Century-old building kept alive as The Farm and the Odd Fellows meeting place

Charles Rankin, Salina Journal
Updated ·4 min read

MINNEAPOLIS, Kansas — The Farm and the Odd Fellows has transformed a century-old building to help "plant and cultivate relationships" in the Minneapolis community.

Sitting at the corner of Second and Sheridan Streets in downtown Minneapolis, this business, which opened in May of 2021, isn't just one thing for the community, but six different and unique pieces and parts, including a coffeehouse, pickleball court, brewhouse, brewpub and games environment, all in one location.

The Farm and The Odd Fellows, 205 W. Second St. opened in 2021 to be a place for the community of Minneapolis to gather. The century-old building was renovated but continues to keep much of its history alive with details like original wooden floors and tin ceilings.
The Farm and The Odd Fellows, 205 W. Second St. opened in 2021 to be a place for the community of Minneapolis to gather. The century-old building was renovated but continues to keep much of its history alive with details like original wooden floors and tin ceilings.

Lynda Schneider, general manager at the Farm, said this place has been in the works for a few years for owners Ashley and Keir Swisher, who completely renovated the Odd Fellows building during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We actually opened the coffee café (and the pickleball court) in May of 2021," Schneider said. "I believe the Seed (opened) right around the same time."

The brewery took a little more time, opening in June of 2022.

A central place to gather in Minneapolis

Schneider said the purpose of the Farm and the Odd Fellows is encompassed in the values you would find in a small town like Minneapolis.

"That's the premise behind us, to create a space that the community can gather," Schneider said. "We want to help create and foster relationships."

Not only does the business look to be a place for the people of Minneapolis to gather, but also a place where other local and small businesses from Kansas and surrounding states, can be highlighted.

The Farm and The Odd Fellows Bean coffee café offers a new drink menu each month that goes along with the season. In addition to drinks The Bean also has a wide variety of food options including homemade baked goods and the popular breakfast burrito.
The Farm and The Odd Fellows Bean coffee café offers a new drink menu each month that goes along with the season. In addition to drinks The Bean also has a wide variety of food options including homemade baked goods and the popular breakfast burrito.

"We have a collaboration with a company for our coffee out of Colorado Springs through Loyal Coffee," Schneider said. "They are a barista-owned company (that) roasts the beans."

While there are obviously staples of coffee drinks available at what is called The Bean, Schneider said the drink menu changes each month going along with the seasons, with a current offering of the ever-popular pumpkin-based drinks starting Sept. 1.

Fourteen unique beers

The tap wall in The Hops at The Farm and The Odd Fellows allows customers to self-serve 14 unique beers brewed in house. The Hops also keeps the original tin ceiling of the century-old building with Odd Fellows symbols still intact.
The tap wall in The Hops at The Farm and The Odd Fellows allows customers to self-serve 14 unique beers brewed in house. The Hops also keeps the original tin ceiling of the century-old building with Odd Fellows symbols still intact.

The Hops, which is the brewpub space upstairs, is served with in-house brews created by brewmaster Kyle Banman, who has taken his love of homebrewing to the next level with 14 beers made on-site.

"We're the only brewhouse in the state that serves their beer directly from the brite tank straight to the tap wall," Schneider said. "And it's a self-serve tap wall."

Each brew is unique and comes from ingredients that are oftentimes locally sourced, including wheat from right there in Ottawa County and hops from another Kansas company.

The Hops, like most of the places in the building, hosts a variety of events, not only from customers and clients renting the space for everything from dinners to surprise weddings, but also a lot of things the Farm hosts itself, including a beer series every other month and Talk'n Taps the second Thursday of each month, where Banman goes through a specific beer and the process it took to get the ingredients from the farm to the tap.

The Brewhouse at The Farm and The Odd Fellows has 14 brite tanks, each filled with a unique beer brewed onsite by brewmaster Kyle Banman. The Brewhouse brite tanks are linked directly to the self-serve taps in the adjoining Hops brewpub.
The Brewhouse at The Farm and The Odd Fellows has 14 brite tanks, each filled with a unique beer brewed onsite by brewmaster Kyle Banman. The Brewhouse brite tanks are linked directly to the self-serve taps in the adjoining Hops brewpub.

"He is very creative in his brew process," Schneider said. "He also tells people to come and geek out over beer (on those nights). He's very scientific in his process, but also very creative."

Keeping history alive in a century-old building

While the interior of the Odd Fellows building, which was originally opened in 1916 and had a membership of upwards of 700 fellows, has seen tremendous work to create what is now the Farm, there has been a conscious effort to maintain the history of the site.

The Farm and The Odd Fellows, 205 W. Second St. opened in 2021 to be a place for the community of Minneapolis to gather. The century-old building was renovated but continues to keep much of its history alive with details like original wooden floors and tin ceilings.
The Farm and The Odd Fellows, 205 W. Second St. opened in 2021 to be a place for the community of Minneapolis to gather. The century-old building was renovated but continues to keep much of its history alive with details like original wooden floors and tin ceilings.

"You can tell as you walk through, the vibe we put out," Schneider said. "It's where the past meets the present. We want to be respectful of the past and we've brought that to life in the restoration."

This includes features in the building that are and will remain original, including the squeaky wood flooring and the original tin ceiling that is displayed in the Hops with the Odd Fellows symbol of a three-link chain encompassing the letters F, L and T, standing for the virtues of the Odd Fellows, friendship, love and truth. That same chain symbol, minus the letters, is seen as soon as you walk in the front door, tiled on the ground of the entrance.

"They've just done a beautiful job restoring this building to her grandeur," Schneider said. "You don't want that past to go away, and you want to leave that legacy for your community."

More: This former Salina bowling alley is getting new life as Revolution Church's new home

The Farm and The Odd Fellows open now

The Farm and the Odd Fellows is open seven days a week, with hours running from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays to Wednesdays, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays at the 205 W. Second St. location in Minneapolis.

For more information, including a schedule of events, visit its website, www.thefarmminneapolis.com, or find it on Facebook.

Those interested in reserving any of the spaces at the Farm can also find information, including pricing on each of the spaces on the website, or they can contact Schneider at 785-392-6614, option no. 2.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: The Farm and the Odd Fellows brings Minneapolis community together