Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast

Raleigh's Chef Make It To TV Food Network

2011-08-03T22:29:00.001-04:00

Raleigh is home to three chefs that have appeared on TV Food Network. Executive Chef Walter Royal of the Angus Barn in Raleigh was on Iron Chef.

Professional chefs are rarely completely satisfied because they’re perfectionists, according to Walter. Although his mind may be totally focused on pleasing guests, his imagination is always soaring thinking of new ideas. And soar it did when Walter was asked to be appear as a guest chef on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America. (must log into facebook member to view) Taking a road far less traveled by celebrated chefs previously on the show, Walter led his team of four to victory by stepping completely out of the box. Chef Royal and his team defeated celebrity Iron Chef Cat Cora 51-43 in an upset not even the most experienced oddsmaker would have predicted.

The originality of using the mystery ingredient, ostrich, in traditional southern dishes impressed the judges so greatly that they awarded Chef Royal and his team the highest score ever given in the history of the hit television show. Competing celebrity Iron Chefs who have appeared on the show include Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Masaharu Morimoto and Cat Cora.

Whereas Cat Cora prepared a showy European gourmet dish using ostrich, Chef Royal and his team appealed to back-to-basic taste buds, creating ostrich burger with homemade chips; ostrich satay with peanut dipping Sauce, now found on the Angus Barn menu; ostrich pot pie with black pepper honey; ostrich filet with smashed rutabagas, turnips and wilted watercress; and finally, the piece de resistance: chocolate soufflé made with an ostrich egg. (Is your mouth watering yet?) The judges made no secret of their passion for the soufflé. As Judge Joel McHale summarized the soufflé, “You managed to take one of the ugliest birds and put it into one of the best desserts!”

Chef Royal gives credit to the team that tackled the challenges of inventing and executing those audacious ostrich dishes. For his award-winning challenge, he chose Angus Barn sous chefs Julia Strickland and Alan McSwain. As an added bonus, Walter asked the producers if Van and Steve’s son, then twelve-year-old Christopher, could appear for a segment. The judges consented, and Christopher became the youngest assistant on record in the show’s long history. Julia, now the owner of her own restaurant, Poppyseed Market & Deli, said, “Being chosen by Chef Royal as part of his ‘Iron Chef’ team was the chance of a lifetime and I was so proud to be part of his victory!”

http://www.angusbarn.com/index.htm

Then there was Pitmaster Ed Mitchell of the Pit Restaurant in downtown Raleigh, NC who won against Bobby Flay in a Throwdown. The food was baby back ribs Carolina BBQ sauce style and baked beans. The Throwdown, a Food Network show featuring Bobby Flay came to Raleigh at Haywood Hall where the challenge was hosted. You want some beautiful ribs, go to The Pit and visit Ed Mitchell.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/throwdown-with-bobby-flay/bbq-ribs/index.html

http://haywoodhall.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/chef-bobby-flay-takes-on-pitmaster-ed-mitchell-at-haywood-hall/

Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Dinner in downtown Raleigh was the third chef to appear on the TV Food Network. Check out my previous blog about Poole’s and Ashley Christensen.

Another Raleigh Chef against the Iron Chefs

2011-07-30T17:30:00.003-04:00

Ashley Christensen, owner/chef, of Poole's Diner in Raleigh, NC went up against Iron Chef Bobby Flay on food Networks TV show Iron Chef. Unfortunately, Ashley lost to Bobby Flay, but she should not have any shame in a brilliant showing of her culinary skills. Doris and I have known Ashley for many years, first meeting when she was at Enoteca Vin in Raleigh. This woman can really cook... I mean REALLY COOK! We have been to Poole's Diner a couple of times. She should be very proud of herself going on national TV up against Bobby. She may have lost the battle, but she has won the food war. Just go to Poole's.... if you can get in.... and see what this culinary master can do!

http://eater.com/archives/2011/07/25/ashley-christensen-vs-bobby-flay-in-iron-chef-battle-chum-salmon.php

http://www.indyweek.com/BigBite/archives/2011/07/25/how-did-ashley-christen-fare-on-iron-chef-america

http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2011/06/ashley_christensen_of_pooles_d.html

Cameron Park Inn of Raleigh Temporary Closed

2011-06-25T22:02:00.002-04:00

The Cameron Park Inn of Raleigh was struck by lightning on June 20, 2011 which caused some severe fire damage. Jon and Nickki who are wonderful people had a devastating blow dealt them when some severe thunderstorms past through Raleigh at 2am that morning. The Cameron Park Inn will be closed temporarily while repairs take place. It is not certain how long the repairs will take, but there was severe water and smoke damage as well.

In the meantime, the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast and Woodburn Cottage will be helping to accommodate Cameron Park Inn's guests who had reservations. Check out both of our websites.

The Oakwood Inn is www.oakwoodinnbb.com or call us at 919-832-9712.

For the story, check out WRAL's website link: http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/9751030/

WEDDING? CHECK OUT OUR BACKYARD FOR YOUR VOWS

2011-04-10T21:34:00.002-04:00

If you or someone you know is looking for a place in downtown Raleigh to have their wedding, checkout the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast. Call to ask about pricing and what we can do you make your wedding day a memory that will last forever. We are specializing in having the ceremony performed in our wonderfully new backyard!

www.oakwoodinnbb.com or call 919-832-9712.

VALENTINE'S GIFT BON JOVI IN RALEIGH

2011-01-31T21:28:00.003-04:00

Bon Jovi will be at the RBC Center in Raleigh on Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are on sale now.

GREAT VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT FOR YOUR LOVER!

Get tickets NOW....... at: http://www.rbccenter.com/

Stay at the Oakwood Inn B & B. Use our Concierge service to pick you up at the Inn, take you out for dinner and then on to the concert and then returned to the Inn for a good night's rest with a fantastic breakfast in the morning!

http://www.americancourierandconcierge.com/

www.Oakwoodinnbb.com

DOGS PLAYING LIKE CHILDREN IN THE SNOW

2011-01-18T23:57:00.003-04:00

Here is our dogs, Chimay the standard poodle, the backyard checking things out. She had a blast running, jumping, and eating snow. She chased her little brother, Chouffee the miniature poodle, around the backyard. They both got a lot of exercise which was good. Chouffee got cold after about 30 minutes and he went in, but Chimay stayed out for a little while longer.

CRAZY DOGS! Played just like two kids.

SNOW? IN RALEIGH? CHRISTMAS DAY?

2011-01-18T23:40:00.002-04:00

Here is a photo of the front of the Inn on the morning of December 26, 2010. WHO SAYS IT IS THE SUNNY SOUTH??!! It started snowing in Raleigh about 11pm on Christmas evening. by morning, we had about 7 inches of snow! It was a wet one, too. You can tell by the tree branches sort of hanging low.

February - Valentine's Day

2011-01-18T23:06:00.002-04:00

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH.......

Although it is called Valentine's Day, we in the Inn business celebrate it as Valentine's month. The reason being, we do not have enough rooms to accommodate all of the guests who wish to celebrate it on that one specific day. So, people come throughout the month to celebrate this romantic time with their loved one. Check out our website. If you have an idea of what you want to do, ask us if it is possible, we can then give you an idea of what the cost will be.

The Day is coming up fast, so if you want to celebrate with that special person in your life, hurry and book a room. Even if you are located just in Raleigh or nearby, in the past, we have had many a guests be local, but just want something different and unique. Stay at Raleigh's first Bed & Breakfast; established in 1984.

Image by Dhillon on Desi Comments.com

Oakwood Inn contact information:

www.oakwoodinnbb.com

919-832-9712

Indy's Best In The Triangle 2010 - Bed & Breakfast

2011-01-18T22:29:00.003-04:00

The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast came in as a second finalist in this category.
This list is compiled by the readers of The Indepedent Entertainment Weekly Newspaper.
The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast received the distinction of finalist with King's Daughters Inn of Durham as the winner.

Below are the links to the article in the newspaper, and the other link shows the list with The Oakwood Inn listed.

If you are looking for a place to stay in the Triangle, The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast was voted as one of the best places to stay with regards to the Bed & Breakfast category. Check out our website: www.oakwoodinnbb.com.
http://www.indyweek.com/indyweek/best-of-the-triangle-2010/Content?oid=1468392

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/readers-choice-poll-winners/Content?oid=1470886&storyPage=5

Oakwood Inn B & B is pictured above. Second place in finalist category.

Three Carolina Hurricanes Players in NHL All Star Game

2011-01-11T17:50:00.002-04:00

RALEIGH, N.C. — Several Carolina Hurricanes will be playing in the All-Star Weekend in Raleigh.
Center Eric Staal and goalie Cam Ward were selected to play in the All-Star Game while rookie Jeff Skinner was one of 12 first-year players chosen for the SuperSkills Competition. The three of these players have had great seasons and will do well in participating in this event. The great thing about it, is that these three players will be playing in front of their loyal fan base. Hockey is doing well down here in the South. Carolina has a great team. With three of its top players in the NHL All Star game on January 30, 2011, it should be a big win!
Staal, Ward and Skinner take it as an honor for them to play in the NHL All Star game especially since it is in their home town of Raleigh, but it is a joy for us fans!
Come join the fun and game on weekend of January 28-30, 2011. We still have rooms available at the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast. Check out our website at www.oakwoodinnbb.com or call us at 919-832-9712 or 800-267-9712. We are a 25 minute walk from the Convention Center where there is going to be lots of activities and fun. We are a only a 20 minute drive from the RBC where the game will be played.

NHL All Star Game in Raleigh 2011

2011-01-10T22:01:00.002-04:00

Raleigh is hosting the NHL All Star game this year in 2011. January 28-30, 2011 is the weekend and many.... just about all of the hotels are booked. The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast still has rooms available. If you need tickets we can maybe also help you get tickets to the games and activities using our concierge service. Check out our website www.oakwoodinnbb.com and please call us for details 919-832-9712.

As it was nicely said: "The fact the All-Star Game is awarded to the Hurricanes is a testament to the strength of this franchise and, above all, the enthusiasm and fantastic support that you 'Caniacs have shown your team," Bettman added. "When the 'Canes are home, you make RBC Center one of the loudest places in sports."

Carolina President and General Manager Jim Rutherford and team owner Peter Karmonos, Jr. said hosting an All-Star Game will offer a tremendous boon for the capital city of North Carolina. Not to mention the fact fans will absolutely go bonkers for All-Star Weekend

NHL WEEKEND IN RALEIGH 2011

2011-01-07T22:36:00.002-04:00

NHL All Star weekend this January 28-30, 2011!! Hockey fans we have rooms available for that weekend! Check out our website at www.oakwoodinnbb.com. The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast is located about a 25 minute walk from the convention center. We are about a 20 minute drive to the RBC center. We have a concierge service that can provide transportation, pick meals for you, get tickets for events and make reservations at the restaurants. Check out our website for update on rooms available. Call us about the concierge service to assist you, it is called American Courier & Concierge located right downtown: http://www.americancourierandconcierge.com.

Below is an article that was posted on the upcoming NHL All Star Weekend.

The Sheraton Raleigh Hotel may not be that busy now, but soon, it will score a hat trick with full rooms, restaurant, and bar.

“We've been sold out for 2-1/2 weeks now,” said Tom Dillon, the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel's Assistant Director of Sales. “We have upwards of 1,700 rooms sold for the event for the week. It will be the largest event this hotel has ever seen.”

The Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau expects the international all-star game and the associated events will draw thousands of people to the capitol city and pour millions of dollars into the economy.

“Without a doubt this event is going to be the largest international sporting event ever held in Raleigh and Wake County,” said Scott Dupree, V.P. of Sports Marketing, Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We're talking about, based on what previous host cities have reported, an economic impact of $10 million plus.

And it's not just hotels already seeing an all star impact.

“Restaurants are already getting bookings, reservations, special parties and events,” said Dupree. “Special event sites, such as the Convention Center and Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts, those facilities are already booking major events and parties as well.”

NHL All-Star Weekend is Jan. 28 – 30.

In addition to the All-Star hockey game, there will be NHL Fan Fair inside the Convention Center and All-Star Wide Open Street Party, similar to the Raleigh Wide Open Celebrations.

GET YOUR ROOMS BOOKED NOW!!!

NC Museum of Art: NORMAN ROCKWELL

2010-09-26T17:32:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure if the above painting will be in the exhibit, but since I'm a pharmacist, I am using it in my blog.
EXHIBIT DATES: November 7, 2010 to January 30, 2011.
Check out the north Carolina Museum of Art website for more information:
http://ncartmuseum.org/exhibitions/norman_rockwell/

American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell traces the evolution of Rockwell’s art and iconography throughout his career—from carefully choreographed reflections on childhood innocence in such paintings asDay in the Life of a Little Girl (1952) to powerful, consciousness-raising images forLook in the 1960s, documenting the traumatic realities of desegregation in the South. Rockwell’s artistic contributions and the impact of his images on American popular culture are explored within the context of his life and times through in-depth exhibition commentary, a decade-by-decade installation of 40 original works of art, and a complete set of 323 Saturday Evening Post cover tear sheets, spanning 47 years. The exhibition travels to 12 national venues through 2013.
The nation’s premier illustrator for more than six decades, Norman Rockwell (1894–1978) was the people’s painter, depicting scenes from American life for the covers and pages of the most prominent publications. Rockwell is most recognized for his illustrations featured on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post from 1916 to 1963. This important exhibition will offer a multidimensional view of America across the 20th century, as seen through Rockwell’s narrative images, which continue to have a singular impact today.
As the first major exhibition in the Museum’s Center for Special Exhibitions, American Chronicles brings the art of America’s most recognized illustrator to North Carolina. Transcending generations, this exhibition provides the opportunity for all visitors, young and old, to discover and rediscover Rockwell’s reflections of 20th-century America.

OAKWOOD INN B & B JOINS NEUSE RIVERKEEPER FOUNDATION

2010-09-16T15:39:00.003-04:00

The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast will be joining the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation. After listening to a presentation on Friday, September 10 at the Seaboard Station in Raleigh, Doris and I decided that it was an important cause that the Oakwood Inn B & B should support. It is aligned with our position on sustainability and protecting our finite valuable resources. Along with our other “Go Green” policies, we believe that we can help this wonderful cause. Check out their website and join. http://www.neuseriver.org/

OAKWOOD INN B & B's ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY - Going Green
Go Green! Sustainability. Eco-friendly. The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast has been environmentally responsible since before Doris and I purchased the Inn in September of 2001. We have always been conservative in our use of natural resources because we know that they are a finite supply and if not used efficiently and effectively, will eventually run out. We ask our guests to please join us and help us be GREEN by being mindful of Mother Nature’s Resource supplies.

Below are many of the things we do at the Oakwood Inn B & B to be GREEN. About a third of which were done in the 1990’s by previous owners of the Inn.

1. Recycle
We participate in the City Recycling program for cans. Plastic, and paper goods.

2. We encourage our guest to also participate by using the same towels and bedding when staying for more than one night. We also use a front load high efficiency wash machine to reduce water usage.

3. We have low flow shower heads.

4. We turn off the room fireplace during warmer months typically from April to November to save fossil fuels.

5. We have programmable thermostats for our three furnaces/air conditioners. The furnaces are high efficiency. Two of the A/C units were replaced in the last 3 years so they are a SHEER 12 & 14 value.

6. We adhere to the City of Raleigh’s water restriction plan regarding lawn and flower watering.

7. We re-use the plastic shopping bags and return many to the store. We also use cloth shopping bags which are reusable.

8. We use foods from local growers whenever possible. (State Farmers Market)

9. Any water left in the guest room pitchers is used to water indoor and outdoor potted flowers.

10. We encourage our guests to walk or use a bicycle rickshaw when going to downtown’s restaurants, attractions, and interests. Raleigh Rickshaw is the name of the bicycle rickshaw service. Check out their website: www.raleighrickshaw.com

11. If needed the guests can take a free daily bus service that is provided by hybrid busses. The hybrids cut fuel consumption.

12. We only have one copy of the local newspaper and USA Today which cuts down on duplicate copies for each guest room which reduces excessive waste. We offer free WiFi so you can read your news online with no extra fees added to your bill.

13. We planted our own vegetable and fruit garden for the Inn. Any excess amounts that we can not use will be taken to Logan Trading Co (Logan’s Nursery) who in turn will donate to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle which help feed families in need.
In addition, we will be using worms to turn most of our organic garbage into worm castings (manure) which is a natural and efficient fertilizer for the vegetable and flower gardens as well as our lawn. All natural.

Upcoming Things To Do In Raleigh

2010-09-14T00:04:00.001-04:00

Stay out late and stay a night at The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast. Make a date of it!

Goodnights Comedy Club
Below are some Comics coming into Raleigh. Check out Goodnights website for more details.
http://www.goodnightscomedy.com

Andy Kindler

Thursday, September 16 - Sunday, September 19

• Celebrity Judge on NBC's Last Comic Standing
• CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman”
• "The Daily Show" and “Everybody Loves Raymond”
• Ubiquitous host of Comedy Central

Ben Bailey

Thursday, September 23 - Saturday, September 25

• Discovery Channel's "Cash Cab"
• Comedy Central Presents
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• Last Call with Carson Daley

With Special Guest, Mike Stankiewicz

Jim Norton

Thursday, Sept. 30 - Saturday, Oct. 2

• HBO's 'Down and Dirty with Jim Norton'
• CBS' 'The Late Show with David Letterman' and NBC's 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'
• 'Opie & Anthony Radio Show'

Triangle Segway Tours

TOURS: Triangle Segway's guided Segway tours will get you up close to Raleigh’s points of interest, and unlike a walking tour, you'll be able to cover much more ground as you "glide" from place to place. The tours are fully narrated too, so you'll learn lots of interesting facts and stories about Raleigh's history.
Just Google Triangle Segway Tours in Raleigh. Check out the website.

Summer of 2010

2010-08-11T09:15:00.004-04:00

Well for most people they'll have about one more month of summer... a very hot summer. Ours down in Raleigh was pretty hot but we did have a few days of relief which helped get the vegetable garden growing. Business has been good since March 2010, with August slacking off a bit. I guess a lot of vacationers going to the beach, or Europe since the dollar is doing better against the Euro.

The North Carolina Museum of History is hosting the Thomas Day exhibit which began in May 2010 and will run for one year. It is free. On September 12, the museum will open a George Washington exhibit: "Discover the Real George Washington: New Views From Mount Vernon." This exhibit is free for ages 18 and under. The fee is $10 for 19 years and up. Check out their website at www.ncmuseumofhistory.org. The Museum of Natural Science is right next to it and then there is the Little Raleigh Museum on Fayetteville Street which has interesting facts about the history of Raleigh. Book a night or two with The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast and you can walk... yes walk to all of these fine attractions. Check out our Facebook page for a special that we are running.

Also for you theatre nuts... Hot Summer Nights at the Kennedy are now happening! The theatre is run by actress Lauren Kennedy who has done Broadway theatre and film, and her husband Tony Award nominated actor Alan Campbell. More on this in another post.

Come to Raleigh for a variety of things to do and see. Forget the heat... don't let it stop you from having fun.... all of these places have air conditioning!
Gary

FACEBOOK WELCOMES OAKWOOD INN BED & BREAKFAST

2010-08-03T08:20:00.002-04:00

The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast of Raleigh, North Carolina is got a new, well designed, and informative Facebook page. Check it out and also check out the website www.oakwoodinnbb.com.

We were approached by Main Street Host about redesigning our website to link to a Facebook and Twitter accounts. They are also going to assist us with our SEO for the website. Just today I read an article in the business section of The News & Observer stated that "Email No Longer the Hipster... Social networks top traditional." It says that Americans spend one third of their time on social networks! It says that time spent on traditional e-mail and portals like Yahoo have declined.

If we all keep spending so much time developing relationships and connections through all of these social and business networks, we may be able to connect to anyone in the world at anytime and without the use of a phone.... except for texting.

It's supposed to be a great marketing tool for people and businesses. We've always tracked how our guests have found us, so it will be interesting to seeing how powerful the social networks will be in funneling business to us.
I've been on LinkedIn with the Inn attached to my name since December 2009, and it has not brought any business or potential business to us. It will be interesting to see what the social network does as proclaimed by all the new marketing gurus. Personally, I think they maybe correct, but time will tell if the numbers show it.

25 YEARS & COUNTING... NOW 26!! A Story for you.

2010-06-11T00:21:00.001-04:00

The year 2009 was a big year for the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast of Raleigh, North Carolina. On June 2, 2009 the Inn celebrated its 25th year anniversary operating as a bed and breakfast. It was a proud day for Gary and Doris Jurkiewicz who are the current owners/innkeepers. Also on September 1, 2009, Doris and Gary Jurkiewicz celebrated eight years at being innkeepers of Raleigh’s first B & B. They are also the innkeepers with the longest tenure at the Inn. Prior to Doris and Gary all the other innkeepers averaged about 4 years and there were 4 sets of different innkeepers prior to them.

What made them hang on the longest? “A variety of reasons,” says Gary. “We purchased the Inn on September 1, 2001. Ten days later we got hit with 9/11. That was a real shocker. Occupancy tumbled. Soon afterwards, our weekends were basically full, but we lost all of our weekday business which happens to be corporate travelers.” Gary and Doris hung on for about six months, and then Gary went to work part-time as a relief pharmacist. He did that a couple of years for the extra money and health insurance, until things came back to reasonable occupancy levels.

“It never came back to what the previous owners supposedly had, but enough for us to see the potential in this place,“ says Doris. “I’ve always believed in the Inn and Raleigh as a very positive thing that has come across in our lives. We have experienced ups and downs, but overall I wouldn’t trade where we are in our lives with anything else.”

Over the next couple of years, the Inn’s business increased until the economic crisis hit Raleigh in 2008. In September of that year, the Inn hit bottom. The Oakwood Inn along with every other business saw its numbers fall to levels much lower than after 9/11. “After 9/11 people were afraid to travel but had the money and means,” Gary recalls, “but this new economic crisis had people looking at their retirement plans and wondering how to pay for vacations and travel.”

Doris is confident about Raleigh bouncing back. “We have all ready seen a huge upswing in our occupancy since March 2010,” she says, “and it’s still going fairly strong.” “It’s a shame that the economy collapsed in 2008, because 2009 was the 25th year anniversary of the Inn and we were hoping for a banner year. Even though the numbers were down for 2009, we had a wonderful, uplifting moment in May.”

On May 28, 2009 a memorable reunion was held at the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast between the original first guests of the inn and the original Innkeepers from 25 years ago. Paul and Jean Higgins were the first guests that stayed at the Inn when it first opened on June 2, 1984. They were driving down from Virginia to see the son at Fort Bragg and stopped at a visitor center just into the North Carolina border. They asked the visitor center staff if there were any B & Bs in Raleigh. They told them that they just received information that one just opened that weekend. Paul and Jean continued on to Raleigh and registered as the first guests at the Inn.

“There must be a lucky aura about the house,” Gary said. “On the 25 of May 2009, I received a call.” The caller wanted a room for May 28. “Not a problem,” Gary replied. And then the conversation became intriguing.

“Well, we’d like a room on the second floor, however, is the Polk room available.”
“Yes, it is,” Gary replied.
“That is the one my husband and I stayed in 25 years ago. We were the first guests that stayed at the Inn.”

Yeah, right, Gary thought. Skeptical… you bet! “Oh really, and when was that?”
“June second, I believe, it was the first weekend of June.”

This is a possibility, Gary thought to himself. He had an article that was printed in the Raleigh Times May 29, 1984 edition which talked about the Grand Opening of the Oakwood Inn Bed and Breakfast which also provided some information about the first guests that would be staying at the Inn that opening day in June. He asked a few more questions, and decided that Jean and Paul, must be the original guests. Gary then promptly called four of the original five innkeepers who still live in Raleigh. He asked if they could come to the inn on Thursday and have a little reunion; three of them agreed to come.

The Innkeepers in 1984 were Oakley and Donna Herring, Chris Yetter and Steve Zamparelli, and Donna’s mother, Olive Colman. Back on that momentous June day, Oakley and Donna were there to greet the couple at the Oakwood Inn B & B.
“They were standing on the porch waiting for us to arrive back then,” Jean Higgins recalled.

Twenty five years later on May 28, 2009, Chris Yetter, Oakley and Donna Herring again welcomed Paul and Jean to the Oakwood Inn, along with the current innkeeper Doris Jurkiewicz. As soon as they all saw each other, they recognized each other, and June 2, 1984 was reborn once again. Hand shakes and warm greetings were exchanged. Doris learned how Donna made dinner and asked for Paul and Jean to join her and Oakley. Later, Doris took everyone on a tour of the Inn which again had Innkeepers sharing stories from back when the Inn first opened. After an hour or so of reminiscing, Paul opened a bottle of champagne which he brought to celebrate the occasion.

In 1985 Chris Yetter began soliciting potential members to form a North Carolina Bed & Breakfast Association which organized in 1986 with Chris Yetter as its first president and the Oakwood Inn was one of thirty charter inns of the association. Oakley said that after they sold the inn in 1987, he didn’t think the new owners would be able to make it work. Business was bad and the Inn not profitable. The Inn changed hands three more times before being sold to Doris and Gary Jurkiewicz in September 2001.

When you realize that many B & Bs are just people’s homes that are rented out to strangers, and many innkeepers just seem to handle the pressure for about 4-7 years. Many B & Bs, close down or return back to personal residences after a short run. Those that run longer maybe go about 10-15.

“For a bed and breakfast to stay in business this long is quite an accomplishment. Innkeeping can be a tough, yet rewarding business. The folks who have been running The Oakwood Inn must be doing it right, obviously having been rewarded by a constant flow of loyal customers for a quarter-century,” said Jay Karen, President & CEO of Professional Association of Innkeepers International.

The Oakwood Inn has made it this far. Hopefully it will go on to see its 50th golden anniversary. Doris and Gary hope they will be there to see that accomplishment and doubt will be the innkeepers, but they’ll have the glowing pride that Chris, Donna, and Oakley had on May 28, 2009.

OAKWOOD INN B & B's ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY - Going Green

2010-04-29T22:49:00.004-04:00

Go Green! Sustainability. Eco-friendly. The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast has been environmentally responsible since before Doris and I purchased the Inn in September of 2001. We have always been conservative in our use of natural resources because we know that they are a finite supply and if not used efficiently and effectively, will eventually run out. We ask our guests to please join us and help us be GREEN by being mindful of Mother Nature’s Resource supplies.

Below are many of the things we do at the Oakwood Inn B & B to be GREEN. About a third of which were done in the 1990’s by previous owners of the Inn.

1. Recycle
We participate in the City Recycling program for cans. Plastic, and paper goods.

2. We encourage our guest to also participate by using the same towels and bedding when staying for more than one night. We also use a front load high efficiency wash machine to reduce water usage.

3. We have low flow shower heads.

4. We turn off the room fireplace during warmer months typically from April to November to save fossil fuels.

5. We have programmable thermostats for our three furnaces/air conditioners. The furnaces are high efficiency. Two of the A/C units were replaced in the last 3 years so they are a SHEER 12 & 14 value.

6. We adhere to the City of Raleigh’s water restriction plan regarding lawn and flower watering.

7. We re-use the plastic shopping bags and return many to the store. We also use cloth shopping bags which are reusable.

8. We use foods from local growers whenever possible. (State Farmers Market)

9. Any water left in the guest room pitchers is used to water indoor and outdoor potted flowers.

10. We encourage our guests to walk or use a bicycle rickshaw when going to downtown’s restaurants, attractions, and interests. Raleigh Rickshaw is the name of the bicycle rickshaw service. Check out their website: www.raleighrickshaw.com

11. If needed the guests can take a free daily bus service that is provided by hybrid busses. The hybrids cut fuel consumption.

12. We only have one copy of the local newspaper and USA Today which cuts down on duplicate copies for each guest room which reduces excessive waste. We offer free WiFi so you can read your news online with no extra fees added to your bill.

13. We planted our own vegetable and fruit garden for the Inn. Any excess amounts that we can not use will be taken to Logan Trading Co (Logan’s Nursery) who in turn will donate to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle which help feed families in need.
In addition, we will be using worms to turn most of our organic garbage into worm castings (manure) which is a natural and efficient fertilizer for the vegetable and flower gardens as well as our lawn. All natural.

Coffee Cups for 25Years of Service

2010-01-31T16:02:00.001-04:00

Pell Room Balcony

2010-01-31T15:58:00.003-04:00

Linden Room Renovations

2010-01-31T15:53:00.003-04:00

Daughters, City Chicken, Christmas Visit

2010-01-23T13:22:00.000-04:00

Well, it’s been a week now since my two daughters, new son-in-law, and the other daughter’s boyfriend visited with us at the Inn. It was our Christmas with them since they could not come down during the Holiday Season. We did a simple Christmas. I told the girls, we are going to just give you a card with money, and you guys can just take Doris and I out to a restaurant for a nice dinner and buy all the beer for those 5 days.
Dan, Erin’s husband, had foot surgery on both feet a couple days before arriving, so he was not as mobile as he normally would have been. But he got to rest and relax. Diana’s boyfriend, Joe, came to Raleigh for the first time. So Diana took he around to see some of the sights and downtown.

We went to J Betski’s for our Christmas dinner on last Thursday, which was grand. Ate at home for a couple of nights, and also went to Sitti for a wonderful dinner on last Friday evening. On Saturday evening the girls and I made city chicken. One of our favorite dishes that I learned from my mother growing up in Michigan.

City Chicken??!! No one down here in Raleigh knows about this wonderful food. Go to the meat market and ask for city chicken sticks and the butcher looks at you like “what the hell are you talkin’ about.” Yes! It has its very own sticks!!

City chicken is made with veal and pork, usually the stewing kind. You get a city chicken stick and skewer the meat alternating pork, veal with basically two veal pieces to three pork. After that, you season the meat with a little salt, pepper, and maybe garlic powder. Dust it with a little flour to make sure the egg dip sticks. For my egg dip, I just use a about five eggs and ½ cup of milk or half and half for about 40 sticks which is made from about 3 lbs of veal and 5 lbs of pork… lean stewing pork…. There has to be some fat for flavor and tenderness, but too much can be too fatty.

After the you dip in egg, roll the city chicken in your seasoned breading. My mother used to always grind up Corn Flakes and season with salt and pepper. I do the same but also add some garlic powder. Season to taste. Yes, try a little to see if it is too salty, or whatever. Add more ground up Corn Flakes if necessary.

Bread the city chicken and then fry them in about ¼ to ½ inch of hot vegetable oil. Fry until the breading is cooked which is a golden brown; don’t fry to cook the meat. You fry to just brown the breading! Now put the fried city chicken sticks in a greased cooking pan WITH A LID. Put about two layers and the cover. Put in a 350 to 375 degree oven and cook for about 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat is very tender to a fork. It you put another third layer in the pan or more, it will take longer to cook. If that is the case, the bottom ones will get more burnt, so be careful. The great thing about the bottom layer is that it gets a little of that very dark “burnt” gooey stuff on them which gives the bottom layer a wonder taste. My younger daughter, Diana, loves… simply loves the bottom ones! The great thing is that city chicken is very good cold or the next day, or the next day, or the next day….

It was a great time cooking with both of my daughters, Erin and Diana. Erin and Diana skewered the meat, seasoned, floured, and breaded them. I just had to fry them… and to be honest; the both of them could have done it all. Actually, I know for a fact, that Erin has made this dish many times. She does very well… Grandma J would be proud! Erin and Diana, both are good cooks, but I think Erin cooks more than Diana. It was a great time cooking with both of them. I loved it and very proud of them knowing how to prepare a wonderful meal. Erin also made a dish of cauliflower and carrots lightly breaded and sauté with some butter and seasoning. Very simple but very good… great flavor.

We had a fabulous meal and then “opened gifts”, and then sat outside with drinks and talking, and then later played a little on the Wii. We had a great visit.

America - A Neutered Society

2010-01-09T21:36:00.001-04:00

Over the holidays there were some comments made about political correctness in our society when it comes to holiday celebrations. I understand about keeping any religion out of our government and making sure our government does not invade or promote any specific religion. However, this country was founded by many Christians and they sort of kept some of those beliefs or thinking in establishing this country, although religion and government are separate as entities. God and our Creator are mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. “In God We Trust” appears on our money, and for decades we swore on a bible (which was of Christian origin) in our courts. I do not believe it was all done intentionally as to promote the Christian religion or beliefs, but maybe just to re-affirm to everyone that certain things were held in such high regard and since the majority of those creating the government and its rules were Christian, their beliefs leached out into their writing. I may be wrong. Maybe it was done purposefully.

The one thing that does seem to be occurring in America is that we worry about everyone’s feelings and do not want to offend, but in doing so, the majority seems to get offended. If I lived in China, I would tend to think that their beliefs, values and morals come from their religious leader. Same in Israel, and in India, etc. All of those things would prevail throughout their culture, and me being a Christian, I would be in the minority and would have to accept it. Hopefully, I would be able to find a place of worship. Their societies or cultures have a flavor, uniqueness, a personality because of their peoples’ beliefs and values. In the USA, we seem to be going toward a sterile or neutered culture where there is no predominant way of thinking or believing. We are required to accept all and act like all to the point that no one can feel left out or offended.

I don’t feel that is a good thing because we lose our character and our essence. Just because some belief predominates, like having a Christmas tree or Christmas party, it should not be forced on those who do not wish to participate. After all, if the Christmas tree or Christmas party is at that special time of year, then call it what it is. If you have it at Hanukkah, call it a Hanukkah party… call it a Hanukkah/Christmas party if it covers both holiday periods. Have a Christmas/Kwanzaa party at the office if wanted. The retailers started calling it the Christmas season after Thanksgiving to increase their sales. After all, Christmas is only two days, the 24th and 25th. Hanukkah is eight days of celebration, and Kwanzaa is 7 days after Christmas.

The United States feels like having a neighborhood of homes almost all looking the same, only minor variations. It comes across as boring, lacking imagination and uniqueness, and minus that character I mentioned. I live in a Victorian neighborhood, but we do have homes with styles from other eras, but we are still classified as a Victorian neighborhood because the majority of the homes were from that time period. The other homes are not outwardly acknowledged due to their difference, but then again not excluded by any means in promotions or discussions. They are a part of the Victorian neighborhood.

It would be great to honor all holidays of all our religions and nationalities. If we were lucky, we maybe would only have to work 5 days out of the 365 due to the paid holidays and weekends off! I am wondering if there are any other countries that seem to have problems with the politically correctness and religion out of government issues that seem to consume us in the USA.

Another Year Ends Another Begins

2010-01-02T14:39:00.002-04:00

And so it goes! 2009 finishes and not too soon of us. What a dismissal year for business.... 36% occupancy was compared to 42% in 2008 and 50% in 2007. The fiasco of Wall Street Economics certainly took its toll on us in the hospitality industry, especially in markets that depend on the business traveler. The bankers and those all connected with the real estate surge financially raped the rest of us. Every time someone stayed with us, I personally thanked them for stimulating the economy, because the banks certainly were doing their fair share. Every time any one of us spent a little money, we helped bring the economy back to normal. Someone rented a room and we in turn paid someone to clean it, someone to cut the lawn, someone to repair a toilet. Hopefully, those that were paid, spent some of it to others and on and on. That's how an economy is established... bartering and trading services and products. Those that hoard their money only hurt the economy from recovering.

It is really annoying for those that put us into this economic mess, are still the ones hoarding after receiving millions to assist them from economic failure and doom! That is life….those that have and those that have-not.... a war between the rich and poor, the affluent and the struggling. It has always existed in our societies and always, always will.

Looking on the better side of things.... just as in the past, the economy will make a come back, maybe not was strong or should I say, as prominent as a couple of years ago, but things will make a turn around. The issue is if you as a business can sustain yourself through the lower cash flow. Not making a profit is not the enemy of a successful business; not having an adequate cash flow to pay 85% of the bills is what will cause a business to fail.

The experts are saying that the hospitality industry will not see a major turn around until the third quarter of 2010. They also say it will not return to significant increases in occupancy rate and increased room rates until about late 2011 or early 2012. That would be expected as long as some other fiasco or catastrophe does not befall us. The cycles of economic affluence do not seem to last as long as they did in the 1950's, 1960's or 1970's. Hopefully that is also true of the economic turndowns.

As in the past, we will begin a new year with a new outlook and with new challenges. Hopefully, it will give us a year of positive outlook and provide a more stable financial future. It probably would be easier if we got rid of those who caused our demise in the first place... but that will never happen.

25th Year Anniversary Feature - Raleigh Downtowner

2009-12-18T01:44:00.002-04:00

Here's the link to the Raleigh Downtowner, a local newpaper, that expounds on the goodness of Raleigh Downtown: http://www.raleighdowntowner.com/RaleighDowntowner-Vol5-Iss11.pdf. The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast has a very nice and wonderful story on the 25th Anniversary of the Inn. The Raleigh Downtowner talks about the Inn and the wonderful reunion of the past innkeepers, with their first Inn guests in 1984 and the current Innkeeper, Doris Jurkiewicz. It's a great story that I am surprised that CNN or Oprah have not picked up yet. You can't beat an up-lifting story like this, compared to all the murder and mayhem that occurs in our daily lives. Yeah.... it is a little boring, except to those who are close emotionally to the Inn... like my daughters in Michigan.

In the same issue, it talks about a great party downtown having to do with collecting toys for tots. The Oakwood Inn gave away a one night stay at the Inn for a $139 value for a door prize. The party was on Thursday, December 17, 2009. Hope a wonderful nice couple won it, so they can have a nice quiet and romantic evening out on the town but staying with us at The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast. It was for a great cause... toys for those children who would have been without this Christmas. No Scrooge at The Oakwood Inn B & B!!

Downtown Raleigh Ice Rink

2009-12-18T01:17:00.003-04:00

Yup... Downtown Raleigh has a beautiful lighted Christmas tree in the Plaza. A nice tall one brightly lite. We also have an ice skating rink in the Plaza downtown. Un-huh... an ice rink down in the South! I'm not sure if it is real ice or that fake plastic stuff. Sounds kinda nice, though. I almost wish I didn't sell my hockey skates! In case you plan on coming to visit Raleigh over the next few weeks, and want to do some skatin', well... bring your skates.

Admission to the AT&T Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink will be $6.00 per person, which includes the rental of a pair of ice skates. The admission price is the same whether you rent skates at the rink or bring your own. The new skating rink can hold up to 140 skaters. The hours of operation vary, so be sure to check the Winterfest website for details. It is a 40-by-85-foot rink, kept frozen by portable chillers, will be open seven days a week through Jan. 31 at City Plaza on Fayetteville Street, between the Progress Energy and BB&T buildings.
Admission, including skate rental, is $6 for as long as your legs hold up. The rink can hold up to 140 skaters at a time, though the ice may be crowded at that capacity.

I can't seem to find a good photo of the rink, but it looks like a hockey rink with boarded sides. Something different to do down in the South.

GRAND HOTEL of Mackinac Island

2009-12-01T23:12:00.012-04:00

My cousin, Sandi and her husband Carl came to visit over Thanksgiving. Both of them work at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island which is right at the tip of the "mitten" of Michigan. Actually, the island is between the two peninsulas. We had a great time with them. Ate dinner at 18 Seaboard and J. Betski's in Raleigh. Two of our favorite restaurants. This was the forth times the they have come to Raleigh to visit and it usually is over the Thanksgiving Holiday. The hotel and actually the whole island close down for the winter.

If you never have been to Mackinac Island, you need to make room on your calendar and go some time. The only mode of transportation on the Island is by bicycle, horse, horse and carriage, or walk. No cars or trucks are allowed on the island, so it sort of brings you back to yesteryear. The only way to get to the island is by ferry or fly. There's a small landing strip in the middle of the island.

There's a lot of interesting history for you history buffs. A lot of small gift stores for you shoppers. And for those with a sweet tooth... well, there are the fudge shops. One on almost every corner. The fudge is good and it comes in all flavors, but honestly, they all taste about the same to me... however, I am not a fudge connoisseur. However, the thing that I do love about the fudge shops is watching them make it. Some of the shops have a little entertainment setup with the fudge makers, who are usually good looking male and female college students, singing a little song and maybe a little dance. Quite entertaining!

Another interesting note about the Grand Hotel (http://www.grandhotel.com/) is that this is where the movie, Somewhere In Time, was filmed. It starred a young Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour in a wonderful love story about a young playwright who goes back in time to meet a woman he met in at his opening night of his play. The Grand Hotel is where he supposedly met this woman back in time... in another life. Beautiful music.

The Hotel boasts having the largest wooden porch in the world. The Hotel is made out of North While Pine native to Michigan. It is a very exclusive place, high end, but very charming and very good food. Your room rate includes breakfast and dinner.

If you have not had a chance to visit Mackinac, you really should. And, of course, don't forget about visiting Raleigh. We may not be the Grand Hotel (although the Oakwood Inn is made almost entirely of wood), and we may have cars drive through our neighborhood, and we may not have fudge shops, but we have the same historical charm and homemade cookies!
Sandi and Carl always have a great time when they come and visit and we certainly enjoy their company. Hope they can make it again next year, and maybe bring her brother (my other cousin) Brennan and his wife Peg.

OAKWOOD CANDLELIGHT TOUR 2009 in RALEIGH

2009-11-11T23:31:00.002-04:00

Another Christmas Season!!

Need something to do over the holiday season, well check us out at www.oakwooodinnbb.com.

HISTORIC OAKWOOD CANDLELIGHT TOUR 2009 !!!

Man Oh Man... here we are all ready getting into the Christmas season! Another one coming up quick. What makes it really a fast upcoming holiday for Doris and myself is the fact that the Oakwood Inn B & B is alway involved in the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour. This event is a fund raiser for Historic Oakwood which helps us preserve the Victorian nature of our neighborhood and also has provided funding to help save some older homes from the wrecking ball. Here are some of the details:

Oakwood Candlelight TourDecember 12-13 from 1-7 PM
Light up your Christmas season at the 38th Annual. Take a walk through the past this holiday season as this year thirteen properties, that's right THIRTEEN PROPERTIES, in the Historic Oakwood neighborhood open their doors to visitors during the 38th annual Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour, December 12-13 from 1-7 PM.

Whether you’re interested in getting a glimpse inside the candlelit windows, learning more about Raleigh’s history and architecture, or simply looking for an excuse to spend a little extra time with friends in downtown Raleigh, you’re invited to come celebrate the holidays on the Candlelight Tour. There will be some entertainment like groups singing Christmas Carols, or FREE cookies to munch on, and other activities.

You can purchase your tickets in advance for $15 at a variety of locations.

The Oakwood Inn, 411 N. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh
Calm & Sense, 2603 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh
CyberGraph Advertising, Inc., 610 N. Person Street, Raleigh
Fallon’s Creative Flowers, 700 St. Marys Street, Raleigh
Fallon’s Creative Flowers, 4215 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh
Frances T. King Stationery, The Lassiter at North Hills, Raleigh
Garner Chiropractic Center, Timber Crossings S.C., 205 Timber Drive West, Garner
Logan Trading Company, 707 Semart Drive, Raleigh
NC Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton Street, Raleigh
Quail Ridge Books, 3524 Wade Avenue, Raleigh
Raleigh City Museum, 220 Fayetteville Street Mall, Raleigh Side Street Restaurant, 225 N. Bloodworth Street, Raleigh

Or..Or you can do it the lazy way like I would and just go to Etix.

Tickets are available for advance purchase online or at select locations throughout the Triangle. On the days of the tour, they may be purchased at The Oakwood Inn, 411 North Bloodworth Street. Tickets are not tax deductible or refundable. Tour held rain or shine. In Advance: $15 Tour Day: $20
Online Ticket Purchases - AVAILABLE NOW!

Please bring the printed ticket to The Oakwood Inn, 411 North Bloodworth Street the day of the tour to receive an official Candlelight Tour ticket that includes a list of the homes on the tour and a map.
We are expecting a record crowd of about 2,500 people this year. Remember the Tickets are $15 in advance. ADVANCE SALES END ON FRIDAY, DEC. 11 AT 4PM.

My Next blog will discuss some of the fabulous homes that will be on Tour, and as always... your favorite, The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast will be on tour celebrating its 25th year anniversary as a B & B.

Oakwood Inn Remodels Balcony

2009-11-01T16:28:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have stayed with us, and in particular in the Pell room, you know we had a balcony off that room. It was not the prettiest. It was not the grandest. And it was fairly small. But it did offer you a decent view, but more importantly, it gave you access to the outside without having to walk downstairs and out the front door. Many of our guests who were smokers, liked it just for that reason, because you could go outside and smoke.

Well, the old one was a little old and rickety and was razed. We had a new larger one installed with a beautiful backyard porch area for us, the innkeepers. The new balcony can hold four people, not two like the old one, and we hope to put a nice table and chairs up their with a fold out canopy in case the sun is too hot. For now, we are still trying to get the darn thing painted. A little bad weather put us about 10 days behind and the painting still needs to be completed. But you can use it! Come see us and check it out.

Raleigh's Oakwood Inn B & B Economy Special

2009-11-01T16:04:00.002-04:00

They are saying the Recession is over. Yeah, right. Unemployment is still high as Mt. Everst, people are holding onto their money because they do not have a lot to spend, and the banks still hold onto what was given to them so they can hand out executive bonuses. I thank all of those guests that have spent some of their hard earned savings with us. I thank them for stimulating the economy. The only way to stimulate the economy is to spend money. Lord only knows the banks are not doing their share.

We appreciate all of you who have done your share and spent a little. To help kick the economy in the buttocks, we at the Oakwood Inn B & B in Raleigh, NC are offering an Economic Special. We have lowered our prices to from November 1, 2009 until a date in 2010 when we see an increase in people traveling. On an aveage we have cut $20-30 per night off of the 2009 rack rate. Check out our prices on our website. The website reservations offer the best discount rate we have to offer. Some rooms are starting at $119. Now that may not seem like a deal, but add a breakfast for two, snacks like sodas, chips, cookies, internet service, and parking, and you got a darn good deal. The hotels downtown, where we are also located, charge a daily fee for internet and you may have to also pay for parking. Heck, you can stay with us, and walk to anywhere you need to go in downtown Raleigh. You can also take a free ride on the R-Line, a free daily bus service. Or if you'd like to pay a little, take a Raleigh Rickshaw ride right to the doorstep of where you are headed to.

Economic special for now is a great deal. If you are coming to Raleigh or the surrounding area, check out our website for some darn good pricing for rooms AND ALL THE AMENITIES included.

Daughter's Wedding in Michigan

2009-10-22T22:31:00.003-04:00

My oldest daughter, Erin, got married on Saturday, October 17, 2009. In the photo is my 92 year old father, Lou, who made the drive with me from Raleigh all the way to St. Clair Shores, just east of Detroit. The standard French poodle of ours, Chimay, also drove up with my Dad and myself. The other two individuals in the photo are my cousin, Rick, and his wife Judy. I'm not much of a picture taker so there are none of the bride. Heck, she had a guy taking photos all night long, so I'll see if I can get her to send me some. I left Raleigh on the Sunday before which took us about 12.5 hours of driving. Doris flew up on the Thursday before the wedding. She had to tend to things at the Inn. What else is new, eh? It was a very nice wedding at St. Peter's Catholic Church in downtown Mt. Clemens. Later we had a grand celebration at Gino's Surf Lounge in Mt. Clemens, right on the Lake St. Clair. The weather was a little chilly to be outdoors on the patio/dock, but it was so, so nice to be off the water. Great atmosphere! The food was fantastic, roast beef, breaded chicken cutlets, and breaded pork loin, mashed potatoes, a wonderful bow-tie pasta with a non-meat alfredo sauce, and a huge dessert table! The DJ was really good, playing a variety of music for the young and old. The highlight, at least for me, was dancing to Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie".... I still have some moves in this 56 year old body. I also did a polka with my cousin Sandi, but I couldn't spin her around because she got too dizzy. You'd think I could lose some weight from the dancing... naw... ate too many apple fritters from the Italian bakery by my younger daughter's house.

On Sunday, after the wedding, Doris flew back with her daughter, Donna, and her boyfriend Jeff. My Dad, Chimay, and I left around 12 noon and arrived in Beckley, WV. Stayed over night, and then continued Monday morning at about 6am. Arrived in Raleigh at 10 am. It was a great trip with a lot of memorable moments. I have a few regrets of things I wish I did, but that is typical of me... always hoping for more or doing something different. Overall though, it was a grand time for all of us.

CookWise cookbook by Shirley O. Corriher

2009-09-28T21:45:00.003-04:00

Remember when your mother or grandmother told you that you can change things in a recipe when cooking, but do NOT change a thing in a recipe for baking because disaster will be right around the corner! “Baking is a science; the recipe is a formula that can not be changed!” And of course, like most of us, you didn’t listen and you substituted magazine for butter, or used three eggs instead of one, or changed the melted chocolate to powdered chocolate and the results were a total flop. So how did the person who came up with the darn recipe in the first place figuring out the ingredients and correct quantities. Was it a dedicated trial and error process? But if it is science, well then like a scientist who understands the chemistry and physics of transforming a plant resin into rubber; if you understand the chemistry and physics of flour, water, yeast, and salt then it is reasonable to say that you can make bread from your own recipe.

Well, Shirley O. Corriher has written the “chemistry/physics” text book for cooking… “CookWise”. As Ms. Corriher says in her book introduction, “CookWise focuses on how and why things happen in cooking so the roles that ingredients and techniques play are of paramount importance.” This gives you the “rules” of cooking and the reasoning behind them. Once you know the “rules”, then you can understand what can change in a recipe and how it will affect the outcome.

As I said in my other blog entry, Frank Dono, told me about this book. He let me peruse his copy, and it was only after 15 minutes, that I knew I needed this cookbook on my shelf. CookWise covers everything from the rise and fall of cakes, to understanding the mystery of eggs, to how the difference in the protein content of flour affects the final product. Shirley has talked to various scientists and chefs to understand the dynamics of the cooking process. She has not just developed her recipes and published them for us to use, but she has also shared all the knowledge she has gained in the process of putting them together.

Elliot Essman of Style Gourmet reviewed Cookwise and said, ”It will suffice that Shirley Corriher (who, by the way, is a benevolent, cherubic presence who frequently pops up as a guest on Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” television series) has pulled all the science together into a package I can use every day in my own kitchen.” Visit his website at http://www.stylegourmet.com/reviews/006.htm.

And yes, for all of you Alton Brown fans, Shirley not only appears on his Food Channel TV show “Good Eats”, but it is quite evident that Alton as learned quite a bit of what he knows about cooking from Ms. Corriher.

So, if you know someone who loves to cook, this would make a wonderful birthday or Christmas gift. I constantly recommend it to my guests at the Oakwood Inn during breakfast. I tell them how I used Alton Brown’s recipe for the puffy chocolate chip cookies I bake, with some modifications that I added. Alton’s recipe is in Corriher’s book…. Or is it Corriher’s recipe was on Alton’s show. Doesn’t matter, understanding some of the basics of the type of flour and oil to use, help me master the cookie that is wonderful, and the developed a recipe that I can call my own.

You can get CookWise at bookstore or order it online at Amazon.com.

Bon Appetit
Gary

Cooking At The Inn with the book CookWise, by Shirley O. Corriher

2009-09-25T00:35:00.003-04:00

I’ve always enjoyed cooking. And eating. As a youngster I used to help my mother in the kitchen when she would be baking… more so at Christmas time. My job was to put the walnut on top of the cookie, or sprinkle the powder sugar on the chruscik (Polish dessert of fried dough covered with a blanket of powdered sugar). I also did the taste testing and also got to lick the beaters and bowel of uncooked cake mix, back when you didn’t worry about uncooked eggs. Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s you just worried about under-cooked pork…. Not like today… chicken, eggs, beef, spinach, peanut butter, hamburger, green onions… wait… is there ANY food that hasn’t been recalled or put on the FDA Alert?

The one thing I always wondered about was, how in the heck did the person who wrote the recipe know to use one cup of sugar and not two, or two eggs instead of three, or why do you use baking soda and not baking powder like the recipe we did last week? Must’ve been the scientist in me. As I got older I once in awhile gave cooking that Why question… why did the recipe call for this or that. Or maybe the How.. How did they know to use a teaspoonful of salt… and then why salt?

Alton Brown’s Good Eats TV show on the Food Channel sort of sparked my interest since he seemed to cover the Why’s and How’s of cooking and not just the “just do this, and mix it with that… and don’t ask questions”. When I started working at a local pharmaceutical company in the Research Triangle, I met Frank Dono, a real foodie!

Now this guy just immerses himself into cooking. I mean he enjoys the heck out of it! He's volunteered to work in a restaurant’s kitchen just to learn more about cooking and not even get paid. One year he grew in his own garden some eggplants…. in the numbers of 40… that’s right 40-some different varieties. He would cook different dishes with them. Now it also helps that he is Italian and learned some of his cooking technique from his grandmother, which explains the eggplant fetish. Over the past year, Frank has been cooking with peppers… all kinds and all varieties. Some of the dishes he comes up with are just fabulous! It also helps that his wife, Leanna, is a master gardener. She gives some brilliant direction on how to properly grow Frank’s fresh ingredients. Between the two of them, they could do a fantastic B & B utilizing fresh home grown garden veggies, fruits and herbs. Frank respects my baking capabilities, but I’ll tell ya, this guy can out cook me any day. I certainly respect his capabilities because he is a Master at the Stove…. and his wife a Master of the Soil!

Anyway, Frank is the one who told me about Shirley O. Corriher’s cookbook entitled CookWise The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking with over 230 Great-Tasting Recipes. It also has on the cover, “The Secrets of Cooking Revealed”. It also won the James Beard Foundation Award for Excellence. This is a very prestigious cooking award… you can Google it to learn more about it.

This had to be one of the best recommendations I have ever had from Frank. Better than, “Here try this pepper it is only a 3 on the pepper hot scale, 10 being the hottest.” And then I bite into it, and my mouth turns into Hades just as he says, “Wait… oops.. I’m sorry that was a 7!” No kiddin’ my mouth knows it very well by now, Frank. No, really he is a very knowledge cook, chef, and all around foodie. I was just having some fun. He recommended Shirley’s book, and I really have learned a lot about the scientific basis of cooking. This is a fabulous book for anyone who really wants to learn about what happens on the molecular level when cooking. It would make a great Christmas present, or birthday gift for someone you love who just loves to cook.

I promote CookWise by Shirley O. Corriher at the Inn all the time with our guests. It is a cooking reference all good cooks and chefs should have on the book shelf…. and should read it as well.

On my next blog post, I will discuss CookWise in more detail. Until then.. which only should be in a couple of days…. Bon Appetit à l'Auberge!

Oh! One more thing. Frank the "The Little Italian Foodie" (really, I think he is only about 5ft 6 inches) also told me about Penzey Spices... another fantastic recommendation for herbs and spices... another blog post in the near future! Another great Christmas gift.

SHIRRED EGGS

2009-09-13T00:22:00.005-04:00

Oakwood Inn B & B Shirred Eggs

Over the years, we have had many guest stay with us that have had our Shirred Eggs for breakfast and thoroughly enjoy them to the point that they would like the recipe. Now there are various ways to prepare this delightful dish. I learned about this breakfast entrée while taking a culinary class at the Macomb Culinary School in Michigan. This is a fairly simple dish to prepare and one that is filling enough so you shouldn’t want to snack before lunch.

Basically, shirred eggs mean baked eggs. The recipe that I have perfected is one with some cream, cheese, a dash of herbs, and a meat. It can be made without meat for vegetarians.

Many of our guests have asked on numerous occasions, on how to prepare Shirred eggs. The recipe although fairly simple, requires you to use a shirred egg ramekin, which seems difficult for people to find at a regular store. The ramekin is a special baking dish. I have decided to assist many of you wanting to make this breakfast dish, by purchasing the ramekins from our restaurant supply store and offering two of them for sale along with the recipe, all for a $10.00 price.

If you truly love this breakfast dish as much as we do, and would like to prepare yourself at home, please let us know and we will be happy to sell you the Oakwood Inn B & B Shirred Eggs recipe package complete with recipe and two ramekins all for $20.00 which includes sales tax.

I you stay with us and we happen not to prepare this breakfast dish, since we are a chef's choice B & B, we will still sell you the Shirred Egg Recipe Package if you ask for it prior to you departing.

Bon Appetit

Doris

Shirred Egg

Linden Room Remodel

2009-09-10T23:02:00.003-04:00

Well its been over two months and we are finally coming down to the final wire with the Linden Room remodel. For those of you who have stayed with us and in particuliar, rented the Linden room, may remember that it was the room across from the office. It is the second largest room in the Inn. It had a light tan and white design wall paper... old and sort of worn. The bathroom, which was the first bathroom in the house, had a yellow semi-modern bathtub from about the 1960's. Yellow 4 inch hexagon floor tiles, a forest green painted vanity, and a green print wallpaper. It also had a queen size bed.

The new look will sport the walls with chocolate colored walls, white trim and a new white crown ceiling molding. A new hand made king size bed that can be split into twins if needed will be the focal point of the room. If you remember the little carpeted foyer area that granted access to the bathroom, well it is not a part of the bathroom with new 12 inch tiles of multi-shades of tan, brown and cream colors. The foyer has had a shelf built in with a mirror and lights to provide a make-up area.

The tile scheme continues in the bathroom, on the floor is 12 inch tiles, in the new two person shower with dual shower heads and bench are 4 inch tiles and some smaller two inchers creating a border about 5 feet off the floor. A new 17 inch high toliet, so you do not feel like you are sitting on the floor to take care of business. The vanity is a brown colored wood cabinet with a white marble top. New lighting fixtures throughout the bathroom/makeup area.

I'm not sure what Doris has in store for curtains or drapes if anything. The TV is a new 17 inch, I believe, screen with DVD player. A new radio/clock with an iPod docking station will also be in the room, so for all of you who have those iPod machines... here you can play your customized song lists.

Overall, I must say the room looks darn good and very upbeat. As soon as I can get some pictures, I will post them which hopefully will entice some of you to rent it out.
Well, back to work. Talk with ya'all soon.
Gary

Carolina Beach & Butter

2009-09-07T11:42:00.003-04:00

On Friday, Doris and I went to Carolina Beach for a relaxing two days. We left the Inn at about 11:00am and go to the condo about 1:30pm. Not a bad drive at all. Our neighbors have this one bedroom condo with a nice view of the ocean. They let us rent it for the two days since it was not rent that week, normally they rent it by the week. We had a great time relaxing watching the sun rise and in the evenings, the moon rise on the horizon. The last night, the moon was full and a beautiful reddish-orange ball just as it rose above the ocean horizon. Very peaceful looking.

Went into town and had a couple of good meals. We went to one restaurant called Bowman's. I was a little skeptical of the broiled flounder because the waitress explained that it was cooked in a microwave! Quite unusual for me... but I agreed to try it. It was good... not fabulous, but good and quite a large portion. The baked potato was good although the margarine is not my favorite topping. At least the sour cream was real.

That is one thing I do not get down here in the South... real butter is very hard to find. Everyone eats margarine. You would think in land of fat back, lard, bacon grease... you'd think that butter would be one of the major food groups in the South. I know many people think margarine is healthier for you, however, only the spreadable ones may be better than butter.... and I think there is more and more research coming out that shows that butter may be better if only from the stand point that it is naturally occurring. Yeah, it has to be churned, but margarine is nothing but a chemically processed food. Natural is more agreeable to the body than anything that is chemically altered or processed for consumption. I have to believe that Southerners used and even made their own butter years ago, but for some crazy reason, margarine has been in the majority of restaurants and even homes. We can only hope for the Good Olde Days. Today is Labor Day, a day to sit back and rest.... ironic, isn't it?!

EIGHT YEARS OF INNKEEPING

2009-09-02T12:44:00.002-04:00

Doris and I celebrated being bed & breakfast innkeepers for eight years on September 1, 2009. Eight years! It really doesn't seem that long.... not when you are having so much fun! Yeah... right! Don't get me wrong, it has been at times fun, interesting, very rewarding, and exciting. But, it certainly has had its down periods.

Like ten days after we bought the Oakwood Inn, 9/11 hit us. Occupancy tumbled with the weekends generally full, but we lost all of our weekday business. I still wonder why the terrorits waited until Doris and I bought the Inn. Then we had some issues trying to get affordable healthcare insurance as small business owners. Government not putting their nose in operating health insurance... that is a joke here in North Carolina where some of our part-time lawmakers are insurance agents and others take funding from healthcare lobbyists.

Then we had to replace two of our three furnances and A/C units.... not all at once, in a reason span of 2 years. Then the guest who broke the foot of our sleigh bed... sitting on it. Heck, it was going to break.... what do you expect from old wood... it was an antique bed! And then the bride who threw up all over the room. Red wine can have different hues and shades when mixed with stomach acid.

And now we got hit with the Wall Street Fiasco which caused our occcupany to once again tumble but this time with longer and more devastating effects. And the list goes on and onm and will continue to do so. But so will the good list!

The upside in all of this is that we live in Raleigh, North Carolina where it is predicted that the recovery of the economy with be strong. We will be looking at an upward swing and people getting back to work. The state government is doing it's share. It just raised our sales tax from 6.75% to 7.75% to raise more money for more government programs creating more jobs... and it's only temporary. Right! The only thing polictians create as temporary is the lag time from constantly screwing the taxpapers.

But lets celebrate! Doris and I have achieved another milestone at The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast as the longest staying innkeepers. The four sets before us stayed only an average of 4 years... we doubled it. Maybe because we are nuts and have lost all sense of intelliegence. Maybe because we have severe demenitia and forgot those bad times. Or maybe because the good outweights the bad and the potential for outstanding is always presence. Life only comes once around for a person. Enjoy it whenever you can.
Gary

Dogs Banned From Outdoor Dining - Raleigh

2009-08-26T21:41:00.007-04:00

Here is our LeCouffee and Chimay (both named after Belgium beers) resting at Napper Tandy's on West Street. Napper Tandy's has a nice outdoor seating patio area.

Well, our county health department has gone n' done it now! Earlier this month (August 2009) they told restaurants that dogs are not allowed on the dining patio area. Dogs are not welcome to eat with their owners in an outside dining area! That is how the Wake County Health Department interpreted a very poorly written rule. You can read more about the rule in the Links section. Basically, the rule stated that dogs are not allowed in food preparation or storage areas. Now unless you are at a very fancy place where they are flamin' your food in front of you, or are planning on storing your food instead of eating it.... this rule does not apply to outside dining. Heck! It don't even apply to INSIDE DINING!

Apparently, the local newspaper, the News & Observer, ran a piece on pet-friendly restaurants. The county health inspectors who inspector out dining establishments, took it upon themselves to interpreted this rule to mean, Fido can not eat outside with the dog owners. Now, let's side step one bit. A couple of days before this article came out about the county enforcing this poorly written rule, a local radio station talked about how dog crazy Americans are where they treat their dogs like family... like children... maybe even better than family! Now knowing that, you can imagine the reaction of the public here in Raleigh... and I am not talking about the restaurant owners... but dog lovers. You would cause less ruckus by walking into a bar in the Deep South hosting a bunch of rednecks and yell, "Hey, what do you think about those Yankee boys winning that Civil War?" This was not a good move.

Evidently, it caused the County Attorney General to re-interpreted, or basically use the good old common sense and state that dogs could be in the outside dining areas at the discretion of the restaurant management.

I've included the Links to the N & O stories in chronological order if you are interested in reading about this.... good entertainment.

It never ceases to amaze me that government in all of its wisdom authority, wishes to protect us public from the evils of society, and they pick on something that is not broken.... not only that.. but something that is working well for everyone. It's like those at the top are trying to dominate us in every aspect of our lives, but in fact, make themselves look like fools. You have to wonder what is going through their minds picking a battle on such shaky ground.

www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1656168.html,
www.newsobserver.com/1565/story/1656793.html,
www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1661069.html

Memorable Reunion At The Inn - May 2009

2009-08-16T20:59:00.001-04:00

On May 28, a memorable reunion was held at the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast between the original first guests of the inn and the original Innkeepers from 25 years ago. Paul and Jean Higgins were the first guests that stayed at the Inn when it first opened on June 2, 1984. They were driving down from Virginia and stopped at a visitor center just into the North Carolina border. They asked the visitor center staff if there were any B & Bs in Raleigh. They told them that they just received information that one just opened that weekend. Paul and Jean continued on to Raleigh and registered as the first guests at the Inn.

An interesting side line on how all of this evolved is shared by Gary Jurkiewicz, one of the current Innkeepers. Gary read an old copy of the Raleigh Times given to him from Janet Wellman about two years ago. The article there was about the grand opening fo the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast and had some facts about a couple who was coming in as the first guests of the Inn. I decided that during the 25th year anniversary we would try to get Chris, Steve, Donna and Oakley all together with the origin guests, once the original Inn Guest could be contacted about the anniversary. I wrote a short press release and sent it to the USA Today and ask if they could help find the original guests by publishing a story on it. Gary heard nothing from the newspaper.

Then as luck would have it, like in the movies. On the 25 of May, I received a call.

“Hi, I’d like to rent a room for Thursday, May 28.”
I said, “ Not a problem, do you know which room you would like?”
“Well, we’d like a room on the second floor, however, is the Polk room available.”
“Yes, it is,” I reply.
“That is the one my husband and I stayed in 25 years ago. We were the first guests that stayed at the Inn.”

Yeah, right, I thought. “Oh really, and when was that?”
“June second, I believe, it was the first weekend of June.”
She could be the one, or at least one of the first guest if there were more than one couple, I thought, I asked a couple more questions, and decided that Jean and Paul, must be one of the original guests. I then promptly called the four innkeepers and asked if they could come to the inn on Thursday and have a little reunion, Chris, Oakley, and Donna all agreed to come. I then wrote the N & O and they agreed to come out and do a story. The rest just fell into place.

The Innkeepers at the time were Oakley and Donna Herring, Chris Yetter and Steve Zamparelli, and Donna’s mother, Olive Colman. Back on that momentous day, Oakley and Donna were there to greet the couple at the Oakwood Inn B & B. Twenty five years later on May 28, 2009, Chris Yetter, and again Oakley and Donna Herring welcomed Paul and Jean to the Oakwood Inn, along with the current innkeeper Doris Jurkiewicz. As soon as they all saw each other, they quickly recognized each others face, and June 2, 1984 was reborn once again. Hand shakes and warm greetings were exchanged. Everyone introduced themselves, including Josh Shaffer the writer from the News & Observer. Josh took copious notes and listened to the stories and memories shared by the two guests and three innkeepers. He heard how Donna made dinner and asked for Paul and Jean to join her and Oakley. Later, Doris Jurkiewicz took everyone on a tour of the Inn which again had Innkeepers sharing stories from back when the Inn first opened.

After an hour or so of reminiscing, Paul opened a bottle of champagne which he brought to celebrate the occasion. As was stated in the recent N & O article, Oakley said that after they sold the inn, he didn’t think the new owners would be able to make it work. Business was bad and the Inn not profitable. Eventually the Inn was sold to Vera and Jim Cox who worked the inn for 4 years until they sold it to Billy and Darlene Smith. Billy and Darlene ran the inn in 1996 and sold it to Doris and Gary Jurkiewicz. Gary and Doris are the longest running innkeepers of the Inn. The others were on an average four years for each group.

When you realize that many B & Bs are just people’s homes that are rented out to strangers, and many innkeepers just seem to handle the pressure for about 4-7 years. Many B & Bs, close down or return back to personal residences after a short run. Those that run longer maybe go about 10-15. But to make it 25 years, is a major achievement according to the Professional Association of International Innkeepers. The Oakwood Inn be has made it this far. Hopefully it will go on to see its 50h… golden anniversary. Doris and I hope we are here to see that accomplishment….. and, I doubt we will be the innkeepers , but we we’ll have the glowing pride that Chris,Donna and Oakley had on May 28, 12009.

Remodeling Offers Specials for the Summer

2009-07-12T16:27:00.007-04:00

TO SPEND MONEY OR NOT TO SPEND MONEY.........
Renovation. Remodel. Make it look better. Face Lift! That is what Doris and I are doing for the Inn. Spending money. I wish we would have maybe put the Inn on the market two years ago and sold it to get our retirement money out, but we felt that Doris could handle the Inn for a least a couple of more years. Because of the Wizards of Wall Street, she will probably be an innkeeper at the Oakwood Inn for at least another 5 years; unless someone comes along and offers us an amount that we can not refuse. But that’s another story.

We had a B & B consultant come in the middle of May 2009 to help us assess what we need to do, if anything. He was Peter Scherman of the B & B Team of Virginia, www.bbteam.com. We called him because we have heard him talk at various B & B Conferences and seminars. He’s always made sense to us, and we have had a couple of individual one-on-one talks with him. We sort of knew him and he knew us. We trusted him. And that was important to us. We could afford his fee, and that was important to him! So I called him in mid-April and asked him to help us with a basic overview.

Peter came out in mid-May and stayed almost two days with us. He gave us quite a bit of information and suggestions; some of which we all ready knew. I guess we just needed to be assured that we were on the right track, especially when it comes to spending money in these very hard economical times where money is tight… tighter than a Victorian corset!

Peter said that he thought we were the most Victorian looking Inn on the coastal states area. I took that as a compliment, but he felt that some of the décor needed an upgrade.
Peter Scherman felt that some of the furniture was uncomfortable for reading a book for 2-3 hours. I could agree about the furniture, but who reads a book for 3 hours? Computer games and surfing the net for about six, yeah!

Than came the comments about some of the bathrooms. Plumbing needs a upgrade, maybe fancy showers and tubs. Showers that feel like a soft rain fall, massaging the scalp and relaxing the muscles… the kind that has a shower head the size of a car tire and uses about 50 gallons of water per second. Maybe something guests like, but in Raleigh and the surrounding area, may not go over very well with the Raleigh Water Guard. Raleigh is in water restrictions now and probably for the rest of its life, due to some very severe droughts in the last eight years. Go to Raleigh.com and just look up water conservation. Hotels, motels, and Bed & Breakfasts have to install water saving shower heads… those that allow 1 gallon per 24 hours or less. Actually, if you can just shower with no water and just use a dry towel and “sand paper” the dirt off your body, that would be acceptable. In reality, you can shower using water, just use it with conservation in mind.

In the next article, I will explain how we proceeded.

But by the way, check out our website, oakwoodinnbb.com for a summer special due to the remodeling…. Stay two consecutive nights at regular price and get the third night free! A great deal in today’s economy for saving money!

NC Legislature and Taxes on Services

2009-07-12T16:12:00.002-04:00

State Lawmakers feel the need to tax services because they can not figure out where to make budget cuts. They have no idea where the inefficiently ran programs are, nor have any idea how to stop wasteful spending. They could start by firing themselves.

So in their great wisdom, they take the easy way out by generating revenue with a law that would create a new tax on certain services. Now mind you, they said that they would not raise taxes. In fact, they plan on lowering the personal income tax 0.25%! I believe the real thrust behind lowering the income tax, is because issuing a new tax in new chartered waters may give them more money than what they could use. A State government raising more money than what it needs? Ridiculous! Give the meddling morons 24 hours with the lobbyists and special interest groups, and they will have the excess spent faster than my wife and five daughters in a one hour shopping spree at Macy’s! Actually, my wife and daughters would do better because they constantly seek out sales. The only thing politicians sell are their souls to the devil.

Since these highly educated individuals can not figure out Zero-Base Budgeting, they should consider apply this new tax on ALL services. Why not just tax all services at a much lower and reasonable rate like 1%, and then the burden is applied to everyone on all services. If you get $100 in car repairs, it will be an extra $1 for the service tax. If you pay a white-collar professional a $1,000, it comes out to $10. Blue collar services are taxed just as white collar so everyone pays. If government would tax the red collar services like prostitution, heck… we could probably knock off the Federal deficient in a few months…. and that would be just from many of the Federal politicians having to pay this tax for this service.

Taxing all services at a lower rate seems to be more equitable than just applying a 4% sales tax on certain select services of the Lawmakers’ choice. Gosh… with their choice… prostitutes… oops… I mean escort services... not to be confused with the Secret Service; would never be taxed. Although, both of these services are usually provided for in secret… more on a Federal level. Man, I am getting off the real subject here.

Taxing all services in the Grand Olde State of North Carolina, would be more equitable and fair to all tax payers. Of course, those white-collar professionals will complain that the extra costs will drive clients away, and their businesses will suffer and they could be out of work. But don’t worry! They can always get a job as a Legislator, because the current ones will be out come election time!

Related Links......

News & Observer News article, June 23, 2009: http://www.newsobserver.com/politics/story/1579697.html

Tax Spa Services: http://www.skininc.com/spabusiness/regulations/49206152.html

RALEIGH: THINGS TO DO AND SEE

2009-03-29T12:54:00.003-04:00

Check these things out on the web and stay with us. We are located right downtown just minutes away from all of these activities and fun things to do in downtown Raleigh. Check out our website and make an online reservation. www.oakwoodinnbb.com

In APRIL.......
4th... World Pillow Fight Day in Moore Square; Raleigh Spring Music Festival; Warehouse district######################

9th... Burning Coal Theatre: "1960" Opening Gala

24th... Yanni live in Concert.... RBC Center

24-26th... Lord Of The Dance of Broadway Series South; Memorial Auditorium

In MAY.......
2nd... World Beer Festival... need to buy tickets early!!

5th thru 10th.... WIZARD OF OZ of Broadway Series South; Memorial Auditorium

16th... Downtown Raleigh Home Tour

16th to 17th... Artsplosure: The Raleigh Arts Festival.. Huge Festival in Moore Square

28-29th... Carolina Ballet: Beauty and Beast... Sounds Fabulous!

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IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC... FOR ALL YOU MUSIC LOVERS at the Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek:

April 23.. Jimmy Buffett

May 16... George Strait

June 8... No Doubt also with Paramore & the Sounds

July 11... Toby Keith

August 1..Nickelback

August 2... Rascal Flatts

August 6... Coldplay... buy tickets soon and stay with us at The Oakwood Inn

August 30... Kenny Chesney

The Oakwood Inn is about a 20 minute drive to the Walnut Creek Pavilion. Why drive all the way home. Make a day of it. Stay at the Oakwood Inn, have dinner downtown, and then drive... it may be a late night, but only a short drive back to the Inn for sleep and then a wonderful breakfast in the morning.

RALEIGH'S R-LINE DOWNTOWN CIRCULATOR

2009-03-25T21:19:00.002-04:00

A new service to get your around downtown Raleigh and its FREE!

Raleigh has purchased two buses to help you get around the downtown area.
The R-Line is Downtown Raleigh's mode to connect employees, residents and visitors to retail, restaurants, entertainment venues and parking in the Central Business District (CBD). The service has its own distinct look and feel from regular Capital Area Transit bus service. This makes the R-Line distinguishable for riders from a distance.
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The green and blue colors emphasize its unique "green" attribute; they stand for blue air and green earth. The design of the bus also symbolizes that the R-Line is a joint effort of the Raleigh Transit Authority, Downtown Raleigh Alliance (DRA) and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (GRCVB).
The R-Line is an example of the Raleigh Transit Authority's commitment to expand transit service in Raleigh and the City of Raleigh's commitment to make Raleigh a "green" city. For more information visit www.YouRHere.com.

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The R-Line only stops at designated R-Line stops indicated on the route's map.

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Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the purpose of the Circulator?
The Downtown Circulator was proposed as a resource for commuters in the central business district (CBD). The purpose of the circulator is to provide connectivity to the CBD's major parking decks and entertainment districts.
How often will the circulator run?
The circulator will run every 10-12 minutes. The route will be served by 2 buses that will allow for headways to remain at 10-12 minutes.
What type of buses will run on the Circulator route?
This route will be served by 3, 40' hybrid electric, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) style buses; one bus will serve as a spare. The City of Raleigh chose to use 40' buses because they can easily be placed into regular CAT bus service if necessary.
Why a BRT style hybrid?
The City of Raleigh chose a BRT style hybrid because it is environmentally friendly, will run quietly in the CBD and it provides a distinctive look to the service.
How much will it cost to ride the Circulator?
This will be a free service!

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What are the hours of the Circulator?
Mon-Wed Hours: 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thu-Sat Hours: 7:00 AM - 2:15 AM
Sun Hours: 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM

25 YEARS OF SERVICE !

2009-03-10T21:44:00.002-04:00

THE OAKWOOD INN BED & BREAKFAST CELEBRATES

The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast of Raleigh, North Carolina is celebrating its twenty five year anniversary this year. In June 1984, Raleigh’s first and largest Bed & Breakfast opened its doors to welcome Raleigh visitors. The house that was converted into the Oakwood Inn was built in 1871 and is located in Raleigh first historic district, Historic Oakwood, which is a part of the downtown area. Because it was the first B & B in Raleigh, there was a lot of resistance from the city fathers. The city council had to be convinced and educated as to what a Bed & Breakfast was in concept, as well as what type of cliental it would bring into the area. The city council did not want anymore boarding houses in the area at the time. The Oakwood Inn B & B was certainly not a boarding house when it opened on Saturday, June 2nd of that year. The beautiful house, which was totally renovated and decorated with antique furniture, custom drapery, and gold-gilded chandeliers, was also Wake County’s first bed and breakfast.

Now that may not seem a long time, however; in terms of the Bed and Breakfast industry, a 25 year anniversary is a milestone achievement. “For a bed and breakfast to stay in business this long is quite an accomplishment. Innkeeping can be a tough, yet rewarding business. The folks who have been running The Oakwood Inn must be doing it right, obviously having been rewarded by a constant flow of loyal customers for a quarter-century,” said Jay Karen, President & CEO of Professional Association of Innkeepers International which is referred to as PAII in the industry.

Doris and I purchased the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast on September 1, 2001. Since that time we have gone through a lot of good and bad times. The one thing we have tried to maintain is to make sure our guests are satisfied and happy, and we must be doing it right, because we are still here running the Inn. We are the longest running Innkeepers of the Inn as we will be completing our eighth year this coming September. Over the past couple of years, I have had to return to the workforce outside the inn for various reasons. That means that Doris is really the sole innkeeper still providing the high quality service. It’s a lot more demanding on her, but she loves doing it, and it’s that passion that provides the basis to achieve a long sustaining tenure.

For the next few months, I will try to have a article in the newsletter providing a little more history of the house and its past owners as well as pass on a few bits of information about it as a B & B. “One definite thing we need to do,” said Doris, “is thank all of the neighbors who have stayed with us or have had family and friends stay with us. The neighborhood business is well appreciated and always welcome. We are so happy to be a part of this wonderful community.”

And of course, we need to thank all of our past guests who have supported us whether it was their first and only time they stayed with us, or if they have come every week or month for a night or two, and we have had some that regular.

Now I will also tell all of you that the Inn, just like many other businesses today, is having a difficult time business-wise. Occupancy has been down since about early September last year when much of this worldwide financial fiasco hit. Luckily, I am working and can help keep providing some cash flow to keep it moving along. As I tell many people, Doris and I bought the place 10 days before September 11, 2001. That day changed everything for us. What happened was that we lost all of our weekday business travelers, but our weekends were fairly full with pleasure travelers. People were afraid to travel, but had the money and means to do so. With today’s economic mess, people are not afraid to travel, but they just don’t have the money to do it.

“But things are starting to get a little better for us,” Doris said. “I tell Gary almost everyday to just think positive and the positive will come.” And it will. When you think about the first people who had the house built in 1871, and all of those others who lived in the house, or came to visit. When you think of who dug out the basement, who installed the first bathroom, when did the house convert from fireplace heat to a furnace, and who made what renovations and why…. you really appreciate the house and its soul. You begin to understand that this house has a life and a will to survive.

This house is one of Oakwood’s fourth or fifth oldest surviving homes. It has endured wars, wind, possibly fire, termites, snow storms, hurricanes, foreclosure, tax auction, tornadoes, segregation, integration, renovations, floods, additions, deletions, diseases, epidemics, depressions, recessions, and inflation…. it survived 9/11 and it certainly will survive and add to its legacy the Greatest Worldwide Depression of 2008/09.

Come and join us celebrate this year. Check out our website for 25 year specials. www.oakwoodinnbb.com
Gary
Owner/Innkeeper

Coconut Chocolate Cookies from the Oakwood Inn B & B

2008-05-27T22:13:00.004-05:00

Cookie Course

By Bridgette A. Lacy, Staff Writer New & Observer, Appearred in section E, Wed, Dec., 12, 2007.

Shhh. It's Christmastime. If you listen close you can hear it.
No, it's not the clatter of reindeer hooves on the roof. It's the whir of thousands of mixers churning up dough fvor the millions of Christmas cookies that will soon fill tins and stretch bellies across the land.
Knowing that many of you are firing up your ovens right about now, we offer a few well-tested Christmas cookie recipes from fellow bakers. Use them for inspiration or simply take solace in knowing that others just like you are toiling away, turning out their own batches of Christmas cheer
Gary Jurkiewicz's cookies are so good they can keep people up at night. A guest at the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast in Raleigh, which Jurkiewicz co-owns, once had to turn down his morning meal after helping himself to a full dozen of the innkeeper's cookies during the night. After tasting Jurkiewicz's Coconut Chocolate Chip cookies, which he shares here, we understand.
As a boy, Jurkiewicz loved helping his stay-at-home mother with the cleanup after she made cookies and cakes. With the smell of sweet pastries baking in the oven filling the kitchen, Jurkiewicz did his part: "I got to lick the spoon." It was the start of a love affair with baking that continues. Now a pharmacist and innkeeper, Jurkiewicz delights his daughters and his guests with his baked goods.

(This is an excerpt of an article written on cookie recipes. If you'd like to read the entire article go to: http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/824910.html

Here is Gary's own original recipe for Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Gary's Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups sweetened coconut, toasted (6 ounces)
1-1/4 cups vegetable shortening (8 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar (5.5 ounces)
1-1/4 cups brown sugar, packed (9.5 ounces)
3 cups cake flour (13 ounces)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons coconut extract
2 tablespoons French vanilla yogurt
2-2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (16 ounces)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Put coconut flakes on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Keep an eye on them, and bake until 2/3 of the coconut turns a light to medium tan, from 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven. Do not get the coconut too brown or it will become dry. Let cool.Mix shortening in the bowl of a mixer until it turns smooth. Add sugar and brown sugar, and mix until light and fluffy.Sift together the cake flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.Add the eggs, one at a time, to the creamed shortening and sugar mixture. Mix on medium speed. Add vanilla, coconut extract and yogurt. Mix thoroughly.Set mixer speed to low and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture allowing all ingredients to combine well. The mixture should be wet but not runny.Using a spatula, hand fold in the chocolate chips until mixed thoroughly. Then hand fold in the coconut until all of the ingredients are mixed well. The batter will be a little drier because the coconut absorbs some of the moisture.Put dough into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Drop 2-tablespoonful-scoops of dough onto ungreased baking sheets, allowing about 21/2 inches between scoops. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until edges and tops of cookies lightly brown. Check the cookies after about 6 or 7 minutes and, if needed, rotate the baking sheets for even browning. Do not overbake as it will dry the cookie out.Remove cookies from oven and let set for 2 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets onto baker's rack and let cool for about 2 hours. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 45 21/2-inch cookies; analysis is per cookie.
Per serving: calories, 180; fats, 10 grams (46% of calories); cholesterol, 9 milligrams; carbohydrate, 24 grams; fiber, 1 gram; protein, 2 grams; sodium, 63 milligrams; sugar, 16 grams.
Source: Gary L. Jurkiewicz

Gas Prices Don't Have To Spoil Time Away

2008-05-27T20:54:00.002-05:00

Yep, gas prices keep going up and up. Today I paid $3.93 per gallon at the local BP station on Person Street. We Americans have always adapted fairly well to rising gas prices over the years, sometimes cutting down on short trips to the stores or sometimes not traveling so far for a vacation. As prices seem to keep going up, you do have to wonder, where are they going to level off... maybe they never will, but hopefully they may come down a wee bit.

Whatever happens, we well just adjust our schedules and routines to make it work... what else can you do..... it's beyond our control. What can be done is maybe less longer vacations, and more frequent short relaxation stays. We have been getting a lot of people coming to us for just a 2 or 3 night stay, traveling anywhere from just 15 minutes from us on up to about 2-3 hours drive. We have always had a strong guest list that has used us for a short stay just to get a few days away from work or the stresses from around the home. But lately, we have seen a small increase in people living nearby and just wanting to get away for a few days. Some come in for a play or concert and dinner, some just for dinner and sit around the Inn, and some with a list of things to see and do that are on the relaxation side.

Our website www.oakwoodinnbb.com has a list of a few things like a dinner/theatre package, a date night using the Raleigh Rickshaw service, we have the Oakwood Spa close by that you can take a short walk to and enjoy a relaxing massage, or just come into Raleigh for a weekend event like the Beer Festival or Artsplousure. We always have a lot going on downtown with First Friday where there are numerous art galleries open late. Maybe you'd like to just walk around our Historic neighborhood and look at all of the houses or maybe just try a new restaurant.

Or how about just relaxing on our front porch with a glass of wine and a fine cigar, read a book, or just people watch all the neighbors walking by with their dogs.

You really don't have to go far to enjoy some relaxation which is what we all need nowadays. You can come to downtown Raleigh, stay at The Oakwood Inn B & B, park your car in our lot and just walk everywhere downtown or take the Raleigh Rickshaw. No gas used in either case.
Yeah we don't have the ocean, the sandy beaches, or the peaceful sound of the waves coming into shore. But we do have a quiet and peaceful residential neighborhood, we have good eats around us, quiet time for mediation or relaxation, and peaceful sound of birds chirping in the morning.

Doris and I purchased the Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast on September 1, 2001, ten days before 9/11 and our occupancy went down, down, down. We quickly re-grouped and came up with a plan to bring locate potential guests and came up with our tag line of: Don't Go Away, Get Away at The Oakwood Inn B & B. That line still stays with us even more so now than before. Cause you don't have to travel far away to have a nice Get Away.... we're just around the corner. A vacation or Get Away does not have to be to some far away exotic place to travel to in order to relax.... it can be right under your nose. A two or three day weekend or even some week days off can do more for reducing stress than a long 10-14 traveling vacation moving from hotel to hotel and seeing sights after sights.

Look us up at our website and either call us or just do an online reservation. Gas prices can double, but it doesn't mean that we have to cancel plans for a little time for relaxation.... there are alternatives..... and we Americans will adapt!

City Search Link

2008-05-06T21:50:00.002-05:00

A few months ago, we had City Search do a one minute video on the Oakwood Inn B &B. Yours truly is the commentator. It was fun and the video is informative. Check it out by clicking on the link below. A picture of me with a big triangluar button on my nose should come up. Click on the triangle button and watch. It talks about the Inn and also about a new service in downtown, The Raliegh Rickshaw Company. They are men and women that peddle you around town in a three seater tricycle... one seat for the driver and a bench seat for two for the customers. They are a lot of fun. We have them in these video. I'll talk more about them in my next blog.

For now..... check us out on City Search... click below. And for those of you who have recently stayed with us, post a review about your experience at The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast.

City Search Link: http://triangle.citysearch.com/profile/6181356/raleigh_nc/oakwood_inn_bed_breakfast.html

Thank you for reading.
Gary

Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour 2007

2007-11-15T23:06:00.000-05:00

2007 is the 36th Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour. This year's tour offers 12 homes in Historic Oakwood on December 8 & 9 from 1pm to 7pm. Prices are $15 per person in advance or $20.00 the day of the Tour. The tour is the major event that the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood has to raise money for the use in the Historic District. The money is used for various improvements of the neighborhood. This past year we saved an old house from the wrecking ball. We had the house moved from its location at Peace Street and Boylan to 207 Linden Street which is in Historic Oakwood. The house was repaired and brought up to code, and is now on the market for a new owner.

Every year the tour is on the second weekend of December. All of the homes on tour are decorated for Christmas in their own unique fashion. Advance ticket sales are throughout Raleigh. You can also go online and purchase them for a $2.00 fee per ticket at E-tix at http://www.historicoakwood.org/. This is our second year using E-tix for make purchases for advance sales, making it very convenient for you to buy the tickets at the advance price without having to physically travel to a location. When you purchase them via E-tix, you receive a voucher for tickets. To pick up your tickets, take the voucher to The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast on the day of tour and just exchange them for your tickets. It's that simple!

The tickets are more like a brochure, which has a map and location of all the homes and areas of interest on it. This year, we will have a horse and carriage ride, as well as a bicycle rickshaw ride provide by Raleigh Rickhsaw. The horse and carriage or the rickshaws will be able to provide a little more fun this year.

The Tucker House will be open for cookies and refreshments along with some entertainment. The Historic Oakwood Cemetery will also be open for tours. For more information or advance ticket sales, call The Oakwood Inn B & B at 919-832-9712 located at 411 North Bloodworth, Raleigh, NC 27604. Come and Join us for Fun, Food, and Pleasure! Call for information at 919-832-9712 or go to http://www.historicoakwood.org/, or http://www.oakwoodinnbb.com/.

2007-08-30T20:12:00.000-05:00

SPECIAL OFFER FOR BUSINESS MAILER

2007-01-22T20:35:00.000-05:00

You received a letter from us introducing you to The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast. The letter was mailed out to all North Carolina registered principals that handle the lobbying for various companies and interest groups.

Now for those who live a great distance from Raleigh, staying with us makes logical sense. However, for some of you who live/work in Raleigh or fairly close, obviously staying with us to visit the legislature may not seem rational, and we agree.

However, we DO get many guests that stay with us for a night or two, just to getaway from the everyday stress and mundane routines. It may be an escape from work, or from the kids, or from the pressures of home, or just to do something a little different. We DO have quite a few guests that just need a weekend away without having to drive to far to enjoy it.

We have some nice dinner/theatre packages... stay a night at the Inn, have dinner at a downtown restaurant, and go see a play at one of the eight theatre groups in downtown Raleigh. Make plans with your spouse or significant other to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or date that is meaningful for the both of you.

So you see, you may live in or near Raleigh and you don't need to stay with us for a business event, but you can and should stay with us for a short little vacation!

SPECIAL OFFER:

For those who stay with us for 1 room night, we'll include two free Oakwood Inn coffee cups (a $10.00 retail value) WITH PRESENTATION OF COUPON.
For those who stay with us for 2 consecutive room nights, we'll include two free Oakwood Inn coffee cups AND two free Oakwood Inn wine glasses (a $24.00 retail value) WITH PRESENTATION OF COUPON.

1. IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS OFFER, YOU NEED TO EMAIL US AT OUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND ASK US TO SEND YOU A SPECIAL OFFER COUPON WHICH IS ONLY VALID UNTIL DECEMBER 20, 2007. You can do this now without having to make a room reservation. email: innkeepers@oakwoodinnbb.com

2. When you decide on a date, call for a reservation, please inform us at this time that you have a coupon for the SPECIAL OFFER.

3. At the time of check in, you must present us with the coupon in order to receive the SPECIAL OFFER. Again, this is subject to a reservation and the COUPON MUST be presented at the time of check in.

4. Offer is subject to room availability and some black out periods may apply.

5. Lost coupons will NOT be replaced. One coupon per email address request. Offer is only good for one time per couple during 2007.

6. Photocopies or computer reproductions of coupon are not valid nor allowed.

Thank you for reading our Blog and we hope that you will take advantage of our SPECIAL OFFER for the year 2007. Check our Blog on a regular basis for news about the Oakwood Inn and area events.

Gary L. Jurkiewicz

JUNE Murder Mystery CANCELED

2007-01-22T15:20:00.000-05:00

I'm am sorry but due to an overwhelming schedule and some unexpected projects, I will have to canceled the June 2007 Murder Mystery Weekend. I hope to have it done and ready for the Fall of 2007, I will keep you all informed.
Gary

What Is A Bed & Breakfast?

2007-01-12T21:22:00.000-05:00

Bed & Breakfasts.... Inns.... B & Bs..... Country Inns..... Guest House..... Cottage Inn...... What Are All Of These Things?!!

There are many different types of establishments that are classified as B&Bs.
From an historical perspective they originated as someone’s home where the homeowner rented out bedrooms for weary travelers and offered them a breakfast to start their day for a low, reasonable charge…. probably in Europe and more so in the United Kingdom.

The concept came over here to the United States where many B&Bs started on the east coast especially in the New England area. Over time the concept evolved and caught on by many more people, and this part-time occupation or sometimes hobby for some innkeepers has now turned into a full blown profession, with innkeepers holding down the Inn as a full time job, taking classes to improve the operations or procedures in running this type of business, and even organizing into professional associations locally and nationally.

Some Bed & Breakfasts are ran as a fulltime venture with the innkeepers earning a living and some are doing it part-time and also holding a fulltime job or they just may be doing it as a hobby for fun to meet other people and earn a little side money to help supplement their retirement. In any of the cases, the Inns are uniquely different as are their owners/innkeepers. That is what makes a B & B such a wonderful travel experience, each Inn has its own personality that has transpired from the personalities of the owners or innkeepers.

What makes the difference among a Bed and Breakfast, an Inn, a Guest House, or a Country Inn? This sort of a gray area. It really is semantics. Some people refer to an establishment with 1-4 bedrooms as a B &B, while a place with 5-10 is an Inn, and a place with more than 10 as a County Inn. Others have no distinction, so a B & B can also be called an Inn.

It is hard to say what is a bed & breakfast and at what level the lodging becomes a hotel. I would say that a B & B and/or Inn are smaller, more quaint and homey. Many B & Bs offer almost the same amenities as a hotel except a breakfast is included, as well as many other perks. Sometimes the more expensive perks like bike rentals or packages for weddings nights, birthdays are sold separately form the room price. Some hotels are trying to be like a B & B and offer a variety of “free” amenities, or included perks, but what they lack is the real essence of a B & B and that is the personalities of the place due to the one-on-one owners/innkeepers. The innkeeper-guest interaction, whether for suggestions for restaurants or area events, or just a social chat about world economics, is where a B & B differs from a hotel.

To the innkeeper, this is their life not a job as in the place of a hotel/motel. Due to the smallness and this bonding with the innkeeper, there is also a chance for the guests… total strangers to each other, to bond and form relationships. It happens all the time around the breakfast table in a B & B, but try sit with a stranger at a breakfast table in a hotel, or in the lounge… it doesn’t happen… not as often as at a B & B.

Bed & Breakfast and/or Inns are becoming more wide spread and frequently used by travelers for vacationing or for business. Yes, the business traveler is finding out how nice traveling can be if they stay with a Bed & Breakfast. Now that’s another Blog post, so I’ll hold on that for now.

So, when making a reservation at an Inn, be sure to book early because this type of lodging has become very popular with vacationers, people just passing through, and business travelers. Innkeepers are charming, informed about their area, gracious hosts, and even just plain fun…. They can be some of the nicest folks around!

You can always find out more information on the Bed & Breakfasts and Inns of North Carolina by visiting the North Carolina Bed & Breakfast and Inn Association at www.NCBBI.org

OR....... Just Come Visit Us Sometime If You Are Ever In Raleigh, North Carolina! www.oakwoodinnbb.com

Gary

Murder Mystery Weekend in Raleigh

2007-01-10T21:39:00.000-05:00

LOOKIN' FOR ALL COLUMBO'S, MATLOCK'S, PERRY MASON'S, OR EVEN
INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU'S (Pink Panther movies)....

The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast in Raleigh will be hosting another Murder Mystery Weekend on June 8 & 9, 2007. Pricing and more details will be posted as they become available. I will be hiring actors to play the character roles in the murder mystery will be centered in part around a Civil War Conspiracy Theory. Guest sof the Inn will be in the "role" of detective. Prizes will be award to the person(s) who guess who dunnit and why they did it or also known as The Motive.

We hosted our first Murder Mystery weekend in late August 2006 and it went fairly well. Actually, it went very well as far as the guests and actors went. Since I'm my worst critic, I felt that a couple of things could have been better. The script in this weekend was written by me, Gary Jurkiewicz, the Innkeeper at the urging of Ira David Wood of Theatre In The Park in Raleigh. I used some of Theatre In The Park's actors and Ira David Wood himself was also in the show... in videotape form.

For the show in June 2007, I am still in the process of writing it and it will be done a little different. Once I get those details worked out, I will post the entire article on the blog. I chose a Civil War theme hoping that there is a special interest crowd, and many of them, that would be interested in this type of murder mystery. The setting of the murder mystery, is in current time and located in Raleigh. It should be fun!

If you are interested in attending, just please contact me via email at innkeepers@oakwoodinnbb.com. Or call at 919-832-9712.

I will be putting out an email broadcast to all of our past guests near February sometime about this Murder Mystery weekend package.

Gary

Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour

2006-11-24T20:48:00.000-05:00

2006 is the 35th Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour. This year's tour offers 12 homes in Historic Oakwood on December 9 & 10 from 1pm to 7pm. Prices are $15 per person in advance or $20.00 the day of the Tour.

The tour is the major event that the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood has to raise money for the use in the Historic District. The money is used for various improvements of the neighborhood. Every year the tour is on the second weekend of December. All of the homes on tour are decorated for Christmas in their own unique fashion.

Advance ticket sales are throughout Raleigh. You can also go online and purchase them for a $2.00 fee per ticket at E-tix (http://www.etix.com/). This is our first year using E-tix for make purchases for advance sales. When you purchase them via E-tix, you receive a voucher for tickets. To pick up your tickets, take the voucher to The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast on the day of tour and just exchange them for your tickets.

The tickets are more like a brochure, which has a map and location of all the homes and areas of interest on it. This year, we have also purchased the services of Molly the Trolley which is a trolley that will take you on a mobile tour of the area dropping you off at various locations throughout Historic Oakwood. The Tucker House will be open for cookies and refreshments. The Historic Oakwood Cemetery will also be open for tours.

For more information or advance ticket sales, call The Oakwood Inn B & B at 919-832-9712 located at 411 North Bloodworth, Raleigh, NC 27604.

This year (due to previous year's demand) The Oakwood Inn will be opening its upstairs rooms for touring. In previous years it has always been the two downstairs rooms, BUT this year we are opening the upstairs.. something different! We are not sure the upstairs has EVER been open in previous years and if it has been.... it's been at least eight years!

Come and Join us for Fun, Food, and Pleasure! Call for information at 919-832-9712 or go to http://www.historicoakwood.org/, or http://www.oakwoodinnbb.com/.

Dinner/Theatre Packages

2006-11-10T21:49:00.000-05:00

Doris and I of The Oakwood Inn Bed & Breakfast have always been a supporter of the Arts. We especially enjoy live theatre, so about four years ago we started offering Dinner/Theatre Packages at the Inn. I call it a Three Act Show.... stay a night at The Oakwood Inn, go out for dinner at a local restaraunt, and then out to see a play at one of Raleigh's downtown theatre groups.

Raleigh has some wonderful talent and the shows that are offered each year cover the full spectrum of theatre. Just go to the Oakwood Inn website at www.oakwoodinnbb.com and check out the link with Dinner/Theatre. It has a list of the entire season for all of the shows at the eight theatre groups we work with. There is nothing better than Live Theatre for entertainment.

And food wise.... Raleigh has some great restaraunts. We work with about six to eight different downtown restaraunts for the dinners.

If you are interested in a package, just pick a show you'd like to see, call us for a room and we will tell you about the restaraunts you can choose. We can usually give you a price within 48 hours. It is a good idea to call as far in advance of the date as possible so we can get you the best seats.

We have had quite a few guests that have purchased 2 or 3 packages over the past few years and they all seem very satisfied. If you have used one of our Dinner/Theatre packages, please feel free to post a comment about it. We would love to hear from you.

These Dinner/Theatre packages also make for a great Christmas gift for the couple that has everything... keep that in mind for this year's holiday season!

Oakwood Inn B & B Blog Intro

2006-11-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

This blog is the first one that The Oakwood Inn Bed and Breakfast has to share information about what is happening at The Inn, Raleigh, North Carolina, or about the Innkeepers. I plan on doing the posting to this blog and maintaining it. Hopefully, you will keep it as one of your favorites so you can check on it on a regular basis.

If you have a comment to make, please do so.

Doris and I hope that you enjoy reading this blog and it is informative as well as enlightening.