Fire at our favorite hotel

Kelly and I don’t stay in hotels very often, but there is one hotel that we try to stay at once a year.  It’s the closest we get to a regular vacation.  Every May during the big antique show in Brimfield, we try to go for a long weekend and we stay at the Publick House in Sturbridge.  We truly love the place.  We bring our dogs with us, and they have a good time too.

So obviously we were quite alarmed when our friend Carron told us that she saw on the TV news that there was a fire at the Publick House.

The fire took place at one of the six Country Lodges that are behind the main building.  The entire building, all sixteen rooms, was a loss.  It appears that the cause was a lit cigarette tossed into a planter.

In addition to the loss of the building, several cars belonging to guests were also damaged in the fire.  Fortunately, no one was hurt (thank God), although the fire was bad enough and large enough that it got up to 4 alarms, and ultimately had firefighters from 10 local departments on scene.

Because these are the pet-friendly buildings at the Publick House, these Country Lodge buildings are where Kelly and I always stay whenever we are there.  I honestly don’t know whether the specific building that burned is one that we have ever stayed in, but certainly we have stayed in several of them.

As terrible as the loss is, it could have been much worse.  The main building is undamaged, and again, no one was hurt, thankfully.

Our next trip to Brimfield is in 4 months, and we will be staying at the Publick House (we made the reservations before the fire).  They have always been really good to us and we’re glad to give them our business.  So even if you never have occasion to stay overnight in Sturbridge, you should check the place out sometime.  The dining room is amazing, and Kelly and I always especially enjoy the big breakfast buffet on Saturdays and Sundays.  If you want a magnificent old-fashioned New England breakfast, good luck finding a better one.  No joke. They have Indian pudding, you guys.

So to our friends at the Publick House, we’re glad everyone is OK, and we’ll see you in May.

~Geoff