The 67th Annual Old Timer’s Reunion and Summer Festival kicks off Friday, July 19th and runs through the weekend. The Hotel Albert, celebrating its 100 year anniversary, was elected by Fairview Festival Committee to be represented on the 2013 Fairview Festival button. Local artist and former Fairview school teacher, Bill Clark is to thank for the artwork on this year’s button.
The original Hotel Albert was designed to accommodate two or three other establishments at street level with additional business rentals in the basement. In 1918, with the outbreak of the influenza, the Hotel Albert was turned into a hospital. It was the largest and most available building in the town. In 1929, Mr. and Mrs. Lew Newlon returned to Fairview to assist his sister, Mrs. Martha Cannon, in the management of the Albert Hotel. The Hotel Albert flourished and many improvements were made.
Looking, on the outside, much as it did on the day of its opening 100 years ago, the Hotel Albert exemplifies the confidence and the dedication of both its builder, Albert Philips, and all who have shared his love for this area. Through the years, Mr. Phillips had a hand in about every business or industry that came to Fairview. If Phillips was here today, he would smile and say, “I knew my old namesake wouldn’t really die as I’ve always known that my town will persevere.”
Through the years, the Hotel has gone through several owners and operators such as David Spielvagel, Larry Valnes, Harold Dahl, John Cayko & sons, Mokie Dennis and Jim Bieber. In the 80s, several people and businesses joined in the effort to rebuild and remodel the Hotel Albert. Today the Hotel is owned by Jack Vaira. As the oldest operating business in Fairview, the Hotel Albert is a signature that perpetuity of small town America exists and is embraced.
Fairview’s 67th Annual Old Timer’s Reunion and Summer Festival will feature the Hotel Albert as a part of the weekend’s festivities. Other festivities include a Mardi Gras themed kiddy parade the afternoon of Saturday, July 20th, followed by the grand parade and program in the park. For more details of the weekend’s activities, visit the Fairview’s Old Timer’s Reunion & Summer Festival FaceBook page.
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