The Goats are Still on the Roof in Coombs

The inspiration for the original Old Country Market came from Kristian Graaten and his wife Solveig who emigrated from Lillehammer, Norway in the 1950s. In Norway, it was common for homes to be built into the hillside with the sod roof becoming an extension of the hillside. Voila — the market was born in 1976. As for the goats, the weekend of the Coombs Fall Fair was approaching, and it was decided to put the goats up on the roof to trim the long green grass. A tradition was born, and the goats go onto the roof approximately Mother’s Day every year. Thus a tourist attraction was also born.