ZEELAND, Mich. — What started as a "joke" is now a massive learning center for people of all ages and abilities.
"It started off with just a few animals," said Mary Rottschafer, Critter Barn's Executive Director. "We had no idea we were going to end up like this.”
Mary bought three acres out in the country in 1984. Her church choir painted their barn and presented some farm animals through a comedy show at a party planned by the choir.
People seemed to enjoy the end of each show, when a few animals would come out. That gave Mary the idea to start a hobby farm.
"Six years later, the little hobby farm we had gave birth to school field trips, and so on, because I used to be a teacher," she said. "So, that's kind of how I got started."
The property kept expanding, and the idea kept growing.
Then, 12 years ago, Mary said they had to make a decision — dive into this operation head-first, or put an end to what had been created.
To no surprise, she went with the former, for one reason in particular.
"The looks on the kids' faces," she said. "This is a place for children who love to learn. They just embrace it. It's therapeutic. We need to understand our food. We need to appreciate farmers more. We need to be, you know, conservative of our beautiful earth. It all happens here. It's a great way to teach about all that. It's the blessing to the kids. It's the enthusiasm on their face. When you see their faces, you know, you're hitting a home run."
Mary wants to continue hitting home runs at her new Critter Barn campus on 80th Avenue in Zeeland.
"The land was given to us," she said. "We've raised over $4 million to build, and we've got a little bit to go yet. So if somebody still wants to get involved, they can."
If you're interested in donating, you can find more information on critterbarn.org.
"There's a Donate button," Mary said. "There's phone numbers to call. If somebody's really interested, give us a call. We'd be thrilled to give you a tour, explain our vision. We're grateful for every contribution, from $1 on up.”