Raven Wood Gardens will host the fourth-annual Almost Electric Solar Forest Event on Saturday, Oct. 11. Trails will be lit up for guests to tour, and food, raffle items and more will be available. (Courtesy photo)

MENOMINEE – Raven Wood Gardens in Menominee will host its fourth-annual Almost Electric Solar Forest Event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11.

While admission to this event is listed as free, the organization runs on donations and requests those attending purchase a $25 raffle ticket plus bring a canned goods item, which will earn a $5 discount on the raffle ticket price.

The event includes a 30- to 45-minute wellness walk through a lit-up trail in the surrounding woods. Treats, hot cocoa, a campfire with s’mores and live music with lights by Morning Star DJ Noah Gauthier will be provided at the event.

Little Nugget Golf Course Restaurant, W5593 County Road 338 in Menominee, will serve chili and fry bread for $5 per person.

The organization has about 10 vendors signed up to be on site but would welcome three to five more for the event.

“Business display participation and sponsorships are currently available to create a lit-up, mindful, creative 10 by 10 display area with your solar lights to enter the Almost Electric Solar Forest Event contest to win first- through third-place prizes. Displays must be nature friendly and fun, with no blood, guts or gore,” according to a Raven Wood Gardens written statement.

Vendors should plan to bring their own table, canopy, chairs and lighting, as well as an item or items to donate to be raffled or used as contest prizes, Bates said.

In the past couple of years, the Almost Electric Solar Forest Event has attracted between 50 to 100 guests.

Craig and Lou Anne Bates originally founded Raven Wood Gardens as a LLC in 2012 but became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2022 at the suggestion of Lou Anne’s VA caregiver support counselor, Linda Wargolet from the Menominee VA Clinic. The organization now is Raven Wood Gardens Inc.

“We were founded to support veterans, caregivers and emergency response workers who have PTSD, anxiety and depression,” Lou Anne Bates said in a written statement.

The non-profit organization provides many services to veterans and their families at no cost. They offer garden therapy where veterans can garden indoors and outdoors, free veteran tours by appointment and other comradery projects such as repurposing wood pallets to make benches to place along their walking trails.

Raven Wood Garden is supported by donations from small businesses, suggested donations from community tours by appointment and special events such as the Almost Electric Solar Forest. The organization also hosts the Safe Haven at the Raven/Caregivers Retreat in July, with low-impact fireworks that have “no bang and no boom” to stress those with PTSD; Christmas in the Greenhouse; and the Veterans Appetizer Gala in December.

“Raven Wood Gardens cares about veterans who have anxiety, depression, PTSD and some of them don’t get help,” Lou Anne Bates said. “We’ve created a safe space on our 43 acres.”

Running their organization has been healing for the Bates as well, as Craig served in the Army at the Demilitarized Zone near North Korea from 1963 to 1966. He has since struggled with what other veterans experienced after returning home — PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Valerie Vertz (Anderson), the organization’s treasurer and board member, emphasized Raven Wood Gardens’ important role in the community.

“Raven Wood Gardens is a place where you can find a home. You can relax, look around and see the beauty of what nature is about, and people need to connect with nature a little bit more. That’s what Lou Anne and Craig do. They open up their property so that people can connect with nature and see things growing, and at the same time they have memorials for those who have passed away and those who are still living and dealing with PTSD and anxiety,” Vertz said.

Lou Anne Bates met Valerie at a friend’s Pampered Chef party in Wausaukee, Wis., in 2006. They quickly connected, as both their husbands are veterans. Valerie’s husband, Roger Anderson, actively served in the Air Force from 1987 to 1991 and was inactive until 1995.

“Any of us could do this, but we do it well together,” Bates said of her partnership and friendship with Vertz.

Along with Vertz, the board that oversees the organization includes Lou Anne Bates as president, Alfonse Van Hese as vice president and Navy veteran representative, Valery Vertz (Anderson) as treasurer and veteran spouse, Melissa Puerling as secretary, Robert Polaski as comradery project manager and Army Vietnam veteran representative, Noah Gauthier as media technology support and Craig Bates as veteran founder and grounds maintenance administrator.

“It’s so important to get the word out so that people understand this is a serious need in the community. Veterans don’t want to talk about what they’ve seen and they don’t want to open up because the pain is too much,” Lou Anne Bates said.

The Bates want to leave a legacy of helping veterans and families in their community even after they’re gone. “There’s help out there, and you have to look for it,” Lou Anne Bates said.

For Almost Electric Solar Forest Event raffle ticket information, go to www.ravenwoodgardens.org.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.