Willow Pond – a family home turned family business

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

June 9, 2025

WEYAUWEGA – Brooke Thraen – operations manager for Willow Pond Bed, Breakfast & Events – said when her parents bought the historic property more than three decades ago, they always planned to turn their family home into a family business.

“I actually grew up here,” she said. “When my siblings and (I) grew up and moved out, they turned it into (a) bed and breakfast and event venue.”

According to its website (willowpondevents.com), Willow Pond – located at E5490 N. Shore Road in Weyauwega – offers 12 acres of Wisconsin farmland, nestled on the corner of State Highways 110 and 54, for its guests to explore and host special gatherings.

After purchasing the land, Thraen said her parents retrofitted its now-more-than-a-century-old barn to serve as an indoor event venue and renovated the same 1900s-era farmhouse she grew up in – turning it into the five-room bed and breakfast it is today.

“(We renovated the house) throughout my life,” she said, “but as far as actually turning it into the bed and breakfast, that all started after (my siblings and I) moved out.”

Thraen said her father – Joe Wyngaard – was a “mason for almost 30 years” and undertook most of the construction work himself.

Thraen said her mother – Renee Wyngaard –  took on her own well-suited challenge and perfected the bed and breakfast’s menu.

“My mom’s an amazing cook – and loves to cook – so the bed and breakfast was a natural thing for (my mom and dad) to transition to, and doing the events,” she said.

Now, 35 years since first moving to the property, Thraen said Willow Pond is thriving and expanding – now offering an on-site bar and shuttle service.

A natural transition

After nearly a decade-long career in the army, Thraen said she was called home for a Willow Pond project that quickly turned into several.

“Mom and Dad needed help, and they’re trying to slow down – they’re ready to retire a little bit,” she said. “So, (I decided to) step in and help out, mostly because we have a public bar now as well, which we opened in 2023.”

Though she initially came home to help her parents slow down and operate the recently opened Bar at Willow Pond, Thraen said it wasn’t long before she “took over managing everything” – including the bed and breakfast’s employees.

“Dad and I actually have a family friend who comes out and helps us a lot, and we have two steady spring-through-fall employees helping with the grounds,” she said. “We (also) just hired somebody for the bed and breakfast, so it’s probably between three and five (employees I manage), depending on (what time of year) it is.”

Thraen said Willow Pond’s employees are all equally dedicated to ensuring every one of their guests’ needs are taken care of – something she added has always come to her parents easily.

“(Starting the business) was more like an inspiration, but it was an easy transition, because my mom and dad are amazing hosts, regardless,” she said.

Prior to buying the Willow Pond property, Thraen said she, her parents and her three siblings lived in the Appleton area – moving to North Central Wisconsin specifically to buy the land.

“They wanted to (raise) us (in more of a) country setting,” she said.

Joe’s aforementioned three decades in the masonry industry, Thraen said, were spent working for Appleton-area employers before he and Renee moved their family to Weyauwega to work for themselves.

Business ownership, however, Thraen said, was not a new venture for Renee as she spent those years operating “her own business doing (property) title searching.”

“(Joe) wasn’t working for himself prior, but he had enough experience (helping) Mom that it was a natural transition for him, too,” she said.

Willow Pond weddings, beyond

With The Bar at Willow Pond only recently having opened, Thraen said she and her parents are still working to get the word out about the new basement bar nestled below the floorboards of their barn/indoor event venue.

“A lot of people don’t know about our bar,” she said. “(However), with the wedding season starting up, we won’t be open for a lot of Saturdays if there’s a wedding.”

On days when there isn’t an event overhead, Thraen said The Bar at Willow Pond is open to the public from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and noon to 2 a.m. on Sundays.

Another recent addition to Willow Pond’s services, Thraen said, is a shuttle that guests can rent to accommodate transportation for 14 passengers to and from any number of local destinations.

And though Willow Pond does not offer event catering – aside from Renee’s morning-time meal for bed and breakfast guests – Thraen said she and her team have a list of local vendor suggestions for patrons to select from if they choose.

“They pick a caterer of their choice,” she said. “We have a list they can choose from, but they don’t have to (use only those caterers).”

Though the Willow Pond property – featuring, of course, a pond and several other water features scattered across its dozen acres – encases several areas well suited for an outdoor wedding ceremony, Thraen said the property has played host to all kinds of public and private events, like birthday parties, reunions, tea parties, community gatherings and more.

“We do a lot of weddings, but we also do smaller events, too,” she said. “We have live music sometimes, we do karaoke every other Friday and we (had) a car show (in May).”

On its website, guests can see both nightly, long-term and group room rates offered at Willow Pond’s bed and breakfast – with prices ranging from $90-$275 a night, depending on the room and desired accommodations – as well as some of its event rental information.

To learn more, visit willowpondevents.com or find it on social media.