Goat Fest 2025 — great crowds, great fun!
Where else but at a monastery committed to Benedictine hospitality would you have a festival to celebrate the arrival of a herd of goats and their goatherd? Benedictines will invite guests in to join them on just about any occasion and for just about any reason.
What began as a natural way to clear invasive species along Seven Mile Creek on the lakeside property of the monastery has turned into one of the favorite gatherings of the summer for goat friends and fans. Goat Fest began in 2023, the second year the goats came to the monastery, and it has grown every year since.
Goatherd Jen Zeitler of Let’s Goat Buffalo returned again this year, offering two educational sessions for Goat Fest guests. However, because goatscaping has gained in popularity, bookings are limited. But not a problem because goatherd Julia Taylor of Rosemary and Pine Farm in Albion, NY, has joined our coterie of friends committed to safeguarding our earth’s resources in sustainable and eco-friendly ways. Goats from each farm have been with us and this year each spent a couple weeks at Glinodo.
Although the goats—each with their own unique personal identity and quirks—are the real draw of Goat Fest, organizer Michelle Scully, Program and Events Coordinator with the Benedictine Sisters, went above and beyond in making sure the day would be familiar and at the same time offer new experiences to guests with a special emphasis on creating a family-friendly space. “This year we switched up some of our special interest activity tables—we added the Regional Science Consortium and Therapy Dogs United. The RSC offered a hive making activity and the therapy dogs let children (and adults) pet them. Guests often want to pet the goats but because of their up-close-and-personal relationship with poison ivy, that is not recommended.”
The story book trail, a children’s book posted progressively at twelve spots along the Seven-Mile Creek trail that runs through the property, had a new twist this year. The selected book was Platty’s Perfect Day by local author and artist Heather Cash who spent the afternoon with us.
But maybe the real star of the day is the beautiful natural space right on the shore of Lake Erie. Open fields, creek trails, forest—it’s all there. Groups of friends meandered the boardwalk to sit and watch the lake for a while. For those who came with children, there was ample space for running and laughing and playing outside—dads and kids chasing each other with complete abandon. The space is sufficiently accessible for those with adaptive equipment, the goats work close enough to the road that everyone can get up close and almost personal.
In a TV interview with Erie News Now’s Amanda Post, Sister Jacqueline Sanchez-Small, who began our relationship with Let’s Goat Buffalo in her quest to clear out invasive species in an environmentally friendly way, talks about what guests will expect. Afterwards she commented, “I forgot to mention the most important thing—it’s free!”
And the Benedictine sisters can offer this space and time as a gift to the local community because of the gracious help of volunteers, Benedictine sisters and friends, and our very generous funders. We’re especially grateful to John M & Gertrude E Petersen Fund of The Erie Community Foundation which has given us a significant grant each year to cover the stay of goatherds and goats. In addition, this year we offered three levels of sponsorships and are grateful to Goat-Grazing sponsors UPMC Health Plan and the Regional Science Consortium at Presque Isle; Environmental Education sponsors, The Erie Community Foundation and Werner Books & Coffee; and Activity Ambassador sponsors, Paula Michalegko, the family of Mrs. Phyllis Little, Marge and Neil Himber, and Paul Morris in memory of Diane Morris. You made the day possible.
Sister Mary Ellen Plumb as Goat Fest greeter has the opportunity to speak with everyone who joins us throughout the afternoon—she positions herself alongside the driveway near the Glinodo entrance and offers Benedictine hospitality to all our guests. “I love welcoming everyone who has come to join us for the afternoon,” she says. “This year it was constant, quite an increase over the number who came last year. And, there were many who had not been to Goat Fest, or even to Glinodo, before. We hope we’ve made new friends and that they will be back.”
