Mt. San Antonio College held its annual farm day event Saturday at the farm on campus.
In anticipation of an increase in foot traffic because of the event, the college organized for more food vendors as well as campus safety and volunteers to herd the crowd. The event was free to the public and offered free parking, making it easily accessible for all to join.
Many families and friends flocked to the event in excitement to see all that the farm offered. At the entrance of the farm, representatives from the Mt. Sac agricultural sciences department were there to answer questions about the event as well as the department and direct people to the right location.
Maps were posted towards the entrance and were available online as well. The event was scattered throughout the farm, starting with the petting zoo and pony rides at the entrance where the agricultural sciences department was.
Deeper into the maze of the farm, other activities such as sheep shearing, milking demonstrations and the kid zone were embedded in the area. The boundaries of the farm were spread out and a lot of walking was expected to get to each activity.
The sun and animals were out to play as children and families lined up at the entrance for the quaint petting zoo. Goats, sheep and a donkey were calm while small children offered love and comfort to the cuddled up animals.
Mt. Sac students Isabelle D’Antuono, psychology major, and Kaylee Dunn, nursing major, attended the event after hearing about the opportunity to be around the animals.
“I am a huge animal lover and when I heard about this event I was so excited to see everything,” D’Antuono said.
Miniature ponies were available for carousel rides and many young children patiently waited for their turn to bask in the excitement.
Farm Day highlighted many other animals aside from the petting zoo including horses and pigs.
Further into the event clubs from the college were out, such as the horticulture club, to sell indoor and outdoor plants and showcase their work.
The horticulture club also offered gardening tips, which representatives were very attentive making sure to ask questions to make sure guests were buying the right plants for their homes. Housing many plants, the greenhouse was also open to the public and allowed viewing of the luscious flora kept on campus.
Dunn was most excited for the plants as she enjoys the greenery and opportunity to spice up her room with plants.
“I love the plants, and the greenhouse is a super cool feature that I didn’t know we had here at school,” Dunn said. “I really enjoyed the overall feeling and it was a great way to also make it feel like fall around here.”
Across from the plant sale, the aromatic smell of onions filled the air as food was available to guests with one of the vendors at the event selling water, soda, birria and tacos.
As many children love the fun and play that a farm has to offer, Mt. Sac created a kid zone for more excitement for the children. Bubble machines and bounce houses created riveting fun for the families in attendance.
—April Cambero
April Cambero is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is the Fall 2024 editor-in-chief for the Campus Times and has also served as social media editor and staff writer.
Vicente Rodriguez is a senior photography major with a marketing minor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times. He has previously served as photography editor of the Campus Times and a staff photographer for La Verne Magazine.
