Lila Fischer held a basket of sheep’s wool as she greeted guests to Flat Point Farm on Sunday afternoon. Each visitor, old and young, received a small white fluff of wool from the sheep that died last week in the early morning fire.
Family and close friends then gathered in a circle near the ruins of the old barn. Some held bouquets of lilies, daffodils and sunflowers. A sense of quiet settled over the group that extended to the children.
Albert Fischer, cousin of farm owners Eleanor (Fischer) Neubert and Arnie Fischer, Jr., remembered the miniature barn sets they created as children, arranging toy animals and tiny fences under the trees on the property.
“I think these little farm sets attest to the fact that farming is ingrained in them. It’s in their blood. And there’s been a farm here for 80 years,” he said.
He described the barn, the animals he photographed, the stanchions and the fair ribbons. Immediately after the fire, Albert Fischer launched an online fundraising campaign to help the family rebuild. To date, that campaign has raised more than $100,000, and a hoedown fundraiser is set for April 6 with plans for a possible barn raising in the works.
“I’m so proud to be related to this family,” Albert Fischer said. “The community has been amazing. It humbles me. Farms feed people, and it’s such a great feeling knowing this farm will continue for many generations.”
Rebecca Gilbert of Native Earth Teaching Farm in Chilmark spoke of grief, and how it serves to connect people and engender creativity. She talked about the personal experience of grief, the sinking feeling when bad news arrives.
“These we all accumulate in our lives, these grieving moments, and they are what give us... empathy for the community when larger things happen,” she said, describing the barn fire and other disasters like recent flooding across the midwest. “All these griefs are connected, and when we start to grieve for one, we grieve for them all.”
Farm owner Arnie Fischer, Jr. gave a short, emotional thank you from the center of the circle. Mr. Fischer’s father founded a dairy farm on the property in 1939, and he spent his life on the farm.
“You all being here makes this a little easier for us,” he said. “What would life be if there weren’t things that we really loved and really cared about? This enriches us and makes us stronger.”
To conclude the ceremony, Arnie’s daughter Lila Fischer led the group in song with a version of “He’s got the whole world in his hands,” altering the verses to honor the animals lost:
She’s got the sheep and lambs in her hands
She’s got the chickens and eggs in her hands
She’s got the cows in the barn in her hands
She’s got the whole world in her hands.
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