A rural event venue south of Dover in Kent County is hoping to make a difference in the community and attract different types of art to the area.
Loblolly Acres is a family farm 7 miles south of Dover that used to have Christmas trees, pumpkins, and conduct school tours.
Now, the venue is a big barn with a gigantic stage, and the plan is to bring big events to that stage.
A new nonprofit – the Art Society at Loblolly Acres – hopes being at a farm surrounded by other farms can attract people to fun artistic events while getting away from the buzz of the city.
The venue has already hosted the First State Ballet, and the owner of Loblolly Acres, Cheryl Epps, says more events are scheduled.
"This year we're doing two more concerts with local bands as well as the ballet is returning, and the Chesapeake Brass Band is returning. We've only been open a year so we're very new. The people in Kent County don't have a lot of the arts available to them. They have to travel up or down the state, and I think it's really fun that we have this opportunity to bring it to them. They seem to be exceedingly receptive," said Epps.
Angela Zielen is a professional dancer with the First State Ballet Theatre and Director of Event Management at Loblolly Acres. She says the ballet performing there has created excitement for more events.
"We had the ballet come out for the first time and ever since then people are like 'what else are you doing?' I think that's what really just kept the ball rolling because everybody kept asking what's next like what else is coming," said Zielen.
With their venue in the middle of the state, they’re optimistic they can be a boon to central Delaware with a regional reach. Upcoming events include a car show on May 20th, and a summer concert series.
