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Meet the Staff

Beth Kaldahl Schupp and Dan Schupp

Beth Kaldahl Schupp and Dan Schupp

Current Owners and Operators | Email

Beth and Dan are the owners and operators of Fair Hills Resort. Beth grew up here, and even fell in love and married one of the guests, Dan Schupp. Like her mom and dad, she graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, then moved to Duluth, then to Minneapolis, and eventually ended up in Mason City, Iowa, before returning to Fair Hills. Beth is also big in the “music scene” at Fair Hills. She’s a great sport and game for almost anything. You can find her playing trombone, singing in the Hootenanny and making lattes. She even flops in the annual staff belly flop contest! In the winter, she and Dan live at Five Lakes Resort and in the summer, they are in the famous “Blue House” at the end of the resort.

Dan grew up coming to Fair Hills Resort every summer with his large family from Des Moines, Iowa. He was 8 years old his first year at Fair Hills. He and Beth used to play around the resort as kids. Now, Dan holds many jobs at the resort and is assisted on all jobs by his dog Millie. Five Lakes is great for horse trail riding and Dan even travels with a horse or two to shows around the country. His favorite vacations (besides Fair Hills, of course) includes horseback riding, like up the mountains of Peru! Dan also assists in construction, plumbing and overall general projects all over the resort. Dan is a retired radiologist and enjoys his summers in the “Blue House” and winters at Lake Five.

The Schupp Family

The Schupp Family

Beth and Dan have six kids; Emily, Charles, Margaret, Marianna, Carolyn, and Andrew. They have 15 grandchildren; Eve & Winston, Harrison, Elle, Soren, Wilhelmina, Ingrid, Hugh, Mae, Etta, David, James, Eli, Madeline and Riley. They also have one dog– Mildred (Millie for short!)

Emily met her husband, Patrick Meyers, at Fair Hills. Pat worked at the resort for many years and still can be found playing drums in the Hootenanny on Tuesday nights and cooking in the kitchens on Thursday evenings. His family have cabins just east of Fair Hills. Emily and Patrick married at Fair Hills on October 6, 2012. They have two daughters, Willa (8) and Ingrid (6) and son, Hugh (2). Emily is our creative director at Fair Hills and General Manger at Wildflower and Patrick farms with his family.

Charlie met his wife Anna during his years working at the resort. Anna’s family had a cabin on Lake Melissa. They married at Fair Hills on August 29, 2009. They have twins Winston & Eve (11), Harrison (8), Elle (6) and Soren (3)! Charlie is an architect and Anna is a psychologist in the Twin Cities.

Margaret is a massage therapist in Colorado in the winter and our resident massage therapist & more in the summer!

Nan met her husband, Jordan Goetz, at Fair Hills. Jordan’s family has been coming to Fair Hills for over 30 years. They married at Fair Hills on August 29, 2015. Nan finished up dental school at the University of Minnesota and moved to Chicago where Jordan works in finance. They have four children, James (6), Eli (4), Madeline (2) and Riley born January 2023.

Carolyn married her high school sweetheart Max Disse. They got married at Fair Hills on September 21, 2013! They have two daughters, Mae (7) and Etta (5) and son David (3)! Carolyn graduated from dental school at the University of Minnesota in May of 2017 and Max is the local dermatologist. They reside in Detroit Lakes.

Andy graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2015 and is continuing his education in Duluth. He is very active with his band in the music scene.

Mildred, or Millie, runs around the resorts without a care in the world. She is a well trained 9-year-old Springer Spaniel pup who loves to play with life jackets and plastic bottles. She is always up for a good pet!

Emily Schupp Meyers

Emily Schupp Meyers

Creative Director | Email

Emily is the eldest Schupp child and the only one currently working at Fair Hills (of course they have all worked at Fair Hills at some point in time). Emily is our Creative Director and is in charge of marketing, advertising and social media. Do you follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram?! You should because Emily is always posting something new and exciting. Emily grew up visiting the resort, but she didn’t start spending her full time here until the last few years. She graduated from the University of St. Thomas and spent several years working in the twin cities before moving up to Detroit Lake permanently. Emily married former staff & Pelican Lake resident Patrick Meyers on October 6, 2012. They have two daughters, Willa (8) and Ingrid (8) and a son, Hugh (2). The kids are Hootenanny regulars and can often be found helping behind the front desk in the summers!

 Lisa Kaldahl

Lisa Kaldahl

Project Overseer

Lisa is one of the Fair Hills backbones. She is the third child of Dave & Barb. Raised at the resort, she knows where almost everything is, and how it is supposed to be, when done correctly. She can do most everything from driving the Bobcat & Big Pelican, to taking in the docks and boat lifts each fall. You can find her here every morning checking to make sure that the pools are all working correctly. At Five Lakes Resort, she oversees many of the continuous projects and works every event at the Barn. She lives at Five Lakes Resort year-round, but she spends much of the winter in Florida!

Steve Kaldahl

Steve Kaldahl

Lawn Maintenance Manager

Steve is the oldest of the Kaldahl kids. He started working here (well, if you called it “working”) when he was just a child doing just about everything from pony rides to cooking (he went to culinary school). Several years ago, he decided to “retire” but he decided that retirement didn’t suit him, so he’s back at Fair Hills and is in charge of the lawn maintenance crew. He and his wife Marilyn live a few miles from the resort, but he is often at the resort from sunrise to sunset. Steve, who previously was of our “extreme sport” guy, loving skiing and all sorts of other adventures, has now calmed down a little bit and can tell you many stories about Fair Hills life in the 1970s and 1980s.

Dave & Barb Kaldahl - In Memoriam

Dave & Barb Kaldahl - In Memoriam

3rd Generation Owners

Dave spent his entire life at Fair Hills and saw thousands of staff members and guests come and go! His grandpa Ed bought Fair Hills in 1926. Chester, Dave’s father, ran the resort until Dave took it over. Dave loved music, especially singing. He was the “main guy” for all the Barbershop Quartets at the resort and could sing all four parts of all the songs! He could also play any of the saxophone parts in the band or sometimes the bass drum. Dave remembered cutting ice out of the lake in the winter to keep the food cold all summer and when the resort had its own ice cream factory and electric generator. Dave passed away in November 2020.

Barb was at Fair Hills for 65 years. She, like Dave, was a Concordia Cobber. She did almost every job at the resort, including recreation, but is now famous for the 7:00 a.m. walk and “Bobbin’ with Barb” water aerobics. She was best critic of the Hoots (because she had seen so many) and was at almost every talent show cheering everyone on. Barb passed away in June 2019.

Dave & Barb had four children; Steve, Beth, Lisa and Dan.

Sharal Bradbury

Sharal Bradbury

Head Chef | Email

Welcome back to Sharal Bradbury who rejoins our kitchen team as Head Chef.  Sharal worked at Fair Hills in the bakery department from 2015-2019.  She was a much loved team member then and we are thrilled to have her back and work with her in this new role.  Sharal was most recently lead the culinary team at Lake Park Audubon School District and is looking forward to having free time in the winter!  Sharal lives in Vergas, just down the road from Steve and Caitlin.   She and her husband live on his family’s homestead where even the lake is named after then; Bradbury Lake.  She has two sons, one of which has worked at Fair Hills too!  Please help us welcome Sharal back this summer as we look forward to sharing her culinary skills with you!

Suzy

Suzy "Ya Ya Baker" Pavlish

Assistant Chef

Her real last name is Pavlish, but when Suzy started working here in the 1970s, she worked in the bakery department of the resort, so we called her Suzy Baker, and the name stuck! Suzy is from Bejou, MN, and spends winters with her family in Arizona. She was also one of Loretta Warren’s students, and has brought her cooking skills to the resort for many, many years. She is always smiling, and saying, “Ya Ya,” since she agrees to do everything. She often wakes up about three o’clock in the morning and heads over to the kitchen to start cooking, just to make sure that “everything is done.”

Caitlin Norby

Caitlin Norby

General Manager | Email

Caitlin has been at Fair Hills for basically her whole life. She started working here as a store girl in 2004, but she has been a guest since 1986. Caitlin’s focuses are in reservations and front office management and she is also the current general manager of the resort. Originally from Mt. Prospect, IL, she graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in finance. Caitlin met her wife Gretchen at Fair Hills and they got married on August 3, 2013! Caitlin and her wife Gretchen have two sets of twins: Jack & Miles (age 8) and Rory & Finn (age 4). Along with their two dogs, they live nearby on Hook Lake!

Gladys Hovland

Gladys Hovland

Reservations and Piano Teacher | Email

Gladys has been around Fair Hills for over a decade now. She is our resident piano teacher and accompanist. A great multi-tasker, her main duties are with reservations, but she will jump in and help anywhere. You can find her always smiling and playing piano for any and all musical performers for the talent show. Her son, Nick, was our water ski instructor and her daughter, Ali, previously worked at the resort for many summers. Gladys retired as the music teacher at Pelican Rapids High School. She now lives by Wildflower Golf Course. She is in charge of the summer music scheduling at Cormorant Lutheran Church, just down the road from Fair Hills, and plays music for many local weddings. She loves to spend time with her grandchildren, Zoe, Addyson and Jaxon, who live in Denver, CO and Winnie who lives in Michigan!

 

 Marlette Anderson

Marlette Anderson

Wedding Venue Coordinator & Dining Room Manager | Email

It’s difficult to say when Marlette first started working here. She has always been hanging around Fair Hills and Five Lakes Resort as Lisa’s best friend, so we finally decided to put her to work. Marlette is the wedding venue coordinator at the Barn at Five Lakes Resort and our Dining Room Co-Manager. She works with couples to help plan the perfect venue for their wedding at the Barn and manages our team of waitrons. Marlette is a former special education teacher and lives in Vergas, MN. She also used to own the Quiet Cricket eclectic gift shop in Vergas, MN, but sold the business and is enjoying “retirement.” When not planning weddings, Marlette enjoys spending time with her daughters, Emma and Sydney, who have both worked at Fair Hills and her granddaughter Charley and grandson Anderson.

Liz Jeppesen

Liz Jeppesen

Groups Director, Big Pelican Coordinator, & Wedding Venue Coordinator | Email

Liz is joined our full time staff in the spring of 2020. She previously was an intern at the Front Desk in summer 2019. She joined our team just as the world spun into pandemic mode and she took over her duties while navigating complete unknowns! Liz hails from Sunburg, MN and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout in May 2020 with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management. Liz is our Groups Director, Big Pelican Coordinator and Wedding Venue Coordinator. If you come to Fair Hills for anything other than a vacation, Liz will take care of you!

Tanner McBain

Tanner McBain

Human Resources Director & Bar Manager | Email

Tanner joined the team in 2021 as our Human Resources Director & Bar Manager. Tanner previously worked at Fair Hills in the summers of 2018 & 2019. He has done too many things at Fair Hills to list, it’s actually hard to now find a duty he hasn’t done at the resort. He will take on all the recruiting and hiring duties as well as managing The Perch and our event bars. Tanner is a graduate of Concordia College and hails from Moorhead, MN. We are very excited to have Tanner on the year-round team.

Jenny Hutzell

Jenny Hutzell

Head Housekeeper

Welcome back to Jenny Hutzell who is our new Head Housekeeper.  Jenny joined the team halfway through the season in 2021 and was instantly an MVP on the team.  Her work ethic, flexibility and can-do attitude are just the tip of the iceberg of her skills.  She graciously accepted the role and is leading the team quite successfully this season.  Originally from the area, she and partner Dennis are snowbirds now, spending their winters in Arizona and their summers at the lake.  Jenny also loves to spend time in Iowa visiting her grandchildren!  Please help us welcome Jenny into this position this summer as she takes care of you and your cabin.

Pete the Pelican and Friends

Pete the Pelican and Friends

Fair Hills Resort Official Pelican

Even though the lake is called Pelican Lake, nowadays there aren’t too many pelicans that show up. On occasions there are some that fly through.The only resident pelicans we have are Pete the Pelican and his friends Penelope, Percy, Pepe and Pierre. They can be seen at the ice cream social, in the Hootenanny,and, on occasions, in the dining room. Most often you will see them in the Fair Hills parade with their friend, the dancing elephant. Pete is usually surrounded by a flock of hugging children who are trying to see which staff member might really be inside. (News to you kids: Pete is a REAL pelican and NO staff member is inside!!!)

Visit Our Other Properties

Whether you’re looking for a quiet getaway, an all-inclusive family vacation, a beautiful course for a round of golf, or an amazing event venue…

The Fair Hills Family of properties has something for everyone.

Five Lakes Resort
Wildflower Golf Course
Barn at Five Lakes