Party at the Farm 2025 | Aurora Colony Historical Society Fundraiser Photography
There are events you photograph because they're a job, and there are events you photograph because by the end of the night you're a little teary about how good people can be when they decide to show up for something. Party at the Farm, the annual fundraising dinner for the Aurora Colony Historical Society, was firmly the second kind. I spent an evening at the historic Stauffer-Will Farm in Hubbard, Oregon documenting a beautiful late-summer night that funds the museum's field trip program — a program that welcomed over 3,500 students, chaperones, and teachers in the past year alone.
The setting alone is half the magic. The Stauffer-Will farmhouse is a stunner of weathered cedar shingles and a wraparound porch, with pear trees heavy with fruit framing it on either side. Long farm tables on the lawn were dressed with linen runners and trailing garlands of wild greenery, deep burgundy dahlias, and golden zinnias. Sunflowers and hop vines wrapped the porch posts behind a small acoustic stage, where a singer-songwriter in a flowing white dress played guitar as guests gathered for cocktail hour. The catered Northwest dinner was comfort at its best — herb-rubbed steak with chimichurri, salmon, grilled summer vegetables, and crusty bread with whipped butter — and an emcee in a star-spangled tie kept the paddle raise lively right up through the final ask.
A particular highlight was watching the Javelina Indigenous Dining gift card go home with interior designer Max Humphrey, who came out to support the museum and ended up walking away with what is, in my opinion, one of the best dinners in Portland. Max is a Portland-based designer with one of the most distinctive voices in American interior design today — his trademark lived-in, Americana-inspired style has earned him a "Next Wave" nod from House Beautiful and a place on Country Living's list of the 100 most creative people. He's also the author of multiple bestselling design books, including Lodge and Modern Americana.
For anyone who hasn't been yet, Javelina is something special. Chef Alexa Numkena-Anderson opened the Cully brick-and-mortar in May 2025 after a year and a half of beloved pop-ups, and her menu draws on her Hopi, Yakama, Cree, and Skokomish heritage to push back against what we've been taught North American cuisine is "supposed" to be. Most of the menu is non-colonial (no dairy, no gluten, no soy, no white cane sugar) with proteins native to the continent — bison short rib with cedar grits, the famous Powwow Burger between two slices of frybread, composed oysters, tepary bean dip. Max is in for a treat.
These are some of my favorite events to photograph. There's no client trying to look perfect for the camera, just real people gathered for a real reason. Huge thanks to the Aurora Colony Historical Society for trusting me with the night, to Max for coming out to support, and to every guest who threw a paddle in the air for the kids who'll get to walk through the Stauffer-Will Farm next year because of you.
If you're a nonprofit, brand, or event organizer looking for someone to capture the actual heart of your gathering, I'd love to talk. Head over to the contact page and let's make something good together.
xo, Leah
