It’s A Dinner Party!
Have you ever wanted to attend Story Time In A Barn, Take Horse Riding Lessons (All Ages), Attend a Princess Tea/Unicorn Party, Explore Iowa Wildlife, Learn About Knights, Learn How to Groom a Horse, Learn About Equine Careers, “Paint” a pony, or Be a “Real” Cowboy”? If you know of youth interested in some of these classes, check out this link Wolfe Ranch 2019 Calendar of Events.
Did you know that you can surprise someone with a gift certificate to attend a camp here at the ranch or buy a gift certificate for horse riding lessons. The certificates make great presents! You can also make a reservation for a birthday party, graduation party, or other upcoming events! Call 641-752-3912 or message us through FB to make a reservation. You can also now pay on-line!
Greetings from the Wolfe Ranch! As we are writing this blog, Iowa currently has a blustery windchill of -53 degrees on this chilly January day ….brr. Here at the Wolfe Ranch, we are busy planning for (and dreaming of ) warmer days, and we are excited to share the 2019 calendar with many NEW events SOON! In the meantime, here’s a chronological look what we accomplished in 2018.
In April 2018, there were some key ranch staffing changes as David (“Cowboy Dave”) was hired as the new onsite Ranch Manager, and Melissa came on staff to help with office management, and marketing/programming.
In June, summer horse riding lessons were added, and a new program “Story Time At The Stables” was held for children with story time in the barn, songs, crafts, meeting “Cowboy Dave”, and petting horses/ponies. 
“Grooming 101” was held for school aged youth and taught the basics of horse grooming and safety. We had over 60 youth attend these three camps in June. We also successfully hosted our first ranch themed birthday party!
In July, the ranch ended up playing a very unexpected role in helping the Marshalltown community with tornado disaster relief. Through word of mouth and media, we were able to reach out to the community to provide meals here at the ranch (the meals were prepared/donated by various restaurants), and provided a place for people to shower, do laundry, or stay if needed. Many families and a Disaster Relief Team ended up physically staying here and maxed out the ranches sleeping capacity over a period of three weeks. Those who visited and stayed here, could not believe what beautiful accommodations they had been blessed with, and were thankful for our hospitality.
In August, the ranch staff donated 6 riding lessons and two camp admissions to a Marshalltown Strong Community Fundraiser Event, and 100% of this events funding went to MICA for families in need. The ranch staff also met with the Marshalltown Library Children’s Director, and donated two children’s camps for an upcoming drawing.Finally, the ranch donated 6 free riding lessons to those who registered at the Family Services/Wolfe Ranch/Hope4Healing Booth at a Carnival in the Park Event in Newton, Iowa. The riding lesson winner was drawn via FaceBook Live in our barn.
Fall at the ranch went by quickly as we were busy making hay, repairing fences, marketing, and hosting booths at community events. Dave continued to teach Fall horse riding lessons, and we began boarding horses at the ranch. The ranch hosted a new volunteers meeting and we were thankful that several new volunteers came on board to help out with projects and camps.
In September and October, the ranch hosted My Pretty Pony Camp, and Cowboy Camp. The camps were a huge success and a lot of fun for the staff, volunteers, and the campers. We received positive feedback from the campers and families as to how much the young people loved coming out here, and at the end of the day, many of the kids didn’t want to leave. 
Another favorite Fall activity was the Marshalltown Oktemberfest parade, in which the ranch float was pulled by a team of four Clydesdales owned by one of our board members, Steve Fevold. It was a great time for all!
In November, the ranch launched our Caring for Our Horses campaign to help rebuild our front fence along the Highway. If you are interested in learning more about this campaign click here.
Our end of the year finale, Christmas in the Stables, was held at the Wolfe Ranch December 14-15, 2018. The event was a tremendous success, and was well attended! The 50 degree Iowa December weather was incredible, and even our 4-legged friends enjoyed getting dressed up for the occasion. 
Our barns were beautifully decorated by area businesses and organizations that competed in a stall decorating contest. Canned goods were collected for our local Salvation Army’s food pantry, and inside the ranch house was beautiful holiday decor, Christmas lights, music, and Santa. Vendors helped holiday shoppers finish last minute shopping. Finally, two non-profits, NEI3A and Hope4Healing, procured and decorated our ranch bedrooms with Christmas trees of all sizes and decorations for those who had lost their decorations during the Marshalltown tornado and flooding afterwards. It was rewarding to see the smiling faces and tears when the trees and decorations were given out to those in need.
As we gear up for 2019, the ranch staff is putting together many new programs for youth including a new line-up of summer day camps for children and new programming for our Veterans. Don’t miss out, follow the Wolfe Ranch on facebook, or go to our website at https://www.wolferanchquakerdale.org/ for more information about future events! We look forward to serving you in 2019!
On December 14-15, 2018, the Wolfe Ranch hosted Christmas in the Stables. The event was a tremendous success, and the 50 degree December weather was incredible! Even our 4-Legged friends enjoyed getting dressed up for the occasion!
Our barn stalls were beautifully decorated by Great Western Bank, Hometown Veterinarian, Salvation Army, Classical Conversations, and Quakerdale Family Services. During the event, our guests participated in our stall voting contest and the proceeds earned from this fundraiser will help care for our horses in 2019. Thank you to everyone for who particpated in this contest, each stall was beautifully decorated, and many visitors had a tough time deciding which stall to vote for! Congratulations to this year’s winner, 
Great Western Bank of Marshalltown, with their creative “candy land theme stall” (See the photo to the right). Also, thank you to those who brought canned goods to our barn to help fill the newly remodeled Salvation Army pantry that was damaged during the July 2018 tornado.
Inside the ranch house itself, …holiday decor, Santa, Christmas lights, music, and vendors helped holiday shoppers keep the mood festive and finish last minute shopping. We extend a very special thank you to our vendors: Barefoot Books, Simply Good Skin Care, Tupperware, Chuck Friend Photography and Belt Buckles, Scentsy, & Hope4Healing.
As a special treat, many of the ranch bedrooms were decorated by Hope4Healing and NEIA3A. These two non-profits were able to procure donations of beautiful artificial trees of all shapes and sizes and an abundance of Christmas decorations. After the Christmas In The Stables event, the trees and decorations were given out and delivered to those who lost their decorations in the Marshalltown tornado or the flooding afterwards. The Wolfe Ranch Staff would like to thank H4H and NEI3A for the hard work that they put into this project. It was rewarding to see the smiling faces and tears when the trees and decorations were given out to those in need. 
The Wolfe Ranch is thankful to have been a small part in this relief effort, and are blessed to have had this opportunity to give back to our community. It is our hope that many of those impacted by the tornado were able to take some time as a family, and come out to Christmas At The Stables and simply relax and enjoy their visit here.
PeakOur staff is working to finalize our 2019 activity calendar. Stay tuned for some very exciting announcements in the next few weeks. Please make sure to check out our website at www.wolferanchquakerdale.org Like and follow the Wolfe Ranch on Facebook so you don’t miss out on some very exciting activities!
Here’s your first sneak peak….Go ahead….Save the date….
It’s hard to believe that next Friday (December 14th from 2-8 pm) and Saturday December 15th from 10am to 4 pm), it will be time for our Christmas In The Stables Event! While you are here at the ranch enjoying the animals, lights, and beautiful Christmas decor, stop into the ranch house to visit our vendor’s! Also, our special visitor, Santa, will be here from 6-8 pm on Friday and 2 pm to 4 pm on Saturday!
…………………………………Here’s a sneak peak…………………………………
Simply Good Skin Care by Erica Lyon
https://www.facebook.com/simplygoodskincare
Barefoot Books by Andrea Nelson
Http://www.barefootbooks.com/Ashley-Nelson
Chuck Friend Photography and Belt Buckles
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chuck-Friend-Photography
Tupperware with Jeanne Hanson
jeanne.tupperwisesales@gmail.com
Scentsy by Denise Thompson
Hope4Healing Bake Sale to support their Ministry
www.hope4healingquakerdale.net or 1855-584-HOPE (4673)
We hope you will join us. Please call the ranch with any questions at 641-752-6446. Details are below!
Wolfe Ranch—The Hidden Jewel of Marshalltown
“I’ve driven by the ranch for years, and always wondered what you do here. My curiosity has gotten the better of me and I thought that I’d stop in”, said a truck driver who recently stopped in for a quick chat and tour of the Wolfe Ranch. After the tour, the truck driver said, “wow this place is the hidden jewel of Marshalltown, I’ll definitely be back my family would love to visit!This place is amazing, and I’m so glad that I stopped by!”
Chances are you may have been wondering this same question ….what kind of programming goes on at the Wolfe Ranch? Watch our video to answer these questions and more! Please share and don’t forget to follow our facebook page for the latest information about new programming!
https://spark.adobe.com/video/d5CmDOLaERTWj
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