Experiencing the Country Side of Reno
Patrick McNabb shares his experience from this past weekend’s Ferrari Farms barn dance with other first-timers.
I put on my best flannel and jeans before walking into Ferrari Farms for this month’s barn dance event. I grew up in a big city, so I have never been exposed to this type of event but as soon as I walked in, I knew I would be welcomed there.
As I entered the farm, everyone greeted me with a smile on their face and I could tell that this environment was warm and welcoming.
Located just off of the freeway, Ferrari Farms was first established in 1890 on a 23-acre patch of land. Over 100 years later, the farm is still family owned and operated and has expanded to 65 acres of land. The barn that I was able to dance in is the original barn from 1890.
The farm does events all throughout the year, such as the Ferrari Farms Fall Festival that will begin within the next month. That event will be a pumpkin patch with access to the farm’s corn maze, hayride, with even a movie that gets played at the farm.
To put it simply, barn dances are just that, dancing to country music inside of a barn. Consisting mostly of line dances, people from every walk of life could join in whenever and however they felt comfortable. With music spanning from old country to today’s more pop-inspired country, taking a step inside that barn guaranteed a good time.
Despite my terrible dancing, no one ever made me feel left out. The one thing about this community that I have discovered is that no matter where you are from or how often you come to barn dances, you will always be welcome.
“I really didn’t know what to expect,” first time barn dancer Lydia Gebrai told me. “I really didn’t think I was the barn dancing type but, you know, everyone just comes at you with open arms. I just played corn hole with a stranger. I think I’d definitely come back to the next one if I had the time.”
Another first-time farm dancer, Marlys Johnson, came to the barn dance to rekindle her relationship with country, especially after her experience at Night in the Country, a country music festival that happens in northern Nevada.
“I came here because I had so much fun at Pure Country,” Johnson tells me. “I’m with the friends I made there and it is just as much fun as I had down in Yerington.”
When visitors are tired from dancing, they can take a quick walk outside to grab a beer from the Tap Wagon beer truck right outside the barn. Tap Wagon is a local beer company that delivers handcrafted beers and wines.
Nathan Anderson, who works with Tap Wagon, took time away from helping customers to give me his thoughts on the barn dance.
“Everyone wants to have so much fun, the atmosphere and the people are just so much fun,” he said. Despite having to stay in the same spot the whole time, Anderson still experienced the barn dance from a distance. “You know, I’m giving them their drinks, and they are all just so nice. No one is really trying to get trashed. Everyone is here just to have a couple drinks and have a good time.”
There was a certain sense of unity that I experienced as I walked into the barn. It was as if everyone on that dance floor had the choreography etched into their brain. Every step seemed so natural to the dancers. Their passion and stomping of their boots reverberated with good vibrations.
