Lots to be thankful for this weekend!

Well, this weekend we remember our loved ones, make the traditional treks to the cemetaries, and honor our military.  It's a special time of reflection on many levels.  It's also the first anniversary of the Pour House Tasting Room's existence.  Yes!  One year ago Sherry, George, Lindsey, Rachel and I welcomed about 100 alumni folks into the brand-spankin' new tasting room.  We didn't have one clue what we were doing.  Hell, Rachel had NEVER used a Rabbit wine opener.  But we stumbled through it, and here we are a year later.
So, Sherry is out pursuing her crazy sales life, but she still pops in and bails us out when we're super busy.  George has moved on to another kitchen, here and/there, but he too is a trooper when the goin' gets tough.  Lindsey has a real job, but doesn't hesitate to bus the glasses or get a glass of water if we can't get to it quickly, and Ms Rachel has returned to her glam-life in the big city, but still pops in when she's visiting her folks.  I couldn't have done this little project without all of these people, my dad and brother, and of course, the volunteers from the Historical Society who put hours of construction and cleaning labor into getting the doors open. 
Things have evolved.  My "A" team is in place, and now I could not do what it is that PHouse does with out Tina, Noelle, Chris, Todd, Rebecca & Carolyn helping out in the kitchen, and of course my dear dear pretend husband Mike, who has my back, my front, my sanity and my admiration. I could not have been blessed more.  I rely on these peeps daily to keep my head above water.  We've welcomed thousands of people to Friend- YES, our sleepy little town has visitors... it's crazy cool!  We are selling literal boat-loads of some of the best Nebraska wines, and sharing the great renovation and restoration effort stories with everyone we can.  The word is out.  Our friend Mason Douglas says we're the "coolest wine bar in the Midwest"-  he gets aroud.. I'll take his word for it!  We're nestled beneath the coolest sleeping beauty of an opera house that there is (yep, 1 0f 9 of Nebraska's hidden treasures), and we are looking so forward to this next year.  Partnering with the new Mary Mary Quite Contrary gallery- we plan to bring even more wine tasters, talented artisans and musicians and eclectic wine sippers to Friend.  Onward.   Upward.  No clue what's next, but we'll roll with it!
My sincere thanks to everyone who has had a hand in this adventure.  My mid-life crisis project is officially a year old.  I could not be more appreciative or grateful.  Thank you, and much love to all.
c

What a great weekend!

Well, if you missed my new pal Mason Douglas... you really did miss out. Not only is he fantastically talented, and perfectly quirky (in a good way) but he's a truly kind and sweet man. Oh, and yeah, he's cute. Gotta tell you, Mike, Tina, Noelle and I took more than 15 calls the day of the show. We had to break the news that EVERY chair in the PHouse was reserved. There were more than a few "testy" women who were not happy with our fortune! Sorry ladies. Yes, he will be back. Next time everyone will know to CALL EARLY!

The total icing on the cake for me was to give Mason the tour of the Warren Opera House, and to listen to him sing on stage. He came up with an impromptu serenade for Frog Winslow. We agree, Frog is haunting us... he's waiting for a wine named after him. We'll need to figure out just what "Froggy Bottom" will become, but it's going to have to come to fruition. If you haven't seen the Facebook video (thanks Nebraska Outback) check it out. I'm listening from the balcony. No microphone, no amp... just accoustical beauty.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who came out and supported the show, and the entire weekend. It was a busy one, but really good.

In closing- good news / bad news... Dr. gave me the a-ok to dump the brace after this weekend... EXCEPT for when I'm at PHouse. So, good news for you! Chris and Todd will keep crankin' out the fantastic food, and tweaking the menu. Bad news... I'll be benched, at the bar, or in one of the red chairs... sipping on something; BUT, I'm really enjoying seeing and chatting with our customers.
Thanks for all. Cheers!
c

Ridiculous!

OK- alarm went off at PHouse at 12:53AM. What do I say? "Call the cops, I'll meet them there!" Well, no ghost this time, and no intruder... but a lot of rain leaking through the patio doors. Note to self- get the doors sealed.





So, now I'm up... 2 hours later... listening to it rain. Making lists. Checking reservations. If you didn't see Facebook- the front of PHouse is FULL for the Mason Douglas show on Saturday. So cool that he's comin' to town, and ya'll are comin' out for it! Thanks a million. We'll be singing happy birthday to my old friend Sherry S. She's coming from Lincoln to celebrate. Can't wait. We're gonna pull together a little birthday song, complete with my daddy, Auntie Ann from MA, and her friend Jean. Harmonious wishes on their way.





Apparently Mason's leaving a mark across Nebraska- have fans from western NE wanting to come to the show on Sat- perfect! Bring the folks to town. Just sorry we don't have a place for them to stay.





OK- one last treat for my dog Tank, then off to bed. Sweet dreams. Have a great Friday. See you at the MD show Sat!


Cheers!


c

Wine School for a Great Cause

If you have not caught up with a Friend Historical Society member, or visited www.FriendOperaHouse.com I'm going to ask you to consider joining us June 11 for the Riedel wine tasting school / fundraiser. $60 gets you an outstanding tasting workshop with reknown wino officianado Sean Petrie, a set of 4 beautiful crystal Riedel glasses (worth more than $100), tasting of 4 wonderful wines, and delicious food. Your donation goes to the Society to help us continue with structural repairs of the opera house building. If you didn't see the Opera House facebook page- we were named 1 of 9 "Hidden Treasures" in our great state. That's quite an honor! All funds are dedicated to our non-profit efforts to restore the building, and the Warren Opera House, and to continue the arts and entertainment that took place at the turn of the century. Awesome and beautiful auction items will be available too. Some are in the front window at PHouse. Consider it, please. We've got limited spaces. Any questions, let me know. Cheers!

Claim your seats!

Well, back to the grindstone today... of course on a beautiful, sunny and warm day. Why couldn't it have been like this on the weekend- always happens that way. Hoping it stays warm, so our friend Mason doesn't freeze. You know those Texans- they're a little fragile when it comes to the cold! Sending you a reminder- right now we'll plan to have Mason set up in the front of PHouse. We've got 8 reservations on the books right now, and we KNOW we'll have walk-ins. that leaves the bar open, and only 16 spaces in the front of the bldg. Of course, if you're seated in the back, you can hear the music, and will be welcome to stroll up, mingle, sit on some strangers lap- do as you will... but reservations for this weekend (and most every weekend) are recommended.
If you haven't had a chance to listen to his music- visit his site www.MasonDouglasMusic.com some really good songs are ready for download. Home Free is the one that makes me cry- just heartwarming and beautiful. Hope you'll join us Saturday.

Have a good Monday. Tonight- sipping on La Crema and watching Castle. That's one cool writer!


Cheers,


c

Have you made reservations yet?

Call us to reserve space for you and your friends next Saturday. Mason Douglas is just 6 days away, and we're getting a lot of calls. We'd recommend you come in early, grab a little snack, some great Nebraska wine, and be prepared to be ENTERTAINED! Hoping to get you the link to the new commercial soon... Join Mason, the crew at PHouse and me for a fun night. We're tickled pink to bring such awesome new entertainment to the Nebraska countryside!

Have dinner plans tonight? Chris has awesome specials... Stuffed ravioli in Alfredo sauce, topped with grilled chicken breast, green salad, roasted veggies and a freshly baked bread stick- OR, our new pesto roasted veggie pizza.... just YUMMY!

have a good evening- talk to you this coming week.


carey

Friday was CRAZY!

WOW! What a Friday night! The PHouse was PACKED. We didn't have one empty seat. Sorry to the couple from Seward who rolled the dice and came over- sorry we couldn't accommodate you and your friends. Come back again soon. If you're planning to head our way, we recommend you make reservations. Your reservation will be honored up to 30 minutes after reserved time.

As a reminder, the kitchen closes at 8PM on Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Last call is 9:15 PM and we close at 10. On Saturday, we open at noon. Kitchen closes at 9PM. Last call is 10:15 PM and doors are locked at 11PM.

This coming memorial day weekend we are hosting the 20-30-50 and 60 year reunions! How cool is that? We're wondering what happened to the "40 year" bunch :) Anyway, because the PHouse will be very full Friday and Saturday, we will NOT have our regular menu. We'll be offering a sandwich/salad plate, and appetizers / crackers & cheese.

Stay warm... last week we had the airconditioner fixed. Today I have a fire going... GOOD OL' NEBRASKA!

Cheers

Great entertainment on the way!

Mark your calendars and join us for the beautiful music of Mason Douglas. Have you heard him sing? www.masondouglasmusic.com He's amazing- and cute too! The Pour House is in the process of shooting our 2nd TV commercial. We're doing a fairy-tale "play" on our new, exclusive Little Red Writinghood wine. Can't wait to share it with you- Little Red is walking through the forest, when a "big bad wolf..." you get it. What's in her basket? Yup! Little Red Writinghood wine... and guess who just happened to write a song about the Big Bad Wolf? Yup again! Mason. We've gotten the OK to use the track- now we're just trying to figure out how to cut it down to make it work... cool song. Great beat... sexy, funny... come see the show.