By Staff
Fun at the Smith farm
By Adrienne McKenzie
Never have I seen so many farm animals as I did Monday morning at Dean and Beth Smith’s farm, located near the city’s industrial park.
I was at the Smith farm because Rachel Patterson Elementary School Jump Start students visited it for a tour and I was invited to take photos for the Advance.
This is the second time I have visited the farm given that I went last year when RPES Jump Star children went, but we didn’t stay nearly as long last year as we did this year so I got to experience new things.
It is a joy to see people in the community like the Smiths who take time out of their busy everyday schedules to spend time with, entertaining and educating youngsters. The Smiths are very sweet to allow Jump Start students to visit each year.
There are many animals on the Smith farm. I saw several cows, which the students fed corn to during a pause in a hayride. I also saw several goats and horses.
There is one horse in particular that I enjoyed named Mr. Ed. He was a gentle and smart being that the kids seemed to love.
There were also chicks at the farm that Beth Smith allowed the students to pet. These chicks were just one day old and were very soft and cuddly.
As if taking the students in for the morning to show them the several different animals wasn’t enough, Beth allowed each child to climb atop Domino the pony to pose for a photo. She took a photo of each student, will have the pictures developed and deliver them to the school for the students to have.
Besides the goats, cows, horses and little chicks, the Smiths also have pot-bellied pigs. Now I personally was a little afraid of the huge animals, but the kids seemed to be amazed at the 150-pound creatures.
The entire trip was a great experience, but I especially enjoyed the hayride. The students, teachers and myself climbed aboard a trailer being pulled by a massive tractor and took a ride around the Smith’s lake. The Smith property is beautiful and the lake looked like a great place to go fishing, if I fished of course.
I wanted to personally thank Rachel Patterson’s Sandra Hare for inviting me to go on the farm tour with the Jump Start students and for allowing me to ride with her out to the farm.
I know this time next year I will have started my new life with my future husband, Matt, so Monday is a day that I will gladly remember from my short time living in Atmore.
As for now, as you read this column I will be lying on the beach somewhere in Destin so I hope you enjoy and have a great rest of the week and I will see you around on Monday.
Have a safe week and weekend Atmore!
Adrienne McKenzie is managing editor for The Atmore Advance. She can be reached at 368-2123 or emailed at lifestyles@atmoreadvance.com