Calm before the fun

EPHRATA — Growing season may be done at Cloudview Farm but the ag attraction’s Education and Community Coordinator Julie Johnston and Operations Manager Anna Moore are hard at work prepping for another year of events at the Ephrata business.

“We’re not open to the public during the winter, because what we do is all our back-end planning and prepping for next year,” Johnston said.

The pair have a lot in the works for the next calendar year, including possibly setting up winter events for the first time. Visitors can look forward to a wide slate of items including a spring festival, the third Annual Sunflower Fest, and a fall festival, the pair said. That’s in addition to reopening their farm store, hopefully in late spring, to let visitors come in and shop for produce, crafts and other items that are delicious, pragmatic or just plain fun. 

The business is closed due to the weather, but Moore said the farm is getting into the holiday spirit.

“We have a machine that’s called a tree spade and it digs very large trees,” she said. “And we actually plopped a big 20-foot ponderosa pine in the middle of our meadow and we’ve decorated it with Christmas lights.”

Locals are also welcome to drop off their used Christmas trees to help the farm’s goats get a snack in. They simply ask that all decorations, especially tinsel, be removed beforehand to prevent the goats from eating the difficult-to-digest sparkly decor. 

The big thing though, remains the upcoming year’s events.

Spring Festival

Set for April 27, Cloudview staff have prepared by planting thousands of tulip and daffodil bulbs at the farm. The festival will include vendors, a chance to shop for early-season produce, and a chance to explore the farm and see the animals there. 

“We’ll have vendors and we will have our own offerings as far as produce goes,” Johnston said.

Barnyard friends at the farm include rabbits, goats and turkeys. 

    Cloudview Farm has planted thousands of flower bulbs in preparation for its spring celebration in 2024.
  

The festival will also include a chance for folks to visit the farm’s store which had closed due to the pandemic but is being reopened for the 2024 season. 

“Hopefully, our grand opening will be then,” Johnston said. 

Spring is also the time to start considering participation in the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture Program, Moore said. The program is set up to allow local farms such as Cloudview to market their produce directly to consumers, who in turn have the opportunity to support local growers by purchasing their produce. Produce varies based on availability and Moore said she tries to make sure people know what products to expect. Additionally, for veggies or fruits consumers might be seeing for the first time, she works to track down recipes to point them in the right direction.

    Located in Ephrata, Cloudview Farm offers community events, fresh veggies and fruits, animal interactions and opportunities to just have a little fun.
  

Sunflower Fest

Designed to give families a fun time, the summer festival held July 27 is a chance for people to have a family outing and explore the farm, the pair said. The event includes a roughly quarter-acre sunflower maze and celebrates what Moore called “the romance of summer.” With that in mind, visitors will be able to cut flower bouquets, visit the farm stand and learning garden to find out a bit about planting and participate in crafts. Staff from the Ephrata Public Library are expected to be on hand for story time to make the event as child-friendly as possible. 

“It’s great to see people really enjoying themselves and clamoring for sunflowers,” Moore said. 

    The annual Sunflower Festival celebration at Cloudview features a maze of sunflowers and opportunities to just enjoy spring beauty after a chilly Washington winter.
  

She cuts flower bouquets and has them available but one of the best parts of the event is it’s the beginning of the time when the wider variety of fresh produce from the farm is available. From kale and carrots to fennel and kohlrabi are available, possibly alongside fruit produced at the farm. 

In addition to the festival, the farm has multiple summer programs. The Lil’ Sprouts nature playgroup runs March to May and then from September through October. The farm also offers summer camps for a variety of age groups. 

    A visiting student at Cloudview Farm gets a bit overwhelmed by a bunny's cuteness. The farm offers visitors a chance to interact with animals and see how a farm operates.
  

Toward the end of summer and in prep for fall events, the farm hosts students from Lakeside School on the West Side of the state in the Seattle area. The eighth-grade students come over to help clean up the farm and learn about agriculture — something they don’t have easy access to in an urban setting. 

That clean-up helps pave the way for October fun.

Fall Fest

Final dates haven’t been set for this event coming in October 2024, Johnston said. However, an overview of the event has been sketched out.

A pumpkin patch, hay ride, cider pressing and tasting, vendors — including a taco truck and likely cotton candy — will be available. Live music will be there and the sunflower maze will be available with a bit of a spooky theme in honor of Halloween’s close proximity. 

All of the events will be family-friendly and include bounce houses and opportunities to keep everyone in the family entertained Moore and Johnston said.

Between festivals, the farm will be offering produce box subscriptions, chances for people to come out and explore the farm scavenger-hunt style to find surprises hidden throughout the property and the farm is working on adding goat yoga to its repertoire of entertainment activities.

R. Hans “Rob” Miller may be reached at editor@columbiabasinherald.com. 

    Some goats have a visit along the fence at Cloudview Farm. The local agribusiness spot is looking at starting goat yoga and may open a petting zoo in the near future to allow more interactions between people and animals.