Outpouring of help leaves employees grateful
GEORGETOWN — The July 5 floods that ravaged parts of Williamson County and claimed three lives also took a toll on Sweet Eats Fruit Farm, but that’s not stopping volunteers from pitching in to restore the family-friendly destination.
The south fork of the San Gabriel River runs behind the property, known for its petting zoo and seasonal activities, at 14400 E. Texas 29.
Not 10 minutes west of the property are two recreational vehicle parks — Shady River and Goodwater — that also sustained damage during the flooding, touched off by torrential storms over the Hill Country and Central Texas.
The response for aid has been overwhelming, said Katherine Way, operations manager at Sweet Eats.
“Guys with chainsaws and heavy equipment showed up to help,” Way said. “Cheerleaders from Granger and people from the community all came to help.”
But there is still work to be done.
“It’s been amazing,” Way said. “We’re still cleaning debris, maybe we need some chainsaw work and rebuilding in the activities area.”
While the restoration continues, Sweet Eats Fruit Farm remains temporarily closed until further notice, but the General Store is open every day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Watch for reopening dates at sweeteats.com or at facebook.com/ SweetEatsFruitFarm.
Owners Jon and Jonni Meredith received an early morning phone call July 5 from a neighbor who told them about the potential deluge. After checking the weather and flood gauges, the Merediths called in reinforcements to meet them at the farm.
When the Merediths and their employees reached the site, their first concern was to move the animals to higher ground. Sweet Eats has about 100 animals for its petting zoo and farm operations.
“All of our animals made it and are accounted for,” Way said.
After the animals were moved to safety, fixtures and equipment for activity areas and loose items situated closer to the river were then relocated to higher ground. “They were able to move and save a lot. I’m not sure what time the river did come rushing through, but it took the activities that they weren’t able to get to and certain things like the petting zoo gates,” Wells said.
Rachel O’Brien of Georgetown came out with a friend and their young children to help with the cleanup.
“We saw downed trees and fences, the animal stalls were gone and the apple cannons are damaged,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien and her family have season passes to Sweet Eats and she wanted to give back to a place where they spend so much time.
“We just felt like we haven’t been able to help in any significant way and we wanted to bring the kids and teach them some good life lessons about helping others today,” O’Brien said.
Way said Taylor Feed Store of Taylor put the word out for assistance on its social media pages and Jon Meredith did the same on the Sweet Eats’ Facebook page.
Volunteers helping down the road at the RV parks also stopped to ask where they could offer assistance.
Way said employees are hopeful some good can come out of the damage.
“Jon is doing a great job of leading with positivity. We’re excited because it’s a fresh start for the farm and that’s good,” Way said.
While Central Texas saw its share of damage, the worst-hit areas include the Guadalupe River basin in Kerr and surrounding Hill Country counties, where more than 130 people died and dozens more are still missing following the July 4 storm.
In addition to three fatalities in the Liberty Hill area, flooding was also reported along Mustang Creek near the Taylor Municipal Airport, in Circleville and several roads in the north part of Williamson County were damaged by flooding.
