11/21/2025
Behind the scenes part two…. Let’s meet the boys who do the heavy lifting! Every year there is a lot of prep work that goes into getting ready for open house. The barn has to be cleaned out and set up, the deer assembled , the lights put on the house, the yard ornaments set out, but that’s not all! There is so much work that it takes weeks of preparation, but it is all rewarding in the end. We have two guys that are the key backbone to the operation. First up Marvin, he is the middle child of Roy Charles and Dianne Catoe, as well as the only son. Marvin is the MacGyver of the family. He can always find a way to solve a solution. During open house you will find Marvin in the sound booth in the barn. Next up we have Simon, the son of Marvin. Simon is the “make a plan and get it done” part of the operations. From painting, cutting out the deer antlers (yes, this seems like a yearly thing due to the damage the wind does to them) to coming up with new ideas, Simon follows in his dad’s footsteps as a Mr Fix It! During open house you will find Simon playing the role of Young Jesus, singing and rising up from the grave, because we know that Jesus is Alive! While Simon and Marvin are more involved in the day to day operations, there are several more guys that help make this possible. Some weekends you will find the Son-In-Laws, Grandsons, and Grandsons-In-Law of Roy Charles and Dianne hard at work helping to prepare! Whether it is changing out the electrical, hanging Christmas lights or helping clean up, each guy in the family plays a part. Even the littlest guys of the family play a roll, from supervising the outside work, to sampling the christmas goodies, and even providing entertainment, there is always a good laugh with these little fellas! We could not do this without the guys of the family!!