Hot Alma Nights, the local car show and fundraiser, is one of the busiest days in town. Money raised from Hot Alma Nights goes to support medical expenses of Wabaunsee County residents. This year marked the 16th annual event, and we were thrilled to have Brandt House included in the festivities. The event brings hundreds of people to town and hundreds of classic cars! The streets are filled with people admiring the cars, laughing and talking together. Next year, we look forward to hosting guests for the weekend!
This year, we were still under construction, but we wanted to welcome the community inside. We received our liquor license ahead of the event and decided to open our doors and the bar. We hosted an open house and invited everyone to leave their mark on the hotel. We had sharpies available for signing the exposed bar and door frames. In previous projects, we had seen where people from the past had signed old buildings, and we wanted to do the same.
We heard so many great stories from people who had worked at the hotel or the restaurant. We met people who dined in the restaurant and recalled how fancy the experience felt. We met employees who recalled when the hotel had 16 sleeping rooms and one (yes, one!) bathroom. We loved every minute of visiting and every story we heard. We answered questions about our plans and captured a few great ideas from visitors too!
The hotel was also involved in the day as a sponsor of the event. We helped sponsor the musicians who played in the park all day long. We heard great things about the bands, and we look forward to hosting music on our patio in the future.
The project is entering the last months of construction, and we will be opening our doors to guests soon. We are thankful for the visitors who stopped by to encourage us, and we look forward to seeing everyone again for our grand opening!