CLEVELAND — A sign that spring is on its way is all the action taking place right now in nature, and a Northeast Ohio park is welcoming people back just in time to experience the birth of the new season.
It’s lambing season at Lake Metroparks Farmpark and for the first time since the initial COVID-19 outbreak, families can come inside and pet the animals.
That’s why Gianluca Sambula, 7, was standing by a pen of lambs with his little brother Dominic, 5, waiting patiently for their turn to feed a baby with a bottle.
“It’s great that the kids can get out and learn something,” said their mom Amanda. “We’re enjoying the sunshine today.”
The boys watched a group of girls go first.
“You had to tilt the bottle to get the milk out,” said Vincenza, 6, offering a tip on her technique.
She and her cousins Mariana and Gemma were visiting the animals with their grandmother. Mariana said she figured out their favorite foods.
“They seem to really, really like that gray hay,” the 6-year-old said.
The park is home to several new baby animals this year, something that caught the attention of Juliet Glem, 3.
“She has a baby brother, so she was excited to see the baby animals,” said her mom Jen.
It’s been about a year since the buildings at Lake Metroparks Farmpark welcomed visitors inside, and the animals seem just as excited as the people.
“Even though everyone has a mask on, you know there’s a smile behind it,” said Farmpark Administrator Lee Homyock.
Homyock said they’ve added protocols and adjusted parts of the park to help calm COVID concerns. The bleachers inside buildings aren’t being used right now, and they’re limiting the number of people allowed inside at a time to provide plenty of space. He said every plan in place meets county health guidelines.
Before re-admitting guests, a big concern for park officials was whether the coronavirus could be transmitted from animals to humans and vice-versa.
“We’ve finally gotten to the point where they’re saying its surface [transmittal rate] isn’t as bad as they thought it was,” said Homyock. “That it’s more airborne and it doesn’t seem to affect animals.”
Andy McGovern, event manager for Lake Metroparks Farmpark, said guests are coming back at the perfect time.
“It’s not spring in Northeast Ohio if you don’t start making maple syrup,” he said.
Demonstrations for tapping sugar maples are back, turning sap into maple syrup.
For those who don’t want to walk between the park’s exhibits on foot, the tractor-pulled “people movers” are available to ride, but with a few modifications. The maximum number of riders has been cut in half, and windows must remain open to keep the air flowing.
Lake Metroparks Farmpark is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Ticket prices range from $6 to $8. For more information, visit lakemetroparks.com.
