Enjoying fun on the farm

By Amanda C. Davis

Homemade ice cream was one of the free event’s top attractions.

CANFIELD — Joshua Finlay didn’t quite get his fill of animals but nonetheless had a great time during an “Old Fashioned Summer Day” program on the farm.

“One more time?” he asked his mom, Linda, after strolling through a barn Saturday at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, where he was able to visit and pet animals including a llama, pig, sheep, goats and a miniature horse.

The free farm jubilee harkened back to the old days, before computers and video games, where people enjoyed the simple pleasures of summer.

There was croquet, badminton, checkers, games, a wagon ride, chalk drawing and a demonstration of hand-churned ice cream.

Joshua, 11, of Salem, helped snap fresh green beans on the porch at the farm and talked about his favorite animal, a llama named Maisy.

Jessica Sheets of Salem, attended the event with her 3-year-old daughter, Emily, and Jessica’s mom, Barb Sheets, also of Salem.

“I wanted to find something age-appropriate for her to do,” Jessica said, explaining her daughter can’t swim yet, so places like Geauga Lake are not an option. “It’s something that we could incorporate her into and go do as a family.”

David Westphal, of Salem, a park employee, worked up a sweat, demonstrating an old-fashioned, hand-churning ice cream maker.

Westphal was keeping the ice cream cold by adding rock salt to the ice, which acts to break down the ice and make it colder.

Real ice cream has a different texture than commercial brands, Westphal said, because it doesn’t have additives or added air. “I would much rather have this,” he said.

Because the ice cream he was making takes a couple of hours to churn, the crowd was treated to Schloneger’s Homemade Ice Cream from Kidron, Ohio, made in Amish country.

Brenda Markley, agricultural programs manager at the farm, said July is national ice cream month, and that America’s favorite summer treat is always a hit during the annual jubilee.

“This is as homemade as it gets,” she said. “It requires manual labor.”

Judy Deiley and her granddaughter, Madison Deiley, both of Canfield, sampled the chocolate and butter pecan and were considering going back to try the vanilla.

The two passed the time looking at animals, visiting the children’s vegetable garden and enjoying a game of badminton.

“I am baby-sitting her today, and this is such a fun thing to do,” Judy said, explaining she is recovering from an injury and enjoyed the games but “couldn’t quite keep up with her.”

Pearle Burlingame, a dairy farmer from North Lima and organization director for Mahoning County Farm Bureau, volunteered by passing out ice cream.

In an effort to safeguard America’s food supply, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has put restrictions on the way farmers conduct their business, she said.

“A lot of farms now are not allowed to have visitors on them,” she said. “It’s too bad the world has come that far.”

That, combined with the rising cost of gas, food and amusement park tickets, made the park’s farm jubilee the perfect place to be.

“It’s a nice way for people to be able to see a working farm,” she added.

The 402-acre farm, off state Route 46, is open seasonally and promotes agriculture through programs, tours and educational activities.