Don't Miss: Muscoot Farm Celebration Sunday

County Executive Robert P. Astorino invites everyone to be part of the celebration as Muscoot Farm commemorates its 40th anniversary as a Westchester County Park at 1 p.m. Sunday.

“Muscoot Farm is a cherished Westchester landmark that has been enjoyed by generations of residents,” Astorino said. “I congratulate Muscoot on 40 years of creating dynamic programs that teach what farm life was like in Westchester in the late 1800s when it was a private, working farm.”

Muscoot is a 777-acre interpretive farm operated by the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. The farm is located on 51 Route 100.

Before it was acquired by Westchester County and developed as a county park, Muscoot was a private farm owned by the Hopkins family, originally from New York City. Known as a “gentleman’s farm,” the property was used by the family as a summer estate where they grew produce and raised livestock for the family table. Two hundred years ago, most Westchester residents made their living farming. Agriculture as a business in the county gradually diminished as modern modes of transportation and food preservation brought competition from farms further afield. The huge farming manors that once dominated the county gave way to smaller, independent farms. As farming began to disappear, a new type of farmer – the “gentleman farmer,” primarily New York City residents who had the resources to keep a country estate – emerged.

Ever since its 1975 opening as a Westchester County Park, Muscoot has engaged visitors in a wide spectrum of events and activities, from demonstrations of maple sugaring, sheep-shearing and other routines of early farm life, to farm-to-table dinners, hayrides, barnyard tours, and even children’s camps.

The program will include live music, family and children’s activities, hayrides and a farmers market. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Muscoot Farm.