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People who join the annual Rock County Garden Tour next week are in for a rare private viewing of one couple’s pursuit of artistic expression and stretch of imagination.
The Gerald and Sandy Johnson home on the state line northwest of Beaver Creek is an otherwise ordinary acreage that’s been transformed into an extraordinary space reflecting their creativity and flair for unique details.
“It’s a feast for the senses … It’s sensory overload, actually,” said Sandy Johnson, who has led dozens of tours of the acreage in the past decade.
“What you see here you won’t find anywhere else.”
Her next one will be Tuesday evening, June 25, when a Luverne Community Education bus arrives with curious tour registrants.
Highlights on their 10-acre property include a refurbished barn, manmade pond, solar-lighted fairy garden and a hobbit house, among other notable features.
The retired contractor and elementary teacher didn’t set out to be wedding and event planners.
“It started with the barn in 2010,” Sandy said. “It was falling in disrepair and we didn’t want it to fall down.”
Gerald dug a pond, and the dirt that wasn’t used in the barn restoration was pushed into a berm that eventually the hobbit house was built into.
Its walls were reinforced with silo staves, which also formed the front patio, and the heavy round wooden door was built with trees that once lined the roadside.
“There’s nothing out here that you can find at Menard’s, Home Depot or Fleet Farm,” Sandy said. “It’s all handmade or recycled.”
A sign inside the hobbit house offers a hint at the couple’s aspirations. “We hope the magic we had tried to create at at Red Rock Manor inspires your imagination and encourages you to act on your dreams and use your gifts to enrich your lives and those of others.”
Eventually the barn featured a dance floor, second-story loft and bridal suite. The project was completed at the height of shabby-chic popularity, and they were asked to host wedding dances.
“In eight summers we hosted 33 weddings and 18 other events,” Sandy said. “That was too much; we slowed down after that.”
They did it for friends and family, and frequently former students.
“We never charge,” Sandy said, admitting that entertaining is a natural way to show off their hard work and artistic ingenuity.
“It’s a way of giving back for all the good fortune we’ve had. … and by that I don’t mean money; I mean the good things we’ve enjoyed, like our grandchildren.”
And she hopes their generosity and creativity will rub off on their grandchildren.
“That’s the legacy we hope to leave them with … It’s better to give than to get,” Sandy said. “We truly believe that you get what you give.”
Since the first project started nearly a decade ago, the creative additions and personal touches have continued accruing to the point where it takes nearly three hours for Sandy to offer a thorough tour of their property.
“I take it for granted, because I see it every day,” Sandy said Monday night.
“But when I see it through the eyes of someone who has never seen it before, I realize we’ve done something special.”
The tour includes a stop at Oak Ridge Nursery in Brandon for “Keeping your Plants Looking Great Through the Heat of the Summer.”
Registration is necessary to secure a seat on the bus, which departs from the Luverne Community Education parking lot. Fee is $10 prepaid by June 20 or $15 after that. Call 507-283-4724.