Thank You from the Farm!

Friends of the Farm's 16th Annual Barn Dance Fundraiser took place on Saturday, March 3 at Center. Thanks to the generous support from the community, our sponsors, and volunteers-- the event was a total success!

Over 190 guests turned out for an evening of fun and to help us raise money to feed and care for the animals and preserve the Lewis Oliver Farm. Guests enjoyed a delicious assortment of food served throughout the night at open dining stations sponsored by Maroni Cuisine, Copenhagen Bakery, Aunt Chilada's, Three Amigos and Jimmy's Pizza as well a fresh seafood bar presented by Friends of the Farm.

Peter Engelmann did an outstanding job emceeing the event and the sounds of John Sherman and the Ghostriders along with Valerie Sauer & Jeff Mucciolo and the Moonshine Band kept everyone up on the dance floor.  And what an eclectic dance scene it was with a mix of country moves, hip-hop, conga and kick lines and, yes, even breakdancing!

The excitement continued throughout the night with guests buying a record number of raffle tickets and placing silent-auction bids vying to win an array of fabulous prizes donated by our local business owners and friends within the community. Prizes included gourmet gift baskets, designer jewelry, original work by local artists and photographers,  theater tickets, gift certificates to restaurants, salons and more. Please visit our Sponsor’s page to see the complete list of our event sponsors.

To add to the excitement, we also held the long-awaited drawing for the charming Victorian playhouse that has been on display at the farm since last summer. The playhouse was generously donated to the farm by a local resident who wanted it raffled off to help raise money for the animals. Special thanks to Girl Scout Troop #1604 for donating their time to beautifully refurbish the playhouse in preparation of the raffle. Chances went on sale starting last summer and were available for purchase through the night of the dance where the winning ticket was pulled up on stage by Friend of the Farm member, Wendy Erlandson who organized and oversaw the project. A local Northport family was the lucky winner!

In addition to funding the costs of food and veterinarian care for the animals, the proceeds from our event will also help fund some special springtime projects in which we plan to:

• Convert a storage area adjacent to the barn into more living space for the animals
• Purchase wall mounted hay racks to improve feeding efficiencies
• Implement an organic and more effective fly-control program
• Build “Tiny” the pig a larger hut to better accommodate his size and to help keep him warmer during the winter months.

We are excited to get started on these projects to further enhance the quality of animal care and to make visiting the farm an even more enjoyable and enriching experience for everyone in the community.

Thank you again for your support...we couldn't have done it without you!

See you at the farm!