
David Hambleton joined Sisters Hill Farm in 1999 and says “there’s nothing more basic and elemental than feeding people.”
Natalia Zukerman
David Hambleton joined Sisters Hill Farm in 1999 and says “there’s nothing more basic and elemental than feeding people.”
STANFORDVILLE — As part of their mission, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York hired David Hambleton in 1999 to be the farmer and Director of Sisters Hill Farm in Stanfordville.
The property, known as Hill Crest Farm in the early days of the twentieth century, was willed to the sisters in 1917. They oversaw the property until the 1940s when the land was left fallow. Since 1999, it has flourished under Hambleton’s guidance, whose unique blend of skills and passions has reshaped the landscape, infusing it with innovation, sustainability, and a deep sense of purpose.
Reflecting the sisters’ mission of reverence for the land, women, children, and addressing poverty, it was decided that Hambleton would develop a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program on the farm.
With a degree in environmental studies from Binghamton University and a background in carpentry and cabinet making, Hambleton brought his ecological expertise and a diverse array of practical skills to the task.
What began as a modest endeavor now feeds 400 families, while sharing 10% of the harvest with those in need.
The CSA runs from the last week in May until the first week in November. There is a drop off location at the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx for about 60 participating families and the rest are locals who can choose from a weekly or bi-weekly pick up on the farm.
“We used a sliding scale for years,” explains Hambleton of their pay model, “but now people pay what they are able, so some people pay nothing, and some pay full price. And if you have a hardship, let us know what you can afford.”
Hambleton grew up next to a dairy farm in Thompson Ridge, a hamlet located within the town of Crawford, New York.
“I played in the farm fields and in the woods, chopping down trees, damming up streams, building forts and all that sort of thing. This is kind of like that on the best days,” he laughed.
Farmer David Hambleton at Sisters Hill Farm in Stanfordville where a CSA runs from last week in May to November. Natalia Zukerman
Indeed, it does seem as though Hambleton is still playing. An engineer at heart, he has an eye for design and a knack for problem-solving which has led him to refurbish and create custom-built machinery. From a custom fertilizer drop spreader to refurbished tractors from the 30s and 40s, to mobile high tunnels that maximize space and efficiency, Hambleton’s designs are meticulously crafted, a marriage of function and form. With an artist’s sensibility and a farmer’s pragmatism, Hambleton is constantly tinkering and innovating to improve efficiency and sustainability on the farm.
As a member of the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (C.R.A.F.T.), a collaborative effort of local and biodynamic farms that offers opportunities for apprentices, Hambleton shares his knowledge and expertise with aspiring farmers. The paid position is open to just a few applicants and beyond teaching them by just working on the farm, Hambleton also offers private classes on everything from metal working and wood working to tractor mechanics, to finances and bookkeeping.
There is also housing available on site, so the small group works closely together around the clock.
“We all get along really well and have a lot of similar interests,” said Kiva Carman-Frank, one of this year’s apprentices.
After the first few years living on site as well, Hambleton built his own house across the street from the farm, where he still lives with his wife and two sons. It offers him a bit of space from his work but for Hambleton, farming is more than a livelihood—it’s a way of life rooted in a deep connection to the land.
As part of an ecological agriculture class in college, Hambleton visited a CSA and recalled that the farmer was, “living a life according to his principles and that was something I really wanted to do.” Further reflecting on his work, he shared, “There’s nothing more basic and elemental than feeding people…and I wanted to do something basic and elemental and meaningful.”
To find out more go to www.sistershillfarm.org
David Hambleton with Assistant Farm Manager, Cole Freeman and apprentice Kiva Carman-Frank.Natalia Zukerman
SHARON — Angela Derrick Carabine, 74, died May 17, 2025, at Vasser Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. She was the wife of Michael Carabine and mother of Caitlin Carabine McLean.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on June 6 at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Katri (St Bernards Church) Church. Burial will follow at St. Bernards Cemetery. A complete obituary can be found on the website of the Kenny Funeral home kennyfuneralhomes.com.
Sam Waterston
On June 7 at 3 p.m., the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington will host a benefit screening of “The Killing Fields,” Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama about the Khmer Rouge and the two journalists, Cambodian Dith Pran and New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg, whose story carried the weight of a nation’s tragedy.
The film, which earned three Academy Awards and seven nominations — including one for Best Actor for Sam Waterston — will be followed by a rare conversation between Waterston and his longtime collaborator and acclaimed television and theater director Matthew Penn.
“This came out of the blue,” Waterston said of the Triplex invitation, “but I love the town, I love this area. We raised our kids here in the Northwest Corner and it’s been good for them and good for us.”
Waterston hasn’t seen the film in decades but its impact has always remained present.
“It was a major event in my life at the time,” Waterston said of filming “The Killing Fields,” “and it had a big influence on me and my life ever after.” He remembers the shoot vividly. “My adrenaline was running high and the part of Sydney Schanberg was so complicated, so interesting.”
Waterston lobbied for the role of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for years, tracing his early interest to a serendipitous connection while filming in England. Even before Joffé’s production was greenlit, he had his sights set on playing the role. “I knew I wanted the part for years even before it was a movie that was being produced.”
What followed was not just critical acclaim, but also a political awakening. “The film gave all of us an intimate acquaintance with refugees, what it is to be a refugee, how the world forgets them and what a terrible crime that is.”
In Boston, at a press stop for the film, two women asked Waterston a pointed question: now that he knew what he knew, what was he going to do about it? “I said, ‘Well, you know, I’m an actor, so I thought I’d go on acting.’ And they said, ‘No, that’s not what you need to do. You need to join Refugees International.’” And join he did, serving on the organization’s board for 25 years.
Both Schanberg and Dith Pran, whose life the film also chronicles, were “cooperative and helpful … in a million ways,” Waterston said. Upon first meeting Pran, Waterston recalled, “He came up to me, made a fist, and pounded on my chest really hard and said, ‘You must understand that Sydney is very strong here.’ He was trying to plant something in me.”
There were more tender gestures, too. Schanberg used the New York Times wire to relay that Waterston’s wife had just given birth while he was filming in Thailand, adding to the personal and emotional connection to the production.
Though “The Killing Fields” is a historical document, its truths still resonate deeply today. “Corruption is a real thing,” Waterston warned. “Journalism is an absolutely essential part of our democracy that is as under siege today as it was then. It’s different now but it’s the same thing of ‘Don’t tell the stories we don’t want heard.’ Without journalists, we are dust in the wind.” Waterston added, “Democracy is built on the consent of the governed but the other thing it’s built on is participation of the governed and without full participation, democracy really doesn’t stand much of a chance. It’s kind of a dead man walking.”
When asked what he hopes the audience will take away from the screening, Waterston didn’t hesitate. “This is the story that puts the victims of war at the center of the story and breaks your heart. I think that does people a world of good to have their hearts broken about something that’s true. So, I hope that’s what the impact will be now.”
Tickets for the benefit screening are available at www.thetriplex.org. Proceeds support Triplex Cinema, a nonprofit home for film and community programming in the Berkshires.
Scott Reinhard, graphic designer, cartographer, former Graphics Editor at the New York Times, took time out from setting up his show “Here, Here, Here, Here- Maps as Art” to explain his process of working.Here he explains one of the “Heres”, the Hunt Library’s location on earth (the orange dot below his hand).
Map lovers know that as well as providing the vital functions of location and guidance, maps can also be works of art.With an exhibition titled “Here, Here, Here, Here — Maps as Art,” Scott Reinhard, graphic designer and cartographer, shows this to be true. The exhibition opens on June 7 at the David M. Hunt Library at 63 Main St., Falls Village, and will be the first solo exhibition for Reinhard.
Reinhard explained how he came to be a mapmaker. “Mapping as a part of my career was somewhat unexpected.I took an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS), the technological side of mapmaking, when I was in graduate school for graphic design at North Carolina State.GIS opened up a whole new world, new tools, and data as a medium to play with.”
He added, “When I moved to New York City, I continued that exploration of cartography, and my work eventually caught the attention of the New York Times, where I went to work as a Graphics Editor, making maps and data visualizations for a number of years.”At the New York Times, his work contributed to a number of Pulitzer Prize winning efforts.
In his work, Reinhard takes complex data and turns it into intriguing visualizations the viewer can begin to comprehend immediately and will want to continue to look into and explore more deeply.
One method Reinhard uses combines historic United States Geological survey maps with “current elevation data (height above sea level for a point on earth) to create 3-D looking maps, combining old and new,” he explained.
For the show at Hunt Library Reinhard said, “I knew that I wanted to incorporate the place into the show itself. A place can be many things.The exhibition portrays the exact spot visitors are from four vantage points: the solar system, the earth, the Northwest Corner, and the library itself.” Hence the name, “Here, Here, Here, Here.”
He continued, “The largest installation, the Northwest Corner, is a mosaic of high-resolution color prints and hand-printed cyanotypes — one of the earliest forms of photography. They use elevation data to portray the landscape in a variety of ways, from highly abstract to the highly detailed.”
This sixteen-foot-wide installation covers the area of Millerton to Barkhamsted Reservoir and from North Canaan down to Cornwall for a total of about 445 square miles.
For subjects, he chooses places he’s visited and feels deeply connected to, like the Northwest Corner.“This show is a thank you to the community for the richness that it has brought to my life. I love it here,” he said.
The opening reception for the show is on June 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. On Thursday, June 12, Reinhard will give a talk about his work from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the library.“Here, Here, Here, Here” will be on display until July 3.
Scott Reinhard’s 16-foot-wide piece of the Northwest Corner is laid out on the floor prior to being hung for the show. L. Tomaino
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