A note from Farmer Smolak as this fall season wraps up…
This year has been an incredible one for our apple crop. With the season nearing it’s end and Veteran’s day around the corner, we decided to combine our apple excess with this celebratory day, and offer a free peck back of apples to all veterans and active-duty military. We scheduled this promotion to run over two weekends, October 23-24 and October 30-31.
Last weekend we kicked off the first of our two military weekends, and had a wonderful turnout of veterans and active military at the farm. They came in all forms — with families, parts of families, on their own or with friends, and we were so gratified to be able to show support for our troops. The one constant theme that ran throughout the weekend was tremendous gratitude for being remembered and appreciated.
One story that was especially poignant in my mind was the wife of a serviceman, who was also in the service of our country, whose husband had the honor of being a pallbearer for Johanny Rosario. In a country that has a great heart and whose basic traditional values are to help people, too often our service people are forgotten as resources are diverted towards other causes and people.
I just wanted to say a huge thank you with limitless gratitude to all service people. If it were not for you, we would not have the freedoms that we have. Several people in my family had been called to serve and fortunately, all came back. Being from the Vietnam era myself, I had friends that did not come back and will never forget their sacrifice.
With humble gratitude,
H Michael Smolak, Jr.