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News From Horseshoe Bay Farms | |
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A periodic newsletter to connect the mission, history, and current happenings of Horseshoe Bay Farms to all. | | |
2022 NEW RECORDS & TRADITIONS | 4,000 visitors. More than 60 volunteers. Over 150 tours. A one-of-a-kind environmental sculpture. Hosting the Home and Garden event. A new Welcome and Mercantile Center. Rehabilitating a 100-year-old farmhouse. 15 varieties of organic vegetables. 30 varieties of dahlias. This was quite a year for Horseshoe Bay Farms. |  |  |
The Powerhouse Undergoes a Renovation
This summer, we opened a Welcome and Mercantile Center in the Farm’s former powerhouse. The powerhouse presented opportunities, with its unique history and structure, but also challenges. The powerhouse is an original farm structure, formerly supplying electricity to the entire Farm. The basement of the building had housed two diesel-powered generators. The ceiling, floors and windows in the building needed remediation. Crews worked in the Fall of 2021 and Spring of 2022 to shore up the foundation, remediate the soils beneath the structure, and build a new entrance.
With the building renovated, it was possible to bring new merchandise to the Farm, including specially designed t-shirts celebrating our Stickworks sculpture and the artwork of Door County artists Kari Andersen, Richard Brawner and Mary Kay Braza. And, of course, we continued to sell farm-raised vegetables and flowers.
Many thanks to the generosity of several donors and a grant from a local foundation who made this renovation possible.
|  |  | July Fundraiser Marks a Successful Collaboration with the Door County Medical Center Auxiliary | On July 26th, Horseshoe Bay Farms hosted the 61st Door County House and Garden Walk. Nearly 1,000 visitors toured the site, including the assistant farm manager’s house. Volunteers from the Door County Medical Center Auxiliary staffed and planned the event, which included food, beverages and live music. Several local artists set up booths around the property. Horseshoe Bay Farms was thrilled to be chosen as the host site for this event. |  |  | |
Flower Gardens Flourish, As Dahlias Steal the Spotlight
Since 2019, we have been working to establish flower gardens behind the two farmhouses and equipment barns at the south end of the property. Originally, dahlias, zinnias and sunflowers were brought to the Farm by our partners, Cami and Robbie Gunlaugsson of Door County Dahlias. This year, the effort was taken over entirely by HSBF volunteers. From cleaning and planting dahlia bulbs and zinnias, to weeding beds, to constantly fighting off voracious Asian beetles, a dedicated core of volunteers coaxed blossoms from the rocky soil.
Starting mid-August, it became clear that all the effort was worth it! Over 30 varieties of dahlias exploded in vibrant colors. On September 3, we hosted a Dahlia Day. Hundreds of visitors came to stroll through the fields of blossoms, observe floral design demonstrations and buy bouquets lovingly assembled by a phalanx of volunteers.
Visitors continued to stream to the flower gardens throughout the Fall. The gardens became a favorite site for professional and amateur photographers – and even a wedding party or two.
And in October, volunteers labeled, pulled up and placed into storage thousands of bulbs – which by Spring will be ready for 2023. Watch for our notice that tubers will be available for sale in early June.
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Planning for 2023 Is Underway and Volunteers Are Needed
With such a successful season, a lot is riding on 2023 to meet or beat that success. We have lots of ideas on how to expand opportunities to visit and enjoy the Farm. Stay tuned for news on the latest developments!
And a heads up to all you volunteers. We will be reaching out to you over the winter months to gauge your interest and sign you up for volunteer work as soon as we re-open in May, 2023. If you are not certain whether you are on our volunteer list, PLEASE let us know. Send us an email at admin@horseshoebayfarms.org
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Special Thanks Go Out to Our Local Partners
A special thanks to all the local trades that have helped make Horseshoe Bay Farms successful:
Peninsula Property Management,
JAR Builders, Cater Plumbing, Stauber Electric, Baylake Landscaping,
Lakeside Development, Buhr Construction, Lamperts, Project Solutions, Wulf Brothers, Taylor Flooring, Perry Dietzler Masonry, RAK, Inc., Captain Commodes,
Kobussen Buses, Harbor Construction,
AP Epoxy and Rass Excavating.
We couldn’t have done it without you! If you are interested in getting involved in next year’s projects, Let Us Know.
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Stickwork Environmental Sculpture Finds a Home at the Farm | |
We opened the season in June with the construction of Happy-Go-Lucky, a Stickwork environmental sculpture, by internationally renowned artist Patrick Dougherty. With the help of over 45 volunteers, some coming from as far as Florida, Colorado and Kansas, the 30-foot-high structure was constructed in just three weeks. It proved to be a huge draw to the Farm, as visitors to Door County made it a must-see attraction. Many thanks to Sue Nicholas-Fasciano, Crossroads at Big Creek, Darrell and Mettie Lautenbach and Family, and Duane Olson for their generous donations of funds and natural materials. And, of course, to those hard-working volunteers who worked side-by-side with Patrick and Sam Dougherty.
Our Stickwork sculpture is a temporary structure – with a 3-year life expectancy. It is available for viewing year-round during daylight hours, at no charge. (Although donations are always appreciated.)
| The Assistant Farm Manager’s House Is Renovated to Its Former Charm |  | |
In 2018, HSBF moved two of the original farmhouses across the road and to the southwest corner of the Farm property. In 2022, we completed renovation of the second of the farmhouses, originally occupied by the assistant farm manager and his family. New – but historically appropriate – windows were installed. The kitchen and bathrooms underwent an update. The original floors, stairway and banisters were refinished and polished. Donated antiques furnished all of the rooms.
The south farmhouse became the summer home of two full-time volunteers, Scott Stern and Roy Scott, who temporarily relocated for the 2022 season from Florida. Roy took the helm as landscaper and flower gardener, working with a group of other volunteers and Dan Harnois from Peninsula Property Management, to install new landscaping at the Welcome Center and the farmhouses and, of course, in the dahlia and zinnia gardens. Scott was omni-present at the Welcome Center and a frequently requested tour guide.
Again, thanks to the generosity of Nancy Nicholas, the assistant farm manager’s house again is an integral part of life at Horseshoe Bay Farms.
|  | HSBF Embarks on an Oral History Project | |
Photographs, property records and newspaper clippings only get us so far in understanding the deep history of Horseshoe Bay Farms. The real stories come from the mouths of those who lived and worked here. This year, HSBF began a project to mine this history by recording interviews of those who lived that history. With the assistance of Brennan Christiansen, a masters- degreed historian educated at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a group of volunteers, we have begun the task of recording the history of the farm from those who lived it. We have so much more to learn! If you lived or worked at the Farm, or know of someone who did, and we have not reached out to you please
Contact Us
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The HSBF online store is open 24/7! Check out our website to find out what's available and support HSBF.
All of these items and more are available onsite in our Welcome Center and Mercantile.
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Your Donations Are Always Appreciated
Thank you to the many generous souls who donated to Horseshoe Bay Farms this year. We have plowed these funds back into our many farm projects and improvements and into equipment and other items necessary for our day-to-day operations. With new plans underway for 2023, additional funds are needed.
Please donate today on-line (follow the link at the bottom of the page) or by mail at:
Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc., PO Box 296, Egg Harbor, Wisconsin
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Flower Gardens Are Entering a New Phase
The flower gardens at HSBF are truly one of our special features. But as our volunteers well know, those dahlias, zinnias and sunflowers struggled through some rocky soil and rough terrain. So, the flower gardens are getting an upgrade. First, we are re-grading the entire area to create tiered beds, supported by rock walls. Second, we are supplementing that soil with some locally-sourced top soil. Finally, we are expanding the plant selection to include perennials and annuals that span three seasons.
Volunteers, led by Roy Scott and Dan Harnois, have already laid the base by regrading the site and starting construction of rock walls. Almost 1000 spring bulbs were planted in October (and hopefully we’ll outsmart the squirrels, rabbits and other critters who love to snack on flower bulbs).
Much more is left to do. But come May, we’re hoping to sport a whole new look.
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Come Visit us This Winter
The Farm takes on a new face in the snows of winter. Although the Welcome Center and other buildings will not be open, the Farm is accessible. Happy-Go-Lucky our Stickworks sculpture, was designed to take on Wisconsin winters and should look fabulous with a dressing of new fallen snow. Come visit during daylight hours!
Just be careful – no climbing on the structures and rock walls. And wear boots – you’ll need to do some hiking through snow drifts.
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Horseshoe Bay Farms, Inc is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our mission is to act as a responsible steward through preservation, rehabilitation, and activation of historic Horseshoe Bay Farms to secure its future for generations to come.
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