The gloomy skies didn”™t deter more than 500 people from heading for Stuart”™s Fruit Farm in Somers on Sept. 8 to attend the Family Farm Festival co-sponsored by the Westchester Land Trust (WLT) and the Somers Land Trust. The sponsors hope to make it an annual event, celebrating the permanent protection of the farm from development. In April, WLT acquired and extinguished the development rights to the farm, thereby ensuring that the land will always be available for agricultural use.
New York tate Senator Terrence Murphy, New York state Assemblyman Kevin Byrne, Westchester County Legislator Michael B. Kaplowitz and Somers town Supervisor Rick Morrissey were among the elected officials attending the free event.
Music was provided by a local band The Station Agents. Regional food trucks included Roaming Wood Fire Pizza, Waffle Box, Max Eatery, Sloppie Joes and King Kone. Samples of Betsy Stuart”™s warm brown “Betsy” apple crisp were a hit, as were Sing Kill Brewery”™s craft beer and Fishkill Farm”™s Treasury Cider.
Lori Ensinger, president of WLT, said the organization is “”¦committed to protecting our most precious natural resources. This includes the air we breathe, the water we drink and local farmland, such as Stuart”™s Fruit Farm.”
Festival supporters included Tinkergarten, Bionutrient Food Association-Westchester/NYC, Orienteering Unlimited, Somers LEO Club, Obercreek Brewery, Hayfields Market and Patricia Johnson from Turtle Advocate.
