Recent volunteer soup & salad social.

To volunteer email info4TheGathering@gmail.com. Be part of this amazing commUNITY, active in charity and cultural preservation.

Special thanks to Laurae Hughes-Cummings, Chris Chapman and Ben Drenning for helping us carry heavy, wet bark from the woods today. Lots of bark is needed for the upcoming Indian Village. 

The Gathering 2015 volunteers made 1,000 prayer ties for our military veterans serving in the four directions.
     Close to 200 veterans of all ages, who attended the grand entry on Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, received prayer ties made the traditional way using Native American locally grown tobacco.
     Rather than burn these remaining prayers, which is a tradition (as the prayer ties go up in smoke towards the heavens/Father Sky, so do the prayers) these prayers are on their way to the Rotary Peace Conference being held in Californian next week. 
     Veterans and those who know a veteran attending the peace conference will physically receive prayers made here in Virginia. Supplies are provided for people in California to also make prayers for vets.
     "This Turtle Box will carry our east coast prayers to the west coast as we remember our veterans into this new year," said Rene' White retired Air Force Lt. Col and executive director for The Gathering 2015. "May all our veterans receive peace as they work to protect our freedoms around the globe,"
     The theme for the Calif. peace conference is, "Connecting Leaders and Conflict Resolution Experts with Solutions to Create a Culture of Peace."

     For schedules for upcoming gatherings check out www.HarvestGathering.org or The Gathering on facebook.

"For my family, the Gathering was a celebration of both the uniqueness and the commonality of Native heritage.

For children, especially when they are far from their culture, it can be very difficult to accept, much less embrace, that culture. Events like the Gathering, with hundreds of people of all colors, neighbors, new and old friends, people who have never experienced Native culture, to all come together and hold hands and dance to the heartbeat of the drum...for me, at that moment, the Spirit of the Gathering was manifest.

Watching my children play and dance with friends they have made at pow wows, as well as getting to share their culture with classmates, is something they will always remember, and something to which I will always be grateful. Hoho'u'

– Joseph Clay Morris – Volunteer for The Gathering

Berryville, VA - The Gathering Harvest Dance is distinctive from the traditional Pow Wow Dance. The Gathering begins with oral histories, then select children and elders from our communities bring in a fall harvest of corn, squash and apples. The Spirit of The Gathering is sure to catch you as you watch elders helping our youth of all colors (red, yellow, black and white) connect to the land. (Preview Schedule)
    Native American Indians and non-Indians are invited from the four directions to participate and celebrate in this elevated spirit of Thanksgiving and humanity. Grounds open at 9 am Friday (education day), Saturday and Sunday.   

    The event is hosted by the Sanctuary on the Trail™ in partnership with the Virginia Lovers' Gourd Society 14th Annual Virgina Gourd Festival Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the Clarke County Fairgrounds in Berryville, Va.

     The Gathering is featured in the Sept/Oct "Back to School" issue of the award winning Child Guide Magazine hitting the news stands soon. All thanks to The Gathering volunteer Jeanne Morton for writing the article, "The Gathering, Native American 101," and Cecilia "Cis" Rhyne editor & Angela Pelleman community mentors for suggesting the idea.
     The article appears on page 20 and is expected to draw hundreds of groups of children to The Gathering Kidz Harvest Fest on Friday, Oct. 30. Photos with the article are of local Native American Louis Campbell (taken by photographer Peter Thornton), and a young Indian boy carrying a gourd, courtesy of the Smithsonian.

     The Child Guide monthly magazine is for families in the quad-state area. Child Guide strives to provide families and educators with a free publication packed with good ideas and quality resources for raising happy, healthy children ... because we believe that being a loving guide for your child is the most important job in the world!

     The Child Guide is a first-rate family magazine  available for free at over 400 locations including elementary schools in seven districts, libraries in seven districts, hospitals, retail stores, child-care centers, doctors' and dentists' offices, gyms and recreation centers, etc.

Register for
Kidz Harvest Fest
One Day Only Offering Oct. 30
The Gathering
Clarke County Fairgrounds
890 West Main Street
Berryville, VA 22611