About The Guest Experience
In our short life here, we have had many guests that would fit into the status of "celebrity." We have had a famous actress, an Admiral that commands an aircraft carrier, politicians, musicians, and wonderful people from all walks of life who would never consider themselves celebrities at all. Yet, we do consider each and every guest our VIP, our celebrity.
Our policy is to neither publish nor publicly acknowledge anyone staying at the Inn. For example, an actor that recently stayed with us wanted to get away from publicity and relax. Therefore, if a newspaper, or anyone for that matter, would have made inquiries regarding the actor as our guest, we would have not acknowledged the visit, guaranteeing their anonymity.
In some special cases, after a well known guest has given us permission, we will tell their interesting story here in the Inn's blog--but only after they have checked out and only after they have given us the go-ahead!
Vicariously Enjoy Our Guest's Experience Here Last Sunday Morning
On occasion, we will have an interesting guest that will not mind *not* being "incognito." That happened this past weekend when two important cultural events happened in Hershey. World famous model and violin virtuoso, David Garrett, performed at Hershey Theatre. At the same time, renown cello virtuoso, Dennis Parker, who has performed in Europe, South America (Brazil) and North America performed at Lebanon Valley College (LVC) along with violinist Karen Bentley Pollick (also just back from a European concert tour) and clarinetist Justin O'Dell (Acadiana Symphony Orchestra's principal clarinetist) presenting "Six Wooden Blocks: A Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Cello" by Dr. Scott Eggert, music professor at LVC. Dennis was our guest at Annville Inn for two tremendous nights.
We were thrilled when Dennis agreed to present a short concert before breakfast Sunday morning. That warm, memorable experience will be furthered by a CD Dennis left behind, which we shall often play as background music in our conservatory.
Here is a mental snapshot, for you, of one guest's experience here that morning:
Imagine yourself in his place: Before breakfast, in the conservatory, curled up in a big Mission-style rocking chair in front of the crackling wood fire, a wall of glass all around you. The room is warm, filled with plants of all kinds. Outside the glass wall, which surrounds you on three sides, is a winter wonderland, filled with white snow punctuated with birds--birds everywhere. A brilliant red cardinal is cheerfully greeting you as you read...tap, tap, tappa-tapp on the window he goes as you hear the water fountain gurgling, the fire crackling, and as your senses detect a delicious mouth watering aroma coming into the conservatory from the kitchen.
At the same time, your ears pick up the melodic strains of Dennis Parker's incomparable, majestic solo wafting throughout the house. You feel cradled, surrounded by a cocoon of beautiful classical music. All is right with the world, the Inn is magical, you want to remember these sensations forever. That was the experience of a young man, one of our guests on Sunday morning, while Dennis Parker was performing in the Parlor-Music Room. www.annvilleinn.com
Dennis Parker. Past season's concert tours have taken him from Brasilia , to Nanjing, Prague, and all over the U.S.A. Early training was at the Juilliard School and subsequent degrees from Indiana University and Yale University. Photograph by Craig George, Annville Inn B&B.
