Like any living thing with a personality, however, they are not without stigma. History and folk horror films align them, unfairly, with the demonic, making them de facto symbols of a Devil tempting young women to, as The Witch puts it, “live deliciously.” They are known to be stubborn and, in the case of billy (male) goats, quite confrontational.
One local festival has, for years now, sought to disprove that stigma and demonstrate the many benefits of keeping goats in the city, and will return this year to continue that mission.
Goat Fest PGH, an annual event organized by the Friends of South Side Park, has, since 2017, invited the public to meet landscaping goats who clear invasive or overgrown plants in green spaces throughout Pittsburgh. A press release touts the festival as “a symbol of community engagement, environmental stewardship, and all things goats,” packaged in a day of all-ages fun.
Taking place on Sat., July 27 at South Side Park, the family-friendly event features opportunities to meet the goats from Allegheny GoatScape, hike local trails, shop from 40 vendors in an artisan market, and hear live music, among other festivities.
Kitty Vagley, a volunteer and Friends of South Side Park board member, tells Pittsburgh City Paper that there are two main goals for Goat Fest. “The first is to introduce Pittsburghers (and their friends) to South Side Park and the goats’ role in the reforestation project that is underway,” she explains. “The second is to raise enough funds to be able to hire the goats in 2025 so that they may continue to do their great work of clearing invasive plants.”
Over the past several years, the event has changed in a variety of ways — Vagley says they started in the Bandi Schaum Community Gardens but the “goats were up at the higher southern end of the park and it was a tough climb, particularly with a baby stroller.”
“Three years ago we moved the event to the Arlington Ballfield and it is much easier to access the working goats these days,” she adds.
The board has added other attractions like a petting zoo. “This year we have enhanced our fairy garden area so that folks can make their own little fairy garden,” says Vagley, adding that visitors this year can also expect an auction and new food offerings. While the event is free, patrons can also pay $25 for a goat yoga class.
With the goats comes another little friend that has delighted crowds over the years — a miniature donkey tasked with keeping the herd safe from predators and, as Vagley tells it, any wildlife unlucky enough to stray onto their turf.
Photo: Courtesy of Friends of South Side Park/Allegheny GoatScape
Allegheny Goatscape donkey Sunshine
“The miniature donkey protects the goats from animals such as coyote,” Vagley says. “I once heard the usually quiet goats in an uproar when a deer jumped over the fence enclosing their area. The donkey immediately charged after the deer which wisely jumped back over the fence! The goats were distressed by the nimble invader and the donkey was attuned to them.”
Each team of goats comes with and is named after an accompanying miniature donkey — besides Team Sunshine, which oversees South Side Park, Allegheny GoatScape has Team Diamond, Team Hobo, Team Balthazaar, and “Pete and the Golden Goats” promoted on its website.
More than anything, Goat Fest exists to stress how goats can transform a green space for the better. Friends of South Side Park estimate that, since the goats began clearing the area, “over 2,000 native trees and shrubs have been planted in the park, mitigating landslide risks, reducing erosion, and enhancing the overall air quality.”
Vagley believes that, with the help of Goat Fest and its partners, goats are being more widely accepted as an effective, eco-friendly solution to tackling Pittsburgh's hilly terrain.
"I think people are quite receptive to goats helping with urban landscaping," says Vagley. "It is true, especially, in our area with all the steep slopes that have been neglected for some time."
Goat Fest PGH. 12-4 p.m. Sat., July 27. South Side Park. 2000 Julia St., South Side. Free, $25 pre-registration for goat yoga. fosspark.org/goatfest2024
