The sun moves at an unnatural speed across the daytime sky, sinking into a curved horizon and giving way to a night so clear and vivid that everyone around, yourself included, oohs and aahs. Moments later you are soaring in deep space, speeding past planets, careening towards nebulas, and a black hole comes into view. You can’t help feeling infinitesimal and helpless floating through the cosmos. Then, dim lights come on. You sit upright from leaning back in your chair and adjust to the reality that you have not just returned to earth from an exciting mission in space. You are at the Blake Planetarium in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
“We want you to have a butterflies-in-your-belly, sensory-immersive experience here,” says Alison Riordan, Administrator Program Coordinator for the Plymouth Public School District and Director of OpenSciEd Massachusetts. Providing the community with unforgettable learning experiences has been part of the legacy of the Blake Planetarium for over fifty years. Original to the 1973 building now housing Plymouth Community Intermediate School (PCIS) the Blake Planetarium has been a hub of cosmic and science learning even when the equipment was much simpler. PCIS was built amidst the years of the cultural phenomenon known as the Space Race and its unique construction includes “branches” that connect to a central point. The branches are named after the space programs Mercury, Gemini, Ranger, and Apollo. The cafeteria, library, and planetarium are located in the central meeting point of these branches.
The “star” of the planetarium in those days was the Spitz projector -a disco ball shaped orb with lenses and mirrors that had to be hand screwed and placed to project the stars onto the domed ceiling. “It would have lasted 700 years,” jokes Riordan, “But the problem was that you could only present things from one point of view -from earth looking up into space. You couldn’t go ‘up into’ space and it limited what we could explore in terms of learning experiences. It limited perspective. Still, we were lucky to have the old Spitz for as long as we did.”
Former Planetarium Director, Russell Blake, started the planetarium program in 1973. Back then PCIS was called Plymouth Carver Intermediate School. Blake taught astronomy and science supporting grades K-12 within the Plymouth School District and surrounding towns. Blake also taught Celestial Navigation, helped run astronomy clubs, and assisted numerous students in organizing field trips and astronomy outreach programs. Blake used the planetarium to give audiences “space rides” in which the participants reclined in their seats while he projected the ‘stars’ on the domed ceiling by spinning the Spitz projector in all directions to give the feeling of flying through space. When Blake retired in 2008 Plymouth Public School District honored him by naming the planetarium after him.
Following Blake’s retirement, talk of grants began with a hope to upgrade the Spitz projector to a fully digital projector. The proposal was made and at a town meeting in 2016 the project was approved by way of the capital improvement budget. In order to make the projected images on the new digital system properly fit the unique shape and curve of the Blake Planetariums ceiling, however, two computers run dual images while a third one corrects the overlapping images to synchronize them and create a seamless finish to the viewer. The planetarium also had to remove the old Spitz projector from its place in the center of the room. “A large space in the center of the planetarium was left once the Spitz was removed so seats were added to take the seating from 60 seats to 72,” Riordan explains, “Now we have the only 4K full-dome planetarium south of Boston and we use the same system as the Science Museum in Boston.”
Having a state-of-the-art planetarium in Plymouth does not go unnoticed by the community. With a range of programs, from workshops teaching how to navigate the local night sky to being a destination for school field trips, the Blake Planetarium has become the learning resource it was intended to be. The planetarium is now run by a team of experts including Steven Davies, Karen Merrill, Paul Bonfilio, and Riordan. With a background in biology, neuroscience, astronomy, and teaching middle and high school, Riordan’s inclusion in the planetarium was unintentional though natural. “I went to Boston to do research on how to improve the Blake and was blown away by how they use the planetarium there. It was so much more than space.” Riordan goes on to explain that with the digital projector they can use it for multiple points of view of space exploration but also for things like programs about weather, earth sciences, and even mediation. Together the Blake Planetarium team offers the public an array of programs such as First Friday’s at Blake -their most popular public program that sells out nearly every time. First Friday’s was created by Davies -a former science teacher in Carver who has substantial knowledge of and a deep passion for astronomy. Davies wanted to make a program from the point of view of looking up from earth at the stars. This perspective is easier for children to navigate and understand in terms of their current location.
In addition to First Friday’s at Blake, the planetarium hosts 30 other programs including school field trips, private rentals, monthly programs, and summer programs. Groups like the Scouts and other community organizations can contact Riordan about scheduling a program. At the heart of the community outreach, Riordan says the Blake Planetarium’s goal remains the same: To give every student in the Plymouth Public School District a chance to experience the planetarium at least once. Students who attend the Blake can obviously enjoy programs about space but also things like Earth Science, dinosaurs, life and physical sciences -even programs featuring beloved childhood characters such as Big Bird and The Magic Treehouses’ Jack and Annie.
In order to acquire this incredible array of resources for the community, a great deal of behind-the-scenes work goes into securing licensing for said programs. Riordan says a large portion of the time and budget allocated for the planetarium goes toward purchasing and renting planetarium programming. Another part of the budget for the Blake Planetarium is used to provide bus transportation for all field trip attendees to and from the venue. “What we do is astounding for kids. We want them to get here, to experience learning like this,” Riordan says, “Our biggest customers, however, are the preschoolers!” Riordan points out that the planetarium offers a truly unique experience for the senses. “It takes what kids often have in their hands (phones) and makes it immersive. It’s an IMAX experience -a sensory directional presentation that entirely immerses the viewer. Knowledge presented like that is something you take home with you and remember.” Riordan also brings up another advantage of studying the night sky in a planetarium: “No light pollution,” she says, “Plymouth is drowning in it and it dulls the visibility of the stars substantially. At the Blake we can omit all of that in addition to giving you a lesson on what you are looking at.”
The fact that the Blake Planetarium is only a quick commute away from many in the area is a privilege not to be overlooked. Many have come to experience the magic of learning about the cosmos and our world under its domed ceiling. “We have approximately 8,000 people a year come to the planetarium,” Riordan states, “We can always welcome more.” Davies goals for every person who comes to the Blake align with Riordan’s. “I want to give them a feel for where they are in the universe. We are star stuff -to quote Carl Sagan. We are the universe experiencing the universe. It is lifelong learning that happens here.”
So the next time you are looking for a meaningful experience that can take you and your family and friends to the Andromeda Galaxy, or to a volcanoes edge just before it erupts, or down to a molecular level inside the human body, or just to learn how to find the Libra Constellation without any light pollution or lengthy travel involved and at a low cost, pay a visit to the Blake Planetarium. There, universes big and small can be explored and you just might find yourself renewed with wonder. Perhaps some younger patrons who visit the Blake will one day nurture what they first felt at the planetarium and take it with them on a real journey into space, but for now it can all be found down the road at a local school in Plymouth, Massachusetts with a touch of the cosmos at its center.

If you happen to be driving along Palmer Road near the edge of Plympton, you may notice tucked among the quaint farm stands and antique houses, an idyllic-looking farm with a sign that easily hints at the name: Rocking Horse Farm. Always tidy and seasonally dressed with cheerful blooms in planters or pumpkins and mums tucked in every corner, Rocking Horse Farm is the epitome of countryside charm. Goats laze on wooden spool tables, two resident canines run about, toys in mouth, looking for someone to play fetch with. There are picnic tables, gardens, and white wooden fences, but what really makes this place special is what goes on inside the barn, stables, and arena: children and adults learning the beautiful sport of horseback riding.
Rocking Horse Farm was started in 1983 by Lillian Gilpin. Her parents, Paul and Dorothy Gilpin, purchased the land for their daughter immediately following high school so she could embark on her dream of running a barn. It began as a small garage and chicken coop and has grown into a 28-stall barn with a thriving teaching program. The program is now run by Katie Alemian Flannery, Gilpin’s niece. Flannery’s love for and involvement with horses began early in her life. “I began riding as soon as I could walk. My mom and dad were very involved with the horses when I was born. Once I started showing, my father took a back seat and let my mom and I continue to show.”
Flannery’s natural talent in the sport was nurtured as she spent nearly every day of her childhood on the farm where she quickly became one of the top students. She began to show at local shows such as Briggs in Hanover and at the South Shore Horsemen’s Council. Flannery then began to compete in leadline and walk trot classes at larger shows in the New England area. Gilpin was there for her niece every step of the way. “Lillian coached me throughout my junior exhibitor career, guiding me through new horses and new challenges almost always!” Flannery recounts. She then went on to compete at the Worlds Championship Horseshow in Kentucky multiple times and always came home with ribbons.
Showing and riding for fun were just the beginning for Flannery. She left Rocking Horse Farm to attend William Woods University in Missouri where she majored in Equestrian Science. Flannery worked with many top trainers during her academic years and loved it so much that she only came home for Christmas breaks. Although she enjoyed school in the South, she knew she wasn’t meant to stay there. “As much as I loved the South, I really missed New England and wanted to come home after school.” Flannery moved back and worked with Gilpin for several more years until she took over the business in 2019 -right before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. “This was so hard for me just staying on my own and many show clients moved when she (Gilpin) retired but my lesson program was what kept me going.” Flannery’s resourceful nature helped keep the barn afloat. She asked her students for continued financial support in lieu of tuition during lockdown. “Even though lessons couldn’t happen, horses still cost as much to care for,” she said. Once people were comfortable holding activities again, many found horseback riding and being outdoors cathartic and thus the barn recovered from this setback.
In keeping a barn and lesson program intact, in spite of such a huge disruption as a pandemic, Flannery has managed to take the business from surviving to flourishing. Being one of the only Saddle Seat barns on the South Shore, Rocking Horse Farm specializes in American Saddlebreds, horses known for their high stepping gait and powerful front action. “We do not jump, we do not do individual dressage patterns, but I like to say we put on a show!” Flannery explains, “Our horses perform their gaits in a ring and are judged on many specifications depending on division, to earn ribbons.” Flannery says there are sometimes as many as three judges in the center of the ring looking for techniques of the horse and rider working as a pair.
There are currently 50 lessons a week at Rocking Horse Farm and the riding program spans all ages starting at age six. The students are taught to be proficient in basic riding techniques and once they are deemed ready Flannery begins to take them to shows, beginning at local levels. As riders advance, Flannery has them show at larger horse shows throughout the Northeast. This summer Flannery is charting new territory as a teacher. “I am taking my very first student that I started from the beginning to our Worlds Championship Horse Show in Kentucky!”
Competitive horseback riding is a sport that demands stamina and the mastery of many skills, athletic and mental, of both human and horse. “Any student that wants to compete typically rides 2-3 times a week. Just like any sport the more you practice the better you get,” Flannery points out, “A lot of riding is the use of the core and the leg muscles, so the more you ride the stronger you become.”
Of course, it is not just the human athletes that put in hard work. The horses of Rocking Horse Farm are beloved, healthy, and trained to be at their peak. All of Flannery’s students who compete at higher levels own their horses and keep them at the barn. These majestic animals demand constant top of the line attention and care. “They are maintained just like athletes. They have an exercise routine that I maintain throughout the week and they are individualized for each horse,” Flannery explains. The students ride their particularly trained horses on Saturdays and use the Rocking Horse Farm lesson horses during the week. Flannery allows lesson students to take the lesson horses to shows to make sure they are enjoying the sport enough to make the commitment of purchasing a horse.
When asked what unique lessons riding horses teaches young (and grown) people Flannery replies, “Riding horses is so amazing for our youth because I feel like it teaches a responsibility that no other sport can teach. No matter how you’re feeling or how long of a day you have had, the horses still need you.” Flannery also models and teaches respect and admiration for the horses at Rocking Horse Farm. “I am thankful for the amazing group of lesson horses that I have and if you ask anyone that works for me, my expectations of their care is to always go above and beyond. They are the heart and soul of my program and I think it is important that all of my students know that.”
In addition to learning how to ride and show horses, students at Rocking Horse Farm are taught to care for them. They get their horses ready, clean their tack, and even clean their stalls. Rocking Horse Farm also runs a program called Paddock Pals where students come once a month and learn different aspects of horse care and farm maintenance, in addition to riding. Paddock Pals is open to anyone age six and above even if they are not enrolled as a student at the barn.
Rocking Horse Farm students also hold fundraisers to help purchase items the lesson horses may need such as blankets, new sheets, tack, etc. The farm also hosts two weeks of summer camp and day camps on holiday breaks.
In addition to a full schedule at the barn Flannery keeps busy with her family -including her twin sons, Joseph and Jameson, who will be two in October. Flannery’s husband, Nick, is also an intricate part of Rocking Horse Farm in spite of having no previous experience with horses or barn maintenance. Flannery remarks with gratitude, “He has put more than his blood, sweat, and tears into helping me almost completely rehab and maintain this older barn and I can’t thank him enough for it!” Flannery also makes sure to take time to work on goals for her own riding ventures. “I still show if we have new or young horses at the farm. This year I have been lucky enough to show my mom’s new horse, TickTock! He has been so much fun and now it’s time to turn the reins over to her.”
Flannery’s passion, not just for her career, but her way of life is easy to see and feel. Her positive enthusiasm sets the tone for Rocking Horse Farm and is a great benefit to the students and horses there. “Teaching is my passion,” Flannery says, “I love introducing kids to horses and watching them grow and learn with them.” Rocking Horse Farm’s success goes well beyond the collection of trophies in the viewing room and ribbons on the walls. Its success story is found in the many lives enriched by the life lessons learned and bonds forged between horse and human in the picturesque farm just off the side of Palmer Road.