The Agricultural Hall in West Tisbury was created in 1994 when a community effort resurrected an old barn to give it new life. Over the years it has become an essential space for Islanders to gather for all manner of milestones — to eat together, dance and sing together, and to enjoy the annual August fair together.

On Sunday it served another essential purpose: to hold an Island’s shared grief as the community paid tribute to the life and legacy of 17-year-old Waylon Madison Sauer who died in a car accident last week. Nearly two thousand people bore witness, sitting and standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the great hall and stretching outside onto the grass. They arrived by car and bus, by foot, and by wheelchair and stroller.

Many more were present too, as Aquinnah Wampanoag medicine man Jason Baird said earlier at the gravesite, lifting up the spirits of all the ancestors in attendance, stretching back to the beginning of time. Also present were the spirits of all the other Island lives cut too short, from very recent time to more far-reaching ones.

In this season of giving thanks it is difficult to feel grateful in the face of so much grief. And yet there was beauty on display Sunday and the preceding days that deserves to be lifted up and be thankful for.

On Saturday, the Agricultural Hall was a buzz of activity as flowers were arranged, food prepared, lighting and sound orchestrated. No detail was left untended as the space became a sacred one.

On Sunday the testimonials were many, and mostly led by the teenage friends of Waylon, along with his six-year old sister, honoring a young life that had affected so many. Anyone worried about the next generation not being up to the task of leading the way needed to look no further than the bravery, love and clarity of emotion displayed by the younger members of the Vineyard community to know the future is in good hands.

The Agricultural Hall, with its weathered shingles, cow weather vane and rocking chairs on the porch, did not empty out until deep into the evening Sunday. Islanders did what they do best, they showed up and held each other, and they did not let go.