Meals, Snacks, and Drinks

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.