Barn Believers

Barn Believers: A Brief Background

The Barn Believers Project Fund was launched in mid-2017 with the Battle Creek Community Foundation and is now managed through its program, “Encourage BC.” Our grants of up to $5,000 may be made throughout Michigan to 501(c)3 organizations. We began in September 2017 with a country music concert at the Barn Theatre, Augusta, featuring the Richard Lynch Band, Waynesville, Ohio. Richard had written a song for us, “Worth Saving,” about saving heritage barns, released that year on his album, “Mending Fences.” See video on this page. And, Robert Learner wrote a children’s song, “Great Big Beautiful Barn” which was performed by 4-H youth at our opening event.

The Richard Lynch Band returned in 2019 to perform at Dreamfield Acres Barn, Marshall. In addition, Barn Believers teamed up with the Art Center, Battle Creek, for a two-month “BARNS: A Call to Action” exhibit to inform and inspire people to save barns. Linda Holderbaum, executive director, noted that it was one of the Center’s most popular and well-attended exhibits in the Center’s nearly 75-year history.

A silent auction held at Dreamfield Acres Barn, featured more than 80 donors. The Battle Creek Community Foundation provided support to “refresh” the 2007 Heart of Heatherbrook mural mounted on the barn. Tony Hendrick, lead artist, gave it a bright fresh look and once again it captures the attention of travelers on Interstate 94. Barn Believers has focused its mission since these very successful fund-friend-awareness-building events, on the writing and sharing of the “Saving Heritage Barns” booklet and grantmaking. The booklet has been sent to more than a dozen states, Canada, and Australia.

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