Friends of the Farm wants to let everyone know that tickets are open for “Your Barn Door Is Open.”

The annual dinner and tour will be held this year on Saturday, June 17, at the McPolin Farm, and tickets go on sale June 1, said Friends of the Farm member Insa Riepen.

“The cost is $35 per person, and free for ages 5 and younger,” she said. “The cost just covers the cost of the event, because we don’t do fundraisers.”

---

---

“Your Barn Door Is Open” always sells out, so Riepen encourages those who want to attend to purchase tickets as soon as possible.

“We will also start a waitlist,” she said. “So if someone can’t attend, we will make their space available.”.

---

---

The June 17 event will feature a barbecue prepared by Chef Dalton Campbell of Park City Elite Private Chefs, Riepen said.

“Chef Dalton will deliver two types of meats, as well as  salads and cookies in a very elegant and nice-looking spread,” she said. “While we will offer two types of lemonade — yellow and pink — people can also bring their own beverages of choice.”

The evening’s music will be performed by the Dan Bates Trio, a bluegrass band, Riepen said.

“Dan grew up in Summit County,” she said. “They played last year and they were so good. So it would be nice if everyone brings their dancing shoes.”

The evening will also feature guided tours of the McPolin Barn, Riepen said.

“We will have volunteers take groups of people throughout the structure and explain the farm’s history,” she said. 

The 160-acre farm, located on the S.R. 224 entryway, was established and owned by the Harrison McLane family before Dan McPolin and his wife, Isabelle, Irish immigrants, purchased it in 1896, according to historic documents.

It originally served as a cattle farm and was transitioning into a dairy farm when McPolin purchased the property.

The McPolins’ children, Patrick and Grace, inherited the farm in 1922 and built the iconic barn out of recycled timber from an old tailings mill. The McPolins erected the barn without nails by fitting the wood together, according to historic documents.

In 1947, D.A. Osguthorpe, a Salt Lake City-based veterinarian, bought the farm, and during the 43 years as owner, went from hand-milking the cows to installing a fully-automated milking system. He also constructed the barn’s milking parlor.

The barn measures 7,468 square feet, including the loft, and the milking parlor is 1,500 square feet. 

The Osguthorpes lived on the farm until Park City purchased the property in 1990, and in 2017, Park City’s municipal government completed the barn’s $1 million renovation, which made it safe to allow people inside.

Adding to the tours will be a new exhibit that will feature historic photos and other McPolin Farm artifacts that will be provided by the Park City Museum, according to Riepen.

“The Museum had presented a lecture by our docents, Rebecca Ward (Park City’s assistant planning director) and Patricia Stoaks, earlier this month,” she said. “They dug up a lot of nice photos and tidbits of information. And all of that will be part of our event for the first time.”

Wildlife lovers will also see sandhill cranes, beavers and a cutout of Georgina the Cow, Riepen said. 

“Georgina was named in honor of George Hull, a former Friends of the Farm board member, who bought the farm’s land to preserve it,” she said. “But those will be the only animals we’ll be able to see, because dogs are not allowed at the event. We do ask that dog owners leave their four-legged friends home.”

Parking is also not allowed at the farm the day of the event Riepen said.

“We encourage people to walk, hike or ride their bikes to the farm,” she said. “People can also park at the Park City Municipal Athletic and Recreation Center (PC MARC), and catch a shuttle to and from the dinner.”

Shuttles will run to the farm between 5-6 p.m., and they will run back to the MARC from 8-9 p.m., Riepen said.

“‘Your Barn Door Is Open’ is a party that celebrates the McPolin Farm,” she said. “This place is for all of us, and I think it’s remarkable we have access to such a place.”