Poetry Open Mic, Music, and More!

Sunday was a beautiful day. Sunny, flowers blooming...oh yeah, still can't get over Kristine Marinelli's ability to keep this hidden from me for so many months...beautiful cars driving slowly

by, taking in the sights and enjoying a spring day on Race Street in Frenchtown.

How appropriate that it's National Poetry Month and that The National Hotel would be carried into the month by the hands of those who write and read poetry, who took the time to organize, arrange, and participate in our first Poetry Open Mic.

We had the most amazing weekend at The National Hotel. When Pete and I started planning upcoming events, we had our “wish list.” Among them was our Open Mic Night where music would fill our grand old building. Another “wish” was to have poetry readings, so that local artists could have a venue where they could feel free to share their creative talent, express themselves, and enlighten those of us fortunate enough to be in the room listening.

However, Pete nor I could ever have envisioned the support we received from the community, and especially from our local Frenchtonians. Between Alex Wolfson, Banjo Bill, and Jesse Ketchel (among others stepping in & out of the picture when there were conflicts with schedules) taking the lead in organizing and hosting our Thursday Open Mic Nights, to now having Skye Van Saun (a poet, editor, author and teacher) with her partner in crime in this undertaking, John Smith (a Hunterdon County high school teacher and poet), to organize and host our monthly Sunday afternoon Poetry Open Mic, Pete and I are in awe of just how fortunate we are. As my mom said,

“How appropriate to carry forward the tradition of the arts that have been a center-point of The National Hotel for more than a century and a half. Writers put on paper what we all feel, what we wish we could say, what needs to be shared. What a wonderful experience to share with everyone.”

What’s next on our wish list? You’ll have to keep checking-in.

Our Poetry Open Mic launched this past Sunday with very little fan fare, no media coverage, no e-invites, no special planning…just Skye and John putting up flyers all over Frenchtown, and verbally mentioning it to people. How amazing to walk downstairs on Sunday at 2 p.m. and find that 10 people were already sitting in The Rathskeller Pub Lounge. And by 2:45, we had 40 people…STANDING ROOM ONLY!

The power of the written word, recited for all to hear, was mesmerizing. The beauty of the angst, the pain, the humor, and the tales of love lost, love gained, and love shared in a mere two hours of poetry readings, left us trying to figure out just what we’ve done right in some past life to deserve an afternoon filled with creative treasures within our reach. As Julie Andrews sang in The Sound of Music, “I must have done something good…"

The joy of listening to writers read their works, and to readers who read others’ poems that resonated deeply and profoundly with them, is a very personal experience. For both Pete and for me, poetry and the arts are a necessary part of life. Pete shared with Skye how his mom used to read poetry to him as a child. She is a wonderful poet, orator and has a memory for sharing stories and poems that is astounding. Pete can credit much of his ability to tell stories like no one else I’ve ever heard, to his mom. (Take that with a grain of salt, because he is my husband, but I really do feel that way). My own mom is a published author in my home country, Chile. To this day, I find poems, words, written and scribbled on scraps of paper near her bed when I visit her. Every time I read them, I can hear her voice and see the beauty of things through her eyes. Poetry has been a part of her life since her youth, and she always made it a part of my brother’s life and my own. Our daughter, Shiara, participated in a poetry anthology workshop in her old school in New York City, PS 6, The Lillie Devereaux Blake School. Her teacher submitted the work to the Anthology of Poetry book series, where her poem was published, which delighted my mom most of all. And our youngest, Laina, has a way of capturing the essence of what she sees in just a few words. I think her favorite poet to date is Shel Silverstein, and his book "A Light in the Attic." Wait till they both get to Edgar Allan Poe—I’ll need to take them to the famed street on the Upper West Side of New York City, where Poe lived and worked for many years and where Edgar's Cafe now stands in the spot where Poe had his farm nearly 200 years ago, at 255 W. 84th St. And what about Robert Frost…oh, there are so many wonderful writers and poets.

And oh, how many wonderful writers and poets abound in Frenchtown! If you joined us, you know that what I’m saying is the absolute truth. If you missed it, be sure to join us next month for the next installment. You missed witnessing young men, barely at the start of their 20s, filling the room with stories about their first true love or heartache, followed by a more “mature” poet, spilling her heart out about her ex-husband, or another one about her dead husband; the age range and depth of content was incredible. I created a little vignette of the poetry that was read on Sunday, can be found at the bottom of this post and on youtube too, but if you want to hear the entire poems, you'll need to join us next month!

It reminded me of the nights I’ve been in The Rathskeller with Pete and how we enjoy listening to the conversations of the 22 year-old customer talking with the person next to him who is 50 years his senior—but both are enjoying the same vibe and rhythm of conversation. Only in Frenchtown. Only at The National Hotel.

This was followed by yet another appearance of The Jericho Mountain Grass (“The Grass”), who wowed a room-full of diners with their new-age grass tunes and unique sound. It was a pleasure seeing them again following their last appearance in February. Our two daughters called it “foot-stomping happy” music…how true! Check out the YouTube clip for a little glimpse on The Grass's performance this past Sunday.

That’s what can happen at The National Hotel. This building is unique. It’s an institution. It’s a gathering place for all and a hub for town events—better yet, life events. This great old lady of a building creates the ambiance, the “seductive atmosphere” that a patron described just two weeks ago. She couldn’t get over how the building seemed to be alive, to draw people, to be inclusive and inviting. She found the entire building, with its historic charm to be a “seductive atmosphere.” You gotta love that! How fantastic that Pete and I are along for the ride.

Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment, share a story, ask a question. Pete and I hope to see you soon, at The National Hotel. You never know. Pete might take the microphone next…

MUSIC, POETRY, AND MORE MUSIC

It's Thursday and it must be Open Mic Night at The National Hotel's Rathskeller Pub Lounge! Last week's Open Mic Night ended in a spontaneous jam session at the bitter end with the musicians still "in the house." It was great!!! Make sure you make it out tonight. Sign-ups start at 8:30 p.m. and the music kicks off at 9 p.m.

And there will be more music this Sunday, April 11th in the upstairs Restaurant, where the Jericho Mountain Grass ("The Grass") return to The National Hotel from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. The Grass blends traditional ballads and new-grass tunes. It consists of Carl Klingler on mandolin, Toby Hoffman on banjo, Peter Kane on fiddle, John Stetson on bass and John Gehman on guitar.

Right before The Grass take the microphone, we're hosting our FIRST Poetry Reading in The Rathskeller Pub Lounge from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. This is the brainchild of Skye Van Saun,

[photo courtesy of StepSisterPress.com]

who is a recognized poet, writer, editor, and teacher. She recently completed a chapbook, Versus Verses, and is Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Poet.

Do plan to come by...spend the weekend if you have the time. We are so fortunate to be able to host these events, fill the building with music and the arts, and also the comfort of 10 luxury guest suites that can make the weekend feel truly special--especially if you add-in some special packages (like a spa session, a yoga lesson, or a pilates session...in your very room, or at our partners' facilities). Now I sound like a commercial, but the feedback we've gotten from our guests has just blown me away. I feel that I need to share this part of the building's success, and not just the music, the food and the drinks. With Marlon attending to every detail, our hotel guests have truly wonderful things to say--and I'm talking about the middle of winter, the bitter, cold winter days we've had! It's going to be so much nicer now that the good weather has arrived. The fact that each room was carefully designed and features bathrooms en suite, WiFi and modern amenities--not to mention breakfast the next morning--has helped The National Hotel become a truly complete hospitality destination--for our local neighbors and new friends who've come from far away. We are so proud to be able to be a part of the rebirth of The National Hotel and the renewed growth and spirit of Frenchtown itself.

And all this follows quite a busy week. Easter Sunday was just jumping with people filling the different areas of our great old building. And best of all, the weekend weather was so beautiful that guests were able to enjoy the porch.

The flowers are blooming...just a little over a week ago, they were just breaking the threshold between darkness and sunshine. This week, they are in full bloom. What a joy to see them grow. And what a surprise they were to me! Kristine Marinelli, our incredible interior designer, planted the bulbs in the fall when she helped us with our landscaping and floral designs. She, Marlon Aranha, our General Manager, and even Pete, kept this a secret...and I got the joyous surprise of seeing little green spokes piercing the ground around the mums that had long ceased blooming.

You've got to stop by and look at them now! They're screaming, "SPRING IS HERE," and make the entrance to The National Hotel so inviting! The porch is just clamoring for people to take a seat, order some food or just gather with friends to enjoy a drink and watch the people walking down Race Street--not to mention the beautiful classic cars that often drive slowly by, or the classic motorcycles that share the roads with these cars. There is "eye candy" everywhere you look in Frenchtown.

And to close out the weekend festivities and come back full circle, don't forget to come by tonight for Open Mic Night, and on Sunday for the launch of our Sunday Poetry Readings (2 p.m. - 4 p.m.) in The Rathskeller Pub Lounge, followed by The Grass, back by popular demand in "the great upstairs" Restaurant (5 p.m. - 7 p.m.). It's going to be a beautiful, sunny weekend outside, and a beautiful, fun weekend inside The National Hotel too. Do join us!

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC

It's so beautiful outside! Snow everywhere...the tree branches weighed down by cotton balls of moisture. There's really little we can do but plan on making the best of it in these conditions. I know many of our friends are just "done" with all this snow, but it's here, and yes, there's going to be a lot of sore backs later on today from all the snow shoveling...but there are also going to be a lot of happy kids out there playing in their backyards with the schools closed today (and yesterday)! And it's just in time to get you into the weekend frame of mind...look what we have planned for Sunday:

It's true; we're going to be treated to more music, and a terrific return performance of The Jericho Mountain Grass ("The Grass"), in the main Restaurant at The National Hotel on Sunday, February 28th, 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. The Grass performed in The Rat Lounge on December 6th, and they helped us launch our Sunday Musical Afternoon series. We're thrilled to have them back and hope you'll make the time to come to see them and support them. The Grass blends traditional ballads and new-grass tunes, and consist of Carl Klinger on mandolin, Toby Hoffman on banjo, Peter Kane on fiddle, John Stetson on bass and John Gehman on guitar.

The Grass returned to Frenchtown after playing throughout Hunterdon County, NJ and Bucks County, PA since 1980, from venues as varied as the Tinicum Arts Festival and Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve. When they joined us in December, their fans came from nearby to as far away as the Philadelphia area. They are just incredibly talented and infuse the room with their unique and distinctive sound. Mark your calendars and do come by!

photo by Sarah R. Bloom (photographybloom.com)

It seems as though every time I think, "Wow, this is definitely the best so far" (whether from a proprietor's point of view, having a room full of patrons who are clearly enjoying themselves, to a very personal and subjective point of view, enjoying the selection of music being played), we're treated to another surprising and talented performance, always different, always delightful. Such was the case when Teri Rambo (photo by Sarah R. Bloom, photographybloom.com) performed two weeks ago in our Rat Lounge. She truly filled the room, with people coming over because they love her music, as well as our own patrons being enticed to join the audience after her music started filling the building. It was a joy to see and hear.

As I'm writing this in the middle of the night, I had the pleasure of going through some of the photos and video clips we've taken from a few performances at The National Hotel in the last few weeks.

Even yesterday, with the weather as bad as it was, musicians and local patrons of The National Hotel, showed up for Open Mike Night, instruments in hand, and just made the very best of a wintery evening.

Some started in The Rathskeller Pub, warming themselves next to our wood-burning fireplace, grabbed their drinks and some friends, made their way to The Rathskeller Pub Lounge and sat down to enjoy a delightful evening watching and listening to the performers who'd signed up to take the mike. Truly a special kind of night, with all the snow outside, few cars on the road, and everyone driving ever so slowly and carefully...or those lucky enough to be from Frenchtown, walking over to The Rat.