Meetings and Events Archives - Page 2 of 2

A Big Thank You to All Who Were Part of the New River Birding and Nature Festival

We love to make our guests cry.

Wow, what a week! So much fun, so much hard work, so many people to thank.

Opossum Creek Retreat is the happy home of The New River Birding and Nature Festival.

For one week a year we entertain about 100 people a day, feeding them, taking them on birding and nature field trips, showing off our guides’ amazing talents with popcorn talks, evening presentations, and according to the participants, having lots of fun.

The Festival is one of our favorite times of year.

Here at OCR, we know “we” is a big word. The gargantuan “we” that makes this event happen behind the scenes are OSSUM!

From the breakfast at Burnwood in the AM to the lunches in the field (made with love by the early-rising ladies in the deli at Foodland) to the ACE adventures super-safe bus drivers that make it possible to criss-cross the New River Gorge Region as a group. Sharon, Cindy and the staff at the CVB put up with a lot over the course of the year. Pastor Ray Crook and the ladies of the ramps who feed a few lucky trips each year at the Danese Community Center.

Sherri at the NPS patiently reminds me, then re-answers the same questions I had last year as we fill out the National Park Service permit forms.

Spouses and friends all contribute in their own way, from jumping in and volunteering to stitching names on hats or keeping the home fires burning while we immerse ourselves in the week.

The landowners like Dave Ross of Dave’s Exxon who allows us to traipse onto his family’s fields and revel in the unexplainable song of the Bobolink.

I am surely missing some, like a bird I forgot to mention in all the excitement, but they are no less appreciated.

We’ve seen the birds countless times. What is amazing is when one of our guests, world famous authors, or guides sees the birds for the first time. At that moment everyone in the group can feel the wonder, awe and emotion wash over us. “We” all feel the joy.

Tears of joy are far too rare in this world. Those feelings are why we do this event.

Thank you to all our past and future guests. We are honored to share this festival with you.

I am not crying.

Events at Oppossum Creek Retreat & New River Gorge

Bang! Like getting shot out of a cannon! (On my bucket list, by the way.) That’s how we start our season.

The New River Birding and Nature Festival (April 29- May 4) is our Daytona 500. Yes, I just referenced NASCAR in the same sentence as a nature festival. We like doing it this way; it’s like getting smelling salts when you are a little groggy from that long winter’s nap.

Why is this festival such a big deal here at OCR? We love getting together with people who appreciate our woodland home in the Gorge as much as we do. So much so that we provide a daily dinner and nature presentation, which is included in the festival registration. Major media contributors, distinguished authors and nature educators will share their expertise over a delicious homestyle meal.

And just after the New River Birding & Nature Festival, climbers will converge in town for The New River Rendezvous (May 16-19), one of the East Coast’s most loved rock climbing get togethers. Newbies and experts alike will be here sharpening their skills, sharing their tips and taking on the Gorge’s diverse sandstone cliff faces.

This is their 10th event (Rendezvous X), and the VIPs have been staying here with us at OCR since the beginning.

We have lots of other Big Events planned. We have already had two couples share their vows here, and the new Wedding Pavilion in the backyard of The Meadows is going to make even more couples really happy this season.

The Boy Scouts are coming in for the first-ever Jamboree at their new home, The Bechtel Summit, in July. Scouts from all across the globe will be flooding in to adventure through the Gorge and lend a hand with community service projects.

We also have some family reunions and corporate retreats on the calendar as we roll into summer. Never a dull moment!

But even with all of this going on, we still have some great weekends available for people to tie the knot, have a reunion, or just sneak away to a cabin in the woods.

Has your year started off with a bang, too? Hope it’s been as good as ours!

Weddings at Opossum Creek – We Love This Stuff!

Set up for a celebration at The Meadows with loved ones.

Aw! The first wedding of the year just took place at Opossum Creek!

The seasons fade in and out, and lovers keep joining us to bind their lives together at Opossum Creek Retreat.

What’s the allure of OCR (other than the picturesque perfection)?

Exchanging vows here is something special. Each ceremony reflects the unique bond of the couple professing their “I do’s.” And we make creating your elaborate moment simple. We LOVE helping people get hitched!

Step 1 is choosing a venue. You need: a breathtaking ceremony location, a place to party down for the reception, and comfortable lodging for guests. Lucky for us, we have all three at Opossum Creek Retreat.

Most of our weddings prefer our DIY (do it yourself) package, which includes: up to three nights in the Meadows cabin (depending on the season), outdoor tables and chairs, a 20×40 tent, outdoor restroom facilities, and some fresh flowers to spruce up outside and around the cabin.

But we’ve got more options, and we’re more than happy to help you tie your knot, your bow, your tie, whatever makes your vows your moment to enjoy.

We are happy to do everything except fitting the dresses.

(And, hey, we’ll help find you someone for that, too. We know people.)

Special Events! Where We Make You Feel Special at Opossum Creek Retreat

We host lots of special events here at Opossum Creek Retreat. Want to take part or plan one of your own? Read on…

Yoga and Climbing Weekend

This event starts tomorrow and you can still get in, so DO IT. We do a fair number of these specialty events each year.

You may not believe this but I practice yoga, and way back when I climbed too. These two activities belong together, and Elaina Erinz Smith and Erin Larson blend them wonderfully.

This is the second year for this ossum, intimate, expertly organized weekend. See you on the mat but not on the rock.

Run Around the Gorge

I am not a runner, but this looks like fun and Mark Lattanzi is a pro at organizing and running an event.

Even the guy who pulled a muscle and was laid up on the couch was smiling and having fun at last year’s event. He did not get to run but came anyway because he loves the camaraderie, the area, and the food.

So he got to relax at Opossum Creek Retreat all weekend cheering his friends new and old to the finish.

Meetings

If you have to be in a meeting, you should do it here.

Why? Because even though you need to get some work done, you can do it in one of the prettiest conference rooms around. It’s almost like you’re working outside; huge windows let nature right in.

Weddings

It’s a no-brainer that Opossum Creek is a place where lots of couples want to host their weddings.

Beautiful outdoor space? Check.
Plenty of nature and pretty views? Check.
Room for lots of guests to stay? Check.
Great indoor space too? Check.
An unique venue unlike any other? Check.

Who could ask for more?

Family Reunions

We’ve already given you plenty of reasons why Opossum Creek is THE place to host a family reunion. Simply put, we’re the perfect spot for reconnecting, rejuvenating, and remembering what’s important.

Some Other Fun Events

In 2013 there’s the Todd Norian yoga retreat weekend. My yoga teacher BabaRANBOYD has been studying with this guy for almost a decade. I am excited to be able to attend one of his weekend sessions on my home turf.

And of course the big one: The New River Birding and Nature Festival. This has grown into an amazing week with hundreds of people enjoying our hospitality and the Spring migration of birds.

We may not be all that special. But when we host events like these our guests tell us we are.

Okay, all are guests are special. I was just trying to say we do special events really well. Now, I am not bragging, Just repeating what I have been told. Why else would they keep coming back?

Want to feel special too? Just come to Opossum Creek Retreat.

Consumed, Devoured, Hit by a Train, Chewed Up, Spit Out, and Left for Dead

And that was from the family reunion, not the “Derecho” storm!

About the derecho – we suffered no damage from the storm at the Cabins or our home. Our neighbors and friends were not so lucky. We were without power for 8 days, but everything is back to “normal”.

The family reunion was a huge success! Really, it was “Ossum”.

I had every intention of giving regular updates during the week of my Familial-ish reunion; what we were up to, how it was going , who liked what best and why.

But then reality set in: TOO MUCH FUN! We were too busy ‘reunioning’ for me to talk about it. So a month later, here goes.

All week people were movin’ and groovin’, making themselves happy doing any number of activities (we will talk about ALL the great activities in a future post). Hanging out with each other, getting away from each other, and even fixing stuff. Fixing is always more fun when you have help!

The single best part of the week (although I was not excited about it at first) was the daily group meal idea. It turned out great. We kept it simple. No one got over stressed (that I saw) about putting on the dog for 40 + people. And because we did not try to outdo each other with fancy dishes, serving standard fare, that made it all the better.

The first night we ordered pizza from Pies & Pints. WARNING: This is important!There are two phone numbers for two locations on the website; one is in Fayetteville (304-574-2200) only 10 minutes from the cabins. The other is in downtown Charleston, WV, over an hour away. Do not call the Charleston location and order 20 pizzas! Like we did.

Now, this could have been really bad. But fortunately, we are a lucky bunch. When the group standing at the bar in Fayetteville got blank stares when asking for 20 pizzas plus all the other good stuff, some brilliant detective work quickly revealed the order had been called into Charleston.

This is the lucky part: The Brits arrived at Yeager Airport in Charleston a few minutes before the pizza was coming out of the oven at the Charleston Pies & Pints, so we just swung by and loaded up. This makes me laugh and started the week off with a great “TOP THIS MESS UP” story.

For the rest of the week, family groups took turns satiating the masses from The Meadows Kitchen. Nothing fancy: frozen lasagna, chili, hamburgers and hot dogs, mexican grub, and leftovers made up the menu for the week.

Maybe the simplicity helped take some of the stress out of cooking for 40 people down a notch or two. The emphasis was on sharing a meal and some conversation with loved ones, and this was going on in abundance all week. It was magical.

It is a monumental task to organize a family reunion. Let us help you make yours as wonderful as ours was.

See you at the Cabins!

How Not To Have The Family Reunion From Hell: Part 2

Panic has set in.

The last-minute barrage of questions is in full frenzy.

This is not unusual behavior; it’s just that this time, the zeal my family is demonstrating at this point in the planning has caught me off guard. I don’t know why, because they do everything like this: OVERBOARD.

What you need to understand is that each event (no matter if it is a couple getting away for the weekend or a wedding for 100), has phases.

We're more like friends once you've stayed with us!

1. Inspiration

2. Research

3. Planning

4. Scheduling

5. Planning

6. Reservations

7. Planning

8. Packing

9. Forgetting all the planning

Then calling someone who might remember what was planned.

And then finally calling anyone you may have had contact with because, “OMG I cant find the map”!

This is an excerpt from an actual conversation about our reunion:

“I found the MAP”

“Good.”

“How do we get to where this map is? What State is this in?”

“West Virginia.”

“WEST VIRGINIA? HONEY YOU NEVER SAID WE WERE GOING TO WEST VIRGINIA! Does this place have running water?”

This illustrates that no matter how hard you try, some communication just doesn’t get out to the whole group.

Communication in all its forms is the cornerstone to a good event. Our family has had hundreds of communiques over the past months and addressed each issue more than once.

However in the excitement of the waning hours before departure the brain does weird stuff! People start blurting out questions before they even ask themselves if they might already know the answer. Grown adults become completely helpless and need someone to hold their hand while they decide what to pack.

Here at Opossum Creek, we answer these questions and go through all the phases for total strangers everyday. And then they are not strangers anymore. But if it’s your family you’re dealing with, then they just become ‘stranger’.

The strange people who are my family start arriving on Saturday. I half expect to wake up and they will be sleeping in their car in my yard a day early. It has happened before.

I will keep you posted as to how the chaos progresses and when Murphy shows up.

How Not to Have “The Family Reunion from HELL!”

I am planning for my family to arrive in June. This is a true story and is happening as we speak. Okay, we are not technically speaking, but you know what I mean. Or did you?

That is the really challenge at the heart of a family reunion: communication. Even though everyone in my family speaks English as a first and only language, getting them all on the same page is like herding cats with a pressure washer. If you are lucky it is very exciting and rewarding for a brief moment, but the overall effort is usually futile.

Here are a few things we are learning (this time around):

Practice makes perfect. We do not plan a family reunion on a regular basis and it shows. Those families that we see here at OCR who make an annual or biannual tradition out of it have the advantage. Expectations have been managed through repetition.

I hate to say this, but someone has to be the point person. This seems to work best if there can be several point people, actually. Food, Lodging, Group activities; all of this must be arranged. Ultimately, someone has to be large and in charge. Personally, I love chaos and mayhem, especially when they show up together! So for me not knowing who is cooking dinner and what it will be are not big questions. But others’ happiness depends on knowing every detail long before it happens, like what type napkins will be in the dinner roll baskets at each meal. So you’ve got to plan.

Knowing the differences that make people tick is helpful because it allows everyone to get the details they need. A Google doc spreadsheet is a great place for all this to evolve. Remember, not everyone will feel safe entering info in this format and you’ll need another method for them to get ideas out to the group.

Also, we are using a Facebook group page and it has been great. It makes for wonderful conversations taking place before the event even kicks off. Still, some folks will not bring certain things up until they confer with others in the group. This helps put things in place that may have otherwise been overlooked, such as who is driving Grama? Because last time she farted and ruined my new car seat…..

We all need to spend more time with those crazy people we are linked to by family ties. Reunions are the perfect way to do just that. But remember, planning is key

I will report back as we get closer to our own event and during said festivities. Until then remember: women are a bowl of spaghetti and men are waffles.

‘Birding By Butt’ and the New River Birding and Nature Festival

Well now that was a big week.

In fact, it was Opossum Creek Retreat’s biggest week of the year.

The New River Birding and Nature Festival just ended, and a good bit of the festival takes place here at OCR. Somewhere between 60-100 people a day get to enjoy our slice of almost heaven during the festival. During this event, people gather to appreciate the beauty and wonder of the New River Gorge.

We do not cook for many groups, but we will if it is the right fit. And this festival is. It’s all about happy people doing fun stuff, learning, and enjoying good food.

On Monday morning we got things going in a “back porch” kind of way with “Birding by Butt”.

We spent the day milling around the grounds, watching birds from the comfort of our lawn chairs (hence the name, “Birding by Butt”), in between feedings. This helps everyone get to know each other and settle into the routine of birding, eating, and listening to great presentations.

But you could say that Birding By Butt is a bit of a misnomer, because we do spend some time walking around the 20-some acres of Opossum Creek Retreat.

The day goes something like this:

People start rolling in about 6 AM and we have coffee and drinks ready. We get everyone checked in and give them a name tag and this spiel: “We will be taking walks and getting birds in the scopes and eating and watching Bill Hilton of Project Ruby Throat band a bird or two if we are lucky. There are plenty of chairs for you to bird by butt from, so get comfy and relax for a few minutes before we take a group for a walk.”

Of course everyone is too excited to sit down. They want to “go go go” and they soon hear, “My name is Jim McCormac” or “My name is Mark Garland” and “I will be leading a walk up the road. Who would like to join me?”. The routine of relaxing in the chairs around yard comes slower to some, but before long everyone has settled into the idea of Birding By Butt, just letting the birds come to them.

And they do.

During the rest of the week we come back to OCR after our field trips and have a ‘popcorn talk’. After that we have dinner, then the main attraction for the evening, another speaker or presentation.

It was great to look out the window and see folks sitting in chairs or just walking around looking up into the trees, smiling.

We also hosted the Roads Scholar group on Wednesday and Friday for the “Birding by Butt” routine. Keith and I also led field trips every day of the week (the best part of the week for us).

The New River Birding and Nature Festival is a great way to kick-start us out of winter season; we’d love more events like this to pour ourselves into. There is a price to pay for this much fun and we gladly pay it year after year.

By all accounts, the 10th Annual New River Birding and Nature Festival was the best one yet.

If you have a group you would like us to take care of for a week (or even just a couple of days), give us a call and let’s talk. We might even teach you how to bird by butt.

The Personal Touch – Meetings at Opossum Creek Retreat

Doug Arbogast is an adjunct faculty member of Bridgemont Community and Technical College and Principal of Travel Green Appalachia. He promotes authentic and sustainable travel experiences in Appalachia on his blog – www.travelgreenappalachia.com.

I was fortunate to be a participant in a working retreat at Opossum Creek Retreat last week. The retreat brought in faculty and staff from Bridgemont Community and Technical College in Montgomery, WV to refine and refocus their Sustainability Awareness Training curriculum.

In order to practice what we preach, we looked for a locally owned and operated venue suitable for a group of 10-20 to do some brainstorming for a few days. Geoff and Keith graciously offered to host our retreat and provide food for the group at a price comparable to the chain hotel options we considered.

Here’s why you too should consider Opossum Creek Retreat for your next corporate retreat:

First Class Service
Warm cookies awaiting us on arrival, attention to every detail, logo mugs and stickers, and a guided tour of the property show that they truly care about and appreciate each guest.
Craftsmanship
Hand crafted cabins from locally milled timber where each piece of wood, from the trim to the tables, has a story.
Ownership
I doubt you’d find the owners of any chain hotel awake before you are making your breakfast.
Buy Local
Leakage occurs when the dollars you spend leak out of the community. OCR is locally owned and operated. At OCR the dollars you spend trickle down to other community businesses they support like West Virginia Fruit and Berry Sparkling Cider, Happy Trails Café, Red Roof Farm Jam, and Blue Smoke Salsa.
Farm to Table
Get to know the chickens that laid the eggs you ate for breakfast.
One of Your Personal Chefs

According to the 350 Project:

*When you spend $100 in a national chain only $43 stays in the community. The rest leaks out to the national headquarters or suppliers which are located elsewhere.

*When you spend the same $100 in a locally owned, independent business $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures.

We ventured into downtown Fayetteville, WV and put more of our money into the community by enjoying some handcrafted pizza and local brews at Pies and Pints.

If you consider the impact of your business (or leisure) trips and not only the ability to accomplish the goals of your retreat but also the quality of the experience then I encourage you to seek out venues like OCR for your next retreat.

Check out the OCR Facebook page for testimonials from some of the retreat participants.

Oh, and did I mention what its like to sit in a hot tub in the cool winter air, under a clear night sky, filled with stars and void of light pollution after a full day of meetings?