Lighthouse Inn
owners Mike Recht and Pat Cassidy pictured in
the grand room of their new bed and breakfast
inn. Recht will be retiring from the AP to run
the inn full-time with Cassidy. (Concord Monitor
photo/Edmund Fountain)
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hen the fire alarm
system unexpectedly went off at the Lighthouse Inn on
Valentine's weekend, Mike Recht and Pat Cassidy knew two
things: Their new fire detection system indeed worked,
and running a bed and breakfast was going to be
exciting, sometimes in unexpected ways.
"The majority of our guests were under 30 and not
that far away from college," Cassidy said. "There were
strobe lights going and sirens, and they all marched
right out their doors. Other people would typically
wander around. It was like a dorm drill. After I told
them everything was okay, I didn't get the candles lit
that morning; I was a little bit frazzled."
The Inn
was built in 1934 as a single-family home.
(Concord Monitor photo/Edmund Fountain)
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The Lighthouse Inn, on the slope of Brickyard
Mountain in Weirs Beach, is the next career for Cassidy
and Recht. Recht is a long-time writer for the
Associated Press in Concord set to retire at the end of
May. Cassidy is a hypnotherapist in Concord.
The two friends scouted locations for a
bed-and-breakfast for years and finally settled on the
Lakes Region. They want to cater to couples uninterested
in a hotel-like experience.
The Lighthouse Inn has five guest bedrooms with
private baths. Four of the rooms line one wing of the
building, and the fifth, complete with brick flooring
and a Jacuzzi tub, is nestled in the back.
The room Recht and Cassidy are most proud of is the
great room, which is the common area for guests. Pine
rafters fill the room with a woodsy smell, and a wide
bay window overlooks the twinkling blue water of Lake
Winnipesaukee, visible through the trees. The great room
has a TV, dining tables, couches, a fireplace and an
overall community feel.
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The inn was built as a single-family home in 1934 by
Byron Hedblom, who delivered the M/S Mount Washington
from Lake Champlain to Lake Winnipesaukee. It sits on 5½
acres, with a stream flowing behind a curtain of trees
in the rear.
Recht and Cassidy purchased it from a woman who had
lived in the building by herself for a number of years.
Since opening in February, the new management team
has fielded phone calls they expected, such as those
from people reserving rooms for
Motorcycle Week and NASCAR weekend. They also have
received some unexpected phone calls, such as someone
asking how much the $100 special cost.
"It's been a trial by fire," Cassidy said.
"I've always wanted to live on a lake and it's just
perfect, right in the middle of everything in the Lakes
Region and on a private residential street," said Recht,
who lives downstairs at the inn.
On opening weekend, Recht and Cassidy also had
another experience, more low-key than the fire alarm
going off.
On Valentine's Day morning, one of their guests felt
comfortable enough that after he fixed himself a cup of
coffee, he arranged a bouquet of flowers in the kitchen
for his sweetie.
Only in a relaxed atmosphere could a guest act like
that, they said.
Overnight stays at the Lighthouse Inn range in
price from $100 to $170. Package deals are also
available, as well as discounts for returning guests.
For more information, call 366-5432 or log on to
lighthouseinnbb.com.
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