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Activities


WARNING! YOU WILL GET DIRTY!

The new TOMCAR Experience at the Off Road Driving Academy has taken Nemacolin by storm! You can’t help but ask questions when you see one of these vehicles flying by. If you have driven a Hummer on Nemacolin’s Off Road Course, you know the terrain. The 17 miles of trails is rough, steep, dirty and filled with rocks, obstacles and water. In a Hummer, your speed doesn’t get above 5-8 miles per hour through the rough terrain. TOMCARS handle the same terrain at over 20 miles per hour!

The trails have been modified to provide one of the most thrilling experiences you can have in an off-road vehicle. Mud, water, rock, steeps, whatever the challenge, the TOMCAR handles it all and FAST! The experience is hard to describe, but the video helps sum up the excitement.

Anyway, check out the video and read a few quotes from Nemacolin guests last week. Want to take a ride? Book your trip using our Stay Planner. Click to the Activities section and scroll down to the Off Road Driving Academy.

“I can’t believe how dirty I got! It was awesome!” - David P. from Rockville, MD

“Absolutely, better than any roller coaster!” – Steve J. from Hershey, PA

“Blew away the Hummer Experience” – Ken S. from Pittsburgh, PA

General, Sales and Marketing
Who Said It’s Too Late To Live Out Your Major League Dreams?


On August 12, 2009, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort will run onto the field at Nationals Park in Washington DC. A six inning slugfest will allow a quickly building roster for a once-in-a-lifetime sporting experience.

Dennis Noonan, Nemacolin’s Vice President of Sales and Tom Smith, Assistant Vice President of Sales will act as the two team player/managers. The early favorite would have to be Noonan’s hand selected team. Noonan ‘just missed’ playing major league baseball and was regarded as a top* Division II relief pitcher with a filthy knuckleball while at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, IN.

Teams will be pitching in the bullpen, snagging fly balls and taking some cuts in the batting cages during warm-up. At 12:30 p.m. the fun will begin with members of the Nationals’ organization serving as umpires and Nationals’ batting practice pitchers will be on the pitchers mound.

The jerseys are stitched and nearly ready to be hung in the lockers, but as you can guess…. there will be more to come as the game gets closer.

Plus, Nemacolin has launched a Major League Dream Contest and will select one winner to join them on August 12, 2009 to play in the six inning game. Click Here to sign-up today!

Hey, Big Leagues... Nemacolin can’t wait to take to the field and play ball!

Sales and Marketing
Smiling Rules!




One of the biggest compliments a customer can give you is the ability to send them information. When a customer gives you their name, email, address or other forms of data, consider yourself lucky. They trust you, like your product and want to hear from you.

Companies can keep mounds and mounds of data on customers, but if that data is not turned into information and that information not given to the right people, it is wasted. Your employees on the front lines dealing with the customers are the ones who need the information and the information needs to be digestible to them. Or, your IT and Marketing departments have wasted a lot of time, energy and money.

The gaming industry has been considered one of the best in terms of customer data and using that data to drive “loyalty.” Casinos bank on “loyalty” being connected to a number. You have a worth to the casino and their sales and marketing programs are based on that worth. Earning reward “points” or other forms of reimbursement driven by the amount of money you spend is the driver to keep you “loyal”. “Why would you go anywhere else when you have all these points and promotions at my casino?”

But, I always thought that there should be a lot more to it than that. “Points” don’t create loyal customers. People, experience and a feeling of comfort create a connection with customers and that connection makes a customer loyal to your product.

The best place to watch the building blocks of “loyalty” in action is at the local Tavern. Great bartenders have it down and their livelihoods depend on it. They know what your favorite drink is and they are quick to strike up a conversation. Their loyal customers return day after day. Granted, they don’t have the massive amounts of data to process into information that most large companies do, but you can learn a lot from those simple interactions.

Customers want to earn smiles, acknowledgement and recognition. In return they will spend money with you. If a company wants to give them a few “points” for spending money, I’m sure they will like that as well. But don’t forget which one comes first.

Activities
Let There Be Rock!


The new TOMCARS arrived last night and our staff is excited to train today and tomorrow and have them ready for guests by the weekend. If you are coming to Nemacolin this weekend, you HAVE to try the new TOMCAR adventures through the mountains of the Laurel Highlands and on the man made obstacles along the Off Road Driving Academy.

Unique. Unmatched. Extraordinary. TOMCAR has all these qualities and many more. From its origins as a fast, tough, off road military vehicle, TOMCAR has evolved into an ultra-functional, durable and versatile machine fit for commercial and private use in the most demanding conditions.

Unlike mass-market ATVs and UTVs, TOMCAR is designed and built to a professional grade standard, with a design that uses the highest quality materials and components. From its immensely strong, fully-welded steel tube chassis to its heavy duty four-wheel independent suspension, the USA-built TOMCAR is designed to be safe, rugged and extremely dependable.

Powered by a choice of efficient, reliable gasoline or diesel engines, TOMCAR brings together the core values of an all terrain vehicle that is unmatched in the market. With its low center of gravity, long suspension travel, low vehicle weight and high ground clearance, TOMCAR is fast, maneuverable and drives like no other off-road vehicle. TOMCAR truly can go ANYWHERE AND BACK™.

Check out this TOMCAR video and book your trip today by clicking here! See you this weekend!

Activities
Blood, Sweat, and Gears to all……….


Woke up this morning to a “Blue Bird” day at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa. The only thing to do was saddle up on my bike and hit the gnarly single track at the Adventure Center.

The “Yellow Loop” as they call it was a very technical 1.7-mile joy ride through the hardwood forests of the Laurel Highlands. The trail starts out by the resort's Greenhouse and continues on a paved road towards the Maples Townhomes. Once you enter the woods you encounter wickedly awesome rock gardens that send vibrations up and down your body as you traverse the rock covered grounds. An expert? Test your balance skills on our “Fun Box” at the top. After a few attempts, I continued to cruise my way through the grassy meadows of the ski slopes. In my opinion, the views from this section of the trail are by far among the best. I would recommend allowing yourself a moment here to catch a breather and relax while taking in the views.

The final .9 miles is back in the hardwoods for single-track action. There are numerous log crossings and rock gardens to conquer. Heed the warning, the last .5 miles is a steady uphill climb that will keep your lungs bumping and calves burning.

Needless to say the ride had everything to offer from majestic views to a challenging single-track. Definitely a must ride when you go to Nemacolin!

Blood, Sweat, and Gears to all……….

Matt Grobe

Activities Manager
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Activities
Another Day In The Life At Nemacolin!


Another Day in the Life at Nemacolin!

Monday afternoon, one of Nemacolin's resident Black Bears thought the weather was just too nice to stay home. Beardinine managed to pull and claw her way out of her enclosure into the holding pen area and seemed to be going for more! In the end, she decided to stay home with a little coaxing and some bribes from Nemacolin's talented Animal Program Team.

They are notoriously curious animals and if you have ever witnessed the Black Bears at Nemacolin playing in their pool, you would understand.

Mandy Burnsworth, Nemacolin's Animal Curator, said "Last week it was catching baby bison and finding out our female lion will be giving birth soon, this week it is a fugitive black bear. I really love my job!"

You really never know what could be around the next corner at Nemacolin.

General
Nemacolin Entertaining in Washington, D.C.




Just returned from a great trip to Washington, D.C. All over The Hill and back again meeting and greeting. Thanks to Jill Park, Jay Rosenberg, Barbie and Tim from Channel 7, The Politico, Gavin Coleman at the Dubliner Irish Pub and EVERYONE else who ran into the Nemacolin train!

Special thanks to Tom Smith, Nemacolin’s own AVP of Sales and Chief Indulgence Officer for snapping a picture of Tiger on #1 at Congressional while we were entertaining clients yesterday during the AT&T National.

In case you forgot, Tiger is not a big fan of cameras going off during his swing. In CLASSIC Tiger fashion, he looked our way and we suddenly had to leave (although he did birdie). Nemacolin always goes out with a bang! And, all our clients at the event couldn’t stop texting us on the way home to make fun. Friends for life.

But none the less, it was a great trip and we needed to get back to take care of all our fantastic guests on a sold out 4th of July Weekend!

Gourmet
Summertime Libations!


Welcome to summer! The perfect time to relax and partake in the simple joys of life, family and friends. As a 12 year trainee in hospitality, I have taken a particular fondness to the world of "libations." A fondness I want to share with you.

There is a very simple way to stock your home bar: buy fresh and go for quality over quantity. Please remember, of course, that your friends and family are all individuals and your palate preference should not be forced upon them.

As for the alcohol, the must have spirits that should be found in your summer time bar include, but are not limited to, a wheat beer, a sauvignon blanc, vodka, rum and gin. The brand names of these products are up to you, but remember, go for quality over quantity.

For each cocktail you will need a certain on hand inventory of mixer's. The must have mixer's that should be found in your summer time bar include, tonic water, soda water, fresh limes, fresh lemons, fresh oranges, Bloody Mary mix, orange juice and cranberry juice.

If you are like me and you want to be able to enjoy the company of others over libations use these recipes to keep your friends coming.

BEER: Go with a wheat beer. Bavarian hefe weisse is the ultimate way to go when looking for that summer time brew. In German, hefe means “yeast” and weisse means “wheat,” and
Bavarian Hefe-Weizen beers are exactly that, unfiltered, yeasty wheat ales. Brewer’s yeast is the active culture that produces alcohol in beer and is usually filtered out when spent. Keeping the yeast in the brew gives Hefe-Weizen beers their distinctive haze and their incredible flavor.

WINE: Acidity is your friend. Sauvignon blanc, especially from South Africa is the savior of summer time oenophiles. The secret is in the balance, Sauvignon Blanc is light to medium body with grassy and citrus flavors, usually lower alcohol, but it also has fairly high acids. Sauvignon blanc from South Africa, New Zealand or Graves are all very smart choices for the patio barbecue.

VODKA: As neutral as vodka is, sparing the summer friendly flavored vodkas, you can get away with anything. So let's think sunshine and add vodka to it!

'Sage Lady'

- 1 1/2 oz Vodka
- 1/2 oz Mango Juice
- 2 or 3 fresh sage leaves
- 3 cucumber slices
- 1 oz simple syrup
- 1/2 oz triple sec
- Dash bitters

Muddle cucumber, simple syrup and sage. Add vodka and mango juice. Shake with ice and fine strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a spanked sage leaf and a cucumber wheel.

RUM: The signal of summertime. Let's go straight forward with making a cocktail using many of the same ingredients above.

'Cucumber Mojito'
- 1 1/2 oz Silver Rum
- 8 mint leaves
- 2 slices of cucumber
- 1 tbsp Simple Syrup
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 oz soda water

Place mint leaves and cucumbers in bottom of glass with simple syrup. Add crushed ice, silver rum, and lime juice to blender and muddle. Add soda water and garnish with mint leaves.

GIN: This one is simple. Everyone thinks they hate gin. But it is delicious and has so many flavors to offer.

'East-Side Cocktail'
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- 8 mint leaves
- 1 tbsp Simple Syrup
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 oz soda water

Place mint leaves in bottom of glass with simple syrup and lime juice. Muddle together to extract as much mint as possible. Shake vigorously with all parts except soda water. Strain into cocktail glass and add soda.

There it is, the swill of summertime! Remember when using fresh ingredients and quality products you can have fun on your own creating punches, sangria, daiquiri's and colada's. ALL perfect for the patio dweller in you.

Adam Greiner
Assistant Director of Food & Beverage
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Nemacolin