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The Haven on the Farm Story

Thinking back to when I was a little girl growing up on my parent’s blueberry farm/hunting property in Central Illinois, I have fond memories of collecting chicken eggs in the mornings and chasing after our geese and sheep. Fast forward and I couldn’t wait to hightail out of the country and finish grad school at Rush Medical Center in Chicago and I found myself working as a nurse anesthetist giving anesthesia at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago for 17 years. One day about 9 years ago, I remember walking out of the operating room on my break and saying to myself, “ I’m gonna buy a little piece of the pie in my hometown.” And I did just that. Over and over again and each time part of me was inching back home to Central Illinois.

As time went on I found myself working overtime in the operating room and COVID ICU overnight in order to purchase little investment properties in my hometown of Peoria, Illinois that I would rehab and turn into Airbnb’s or rental homes. My passion became investing in my hometown that I thoroughly appreciated, which gave me so much more intrinsic satisfaction than investing in any high-rise condo downtown ever could have.

Recently, I decided to give up my job as a nurse anesthetist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital downtown and return to my family and Central Illinois roots where I could “breathe” away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Even though I am still working as a nurse anesthetist here in Central Illinois, I decided to call about a farmhouse / dairy barn / carriage house that was for sale for many years. I still remember to this day pulling into the entrance that is like a southern country oasis lined with 30 maple trees and walking into the old dairy barn and peering up through the first floor into the rafters and seeing what I thought looked like a ceiling in a cathedral. I knew this was going to be an adventure like no other.

This charming white barn has been expanded and improved to seat over 300 guests, yet keeps old elements of the original structure. There is also a wood-lined Carriage House on the property that seats 100 people complete with a huge antique bar I purchased at a local antique store. All of this combined has our local vendors and residents excited to see the dairy farm (named Haven on the Farm) revived back to life after sitting abandoned for years.

“This will be a place where people can gather not only from Central Illinois, but also from all around the United States.”

There is something about that fresh country air that brings back childhood memories for me sitting around a campfire and the simplicity that the country represents. A time to reflect and ground ourselves. It brings me so much joy to know I am back home in Central Illinois investing in what I believe in and giving back to the community that I love and cherish so much and to provide a place where people can escape to the country.

Haven on the Farm provides a unique atmosphere where you and your guests can simply relax and enjoy yourselves. Whether you’re planning a one of a kind wedding, anniversary party, baby or bridal shower, rest assured it will be an event that your guests will be raving about for years to come.