n the months following a July fire that caused an estimated $1 million in damage to his farm equipment, local farmer John Kemmerer is rebuilding and re-equipping, remaining grateful for community support. One of the first essential items to be purchased was a John Deere tractor.
STANFORD — News spread rapidly in the aftermath of a devastating barn fire last July that caused an estimated $1 million in damage to Stanfordville farmer John Kemmerer’s stored equipment and hay. Response was quick as his wide community of friends sprang into action to raise funds to assist with purchasing new equipment.
Progress in acquiring replacements for the farm equipment has been steady, evidenced during a conversation with Kemmerer on Saturday, Nov. 23.
The fire on the 100 acre hay farm had raged on Thursday, July 18, a hot blaze fueled by stored hay, ruining the equipment stored in the affected barns.
Three barns, the office, and all equipment had been lost in the fire, along with a huge percentage of the stored hay, Stanford Town Supervisor Wendy Burton said.
“Multiple area fire companies assisted in fighting the fire,” Burton said. “It smoldered for many days.”
Since the fire, Kemmerer said he has purchased numerous pieces of equipment, including a 2014 Ford F530 flatbed truck, a JCB hay telehandler and a Norden hay accumulator, and a John Deere 348 baler. He has also purchased a New Holland skid steer.
Coming in January will be a new Quonset-shaped metal structure measuring 40 x 80 x 20 to store hay, Kemmerer said, pleased to be anticipating its delivery. Other barns on the property offer sufficient winter storage space for the equipment, Kemmerer said.
Since the fire, equipment purchase costs have been partly covered by insurance and largely covered by the generosity of friends and community residents.
“The community outpouring was just amazing,” Kemmerer said. He particularly noted the efforts of Dani Nicholson, who he said was instrumental in helping with the fundraising effort by visiting local businesses and community members who gave generously.
“There were just so many local friends,” Kemmerer said.
An early thought of town supervisor Burton’s had been, “We can do a fundraiser and maybe even a barn raising.” She recalled that volunteers had built a structure in the town park; perhaps they could do a barn raising.
Immediately following the fire, residents Julia Descoteaux and Steve Bruman launched a GoFundMe effort and a Kemmerer family friend, Courtney Haire, launched a similar fundraiser. By combining their efforts, they were able to reach further out into the community. All proceeds went directly to the Kemmerers, Burton said.
“Money started coming in immediately and it’s continued for quite a long time,” Burton said, roughly estimating total proceeds of $100,000 as of late October.
A live auction at Bangall Works had raised $25,000, enabling Kemmerer to purchase a used John Deere tractor that is in daily use.
“They are a beautiful family; the community came together to help,” Burton said. “What you put out into the world comes back to you.”
In the wake of the violent hurricanes and flooding experienced in North Carolina in the fall, Kemmerer responded with a shipment of hay to help farmers facing extreme loss.
Burton said the Kemmerer family’s impulses have consistently been to help their community’s needs. Accordingly, John Kemmerer sent a load of horse-quality hay to North Carolina. Kemmerer recalled the shipment consisted of 18 to 20 round bales. He added that he plans to send more soon.
One round bale is equivalent to 15 to 18 regular square bales, Kemmerer said. Round bales are generally more economical for farmers than purchasing standard square ones, he added.
Kemmerer’s daughter, Emily Hay, has started a family foundation, Century Farms Foundation Inc., to provide aid to long-established small farms and farmers in need. A goal is to sustain small family farms facing daunting competition from agribusiness ventures.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, from 12 to 5 p.m., Rock Steady Farm in Millerton opens its fields once again for the third annual Farm Fall Block Party, a vibrant, heart-forward gathering of queer and BIPOC farmers, neighbors, families, artists, and allies from across the Hudson Valley and beyond.
Co-hosted with Catalyst Collaborative Farm, The Watershed Center, WILDSEED Community Farm & Healing Village, and Seasoned Delicious Foods, this year’s party promises its biggest celebration yet. Part harvest festival, part community reunion, the gathering is a reflection of the region’s rich agricultural and cultural ecosystem.
Rooted in justice and joy, the event will feature over 25 local vendors and organizations, live performances, healing workshops, family-friendly activities (yes, there’s a bouncy castle), and abundant local food. And while the festivities are certainly reason enough to show up, organizers remind us the purpose runs deeper.
“This isn’t just a party. It’s a place to build the kind of relationships that keep our food system alive,” said Maggie Cheney, Rock Steady’s co-founder and worker-owner. “We’re creating space where farmers, growers, families, and community organizers can connect, celebrate, and support one another.”
Proceeds from the event support Rock Steady’s POLLINATE program for queer and trans BIPOC beginning farmers, as well as Catalyst Collaborative Farm’s food justice initiatives. With sliding-scale tickets from $5 to $250, the organizers aim to make the event accessible to all, including free entry for children under 12 and volunteer options for those who want to pitch in.
For those who’ve attended before, it’s a welcome return. For newcomers, it may just feel like coming home.
More info and tickets: rocksteadyfarm.com/farm-block-party
Waterlily (8”x12”) made by Marilyn Hock
It takes a lot of courage to share your art for the first time and Marilyn Hock is taking that leap with her debut exhibition at Sharon Town Hall on Sept. 12. A realist painter with a deep love for wildlife, florals, and landscapes, Hock has spent the past few years immersed in watercolor, teaching herself, failing forward, and returning again and again to the page. This 18-piece collection is a testament to courage, practice and a genuine love for the craft.
“I always start with the eyes,” said Hock of her animal portraits. “That’s where the soul lives.” This attentiveness runs through her work, each piece rendered with care, clarity, and a respect for the subtle variations of color and light in the natural world.
After painting in oils earlier in life, Hock returned to art when she retired from working as a paralegal with a goal: to learn watercolor. It wasn’t easy.
“Oils and watercolor are opposites,” she explained. “With oils, you build your darks first. In watercolor, if you do that, you’re in trouble.” She studied online, finding instructors whose approach clicked, and adapted to the delicacy of the medium.
“When I’m working, everything else falls away,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what’s going on in life. While I’m painting, time disappears.”
Her studio, formerly a home office, is now her sanctuary and the pieces in this exhibition are the result of three years of that devoted studio work. While this is her first full public show, Hock previously tested the waters at a small fundraiser at Noble Horizons, where one of her pieces sold. That experience — and the consistent encouragement from her family, especially her husband — pushed her to pursue a full exhibition. With gentle encouragement from her husband and family, Hock reached out to the Town Hall’s curator, Zelina Blagden. “My husband kept saying, ‘You’re as good as all those other people out there, why not show your work?’” And so, here it is.
All paintings in the show are for sale, though Hock admits a few are priced high — not because of their size or complexity — but because she’s not quite ready to let them go. “There are a couple I’ve priced high because I’m not sure I want to part with them. But we’ll see,” she laughed. “It would be nice to support the habit a little bit.”
As for aspiring artists or anyone hesitating to begin something creative, Hock’s advice is simple: “Go for it. If it fails, toss it in the basket and start over.”
The exhibit will be on view at Sharon Town Hall through Oct. 31 with an opening reception on Sept. 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Carissa Unite, general manager of Oblong Books in Millerton.
Carissa Unite of Millerton, began working at Oblong Books 16 years ago as a high schooler. She recently celebrated her eight-year anniversary as the general manager.
Unite’s journey at Oblong began even before she applied for her first position.An avid reader from a young age, she was a frequent customer at the store. During those years, Unite bonded with a former employee who encouraged her to apply for a position after connecting over their shared love of reading.
As a teenager, Unite enjoyed reading Ellen Hopkins, John Green and Ann Brashares. With the busyness of adulthood, she now favors the convenience of audio books. In the past year, however, she has made it a point to read more physical books.
With a preference for contemporary fiction, she raved about “Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The story, set in the 1980s, follows two women who become astronauts at a time when women were not widely accepted in the field. A beautiful love story emerges between the two characters. Unite described the writing as sensational and commended Reid’s ability to tackle complex themes without them being muddied.
Unite has developed a deep appreciated for classic literature. Her two favorites are “Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin and “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde. She was amazed by the philosophical nature of both words and the way their dialogue challenged her perspective.
In an effort to read beyond her preferred genre, she recommends the following:
“Some Desperate Glory,” by Emily Tesh, “Midnight Rooms,” by Donyae Coles and “Clear” by Carys Davies.
For Unite, the beauty of reading lies in its power to develop perspective, empathy, and compassion. Through books, readers learn that everyone is fighting different battles and no two stories are the same. She encourages people to choose kindness because you never know what someone else is facing.
Above all, reading brings Unite peace. If offers transcendence to another world, a pause from outside noise, and for Unite, it is where she feels most at home.
For anyone hesitant to being reading, Unite suggests: just do it! Read 10 pages a day and find the book that speaks to you. Any Oblong staff member would be happy to offer recommendations.
Oblong is located at 26 Main St., in Millerton and 6422 Montgomery St. in Rhinebeck.
