Like many good ideas, it began with a grandchild.
When Dick Douma’s son, Darren, presented him with a grandson (Aiden), the new grandpa bought him a model farm set.
“It was made in China, probably, and I have no idea now where we bought it,” said Douma. “Aiden loves playing with it, pretending he is a farmer, moving around fences, putting the animals into pens and barn. It was pretty well made, although it was all plastic.”
Then along came grandson No. 2 (Evan) and his grandpa wanted to give him a farm set, too.
“But we couldn’t find one anywhere, at least not the kind we were looking for,” Douma explained.
Then the light bulb went on. And Cadillac Ranch was born.
Douma started into what he describes as a research and development phase — it’s still going on, he said — and found pins that join the fence sections together, and farm animal sets that are a suitable size for small (farm)hands.
“I thought that wooden sets would be a better idea,” he said. “The original that we bought several years ago was pretty good, but it was still plastic.”
Living in an area with a couple of sawmills has its benefits. Douma began to scrounge scraps and went to work on a design. Soon, he was cranking out fence sections and coming up with designs for five different outbuildings and lean-tos. For paint, he chose green and yellow, colours associated with a popular farm equipment manufacturer, because they are bright and cheery. He also has completed a set in brown and black, and it is very attractive, too.
“The fences are made in 12-inch sections and the kids can configure them in any number of ways,” he said. “And, obviously, the sets are expandable. You can start with a few pieces and then add more later.”
With the fencing, a barn, workshop, lean-to and a few feed mangers (different, of course, for pigs and cows or horses, because of their height), and a selection of animals, the budding farmer will find no end of fun in the hours of creative play.
“Because the modules are mostly made from salvaged material it sends a good example to kids — reuse what you can, whenever you can,” he said.
When it came time to name his new business venture, Douma said Darren came up with the idea for Cadillac Ranch.
“I think it has a nice ring to it,” he said.
The sets will soon be on display at Extra Foods and the Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce, Douma said, and he will make them available for sale in May — after he returns from a well-earned late winter holiday.
For more information, contact Cadillac Ranch at dickdouma@shaw.ca.