The Catskill Game Farm back home in Greene County has announced that it will be closing October 9th after 73 years of hands on petting zoo fun, reports the Daily Freeman:

The Catskill Game Farm, a combination zoo and hands-on animal farm in Greene County, will close for good in the fall, bringing a 73-year tradition to an end.

Owner Kathie Schultz said the Catskill area simply doesn’t have the drawing power it once enjoyed and young people don’t enjoy visiting a farm as much as children of previous decades.

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The farm – on Game Farm Road in Catskill, near the Cairo town line – currently is home to about 2,000 animals in 150 different species, including zebras, giraffes, deer and reptiles. It also features circus-style animal acts and children’s rides.

It’s really kind of sad to see a place like this close. I have memories of tacking field trips here when I was in elementary school. It was always fun, and i always seemed to learn something new. I never realized it, but a part of me was hoping to maybe take my kids their someday, now I guess that won’t happen.