On Saturday the 27th, the Historic Inns of Rockland will be participating in a holiday house tour as a fundraiser for the Rockland Public Library. Since things are so busy here we’ve started decorating in preparation for the big day. More photos wi be posted in the near future. Here ia a little tease for now……
Yesterday, we got a special delivery. One of the original bookcases that was custom built in 1896 was returned! It had left the property years ago and turned up in s forage area! We don’t know yet where it will go but we are so excited to have it!
Please meet Buster. He is a two year (or so we think) Beagle we got from the Camden Rockport Animal Rescue League. After having lost our 16 year old Lab Mix, Rascal, this past winter Chance was very lonely as he had never spent any amount of time alone before. Two months ago we though we were ready for another pet and on a whim we ended up going to the rescue league in Camden. We feel very fortunate to have found Buster. He has a wonderful temperment, load of personality and get along great with Chance.
For guest coming to the inn with pet allgergies fear not: While we do have two dogs, they live out back in the carriage house with us. Of course play dates are encourage and can be arranged!!
PAII, the Professional Association of Innkeepers International has started a new campaign called A Better Way to Stay to educate the public on why staying at a B&B is the better choice of a chain hotel. They produced a nice little video which Frank and I were proud to be a part of. Check it out below!
This will be the first in a series of Awesome Things Guests Leave in the Room Journals. Some guests write poetry, others great works of art. Some share secret tips onn hidden gems in the area. Some guest just write about what a wonderful time they had at the LimeRock Inn. This was a piece of artwork left by guests prior to checkin out this morning. Enjoy!! Look for more to come!!!!
The gardens are in full bloom here at LimeRock Inn!
Yesterday, Rockland celebrated Summer Solstice in its usual fashion: by closing down Main Street for the evening and hosting a street fair. this annual event draws thousands from all over the area. There is music, dancing, games and some of the most amazing food from our local restaurants. This year marked the first annual pooch parade which opened the event.
Thousands turned out for the annual Summer Sostice Festival in Rockland, Maine
Click here to see some more photos from the event.
We’ve finally finished a long overdue project and replaced the carpeting in the dining room, back hallway and guest pantry. We were dying to see what was underneath because some old photos of the inn showed that there was some pretty intricate detail work done on the floors.
Frank starts removing the old carpet.
Interesting floor details.
All the old carpet completely removed.
As was very common in older homes, at least in Maine, rough wood was used in the center of the room knowing that you would always have an area rug. That’s the Yankee mentality!!
New padding made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles....how green of us!!
New carpet installed.
Humpty Dumpty put all back together again. Just in time for a full house of guests tonight!!
One of our most loved dishes at LimeRock Inn is Frank’s Crabmeat Quiche. In fact, one of our guests this morning said it was the best quiche she’s ever had. It really is quite simple so we thought we’d share the recipe here. I apologize for the rough photo as it was taken with my phone this morning! It’s really much prettier than it appears here.
Crabmeat Quiche
3 large eggs
4 ounces Swiss cheese (shredded)
¼ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup mayonnaise
5 ounces lump crab meat
Salt & pepper
9 inch tart dish
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out your favorite pie crust as thin as possible and lay over tart dish after coating with non-stick baking spray. Fold edges over into dish and press into the edge to create the outer pie crust. Evenly distribute chopped onion and shredded Swiss cheese over the pie crust. In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, mayonnaise, crab meat, salt & pepper, to taste. Add egg mixture to pie crust and bake in pre-heated oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm. (Tip: After baking and turning off the oven, cover the quiche with aluminum foil in the oven to keep it warm until serving.)
Last night we attended the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce annual award dinner. There were about 300 people in attendence and it is the one time of year I will put a suit on. Well…..we won an award! The Beacon Award recognizes a business or organization that has attracted significant positive regional or national attention to the Penobscot Bay region that results in a rise in economic activity for the local business community.
P.J. Walter, left, and Frank Isganitis, center, accept the chamber's Beacon Award on behalf of The LimeRock Inn Saturday night at the Samoset Resort. The resort's General Manager Connie Russell, right, presents the award. (Photo by: Daniel Dunkle)
The presentation is as follows:
After relocating to the Penobscot Bay region from New Jersey, these partners purchased an existing business that was already successful. Together, they represent the principle that individuals working together can achieve results greater than the sum of the parts. This idea is paramount in the way they run their business, interact with their colleagues and reflected in the industry brand that they have helped create.
One of these individuals is a bit more low key choosing to stay behind and “man the fort” in order to allow the other the opportunity to be more overtly community minded. However, he works tirelessly using social media and other online outlets like when Rockland was nominated by Captain Brenda Thomas of the schooner, Issac Evans, as one of the Coolest Small Towns In America last year. Through his efforts, Rockland came in second in the online voting and received the “Editor’s Choice” designation in the October issue of Budget Travel magazine.
The other individual is likely better known in the community. Despite being “from away”, Rockland has embraced them with open arms allowing this individual to become a founding member of Rockland Main Street, Chairman of Rockland’s Economic Development Advisory Committee AND Rockland’s Comprehensive Planning Commission. He is also a member-at-large of Rockland’s Board of Assessment Review and an Executive Committee member of the Chamber.
Through their efforts, the region has hosted celebrities like Bobby Flay, Samantha Brown, and Rachel Ray. In addition, the region has received television recognition on the Food Network, HGTV, Wheel of Fortune, CBS Good Morning, The Today Show, and at least four appearances on WCSH6-NBC Portland as well as countless local, regional and national print publications.
They use all of these opportunities to shine a light on and promote the Penobscot Bay region, and I never get the impression the attention is about them or their business. They always make their efforts about the region and local community and why it’s so great to come here. They are tremendous ambassadors of the Penobscot Bay region. For all these reasons, we offer the Beacon Award to The LimeRock Inn owners, PJ Walter and Frank Isganitis.
We are so incredibly honored and humbled by receving this award. The way we operate is reflected in a quote from the Community Person of the Year Winner, “If you see something that needs to get done, do it. If you don’t know how to do it, learn.” These are words to live by!