A group of people gathered around a campfire inside a wooden cabin with rustic decor, some seated on benches and others standing, engaging in a storytelling or discussion activity.

Saturday, September 26 - Sunday, September 27, 2026

Barbed Wire Ball

Ekone’s flagship fundraiser and family festival!

rsvp here
People sitting and standing outside at a gathering, some drinking, with a bar in the background, and hay bales and a colorful rainbow blanket in the foreground.
Three musicians perform on an outdoor wooden stage in front of a rustic barn, with corn stalks and a hay bale in the foreground and trees in the background.
A young girl wearing a pink hoodie and black helmet sits on a white horse, while a woman with short yellow hair and a white sleeveless shirt stands nearby holding the horse's reins. The setting is outdoors with trees and a rustic building in the background.
Three women smiling at a social gathering or party inside a rustic venue with wooden walls and string lights. One woman has gray hair, glasses, and wears a colorful scarf. The woman on the right has dark curly hair, glasses on her head, and face paint.

About the Barbed Wire Ball

It's a hootenanny!

With pony rides for kids, beer garden for grownups, and games, home-cookin', live music, hikes, and fun times for everyone. 

The auction and pledge drive support Ekone's work, but there is no ticket price to attend. Come for the day or camp overnight!

rsvp here
Group of people outdoors, celebrating and holding numbered signs, with smiles and excitement, one person appears to be laughing, and others are dressed in outdoor clothing.

The Barbed Wire Ball Schedule

Gates open at 11am Saturday, and we’ll enjoy the ranch and the good company into the night! 

BBQ runs 2:30-4pm, and other foods are provided earlier, later, and Sunday morning.

Live music that will have you in turns melting, weeping, falling in love, and shaking a tailfeather runs all afternoon and into the night. 

Join our list to be the first to see the 2026 event schedule!

Join our list

this is what awaits at the barbed wire ball…

Frequently Asked Questions about The Barbed Wire Ball

  • YOU! and 300ish other fabulous humans of all ages!

  • Gates open at 11am Saturday and cleanup starts at noon on Sunday. We will post the Event Schedule around August, and you can come for all, or part!

  • Ekone Ranch, 401 Ekone Rd, Goldendale, WA.  Click Here for directions (don't use your GPS)

  • To celebrate and support the resilience of land and community! And have fun!

  • Through the labor of 60+ volunteers & staff, and the generosity of attendees! Want to help make the magic? Email susan@ekone.org to volunteer, or Click Here to support our work.

  • We have abandoned the concept of tickets, in favor of reciprocal generosity! Please come be our guest, and support the work of Ekone Ranch as generously as you are able.

  • It is really important to help us plan!  Please, please, please RSVP.

  • This is a camping event! We'll have two sweet camping areas set up, in the Aspen Grove and the Oak Meadows. The Bunkhouse is reserved for volunteers. Goldendale has two comfortable motels, the Ponderosa and Quality Inn, just 25 minutes away, and both AirBnB and VRBO have some lovely options nearby.

  • It’s our setup day with the Superstar volunteer crew...we are unable to accommodate early arrivals, sorry! If you'd like to camp in the area on Friday night, here are places to stay and eat nearby.

  • Nope, sorry.  <3

  • We'll have a live auction with about 12 extremely rad items, including some sweet Ekone experiences available ONLY at the Ball. Have an item to offer? Email susan@ekone.org.

  • We used to do a huge silent auction. It was a logistical nightmare. We scrapped it in favor of the… MOST EXCELLENT TREASURE TABLE! This a fun and beautiful shopping experience with a wide variety of Ekone merch and items offered by our generous and talented community. If you'd like to gift a quality item (handcrafted? Ekone-themed? one-of-a-kind? unique experiences? mostly under $200 in value) for the treasure table, please email susan@ekone.org or tell us about it when you RSVP!

  • Yes - remote bids are welcome, just email shonie@ekone.org with your bid limit and we'll assign you a proxy bidder!

  • Please, please, please do not attend the Ball if you aren't feeling well.  Masks are always welcome, and the event is largely outdoors.

  • Coming soon! Make sure to sign up to our email list to be the first to know.

  • Can you bring a yummy dessert for our fun Musical Squares game? Let us know when you RSVP! (Read here about why we're not calling this a "cakewalk" anymore, and for details about how we're Ekone-ifying this game!)

  • Yes! Bring kids! They will have so much fun! Also please plan on actively supervising and parenting them...it's not camp.  :) 

  • Being on the crew is so fun! Email Susan@ekone.org or let us know when you RSVP.

  • Can you help us throw a great event and support Ekone's transformative work? Click here to make a tax-deductible gift now, and/or get ready to be so inspired that you dig deep and give generously at the Ball.

  • We have abandoned the awkward, high-pressure, performative Paddle Raise and replaced it with a private Pledge Drive. We will make a direct ask. And give you a pledge form. And collect it. What you put on it is between you and us, not for display.

A large rusted wire ball sculpture on a grassy outdoor field, with trees and a building in the background under a clear blue sky.
People playing a game outdoors on a dirt field during the evening, with tents and other people sitting and standing in the background.
People browsing handmade crafts and artwork displayed on tables inside a rustic wooden building with string lights overhead
People speaking at an outdoor event, with one man holding a microphone and reading from a paper, and another person wearing a hat also holding a microphone. Others are standing nearby, and a diverse crowd is in the background.

Finding Ekone Ranch

We are located east of Goldendale, in south-central Washington State just north of the Columbia River Gorge, in the homelands of the Kah-Milt-Pah, now one of the confederated bands and tribes of the Yakima Nation.

Google maps sometimes sends you down a goat trail - so please see step by step directions here.

Step by step directions