Wizened Magnolia trees receive us as we meander up the driveway to the 112 year old Victorian house converted into a bed and breakfast. Kristy and Paul, the owners, greet us and show us to the backyard/farmyard. It is as if we have moved through a time machine and entered a world that is more quiet and less demanding than from where we came. It is hard to believe that we are in the middle of the city in historic Grant Park. Here on ¾ of an acre we find a thriving backyard farm with 2 social goats, 3 turkeys, 11 chickens and 1 rooster (to keep everyone in line). The Bed and Breakfast aspect started as more of a neighborhood venture where relatives of residents would rent out a room in the huge house for out-of-town visitors. The Social Goat has expanded in the past 9 months to include people from all over including International visitors.
My children were wildly entertained by hand feeding the strutting turkey, as well as peeking into the barn to see the newly hatched chicken chick being raised by a turkey mother.
The farm illustrates a microcosm of life in Grant Park where sometimes two seemingly dissimilar things, like farm and city life, come together to make something special. This eclectic group of people have gathered to live and work creating a vibrant area of creativity. Each year in September the neighborhood hosts the Grant Park Tour of Homes where chickens, beehives, gardens, old cars and everything in between are showcased. I don’t want to miss the beehive discussion, and of course, the lecture on backyard chickens will be a highlight.
As I flip through my notebook trying to decipher the part that has been eaten by a goat, I am impressed by the way the city farm functions to create something that works. Neighborhood children pass through the yard and feed the goats a plum branch. Visitors to the B&B are greeted in the morning with eggs fresh from the farm. Something is created by this interaction that sanctifies life.
