The Apple Orchard Inn Story

On Wednesday, March 4, 2026, a fire occurred at the Georgio's Apple Orchard Inn restaurant located on 62840 Van Dyke Road in Washington. Guests and staff got out safely, and no injuries were reported. The restaurant has been closed for the time being.

Apple Orchard Inn, as we know it, opened in 1978 under the ownership of Martha and Russ Schulz. They can be seen here with their 10-year-old son Brian in the April 12, 1978 issue of The Romeo Observer. The photo was taken by Doug Card. The building previously housed a Ponderosa Bar and Restaurant for a little over 15 years.

Martha came from a family who made their mark in the restaurant business. Her parents, Maria and George Roumell, ran the Roumell Food Service, Inc., in the metro area. They had a lot of business connections including a catering service for Cobo Hall (currently Huntington Place), the Latin Quarter, and the Shiawassee Hotel. George's first restaurant was in New Buffalo, Michigan, and it was named Apple Orchard Inn.

According to the article, "Change of Name Comes With Change of Hands," the Schulzs changed the name of the Ponderosa to the Apple Orchard Inn, which seemed to fit perfectly "with its location in apple country and with the tradition that [Martha's] father began."

The new owners made other changes, while some things remained the same. For example, they altered the decor to give it a more rustic atmosphere. The Schulzs also offered additional dishes of different nationalities like Greek and Mexican, especially the former since Martha's family was of that descent. At the same time, the prices and hours remained the same in 1978, and they promised to continue the Friday night Fish Fry.

The Apple Orchard Inn was a family business from the start. Maria Roumell and Brian Schulz both helped at the restaurant with the latter doing the dishes. Family friend Barb Macri worked as an assistant manager.

The restaurant ran smoothly for a year until a fire broke out and almost completely destroyed the structure on the evening of Sunday, May 27, 1979. According to Fire Chief Gerald Alward, "the fire was reported by a motorist who noticed what he thought was steam coming from the restaurant."

He soon discoverd that it was smoke and called the Washington Fire Department. Chief Alward claimed that the building was fully engulfed with fire and smoke coming out of the roof. Tanker units from Romeo, Bruce, and Ray Townships arrived soon after. They were able to bring the fire under control. The restaurant was closed at the time of the fire. Although an investigation was conducted, the cause has not been revealed.

The Apple Orchard Inn was closed afterwards for a complete remodeling until it reopened in January 1980. The Romeo Observer ran a brief article about it in their January 16th edition.

The Schulzs transferred ownership of the restaurant in the early 2000s, and the new owners changed the name again to Georgio's Apple Orchard Inn by 2003.

If the Apple Orchard Inn survived one fire and thrived for nearly 50 years, it can do it again now.

To learn more about the Apple Orchard Inn, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890. If you want to search for articles on that topic, you can find the Romeo newspapers like The Romeo Observer on the Suburban Library Cooperative's Local History Digital Collection website.

Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection, The Romeo Observer, April 12, 1978, p.8-B; May 30, 1979, p.2-A; January 16, 1980, p.16; and July 2, 2003, p.10-A and Georgio's Apple Orchard Inn Facebook Page

History of the Romeo District Library Graubner Branch Part 2

March 4, 2026 marked the 25th Anniversary of the opening of the Romeo District Library (RDL) Graubner Branch. Last week, we began covering its history from its orchard origins to the Groundbreaking Ceremony in 1999. Today, we'll explore its construction, the Dedication Ceremony, and other events in between.

Let's return to 1999. Even though construction officially begain August 1999, there were some battles, that forced to delay it several times. Reasons included "locating the library, the size of the parcel needed, and design changes."

At one point, there was a conflict between the library and the Washington 10 Storage Corporation regarding a gas well on the land, in which the new branch was to built upon. The gas firm originally wanted to build a 100-foot exclusion zone around the well, which was located in the middle of the site. Both parties reached a setttlement in August 1999 when the corporation agreed to plug the offending well. This provided more flexibility in designing the building.

The budget was $4.4 million (over $8 million in today's money), and the intention was to build a 20,000 square foot structure that "can eventually be expanded to 40,000 square feet."

The architectural firm Harley Ellington Design spearheaded the new library's exterior design, and Nancy Lovaas and Mary Jane Williamson from Ford & Earl Design worked on the interior. The general contractor was The Bell Company.

The fruit trees on the land were the first to go as seen in the picture below taken in November 1999.

By July 2000, the walls were up, and the roof was getting installed. Right before Roland Graubner died, he tooked a tour of the site. According to his daughter and Library Board Trustee Kathy Eubank, he was pleased with how it looked.

The RDL Collection contains more photos from the library's construction like this one taken of what is now the main area and the adult room in August 2000.

In November 2000, RDL invited The Romeo Observer for a first look of the new branch as it neared completion. Kirk Haverkamp took several photos including the ones below. The first picture shows Assistant Director Cindy McIntyre and Administrative Assistant Peg Gielow at the circulation desk, while the second depicts the reading room (now the adult area).

However, the construction process was not a walk in the park. The project initially had a $3.5 million budget, but it went over $900,000, and the library received three billings from Harley Ellis totalling $60,000 for more work that delayed the project, according to Library Director Marina Kruse. It didn't help that The Bell Company was also at odds with the architectural firm for over $100,000 in fees. It's not clear these required legal action.

Moreover, there were only enough funds to build the "shell" of the community room, so a campaign to raise $200,000 was organized. Luckily, the Ford Motor Company donated a $50,000 grant for that room to be completed. It was finished in due time.

Before the library officially opened, there were some events that benefited the new branch. On June 12, 2000, the Romeo Monday Club sponsored a Library Benefit Auction. Items up for auction included an English teapot, Detroit Tiger Executive Suite tickets, large Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, a three-hour limousine ride courtesy of Rinke Limousine, a one-night stay at the Brabb House B&B, and a cottage getaway on Lower Herring Lake. The entire list can be seen in our Graubner Family Collection.

In addition, the Friends of the RDL held a gala on Saturday, February 24, 2001. Guests celebrated the new branch's completion and saw the building "laid out along a single, long corridor divided into three large rooms."

One of the things they would've seen was the cluster of cartoonlike, seven-foot tall fruit trees that pay homage to the orchard the library was built on in the children's room. They remain in that area to this very day.

Finally, on Sunday, March 4, 2001, the Graubner Branch officially had its Grand Opening with a dedication and an open house. It involved two ribbon cuttings. One featured Paul Reiz, Washington Township Supervisor Gary Kirsh, and Bruce Township Supervisor Gary Schocke cutting the ribbon to the children's room, and the other had the six members of the RDL Board and Marina Kruse doing the same with the adult room.

The ceremony also had performances from violinists Victoria Swanwick and Jenny Beggs both of Romeo High School; brief remarks from RDL Board President Renee Meyers, Kruse, Deputy State Librarian Jo Budler, and Eubank; and a magic show by Rudy Novak aka "Rudini the Great"

It was a resounding success. Since 2001, patrons have come into the library, whether it's to obtain items, study, or attend programs organized by the staff. RDL couldn't have been more thankful for these past 25 years, especially to Roland Graubner, who made the Graubner Branch possible.

To learn more about the history of the Graubner Branch, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890 to check out our aforementioned collections. If you want to search for articles on that topic, you can find the Romeo newspapers like The Romeo Observer on the Suburban Library Cooperative's Local History Digital Collection website.

Images and sources courtesy of the Romeo Community Archives; Graubner Family Collection; Romeo District Library Collection; and Melvin E. and Joan D. Bleich Collection; The Romeo Observer, November 8, 2000, p.1-B, February 28, 2001, p.1-A and p.3-A; and March 7, 2001, p.1-A and p.12-A

Quick note: The picture of the Groundbreaking Ceremony in 1999 seen last week also include Deborah Obrecht - Bruce Township Treasurer - and Beth Bodiya - the little girl wearing pants.