Wedding, Dinners, Reunions, and a Party!
We hope that you’ve had some memorable gatherings this summer. We’ve had a great summer and have been delighted to host some very special events at the ranch.
The SPECIAL EVENT coming up SUNDAY, SEPT 1, 2013 is our End of Summer Party from 11am to 5pm. Bring your family and friends for music, food demonstrations, farm tours, and a goat hike. (Please leave all dogs at home.) We’ll have sausages and the fixings to cook, and we’ll donate a portion of sausage sales to Rogue Valley Farm to School.
Saturday, August 17, in our pasture, we hosted our third Farm to Fork dinner with Matthew Domingo of Farm to Fork Events. Matthew and Erin were married at our Campground Meadow in 2011 and now live in Portland; we love to welcome them back to the area and to the ranch. We were honored to host more than 100 people for the five-course dinner featuring our goat and pork. Neil Clooney, the executive chef from Smithfields in Ashland and Braden Hitt, the executive chef from Elements Tapas Bar in Medford shared the stage at the special “kitchen in the pasture,” and brought out each course paired with wonderful wines from Quady North Winery. Herb and Melanie Quady of Jacksonville gave us the background and vineyard information on their varied and superb wines. We led a short farm tour and, of course, took the opportunity to bring in the rich history of our land and our commitment to pasture-based farming and off-grid living. One of the most memorable moments of the evening was when our pack goat herd came to the long table just as the salad course was being served; the elders of the herd went to the barn as directed, but the babies all stayed for more petting. We really are a working farm, and the guests got to experience that first hand. It is when things don’t go as planned that memories are created.
This summer our land has also been blessed by the two couples who have chosen to hold their weddings at our ranch. It seems that the most prominent reason why couples gravitate to a wedding at Willow-Witt Ranch is because they are looking to provide an experience for their loved ones ….not just the ordinary “event”. In addition to showcasing their love for each other, their family and friends, they are wanting to share their love of nature, farms, and the earth; this stewardship is the reason we do what we do. These couples have also chosen Willow-Witt Ranch because their families and friends are able to stay on the ranch with them, in our Farm House Studio, the Meadow House, the Wall Tents, or in their own tent at our Campground. And when they rent the Campground, the Farmhouse Studio and Meadow House, no other guests will be on the farm; they have the ranch to themselves for the entire weekend.
Additionally, all overnight guests are invited to watch us milk and help (as much as they want) as we feed and care for the animals each morning and evening and to join us for a complimentary Farm Tour — now that’s a unique experience!
Holding large events off the grid can definitely present some operational challenges, but we provide support for events to ensure that while the ranch maintains it’s rustic charm, it provides enough modern amenities to ensure the comfort of guests. We are also grateful to have a handful of partners who work within our off-the-grid parameters to provide the high level of service that our guests expect. Our ranch, or any of our accommodations, can be reserved as an off-grid event location to host private events such as family reunions, friends’ weekends, children’s birthday parties, or specialty retreats for yoga, writing, painting or birding. If you know of anyone who might be interested in hosting a private event, please do pass along our information. Our ranch is a unique and special piece of the earth, and we’d be honored to be the chosen destination for your event.
If you’re in town over Labor Day weekend, don’t forget you can also come up to our our Farm Store for organic produce, goats milk, rainbow eggs and more.
Lastly, we want to remind you AGAIN to come to our END OF SUMMER PARTY this Sunday, September 1, 2013 from 11-5 for Live Music, a BACON demonstration, farm tours, children’s garden activities and sausages.
– Suzanne, Lanita, and The Crew at Willow-Witt Ranch