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.
鈥淚 plan to bring about 40 animals in a specially-designed livestock trailer from their home in Eighty-Four,鈥� 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蘑菇视频 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..
鈥淚 always also try to take a baby camel or zebra to my events and will probably bring both to the Greene County Fair,鈥� 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蘑菇视频 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.
鈥淎bout 300 different animals are born on the farm every year,鈥� she said. 鈥淲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鈥檛 care who蘑菇视频 holding the feeding bottle.鈥�
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.
鈥淢y love of goats is what started it all,鈥� Marchezak said. 鈥淲hen I was 19 years old, I got my first pair of goats. They were the backbone of the Barnyard Petting Zoo.鈥�
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蘑菇视频 experience, everyone who attends the fair in the evening stops by to see the animals.
鈥淭here蘑菇视频 something about animals drives people in,鈥� Marchezak explained. 鈥淎nimals are all-accepting; if you treat them with kindness, they鈥檒l be your best friend.鈥�
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 鈥淎merican Pastoral,鈥� which is set for a fall release, and some of her cats, chickens and 鈥渆xotic鈥� animals were included in 鈥淭he Outsiders,鈥� a TV show shot in Pittsburgh.
鈥淚鈥檝e been going to the Greene County Fair for many years now,鈥� she said. 鈥淓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.鈥�
The Barnyard Petting Zoo is sponsored by the Greene County Messenger and the 蘑菇视频 newspapers.