Outdoor venues increasing in Jackson County

The Jackson County Plan Commission recently gave favorable approval to two applicants’ petitions for special exceptions allowing them to host outdoor weddings and events at their current residences.

The next step will be for the applicants to present their petitions for final approval before the Jackson County Board of Zoning Appeals during public hearings at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Jackson County Courthouse, 111 S. Main St., Brownstown.

If approved, the petitioners will be able to begin operations immediately.

The first applicants are Tiffany Johnson and her brother, Nick Goings, a former NFL running back for the Carolina Panthers. They are the heirs to the grounds that once belonged to their grandmother, Dana Myers.

The two live on the 10.73-acre site at 351 U.S. 31, Seymour. It is part of the long-running, family-operated thoroughbred farm known as Swifty Farms.

The operation, owned by Don Myers until his passing in 2013, was named in homage to his company, Swifty Oil Co. After his death, it was operated by Dana Myers until her passing in 2020.

Johnson and Goings hope to use the family home that is on the grounds in memoriam to their grandparents and invite those in the community to enjoy the home and the nature that surrounds it.

Swifty Farms has become Indiana’s largest thoroughbred racing and breeding farm and now operating with around 100 horses. Johnson believes it is the perfect location to have small and medium events on the grounds.

“My husband and I got married on the farm next to the waterfall,” Johnson said. “We didn’t prepare much, and it turned out to be the most beautiful wedding either of us had ever witnessed. Not to mention, our grandparents hosted graduation parties, Father’s Day celebrations and other events and the outcome was the same.

“With all of those wonderful memories, we wanted to see if we could extend the same opportunity to our community,” she said. “You just don’t realize how gorgeous the property is until you experience it yourself.”

Goings said he believes his next venture for their family is a great opportunity to utilize the property.

“My sister and I wanted to stay true to the Swifty Farms legacy by continuing the strong tradition of thoroughbred horse racing and breeding in the state of Indiana,” he said. “At the same time, we also wanted to add our own unique touch to the farm’s history by ushering an exciting new era. And we thought what better way than to open up the main estate and surrounding property as an event venue with an emphasis on weddings. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and we feel it’s the perfect setup for people to use on their special day.”

On the grounds of the home, there are many other accessory buildings and functions, such as an outdoor locker room building for men and women, an outdoor kitchen, a pool area and separate guest quarters once used by health aides for the Myerses.

The front side of the home includes a circular drive with a large fountain in the middle with various landscaping around the home. The grounds also are next to a wide lake, a location for guests to take photos if they wish and the various barns that hold the thoroughbred horses.

The grounds will be available for small to medium events, and those who wish to hold their event on the grounds will stay onsite. No permanent structures will be constructed. While the grounds itself lend to more attention for weddings, Johnson said they are not opposed to hosting other events, as well.

The second applicant, Cat Kick, also filed a petition to host small events, such as weddings, receptions, graduations and more, in two structures that she is in the process of renovating in the 900 block of South County Road 350E, Brownstown.

Kick started out gutting the horse barn all the way down to the studs and thought it would be a good idea for people to use the space for celebrations.

The larger structure will feature an open floor plan with a raised center aisle and two large wagon wheel chandeliers. The smaller barn also will feature an open floor plan with the addition of a kitchenette and restrooms and heating and cooling systems.

Kick plans to offer the space for birthday parties, graduations and other private events. She is currently in the process of constructing a covered bridge that will go across the creek on the right side of the structures for a parking area.

Nathan Newkirk, a Jackson County farmer, attended the meeting to address a concern regarding outdoor venues being operated in agricultural zoning districts.

He said he was not opposed to the petitions for outdoor venues, but he did think they pose some concerns for those farmers in the surrounding areas.

Newkirk said he is aware that farm operations of a farmer do not always coincide with the operations of a wedding venue.

He said he could see a situation where a farmer is harvesting his crops on an afternoon while a wedding is taking place. That might lead to operators of an outdoor venue asking a farmer to not work that day or try to stop the farmer from working.

Newkirk said he would like to see the county address the concern and ask the applicants to demonstrate how they will not pose a burden on neighboring farm operations in the surrounding area.

Building Commissioner Conner Barnette said he believes the board will address these concerns.

“The board plans to discuss concerns that have been presented by members of the agricultural community in the near future; however, I do not foresee these concerns affecting the subject applications due to their location,” Barnette said.

Johnson and Goings, who both work and live on the property, said they plan to carry out events in designated areas so they will not disrupt the neighbors.

Both also said they believe the surrounding agriculture does not disrupt but enhances the experience they hope to give.

“We will work with our community in whatever way we can to be sure we do not disrupt anyone’s peace of mind,” Johnson said. “We’ve been here for a long time and hope to stay forever. Our location is so far from any neighbors that we don’t foresee any issues.”

Kick said her structures also are renovated with sound control material and far enough away from neighbors in the country that any disruption should not be an issue.

While Jackson County has been seeing an increase in population, there are still plenty of spaces for outdoor events, such as weddings and receptions.

This is possibly why Barnette said he has seen three applicants for outdoor event petitions in the past three months. On Jan. 10, the BZA approved a request from Nathan and Angela Patman to operate an outdoor venue at 776 S. County Road 100W, Brownstown.

“I believe there has been a market for these type of venues for a long time in Jackson County. I think there’s room and a need for multiple venues as long as the board feels they meet the criteria for a special exception,” Barnette said.

Johnson and Goings believe Jackson County has seen an increase in popularity with outdoor weddings due to the open countryside it has to offer.

“Jackson County is an untapped resource of beautiful, country grounds, which is why we believe it’s growing in popularity for events,” Johnson said. “It’s not every day that you can drink your morning coffee in the presence of nature and beautiful horses.”