Yak Fest 2021
On October 2, A Yak or 2 Ranch in northern Michigan drew together 1,700 visitors from near and not so near for Yak Fest, an event that celebrates yaks and the community fostered by a shared fascination with them. The Priest Family, who own and operate A Yak or 2 Ranch, are WHYC members who have caught the WHYC vision to preserve, protect, and promote the North American Yak. Their success is exciting evidence of a growing public interest in the WHYC mission and the power of yaks to bring a community together.
Yak Fest - 2nd Annual
This year was A Yak or 2 Ranch's second annual Yak Fest. The Priests hosted last year's Yak Fest as a casual open house to debut their ranch and answer the question "what's a yak?" for their neighbors. Within two hours of opening the ranch gates, the hosts had handed out every last crumb of the 30 dozen doughnuts they were planning to serve all day and, by the end of the event, the guest count jumped above 750. The warm feeback from these guests was more than enough to tell the Priests that their community was ready for yaks and excited for Yak Fest to return, bigger and better, in 2021. The Priests obliged!
Wagon Rides into the Yak Field
From 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, guests were able to take a complimentary trip into the yak pasture on a wagon ride to see the animals up close. The day was wonderfully warm for October, the trees were in full color, and the yaks were content to be admired by the hundreds of fascinated onlookers who enjoyed watching the yaks graze, snooze, play, and do what yaks do. The yaks had just as much fun observing their excited visitors, many of whom had never seen a yak in person before.
Amazing Turnout
Over 1,700 guests were counted in attendance, more than doubling the participation from the year prior. Nearly 40 friends and family members volunteered their help to set up, staff the various stations at the event, tear down, and take care of the many things that needed done to make the day possible for the community.
Family Friendly
There was something to make everyone's yak experience a good one at Yak Fest 2021. Admission to the event was free to all and included: wagon rides into the pasture with the yaks, educational yak seminars, free doughnuts, pumpkin bowling, facepainting and scenic walking trails in the woods. At lunch time the grills were sizzling up yak burgers for hundreds of soon-to-be yak meat fans. After sampling the meat, many visitors picked up a few pounds of frozen burger to take home and perused the rest of the ranch store's yak wool goods and fun apparel.
Yak Education
A Yak or 2 Ranch owner Mark Priest and his daughter Bethany Priest taught interactive seminars throughout the day in order to answer the excited questions of the many intrigued visitors. Bethany taught "Yak Fiber 101", a talk focused on the properties and harvesting process of yaks' woolen fiber and Mark offered "Yak 101", which delved into the frequently asked questions and common knowledge gaps about yak. Mark also spoke about responsible animal husbandry and other topics relevant to "Raising Yaks". Public education is a significant role A Yak or 2 Ranch has assumed in order to raise public awareness for the conservation of this invaluable species. An emphasis on education about animal health and well-being is a fundamental part of the A Yak or 2 Ranch breeding model that naturally prompts the public to care about yaks and attracts prospective yak buyers to select their animals from their breeding program. Being a WHYC member is an organic fit for A Yak or 2 Ranch, Bethany Priest commented. "We raise our yaks to be happy, healthy, and beautiful, and when people realise how rare animals like ours are, you can see the surprise in their eyes", said Priest. "So many visitors have supported us because they love what we are doing–more than just owning animals, we're preserving a species. That's what WHYC wants to do; save these wonderful animals, right down to a genetic level, so others can enjoy them and still be asking "what's a yak?" and not, "what was a yak?" long after we're gone".
Next Year
What is in store for Yak Fest 2022? More yaks, more fun, and hopefully more of you being there to celebrate yaks and the wonderful conversations and community that they start! Follow A Yak or 2 Ranch on their Facebook, Instagram or contact them via their website ayakor2ranch.com to find out more about Yak Fest 2022 and everything else happening on their ranch.
