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RIDGELY - Before Cow Barn was Cow Barn, it really was a cow barn. If that sentence was confusing, imagine how confused the out-of-towners are when they are invited to a wedding there.
What I mean is, Cow Barn Events in Ridgely did not begin as an event venue. Built in 1911 as a functional farm, the property has transitioned through multiple phases of use over more than a century. Today, under the ownership of Zelie and Marty Collison, Cow Barn Events represents the latest chapter in that long history.
Cow Barn was originally constructed by Odella and Albert Saulsbury as a dairy operation. The couple did not live on the property, having accumulated their wealth through the success of Saulsbury Brothers vegetable processing, and the dairy was intended as a diversification effort. Ironically, the cows didn’t last very long, as the entire herd had to be euthanized due to illness. After a handful of other failed ventures and the economic downturn of the Great Depression, the Saulsburys eventually did eventually move to the site, where Odella later started a plant nursery and florist business. Many features of Cow Barn’s agricultural roots remain visible today, including the original ramp and track system used to guide horses pulling hay trolleys 35 feet high to the loft.
Zelie and Marty Collison purchased Cow Barn in 2018 because “We are farmers and we have rental properties,” Zelie said, “[the] seller offered for us to buy Cow Barn, because at that time, it was two rental units.” The Collisons initially focused on the apartments, but as the tenants moved on, “we did not re-rent and began to prepare the spaces for events,” she said.
Similar to the barn itself, the Collisons were not pruned for the event industry. Marty, a born-and-raised Caroline Countian, has a professional background in engineering. Zelie has lived in the county since 1974 and previously worked in graphic design. In 1991, long before they purchased Cow Barn, they found themselves drawn to farming with row crops, poultry, and replacement dairy heifers. Turning Cow Barn into a venue was new ground.
“We had no experience operating an events venue,” Collison said. To prepare, she and Marty turned to researching the operations of other local event spaces. “We learned many lessons, most of them the hard way, but we are pretty satisfied with our procedures by now.”
Cow Barn Events now hosts a wide range of gatherings. “For the most part, our experience has been rewarding,” Collison said, “My favorite part of my job is seeing celebrants enjoying their special day in a space that they greatly appreciate and have sought out. It is joyful to help in any way we can.”
“We have been steadily improving Cow Barn since 2018,” Collison added, “Our objective is to make our spaces appealing, comfortable and convenient, while preserving as much original condition as possible.”
The Collisons are exploring ways to expand Cow Barn’s role beyond private rentals. Their ideas include hosting recurring events such as talent nights, karaoke, funky bingo, mystery dinner theater, trivia nights, and similar activities. But they still have some work to do before they can tack that on to Cow Barn’s workload. For now, they are “honored to carry on the Cow Barn legacy.”
