Winery Clam Bake!

Fall is coming and that means CLAM BAKE! And what better place to enjoy a clam bake than at a local winery! On Saturday, September 27, Single Tree Winery, here in Lorain County, will be hosting this scrumptious Clam Bake affair from 5-7 P.M. followed by live music by Keith from 7 - 11 P.M. Keith, a one man band, will also be performing on Friday night from 7-11 P.M. But you have to act soon as tickets must be purchased by Monday, Sept. 22. Just call 440-965-7777 or 440-935-4479 to reserve your plate and space! The price is just $20.00 per person. Single Tree Winery is located at 12488 Baumhart Rd, 7 miles south of Rt. 2 and just 6 miles from Oberlin. We've been there numerous times and their wine is really great! You've just got to try it!

They have daily wine tastings and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1 to 9 P.M. all glasses of wine are just $2.99! What a deal! So why not mark your calendar now to attend the Single Tree Clam Bake! And you know you won't want to drive all the way home late on Saturday night so reserve a room here at Hallauer House B & B. Better yet, come for Friday and try out one of our fine Oberlin restaurants that night for dinner. Celebrate the coming of fall with a clam bake and a weekend away. We know you won't regret it!

Welcome the Cleveland Orchestra to Oberlin!

The 2008-09 Artist Recital Series will be kicking off on Sunday, October 5 with a performance by the world famous Cleveland Orchestra and everyone is excited! It will be the 207th appearance of the Orchestra for Oberlin's Artist Recital Series. The lively program will be conducted by music director Franz Welser-Most and will feature the distinguished pianist Emanuel Ax performing Karol S. Szymanowski's tour-de-force Fourth Symphony and Richard Strauss' Burleske. The Orchestra will conclude the program with Antonin D. Dvorak's Slavonic Dances, a festive clelbration of Central European folk music. The performance will take place at Finney Chapel at 3 P.M. Tickets are $26.00 general admission; $22.00 for Seniors over 55; and $10.00 for students. For complete information please visit http://www.oberlin.edu/artsguide/artist-recital-series/1-cleveland-orchestra.shtml. We hope to see you there and if you want to come and stay the night before or the night of the concert just give us a call. We'd be glad to have you and you'll be glad you came!

Mark Your Calendars!

On Saturday Sept. 13, 2008 an anniversary will be celebrated by the entire town of Oberlin! It will be 150 years since the Oberlin - Wellington Rescue took place! So now you're wondering, okay, who was rescued and why was it important enough to celebrate 150 years later?

On the morning of Sept. 13, 1858, slave catchers arrived in Oberlin and captured John Price, an escaped slave who had been living in Oberlin for at least 2 years. The slave catchers put him into a wagon and proceeded to transport him down a back road (maybe our road!) that linked Oberlin to Wellington where they planned to put him on the afternoon train and send him back to the south.

But news of Price's capture spread rapidly through the town. Blacks, whites, students, faculty, men, and women all came together and marched to Wellington.
There they were joined by the Wellington townspeople and together they all managed, with some degree of force, but no bloodshed, to free John Price from the grips of the slave catchers.

Thirty seven of the the Rescuers were consequently indicted and jailed for allegedly violating the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. After 2 of the rescuers were convicted in Federal Court, a deal was reached that released the remaining rescuers on the condition that Lorain County drop the kidnapping charges against the slave catchers. The Rescuers’ bold defiance of federal law in the name of human rights attracted nationwide attention and generated political controversy in both the North and the South. Oberlin’s reputation as “the town that started the Civil War” stems from the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue and its role in exacerbating sectional tensions over slavery.
So there you have it, the reason for a 150th anniversary celebration!

Wellington-Oberlin Rescue Celebration Events September 13, 2008:

Public celebration on Tappan Square in Oberlin, 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., including free community lunch. Sponsored by Oberlin-Wellington Rescue Coalition. For more information, please contact Sharon Pearson at (440) 775-7217 or e-mail at spearson@cityofoberlin.com.

You can also get more information about the Oberlin - Wellington Rescue by visiting the Oberlin Heritage Center at http://www.oberlinheritage.org/.

What better way to spend a 'Staycation' than by coming to Oberlin and immersing yourself in a part of history. And when you come, and you know you want too!, we hope you come and stay with us. While you're living a part of history, you can stay in a house that was a part of history! Give us a call! We would love to hear from you!

Quick Reminder

For all prospective Oberlin College Conservatory students. The 2008-09 audition schedule is posted on the Oberlin College website. The first audition for early review is the weekend of Dec. 5th and 6th. Be sure to make overnight reservations early as the area accommodations fill up very quickly. We would love to have you stay with us here at Hallauer House B & B. Joe is a well versed historian of the college and the Underground Railroad and tells some great stories! Come and join us! You'll be glad you did!

It's Fun and Free!

Yesterday we had some free time and since the three grandkids were visiting with nothing to do, we herded them into the car and headed south to the Wellington Reservation, part of the Lorain County Metro Park system. We were the first in line to take out the 4 passenger pontoon paddle boats to go exploring the 21 plus acre lake. And the best part, this activity was absolutely FREE! Yes, you read that correctly - it was FREE!

It was a pretty warm and sunny day but the boats have a canopy which helped to keep the sun at bay. To back out of the dock, we had to pedal backwards and then turn the rudder to get us going on the straight and narrow. The kids, ages 9 and 11, managed to get this done rather quickly, wanting to do it all on their own, no help from the grownups! And as kids will do, they went full steam ahead, pedaling as fast as their little legs would go. Of course, this led to a quick burnout and Nans and Pops had to take over. During our 2 hour journey, we spotted many bird varieties, a few snakes, frogs, toads, bugs, and of course, lots of fish. We paddled the inlets and journied from one end of the lake to the other. The kids switched from pilot to passenger and back to pilot but it was the adults who had to navigate back into the dock. As we turned in our PFD's, our legs were saying thank you for the great workout! We really worked up a sweat!

Now if you have your own row boat, canoe, or small fishing boat, you can use the boat ramp as your launching pad. Fishing is allowed with the proper license, so come prepared!

Now if pedaling the boat leaves you wanting still more exercise, then you can hike or bike the more than 4 miles of trails while you enjoy the changing vistas, the prairie flowers, and the wildlife.
Choose your trail and your distance. There is also a beautiful visitors center building a
vailable by reservation for families, parties, showers, etc. For more information about the Wellington Reservation, check out their website at: http://www.loraincountymetroparks.com/wellington.htm.

Lorain County is THE place for a great
"STAYCATION!' We have some of the best Metro Parks in the state of Ohio! Check out some past Blog articles for places to go and things to do or come back often to see a new post about exploring Lorain County. Come and visit us! You know you want to!!

August = Lorain County Fair Time!

Want a really great 'Staycation!' Then consider the Lorain County Fair which is set to begin on Monday August 18 with this years headliner, Vince Gill,
performing that evening at 7:30 P.M. He is the only country music superstar to perform a duet with pop superstar Barbara Streisand and another country star, Willie Nelson! And now you have a chance to hear and see him up close and personal!

If you like para-mutual betting, then you might want to watch the harness racing
which takes place at 11:00 A.M. And of course, there is the regular fair displays and events taking place all day, starting when the gates open at 7:30 A.M. Judging of various classes takes place all morning and then the delicious award winning baked goods go on sale at 5:00 so be there!

Tuesday is another judging day, more harness racing, again at 11:00 and at 7:30 P.M. is another headliner performance, this time by country star
Blake Shelton with special guest Danielle Peck.

Did you ever want to see a rodeo? Well then, come to the Fair on Wednesday evening and you can see one up close at 7:30 P.M when the PRCA Heartland Series Pro rodeo series takes center stage.
There will be more harness racing at 11:00 A.M., more judging, and more fun fair happenings. Thursday evening watch the horse pull and Friday evening you won't want to miss the tractor pull and maybe even mosey over to Barn #4 for the FBY square dance show at 9:00 P.M.

Saturday's features will be the livestock auctions, draft horse pull, fiddle contest and at 7:00 P.M. is the combine derby. And on the final day on Sunday, Aug. 24, attend the motocross races at 9 A.M., watch the spinners and weavers and 4-H style show throughout the day and close down the fair with the demolition derby at 6:00 P.M.

For more information and lots more detail, check out the official Lorain County Fair website at http://www.loraincountyfair.com/home01.html. And then get busy planning your August 'Staycation' right here in Wellington, in Lorain County, in Ohio! And Hallauer House Bed & Breakfast is your nearest accommodation site as we are located just 6 miles north of Wellington, right off of State Rt. 58 and just 2 miles south of Oberlin. So why not plan a few days to get away. Take in the fair, stay a few nights, cool off with a swim in the pool, relax in the gardens, refresh your spirit. Come and visit! You know you want to!

Come! Come to the Garden!

When it's over 90 degrees and you don't want to be frozen by the air conditioning inside, the next best thing is to hang out in the pool or sit in the shade of the giant oaks and listen to the water as it rushes down the stream, over the rocks, beading off the slate and finally falling to rest in the quiet water of the pond below.




On one of those 90 degree days, taking a break from the pool, I wandered through our garden, but this time I looked at it through the lens of the camera. Many guests have said that pictures show only a fraction
of what is really here so perhaps with
a wide angle lens, we can give you a
better view of what you will see when you visit us at Hallauer House!Come on and walk with us and we'll give you a picture tour!But remember, it is much better in person!

Above is Plowel Share End with a backdrop of the tall pine felled because of wire clip. To the right is Eastern Shutter Garden with tall majestic tubes pointing skyward.






Below is a view of the Western Shutter Garden - all recycled shutters from our house from long ago.


Again Western Shutter and the Giant Hosta! The pathway is Amil Avenue.

This is Stairway to Freedom under the giant maple tree with a lantren hung out to light the way.
View back to Rear Window Alley. Rest at the glass top table and enjoy the view from the 'rear window!'
Your view from the 'Rear Window."
The Greek Goddess Ceres looks our over the back gardens and waters the many Impatience at her feet.

A look at the Pavilion next to the pond and stream. You can sit, relax, read, think, reflect, chat with a friend, write your memoirs, or maybe even take a nap. Listen to the stream and waterfall, the singing birds and the burping bullfrogs! At night the lights come on and all is well with the world.



Stop at Moss Hill and walk barefoot through the cushion of moss.

View from the Pavilion. What lies beyond the door and why is it in the middle of the road? Come and see!
The Stream rambles down the hill, over the rocks, sheeting off the slate as it makes it way under the bridges to it's destination below.
The Falling Waters.

The Greek God, David, watches over the pond as he reflects on the past, the present, and the future.

Cupid stands on his pedestal of glass ready to bring romance to all who pass by.
Turtle and boy wait to cross over the bridge to arrive on the other side.
Can you see the 'Dog with Attitude' standing by the oak tree? If you can't, then you'll have to come and visit!
'Soundscapes' is a musical array of dingling windchimes and fanciful musical instruments. Listen! Listen! Can you hear the sound?

More garden views.

Peak at the Pool!
Could that be YOU swimming in the pool?
Cool and refreshing!

Between the two middle flags is South Beach with chiminea and adorondike chairs to relax in while you feel the sand beneath your feet.

Through the gian lilac bush.
And finally Mr. Peanut who evolved from a dying maple tree. He now takes center stage over the deck and pool but who and what will he be next year! Only time will tell!



Thank you for going on the tour with us. We hope you enjoyed it. Come for a weekend. Swim, cool off, relax, sit in the garden. You know you want to!