Published September 2004

Stanwood events venue offers Western-style flair

Snohomish County Business Journal/KIMBERLY HILDEN
The 60-by-60-foot cedar batten-board barn serves as a backdrop to outdoor and tented events held at Tazer Valley Farm in Stanwood. Built by Spane Buildings Inc. of Stanwood, the facility recently won Best Overall Project and Accessory Building Style of the Year from the Skagit and Island Counties Builders Association.

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

STANWOOD — Amidst 20 acres of fields and evergreens, gardens and a pond is Tazer Valley Farm’s crown jewel: a newly constructed cedar batten-board barn that pays homage to the area’s rich agricultural history.

Tazer Valley Farm

Address: 7314 300th St. NW, Stanwood, WA 98292

Phone: 360-391-3352

Web site: www.tazervalleyfarm.com

The barn, with its 60-by-60-foot dimensions, overhanging eaves and Western-style design, was supposed to be a shop for carriages, wagons and Tom Tazer’s other restoration projects, not part of a special-events venue. But when his sister decided to get married in the rural setting, Tazer decided to fulfill a dream that started three decades ago when he was best man at a friend’s wedding.

“I was taken aback by the smiles and goodwill of the people who owned the facility that my friend rented for the wedding,” Tazer recalled. “It was at the back of my mind and my heart for many years.”

Following his sister’s July 2003 wedding, Tazer and his wife, Crete, focused on turning Tazer Valley Farm into an outdoor and tented venue for weddings, receptions, corporate retreats and other special events, with the barn as a backdrop and for caterers’ use.

A wedding lawn and garden area were designed and planted, with a trellis built along the path leading to the special event. An outdoor patio, complete with umbrella-covered tables, was landscaped with a fountain and flowers. On the outskirts of the pond, more landscaping was done to accentuate the natural beauty of the setting, already thick with cedar trees.

“There are many beautiful photo opportunities,” Tom Tazer said, noting that wedding parties have made use of the barn and the pond for backdrops, as well as one of the vintage cars he has on site. “We’ll be adding more intimate settings as we grow and progress in our dream — we want to host everything from car shows to tea parties out here.”

Since opening for business in April, Tazer Valley Farm has been host to a variety of events, from weddings and political fund raisers to a hospice board retreat and a dog show.

The facility, which has on-site parking, can host events for up to 250 people, Tazer said. Cost to lease the site varies depending on event size and season, with the prime wedding season running from April to October.

“We haven’t really targeted the corporate market yet. Our aim is to begin targeting that, and we hope to add a private heliport to have corporate fly-ins,” he said.

For now, much of their business comes through word-of-mouth, networking and, every once in a while, a chance sighting by a passerby.

“The first wedding we hosted this year, the couple drove by 300th (Street NW) at night, and we had all of our lights on. They were sold by the atmosphere it presented,” Tazer said.

The Tazers’ company, Tazer Valley Farm LLC, also is a member of Northwest Special Events, the Economic Development Association of Skagit County, the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce and the Puget Sound Christmas Tree Association.

That last group applies to Tazer Valley Farm’s other business, “u cut” Christmas trees, some 6,000 of them planted three years ago and expected to be ready for business in two to three years, Tazer said.

Just like the events venue, the tree farm has been a labor of love for the Tazers, with Tom and Crete having planted each tree by hand.

And, just like the tree farm, the events venue is a place where happy memories can be made.

“The most enjoyable part of the business is seeing a young couple being married. Crete and I have a part in making that happen,” Tom Tazer said.

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