Business & Tech

Sky Farm Nudist Club to Hold Open House Next Saturday

Longtime 'naturist swim club' invites potential new members to give it a try.

Sky Farm Naturist Swim Club, located in a wooded area off Allen Road, has scheduled its annual Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday, June 22 for guests to try out will enjoy sunning, swimming, volleyball, and live music in a safe and secure environment — sans clothing. Rain date is Sunday, June 23.

In publicizing the event, the township's longtime nudist club — which will celebrate its 81st anniversary this year — noted that most would agree that spending time outdoors in a natural environment is a "wonderful way to calm the mind and relieve stress."

The experience is enhanced when enjoyed in a natural state, without clothing, said Cindy Thiboutot, membership chair.

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Sky Farm is located on 35 acres in Basking Ridge, next door to Fellowship Village. Sky Farm celebrated its 80th anniversary last June with Nudestock 2012, and claims to hold the distinction of being the oldest landed nudist club in North America. 

A group of German immigrants had purchased the 35 acres for $3,440 in 1932 in what was then an espcecially remote area of New Jersey on the outskirts of historic Liberty Corner Village.

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Unlike many properties elsewhere throughout Basking Ridge, that land still is used for the purpose it was originally intended. "We have had the property so long," Tiboutout said last year. She said then that the club is a cooperative, owned by its members as it has since the beginning.

Admission to next weekend's open house is limited and by reservation only. The entry fee is $25 per person, including lunch, according to Sky Farm.

Reservations can be made on the Sky Farm website, www.skyfarm.com, by clicking on the “visit” button. Those who wish to attend also can call in a reservation at 908-419-5443, or by emailing membership@skyfarm.com.

According to information from Sky Farm, members have around-the-clock access to the club, which features a heated pool that is open May until the end of September, a hot tub open April through October, sauna, clubhouse with community kitchen, children’s playground, petanque, basketball, volleyball, miniten, social activities, and "plenty of space to enjoy the great outdoors."

Sky Farm holds annual open house membership drives, Thiboutot said last year. On Friday, she said last year's Nudestock brought in additional members, and she expects that this year's open house will attract more sign-ups.

Most of Sky Farm's members are from the area—mostly from within a 50-mile radius—although some come from Pennsylvania and New York, Thiboutot said last year.

She said she doesn't believe there are any other nudist clubs closer to New York, although Sandy Hook does have a nude beach, she noted. Other clubs exist in Hackettstown and Stockhom in Sussex County, she said.

Thiboutot said one of the goals of "Nudestock 2012" was to attract more younger members. The nudist movement tends to attract participants in the 40 to 60 age category, she said. But, overall, Thiboutot said then, "I think nude recreation is on the upswing."

Sky Farm is a member of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR).  AANR is the oldest and largest organization promoting nude recreation in North America, with nearly 50,000 individual members and 267 affiliated clubs.  For more information on nude recreation, call 1-800-TRY-NUDE or visit the AANR website at www.aanr.com.


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