Believe it or not, the dream for Constellation Farms started back in 1986! Independently, before our founders met, they both had a similar life goal. For Kenny Beal, it was inspired 2 years after his daughter Mary was born with Downs Syndrome. He saw the trajectory of her life and envisioned creating a place where people like Mary could work and live independently. He envisioned a farm community led by a safety net of loving people where Mary could be both free and safe. Meanwhile, 275 miles away, Heidi Beal was in grad school studying fine art photography. She was dismayed at the lack of support so many people felt regarding their self-expression. She realized she wanted to build a tranquil artist retreat center where people of all abilities could come and create art. She envisioned a sustainable farm with plenty of studio space in many disciplines, wholesome meals, beautiful accommodations, chickens, and the occasional smell of cow manure. Then in 2011, Kenny and Heidi met and immediately knew they were destined to be together. Heidi recalls, “before we set a course for marriage, we wanted to make sure we had compatible dreams and life goals. We wrote them out and then compared bucket lists. While most people our age were thinking about retirement, imagine our shock when we discovered we both wanted the same thing!” Over the next ten years the Beals reoriented their lives. Kenny finished up his engineering career, while Heidi continued her art and teaching practice. They researched and toured similar farm communities, and finally found the perfect place to start Constellation Farms -- Springville, California.