Eberly Farm no longer will be an event center. Here’s what’s replacing it.

The first end of an era for Eberly Farm came in 2022 when the event venue sold outside the Eberly family for the first time.

Now, there’s another ending but a new beginning, too: Owner Stacy Rogers has sold Eberly Farm to St. John Paul II Independent Catholic School.

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Rogers said. “I absolutely love doing events. . . . I’ve met some amazing, wonderful people along the way.”

The Republican said she sold to focus more time on her grassroots gubernatorial campaign.

“I’m a frustrated Kansas business owner that’s sick and tired of seeing people in our state get run over by career politicians . . . and the big money that backs them,” Rogers said.

“We have a lot of issues in this state that need to be addressed.”

She said the school “falls in line with my education values and wanting to be sure that we’re educating children well.”

“I just couldn’t see a better use for the property.”

Whether it’s public, private or home schooling, Rogers said she’s “seen all the ways you can educate in the state.”

“All of my children had to be educated in a different way in order for them to be successful.”

She said Eberly Farm’s 15 acres makes sense for the school’s vision of how to educate.

“It’s a very focused thing that they’re doing.”

Eberly Farm, which is at 13111 W. 21st St. between 119th and 135th streets, was in the country when people first started going there.

“It was nothing but a buffalo grass cow pasture,” Judy Eberly said, reflecting when she, her husband, Sam, and their son, Chad, sold it in 2022.

The family purchased 260 acres there in 1883, and it became a working farm with cattle, farm animals and crop production.

Sam Eberly’s parents, Merl and Dixie Eberly, began hosting people at the property in part because Dixie Eberly wanted the place to be a gathering spot.

The Eberly family was the only farm family at their church, so they often would host fellow church members at the property.

The Eberlys built a cinder block building with open-air windows, which they called the Lodge. The property became a summer event place with a swimming pool, and there was ice skating in the winter on a creek.

The farm’s animals were part of the attraction, especially for children.

Girl Scouts took horseback riding lessons there.

There eventually was a day camp with a variety of activities, such as archery, swimming, hiking and arts and crafts.

Slowly, it grew into a business, Judy Eberly previously said, “And then Sam and I took it to the next level.”

They purchased what was then 140 acres in 1979 and in 1985 built a year-round event center called the Outpost. When that burned down, they built another one that held 260 people inside and had room for another 800 outside.

Then they started building more buildings and patios and walkways and planted trees and made hiking trails.

Only churches and children were using the property before 1979.

That changed when the family added corporate events and weddings.

Rogers said she’s been working with people who have events scheduled at Eberly Farm to find them new venues.

“They have been incredibly gracious,” she said.

The last party at the property was on New Year’s Eve.

Stephanie Wise of Commercial Collective represented Rogers in the deal, and Gary Oborny of Occidental Management represented the school.

Look for more information on the school’s plans soon.

Though the venue has closed, Rogers said she’s keeping the service side of the business as a mobile business called E/F Events & Decor Rental. She’ll offer catering, a mobile bar, yard games, decor rental and a photo booth.

Rogers said Eberly Farm had done well in the time she had it.

“That has given me a lot of joy over the last four years to be a part of that,” she said.

“We had a fun time with it for sure.”