Westchester Land Trust and Somers Land Trust plan to co-host a Family Farm Festival at Stuart”™s Fruit Farm in Somers. It”™s scheduled for Sept. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. The rain date is Sept. 9, also from 4 to 7 p.m. Admission is free and food will be available for purchase.
This event is in celebration of the recent preservation of Stuart”™s Fruit Farm, the oldest working farm in Westchester County, dating from 1828. Westchester Land Trust recently completed a conservation easement for the farm”™s 172 acres, ensuring the land remains available for agricultural use forever. The land trust”™s partners in the preservation effort included New York state, Westchester County, the town of Somers, Scenic Hudson Land Trust and Somers Land Trust.
The Family Farm Festival will feature activities for the family such as hayrides, a corn maze, sack races, T-shirt painting and live music. Food trucks will be on hand and beer and cider will be available.
Visitors can venture into the orchard to pick apples between 4 and 5 p.m. and pay by the pound. Farm owner Betsy Stuart is expected to be there and serve samples of her Brown “Betsy” Apple Crisp.
Since its founding in 1988, WLT has preserved nearly 8,300 acres of open space, including more than 700 acres of preserves which it owns and keeps open to the public for free access throughout the year.
