Faron Wahl, Manager.

What a great time we’ve had.

This season began with the challenges of the snowiest April on record, the throes of winter holding us back from a critical month of prep for our consignment auction and all events to follow. Months later, the season is now winding down with the rear-view mirror reflecting a summer of newness brought to historical cornerstones at the village.

To be sure, by the way, we’re not actually ending our year here. While our gift shop and main village closed Labor Day evening, we’ll still be hosting the wildly popular Pumpkin Train event October 6, and we’ll take relaxed fall campers checking themselves in and out while the leaves redden and evenings turn crisp. But autumn does make one contemplative as we begin letting off the summer throttle.

We welcomed back home a carousel like none other to be found, now freshly poised to turn people back in time to the simple foundations of our country’s leisure era. We thoroughly facelifted our Wentworth Hotel, allowing it a new lease on future decades of displaying the spartan realities of how renting a room once was. And we dedicated the historical marker that will direct all visitors of tomorrow to a startup knowledge of the wonderfully rare chapel car perched on static rails before them.

Much else occurred, of course, as I’ve chronicled throughout the spring and summer here in this column. But amidst numerous fresh approaches to our offerings, we didn’t waver on bringing the best of our classics – events and happenings folks have come to count on and look forward to at the village.

None of this would have come together short the continued assistance of countless generous volunteers. And I mean countless. There is far more to keeping all the plates spinning here than most realize, and it takes some troops in the background carrying a chunk of the load.

Dearest to my heart are those volunteers who announce their desire and availability for a job and see it through at their very best, yet simply never intend to receive something in return. That’s volunteerism at its purest level, and those who bring such a mindset to the table are so very admirable. To all of you who kindly volunteer your time for us, thank you.

Gluing it all together, at the core and heartbeat level of daily operations, is our staff. Granted, these souls wouldn’t be employed here if it weren’t for the volunteers who spread the burden, but conversely, we wouldn’t be a functioning operation for so much as one week without our dedicated staff who labor daily to keep the engine humming.

I regularly pause to watch them going about the details of their work and I realize again and again how thankful I am for each of them. I might be in command of the ship, but we’d sink without every one of them manning all the key stations so skillfully. A manager isn’t much without his/her staff, and great staff like ours is the difference between just treading water and truly going places.

So, to Bev, Haley, Ellen, Ally, Misty, Vince, and Al, I offer my deepest gratitude. My pride in what goes on here starts with each of you. Thank you for your dedication and your integrity, and for upholding the principles I’ve asked of you. You make me proud, and my hat is off.

It’s been a deep privilege.