Fire Whips, Casino Nights and Sunday Brunch: The Elms Rolls On

I have certainly been writing at a glacial pace of late..I'm three months into my new gig at the Elms and it has been many things: thrilling, exasperating, exhausting, overwhelming and truly, never boring, even when the stack of paperwork is taller than me. I've long been fascinated with the hotel business and its daily madness and as our renovation gets ever nearer to completion, our events grow more frequent and more interesting.

First up of late was a trade show and meeting set up in the Grand Ballroom that gave us a smashing opportunity to feature some eye-popping talent and showcase just what a diverse event the Elms can create. My friend and coworker April has a true vision when it comes to the creativity the hotel can bring to its events and this event of hers was indeed a showstopper. The Grand Ballroom was set up with several booths featuring various venues and meeting places and intertwined amongst the booths were assorted cocktail tables and plush sofas. While cocktails were served and assorted savories were passed, the evening's initial entertainment captured everyone's attention. Two lithe female aerialists climbed and daringly swung from fabric hung from the ballroom ceiling. After establishing a bit of a Cirque vibe with this performance, another performer rode about on a unicycle juggling gleaming knives. Following this performance, the guests ventured poolside to take in an awe-inspiring show from our resident fire performers, the Pyrosapiens. The last time I had seen them perform was at our party, and clearly that was a mere teaser compared to what they brought to this event. Kevin the ringleader (who's also our Spa Director) brought everyone to a standstill with his first stunt: a fire-whip that when cracked, unleashed a fireball over the pool to an audience of oohs and ahs (photo at top left of Kevin and the whip courtesy of Snapthemoment.com). His cohorts soon joined in utilizing giant, fiery metal fans and cubes. As the hotel's resident HR rep, I could feel the sweat on my brow when I would start thinking about the multiple scenarios for disaster...people hanging upside down from the ceiling, flying knives and multiple things on fire, oh my. It was far easier to just take in this jaw-dropping show.

Other events have come and gone....a casino night for one group, and of course, weddings every weekend. Now, we have also started up our weekly Sunday Brunch again. Every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, Chef Steven and his crew are putting on quite the spectacular brunch and Keith and I got to partake this past weekend. It was a mouth-watering display, to be certain. Flavorful salads, comforting biscuits and bacon, a sumptuous baked macaroni and cheese, omelettes made to order, wow.....it was a feast to savor.

The Elms still has a spa to finish as well as a couple of floors of guestrooms yet, but we are getting there. Its a thrill to see all the fun kicking up again.