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Spring is returning to New England, making itself know in the sights and sounds at Hilltop Farm.  Listen for the peepers and the  chirping  of the birds. Notice the trees budding up, very soon to burst open with leaves.  FOFAH Volunteers have been busy during the quite of winter. 
Come and see all that has beginning to sprout this Spring at Hilltop Farm!

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New- Hilltop Apple Orchard

On April 30, volunteers are gathering at Hilltop to celebrate Arbor Day. Under the leadership of Board member, Mark O'Hara, volunteers will be making preparations and planting 50 heritage apple tree saplings. This is a kid-friendly, activity but an adult will need to help. Everyone in the family is invited to help kick off the beginning of Hilltop Orchard from 10-Noon.

  Summer Programs for Children 

Again this summer, children and their families will have the opportunity to enroll in hands on learning programs on a variety of topics. There are two options of the Hilltop Summer Programs for children; Gardening and Nature Exploration.

The Sunny Patch at Hilltop, under the leadership of Master Gardener Amalita van Buuren, will run a variety of workshops and programs in gardening for a wide span of ages and interests again this Summer. From the ages of two, with a "Caregiver and Child" experience, to young adults, participants will learn what and how to grow plants and vegetables in the Children's Garden area at Hilltop. Contact hilltopsunnypatch@gmail.com for Sunny Patch at Hilltop program information.

Through Hilltop's Nature Explorers Program, children will spend time outdoors, discover the natural world, meet new friends, and have fun! This  nature and  science-based program has been designed for ages 4-12 and will be led by CT certified science teachers.  Participants will explore the wildlife at Hilltop through through STEM based experiments and activities developed by UCONN. The bugs, birds, trees and water will be explored under the direction of teachers and naturalists.

For scholarships or additional information, program brochures are available through the website  www.HilltopFarmSuffield.org www.HilltopFarmSuffield/programs or by calling 860-758-0668. 

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The Community Gardens at Hilltop 

FOFAH is once again offering plots for the growing season at Hilltop Farm in Suffield. For a donation of $25, you can have a 20 X 20 plot for growing vegetables or annual flowers. It is anticipated that plots will be ready for planting by mid-May. Space is limited. For more information, contact Roger Ives at 860-428-3448 or rogerives@yahoo.com.

2016 Calendar of Events 
FOFAH is sponsoring lots of fun family events during the Spring and Summer

Plant an Apple Orchard                           Saturday April 30, 10-12
CT Trails Day Workday                            Sunday, June 5,  1 - 5 
CT Open House Day                               Saturday, June 11 - 10-2 
Bald Eagle Golf Outing                            Sunday, June 26- 11:30 -7:30 
Vintage Cycle Rally                                 Saturday July 23 10-4
Harvest Dinner & Silent Auction              Saturday, September 3- 4-10
Farm Fest 2016                                       Monday, September 5- 10-3
National Public Lands Day                      Saturday, September 24  - 10-2 
Halloween at Hilltop                                 Saturday, October 22- 4:30- 6:30

All events, except the Bald Eagle Golf Outing are at Hilltop Farm, 1616 Mapleton Ave,     Rte 159, Suffield. The Suffield CountryClub is the location of the Bald Eagle Golf Outing.

Thank You
A special thanks is extended to the volunteers from C&S Wholesalers who worked on Saturday, April 23. They were busy repairing, scraping and painting the white fence in the front of the farm facing Mapleton Ave ( RT 159). This task has been on the "To Do" List and an important part of spring cleaning at Hilltop. THANK YOU, C&S!

C&S is regional wholesale grocery supply corporation with locations in both Windsor Locks and Suffield. C&S employees responded to our recent request for volunteers. FOFAH appreciates the support from the community. 

Earth Day and Kite Day Celebrations

The Earth Day Celebration was led by Amalita van Buuren for the kick off of the Sunny Patch Kids at Hilltop Program over two days of fun activities for kids. Thanks to her leadership, there continues to be a Kid's Garden at Hilltop.

FOFAH hosted it's annual  Kite Day, on April 23. Bobbie Rogers welcomed families and friends throughout the day in the Hilltop Open Space. Although the wind did not always cooperate, everyone enjoyed being at Hilltop for this Spring outdoor event.


Our March Program On Bluebird Boxes.....
    
The Bluebird Nesting Box Workshop- Huge Success
About 60 people attended and 54 total boxes were built. This program was hosted in cooperation between the Suffield Land Conservancy. Now over 40 nest boxes are in meadows in Suffield and surrounding areas. Both  FOFAH and Suffield Land Conservancy were the recipients of 7 boxes for their public lands. Thank you. 
FOFAH is an all volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to restoring Hilltop Farm into an educational and recreational resource for the community. All donations go to the improvement of the farm. Many thanks to the volunteers for their dedication and community support that has allowed FOFAH to advance the restoration of the Hilltop Farmstead.