Richmond County’s latest venue is hosting an open house this weekend with a free three-act gospel concert.
Nestled northwest of Rockingham and southwest of Ellerbe is Redland Acres — a venue with a view, making a statement atop a hill overlooking a pond, giving one a sense of awe.
Owners Chris and Amy Yaklin are opening the doors to the public at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 with performances from the Cameronian Boys, the Axe Handlers and Lumber River, and Cole Auditorium Director Joey Bennett serving as emcee.
Chris Yaklin said the vision for Redland Acres — named by his now son-in-law Eli Maske — came after attending a meeting at a fellow farmer’s venue in another county.
“I was inspired to build one on our farm for our daughter Sarah to one day get married in and eventually operate the venue,” he said. “She wants to be on the farm, and this gives her the opportunity to do just that.”
His daughter, Sarah Maske, was previously employed with a local florist, and when delivering to venues, she gave special attention to what she liked about the venue and the things that she would change.
She and her mother gave their opinions as Yaklin was working on the layout.
“I would modify the design according to their input,” said Chris Yaklin. “If I had designed it myself, it would have been a plain barn. The end result amazes us; that we were able to build such a beautiful and elegant venue.”
The plan was to have Redland Acres finished in time for his daughter’s wedding, originally scheduled for March of this year. However, the ceremony was postponed until May due to ongoing construction.
“She had her heart set on getting married in this venue, and was willing to wait,” said Yaklin. “The week before the wedding we had no power, toilets, tables, or air conditioner, but with the help from family and friends we were able to build 50 tables.”
Yaklin said contractors worked long hours in order to meet the deadline.
“The afternoon of the wedding rehearsal, contractors were still putting stalls around the toilets,” Yaklin recalled. “There were also tools and lumber everywhere.”
Yaklin said he left to get ready for the rehearsal dinner and by the time he returned, “everything was completed.”
“It felt like a 1000-pound gorilla had been lifted from my back,” he said. “While everyone at the rehearsal was eating, I sat back in amazement watching it all — we had actually completed it just in time.”
Several other events have been held at the venue since its opening.
When approached by Tommy Criscoe of the Cameronian Boys to rent Redland Acres to host the singing group’s 35th anniversary, Yaklin saw it as an opportunity to give back to the community.
“We feel blessed and... it’s a good way to honor God and expose the venue to the community,” Yaklin said. “I am thankful to family, friends, and contractors for everything; without them, we couldn’t have done it.”
Redland Acres is located at 488 Holly Grove Church Road, Rockingham.
For more information, contact Sarah Maske at 910-387-2360, email redlandacresvenue@yahoo.com, or via TikTok @redland.acres
