Our Goal for Moonshadow Festival: Make it Available To All

Wine Down Ranch is a small, family run working ranch operation. Our primary crops are hay, beef and timber, with a dash of hospitality thrown in. So when we decided to host the Moonshadow Festival to celebrate the National Solar Eclipse coming overhead in August, it was important to us to build our festival using the same values and hard work that we put into our ranching business.  

My family has always had a strong sense of wanting to share the beauty of the ranch and our lifestyle with others. That was our main reason for becoming hosts on Airbnb three years ago, making our little bunkhouse available to those who want to explore Central Oregon, unplug and “wine down,” and inviting tour and activity groups to come and explore our 2,100 acres of timber and ranch land.

With Moonshadow Festival, it is no different. Wine Down Ranch is a prime location to view the solar eclipse in its “Path of Totality” on August 21st. From our wide open pastures to the high ridge where the moon’s shadow will cross the landscape, viewing the eclipse will be spectacular. We are blessed to call this our home!  

In that light, we want to share our ranch, our hospitality, and this gathering of people from far and near with all those seeking this once-in-a-lifetime experience: seeing the total Solar Eclipse under our famously clear and dark Central Oregon skies.

Like you, we’ve seen the headlines about the crush of people coming to Central Oregon on Eclipse weekend, and we’ve heard the stories about everyone from hotels to property owners trying to max out prices to get a slice. During a planning session last weekend with my daughters (this is after all a family business!), we made a decision that we’re proud to share. As we see it, the best way for us to represent the community is to drop our camping prices and offer discounts for families with juniors and children. By ensuring Moonshadow Festival is more affordable, those who want to experience the eclipse can be part of this awesome weekend at Wine Down Ranch.

If the ticket prices are outside of your budget, please consider joining our volunteer team for the festival weekend. We will need many hands to make the event run smoothly, and will be exchanging a campsite and festival ticket for your help. Information can be found on the Volunteer page. Groups who volunteer at Moonshadow Festival will have the opportunity to fundraise through the event, as well as earn service hours. Please email me directly if you are interested in having your group volunteer.  

Join us in Wine-ing Down at Moonshadow Festival August 18th through 22nd. We can’t wait to welcome you here!

-- Mary