In the fall of 2008, Mort and Iris November saw the potential for converting the main room of the historical Dairy Barn at Valley Ridge Farm into a multipurpose space for performances, workshops and other assemblies. It was hoped that the new venue could be used for academic programs sponsored by the CWRU Music, English, and Biology departments to teach subjects relate to nature sciences. During the spring of 2009, the farm received a gift from the Novembers to begin construction of the teaching space.
The renovation consisted of repairing the staging room, opening the front entrance, applying hard surface to the court area, restoring the back doors, and providing a new egress access to the main room. They wanted to make sure that the barn could be remodeled in such a way that the charming original features of the milking room, creamery, and ice house could be retained, while the large room next to the silo could be converted into multi-use space.
In March 2010, the farm received a $25,000 grant from the Hershey Foundation to purchase teaching equipment for education programs on music and nature.
This three-season area is home for programs such as nature classes, history classes, rustic retreats, nature poetry readings, and creative writing summer workshops. For more information, call the Farm office at 216.368.0274.