I must first mention my regret for not taking any pictures. It's a beautiful campground that was alive with beautiful herbie people this weekend. Last year was wonderful, but Maryanne and I spoke repeatedly during the only day we were there, so we didn't get to appreciate the best part of it!
Several years ago Molly and I traveled a day's drive away to attend a conference. There, all of the teachers were pretty segregated/protected from the herbies, and even had a private dining room. It bothered me that the recent development of "Star" herbalists had gone that far, and that egos were so over-blown. Mostly because of that, herb gatherings had lost their appeal for me.
Enter the Black Walnut Botanical Conference. We missed the first one, unfortunately. It was scaled back due to COVID, and we were staying to ourselves at the time. Last year we immediately felt welcomed by everyone there. It was very hot, but good cheer remained.
This year I was on the other side of the microphone, and loved every minute. I arrived early on Friday to set up our sales table while my sister Maryanne stayed back to get some wholesale soap orders out the door. The vending area was in a great location, as all of the tables circled around the (I think it was called) lodge that is connected to the dining room. This large room also had a big oval conference table in the center where attendees felt welcome to sit and talk, along with an area with sofas and chairs around a fireplace, that also welcomed anyone to relax.
Susanna Reppert Brill had snagged a table before heading out to teach a workshop, and the rest were open, so I took the table next to her. Eventually, brothers Obiora and Irucka Embry, who teach (and live) about biodiversity and agriculture pulled up on the other side of me. Gradually, the tables were filled with beautiful creations, medicines, herbal treats, and books. Teachers Robin
Rose Bennett, Matthew Wood, Linda Shanahan, Erica Jo, and Briel Beaty (Driscoll) set up and filled the tables.
That afternoon before dinner, attendees were arriving and shopping! I was swamped (happily) and glad that Maryanne would be joining us the next day. At dinner, everyone just joined a table. It didn't look like anyone felt out of place or excluded. In that and the following 3 meals, I sat with different people each time, and felt completely welcomed and included at each table. In fact, I don't think there was anyone there with whom I didn't share at least a brief conversation!
Keynote was delivered by Robin Rose Bennett, who led us to be ourselves. It was a lovely invitation to fully embrace the earth and ourselves with our feet firmly on the ground and our spirits soaring. The tent backed against a good number of the Tree of Heaven that is so attractive to the spotted lantern flies, and they became part of the conversation of life and death. Little did they know they would become such a clear and simple demonstration. We sang and heard poetry, and I walked away feeling uplifted.
There were a lot of highlights, and I was very glad to have been able to sneak out and take in some of the talks. Susanna presented an absolutely delightful and fact filled history of herbalism and medicine in the western world from 1799 to 1999. It was a lot of fascinating information that I was unfamiliar with - for instance how George Washington died, to begin with! We take Susanna for granted because she's local, but she is such an awesome speaker and we remember that every time we see her speak at a gathering like this.
I heard and enjoyed parts of Matthew's and Briel's talks, and loved talking to everyone in the vending area throughout the day on Saturday. I regretted not taking in Linda's talk on death and dying on Friday. There were glowing reports passed around about all the talks, as well as the fire led by Erica Jo on Friday night. Several attendees went out on French Creek in kayaks Saturday morning and arrived back in camp refreshed. It was a pretty magical weekend.
One negative that was completely beyond the control of Organizer Extraordinaire, Amy Henderson, was a lack of hot water in the shower room that management was unable to fix - BUT they provided other options on site for showering with hot water. As an old ren faire person, I'm just thrilled there are flush toilets and running water, but didn't sleep there. Also, I just have to mention Amy's husband Chris, who was in constant motion, making sure everything went smoothly, and the helpers who made registration a breeze.
We saw old friends and made many new friends. I can't wait for next year!
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