The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
FARMER MONDAY EDUCATES KIDS
Rainy chilly weather no deterrent to families on Presidents Day
Like Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day has kids home from school, with many families hitting stores for sales and bargains .
But other families — a lot of them — happily decide to head to Kirtland’s Farmpark, and Penitentiary Glen Reservation, to engage in a variety of crafts, demos and interactive activities sponsored by Lake Metroparks.
Despite overcast skies, temperatures in the 50s and onand-off showers all afternoon, Farmer Monday at Farmpark proved to be an educational and entertaining daylong event for both kids and adults.
Farmpark Events Manager Andy McGovern immediately recognized this year as different from 2017.
“Last year, we had 1,800 people,” he said. “It was 65 degrees and sunny. But we’ll have a lot of people come throughout the day. And we just announced on Facebook that Birdie, the Berkshire sow, just gave birth of piglets yesterday (Feb. 18).”
As kids “oooohed,” and parents snapped pictures of the new additions scrambling to
feed, hands-on milking, cream separating, felt, candle and birdfeeder making, and animal encounters also held attendees rapt on the grounds.
Inside activities
“The great thing about Farmpark, especially with our winter and spring events, is everything is indoors,” McGovern said. “Most of our animals are indoors, except for the barnyard. Even if it’s rainy or snowy, you can still come to the Farmpark and enjoy
a lot of indoor activities. I mean, look at the kids here.”
A significant difference with this Farmer Monday compared to others, McGovern added, was the staff showcasing abilities not traditionally seen by visitors.
“We wanted to show our staff working their skills,” he said. “That’s what we’re doing, especially in our arenas, we’re showing the talents our staff have outside of Farmpark.”
Liberty
One example was the Liberty, Freedom and Communication demonstration, where equine specialists use no equipment but mere body language and voice commands to have horses
walking, trotting, cantering, jumping and stopping.
“There are a lot of wonderful activities going on, and a lot of farmers and horse people will do stuff like this, if they have the luxury of an arena, in the winter or when it’s bad out,” McGovern said.
Play Clay
An extremely popular stop, Play Clay, had parents and grandparents watching kids mold creations of their choosing with homemade Play-Doh.
“This is the Grain Place, so we concentrate on flour baking with this activity,” said grain interpreter Bethany Toth. “Stations are set and the kids can pick their
colors and work as a group or independently.
“They can take their creations home, but they are not designed for the longterm, since they’re made of Play-Doh, but if they want they can let what they make dry out and shellac it. It’s good family building.”
Drive a Draft
Drive a Draft (horse) was another demonstration kids and adults participated in equally. Equine facility specialist Annie DiLillo, with Farmpark staff members Jonathan Squibbs and Nadine Toth, instructed and guided attendees taking the reins of Snickers, a miniature, and Karl and Willie, Percheron drafts.
“They get an idea what farmers do or what they deal with when they’re plowing fields with their horses,” DiLillo said.
Kasia Hunsaker of Erie, Pennsylvania, who visited Farmpark for the first time on the urging of a friend, was impressed with the variety of activities the science and cultural center had to offer.
“We wanted to get out and do something with the kids,” said Hunsaker, who will be moving to Missouri in the near future. “I wish I had known about this place before.”
Laura Levy, a Farmpark member, said she and her family visit often, especially when school is out.
“My son, Brenden, loves animals,” the Lyndhurst resident added. “I don’t think he ever gets tired of this place. We come back a million times to see the animals. It’s so nice to get the kids out and doing things we wouldn’t be doing at home. With the activities Farmpark has year-round, it makes our membership worth it. It’s wonderful.”
Willowick resident Dorothy Bradac agrees.
“What’s offered here for kids is excellent,” she said. “They learn and they have fun. With school out, this keeps them busy and they keep me busy in turn. We come here all the time, too. Everything is so interesting.”