Farm Barn Update!

It might be the middle of winter here at camp, but what continues to bring us warmth and a whole lot of sunshine is the thriving daily life of our Farm Barn! For many of you, the Farm Barn has become a new camp favorite. Whether it be the animals, garden, river trail, or Mountain Biking that draws you, we can all admit - the Farm Barn is near and dear to our hearts these days!

Devan and Elizabeth are at the helm of the fun, and we get to witness their artistry and love for the farm throughout the year (along with their two ADORABLE children, Edie and Charlie!). As you know, during the summer, Elizabeth runs our Thunderhead program. And as of this year, we are so excited to have Devan managing our garden and making pottery in a horse stall (you heard it here first folks!).

Campers, get excited, Devan has lots of fun up his sleeve for Farm Barn class! We are anxious to see his love for the arts, plants, and animals come together in one dynamic activity!

We asked Elizabeth a few questions about daily life on the Farm - enjoy!

• Was the Director, Lake, or Pig, the biggest inspiration behind Edie’s name? Definitely the pig. She was born into the farm life! But really, we love the name Edith and it’s a family name.

• Rumor has it Poptart recently got a new saddle. Can campers ride Poptart? Unfortunately, anyone over the age of 3 cannot ride Poptart, but Edie has been loving “her pony Poptart”. She has ridden her several times and is thrilled with herself! Recently, she was pulled down when Poptart saw some delicious grass and couldn’t control herself…minor setback and we expect a full recovery from Edie. Edith is one of the few people who can catch Poptart these days!

• How is the new baby pig, Zelda, acclimating to farm life? Zelda is thriving. She loves all the food around the barn, follows me to feed every animal, and steals bites of their food in the process. She loves getting belly rubs, snuggles, and coming inside! She “likes” Millie and Edith, but is yet to form a true bond…she is still part person at this point.

• What happens with the outdoor animals when it snows / gets super cold outside? They stay outside! Most of the animals do better in snow than this nasty rain we have been having. The cold snow insulates their backs rather than the wet rain soaking them. They have a hard time warming up from that! We toss a little extra hay out when the weather drops to make sure their bellies are warm and full and they all have shelter to escape the wind/rain!

• When do you begin planting for Farm and Garden and how do you decide what to plant? We will start planting in March, that way we have some things in the ground ready to pick for Junior Camp! We try to keep in mind what was popular last summer, while rotating in a few new things as well. We pick a broad selection of seeds/starters, then see what we can grow, harvest, and use during the summer. It’s always so cool to eat what you grow! Devan always likes to throw in a few random things to to keep campers on their toes.

• As a kid, did you grow up aspiring to be Director of the Riding Program and Farm and Garden? I have always LOVED animals, playing in the garden, and riding horses. As I grew older, I knew that I wanted all of those things to be a part of my life - as well as camp! When the opportunity opened up to run Farm Barn and Thunderhead, it was a no brainer. It combined all of my loves!

• At what point will you be able to put your children to work? I am counting down the days!!! Edie’s starting to pull her weight by collecting eggs, throwing hay for horses, and filling waters. She can be a bit bossy at times… but she is learning! Charlie’s got some time, he’s enjoying hanging in the backpack while I work for now!