Happy 2020!
Come join us at the Quality Inn in Seneca Falls, NY for our fourth annual Winter Hounds event!
February 21, 22, 23, 2020
Winter Houndstm is in its fourth year. This is an inexpensive winter escape to get out of the house, see some neat things, taste some new wines or beers and hang out with some greyhound folks without having to wait months for summer.
This is a low-cost, informal event which bridges the winter gap between Greyhounds Reach the Beach® in October and Greyhounds in Gettysburg in April. Participating wineries, distilleries and brew pubs will either waive or charge minimal tasting fees. They have plenty of time to talk about your favorite wines or brews. And they can't wait to see the greyhounds!
This year we are staying at the Quality Inn, 2468 NY-414, Waterloo, NY, just off the NY thruway. (The Geneva Ramada* has some remodeling going on.) Rooms for our little event are $109 per night with no pet fees! When you call the hotel, ask for a room under the Winter Hounds room block.
Geneva Ramada rooms are spacious and accommodate dog beds.
So make your reservations early, as our room block goes away on January 20th. Call the hotel directly to reserve your room. Ask for the Winter Hounds rate.
Quality Inn
2468 NY-414
Waterloo, NY 13165
(315) 539-5011
Don't delay making your reservations. Any rooms left in the hotel after Jan 2o can be sold to other individuals. Our rate will still be offered for our group if there are any rooms left after Jan 20. While the official dates are Friday through Sunday, Feb. 22-24, many of us will arrive Thursday night, Feb. 21, for an extra day of tasting and exploring. Our Welcome event will take place Friday evening, 5-8PM or so.
No Weather Concerns Quality Inn staff know that if we get a winter storm, people may have to cancel, so they promise no cancellation hassles at all. If a storm happens to come in during our weekend, just call the hotel 24 hours ahead of your arrival and cancel. Done deal. So you need not worry about making reservations and then having to cancel.
We will again rent a big conference room for two or three vendors who will offer coats, collars and dog treats or other popular winter-oriented greyhound products. This can also be a greyt room where we can hang out and socialize.
The hotel has a large enclosed courtyard where we can walk the dogs out of the wind. The rooms are very nice.
This year we will again offer advance registration. Our modest $12 (per person) registration fee covers our social room/conference room rental for socializing and vendors, and our tasting glasses. We want to keep everything inexpensive, simple and easy.
Schedule begins Thursday ...
Some folks attend early and arrive Thursday to begin touring around. Activities officially start on Friday, 2/21. We plan a Welcome event in the social room at Quality Inn Seneca Falls on Friday evening, Feb, 21, from 5-8 PM. We'll reintroduce ourselves and hang out. Vendors will be there. Greyhounds are welcome everywhere at the hotel except in the restaurant area.
Friday evening and Saturday we'll have some vendors open during certain hours in our conference room at the Quality Inn/Waterloo-Seneca Falls. Many of our participating wineries around Seneca Lake are available 10AM-5PM Friday, Saturday and Sunday for wine tasting.
Tasting Card We'll provide an information card at registration with tasting information for each participating winery, brew pub or distillery. We basically divide up the area into three tasting tours: east shore of Seneca Lake, west shore of Seneca Lake and around the Keuka Lake area. We'll also provide a list of great area restaurants and eateries.
Restaurant The Quality Inn offers a restaurant and a bar on site. In addition, they offer a free breakfast option in a separate room.
Then more wine tasting on Sunday, until you have to leave for home. You can spend your time at the hotel with friends, seeing local sights and museums or touring the wineries, distilleries and brew pubs. Inside stuff or outside stuff. Your choice.
Our attendees from 2016, 2017, and 2018 just loved this event because it was small and intimate. People got to congregate in the hotel lounges in front of a fireplace in the evenings -- with their hounds -- have a glass of wine, and get to know people whom they had seen at events but maybe had not ever had a chance to chat with. The hotel is very friendly and helpful. People came away from the weekend with a lot of new greyhound friends.
Tasting Glasses When you check in, we'll give you a Winter Hounds tasting glass and a card listing all the participating wineries, what their tasting fees are (if any), and any special information.
Email Us Please send us an email at Grapehound@gmail.com 1) if you have questions or 2) if you wish to attend but do not plan to pre-register online so that we can order enough supplies.
* There is remodeling going on at geneva lakefront (whom we love) and they were not sure where they could accommodate our meeting room request. So we dicedied to take a one year hiatus from geneva Ramada and stay at the hotel where we started the event in 2016. The hotel was then a Holiday Inn. Now it is remodeled and even nicedr as a Quality Inn.
Winter Houndstm
An informal gathering of greyhound folks with their hounds in
New York Finger Lakes wine country.
Event Check In Times at
Geneva Ramada Lakefront
Thursday (2/20) No official check-in
Friday (2/21) 6-8 PM
Saturday (2/23) 9-10 AM
We have three separate self-guided wine tours:
Tour One goes south down the east shore of Seneca Lake.
Tour Two goes south down the west shore of Seneca Lake
Tour Three goes down the west shore of Seneca lake and then loops around Keuka Lake. Go visit familiar winries or try some new ones.
Weather in New York has been mild at this event for four years straight!
Winter Houndstm
February 21, 22, 23, 2020
Suggestions
We want to help Ramada Geneva Lakefront to welcome us back every year. Here's how we can do that.
- If your dogs are used to lieing on your bed, please bring a quilt or cover to place over the bed coverings.
- Bring a lint brush to capture any dog hair on furnishings.
- Bring your pets' favorite dog pillows for the floor. Lots of room to put them around the room.
- Walk your dogs thoroughly outside before bringing them to the social areas or back to the room.
- Make sure the hotel desk has your cell number, so if your dog has an issue they can contact you.
- Bring your dog's coat because the wind can be cold off the lake. The lake is beautiful but it can be chilly!
Registration for Winter Hounds is now open! Just click on the green registration button at the top right of this page.
Please be sure reserve your room now! To reserve a room, call the Ramada Geneva Lakefront directly at 315-789-0400 We expect rooms to be sold out by the event date
Dining in Geneva
Finer Dining at Cobblestones One of our favorite restaurants in Geneva is Cobblestones. It is in an old Greek Revival house and a very nice place for a delicious upscale dinner.
Great Italian Food in a Casual Setting: Cosentino's
We have had a relationship with Cosentino's ever since we got a greyt recommendation from one of our Grapehounds attendees. They welcome greyhounds on their deck in the summer but I'm afraid it'll be take-out or people only for this time of year. or leave your dog at the hoel and you can walk to Cosentinos! Great people who love our events.
New Adopt a Greyhound Shirt!
We will be working on a new Winter Hounds shirt. Last year's shirt is shown below.
Restaurants
Images of the lakeshore at Ramada Geneva.
Cobblestones
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