A sweet success: Cookie Tour of Inns presents $13,000 to charities
Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what cookie tours are made of.
Yes, the Holmes County Cookie Tour, presented by the Amish Country Lodging Council this past December, was sweet in all ways to patrons who participated in the event, but on Jan. 18, the council made their annual donation to two area nonprofit organizations, which was the sweetest part of all that took place in this year’s tour.
At its Jan. 18 Innkeeper Roundtable, the Amish Country Lodging Council presented, to charity representatives Pastor Larry Hasemeyer of the Love Center Food Pantry and Dr. D.J. McFadden of Hospice of Holmes County, checks totaling more than $6,800 to each organization.
“We are most pleased to support such worthy organizations in our community,” said Loretta Coblentz, cookie tour chairperson. “I and our entire board and participating inns are thrilled to assist these organizations as they help people and families in their most desperate times of need.”
Expressing appreciation for the donation to the Love Center, Hasemeyer stated, “What a blessing you are to this community. Your organization is not only promoting tourism, but displaying a grace that exists in this community. I can’t imagine what you put in the cookies you bake, but you certainly put a lot of love into them.”
McFadden added, “At some point we will all have loved ones pass away and I hope that you all have the opportunity to be blessed by the work of Hospice. When we received our first check from your organization we were dumbfounded. We are so thankful for you and your community support.”
Now in its fourth year, the cookie tour has been a combined effort of all of the lodging facilities associated with the organization, which is under an umbrella of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau.
Bonnie Coblentz, marketing coordinator for the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, said that the success of the cookie tour, and the ability to make such an incredible donation to the two local nonprofit organizations, has been an incredible and somewhat unexpected experience.
“When we began this four years ago we made $1,000 and we were awed,” said Coblentz. “Then the next year we made $4,000, and we thought that was the tops. The third year we went to two days for the event and raised $12,000, and we were just blown away. Now this year’s event raised, and wow, we are just pleased and blessed with how it has gone.”
This year, recipes from Christmases past spiced up the fourth annual Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns during A Very Vintage Christmas event, held in December. In addition to benefiting charities, the event gave 12 of the area’s finest inns and B&Bs a stage to showcase their award-winning and unique properties.
The inns prepared classic delights from the recipe book Festive Favorites, a compilation of more than 350 delectable cookie recipes, and served them up with 1940s flair. Visitors on the tour enjoyed seeing how each inn incorporated the 1940s theme. Vintage holiday décor, Christmas trees dressed with tinsel, and Christmas cards from a bygone era decked the halls and guest rooms of the inns.
In addition, Coblentz said that the group has invited other local businesses, like Heini’s Cheese and Coblentz Chocolate, to participate, showcasing their incredible flair for the tasty treats of Holmes County, which she said has been a great addition to the tour.
While the donations are the main focal point of the tour, Coblentz said that the relationships that have formed through the process continue to grow and evolve, and that has been a wonderful outgrowth from the event.
“Every year volunteers from both the Love Center and Hospice come and help out at the tour, and we have developed amazing relationships over the four years,” said Coblentz.
She added that a number of people have asked if they are going to vary their recipients of the proceeds, but she said that because of the way the two organizations have embraced the tour, and the way they have leapt at the opportunity to lend a hand and get involved, there is no immediate plans to change.
“These are two incredible organizations who have done amazing work throughout our county, and because of the wonderful relationships we have built, there are no plans to change anything in terms of where our proceeds will go,” said Coblentz.
The 2012 inn-to-inn tour will be held on Sunday, Dec. 2 and Monday, Dec. 3. Tour information will be available at http://www.christmascookietour.com.
Coblentz said the cookie tour committee will begin reevaluating the process in a couple of months, and will tweak it wherever necessary to continue to improve a tour which sold out a month in advance this past year.
“It’s been a great partnership throughout the county, and we are looking forward to another great tour,” she said.
The Amish Country Lodging Council is an association of area lodging providers operating under the auspices of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and whose mandate it is to provide guests with stays that are rewarding and memorable.
Yes, the Holmes County Cookie Tour, presented by the Amish Country Lodging Council this past December, was sweet in all ways to patrons who participated in the event, but on Jan. 18, the council made their annual donation to two area nonprofit organizations, which was the sweetest part of all that took place in this year’s tour.
At its Jan. 18 Innkeeper Roundtable, the Amish Country Lodging Council presented, to charity representatives Pastor Larry Hasemeyer of the Love Center Food Pantry and Dr. D.J. McFadden of Hospice of Holmes County, checks totaling more than $6,800 to each organization.
“We are most pleased to support such worthy organizations in our community,” said Loretta Coblentz, cookie tour chairperson. “I and our entire board and participating inns are thrilled to assist these organizations as they help people and families in their most desperate times of need.”
Expressing appreciation for the donation to the Love Center, Hasemeyer stated, “What a blessing you are to this community. Your organization is not only promoting tourism, but displaying a grace that exists in this community. I can’t imagine what you put in the cookies you bake, but you certainly put a lot of love into them.”
McFadden added, “At some point we will all have loved ones pass away and I hope that you all have the opportunity to be blessed by the work of Hospice. When we received our first check from your organization we were dumbfounded. We are so thankful for you and your community support.”
Now in its fourth year, the cookie tour has been a combined effort of all of the lodging facilities associated with the organization, which is under an umbrella of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau.
Bonnie Coblentz, marketing coordinator for the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, said that the success of the cookie tour, and the ability to make such an incredible donation to the two local nonprofit organizations, has been an incredible and somewhat unexpected experience.
“When we began this four years ago we made $1,000 and we were awed,” said Coblentz. “Then the next year we made $4,000, and we thought that was the tops. The third year we went to two days for the event and raised $12,000, and we were just blown away. Now this year’s event raised, and wow, we are just pleased and blessed with how it has gone.”
This year, recipes from Christmases past spiced up the fourth annual Christmas Cookie Tour of Inns during A Very Vintage Christmas event, held in December. In addition to benefiting charities, the event gave 12 of the area’s finest inns and B&Bs a stage to showcase their award-winning and unique properties.
The inns prepared classic delights from the recipe book Festive Favorites, a compilation of more than 350 delectable cookie recipes, and served them up with 1940s flair. Visitors on the tour enjoyed seeing how each inn incorporated the 1940s theme. Vintage holiday décor, Christmas trees dressed with tinsel, and Christmas cards from a bygone era decked the halls and guest rooms of the inns.
In addition, Coblentz said that the group has invited other local businesses, like Heini’s Cheese and Coblentz Chocolate, to participate, showcasing their incredible flair for the tasty treats of Holmes County, which she said has been a great addition to the tour.
While the donations are the main focal point of the tour, Coblentz said that the relationships that have formed through the process continue to grow and evolve, and that has been a wonderful outgrowth from the event.
“Every year volunteers from both the Love Center and Hospice come and help out at the tour, and we have developed amazing relationships over the four years,” said Coblentz.
She added that a number of people have asked if they are going to vary their recipients of the proceeds, but she said that because of the way the two organizations have embraced the tour, and the way they have leapt at the opportunity to lend a hand and get involved, there is no immediate plans to change.
“These are two incredible organizations who have done amazing work throughout our county, and because of the wonderful relationships we have built, there are no plans to change anything in terms of where our proceeds will go,” said Coblentz.
The 2012 inn-to-inn tour will be held on Sunday, Dec. 2 and Monday, Dec. 3. Tour information will be available at http://www.christmascookietour.com.
Coblentz said the cookie tour committee will begin reevaluating the process in a couple of months, and will tweak it wherever necessary to continue to improve a tour which sold out a month in advance this past year.
“It’s been a great partnership throughout the county, and we are looking forward to another great tour,” she said.
The Amish Country Lodging Council is an association of area lodging providers operating under the auspices of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and whose mandate it is to provide guests with stays that are rewarding and memorable.
Published: January 25, 2012
