We just wanted to alert you to two upcoming events up here at Stone City. Spring is still beautiful up here, with some recent post-Beltaine rains keeping things green, and gorgeous mild weather. We hope to see you soon!
 
LAST SPRING WORK PARTY

When: This Saturday May 9 starting at 11 am, through Sunday May 10, ending at 3 pm or thereabouts.

Projects: We'll be focusing on pool and hot tub setup for Ancient Ways Festival:
--Set-up, plumbing & decking for second hot tub
--Set-up & testing aboveground pool
--Upkeep & cleaning in cabins
And more if we have the workforce!

What to bring: Work gloves are always helpful. Carpentry tools, lumber (standard stuff like 2x4, 4x4, plywood is always good), hardware (screws/nails etc). Cleaning supplies are always helpful too.

Things to know: As always, there are light jobs you can do so please don't feel you need to stay away if your health prevents you from doing heavier work. You can help with cleaning projects, or just feeding the rest of the volunteers. The more the merrier! We'll have the hot tub running for an evening soak after the work is done.

Sleeping space: There are two beds in the Guest House, and you are also welcome to use campers/cabins/boats, or bring your tent if you like. There are no camping/site use fees during work parties. Hot showers are available at the Guest House.

Food: We will provide lunch Saturday and Sunday *IF* you RSVP so we know how many to plan for!
Potluck dinner Saturday evening around sunset - please bring something to share. There are no restrictions on what kind of food to bring, we have both meat-eaters and vegetarians among us. You are welcome to use the Guest House kitchen. There are a couple of barbecue grills you can use if you want to.

PLEASE RSVP to let us know you can come; it is much, much easier to plan projects when we have some idea of the size of the workforce. Please feel free to email with any questions too.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------
 
ANCIENT WAYS FESTIVAL 2009
May 13 – 17, 2009, here at Stone City.
 
This will be the 26th annual gathering of the Ancient Ways Festival, and the second year at Stone City.
The Festival has a full schedule of activities and rituals this year, with special guest T. Thorn Coyle leading rituals and workshops, Land of the Blind and Hobbyhorse performances, a Pirate Party and lots more. Details are on the Ancient Ways website at http://www.ancientways.com/festival.html
 
The Festival is pre-registration only, so you'll want to get registered soon. Last date to register is May 10th, five days from now. The Festival is very affordable at $70 for all five days, with lower rates for those staying fewer days. You can register online at http://www.ancientways.com/festival/2009festreg.html.
 
We hope to see you there!
 
-------------------------------------------------------
STONE CITY EVENTS FOR 2009
PantheaCon (in San Jose) - February  13-16
Spring Work Parties:
February 28-March 1
March 14-15
April 4-5
Beltaine Festival - April 25-26
Work Party - May 9-10
Ancient Ways Festival - May 13-17
Fall Benefit Show - September 12
Samhain Festival - October 30-November 1

Hello friends,

Now that Equinox has passed, Samhain is coming up soon. We'll be posting more information later with details about the ritual aspects of the festival, but I wanted to give you the basic info for the Stone City Samhain Festival so folks can start registering and planning to celebrate with us. Please save the date and please do pre-register or at least RSVP, as this helps us greatly in being able to prepare for the festival.

A note on the film project - Alex Mar will be with us again for Samhain this year, to continue filming for the documentary film project. Please note that due to the deep and personal nature of Samhain ritual we do NOT plan to allow any filming during the ritual itself. The camera crew will be on site during the festival and will be working with willing folks to capture footage of us as a community in festival space, and in circle before and after the ritual, but for the ritual itself the camera will be shut off and away from the circle so we can all focus on the spiritual work. If you do not wish to be filmed, please don't feel you need to stay away from the festival - you do not have to appear on film and we can arrange to accommodate your comfort level with the project.

Stone City Samhain Festival
November 1-2, 2008

Samhain Ritual - Saturday November 1, 5:30 pm.
We open the Western Gate, inviting the Beloved and Mighty Dead to dance with us on the night the veil thins.
Closing Ritual - Sunday November 2, 11:00 am.
Festival closes at 2:00 pm on Sunday.

Please note: Early arrival Friday evening is by arrangement only. A private group will be using the Henge for their Samhain ritual Friday evening October 31, and we need to respect their privacy. The public festival opens Saturday morning November 1. If you need to arrive Friday night because of travel considerations or you are coming with a member of the other group, please contact us for arrangements.

THINGS TO BRING
Mementos and images of your Dead, objects and images for the altars. Be aware that lightweight objects like photographs can blow away, and bring something to weight them down with.
Warm clothing - Nighttime temperatures are expected in the mid 30s - low 40s.
Camping gear - If you plan on tent camping, bring a good warm sleeping bag. See below for details on guest house and cabins.
Food & cooking gear - Meals are up to the individual, with the exception of ritual meals. See below for details on guest kitchen availability.
Flashlights! Samhain falls near the New Moon this year, so the night will be very dark.

ACCOMMODATIONS
We have plenty of camping space. Indoor sleeping space is also available in the Guest House, first-come first-served. The Guest House has two queen futon beds and floor space for several more to sleep inoors, on a first-come first-served basis. Please bring your own blankets or sleeping bags. Hot showers, bathtub, composting toilet, and kitchen facilities are available. Please note the guest kitchen is not fully stocked with all utensils and equipment - there are some cooking pots and a supply of paper plates, cups etc, but if you need any special implements for cooking you plan to do, you need to bring them.

Several campers, trailers and boats are available as private cabins. Most have bed space for 2-4 people each. There is an additional cost for reserving one of these cabins - see below under cost info. Please check with us in advance to reserve one of these private cabins.

Space in the residents' house is reserved for people volunteering to help with festival work. We have a few specific help tasks you can take on: Registering and greeting new arrivals; setup, cleanup, and periodic checking of guest facilities. You must arrange with us in advance if you wish to help out as staff and have bed space reserved in the residents' house.

COST
$25/one night or $35/two nights, per person for adults; kids and teenagers are free and welcomed.
This registration cost covers attendance at all open festival events, camping space, use of the guest house and guest kitchen, showers etc.

If you want to reserve one of the private campers/trailers/boats, the additional cost is $15-25 per night depending on which one you want. Note this is per cabin, NOT per person, so it's cheaper to share. I apologize that we don't have photos and details on these listed on the website yet, but if you want details just email us.
Registration payments can be made via PayPal for credit card or debit, to thestonecity@gmail.com; or you can mail your registration to the address below.

Please include a note with your registration to indicate:
--WHO the registration covers
--WHEN, i.e. which night or nights of the festival
--And of course if the payment includes reservation for a cabin.
You are also welcome to add donations on to the registration total; we are a 501c3 nonprofit organization and appreciate any and all help.
 
Many thanks and we look forward to celebrating the season of darkness with you!
 
Morpheus

-----------------------------------------------------------
 
http://www.thestonecity.org
thestonecity@gmail.com
Stone City Foundation
PO Box 692
Livermore, CA 94551

Networking links:
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/thestonecity
MySpace Blog Updates - http://blog.myspace.com/thestonecity
LiveJournal Blog Feed - http://syndicated.livejournal.com/stone_city/
FeedBurner Feed - http://feeds.feedburner.com/stonecity