It's mid-morning on a sunny fall day and Michelle Konstanzer is reminiscing in the lower level of the lodge at
Mt. Holiday, the community ski and recreation area nestled in the woods on Traverse City's east side.
"This was the original cafeteria line," Konstanzer says as she points to the counter and back room filled with skis, snowboards, boots and poles that each winter are rented out to hundreds of families.
"And over there was Space Invaders and Asteroids," she says, gesturing to a wall where the video games were played in the 1980s when she spent time at the lodge as a teen.
Life has come full circle for Konstanzer, who not only has two children who learned to ski on Mt. Holiday's slopes but also serves as food and beverage director for the non-profit organization. It's in this role that she's heard countless stories from others like her who have childhood memories of Mt. Holiday. The ski area dates back to the 1950s.
"We had the class of 1965 reunion in here and they were walking around and saying, 'Do you remember when we were here?' and they all go to the wall and look to see where their names were carved," she says of the upstairs fireplace adorned with scrawled names, dates and sentiments.
"It just gives me the chills," she says, holding out her arm. "Holiday, it's just in your heart."
Mt. Holiday also is a place that's shown time and again it can re-invent itself, and in recent months it's gone through yet another transition that its smaller staff, 12-member board of directors and stable of volunteers say is putting the facility on the right path.
"There's a lot of renewed energy going forward," says Lodge Manager Theresa Galante, a former board member and ski race team director who took on the full-time position of lodge manager this past summer.
Thanks to concerned residents rallying and raising $1.2 million in the early 2000s, the past decade has seen much growth and rejuvenation for Mt. Holiday, which had closed in 2001 and faced an uncertain future. But more change was needed in the past year and cutting several positions to save money was one important step in the right direction, Galante says.
"We had to make some hard business decisions," she says. Limiting lodge office hours to 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. was another change.
Still, there's no denying just how hard everyone is working to keep Mt. Holiday a vibrant, year-round facility that caters to skiers and snowboarders as much as it does to mountain bikers, individuals looking for banquet or special event space, and diners who come to the lodge weeknights for specials like Friday all-you-can-eat fish fry, burgers and beer, even steak and lobster.
"I'll put my kitchen up to any other kitchen in town, with quality of food and staff," says Konstanzer, who spent 18 years at Acme's Bayview Inn before taking a position with Mt. Holiday to help pay for season passes for her two school-age kids.
Consider a typical day for Konstanzer: working on marketing efforts, filling out paperwork, meeting with vendors and eventually tending bar.
"We all wear many hats," she says.
Keeping that down-home, "mom-and-pop" feeling that so many associate with Mt. Holiday is important, Konstanzer says. There's nothing formal about the place, and "fun and laughter required" -- a sentiment written in blue and pink chalk and hanging on a wall in the bar -- pretty much explains how things are done around there.
"You want to come in and still feel it's Holiday," she says.
Most important to those dedicating so much of their time to the ski hill is creating a space where families can gather for recreation at a reasonable cost.
"We're here for the kids. It's your formative years," Konstanzer says of the scores of kids who take to the hills each winter as well as the families who take advantage of movie nights and other fun events during the off-season. "We're creating memories for the next generation."
To that end, Mt. Holiday helps bring youth onto the hills through scholarships. The organization awarded 97 of them in 2008-09 and 195 in 2009-10 -- all paid through the general fund, Galante says. Mt. Holiday continually seeks donations for these scholarships as well; $200 would provide two scholarships.
Mt. Holiday also relies on donors for other needs, including equipment repairs and upgrades. A "wish list" includes items such as a walk-in cooler, sandwich station cooler, meat slicer, vacuum and pizza oven.
Fundraising efforts and grants help considerably. Two local grants totaling nearly $75,000 -- $55,000 from the Biederman Foundation and $19,000 from the Oleson Foundation -- provided new lodge doors and windows as well as electrical upgrades, much of which was an effort to "green" Mt. Holiday.
This fall's Dinner in the Hills annual fundraiser generated $17,000, an amount that was more than expected, Galante says.
"It's a huge shot in our arm," she says.
Konstanzer is excited about Mt. Holiday's continued growth, including partnerships with local businesses like Right Brain Brewery and Higher Grounds. Then there's working with other non-profits and local organizations to bring events to the hills like Mud, Sweat & Beers, a mountain biking race that held its inaugural event this past spring, as a fundraiser for Mt. Holiday. Last year it raised approximately $20,000 toward operations.
"Holiday is like a phoenix. It just keeps rising out of the ashes," she says. "Yes, we're open. Yes, we're staying open. And we're not planning on going anywhere anytime soon. We've been here 50 years and will be here for another 50 years."
Heather Johnson Durocher is a freelance writer specializing in health and psychology, well-being, relationships, parenting and retail/business topics.