History

40 Years In the Wilderness

In 2016, Steve Jennings started cutting a trail on a piece of overgrown family property, simply to be able to see more of it on foot. The brush was so thick, you couldn’t even walk the property in the summertime.

The land had a previous life as a pasture field on his family’s farm. His grandparents owned the farm starting in 1940, and it has remained in his family ever since. As a boy, he would go out and gather dairy cows for their evening milking on this land. But in 1976, a fire destroyed his family’s barn forcing them to sell the cattle. Consequently, the pasture sat idle for 40 years.

Once he started cutting some of the growth away, Jennings recognized what a beautiful piece of property Mother Nature had so thoroughly hidden over the years. There were plenty of mature trees, gently rolling hills, and a creek. His mind wandered and he began to imagine what it would be like to have a cabin there that his family could enjoy. 

Seek and Ye Shall Find

His cabin idea evolved into a lodge, which eventually grew into a barn after talking with his niece, a catering professional. She had experienced firsthand the exploding popularity of barn venues used for weddings and events, many booked for several years in advance. Steve’s interest was piqued, so he traveled to visit several established, successful barn venues to research their operations and what it would take to turn his idea into reality. After his visits, he decided that his rural pasture would be a perfect fit for a barn venue and began pursuing an existing barn to bring back to his property.

Steve teamed up with an Amish builder for the barn search, which sent him to many small towns across Michigan. For several months, he looked for barns he could relocate, but nothing really caught his eye. Then one day, he received a call from his Amish friend letting him know there was a barn available. And it was already nearby.

It turns out, the barn belonged to Steve’s aunt & uncle just over the state line in Indiana. Steve had spent many hours in that very barn growing up, hauling hay for his uncle from the time he was 10 years old. He couldn’t believe it! Everything was falling into place.

Not only did the barn belong to Steve’s family members, but the barn was unique in another way: it dated back to Civil War times, which meant the support beams were thicker and sturdier than other barns he’d seen. The barn’s materials generated interest from other suitors as far away as Texas, but eventually Steve made the deal to bring the barn to his property in 2018.

The American Story

As the second of seven children that grew up on his family’s farm, Jennings learned all about hard work. Not only did he gain a strong work ethic on the farm, but he learned about morals, values, economics, and teamwork. Everyone in his family had a role to play in the farm’s success. Ask him, and he’ll tell you that small family farms built America. 

But it wasn’t all business. He also recalls the fond memories that farm life gave him. They’d milk cows, gather eggs for breakfast, and just enjoy the paradise-like atmosphere that country living can provide. His time in the military only strengthened his view that his days spent in the Ohio countryside was pretty special. It’s that self-described “fairytale upbringing” that Jennings aims to memorialize through Ken Dale Farms.

Even though they were once the lifeblood of early American culture, Jennings believes those small family farms have met their demise. To keep their memory alive, he longs for Ken Dale Farms to be an environment where parents and grandparents can bring their children and grandchildren and take a walk down memory lane. Feel the gentle country breeze. Take time out for the peace and quiet and just enjoy nature and each other. He mentions a quote from P.T. Barnum that has become a sort of mantra for his life: “The most noble art is that of making others happy.” His desire to make other people happy becomes obvious if you spend any time with the man.

“How selfish would I be if I wasn’t willing to share that with other people?” Jennings says.

Family First

The way the project came together feels like something from a feel-good movie. From the sequence of events that eventually brought the barn to their property, to finer details like the inclusion of a balcony railing from the Jennings cemetery just down the road…what ties everything together is family.

“My wife and my daughters have been my life for 46 years,” Steve says plainly. “I wouldn’t have started this without their help.”

Ken Dale Farms is nothing if not a family business, from the actual name (Kenneth Dale Jennings was Steve’s father) and logo (parts of the logo pay homage to his parents and siblings) to the day-to-day operations, which owner Steve shares with his daughters.

“There are so many little pieces that tell a bigger story,” daughter Angie says.