Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 28, 1995 TAG: 9504280043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
An emu, anyone? How about an ostrich, a llama or a wallaby?
These peculiar and persnickety pets could be yours, if you and your wallet join the throng of collectors expected at an unusual Bedford County auction this weekend. Fantasyland and Hobby Horse Farm are going on the block to settle a divorce, and everything will be on sale.
Farm and exotic animals. World-renowned miniature horses. Western-style buildings, complete with a country store and make-believe village. More than 75 acres of green pasture land, and more.
But arrive early. Since they started advertising the event, the auctioneers have fielded inquiries from all over.
"We've had calls from Louisiana, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky - so many I can't remember them all," Pat Charlton of Greenway's Auction Co. said as he watched his employees lay out farm equipment for the weekend's sale, on Virginia 746 south of Bedford between Virginia 122 and 24.
The high interest level isn't surprising. Fantasyland founder Bob Pauley has been breeding miniature horses for more than 28 years, and his work is recognized nationally.
"We'll see people from at least 15 states this weekend," Charlton said.
Pauley, looking on, shook his head.
"You're underestimating. There'll be at least 25, 26, 28 represented here," he said. "When I did a show before, we had people from 37 different states."
The real estate and farm equipment will be auctioned off Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. The big draw - the animals - take center stage Sunday at 11 a.m.
According to a representative of the state Department of Agriculture, the wallabies technically are the only "exotic" animals on sale. The others - the birds, the llamas, the Tennessee fainting goats and the pot-bellied pigs - can be found on many farms, and they are gaining in popularity.
"They are what we call alternative agricultural endeavors," said Dr. Robert Whiting, chief of the department's veterinary services bureau. "We're seeing more and more of them, especially the llamas. They're so common these days, they've almost become domesticated."
Whiting said the emus, large Australian birds that can run like heck, but can't fly, will bring a good price.
"They'll have a market for them," Whiting predicted. "People who already own some will want to add to their flocks for egg production."
Don't worry if you don't relish the thought of fitting an anxious ostrich into your minivan. There'll be plenty else to see.
"Not everyone's going to want the animals. One lady called - I can't remember if she was from Arkansas or Arizona - but she's interested in the wagons," Charlton said, pointing to a rows of small surreys and a pint-sized Budweiser wagon. "She collects them."
by CNB