Farm Fresh, May 2026
This month's highlights:
This month's highlights:
- Sanctuary Summit and the Dances of Universal Peace Weekend in pictures
- Swan Trust Events Calendar
- Tennessee Turtles on the move
- Farm Market Day Saturday, June 13
Hi friends,
I had a request to document the Sanctuary Summit with photos so you can see what you missed. There is also a link to a 45 minute video of event highlights. The Dances of Universal Peace weekend fulfilled it mission to awaken our hearts. We will do it again in the fall, November 5-8, 2026.
Immerse yourself in nature while checking out The Farm Community! Swan Conservation Trust hosts numerous events on The Farm and the surrounding area throughout the spring, summer, and fall months, such as The Call of the Wild Night Hike (May 23) and the Pollinator Blitz (June 14). Check out their event calendar for dates and times.
I hope your summer includes some plans to travel and explore nature. This can be a good reminder that there is more to life that what's on the news!
Namaste,
Douglas
Douglas
Turtles are on the move, including the baby hatchlings.
When on walks, it’s helpful to keep an eye out for these little creatures and move them along to a safer place.
Sanctuary Summit 2026 Report
The Sanctuary Summit last month on The Farm was pure bliss. On Thursday, we watched the energy build as our fields filled up with campers and it was facinating to see license plates from states coast to coast.
This event is becoming known for the quality of its musical performers, which of course includes the phenomenal Rising Appalachia. Sisters Leah and Chloe performed again on Sunday morning with an acoustic set that featured five outstanding women’s voices in harmony.
In addition to the music, Friday and Saturday daytime hours included a variety of workshops and discussion panels. I hosted one on gardening and growing food. The Elders Panel featured a group of The Farm's founders, telling stories about the early days and what we went through to get the community started.
The Midwife Panel showcased the women who bravely took back birth for the family starting on the bus Caravan from San Francisco to Tennessee. It extended to include the new voices of the team from Community Birth and Wellness.
Sanctuary Summit is a family friendly event. The kids put our playground equipment to good use.
The food was spectacular, with the Skye Thai food truck and a real treat, a group from Asheville, NC making Lebanese flat bread with both cow and a vegan cashew sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and other fixin's. So tasty, I had to go back a second time!
Bestival Roots, a Farm homegrown food service catered by Louey Kachinsky and his wife Serena. Louie is carrying on the legacy of his mother Roberta, who has been the community’s primary food person for the last 50 years, cooking for all our events, fundraising dinners, and operating the Veggie Deli, which provides a variety of foods to the community every week. Bestival Roots and Skye Thai are also at our monthly market days.
Check out this video thank you from lead organizer Biko Casini, percussionist for Rising Appalachia, where he announces plans for 2027 that include keeping the number of attendees the same (limited to 500) while continuing to grow and improve the quality of the experience.
Here is a link to music blogger Planetary Music with their 45 minute video of Sanctuary Summit, giving you a more in-depth look at all the great happenings!
The Spring Dance Weekend
It was almost hard to imagine that only a week later I would be hosting the Dances of Universal Peace Retreat. This was our seventh dance weekend, with the largest attendance so far. It’s a much more intimate experience than the Summit festival, where you really have time to get to know everyone, holding hands in a circle as you look each other in the eye, and raise the vibration of love to a higher level, sending it out in all directions. We shared eight meals together, walked in the woods, and toured the community, dancing all along the way. The Sufis say to achieve a sense of universal oneness, polish the heart. Alhamdulilah! Our next dance weekend will be November 5-8.
Our 8th dance weekend here on The Farm will be in the fall, when temperatures in Tennessee are perfect!!
Click here to learn more.
In these challenging times, our dances are embodied prayers. Reap the Harvest of the Heart!
Click here to learn more.
In these challenging times, our dances are embodied prayers. Reap the Harvest of the Heart!
Thank you for your time and attention! Come visit us!
Douglas Stevenson
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
www.villagemedia.com
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
www.villagemedia.com
My books:
- Out to Change the World! $12 plus shipping
- The Farm Then and Now $19.95 plus shipping
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Watch my TEDx Talk: Out to Change the World - Living the Hippie Dream
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Douglas
