Most of you know that Jeff and I love a good day trip outside the Metro. What I love is when one of these detours also taps into my joy of gardening & nature. A connection on social media led us out to Cambridge way and we found the unexpected gem of Angels of the Prairie.
It is a lovely small rural farm in Isanti County operated by Stacy and Chad Smith. Where to start....? It is used mostly as a very tiny event space for weddings in its quaint chapel. (We will talk about that in a paragraph.) But it is also a small flower farm which sells small cut bouquets in addition to floral events. There is a sweetest boutique store in a tiny shed that has everything from knick-knacks to collectible original art and photographs. It is a memorable enough destination to just walk the grounds of ponds, rolling plains of wildflowers, small sculpture art, lanterns among the tress and of course the hidden angels along the way.
Stacy & Chad were eager in conversations to talk about the care they put into the lot. He comes from a long career in landscaping and scrapes both plants and labor from his company to tend the farm. Stacy's gift is her love of plants from seed to harvest. Angels on the Prairie has only existed in this form for the last year. It is warming to see where they are in the process and what ambitions they have to add to it.
The Chapel is the anchor to the property. It is part original as well as a collection of authentic parts. This replica is based on small Midwestern Lutheran chapels that have become rare historical remnants. Parts come from Zion Norwegian Church which was located in Towner ND. The altar and bright stained glass windows came from there. Also a vintage painted portrait of Jesus the Shepherd by Arne Berger hangs over the altar. These items were stored in a vault in Minot ND where Stacy rescued them from. The structure was built by Amish carpenters and incorporates Stacy's trademark to detail in the intimate and minimal objects found inside. The perfect time to catch the chapel is late in the day when the sun hangs low and shines through the stained glass windows. Weddings can also sprawl into larger groups on the grounds themselves.
The estate is currently only open seasonally during Spring - Fall, but I am very anxious to see what they do with this small gem and plan on catching it again. We share a fondness for dahlias and she is ambitious about expanding her fields and sharing the lovely tubers with others. I am so glad I got to see Angels in the final days of the season while the Blooms were magnificent and full.
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