Snow Pond Center for the Arts - Summer Concert Series

Barnraising - 2015
Definition: the collective action of a community
I was very fortunate to have all of
my grandparents alive for most of
my youth. It was my grandfather
Paul who started the New England
Music Camp in 1937. It was my other
grandfather, John Willard Hovey,
for whom I was named. John was
generally considered
a potato farmer, but I also remember
him as a carpenter, a mechanic, an
avid reader, and an inventor – which
is probably the case for most that have
a career called ‘farmer.’
John Willard lived most of his
94 years in the County, specifically
in Houlton. From what I recall
of my early youth, I spent quite a
bit more time on the farm than at
the music camp. In looking back,
I most remember the closeness
of that farming community. The
endless hours of planting and other
chores, and the closing of schools
during the harvest season. This was
a time when the entire community
had a single-minded focus on the
task at hand. Farmers are also the
most proud and self-reliant group
of individuals on this planet. I see
this great trait in abundance here in
Central Maine. There are probably
many among us that could easily
qualify for government aid or
support, but simply don’t ask. It is
not in the farmers’ nature to ask for
help. However, there are sizeable
projects that a farmer cannot do
alone. The building of a large barn
was a community project, as was the
building of churches and schools.
These large scale projects were
turned into an event and the whole
community would bond together to
make it happen. Barn-raisings are
a piece of our history and a fabric
that reflects the power of how a
community can come together to
create great things.
I suspect that I have a lot more
of John Willard’s genes than Paul’s...I
know for sure that this is true because
the “music gene” is for the most part,
absent in my DNA. If you visit our
campus, you will most often find me
with a shovel or rake and never an
instrument. Self-reliance is also in
our camp’s nature; we don’t usually
ask for help. This camp has survived
for 80 years without any organized
fund raising except for assistance in
creating scholarship and financial
aid funds. Part of our mission with
any program is that it must be
available for all deserving students,
regardless of their families economics.
That mission remains unchanged
today as we move into year round
programming. However, to offer year
round programming, on a scale that
will make a significant difference, we
now have to implement a barn-raising
type task; we cannot accomplish this
endeavor alone. We need your help
to build this year round school and
to establish a financial aid fund for
our Maine students that attend this
school.
What can you expect from our
schools? A nurturing, supportive, and
safe environment that encourages
each student to collaborate, create,
inspire and engage – to be confident
and reach for their full potential.
You can expect a place that bonds
our community together with
magnificent music and art available to
all. Please help in whatever way you
can – I know we can make a positive
difference for our children and our
families.
Thanks to all! . .
. .
. . John Wiggin
For giving & volunteer instructions
please see page 32 for ways to engage
with Snow Pond Center for the Arts
and New England Music Camp.
Charleston, VT, courtesy of the Old Stone House Museum
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