Back in 2005, when I was still fairly new to the idea of ‘peak oil’ and ‘culture change,’ I read an article that I remember well even now. Written from the perspective of a big city dweller – San Fransisco’s Mark Morford. Quite humorous, and a little irreverant, Morford laments that his many urban survival skills may not be of any help “when the devolution comes and oil is $200 a barrel and we are at war with China and the dollar is worth about three cents on the euro.” The article is called I Cannot Yet Skin A Deer.
Fortunately, we here in Whatcom County have an opportunity to do a weekend reskilling crash course at the Whatcom Skillshare Faire at Hovander Park Homestead Sept. 21 and 22, 2013.
When I read the list of skills being offered, my only response is “WOW!” An $8 ticket gets you in to all of this! And you know it’s gotta be good when Peak Moment TV has made it a priority to be there for filming future episodes of their ongoing series of practical hands-on resilience building interviews on “Locally Reliant Living in Challenging Times.”
Download Saturday’s Schedule in pdf format: Click Here
Download Sunday’s Schedule in pdf format: Click Here
Ongoing demonstrations:
- Appropriate Use of Hand Tools – Brian Kerkvleit of Inspiration Farm
- Archery for All Ages – Laurel Baptist Church
- Art at Home: pastels, watercolors, drawing, clay – Whatcom Women
- Backyard Chickens and building a Chicken Tractor – WSU Ag Extension
- Basic Home Electrical Repair, Outlets, Switches and more – Kelly McClurg
- Beans and Grains for the Pacific Northwest – Krista Rome
- Beekeeping – Mount Baker Beekeeper’s Association
- Building and Using a Rocket Stove – Peter Holcomb
- Building and Using Sundials – Sasch Stephens
- Championship Llamas, shearing and spinning – Jeff and Niki Kuklenski
- Combing and Spinning Wool – Yvonne Madsen
- Cooperative Economies – Fourth Corner Exchange
- Coping with Chronic Pain – Meggan Sheble
- Dry Stone Walling – Derek Duffy
- Electric Car Conversion – Jack McKee
- Felting Soap Balls – Jamie Jedinak
- Fermentation of Raw Crackers – Suki Aufhauser
- Growing a Year Round Food Supply – Krista Rome
- Growing Blueberries and Black Currants – Travis Linds
- Gestalt as a Way of Life – Cindy Sheldon
- Hand Spinning – Carol Osterman
- Herbal Medicine Making and Distillation Demo – Victoria Reddick
- Home brewing Demonstration – Bellingham Beer League
- Homemade Firestarters – Kelly McClurg
- Horse Whispering – Ginger Kennell
- How to Run a Kickstarter/Crowdfunding Campaign
- Kaleidoscope Community Yoga – Lo Nathamundi
- Keep Your Bike in Shape – Josh Hardesty
- Knots for Everyday Use – Mark Richardson
- Learning to Sew – Karen Kucker
- Livestock Information – WSU
- Make an Electric Sewing Machine into a Hand Crank – Karen Kucker
- Making Goat Cheese – Nina Dent
- Making Kombucha – Kombucha Town
- Making Rag Rugs with Crochet – Janice Shepherd
- Making Sour Dough – Gary Sparrow
- Making Wooden Utensils – Jeff Fisher
- Natural Birth – W.I.S.E. Birth Doula Collective
- Northwest Wildllife Rehab Center – Alex Gomes
- Pasture and grazing management – Carol Osterman
- Preparing for an Emergency – Whatcom County Preppers
- Primitive Skills Medley – Earthways Nature School
- Raising Natural Fibers, spinning, weaving and knitting – Carol Boswell (Spindrifters)
- Raising Sheep – Russell Boggs
- Save a Life with CPR – Robin Long
- Seed Saving – Celt Schira and Brian Kerkvleit
- Solar, Wind, and Hydro Energy – Home Energy Solutions/Jeffrey Utter
- Sock Darning – Erma
- Weaving – Nina Dent
- Whatcom Folk School – Information booth – Josh Hardesty
- Wild Honey Elixir Fermentations – Heather Katahdan and Terri Wilde
Scheduled SkillShares
Saturday, Sept. 21
10:30 AM
- How to butcher a turkey – Transition Goshen
11 AM
- Fire by Friction – Wolf College
- Brew Your Own Beer for Taste and Awesomeness – Bellingham Beer League Co-op – Josh Smith
- CPR – learn to save a life Robin Long, RN
- Herbal Alternatives to Antibiotics – Michelle Sanger
- Making an Electric Sewing Machine into a Hand Crank – Karen Krucker
- Renewable Energy Basics – Jeffrey Utter of Home and Energy Solutions
- Sewing for Everyone – Whatcom Women
11:30 AM
- Basic Sour Dough – Gary Sparrow
- Nature Based Games for Kids of All Ages – Earthways Nature School
12 NOON
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
- Best Field Guides for Homesteading, Permaculture, Plants, Birds, Insects, etc. – Wolf College
- Kaleidoscope Yoga – Lo Nathamundi
- Making Kombucha – Kombucha Town – Chris McCoy
- Making rag rugs – Laura Sellens
- Water Witching – Colby Styles
- Brew Your Own Beer (cont’d) – Bellingham Beer League Co-op
- Solar Energy – Jeffrey Utter of Home and Energy Solutions
1PM
- Process and tanning Hides for Leather and Parfleche – Wolf College near
- Gardening in the PNW – David Pike
- Hoof trimming for Goats – Cheri McKay
- Wine Making at Home – Kelly McClurg
- Water conservation and sustainable living – Scott Durkee of Transition Vashon
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
- Storytelling for parents, grandparents and families – Doug Banner
- Scything and other sharp ideas (2 hrs)– Brian Kerkvleit, Inspiration Farm
- “EM” at home – culturing effective micro organisms – Colby Styles
- Brew Your Own Beer (contd.) – Bellingham Beer League Co-op
- Making Biochar from Charcoal – Larry Williams
- Wind, Hydro, and Solar Energy – Jeffrey Utter of Home and Energy Solutions
1:30 PM
- Making Milk Kefir at Home – Randy Card
- Fire by Friction – Cody Beebe of Earthways Nature School
2PM
- Herbal and Critter Forage for Healthy Chickens – Wolf College
- Making rag rugs – Laura Sellens
- Bow Making – Steve Sahlin
- Wild Honey Elixir Fermentations – Heather Katahdan and Terri Wilde
- Irish Music Workshop – Cayley Schmid and Clea Taylor
- Water conservation and sustainable living – Scott Durkee of Transition Vashon
- Edible, Medicinal and Useful Plant Walk – Kim Bauer, ND, LM
- Yoga for posture, pain and performance – Kathleen Grimbly
- Water Witching – Coulby Styles
- Biochar from Charcoal (cont.) – Larry Williams
- Brew Your Own Beer – Bellingham Beer League Co-op
- Making Traditional Bows and Arrows – Wolf College
3PM
- Biochar from Charcoal (cont.) – Larry Williams
- Brew Your Own Beer (cont.) – Bellingham Beer League Co-op
- Beans and Grains for the PNW – Krista Rome
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
- Hoof trimming for Goats – Cheri McKay
- Compost teas for Your Plants – Alison Kutz
- Juice Cleanse for Health – Rhys Faler
- Gardening in the PNW – David Pike
- Juice Cleanse for Health – Rhys Fahler
3:30 pm
- Outdoor Worm Bins – Alicia Wills
- Nature Based Games for Kids of All Ages – Earthways Nature School
4PM
- Cooking Wild Edibles – Cattails, Crickets and More – Wolf College
- Meditation Practices, Bhakti Yoga – Lori Erbs
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
- Edible, Medicinal and Useful Plant Walk – Terri Wilde
- Splicing Double Braid Rope – Canh Khong from Samson Rope
- Water Witching – Colby Styles
- Processing Nettles, Willow and other fibers for rope, baskets, and sitting mats – Wolf College
5PM
- Bodhran Drumming – Derek Duffy
- How to run a Kickstarter/Crowdfunding campaign – Matthew Brouwer
- Qi Gong – Ronaye Carmen
- Water Witching – Colby Styles
Sunday, Sept 22
10 AM
- Basic Sour Dough – Gary Sparrow
11am
- Home funerals and greening the end of life – Raven DuBois and Nora Cedarwind (2 hours)
- CPR – learn to save a life – Robin Long
- QiGong – Ronaye Carmen
- Edible, Medicinal and Useful Plant Walk – Shana Lewis
- Worm bins and compost tea – Alicia Wils
12 noon
- Kaleidoscope yoga – Lo Nathamundi
- Making rag rugs – Laura Sellens
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
- Making Mead – Mary Tully
- Water Witching – Coulby Styles
- Biochar from Charcoal w/ a little garlic – Larry Williams
1 pm
- Water conservation and sustainable living – Scott Durkee of Transition Vashon
- Edible, Medicinal and Useful Plant Walk – Terri Wilde
- “EM” at home – culturing effective micro organisms – Colby Styles
- Bow Making – Steve Sahlin
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
2pm
- Yoga for posture, pain and performance – Kathleen Grimbly
- Growing a Year Round Food Supply – Krista Rome
- Making rag rugs – Laura Sellens
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
- Biochar from Charcoal (cont.) – Larry Williams
- How to Run a Kickstarter/Crowdfunding Campaign – Matthew Brouwer
- Making Mead – Mary Tully
3pm
- Edible, Medicinal and Useful Plant Walk – Shana Lewis
- CPR – learn to save a life – Home Central
- Juice Cleanse for Health – Rhys Faler
- Jewelry making – Oasis beads – Karen Murphy
4pm
- Meditation Practices Bhakti Yoga – Lori Erbs
- Bodhran Drumming – Derek Duffy
Performance Schedule
Saturday, Sept 21
11:00 Storytelling with Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor
12:00 Giant’s Causeway
12:45 Storytelling with Kelvin Saxton
1:00 Echo Mill
1:45 Storytelling with Doug Banner
2:00 Bellow Wing
3:00 Kaleidoscope Yoga with Bellingham Bhajans
3:30 Dana Lyons
4:00 Coulby Styles
5:00 Misty Flowers
5:45 Storytelling with Kelvin Saxton
6:00 Square Dance with the Gravel Grinders & Lisa MacAvoy calling
7:00 Swil Kanim
7:30 The Devilly Brothers
9:00 Swil Kanim
9:30 Hot Damn Scandal
Sunday, Sept 22
12:00 Quickdraw Stringband
1:00 Lindsay Street
2:30 Tap Dance
3:00 Kuungana
4:00 Mike Marker
4:30 Daddy Treetops
5:00 Mike Marker, Daddy Treetops, & Bill Sterling
5:30 Critical Mass Marching Band
In between sets Saturday/Sunday:
Bellingham Storyteller’s Guild
Eric Schmitz
Matthew Brouwer
integral permaculture 