Photo: Courtesy of Smolak Farms
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Smolak Farms faced a sad day when their Field of a Thousand Hearts was vandalized on Thursday night.
The teenagers who allegedly vandalized the installation posted the act on TikTok. The vandalism occurred during the only three days the farm's owner, Michael Smolak took off this summer.
Photo: WBZ NewsRadio \ Karyn Regal
Smolak decided not to press charges, hoping the young people responsible will learn from it.
"Maybe there is a lesson in there for them to learn and hopefully they have parents who've got some sort of conscious about this stuff and I know there is at least is one, but I don't want to ruin anybody's life," Smolak said.
Smolak told WBZ's Karyn Regal that one parent is bringing their child to the farm to apologize for their actions.
Photo: Courtesy of Smolak Farms
The Field of a Thousand Hearts is an instillation covering a portion of the farm with exactly a thousand red and pink wooden hearts. The farm's Education and Activities Director created the Field of a Thousand Hearts last year for her mother who was dying of cancer. She hand cut, crafted, and painted the hearts made of plywood with help from staff and volunteers.
"The staff and community rallied to create this field of love to be a beacon of hope and kindness for all. We were truly honored to open our Field of 1K Hearts in June 2021," Smolak Farms said in a statement after the incident.
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There is a box for donations placed in the field that is donated to a different local charity every month. The most recent charity the farm supported was Angel Flight of New England, a nonprofit organization that arranges free air transportation for patients who need to travel for treatment.
Photo: Courtesy of Smolak Farms
Smolak said the box will remain, despite the act.
"[There are] people who want to come and help rebuild it, there are people who want to donate," he said.
There are over a hundred comments from the community on the farm's Facebook post announcing the incident, with many saying "count me in" to help rebuild the Field of a Thousand Hearts.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (Karynregal) has more:
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