Woodland Labyrinth Project

Meetinghouse Farm

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Meetinghouse Farm is planning the design and installation of a community labyrinth open to all in a quiet wooded grove on the West Barnstable Farm property.

What's a labyrinth, you might ask?
It is a design of concentric circles dating back thousands of years and found in many cultures, and styles. The labyrinth is spiritual in nature, providing a setting for individuals and groups to walk for meditation and self-reflection. The design mimics patterns found in nature, and embraces the walker with a sense of harmony and balance.  Our labyrinth, like others, will be used as a vehicle for personal inward journeys.

There is no right way to walk a labyrinth other than to follow the circuit! Unlike a maze, a labyrinth is unicursal in form, leading one naturally around the circuits; with no puzzle to be solved. This allows the walker to free the mind, experience the moment and stay open to wisdom. Can you imagine yourself, friends and family using such a resource? If so, we need your help to make it a reality.

Why now?

While the installation of the labyrinth has been a long-term goal of the Farm to share with the community, the epic pandemic has reinforced our commitment to the project. The value of the Farm as a beautiful respite from daily stresses has been articulated by Farm gardeners and visitors. We are certain that the creation of a Woodland Labyrinth will strengthen the Farm's purpose and provide a welcome spiritual destination for Cape Codders and visitors alike.

Where we are today:

The base foundation of the Woodland Labyrinth has been completed.  Seed funding has come from the Farm itself,  generous memorial donations, and a donation from One Hundred Women Who Care of Cape Cod. We have yet to raise a minimum of $20,000 to complete the installation of the hardscape surface of the labyrinth and landscaping . 

Help make the dream come true!

A gift like this labyrinth is needed more than ever; but it will not be possible without your help. Our goal is to complete the project in the Spring of 2022, and build it to endure for years to come. Please join in the effort to complete this project!

 

Every donation large or small, will make a difference. With an all-volunteer board and no paid staff, 100% of your gift to the Woodland Labyrinth will go toward the construction and completion of the project.

THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US AT THE FARM AND ALL THOSE YET TO BENEFIT FROM THIS NEW, ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITY RESOURCE!!

Thanks to everyone who helped make the Summer Marketplace a big success!

MHF Board member Diane Mulligan ready to sign up Teams for the Cornhole competition!

Pie and Bake Sale

Meetinghouse Farm re-commits to ‘retro’ goals

By Barbara Clark, The Barnstable Patriot

Sitting in the quiet, spacious old barn at Meetinghouse Farm, looking out at grassy slopes, garden sunshine and a greenhouse filled with growing plants, it’s easy to forget we’ve just been through a year of dislocation and uncertainty.

Sitting in the quiet, spacious old barn at Meetinghouse Farm, looking out at grassy slopes, garden sunshine and a greenhouse filled with growing plants, it’s easy to forget we’ve just been through a year of dislocation and uncertainty.

This feeling of being in another, more pleasant universe persists during a relaxed conversation with Judy Desrochers, president of Meetinghouse Farm, as various and sundry volunteers and gardeners stop in to say “hello” on the way to their work destinations on this lovely spring day.

“Seeding Queen” Diane Mulligan at work transplanting zinnia seedlings in the greenhouse at Meetinghouse Farm (Barbara Clark photo)“

Programs and activities at the farm are once again resuming after the “time-out” of a pandemic year, with the farm’s big fundraiser plant sale scheduledfor May 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Desrochers called the event a “Garden Potpourri,” because of the variety of items that will be available that day.

First and foremost, she said, will be more than 25 varieties of tomato plants, a big feature of the event each year. All the plants on sale started their lives in the greenhouse at the farm.

Vegetable plants will be up for sale, as well as our favorite colorful flowers such as zinnias, sunflowers and nasturtiums, with some baskets and terrariums available.

Also on sale will be some new creations: hand-crafted glass and china garden ornaments that resemble giant blooms, cleverly made using cast-off china, cut glass plates and other ornamental glassware that once might’ve sat on a table holding petit-fours or fancy desserts.

On the farm activities menu, Caleigh Carroll will resume her popular 9 a.m. Saturday Yoga classes, beginning on June 5.

Also in June, recyclers can drop their goods at the special redeemables trailer at the Barnstable Transfer Station, where proceeds that month will benefit Meetinghouse Farm. Other June activities will include the farm’s annual Solstice celebration on June 20 (6 p.m.) and a Whelden Library puppet show on June 30 (4 p.m.) Plein air painters will create new works at the farm during one day each in June and July.

After taking a walk through the sunny, warm greenhouse, where board member Diane Mulligan was transplanting young zinnias into larger pots, a visit seemed in order to the community gardens, where the day was fine for a burn of collected branches and debris. Volunteers at the scene were cheerfully operating various machinery that transported the brush to a healthy bonfire that was under way.

Cindy Olotka gets a jump on spring, watering the row of potatoes she just planted at the farm (Barbara Clark photo)

Lone farmer Cindy Olotka was busy planting a row of potatoes in her newly turned garden plot, in the area where a total of 30 individual gardens will soon be up and growing.

A wooded area below the community garden is planned as the site for what Desrochers described as a woodland labyrinth that the farm calls a setting where “individuals and groups [can] walk for meditation and self-reflection.” The circular area that will welcome walkers has been laid out, preparing for the underlying base that will support paving “stones” that guide walkers through a classical pattern known as a 7 circuit labyrinth. Desrochers said she hopes the “spiritual destination” may be completed by the end of this summer.

Although last year’s pandemic slowed activities and fundraising efforts at the farm, Desrochers said there was a definite silver lining. It “gave us time to work on on-site projects,” including the new four-season garden modeled on the designs of Dutch landscaper Piet Oudolf, which maintain a “naturalistic appearance” all year long.

More than just allowing attention to projects, she said, the slower pace “allowed time for the farm to reflect on our goals ... and ... be productive in a different way.”

Joe Leary (left) and John Lynch head out to load up another barrow-full of brush. (Barbara Clark photo)

Staff and volunteers realized, she said, “just how valuable the farm was to the community. ... It stayed relevant during the COVID year ... for gardeners and walkers alike.”Staff and volunteers realized, she said, “just how valuable the farm was to the community. ... It stayed relevant during the COVID year ... for gardeners and walkers alike.”

Desrochers said they got repeated feedback on how important “being in nature was” for people during the pandemic, where pastimes at the farm such as walking the library’s outdoor Book Path, tending a garden or taking a quiet nature walk reinforced for many “the joy of being in the outdoors” during a difficult year.

The “down” time at the farm reinforced the staff’s ongoing feeling “that what we were doing was a good direction for us – continuing to operate the farm in an intentional way,” she said. "We were able “to let go of the idea that we (needed to) ramp up ... or expand in some way.”With people beginning to visit again, she added, it feels as if “we’re more free and safe” as activities start up again.

How Fragile … How Strong …

How Fragile … 
How Strong …

A Caring Message 
From Meetinghouse Farm

As we face our common challenges 
at this difficult time, may we support one another
with strength, kindness, and compassion.

Nature Heals

The Farm grounds are open for walking 
with recommended distancing.

Learn more about our volunteer possibilities! 

Learn more about our volunteer possibilities! 

“The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers”
-- Everett Mamor

Calling All Volunteers

 As Meetinghouse Farm prepares for the 2020 growing season, we want to acknowledge the work of our volunteers and highlight the essential role that volunteers play in the Farm’s success. 

Handy Carpenters and Mechanical Wizards	Veggie Foster Parents	Incredible Hulks and Hulkettes
Wanna Be Florists	Creative Program Planners	Obsessive Organizers

Please contact us if you would like to discuss volunteer possibilities or arrange a personal tour of the Farm.

Volunteering is ...

Diverse

Volunteer tasks range from raking and pruning autumn leaves to maintaining the Farm’s growing mailing list. Volunteers may make a long-term commitment such as caring year-round for the herb garden, or commit to a short -term task such as baking an apple pie for the annual pre-Thanksgiving Pie Sale. Whatever your skills or schedule there’s a task for you!

Educational

Because the Farm promotes horticultural and agricultural education, many volunteers report they learn new skills as part of their volunteer experience. Whether helping “hands-on” by planting a new variety of lettuce or hosting a local food expert. There is always more to be learned.

Collaborative

Maintenance and improvement of the Farm is a challenging responsibility for volunteers. The Farm has a history of collaboration with organizations and community service programs for large labor –intensive tasks. The adage “many hands make light work” certainly applies when residing a barn, removing acres of invasive bittersweet or installing new gardens.

Satisfying

Happiness research indicates that volunteer service builds personal satisfaction and a sense of purpose. If you love to “dig in the dirt” you also know that gardening provides a multitude of physical, emotional and spiritual rewards. Whether weeding while hawks circle overhead, talking plants with a Master Gardener, or savoring quiet moments unplugged from a high tech world, volunteers report they are nourished by their time “down on the farm.”

Valued

Volunteers are essential for every aspect of the Farm’s operation. The skills, schedules and personalities of our volunteers are diverse and each unique contribution is valued. The Farm really is made possible because of a community of volunteers who care deeply about the Farm’s mission and goals. A famous Gibran quote says, ”Work is love made visible.” Never more true, than in the work of committed volunteers.

Looking for Volunteers

 Meetinghouse Farm 

If you are interested, please contact 
Judy Desrochers
 desrochersj@comcast.net

Go to Volunteers Page
See also Student Programs