The Venue at Hidden Spring Farm has opened
WARSAW − A quiet hill outside of Warsaw was transformed this summer into a new event space with more additions for the future.
The Venue at Hidden Spring Farm is on land next to Echoing Hills Village owned by former Sheriff Tim Rogers. It's ran by him and Chris Andrews, who also previously to work at the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office. While the focus is on weddings, it's open for other events such as reunions, graduations, birthday and anniversary parties, business meetings and corporate events.
"We wanted a country theme and everybody to enjoy what we enjoy, the farm life. A lot of people are in the cities and don't get this," Andrews said. "We want everybody to enjoy the farm. We love the farm."
The facility can accommodate about 200 people. It includes a gravel parking lot, grassy area with arch for weddings, an event building with bar, kitchen, bathrooms, patio area, stable and suites where members of a bridal party can get ready. That barn features horses and donkeys people can visit and pet. The venue is also handicapped accessible and has commercial heating and cooling in buildings to make it a year-around facility.
"What we have to offer is a farm focused event center. We incorporate our livestock and the sights, sounds and smells of the farm. That's our niche," Rogers said. "We try to get people out here to share what we have as far as the views, our outside garden and more. They have access to a large area of several acres where they can mingle and share in what they choose to do."
Hidden Spring Farm is a bit more than 80 acres and raises hay along with a variety of farm animals. Rogers said they've had a few events over the years for family and friends, which kind of gave them the idea of a dedicated event space.
"People enjoyed coming out and we thought we needed something to supplement and keep us busy during retirement other than farming," Rogers said.
They had a soft opening this spring and have hosted several events so far with strong community support. While they're a bit off the beaten track, Andrews said they're not too far from Coshocton, Zanesville, Mount Vernon and other cities.
"So far, everything has been positive. We're getting a lot more feedback now. Word of mouth and Facebook has been driving it," Andrews said.
Rogers said they want to add to the space next year, which could include more buildings such as a cottage newlyweds could stay the night in and an old-fashioned bunkhouse for overnight stays. They continue to tweak other areas, like landscaping around the wedding venue, and will add televisions to the main barn.
"There's not a week goes by that we don't add something. There's always something," Rogers said.
The Venue at Hidden Spring Farm is located at 36344 County Road 79. For more information call 740-294-0657 or go to its Facebook page.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: The Venue at Hidden Spring Farm has opened
