This past Saturday we had a fantastic Open House event up at Ananda Valley farm. This was a chance for us to open our doors and have hundreds of friends, neighbors, and community members come in an find out what our Farm and Ananda in general are all about. The welcome crew estimated that we had 400 visitors, not counting staff and volunteers, which makes it very possibly the largest event Ananda has ever put on that did not have Swami Kriyananda physically present. (He was definitely present in other ways, though, along with all our gurus!)
Guests got to tour the farm, enjoy a vegetarian cookout, practice yoga and meditation in the temple yurt, play children’s games, sing songs, get their faces painted, dance to live music, and visit with our flock of chickens. There was even a display of paintings by Galen Wolf, an artist who lived on the property for many years, including a painting of the farm itself in the 1930’s. The weather was gorgeous, spirits were high, and the energy was delighted and joyful.Some comments from our visitors included:
- “Great to see your operation today. It is definitely one of the jewels of the coast!”
- “Thank you so much, my kids, husband, and I are so excited!! We absolutely loved your open house and are considering volunteering on Saturdays with our boys.”
- “I am so inspired here. I would like to come out with my easel and do some painting.”
- “We had so much fun! The kids don't even want to leave.”
- “I am signing up for your CSA because I went on Yelp and you had the best reviews ever!”
