The Guadalupe County Fair is underway, and that’s exciting news for Davenport Farms petting zoo animals because they are getting a lot of love this weekend. On Wednesday and Thursday this week, elementary school students from across the county took field trips to check out the menagerie of friendly farmyard animals.
On arrival, teachers guided their classes into impressively organized lines, given the excitement of their students. Oohs and awws filled the air alongside the sounds of the various animals.
Four year old Kannon Abrameit. from Ball Early Childhood Center explained what his friends were doing.
“They’re running around, and they’re petting every animal here,” said Abrameit.
Classes rotated through the petting zoo on strict time limits to ensure everyone got a turn. As students wandered from animal to animal, teachers gently guided them in proper handling, providing a unique hands-on learning experience for the kids.
First-grade student Krista Swanson. from Navarro Elementary described the animals she and her classmates were able to meet.
“A bunny, some like sheep, and some ducks,” said Swanson. “Petting the bunnies felt like soft fur. Some are always like shivering. Maybe they’re scared.”
There were also goats, pigs, chickens, and friendly geese, which roamed their enclosure feasting on the offerings from their visitors. But, of all these animals, the clear favorite amongst the students was the bunnies!
As they laid out, comfortably flopped, students showered the rabbits with gentle affection ignoring jealous glares of the hungry goats.
Cynthia Davenport is one of the owners of the educational experience.
“We love coming out and explaining things to the kids,” said Davenport. “Like what the animals need, how they grow, about their fur coat, their hooves –– how they need to be taken care of. We kind of started this by accident. One year someone asked up to bring some animals to an event at Home Depot, and it just kind of started from there and it grew. This is our partime job right now, but we hope it will be our retirement some day.”
For now, though, the focus is on providing a great experience to students and Fair-goers. For more information on how you can visit the Davenport Farms petting zoo this weekend, visit gcfair.org.
And don’t forget to show the goats some love!