By Jack Reinhard | Facebook @JohnJackReinhard

They were playing for farm animals as much as they were for an enthusiastic crowd.

On a recent Sunday, The Inn at Millrace Pond in Hope was rocking to the sounds of Electric Gumbo and the country jams of The Brian Dean Moore Band during a first-time event raising funds for the Barnyard Sanctuary. Located in Columbia, New Jersey, the Barnyard Sanctuary houses over 700 rescued farm animals.

When Electric Gumbo guitarist, Jon Male first heard about the event, he jumped right at the opportunity. “I was like, wow, we can really raise some money and support these animals that you never really think about,” he noted. “That’s what really touched me.”

Male’s daughter also spends a lot of time around the animals at the Barnyard Sanctuary, making it “a full-circle event” for him and his family.

Event coordinator Lori Fiorentino stressed how crucial it is for other members of the community to help out. “We operate solely on events like this and donations that come in,” she noted. “If we don’t have donations like this or volunteers to help out, then we can’t do all of the great work we are doing for the animals.”

To learn more the Barnyard Sanctuary and ways you can help out, please visit, www.barnyardsanctuary.org.