In Part 2 of “2013 Inn Review” I’m excited to share some of the events at The Mill House this past year. We’ve been able to use this wonderful place to host a number of events, participate in some village events, and give this special place a new face lift in 2013.
Early this spring the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce held a new event called “Spring Fling”. Part of the days festivities was a 5K Run for Lou Gerig’s Disease. It was a very cold morning but many runners showed up to participate including one of our guests! After finishing the run, he got a congratulatory kiss from his wife!
Next on our yearly calendar of events was a marriage retreat. Ron and I hosted and facilitated a marriage retreat for a local church. Our wonderful couples arrived on a Saturday afternoon participating in “Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage” by Pastor Mark Gungor. It was so much fun to bless couples with great conversations, funny videos, and a beautiful night away to connect again and get a break from this crazy world!
Summer time at the inn lets us take advantage of our beautiful river side patio and this past year was no exception. I was able to host and put together a mother/daughter tea for a group of Christian mothers doing a small group study with their daughters. I had fun making lots of mini scones, flower shaped fudge, and finger sandwiches for our special guests!
For the adults, this summer marked the opening of one of Ohio’s newest wineries. Majestic Oak Winery opened their doors in Neapolis, Ohio, just across the river from Grand Rapids. Not only did they name their estate wine after The Mill House (Mill House Marquette),
we hosted a wine and fudge tasting event. Between the “Joyful Confections” fudge and delicious wine, a great time was had by all!
Not only was the fudge a hit at the tasting, it always is a star of the yearly “Applebutter Festival” held each October here in Grand Rapids. We sell our famous “Pumpkin Pie” fudge off of our front porch. This year we sold 450 boxes and ran out of the Pumpkin Pie Fudge!
Last but not least our wonderful home got a little face lift this year. We were able to have our roof redone including the upper metal roof and porch roof! It was a much needed improvement and we thank God for the provision to have it repainted.
You can see how the difference between the above “before” picture and the “after” picture below.
Last but not least was probably my favorite event of the year…The making of our new Mill House Commercials. Not only were we able to work closely with the wonderful folks from WLMB TV 40, our local Christian TV station, we were able to bless two pastors and their wives, along with Josh, our production executive and his wife with a free night’s stay.
These were just a few of the highlights of our 8th summer of innkeeping. We are so honored and humbled to serve so many in different ways. Each year brings new guests, returning guests, families getting together for reunions and weddings, couples celebrating anniversaries and wedding nights, and pastors and wives coming for rest and respite. We still have to pinch ourselves at times to believe that God has put us here! We are so thankful.
