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Edie,
The
Salsa
Freak!!
World Class Entertainment |
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The World Famous Mt. Airy Resort, The Poconos, Pennsylvania
By Edie, The Salsa FREAK
Salsa Weekend in the Poconos!
June 23, 24, 25, 2000!!!
DON’T MISS IT!!
Click here for details!!
Millie: mwarren1@uplink.net
Simone: resortsales@poconoresort.com
I was invited to come check out and experience for myself The Poconos’ Mt. Airy Resort in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania. It’s beautiful here! Jerry Bahckhyan of the Salsa Brava Dance Company and myself will be performing and teaching “Hollywood Salsa” workshops here for their June 23rd, 24th, and 25th ,2000 Salsa weekend. Click here for details!!
Mt. Airy Resort is one of the oldest resorts of the Pocono Mountains. It boasts over 5,000 acres of lush green forests and lakes. It would be PERFECT for a HUGE dance convention of some sort. There are two enormous Olympic-sized swimming pools, one in the front of the Lodge, about 20 feet from a beautiful lake, and one inside for the winter months. Lawn chairs and umbrellas are perfectly lined up surrounding the in and outdoor pools.
Adorning the inside walls of the resort, one can see beautiful black and white head-shot pictures of Bob Hope, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Patty Page, Paul Rodriguez, The Drifters, Julio Eglacias, Engelbert Humperdinck, Joan Rivers, Tito Puente, Freddy Roman, Sergio Frankie, Rich Ramirez, Charro, Freddie Fender… to name a few. All have been guests, and some continue to spend their vacations here.
In the summertime, one can raft, water-ski, take a boat trip, horseback ride, day bikes and hikes, golf, bicycle, and much more. In the wintertime, there is ice skating, skiing, sledding and snowmobiling. Both winter and summer, one can volleyball, basketball, softball, archery, skeet and trap shoot… the list is endless.
Women can enjoy shopping at the nearby “tax free” outlet, the comforts of the SPA, where one can receive a therapeutic Massage, European facial, Sea Clay body wrap, and manicures and pedicures.
For men, the acclaimed “World’s Best 18 Hole” golf course, is right here at Mt. Airy. Golf architect, Mr. Hal Purdy, designed it. The design is based on the 18 best holes in the United States, as selected by Sports Illustrated in 1966. It is rated one of the best golf courses in the country. It comes with a driving range, putting green, and miniature golf. You can also enjoy a vigorous workout at the health club and then treat yourself to a soothing massage.
Kids between the ages of four to 11, have their own “Mountain Rangers” free Kids program that includes story-telling and play time, videos, sports, talents shows, arts and crafts, astronomy classes, swimming time, basketball, ant farm building, and a whole myriad of activities to keep them VERY occupied most of the day.
The main facility is open for conventions, sales meetings, seminars, expositions, festivals, banquets, and trade shows. On-site consulting companies come in to the help large corporations organize, and create development programs designed to motivate, inspire, and empower people to succeed. The larger, connected business suites are perfect for dance teams, where there are 3-4 connected rooms with a shared living room area for practice, computer work, and meetings.
On a more intimate note, the other side of the facility is where many newlyweds spend their honeymoons. Mt. Airy is known all over the world for its famous honeymoon suites where newlyweds can have an optional round bed, personal Swedish sauna, a two-story pleasure suite with living room and loft, private outdoor sundecks, a personal swimming pool, AND heart-shaped Jacuzzi right the privacy of their own bedrooms! You would never want to leave the room (which is, I think, the whole INTENT).
Breakfast and dinner are included with the very affordable price of the rooms. The dining room is an enormous room filled with elegant white-cloth tables and chairs and candlelight. The food is excellent, and well prepared by their world-class chefs.
The nightlife is filled with excitement. Every night starts with a sumptuous meal, whether it’s a Champagne Dinner, Country & Western Jamboree, Venetian Night, or their famous Couple of the Week dinner dance. Dancing, comedians, bands, and magicians fill the evenings with fun and romance. It’s like going on a cruise, but at a Mountain resort instead! Famous stars like Joan Rivers, Rich Little, the Drifters, Glen Campbell, the Coasters, and Crystal Gayle have made their appearances more than once here. Soon, big-name Latin Entertainment will be coming to Mt Airy, so stay tuned to Salsaweb Magazine for their huge Latin event in September!
It is so peaceful here. When the sun rises until it sets, all you hear are birds chirping and the wind blowing against the leaves of the trees. People come from all over the upper East Coast and beyond to just “settle down” for a weekend, and enjoy what Mt. Airy has to offer.
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Mt Airy Resort promoters and coordinators, Millie Warran, Fed Hensel, and Simone Colon.
Millie Warren is the Master Mind behind coming up with the idea of a Latin Entertainment weekend here in the Poconos. For the past 21 years, Millie has worked for a Mutual funds broker on Wallstreet. Naturally, being of Puerto Rican descent, Millie is extremely enthusiastic about the entire concept, and has been telling everyone on Wallstreet about it. She and her husband own a home in the Poconos. Amazingly, every day she commutes between five and six hours to/from work. Millie is a mother of three, and has a grandson.
Talking about the Poconos, Millie explains, “I’m crazy about this place. It’s like being on vacation every day. Once I get on that 80, that’s it. There’s no noise, no sirens. I just love it out here. The best time of year to be here is the summertime. It’s summertime, all year ‘round here.”
About the June Salsa event, Millie goes on to say, “I like putting on events because I love it when people have fun. You have to have that ‘fun’ time for yourself. All my life I’ve always liked dancing, and I think this is the place for it. Before I started a family, I used to dance at clubs all the time.” As for organizing the Poconos first Latin festival, Millie told me, “I love to plan and organize events, because I love to make people happy. The June event is going to be something very special.”
Social Director Fred Hensel, lives on the premises, and has worked here for four years. He tell us, “The guests are my favorite part of this place. It’s our opportunity to get them out of their usual routine and schedule and show them a little fun with what we have to offer. It’s people at their best.” His favorite part of the facility is the music. “They play everything. It runs the whole gamut of styles and ethnic backgrounds. The guests dance, and it’s my job to encourage and teach them to dance. My best dance is a mix of regular club dancing. In the ballroom dance world, my favorite is Tango, I teach American, and a little International style.”
Fred grew up watching Fred Estair and Ginger Rogers. Those are movies he always loved. Fred goes on, “We’ve had a couple of ballroom groups. We used to have a dance Adagio team, Marcell and Ravel. They were a dance Adagio team that were in-house, and ended up touring the world. Mt Airy’s former owner, Mr. Emil Wagner, discovered them. They were doing shows in the main stage on the Crystal Room, and started getting bookings as a result. They became a professional team, and it became a lucrative business for them.
And then there’s Luigi, the famous baker at Mt. Airy restaurant, who has baked for President Reagan, and Bob Hope, to name a few.
Simone Colon, the Group Sales Manager, has worked part time here for a year. She works to get out of the house and be around positive people. It’s exciting for her. She does the entertainment end of it simply for the pleasure of it. She has one daughter. She got the Mt. Airy bug a few years ago, and uses the daytime spent away from her daughter to help out at the Lodge. When I asked her why she liked working here, she told me she likes the entertainment, and meeting different people. She went on, “It’s very peaceful here…the fall is beautiful with the changing colors of the leaves; red, yellow, orange…. and the summers are true Indian summers. It’s very peaceful here in the Pocono’s. We service a very upscale clientele and I like seeing that. One of the things I miss is our former owner, the late Emil Wagner, who died this past November. He was a very sincere man, and we all miss him very much.”
Simone, Fred, and Millie will be helping coordinate the June Salsa event this year. They can be reached at 1-800-441-4410, or email Mildred_Warren@Instinet.com . Stay tuned to Salsaweb as the June date draws near! Click here for details…
