Youngsters meet ‘Babies at the Barns’ in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — For some youngsters, Saturday was their first time seeing a number of baby farm animals.

Fairfield’s Maasdam Barns, a group of historic barns on the south side of town, hosted its annual “Babies at the Barns” Saturday, inviting the public to pet baby animals brought by local farm families and 4-H and FFA members.

Lynn and Mike McElderry own a farm in Jefferson County, and brought four baby goats and some baby turkeys to the barns. They said they raise animals for meat and to show in 4-H. Lynn said this is at least their third year of bringing animals to the barns, and in that time they’ve brought goats, rabbits, turkeys and a calf.

Mike said young children experience a wide range of emotions when encountering these animals for the first time, especially the goats.

“It ranges from absolute excitement to ‘what the heck is that?’” he said. “Some will say ‘I want to pet it’ while others say ‘I don’t want to touch it.’”

Adam and Jessica Bennett brought their 2-year-old son Abel to the barns, who got to pet one of the baby goats. Adam and Jessica said it was their first visit to Babies at the Barns, and they enjoyed learning about the barns’ history through the educational signage. They said their son especially liked seeing the old tractors on display.

“They’re his thing,” Jessica said.

Todd and Jenni Moore of Iron M Draft Horses in Wayland brought two adult and two young horses to the barns. Both adults were mustang quarter horses. They said they have 19 horses at their farm.

They said the most common remarks they heard from kids that day were how large the horses were, how soft they were, and how amazed the kids were they got to feed the horses.

Tony Webb of the Maasdam Barns Preservation Committee said organizers estimated between 200 and 250 people attended Saturday’s event. He said the board is always pleased to receive so much support from the community and from volunteers who make these events run smoothly.

That morning, the Jefferson County Master Gardeners dedicated two benches on Maasdam Barns land to Karin Quass-Hauring, a former Master Gardener who died in 2020. The benches are adjacent to the loop trail near the pond north of the barns.

This year marks the fifth time Maasdam Barns has hosted Babies at the Barns. The tradition began in 2016, and was skipped last year because of the pandemic. It is always on the Saturday before Mother’s Day.