The whole family can find healthy outdoor fun and information at Rockcliff Farm during Heritage Day on Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Everything during the day is free.
Everyone can learn about early farming techniques with horses, mules and oxen and without tractors, fertilizers and running water. There will be three tours offered at different times during the day to explore the geology, the botany and the history of the farm. For the children, there will be scavenger hunts, kite building and flying, baseball making and pine needle painting. Everyone will enjoy the barbecue lunch. Local realtor Jimmy Ray, who lived on Rockcliff Farm with his family while he was a child and teenager, will cook a full pig and also provide hot dogs.
Find the farm by driving west from Wake Forest on N.C. 98 to Stony Hill Road and turning right on to Stony Hill Road. There is a large sign on N.C. 98. After 2 miles on Stony Hill Road you will turn left on Bud Morris Road – Stony Hill Baptist Church is at the intersection – and almost immediately left on Bent Road, which takes you to the parking area at the farm. There will also be direction banners on Saturday.
Rockcliff Farm was the retirement home for B.W. Wells and his wife, Maude, and is now maintained as part of the Falls Lake State Park by the B.W. Wells Association and its local officers and members.
B.W. Wells was a pioneer North Carolina ecologist, a passionate conservationist, and the author of many influential scientific papers. Though recognized in his day and ours for his path-breaking work on the ecology of southeastern coastal plain, Wells devoted much of his life to making his scientific knowledge accessible to a wider audience, especially through his great book, “The Natural Gardens of North Carolina,” copies of which will be on sale during Heritage Day.
One Response
Thank you for the excellent description of Heritage Day.