It really is a small world. A few weeks ago, I received a call from Colby Frey, who had received a call from someone in Las Vegas, who had received a call from someone else.
The Make a Wish Foundation wanted to make a wish come true for Annie, a little girl who lives with her family in Las Vegas. But her wish was a little unusual. She didn’t want to go to Disneyland or throw a pitch at a Major League Baseball game. Annie’s wish was to have a farm experience. With no working farms in the area, the Las Vegas Make a Wish Foundation was not sure how to make this wish a reality for Annie. Thank goodness for the good old-fashioned friend-of-a-friend network.
I soon found myself coordinating several days of farm activities for Annie in Churchill County. Fortunately, I made a few notes on each fun-filled day so I wouldn’t forget any of the details.
Day1: Stopping at the Telegraph, Crystal made what Annie claims is “the best coconut hot chocolate ever.” In her brand-new legit cowgirl getup, we stopped at the fairgrounds where there was much piglet snuggling and bottle-feeding of baby goats, as well as her very first horse ride. The county’s newest cowgirl had at blast at Lattin Farms. Timing is everything as her visit coincided with Lattin’s Annual Fall Festival. Annie was introduced to scarecrows, chickens, turkeys, goats, the amazing corn maze, the cow train, dragons, pumpkins and much, much more. Definitely not your average day in Las Vegas.
Day 2: The day started at Sand Hill Dairy to discover all things cow. Annie milked a heifer, bottle-fed a calf, explored feed ingredients, and made friends with several of the jerseys. Chef Chase helped Annie and her family make lots of vanilla ice cream for her ice cream social scheduled for tomorrow using milk and cream from the dairy. Annie had a sneak taste and declared it the most delicious ice cream ever. The whole crew now knows how to make ice cream from scratch and has the recipe to do it anytime they want. Of course, a day at a dairy wouldn’t be complete without stepping in a pile of poop, gotta get those new boots broken in properly. After boot cleaning and a delicious Mendoza’s lunch, we headed off to Yellow Petals Flower Farm. Annie left with zinnia and sunflower seeds to plant at their house in Las Vegas, as well as a root ball for a unique Fallon-grown dahlia. The entire family worked on a dried flower wreath. And the visit would not have been complete without giving lots of pets to Mystic the donkey.
Day 3: Back in town, Annie and her family met Mayor Ken Tedford. The visit included a tour of City Hall, a very meaningful conversation in his office and the mayor presenting Annie with, among other things, a squishy neon piggy bank that didn’t leave her hand all day. The tour included the Fallon Police Department and ended with a ride in the back of a squad car with the lights flashing and sirens blazing over to the Fire Department. At the firehouse, Annie met the fire chief and was treated to a tour, complete with a chance to try on all the gear. Annie's favorite part of the fire department was riding in the front seat of the fire engine all around town and getting to honk the horn as much as she wanted. Annie proved to be a smart and tactful young lady when asked if she liked police officers or firefighters better, she replied "I love them both." After lunch, Annie and her family had a private art lesson with Steve O'Byrne, of O’Byrne’s Art Studios. They each created a painting of a sunset framed by the State of Nevada. We then headed to the Frey Ranch to swing, ride the side-by-side, and shoot apples and dry corn cobs out of their cannons. Finally, we met up with Mayor Tedford and a huge group of community members, including the city council, to dye the Fallon Fountain purple. Our evening finished at the Historic Fallon Theatre with an ice cream social featuring the ice cream that we made yesterday and a showing of Babe the Pig.
I will be heading out for farewells at the ranch tomorrow morning. After a breakfast of B-Ann Lattin's raspberry cinnamon rolls, the family is going to do their best to pack up all the gifts, scarecrows, and pumpkins they have gathered and hit the road for Las Vegas.
To say that this has been a memorable experience would be a drastic understatement. I feel so blessed to have been able to be a part of helping Annie realize her wish of being a farmer.
Here is a link to the google photo album from this week: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZJ62rV21SMPdZhxZA
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