I have operated a small hobby farm for 40 years. The project was started for, and has remained, a place where we can grow food to our specifications and enjoy a lifestyle that is somewhat less controlled by the larger social system. Over twenty years ago, as a father and son 'fun project' the boys and I started a paintball field. We were not 'paintballers' and as a result we did not bother to follow the standard method that almost all paintball fields used, nor did we try to appeal to the regular PB clientel. Over the years, we refined our approach, which the purists had minimal respect for, and our tiny project gradually dominated the local scene - gratifying! In hindsight, we had developed something that I call a 'Pocket Field Action Tag' model. To think of it as a sterio-typical paintball field is to overlook its details and its resulting power - it is a SYSTEM that is a powerful and a positive social stimulator that combines many solid business features in its structure. Merrill Dunes, as we call it, is a plus for clients and operator alike - as any good business should be. The project was a success in great part due to its small farm roots and the profit from this silly little lark has allowed me to enjoy my farming activities even though that aspect of the property is very expensive! Agricultural income is dwarfed by costs - but we sure do enjoy good food and our rural lifestyle!
The Pocket Field concept thrives on a small farm base for many reasons. My acreage website at www.GoodSpaces.ca has a section that gives a full description of the many advantages of the Pocket Field and also gives details of how it is put together and how it differs from a standard paintball field. I do feel that our success can be duplicated in hundreds of locations, for the good of small farm owners as well as for the pleasure of those who get to experience the pleasure of what I like to call 'Organic Action Tag'! Don't be rattled by the current scale of Merrill Dunes (www.MerrillDunes.ca). It got to where it is because the initial small scale approach WORKED! We started very small and the concept can live in a very small form, and grow if desired - and that is part of its power. But having land for the baby to shelter on is vital - and a small farm looking for a pleasant cash generator automatically provides that warm shelter for the little gem.
