Jan Ostram and her husband, Todd, had spent years looking around for a
building to run a business from. They finally found that location when they
came to an agreement to buy Still Creek Inn in Rhododendron.

Their timing, however, wasn’t ideal as they signed the papers in March 2020,
just as the coronavirus pandemic began.

“Every single bit of business was canceled, for I don’t even remember how
long,” Jan said.

But the pair who are also behind Busy Bee Catering got busy, fixing and
renovating the building in just about every way, from electrical to plumbing to
even cleaning out under the structure.

“It’s always something, but now, just about everything’s been fixed,” Jan said.
“It’s clean, it’s nice.”

Their new venture, Alpine Events, offers space and facilities for business
meetings, receptions, family get togethers, memorials and more, with a name
derived from the building’s former glory as the Alpine Hut.

Jan also hopes to conduct a variety of other events from the building,
including cooking classes, knitting classes, art events, pop-up dinners, after
ski events and more.

“It’s just about getting people together to gather and learn from each other
with a comfortable atmosphere and good food,” she said. “That’s the goal.”
Next summer, the pair hope to work on the outside of the building, including
adding a patio in back.

But they also aren’t going to operate it as another restaurant, with the focus
on the events rather than set hours of service.

“It’s important to try something new,” Jan said. “We’re excited to show it to
people. We hope they like it.”

Alpine Events is located at 73365 Hwy. 26 in Rhododendron.
For more information, visit https://www.alpineeventsmthood.com/, call 503-
622-4618 or email info@alpineeventsmthood.com.