Goat Day offers food,
fun, shopping & a chance
to raise scholarship funds
by Teresa Eubanks, CLJNews.com
BLOUNTSTOWN, FL – Saturday will mark the 40th Anniversary of Goat Day in Calhoun County, an annual festival that celebrates a creature that was once a part of every day life for families in the Florida Panhandle.
The event, held at Sam Atkins Park in Blountstown, offers a wide array of foods, crafts, games and holiday gift ideas for visitors as they make their way around the park’s walking track to take in over 120 vendor sites. The entry fee is just $5 per person, with no charge for kids under 3, and includes admission in the main site at the front of the park as well as the adjoining Panhandle Pioneer Settlement. Gates open at 10 a.m. CT.
GAMES – Youngsters can enjoy a old-fashioned coin dig in the sand and ride in the Rotary Club’s “train” that will let them take in all the sights around the track. Organizers have added some new things this year for kids including a maze, a nine-hole golf course, a petting zoo, a Euro Bungie Jump and a 24-foot tall rock climbing wall – all included in the cost of admission!
GOAT JUDGING – The goat show and goat demonstrations begin at 9 a.m. Youngsters will present the animals they are raising under the tutelage of Linda VanCleve. Families lease goats from VanCleve, who then teaches kids how to care for the animals which are housed at her farm. The fun starts with the Pee Wee Show for kids under the age of eight, followed by the Dairy Goat Show and then the Sanctioned Jr. American Boer Goat Association Show for those with registered goats. They will also have the Barnyard Olympics in which youngsters perform tasks they’ve learned in caring for their goats though a series of competitions, which can become quite comical. Youngsters who’d like to take part but don’t have a goat are welcome to try their skills next to the goat owners. A goat will be provided! The most anticipated competition comes last when youngsters are charged with putting the goats to bed by dressing them in a Goat Day t-shirt and pajama pants before tucking them in to sleep.
SHOPPING – Visitors can find lots of items for holiday gifts and decorating, along with two local tupelo honey sellers as well as homemade sweet treats made by local folks. A number of pop-up boutiques will be offering toys, clothing, jewelry and home decor items. At least two plant vendors are also expected, offering greenery to add a festive touch to your home in time for the approaching holiday season. The country store at the the neighboring Pioneer Settlement also features an assortment of items, from toys to handsewn aprons as well as their distinctive Duck Knives that were designed by Pioneer Settlement founder Willard Smith.
SNACKING – Food vendors will will be serving barbecue, tamales, soul food, beach treats, turkey legs, cotton candy, kettle corn, Italian ices and funnel cakes as well as burgers, hotdogs and Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches.
ENTERTAINMENT – The local band, Flabbergasted, will be cranking out live music from the bandstand. The popular group has performed at Goat Day for the past few years, entertaining attendees as they roam the grounds to shop, play and eat.
RAFFLE – If you’re feeling lucky, you might want to take a chance on a $2 raffle ticket sold at the Rotary Club booth to win one of the many prizes donated by vendors.
HEALTH NEWS – The local Health Department will also be on hand to share information about services they offer. Staff from Pancare as well as the Alzheimer’s Association with also be on hand. A separate vendor will set up a booth offering vitamin injections for the health conscious.
PIONEER DAY – Visitors can cross a small bridge to the other side of the park, where they will step back in time and enter the Panhandle Pioneer Settlement. Historic homes and buildings donated by local people have been preserved as a physical link to the area’s past. The structures feature many personal items like old bedsteads and other furniture, a wood burning kitchen stove, dishes, photographs and tools. It’s real local history complete with demonstrations of skills that were once essential to everyday life. The Settlement’s 18 historical structures date from 1820 to the 1940s. Settlement volunteers will give tours of the buildings and share interesting stories about its previous occupants.
Other events offered throughout the year at the Settlement include a monthly Hymn Sing every second Tuesday at a church on the grounds; blacksmithing classes are held throughout the fall and the Settlement offers school field trips throughout the year. Early in the year, a large annual rummage sale in the spacious Frink Gym helps fund the upkeep on the grounds and buildings.
While preserving history is part of the annual event organized each year by the Rotary Club, the group is also looking toward the future by raising over $11,000 in scholarship funds. Profits for the event help local students continue their educational through two vocational scholarships, a Rotary Club scholarship and a nursing school scholarship.
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