Important Information
Regardless of whether or not you've been here before, this is home. The Gathering organizers, the Celo Community and the land, waters and sky of the South Toe River Valley welcome you. We are a gathering where community, nature and love are celebrated.
Food- Three vegetarian meals will be provided each day; however, if you have any special dietary needs, please come prepared. We are grateful for your garden harvests, too- contact Usha Ruark at fuchsiausha@yahoo.com or 828/675-0853 if you will be bringing culinary delights from your garden to share. We will be serving fresh, local fish on Saturday night for an additional $5.
Camping- The price of the gathering includes camping on-site. There are many places near the Arthur Morgan School to camp- some in the woods, some in a big field across the road from AMS. When you check in at Registration, we will give you some options. Please note: there are private homes in the area, so be sure you are in an approved spot before setting up camp.
Thursday Arrival- Thursday is a day of set-up and preparation for the gathering. If you are driving a distance and need to arrive on Thursday to be able to participate on Friday, you can register from 6-9 pm and set up your camp. If you want you can help with set-up. The school facilities are only available for set-up activities. There will be no prepared meal Thursday evening, so please do bring something simple for a pot-luck dinner.
Friday Program- We are encouraging everyone to come on Friday morning and enjoy a full weekend of community! We will have pre-programmed events happening on Friday morning. The Open Space planning session will occur right before lunch (from 11:30-12:30pm), followed by affinity circles.
The Friday morning options are:
- Yoga
- Permaculture 101
- Beekeeping Naturally
- Introduction to Intentional Communities
Animals- No animals are allowed to be brought to AMS or to the Gathering.
What to Bring- Camping gear, rain gear, warm clothes, personal snacks, musical instruments, ceremonial clothes for Saturday night, seeds to share, transplants/plants to give away, wares to trade or sell, precious offerings for a give-away, information to share.
Affinity Circles- The gathering offers daily "affinity circles" which are planned through Open Space. Circles get together in groups to explore topics introduced at the Open Space planning session. If you would like to offer a specific workshop, please present your idea at the on-site Open Space planning session to be held Friday from 11:30-12:30 pm. There will also be a shorter Open Space session Saturday morning. See also the Affinity Circles Page (with link to that page).
All Work-Trade positions are filled except for the newest position: Poo Tsar.
Scholarship available- 2 year free entry to the Permacutture gathering, 2 year committment
Wanted: heir apparent Poo Tzar (Humanure manager)
A couple of the most important principles of permaculture and sustainabitity is to "produce no waste" and to "plan for succession". We are offering a 2 year scholarship for an individual to intern with the current poo Tzar this year and then to be the Poo Tzar the next year to help train the succeeding Tzar. This is, by far the most generous scholarship available, yet its demands are few. Schedule requirements are to help set up the humanure system Thursday night, and remain until Sunday afternoon to break down. Also, required are to help facilitation of announcements, coordinate volunteers to empty buckets and keep the facility clean and organized, and co lead the humanure affinity circle. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in leadership, initiative, and mentoring, and proper waste management for small gatherings.
Please submit a paragraph or two, as soon as possible, on why you would like the Poo Tzar scholarship and what you bring to this most distinguished position. Include your contact info and send it to:
whipplebill@hotmail.com
or mail to:
Poo Tzar
70 Alabama Ave
West Asheville, NC 28806
Volunteering- All participants are expected to volunteer at least 2 hours during the event.
Children- Kids 6-16 years old can participate in the Youth Program (link to that page). Kids under 6 need to be taken care of by their parents. However, there will be an effort to connect parents with small kids to share in child care. Also, there are potential kid-sitters in the area, and if we have enough interest we can offer child care. Kids are encouraged to participate in all aspects of the gathering.
Healing Tent-Running from Friday morning Through Saturday evening, there will be a special tent for anyone who would like to donate their time and services to demonstrating the healing arts. There will also be First Aid available.
Celo/South Toe Residents-All Celo/ South Toe residents are invited to attend the Permaculture Gathering, including the affinity circles and meals. We would like to encourage the local area people to participate in the Gathering, so we have created a special daily rate for you: $20/ day. Saturday evening events (ceremony, campfires, drumming circles, etc.) are FREE for Celo/South Toe residents.
Supporters
French Broad food Coop
Fire Fly Farms
Brother Hug
Still have more questions? Call 828-675-0863 or email ruark4peace[at]hotmail.com (formatted to try and reduce spam).
