Frapp appointed new GM of lodge
Tapoco – If you spend any time with Valerie Frapp, you will quickly learn just how much she loves Tapoco Lodge.
The Graham Star visited the historic location – tucked away in the northwestern corner of Graham County, just a few miles south of Deals Gap – to meet with Frapp about her new role as general manager, a seat that had remained empty since the sudden passing of Kim Vaught on Jan. 10.
Frapp was selected from a pool of 25 candidates and officially appointed May 28.
“I had been filling the role for a while, so it came natural to my peers,” Frapp said. “Other managers were (encouraging me), ‘You need to apply!’
“I was a little nervous when I moved here from Oklahoma, but people here have opened up their hearts to me and my daughters. This will always be home. I can’t say enough about our school system. It takes a village and going to a new village – with two teenage daughters – is by far the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“I just want to thank Graham County for opening up and welcoming my daughters with open arms.”
To wander through the lodge is like taking a step back to a simpler time. Several post-office boxes from Tapoco’s days as a town remain in the wall on the main entry floor. Rooms have no televisions, and exposed brick walls still adorn several of the nine rooms inside the lodge itself. There are also 18 cabins for rent, spread across the grounds.
A full-service bar and restaurant sits on the banks of the Cheoah River, known for its multiple releases that draw a wide range of kayakers throughout the year. The lodge also boasts wedding and reception space, as well as tennis courts, the “Tin Can” – a multi-purpose hall – and 11 hiking trails.
At the helm sits Frapp, who is like a walking encyclopedia of knowledge about Tapoco.
Hired as the event/marketing manager at the lodge in 2019, Frapp has absorbed a lot of knowledge and even admitted that with her new duty – and subsequent responsibilities – has missed being able to show guests and visitors around the location.
“There’s so many beautiful and amazing things about Tapoco,” Frapp said. “I could bubble over it all day, but the employees on staff are what makes Tapoco. You will see it in review and review; they just brag about the staff here.
“We love what we do and we’re totally blessed with those that have chosen – and continue – to work at Tapoco.”
Tapoco Lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 2004, so to alter the amenities much further would jeopardize the designation.
However, there is one thing Frapp is looking to improve: the local perception of Tapoco.
“We’re just going to keep everything that’s been working, going,” Frapp said. “There may be a few improvements we see along the way. I do want to bring the locals here, more and make them feel welcome. I think that has been overlooked a little in the past.”
The lodge was constructed in 1930 and today, boasts 74 employees that work across 122 acres.