Past events
Check out camping events we've done in the past:
July 28-30, 2011: Maple Tree Meadows
Three Rivers, Michigan
The second summer 2011 ^camping is not optional event took place July 30 at Maple Tree Meadows in Three Rivers, Michigan. This historic farm is in the process of being envisioned and restored as a gathering place, a healing space and a source of literal and symbolic nourishment. Campers shared outdoor life together for a night and had the opportunity to attend the second annual Future Festival at the Imagining Space at Huss School.
July 7-9, 2011: Lampost Farm
Columbiana, Ohio
The first summer 2011 ^camping is not optional event took place July 7-9 at Lamppost Farm in Columbiana, Ohio. Participants had the opportunity to experience three nights on a small farm tended by Steve and Mel Montgomery and their family. Campfires, conversation and shared meals came alongside activities like optional chicken processing, for those who really want to learn more about where their food comes from. See our report from this camping trip for more ...
Summer 2010: Practicing Resurrection 2010
Cameron, Ontario
The third biennial Praciting Resurrection conference sponsored by Russet House Farm and *culture is not optional focused on the theme of "Urban Agriculture and the Peace of the City." Keynote speakers Elaine Enns and Ched Myers joined several great workshop presenters to explore how rural and urban communities can contribute to agricultural shalom.
Summer 2009: Cameron, ON
We again camped at Russet House Farm in 2009, enjoying a beautiful weekend of impromptu gatherings--including a glimpse of some of the most amazing shooting stars we'd ever seen.
Summer 2008: Practicing
Resurrection 2008
Cameron, Ontario
The 2008 theme for Practicing Resurrection was Home Economics, which Wendell Berry defines as “the ways of human housekeeping, the ways by which the human household is situated and maintained within the household of nature.” Our keynote speaker was Brian Walsh, who, with Steve Bouma-Prediger, co-authored Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in an Age of Dislocation.
Summer 2007: Cameron, ON
We returned to Russet House Farm in 2007 for a week of impromptu gatherings, lake swimming, field trips, sing-a-longs and other great community activities. By the end of the week, we may have managed to sing every Bob Dylan song ever recorded.
Summer 2006: Practicing
Resurrection 2006
Cameron, Ontario
Beginning in January 2006, *cino folks collaborated with the folks at Russet House to plan Practicing Resurrection, a conference for people of all ages who wanted to learn more about how everyday life can be a reflection of one's deepest convictions. From August 7-13, approximately 110 individuals participated, spanning one year old to eighty-something, including about 25 children age 15 and younger. Through trips to a local community shared agriculture farm and an Amish farm; communal weeding and toilet maintenance and cooking; campfires surrounded with stories and songs and breathing in the air of late summer in Canadian Shield country to a background of meteor showers and a full moon and the howls of coyotes—every participant was surprised by a sense of belonging and renewal. From children who just wanted to run through the woods in packs to music-lovers who wanted to tap their feet to a joyful noise, dreamers' dreams came true. Informal camping during the week built up to formal weekend workshops, crowned with celebration in a communal meal, a late-night musical jam session and Sunday morning worship with communion.
Summer 2004: Illinois
This summer provided the opportunity for a less formal gathering in the context of the annual Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois. Several ^camping folks gathered on one of the quieter lanes of the Jesus People USA facility that attracts 30,000 people—from first-timer teens to middle aged Cornerstone veterans—every July for a three-day event. It was certainly interesting to see the variety of people who make the pilgrimage, as well as the variety of musical acts that grace several stages throughout the weekend. We heard everything from amateur heavy metal to sophisticated rock and roll. Perhaps it wasn't the most relaxing gathering, but it certainly was an interesting experience.
Summer 2003: West Virginia
How did we ever find that place? This summer, we gathered an hour’s drive off the paved road in the middle of the Appalachians at the Middle Mountain Cabins. For a mere $35 a night, the group site was equipped with two historic cabins, a muddy pond, plenty of firewood, lots of rain and a connection to a good hiking trail. Combined with the good company, beer and the tasty camp food we dragged into the woods with us, it was a lovely weekend.
Summer 2002: Michigan
Another weekend with lots of rain—this time in a crowded campground near Silver Lake in Michigan. Though most seemed to prefer a greater degree of solitude (provided it's combined with real showers), the group that gathered here still found companionship and joy hiking the dunes, sharing meals and swimming in the crystal waters of the lake.
Summer 2001: Pennsylvania
The inaugural camping event took place before *cino was even an official organization at Ohiopyle State Park in south central Pennsylvania. This event was particularly intense, gathering a group of folks who were all wrestling in various ways with life after college. Canoeing and rock sliding complemented campfire conversations—and an organization was born to further the sense of community that developed there.