Spring fire leads to new beginning for Happy Hollow

Lumsden Valley couple rebuilds parts of agritourism farm damaged in blaze

Tiffany and Linely Schaefer live at the top of Lumsden Valley and own Happy Hollow Corn Maze nestled at the bottom of it, so when a grass fire swept through the valley four months ago, the couple braced for the worst.

The fire claimed their garage, truck and tractor, but miraculously stopped mere inches from their house. However, the condition of their business, a fall mainstay for many Saskatchewan families, was uncertain.

“The day after (the fire) ... we thought for sure we wouldn’t even be able to open at that point, because we just didn’t know how bad it was yet,” Tiffany said.

But a couple of weeks later, it was clear that while a lot of work and money would be needed, Happy Hollow would open for business once again, bigger and better than before.

“It ... gave us the push to redo a lot of stuff so that’s kind of nice,” Tiffany said. “The way ... everything came back so much greener, it was really cool.”

With the help of friends and family, Happy Hollow was whipped back into shape after the effects of the fire, which had spared the Quonset, store and jumping pillow, but damaged the walking trails and nearby greenery, including some trees around the stage area.

“The tractor, I think, was such a huge hit for us,” Tiffany said.

Used for hay rides, the tractor is an essential part of the Happy Hollow experience and is needed for other chores such as hauling sand for the parking lot.

With insurance only covering about 50 per cent of the cost to replace it, the couple has had to finance the rest.

“It has been tough, but it’s one of those things that we need in order for us to keep up and running,” Tiffany said.

The couple remain optimistic, grateful the fire stopped where it did.

“It could have been worse,” she said.

With fewer trees around the stage, the Schaefers took the opportunity to make the area bigger. They’ve also revamped the farmyard animal area, adding a couple of llamas to the mix of pigs, sheep and other farmyard classics.

The corn maze is back with a unique design meant to honour the first responders who worked hard during the spring fire. The words “Lumsden heroes saving lives” surround a fire department logo, which includes a fireman’s helmet and axe crossed in the middle.

A rope-climbing apparatus in the shape of a spider web has also been added. Kids could be seen crawling on the new attraction like little spiders on Saturday, which was Happy Hollow ’s first day open this season.

While the fire’s mark is mostly long gone, with some trees and bushes bursting into fall colours, it has become a part of the history of Happy Hollow.

“I think it draws more of a crowd in because they want to see what’s new, all the changes that were made and how much has changed from the fire,” Tiffany said.

Inside the store, a wall is adorned with photos taken shortly after the fire. Below them, photos taken a month later hang, showing how quickly and robustly Mother Nature has reclaimed her space.

Visitors stop by the wall to look curiously at the photos, which also include images of the burnt tractor, garage and the warped siding of Tiffany and Linely’s home.

Where the garage used to be, a cement pad sits. Tiffany says they hope to build a new house on the lot next summer.

In the meantime, Happy Hollow continues to thrive despite the challenges thrown at its owners and it remains a place for people to come and reconnect with nature.

“I think it’s getting back to the basic roots of farm life,” Linely said. “We are now all ... one, two, three generations removed from rural life which was Saskatchewan at the beginning. People my age remember going to grandpa and grandma’s farm. That’s not necessarily the case anymore.”

The fact that Happy Hollow survived the fire and was able to open on Saturday is “beyond words,” Linely said.

“That was the whole point in buying it,” he said. “The dream is still intact.”

Happy Hollow is open on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Oct. 14. For more information, visit happyhollow.ca.