Who exactly is Willoughby Farm for? This fall the City of Collinsville gives four different answers in five weeks. A toddler meeting a baby Highland cow is one answer. So is a 7-year-old learning to care for farm animals, a couple learning a line dance on a Friday night, and a group of friends around a bonfire with a drink from Old Herald Brewery.
The spread is useful if you're planning weekends. It also matters for the farm's future. In April, the consultants who wrote Willoughby Farm's master plan told City Council that the farm needs to reach more people. Their recommendations included raising awareness through marketing campaigns and setting a formal cost recovery goal. This fall's lineup shows what that looks like in practice.
The fall lineup, one crowd at a time
Saturday, October 3: Willoughby Farm Family Festival. It runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 631 Willoughby Lane, rain or shine. Admission is $5 per person, and children 2 and under get in free. Once you're inside, most of the kids' activities are free: face painting, a balloon artist, a bracelet bar, a creation station, crafts and a straw maze. Power Highland Haven is bringing baby Highland cows for petting and photos, and there's a K-9 demonstration at noon. Crafters, a food truck and specialty drinks round it out. The listing says everyone over age 2 pays to enter the farm between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day.
Friday, October 23: Boot Scootin' Boogie Barn Dance. Doors open at 6 p.m. and a dance lesson starts at 6:30. Dancing runs from 7 to 10 p.m. It costs $10 per person at the door, with food and drinks for sale. Since the lesson comes first, you don't need to know any steps before you show up.
Saturday, October 24: Barnyard Buddies. This is the smallest event of the season and the most hands-on. It's a farm animal care class for ages 7 and up, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The fee is $20 for Collinsville residents and $25 for nonresidents. The other three events let you watch the animals. This class puts kids to work with them.
Friday, November 6: Bonfires & Brews. This one is adults only. You must be 21 and bring ID. It runs 6 to 9 p.m. and costs $10 if you register ahead or $15 at the gate. Old Herald Brewery, Sun's Up Coffee and Gateway Convention Center Catering are handling drinks, and The BARn Stormers are playing. There's cornhole, plus axe throwing at no extra charge. The food truck is still to be announced. Space is limited, the city encourages registering early, and group tickets are available.
A kids' festival, an adult night, a family class and a social dance all use the same barns and the same farmyard. That says something about how flexible this property is. It also says something about what the city is trying to build there.
The farm on an ordinary Tuesday
The events are the busy days. Most of the year, Willoughby Heritage Farm is a quiet, city-owned farmstead with roughly 40 acres of prairie and woodland along the bluff line. The trails and farmyard are open to the public from sunrise to sunset, and the office keeps 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours. The city notes that private rentals and events can close the farm to the public, so check the programs calendar before you go. If you're planning a quiet walk on October 3 or 23, pick another day.
There are three hiking routes, marked Yellow, White and Red, and each has a different difficulty level. Dogs are welcome on a leash. HeartLands Conservancy lists a community garden, a playground, farm animals, pavilions, barns you can rent, and primitive camping by reservation. The farmstead shows what farm life looked like in the 1940s, with tractors, barns, live animals and a 1930s-style Craftsman farmhouse.
The history is on a historical marker at the farm. Joseph "Boss" Willoughby and his wife, Hannah, bought the land around 1922. Their family farmed it for more than 70 years, raising seven children, with grandchildren to follow. The farm had livestock, a fruit and nut orchard, and flower and vegetable gardens, and it was sold in 2002 to become a public park. The Collinsville Area Recreation District drew up the first plans. The city took ownership after that district dissolved.
The Craftsman farmhouse you walk past today is part of a family's century on that bluff. The question now is what the next 25 years look like.
What the master plan says about this fall
On April 14, 2026, Jordan Wilkinson of Lawrence Group, a St. Louis architecture firm, presented a draft master plan for Willoughby Farm to City Council. According to Lawrence Group's own announcement, council approved the plan on April 28. It's a long-range guide for the next 25 years or more. It is not a construction schedule.
The Troy Times Tribune's coverage lists the problems the plan found. There's erosion, not enough parking, dead or dying trees that could drop limbs, and faded trail signs. The buildings are sound but aging. They include the farmhouse, chicken coop, Bank Barn, Gindler Barn, Gamrel Barn, pavilion, machine shed and restrooms. In a survey of 50 community members, park staff and volunteers, the most-requested improvements were the animal habitats, the children's play area, trail updates and ADA accessibility.
The draft groups its proposals into five phases:
- Near term: better access to trails and buildings, a wider Willoughby Lane, a covered display for farm equipment, an entrance gateway, a covered picnic area and new playground equipment.
- Parking and arrival: a bigger parking lot plus a second lot, a paved trailhead, an expanded patio and plaza, and a stormwater management display.
- Indoor space: HVAC upgrades and a new kitchenette for the Bank Barn, plus a new 7,800-square-foot multipurpose building.
- Farmyard extras: moving the Kid's Corral, an outdoor theater and a children's education zone.
- Long-term wish list: new trail signs and added trails, a covered bridge, an orchard, a selfie spot, a Kugelbahn marble run, prairie restoration and a guided ropes course.
The total cost depends on which source you read. Lawrence Group describes a five-phase plan at about $6.5 million and puts the multipurpose building in its final phase. The phase estimates reported from the council presentation add up to less, and they put that building in phase three. So far, neither source confirms that construction has started.
The operating budget comparison may matter more for this fall's events. As of the April presentation, the farm's yearly expenses, including staff and operations, totaled $522,400. Full build-out would raise that to an estimated $828,528. That figure adds a full-time maintenance position and a full-time programmer to the three existing full-time staff, plus 75% more part-time staffing. Lawrence Group's recommendations also included recognizing volunteers and advertising community service opportunities at the farm.
That's why a $10 barn dance and a $15 walk-up bonfire night matter beyond the evening itself. A bigger farm costs more to run every year, and the plan relies on more people finding a reason to come out. This fall's events each reach a different group, which is how a farm park builds that kind of base.
Making a day of it
Barnyard Buddies wraps up at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 24. That night, Miners Theatre at 204 W. Main Street is showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow cast from Flustered Mustard, and doors open at 9 p.m. It's one Saturday in Collinsville with two very different events at either end.
If you'd rather visit before or after the season, the farmyard and trails stay open sunrise to sunset on days without a scheduled closure. Bonfires & Brews is the last event on the farm's posted calendar for now. No pumpkin, Halloween or holiday events are listed yet, but the city may add more.
Whether you're bringing little ones to meet the Highland cows or grabbing friends for the bonfire, I'd love to hear which Willoughby Farm night you pick this fall. And if you ever want to talk about which part of Collinsville puts you closest to places like this, Joni Stanley is always happy to help. Let's Connect.
