About > Year in Review > Hale Farm & Village
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During Fiscal Year 2011, Hale Farm & Village exceeded revenue goals in most areas, including the café, facility rentals, group tours, general admissions, and retail sales.  Notably, general admissions to the museum increased 6% from the previous year, and museum revenues surpassed fiscal year 2011 budget goals overall by 14%.

A strong annual event calendar and unique, experiential programs for schoolchildren continued to drive attendance in fiscal year 2011.  Highlights from the 2010 summer program season and the fall and winter 2010-2011 seasons included a number of successful community events, such as the annual Music in the Valley Folk Festival and Civil War Reenactment, and a new Made in Ohio Craft Festival Labor Day weekend.  Hale Farm and WRHS planned a series of Civil War 150th commemorative programs, and the creation of new Farm School programs presented in partnership with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park began in earnest.
 
Hale Farm staff participated in the development of the WRHS 150, a new strategic plan that will guide the organization toward its 150th anniversary in 2017.  WRHS staff and Board members refined new Hale Farm initiatives like InHale, integrating such exciting new concepts into the overall plan.  InHale is a new direction that uses the museum’s historic and natural resources to enhance the quality of education programs, and invites old friends and new to come home to Hale to enjoy its natural beauty and serenity.  A unique blend of history and hospitality, InHale brings to life the days of the Hale Inn when C. O. and Pauline Hale transformed the farm into a summering place for city dwellers and boarders during the late 19th century. 

The Western Reserve Historical Society’s focus on family and community history, on entrepreneurship and technology, and on stewardship of the built and natural environment is of particular significance at Hale Farm, where three generations of Hales and their tradition of family farming, entrepreneurship, and hospitality are preserved. 

Education

In fiscal year 2011, approximately 25,000 children participated in year-round educational programs at Hale Farm. 

Hale Farm’s hands-on learning environment includes activities that force students to think about history and its relation to the present time. Special events benefit the community by viscerally connecting people to American and local history.  Curriculum-based programs for students in Grades K-12 align with State of Ohio Academic Content Standards for social studies, literacy, math, science and entrepreneurship. 

Hale Farm presented ten signature education programs during Fiscal Year 2011: 

•    The Roots of Entrepreneurship (Spring): The Early American Craft & Trade program introduces students to the region’s rich entrepreneurial heritage
•    Tour of Hale Farm & Village:  A self-guided tour of Hale Farm, the most popular field trip in Northeast Ohio. 
•    Camp Hale (Summer): One-of-a-kind summer “history” camp for school age children
•    A Child’s Life in Pioneer Ohio (Fall): Children cook over a hearth, dip candles, card wool, perform farm chores, attend a pioneer school, and visit the blacksmith to learn about life as a pioneer child
•    Harvest Festival (Fall): Participants celebrate the changing of the seasons and the harvest traditions of communities long ago
•    Lantern Tours (Winter): Visitors experience 19th-century holidays during a lantern-lit journey through the village on a December night during the Civil War era
•    Maple Sugaring Days (Winter):  Students tap a tree, collect sap and watch Hale Farm livestock draw the sap to the Sugar House where students boil the sap in the evaporator
•    A Fugitive’s Path: Escape on the Underground Railroad (Winter): This 2-hour interactive simulation program engages participants in the issues of slavery during the 1850s
•    In the Big Woods (Year-round): Participants compare and contrast the cultures of American Indians and early Ohio Pioneers
•    Fun on the Farm:  “Informative, educational, and fun.”  More than 560 children and about 200 of their adults participated in Fun on the Farm early childhood education programs.  14 preschools experienced fun, safe, engaging programs that focus on literacy, (Jack Be Nimble), farm life (Little Red Hen; Corn, Squash and Beans), American History (Drum, Fife & Civil War Life), and sustainability (From Milk to Butter, From Sheep to Mitten).   These programs introduce the youngest learners to history, many of which return to Hale Farm in later years for school field trips and youth camps. 

Museum Educators

In November 2010, Hale Farm’s experienced core of interpreters became Museum Educators, the heart and soul of educational programming.  A new reporting structure realigned key staff that interacts with students and general audiences with the core purpose of the museum – education.  The structure reflects a museum focus on accountability, responsibility, authenticity, customer service, and practical museum interpretation.  Museum educators now have increased responsibility for the research, development and evaluation of new and existing education programs. 

Last year, Hale Farm & Village staff presented workshops for educational institutions, including the Ohio Historical Society, Worthington Historical Society, and Teaching American History grant winners. The Hale Farm Education Program Manager presented with teacher partners from Old Trail School at the 2010 Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education in Columbus.   

Summer Public History Internships

Ten college and university students participated in the summer public history internship program, learning the methods and techniques of public history interpretation.  Students were given the opportunity to work with museum administration to coordinate and market large scale public events, including the new Made in Ohio Craft Festival. 
Hale Farm expects the summer internship program to evolve into a year-round operation, giving students a rare opportunity to work with different audiences (students, pre-school aged children, adult learners, groups), and museum staff who manage a non-profit.  The program as it exists teaches students how to interpret – an expanded program will also teach students how to manage a non-profit institution that relies on marketing, fundraising, event planning, and effective budgeting, as well as historic preservation, for success. 

Association for Living History Farms and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM)

The Association for Living History, Farms, and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) formally approved Hale Farm as the host site for the 2013 Annual Meeting and Conference in West Virginia in June 2011.  The Hale Farm Director attended the conference and met with national and regional representatives to discuss preliminary plans and possible themes for 2013.  Full conference planning, local arrangements and committee work will begin in earnest in the fall of 2011 and will continue throughout fiscal year 2012.
 
Partner Schools – Leggett CLC in Akron and Old Trail School in Bath   

Last year, Hale Farm continued its special relationship with two partner schools, Leggett Community Learning Center (CLC) in Akron and Old Trail School in Bath. 

The school – museum – community partnership with Leggett CLC, now in its eighth year, is supported by the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation.  Funding allows the museum and school to continue to work together to provide students with experiences they would not otherwise have. The entire student body participates in programs year-round, including Maple Sugar Days, A Fugitive’s Path: Escape on the Underground Railroad, and A Tour of Hale Farm & Village in the spring.

“It is so wonderful that we have these occasions to take our school as an entire group, regardless of income, disability or advantage, on a field trip. It is unifying, educational, adventurous and just fun, and an experience that our students would not otherwise have and don’t forget. We also feel very lucky to be in partnership with an organization that is so dynamic and responsive to their surrounding community.”  Lisa O’Rourke, Leggett CLC 

 
For nearly a decade, Hale Farm has enjoyed another special partnership with neighbor Old Trail School, a private co-educational school for children through the eighth grade located in Bath.  Old Trail School students experience Hale Farm programs seasonally throughout the year.  Frontier Days is a culminating experience at the end of the school year for students, faculty, and parents.  The museum hosts two annual events – the annual “back to school” party for faculty and their families, and the Old Trail Parents’ Association outing each fall.   

“Hale Farm and Village is a unique asset to our community. Nowhere, in our region, can students benefit from the rich opportunities that Hale Farm and Village offers. Our students, faculty and indeed the entire Old Trail School community recognize its value. Hale Farm and Village helps all of us who dwell in the Western Reserve better understand our history and sense of place.”  Clare McGowan, Old Trail School

Farm School

In fiscal year 2011, Hale Farm formalized its long relationship with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP), the Conservancy for the CVNP, and the Countryside Conservancy to develop new “Farm School” programs.  Hale Farm will be the home base for this initiative designed to bring young people into the Valley for week-long residential camp and rural life experiences.  Park and museum collaborators expect children to gain a greater understanding of where their food comes from, make better choices about the food they eat, appreciate the value of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, and develop a greater awareness about the value of the land around us.   
 
The Farm School is the initial phase of a long-term plan for children and adults to experience locally grown foods, culinary workshops, health and wellness activities and other unique experiences available through this Cuyahoga Valley collaborative.  Farm School builds Hale Farm’s capacity to incorporate real rural life experiences into its robust educational program, a development that will prove beneficial to all of the 25,000+ schoolchildren who experience Hale Farm programs each year. 
 
NEW Farm Education Programs

New farm education programs are in development at three farm sites, including the Pioneer Farm, the Civil War-era Village Farm, and the Victorian Era Hale Farm.  Through this initiative, Hale Farm will preserve and explore the rich tradition of farming, changes in technology, and entrepreneurship in American Society through the experiences of three generations of Hales in the Cuyahoga Valley. 
 
The Pioneer Farm, formerly known as the “First Settlement,” was built in 1999 to explore the experiences of Jonathan Hale and his pioneer family who came to the Western Reserve in 1810.   Situated next to the Maple Sugar Bush and American Indian Settlement, the site is used to interpret the daily lives – the food ways, farming, traditions, commercial activities and politics – of the region’s first settlers.   Programs and events, including Pioneer Suppers and the June Pioneer Festival, bring this important “first” chapter of Western Reserve history to the forefront at the Pioneer Farm. 

The centerpiece of the Village Farm is the 1845 Jonathan Herrick House from Twinsburg, Ohio.  This redeveloped “dairy farm” features the house, barn, fenced animal paddocks, and sufficient land for gardening, animals, and farm chores.  Staff planted a new kitchen garden, constructed a pig pen and chicken coop, and restored the ca. 1854 Hale farm barn to create a more authentic environment for farm programs.  Poland China hogs, Tunis sheep, chickens, and Milking Shorthorn Cattle now populate the Village Farm, an edible classroom that gives people of all ages an opportunity to dig into history.     
 
The plan to revitalize the Hale Farm reflects the vision and entrepreneurship of C. O. and Pauline Hale and the days of the Hale Inn of the late 19th century.  The farm will become a vibrant, safe, and healthy environment for experiential learning.  Restoring the Farm will involve the introduction of period appropriate farm animals to the barnyard, the restoration of the historic apple orchard and kitchen garden, the restoration of original Hale Family buildings, and the introduction of at least one new trade and/or domestic craft to support the “family business.”  Programs will highlight the Hales’ contribution to the community as civic leaders, to sustainable farming and agricultural practices, as well as the overall well-being of guests at the Hale Inn.  The Hale Farm will be the venue for new programs that incorporate Ohio Department of Education “Learning Supports”:  Family and Community Engagement, Food and Nutrition, Health and Wellness and Literacy Improvement.     

Annual Events

Last year, Hale Farm & Village presented twenty public programs and special events for the community.  Attendance at each event increased in fiscal year 2011 from the previous year.  Annual events, including the 35th Annual Music in the Valley Folk Festival (July), the 20th Annual Civil War Reenactment (August), and Fall Harvest Festival (October) are the core of Hale Farm’s summer event calendar, and all three reflect the tradition of partnership with the folk music community, re-enactors, and volunteers respectively. 

Music in the Valley (presented in partnership with FolkNet) attendance increased in 2010 from the year before by 20%, and nearly 100 guests enjoyed music and a meal during Fiddles and Vittles, a new dinner program presented by HFV Catering.   
 
The 2010 Civil War Reenactment was the highlight of the summer season.  About 3,000 people participated in an event that brings the Civil War, the seminal event in American history, closer to the people.  Special presentations and activities, including performances by the Camp Chase Fifes and Drums Corps, an address by President Abraham Lincoln, historic costume and food ways demonstrations, photography, music, and shopping along sutler’s row, a Civil War Ball and a new Dinner with Abraham Lincoln filled the weekend with activity.  For the first time, the Sixth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment participated in the event, a spectacular addition to the encampment and battles that are the highlights of this popular summer event. 

Anxious to energize the fall calendar, Hale Farm introduced the first Made in Ohio Craft Festival Labor Day weekend.   Made in Ohio is a one-of-a-kind shopping experience with products created and inspired by Ohio artisans and Ohio history.  Made in Ohio celebrates and enhances Hale Farm’s longstanding tradition of locally hand-made arts and crafts that include hand-blown glass, pottery, basket, candle, and broom making, and blacksmithing.  With nearly 70 exhibitors and more than 1,300 visitors, the first annual event was a success.  One exhibitor said “this is the best mid-sized show he has ever participated in.”  Plans for the second annual Made in Ohio, Labor Day Weekend 2011, are well underway.

The annual Harvest Festival, presented for the second year in a row by Giant Eagle, featured a weekend public event and two weeks of fall school programs that explore the harvest and agricultural traditions of the Cuyahoga Valley.  Festival attendees enjoyed fall foods, wagon rides, and the beautiful fall scenery at Hale Farm.  About 3,000 students participated in fall programs, and nearly 2,800 people came for the weekend festival. 

Enhanced Living History Programs

Hale Farm’s fall/winter 2010-2011 program calendar featured Farmhouse Suppers (Pioneer Suppers, Civil War Suppers, Victorian Suppers) in the fall, Holiday Lantern Tours in December, and A Fugitive’s Path: Escape on the Underground Railroad in March and April.  These programs are presented in the style of first person interpretation, an interpretive method that blends history and theater for experiences that allow guests to become part of the story.  Well into their 11th season, Farmhouse Suppers, Lantern Tours, and Underground Railroad continue to appeal to audiences looking for unique, meaningful experiences year-round. 
 
The Civil War 150

Hale Farm built on existing daily programs and events, including the Civil War Reenactment, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the start of the War Between the States.  Museum staff and visitors became well acquainted with the 16th United States President, Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, with new events featuring the President and First Lady.  The President delivered an address to crowds of more than 3,000 during the Civil War Reenactment.  He appeared at two Dinners with Abraham Lincoln in August and November, and he and about 150 guests enjoyed a Civil War era Thanksgiving meal with all of the trimmings at the November harvest meal.

In June 2011, Hale Farm partnered with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to present the first (sold out) Abraham Lincoln Campaign Train.  Passengers traveled to visit Hale Farm in the year 1860, where they joined in a rousing political rally on the Village Green and enjoyed a Civil War era picnic lunch with the President, courtesy of HFV Catering.

Historic Preservation

In July 2010, the Hale Farm glassworks reopened to the public after an 18-month hiatus for critical furnace and oven repair.  Hale Farm’s glassworks program represents the beginning of an important regional industry – a vital link from our social and industrial past to the present day, where glass manufacturing remains a key industry in Toledo and Western Ohio.  Additionally, the production of glass is vital to the organization’s retail operation, accounting for at least 30% of sales in the store. 

In 2010, Hale Farm transformed its 1831 Greek Revival Style Stow House into a Village General Store, a uniquely American institution.  The Village General Store became an interpretive venue for the study of commerce and community activity and also serves as an annex for the sale of period appropriate goods and Hale Farm products like pottery, glassware, brooms, and candles.   Hale Farm uses the store to introduce students and families to early American household and business economics, pricing systems, profit margins, customer service – and reminds visitors about the face-to-face community relationships that are quickly vanishing from the American landscape.

Fiscal year 2011 saw the completion of a four-year preservation project that began in January 2007.   Over the last four years, nearly every historic building has been preserved.  In 2007, the Lehner Family Foundation made a generous lead gift that resulted in capital grants from community foundations, including but not limited to the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation, the Sisler McFawn Foundation, the OMNOVA Solutions Foundation, the Akron Community Foundation, and the Alton S. and Carrie Davis Fund of the Cleveland Foundation.
 
Work to stabilize and restore the museum’s 32 historic structures is an ongoing, daily project, and in May 2011, the museum received a $250,000 appropriation from the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission to continue to address prioritized capital projects.  The next critical “phase” of the project will be the establishment of an endowment to support historic preservation at Hale Farm.   

2011 Legacy Award Benefit

The Legacy Award Benefit (May 2011) honored the memory of Patrick H. Reymann, former President and CEO of WRHS, advisor, friend, and advocate of Hale Farm & Village.  Mr. Reymann was the third recipient of the award that recognizes individuals whose impact on Hale Farm has been transformational.  Over 200 guests attended the third annual event presented by the Lehner Family Foundation and the Jean Thomas Lambert Foundation.  The 2011 event was bittersweet for WRHS and particularly for Hale Farm & Village, where Pat’s service to WRHS began in 1985.  His passion for American history, land conservation, agriculture and particularly education made him a natural champion for Hale Farm. The event exceeded budget goals by nearly 30%, and proceeds supported the continuation of Hale Farm education programs.

Earned Income:  A Tradition of History & Hospitality Continues

Last year, Hale Farm focused on growing its earned income opportunities through retail sales of Hale Farm made products, local foods, books, and other relevant goods in two museum stores – the Gatehouse Visitor Center Museum Store and the Village General Store – facility rentals, group tours, food service and catering.   
The Hale Farm & Village Café operated by museum employees, finished its first year of operation in the black, serving historically inspired, home-made foods to thousands of museum visitors during the 2010 season.  Hale Farm remained a popular venue for private parties, primarily wedding ceremonies and receptions, corporate events, and non-profit fundraisers.  In September, Hale Farm became the new home of the American Cancer Society’s annual Cattle Baron’s Ball Charity Fundraiser.  Akron Rotary’s Chili Open, an annual winter golf outing that raises funds to support the Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs, returned in February 2011 for the seventh consecutive year.  Hale Farm hosted the Akron Rotary Camp’s six week summer day camp, also for the seventh consecutive year. 

Hale Farm successfully appealed a 50-year zoning restriction that prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages, a move intended to enhance the visitor experience through the sale of local beer and wine in the Hale Farm Café and boost the facility rental business.

Increased attendance, a focus on streamlining and maximizing earned income opportunities in sales, facility rentals, group tours, and food service, and a new employee culture of accountability and responsibility resulted in a strong performance for fiscal year 2011.  The potential for continued growth in all areas of the operation are strong, and a road map to achieve this potential is outlined in the WRHS 150 Strategic Plan. 

Kelly Falcone
Vice President, Hale Farm & Village