MxCC Classic Golf Tournament Registration May 20

Friday, 5/20/2011, is the registration deadline for the June 3, 2011 MxCC Classic Golf Tournament held at Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield. This popular golf tournament is presented by The Middlesex Community College Foundation, Inc., to benefit student scholarships and programs at Middlesex Community College. For sponsorship and registration forms, visit http://www.mxccfoundation.org/pages/quickhit2.html. For more information, contact Greg Kline at 860-343-6914 (gkline@mxcc.commnet.edu).

Lyman Orchard to open Sunflower Maze Tomorrow

Lyman Orchards is scheduled to open its Sunflower Maze, tomorrow, August 29th. Of course, Tropical Storm (or possibly Hurricane) Danny may have something to say about that, but once the bad weather blows through, the maze should be open for business. Once again, $1 of every admission ticket will go to the pediatric cancer unit of Connecticut Children's Medical Center (CCMC) in Hartford. To date, Lyman Orchards reports on its website that it has donated more than $17,000 to CCMC since opening its first Sunflower Maze two years ago. This year's maze is in the shape of a guitar.

Tickets are $9 for ages 13 and up, and $5 for ages 4-12. Click here for the Lyman Orchards Sunflower Maze website (including a $1 off admission coupon). Lyman Orchards is located at the junction of Routes 147 & 157 in Middlefield, CT. Hours for Sept/Oct are 9am-7pm, 7 days a week.

A perfect summer day...

No, I'm not geographically challenged: I do know that Lyman Orchards is in Middlefield, and this blog is supposed to be about Middletown. However, one of the reasons I love living in Middletown is because it takes about 10 minutes to get to Lyman Orchards from my house.

This past Saturday, after my son's first golf tournament at Miner Hills (a real gem for Middletown as far as he and my husband are concerned), we decided to visit the Peach festival at Lyman Orchards. The weather was fantastic: sunny, bright blue summer sky, and a slight breeze. We had yummy peach crisp, listened to the band, picked apples and peaches, and then braved the sunflower maze.

We've always done the corn maze in the fall, but I've never seen a sunflower maze. I have to admit that I'm a bit of a flower freak, and it was simply heavenly to be lost in the middle of three acres of sunflowers taller than me (my husband says we were never actually lost...). Do watch out for the honey bees, though, since they're working hard to pollinate said flowers, and they probably missed the memo about "bring-a-human-to-work" day.

Since there are only 16 days, 12 hours and about 3 minutes left until school starts (but hey, what mother is REALLY counting?), don't miss this opportunity to savor a tiny piece of summer fun while you can. A portion of the maze ticket price is being donated to the pediatric cancer unit at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford. Go here for more information and directions.

Ode to the Blueberry

Lyman Orchards in Middlefield celebrated the almighty blueberry today at it’s summer Berry Fest! Area residents and out-of-towners a alike gathered in the sweltering 94 degree weather at the Apple Barrel market and patio restaurant for a delicious blueberry-themed “Breakfast on the Deck,” berry picking in the orchards, pony and horse drawn wagon rides to the Homestead, frisbee golf and live music by the Remember September band. The highlight of the day was, without a doubt, the blueberry pie eating contest. These pictures say it all. Congrats to Garret and Cameron, winners of the child and adult pie-eating contests, respectively. And, kudos for all of the spectators who sat out in the blazing sun to cheer on the competitors!


The events at Lyman Orchards are fun, nearby and gas-economic ways to get the whole family outdoors enjoying the summer weather and delicious local produce. Visit Lyman Orchards Events for information the upcoming Peach Fest! and other great events taking place year-round.

And now, an original haiku inspired by the days events:

Blueberry pie's great
But sometimes it turns my face
and t-shirt purple.