A group of employees from The Sandbar (Lawrence and Ottawa both), The Lodge of Baldwin City, and the new Plaza theatre in Ottawa just returned from a brainstorming retreat in tiny Beaumont, Kansas.
Those in attendance included: Peach and Ted; Dana, the Ottawa Sandbar manager, and his wife Lori, who works part time at the Plaza; Ashley and Dana, Ottawa Sandbar employees; Kate, Carol, Stacy, and Charles from The Lodge; “Movie” Dave from the Plaza theatre; and Dave and I from Lawrence. We also brought along our favorite local entertainer, Marlln, and his lovely wife, Julie.
Peach’s brother Patrick is the manager of the Beaumont Hotel, which is about 40 miles outside of Wichita. The hotel was built in 1879 to shelter pioneers traveling by stagecoach and railroad. It has seven rooms and four suites available on two levels. The unique thing about the Beaumont is that it has a grass landing strip. Pilots from all over the place fly in to Beaumont and stop in for a meal. It’s common for the residents of Beaumont to have airplane traffic jams on Main Street!
We had the place to ourselves Sunday night. The hotel staff was incrediby welcoming and gracious, and we enjoyed some wonderful food. All of us had a great time getting to know the staff from the other businesses and sharing stories and advice. Patrick fixed a bonfire Sunday night, and we sat around the fire drinking and telling jokes, and listening to Marlin’s music. And, just as The Sandbar video says, Patrick fell off his chair.
It was a wonderfully relaxing retreat from daily life. If your family or company is looking for a great place to get away, check out the Beaumont Hotel. You won’t be disappointed.