The festivities will kick off with an opening ceremony event, which will be held on the Inn’s premises and the surrounding grounds Nov. 1. The ceremony will begin at 6:00 pm and will include music, entertainment, a procession of bagpipes, speakers, and a slideshow of past guests and local residents, who have been a part of the establishment’s 100-year-history.
Subsequent centennial anniversary-related activities will continue throughout the year, culminating with a closing 100th birthday party Nov. 13, 2013. Plans for the year-long celebration include events such as guest speakers and presentations, which will take place regularly over the course of the next year. The Pine Crest Inn’s list of monthly highlights also include trivia nights, historical displays, promotional dining specials, and themed dinners, which will showcase each decade the Inn has been in operation.
Although unconfirmed at this time, insiders at the Pine Crest Inn have made plans to include several prominent figures within the Golf Industry among the list of invited guests, many of which have stayed at the Pine Crest Inn. Such notable sports icons as Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus, Roy Williams, Dean Smith, and Payne Stewart are among its list of past guests.
Drew Gross, Resident Manager, states, “Our Centennial Ceremony is going to be a grand event. The Pine Crest Inn is a landmark in the Village of Pinehurst and its history and tradition is as equally important as its predecessors, The Holly and The Carolina. We look forward to seeing many Pine Crest Inn fans gather for the celebration on November 1, 2012.”
The Pine Crest Inn, originally built in 1913 by Mrs. E.C. Bliss was owned from 1921 to 1948 by golf architect Donald Ross of Pinehurst No. 2 fame, and has recently undergone a series of repairs and renovations in preparation for the upcoming event.
“We needed to spruce up the Inn. The place needed repairs,” said Bobby Barrett, who currently co-owns the Pine Crest Inn with his brother, Peter. “I’m glad we did it because business picked up this Spring. The Inn is vibrant again.”
Additional changes which have taken place over the past year include the hiring of long-time friend to the Pine Crest Inn, Drew Gross, as Resident Manager, as well as the addition of Chef Donald Sanders, formerly of The Peddler in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as the new Executive Chef.
“In my opinion, we have gone from an extremely average restaurant to one of the best in Moore County, thanks to Donald and his staff,” Gross said.
The Pine Crest Inn is perhaps best-known on a National level for its pub, Mr. B’s Lounge, which has been featured in many golf publications such as Golf Digest, LA Times, and Links Magazine all naming the Inn a popular “19th Hole.”
Ron Kaspriske of Golf Digest reports, “Mr. B's Lounge is 'the watering hole for about 43 courses in the area; decorated with photos and paintings of former owner Donald Ross.”
Peter Barrett, who assumed the position of General Manager from his late father, has held various positions in the Pine Crest Inn since he was eight years old.
Peter Barrett remarks, "The Pine Crest Inn is unique in the fact that area locals and out of town hotel guests blend perfectly together creating one of golf's greatest 19th holes."
Mr. B’s Lounge was named after the present owners’, Robert and Peter Barrett’s, late father, Mr. Robert Barrett, Sr.
“I didn’t know a thing about running a hotel but I learned that the key is to treat visitors warmly. We get 80% return visitors,” said the late Robert Barrett (Mr. B).
The Village of Pinehurst was founded in 1895 by James Tufts and was designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York City.
Many credit the late Donald Ross, the former owner of the Inn, with having a significant influence on Pinehurst becoming known as “The Home of American Golf,” having designed and renovated over 400 golf courses throughout the United States. He is the architect of Pinehurst’s No. 2 course, where both the 1999 and 2005 US Opens were held and where, for the first time ever, the 2014 Men’s & Women’s US Opens will be held in back to back weeks.
For more information, please see www.pinecrestinnpinehurst.com.
Contact: AmericanGolferBlog@gmail.com
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