Kids write to the animals at this historic farm. The best part? The creatures respond

Something is special about hand-written letters, says Alexis Radil, events coordinator at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm in Olathe. She knows this, as she’s counted hundreds of letters, delivered from 10 states, that children have written to animals on the farm.

Sheep. Chickens. Horses. A new set of piglets.

The surprise? Mahaffie’s farm animals “write” back.

“Everything had been shut down during the pandemic,” Radil said. Still, one young writer sent letters to all the horses during the months of isolation.

“I am so sad we did not see you guys this year,” he wrote. Goliath the horse (with a little help from a friend), responded, “I might be able to see you next year.”

For sure, this year and far into 2023, children are invited to write to the animals again.

“We are delighted. It’s a great feeling to see connections between the animals and the kids. Writing a letter helps reflect on who they’re writing to and what they feel. They’re curious. They ask the animals a lot of questions,” Radil said.

There is no cut-off date. Spirited Christmas greetings and wishes for a good new year are always welcome.

“Many more letters are expected this year and next,” Radil said.

Mahaffie has also collected hand-drawn pictures folded into envelopes.

Children of ages sent letters.

“One was hand-written by a first-grader and some are from children just learning their letters, even in pre-school,” Radil said. A few are typewritten. Teachers encourage the idea as a classroom project. Only paper, pen, pencil and an envelope with a postage stamp are needed to participate.

Part of the fun is Mahaffie’s fancy stagecoach, which carries passengers and delivers mail the way horse-drawn carriages with big wagon wheels brought the mail in America’s frontier days. Of the two stagecoaches at the farm, one is the original carriage dating back to the 1800s. The restored Barlow Sanderson & Company stagecoach was contracted by the Mahaffie family a century and a half ago.

While they were lonely without in-person visits during the worst of the pandemic, they were well cared for by staff at Mahaffie.

“We are careful about what we feed the animals,” Radil said. All are on a healthy diet, a structured feeding of grain, some for those in their later years. A gift card from Tractor Supply in Olathe is a welcome gift to help cover expenses of animal care.

“Many people want to donate gift cards or a monetary donation, which is great,” Radil said.

Those who want to get their children involved in writing letters should address all correspondence to Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm, Letters to Animals, 1200 E. Kansas City Road, Olathe, Kansas 66061.

Better yet, if possible bring the kids to the farm to deliver their letters, skip the postage stamp, and ride along the mail route in the stagecoach. The carriage is housed inside in winter months and comes out again in the spring.

This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Kids write to the animals at this historic farm. The best part? The creatures respond."