Fall Festival at the Reindeer Farm

BUTTE — Cool temperatures and some wet weather didn’t keep people away from the annual Fall Festival at the Reindeer Farm.

“We were surprised by how many people showed up, that parking lot is full,” Lauren Waite, a hand on the Bodenburg Loop farm, said.

The annual festival is stretched across three weekends in October. Event organizers said there was a fair turnover during the past two rainy weekends.

The last weekend of the Fall Festival is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and farm co-owner Denise Hardy has her “fingers crossed” that the weather proves to be good as forecasted and a final, big wave of people show up for the last event of this magnitude of the year.

“This is a big event for us,” Hardy said.

She said that all the money raised from the festival goes directly back to operating the farm.

“It’s just a family business,” she said.

There are many staples that return to each of Reindeer Farm Fall Festival. The Carhartt Brothers perform live music. There’s a fundraising booth for a Palmer High School music booster club. Features include a tour of the reindeer farm, the hay maze, a pumpkin patch, a potato launch, and the spooky walk.

The hay maze and spooky walk are different each year, adding and changing with what is available. Hardy said that her husband designs the hay maze each year and all the staff tries to outdo themselves with the spooky walk every year.

This is the seventh year of the Fall Festival and Hardy said that the overall turnouts have been steady with some slight increases over time. She credits much of this to word of mouth. She also keeps their neighbor, Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm, in mind each year, planning her event a month after Pyrah’s event, saying that she has no intentions of competing with their fellow Butte family farm.

The Reindeer Farm was founded in 1987 by Hardy’s father, Thomas Williams. She grew up on the farm and left to Washington for about 11 years before taking over the family farm in 2010. She said that she wants to keep the animals and his legacy alive.

“They were his pride and joy,” Hardy said. “This farm was like his life and heart we just want to keep it going.”

The Reindeer Farm brings their furry friends to the Iditarod each year for the annual Run with the Reindeer event.

“That’s us,” Andrea Bennett said inside the Reindeer Tour station.

Bennett came onto the farm following an online ad. Since then, she’s planted her roots alongside the reindeer and family that brought them here.

“I had to get normal job because it’s seasonal but I work every Sunday in the summer because I just can’t quit,” Bennett said. “I am very attached to the family and to the animals.”

Bennett said her favorite time of year is “baby season” when all the fresh arrivals show up. She said several regular crew members have formed tight bonds on the farm.

“I’ve known a lot of these animals since they were born,” Bennett said. “I don’t plan on ever leaving.”

Coming up next on the Reindeer Farm is the Santa on the Farm event, complete with a reindeer tour and other interactive activities with Ole’ Saint Nick in December, leading up to the annual Christmas on the Farm event Dec. 23 and 24.

For more information, see the Reindeer Farm on Facebook or call 907-745-4000.