Published: May 25, 2006 10:32 am      

New bed and breakfast caters to tourism

MCGRAWS — Sitting on a hilltop overlooking a small, neatly kept residential area, a new bed and (cook your own) breakfast is opening.

With the number of tourists increasing, John Dow Meredith believes there is a growing need for places to stay in the area.

Meredith has been working to renovate his grandmother’s two-story farmhouse for the past two years. Along with his sister and a couple of cousins, Meredith inherited the house. He then bought the other three out.

Renovations were easier to complete because his own home sits next door on Meredith’s 13 acres.

Hard work is something to which Meredith is accustomed. He worked 10 hours a day while in high school and still maintained a B average.

When his mining job of 22 years ended abruptly and the company moved out of state, Meredith decided to stay and maintain his grandparents’ farm. The decision also allowed him to embrace his spiritual side.

A short-term job that took him to Arizona also landed him with a Navajo tribe for a time. They called him “Medicine Man.”

Meredith said he didn’t understand the name in the beginning, but as he traveled into Utah and Colorado on his Harley, the answer came.

“I’ve lived alone all these years, I can go where I want and do what I want. I don’t have any children and I believe my purpose in life is to help other people,” he explained.

“My music is my medicine, my way of helping other people,” he added.

Meredith organized the Open Mic Night at Mullens Opportunity Center, giving budding musicians a chance to perfect their craft and the community the chance to enjoy it. The evening entertainment sessions are becoming more and more popular.

“I really feel that was a calling,” he said of the project.

He is preparing to release his second CD that will include original compositions as well as old time gospel favorites.

While preserving his own Appalachian heritage, he also wants to tap into the growing tourist market and believed opening the group lodging facility would be a good venture.

Grandma’s Bed (n cook yer own) Breakfast is open for family or high school reunions, golfing retreats, trail riders, or just a weekend getaway.

The four-bedroom house has a washer and dryer, kitchen essentials for cooking and dining, along with linens.

Meredith will also provide musical entertainment on the hilltop campfire location which sits next to a cemetery a short walk from the house. He plans to construct a teepee on the campfire circle so it can be used in any weather.

He also plans to cut walking and biking trails across the property for tourists and will provide guided tours of the area for visitors.

For more information, phone Meredith at 294-8891.