Runners trekking through the Crawford Walking Trail last Thursday, July 18 may have stumbled on a party at the intersection of the trail’s gentle and difficult routes. This gathering celebrated the late Joseph “Buddy” and Alice Youngberg Wild, a hardworking pair of residents that the town commemorated by naming one of the trail’s gazebos after their family.

Originally from Montgomery, Buddy and Alice moved to Crawford between the late 1970s and early 1980s, where they found an old, desolate property off Ward Street and turned it into their dream farm. The two harvested hay, raised and sold Black Angus cattle and pigs, capped horses, and handled numerous other responsibilities on the farm for over 40 years. Outside of their homestead, Buddy managed a local welding business and Alice was a driver for the Pine Bush School District.

Buddy passed away in 2013 and Alice in 2021; a few years after the former’s passing, the Wild Farm would become the Crawford Walking Trail. While the Wild Farm is no longer operational, the walking trail retains the property’s beauty that the couple worked tirelessly to restore.

During Thursday’s ceremony, numerous friends and family enjoyed sandwiches and pizza while reminiscing about their memories with Buddy and Alice. Many attendants admired the gazebo dedicated to the couple, a gesture that permanently cemented the two’s legacy and a reminder of how many people they touched in the community.

“I think it’s well-deserved. When we got this area, we’ve been meaning to do something for the family,” said Town Supervisor Charles Carnes. “They came in and made a beautiful farm. From welding to horse capping, they’ve done everything, and we wanted to do something special for them.”

“We thought it was wonderful, and amazing how many people came out to celebrate,” said Christine Wild Jamison, Buddy and Alice’s daughter. “We should make it a tradition and celebrate them every year at the gazebo.”