Dear Honey Run Friends,
2022 has been a rough year for us at The Inn. We continue to be plagued by staffing shortages and just as we thought we were making headway we took a few steps backwards. Then on Monday night June 13th nature dealt us a gut punch. An hour-long wind and thunderstorm left our grounds and the area around us devastated. The storm hit at 11:50 pm and by 2:00 am I was touring the grounds and assessing the damage. Most of the power was out in the county with miles and miles of power lines down and power poles snapped like toothpicks. Trees in the forest overturned and like dominos started a chain reaction knocking down tree after tree in long rows. Our driveway and parking lot was barricaded by 5 large trees that fell as though a beaver dam was built across it. The Tarragon deck was covered in trees as well as the back dock and team member entrance. I was overwhelmed with the damage and the clean up task in front of us. My first concern was for our guests in-house. How are we going to cook them breakfast and clean the parking lot so they can get home, I thought?
I spent the next 4 hours calling our tree cutting company, my insurance agent, a generator company (our generator failed) to rent a portable generator, our fire systems company (the fire alarm panel was fried) and walking around the building to make sure everything was ok, and I was not missing anything. At 4:30 am there was another round of thunderstorms. I laid on the couch in the lobby in the completely silent, dark, and powerless Inn watching the lightning flash through the windows and listening to the rain. Amidst all this devastation there was a beauty and calm to the sound of the storm. Around 6:30 am the storm ended, and the sun began to rise. I called our Executive Chef for advice on what I should cook for our guests. He said he would try to make it in and 1 hour later and countless circles, as he found blocked roads with trees and downed powerlines, he finally found his way through the maze and arrived at The Inn. What a blessing for the in-house guests. They would have struggled to choke down the breakfast I would have made as I do not belong within 100 feet of a kitchen.
This storm and the damage it brought broke my heart. We lost some of our largest and oldest trees. The scenery at Honey Run has now forever changed and will never be the same. It is still beautiful, just different. For those of us that know The Inn at Honey Run well we will notice the change and embrace the new growth that is to come. But beyond the heartbreak and devastation God brought us angels to help. Yoder Tree Service was at the bottom of our driveway at 7:30 am to clear the roads for us. McClintock Electric was on-site by noon to hook up the portable Generator. Bunker Hill Engine found us a portable generator and had it delivered by Noon. My 2 housekeepers made it in and started blowing the driveway behind Yoder tree service to start cleaning up the property. RG Fire Protection and Environmental Controls were both working remotely to try and fix our fire systems and spent days on-site after the storm to diagnose and repair the issues. Countryside Construction (our local builders) had a worker here helping us finish some time sensitive projects. My insurance agent from Hummel Insurance was on-site by 8:00 am to assess the damage and guide me on how to get help through the devastation. My neighbors in my community where my house is located spent the day Tuesday clearing our neighborhood roads and even the township road I take to get to The Inn. Electrical workers from around the country descended on Holmes County to help rebuild all the downed powerlines. I saw the face of God through all these people and their loving actions. The help we received and care from the community and our business partners brought tears to my eyes and restored my faith in our community. In this day of age, we witness everyone fighting with their words on social media and in the mainstream media it is refreshing to see the hard work and caring from everyone in times of need. In tragedy we become one community as God intended. Why does it take a tragedy? Why can’t this be our way of life in America?
This tragedy could have been so much worse. To my knowledge there was no loss of life and with all the devastation there is minimal building damage at The Inn. I thank God for sending us help and for protecting everyone through this storm and the cleanup after. We will have months of cleaning up and repairing the damage, but I know God will be with us through it all.
We have worked hard these past two weeks and have 3 trails reopened and plan to have the others opened in the next few months. I appreciate all your support and patience as we restore the grounds of Honey Run to its glory prior to June 13th. The shops are open, and we are back operating so I hope you will come and experience this journey with us in the coming months.
Your grateful and blessed Innkeeper,
Jason
Thanks for your Story of tragedy and resilience; so glad things worked out well for you and Fox at the end. Hope to visit you soon 🙂
Praying God continues to send blessings to you Jason and for the Inn at Honey Run! This place has so many wonderful memories for me and many others from Mercy! Thanks so much for such a wonderful message from you to remind us that there is still good in mankind in this crazy world we are living in. May God continue to bless you and your staff at Inn at Honey Run!
So sorry to read of all the damage and change because of loss of trees, etc. I live in Ohio in the winter but am already in upstate New York for the season and had left Ohio a week before the storm hit. I did not realize how much damage you had until I just read this report. It sounds overwhelming but I am glad you are starting to see improvements after all the hard work and challenges. Good Luck!!
My heart breaks to think of the damage to the beautiful grounds around the Inn. Fortunately Mother Nature has a way of healing her world. Just as other beautiful places (Yellowstone for example) come back to beauty and peace I know Honey Run will too. You are blessed with many friends and neighbors who will help see the Inn return to the peaceful place it has always been
My husband and I stayed at the Cardinal Cottage in late June to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We were so impressed at how much clean up had already been done, and felt gratitude on everyone’s behalf that all of the trees seemed to just miss structures, except the Tarragon deck :(. You all have done an amazing job bouncing back from this massive setback, there was nothing lacking in our wonderful weekend. We wish you all the best as you rebound and forge ahead.
OMG I was just getting ready to call and schedule our Dec stay- we always come the second week in Dec I am so sorry for all the devastation as yes, the area was so gorgeous, and any changes are a huge lose- We come there for the quiet – wooded seclusion! And the great restaurant1! The Taragon room and always so lovely at Christmas time!!! I will call you soon to schedule ! I am so sorry for the heart breaking situation! Alesia and Mark Miller
Mark and Alesia Miller
Covid kepy us away but we are ready to return!
Jason this is heartbreaking. You are working so hard and have been dealt so many punches. Still, you see the beauty and good from your community. Is there any help ordinary folks like us can do? One thing we can all do is rally round and book a stay. Good bless you Jason.
Dear Jason,
It was heartbreaking to hear about all the devastation in Holmes County and, particularly, at the Inn. We are grateful to know that no one was injured and that what was damaged can be restored. It is heartwarming to hear how the community there has rallied for each other and demonstrated what it means to be a good neighbor. We look forward to when we can next visit your beautiful Inn and witness the new growth of God’s creative powers.
David and Patti Dodge
We are so sorry to hear this sad news for you and your family. It was very heart warming to see and hear of your all your recovering effects through such good people. As I was reading your letter it occurred to me that as beautiful the grounds and area are to your Inn is so much more to us. We have always enjoyed the beauty of your place but beyond that there is so much more. The peacefulness the kindness the welcoming feeling. There is apart of belonging to a family when you stay there. We wish you all the best in your journey to restore what is needed and rest assured we will still continue to stay there whenever we are in the area. Our prayers are with you. God bless all of you and keep the light on for us we will be booking soon.
Dear Jason,
Thanks for the newsy update and all that information!!
We were thrilled to hear that you are back open and are confident with your Faith and hard work you will be back better than ever!! 🙏
God Bless You,
Eric Caspersen
Prayer and hard work always take a lead in the natural devastation the can occur. Glad to hear you, the staff and the Inn came out on top. Blessings!
Blessings can not be measured by a monetary value. Our entire community is still reeling from this storm. Kindness is always a choice during tragedy. My heart is thankful for Jason’s caring and kindness for guests and appreciation for all the workers who went over and above for several weeks in our Holmes County area. Yes, I will miss walks under the oldest trees, but I look forward to what God brings us in return.
We continue to trust the lord that all is fine with the trials he puts before us.
Take heart and strive
Praying.
Seth
Dear Jason,
First, thank you for sharing and for your your commitment to the establishment and guests/ community. Most importantly, thank you for bearing witness to that which was out of your control and maintaining a calm stance so the damage and destruction could be mitigated. Thank you for being boots on the ground, focusing on what you were able to do in the devastating situation and speaking up about what people can accomplish when we work together. Despite what the media puts forth, there are many genuine, kind hearted, hard working people who stand in the gap when there’s a need. I am praying for complete restoration of both the Honey Run Family and those affected in the neighboring communities. I am looking forward to what GOD is going to do through you and for you. When able, would like to help in a tangible way.
BE ENCOURAGED