A Visitor from Missouri

We receive all kinds of mail at the Chamber. Good, bad and occasionally the ugly. This week I received a letter from a woman who recently stayed in our community for a few days.

Sometimes we get so used to seeing the bad things in our community, that we forget all the great things that surround us everyday. It really doesn't take much effort to be friendly to others.

Read what she had to say:

As a recent visitor to your community I would like to express my thanks to many members of your community. A group of five of us women came to Newark to make baskets at the Longaberger factory. We opted to take advantage of a package deal offered by Longaberger.

We stayed at The Place Off The Square. The hotel was very nice with Longaberger items throughout. The staff was helpful and friendly, explaining all that was offered in our package. We received breakfast for two mornings and lunch for one day. We were also able to make baskets, tour the Homestead and other things through this Longaberger package. However, this was just the beginning.

I walked around downtown Newark one morning and admired the cleanliness of the community. The older buildings downtown with arched windows were nice to admire. My favorite was an old limestone jail that needs to be restored so that I can come and tour! I also loved the bronze displays of Mark Twain, the grandfather and the women chatting. The picnic tables around the courthouse were a nice touch - I hope your citizens take advantage of your friendly community.

We spent the day at the Longaberger factory, making baskets and enjoying the morning with our assigned Longaberger staff. I want to thank Richard for his help with my baskets. I believe Joe helped some of the other members of my group. And a female staff member helped one member of my group - she too was very friendly by Jo Ellen could not remember her helper's name. We then enjoyed a delicious lunch and shopping.

Upon our return to Newark we decided to do a little antique shopping. It was close to five o'clock and the staff at Matilda Charlotte Antiques, Inc. said she would be glad to stay until we were finished shopping. For what more could a person ask?

We chose to spend an evening at Buckeye Winery (also part of our package). The wine drinkers in our group enjoyed a tasty wine slushy. We all enjoyed crackers and cheeses, that were chosen, at our request, bu our host and were delicious. The staff at Buckeye Winery were kind and helpful, also. We had forgotten to bring our coupon so the staff at the winery simply called The Place, and it was promptly handled.

We ate dinner at The Grill Chop House. What a wonderful choice! We received a discount on our meals because we were staying at The Place. Again, we were treated to excellent food and wonderful service. Anthony, our server, was prompt, efficient and readily answered our questions about the community.

On our way out of town one of my friends wanted to stop at the bakery for snacks for the trip home. There was a cute little cake with one candle and Jamie wanted to buy it (Jamie's son was celebrating his first birthday the next day). The staff at Riley's Bakery & Catering informed Jamie it would not survive a nine hour trip but offered to GIVE the cake to her. Again, our food was delicious and the service even better.

I want to thank you and your community members for the delightful few days we spent in Newark. It is not often that travelers have only positive experiences - but we did. This was the second trip to Longaberger for some of my group but our first stay in Newark. We are already planning our trip for next year and because of our delightful experiences we have more friends that want to come with us.