Greetings From SuzAnne

     The transition from late winter to early spring is always a time full of anticipation. We’re certain we have not heard winter’s last call; but we just as certain that we now hear the first sounds of spring. We at Dunrovin Ranch are totally caught up in this beautiful change of seasons.

     While most of our attention is focused forward to spring, in our new Out and About Montana section, we will take you back to the last throws of winter and share with you a Valentine’s trip to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch that my wonderful husband, Sterling, gave me. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite places in Montana – populated by some of my favorite people. Sterling had never been there before, and I had never been there in winter; so it was a first for both of us and really helped us shake the late winter blues!

     On the ranch, the pending birth of a foal by our Lovely Lady Lonza captures most of our attention right now. In preparation for the birth, I have asked good friend Nancy Condit who owns Mare and Foal to dispel some of the myths about foaling. Nancy has worked collaboratively with the same veterinarian that we also use, Dr. Dick Richardson, of Blue Mountain Veterinary Hospital to help mare owners through the process. Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your invaluable experience with everyone.

     Speaking of spring and motherhood, Dunrovin is happy to announce a new event that we hope will become an annual rite of spring – our Mother’s Day Brunch and Ranch Extravaganza. We are partnering with a number of local businesses to offer families a full afternoon of ranch themed activities in addition to a delicious Mother’s Day brunch. The proceeds of the event will be used to host Missoula area military families for a Day at Dunrovin during the Memorial Day weekend. In appreciation of their efforts and sacrifices on our behalf, we will fete them with pony rides, horseback riding, fly casting lessons, line dancing, and great food. We are grateful to our Business Partners for all that they are contributing to make both of these events possible.

     Don’t’ forget to hear the latest from our four legged friends at Critter Corner . Senor Kona would be terribly disappointed if he failed to get you attention, and Jewel is anxious to share the latest comings and goings at the ranch.

     Until next time, enjoy watching the magic of life that appears as the earth embraces the warmth of the returning sun!    

Dunrovin Staff

     Since winter is a time for indoor work and honing our business skills, I have been taking an excellent business class from the Montana Community Development Corporation.   One thing that they have emphasized to us is the importance of hiring the right people. A business is as good or bad as its employees; in that case, Dunrovin Ranch is in the perfect position to be successful.

     Dunrovin has been blessed with some terrific employees over the years; but never before have we had such a strong staff as we do right now. This year we were able to attract a core group of great people who are willing to make longer terms commitments to the ranch and give us the stability needed to really develop some wonderful programs. Daniel Birlut and Jessie Rogers are our two full time employees; Sally Suk, and Barbara Jennings have been working part time. Together they form an incredibly talented and professional team!

     Daniel not only can build anything you can dream up – like our new Dunrovin Dance Hall, but he is also responsible for programming our web sites, taking many of our promotional photos, keeping all of our vehicles in top shape, and everything in between. He cooks great Romanian dinners for our guests and turns out delicious homemade sausages. Daniel and his wife, Monica, will soon celebrate becoming US citizens – so stay tuned for a party announcement to welcome them as full fledged countrymen.

     Jessie’s natural talents with horses, people, teaching, and all things outdoor – including trick roping and fly fishing – make her a favorite with our guests. She is a natural born teacher with an endless number of horse games up her sleeve to keep everyone – four footed and two footed – on their toes. Her good looks and bubbly personality gave her a starring role in a fly fishing promotional film made at Dunrovin last year. Jessie’s Tennessee charms and sense of humor add real zing to Dunrovin and her organizational skill and loves of lists and labeling keeps us all on track.

     Sally Suk has been with Dunrovin Ranch since the beginning – in fact on a good day I give her the credit and on a bad day the blame for getting the ranch started in the first place. She has transitioned from being a client to being an employee since her retirement. Not only has she become an accomplished horsewoman, but her many artistic talents are already on display at Dunrovin. Sally will soon be studying horse massage therapy – all the Dunrovin horses are waiting for her graduation.

     Barbara Jennings brings her natural horsemanship talents and years of working with Tennessee Walking Horses to Dunrovin to help riding advance in their own skills. Her innovative approach, soft demeanor, patience, and keen observations make easy for her student to learn. Barbara has been taking high points in the show ring since she first rode in on one of her talented horses. She is in high demand at Dunrovin.

     You can learn more about these terrific people by visiting the page on Dunrovin Ranch’s Staff.

     We also want to introduce everyone to Thea Delamater. Thea hails from Austin, Texas but has spent every summer of her life under the gorgeous skies of Montana. For the last ten years, she has grown a family and a business in Missoula. As a University of Montana student she began her events career with a theatre production that drew a 500 plus crowd and raised over $2,000 for a local women's clinic. Since then Thea has continued to organize and produce successful events, of any size and stature, including a community clothing swap benefitting Wrongside Printing Station (ZACC), a blanket drive for AniMeals, business grand openings, and several non-profit fundraising galas.

     In 2007, Thea introduced Missoula to Random Task Engineer, a personal assistance service for families and businesses. The business has transformed into a local resource for a variety of purposes including senior support, event planning and production, and marketing and fundraising services. As the booking agent for Heritage Hall of Fort Missoula, Thea became well versed in wedding production and turned her event skills to bridal support. As a wedding consultant, she is continually introducing herself to the variety of vendors in the area and providing first hand referrals to her clients. In 2010, RTE's partnership with Dunrovin Ranch and SuzAnne Miller will result in continued community outreach and promotion of the gorgeous Dunrovin Events Center.

      Thea lives with her husband, Sean, and their two dogs and one feisty cat in Central Missoula, where they can literally look out their windows and see 360 degrees of mountain. Thea drives 9 hours across Montana to visit her family in Glendive, as often as she can!

Mothers Day Event

      Dunrovin Ranch is excited to announce their Mother’s Day Brunch and Ranch Extravaganza on Sunday May 9th!  The event starts at 10am and runs till 4pm. Dunrovin Ranch is a small guest ranch located along the Bitterroot River in Lolo, MT only minutes from downtown Missoula. The event brings family, food, and fun together to celebrate Mothers everywhere! Admission is $5 per person with activities ranging from free- $20.

      A sit down family style brunch will be catered by Caffé Firenze from Florence and will be served in the Dunrovin Dance Pavilion.  A “tappas table” for those interested in a lighter fare will also be available. Brunch is $20 for adults and $1/per year for children and will be served at both 11am and 1 pm - reservations required. Caffe Firenze will be taking care of the food and Dunrovin will take care of the FUN!

      Along with Caffé Firenze, the ranch has partnered with a number of other local businesses; Grizzly Hackle, Bridge Over Time (vintage western clothing), MamaLode Magazine, Downtown Dance Collective, International Wildlife Film Festival, Missoula Cultural Council, Pam Voth Photography, Parsons’ Ponies, Montana Natural History Center, Bernice's Bakery, Mountain Star Jounreys and Community Hospital Foundation to offer a day of fun-filled ranch events! Children and the young at heart will be able to participate in a variety of ranch and horse themed activities including, but not limited to; pony rides, stick horse racing, cookie decorating, necklace making, fly tying and casting and line dancing.

      The event’s proceeds will go to Friends of Dunrovin. Friends of Dunrovin, a non-profit, will use all the funds generated at the Mother’s Day Brunch and Ranch Extravaganza to host a “Day at Dunrovin” party on Saturday, May 29th – Memorial Day weekend – for families of armed service personnel deployed away from home to spend a relaxing day having fun together!

   Clink for details on our Mother's Day Brunch