Fallen Tree to Honor Vets with Free Rooms on Veterans Day

(Carlisle, PA) –  Fallen Tree, a member of the Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association will join hundreds of inns and B&Bs throughout the U.S. and Canada in honoring active and retired veterans with free rooms in recognition of Veteran’s Day. In a campaign called B&Bs for Vets, Fallen Tree Farm and other  members of the Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association will join inns and B&Bs across North America in opening their doors with complimentary stays for vets on November 10, 2011 so they can wake up on Veteran’s Day to a wonderful breakfast after a great night’s sleep in a B&B. At last count over 700 Inns were participating.


This is the second year that Fallen Tree Farm has participated in this campaign. In addition, this year we offered additional discounts on other stays to veterans who couldnt' stay with us over the holiday.


“We are proud to join innkeepers across the USA and Canada in honoring active and retired military and veterans by offering a complimentary room(s),” said Kim Hanlin, innkeeper at the Fallen Tree Farm and President of the Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association. “We are thrilled that thousands of vets and their families will wake up on 11-11-11 in a B&B, like ours. It’s one small way we can thank those serving in the military and their families for the important work they do” finished Kim Hanlin


" We salute and thank the members of our Cumberland Valley Bed and Breakfast Association who are veterans, Mary Duxbury (The Carlisle House), Lee Gelinas (Gelinas Manor), Bill Hawver (Red Cardinal Bed and Breakfast).Although they will not get the opportunity to enjoy a complimentary room for the service they have performed, they will be participating in the program by proudly sharing this day with the dedicated men and women who have given so much to us and to our country".


The B&Bs for Vets program started in 2008 when Kathleen Penek, co-owner of the Gillum House and a handful of other innkeepers in West Virginia opened their doors to veterans in honor of Veteran’s Day. The program grew in popularity among innkeepers, and last year more than 900 inns in the US and Canada participated by offering free rooms to vets. This year, the Professional Association of Innkeepers International will coordinate the B&Bs for Vets program as a way to help veterans learn about today’s B&B experience.



The Cumberland Valley Bed & Breakfast Association is a collection of authentic Pennsylvania lodging treasures, giving you a choice of unique and delightful Bed and Breakfast Inns. From Victorian homes and historic taverns to country manors and rural farmhouses, these B&Bs mirror the diverse times of life in Pennsylvania's beautiful rolling hills and quaint towns.

Mercersburg Inn getaway

I'm sure its not often that an Innkeeper blogs about another Inn, but I have to. The place is just too wonderful to go without mention, plus I have the time to, as Brent and I have snuck away from Fallen Tree to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary and do some long range planning for the B&B. Since the last 6 of those years have been spent purchasing, renovating and running Fallen Tree, staying married is no small accomplishment. As any Innkeeper might tell you, there can be some friction when two people open up their home and lives to guests.

For a quick getaway we decided on the Mercersburg Inn, A lovely 22,000 sq ft mansion in Mercersburg, about an hour from Fallen Tree. This place is A-mazing. Gorgeous, beautifully maintained, spic and span, each room with fabulous historical character and personality ( we were here on a Sunday in which many of the rooms were empty so I couldn't resist peaking into the open, unoccopied rooms-I've made a list of the ones I want to stay in next)

Of course because we are busy busy innkeepers our night of choice to get away is always Sunday, after our guests have left and we've saddled our parents with the girls, horses and dogs. I believe we are the only guests here.  I apologized to Lisa, the innkeeper, for keeping their Fabulous Chef, Dan Nowalk, on a Sunday. She said not to be silly... but we truly appreciated the care with which we were treated... the food, wow, the food.. so so good. Sweet potato Shrimp Bisque = heaven. My only regret was that I was so full I couldn't even conceive of dessert since I dearly love Creme' Brulee.

This morning, after a great nights sleep on a cozy nest of down, I enjoyed the spectacular views from our balcony of the Tuscarora mountains and am excited for breakfast. But I have to give huge kudos to the Mercersburg Inn staff that we've met and at least one we didn't( Shirley, their clearly meticulous housekeeper) Melissa, Nicole, Lisa, Jim and Chef Dan, you are doing wonderful things here and the Fallen Tree Innkeepers are looking forward to a return stay!

Fallen Tree Farm Survives Tornado

On Thursday May 26, Cumberland Valley experienced a tornado touchdown. At 217 years old, the house didn't bat an eye at the high winds,golfball sized hail and driving rain. She eats tornados for breakfast. As the kids and Brent huddled in the basement I stayed upstairs running from room to room to get a look at what was going on outside. There was plenty to see. Our Bradford Pear which brightened spring days with its pretty fragrant white flowers uprooted and crashed to the ground taking out the brick wall in our garden and missing the front of my mini cooper by 8 INCHES! Another tree came down in the ruins, our wedding ceremony area, and smashed the pergolas to bits. The backyard is a hot mess with at least 12 trees uprooted or missing their tops and so far we've counted at least 43 tress in the woods that will need to come down. But it was a lucky day. No lives lost, nothing hit the house, the power was back on in 12 hours and we were able to receive a houseful of guests Friday evening. Three days later as the Memorial Day holiday weekend came to a close, all remnants of the Pear were gone, thanks to a neighbor and his backhoe, the ruins were cleaned up and prepared for pergola reassembly and the trees in the back yard have been cut up and have the potential to become a tree house. Our guests were fabulous, completely understanding, and awestruck. Several mentioned how lovely the property was and I couldn't help but think... " You should have seen it on Thursday BEFORE the storm!"

Spring Cleaning and Daylight Savings

Spring cleaning in the gardens! and pansy planting! Weekend temps predicted to be in the 50's and we get an extra hour of daylight! Brent would mention that we also lose an hour of sleep.. but I'm a cup sorta full kind of person.

Inside,we'll be refreshing Graham's Retreat with new blinds, fresh paint, and new closet doors. The essence of the room will remain the same with its fireplace, toile bedding and expansive balcony, we'll just be tweaking the color a little. The best part about refreshing the rooms is that we do it with plenty of beer and pizza on hand... this is the only way to get Brent to wield a paint roller.

Savor the Flavor " A Taste of Carlisle"

The 11th annual Savor The Flavor is being held this year on Sunday March 13th from 1130-230 at Dickinson College's Holland Union Building. This is a fabulous way to get a taste of all the unique eateries from the Carlisle area. We've got a long list of culinary delights ( over 25 restaurants in a 10 block area!) If you stay with Fallen Tree Farm this weekend we'll be glad to provide you with a ticket to the event.

Brave Guest and Friend Home from Afghanistan

I have blogged about the Kerr Family who stayed with us for several days for their son, Cameron's, graduation from Dickinson College and his Commissioning into the Army. Many guests leave here as friends. The Kerr Family left here like family.

Recently I mentioned that he was deployed late last year to Afghanistan with his platoon of 22 men. We've just heard that he's come home after a tragic incident which involved an IED and the loss of a portion of Cam's leg. Cam was rushing to the aid of an Afghan soldier with his platoon, also injured by an IED, when he set off another. Members of his platoon came to his aid quickly and efficiently and Cam was transported out via medevac. Now at Walter Reed, he'll have a year of PT ahead of him. Cam's eternal optimism of course comes into play here..While I can only imagine being devastated by these events, Cam will turn this into an opportunity to share and teach others as only he can.

The Kerrs remain in our thoughts and prayers, with Cam's new path at the forefront of our minds.
Glad to have you stateside Cam!

Spring Warm up in February!

An unexpected warmup this week has me thinking of spring, which brings a new breakfast menu, and landscaping ideas. It also brings a host of events taking place in the area. The Pennsylvania Garden Expo 2/25-2/27 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg will get you dreaming about how to live outside like you do inside. If you are a horse lover, like me, you won't want to miss PA HorseWorld Expo 2/24-27 also at the Farm Show Complex. My favorite portion of this event is Theatre Equus and new and exciting this year is the Extreme Cowboy Race.. Sure to thrill the young and young at heart horse fans in your family.

If you are just looking to have a quick getaway there's no two night minimum here! If you can only stay with us one night we'd still love to have you! We recently updated our suite, the Grey Mare's Quarters with a gel fuel fireplace, full sized living room and a queen size alcove bed. The suite will now sleep six for a family getaway with all the room necessary to keep those that you love near and dear. Our walking trails will be open soon- bring the wellies! And if you don't mind looking at ponies covered in mud.... then we've got a bunch here that would welcome a carrot, a pat on the nose and a kind word.

While the weather has warmed up, the slopes are still open and wonderful. We've got midweek and weekend lift tickets for that skier getaways and all through February our skiing kids stay free, so bring the family!

Looking forward to turning guests into friends,

Kim and Brent

Time to Book Weddings in the Harrisburg PA area!

The farm has been flooded with brides in the past three weeks, some newly engaged and others fulfilling their New Year's Resolution to "Get that knot tied in 2011!"
Its been wonderful meeting so many new people and showing them the property. While the property is certainly stunning with all this snow, it is hard to imagine a Spring or Fall wedding here. Regardless, our brides have great imaginations and can already see a White Tent with fairy lights, elegant chandeleirs, candles on the tables, and flowers bursting out of the beds and urns in the ruins. We're happy to provide a photo album of our past weddings to help them cement those images. If you are looking for a location for an outdoor wedding whether an intimate function for 20, a hopping party for 200 or an elopement for just the two of you, consider us at Fallen Tree Farm where are our staff will take care of all the details so the day is yours to celebrate.