500+ Attend First Family Farm Festival

SOMERS, NY — More than 500 area residents of all ages, including state and local officials — attended the first Family Farm Festival Sept. 8 at Stuart's Fruit Farm in Somers to celebrate the permanent protection of the farm with laughter and fun. The free and open-to-the public festival was co-sponsored by Westchester Land Trust and Somers Land Trust.

Festival goers hopped to the finish line at the end of potato sack races while children enjoyed activities including a scavenger hunt, making mud pies, face painting, decorating Westchester Land Trust “VegChester” T-shirts, navigating through a corn maze and tossing a bean bag or two during a game of corn hole, according to organizers.

Regional food trucks Roaming Wood Fire Pizza, Waffle Box, Max Eatery, Sloppie Joes and King Kone were on hand serving a variety of cuisines while samples of Betsy Stuart’s warm brown “Betsy” apple crisp were a hit.

Sing Sing Kill Brewery’s craft beer and Fishkill Farm’s Treasury Cider also provided attendees with some of the best libations in the Hudson Valley.

Also attending were State Senator Terrence Murphy, state Assemblyman Kevin Byrne, Westchester County Legislator Michael B. Kaplowitz and Somers Town Supervisor Rick Morrissey.

“It was heartwarming to see hundreds of people turn out, despite the wet weather, to celebrate the permanent protection of Stuart’s Fruit Farm,” said Lori Ensinger, Westchester Land Trust president. “Westchester Land Trust is committed to protecting our most precious natural resources. In April, Westchester Land Trust acquired, and extinguished the development rights to the farm, thereby ensuring that the land will always be available for agricultural use."

Get Patch’s daily newsletters and news alerts right in your inbox.
Find and “Like” Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.

Photo credit: Courtesy.