DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – A Door County cherry producer is looking to rebound, just months after a devastating fire destroyed a storage bin.
Dave Schartner is the owner of Schartner’s Farm Market, just south of Egg Harbor.
He says the blaze engulfed their 100-year-old barn, leaving himself and his wife totally helpless.
“She came running in the house and said Dave, the barn’s on fire,” explains Schartner. “By the time I got out there, it was already, it went so fast, with the wind that night, that I couldn’t even get close to it and we just had to watch it burn.”
Lost in the fire was a couple tractors, some planting equipment, and the siding on part of their home.
“From the heat of this building here, the whole side of our house melted,” he says.
Now, about six-and-a-half weeks later, Schartner is looking to rebuild.
“We’re getting it together and slowly moving forward,” he says. “With the cool weather this spring, it’s a good thing for us, because it gives us a little time to get things together.”
According to him, spring was slow to arrive in parts of northern Door County.
“The cherry blossoms are running about two weeks behind at the moment,” he explains.
Sweet cherries typically bloom first, followed by the tart cherries about a week later, according to him.
“The next two to three weeks will be the tell-tale on how the crop comes along here,” says Schartner. “But right now, things look pretty good, we’ve been cool, but we haven’t lost any to any freezes so far.”
The year can still turn around, but for now, it’s been one to forget.
“It will be a good year to forget so far, but it’s early,” explains Schartner. “We got a long season ahead of us, and we’re all doing the best we can, to keep things going, to have a positive attitude, going into the season.”
Schartner is still unsure how the fire started and damage estimates are being finalized with the insurance companies.
As of now, his farm market is scheduled to open this Saturday.
