Riverhill Farm becoming annual destination for many families

Craig Bakay | Dec 18, 2019

Now in its sixth year, Riverhill Farm just off the River Road in North Frontenac near Ompah has added 20,000 new lights this year, making the grand total on the order of 120,000 lights.

“Walt Disney has deeper pockets than I do,” said owner/operator Greg Ducharme. “We have to move a little slower.”

If you’ve never been, you take the River Road to 1311 Struthadam Road. From there, you can drive around the grounds taking in several different themed areas. Except on Saturdays, of course. On Saturday evenings, it’s foot traffic only for safety’s sake, but you can take the wagon ride. And there’s still one more visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus (Dec. 21 from 5-8 p.m. and there’s hot fresh donuts available and wagon rides every Saturday night. The displays will be open until 9 p.m. every night until Dec. 30.

“I’m still having fun doing this,” Ducharme said. “Some years are more challenging than others.

“With the freeze-thaw cycle this year, the ground’s been soft at times but other than that . . .”

Even if you have been here before, there’s always something different.

“I like to change things around,” he said.

“But I’m the one that does all the work,” said Stephanie Lemke, the self-appointed “designer, social media director and light-putter-upper.”

Presumably, they both get occasional help from Rhonda Lemke.

But, Stephanie appears responsible for the operation’s in-house FM radio station and this year, she drove down to Pennsylvania to retrieve the new wagon for the Saturday night tours.

“It seats 24 comfortably,” she said. “We did plan to use horses to pull it but they turned out to be too expensive.

“But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Horses tend to jerk to a stop and when starting again so pulling the wagon with a tractor tends to be a smoother ride.”

And while the displays are already impressive, including things like the Grinch and Singing Trees, Ducharme is nowhere near done.

“We have people who come every year and some even book private parties,” he said. “And we’re available for businesses to have their Christmas parties.”

To that end, they’ve fixed up the sitting area, making it more comfortable for more people but that’s not the end of his plans.

“We’re already planning for next year,” he said. “And I’m hoping to build a banquet hall for parties that will have lots of windows where you can have your meal while you look out on all the displays.”

And while they do enjoy visitors, Ducharme said he’s been known to just enjoy it all by himself.

“Some nights, if I’ve had a rough day, I’ll drive around out here or just take a walk,” he said. “It’s very calming and relaxing.”

For more information, check out Riverhill-Farm-Fine-Food or Ompahlights on Facebook or call 613-470-2896.