Hidden Treasures open for guests
By Holly Neumann
Farming has been Dan and Ruth Boerst’s livelihood for many years.
The family farm’s barn is still standing on Bear Lake Road in the town of Royalton, but now has a different use.
“We farm by Manawa,” said Ruth, who grew up on the farm. “We own 350 acres and rent another 150 acres. My parents bought the farm in 1959 shortly after I was born. It was an 80-acre farm with barn, shed and a house across the road. My parents raised six children and milked 30 cows.”
When the Boersts began to think about their retirement and what their next fun adventure would be, turning their farm into an event venue was always on the back of their minds.
“One day, my sister, Joan, mentioned this would be a great wedding barn because of the view and openness of the farmland and lots of surrounding trees on property lines,” Boerst said. “We always said, ‘Maybe someday after Dan sells the cows.’”
Shortly after this, the couple was approached about having a wedding in their barn, which led to Hidden Treasures Event Venue.
“We said, ‘Well, we always thought about doing this, I guess we better start now,’” Boerst said. “Oh boy, what a process.”
The first step was getting the property rezoned from agricultural to commercial property.
Engineer, architect
“Then we needed a structural engineer and an architect,” Boerst said. “My sister was the architect. Thank goodness because the plans kept changing as we found out more things we had to do.”
The plans then had to be submitted to the state.
“We made a lot of mistakes and learned along the way,” Boerst said. “Pinterest was my favorite search engine. I would want one way and my husband wanted another. Things would get put on hold until we could agree.”
The couple planned on just doing ceremonies until they sold their milking cows.
“It was a challenge,” Boerst said. “Farming full-time and trying to redo the barn on the side, there were a lot of sleepless nights.”
One thing led to another and everything had to be up to code.
“When you switch from agriculture to commercial on those six acres, it’s considered a new build,” Boerst said. “There are a lot of different rules. We put in a 400-amp service and had the barn rewired. We had to bust the lower barn floor out and put 2×4-foot concrete sonic tubes under every post.”
In addition, two outside walls had to come out and they had to redo the footings and walls. Plumbing was put in for the bathrooms and glass garage doors were added to the lower level to show off the view and to bring in fresh air.
The granary was turned into a bride’s dressing room, a loft was added and the Boerst’s son built a bar.
“Our kids and their spouses helped out whenever they could with the building process and setting up for events,” Boerst said. “My daughter-in-law, Michelle, is a good wedding coordinator and my granddaughter, Emery, came up with the name.”
Quiet country setting
Hidden Treasures offers clients a rustic setting with country quietness.
“It’s on a rural road with a beautiful farm setting,” Boerst said. “There is a windmill in the background. Bear Lake Campground is just down the road with an ATV/UTV trail from the farm to there.”
So far, the Boersts have hosted two wedding ceremonies and two full weddings, as well as baby and wedding showers, a birthday party, a baptism and prom pictures.
“Our hard work has paid off,” Boerst said.
The Boersts are already booking weddings for the summer of 2023.
“We want the bride and groom to have a special experience when they get married here,” Boerst said.
Hidden Treasures Event Venue is located at E5947 Bear Lake Road, New London, and is open from May 1 through Oct. 15.
Interested parties can visit www.hiddentreasuresbarn.com, check out the venue’s Facebook page or send an email to [email protected].
A grand opening is being planned for May 2023.