by Margaret Kusner ·
Friday, July 12, 2024
Walking along Depot Road with the distinctive gait of one who has done a lot of outdoor walking, Paul Willard, this year’s Fourth of July parade grand marshal, was escorted by Ellie Sinkewicz—mother-in-law to Fourth of July Committee member Molly Sinkewicz—to her shiny black BMW convertible. After settling into the white leather seats, Willard reminisced about other fancy cars he’d ridden in, including a Jaguar when he was a student at Marlboro College in Vermont.
Paul Williard and Ellie Sinkewicz. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
“You have plenty of fuel?” he quizzed Ellie. “It wouldn’t be the first time there was a vehicle failure in a parade,” he said with the air of a person who has seen a few. “Do I look dignified?” he asked with a smile.
While waiting for the parade to begin, the Press had to know: Would Willard reveal his secret for growing the best sweet corn for miles around? Was it in the cultivation of the field? He said he’d followed best practices, including integrated pest management, a combination of common sense and environmentally sensitive practices. Willard said he also admired Robert Rodale, a founder of the principles of regenerative agriculture.
Willard said he has lived in Harvard all his life except for his time at college and a few years afterward. Both he and his brother, Wendell Willard, returned to Harvard when their father got sick; that’s when they revived the farm, growing and selling vegetables and flowers, as well as corn and pumpkins, from a stand on Still River Road.
He expressed pride in the fact that his ancestors have lived in Harvard since the 1600s, as well as regret that some of his ancestors weren’t always good to the original inhabitants of this land. “We did a lot of bad things, still doing bad things,” perhaps speaking for all of us as the heirs of those colonial times.
Willard clearly enjoyed talking about farming and the politics involved, but as the parade’s 11 a.m. start time was approaching, that particular conversation was put on pause, but not before he revealed that the real secret to the corn’s sweetness was to boil it as soon as possible after bringing it in from the field.
He said he was genuinely sorry to disappoint his devoted customers when he closed the farmstand, but farming is hard work and 40 years of it had taken its toll. In addition to days spent on tractors and in the fields, he also served for about 30 years on the Conservation Commission and as animal control officer. However, he said he could have been the dogcatcher forever if it hadn’t involved so much paperwork. “I liked the dogs.”
Willard said that after the parade he planned to go into his garden, “plop down” on his favorite reclining chair, and rest.