Newborn lambs star at Barnyard Bingo event

Newborn lambs featured at Barnyard Bingo event

LONDON GROVE >> Avon Grove Charter School’s second annual Barnyard Bingo event was billed as a chance for someone to make $1,000 by betting on the location of the digestive elimination by a steer in a field grid. But the big attraction on Saturday was the two baby lambs that were born to Nulla the ewe last week.

Both of the little white bundles of joy along with their mother were on display in a sheltered pen where they were shadowed from the sun but still quite open to observation and photographs.

Both of the newborns are male, and the father is the school’s resident ram, Rambo.

All midday Saturday during the outdoor open house, kids and their parents stopped by to see the little ones prance around and follow their mother for little drinks of sheep’s milk.

Meanwhile, back on the grid laid out on the back field of the school, Albert the steer munched on hay and grain all morning and was led into

the spotlight at about noon. There, with fans surrounding the area, he eliminated what the judges called “a quarter pounder” after 12 minutes and 47 seconds. And with that, Kristen Reph had won the money, with the rest of the proceeds going to the support of the school’s micro farm.

Earlier in the day, A.J. Delacerdo and Nico D’Apolito had roamed the field selling $10 chances for two spots on the field grid.

Several hundred people came to enjoy a “day on the farm” with bull riding, food, and exhibits. The micro farm is overseen by manager Bill Aff and operated largely by the students.

Repeating from last year was a bull riding game during which kids tried to stay for as long as they could on a mechanical bull before falling off into an inflated base.

A proud centerpiece of the farm throughout the year is the greenhouse, where the students grow crops and raise fish by aquaponics — the crops get their nutrition from the water in which the fish swim.

Visitors also observed the school’s bees making honey, chickens roosting in their own shed, and the flock of geese that ran around but refused to be caught by children.

Two demonstrations of sheep shearing attracted big crowds, and it was suggested that the wool that was obtained would be used in the school’s art projects. Nearby, art teacher Regina Hebert was spinning yarn out of the wool from the school’s sheep.

This year, the school’s picnic area was expanded with lots of tables, and the chance to use them was facilitated by the presence of two food trucks: Natalie’s Fine Foods and Hood’s Barbecue.

There were also stations for hot dogs, arts, hat-making, used clothing and (indoor) robotics.

Visitors saw the heavy wool coat come off Nulla the sheep thanks to the effort of Aff and sheep shearer Jill Federoff of Avondale. She said that beyond Nulla’s haircut, all the rest of the school’s six sheep would be sheared soon and the wool used for school projects.

Barnyard Bingo is just one of several events throughout the years that supports the school’s micro farm. One especially successful event was the farm-to-table dinner last fall that featured a meal made from crops grown on the micro farm.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Nulla the ewe and her two lambs were the hit of the show at Avon Grove Charter School on Saturday.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Albert the steer is led to the grid in the field for Cow Plop Bingo.

Madison Jeanes attempts to stay on the mechanical bull. The charter school ducks and geese roamed the pen but moved too fast for kids to catch.

Daniel Roeder holds one of the school’s rabbits for visitors to pet.

Visitors observe bees making honey at the Avon Grove Charter School.

Art teacher Regina Hebert spins yarn from sheep’s wool.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The two lambs born to Nulla the ewe attracted a lot of attention.

Children sit by the pen where Nulla and her two lambs are on display.

Jill Federoff shears the belly of Willa the ewe.