Hardware Ranch kicks off elk season
More than 1,500 people gathered at Hardware Ranch Saturday to kick off the elk viewing season.
“The Elk Festival is an annual event used to create awareness of the ranch, let people know when we open, and just to start the elk viewing season,” said Marni Lee, assistant manager of the Hardware Ranch.
Manager Dan Christensen said the Elk Festival is in its third year.
“It is held the second weekend in October every year,” he said. “In the past years it has been a one-day thing, but we are going to try to make it a three-day event next year.”
Lee said it is important for the Hardware Ranch to be a part of the community so people can come and participate in the free activities.
“We also welcome any willing volunteers,” Christensen said. “This year, in one week alone, we had over 500 hours in volunteer work.”
The activities featured at the Elk Festival included pumpkin painting, bird house building, archery, wild life presentations by Willow Park Zoo, bugeling contest, for youth and adults, teepee talk (story telling) and wagon rides to view the elk.
Jasmine Jensen, a participant at the Elk Festival, said she thought it was a good learning experience for kids and adults. Her favorite parts, as well as her daughter’s, were pumpkin painting and wagon rides.
Brandon Little, a visitor at the Elk Festival, said he found out about it online.
“It is a good thing for kids to learn about elk, and other wildlife,” Brandon said about the festival.
His family’s favorite part was painting the pumpkins.
Lafe Conner, a junior majoring in forestry, is in the College of Natural Resources.
“We were given the opportunity as a college – to provide breakfast and lunch here at the Elk Festival, as a fundraiser,” he said. “We are just in charge of the food, but there are plenty of other things going on. It has been really cool to be here and learn.”
Hardware Ranch opens officially for winter season on Dec. 15. They will be offering sleigh rides to view elk and the visitor center will be open.
“There are a lot of exploratory things to do in the visitor center, hands-on stuff for kids and adults,” Lee said.
“Because there are already about 200 elk in the meadow of the Hardware Ranch now, we take people on wagon rides to view the elk at the festival,” Lee said.
By the time winter comes, there will between 400 and 700 elk and they will take people on sleigh rides to view them, Lee said.
The Hardware Ranch started the year-round activities this month.
“All of the activities focus on the sage brush steppe habitat, which is the habitat of Blacksmith Fork Canyon, in the summer and winter,” Lee said.
Jason Brudnicki, a volunteer at the Elk Festival, said he heard about it from his father who works for wildlife resources. He came from Salt Lake City, just to be a part of the festival.
Brudnicki said his favorite part of the festival is working with the kids.
“The Elk Festival is really cool because it introduces people to what happens at Hardware Ranch in the winter time and lets them enjoy the elk,” he said.
Seth Allen, another volunteer at the festival, said, “People used to just come to the visitor center every year and got bored with it, so they decided to put on attachments, such as the Elk Festival.”
Seth agreed that working with the kids was fun, but his favorite things were getting to hang out all day, talk to people, learn more about elk, and just be outdoors.
-kbanks@cc.usu.edu
Mike Coons helps his daughter Sara put together a butterfly house kit at the Elk Festival held up Blacksmith Ford Canyon on Saturday. (Photo by John Zsiray)