Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 7, 1995 TAG: 9505090037
SECTION: DISCOVER NRV PAGE: DNRV-45 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: B. LYNN WILLIAMS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: MOUNTAIN LAKE LENGTH: Long
When future President Rutherford B. Hayes and his soldiers visited Mountain Lake in May 1864, they found the hotel closed and left disappointed. If they could visit this May, there would be no cause for complaint; the resort would welcome their patronage.
Last October, management reverted to the time-honored seasonal schedule after nine years of keeping the resort open year-round. The hotel reopened for visitors May 1 after a winter hiatus.
Mountain Lake Hotel Manager H.N. ``Buzz'' Scanland said the change was prompted by the uncertainty of the weather, which resulted in canceled bookings and a harried staff navigating the twisting roads that snake up the mountain.
Ironically, the same winter weather that lured intrepid cross country skiers worked against the conferences and other events planned at the resort. Skiers and similar snow lovers willingly braved the sometimes challenging drive, but other guests canceled their plans when Old Man Winter iced the region.
``It was a Catch-22, what was good for one group was not for the other, and there could be no middle ground,'' Scanland explained.
Since Scanland came on board as hotel manager, he's never been through the seasonal hiatus - therefore he didn't really know what to expect. Past managers left no guidelines or checklists to follow for the spring reopening.
A skeleton crew remained to maintain the buildings and to drum up reservations for the warmer months.
Meanwhile, they started planning new and different activities for the guests.
For visitors who were so entranced by the movie ``A River Runs Through It'' and want to learn fly fishing, Mountain Lake can fulfill your wish. Noted fly fisherman Harry Slone, author of ``Virginia Trout Streams: A Guide to Fishing the Blue Ridge Watershed,'' will guide novices and veterans alike through a series of fly-fishing programs and excursions.
Beginners may enroll for a series of 3-day/2-night programs scheduled for June. Others may opt for the single-day classes planned for both May and June. For the experienced fly-fisherman, there are daylong trips to area trout streams under the tutelage of Slone, who will share his valuable expertise.
Also new are cookouts and country line dancing planned for Friday nights. Guests may participate in Karaoke or watch a magician perform his illusions on Saturday evenings, Scanland said.
Longtime visitors will find the usual offering of activities. Tennis, croquet, volleyball, badminton, and horseshoes await those wanting to enjoy the picturesque outdoors, while they work up a sweat. Those who yearn to be ``far from the madding crowd'' may enjoy the many miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking.
Canoes, paddle boats and rowboats sit tethered at the water's edge waiting to be taken out on the lake. Additionally, guests may take a trip back through time, by riding in a carriage, the original mode of transportation to and from the resort during the 19th century.
Those wanting to satisfy an artistic yen can receive instruction from Victoria Jordan Stone, 1994-95 artist-in-residence, when she holds nature drawing and watercolor classes.
For the third year the resort will host children's day camp, June 26-Aug. 5. Designed for young people ages 7-14, the daily sessions feature hiking, arts and crafts, swimming and nature study. This experience is available for local children as well as children who are guests.
A recent event growing by leaps and bounds is the number of couples wanting to be married in the lake's shadow. ``This is really getting popular and we expect it to continue,'' Scanland said.
Saying more and more people like to have their wedding ceremony outside, Scanland quipped that the hotel served as kind of ``a one-stop shop.'' Having the nuptials at the resort gives out-of-town guests a place to stay, and a beautiful setting in which to hold the ceremony.
The hotel already has five ceremonies scheduled for one Saturday this summer. In addition to the weddings, the hotel will continue to host receptions for couples exchanging their vows elsewhere.
The number of family reunions also has increased. ``We have some guests who have been coming for 30 years, and they're bringing their grandchildren to stay with them at the lake,'' Scanland said.
For years, the famous and the not-so-famous have been coming to Mountain Lake to drink in the picture-postcard beauty of the mountain setting. Notable long-term guests in the past have included novelists Edna Lee Turpin and James Branch Cabell and an internationally known pianist, John Powell.
Though it is not known whether Hayes ever returned, President William McKinley enjoyed the hotel's hospitality in 1898. During the 1930s, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt traveled to the resort incognito for a much needed respite from the stress of Washington.
Another visitor during the 1930s and 1940s was Adm. Chester Nimitz.
When the movie ``Dirty Dancing'' was filmed at the Lake, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey walked the grounds, as well as lesser known actors. In recent years, country music queen Reba McEntire stayed overnight with her entourage, assistant manager Amy Reynolds said.
Another famous guest was Karen Grassle, who starred as Caroline Ingalls in the TV series ``Little House on the Prairie.''
Since a hotel has been at Mountain Lake continuously since 1857 one might expect to hear of ghost stories. After all, thousands of Civil War soldiers from both sides tramped the hotel's grounds. Scanland laughed at this inquiry. Chuckling, he said, ``there are no ghosts walking around that I know of.''
But Reynolds related that she's heard stories of Mrs. Mary Moody Northen, who owned the resort from 1969 to her death in 1986, walking the halls from Suite 100, her rooms at the hotel.
For more information about Mountain Lake Resort, call 703-626-7121 or 1-800-346-3334.
by CNB