Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Clark.
Hi Martha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Howard County on the farm I currently manage. I got a degree in Public Policy from Duke University and worked on women’s and children’s issue for 10 years, with five of those years as Executive Director of the Maryland Commission for Women. I opened Clark’s Elioak Farm in 2002 on the family farm. My daughter also lives on the farm and runs the business with me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I doubt many people’s lives have been a totally smooth road. I have been blessed with a wonderful family, work I enjoy doing, a farm I am passionate about, and am surrounded by a wide circle of friends, co-workers and family. My husband passed away when our children were young. That was a tough time. It was after his passing that I went back to the family farm to open our petting farm, Clark’s Elioak Farm.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We opened Clark’s Elioak Farm on my family farm 24 years ago. I love our farm and want to share it with others. Families with children, school groups and day cares come to visit our friendly farm animals and enjoy a special day on the farm. Several years after we opened, we started a great adventure. We recovered, relocated, restored and preserved many of the attractions from Maryland’s Storybook Park, the Enchanted Forest. The Enchanted Forest opened in 1955 and entertained millions of families for almost 35 years. The buildings and attractions were abandoned for 15 years when we began the process of moving them from their original home on Route 40 in Ellicott City to our farm. We are now home to The Three Bear’s House (including Mama, Papa and Baby Bear and Goldilocks, the Three Pigs’ houses (including all 3 pigs and the wolf), Mother Goose, Cinderella and her Pumpkin Coach, a 23-ft tall purple shoe belonging to the old woman who had too many children, Sleeping Beauty and many other nursery rhyme characters.
We believe providing a healthy, safe and fun farm experience for children to interact with animals is very important. We believe that preserving the attractions from the Enchanted Forest is important for the history of Maryland and is a chance for three generations of a family to share a special memory and make new ones. We love sharing our family farm with our community and look forward to doing it each day.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Every Spring we have a whole nursery full of baby goats for our visitors to snuggle with. It’s the highlight of the season.
Then in the Fall, you can come to our farm for pumpkins and seasonal activities.
Pricing:
- $8 admission fee
Contact Info:
- Website: https://clarklandfarm.com/index.html
- Instagram: IG@clarkselioakfarm
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarkselioakfarm
