Expecting to write a new chapter in the history of the Ellsworth Farm, Kristy Foss and Graham Stanton are the new stewards of the 76 acres of land that comprise the old farm.
“It’s been a family farm for a long time,” Foss said during an interview on Monday, June 13, remembering past generations of owners.
The farm originally belonged to the Dunbar family of Dunbar Road. For about 20 years, the farm was owned by Bill Vitalis, who operated the farm as a commercial apple orchard, shipping nationwide.
In 1978, the first year of apple sales, 340 bushels were sold. By 1980, the yield had grown to 4,800 bushels, and 11 tons of strawberries were harvested from its fields.
More recently, over the past two decades, the farm was owned by Michael Bozzi, who expanded the berry operation and welcomed the public to visit the farm.
The landmark property had become a significant destination for its orchards, pick-your-own berries and a variety of other produce, featuring hayrides and other autumn favorites for children and families, including the pumpkin patch and corn maze.
Situated just across Dunbar Road from their home, Ellsworth Farm was for sale for a few years, Foss noted.
“Our number one priority was protecting the land,” referring to the expanse of land on both sides of Route 4. They purchased the farm property in late 2021 for $2.7 million.
“One of the reasons we wanted to move here was the community,” Foss said, adding that she and Stanton had been coming to the area for six years, first in Falls Village and then in Sharon.
Their professional lives as technology entrepreneurs, specializing in tech startups, are centered in New York City, but along with daughter Lieve, who is 5, they are spending substantial time locally with home improvements and overseeing natural rejuvenation of the land.
While they are coming to know more about the property, Foss said that there has already been one pleasant surprise.
“We knew the barn was nice, dating back to the 1700s,” but they have come to discover that the upper part of the solidly constructed old barn is a huge open space with exposed timbers. “It was being used for storage, but it has amazing potential,”
“We’re taking time to restore the barn and the land,” Foss said, adding that they want to take that time to understand what’s best for the land within its environs.
“A moment to pause,” put succinctly by Stanton, “and to assess,” Foss said in agreement. “We are evaluating everything about the land, and letting the land rest,” she added.
“Graham and I are big on natural maintenance of the land,” Foss said, having realized that they and the land are part of a community. During the summer months, they plan to become better connected within the Sharon community.
“We’re thrilled to have bought it,” Foss said.
“History is important to us,” they both agreed. “We don’t want this story to end.”
NORTH CANAAN —Searchers were out on Lower Road in North Canaan Monday morning, Aug. 4, looking for an elderly man last seen Saturday morning, Aug. 2.
Two of the men looking for Rafael Perez, age 71, were his son, also named Rafael Perez, and grandson, Sebastian Arango.
The missing man is described as a Hispanic male, white hair, brown eyes, 5’8” inches tall, 150 pounds. He was wearing a black shirt, blue shorts and black shoes. He has scars on his forehead and both knees.
Arango said his grandfather was last seen around 11:30 a.m. Saturday heading east on Route 44 and then south on Deely Road toward a cornfield and the north bank of the Blackberry River.
Arango said that area was searched yesterday and they were expanding the search along Lower Road.
Perez Jr. said his father has Parkinson’s disease and dementia.
State police and a search team of about 40 people were out looking down near Deely Road on Monday, Aug. 4.
The search party Monday, Aug. 4, focused its efforts in the area around Deely Road and the Blackberry River in North Canaan.Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY — The tragedy on New York’s Park Avenue Tuesday, July 29, has been felt deeply in the Northwest Corner.
One of the victims, Wesley Mittman LePatner, was shot and killed along with three others by a gunman who then took his own life. At 43, she was a senior executive at Blackstone, which is housed in the same building at the National Football League. Early reports surmise the shooter, who traveled from Las Vegas, was aiming at those connected to the NFL because of injuries he sustained playing the game in high school. Sources said LePatner, an innocent bystander, was struck down in the building’s lobby.
LePatner had strong ties to the area from an early age and she and her family had a weekend home on Spruce Lane. Accolades have poured in over social media about the woman who was extremely bright, passionate about many causes and active in a variety of organizations.
Those who worked at The Lakeville Journal remember the spirited teenager who served as the paper’s first summer intern in 1997. A self-motivator, she would enthusiastically seek out stories, ready to take on any challenge. Janet Manko, who was then the publisher, said, “Her work spoke for her talent and motivation. I did see her representing the enthusiasm of a young person, as only high school students can bring to the table. That was my first year at the Journal, so I did think, ‘Wow! This is great! The Journal has such talented and connected interns!’”
Le Patner set the standard and the program has gone on to host numerous interns, including the eight in this summer’s program.
She went to Yale University after studying at the Horace Mann School in New York City. On her first day at college, she met Evan LePatner, who later became her husband. Majoring in history, she graduated summa cum laude and was very active in many aspects of campus life. Her first position after college was in the real estate division of Goldman Sachs. Currently, she was a senior executive at Blackstone.
A statement from Blackstone read, “Words cannot express the devastation we feel. Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family. We are also saddened by the loss of the other innocent victims as well, including brave security personnel and NYPD.”
She served on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Library Council and Advisory Board of Governors of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. She was actively involved in the Jewish community, serving on the board of the Abraham Joshua Heschel School, a pluralistic Jewish school, the UJA-Federation of New York, a Jewish organization, and was a member of Hevreh of Southern Berkshire in Great Barrington, Mass.
Rabbi Jodie Gordon of Hevreh posted, “Wesley and her family have been a beloved part of our religious school community since 2020. She was wise-hearted, generous, and deeply committed to the Jewish people. Whenever she was here with us at Hevreh, her warmth and love for her family shone through, especially last spring when we celebrated together with the LePatner family at the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter Emerson.
Perhaps her deep commitment to Judaism was fostered by her grandparents, the late Barbara and Frank Roth. Barbara Roth, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 90, was a well-known real estate agent. She and her husband were noted for founding the Connecticut Northwest Corner Jewish Community Group which helped develop a sense of Jewish pride and community among their neighbors. She very often represented the Jewish population in ecumenical events in town.
The LePatners have had a home on Spruce Lane for seven years and are part of the Burton Road Association. President James Sok sent out a notice to members relaying the devastating news in which he said, “They were truly wonderful neighbors and cherished friends. Our connection to Wesley runs deep, as Debbie and I were close with her grandparents, Barbara and Frank Roth. Through their stories, we followed Wesley’s journey from her childhood in Lakeville, through her college years, and into her early career. We were overjoyed when she and Evan became our neighbors, bringing their warmth and kindness to our community.”
He continued, “Wesley was an exceptional person whose presence touched so many lives. Her loss is profoundly felt, and it’s difficult to comprehend how such a tragedy could befall someone so full of light and goodness. Debbie and I, along with many of you who knew her, are grappling with the immense sadness of her absence...Wesley’s memory will live on in the countless ways she made our community and the world a better place. She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.”
In addition to her husband and daughter, LePatner is survived by her son Jonathan and parents, Ellyn and Lawrence Mittman.
The July 31 referendum in Kent, Warren and Washington banned wakesurfing on Lake Waramaug.
The sport of wakesurfing is now banned on lake Waramaug as the result of a decisive tri-town vote held on Thursday, July 31.
Voters in Kent, Warren and Washington, the three towns that border Lake Waramaug, approved the ordinance with 1452 residents ultimately voting in favor of banning the sport against 421 opposed to it.
Kent had the steepest margin in favor of the ordinance, which had to be voted through by all three towns to take effect. About 83% of Kent residents voted for the ban, totaling 468 yeses. Only 96 voted no.
In Washington, 649 voted in favor and 186 voted in opposition. Warren, the closest vote, saw 335 yes votes and 139 no.
The ordinance, which was drafted over the course of several years by the Lake Waramaug Authority, holds that any boats which operate in “surf mode,” meaning they draw water into the ballasts to create larger wakes, will be fined $250 per infraction. Wakesurfing differs from wakeboarding in that the boats move slowly, with ballast weight, to create a larger wave for participants to surf on behind the boat.
Wakesurfing is the only activity regulated by the ban.
The ordinance has been the subject of contentious public discourse for months, with sparring road signs lining streets in the three towns. Proponents of the ban have cited potential ecological damage and public safety as reasons to end the sport on the lake, while opponents have decried the action as an unnecessary and drastic infringement on resident’s right to recreate.
On vote night in Washington, resident Craig Wilbur stated he was voting no on the ban, describing it as “an overreach.”
“The lake seems like it’s the healthiest it’s ever been,” he added. His young daughter chimed in: “All boats make waves.”
Another voting resident, Lila Nelson, went the other way, stating that she felt the lake was too small to accommodate the activity. “There are a lot of big lakes around here where you can go wakesurfing,” she said, listing Candlewood Lake and Bantam Lakes as two larger alternatives.
