Liebenthal’s little house on the prairie
By Joan Janzen
If you’re driving through the hamlet of Liebenthal, you may have noticed a mural of the Sandhills painted on a tiny old yellow house, along with a sign, posting directions to the Sandhills. The house is on Eastern Sunrise Farm’s property, where new owners, Kyla and Kent McCallum and their 7-year-old daughter Reese reside. Kyla and Reese were the artists who painted the eye-catching mural. Some locals in the area may remember the house was originally owned by Joe Wagner, who rented it to Leonard and Rachel Hammel and family.
Seven-year-old Reese McCallum helps put the finishing touches on the old house at her parent’s property. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
Reese sold her stuffed scarecrows and wooden watermelon slices at the market in Leader. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
Kyla immediately fell in love with the property when it came up for sale; it was just what she was looking for! The family moved from Calgary, Alberta, to Leader nine years ago, where Kent is employed, but they were looking for a project farm. Now they have made Liebenthal their home and increased the hamlet’s population to eight.
“People on their way to the Sandhills would stop and look at the old house, so I thought we would give them something more to look at,” Kyla said, “We figured the little house served as a great canvas, but I also wanted to do a mural with welcome to Liebenthal on it.”
Kyla recently finished painting the Welcome to Liebenthal mural on the south wall of the little house. Her masterpiece features Liebenthal’s symbol, the love bird, since Liebenthal means ‘love valley.’ Reese did the finishing touches on the mural, adding flowers and plants. Two antique benches provide a peaceful resting spot for people who are making their way to the Sandhills, which are located 17.5 km east on the dirt road and 4 km northeast.
“This farm is built by us, as a family, but is being used as a learning experience for Reese (aka The Boss Farmer),” Kyla said. “We’re working hard to build it and have her gain skills along the way in her horticultural journey.” Those skills help facilitate her daughter’s homeschooling experience. “I love that I can customize things to suit her needs,” Reese’s mom noted. The couple has transformed one of the farm buildings into an indoor basketball court for their daughter and her friends to enjoy.
With the help of her mom, Reese is acquiring many new skills on their farm. “My grandma and mom had an antique store, and I had my own photography business for eleven years before we moved to Leader,” Kyla said. “I want to teach Reese all that I can.” Kyla grew up in a home business, so it feels natural to pass her skills and knowledge on to her daughter.
This spring, the youngster was busy planting corn and pumpkins on their property, which proved to be a challenge during the hot weather, when they had to haul water. However, Reese isn’t discouraged because like all farmers, she knows there’s always next year. And next year, she wants to plant crabapples and chokecherries for a future u-pick, as well as sunflowers. And the pumpkin patch will be bigger and better than ever.
“She likes crafting,” Kyla said. “She likes the same things I do. We have a sewing room, and my mom is an artist, so we have an art painting collection. I love it cause it helps her learn different techniques.”
Meanwhile, in the sewing room, Reese has made a large collection of scarecrows. “She sewed the crows herself,” her mom said. Reese used her mom’s sewing machine to sew the crows and stuffed them all with straw she had collected and dried. “She made little accessories for the scarecrows. They’re super cute!” Kyla said. The accessories included eyeglasses made out of twisted wire. The 7-year-old finished crafting her birds in a week and a half, along with some painted wooden watermelon slices that her mom cut out on their band saw. Then off she went to sell her wares at the young entrepreneur’s market in Leader.
“She did really well and sold them all except for one,” her mom said. Reese attached the crows to sticks so they could be used to decorate a garden, flower pot or fence.
When Reese isn’t showing people around their property, she is posting entries on the Eastern Sunrise Farm Facebook page. “It helps with her reporting and creative writing skills,” her mom explained.
You’re really missing out if you haven’t seen this charming 7-year-old flash her smile and sparkling eyes as she invites people to like her page. She’s also becoming somewhat of a history buff as she unearths treasures hidden in her garden and displays them in glass jars lined up along the walls of the little house. One of those treasures was a shoe sole made by the Holtite company. According to her research, it was manufactured prior to 1937.
Both Reese and her mom envision the little house as the perfect space for a museum. While the little house has been decorated with murals on the outside, the inside is being cleaned out of all debris (meaning bird poop). But after all their hard work is done, they’re planning to transform it into a museum someday soon.
“We love history, and the history of this area is so plentiful. We’re hearing so many really awesome stories about individuals that used to live in the little house or grew up near it,” Kyla explained.
Talking to Kyla and Reese was especially interesting since I grew up on a farm near Liebenthal and attended school there. As they shared all their future plans with me, I just had to ask Reese one more question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Reese’s immediate reply was, “A farmer ... a chicken farmer”. And the twenty-one chickens in her chicken coop can all attest that she’s off to a good start.