ChapterOne

After months of job searching, I finally settled on a hospitality instructor’s position at Panhandle State University (PSU). The university’s location in the picturesque community of River Town, Florida, clinched the deal. I am totally enamored with this small sidewalk community with its quaint shops, older churches, and grand old historic homes, so reminiscent of my hometown Ashley, Massachusetts.

I have spent many a nostalgic moment in The Black Olive. Comparable to the old country stores in New England, it is a combination Italian restaurant and gift shop with much of its merchandise consisting of memorabilia and toys dating back to the forties and fifties.

River Town, just like many small communities, revolves around the Chamber of Commerce, whose goal is tofurther the interests of small businesses. After relocating to River Town, I stopped by the Chamber of Commerce office to introduce myself and apply for membership. The Chamber’s Executive Director, Diana Ferguson, happily signed me up.

I asked Diana to recommend a few businesses that might benefit from working with PSU’s Hospitality students. She handed me a directory and mentioned The River Town Hotel and Conference Center.

Gossip is central to most small-town mentalities; the chamber director proved to be no exception.

I dislike gossip, especially having witnessed the damage done by gossipers in my hometown of Ashley, who, without remorse, thought nothing of impugning the reputations of other residents. But I could not get away without Diana sharing the River Town Hotel and Conference Center’s unsavoryhistory.

“Every town has its stories, and River Town has many,” Diana confided. “The hotel had been on a downward spiral for many years. In its run-down condition, with a terrible reputation to boot, most River Town residents avoided the hotel, fearful of tarnishing their reputations by associating with the unsavory characters who frequented the dying establishment.”

In a conspiratorial tone, Diana added, “The hotel, located so close to the county courthouse, had been a blight on the community. The other downtown businesses complained about their loss of revenue; some even went out of business. It was impossible to attract new companies or even new residents to the area with this massive eyesore in the center oftheirtown.

“The hotel was sold about a year ago. The town fathers and downtown merchants had breathed a sigh of relief when the new owners immediately commenced spending huge sums of money remodeling the rundownhotel.”

Diana continued her tale, gushing on and on about the new Hotel General Manager, Johnathan “Trip” Evans. “Trip is a professional with a sterling reputation. The chamber members are thrilled at how quickly he has transformed the hotel. The hotel is once again hosting important events.”

Diana stopped to take a sip of water. I feared in preparation for continuing her story. I quickly reached for my purse and stood up, thanking her for her assistance, telling her to please call on me if she needed me to volunteer for any committees, and rapidly departed.

I was excited, though, after hearing Diana’s buildup of Trip Evans and the hotel! The hotel might prove to