COVENTRY, Conn. — Stonewall Acres Farm covers 22 acres in Coventry but, this time of year, all the action occurs in their greenhouse.
It’s become a tradition each holiday season, since the pandemic, Stonewall Acres has been offering its popular “Wreath Making Workshops."
"Anyone can do it, we have moms come with their kids, we have husbands and wives come in as a date night to do it. We’ve had people come from Florida and from New Hampshire and they all meet here and it’s just a way to get the community inside," said Rachel McKenna, the owner of Stonewall Acres.
McKenna, who has owned Stonewall Acres for the past seven years, is also a veteran of the Connecticut Army National Guard.
Recently there has been a push to support more veteran-owned farms by Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development (CRCD), a non-profit that introduced the website CTveterangrown.org to get more of the public to visit veteran-owned farms across the state.
CRCD also works with the state Department of Agriculture to foster more awareness for veteran-owned farms.
“We like to say our farmer veterans served and they are still serving now, and this is a way to give back to their communities and for us also to support and engage with them," said Sarah Layton, the agricultural programs coordinator at CT Resource Conservation and Development.
McKenna, a wife and mother, also noted that her wreath-making workshops have become popular over the past four years,
"We make it a family affair,” said McKenna. “It’s become a holiday tradition.”
The wreath-making workshops fill up quickly and space is limited. To learn more about Stonewall Acres and their wreath-making workshops, click here.
To find out more about the CT Veterans Grown Program, click here.
Jimmy Altman is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at jaltman@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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