Ramblin' Vewe Farm adds 43 acres, looks to donations to fund purchase

GILFORD — With its winding, trail network and location at the edge of Gilford Village, Ramblin' Vewe Farm is a quiet place. In purchasing the abutting 43-acre Sanfaçon property, the farm’s trustees aim to keep it that way.

But, trustees say, they need the public’s help.

Ramblin' Vewe’s nearly 300 acres of land host a robust public trails network, and shepherd Jeff Keyser continues to operate its nearly 50-year-old sheep farm. The farm also supports outdoor education and engagement with local schools. Its expansion will further the conservation mission of its original owners and trustees, said treasurer of the Ramblin' Vewe Farm Trust Weldon Bosworth.

The purchase price on the parcel is $240,000. The Gilford Conservation Commission voted to approve contributing $120,000 of that price, and the Ramblin' Vewe Farm Trust is able to offer up to $55,000 if needed. The remainder will be covered through donations, which an anonymous donor has agreed to match.

Laconia High School graduates Dick and Betty Persons purchased the 50 acres of land that would become Ramblin’ Vewe Farm in the early 1970s. Dick built a home on the land and, throughout the next few decades, they acquired more adjoining parcels. In the early 1980s, following the passions of Betty, they began sheep farming. 

Dick was especially fond of working the land and the couple spent more than 20 years turning old carriage roads on the property into walking trails, which they frequented together throughout their more than 55-year residency.

In 2006, the Persons formed the Ramblin' Vewe Farm Trust and assembled trustees to protect their vision for the property, steward the farm, oversee and maintain its free hiking trails and preserve the beauty of what had become 300 acres of land.

The trust’s mission is to “conserve the heritage of working farms and rural landscapes, foster educational and recreational activities and create trails to connect people, communities and the land.”

In recent years, volunteers and enthusiasts have worked to expand the trail network. There are about 10 miles of trails on the farm’s current land. Members of a local mountain biking group, Bosworth said, who had helped curate trail expansions on the farm, approached Dr. Leo Sanfaçon, who owned the land between the farm and Route 11A, asking if they could create trails on his property.

Sanfaçon obliged and in the last five years, Bosworth estimated, 3 miles of single track mountain bike trails, which can also be used for other purposes, have sprawled onto that land.

About a year ago, the Sanfaçon family put the property up for sale. 

“When I found out about that, I said, ‘We don't want to let that go,’” Bosworth said. The Sanfaçons agreed to take it off the market and negotiate with the farm trust.

“The real attraction both for us and for the town of Gilford is, first of all, it increases this whole conserved area, right near the center of town to about 335 acres. It adds to 10 miles of trails we have on Ramblin' Vewe, to make 13 miles — and there's still areas there that could be added,” Bosworth said. “And one of the best things, I think, when you drive into town, it keeps forested land right next to the road, which adds to the rural character of Gilford,” Bosworth said. 

The Gilford Conservation Commission approved its contribution to the sale on Dec. 20. 

While the farm trust will own the property, the commission will own the conservation easement on the property, Bosworth described. Putting such eggs in multiple baskets is common for conservation land, he continued, because it creates multiple lines of defense against a future party wanting to develop the land.

As of Dec. 26, the GoFundMe for donations was approaching $2,000 with about 20 different donors. To contribute, visit gofundme.com/f/conserve-the-sanfacon-property.