STEAMery Update - Fall 2026

Written By Kirstie Tiernan

Fall in Brown County means leaf season, full weekends and more than two million visitors winding through our hills. It is also our busiest season yet. Our first crop is on its way to a local kitchen, three teams of Indiana University students are joining our work, and a calendar of hands-on classes is taking shape. Here is what has happened since spring.

First Harvest at the Greenhouse Lab

Our Greenhouse Lab brought in its first hydroponic lettuce harvest on September 28. The lettuce is grown in partnership with Lewis Organics (Jason and Rachel Kidwell) and goes straight to the kitchen at the Brown County Inn. We plan weekly Monday harvests through the season.

The greenhouse is also a classroom. Brown County High School's new agriculture program, led by teacher Austin Wampler, is bringing student groups on site to learn hydroponic growing, food safety, and how a local farm-to-restaurant supply chain works. Volunteers keep the operation running every week, and our Greenhouse Committee keeps growing.

Indiana University Students Join The STEAMery

The STEAMery was selected for IU Corps START this fall, and all three projects we proposed received a student team:

  • Greenhouse Lab: developing curriculum and class formats so more students and visitors can learn in the greenhouse.

  • Project Fish: supporting our adult workforce program as it grows.

  • Social Media: building a content system to share The STEAMery's story with more of Brown County and its visitors.

Project Fish Cohort 1 in Session

Project Fish, our workforce program for adults, has its first cohort in session. A waitlist is already forming for the next one.

Coming Soon: Classes You Can Book

The model behind The STEAMery is simple: visitors book hands-on classes, and their fees open free seats for Brown County families. This fall we will be testing that model with new bookable classes, led by locals. Visitors pay for their seat, and every class holds free seats for Brown County residents. Dates and registration are coming soon.

Capacity Building Support Through READI 2.0

The STEAMery received a capacity building award through the READI 2.0 Arts and Culture program. Our board will decide in October how to use it, with a focus on strengthening the operating and revenue model that keeps our programs sustainable for the long term.

Thank You

Thank you to the Cook Medical volunteers who spent a July day with us working through nine projects, to Jason and Rachel Kidwell, Courtney Gosser, The Brown County Inn, Brown County Schools, and to IU Corps START. Thank you also to every donor and volunteer who makes this work possible. Every program on this page runs because of you.

How to Help

  • Donate at thesteamery.org

  • Volunteer at the Greenhouse Lab

  • Teach or host a class through our Host Classes page

A place to dream // a space to create.

Kirstie Tiernan
Next

STEAMery Update - April 2026