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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 23, 2005 Danielle Aaland, 9, of Cave Junction is surrounded by snack-seeking animals at The Farm on South Stage Road Saturday. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven All animals are equal Down on the farm, youngsters can get up-close and personal with a wide variety of creatures By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune Victoria Cella jumps from animal to animal, but sometimes it’s hard to tell just who’s chasing whom. "Mom, he’s eating me," the Rogue River 9-year-old yells in mock horror as a spotted fawn nibbles on her shirt. Then she’s off to join pal Danielle Aaland, also 9, of Cave Junction, who’s stopped to stroke a passing wallaby. As kids and oldsters alike mix with friendly fawns, gregarious goats and other comely critters at the Fall Farm Festival, you almost expect somebody to start singing: "If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages/maybe take an animal degree ... " OK. Maybe not. Anyway, it might be hard to make out the lyrics over all the baa-ing, clucking, hee-hawing and other animal sounds filling the warm autumn day. Advertisement The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through Nov. 13 at The Farm, just west of Highway 99 on South Stage Road. Admission is $4. It’s probably about as close as kids can come to feeling like they’re in a Disney movie. The festival’s Sherry Gavlik says the event may continue at an indoor arena when the weather turns bad. Bad weather seems a distant dream this day as several dozen critters — strolling goats, pot-bellied pigs, llamas and chickens — compete with the fawns and donkeys for handouts. The only holdout is a wallaby that prefers the shade of the large arena barn. Staffers wander the grounds raking up, er, evidence of the large, well-fed animal population. "We were just driving by and saw the red and white tent," says Jill Cella, Victoria’s mother. "It’s nice to see it so clean. They take such good care of the animals." The petting zoo is a mission of Kids and Critters Inc., a Medford-based non-profit (call 535-1316 for tours or parties, or to volunteer). The organization traces its origins to the 1980s, when professional counselors David and Dianne Linderman put troubled kids to work caring for animals at the Noah’s Ark Wildlife Park. They found that many kids seemed to discover self-respect along with the wonder of caring for helpless young animals, many of which were injured or abandoned and had to be nursed to health. The Lindermans started the Great Animal Entertainment Co., which became one of the largest and most successful traveling petting zoos and pony rides in the nation. The couple eventually sold the company to their employees. The animals roam freely about in a large, open pen. Off to the side in smaller pens are ducks and a couple of younger wallabies. Purebred Welsh ponies stand ready for pony rides ($3 for kids under 80 pounds) at a nearby carousel. "Everybody used to live on a farm and take care of animals," says the Farm’s Pamela Jaeger. "We want to bring it back to young people today." Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail All animals are equal ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Advertisement s