On a cold but sunny Saturday afternoon, The Fairgate Inn in Camas held its annual holiday high tea. As always, the event was beautifully decorated and the food was absolutely amazing.
This year, however, the event was marked with a tinge of nostalgia and maybe a little bit of sadness, for it would be the Christmas tea’s final appearance. In January, the former bed and breakfast will become Fairgate Estates, a senior care community.
Way back in 2000, when I first moved to Camas and started working at the Post-Record, one of my first assignments was to write an article about The Fairgate Inn. Owners Jack and Christine Foyte, who planned, designed and oversaw its construction from the ground up, were just preparing to open the grand event and wedding facility.
Sitting high atop Prune Hill, the mere sight of it took my breath away.
Walking up toward those four massive white pillars at the entrance and through the stained glass French doors of the Greek revival-style mansion for the first time was magical.
At the time I wrote: “Taking that first step onto the Brazilian cherry-wood entryway, those who enter are beckoned by a grand staircase leading to a sunny veranda. All around, a festival of deep reds accented by gold tones and contrasting colors entertains the eyes. Works of art and art in progress can be found throughout the house in the form of expansive wall murals, intricate frescos, Tiffany-style lamps, antique furniture and Italian tapestries. Either close-up or from a distance, Camas’ Fairgate Inn Bed and Breakfast is a site to behold.”