Youth hostel, country inn, and retreat

After the settlement of Frank's lawsuit, members of the extended Rue family and various friends and associates began appearing at Innisfree every weekend, and often for weeks or months at a time. Most Fridays while I was enrolled college in central New Jersey, I would join my parents on a drive to Innisfree, and return on Sunday nights. In November 1985, after I finished graduate school, I was grateful to be able to move to Milanville full-time, to keep an eye on the place and greet walk-ins. I also continued to do the marketing and publicity for Innisfree, writing press releases, newsletters, and correspondence.

Although I had been out west since late 1976, living in Utah, Colorado, and Texas for school and military service, during those years I missed the Upper Delaware Valley. Since sixth grade, it had remained my goal to eventually live at Innisfree. There was plenty of room for me to live comfortably in the apartment over the rec hall, and I accepted a job as a houseparent at the Wayne County Group Home in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, from 3 PM on Fridays through 10 PM Sunday nights. During the week, I wrote full-time for and otherwise kept busy at The River Reporter newspaper in Narrowsburg as a contributing editor. I also briefly served as its business manager. The newspaper work became part-time for me when I was hired as a probation officer in Sullivan County where I stayed for two years before accepting a family therapist position with Berkshire Farm Center and Service for Youth in Sullivan County, and then moved on to clinical counseling jobs with Sullivan County and State of New York.

For the next decade, Innisfree continued to be operated by the Rue family as a hostel for people of all ages (not just "youth") to come enjoy the scenic beauty of the Upper Delaware. Innisfree was chartered by American Youth Hostels in 1986. 

To ensure that continued operation was permitted, a letter was written on Innisfree letterhead asking the Conference of Upper Delaware Townships (which was then drafting a River Management Plan to aid the 15 towns and townships in the Upper Delaware River corridor, the National Park Service, and the Delaware River Basin Commission) to include hostels as a "permitted use" in the Skinner's Falls segment of the Upper Delaware River corridor, which was done. 

A core group returned to Innisfree each summer, or as often as their lives permitted them to do so. Some were 1970-71 Innisfree campers. Others may once have attended a workshop or weekend retreat there. Occasionally, a few even remembered the place as Hillside Acres, and still returned. All were beguiled by the beauty of the river valley. I am told that even now (2024), people still stop to meet the current owner and see the property. 

As of a meeting of on June 24, 1990, Innisfree's board of trustees consisted of: Bud Rue (president), Ann Rue (v.p./treasurer), Tom Rue (secretary), David Rue, John Rue, Robert Woldin, Paul Gerhard, George Bailey, and J. Andrew Prickett. Throughout the 1980s, Innisfree's board made it their stated mission that the premises be offered and be available for use by local residents for as diverse educational and other nonprofit purposes.

• Innisfree rec hall hosted meetings of the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship; 
• Upper Delaware Amnesty International, Chapter #533 (founded by Liz Huntington and Dan Brinkerhoff of Galilee and Bud Rue) met in the main house; 
• Early meetings of the Wayne County chapter of Habitat for Humanity, founded by Bud Rue in 1990 with the widespread support today of multiple faith organizations and local people; 
• lodging and rehearsal space for the "Innisfree Festival of New Plays," some directed by John Rue at the Nutshell in nearby Lake Huntington
• open-to-the-public yoga classes, taught by neighbor Susan Sullivan; a venue for dances, concerts and other events to raise funds for various local and not-local projects and organizations.

An April 20, 1989 edition of The River Reporter carried a headline, "Nonprofit retreat center to open all week," followed by an article which announced:

"In recent years, the nonprofit retreat center has only accepted guests on weekends. While Innisfree's main focus is organized groups, individual guest and families are also welcome. 

"The facility is owned by Ann and Bud Rue, until June of Lawrenceville, NJ; now taking up full-time residence in Milanville. Formerly, they commuted every weekend. Bud Rue is president of Innisfree Corporation, which leases the premises. Its nine trustees, none of whom are paid, meet once per year. 

"Bud is about to retire after 25 years of public teaching experience, and Ann from 20 years in private, nonprofit day-care administration and teaching.