Teenage vandals leave broken hearts on North Andover farm

NORTH ANDOVER – “What they did was a lot more than just a fun Thursday night. It did a lot of damage,” said a discouraged Tricia Dunphy of Smolak Farms.

Some of that damage was displayed in real-time on TikTok. A different video shows the next day’s discovery after a group of teenagers actually recorded their vandalism at Smolak Farms.

“They ripped off the stakes. In the video they were throwing them at each other,” Dunphy recalled.

It happened to the charity art project, “Field of 1000 Hearts.”

“We put in all this work and all this love and to see, even though they were just kids, to see people kind of breaking our hearts, is sad,” she said. 

The bright, whimsical display was born from the COVID pandemic – a way to lift the spirits of passersby. It was a way to lift Tricia, too, the hours of planning and painting happened during the precious final weeks of her mother’s life.

“We came up with this project that I could do from her living room floor,” Tricia said.

Tricia’s mom, Judie, had been diagnosed with terminal cancer – making this fundraising so personal. Since it’s unveiling last spring, visitors who take photos with the display have been asked to leave a $2 donation. All of the proceeds from each month’s entrance fees went to charities like BAGLY, supporting LGBTQ youth; Family Reach,  supporting cancer patients and their families; and the Alzheimer’s Association. The most recent cause selected was Angel Flight, which delivers patients with terminal illnesses to and from their treatments.

“I’m sure those kids have had struggles in their lives, too, but it makes me wonder if they really know what some people have to deal with on a daily basis,” Dunphy said. 

There have been generous offers from local painters, carpenters and neighbors to repair the 50 to 100 hearts that were destroyed.

“It’s nice to see I’m not the only one who sees how wonderful and magical it is,” she said. 

Nearly a week later, the teens and their parents apologized to the farm’s owner. He’s not pressing charges.