Spring Has Sprung at Rocky Mount
Throughout history, spring has been seen as a time of rebirth. It is no surprise that this time of year is regarded as such, with the blossoming of trees, the forcing of flowers through the cold ground, and the births of numerous animals on farms and in the wild. We have already had four lambs born in the previous week and we are anticipating the birth of more lambs in the coming weeks. Daily, we walk out to the barn in hopes of seeing the little lambs hopping around the pasture with the bunnies. We are also enjoying the songs of the birds in the trees outside our lovely historic house, and it is a wonderful delight to hear them while dressed in our finest 18th-century attire and telling anyone and everyone about this new season of growth.
Rebirth is not just limited to the animals at Rocky Mount. The Master Gardeners have been hard at work preparing our three historic gardens, as well as the 15th acres that were just purchased across the street for the upcoming growing season. Flowers, trees, herbs, and vegetables all serve an important function in our lives. A tour of the historic gardens provides a fantastic opportunity to experience these meticulously created gardens for yourself.
A wonderful opportunity to come and experience Rocky Mount is during our Woolly Days festival on April 9th and 10th. During this festival, you can celebrate and experience all of these new beginnings for yourself. Come and see the lambs playing in the field, listen to the birds singing, and watch the gardens swaying in the breeze.
Following the topic of the season of rebirth, we have embarked on a couple of new adventures ourselves. The first adventure is starting our own blog. As a result, it should come as no surprise that this is our first article! While this is a brief post, the upcoming articles will be more in-depth, delving into a variety of topics ranging from 18th-century farm life to historic events and possibly even a few moments of working at Rocky Mount. We have always been eager to share our knowledge with the public, but the time constraints of tours do not always allow us to do so. So, by posting blogs we hope to help the public learn a little bit more.
The second adventure is the announcement of our very own Specialty Plate Design Contest! The State of Tennessee has given us the opportunity to have our own official license plate with a featured design. The benefit of these plates is that with each sale, part of the proceeds will go to Rocky Mount and help us continue our mission of educating the public. If you are interested in submitting a design for the Specialty Plate Design Contest, here is what we are looking for: a design that embodies the motto “The Volunteer State,” and creative ideas that represent and will appeal to residents across the State of Tennessee. For more information on how to get started, go to our website www.volunteerstatetag.org and download the design information packet. The submission deadline is April 11, 2022.
We are thankful for the new opportunities this spring has brought us, and we are so excited to share them with you! Thank you for reading and supporting Rocky Mount!