CATTLE GUARD BUILT FOR FRONT GATE

SLO County District 1 Supervisor Frank Mecham, provided Community Grant Funds to build a badly needed cattle guard for the ranch's front gate.

The front gate is the main entryway onto the ranch for children and their families to gain access to our program which is located in the heart of a cattle and hay operation.  During visitor hours the gate needs to remain open and the new cattle guard will ensure our bovine friends won't wander off.
     
The cattle guard also increases the safety of our visitors, as they do not have to open and close the front gate while encountering cows with their calves. The children and families we serve can enjoy a safe welcoming entryway onto the ranch property.

Special thanks go to the many volunteers who worked to custom weld and install the unit: Kellen Haney, Carl Linn, Kevin Alexander and Tom Vaughn.

Kevin Alexandar welds on the new cattle guard

Carl and Kathy Linn on their wedding day getting married by Bill Hawk. A low flying leer jet roared overhead adding to the fun of the outdoor ceremony.

ROMANCE AT THE RANCH

Carl Linn and Kathy Whitacre got "hitched" December 11, 2010! The wedding was held on a scenic hilltop with the sun coming out to dispel the rain clouds and shine on the friends and family coming to bless their union.

The two met through their work at Morning Star Youth Ranch. The folks at Morning Star have enjoyed seeing Carl and Kathy's love for each other blossom and we wish them many blessings as God unites them in their new future together. The newlyweds are making their home on the Linn ranch, home of Morning Star Youth Ranch.

END OF SEASON BBQ, HAY RIDE & SING ALONG

Children, families, and volunteers joined together for a Bar-B-Que to celebrate the end of the season for program sessions with children and horses. 

Visitors enjoyed good food, games, hay rides with scenic views of the ranch, as well as a campfire and sing-a-long. Thank you to everyone for your hard work and prayers to make our program a successful outreach to local kids and horses in need of rescue!

Rotating photos from the October BBQ courtesy of Amy Linn

FRONT GATE ADORNED WITH NEW SIGN!

New metal sculpted signs have been created and mounted to mark the entry way for visitors coming to the ranch.  The double metal gates are now clearly marked, with one gate left open during visiting hours.  A cattle guard will be installed so that the gate can be left open while keeping the cattle from wandering off their home on the ranch.

A new sign with the "brand" for Morning Star Youth Ranch was created to mark the entry gate and address signs.  The Linn Ranch is home to Morning Star Youth Ranch at "1385." The address signs sit in between the Linn's private gate and the entry gates into Morning Star Youth Ranch.

The beautiful metal work was done by S & S Plasma Arts and Parts using 1/8" steel cut with a state of the art CNC plasma cutter.  Many thanks go to their craftsmanship!

ELECTRICITY COMES TO THE RANCH

PG&E installed a new transformer at the ranch which will bring electricity needed for planned projects such as: the horse hospital, visitor's welcome center, library and classroom in the barn, arena lights, as well as to make activities after dark safer. Funds must be raised to build these planned projects and the installation of electricity provides a major part of the foundation for building them.

A water system is the next component for bringing our building projects closer to reality. The ranch is in need of donations or deep discounts on: a small compressor, 5,000 gallon water storage tank, 1,000 feet of 4 inch PVC water pipe, and twenty 4x4x2 tees. Please contact Diane if you are able to supply any of these materials.

OUR BARN IS FILLED WITH HAY!

Our horses have been blessed with an anonymous donation of nutritious grass hay trucked all the way to the ranch from Oregon. Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch facilitated the generous donation that will supply enough hay to feed our precious equine counselors for a year!

Quality hay is our single biggest ongoing expense and it's a challenge to raise funds to meet this need each year. This special donation frees our limited budget to finish other important ranch projects and reach more children.

Please join us in praising God for the miraculous ways He continues to meet the needs at Morning Star.