Katina and Tim Shirley closed on their five-acre farm in West Pelzer on Nov. 12. On Dec. 3 and 4, they will host Christmastime at Dalrymple Place, a two-day holiday celebration at the South Carolina century farm that will benefit a new Upstate gathering home for siblings in foster care.
The Simpsonville couple learned about Dalrymple Farm from an auction company email. When they visited in person, it was love at first sight.
“My husband saw it when it came across email and said, ‘I think you need to look at this,’” Shirley recalled. “When we came to look at it, I just fell in love with it. We decided to purchase it and here we are.”
About the time the Shirley’s closed on the Anderson County farm, Mrs. Shirley’s sister and brother-in-law were making their final decision to open a foster home in nearby Easley called Harvest Edge.
“Once we bought this, we decided to use the property and do a fundraiser,” Shirley said. “We thought this would be a great way to partner with West Pelzer, Pelzer, Williamston, Easley – all these surrounding areas – to support this cause and have something fun to do for Christmas.”
Christmastime at Dalrymple Place will include a festival of trees, Santa’s workshop with Santa and his elves, a live nativity scene, a barn movie theater complete with timber cut bench and hay bale seating, vendors, concessions, food trucks, games and more. Staged in the property’s 104-year-old farmhouse, the festival of trees features fully decorated Christmas trees sponsored by area businesses and families, with some of the trees included in a silent auction during the event.
One of the trees has been sponsored and decorated by the Dalrymple family, a testament to the response the Shirley’s have received from the community since purchasing the farm.
“The family has been incredible to us, so sweet and helpful, and the community has been great,” Shirley said. “We’ve had people reaching out to us, asking questions about what we’re doing and telling us how thankful they are that someone is going to do something with this place. I’ve had a lot of people friend me on Facebook because of it, so it’s been really cool. We’re very excited about the welcome that we’ve received.”
And while the farm is no longer owned by a Dalrymple, the family name will live on, Shirley said.
“We decided to keep the Dalrymple name because it has been in their family for so long and we just felt like that needed to remain,” she said. “That’s what this is – Dalrymple Place. We wanted to honor them in that way. I mean, if you keep a farm in your family for over a hundred years, that’s a big deal.”
Want to attend?
What: Christmastime at Dalrymple Place
Where: The Grove at Dalrymple Place, 108 Main Street, Pelzer SC 29669 across from West Pelzer Elementary School
When: Friday, December 3, and Saturday, December 4, from 4 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. both days
Admission: $5 for ages 3 and up; under age 3, free. All proceeds benefit Harvest Edge in Easley, a unique gathering home with a goal of keeping siblings together while they are in foster care.
Parking for Christmastime at Dalrymple Place is free in a lot on Stone Drive.
For updates, follow @TheGroveatDalrymplePlace on Facebook.
