Fire and Friends

Dear Friends,

     We had a fire at Arts Inn.  Everybody is safe and the damage was contained.   There was an overwhelming response from our local volunteer firefighters.  They came not only from the Fleischmanns’ fire department but from all the surrounding villages and even the next county.   They are incredible men and women who stop whatever they’re doing and rush to help their neighbors in a time of crisis.  One such volunteer was a kindergarten teacher from Margaretville who was off from school on a snow day.  Instead of staying home in bed, she donned her mask and oxygen tank and went and fought our fire.

     Neighbors came by with coffee, offers of help and housing, our local restaurant, sat us down for a free meal after an exhausting day.  Electricians and plumbers came the same day.  One neighbor took our dog, another gave us a power line to keep our refrigerators running.  Our friend down the block who is a lawyer found us a public advocate who hired a remediation company that has been working round the clock to get our Inn and home back up and running.

     This Thanksgiving will always be a memorable one for us.  It has been a testament to the goodness of people, the strength of community and to the hand of friendship that reaches across all divides.    

Thank you!

Randy & Heidi