We all have them, those movies that we watch over and over again, quoting the best lines and comebacks, and knowing exactly when and where to laugh.  And although we know the ending, we still watch with the same wonder and anticipation as we did the very first time we saw it.   Today’s location comes from one of my own top 10 favorite Hallmark movies of all-time, Harvest Moon.  Starring the two Jesse’s (Hutch and Schram) and directed by one of my favorite directors, Peter DeLuise, Harvest Moon tells a sweet story of second chances, while providing plenty of comedic moments throughout.  From Hallmark:

“When her family goes bankrupt, privileged city girl Jen Stone travels to the country to try and help a struggling pumpkin farm that her father bought as an investment to get her money back. Not everyone is on board with her changes, least of all Brett, the farm’s handsome manager. By working with what she knows best, she just might be able to turn the farm around, while also falling in love”.

It was about this time last year that I became obsessed inspired to find the property we saw featured in the movie.  In between watching reruns of Harvest Moon, the same blue farmhouse showed up as Andrew Walker’s home in last year’s Love Struck Café, and it was then that I got serious about tracking down this location.  Since it is the main location in one of my favorite Hallmark movies, I really wanted to see the place in person and catch a glimpse at where it all happened.  While this location eluded me for about six months, I am proud to say I that I did finally track it down back in the spring.  And I was equally excited to discover this property is a business, since I typically do not contact homeowners to do stories.  #Jackpot

In real life, the blue farmhouse and land we fell in love with in Harvest Moon is actually Milner Valley Cheese.  If the name Milner sounds familiar to you, it should as I wrote about the Milner Chapel here back in June.  The Milner area is located in film-friendly Langley, not too far from the Murrayville area, which was also featured in Harvest Moon.   I wrote about Porter’s Bistro Coffee & Tea House here.   I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple hours of a sunny afternoon with Marianne Smith, who along with her husband, owns Milner Valley Cheese.

The 50-acre farm is well over 100 years old and has always been occupied by the Smith family.  In fact, five generations of Smiths have lived on this land.  Think about that.  (how many moves have you made throughout your life?)   Marianne and her husband live on the property and their boys currently occupy the farmhouse we’ve scene on screen, which has heritage status.  Including the Smith’s, there are five “pioneer families” in the Milner area, all having homes/farmland over 100 years old, that are still family occupied.  They share a sense of community and gather regularly for fellowship.

Marianne told me that about ten years ago, the Smith’s began goat farming and today, there are 202 animals on the property, including goats, sheep, and a llama.  Eighty goats are milked twice a day to produce the cheese and gelato for the retail shop.

Chevre, a soft cheese, is one of the most popular items for sale and the Colby and Jack cheeses are also quite favored. I tried a sample of cheese while I was there, and it was delicious, loaded with flavor.  In between the stream of customers, Marianne showed me around the operation.   The production building is where it all happens, from the milking of the goats to the cheese making and storage room.  Visitors can witness the process too, as there are several windows at the different stations of the building.  All in all, I personally found the whole thing quite fascinating.

The farm has been welcoming film crews for decades, starting with the original MacGyver TV series, way back in the late 80’s.   Other productions shot at the house include The Marshal, Millennium, and Ungodly Acts. Last year, the blue farmhouse was a featured ongoing location in the Netflix series Somewhere Between.  And of course, as I have already mentioned, we’ve scene it in Hallmarks Harvest Moon and Love Struck Café.

Marianne tells me location scouts simply dropped by the property to inquire about using the farm for filming.  She has watched several of the productions that have been filmed there over the years and enjoyed the series Somewhere Between, which I have now added to my watch-list on Netflix.  When I asked her what it is like to see her property on screen, she told me it was rather neat to see and there is satisfaction in seeing it.  Marianne also mentioned that it is almost like re-living the experience, which I loved.

In Harvest Moon, the Smith’s farm plays the Jarrett Farm and most of the movie was shot at this location.  Crew’s spent about a week filming at the farm and Marianne would welcome a production back anytime.

Exteriors of the farmhouse were shown throughout the movie.  But the interiors of the home we saw in the movie  were actually shot at another location close by, which I’ve been to and will be writing about soon.

The old barn where we watched Jennifer give Harry dance lessons and where Jennifer and Brett share their first kiss is there, on the property.  While I didn’t go inside the structure, it does look exactly as it did on screen.

The pumpkin patch where Jennifer battles the leak in the irrigation system was shot on this piece of land.  Marianne explained to me that the production crew brought in some plastic pumpkins, but the rest were special effects using computer generated imagery.  (CGI)

The Milner Valley Cheese retail shop is the real-life location of the cute “girls-only” room we saw in the movie.  As you can see in my photos below and the screen shots,  the Smith’s gorgeous pieces of furniture were used in the filming.  Marianne said both dressers came from the old farmhouse.  From the intricate curves to the old fashioned legs, they are just as lovely as they appear on screen.  And did you notice the screen door is the same one from the movie?  It is discovering these little treasures that I enjoy so much when I visit a location.

 

And remember the Harvest Ball?  It was all shot right here, under this walnut tree.  I am told the set up for this scene took a tremendous amount of time.  But if you look carefully throughout the party scene, you can see all the details.  It really does look amazing!

In Love Struck Café, the blue farmhouse plays the home of Andrew Walker’s character, Joe Wainright, and his daughter Lily.

All in all, this location is very recognizable and looks exactly as it did on screen in both Hallmark movies.

My sincere thanks to Marianne Smith.  Thank you for your time, and for showing me around your family farm.   Being there truly brought this movie to life for me.  Want to visit yourself?  Milner Valley Cheese is located at 21479 Smith Crescent in Langley, B.C.  The shop hours are 10:00 to 5:30, Tuesday thru Saturday thru December 2018, but check their website here for hours if visiting in the new year.  And if you do stop by, be sure to tell them you’ve scene it on Hallmark!

Wanna buy the movies?  Please consider making your purchase through the links below.  You always pay the same price and I earn a few cents commission, which directly helps to offset the cost of this website.  Thank you!

My Interview:

As I mentioned last month, I was a guest with Pam & Dawn of Christmas Muvies Spotlight.  We recorded a show and it is now available for your listening pleasure.  We chat about locations, locations, locations.  You can listen here.  And be sure to check out all of their shows throughout the Christmas season.

Countdown To Christmas This Weekend:

The Countdown to Christmas officially begins THIS weekend on the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel!!!  Starting this Friday, October 26, 2018, the Christmas movies we love will begin airing.  I noticed a couple of the movies that I wrote location posts about will be shown over the weekend, including A Bride for Christmas and The Most Wonderful Time of The Year.  On Saturday, October 27, 2018, Christmas at Pemberley Manor will premiere on the Hallmark Channel; check your local listing for times.

As always, I thank you for stopping by today.  I appreciate your support and your emails.  I will be back soon (possibly later THIS week) with an all new Hallmark location.

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