December 10, 2003
Inn displays holiday spirit
Nearly 500 people tour highly decorated Wellington Inn
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Throwing open the doors for an Inn at Christmastime tour, Barb Rishel welcomed just under 500 people to the Wellington Inn this weekend.
The 12-room inn, formerly the Hull House and situated at the corner of Washington and Wellington, shone in Christmas glory. Rooms in four stories were decorated by a phalanx of area florists who pulled out all stops to showcase the holiday season.
Ten area florists descended on the house last Tuesday to put it in the Christmas spirit, some staying until 3 a.m. to get it all right. The rooms shone with fully decorated Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands and decorations of all kinds large and small.
"You hate so much to have all this go, it has added so much to the house," noted Dorine Rudd, owner of Design Strategies in Lake Ann, who served as a room host Saturday afternoon.
Rishel invited the florists to participate in November, having them over to see the scope of the projects and choose rooms. Many eagerly signed on for a room and some even came back later to ask if they could do another room, she noted.
After watching and guiding the streaming crowds over the weekend, Rishel is very pleased at the community response and thrilled at the Christmas make-over by the florists.
"We wanted to find a way to share the house with the community at Christmas," Rishel said. "It was very nice."
More than 75 volunteers assisted with the effort, hosting rooms, taking tickets, serving treats and cleaning up after each day of the three-day event. Many of the volunteers have been with the project since Rishel purchased the property in 1999 and began a three-year renovation. Many in the community embraced her effort to rework the house and create an inn and tearoom in this 99-year-old home, and showed their support by volunteering countless hours.
"Barb deserves a great deal of thanking for what she has done here, she's preserved a Traverse City treasure," said Flo Schermerhorn of Traverse City, who along with her husband, Bob, have helped with the project since the beginning.
"People are interested in going through these grand homes and it's a rare opportunity in Traverse City," she added. "She keeps history alive and I wanted to be a part of it."