The Timber Frame Folly sits in wait last Tuesday, ready for the start of springtime events. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Over the last few decades, the Timber Frame Folly has become one of the best kept secrets in Jefferson County.

Located in a wooded area behind a home at 301 Big Oak Drive, the Timber Frame Folly has made a name for itself as a home for the Arts, unlike any other.

“It’s an uncommon venue, because there’s no definition. Which is the point! No pay, no definition,” said owner Bradley Sanders, who lives on the property with his wife Carol, where they raised their four children together. “It’s the backstage area for a lot of the players and musicians in the area, the clowns, and what have you.”

This year marks its 30th anniversary, which Sanders plans to commemorate with the launch of a Patreon page online. People who purchase a membership to the Timber Frame Folly Patreon will receive some perks, including access to a digital, monthly magazine called “Folly Lane.”

“I’m initiating a Patreon page at the moment, to try to cover the cost [of maintaining this space] from the community. If I can get the community to pay a little bit, then we can continue as we are,” Sanders said. “It’s wildly expensive to live here and this is a prime piece of property.

Paper cranes circle overhead in the Timber Frame Folly’s ceiling last Tuesday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“We haven’t charged the performers to use this space, though sometimes the performers have charged a fee and then given us a gift [from the proceeds]. This business structure was created, because I wanted to [avoid] the pay-for-play situation that every artist encounters, in which they are always shortchanged,” Sanders said. “Some of the best players in the region come here — they’re fabulous!”

When the Patreon is launched, Sanders said that it will be advertised on the Timber Frame Folly’s Facebook page.

“It’s not something you want to let go away,” Sander said. “It’s so fantastic! It’s all about community. It’s a place where we can do whatever we want.

“Musicians and players and other artists have to confine themselves to a definition. If they play in a venue, they have to perform to please. Here, they can do whatever they want,” Sander said.

Due to Timber Frame Folly’s open concept performance space and amphitheater seating, a wide variety of events have taken place there, including plays, weekly happy hours and group art projects.

A wood post marks the entrance to the Timber Frame Folly amphitheater last Tuesday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“One of our events a few years ago was origami folding. We all folded together for a couple of weeks. Every evening we had a folding — various people came and learned how to make origami together. It was so wonderful, and you can see how many remain to this day,” Sanders said, as he pointed up at a mobile full of paper cranes in various colors, circling around the roof.

The one drawback about the space, is that it is unusable during the winter and in bad weather — a problem that Sanders hopes to rectify someday, with the construction of an enclosed lodge for community members to congregate in nearby.

“It’s like a church with no proselytizing!” Sander said. “My Native American friend has a hut out here for sweats. Some people come out here to a meadow to meditate. I don’t mind whatever people do, as long as they’re respectful of me and my neighbors.”

Those wishing to stay informed on the Timber Frame Folly’s 30th anniversary year are encouraged to email gbradleysanders@gmail.com and ask to be informed of updates via their email address.

An alligator head rests by a log behind the Timber Frame Folly last Tuesday. Tabitha Johnston