GEORGETOWN (CBS) – It Happens Here in Georgetown, Massachusetts, which was first settled by Rev. Ezekeil Rogers in the 1600’s as part of Rowley. Incorporated in 1838, the town prospered through a booming shoe making industry that was transformed by inventor Paul Pillsbury.
Baldpate Hill is the highest point in Essex County and on a clear day you can see the ocean about 14 miles away. There is another high point just outside of the downtown area called Great Rock. It sits as tall as a house on what is now appropriately named the Great Rock Farm. For the last 40 years, Alan and Maureen Aulson worked the land, raised thousands of animals and their three children here.
Today they raise a different kind of kid, goats. And they have more than 100. On the farm, these goats eat the best hay money can buy and they have top notch protection from Yeti the dog because they mean business for the Aulsons.
“We started bringing them out to people’s properties to eat poison ivy particularly, because that’s the big thing,” Alan Aulson told WBZ-TV.
He said the adult goats will travel all over the place for ‘Goats to Go’ for big brush control projects and that’s when his daughter Michelle decided to start up a new business.
“My daughter said, ‘Well, can I use your baby goats for goat yoga?’” Aulson said.
He agreed and is proud of what his daughter has built, saying her goat yoga classes have been full and it has since turned into other activities like goat hikes, goat snuggles and even a kid-friendly haunted goat barn for Halloween.
Alan and Maureen like seeing the businesses succeed but they also say watching the reaction from kids and adults who visit the farm make it all worth it.
“Everybody smiles,” he said.
The farm has a bunch of goat and fall-themed activities coming up and there are still a couple upcoming goat yoga classes available. The haunted goat barn takes place on Saturday, October 26 and the Aulsons say it’s great for little kids too.
Brought to you by: Chris McKinnon, anchor of WBZ-TV News’ weekday morning and noon newscasts.
Source: CBS Boston (WBZ-TV), Segment “It Happens Here, dated 10/18/19
