In times of hardship, farmers join hands, roll up sleeves and help out

CORNWALL — “The Scovilles must have a lot of friends,� was a comment overheard in the food line that stretched around the cafeteria at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Saturday evening, Feb. 6.

True. But not every one of the about 350 people who attended a potluck dinner and auction to help rebuild the Scoville Farm barn is a close, personal friend.

“This is what community is all about,� one person commented, summing it up nicely.

Extra dessert tables had to be set up, which was good, because those waiting in the long food line were able to snag a brownie or cupcake to sustain themselves. Plates were already full before diners made it to the end of the offerings for the donated feast.

Live and penny auction items, unusual and valuable, overflowed the allotted space.

And the people came, flocking to the high school for what was just as much a show of support as it was a way to raise funds.

The main barn at the Scoville Farm, a structure that dated back to the 1800s, burned to the ground New Year’s Eve, along with 10,000 bales of hay. The cause is believed to be electrical, but the only basis for that idea is that the fire started in the old milking parlor. The devastation was too great for investigators to get a clear picture of what happened.

The Scovilles got out of the unprofitable dairy business several years ago, but keep animals for other farming ventures. Fred and Steve, sons of Fred and Lynn Scoville, and grandsons of Ralph and Thalia Scoville (who live in the old farmhouse there), now run the operation. They were able to save all of their livestock. Fred injured his hand in the process, but wrapped it up and continued to help volunteers fight the fire in the midst of a snowstorm. Given the strength of the blaze — fueled by  the old wood of the building and the hay it contained — saving the other nearby barns and two silos was quite a feat.

The Scovilles are now in the process of calculating how far the insurance money that they just received will go, and looking at options for rebuilding.

At the dinner on Saturday, family members sported big smiles as they circulated among the well-wishers.

They were hesitant about accepting help, but there was no doubt after the dinner that it was something everyone wanted so much to do.

The Cornwall Agricultural Commission sponsored the dinner. This is something that farming families do, and farmers from around the area were well-represented at the dinner.

In the end, the Scovilles can add more than $20,000 to their rebuilding pot — and count their blessings for living in a community such as this.

An anonymous donor is also offering to double what was raised in Saturday’s auction.

Organizer Bill Dinneen said the fundraising total is not yet final. He was handed two checks on Monday from people who didn’t make it to the dinner, and noted donations have been coming into a special fund set up at National Iron Bank.

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