When my wife and I were first married her mother Lalea Ray "Mother Superior" was employed by Bill Green owner of the Rare Bird Farm.
And I must say she had a knack of training the widest variety of animals of anyone I ever knew.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Rare Bird Farm #1
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10 comments:
Fairlee, Vermont looks like it relied on tourists for a good share of the income coming into the area. How long was the Rare Bird & Animal Farm in business?
Did she ever work with the rare birds
I was never at the place.
The Fairlee Vermont attraction was the
creation of one man Bill Green “All the
birds and animals at the farm are for your
enjoyment and education” he wrote in his
opening letter in the brochure to his Rare
Bird and Animal Farm
His most significant purchase was a baby
elephant Queenie who was born in Siam in
1952 and shipped to Trefflich’s Pet Store
in New York City in 1953
Bill removed the backseat of the car
filled it with hay and brought her home
The Greens purchased the Brackett Farm
in Fairlee “We hired a couple the Rays
to come to the farm as we called it and
put on shows with their trained animals
Mrs Lalea Ray said ‘You’ve got all
these animals sitting around in pens
You should train some of them,’”
It was the beginning of the Rare Bird
and Animal Farm
Bill Green died in 1965 and a fire
in November of that year destroyed the
building that housed the snack bar the
animal kitchen and 130 birds
His wife Betty kept the farm going but
sold Queenie in 67 and the farm in 68
Chic, Thank You for the history of the Rare Bird & Animal Farm. The ride back to the farm with Queenie in the backseat must have been a good story in itself.
On a further note re Queenie riding back to NH in the back of the family car -- It was a 1953 4-door Mercury. The back seat was removed and the space filled with hay. The car was driven down to New York City by Bill Green's son, Peter Green. Queenie walked out of the front door of Trefflich's Pet Store and into the car without any hesitation. She was accompanied by Joe Frisco who Bill had hired to be Queenie's trainer and caretaker.
Liz (Green) Dane
Thanks Liz as you must be Bill
& Betty's daughter who is shown
in the photos with Queenie
Not really part of this conversation but I grew up in Woodstock Vermont. I was the youngest of five. I remember going to Greens Animal Farm as a child. I dont remember any specifics as i was maybe 6 or 7 years old. I just remember it being a special thing to visit. That would have been late 60's or so.
My Dad,an old friend of Bill's took us to the farm one winter where we got to know "Queenie" watched Bill wrestle his wild cat in the livingroom after dinner...quite exciting.
If you tell me your name I will give
it to Elizabeth "Liz" Green (Dane)
For her records of the farm
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