Unusual Hospitality Items

I have posted many a picture of wonderful hospitality spreads, but this one was a little different. When we arrived in our green room area in Ogallala, NE, this was waiting for us:

Room temperature bottled water? Check! A cooler of ice for chilled water? Check! Fruit? Cookies? Check, check! Let's see what's in the basket:


Upon closer investigation, I discovered beautifully wrapped chocolates and mint candies, but what interested us were the rest of the items. There was a box of tissues, a few bandages, a set of post-its, and a fresh travel-sized bottle of Advil! Such practicality! We appreciated the thought and care behind the assembly of such a wonderful basket.

Now, I know I have claimed that us Claremonters do not require very much in terms of hospitality items, but we always appreciate yummy and beautiful spreads! On Valentine's Day, we played for the students at Hopkins High School in Minnesota. After the presentation, we hosted a Q&A session with the students and this went on for a while. We were about to wrap things up when the teacher piped up and asked us a question. As it turns out, he was stalling for time; since we were away from home and our significant others on Valentine's Day, he and the students wanted to give us something special. He confessed that he found it difficult to live up to some of the hospitality spreads posted on this blog! Well, instead of flowers and candies, a group of young male students in spiffy tuxes and top hats appeared just as we finished answering the teacher's question, and treated us to a "Heart-O-Gram"! It was a special Valentine's day message delivered in the style of a short song, sung a cappella by the guys! They were supremely charming, and it was such a wonderful way to start our tour for Allied Concert Services. Thanks, Hopkins High School!