Rising Stars: Meet Taryn Krekeler of Other

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taryn Krekeler.

Hi Taryn, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The story behind one of Perris, California’s most unique event venues.

Rock & Tree began with a simple dream: to create a place where music, nature, creativity, and community could come together.

Founded by husband-and-wife duo Taryn and Anson Krekeler, Rock & Tree is more than an event venue. It’s a passion project, a family story, and a constantly evolving labor of love.

Anson, a folk and blues musician who spent years traveling across the country performing, and Taryn, an aspiring voice-over actress, shared a love for music, entertainment, and bringing people together. Eventually, they asked themselves a question: What if we could spend the rest of our lives doing just that?

In 2017, they left Santa Monica and moved to Perris, California, with a vision of transforming a beautiful 36-acre property filled with eucalyptus trees and natural rock formations into something extraordinary.

Their goal was to create an “open canvas event space ” — a space where guests could bring their own imagination, creativity, and vision to life. Whether it’s a wedding, LARP, music festival, private celebration, or something entirely unconventional, Rock & Tree was designed to be a place without the limitations of a traditional venue.

What makes Rock & Tree especially unique is that nearly everything has been built by Taryn and Anson themselves. Using fallen eucalyptus trees from the property, reclaimed lumber, donated materials, and a little ingenuity, they’ve slowly transformed the land into a whimsical wonderland. Every stage, structure, and hidden corner has a story behind it.

Sustainability and creativity remain at the heart of everything they do. Rather than building something polished and predictable, they’ve embraced the natural beauty of the land, creating a space that feels organic, unexpected, and full of character.

But perhaps the most meaningful part of Rock & Tree is the personal history woven into its landscape.

On June 3, 2017, during the venue’s private soft opening, Anson surprised Taryn by proposing on the Gazebo Stage in front of their closest friends and family.

“It was the most magical day of my life,” Taryn recalls. “That is, until our twins came along!”

In February 2022, the couple welcomed boy-girl twins, adding a whole new chapter to their Rock & Tree story. From their baby shower to birthday celebrations, the venue has continued to be the backdrop for some of their family’s most treasured memories.

Today, Rock & Tree continues to grow, welcoming musicians, artists, families, festivalgoers, and people from all walks of life. What began as a dream between two creative souls has blossomed into a gathering place where friendships are formed, traditions are born, and unforgettable memories are made.

“Our hope has always been that people come here and feel like they’ve discovered somewhere special. We want them to explore, be creative, connect with one another, and leave with memories they’ll carry forever. We’ve created so many magical moments here as a family, and being able to share that with others is what makes it all worthwhile.”

Rock & Tree isn’t just a venue. It’s a little piece of their hearts, built by hand, with love, and meant to be shared.

As they like to say at Rock & Tree: “Meant to be explored, not explained.”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When we first started Rock & Tree, no one, and I mean no one, believed we could pull it off. But we believed in our vision, and that was enough to keep us going. We lived in an RV on the property for almost five years, building everything by hand, one project at a time. It took a lot of determination, sacrifice, and probably a little bit of craziness!

Today, we no longer have to prove our vision. Rock & Tree speaks for itself, and that’s an incredible feeling. But the challenges have definitely changed!

Maintaining a 36-acre venue is officially a LOT of work! We’re constantly building, improving, repairing, and dreaming up the next project. And we’re doing all of this while working full-time jobs and raising our twins.

Balancing it all can be overwhelming and downright exhausting. Some days, there just aren’t enough hours or enough hands. But then we see people enjoying the space we’ve created, making memories, dancing under the stars, and bringing their own creativity to Rock & Tree, and we’re reminded exactly why we started.

We have started an Orchard thanks to our onsite Manager Taylor, with sponsored tree ceremonies , people can donate a tree and come visit it. We have all kinds of trees growing on site from fruit, citrus to flower trees.

It’s a labor of love in every sense of the word. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Our Work – What Do We Do?

We are the dreamers, the builders, and pretty much everything in between! From dreaming up new ideas and physically building them, to hand-making our signage, maintaining the property, and managing every aspect of the business, we wear just about every hat imaginable.

Rock & Tree is truly a hands-on labor of love. There’s always something to build, fix, create, or improve, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

But one of the most rewarding parts of what we do is the relationships we build along the way. Our clients don’t just rent a venue, they become part of the Rock & Tree family. We love watching people bring their own creativity into the space, and many return year after year.

We may have built Rock & Tree with our own hands, but it’s the people who come here who truly bring it to life.

How do you think about happiness?
That’s an easy one! Watching people take our open canvas event space and make it their own. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing someone bring their vision to life in a space we’ve poured our hearts and souls into creating.

I still get overwhelmed with emotion watching couples get married here, musicians perform on our stages, and people come together to celebrate life’s special moments. Sometimes I just stand back, take it all in, and think, “Wow, we created this.”

Knowing that Rock & Tree is becoming part of someone else’s story, that memories are being made here that they’ll carry with them forever, is pure magic.

We built the space, but it’s the people and the memories they create that make Rock & Tree truly special.

Pricing:

• $2700-$11,000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.rockandtreeperris.com
• Instagram: Rockandtreeperris
• Facebook: Rock & Tree Perris