One last pair of hands to watch.
Dillsboro’s pottery, glass, and jewelry shops give a group plenty to study on a makers’ weekend. At a private inn supper afterward, my opening offer is simple: pick a card and tell me which hand I should keep still. People who spent the afternoon noticing tiny details make excellent witnesses. Whether they make reliable ones is the subject of the evening.
Keep the souvenirs. Borrow a different table.
If guests are bringing purchases back from the shops, put the wrapped pottery somewhere it can spend the night undisturbed. I supply everything I handle. The table can be small, but it does need to be clear. A low coffee table in the inn’s sitting room can be a better fit than the long communal table the staff needs to reset for breakfast.
With a private sitting room, let the group bring coffee in after dessert and settle in a half circle. If you’ve reserved just part of a shared inn, ask which room you can use and whether an outside performer is welcome. I’d rather give your guests their own show than surprise an innocent stranger who came downstairs for more tea.