From farmstead to Threshing Floor Camp

With the popularity of camping on the rise, it can be hard to find available campsites in the month of July. It can be even harder to find sites that are reasonably priced and family friendly.
Church! of the Nazarene in Kasson and Living Waters Assembly of God in Dodge Center have partnered to meet the need for wholesome family camping in the area, church members said. The Threshing Floor is a six-acre site just north of the Dodge Center Airport where an old-fashioned camp meeting will be held in the month of Jully. Now and running through July 14 free camping will be combined with daily activities and nightly tent meetings. A second block of camping will run from July 21 through August 4. This is the third year that the Threshing Floor camp meeting has been open to the public.
The site has been improved each year adding more electric sites, expanded picnicking areas and a disc golf course. Other activities include: cornhole, arts and crafts, meditation/prayer areas, pitch-in meals, a community garden, and bonfires. A flock of chickens completes the old-time farmstead feel of this unique camping experience.
What was once a family farm has now become a family friendly private park that maintains the peaceful atmosphere of the farm in heart of a modern city.
The story of this transformation began in 2001 when MnDOT built a four-lane extension of Highway 14 from Kasson to Dodge Center. In preparation, a family farmstead located just North of the Dodge Center airport was purchased to make room for one of the exits to Dodge Center. While the house, well, and septic were removed, most of the yard, trees and a few outbuildings remained, as did the artificial hill that was a livestock yard.
Around 2009 the remaining farmstead was purchased by Living Waters Assembly of God who hoped to build a new church building on the property. These hopes were deferred because of the prohibitive cost of bringing city services across Highway 14.
Then in 2021 Church! of the Nazarene in Kasson approached Living Water with a proposal to run a camp meeting on the property. The two churches worked together to improve the property, removing dilapidated buildings and refurbishing existing ones. The concrete foundations of the old granaries were transformed into picnic circles and the area was cleared of brush. The old livestock hill was levelled, and a gravel base laid down so an event tent could be erected on the raised area. After putting in additional gravel on the roadways, the first camp meeting was held throughout the summer of 2021.
The City of Dodge Center raised some objections to people camping on the property in August, so camping was suspended, but day events and nightly tent meetings continued until October. In 2022 an agreement was worked out to change the zoning for the property and the state approved the property as a special event camping area. Electricity was run to several places on the property allowing for several RV plugins and outlets at the picnic area. Events were held from June through September.
This year the property will again be made available to the public for family friendly events and religious meetings. No fee is required to use the property and the calendar is coordinated by Church! of the Nazarene in Kasson.
Anyone interested in using the private park can contact Pastor Johannes Marsland at 507-721-2500 or text 218-831-7559. You can also email taccask@gmail.com.