The beloved Catskill Game Farm has new owners to the tune of one point nine million dollars. The new owner says they will keep the history and significance of the old Catskill Game Farm. I remember visiting the Catskill Game Farm on field trips as a kid when we were in school. It was amazing to see all of the animals and the adventure of the park. At its peak, it had more than two thousand animals even the famous April the giraffe.

According to HudsonValley360.com, the Catskill Game Farm opened in 1933 and ran until Columbus Day, October 9, 2006. They were open for seventy-three years. Over the past nine years, Ben and Cathy Ballone have owned the property where they offered camping and self-guided tours. They also transformed the old giraffe house into an inn.

Now the old Catskill Game Farm has sold for just under two million dollars. The Ballones say that COVID-19 is not the reason for the sale. They actually put up the property a few weeks before the pandemic hit the US. Cathy wants to focus on her wedding planning business.

“We want to thank you all for your tremendous support and following over the course of the nine years we have had the privilege of owning this local landmark,” the Ballones said in a statement on the Old Catskill Game Farm’s Facebook page. “It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to shift our focus to other endeavors.”

Cathy Ballone said in a statement:

We hope that you will show the same support for the new owners as they continue to preserve the history of the property while creating a new and exciting property business for the Catskill region.

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