Open for the season!

Our 2008 season has started. It's been a long winter, and we are so excited to show you all the things we've been working on this year!

The Phase II Bay Lake Villas are almost complete. Sidewalks are going in today and landscaping starts this weekend. The weather has been less than cooperative so we're taking advantage of any sunshine we can get.

The old laundry building has been removed. This leaves a wonderful open area near Auntie M's Kaffeehaus. It's great to be able to see the shops from the main lodge and it leaves us another space for plantings and relaxation.

We can't wait to see you! Call 800.450.4545 or email for reservations and package information.

Christmas at Ruttger's

We have four Christmas trees at Ruttger's this year! The lodge looks beautiful with the decorations and our holiday party guests seem pleased.

The holiday decorating at Ruttger's is a planned all-day, all-staff event. Dan and Steve got our trees cut and in the stands ready to go. Departments were assigned lodge areas and trees to decorate. To make it all more festive, we also had a progressive lunch that day. This year, Terry Dox cooked up a great spaghetti and meatballs lunch, and the rest of us contributed hot drinks, appetizers, and homemade desserts and served them in different areas of the lodge. It was a great meal and we all enjoyed the food and fun of working together to get our areas decorated for the holidays.

Ann from the Front Desk snapped this picture. This is the tree you see when you enter the front door. Shown are Tami - Social Sales Director, Erin - Executive Assistant, and Krisann - Activities Director.

Oktoberfest!

Herzlich willkommen! We're busy with group conferences and fall golf this time of year at Ruttger's and in the midst of all that excitement, we're also getting geared up for our 22nd Annual Oktoberfest celebration. Always a year long in the planning, Oktoberfest weekend is one activity after another with lots of German music and food to celebrate the Ruttger's family heritage. Joe Ruttger emigrated from Germany and settled in the Deerwood area in 1881, beginning the long family history of Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge. In honor of that - and truly because it's just a lot of fun! - Ruttger's has hosted this popular Oktoberfest event for the last 22 years. The locals visit to check out the Arts & Crafts Fair, be entertained with the German music during the day, and partake in the German and Minnesota Harvest Buffets on Friday and Saturday nights. Our resort guests are here for the party and really have a good time! Whatever the reason, fun is had by all and we're always trying to improve on our success. Won't you join us?

http://www.ruttgers.com/vacations/value_packages/oktoberfest.html

Sadness in Minnesota

The bridge collapse yesterday on the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities has affected us all. Tragedy happens so quickly and unexpectedly, and all of us at Ruttger’s are saddened and upset by the injuries and loss of lives. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.

We grow heroes in Minnesota and we're never more reminded than when something horrible happens. We regroup and, never minding the Minnesota-nice label, we get tough, and we figure out what to do next to fix things again.

Ruttger's in June

The brand new Bay Lake Villas were completed at the end of May and our guests love them! All the extra touches made during the planning stages really came through on the finished design. We are still working on the landscaping to get it just right, and are very excited about the water features. It’s interesting how the new buildings are looking like they’ve always been there, which I guess is part of the plan!

Our season really kicked off on Father’s Day Weekend. We had a couple of conference groups here along with some of our social season regulars. It’s fun to hear the play and laughing at Kids’ Kamp and to see all the guests enjoying the beach and the lake. Bay Lake is the perfect place to be on these warm summer days.

We’re hoping to invite guest bloggers to contribute. If you are, or have been, a guest at Ruttger’s and want to share your experience, we’d love to hear from you! E-mail Erin your thoughts and we’ll see if we can add you to the blog. Have a great summer and hope to hear from you or see you soon!

Springing into the season

Now that sprinter seems to be over (sprinter=spring+winter, that unique and mysterious Minnesota season where we have a beautiful spring day at 70 degrees and a blizzard with a wind chill of -10 the next!), I've enjoyed seeing our grounds crews' plantings and how beautiful the golf course looks. Perennials are poking up in the gardens and the azaleas in front of the main lodge are flowering already. The Lakes course made it through another hard winter with not much snow and work is going strong on #14. I was out there one day last week - it's going to be gorgeous and should be completed mid-summer. (And I found a golf ball!)

It's raining today, but we can't complain when we need it here and to the north in the BWCA. It's a nice soft rain and will make everything even prettier in the summer days to come. We hope to see you soon!

Ice Out on Bay Lake

The annual "Ice Out Contest" at Ruttger's is coming to a close. Each day the ice slowly loses its grip on the shores of Bay Lake. Our nights are still cool, usually below freezing, but the sunshine during the day does its magic. By next week, Ruttger's employees will be watching closely to see whose date on the calendar accurately predicts the first day of open water, the prize not so much coveted for its value, but more for the self-satisfaction of being the one who "knew."

We're busy here at Ruttger's getting ready for the season. New construction, new painting, new activities, and new menus all add to the general excitement in all the different departments during these spring preparations for our guests. We're looking forward to seeing you!