The Renaissance Garden Guy Podcast Episode 1: Cathy Allen and IvyGate Flower Farm's Tornado Aftermath
Welcome to The Renaissance Garden Guy Podcast Episode 1. For the premiere, Cathy Allen of IvyGate Flower Farm in Lakeview, Ohio joins me and shares what it’s like to survive the destruction, and rebuild in the aftermath, of a devastating and deadly F3 tornado event.
Greetings, RGG readers, viewers, listeners, and subscribers. Welcome to Episode 1 of The Renaissance Garden Guy Podcast, situated right here in the RGG’s Sights and Sounds section. My first guest is someone RGG regulars and subscribers will know. Cathy Allen, owner of IvyGate Flower Farm in Lakeview, Ohio, made her RGG debut back in 2023 in “IvyGate Flower Farm Tour”, and returned later the same year in the remarkably informative interview, “12 Questions with Cathy Allen of IvyGate Flower Farm”. In those features, The RGG’s audience was introduced to Cathy’s nascent enterprise, and all of the incredible hard work and determination she’d committed to its success. In today’s podcast episode, Cathy discusses the experience of surviving the deadly F3 tornado event that, on March 14, 2024, occurred literally without warning, cut a 1/2-mile wide path of destruction 31 miles long through the state of Ohio, killed three, and injured dozens more. It also decimated the business she’d worked so hard to build and grow.
As Cathy explains, the tornado itself was just the beginning of the nightmare. Later events, arising as a result of this horrific natural disaster, continue to present challenges – not the least of which are the compromises to her physical health and well-being (it’s heartwrenching to learn that someone has survived the acute terror and destruction of a massive tornado’s assault only to be presented with subsequent needless, health-impacting complications associated with the re-building process).
The storm was horrific and utterly devastating, and the associated challenges presented in its aftermath are seemingly insurmountable. Will IvyGate Flower Farm persevere? And if so, to what degree and in what form? What’s Cathy’s plan for this beautiful labor of love that had just begun hitting its stride when the tornado struck? Click right below and watch The Renaissance Garden Guy Podcast Episode 1 to find out.
The image below represents IvyGate Flower Farm’s new, post-tornado logo. Remember it well. It depicts flowers and foliage, and elicits, I think, a sense of renewal and growth, and more than hints at a promise that IvyGate Flower Farm – and Cathy Allen herself – will soon once again be flourishing.
Visit Cathy Allen and IvyGate Flower Farm at ivygateflowerfarm.squarespace.com, like them on Facebook at IvyGate Flower Farm, follow them on Instagram at Iva_kate 1026, and on Twitter (X) at Iva Kate @IvyGateFlowers. You can also visit their YouTube Channel at IvyGate Flower Farm.
My special thanks go to Cathy Allen for allowing The RGG audience a glimpse into the reality of this devastating event’s impact, aftermath, and long-term ramifications for her business, and for Cathy herself. It was an honor having her as my guest for the podcast’s premiere. Cathy can rest assured that there is an entire army of people out there pulling for her and awaiting IvyGate Flower Farm’s inevitable rebloom.
My dear RGG audience, I hope you’ve enjoyed The Renaissance Garden Guy Podcast Episode 1. Stay tuned for continued interesting, entertaining, and diverse content right here in the podcast, and in the digital pages of The Renaissance Garden Guy at large, as well. And of course my dear RGG audience, my thanks, as always, also go to you for your kind and continued interest.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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Tragically sad story.
Awesome interview and first podcast, enjoyed very much 🌸🌸🌸
Thank you so much, Roxxy – I’m so glad you enjoyed the first episode. It’s heartbreaking to know what Cathy and her beautiful business have been through, and continue to go through. But I’m entirely confident that she, and IvyGate Flower Farm, will persevere. She’s got great character and determination, and her business is a winner. They’ll be back, I’m sure. Thanks once again, Roxxy!
It was so sad to hear about this tragedy. I found the podcast compelling, hearing about the destruction and randomness of a tornado. My prayers go out to Cathy for the loss of her mother and the catastrophic damage caused by the tornado. Thank you for sharing your story. I hope to hear from you again as you rebuild.
Thank you for watching Cathy’s episode, Kevin, and thank you for leaving your heartfelt comments. The devastation of the tornado was horrific. But the irony of her surviving that swift and brutal onslaught only to suffer health problems associated with trying to rebuild in the tornado’s aftermath is really upsetting to me. I’m glad she’s survived and is rebuilding. As difficult as things obviously are for her, I’m confident that she’ll recover both her health and her beloved flower farm. Thanks once again, Kevin.
Great and very personal first podcast. The experience of going through an F3 tornado and its aftermath was very powerful.
Thank you for watching the episode, Rick. I couldn’t possibly imagine going through what Cathy and her business have been through. The onset of the tornado itself must have been absolutely terrifying. It’s a miracle that Cathy and her loved ones came through comparatively unscathed. I think it took a lot of courage and fortitude for her to come onto the podcast and talk about the experience as candidly as she did. Thank you again for watching, Rick, and for commenting here.