Crisis Update AND Gold Rush Science!
A Wild GOLD Story
Jim Riley from Riley’s Farm here, with a little Gold Rush science education story, along with an update on our crisis.
How many of you know why gold panning works? Don’t feel bad if you don’t because I never understood this until just a few years ago, but it is really about the stuff being very heavy. 78 of the elements are lighter than gold and some of the stuff heavier than gold is pretty nasty stuff – mercury, uranium, plutonium. Anyway, have you ever picked up a full box of quarters from the bank? It’s small but VERY heavy. Compare that to a box of cherry tomatoes the same size. Nowhere near as heavy.
So when you swirl dirt around in water, the gold sinks to the bottom faster than the rest of the material and you let the water and the mud sluff off the top. If you’re lucky, there’s a little gold at the bottom.
In this illustration, we compare aluminum to tungsten falling through the water. Tungsten, on the left, is pretty close to the weight of gold and you can see how much faster it sinks than the aluminum on the right. For the gold rush adventure, I want to create some sort of vintage glass tube to show this to the kids, but it would have to be pretty tall indeed, because you can’t really see the difference clearly unless you slow it down. I’m thinking glass tubes at least 8 feet tall.
So now a few concise words about our crisis..
My dream has always been to have a day-in, day-out living history adventure here, year round – a place where families could experience crafts and drama and even a little comedy from the past. Think of it as a Disneyland for smart people – not roller coasters and good art direction, but real discussions about history and about the sacrifices our ancestors endured to give us what we have today. Woke weirdoes would not be allowed. It would be truthful, but patriotic. You wouldn’t have to worry about a guy with a mustache in a ball gown, lecturing you about the historical contribution of mentally ill people in the Civil War period. And don’t forget the music either. There MUST be a lot of fiddle and a few hymns and some romantic ballads. There should be at least three shows a day in the tavern.
As one reenactor told me the other day, we actually do that here better than anyone else in the country, but our real success has been for short run dinner theater and field trips. We are very busy in the Spring and in October, but we have very dry summers and almost no walk-in business during some periods of the year.
Right now, I’m trying to get families to pre-book for summer adventures based on our field trips. We have run social media ads. We have contracted with a company that provides demographic emails. We appeal to our own base, with customer emails, but – so far, at least – it’s not working. Field trips are up and dinner theater is up, but we simply can’t survive these barren summers. Mary and I are too old to be in this much debt, shoring up our dry season every year.
So how can we solve the problem?
Number One: All of our loyal customers could share our website relentlessly. It’s basically a numbers game. Our combined social media reach includes about 80,000 subscribers, but we really need at least one million subscribers to achieve the kind of sales we need.
Number Two: Someone who shares our vision could buy in as a partner. It would have to be an individual or an institution with the means to stabilize and improve this place. We need overnight cottages, more craft buildings, and more landscaping.
Number Three: We can just sell more of our existing product. If you like our chicken pot pies, stop in more often. If you like Sleepy Hollow, consider the Harvest Feast. Buy ahead and tell friends. We infinitely prefer selling more over appealing to your generosity.
Number Four: Having said that, for some of you, it’s just easier to give us a contribution or buy a gift card. Some of you live as far away as San Diego, or Santa Barbara or Las Vegas. Taking the family here represents a lot of effort and time, so if you want us to stick around, sometimes a gift is the best option.
Number Five: we’re reconciled to selling, and leaving, if God doesn’t want us here, or if this mission is over. We don’t want to do this, but if we don’t change for the better, the decision will be made for us.
So far, we’ve raised about $8,500, but I see no reason why we can’t raise $100,000. Tell your friends!
See you soon!
Jim Riley
P.S. Positive comments outweigh the negatives..
Good luck to you!
I felt your announcement/email to the core. Every single word.
It’s not much, but hopefully it helps. Thank you for everything you all do.
Keep up the good fight!
Please keep on doing what you do best. You have an awesome and unique place. Don’t ever give up.
Please keep us posted as to the total amount donated. That is the one good thing about go fund me and give send go. People need to know.
Praying our Lord leads, guides and provides all your family’s needs thanking and praising He who sustains in Jesus’ Name
Praying for blessings and miracles for your family and for the farm. Thank you for bringing us so much joy throughout the years.
We’ve had some medical bills to pay – we will give more when we can. It just seemed important say thank you.
Praying for Gods provision over Riley’s Farm. We have been blessed to attend field trips family outings and the Christmas dinner over the years!! Wish we could offer more!
“Praying for you and your farm!
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Praying that you will be able to stay in business and God’s grace will continue to shine through your business as you celebrate our country. God Bless America and God bless you!
Sorry it’s not much. It’s what I can spare this month.
Thank you for being my favorite place to visit in the fall. May the Way Maker make a way for you and encourage your hearts, and give you strength for this journey. God bless you.
Thank you for keeping history alive. May God bless you in your efforts.
We love you and want you to continue blessing the whole of Southern California!
Wish we could offer you more. God Bless you all.
You were there for us in 2020, we brought our family to your Christmas event. Thank you and wishing you the best!
Don’t fret if you eventually sell! Be proud of all the great moments you have given us over the years! Thank you
Only one hateful weirdo..
Hahahahahahaba. I love this for you That fact that yall are hopefully going to be out of business is the BEST NEWS EVER! You have pushed fake news and incredibly hateful rhetoric for years. And now it’s all coming back AND you’re here begging for money. Omg. Byeeeeeeee
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