Attend the upcoming Redneck Sliding Festival at this Hurricane family farm

Written by Jessi Bang
February 28, 2023

HURRICANE —From a Redneck Sliding Festival to an over-the-top Christmas experience, this local family farm is showing the community what it’s like to get dirty.

Payton Fisher smiles for the camera inside a greenhouse in Hurricane, Utah on Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Payton Fisher smiles for the camera inside a greenhouse in Hurricane, Utah, Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“I didn’t grow up on a farm,” Payton Fisher, owner of Fisher Family Farm, said. “But I’ve always gone back to the dirt. The sky is the limit out here, and every penny we make plows right back into this.”

Fisher said he and his family originally purchased the property specifically for the garden center and greenhouse business on June 1, 2022. As per the purchasing contract, they are on a take-down schedule, which means they accumulate 2.5 acres at a time over a five-year period.

“There’s not going to be any houses,” he said. “We’re going to keep it all agritourism, all fun stuff. And it keeps changing every single day.”

In October, Fisher Farms decided to throw a last-minute Fall Festival. Fisher said the festival was a huge hit, with over 2,000 attendees. The event included a tractor train, a bounce house and slides, a hay maze and a petting zoo.

Trees lining the garden center entrance include over $12,000 in Christmas lights that took 80 hours to install, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Payton Fisher, St. George News
Trees lining the garden center entrance include over $12,000 in Christmas lights that took 80 hours to install, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Payton Fisher, St. George News

After the success of the festival, they decided to pull out all the stops with a huge Christmas event.

“I wanted to go over the top,” Payton Fisher said. “We had Christmas trees, a huge walking path, fog machines, and an entire Christmas nativity — the entire life of the Savior from birth to death. It was pretty intense.”

The Christmas nativity transported visitors to Bethlehem, with audio recordings in each scene. Starting with Mary and Joseph being told there was no room at the inns, the scenes depicted all the important parts of Christ’s life, from his sacrifice to his resurrection, along with the miracles he performed throughout his life.

The eight trees lining the garden center entrance were lit up from top to bottom and included over $12,000 in Christmas lights and took 80 hours in a boom lift to install.

Individual fireplaces were available for rent, and attendees enjoyed s’mores, hot dogs and more from the onsite snack shack.

A scene at Fisher Family Farm in Hurricane, Utah depicts the death of Christ, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Payton Fisher, St. George News
A scene at Fisher Family Farm in Hurricane, Utah depicts the death of Christ, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Payton Fisher, St. George News

The festival allowed visitors to experience all of the Christmas festivities along with visiting the garden center and its many greenhouses. Fisher said an additional 2,500 people attended the Christmas event. 

“The reviews were literally insanity,” he said about the Christmas Festival. “This next year, it will be even more insane.”

The garden center, which is open year-round, features five greenhouses with two more in production and includes everything from vegetables to house plants and evergreen shrubs. One greenhouse in itself houses over 7,000 plants, and another will soon have 700 rose plants. A propagation greenhouse allows for transplanting and seeding.

With no greenhouse automation, Fisher does everything by hand while using a temperature control gauge on his phone.

All the plants are straight to consumers, which means plant lovers come directly to the property to purchase plant and soil options. A variety of soils, fertilizers and mixes are available, including bark chips and mulch for playgrounds and ground cover.

“However it is and whatever you want, we’ve got it,” Fisher said.

Slides are set up for the upcoming Redneck Sliding Festival at Fisher Family Farm in Hurricane, Utah, Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Slides are set up for the upcoming Redneck Sliding Festival at Fisher Family Farm in Hurricane, Utah, Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

As for upcoming events, there’s plenty of fun ahead. The Redneck Sliding Festival begins on March 3 and will be open every Friday and Saturday until Easter. The event will include a large dirt hill course designed by a professional motocrosser. There’s a pump track, culvert slides and options for all skills and ages.

“I wanted my kids to experience sledding,” he said. “Because we grew up in the midwest, where there’s lots of sledding, but there isn’t any sledding going on around here. So I decided to put a big, giant hill in, advanced slides for bikers, trikes and jumps. It’s an area for anyone that wants fun.”

Fisher said they are currently building a tractor tire park — a giant playground of tire obstacles with towers, tunnels, and the ability for kids to use their imaginations to build anything they want.

Other upcoming events include an Easter Celebration, with a real-money egg hunt and a petting zoo. 

Plants grow inside a greenhouse at Fisher Family Farm in Hurricane, Utah on Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Plants grow inside a greenhouse at Fisher Family Farm in Hurricane, Utah on Feb. 21, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Starting in May and lasting throughout the summer, the farm will be turned into the “American Farm Warrior,” and visitors will throw hay, pound stakes, dig holes and more. What is now the sledding area for the Redneck Festival will be transformed into two 150-foot side-by-side waterslides, allowing people to race. 

A kid’s Summer Camp will take place from May 29 – June 1. Kids will do farm chores such as feeding animals and pulling weeds. The educational piece will include things like whether a chicken really comes from an egg or if cows produce hamburgers. They’ll then get a snack from the onsite snack shack, and spend the rest of the time playing around the farm.

The second-annual Fall Festival will take place in October as well as the Christmas Festival in December.

“It’s very scary, taking on this massive of an endeavor,” Fisher said. “This is the accumulation of every penny. We sold our rentals, sold all of our toys, we literally sold everything in our lives to make this a reality.” 

Fisher said that includes selling their five-bedroom, three-car garage home that was on a third of an acre for the downpayment and infrastructure of the farm. They now have a one-car garage covered in dirt.

Payton Fisher and his family pose for an unconventional family photo, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Payton Fisher, St. George News
Payton Fisher and his family pose for an unconventional family photo, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Payton Fisher, St. George News

As the farm evolves and grows, Fisher said there are many goals and ideas in place. They plan to have a full petting zoo with more exotic animals in the future, more greenhouses, a large event center and more.

If it wasn’t for his wife, Fisher said none of this would be possible. Sherrie Staheli from Staheli farms has been one of his biggest mentors and he appreciates the guidance she has provided along the way.

In order to continue their free community growing classes, Fisher Family Farm is in need of a plant instructor, which pays $25 per class. Classes include soil, companionship planting, vegetables, herbs, pollinator gardens and pruning. To inquire, email [email protected].

For more information on Fisher Family Farm, visit their website or follow them on Instagram.

“It’s an opportunity for us to bring the community in and show them this life,” he said. “I don’t feel like kids get dirty enough. One of the rules we used to say is that you must leave dirty. Let’s get dirty.”

Event details

  • What: Redneck Sliding Festival
  • When: March 3 through April 2 from noon to 6 p.m.
  • Where: Fisher Family Farm, 1162 W. 3000 S., Hurricane
  • Admission: Tickets are $10 for adults, kids ages 4-10 are $7 and 3 and under are free
  • For more information see the event page.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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