Cricket Hill Farm
Academy and Gardens
Congratulations Lyla on your GoldStar III award! She earned it early this year, but we wanted a nice occasion to present it! Lyla was also last year’s recipient of the Golden Fork Award. To sample Lyla’s creativity as Editor and Publisher of the Saddle Club Gazette, click here for the archives!
This year, at the annual BBQ, we decided to add a little Carnival and Silent Auction to help raise funds for Academy programs. The games were mostly for the kids, although there were painted faces of all ages, and the Silent Auction was definitely for adults!
As always, the BBQ is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends!
This year, the coveted Golden Fork Award for outstanding volunteer work for the Academy was presented – with great ceremony – to Taryn Zarrillo, see below. Taryn was instrumental in gathering donations for our silent auction this year and writing the many thank you notes. She was also a driving force behind the Ride of the Valkyries, this year’s BBQ entertainment. See the video. Thanks Taryn, and keep the fork polished!
It was the 19th year of the fabulous Youth Dressage Festival, and Cricket Hill’s 19th participation! Yes, we were there from the start! This year we had two new competitors on our team – Ava and Abbey – and two who’ve competed before – Erin and AnneMae, who just joined us this spring.
Everybody had worked hard during the Dressage Workshop the week before, and the horses were in top form. In fact Sarika, received her “Academy Schoolmaster” title at this show with Erin up! Everybody got a ribbon in their division… “very impressive!” Lendon Gray told us! The team is anxious to start meeting earlier this year, as the show comes in July in 2018!
Lilies are one of the favorite flowers at Cricket Hill. It takes a lot to protect them from deer in the open plan of our gardens, but it’s worth all the trouble! We grow them in ground as well as in pots, which makes it easy to swap them out as later varieties come into bloom. Then we can hide the pots to let the foliage ripen and feed the bulbs for next year, the ugly stage of lilies – out of sight!
Another great opportunity to get the kinks out and/or qualify for the Youth Dressage Festival!
