Episode 44:Finding Comfort and Memorable Experiences in the Smokies

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TRANSCRIPT

00:02:53.280 –> 00:03:03.780 Joseph McElroy: howdy thanks for joining us on this week’s episode of gateway to the smokies podcast this podcast is about America’s most visited National Park.

00:03:04.170 –> 00:03:18.060 Joseph McElroy: The great smoky mountains national park and the surrounding towns there are areas filled with ancient natural beauty a deep storied history and rich mountain cultures that we explore with weekly episodes.

00:03:19.080 –> 00:03:20.220 Joseph McElroy: I’m  Joseph Franklyn McElroy

00:03:23.310 –> 00:03:33.480 Joseph McElroy: a man of the world, but also with deep roots in these mountains my family’s lived in the great smoky for over 200 years my business is in travel, but my heart is in culture. today we’re talking about finding comfort.

00:03:34.110 –> 00:03:43.590 Joseph McElroy: And memorable experiences in the smokies, first let me tell you a little bit about our sponsors now the sponsors are obviously.

00:03:44.100 –> 00:03:53.010 Joseph McElroy: Some of you watch a long time is also part of my business so we happen to be sitting at the meadowlark motel in Maggie Valley.

00:03:53.460 –> 00:03:59.910 Joseph McElroy: in Meadowlark Motel I want you to imagine a place evocative of motor courts in the past.

00:04:00.300 –> 00:04:20.460 Joseph McElroy: Yet, with a modern and vibrant feel that we have Appalachian the chic it’s got the services and amenities, an old country in it’s a place for adventure and relaxation imagine a place where you can fish in a mountain heritage trout stream real the catch on fire and eat accompanied by a fine wine or craft beer

00:04:22.830 –> 00:04:38.970 Joseph McElroy:  imagine a place with old-time music and world country sounds cultural says there is no other place like the meadowlark motel your smoky mountain adventure starts with where you stay.

00:04:41.790 –> 00:04:46.110 Joseph McElroy: Today we’re going to be talking about comfort and.

00:04:47.250 –> 00:04:56.790 Joseph McElroy: memorable experiences and I have a great guest his name is Boyd Burton and he has had a 25-year career in management consulting.

00:04:57.450 –> 00:05:14.490 Joseph McElroy: And with an international CPA consulting for one of the top five firms, he specialized in operational and financial consulting for hospitality construction and manufacturing industries, but then you got into a different life.

00:05:16.350 –> 00:05:18.990 Joseph McElroy: And he left that world and he became.

00:05:20.430 –> 00:05:31.590 Joseph McElroy: involved heavily in hospitality hotels, restaurants, and bars in places like Virginia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, but then he ended up in Maggie Valley.

00:05:32.130 –> 00:05:36.720 Joseph McElroy: Looking to perhaps retire and I talked to him and now he.

00:05:37.350 –> 00:05:43.020 Joseph McElroy: believed in the vision we have here, and he become the manager of the Meadowlark motel here in Maggie Valley.

00:05:43.260 –> 00:05:52.860 Joseph McElroy: Hello Boyd, how are you doing?

Boyd: good glad to be here,

00:05:53.370 –> 00:06:03.150 Joseph McElroy: So, you grew up in Richmond so there are some similarities to the southern culture of Richmond to the mountain culture, the smoky mountain very much so I grew up south of Richmond towards Petersburg and if you look back at the migration patterns, the Scotch Irish.

00:06:03.540 –> 00:06:10.530 Joseph McElroy: came into Central Virginia and spread to the mountains of Virginia mountains of North Carolina when I’m here the names are mostly the same.

00:06:11.310 –> 00:06:20.640 Joseph McElroy: The people look and culturally or a lot like people that I grew up with just the accents a little bit different and the land is a lot less flat yeah.

00:06:24.720 –> 00:06:35.910 Joseph McElroy: You know this, this area is because now, but you’re right the the the Scotch Irish the settlers, besides the Cherokee and stuff do have a certain look that is reminiscent of what you see in other parts of.

00:06:36.900 –> 00:06:45.360 Joseph McElroy: The mountains here, because the Scotch Irish came in through the Charleston and Philadelphia just build up the Appalachians and surrounding areas so.

00:06:46.770 –> 00:06:49.860 Joseph McElroy: You were a management consultant tell me what that means.

00:06:51.480 –> 00:07:01.320 Joseph McElroy: Well, in my practice, it was helping companies early in my career, I did very big fortune 500 companies and mid to later part of my career, I focused on privately held.

00:07:01.800 –> 00:07:09.000 Joseph McElroy: You know, a medium hotel chain 100 million a year manufacturer My job was to go in and help them.

00:07:09.510 –> 00:07:22.020 Joseph McElroy: run more efficient operations and understand their finances better and provide the skill sets that as a medium-sized company they couldn’t necessarily afford on their own and help them in the last 30 years.

00:07:24.360 –> 00:07:30.300 Joseph McElroy: The technology changes the transition that midsize successful businesses have been pressured hard from the big.

00:07:31.020 –> 00:07:40.470 Joseph McElroy: brother to Walmart or whatever, and we, we tried to even the playing field a little bit form, yeah I mean yeah I remember that very good, I was in IBM and that time and now.

00:07:40.950 –> 00:07:46.020 Joseph McElroy: While they had they were still being very much a technology company, not as much management consulting but.

00:07:46.470 –> 00:08:02.670 Joseph McElroy: You know, you were mentioning stuff about EDI and that air I was being involved in the EDI and XML and that transition, so it was an exciting and troubling time, it seems like for lifetimes ago right, so how did you.

00:08:04.080 –> 00:08:10.080 Joseph McElroy: You know 25 years and you were senior partner, how did you just decide to go off into hospitality.

00:08:11.040 –> 00:08:21.720 Joseph McElroy: Well, I really wasn’t a decision to go off in the hospitality, it was more of a decision that I didn’t think I could do 20 more years as a partner working 80 hours a week I kind of lost.

00:08:23.730 –> 00:08:24.150 Joseph McElroy: My.

00:08:25.440 –> 00:08:35.250 Joseph McElroy: lost my desire to do it well at it and it was financially successful but I have done I’ve accomplished what I wanted to do I tend to be kind of goal-driven and, at the time I didn’t have.

00:08:36.300 –> 00:08:41.250 Joseph McElroy: No children and was divorced at the time and to be quite honest, I just needed to do something else for a bit.

00:08:41.760 –> 00:08:49.980 Joseph McElroy: And something else was one of my true love which is blues music water neighborhood bar and converted it into a blues venue with local, regional, national.

00:08:50.370 –> 00:08:57.360 Joseph McElroy: acts and in Virginia you can’t have just a bar, you have to have a restaurant, so it a little boutique restaurant music venue and I did that.

00:08:57.840 –> 00:09:03.420 Joseph McElroy: And instead of taking it easy I worked 80 hours a week, doing that for three years and making no money.

00:09:04.200 –> 00:09:16.530 Joseph McElroy: But I saw some of the great blues acts all down the east coast, really, and it was a Labor of love yeah they’re truly was a Labor of love, and what was the transition from that where did you go after that what was the reason for the transition.

00:09:17.700 –> 00:09:21.480 Joseph McElroy: I was tired yeah I got tired of the bar business the bar part of art.

00:09:24.630 –> 00:09:34.170 Joseph McElroy: and music venues all music venues are really tough yeah and at that point, I went back and did some consulting for young individual consulting for some of my clients.

00:09:34.800 –> 00:09:42.390 Joseph McElroy: out of the blue, some guys I’d done some work for asked me to go to Costa Rica and evaluate some companies they wanted to buy do due diligence on it, and I.

00:09:42.780 –> 00:09:52.530 Joseph McElroy: knew nothing about Costa Rica, other than I heard it was a nice place to go visit and I spoke zero Spanish, so I took the job, again I tend to you know in those days in particular.

00:09:53.070 –> 00:10:00.750 Joseph McElroy: I wasn’t tied down or something interesting I went down from 90 days actually recommended that they not by the company which ended up being pretty good advice.

00:10:01.140 –> 00:10:21.360 Joseph McElroy: While I was down there and a poker game, I met a Colombian architect, and a Spanish engineer we’re building hotels and condos and Panama Nicaragua, Colombia, Costa Rica and they knew how to build and they knew how to run.

00:10:24.030 –> 00:10:30.480 Joseph McElroy: Businesses in those countries, needed an operations finance guy that understood construction hospitality I happen to be one of those.

00:10:31.440 –> 00:10:43.170 Joseph McElroy: They literally offered me the job, a few days later, and I just decided to stay so I’ve now been living in Costa Rica, trying to learn Spanish on the fly which I’m functional with very ugly Spanish.

00:10:44.640 –> 00:10:55.920 Joseph McElroy: I can deal with taxi drivers and restaurants and I speak in phrases but uh mostly can do what construction guys enjoyed it, it was great yeah I had worked a lot internationally.

00:10:56.310 –> 00:11:03.300 Joseph McElroy: But this was the first time actually moved out of the country, and it was interesting Costa Rica, has a lot of English speakers and a lot of.

00:11:04.110 –> 00:11:11.550 Joseph McElroy: A blog people love to go there right yeah the weather 60 days, and then the valley, and you know there’s some things I didn’t like as much tubers lovely place.

00:11:11.940 –> 00:11:22.590 Joseph McElroy: And I enjoyed the work until the real estate crash wipe this just about out but didn’t you own a hotel room I did, but that was a result of the crap.

00:11:24.840 –> 00:11:33.660 Joseph McElroy: out, so I built up some equity in this business whole business was basically Canadians and Americans coming down by in second condos and 2008 2009 and.

00:11:34.740 –> 00:11:45.360 Joseph McElroy: It hit her further down harder down there yeah in order to get my equity out I took a boutique hotel that had a defunct restaurant at the casino license.

00:11:46.320 –> 00:11:55.680 Joseph McElroy: I took that because I couldn’t cash out, so I run a restaurant before and I’d run a bar before I knew about the hotel business but hadn’t hands-on runway.

00:11:56.280 –> 00:12:16.620 Joseph McElroy: So we renovated, the place put a little casino in it and turned it into a very focused ex-pat bar that’s kind of are you looking at the experiences that people were looking for and made it man exactly so something as simple as we had a real Philly cheesesteak no.

00:12:18.270 –> 00:12:23.010 Joseph McElroy: One in Costa Rica, I would have guys drive three hours to the beach on a sunny day.

00:12:25.830 –> 00:12:37.860 Joseph McElroy: or even got corn before me, and it was a neighborhood bar where everybody was welcome locals and expats from all over the world and we had music and food, and it was a comfortable place to be if you’re in Costa Rica is a.

00:12:39.330 –> 00:12:46.650 Joseph McElroy: hotel little banner, and it was 35 rooms right yeah you know, actually, it was either it’s either 34 35 this is how many we have here.

00:12:47.640 –> 00:12:56.760 Joseph McElroy: I was kind of luck yeah so you know how did, how did that, how did you get out of that one I ended up getting married and had a daughter and.

00:12:57.540 –> 00:13:08.850 Joseph McElroy: My wife at the time was from Nicaragua and I had an opportunity to sell my share I didn’t know it all, but I was one of the main owners and also, I was the general manager and President.

00:13:10.350 –> 00:13:15.930 Joseph McElroy: cashed out and we moved to Nicaragua for a couple of years and again bottle small hotel up there.

00:13:17.070 –> 00:13:23.160 Joseph McElroy: With less success actually yeah tougher market we get Okay, with it, I was.

00:13:26.430 –> 00:13:32.310 Joseph McElroy: Good reputations Costa Rica for pleasant, it was building to that the surfers are they are great Sir and.

00:13:32.850 –> 00:13:43.830 Joseph McElroy: Before I was actually statistically safe and unsafe in Costa Rica have enough here I mean Everybody talks about Costa Rica early versions of the tourists are getting out of surfers are coming to start building towards it, and that was kind of the hope and.

00:13:44.850 –> 00:13:55.650 Joseph McElroy: It got hard enough to make enough to support you know the future for my daughter, and all that I came back home, decide to come back to Virginia Richmond Virginia right yeah.

00:13:56.310 –> 00:14:08.850 Joseph McElroy: So, and you got a historical preservation business yeah so I had always been involved in that I’m from five generations of partners, the same Scotch Irish burton’s from North from Yorkshire and southern Scott when.

00:14:10.050 –> 00:14:16.200 Joseph McElroy: My grandfather always said, they all learned to be carpenters because they hated pulling the backup um that was much better

00:14:17.490 –> 00:14:22.500 Joseph McElroy: then I pulled the bag That was their options and made by and they all would shake their head.

00:14:26.430 –> 00:14:33.390 Joseph McElroy: That is, I grew up in a small home building business and my mom and dad encouraged me to go to school, and get a good education but I worked.

00:14:33.780 –> 00:14:43.800 Joseph McElroy: weekends and summers my whole childhood and into it and then personally when I lived in Richmond all those years, and of course, Richmond and peter are where we’re from have some of the most historic houses in the country.

00:14:44.250 –> 00:14:52.260 Joseph McElroy: I always personally lived in historic houses and restore them and thought when I would get them just about right that sell them and torture myself with another one.

00:14:52.770 –> 00:15:02.070 Joseph McElroy: For another four or five years, but I decided when I came back, I wanted to kind of reopen Burton custom builders, and actually renamed it Burton built.

00:15:02.580 –> 00:15:15.060 Joseph McElroy: and focus exclusively on historic houses pretty much 1880 and, earlier we worked on some stuff from the 19 1600s or at least 1700s the Thomas Wallace house where Lincoln and.

00:15:15.720 –> 00:15:22.410 Joseph McElroy: grant shook hands at the end of the civil war, we rebuilt, the porch where they shook hands on well I want some architectural awards for that.

00:15:26.280 –> 00:15:35.040 Joseph McElroy: And what it was kind of a Labor of love, I really the theme throughout the big farm management consulting which I love that the time I’ve kind of done whatever interesting at the time.

00:15:35.550 –> 00:15:48.030 Joseph McElroy: Not so focused about making money but doing things that I enjoy yeah and try to make a little bit of money at it well good, well, when we come back we’ll take a break now, when we come back we’re talking about how your how you ended up at the Meadowlark and found that joy good.

00:18:05.670 –> 00:18:15.750 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast with my guest Boyd Burton happens to be the manager of the Meadowlark Motel.

00:18:16.890 –> 00:18:22.320 Joseph McElroy: So Boyd your Richmond you’re going to historical preservation business.

00:18:26.910 –> 00:18:32.310 Joseph McElroy: skills as a master carpenter but you again, you decided to retire.

00:18:33.390 –> 00:18:40.500 Joseph McElroy: I sold my company to my partner, am I share the data my intent I’ve been coming to the smoke East arrived my I’m an avid motorcyclist.

00:18:41.190 –> 00:18:49.350 Joseph McElroy: BMW guys and coming up here to ride motorcycles forever he 20 years all through North Carolina and Virginia and I’ve written the entire parkway.

00:18:49.980 –> 00:18:55.470 Joseph McElroy: And I decided, I wanted to be somewhere in this vicinity west of Asheville and.

00:18:56.070 –> 00:19:02.040 Joseph McElroy: was looking around and found a beautiful place here Maggie valley and kind of fell in love with the place and my goal was to.

00:19:02.490 –> 00:19:18.600 Joseph McElroy: knock around for a couple of years and ride motorcycles play a little poker and just take it easy and that lasted about a week actually lasted about 45 days I really, really nice 45-day vacation yeah riding motorcycles and playing poker and eating good food.

00:19:21.300 –> 00:19:24.690 Joseph McElroy: And ran into you, yeah That was the real key to it.

00:19:28.290 –> 00:19:40.560 Joseph McElroy: No idea I’ve seen the meadowlark sign is a very interesting retro 50 sign, which is part of my design style and the place looks more like a lodge than a motel I’ve been riding by here and.

00:19:41.850 –> 00:19:50.340 Joseph McElroy: I had the opportunity to meet you and you are so very clear about which one to do with the place that you know more than a room and a key and that.

00:19:50.730 –> 00:19:57.900 Joseph McElroy: You wanted it to be as we later started to say yes still look and feel like a retro 50s motel to run it like a nice country yeah.

00:19:58.560 –> 00:20:11.430 Joseph McElroy: and your ideas about hospitality and the front end match the way I felt about it, as someone who had spent most of my adult life staying in hotels and motels and an end and.

00:20:12.780 –> 00:20:15.180 Joseph McElroy: Also, just the future, the place itself is beautiful.

00:20:16.320 –> 00:20:24.960 Joseph McElroy: The actual grounds, here in the buildings have a lot to offer as far as the renovation and potential for which we’re.

00:20:27.390 –> 00:20:33.720 Joseph McElroy: In the process of as kind of all over the place, which is kind of the last 20 years that’s what’s happened yeah it’s all over the place in a.

00:20:33.930 –> 00:20:41.610 Joseph McElroy: kind of have to be that way for me to want to work now yeah I couldn’t go back and do management consulting for any amount of money is like I can’t go and do.

00:20:41.940 –> 00:20:49.380 Joseph McElroy: I can’t do coding or thanks for people yeah it’s like if the certain boy year you’re beyond the on-call performance of things you know and.

00:20:50.220 –> 00:20:56.400 Joseph McElroy: it’s like you go to pursue the things you love when we have to make people happy here, I like making people happy that’s fundamental.

00:20:56.880 –> 00:21:03.390 Joseph McElroy: You know the hospitality gene is there with me and that I genuinely like seeing people well you know what I appreciate is that.

00:21:04.020 –> 00:21:08.010 Joseph McElroy: You make sure when you know there’s going to be a number of people here.

00:21:08.460 –> 00:21:25.290 Joseph McElroy: You make sure every time, no matter what’s happened you’re here in the morning to hear them as they come in to have breakfast and say hello and talk to them and feel the pulse of what they were they enjoyed themselves and you really want to help them feel like they.

00:21:27.810 –> 00:21:34.170 Joseph McElroy: were themselves into you know into figure out what if something’s wrong to fix it thing, I think that whole sense of.

00:21:35.070 –> 00:21:50.160 Joseph McElroy: of your care for the people is permeated the whole staff right well we’re lucky with the staff we have Kate and Amanda and Sharon and Linda and Alford are phenomenal we had a whole staff turnover when I got here if you remember when I got here you’re cleaning.

00:21:51.180 –> 00:22:02.790 Joseph McElroy: And I asked who the staff was you said you’re looking at them don’t know I put I know I, I have to add bit twins, I have three-year-old twins and.

00:22:03.210 –> 00:22:10.740 Joseph McElroy: yeah at the time, you know I would come down, and I wanted to bring them down because their grandparents are here, but yeah was.

00:22:11.100 –> 00:22:25.860 Joseph McElroy: You know they can’t get back say don’t three years old, and so I wanted to bring them to a safe environment, but then I found out that nobody here was vaccinated which I’ve been led to believe they were so I put in a vaccine mandates right yeah good old fashioned back.

00:22:29.880 –> 00:22:40.680 Joseph McElroy: But both the concern, out of concern for my children and yeah this is hospitality right our ethics demand is to provide a safe place for our clientele.

00:22:41.130 –> 00:22:51.780 Joseph McElroy: And whether you agree with it or not, 70% of the people think that vaccinated establishment is the most safe so being a businessman I’m going to.

00:22:52.170 –> 00:23:03.720 Joseph McElroy: Of course cater to my biggest clientele right so and the ethics of it which I also happen to believe was is that I need to put in a vaccine mandate well, as you know that went nationwide.

00:23:04.830 –> 00:23:14.040 Joseph McElroy: A little no tellin Maggie valley and nationwide press I got all sorts of interesting responses to it, but then you showed up because I was doing it all, on my own.

00:23:14.850 –> 00:23:26.220 Joseph McElroy: I was renting rooms drive around the cart taking telephone calls and things like that, and here you show up, it was like almost like it was really surreal I couldn’t be some of your experience.

00:23:29.220 –> 00:23:40.050 Joseph McElroy: And I was interested and working here, it was there was a big turnaround for us, yeah well I just for me it was wonderful I fall in love with the place and.

00:23:40.560 –> 00:23:48.540 Joseph McElroy: The good news is we’re able to go out and find a staff that you know, had similar feelings about things, how we wanted to do things and we can teach them.

00:23:49.230 –> 00:24:03.180 Joseph McElroy: Are kind of focused on hospitality and what we wanted the hotel to be there wasn’t any baggage leftover from prior regime so that part was a little tough, the first month on have on you, in particular, cleaning rooms, but we got through it and.

00:24:04.290 –> 00:24:07.950 Joseph McElroy: The fun in hospitality I think it’s just a hands-on thing right.

00:24:08.220 –> 00:24:16.200 Joseph McElroy: You know, you can have a really nice place but people want when they come to a place like this, they want to kind of get to know the people, the fact that you grew up here in the building it’s important to them.

00:24:16.950 –> 00:24:26.310 Joseph McElroy: The fact that I’m willing to set out front and talk to them, and you know it’s very much by design and you’re exactly right breakfast is when and also.

00:24:28.470 –> 00:24:33.900 Joseph McElroy: While they’re still here if something isn’t exactly right or there’s more we can do for them, I can fix that.

00:24:34.410 –> 00:24:42.150 Joseph McElroy: Three days from now, and they’re gone yeah it’s either a good review or a bad review or meeting review, but there’s not anything I can do about it right it’s a sunk cost at that point.

00:24:42.540 –> 00:24:49.230 Joseph McElroy: or sunk opportunity and you really get the pulse of it, the Saturday morning breakfast and we also use that as a way.

00:24:49.710 –> 00:25:00.270 Joseph McElroy: of setting, we do a free Barbecue for everybody every Saturday night and live music and it’s a way of getting the customers here a connection to us and it’d be it’s fine.

00:25:00.690 –> 00:25:07.860 Joseph McElroy: Foods good and the music’s good but a way of getting them connected to us in the place and each other people from all over meet each other.

00:25:08.430 –> 00:25:18.480 Joseph McElroy: And some people want to be left alone and want to sit by the fire pit and eat their bbq and just chill out, but other people are you know, want to meet other motorcyclist or other leaf watchers or other.

00:25:18.960 –> 00:25:26.340 Joseph McElroy: Family trail hikers or other families and we have a lot of that, and people are starting to schedule to come back together, which is really.

00:25:29.100 –> 00:25:38.940 Joseph McElroy: really makes me feel good when that happens, and even in our gifts six months, together, we already are having quite a bit of repeat business, yeah I, including today, let a couple that was a family was here for the big snow and.

00:25:39.150 –> 00:25:42.870 Joseph McElroy: You wanted to bring his wife back for a couple of days just husband and wife getaway.

00:25:43.470 –> 00:25:49.680 Joseph McElroy: And there with us today, the hospitality, because you know I think it’s a lost art in some ways and connecting.

00:25:50.010 –> 00:25:56.700 Joseph McElroy: Listen to one of the things that have been a challenge for me is I grew up in a family of hospitality and the classic roadside.

00:25:57.120 –> 00:26:04.170 Joseph McElroy: motel traditions right there’s family own they’re here now even that it was all just.

00:26:04.860 –> 00:26:13.050 Joseph McElroy: A cop, you know, a place to put your head, it was on the road, but because of his family and you got to come to have a conversation with family and things.

00:26:13.320 –> 00:26:27.210 Joseph McElroy: There was conventionality there was a relaxed environment, you know that you were connected very close to the what the local culture, and I do, I wanted to really recreate that because.

00:26:30.090 –> 00:26:42.870 Joseph McElroy: other places, our not owned by people that area or their investment properties and they put in real staff that are professional adequate, but not necessarily that sort of family feel.

00:26:43.350 –> 00:26:52.890 Joseph McElroy: successfully been able to understand what I’ve been trying to do and create that family field here when you’re a big part of that, and the other thing that people realize people realize genuine versus non-genuine.

00:26:53.880 –> 00:27:00.240 Joseph McElroy: They realize that we care about the place be it’s part of your family your heritage that it’s really important to you.

00:27:00.960 –> 00:27:10.260 Joseph McElroy: and see that we enjoy being here, we like the place we like the music we like the bbq we like seeing them and they realize that you can’t fake that.

00:27:10.650 –> 00:27:27.480 Joseph McElroy: yeah people realize that Well, no, you guys like being here to this must be a fun place that you can see it and everybody always you know, a friendly owner that’s on-premises quite a bit and is enjoying themselves is a huge asset right people always want to make them feel.

00:27:29.820 –> 00:27:39.300 Joseph McElroy: Better about saving money here yeah when you for one of the first things you learned is that when we got here, we had Michael tree, he was the drummer for simple minds badminton is the artist’s arrest and he does a great job.

00:27:39.690 –> 00:27:46.620 Joseph McElroy: of putting on task interesting show for people, and so a lot of music here is performed by him or curated by him right.

00:27:48.270 –> 00:27:54.990 Joseph McElroy: And, but we had a pavilion that was the law of this performance in the warm in and what’s the weather performed right.

00:27:55.860 –> 00:28:00.300 Joseph McElroy: That had basically no management so Mike was on his own doing a performance.

00:28:00.720 –> 00:28:07.590 Joseph McElroy: You know what was the challenges of getting the pavilion into a structure that makes people really happy and keep some sticking around.

00:28:07.980 –> 00:28:20.310 Joseph McElroy: interacting with each other and enjoying the experience, well, I think, quite honestly, you had all the components that pavilions great it’s got a stage it’s got a bar it’s got a kitchen it’s got a bathroom got a fireplace I’ve got a fireplace it sets you to know.

00:28:20.610 –> 00:28:25.020 Joseph McElroy: A short distance from the creek has got fire pits all around it it’s beautiful, so it would.

00:28:26.700 –> 00:28:27.600 Joseph McElroy: mix an intro.

00:28:31.980 –> 00:28:39.660 Joseph McElroy: a combination of Irish and Scottish people like to hear and fits culturally here, it really just needed it needed a bartender and a host.

00:28:40.320 –> 00:28:53.100 Joseph McElroy: And really that’s convincing people to come out there it’s a short walk across the yard, but the front just team and myself if you’ve been here a couple of days leading into a Saturday, and you haven’t had at least three of us invite you to the BAT.

00:28:54.540 –> 00:29:01.680 Joseph McElroy: We feel like we’ve you know when they say oh yeah I’ve heard that everybody in this building has told me that makes me very happy very, very happy.

00:29:02.460 –> 00:29:11.280 Joseph McElroy: When they get out there, once again just be friendly offer them a beer talk to them a little bit introduce them to the guy that’s two doors down from the hotel.

00:29:11.820 –> 00:29:27.540 Joseph McElroy: And it’s really a nice environment so well I didn’t think that was the hard part, well, it was interesting because you know I’ve been in marketing and am not grew up in this business, it was a different kind of time, then so you know people come into a motel or hospitality experience.

00:29:31.110 –> 00:29:33.720 Joseph McElroy: To be direct with people versus like a.

00:29:34.710 –> 00:29:42.960 Joseph McElroy: movie or something and so trying to create recreate that experience I grew up with, but in a different world was a challenge for me and see what the things that you are doing.

00:29:43.260 –> 00:29:55.290 Joseph McElroy: Is an inspiration yeah I created the, yeah I mean I stole the idea, a little bit, but I started cooking cookies in the afternoon exactly and reminding them about the bbq and that was really.

00:29:55.680 –> 00:30:01.950 Joseph McElroy: Fulfilling and successful right it’s just a small thing like that, and the other thing we talked about this, the other day.

00:30:02.400 –> 00:30:10.500 Joseph McElroy: Is that well look it’s a free Barbecue we provide it now do you look at that as well that’s a cost, we provided as something that attracts people here.

00:30:11.040 –> 00:30:23.370 Joseph McElroy: But you know, are we interested in everybody in the place eating the bbq well, yeah we actually sit, even though we’re not charging them for the bbq we’re selling them on the idea of how much fun it’s going to be, and it is, and it is it’s always asked.

00:30:23.850 –> 00:30:28.230 Joseph McElroy: Well we’re gonna come back we’ll talk more about the things that we’re doing and interest.

00:32:39.150 –> 00:32:53.460 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast and My guest Boyd Burton, who is the manager of the Meadowlark Motel, amongst many other great and fabulous skills.

00:32:54.870 –> 00:33:04.890 Joseph McElroy: You know, we were talking about the other challenges that we faced you know getting restarted and really focusing on the experiences that we give customers.

00:33:05.580 –> 00:33:11.280 Joseph McElroy: One of the things that we brought in, is the Meadowlark Smoky Mountain Heritage Center.

00:33:11.760 –> 00:33:29.220 Joseph McElroy: Which is doing a lot of interesting special that’s how difficult, is it to have been to integrate those into our you know our offerings to clients, as well as I think it’s it’s a very good fit and nobody else here in this area seems to be particularly focused on it and.

00:33:32.820 –> 00:33:45.150 Joseph McElroy: People are interested in the mountain here and offering some insight into that and understanding that was not a weekend goes by, we don’t get some five people to say yeah my family Scotch Irish from somewhere in the mid-Atlantic.

00:33:45.660 –> 00:33:55.620 Joseph McElroy: And they’re interested in the Scotch Irish mountain culture and you know people frankly love you know to love you know the music the music big part of the.

00:33:56.220 –> 00:34:00.510 Joseph McElroy: hospitality, because you know you’re being friendly to people was always a big part of.

00:34:00.810 –> 00:34:09.600 Joseph McElroy: growing up here in the here, in the main building we play Appalachian music all day long yeah just to help kind of set the tone of this is where you’re at and you’re.

00:34:10.020 –> 00:34:17.430 Joseph McElroy: getting an authentic experience this place has been authentic mountains from the basic end of the 40s.

00:34:17.910 –> 00:34:29.520 Joseph McElroy: I mean the first little built was built in the 40s yeah it has been part of roadside American culture and mountain culture, its whole existence now and it’s really I’m really pleased by how successful.

00:34:32.130 –> 00:34:46.800 Joseph McElroy: We are now in a modern setting all the modern efficiencies and the computer systems and things like that, but we’re still able to we’ve translated that whole you know, experience and you’ve understood that experience to be.

00:34:48.300 –> 00:35:02.220 Joseph McElroy: Getting a true mountain culture experience with the cover and with the road motel part of it, people get excited about having a real key that’s yeah we get four or five comments, a week of man, a real key this is cool those are you know.

00:35:03.330 –> 00:35:08.760 Joseph McElroy: We have little blue tags and sort of diamond shape blue tags, those are original tags from.

00:35:09.600 –> 00:35:20.220 Joseph McElroy: Right and people really liked the idea, and you know we found we found shot glasses that we’re assuming your shot glasses from 70 or 74 that we’re.

00:35:20.610 –> 00:35:30.180 Joseph McElroy: Selling that we have a big stock of it was surprising we’re selling those you know so it’s been good, but the Heritage Center has been interesting because we’ve been very.

00:35:33.390 –> 00:35:42.630 Joseph McElroy: difficult to hers and you know and more foragers and Cherokee culture and even some West African influences on the mountain cultures.

00:35:43.500 –> 00:35:57.720 Joseph McElroy: And so I’ve been I think that’s been a huge success in terms of you know, creating awareness and you know we call it memorable experience right and it’s understanding connecting to you know, a local, you know traditions.

00:35:58.500 –> 00:36:07.410 Joseph McElroy: And I think that we’ve been very good at that, and I think it’s yeah you’ve been on the forefront of really even very quickly pushing it along with Bob Plott who’s yeah.

00:36:07.920 –> 00:36:19.920 Joseph McElroy: That means that’s his life he’s written six books rises these, one that top of the civilian award in the state of North Carolina so you know he is creative  God of that heritage, saying that there’s has to be.

00:36:20.400 –> 00:36:30.180 Joseph McElroy: organizational thing to make it happen, I just think it’s such a natural fit with what we do here yeah well it’s I mean there’s actually if you look at my original business plan.

00:36:32.160 –> 00:36:44.490 Joseph McElroy: So I mean I hadn’t thought it out well, this is, we need to bring heritage, you know the original people recent people came to the mountain just because of mountain culture right yeah then me the parks.

00:36:44.970 –> 00:36:50.550 Joseph McElroy: goes down in Hollywood and all these things came in and it’s great and they’re fun they’re wonderful, but their their their consumer culture.

00:36:50.850 –> 00:36:55.170 Joseph McElroy: right there consumer culture where’s mountain culture is authentic and my.

00:36:55.410 –> 00:37:04.170 Joseph McElroy: a goal which you have totally embraced is this authenticity of mountain culture and a place to relax yes and a place to relax I think that’s a really important that.

00:37:04.410 –> 00:37:10.980 Joseph McElroy: You can really like your it’s not like you’re an old-time or new time in the future the past year, in no time when you’re here.

00:37:11.460 –> 00:37:21.630 Joseph McElroy: And no time exists here it’s like everything exists at once, and you can enjoy it all, and you know if we’re super friendly with the guests, and we also have a five-acre.

00:37:22.290 –> 00:37:30.270 Joseph McElroy: green space along the creek if a guest wants to sit and do nothing next to a fire nobody’s going to bother them while they’re.

00:37:31.290 –> 00:37:40.320 Joseph McElroy: Doing nothing and just this past weekend I had a guest say that they forgot to check their phone for two days and.

00:37:41.790 –> 00:37:47.970 Joseph McElroy: I got really excited about it, it kind of startled them they’re like oh that makes me so happy like why I mean cuz you relax.

00:37:48.300 –> 00:38:06.090 Joseph McElroy: You know, this morning I said yeah I was, I was, I was sitting outside drinking beer and enjoying the snow as forgot to check this morning I got up, we have down here and I got up, I went out to the rise and shine Chamber commerce, which is actually pretty good.

00:38:07.380 –> 00:38:09.210 Joseph McElroy: a group of people, business people around here.

00:38:10.260 –> 00:38:20.490 Joseph McElroy: But they meet very informally and yeah I went to that and I did a couple of things and I was going to the coffee shop we’re going to be to look for the business person I realized.

00:38:20.910 –> 00:38:30.510 Joseph McElroy: I hadn’t had my phone for all-day all morning I had my phone and check my phone and the interest of my phone is like yeah I live in New York City I’m on my phone constantly.

00:38:33.210 –> 00:38:42.810 Joseph McElroy: Here it changes the structure of your day right exactly the structure of your existence gets changed and it’s very refreshing.

00:38:43.050 –> 00:38:50.130 Joseph McElroy: And you know people come here to make you value for a number of reasons, we have motorcyclist we have people that want to come, see the leaves and October.

00:38:50.820 –> 00:38:56.970 Joseph McElroy: We have people that come from weddings where people come just to get away from the heat and humidity and places like where I’m from Richmond.

00:38:57.300 –> 00:39:02.460 Joseph McElroy: come up here where it’s much cooler people come to ski and the snow they come from the mountain culture.

00:39:02.940 –> 00:39:12.810 Joseph McElroy: I think our job is twofold one provides them a nice comfortable place to stay that’s the fundamental basis of it, clean comfortable place to say treat them nicely.

00:39:13.290 –> 00:39:23.280 Joseph McElroy: But the next step, and what we’ve done here, and are still continuing to improve upon is a place for them to enjoy and relax while they’re here doing other things they’re doing yeah.

00:39:23.760 –> 00:39:30.480 Joseph McElroy: And then, when they leave and say the best part of my whole day was where was the bbq in the music and.

00:39:33.360 –> 00:39:36.600 Joseph McElroy: I’m doing that and we just hung around and fun yeah yeah.

00:39:37.980 –> 00:39:49.740 Joseph McElroy: excited about that well, what do you feel we’ve done something new or created a real speakeasy I had a basement area that hasn’t been to us, you and I collaborated we’ve created a real speakeasy.

00:39:51.000 –> 00:40:02.160 Joseph McElroy: In the Meadowlark motels what, what do you think about that what’s the vision for that oh I’m super excited about when it’s a beautiful little space we are handled bar Joseph’s artwork.

00:40:02.640 –> 00:40:13.620 Joseph McElroy: is in there very good artwork and a little story is I use I studied a lot at the classically from the nudes so I have a lot of paintings big paintings of nudes.

00:40:13.920 –> 00:40:26.700 Joseph McElroy: So we know these would be good for a speakeasy my wife was like yeah see who’s The co-designer of the experience here, and you see everything that visual here my wife has been heavily involved in making sure that it’s totally aesthetic.

00:40:27.390 –> 00:40:30.570 Joseph McElroy: But she was like well okay, but if you’re going to put nudes

00:40:34.380 –> 00:40:39.270 Joseph McElroy: You can’t lose I don’t want a man cave so we’ve also got male nudes on the wall

00:40:40.680 –> 00:40:48.300 Joseph McElroy: guests yeah we’ve been opened, it’s up on Fridays and Saturdays and basically, we were all music aficionados here you guys.

00:40:49.260 –> 00:40:59.580 Joseph McElroy: rock and roll star and you’ve been headed blues bar with some of the top people in the world and we curated just an incredible list of world music and but it’s just you know.

00:41:00.150 –> 00:41:13.800 Joseph McElroy: Typical night down there at this point is, people are out snow skiing they come back they’ve had dinner, they want to come down have a couple of beers we start playing some music and yo two Saturdays ago turned into a dance party this one.

00:41:15.030 –> 00:41:21.480 Joseph McElroy: Again, the place was designed to be a place that we enjoyed and wanted to hang out and we find that the guests to

00:41:21.720 –> 00:41:31.050 Joseph McElroy: yeah I would say that the essence of us in a lot of ways, is the music started right the musical under the place and we had that Bob was really great that recruiting some.

00:41:33.870 –> 00:41:46.470 Joseph McElroy: Great music Balsam Range Member playing Darren Nicholson and a few others here and yeah we’ve had world-class music here I mean that has been one of the greatest.

00:41:46.800 –> 00:41:53.670 Joseph McElroy: News sources of pride, I have is the world-class music, we now have, if I don’t say so myself world-class art.

00:41:55.080 –> 00:42:04.590 Joseph McElroy: I got things in museums accounts right yeah it’s been really like the art isn’t meant to be a fun key and something different, and Maggie Valleys a.

00:42:05.760 –> 00:42:09.300 Joseph McElroy: The local watering holes and Maggie Valley, or what I would kind of determine as.

00:42:10.260 –> 00:42:18.930 Joseph McElroy: Sports bars and one of them, I like to go to watch football and have a drink but it’s a sports bar a lot of TVs kind of loud basic menu and or.

00:42:19.530 –> 00:42:31.890 Joseph McElroy: restaurant bars, but no yeah not really any bar so we went to this will be a funky little bar yeah for people to hang out after a long day and yeah they don’t have to drive anywhere and I wanted.

00:42:34.770 –> 00:42:39.240 Joseph McElroy: Everything about heritage and every part of my from my childhood my growth and everything else but.

00:42:39.690 –> 00:42:45.330 Joseph McElroy: I wanted to bring a little bit of my New York experience here too yeah so it’s got that so we got like a little sliding thing for people to.

00:42:46.260 –> 00:42:54.660 Joseph McElroy: ask for permission to come in collecting but fine so we’re also creating a restaurant because to get lifted by the drinks North Carolina hotels got to have a restaurant.

00:42:54.960 –> 00:43:02.820 Joseph McElroy: So we’ve actually come up with the concept for a restaurant and you have a great experience with that what would you say is the vision that we’ve been talking about.

00:43:03.540 –> 00:43:12.240 Joseph McElroy: Well, I think you know we’re still flushing it out, I think we need more restaurants and Maggie Valley, we need more restaurants that serve past nine o’clock at night.

00:43:12.720 –> 00:43:16.860 Joseph McElroy: So there’s definitely demand there and certain people want to eat where they’re staying.

00:43:17.520 –> 00:43:32.280 Joseph McElroy: So we believe that demands there and we have the facility to do it, we have a kitchen we’re converting We already have a nice dining room right over behind us, but I think the food we want it to be accessible, we want to have dishes that.

00:43:35.520 –> 00:43:46.500 Joseph McElroy: altar but also to them, yes right thing that both Joseph and I are I characterize ourselves as good amateur cooks not chefs, yeah but we’re both food easy probably tell by looking at.

00:43:47.010 –> 00:43:52.500 Joseph McElroy: That we haven’t missed a whole lot of meals and we’ve eaten all over the world, and we want some interesting but not.

00:43:53.040 –> 00:44:01.800 Joseph McElroy: Not food, food, not complicated interesting good food that’s different once again a different offering but still that you’re comfortable and accessible.

00:44:02.160 –> 00:44:08.400 Joseph McElroy: yeah that’s the framework and we’re building the menu, I mean, I think that yeah we are, we know some really good line cups.

00:44:08.850 –> 00:44:15.540 Joseph McElroy: But what we’re gonna do is we’re you know it’s hard to get a chef to come to the real small motel in the mountains alright

00:44:15.870 –> 00:44:32.550 Joseph McElroy: But as he said, we know a lot of important we’re going to curate great recipes and then have really good natural cook people cook it right good ingredients and that’s the fun part is curating the menu, and once again just like we’re doing with the.

00:44:36.630 –> 00:44:41.550 Joseph McElroy: a menu that we think fits the place and customers like, but also that we like yeah yeah.

00:44:42.750 –> 00:44:52.980 Joseph McElroy: So we’re not In addition the restaurants were actually also arranging for Meadowlark to respond toMeadowlark design tours right.

00:44:53.490 –> 00:45:00.480 Joseph McElroy: And I know you haven’t been as much involved this yet, but I think you feel it is pretty important to have this kind of adventure, to offer people.

00:45:00.780 –> 00:45:05.460 Joseph McElroy: And a lot of them are going to be very comfortable tours like you’re gonna be able to see the mountains, particularly.

00:45:05.820 –> 00:45:10.710 Joseph McElroy: You have a van that’s going to drive exactly, but you have the opportunity to get out and enjoy it.

00:45:11.130 –> 00:45:21.900 Joseph McElroy: yeah we yeah because of where we’re at we have people come in and they want to do things in the area and we have other places that we recommend that tour companies, we have tour companies we’re partnering with but yeah.

00:45:22.500 –> 00:45:32.760 Joseph McElroy: one of the reasons I moved here is because this is one of them, I think, maybe the absolute best spot to ride a motorcycle and certainly on the east coast and maybe the whole United States yeah.

00:45:37.680 –> 00:45:48.990 Joseph McElroy: And you know I wanted for that, for our guests and walking tours and fishing tourists and make sure that we can actually really help them maximize the enjoyment, while they’re here and not just hope that they find something that suits them somewhere else.

00:45:49.410 –> 00:45:56.010 Joseph McElroy: Well, I mean we have we’re gonna come back and we have to take a break now where it comes back in a few minutes to talk about some of the.

00:45:56.280 –> 00:46:06.180 Joseph McElroy: motorcycle rides that you’ve been on because he’s a bit on all the motorcycle rides the world, and maybe we talk about some that you’ve done in this area and other road culture type things that you might want to talk.

00:48:08.280 –> 00:48:17.430 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklin McElroy back with the gateway to the smokies podcast my guest Boyd Burton the manager of the Meadowlark Motel, So Boyd,

00:48:17.910 –> 00:48:33.660 Joseph McElroy: You know, we do a lot of adventure start from this area Maggie Valley, you know Meadowlark Motel Smoky Mountains yeah outdoor adventures, and one of the biggest things is road culture right yeah a lot of people come here to go.

00:48:36.390 –> 00:48:45.150 Joseph McElroy: the fact we have a motorcycle museum across the creek from us in our backyard that people go to so it’s an important part of you know what’s.

00:48:45.630 –> 00:48:52.770 Joseph McElroy: What happens in the mountains is you know, being able to travel and see so you’ve been all over the world, with the motorcycle riding right.

00:48:53.460 –> 00:49:02.400 Joseph McElroy: Some of the best rides at least in the country I have to say that this is the best right for my money the Northern Rockies.

00:49:02.880 –> 00:49:11.250 Joseph McElroy: Glacier National Park that area is maybe more spectacular, but in terms of mountain roads that are rideable and enjoyable on a motorcycle I think.

00:49:11.640 –> 00:49:18.060 Joseph McElroy: You know, really, this whole this section of Western North Carolina and then the similar sections of Southwestern Virginia.

00:49:18.630 –> 00:49:33.720 Joseph McElroy: I think is just I think they’re the best and I’ve got you to know pretty good I’ve been everywhere in the lower 48 riding right and then there are beautiful rods all over but you’ve got good writing weather eight months out of the year it’s not too hot in the summer we just.

00:49:37.170 –> 00:49:46.740 Joseph McElroy: The traffic’s not bad and there’s titan twisting our roads will spectacular views every direction the gas come in and go, you know, give me your favorite ride I jokingly say pick a direction and go uphill.

00:49:47.580 –> 00:49:58.950 Joseph McElroy: in every direction is upheld, by the way, we’re in a valley yeah and then a lot of famous rides a tail of the dragon and the rattler and sure house skyway all are within you know.

00:50:00.180 –> 00:50:06.720 Joseph McElroy: less than an hour yeah less than an hour, if you draw a circle, this is a great place to be base camp for motorcycles.

00:50:07.320 –> 00:50:15.660 Joseph McElroy: As a motorcyclist, I like to drink and have a beer, but I don’t like to do that and ride yeah so being able to come back somewhere like the Meadowlark and.

00:50:16.620 –> 00:50:33.390 Joseph McElroy: be able to hang out go anywhere else go anywhere is really important, we a lot of car shows here and it’s just a beautiful place to come for a ride yeah I mean road culture was a big part of Americana you know when we were identifying what our modern culture is and.

00:50:37.590 –> 00:50:42.540 Joseph McElroy: So you know Mountain Heritage and American road culture heritage are important.

00:50:42.900 –> 00:50:51.810 Joseph McElroy: You know aspects of it, and you know frankly road closures are perfect for the covid era right because you write it upright to your door you don’t have to interact with anybody if you’re worried.

00:50:52.200 –> 00:51:05.700 Joseph McElroy: Right, so I walk right in the door because it is a motel, and uh yeah we get some people have been coming up here for road vacations for 40 years yeah that new your grandmother, and your mother still ask of them yeah I know.

00:51:06.840 –> 00:51:21.060 Joseph McElroy: That makes me feel good you connected to something real that’s been here for a few generations, we have about 1974 Meadowlark sign backlit down the Speakeasy that I think is a nice reminder of that the history of the place.

00:51:22.080 –> 00:51:28.830 Joseph McElroy: So what are some upcoming things that you’re looking forward to hearing well really the spring, for us, is about.

00:51:30.120 –> 00:51:34.260 Joseph McElroy: Getting the restaurant open and getting the full ABC.

00:51:37.260 –> 00:51:42.210 Joseph McElroy: We have lots of events coming up recycle groups and car groups and.

00:51:42.660 –> 00:51:54.750 Joseph McElroy: wedding parties so really getting ready for spring and the next step for us as a full restaurant and full bar environment to go along with the pavilion and what we’ve done this year it’s additive to it, and this is more opportunity to.

00:51:55.140 –> 00:52:05.250 Joseph McElroy: host and be hospitable and enjoy you know the company of our clients it’s a lot of work we’ve got a lot to do in the next 90 days to be ready for spring but we’re.

00:52:05.850 –> 00:52:12.930 Joseph McElroy: we’re on track I’m pretty proud that you know when you think about it when we open the when the summer comes we’re going to have.

00:52:13.500 –> 00:52:21.720 Joseph McElroy: him, do you not only get your experience to come to stay in a nice place and sleep, you know to go to take your ventures all over when you come back you got.

00:52:23.070 –> 00:52:34.680 Joseph McElroy: A restaurant, this will be mountain parodies inspired you’re gonna have a speakeasy you have a pavilion that’s them live music Barbecue you have a really nice pool environment where you can.

00:52:37.590 –> 00:52:49.200 Joseph McElroy: tie this huge recreation purpose so mountain heritage trout stream, you can fish in the children to learn a lot and also tube in the water, so it’s pretty exciting.

00:52:50.220 –> 00:52:52.410 about what we were creating here.

00:52:54.210 –> 00:52:59.670 Joseph McElroy: So what where do people find out more about you right.

00:53:01.350 –> 00:53:16.260 Joseph McElroy: Well, as part of that getting away from it all thing I came to the mountains, I actually decided to I had a pretty big social media presence related to historic to music and historic preservation and part of my semi-retirement were to get away from that.

00:53:17.400 –> 00:53:34.530 Joseph McElroy: But I now connect you know connecting back in through things like this podcast and our website and the smokies adventure, so I can go to our website and use the contact for sure we’d love to look for ideas for music and then also our for.

00:53:37.890 –> 00:53:45.870 Joseph McElroy: So can come into booking agencies or book directly through our site, you also can pick up the phone and call and you will get myself, Amanda, Kate.

00:53:46.170 –> 00:53:52.770 Joseph McElroy: We will do our very best to help you on the phone and talk to any questions you have been booked the room old style and also things like tours and exactly.

00:53:53.130 –> 00:54:02.880 Joseph McElroy: yeah that’s really cool it’s like family, you know family-run place done if you know corporate efficiency, but without the near of.

00:54:03.360 –> 00:54:12.360 Joseph McElroy: That corporate dryness it’s all about you know, being the family, yeah we’re here enjoying the place, so we hope people will come to enjoy it with us yeah I think so.

00:54:12.750 –> 00:54:28.680 Joseph McElroy: So the site is meadowlarkmotel.com, yes, we have a couple of Facebook pages, we have the Facebook page for the meadowlark motel but we also have a Facebook page for the Meadowlark smoky mountain heritage Center so you can just search for both those right.

00:54:30.000 –> 00:54:35.250 Joseph McElroy: You need to contact form on our website to get to both me and Anvil.

00:54:38.610 –> 00:54:47.220 Joseph McElroy: make suggestions or recommend music, you know always open to ideas that fit within and this now boy, thank you for being on the show oh it’s my pleasure.

00:54:47.520 –> 00:54:55.440 Joseph McElroy: Nice enjoyed the time and he did it out of the goodness of his heart it’s not like yeah it’s a motel or anything now, this is a Labor of love.

00:54:56.550 –> 00:55:05.400 Joseph McElroy: And I fell in love with the place and so we’re part of the talkradio.nycnetwork and

00:55:05.910 –> 00:55:17.580 Joseph McElroy: This podcast appears every Tuesday from six to seven on that network, I recommend you investigate the little I podcast on this network there are some great ones from self-help to

00:55:17.970 –> 00:55:30.270 Joseph McElroy: You know, to business to other travel destinations, you know there’s a great one on the work that you have to explore and you know I live in New York, as well as live I live in two places at once, somehow, but I’m here.

00:55:30.630 –> 00:55:35.700 Joseph McElroy: You know, constantly because I’m really dedicated passionate about this, but I have a family.

00:55:39.300 –> 00:55:42.000 Joseph McElroy: Through your parents, I’m involved with that as well

00:55:43.200 –> 00:55:53.610 Joseph McElroy: You can with this we are, we have the podcast also smokiesadventure.com, you can click on a link at the top of take you to all the previous podcasts.

00:55:54.810 –> 00:55:58.620 Joseph McElroy: As well as links to interesting information related to the podcast.

00:55:59.700 –> 00:56:11.700 Joseph McElroy: We, have a Facebook page it’s a gateway to the smokies podcast on Facebook, which I recommend highly that you take a look at.

00:56:13.080 –> 00:56:18.330 Joseph McElroy: Where there are the live feeds are going on all the time, and we also have good conversations.

00:56:19.350 –> 00:56:32.250 Joseph McElroy: smokies adventure is a great website for you to visit it’s related to what we’re doing but it runs independently, it provides lots of information about.

00:56:33.390 –> 00:56:35.910 Joseph McElroy: You know, visiting the smokies where to stay what.

00:56:38.910 –> 00:56:46.560 Joseph McElroy: Part of books and trail guide and explanations about what to do in your outdoor adventures of the smokies.

00:56:47.280 –> 00:56:55.290 Joseph McElroy: And then the Meadowlark motel we have a great site that also has a lot of interesting shopping we just introduced a tin cup that’s become very popular.

00:56:55.590 –> 00:57:04.620 Joseph McElroy: And my wife sourced it and she came up with the idea that, basically, says the on the outside of the cup you drink out of this TIM coffee cup and it says.

00:57:06.240 –> 00:57:07.590 Joseph McElroy: This might be moonshine

00:57:09.810 –> 00:57:19.530 Joseph McElroy: we’re loving that so I recommend you go to our website look at that we got some good T-shirts and things like that, as well and we’re going to be introducing a Heritage club.

00:57:19.980 –> 00:57:35.970 Joseph McElroy: it’s more focused on regional and local people to be able to come on a regular basis we’re going to be doing things like we’re naming some of the rooms with when we’re doing sort of museum quality, you know installations in the rooms of pictures in history, the first one to be the.

00:57:39.570 –> 00:57:43.350 Joseph McElroy: legendary women of the smaller craft room mountain crafts room.

00:57:44.670 –> 00:57:53.250 Joseph McElroy: And we have openings in these rooms it’s going to have you know a lot of discussions about the art history related we’re also going to be doing.

00:57:54.090 –> 00:58:08.250 Joseph McElroy: A series of mountain cultures with books and authors that have written things about the mountain, so we look forward to you coming and visiting us and listening to this to gateway the smokies and thank you all for being here and see you next week.