Due to the snow storm and snow removal there will be no parking on Main Street Until Further Notice
From the Mayor’s Office
January 30, 2024
Le Terroir
Le Terroir is a French term meaning ‘Of the Earth’. It refers to the soils and conditions that make a region unique and is often referred to in the production of beer and wine, but it also includes other forms of agriculture. In France they have put greater focus on this in part to recognize and to identify regional singularity and to maintain the historic legacy of special products that are born from specific soils and climate conditions.
This is already being done in our own Warwick Valley on many levels as we celebrate the fertile lowlands we know as ‘Black Dirt’. Warwick Gin, Black Dirt Brewery, Bellvale Bog Ice Cream are all good examples of marrying the identity of a product to a place. We are home to a rich, diverse agricultural region, there are aspects within our Valley that are unique. A valley presents a wide variety of soil types, terrain, microclimates. To celebrate and to connect it to Warwick Valley – the earth beneath our feet, is to further instill the importance of our agricultural offerings. It is a form of branding that differentiates and creates public awareness.
Maybe no one is more aware of this connectivity than my dear friend Cheryl Rogowski. I first met Cheryl when an earnest group of farmers, makers and interested citizens met to establish the Warwick Valley Farmers Market. That was over 30 years ago and this year our beloved market will be celebrating its 30th year of continuous operation. We are the oldest Market in the Mid- Hudson Region and Cheryl has been an integral part of it along the way. The Rogowski Farm has been a vendor at the Market since its inception and Cheryl was one of the founding steering committee members. Cheryl was the recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award for her innovative CSA, Community Sponsored Agriculture Program, that focused on Seniors. She is truly, ‘of the earth’ and her farming advocacy a vital part of her being.
Now is the time we can be helping hands. The Rogowski Farm recently suffered a terrible fire destroying its kitchen and this year’s seed supply. Cheryl and her sister Sue are remarkably resilient which is a necessary trait in farming, but this is a substantial setback, and this is where community comes in. If you would like to help a neighbor, please follow this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rogowski-farm-black-dirt-gourmet.
The next Village Board meeting will take place on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 77 Main Street.
