Rocky’s 1st Birthday Party!

One of our most popular Farmyard friends, Rocky the White Park cow, turned one on Tuesday, May 16!

Rocky showed up in his party hat and was ready to celebrate!

Animal keepers kicked off his big day with an educational chat and gave Rocky his very own birthday cake. Some guests generously purchased birthday presents for Rocky from the Farmyard’s Amazon wish list. The crowd watched as Rocky opened his new enrichment toys that will be used for years to come.

Raffle tickets for a private animal encounter with Rocky were sold in the weeks leading up to his party. At the end of Rocky’s celebration, Farmyard Manager Katie Donnellan and Farmyard Attendants Mike Jacobs and Stephanie Scialabba randomly drew the lucky winner, Tiffany Milasius!

Congratulations to Tiffany, and thank you to everyone who made Rocky’s day extra fun!

Carousel Unveiling Celebration

On June 2, guests, participants and staff gathered at the Farmyard for a carousel unveiling celebration.

David Hamel, the dedicated volunteer who took on the huge undertaking of renovating all 16 beautiful carousel horses, spoke about the meticulous yet fulfilling journey. Lisa Parr, a restoration expert and owner of Old Parr’s Carousel Animals in Highland Park, helped David get started on the project. She provided color renderings to use as roadmaps for all 16 horses as well as step-by-step instructions.

They started the process in September 2021, working together on the first two horses before David was ready to take the reins and complete the remaining 14 on his own. By the time the old paint was removed and the horses were sanded, primed and carefully painted, each one took approximately 60 hours to complete.

President & CEO Kathy Buresch and Farmyard Manager Katie Donnellan also shared some special words about the history of our carousel, the role it has played in our community and how David’s volunteer efforts have made a significant impact on Lambs Farm.

David proudly cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the new and improved carousel for the 2023 season. Children hopped on the bright, shiny horses and enjoyed free rides as the celebration continued.

The carousel has been a family favorite at Lambs Farm for over 30 years and thanks to David, we are ready for 30 more!