She said yes - part 2

One more thing happened Saturday that I think people should know about. One of our soda fountain employees had a surprise guest come and formally invite her to homecoming - and she said yes.

She said yes - part 1

Last Saturday has given me a lot to blog about. With the bonfire and scarecrow events we had a lot of people on the farm. So, we were a little surprised when all the sudden there was a large wedding party taking some pictures with the barn as a backdrop. When I see things like this it makes me really happy. Yes, of course for the new couple but also for our community. This farm has become a special place for so many people from all over the area. And to think that it was only saved but the slimmest of margins from becoming yet another subdivision. Thank you Glenview for saving some of our town's history for our future generations.

Bonfire at Wagner Farm

Saturday was a busy day at the farm. Not only did we have the scarecrow building and the farmers market but was also hosted the Bonfire event. Over the years this has grown to be a local favorite. Somehow we were able to squeeze it in between all the rain. Numbers were down a little but we still had over 1,400 visitors that evening.

Scarecrows a plenty

On Saturday the farm hosted the annual family scarecrow building event. It had rained really hard that morning so it looked like we would have to cancel. Just as the event was set to start the sky opened up and showed a little bit of sun. To cover our bets however we moved the event from the big field to under the porch. It made it a little tight but everyone seemed to have a great time. There is just something funny about people carrying these stuffed bodies to their cars.

This morning

With all the rain we have been getting it isn't surprising that we get rainbows once in a while. Today's rainbow was pretty interesting in that one leg started at the Wagner farmhouse with the other one at the heritage center. The sight of it made our own Patrick McGuire jump for joy, and then mumble something about rehidding the pot of gold.

Old friends

Before I came to Wagner Farm I was the director of a historic site in Lafayette, Indiana. The place was called the Museums At Prophetstown. It was a unique venture between the State of Indiana and the museum. The concept was to have a historical attraction within the boundaries of the new state park that they were just completing. The Museums at Prophetstown had three different areas of interpretation. There was the 1811 Native American village, a restored tall grass prairie and a 1920's farm. To be working on such a massive new project was very exciting. The hard part being, this was the first time Laura and I had moved away from home. With a six month old baby and no family around it wasn't easy. As the museum got up and rolling I put out the call for volunteers for the historic farm. We were blessed to not only attract a great corps of helpers but also people who made Laura, Cassidy and I part of their family. When the time came to move on to the next job is was hard to leave our Indiana family. This week Helen, Lucille and Jean came up to Glenview to check in on me. We had a good time talking about the old days and showing what we've been up to recently.

Let's Play Two!

Join us this Saturday for a double bill! Build a scarecrow from 12-3 pm. $5 buys you a pumpkin head and straw. You bring your old clothes to stuff! Then come back in the evening from 5-8 pm for a harvest bonfire. $3 per person gets you cider and s'mores. There's nothing like autumn at the farm.

Pumpkins are here !

It is Fall and time to bring on the pumpkins. Last month when we got the straw shipment I had a picture where Blackie the cat was hiding amongst the bales. Too keep with the theme I lured Blackie over for the photo shoot. While interested, he still manages to play it cool for the camera.

First 4-H meeting of the year

Last night we kicked off the 2012 4-H year for the Glenview Clovers. There was a lot of excitement as we talked about upcoming events and projects. And like most meetings, it is very important to have cake !

Timber !

Sorry for the long break between posts. It is not because there hasn't been anything going on. Actually, it is quite the opposite. Thank you to all the blog readers who check in with me to make sure I know they are ready for some new posts. (O.R.!)

Last week we had a crew come in and do some tree trimming and removal. Like the rest of the Northshore communities, the farm has been hit hard with Emerald Ash Borer. This is a little insect that gets into the tree bark and then eats the "bloodlines" of the tree until it kills them and then moves on to the next tree. There are treatments to protect the trees but so far they are only partially successful. Between the Ash borer, the Dutch Elm Disease and the bad storms of recent, the town of Glenview is looking hurt.

I have to give props to the guys from the tree crew. Without hesitation, they not only climbed to the top of the trees, then they proceeded to hack the trees down and perfectly place every falling branch. It was so impressive that a bunch of people stood in awe watching these men working. I looked out my office window and wondered what had so captivated all these people's attention. When I saw what they were looking at I had to snap a couple of shots.

Around the farm

These fall nights have been so nice lately. Here's a few shots from around the farm.

Barn Dance 2011

This past weekend we had 800 or so of our best friends over for a little barn dance and ice cream social. Of all the events we do the barn dance is one of my favorites. While we strive for public interaction, most of our events are heavy on the seeing part. The barn dance is all about the doing. Families taking the time to be together on an amazing fall night and just enjoying the fun. Thanks to everyone who came. Next event, the Harvest Bonfire is September 24th from 5-8.

Barn Dance II

Barn Dance III

Annual Blessing of the Pets

One of the relationships that I'm proud to have in the community is with Saints Peter and Paul Greek Church across the street. Through a great partnership they allow us to use their parking lots for our events and even the weekly farmers market. One of the fun things we do is participate in their blessing of the pets ceremony. Some years we take the big horses and other years little calves. It is always a hit to have the farm represented.

Mangelwurzel

A couple weeks ago I wrote about the Polish ground cherry that Paul had planted in the house garden. I thought I would introduce you to something else that Paul put in and is just as bizarre, Mangelwurzel. This is in the beet family and is most popular in central Europe. Interestingly, it isn't grown for human consumption, although people do eat them. They are mostly used as fodder for livestock. The first mention of them being purposefully cultivated is in the early 18th century. I pulled a few and tossed them into the chicken yard to see if there was any interest by the birds. Within a couple hours one of the mangels was gone and they had started on the next one. I'm going to try the horses next. Funny thing is, our dairy animals get dried beet pulp in their regular rations. There really isn't anything new.