KINGSTON TOWNSHIP -- A popular farm and attraction in Luzerne County has big plans to build a new state-of-the-art barn for its dairy cows.
It was a beautiful and busy day Friday at The Lands at Hillside Farms near Shavertown, with families coming out to visit with some furry four-legged creatures.
“I actually used to go to Penn State Wilkes-Barre, so me and my friends would come down here on our lunches and when we had breaks to see the animals and eat ice cream and feed them a stuff, so it's really cool,” said Kayla Samsell.
The Lands at Hillside Farms near Shavertown is trying to raise $300,000 to build the facility in honor of the facility's founder, Dr. Doug Ayers, who passed away last month.
“After Dr. Ayers passed away last month, we had an opportunity. An anonymous donor came forward and offered a $2 to $1 match for this barn because Dr. Ayers had this incredible dream for this bed-packed barn,” said Suzanne Kelly with Hillside.
The barn will go in a field where the cows are put to pasture across the street from the current barn, so the cows will no longer have to cross busy Hillside Road to feed, which halts traffic and poses a safety hazard to the animals.
“If we have individuals who are perhaps texting while they're driving or going above the speed limit and that has posed danger for us in the past, so this is going to that element,” said Kelly.
And unlike the current barn, the new one will be open to the public where people can observe the milking process.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea. It really does,” said one visitor.
“I think it's going to be a really cool experience,” said Paige Miles. “I mean not many people get to see cows being milked every day, so it’s really neat.”
There are several ways to donate to the farm. People can make a donation at the dairy store at Hillside, sent a check to the farm, or donate at its website.