It's Like Vespers: Summer Sunset Socials Gratitude
Tonight, after our final Summer Sunset Social, I picked up my teenage daughter from her job and tried to explain to her what we had just wrapped up. I told her about the hush of the fields at dusk, the echo of laughter from the yard, the way everyone seemed to slow down into the rhythm of summer. She thought for a moment, then said, "It's like vespers."
Vespers. The Latin roots speak to evening prayer, a daily ritual to pause, give thanks, and prepare for rest. For my daughter, it meant something both ancient and personal: a moment from sleepaway camp, where each cabin would choose an activity to wind down the day together, in community. A quiet ritual. A shared breath. A close to the day.
That’s exactly what these socials have felt like.
Each Wednesday evening, as families arrived and set down their phones (yes, truly), as kites flew and chalk dust settled, something shifted. We slowed down. We noticed the fireflies. We played old-school yard games like it mattered, and it did.
We remembered what it felt like to just be.
We are so deeply grateful to Leah and Joey Ferrone, whose shared love of this land and knack for joyful creativity gave shape and spirit to this entire series. They reminded us that the best kind of play is the kind that welcomes everyone in.
Their energy transformed our wide-open lawn into a place where strangers became neighbors, and children led the way.
To every family who showed up curious, who trusted us enough to part with their devices, who made generous donations to support this program and the farm—thank you. You helped make this space sacred. Playful, yes. Simple, yes. But also sacred in that way that vespers are: a daily practice of togetherness.
Pitney Meadows has always been a place where community comes together. But the Sunset Socials offered something more intentional. More tender. A kind of collective exhale.
As the hazy sun dipped low behind the fields tonight, I felt it again—the unmistakable sense that something meaningful had taken place. Not loud. Not flashy. But rooted, gentle, real. Like vespers.
With gratitude and wonder,
Brooke
Executive Director, Pitney Meadows Community Farm