The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation will presents its annual Connecticut Preservation Awards today at an event in Newtown.  The awards recognize outstanding preservation projects and people who have made significant contributions to the preservation of Connecticut's historic buildings and places. 

The presentation at Edmond Town Hall is set for 6pm. 

The Trustees' Award for Stewardship will be presented to George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis for their reclamation and reactivation of Arethusa Farm. They have preserved 300 acres of agricultural land with numerous historic houses and barns, rehabilitated historic commercial buildings in the village of Bantam. 

The organization says the project stimulated strong visitor traffic and created 250 jobs on the farm and in the production, wholesale, and retail chain.  They cited the farm as exemplary as compatible economic development in a place with a strong agricultural identity and as a stewardship engine to protect historic resources and character.