By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
The Scorched Stone Farm, located in Holyrood, Kansas, has been around since the early 1900s. The farm is currently operated by three generations of Homolkas and is where they sell wagyu beef and floral arrangements.
Over the course of more than a century, Jessica Homolka said two fires have blazed through the farm, scorching the limestone and turning it red, hence where the name Scorched Stone Farm came from.
"In 2019, we concreted the barn in," said Homolka. "We pulled the horse stalls out. We had a few weddings out there. When COVID hit, we kind of shifted. It's more of a workshop space. We have our flower coolers out there. We have small workshops out there."
The farm in Holyrood was awarded a Barn Adaptation and Restoration Needs (BARN) grant from Kansas Tourism. Homolka said the grant will help revitalize the historic barn to foster new agritourism ventures.
"The grant will help us with concrete work," said Homolka. "We're placing concrete on two other sides for a patio space. We're sealing up windows, putting new doors in and things to help with water drainage."
Kansas Tourism officials will be visiting Scorched Stone Farm Monday, Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m. to present the big check.
Find out more about Scorched Stone Farm at scorchedstonefarm.com.