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Community Corner

Perfect Birthday Present: 50 Pounds of Corn Mash

Animals at The Children's Farm in Palos Park collectively celebrate their birthdays, as guests bring presents in lieu of admission.

It was a special day for the animals at The Children's Farm in Palos Park as they celebrated their second annual group birthday.

In lieu of admission Saturday, guests were asked to bring presents for the animals. It was a pretty normal birthday wish list — chicken mash, 50-pound bag of oats, 50-pound salt block. Well, normal considering who the birthday "boys and girls" were.

"We are self funded and the birthday party helps with many of our recurring costs," said Amy Didominicis, who helps run The Children's Farm. "We do a similar Christmas Party for the animals which also helps provide them with their essentials."

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When guests first entered, they dropped off their gifts and then signed a large birthday card for the animals.

Two-year-old Gavin Pounds happily expressed his birthday wishes to his furry friends by making his mark on the card.

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"He loves animals," said his father, Greg. "We live nearby, but this is our first trip here. I think he's really going to enjoy it."

After signing the card, families had many options — from pony rides to goat milking to taking a relaxing hay ride around the farm.

Most of the animals seemed to welcome the attention. A  herd of horses jockeyed for fence line position, hoping for a handout from some of the party guests.

Dan Loizzo and Georgia Lolis relaxed with some of the turkeys under a shade tree. Both were once guests who became junior farmer volunteers; Loizzo for six years and Lolis for one.

"I come back every summer, it's just something I have to do," said Loizzo, who said he has learned a lot about animals from working at the farm.

"It's so fun here," Lolis said. "Once you've been, you just have to come back. You have to do it every year."

The Children's Farm is located at 12700 Southwest Highway in Palos Park, across from The Center. The farm is open throughout the year and offers group tours, junior farmer programs, a number of other volunteer options and many special events. More information on visiting the farm is available here, or by calling 708-361-3650.

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