Mohonk Mountain House

Mohonk Mountain House and Lake

Sometimes I do think I made a right choice in becoming an entertainer and one gig that makes me really happy is Mohonk Mountain House. Located about 100 miles north of New York City, up in the Hudson Highlands (fairly close to Woodstock), Mohonk Mountain House commands a fantastic position at the top of the Mohonk preserve with views stretching far across the Catskill Mountains. Built starting in 1870 by the Smiley Brothers, the resort became so popular that it has had to have been extended several times. It is located on Lake Mohonk and appears to be a sprawling castle that could have been built anytime in the last 250 years. It gushes old world charm. The rooms have fire places, but no TVs, and are full of wooden panels and gorgeous tiles and fittings. The Parlour (where I perform) is a beautiful room that has a very Tyrolean feel to it, massive wooden pillars support a high ceiling with ornate carvings. There is a large picture window at one end and a balcony at the other. It really is very lovely, and also a great size for a fairly intimate performance.

Previous guests of the resort include John D Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Isaac Asimov, Bill Clinton, and Theodore Roosevelt to name but a few. So it is no surprise that this is one of the few gigs that Stephanie wants to come along to. We get treated very well here, as well as a cheque we are also provided with a room for the night and dinner, breakfast and lunch the following day. Plus, we can use all the extensive amenities and services.

Stephanie in our room

My performance is at 9 pm, so that does mean we have to eat fairly early, 6.30 pm, as I want a sound and light check before the actual show. And as I will be juggling, rope walking and unicycling I won't be able to indulge in too much of the fine wines on offer, at least not until after the performance. It was indeed a fine meal. But I am all done by 7.30 pm and go straight into the parlour to set up and run through the technical details. There is a little curtained off area to one side of the stage which acts as the wings, this is great to make a surprise entrance from, but it does mean I have to wait on my own for 15 minutes before the show and there is no backstage bathroom. I can hear the audience coming into the room, and I am amused to hear the chatter of a group of about 6 children who are sat right in the front row, they are very excited.

Harry, who is my main contact at the resort and is a very nice young man, introduces me and there is enthusiastic applause as I enter stage left. It's a full house and there are also people on the balcony. I start as ever with the crystal balls. There are maybe 15 children in total in the audience of about 100, but they are very vocal and almost all of their hands shoot up when I say I need a volunteer, fortunately I am going to need at least 4 younger ones. Everyone enjoys the bell routine, and there are literally squeals of laughter from the little ones when the little bell doesn't ring. I choose the father of the large group of children to hold the unicycle, which also amuses the children. At the end of the show, there was very much applause and I come out from the backstage to shake hands and have photos taken with all the children and even some of the adults. It was a good show.

Once the excitement has died down and the audience have left, I am able to clear up and pack my props. Our room is only a short walk away, one floor up, so it really isn't hard. I am all done and in our room by 11 pm. Stephanie has lit a fire and there is a glass of wine waiting for me.

There have been a number of ghosts sighted in the hotel and even some extraordinary poltergeist activity, but at midnight all was warm and cosy, at least it was in our room.

On our way to dinner

We were awake by 7.30 am and I pulled back the curtains to a view of Lake Mohonk. It was 22nd November, last time we had been here was the previous September and there had been little row boats and canoes to enjoy the Lake on, however at this time of the year we would have to find other amusements. So we went for a swim in the pool, better still before 8.30 am it was adults only, and we had the whole pool to ourselves and just one other man. There was also piped tranquil music being played into the pool from speakers below the water line, that was a little surreal but very relaxing.

Swimming all done, we returned to the room, showered and went down for breakfast. The group of 6 children from last night's show were sat at a table together with their parents and grandparents, and as they saw me they started whispering excitedly, much to Stephanie's amusement. The parents thanked me again for the show, and I thanked them for being a great audience. And then I had Eggs Benedict and coffee whilst gazing at the view of the Catskill Mountains.

On the trail above Mohonk Lake

I'm quoting Wikipedia here - "Because of the Smileys' love of the outdoor life, the area around the hotel was treated as an integral part of the attractions of the resort. Much of this area was planned as an experiment in conservation of the natural environment and as an educational tool for studying botany, geology, and outdoor living".

With that in mind, we decided to go for a walk to the tower on top of the hill on the other side of the lake, it was a brisk and foggy morning and on our way up the trail we passed an ice rink in a barn like structure with a massive fire place at one end. I am not the best skater in the world and Stephanie liked to wear her own skates so we kept going up. The tower, which is a folly is located high above the lake and looks down onto the Mountain House (the first photo of the Mountain house was taken from the tower), but you can also see for miles in every other direction, it is a truly awesome sight. We spent a good while looking at the magnificent views. And very slowly made our way back down to the hotel. There are in fact a whole bunch of hikes that can be started at the hotel, and you don't have to be a guest to walk them. I would very much recommend taking a hike up there if you can.

The Smiley family still own the hotel, and I am pleased to say that my cheque had their name on it. I am also very much looking forward to my return at some point in the not too distant future.

What a great gig!