2019 in review...
Another successful season of winter filming of Mountain Men featured a former summer-camper-turned-grown-up, Raleigh Avery, lending Eustace a hand and helping out on many projects around camp. When the snow melted and the film crew packed up, we kicked off 2019 with our annual "Families Learning Together" outdoor expo. The event, enjoyed by over 600 visitors, raised several thousand dollars and awarded quite a few families the chance to send their children to our renowned summer camp.
Springtime saw several school groups and college visitors and Turtle Island was invited to demonstrate at the Mother Earth News Fair in Asheville, NC. Accountants from the Piedmont enjoyed a Corporate Work Retreat, and adult workshops peppered the weekends of spring as the flowers and butterflies returned to our happy little hollow.
Summer was a warm and friendly occasion with Father/Son Camp followed by back-to-back summer youth camps for boys and girls. We grew an assortment of garden goodies and built a new and improved wood-fired cobb oven - a collaborative project that was sculpted by both boys and girls in each of the summer camps. We installed a new fireplace crane in our kitchen hearth and everyone loved the meals that came from the new wood cook stove, donated by a devoted volunteer.
Autumn, was a bit of a whirlwind and commenced with the first annual ALL STAR WEEKEND - featuring incredibly talented live musicians and some of the most skilled artisans and teachers who also happen to be successful TV stars. We hosted a wide array of visitors for various weekend workshops, some of the most dedicated and tireless volunteers, and accepted kind donations that we are very grateful for. There's too many of you to thank individually here, but you know who you are and we really, really appreciate all of you who help make this dream come true.
Now that the cold north wind blows through our valley once again, we think fondly back on a year lived with purpose and intention, and we hope you remember us too as we cast a circle of light around the globe on the evening of December 24. Our tradition of lighting a candle on Christmas eve, is a ceremony that goes all the way back to our roots in Camp Sequoyah, the summer camp founded in the 1920's by Eustace's grandfather. May the spirit of the season touch your heart, and may your longest nights be filled with comfort and joy!