The Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society will host what’s tentatively called “Ho-Down for the Hay Barn,” a fire recovery benefit for the Fischer family, Ag Society executive director Kristina West said. The event was organized by Traeger DiPietro, Julie Scott, Brian Ditchfield, and Robyn, Simon, and Meg Athearn, and is scheduled for Saturday, April 6, from 5:30 pm to 10 pm. The event will be a potluck with music and an art sale. Johnny Hoy, Phil DeRosa, and Pickpocket are among the acts slated to perform. Benefit coordinator Amy Coffey said tickets are on sale at Tickets MV, and that Susan Siegel Goldsmith has waived any fees associated with the ticket platform.
“I do think it’s going to be a sellout,” Coffey said. Tickets are $25 for adults, while children will be admitted free. Ag Society president Brian Athearn said the hall can hold a little over 300 people.
Flat Point Farm was ravaged by an early-morning fire on March 19. The flames killed nearly 100 animals, incinerated hundreds of hay bales, leveled a barn, and damaged adjacent structures. The West Tisbury Fire Department suspects a heat lamp, a common farm device used to warm chicks and baby lambs, triggered the blaze.
Checks for Flat Point Farm restoration can be made out to the Priscilla Fischer Trust, Coffey said. The Ag Society is accepting in-kind donations too, such as food, she noted. For example, M.V. Bank has opted to provide nonalcoholic beverages. For alcohol, it’s BYOB, she said.
Coffey said the event will be especially poignant for her, as Eleanor Neubert, who oversees Flat Point Farm with her brother Arnie Fischer, is her mentor and predecessor in the management of the Agricultural Fair.
“The gist of it is that we’re incredibly fortunate to have the community we have,” Brian Athearn said. “It’s such a horrible situation. The community has rallied.”
As The Times reported on March 19, the community donated generously to a GoFundMe page set up in the wake of the fire. As of Wednesday morning, the $50,000 goal had been surpassed with a total of $116,635.
For more information on the benefit, please call Amy Coffey at 508-693-9549 or send an email to fair@mvasmv.org.
