Vintage Goat Cart Photos

I just read an interesting article in "Goats" magazine, a special issue produced by Hobby Farms Magazine group. It was about "The Goat Cart Man," name unknown, who was a guy who went around in the 20s-40s with a goat and a cart and a number of banners with the year printed on them. He would pose children in the cart, take their picture and sell the resulting photograph.

I actually have a number of these images, but never thought to look on ebay for others. Lo and behold, there are quite a few, and all very reasonably priced! So if anyone is trying to find that perfect gift for the goat maiden, do a search for "Goat photo," and I would be happy to receive any of them.

Goat breaks into home, eats cake

Found on:
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/438982

Sherry Shirley of Westford, WI, opened the front door of her home to let her dog in when a goat burst into the house, jumped onto a kitchen counter and helped itself to a freshly baked chocolate cake, according to the Dodge County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies responded to a call from Shirley at 11:43 Saturday morning, but a neighbor had already dragged the goat out, patrol captain Molly Soblewski said.

"The goat didn't do a lot of damage. It knocked some dishes to the floor that broke and began eating the chocolate cake she had just made," Soblewski said. Deputies followed the goat's tracks to a nearby farm on Mill Road and Soblewski said the owners of the goat will not be cited.

"Vote for a Goat"!

In the Sunday May 3 issue of the Wisconsin State Journal there was an article on "Discovering Brodhead by Bike." Brodhead, a small town south of Madison, hosts a bike and car tour of 5 farms, including goat, sheep and emu farmers. Tour the Farms takes place on May 9 this year.

Of course what caught my eye was the "Vote for a Goat" contest! It is not clear from the article if the contestants are live goats or statues, but you can go to Tinker's Garden and vote for your favorite.

Featured goat farm on the tour is Scotch Hill, which raises Nigerian Dwarf and Oberhasli Dairy Goats;

Goats on the roof!

In Wisconsin's Door County is a Swedish restaurant called Al Johnson's. On their roof, they have some goats. Now, goats don't normally eat a diet of just grass so I have to assume they are getting browse and other goodies when they come down, but for the most part, they stay up there and amuse the tourists.

The first goat up there was Oscar, placed there as a practical joke in 1973. On the website it states, "Today, there are usually 5-7 goats on the roof daily during the May-October season. They graze during the day and “pose” for pictures by the many tourists who frequent Al Johnson’s. They seem rather unaffected by all the attention and play, eat and sleep on the roof, just like they would back at the farm, where they go every evening. They don’t go up on the roof in bad weather, or cold temperatures, and they work about 9-5 on an average day." Goats are extremely sure-footed due to the fact that most breeds originated on the slopes of mountain sides. Not everyone knows this, as is evidenced by question number seven on their FAQ:

7		. Do the goats ever fall off the roof?
		No.

There is also a Country Market in British Columbia Canada in Coombs (North of Washington State) that has had goats on the roof for about the same length of time.

However, the biggest goats on the roof attraction appears to be a gift shop and emporium in Georgia. It is named, quite unsurprisingly, Goats on the Roof! Why are the goats on the roof? Apparently, according to the website, "Our Tiger Mountain goats are direct descendants of aliens...Tiger Mountain goats cling to the shingles because they are watching the skies for one magical sign: a solar eclipse of the apricot moon, when the constellation Aries turns gold. When that happens, the Mother Ship of the Goat Universe will swoop out of the Northern Sky and carry our goats home to Aries."

No word on if any of this was the inspiration for the board game:

Random goat pics

When people know you are into goats, you get some interesting photos sent to your cell phone! The handsome fellow above is Capricorn, AKA "Cap." He lives under the porch and likes to come out, roam around the shop, and eat sheets of paper.






















I am not sure who this is, but he is eating a tin can pie with a newspaper crust. The images was labeled "luckiest goat in the world." I also got another image of him riding a plastic bat through the sky labeled "magical adventures!"

Goat Art!

Click here to bid on a piece of art created by the little goats below:
http://www.auctionnetwork.com/UpcomingItem.asp?EventId=33282&ShowId=362

This is an item in the "Art by Animal II" online auction/art show. Proceeds go to help AZA Accredited zoos care for animals.

Item # 18 – Art by “Breeze and Hailey the Goats”

from Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

The gray blue baby goat is named Breeze. The multi-colored (black/white/brown) baby goat is Hailey. They are 8 month old sisters and are part of the new herd of goats Omaha’s Zoo received in December. They are on display in the Red Barn contact yard in the Petting Zoo.

Midwest Alpaca Show

http://greatmidwestalpacafestival.com/

Is there something like this for goats? I wonder. I would like to go (and use the experience as fodder for an article) but I'll be at the Between the Bluffs Beer and Cheese Fest!