When Dave and Nicole Dempster started their five acre animal farm in Duvall in 2020, opening it up for summer camps was not part of the plan.

“Originally, it was just going to be for us,” Dave said. “Something that we could enjoy away from everything else.”

Fast forward five years later, Enchanted Farms has become a place that prides itself in a pet and feel experience. Whether it is from the resident goats, alpacas, donkeys, sheep and rabbits — adults and children alike have learned something from the experience.

“We are super immersive. We go in, we educate,” Dave said. “We let them touch and feel.”

This is the first year that the farm will be running summer camps, with the first one starting the last week of June and the final camp at the end of August. Each camp runs for a week, accommodating up to 25 kids, ages 6 to 13.

The camps will give kids the opportunity to get to know each animal on the property. Most notably, mini-donkeys Pearl and Lucy, the mother-daughter duo. There’s also Cheerio, the food-crazy jumping goat, and Albany, the small but incredibly soft alpaca that no female alpaca seems to take an interest in. They will learn about the hierarchy that constitutes an alpaca herd, from the alphas fighting for dominance and the rivalry between siblings.

If the children are lucky, they may even be able to witness baby alpacas and sheep being born, as some of the animals are due to give birth during the summer.

They will also get farm chores as well as the opportunity to practice needle felting, learning more about the history of alpacas and their fleece — which, according to Dave, tells a story. Some parts of the fleece are more crimped than others because what the alpacas eat changes how the fleece grows.

The price for each camp is $425, with optional add-ons. More information on the summer camps and registration forms can be found on the Enchanted Farms website at www.enchantedfarmsduvall.com/summer-camp.

Mini-donkeys at Enchanted Farms in Duvall. Photo by Perris Larson

Kids at the camp will have an opportunity to practice needle felting and learning more about the history of alpacas and their fleece. Photo courtesy of Dave and Nicole Dempster