You can rent the back pasture of Winterpast Farm for a bonfire. Please note a bonfire IS NOT a farm tour. You will see some of our animals as you enter the farm entrance gate but there will NOT be opportunities to feed or to hold the animals and Farmer Mary will not be available to chat with you about the different animals. You will be in the back pasture the entire time and not in the front yard where animal pens are.
Text Farmer Mary with bonfire requests. Please state dates you want, ages involved, remind Farmer Mary if you have visited the farm. Please try to provide as much information possible so Farmer Mary can simply reply “yes” and avoid endless back and forth texts. 919-244-1800. Please do not FB message, Instagram message, leave voice mails, or try to email. Texting ONLY please. 919-244-1800. Please text only between 8am and 10pm. Farmer Mary will not return texts made at other times.
Bonfires start in the evening when most of the animals are heading to bed after a long day of farm visits. Farmer Mary will have had a long day of farm chores, farm visits and possibly on-site or away birthdays. Please respect the fact that a bonfire IS NOT a farm tour. Read the “your visit” page about planning a separate farm visit to meet, hold, and feed all the animals.
BONFIRE price is $200 for renting the back pasture for the evening (usually four hours). Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately!
Farmer Mary can provide up to 3 six foot folding tables, electricity (for crockpots, additional lighting, music…) some lighting, tablecloths, some chairs, some picnic tables, assistance with building and lighting and dousing the fire, plenty of wood, 20 long double pronged wooden handled toasting forks. She also has most of what you might forget to bring 🙂
Fires begin around 6 or 7 after the farm visits end for the day and bonfires usually end at 10:00pm. Occasionally this time can be extended. Loud music must end at 11pm for the sake of the neighbors. When you arrive to set up you must keep every person in your group within arms length while you are setting up. Farmer Mary will probably have had the zoo open and will be very busy closing the zoo and she does not want to deal with new arrivals in the petting zoo area. A bonfire is a bonfire. A bonfire is NOT a petting zoo visit. Please be sure every guest understands this before they arrive,
If children are with you plan to watch them very closely around the fire. Glow necklaces (available at most dollar stores) are a good way of keeping track of children. Children may NOT climb wood piles, NOT wander the forest or open gates and MAY NOT enter the front yard unaccompanied by an adult.
The composting toilet in the front yard is available for your use. Please have a flashlight for guests to use as the front yard is not well lit at night.
Parking is by the barn (up to 25 cars IF people park with others in mind) with occasional (really large events) pasture parking. Extra cars can park on the road in front of he zoo with all four tires off the road. Caterers and those with carloads of food and supplies may always park in the pasture. For large parties, the picnic tables and chairs from the front yard can be moved to the pasture, but you will need to do the moving and return them the same night for use the next day.
Tell your friends to be on time for your bonfire event so the front gate doesn’t have to be manned by Farmer Mary all evening. Tell them to park CLOSE TOGETHER at the barn since the parking lot is small. Overflow parking is on Ghoston Road in front of the farm (all four wheels must be off the road) or on Waterline Road just below the farm. If cars park close together at least 25 cars can park in the parking lot by the barn.
