Fri, Nov 27 2009
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Published June 17, 2008 07:41 pm - Yvonne Murkens loves goats. She has 70 and named every one of them. A celebration of goats & country living Goat owners to gather July 5 By CARL E. FEATHER - Lifestyle Editor - cfeather@starbeacon.com Star Beacon Yvonne Murkens loves goats. She has 70 and named every one of them.
They know their names, too. “Come on Ivory, no Wadsworth,” said Murkens Monday morning as she separated the milkers from the rest of the herd. One by one, the does with fat udders hopped onto the milking stand and took her turn over the stainless steel bucket while calves and cats waited impatiently for their share. As her experienced fingers worked the teats, Murkens talked about the benefits of goat milk and the creature that produces it. “Something you can milk starts at around $150,” Murkens says. “That’s gives you a gallon of milk a day. What does a gallon cost at the store? In 30 days, you’ve gotten $120 worth of milk from her.” Murkens, who lives in Conneaut Township, Pa., is vice president of Lake Erie Goats of All Types Society (LEGOATS), a group that covers Ashtabula County, Erie, Crawford and Warren counties, Pa; and Chautauqua County, N.Y. With nearly three dozen members, the group lives up to its name and has members who have one or two goats as pets as well as herd owners who raise them for fleece, meat and milk. Murkens’ diverse herd includes everything from five kinds of dairy goats to two meat breeds and a rare chocolate angora that looks like a poodle. Educated in dairy science, Murkens’ heart is in goats, and she can talk long and passionately about both the animals and the rural lifestyle that goes along with raising them. LEGOATS’ second annual Goat Fest will celebrate these passions from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 5. Held in the Albion (Pa.) Borough Park, the event is free and will be packed with entertainment and information of interest to all ages. “It’s called Goat Fest because we are a goat club, but the subtitle is a celebration of country living,” says Murkens. The show promises to be a panorama of what our region’s rural areas have to offer, including Amish baked goods, wood products and windmills for the home owner. Joe Schwartz will make and sell ice cream on the grounds, and LEGOATS will serve chevon sandwiches. There will also be a goat cheese tasting booth and lots of goat milk fudge for sale. The show will offer educational demonstrations tied to rural living, including cheese making, ornamental ironwork, chain saw carving, food preservation/canning, basket weaving, harness making, quilting, beach glass jewelry, hand-crafting dolls and bee keeping. Goats are the centerpiece. “We’re going to have all the breeds here,” Murkens says. That includes the three meat varieties – Boer, Kiko and Spanish – as well as the six dairy and specialized goats like Nigerian dwarfs, pigmy and angora. Breeders like Murkens will be on hand to talk about each breed’s characteristics and the goat-ownership lifestyle. Experienced cart goats will be on hand to give rides around the fairgrounds. Other entertainment planned for the day includes rides on the borough’s merry-go-around, the third oldest in the nation, and live music. Murkens says the club is looking for groups, particularly those with a country sound, willing to provide their services at no charge. “We don’t charge admission and we don’t make any money,” Murkens says. To offset the expenses of promoting and holding the festival, the club sells food, holds a Chinese raffle and will raffle off an Amish quilt. 
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