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Sometimes Darlene and daughter Katy dress In authentic garb to greet
guests at The Country Stay, a bed and breakfast In a beautifully furnished 1880
High Bidder To Get
At The Country Stay
LOU ANN GOOD Breakfast
Lancaster Farming Staff Unfortunately, auction-goers
M A YTO WN (Lancaster Co.) will not be able to preview the Vic-
Treasured items, gardening sup- torian Bed and Breakfast with its
plies, and works of art will cross elegant touches by hostess Darlene
the auction block at the annual ben- Landis. The Country Stay is
efit auction of the Kraybill Menno- located on a -98-acre farm where
mte School on May 13 and 14. One Darlene’s husband Lester raises
of the more unusual items will be a soybeans, com, and wheat for his
certificate for two nights’ lodging 165-head steer and 120-head sow
at The Country Stay Bed and operations.
Couples searching for something special will find It In The Victorian Suite, which
includes a bedroom with a private bath and this sitting room. Notice the deep-seated
windows with Indoor shutters In keeping with the era. Darlene and her daughter page
through a book from the Victorian era, one of the many elegant touches placed there
for the pleasure of guests.
Vlctorian-style home.
Two
Bed
The Landis’ purchased the farm
with its stately brick house in 1970.
Only part of the house was used
until eight years ago, when the
unused part was renovated for a
bed and breakfast
The Landises did not cut comers
when they sought to restore the
1880 house to its former beauty.
Crown moldings, chair railing, and
molded baseboards were made to
w
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Nights’ Sleep
And Breakfast
match the original. Antiques were
carefully chosen to enhance the
atmosphere evoked by the 10-foot
high ceilings and deep-seated
windows.
Son Doug, 16, mows the spa
cious lawns surrounding the home
and does the trimming. Darlene
keeps the many flower beds in
showmanship shape. Even 9-year
old Katy helps by daily watering
the flowers in the window boxes
during the summer months.
Another son, Donavan, 21, lives
at home and works full time off the
farm and but spends a few hours
daily helping his dad with farm
work.
Most guests spend two to six
nights on the farm. A different
breakfast is served each morning,
but a typical one includes baked
oatmeal, fresh fruit cup, waffles
with blueberry sauce, sausage,
pastry, juice, and coffee. Other
favorites are apple dumplings, pan
cakes, pecan sticky buns, banana
streusel, meat and potato quiche,
and dried beef gravy.
Darlene spends two hours pre
paring each breakfast from scratch.
Although she is an excellent cook,
it is not her favorite thing to do. She
prefers cleaning and decorating.
She certainly excels in that area.
Jfomcsleod
Jtotes
'Lancaster Fanrtng, Saturday, May 7, IW4-B3
Two bedrooms plus a suite arc
tastefully furnished.
The sitting room for the private
Victorian Suite is elegantly formal
with Queen Anne chairs, and
touches of lace, marble, and roses.
In keeping with the era, an armour
ie is used to hang clothing instead
of ruining the architecture with
built-in closets. Full-length shut
ters can be closed for privacy or
opened to view the rolling farm
land and lawns surrounding the
property. A step stool to reach the
high bed is representative of the
era, when beds were placed high
for added warmth.
The sitting room that is shared
by two of the bedrooms is furn
ished more with the country look.
A school desk serves as an end
table, a wooden wagon as a maga
zine rack, and pegs on wall hold a
wooden chair, baskets, and a
wooden stocking form. Tin lights,
dried herbs, wreaths, and candles
complete the country decor. A
player piano that still works is
ready for guests to use.
Guests generally leave the home
by 10 a.m. to view the surrounding
tourist attractions. Darlene often
helps guests map out stops not
located on tourist handouts. For
(Turn to Pag* B 4)