Mobile petting zoo finding new business in shoulder seasons
AT: Tim Baldwin
BERRY, Kentucky — Parks pride themselves on the biggest rides, newest innovations and the latest technology. However, alongside all the technical wizardry the amusement industry is so famous for, certain throwback entertainment is finding renewed popularity.
Kentucky-based Honey Hill Farm originated in 1998. Originally started as a resource for providing animals and petting zoos for events, the company has since grown into being a go-to resource for the amusement industry. The founding mission of the family-owned business is to provide access to animals to families who otherwise wouldn’t have it. A connection to animals is genuine.
The smallest events, such as birthday parties, might have as little as 10 animals, but a larger event might request up to 60.
“We have over 500 animals,” Megan Powell-Larkin, director of marketing, told Amusement Today.
“Technology is fantastic, virtual reality is a lot of fun, all the things you can do in an amusement park such as cutting-edge rides … is all wonderful, but almost all of it is going to appeal for a specific group,” Powell-Larkin said. “You have to have a lot of those things for all of them. Petting zoos have a mass appeal. Everyone likes them — from toddlers to teenagers to grandparents.”
The company points out that often venues underestimate the amount of difficulty that goes into taking care of animals. It believes it shouldn’t be up to a seasonal hire who simply might have been assigned to that task. Honey Hill Farm provides the staffing to serve as caretaker to the animals at each event.
“We do everything on building the attraction or we consult heavily with [the client],” she said. “We want the park to be happy and provide the experience.”
As seasons fluctuate, the company has a pool of animal caretakers. Powell-Larkin explains that numerous staff members are college students who have taken training in animal care and are pursuing careers in veterinary studies. In many ways, it reflects the operating seasons of theme parks. Because of the unique nature of the job requirements, interested candidates often seek out the roles because such opportunities are relatively limited. Cincinnati and Lexington provide a population base from which to draw qualified staffing.
From its simple beginnings, Honey Hill Farm has seen significant growth in recent years in the amusement industry. Installations in parks are deemed low cost/high impact in their reach. Installations are relatively inexpensive for a new attraction and can be placed in under-utilized areas of the park.
“We have worked with Cedar Point since 2014. When they first contacted us to take over the petting zoo, that was a totally foreign concept at first. They used to have a small petting zoo — some goats, chickens and sheep — which was kind of under-utilized. They made a move in 2014 to beef up Frontier Trail and do this family attraction thing,” Powell-Larkin said. “We came in and worked with them to redesign and improve the petting zoo. It’s really a major attraction now. They have over 60 animals.”
From there, Cedar Fair became a bigger client. Michigan’s Adventure, Kings Dominion, Kings Island and Carowinds have contracted with Honey Hill Farm. Camden Park is also a client, as well as Ohio’s Coney Island. At four of the parks, trail rides are offered on full-size horses. All of the parks allow guests to feed the animals, keeping the experience interactive.
“We will also be working with Worlds of Fun this year,” she said. “Amusement parks are the biggest part of our business now. We’ve added one to two new parks every year for the past five years.”
The holiday event Winterfest at Cedar Fair parks has become a new spike in business, extending the shoulder season to where the down months have been greatly reduced.
“There’s an animal connection with Christmas because of nativities. That’s always been a thing at our mobile events with churches,” said Powell-Larkin. “There’s been a movement with amusement parks to do more Christmas events. Rides can’t operate when it is sleeting, obviously, but animals go really well with families.”
For numerous years, Honey Hill Farm focused on serving Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, but has now found their reach has grown exponentially. The company no longer feels it has traditional borders.
Animal welfare is essential to the company’s core values. In 2018 it introduced the Honey Hill Farm Foundation for Animal Welfare. The animals live on a 150-acre farm and, despite the name, serves only to take care of the animals, it does not produce crops or raise livestock. The only animals taken in are those that can thrive on the Kentucky farm environment.
A common misconception might be that petting zoos appeal only to younger children.
“You’d be surprised how many people, such as season pass holders, say that the petting zoo is always the one thing they have to do,” Powell-Larkin said. “They get to know the animals by name. People email us in the winter to ask how their favorite animal is doing and when they can expect them back [at the park.] I’m not sure toddlers love it any more than teenagers do. Everybody gets into it.”
•honeyhillfarm.net
This article appears in the APRIL 2019 issue of Amusement Today.
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