Historic Boone Tavern Hotel & Restaurant at Berea College -Southern Hospitality At It Finest

**Barb about to enter the vintage as well as newly remodeled Historic Boone Tavern Hotel & restaurant at Berea College in Berea, KY.**

**Tim Glotzbach, Director of the Student Crafts Program showing a student made turned giant bowl.**

WWW.AMERICANPRESSTRAVELNEWS.COM – Jan 25th, Berea College, KY.-Bob & Barb “On the Road Again” and “Stopping to Smell the Roses, We dined at the Historic Boone Tavern Restaurant, a place to to enjoy traditional and modern offerings of excellent cuisine, libations and a feeling that you’ve come home to family. Don’t remember when I felt this way before on any writing assignment, needing to researching the essences of a “place in time and space.” Berea founded in 1885 started and has grown to be a college of highly respected by it’s Alumni, professors, college staff, especially students and their families and friends. We spent two nights at Historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant. We visited all their crafts departments, ate dinner at their restaurant, met and interviewed students, instructors, the 500-acre farm Director, ate and purchased the makings of what has become a century old tradition of “Spoon Bread” with all or almost all ingredients produced on their working student operated farm. I guess what really shone through throughout our stay and experiences was the deep respect for the work ethic and cooperative nature of the peoples that made up the “Berea Experience.” Today Berea is know as the “Crafts Capital of Kentucky” and for very good reason, crafts in woodworking, pottery, broom making, farm-craft among others, are taught, created and sold in the many crafts shop both in Berea, state and nationwide.

chicken flakes in a Bird Nest closeup — **Chicken Flakes in a Birds Nest**

birds nest being served by Maitre De — **Maitre de brought us some of our dishes!!**

We settled in comfortably in a great King bed, bath and beyond, and were spoiled rotten at the Tavern. Our waiter (student) brought us our Fried Green Tomato Salad, out of their farm gardens, a traditional dish offered here for many decades-” Chicken Flakes in a Birds Nest”and Barb’s opted for glazed salmon. We had a Bourbon, local wine, and a real Mint Julep, all KY. style. The special Souffle’ like Spoon Bread was fantastic and has been served here for more than 70-years, an Appalachian traditional recipe.
We finished, or they finished us off with a Pecan Pie with crust steeped in chocolate and a Caramel swirl and a nice big square of bread pudding. We slowly walked out for a longer walk around the block before heading up to our room for some hot showers. Go to Berea, visit the school and all its craft programs, stay at the Historic Boone Tavern, get spoiled at lunch or dinner, talk to some of the students, stop by at the nearby Kentucky Artisan Center to make a hand-made craft of a lifetime. I promise you will come away wishing as we did, to have gone to school there yourself. www.berea.com

Weavers ply their crafts at Berea's new Incubator strip! — Weavers ply their crafts at Berea’s new Incubator strip!

Pecan pie at the Tavern! — **Pecan pie at the Tavern**!

barb and salmon dinner — **Salmon en glace’ Barb loved it, I did too!**

WILMINGTON DELAWARE – A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT

Our destination hotel was as comfy as any we've ever stayed in. — Our destination hotel was as comfy as any we’ve ever stayed in.

WWW.AMERICANPRESSTRAVELNEWS.COM – August 2016, Wilmington, Delaware–Bob and Barb “On the Road Again.” There is so many wonderful things to do in Wilmington Delaware. After checking in to the Double Tree by Hilton, and only having two days, it was hard to pick the best most enjoyable things to do in such a short time. The first thing that we did was take a tour of the hotel. After looking at the beautiful swimming pool, we decided that no matter how

**Summer or winter this pool is kept just at the right temperature!**

busy we will be in the next couple of days, we must try out the pool. Of course they had an exercise room with upscale machines. Our room was clean and comfortable. In the mornings we enjoyed the breakfast buffet that had little omelets and very good coffee, the coffee makes a place.

The location was very easy to get to with ample parking. We immediately scheduled a time to shop next door at the mall to take advantage of the shopping without paying any sales tax. Please take a look at our next post that tells of the museums, the lucious and spectacular of Longwood Gardens ,Andrew Wyeth, The Brandywine River Museum and bunch more amazing places we were able to take in, in DE.

For more information go: delart.org, brandywine.org, and visitwilmingtonde.com

Easy breezy check-in and the front desk was very accomodating. — **Easy breezy check-in and the front desk was very accommodating.**

Arts Incubator Program Acquired by Berea College, Relocates to Berea, Kentucky

**Tim Glotzbach Director, Director of the Students Crafts Programs. displays one of the students crafted bowl for sale to the public!!**

AmericanPressTravelNews.com–August 23rd, Bob and Barb, “Stopping to Smell the Roses”–In July, Berea College acquired the intellectual property of the Arts Incubator of the Rockies, AIR. The programs, now known as the AIR Institute of Berea College has relocated from Colorado and become part of the College Crafts Program at Berea. Tim Glotzbach, Director of the Students Crafts Program said: “When I started working with Berea in 2007 I came from a University system as a professor and Administrator and as an Academic Dean in the system. Now I see the fruits of giving so many students a craft opportunity that can carry them through for their entire life in so many ways.” Barb and I felt his strong enthusiasm for giving his all to the students of Berea.

The AIR Institute programs serve communities with creativity-focused community and economic development workshops and programs. Using cross-sector collaboration, AIR serves artists, business people, educators, and the community together. AIR Institute programs teach design thinking, business planning, and entrepreneurial initiative with the latest business development strategies and tactics, such as fast prototyping and lean startup principles. Hundreds of people from a dozen states have used the programs to succeed.

**Berea Senior Student Zach smith (lft) stands behind one of the dozens of benches he has made for businesses and private property owners in and around the City of Berea.**

“Berea College believes that the AIR programs provide a sustainable future for the American Craft movement, the work of creatives, and vibrant, creative communities nationwide,” said Lyle Roelofs, president of Berea College.

Berea College will be offering AIR programs throughout the United States, with an initial focus on Appalachia and the Intermountain West regions. “The AIR programs build on the Berea College tradition of serving artists, expanding financial opportunities for Appalachia, and promoting arts, crafts, and creative business practices,” said Tim Glotzbach, Director of Berea College Crafts. “The programs are a natural extension of the original Fireside Industries programs instituted by Berea’s third president, William Goodell Frost in the late 1800s. Students and others in our region will now be able to access innovative programs that will help them make a financially sustainable living as artists, creatives, and social entrepreneurs,” said Glotzbach.

**Student Zach Smith shows off some of his and other craft students handiwork to be sold at the College Crafts Center Store.**

Beth Flowers, the former Executive Director of the Arts Incubator of the Rockies, will serve as the Director of the AIR Institute of Berea College.

The AIR Institute of Berea College includes the AIR:Shift Workshop, AIR:Evolve Program, AIR:Internship Program and the AIRffiliate train-the-trainer community development programs, and associated website, marketing materials and community development methods.

Berea College is known internationally as a center for and leader of the American Arts and Crafts movement and Appalachian Craft Revival. The College Crafts Program at Berea has been training, making, and selling hand-crafted furniture, brooms, textiles, and ceramics since 1893. The program was established as a way to preserve traditional Appalachian crafts and to provide parents a currency with which they could help pay for their children’s education. Every year, more than 100 of Berea’s 1,600 students choose to work in the Crafts studios, shops, and outreach programs as part of the Berea College Labor Program.

Since the Arts Incubator of the Rockies, AIR began in 2012, more than 500 artists, creatives, business owners, educators, and community leaders from more than a dozen states have participated in AIR Institute workshops and programs resulting in participants gaining diversified networks, increased productivity, higher morale and increased revenues. Funding for the development of the AIR Institute was provided in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and Americans for the Arts.

For more information about the AIR Institute of Berea College visit: www.AIRinstitute.org

Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor and service. The College admits only academically promising students with limited financial resources, primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia, although students come from 40 states and 60 countries. Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition. Berea is one of seven federally recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10 hours or more weekly, earning money for books, housing, and meals. The College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive Christian character.

For more information about Berea College, visit: www.berea.edu

Oyster Custom Bamboo Fly Rods Ultimate Crafted in America Now also Building Saltwater Models

William Stephan Oyster made a decision: " "thoughts were to create art in the realm of fly fishing. So, when I realized that there were people who wanted the best, the very best engraved and hand made bamboo fly rod in the world, I went totally in this direction." — William Stephan Oyster made a decision: ” “thoughts were to create art in the realm of fly fishing. So, when I realized that there were people who wanted the best, the very best engraved and hand made bamboo fly rod in the world, I went totally in this direction.”

**The fly rod customer who ordered this rod waited a year and in line to get his bamboo treasure.**

Oyster's right hand associate works a bamboo rod section. — **Oyster’s right hand associate works a bamboo rod section.**

AmericanPresstravelNews.com-W.S.Oyster, Rod Maker– Blue Ridge, GA.-June 20th, –“Bob & Barb On the Road Again.”-When you find the best of the best in any endeavor, you feel the need to revel in those that have achieved great success, especially when they also pass it on! From what Barb and I experienced, we found this in William Stephan Oyster’s endeavors. As a hobbyist, angler originally from N.W. Wyoming, in 1998 he took his fly fishing into his artistic schooling background thinking of Fly fishing as more of a journey than a destination.

After moving to Blue Ridge, GA. and making a bamboo rod for a friend, the word got out about his craftsmanship and he found himself not only crafting high-end, engraved rods, but also teaching the art, starting in 2000. His 7-day course has been enjoyed and coveted by thousands to date. He now keeps his business tight to no more than 100-students per year, who pay 1760.00 dollars each, and get to take home the rod they craft. While in the class they have a room at the Oyster House accommodations, very convenient right over his shop where after dinner they can have a beer and smoke a cigar if they like. “It’s a learning vacation for my students, who get to keep what they learn to create.” At the store Oyster Rods start at $2390 per rod, and as they get fancier with custom rod butts engraved to the customers specifications the costs go up. Jimmy Carter ordered a high-end model and high end goes in the neighborhood of $17,000 each (and way up to near $60-K) and wait on line. These are all crafted, hand made and it takes lots of time to make a great working, yet gorgeous working bamboo fly rod. There are now many saltwater models out there too! Check out Oyster-www.oysterbamboo.com 706-374-4239.