Hominy Ridge Lodge & Cabins
People
Nature lovers Paula and Andrew Pluta wanted to turn a favorite pastime into a career, so they bought a log cabin rental business near Cook Forest State Park. Nature, though, can be cruel, and man’s efforts to counter her can backfire. One February day the pipes in their most popular cabin froze, and efforts to thaw them led to a blaze that reduced their breadwinner to ashes.
Progress
Depreciation slashed the insurance payout. “Our hearts sank,” Paula says. “We knew, once it was gone, that building a new structure was going to cost more.” Northwest Savings Bank recommended The Progress Fund and together they loaned $40,000 to the project. A new cabin was ready in time for the Memorial Day start of the getaway season.
Impact
The Plutas equipped the new cabin with the best of today and yesterday, from new appliances to Amish-built sassafras log furniture. They’re boosting year-round occupancy – important for an area trying to use sled riding, ice skating and an annual snowman-making competition to draw winter visitors. The new cabin, says Paula, “really helps not just us, but the community, because it gives people an opportunity to come up here and enjoy the park full time.”
View Story as PDF
Connect With Us!