Rader Family Farms hosts thousands of guests annually on their 80-acre property in northwest Normal, with the bulk of those stopping in during harvest time for pumpkin patches, corn mazes, apple cider and their legendary pumpkin donuts.
For the first time ever, the farm will be open for a grand Christmas-themed weekend of holiday performances, crafts, seasonal treats and a chance for an audience with Mr. Claus himself.
“It really supports the mission the Raders established 16 years ago, of bringing the community to the farm through the influence of faith, family and fun,” said Donna Verda, business development manager for Rader Family Farms. “That’s what we’re looking to do.”
Staff kicked their preparations into high gear this week, decorating trees, setting up a heated tent and creating a quaint home for Santa in a converted grain silo currently used for storage.
“Right now, we’ve been working on making sure everything is in order perfectly for our Breakfast with Santa on Saturday,” said Beth McCall, who began as a seasonal employee helping out with field trips and now also assists with events.
McCall says her role is primarily as a "helper." She's been making a lot of lists—and checking them twice.
“It’s just all the basic stuff to make sure it runs smoothly,” McCall said, including getting on Santa’s schedule early in the planning process.
“We wrote a letter to Santa to request—even though he has such a busy schedule—if he could come and shine a little Christmas light onto the farm this weekend—and he agreed!”
In this pilot year, they accounted 70 tickets for Saturday morning’s Breakfast with Santa—and quickly sold out. But there is plenty of room Saturday and Sunday afternoon, where from 3-7 p.m., the farm will be bursting with activity.
“We will have Christmas carolers and members from the CAST (Crossroads Area Student Theatre) Group, who will be performing short little skits to the Christmas story,” Verda said. “On Sunday, we will have some ballerinas coming in to do performances to ‘The Nutcracker.’ We will also have our reindeer goats—I mean, they are magic. And everyone who attends gets a pumpkin donut.”
An interactive card-making station provides chances for guests to send holiday greetings to patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Peoria. Lynn and Linda Rader’s grandson Jacob recently “rang the bell,” ending his year of treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at St. Jude’s. Throughout the year, workers at the Harvest Brew Coffee Shop on the farm donated their tips to the hospital, plus $1 from each latte sold.
“We also are about Santa and the gift-giving,” Verda said, “but truly, the light of the world is what we like to focus on.”
“We’re opening our doors, giving people an opportunity to come out and spend some time together making memorable moments with your family,” McCall said.
"Christmas on the Farm" takes place Saturday and Sunday, 3-7 p.m. at Rader Family Farms, 1312 Ropp Rd., Normal. Tickets are $5, available in person or online at raderfamilyfarms.com. (Breakfast with Santa tickets are sold out).
