Bike trek leads to farm adventure

7.5.2009 Mill Creek MetroParks Farm

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Mill Creek MetroParks Farm offers children hayrides, red white and blue themed crafts and introductions to a variety of animals on the farm.

By Don Shilling

Tours of the farm are available each weekend.

CANFIELD — Alisa Akuszewski and her two children got more than just a bike ride Sunday.

The Austintown residents pedaled down a bike trail to the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield as they have done several times in the past. But this time, instead of relaxing, they hopped on a tractor-pulled wagon for a tour of the farm.

“Normally, we just sit by the lake and get strong again so we can make it home,” said Akuszewski, 39.

She read online about the farm’s weekend education programs and decided to add something new to the trip this time. Her children were glad she did.

Brandon, 11, and Lauren, 8, learned about the farm’s corn, soybeans, pumpkins and wheat on their ride. What they really liked, however, was stopping to see turkeys and horses.

“I think it was cool that we could get out and interact,” Brandon said.

His sister enjoyed petting the horses.

“They’re huge,” she said.

Cindy Kingston, a farm educator, enjoys helping people learn something about farm life.

“The message is that your food just doesn’t come from a grocery store. Without the farmers, you wouldn’t have anything to eat,” she said.

Kingston conducted tours of the farm each half-hour from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Visitors also were able to see other animals, such as sheep and pigs, at their own pace, and children were able to make a craft.

The program is each weekend, either on Saturday or Sunday.

Kingston, 55, who has been conducting tours of the farm since 1993, has some interesting stories to tell.

She talks about how the farm had large orchards in the 1960s and about how the farm used to have a staff that did all the work. Now, Less and Less Farm outside Salem rents the land and takes care of the crops.

She also has some interesting stories from her own life. She told the visitors about how she raised dairy goats for more than 30 years after learning that her son was lactose intolerant and couldn’t drink cow’s milk. The family drank goat milk instead.

Growing up in Canfield, her father had horses and grew hay and corn.

Now she lives in Green Township, where her family has grown hay and raised pigs and miniature horses.

Kingston works part time at the farm and also is a veterinary technician for Dr. Donald Allen.

The four-person education staff at the farm also runs other programs at the farm and visits area schools.

shilling@vindy.com