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Bellvale Farms Creamery celebrates 10th anniversary

| 24 Sep 2013 | 01:00
    The Bellvale Farms Creamery.
    The Bellvale Farms Creamery.
    Three generations: From left, Judy Buckbee, her granddaughter Jasmine Noteboom, 15, Al Buckbee, his daughter Amy Noteboom, her husband Tim Noteboom, her brother Skip Buckbee and her son William, 12.
    Three generations: From left, Judy Buckbee, her granddaughter Jasmine Noteboom, 15, Al Buckbee, his daughter Amy Noteboom, her husband Tim Noteboom, her brother Skip Buckbee and her son William, 12.
    Shirley Gordon reads þÄúValley Magic,þÄù a poem composed by her late husband, Seymour Gordon, about the preservation of the agricultural heritage of the Warwick Valley.
    Shirley Gordon reads þÄúValley Magic,þÄù a poem composed by her late husband, Seymour Gordon, about the preservation of the agricultural heritage of the Warwick Valley.
    During the celebration guests gathered near the summit of Mt. Peter to hear Shirley Gordon read þÄúValley Magic,þÄù a poem composed by her late husband, Seymour Gordon, about the preservation of the agricultural heritage of the Warwick Valley.
    During the celebration guests gathered near the summit of Mt. Peter to hear Shirley Gordon read þÄúValley Magic,þÄù a poem composed by her late husband, Seymour Gordon, about the preservation of the agricultural heritage of the Warwick Valley.
    Photo by Roger Gavan Al Buckbee, who owns and manages Bellvale Farms, also gave each guest a print of þÄúThe Warwick Valley,þÄù describing the view of the valley from the Bellvale Farms Creamery.
    Photo by Roger Gavan Al Buckbee, who owns and manages Bellvale Farms, also gave each guest a print of þÄúThe Warwick Valley,þÄù describing the view of the valley from the Bellvale Farms Creamery.

WARWICK — It may be hard to imagine for those who live in Warwick but the popular Bellvale Farms Creamery atop Mt. Peter just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

On Saturday evening, Sept. 21, local officials, representative of the Warwick Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Warwick Historical Society and friends and neighbors joined owners Tim and Amy Noteboom and their family to celebrate the milestone event with lots of ice cream.

During the celebration guests gathered near the summit of Mt. Peter to hear Shirley Gordon read “Valley Magic,” a poem composed by her late husband, Seymour Gordon, about the preservation of the agricultural heritage of the Warwick Valley.

Seymour Gordon served as chairman of the Town of Warwick Agricultural and Open Space Preservation Board, responsible for the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program for preserving farmlands in the Warwick Valley.

Al Buckbee, who owns and manages Bellvale Farms, also gave each guest a print of “The Warwick Valley,” describing the spectacular view of the valley from the Bellvale Farms Creamery.

For the past ten years the Bellvale Farms Creamery has been a popular destination for day-trippers as well as local residents. Visitors praise homemade ice cream flavors such as the popular “Bellvale Bog,” among a variety of new and traditional flavors.

The creamery is also near the Appalachian Trail, a well-known hiking path ranging from Georgia to Maine, and many hikers look forward to this stop on Route 17A in Warwick.

The history of Bellvale Farms dates back to 1819 when William Wisner purchased the original land from William Noble and began farming the valley below. Under their stewardship, Judy and Al Buckbee, the current owners, have purchased five adjoining farms, bringing the total acreage of Bellvale Farms to 450 acres today.

“Our farm was one of the earliest to sign on for PDR,” said Al Buckbee, “and we were able to use that capital to continue farming and to establish our successful Bellvale Farms Creamery.”

- Roger Gavan