Akron Acres — Attraction in Town of Newstead

Update: The venue responded… barely. Again, refusing to take accountability. This further proves the venues lack of professionalism.

Where do I even begin with this wedding venue? I was in a wedding here at the end of May, and what should have been a joyful and beautiful occasion was deeply overshadowed by the appalling behavior of the owner, Marilyn. I’ve known the bride for 15 years. She is one of the most organized, thoughtful, and kind-hearted people I know. She carefully planned every detail of her wedding—including clear communication with vendors and a signed contract with this venue (in addition to written communication as well). She created stunning handmade decorations and took every step to ensure the event would go smoothly, including confirming, both in the contract and through written communication, that cleanup would take place the following morning and that a small, simple rehearsal dinner was permitted on-site. On Friday evening, during the rehearsal dinner—which was just pizza and wings, nothing messy or disruptive—Marilyn stormed in unannounced, aggressively stating, “This is why I don’t do rehearsal dinners,” in a passive-aggressive and entirely unnecessary tone. Rather than escalate things the night before her wedding, the bride quickly packed up and left, despite being well within her agreed-upon contract. She was also in the middle of putting the final touches on her decor when this interruption happened. Saturday, the wedding day, was absolutely beautiful—thanks to the bride’s hard work and a couple of kind staff members who were there to help. But again, late that evening, Marilyn reappeared, this time yelling at guests that everything needed to be cleaned up immediately and that everyone had to leave. When the bride reminded her that, per the contract, she had the next day to clean, Marilyn ignored her and continued shouting. She offered no explanation, no compromise—just more unprofessional behavior. The bride ended up in tears. On the bus back to the hotel, she had a panic attack from the stress and anxiety Marilyn caused. This is not how anyone should feel on their wedding night. On Sunday, no venue staff showed up to clear the air or acknowledge what had happened. The bride sent a text to her venue contact, calmly explaining how hurtful the experience was. That message has still not been acknowledged, and it doesn’t even show as delivered—suggesting she was blocked entirely. This venue pretends to be supportive and accommodating during the planning process, but once they have your money, everything changes. The contract means nothing to them. The promises they make don’t matter. They are not in this business to help people celebrate their most meaningful moments—they’re in it to make a profit, no matter the emotional cost to others. If you care about professionalism, kindness, and having your wedding day respected—do not...

Last year, I had the joy of experiencing one of those parenting milestones: my eldest son, August, went on his first school trip to Akron Acres, a delightful farm not too far from Buffalo. I remember that morning vividly; I helped August get ready, packing his favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and reminding him to wear his boots - farms can be quite muddy!

As I watched the school bus disappear around the corner, I couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and nostalgia. It felt like just yesterday he was taking his first steps, and now he was off on his first big adventure without me.

The teachers shared photos and updates throughout the day, which was a thrill to see. August's first stop was the animal barns. I could almost hear his laughter when I saw the photo of him gently petting a cow, his eyes wide with wonder. He's always been curious about animals, and seeing him in his element like that was heartwarming.

Then came the planting activity. August, with his little hands covered in soil, planted seeds that would grow into vegetables. I remember thinking how this simple activity was planting a seed of curiosity and respect for nature in his young mind.

Lunchtime was a picnic under the warm sun. I could imagine August sharing his sandwich, excitedly telling his classmates about his little brothers, Enzo and Roman, and all the fishing adventures we've had together.

The afternoon was all about learning how the farm operates. August was fascinated by the farm machinery, especially the tractors. He's always been intrigued by how things work, and seeing these machines up close must have been like stepping into a whole new world for him.

As the day wrapped up with a group photo, there was August, front and center, with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. When he got home, he was brimming with stories. He talked nonstop about the animals, the plants, and even the smell of the fresh farm air.

Listening to him, I felt a deep sense of joy and pride. I promised him we'd visit the farm together soon. That night, as he drifted off to sleep, I imagined him dreaming of his next big adventure. For me, it was a reminder of the simple joys of childhood and the wonder that comes with discovering the world for...

The venue was beautiful but the owner Marilyn treated my sister and their guests terribly at the end of the night for both the day of the wedding and the rehearsal dinner. Marilyn the owner came in yelling and throwing a fit wanting everyone off premises earlier than was agreed upon in the contract (11:30pm) and did not honor the agreement that all decor and guest items could be removed by 5pm the following day. She instead demanded that we leave earlier than the contracted time and ruined the end of the wedding by insisting the venue be cleaned up by 11. Then after throwing this fit the mother of the bride was sweeping/mopping to clean up and Marilyn was quick to change her tune stating it was unacceptable for the mother of the bride to be cleaning like this. Literally made no sense and it didn’t matter that by then she tried to change her tune, the damage was already done. Marilyn’s way of handling the situation was extremely unprofessional and the yelling resulted in my sister, the bride, having a terrible anxiety attack and crying for the whole rest of her wedding night. Marilyn clearly didn’t even understand her own venue contract and for what? It’s not like she was going to be in the venue cleaning at 11 at night once she kicked us all out. We honored the end of music time and no damage was done to any of her property, so her behavior was completely uncalled for. What’s worse is that we have now given the venue more than a week to respond to our messages and discuss these concerns and they have entirely failed to respond. They were perfectly nice when taking the money but watch out when you book here because they clearly do not value treating their guests in any sort of a respectful or professional manner. Not to mention the breach...