The Farm’s Features
The Farm at Prophetstown features a large white farmhouse which is a replica of a Sears & Roebuck Company catalog house. It also has a smaller tenant house, a red barn, and other buildings for storing farm equipment. There’s a blacksmith shop, apple orchard, chicken coops, milk house, and windmill. It all represents life in 1920s Indiana.
The Farm hosts events like barn dances, trick-or-treating, vintage baseball games, and Homesteaders Day. They offer blacksmithing and dried flower workshops and have a plein air painting class. You can also purchase beef, pork, and vegetables from the farm store, and yes, they’re all from The Farm!
Finding Your Third Place
The term “third place” was a new one to me, but it’s been around for a while. The term comes from an urban sociologist named Ray Oldenburg. He wrote a book called Great Good Place in 1989 where he argues that coffee shops, bars, community centers, and even hair salons are the type of informal hangout places where community is truly developed.
While your home is your first place, and your work is your second place, these third places are public, casual spaces where new and old relationships form. A third place is typically a neutral space where everyone is on the same level. They’re places that provide time for conversations and connections to happen, a spot with a balance of regulars and new faces. Plus, a third place is wholesome, invokes playfulness, and is often connected to nature.
Lee sees The Farm as a third place. He explains, “I see people bringing their picnic lunches out and feeding the chickens and just coming here and relaxing…once you come in the park, the Farm's free to access. I mean, you can come and enjoy and be a part of it and just get away from the busyness of the world and your life and the work and make The Farm your third place.”
In a time where a person’s home and work are often within the same four walls, the need for a third place is even more important. These places offer a chance to connect with each other and the outdoors. They’re refreshing and enjoyable spots where you can re-center yourself. The Farm at Prophetstown is a perfect third place, and arguably, so are all of our state parks!
Farm-to-Table Dinners
One of the third place events The Farm hosts is the farm-to-table dinners. If you're looking for a unique adult event with your friends, this would be really fun! They host the dinners in the farmhouse, so Lee describes the monthly events as “more of an intimate, social” event with a 30-plate maximum.
While there is a chef on staff, Lee also works with local chefs who come up with the menu based on what is growing seasonally. The rotating chefs offer creative, fresh menus with no risk of repeat meals. Lee explained, “Every chef is going to have their style, and they also have a different following. And I let them be creative. You know, it doesn't have to be 1920s, but have a 1920s thought to it… And that's why chefs like coming out here.”
The themed five-course dinners have menus that will absolutely make you hungry. Here's what was served at a meal last fall: autumn harvest salad, pumpkin bisque, chestnut and wild mushroom risotto, rosemary rubbed ribeye with butternut squash puree, roasted brussel sprouts, and French apple cake for dessert! Yum!
You’ll want to visit The Farm's website for each month's menu and to make reservations. Going to a farm-to-table dinner at The Farm is still on my to-do list!
Animals on the Farm
The part of The Farm kids will especially love is all the animals. Wandering around the native flower beds, you’ll see ducks, chickens, turkeys, geese, and cats. In pens there are sheep, pigs, a donkey, and goats. There are also several cows. One of them named Penny they've had since she was a calf. She had to be bottle-fed around the clock as a baby, so she's a special one for the staff. And finally, there are horses that are used at events throughout the year.
With all these animals, The Farm works closely with Purdue University which provides them with veterinary care. They even come out to the Farm and provide public education and advice. In the episode, Lee shares tips for those interested in raising chickens, even in a suburban environment. His biggest advice is to connect with Purdue Extension to find the real experts near you.
Planning Your Visit
The Farm is fun any time of the year, but I would plan a visit based on who is with you. With kids, look for a big event where they can engage with as many old-fashioned games and activities as possible. They’ll like the little store inside the farmhouse and will enjoy the animals too!
If you’re coming with adults, you’ll feel like you time traveled to your grandmother’s house, so enjoy the trip down memory lane. Then be sure to reserve a spot at a farm-to-table dinner. I hope you find your third place here.
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