for a room mate.

Below you will find the information sheet for the March retreat at Beaver Hollow.  Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions about pricing.  Keep an eye on your inbox and/or the blog for details about the other areas mentioned.

The above document is also available here.

If you have already registered for the March retreat at Watson Homestead, I am currently holding a seat for you at the March retreat at Beaver Hollow.  You also have the option of receiving a refund for your deposit if you do not wish to attend the retreat at it’s new location.  Anyone who has previously registered for the March Retreat will need to fill out a quick online form telling me how you would like to proceed:  attend the retreat in the new location (transfer your deposit) or issue you a refund for your deposit.  I will be sending the link to that form to everyone who is already registered for the March retreat on Friday.

Wow! What a great response to my big announcement today! Thank you to everyone who responded. I can feel the sadness, and share in it with you, over not being at Watson Homestead for 2014. We’ve made some incredible memories there and it is always difficult to say good-bye. I know in my heart that we will continue to make great memories at Beaver Hollow and as time goes by, Beaver Hollow will become special to us as well.

I am overwhelmed with the number of responses I have gotten! (That’s a good thing, by the way!) I hope to address most of your questions with a series of e-mails to the group over the next couple of days. Watch your inbox (and the blog) for e-mails covering the following topics:

• Price and Registration
• Crop Room (Seating and Setup)
• Meals, Snacks, and Drinks
• Guest Rooms
• Onsite Amenities

I will send the first e-mail later tonight so that you can rest easy and enjoy your family tomorrow. On Friday, I will continue working my way through the remaining topics. If you have questions on that particular topic after reading the e-mail, please feel free to contact me. Thank you in advance for your patience as I work my way through my inbox!

I have some bad news to share.  We are no longer able to hold retreats at Watson Homestead.  As you may or may not have heard, Watson Homestead is for sale, creating many uncertainties for their future.  While I am deeply saddened by the whole situation, I am truly excited about what I am about to show you.  

What would you say to spending a weekend scrapbooking with great table space, high back rolling chairs, fresh, healthy, and really yummy food, good wifi service in guest rooms and cropping room, a hot tub and a full spa in the same building?  Oh, and would you like someone to help you unload your car?  Sounds good, right?  But you are probably thinking that it must be really, really expensive and wondering how far you’d have to drive.  Well, I have more good news!  This venue is only 1 hour and 15 minutes from downtown Rochester and for most accommodations, there will only be a minimal price increase.

Watson Homestead will forever hold a special place in my heart.  Please believe me when I tell you that this was not part of my plan.  I did not plan to make such drastic changes!  In fact, when I learned the news about Watson Homestead’s situation, it really threw me for a loop.  The thought of having to find a new place to hold the wonderful retreats that have been going on for over 12 years was extremely overwhelming!  While change can be difficult to embrace, I do believe that a year from now, as we look back, we may just realize that this change has been a blessing in disguise.

So without further ado, take a look at our new retreat venue: Beaver Hollow in Java Center, NY (near Buffalo).  Both the Spring and Fall 2014 retreats are still on as planned.  While our venue has changed, our dates have not.  Keep your calendars marked for March 20-23 and November 6-9, 2014.

I know I've probably left you with a lot of questions.  Watch for more e-mails and posts in the next couple of days with more details and answers to many of your questions.  As always, please feel free to e-mail me with any questions.