On Valentine’s Day, Keith and I spent much needed “friend time” with a wonderful group of people we’ve come to know and love at the 6th Annual Booklover’s Ball. Held at the magical mountain lodge of Skytop, it was an evening filled with 5-Star dining, followed with dancing to the music of the Doug Smith Orchestra, and a live auction and raffle sales, all to benefit the Barrett Township Friendly Library. The auctions and raffle sales were made possible by the donations from generous benefactors from the local community. Some of the contributions came from restaurants like Woodfield Manor Chophouse, Frogtown Inn and 6 Acres Restaurant, and The Casino Theater and Ice Cream Parlor in Mt. Pocono. There were also donations from local artists as well as private citizens, all doing their part to help the library continue their services and programs for their community. In these times of Government budget cutbacks, The Chophouse Restaurant at Woodfield Manor is proud to be an instrumental part of this event.

Well, here again I find myself turning the corner of another year. I hope all our friends at Woodfield and Sundance had a warm and fun holiday. Ours was filled with inn-keeping and guest-caring, tree trimming, time spent with family and friends, Christmas parties and a few visits from winter Nor’easters. We received another 5 or 6 inches last night. Keith is snowblowing as I write. But it’s all a part of mountain living. The temps will drop even further in the next few days to bitterly cold, so if you’re coming for a visit, remember those layers. And when you’ve had enough of the cold, come in to our toasty warm bar and ask Ed, Sherry or Judy to make you a warm winter drink or sample a special winter soup and freshly baked bread our chefs have prepared. For you winter lovers, the skiers and snowboarders, you can build a fire in our outdoor fireplace and experience a winter evening counting stars. For me, I think I’ll just stay indoors this weekend sipping some premium tea or hot chocolate, reading, writing, and waiting for spring.

Calling all Woodfield Manor “wine lovers”! We’re starting our Fall Events with a Wine Tasting on Wednesday, October 6th, 2010. The party begins at 7pm in The Chophouse Restaurant and features wines of Spain and Argentina. It will consist of five food courses with a complimentary as well as a harmonious wine pairing. The cost is $40.00 pp and reservations are required.This is the perfect time of year to enjoy a new wine and also the colors of the season. Gather some friends and make it a night. For our guests coming to stay the week, make your reservations now and remember to visit one of the Pocono Mts. local vineyards like Cherry Valley in Saylorsburg or Blue Mountain Vineyard located in quiet farmlands of New Tripoli. These locations are not far from Woodfield Manor and will promise to make for a wonderful afternoon.

Well, it’s official. I’ve been told by more than a few people who had the opportunity to attend The Barrett Friendly Library’s “Books and Bubbly” fund raising event that our Harry Potter display was a hit! As the hostess for our table, I have to say I had a great time meeting so many supporters of the Barrett community and was very pleased they enjoyed our food and presentation. In keeping with the Hogwarts Banquet theme our display was made with wizards in mind. We featured Harry’s favorite, “Cheddar Mac with lobster and crab”and our table was decorated with candleabras, cauldrons, and wands, with a costumed wizard as hostess. We served “Butterbeer” as a beverage and a cake stand was filled with “Chocolate Frogs” for a sweet ending. We felt honored to be a part of this event that helped raise almost $10,000 for the library. I can’t wait to see what’s on the agenda next year!

The Chophouse Restaurant here at Woodfield Manor is very proud to be playing a part at this fund raising event for the Barrett Friendly Library in Cresco, Pa.
The party will center around 12 stations serving interesting food and beverages throughout the library, hosted by local people, groups, and companies who support the library. For example, Paradise Brook Trout is hosting a table of “all things trout” and another table will host a Tea table with assorted tea cakes. Hosts are encouraged to decorate their tables in keeping with food and beverage theme and if you wish to link your theme to a book, character, or author, that would just add to the fun.
So, as host for The Chophouse I am embracing the idea that The Chophouse is a “magical” place to dine with family and friends. The book I’ve chosen is the Harry Potter series and through this event,we will be able to promote Woodfield Manor’s capabilities to the local community as well as our cuisine, while helping the library meet the community’s needs.
So keep the date open, Friday June 25th, from 6:30-8:30pm. Tickets in advance $25.00 pp, $30.00 at the door. Come and feast at the library and have fun!

Well, here we are in the last days of May with the whole summer before us. The weather has been great, lots of sun with a few rain showers sprinkled in to help cool things off a bit. Our guests have been enjoying the pool as well as hanging out at night by the outdoor fireplace. Do I smell chocolate and marshmallows? This holiday weekend kicks off the season of summer.
Just to highlight a few upcoming events because there so much going on in the Poconos, it’s hard to fit it all in. This weekend, May 29th & 30th, there’s the Celtic Festival at Shawnee Mt. and June 4th starts race weekend at Pocono Raceway in Longpond. Our guests have been treated to fireworks compliments of Mt. Airy Casino, which can be seen in the skies right over Woodfield Manor. Sit by the pool enjoy your favorite beverage and watch. How fun is that?
The Farmer’s Market on Ann St. in Stroudsburg opens Saturdays from May thru Oct. 8am-noon. People ask us all the time what’s to do here in the Poconos? Well, here’s a short list: hike, walk, visit local galleries, enjoy a Day Spa, golf,visit the Pocono Indian Museum, eat ice cream, visit Boulder Field, go on a canoe down the Delaware, shop, white water raft, visit the Butterfly Sanctuary and walk the legendary Appalachian Trail. That’s about 10% right there. It’s all there waiting for you. Just step out and go!

What a beautiful day to be in the mountains. Clear blue skies, wonderfully mild temps and plenty of fresh air. I can safely say, spring has arrived. Keith is in the process of adding fresh mulch to landscaped areas and I’ve begun to get our “wee garden” ready for planting. The lawns in front of our cottages as well as near the area we call “The Grove” are dotted with spring flowers like wild viola and the common dandilion and it makes these areas come alive with color. We have had a few trees removed over the winter and those areas are being replanted with grass seed. So you see we have lots to do to get ready for our summer guests. Our pool will be up and running by the 28th of May. Our outdoor fireplace has been well stocked with firewood all winter but we’re hoping to add a few extras to make relaxing under the stars even better! This year I plan to make an effort to plant areas beneficial to the common honey bee whose numbers have diminished over the last few years. So, to our guests yet to come to Woodfield Manor, remember to smell the flowers here but remember to “BEE SAFE” as well.

Happy New Year to everyone! Keith, myself and all our staff wish our guests, past and present, as well as our family and friends the best in 2010. We’ve been very busy this year and that includes December. We’ve hosted our share of Christmas parties as well as a wedding on New Year’s Day. Quite magical, I’d say!
For all of you who have not had the opportunity to stay here at Woodfield, we’re waiting for you. With the shortest day just behind us, we still have a lot of winter left. What are you waiting for? Take it from someone who lives in the mountains, it is one beautiful place! We have two state parks very close to Woodfield Manor that are wonderful for winter walking as well as Camelback and Jack Frost for skiing and snowboarding. There are plenty of places to shop, dine and explore. Mt Airy Casino with its’ weekend enterainment is just 10 minutes away. Our outdoor fireplace is even closer and stocked with enough firewood to last till spring. Imagine sitting outdoors with family or friends in front of a crackling fire enjoying a warm drink, toasting marshmallows and just talking.You look up and realize you can’t remember the last time you saw this many stars. It’s all waiting for you at Woodfield Manor in the Pocono Mts. Come and count the stars!

     Well, hello again. I’ve been absent from blogging these last few months and I think part of it was the “business of summer”. On the Woodfield property there is always something to do. Besides helping our guests enjoy their stay, there is grass cutting, taking care of the pool and maintaining the garden areas. But another reason might have been “a wee trip” Keith and I took this September. It was a short jaunt to a country that has certainly captured our hearts, Ireland. We spent 4 days on the east coast in the fair city of Dublin and tried our best to fill the time we had with as much as we could, this side of insanity. After an early breakfast we would drive north or south of the city to sites that could satisfy our love of “the old and spirited places”; the Boyne Valley, the Hill of Tara and the monastery of Glendalough to name a few. These are fantastic sites but there was one especially poignant place we had visited and it did not disappoint. It is called Uisneach and represents the sacred center from which Ireland is divided. Just some slanting fields, bordered by corpses of trees where cows graze and crows fly from tree to tree. Very powerful and haunting. Well, enough of that. So, TAN and SUNDANCE members, if you’d like Ireland to be a TAN destination let us know. We might be able to convince our owners that Ireland might just have to be the next Woodfield East.

                                                                      Slan

   Last Friday night the Manor Bar at the Woodfield Chophouse was alive with music.  A local well known musician, Joe O’Malley, was kind enough to set up stage and perform for our bar and restaurant guests.  A very accomplished guitar player with the kind of voice that make you want to sing along,  Joe found a very receptive audience here at Woodfield.  The listeners were a mix of Manor guests and locals many of whom follow Joe’s performances.   I wouldn’t call them “groupies” but they know good music when they hear it and they were enthusiastic.   Watch this website for additional appearances by Mr. Joe O’Malley here at Woodfield Manor.  He can take the stage anytime he wants.