The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation will host its First Annual Croquet Tournament on Sunday, July 10. Don your whites (or argyles) and join us for a few rounds of recreational croquet on the rolling lawn of the Hillsboro home where Pearl Buck was born.

The cost to enter the tournament is $15 per person for early registration before July 1, and $25 per person after that. Registration will begin at 1 p.m. on the day of the event. Players can participate in an informal coaching and practice session from 1-2 p.m. Official play begins at 2 p.m.

Barbecue sandwiches and hot dog lunches (including a vegetarian option) will be available for purchase along with other refreshments. There will be free activities offered for children, including a miniature croquet course and arts activities.
Major sponsors for the tournament include Boxley Materials Company and the Roger D. Forman Law Office.

Croquet is a lawn game where players use mallets to hit wooden balls through hoops set in a certain order. It first became popular in the middle of the 19th-century in England, quickly spreading to other English-speaking nations. There was a resurgence of the sport in the 1930s and 40s, then again in the 1970s. The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace hopes to lead a local croquet revival in this century.

We will play the nine-wicket recreational version of the game, not the six-wicket competitive version, so don't be intimidated. This will be the same game you might have grown up playing in your backyard, and most of the rest of us haven't played in years either ... even decades!

Besides a great afternoon of recreation, those who participate will help raise much-needed money for ongoing restoration and programming efforts at the Birthplace. The Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring Pearl Buck's legacy by running educational and arts programs, and by preserving the Stulting home where Pearl's mother, Carrie, grew up and where Pearl was born before moving to China with her missionary parents. Pearl Buck was the author of The Good Earth and many other titles. She was the first woman to win both the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes.

The Birthplace is currently seeking other corporate or private sponsors for the tournament. Anyone interested in registering for or sponsoring the event is asked to contact Director Timothy VanReenen at 304-653-4430.

If you would like more information about this event or an interview, contact Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Executive Director Timothy VanReenen at 304-653-4430 or Board Member Sue Groves at 304-653-4195.