Cobblestone Inn on Main, anybody know where things stand?

I've been hearing that the Community Club might step in and run the Cobblestone Inn so it doesn't close up. Is that real, or just coffee shop talk? I can't pin down who said what, and I'd hate to repeat something wrong.

I've been on Lost Creek Parkway a long time, and I remember when the hotel and the Conference Center were the first things we pointed visitors to. Now when my son's family or my husband's sister's crowd comes up, I never know what to tell them. Half the time they end up on my pull-out couch or at a cabin rental over toward the lake, and then I'm cooking for twelve. I don't mind that at all. I'll put a pork butt on the smoker the night before and call it done. But it'd be nice to have a decent place on Main Street to send people when the house is full.

So a few questions for folks who've been in either place lately:

- Has the Inn felt any different? Rooms, staff, whether the lights are even on?
- Is the Conference Center still getting much use, or does it sit empty most weeks?
- Where do you put guests when the kids and in-laws come, especially for Memorial Day and the summer weekends?

I'm not looking to pile on anybody. I'd just like the Bay to have a hotel that stays open, and I'd rather ask here than guess. Spring is getting busy with the tomatoes going in and the redbuds finishing, but I'll be watching this thread.

heard the same thing but from the usual "my cousin's friend" type sources, so no idea. Chamber or the mayor's office would know before anybody at the coffee shop does. Might just call and ask.

and tomatoes already?? brave. I'm keeping mine inside till the frost scare is over, this lake weather will bite you the second you get cocky

I'd second calling the Chamber. I heard it from two different people at church, which of course proves nothing. If anyone gets an official answer, please post it here so we're not all passing along guesses.

Either way I hope it works out. When my sister's family came up last year we had to look at Heber Springs for rooms, and that's a long drive to find a bed after a long drive to get here.

And Alyssa, you're wise on the tomatoes. I got cocky one April and lost the whole row to a late frost.

Heber Springs is a haul, you're right... and it's a shame, because there was a time nobody thought twice about sending company to Main Street for a room. I've watched this town go through a few rounds of "it's closing" and "no, somebody's stepping in," and about half of it turned out true. So I'd wait for the Chamber or the Community Club to say it in writing before I repeated any of it.

A hotel going dark would hurt more than guest rooms, too. Folks looking at houses here ask about that kind of thing.

Anybody with company coming for Memorial Day, I'd book a cabin now... not in May.

Heber Springs resident here, so I'll defend the drive a little, but I get it when people are coming in from out of state after hours on the road. Agreed on waiting for something in writing. If the Community Club or the Chamber is really stepping in, they'll put it out themselves, and I'd rather not pass along something that turns out half right.

Good call on the cabins too. My brother's family booked a lake place for last summer back in March and still felt like they were late.

No knock on Heber Springs, Kayla... it's a pretty drive when the weather's good. It's just not what you want to face after eight hours on the road with kids in the back.

Booking in March and still feeling late tells you something about how things have changed. Years back you could call the week before and find a room... those days are gone, hotel or no hotel.

If I hear anything firm, I'll post it here. Until then I'm treating it as coffee shop talk.

You're right, Cedric. I remember calling the week before and having a room waiting, and nobody thought a thing about it. Now my son's wife starts looking in February and still acts like she's behind. So I'll tell my husband's sister's bunch to book a cabin this week and quit counting on Main Street. I'd still rather have a hotel to point them to, but I can't plan a Memorial Day weekend on coffee shop talk.

I'm going to call the Chamber Monday and just ask. If somebody there will say it plainly, I'll put it here exactly as they said it, so I'm not adding my own spin. And if they won't say anything, I'll post that too, because that's worth knowing.

Thank you both for not piling on, and Kayla, no offense meant on Heber Springs. It's a pretty drive, I've just made it with a car full of grandkids and I know how it feels at the end of the day.

Whoever ends up on my pull-out couch that weekend is getting a pork butt either way. Started thawing it already.

Thank you for making the call, Loretta. Posting exactly what they say, even if it's "no comment," is the best way to cut the guessing. Same as with the school board stuff: half of what gets repeated at church is somebody's cousin's version, and the actual meeting minutes say something different.

Booking a cabin this week sounds wise for Memorial Day. And a pork butt that's already thawing? Your company is getting the better deal either way. 😉