Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid (News photo — Andy Flynn)

This Labor Day weekend, the Weibrecht family is launching a year-long 100th anniversary celebration of the Mirror Lake Inn, a storied hotel rated as one of the finest in the nation in everything from Conde Nast publications to four decades of winning the AAA Four Diamond Award of Excellence.

The Inn, initially known as the Mir-a-Lak, a spelling reflecting Melvil Dewey’s simplified spelling system, was founded in 1925 by hotelier Climena Alford Wikoff, founder of the Alford Inn, and her husband Rufus, who helped pioneer and develop the “Fuller Brush Man” concept of selling high-quality products door to door. Both brought vision, a willingness to work hard and a shared belief in providing value to their customers.

That vision remains the foundation of the Inn’s ongoing success one hundred years later. One aspect of the Inn has remained constant throughout its history: its high level of service.

“Just like Climena, our employees strive to make our guests feel special and important,” said Ed Weibrecht, owner.

From the very beginning, the Inn provided high-quality food, excellent accommodations, great service, and exceptional experiences for its guests. The Inn established Dream Hill, one of the first ski slopes in New York state, invested in the Palace Theatre to expand weather-proof entertainment and expanded its shoreline to increase access to the lake.

Climena (in striped dress) hosts a dinner at the Mirror Lake Inn. Provided photo — Naj Wikoff

The Wikoffs, as do the Weibrechts, became very involved in civic affairs, with Rufus serving as a local judge and the president of the Chamber of Commerce and working closely with the 1932 Olympic Organizing Committee, which resulted in the Norwegian Team being based at the Inn.

Weibrecht served on the board of the state Olympic Regional Development Authority and his wife Lisa on the board of the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, and they turned Mirror Lake Inn’s staff Christmas Party into the vital fundraiser, Joy to the Children, that has invested over a million dollars in free arts programming for children.

One of Climena’s most lasting and influential investments was partnering with skating pro Cliff Thaell to establish a summer skating program that resulted in Lake Placid becoming the national center for figure skating from the forties to the seventies. Dozens of future National and World Champions and Olympians stayed at the Inn and affiliated rooming houses they established.

“The Inn was home,” said 1992 Olympic figure skating silver medalist Paul Wylie. “We lived at the Inn for five weeks when we were training. The Inn is where we spent our time off-ice. It was the kind of place where every single one of the skaters said, we’ve got to have a reunion; we’ve got to get back here. We worked hard and were on the ice a lot, so getting back to the Inn was our place to relax; we all felt like we were part of the family.”

The skaters were by no means the only ones who experienced the Inn as home; so too were the many repeat customers such as John and Donna Clark.

Ed and Lisa Weibrecht (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“There’s a lot of things we love about the Inn,” said Donna. “The feeling, the ambiance, we have when we are there, which includes the friendliness and loyalty of the staff, the memories we’ve established there over many years. The accommodations are beautiful; the food is superb. We have established a tradition of coming that’s now over thirty years. The Weibrechts make us feel like family.”

Over the years, the Inn has survived and emerged stronger from catastrophe. For Climena, then a single mother of three sons, it was managing a resort through the Great Depression; for the Weibrechts, it was rebuilding following a fire in 1988 that consumed much of the main lodge. Though horrified by what he was witnessing, Ed coordinated a rescue effort for most of the beloved murals that decorated the dining room created by Jay artist Averil Conwell, murals that were reinstalled as part of the reconstruction.

“I thought the murals were very beautiful,” said Ed. “I understood the history behind them, the relationship between Averil and the Wikoff family; I thought they should be saved. After, I had her touch them up, which she did then in her nineties.”

Now as then, many employees have worked at the Inn for decades. In many respects, working at the Inn was far more than a job; it was where they felt valued by the owners and guests and built lasting relationships.

“I worked at the Inn from age fourteen to nineteen,” said Andre d’Avignon. “I started in 1968. I did everything. I learned in the dining room that many of the guests were repeat customers, many coming for much of the summer. The Mirror Lake Inn was their home. You get to know them and they you. Many of the seasonal staff became friends and remain so to this day.”

Executive Chef Curtiss Hemm and Andrew Weibrecht (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Now, the manager of the Cottage, 33-year employee Lisa Randall is equally enthused about her experience.

“I’ve stayed here so long because I love the atmosphere, the people, Ed and Lisa,” said Randall. “I started in the kitchen and worked my way up from waiting on tables and bartending to supervising and managing. I think what makes the Inn special is how the Weibrechts treat people, the guests and staff; they want to make sure everyone has a tremendous experience and leave wanting more.”

Ed said that over the years, he’s learned that employees have to be treated fairly with dignity and respect because if they are happy with what they’re doing, they pass that on to the guests. More than that, Ed desires them to find joy and pleasure in their work, the pleasure of doing a job well, and the satisfaction of knowing they made a difference in the lives of others.

“My greatest joy is knowing, or realizing, that our guests consider staying here an exceptional experience and that they’re pleased with it,” said Ed.

“Most gratifying is when people say they have been coming here for years, they love it, and can’t wait to bring our grandkids or bring our friends up; that’s very gratifying,” said Lisa.

Ed and Lisa’s other joy, their greatest joy, outside probably their grandchildren, is that their sons have embraced taking over the management of the Inn; they revel in the energy and ideas their sons have for building on and extending the Inn’s legacy.

While Andrew, like many of the staff, has been engaged in a wide array of tasks throughout his life, in many respects, it was experiencing the personalized care of family-run establishments throughout Europe during his racing career that sparked his consideration of stepping into the family business, which also held that as a core value.

“With my parents, I am enjoying helping mold the next iteration of what the Mirror Lake Inn is as we look forward into the 20s, 30s, 40s, and all that,” said Andrew, now the operations manager. “We’re in a world where things are less personal, people are less focused on service as they become more commoditized. If we lean in the other direction, I believe it will help set us apart. We’re a place where you can call, and a person will answer the phone; we’re a place where you can connect with a person from start to finish.”

The Inn has never been a place that rested on its laurels. It’s never been static but constantly evolving, seeking to improve the experiences offered while always maintaining the human touch. As part of that, Executive Chef Curtiss Hemm has developed an exciting new menu for the fall that taps into the talents of his international kitchen staff. This menu blends the best of local resources, food, and traditions with the growing vitality of our nation.

In the meantime, check out the Inn’s website to learn all that’s being offered for the 100th anniversary launch over the Labor Day Weekend, and set Dec. 12 aside for Joy to the Children’s return.

(Naj Wikoff is Climena Alford Wikoff’s grandson. He lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)