Local Roots Run Deep at Idle Creek

On the side of the highway, just before Kempner proper, is a small white sign with a big piece of history behind it. Idle Creek Farms may seem to the untrained eye like it popped up out of  nowhere one day, but a handful of Lampasans know it’s roots run deep. The 65 acres Idle Creek sits upon belongs to one Bobby Henderson, and has supported 4 generations of the Henderson family since 1943, from Bobby’s father on down to his granddaughters.

Born in Copperas Cove, in a little house over the railroad tracks from today’s Ace Hardware store, Mr. Henderson spent his early years with his grandparents in a tiny place called “OK” Texas. Don’t spend too much time searching for it though, because the Killeen Regional Airport now occupies the area where OK once was, with the control tower sitting in the spot where their house used to be. In a nutshell, that’s how the Henderson’s found themselves in Lampasas County.

Fast forward a couple decades and Idle Creek Farms was born, a labor of love on the part of Caitlin Blakely, Bobby’s grand-daughter, her mother Sheila Burton, his daughter, and Samuel Blakely, Caitlin’s husband - two of Bobby’s great-grandkids even work there. Caitlin joined us in the studio yesterday morning to set the record straight on all the Christmas festivities the Farm is offering this season, which aren’t just for children, by the way! Though your kids may drag you there to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, pet the zebus and sip some hot chocolate, parents and young adults alike will stay for the axe-throwing, snowball fights, hay rides and cozy fire pit, a perfect setting for date night (or   proposal..just sayin’). And if you’re good boys and girls, the beer “sleigh” might just pull through.

Caitlin had this to say about the Farm’s journey so far, “You can tell you’re doing the right thing in life when things line up for you,” referring to the way, like a divine puzzle, all the pieces fell into place to bring Idle Creek into existence. The folks over at the Farm are forever grateful for the support they’ve received from the community – Jimmy and Donna Horrell, for designing the hay ride attractions and wearing “all the hats”; Brown’s Feed, for providing the material for the corn pit; C&J Equipment, for the tractors and trailers used for the hay ride; Centex Cars and Trucks, for donating the tires placed around the “trike” track; every single one of the Farm’s guests; and of course, Grandpa Bobby, for saying yes.

To hear the full interview, click the Facebook icon at the bottom of this page.
 

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A hand-painted reproduction of a photo of the Henderson’s ancestral home, courtesy of the family