For some of the “older” F-S-W veterans, who can remember back to when an Eskimo represented more than just a race of people in Alaska, a lunch event and tour of the premises at the old Forrest Hotel provides a rather pleasantly revealing observation of a classy renovation of an old town landmark.
The schedule of luncheons are put on by the Forrest Historical Society and are served in the main floor dining/banquet rooms. The serving we attended, Tuesday, May 13th at 11:00, was sold out and rightly so because the food was well selected and prepared and the ambiance was unique and comfortable The buffet style hot/cold dishes of the main course were followed by a table delivery of a desert arrangement that took strawberry rhubarb crisp, layered chocolate delight, and lemon bars to a whole new height of temptation in multiple dainty proportions .
The ladies who made it happen were energetic, well organized, and had a home town flair in their efforts that put a smile on your face. The building has undergone a complete transformation, inside and out, and now presents a very appealing presence that has a clean, bright, and well appointed appearance while maintaining the character of its age and history.
In addition to the kitchen and the dining rooms on the main floor there is also a nifty little gift shop stationed right inside the front doors that can’t help but appeal to our needs or wants and it is adjoined by the stairway leading up to the rooms on the second floor.
Having negotiated the stairs (there is a mechanized lift chair to assist guests in need of help) you will find four individual arrangements of rooms, each of which is done in a different décor, eye catching and unique in their separate themes as well as invitingly comfortable. The rooms are available for visitors and the venue is of a “bed and breakfast” nature so, instead of having those pesky in-laws staying at your place you can just send them on over to the Hotel where they can enjoy a well cared for stay.
Or, maybe you’d just like to take a break yourself and experience a “sleep-over” in an atmosphere that gives you both an interesting experience and the comfortable escape with a bed and a meal that someone else is going to make – maybe for a special occasion or, just to pamper yourself.
The building also has a basement that has been converted into a “meet and dine” hall (or just meet if you prefer) and it has been done up as the “Garden Room” with a décor that appropriately matches its name – very nice and plenty of room if you have a group meeting agenda to contend with. If you haven’t seen the Hotel since its rebirth you should at least take a look, especially if you’re aware of the place’s history and how it used to look – hats off to the Historical Society and all of those who have contributed to the rescue of one of the town’s historical monuments.
By the way, those old stories about the monkeys running around the place in days gone by (the actual animal, not the singing group) – well, they’re true. The old owner actually had monkeys on the premises – how would you like to wake up and see one of them looking in the window (on the second floor). Not to worry though, they’re long gone, safely encased in the Hotel’s history of yesteryear.