What do a farm tour, a volunteer cleanup and a free little library have in common?  They are all family friendly things to do this weekend with the kids.

Enjoy a tour at Hemlock Hill Farm every Saturday

Though we live in a City and have all the amenities a city can provide, we are only minutes away from regional farms that many people are unaware of. 

At the very end of Maple Avenue, just 3.3 miles outside of the City of Peekskill sits Hemlock Hill Farm. Hemlock Hill Farm is a working farm that raises animals and grows fruits and vegetables, which are available for purchase all year long. The farm, situated on 120 acres of woodland and pastures, has been owned by the DeMaria family since 1939. Visitors can take a tour of the working farm in spring and autumn. 

The Autumn walking tours at Hemlock Hill Farm are offered every Saturday, at 10:30 a.m. and 12 p.m.. Visitors take a tour of the entire farm, and are shown including sharing the DeMaria family history, the techniques and practices they utilize and explain how the farm works as a whole. The walking tours are 45 minutes long and cost $5 per person with kids 2 and under free. Dogs and other animals are not allowed on the farm as it is a true working farm. Registration and payment is required in advance and can be found using this link. 

Visitors can also stop by the Hemlock Hill Farm market and purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, or cheese produced at Hemlock Hill and other local farms. Hemlock Hill also has a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. For more information visit the Hemlock Hill Farm website, Facebook page and Instagram page. 

#PeekskillCleanRoutine doing a Saturday Fall Cleanup

After a few months off over the summer to rejuvenate, the Peekskill Clean Routine is back in full swing. Though the all-volunteer clean routine team hoped they would never have to clean the city up again, unfortunately, many people are not like the late Kobe Bryant. Instead of making the basket, they throw bricks, clearly missing the garbage cans. To make matters worse, they don’t have a good rebound game either, and somehow leave their trash behind. This is a flagrant foul causing the City and the local area to look like trash. Unfortunately, most people don’t get called out for these fouls by others. The garbage then stays there, and without an assist from others, makes the whole area look filthy, dirty and becomes an eyesore.

We are very fortunate here in Peekskill to have a group of Ms. and Mr. Clean volunteers who find these garbage hot spots in the City and make the area look Spic and Span again. With Autumn knocking on Peekskill’s door, the Peekskill Clean Routine is ready to come in and do the cleanup job that the wannabe ballers left behind. And they will do it in a Hefty Hefty Cinch Sak. 

You to can be part of the Ms. and Mr. Clean volunteers and join the Peekskill Clean Routine this coming Saturday, September 21, at 9:30 a.m. on Central Avenue by McGregory Brook, right next to the Peekskill PETALS Gardens. The Peekskill Clean Routine will be cleaning from the Peekskill Gardens and down Central Avenue as far as they can. If enough folks participate, the cleanup crew will tackle the rest of Central Avenue and parts of Water Street. Bags and gloves will be provided as well as snacks and water for all of the volunteers. No one is too young or too old to help in this endeavor, everyone is welcome, including those who need community service for Confirmation or National Honor Society. Just bring along the paperwork and look for Leslie Lawler to sign off on it. With your help, Peekskill will look fabuloso! 

For more information about the Peekskill Clean Routine, visit their Facebook page and check out a previous article with the history of the Peekskill Clean Routine here.  

Peekskill Walks to unveil the newest Little Free Library in Peekskill at Esther Place on Sunday

The third little Free Library in the City of Peekskill will be unveiled at Esther Place on Sunday, September 22, at 11 a.m. The Free Little Library is being installed next to the Hugo’s building on Esther Place and will be a gift to the community from Peekskill Walks. 

“The Little Library was built by neighbor Chuck Grimmett and painted by artist Carla Rae Johnson, both lending their time expertise to make this project happen,” explains Peekskill walks co-founder Conor Greene. He continued, “we also owe our thanks to the building owner, Arne Paglia for letting us use the space next to his building.” 

Bring a used book to donate and a sense of wonder. Bring the kids along and some sidewalk chalk and liven up the sidewalks. Enjoy the fun and festive atmosphere with lawn games, a magic show by local magician Margaret Steele, and  poetry readings by Nina Robins and finally the ribbon cutting for the Little Library.

The first Little Free Library in Peekskill belongs to the Millard family on the 200 block of Nelson Avenue. The second Little Free Library is located on the corner of Main and James streets at the edge of the United Methodist Church property. Read more about the first and second free Little Libraries in Peekskill that was featured in the Peekskill Herald article: “Read all about it. Free Library here”.  

Esther Place is a pedestrian plaza that was once a cut through street used only by vehicles. In 2020, Peekskill Walks, a civic group proposed to create a new pedestrian plaza on the shortest street in Peekskill. The Peekskill Common Council agreed, and Esther Street was closed down to vehicular traffic and became a temporary public plaza. Since then, the plaza has become a place of sense, a community gathering place, and a hub for community activities. Every weekend from spring through fall, “Live on Esther Street” and the “Esther Street Jazz” series liven up the plaza with outdoor music. The state grant that was awarded to Peekskill has helped bring art to the plaza by adding art to the outside wall of the Flatiron Building where the Peekskill Coffee House is located, and a banner on the wall of the Bean Runner Cafe. Most recently, Esther Place held a free and open viewing of the 2024 Presidential debate.

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