Located in Chapeau, La Ferme Northfork carries on the property’s history of acting as a wedding and event venue. The property was previously owned by Frances and Art Fleming, who opened the Northfork Country Kitchen after their retirement. The couple hosted weddings and other similar events on the property for years until closing it during the pandemic.

Owner Devina Kaur explained that they’re trying to keep the spirit of the venue alive.

“It’s surreal, I can’t believe this is happening. We just wanted to reopen La Ferme Northfork to the community,” said Kaur. “It’s a great opportunity to meet the community. Everyone is so supportive and welcoming.”

The reopening saw attendance from Frances Fleming and Mayors Doris Ranger and Donald Gagnon of Sheenboro and Chichester, as well as from various other guests from both Quebec and Ontario.

“It’s nice to see the business continuing. For a while, we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” said Gagnon, who thinks the venue will help the local economy. “I think it’ll bring people in again. A lot of people fall in love with the area and choose to stay.”

The ribbon cutting was held in the early afternoon, with Kaur, Frances Fleming and Mayor Gagnon standing together to mark the property’s official reopening.

“It’s great to see people back here,” said Fleming.

Guests were also welcome to tour the inside of Place d’Art, where different wedding vendors showed off their services. The event was hosted by Creative Perspective and Ottawa Valley Wedding show and featured a photo booth, catered food, an orchestra, two DJs, a fashion show and more. The vendors also helped run the vow renewal ceremony.

The vow renewal ceremony gave Sean Nelson and Tina Gracie a chance to reimagine their wedding after Sean beat a cancer diagnosis. The couple had previously been married at the Northfork property, but the wedding photos were lost. Many of the day’s decorations – such as the bride’s dress and bouquet – were the same as they were nine years before in an effort to recreate their wedding.

In addition to an event venue Kaur hopes to use the property as farmland and to tap the property’s trees for syrup. “We’re looking at what’s practical and possible,” she said.

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