Baby animals draw crowds

WELLSVILLE, Cache County — What's a little rain when there are cute baby animals to enjoy?

Bunnies, ducklings, piglets, calves — one of the largest collections of baby animals in the West — drew many visitors Thursday and are expected to draw thousands more this weekend to the American West Heritage Center.

Baby Animal Days is the center's most popular annual event, providing Utah families with a memorable glimpse at a bygone era.

"We come to this event every year because it's so fun to see all the little animals and to watch our grandchildren get to hold them up close," said Barbara Benson of Smithfield. "We've been coming out for about three or four years now, and we just love it."

"I like to see all the babies," said 8-year-old Isaac Baker of Layton. "Because in real life, you can't hold an adult animal. They'd just scratch you and run away!"

"We have more baby animals than ever before, and we're thrilled that this has become such a traditional event for so many families in northern Utah," said David Sidwell, the center's program director. "It sure is fun for us!"

"I think most people come here to kind of reconnect with their past," said Mike Young, the lead interpreter and blacksmith at the American West Heritage Center.

"It's a very rare person that doesn't have a farmer in their background somewhere. You start getting back three, four generations, and most people have farm kind of folks in their ancestry," he said. "Until what's called the Great War in 1917, the economy of the United States was a farm-based economy, and I think people come to this farm to reconnect with that."

Along with the beloved baby animals — and not-so-cuddly creatures like scorpions, giant millipedes and snakes — Baby Animal Days wouldn't be complete without entertainment, vendors and crafts. The festival likewise includes photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny, living history demonstrations and wagon rides.

But it's always the animals that take center stage.

With more rain in the weekend forecast, Sidwell wants to assure potential visitors that bad weather won't dampen the festivities.

"Hats, boots and umbrellas are always a good idea," he said, "but if the skies aren't friendly to us, we have room indoors for most activities."

More information about Baby Animal Days is available at www.awhc.org.

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