The following blog post is by Kathy Pottetti, the Gell Center coordinator.
Writers & Books Gell Center of the Finger Lakes is closed for the season, and re-opens in early April 2014.
Writers & Books Gell Center of the Finger Lakes is our Retreat Center located in the Finger Lakes Region, about 10 minutes from Bristol Mountain Ski Center. It’s truly a world onto itself. Visiting the Gell Center is a respite from reality, it allows writers to finish novels, playwrights to finish writing plays, songwriters the opportunity to complete lyrics, and that’s only a portion of it! We also provide a welcoming and inspiring setting for meetings, retreats, weddings and conferences. The Gell Center’s facilities provide the perfect environment for a creative and memorable retreat, meeting or special event. Consider this location for your event next year!
We have four venues to choose from: The Gell House, which is a furnished “cottage” surrounded by a beautifully landscaped yard and acres of woodlands. It consists of two suites each has a bedroom and sitting area, a beautifully done transformation in 2013! The common space consists of the dining room and kitchen. Additionally, The Gell House has WIFI. This retreat location is perfect to write, study, read and reflect. We also have a journal to capture people’s experiences while there.
The Gleason Lodge is located on a secluded hillside with a magnificent view of the Bristol Valley. The great room provides an inspiring meeting place with its stone fireplace, high ceiling, and bookshelf-lined wall. This can accommodate up to 60 people comfortably for a social gathering and 40 people for a day-long meeting/seminar/workshop. The dining area can seat 25 people comfortably around its four tables. It has a commercially equipped kitchen, and is completely handicapped-accessible. We also have 50 folding chairs on-site to use for your event.
We have rustic retreat facilities also; we have a 200 square foot Treehouse, often referred to as the “classroom in the sky”. It’s a “green” project, and has an outside deck providing beautiful views of the nearby stream and surrounding woods, it’s surrounded by a cathedral of trees of many sizes and types. This was built in June 2005 with New Energy Works former board member Jonathan Orpin leading the way, plus a group of interested builders and writers coming together for a week to build it.
The Thoreau Cabin is the exact dimensions of Thoreau’s Cabin at Walden Pond, and is nestled in the woods. This can accommodate one or two people that enjoy a rustic camping experience. Lastly, we have two tent platforms each equipped with heavy-duty muslin canvas tents that can accommodate one or two people each.
Contact Kathy Pottetti at kathyp@wab.org to book your workshop, program or event NOW for 2014! This past year we had 2 Yoga retreats, a couple meditation retreats, Buddhist retreat, numerous “writers-in-residence”, a wedding, two weeks of Youth camps, guests that stayed in the Treehouse and Thoreau Cabin, Educational day retreats, and more! 2014 bookings have already started coming in, secure your space now!