If there is one event that exemplifies my ability to foster public relations while showcasing my organizational and event planning skills, it would be the annual Farm Fall Day event at Ramblin’ Vewe Sheep Farm. This annual undertaking was born out of not only my love for Ramblin’ Vewe, but my passion towards agricultural education and community.
Ramblin’ Vewe Sheep Farm was established as a conservation trust back in 2008 and since then, the farm has not done much to establish itself within the community, aside from opening its walking and biking trails to the public. This turned out to be a bit of a problem. As a nonprofit, the farm relies on donations from community members, donations that, at times, are slow coming. As a community member, I recognized that Ramblin’ Vewe had to do more, the farm needed to interact with the community.
In 2022, I went to the farm’s board of trustees and proposed the idea of hosting a yearly open house to bring the community to the farm. I wanted this to be an opportunity to show people what we did and educate the public on the history of farming all while fostering a deep sense of community. To my delight, the board agreed to the event, leaving me with a slightly bigger problem; planning my first ever event, and a big event at that.
With the help of two trustees, the farm manager, and some local resources, I was able to put together a team of retired educators to help me plan this event. Over the course of three months, my team and I stitched together the first ever Fall Farm Day at Ramblin Vewe Farm complete with a barbeque, a pie auction, hayrides down to the pumpkin patch, a sunflower field, woodland scavenger hunts, oxen demos, sheep shearing demos, apple catapult competitions, a small petting zoo, and even a family game area equipped with pumpkin tic-tac-toe, cornhole, pumpkin checkers, and pumpkin bowling.
Thankfully, this event was a huge success and in 2023, we were able to grow the event to include not only just a barbeque but several food trucks including an ice cream truck, a flash mob performed by the “Wicked Witches of The Lakes Region,” pumpkin painting, local craftsman and vendors, and an entire section dedicated to teaching the fiber arts. Once again, this event received a huge turn-out.
Unfortunately, 2023’s Farm Fall Day was my last Farm Fall Day with Ramblin’ Vewe as I had recently moved to New York City and had to take a significant step back. While I am devastated to no longer be at the help of this wonderful project, I am very proud of the amazing team I left behind and more than confident in their ability to grow and support this event for years to come.
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