Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Greene Robb.
Shannon, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Arranmore is an island off the coast of Ireland that my maternal grandmother is from. My father named the farm after Arranmore to pay tribute to our heritage. After visiting at the age of 15, I felt a sense of community I had not experienced before. It became a driving force in my life to recreate that sense of belonging within my chosen community in the states. Using my background in multi-disciplinary arts and my family’s history of community engagement, I created Arranmore Events/ArranmoreArts. The goal was, and is, to bring people together through unique, immersive experiences.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Our obstacles/challenges are probably typical of most organizations; funding, marketing, growth vs. demand, staff vs. volunteer.
Please tell us about Arranmore Farm & Polo Club.
Arranmore Farm & Polo Club is a family owned and operated outdoor venue. We began operations as a public space in 2011. We are filling a niche in our area for world class entertainment that is also extremely family friendly. One of our missions is to build community and we feel we’ve been very successful with that.
We are best known for our outdoor concert series Cabernet Cabaret (“CabCab”). However, we also host a number of other activities including private parties, festivals and weddings. In addition, we have recently opened our polo matches to the public and these have been very popular.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Porta-Potty’s.
No, seriously. Our biggest learning curve has been on the operation-side of things. We have had to learn to adjust on the fly as our audience sizes have grown exponentially and sometimes unexpectedly. Last year, we had an average of 10 cars show up for our Wednesday Polo matches. This year, 50 cars showed up to our first Wednesday Polo match.
Luckily, we have a great deal of community support and have been able to surround ourselves with an outstanding, knowledgeable team of vendors and staff members.
As opposed to doing anything differently, we try to gauge our visitors needs and expectations. We are making constant adjustments to make the best experience as possible.
Pricing:
- CabCab Concert General Admission: $20 (prior to 48 hrs. before show) then $30
- Wine Down Wednesday Polo: $20 per car load (all enter)
- Sunday Polo: General Admission-Tailgating and VIP Tailgating-Michigan Avenue Polo Lounge: $10-75
Contact Info:
- Address: 34 Rance Rd.,
Oswego, IL 60543 - Website: arranmorefarmandpoloclub.com
- Phone: 630.884.8271
- Email: info@arranmorefarmandpoloclub.com
Image Credit:
Photo of Shannon Greene Robb: Robyn Sheldon
Additional photos: Time Stops Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
