What is the Grace Farm Tour?

​History speaks to us through this beautiful place we call Albemarle County and invites us to listen and dream back to American life in the early 1700’s… For the 13th time, we will ask that you join Grace Church’s Farm Tour Committee and our generous Keswick neighbors as we welcome our many guests to a special day in the country and a peek of what lies “beyond the gates”, those rock walls and those tree lined paths leading to some of Virginia’s most respected historical farms.  

Farm gates will open, the Church grounds will transform to an earlier era Country Fair featuring local artisans, food vendors, Grace Grill, foot tapping music, pony rides, an English Country Fair children's area, and 4-H livestock presentations and show. Again, this year a wonderful assortment of demonstrations awaits visitors at the featured farms. There will be 4-H judging, the foxhounds of the Keswick Hunt Club,  children’s activities, food trucks, and an antique car show.

The origin of the Grace Church Historic Farm Tour – “beyond the gates” can be traced back to March of 2009. The “great recession” was on us, our Annual Meeting just completed and a small group of parishioners gathered to brainstorm “how might Grace Church generate the needed funding to advance its many Outreach Ministries” without impacting the Church’s general operating budget. Our Outreach needs were at their highest, and Grace was no longer able to serve those in need in its local community.

Early in our process, we learned that our situation wasn’t unique; we found many parishes of similar size to Grace reaching outside their walls to raise funds to support their Outreach Ministries. We were very fortunate to have a family worshiping with us that relocated from Northern Virginia and who had been involved in Trinity Episcopal Church’s very successful Hunt Country Stable Tour, and the Diocese of Virginia quickly introduced us to other Parishes that were presenting successful fundraising initiatives.  We are proud to honor the late Deacon Don Cady and his wife, Deede, for being instrumental in the effort to bring the Grace Church Historic Farm Tour & Country Fair to Grace Church.

Our inaugural “Grace Church Historic Farm Tour – beyond the gates” officially opened its doors to thousands of visitors traveling to Central Virginia on June 19, 2010.  More than 100 Grace Volunteers served as hosts at the Keswick Hunt Club and the 5 beautiful farms resting beyond those gates, those rock and hedge walls and down those tree lined paths that first year.

Our Historic Farm Tour and Country Fair has, generated close to $600,000 in 12 years to benefit local non-profit organizations.  Some 23 organizations received funding in 2023.

WE WELCOME ALL VOLUNTEERS!  PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU ARE INTERESTED - [email protected]
​Or click here for more information:

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Volunteer

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"the Farm Tour was completely charming and innovative.  It brought back all of the good things I had forgotten about country churches...all reminders that we are a community"...
                                      --quote from an actual Farm Tour Visitor