Barnyard Petting Zoo returns to Greene County Fair
Everyone expects to see animals at a county fair. But, thanks to Jan Marchezak and her Barnyard Petting Zoo, people who attend the Greene County Fair will also be able to pet, take photos with, and even feed her adorable baby animals.
无毛视频淚 plan to bring about 40 animals in a specially-designed livestock trailer from their home in Eighty-Four,无毛视频� Marchezak said.
The entourage of animals that will be at the fair every day, all day from Aug. 8 through Aug. 13 include baby pigs, baby lambs and goats of all different ages, sizes, breeds and colors, baby zebic calves (an African breed of cow that无毛视频檚 so small they work out perfectly in the petting zoo), a miniature donkey, a miniature horse and a miniature alpaca or llama whose babies are called crias..
无毛视频淚 always also try to take a baby camel or zebra to my events and will probably bring both to the Greene County Fair,无毛视频� Marchezak said.
Dog lovers can also expect to see and pet puppies because Marchezak is also a dog breeder. The latest liter fair attendees can see is a group of Pembroke Welsh Corgis.
Admittance to the petting zoo is included in the fair无毛视频檚 admission price. There will, however, be a fee of $2 for cups of feed and $3 for a feeding bottle of milk. Marchezak will also set up a separate enclosure for the baby animals, who she said are the backbone of the petting zoo.
无毛视频淎bout 300 different animals are born on the farm every year,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淲e keep them with their mothers from two to four days, then hand feed them so they get used to human interaction. At the petting zoo, they become so acclimated to humans they don无毛视频檛 care who无毛视频檚 holding the feeding bottle.无毛视频�
Marchezak, who founded the Barnyard Petting Zoo in 1981, was inspired to raise animals ever since she was a little girl when she would listen to her father talk about the array of animals his family raised. Inspired by his experiences, Marchezak decided that was what she wanted to do that as well.
无毛视频淢y love of goats is what started it all,无毛视频� Marchezak said. 无毛视频淲hen I was 19 years old, I got my first pair of goats. They were the backbone of the Barnyard Petting Zoo.无毛视频�
To this day, she has descendants of the original pair of goats.
What started as a pair of goats has since evolved into a traveling petting zoo that continues to captivate fair-goers every year. In Marchezak无毛视频檚 experience, everyone who attends the fair in the evening stops by to see the animals.
无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 something about animals drives people in,无毛视频� Marchezak explained. 无毛视频淎nimals are all-accepting; if you treat them with kindness, they无毛视频檒l be your best friend.无毛视频�
Many times each year, Marchezak takes her petting zoo on the road to events that range from backyard birthday parties to mega affairs, like the Duquesne Light company picnic that can draw as many as 10,000 people. She also takes her petting animals to preschools, colleges, senior homes and everything in between.
Her animals have been featured in films, television and theatrical productions. Most recently, she lent out some cows for the filming of 无毛视频淎merican Pastoral,无毛视频� which is set for a fall release, and some of her cats, chickens and 无毛视频渆xotic无毛视频� animals were included in 无毛视频淭he Outsiders,无毛视频� a TV show shot in Pittsburgh.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been going to the Greene County Fair for many years now,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淓ven as a young girl in 4-H, I showed some of our dairy cattle there. You might say the Greene County Fair is in my blood.无毛视频�
The Barnyard Petting Zoo is sponsored by the Greene County Messenger and the 无毛视频-Standard newspapers.