In a letter dated March 20th from the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation we learned that we were one of eighteen recipients of the very first Heritage Barn Grants in the state of Washington. I remember the crazy timing of the grant deadline which coincided perfectly with the unprecedented flooding of December of '07. As a matter of fact some representatives of the program were due to come out and have a look at the barn on December fourth, one day after the South Fork of the Chehalis rose to record heights and filled our Valley with water. We had two feet of water in the house. My wife reminds me that they called just as the water began to creep through the vents in the floor and we were trying to arrange a rescue by boat off our front porch. When it rains it pours.
So. I wrote the grant while living in a rented house and negotiating with insurance companies over the loss of everything we owned. I have never written a grant before and after pleading with any and every person I thought could do a better job than I could I just put my shoulder to it and let the fact that we love this old barn, and are just naive enough to fix it speak for itself. This and the fact that we do live in an area of historic significance, as well as the fact that this really is a sweet old barn worth saving must have weighed heavily in the decision to grant us this opportunity. So what next? A party yo.
We invited customers and friends to the farm for a gourmet dinner, live music and hay rides. We served dinner to over 125 people cooked up by Brian a chef at Porta Fino in Olympia. It was an insane menu with grilled vegetables, herb rubbed lamb, local game hen, desert, local micro brew.....
All from within 50 miles of the farm. The music was outstanding and the company without compare. It was the best party I have ever been to. We also raised over three thousand dollars to help with our end of the matching grant for the barn. Then the work starts.......
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