The Wishbringer: May 2012

Mark your calendars for:
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Valhalla Renaissance Faire
Saturday-Sunday, June 2-3 and June 9-10,
10:00AM-6:00PM Saturdays, 10:00AM-5:00PM Sundays
Camp Richardson’s Wood, 1900 Jameson Beach Road, South Lake Tahoe
Adults $17, ages 13-17, seniors and military $12, ages 6-12 $7, under 6 free
http://www.valhallafaire.com
http://www.renaissanceproductions.com

“Get away from it all and lose yourself in the magic and merriment the Renaissance times. Rub elbows with nobility, pirates, barbarian and beautiful ladies, This year's Valhalla Renaissance Faire will feature four stages of continuous entertainment, Action packed shows, Music, Dancing, jesters, 900 costumed actors, Shakespearian vignettes, expertly staged battles, storytelling for children and adults, archery tournaments and much more. Shop over 100 merchants selling a wide array of arts and crafts, one of a kind jewelry items, woodcrafts, artwork, ceramics, clothing, historic weapons and leather goods. And to top it all off, a hard hitting joust. This is a place to be!”
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WaterSongLine
Igniting an International Call for Healing the Waterways and Earth
Tuesday-Wednesday, June 5-6
locations all over the world - see website for local events
http://watersongline.com
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/transit/venus0412.html

“WaterSongLine is an on going collaborative effort to join together all our prayers for the waters across languages, cultures, and peoples. It grew out of dreams, messages, visions and the energy of the Mother Waters and Earth in her many forms urging us on - letting us know that the time is now to send the healing out. With the awakening of the spirit of the Watersongline, we recognize that our prayers are the streams that form the oceans of our existence. As we weave all our prayers together the ocean of existence grows stronger, more powerful, and more healing for all our relations.

Lighting Of The Lights Ceremony, June 5-6, Venus Transit
Join the WaterSongLine. We invite all wisdom keepers and all around the world to this historic event where we launch the beginning of the WaterSongline, and when we as a planet renew the pact we have with the Mother Waters and Earth, and ignite some powerful healing for the world. We do this through one of the most ancient ceremonies of propitiation to the universal Mother Waters and Earth - The Lighting of the Lights Ceremony. There are many ways to light a sacred fire and bless the waters in traditions across the world, such as in the Native American, African, and Asian Nations. We honor all these ways and converge them all together for this auspicious time of healing.   This will be the first time these sacred fire and water healing ceremonies will be done by cultures from all over the world unifying their energies together. This promises to be a powerful moment.

We have timed the ceremony with the famous Venus Transit which happens only once every 150 years. The transit marks the coming in of the cosmic feminine energy of love, compassion, cooperation, and earth renewal. Astrology tells us it is important for all to pray at this time. The ceremony falls on the date of World Environmental Day and two days latter is World Ocean Day. How auspicious! We honor both these days, as well.”
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Higher Vision
Community Activation and Awareness Gathering
Saturday, June 9
Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa
see website for detailed schedule and registration information
http://www.highervisionpresents.com
http://www.inticketing.com/events/199987/higher-vision-burning-spear-more

“You are all invited to this summer's hottest new music event, Higher Vision, a one-day grassroots Community Activation and Awareness Gathering. The festival will treat guests to a unique experience and features a diverse selection of top touring artists. There will be sustainable and progressive vendors, gourmet and organic food, world-renowned speakers, and environmental awareness education in a fun, family-friendly setting at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, known for hosting quality music events.”
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San Francisco Free Folk Festival
Saturday-Sunday, June 9-10, 12:00-10:00PM
Presidio Middle School, 450 30th Avenue, San Francisco
Free
http://www.sffolkfest.org

“The festival is two full days of music and dance workshops, concerts, dance parties, crafts, vendors, formal and informal music-making, and just plain fun for the whole family. All ages and musical interests are welcome. All events and workshops are open to anyone who wants to drop in and participate or just listen. And did we mention that admission is free?”
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Farm to Table
Farm Tour and Dinner benefitting the National Ag Science Center
Thursday, June 14, Tour 12:00-5:00PM, Dinner 5:30-8:30PM
Tour of various farms in the Modesto area, see website for details
Dinner at Four Seasons Farms, 1660 California Avenue, Modesto
Tour $20, Dinner $60
Please pre-register at the website below:
http://www.agsciencecenter.org/events/tastes/tastes-2012/farm-to-table

“Tour Detail: Discover where your food comes from with an afternoon of tours at various Modesto Area Growers and Producers.

Dinner Details: Join us for the National Ag Science Center's first annual Farm to Table dinner. Enjoy a multi-course dinner with local, farm fresh ingredients artistically prepared by the chefs at Greens Market. Sip on local wines as you talk with featured farmers and vintners who will join you for dinner. An evening in the gardens at Four Seasons Farms is the perfect setting to learn about some unique agricultural products grown and produced right here in Stanislaus County by those who have dedicated their lives to food and farming.

What is the National Ag Science Center?

Welcome to America’s only science center focusing on agriculture.
Rooted in one of the world's most productive agricultural regions, California’s renowned Central Valley, the National Ag Science Center will be the premier interactive, state-of-the-art facility highlighting the science and technology of agriculture through unique and modern exhibits created by a world-class team of designers. To achieve our goal and ultimately build the National Ag Science Center, we have established a three phase approach:

Unveiling Ag in Motion - a mobile classroom which will tour middle schools providing students with memorable experiences in agricultural science to encourage future careers in agriculture. (June 2011)

Partner with an established science center to develop the first agricultural science exhibit which will visit science centers and children's museums throughout the United States. (Timing 2012-2013)

Construction of the nation's first science center focusing on agriculture. (Timing 2014)

The 65,000-square-foot National Ag Science Center building will be located on the campus of Modesto Junior College and will feature an introductory theater, retail store, dining facilities, meeting space and an 18,000-square-foot exhibit space.

Through each phase of the development process, visitors of all ages will be provided unique insight on the role of science and technology in the development and expansion of America's agricultural industry in providing a safe, consistent and abundant supply of food and fiber for the world’s consumers to enjoy - all while learning about sustainability, science, technology and careers in agriculture.”
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SCA West Kingdom Arts and Sciences Tourney
Friday-Sunday, June 15-17, 10:00AM-6:00PM
Ed Levin Park, 3100 Calaveras Road, Milpitas
$12.00 per person, $6.00 for children 13 to 17 years, 12 and under are free
$40.00 for families
for more information
For more information, please email aands@westkingdom.org
http://www.westkingdom.org/node/490

“Come take part in fantastic classes under the shade of beautiful trees and on cool grass. Want to teach a class or host a period encampment?. This year we are featuring period encampments, demos and interactive spaces throughout the weekend.”
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Embraced By Love
a Retreat for Women
Friday-Monday, June 15-18
EarthRise Retreat Center at IONS, 101 San Antonio Road, Petaluma
see website for registration details
http://embracedbylove.com/retreat/EmbracedByLove

“Embraced By Love
A Retreat to Nourish and Celebrate Your Beautiful Feminine Spirit

When was the last time you gave yourself the gift of a retreat that is expressly designed to nourish and nurture your soul in a sacred, loving and feminine way?
Imagine...

Being embraced by a circle of sisters from a place of love and heartfelt acceptance
Being received into the center of a delicate rose - its petals gently caressing you into a felt sense of beauty
Being welcomed into the garden of Aphrodite's unconditional love
Joining with other soulful women in a place where you are deeply seen and invited to discover and offer your deepest gifts
Singing, laughing, dancing and celebrating with women from around the globe

We invite you to take time out of your busy life, unplug and immerse yourself in sacred beauty and soul nourishment. Come, refuel and renew yourself as we create a space for the Goddess in each of us to wake up and stretch out in the sun!

It's challenging in our everyday lives to truly walk the path of beauty and to feed ourselves regularly. So many other things compete for our attention and take priority.

Our three-day oasis in Aphrodite's Garden will give you the break you deserve - it's a special, sacred time for you to be adored, pampered, received and adorned as the beautiful woman that you are. Your senses will be re-awakened as you come alive to your fullness, and you will receive lavish, loving attention that can only happen in a sacred sister circle.

The retreat is co-led by Devaa Haley Mitchell and Elayne Doughty who have guided hundreds of women on awakening journeys. In their care, you will be filled up, nurtured and exalted by the Goddess of Love herself. And after four days, you will leave with a deep embodiment of living your life as love and an immersive experience of the Goddess of Love within you.

The Embraced by Love Retreat takes place during the Summer Solstice, when nature invites us to be in full bloom, to be radiant, to be fully opened to the love-light in our own being. What better way to nourish yourself than to be Embraced by Love this summer in beautiful California?”
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Pirate Festival
Saturday-Sunday, June 16-17, 10:00AM-6:00PM
Vallejo Waterfront, next to Vallejo Ferry Terminal, 289 Mare Island Way, Vallejo
Free!
http://www.norcalpiratefestival.com

"The Northern California Pirate Festival has one goal:
To create an entertaining event where everyone who loves pirates will have a great time and feel welcome!

Whether you love nautical music, swordfighting, sailing, cannon-battles, theater, maritime crafts, food and drink, or just shopping fer' pirate booty... there's something here for YOU!

Fun For ALL AGES: Children, Adults, Teens and Whole Families!

We encourage coming out in costume... whether you dress as an historical era pirate from the Golden Age of Sail or a bejeweled Mardi-Gras Krewmate from New Orleans... whether your taste runs towards Hollywood Swashbucklers or Foreign Buccaneers from international waters! Dress up and share in the experience...

You certainly don't need to come out in costume, but when you leave you're sure to feel like a pirate!

Sail out to the PirateFest and join us for a great time!"
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Marin Art Festival
Saturday-Sunday, June 16-17, 10:00AM-6:00PM
The Lagoon, Marin Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael
$10 adults, under 14 free
http://www.marinartfestival.com

“Over 250 fine artists in a spectacular setting by the Lagoon in the Marin Civic Center, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, fifteen minutes North of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Festival foods range from Louisiana gumbo and crawfish, Greek salads, South Western chicken breast sandwiches, fresh crabcake, grilled oysters, and French pastries.

Stroll through spacious pavilions.
View works by and visit with the 2011 Marin Master.
Enjoy the delights of the Great Marin Oyster Feast.
Meet with the artists and talk about their work.
Check out our Dance Showcase: Hula to Hip Hop.
Enjoy sit down dining with a team of student waiters.
Sample fine wines and brews.”
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Scottish Renaissance Faire
Saturday-Sunday, June 16-17, 10:00AM-6:00PM
Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, 2601 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville
See website for ticket prices - discounts available for ordering in advance, two-day tickets available
http://www.scottishrenaissancefestival.org

"Explore the History, Myth, and Legend of 16th century Scotland!
Enjoy the Excitement and Competition of the Highland Games!

Entertainment - Music - Arts - Crafts - Activities - Games - Magicians - Faeries - Food - Beverages - Ale

Something for the whole family !"
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Solaris
Thursday-Sunday, June 21-24
Earth Matters Retreat Center, 11629 Love Creek Road, Ben Lomond
early registration before June 1 $140, after June 1 $180
http://www.communityseed.org/2012/04/solaris-june-21st-24th

“Hello Nature Lovers. Mark your calendars for the weekend of June 21st-24th and get the days off work now: Solaris is back for another long, leisurely weekend of Spiritual Renewal.

This year we’re experimenting with having two-track of playshops at times. A more meditative track and a more energetic one.

The theme of Solaris is: Sharing Our Knowledge and Power.

See the website for a detailed schedule of playshops and other activities.
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Fairy and Human Relations Congress
Communication and Co-Creation with Devas, Nature Spirits and the Faery Realms
Friday - Sunday, June 22-24
Skalitude Retreat, Twisp, Washington
See website for registration details. Register by March 15 for discounted rate.
http://www.fairycongress.com
http://www.skalitude.com

"The Fairy and Human Relations Congress affects the planet by joining with the nature, devic and other higher realms to bring more peace, love and understanding into the world. Our goal is not to escape the outer world but to positively affect it. At this time of multiple crises affecting humanity we feel it is very important to seek alliances with as many light forces as possible in other realms. Mother Earth and the fairy realms ARE big players in what is transpiring on the planet. Though many deny their existence, the numbers of people who are tuning into the spiritual realms and to the nature spirit/fairy/devic realms is increasing by leaps and bounds. The Congress is one of the vanguard events bringing these people together. We are not a frivolous event although we do have lots of fun and costume up. Our intent is communication and cooperation, not only for our personal selves, but for all of humanity. We are allying ourselves with Mother Earth and with the forces for peace and love on planet Earth.”
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Sailing on the Sea of Dreams
2012 Conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams
Friday-Tuesday, June 22-26
DoubleTree Hotel, 200 Marina Boulevard, Berkeley
see website for detailed schedule and registration information
http://asdreams.org/2012

“Welcome to the 29th Annual International IASD Conference.

Enjoy the fun as we go Sailing on the Sea of Dreams!   This year's conference promises to be memorable, a four-and-a-half day event filled with workshops, panels, symposia, a poster session, and special events featuring three world-renowned Keynote Presenters, three special Invited Speakers, and over 160 presenters from around the globe.

Conference Special Events include an Opening Reception, the Dream Art Exhibition and Reception, the annual Dream Telepathy Contest, and the costume Dream Ball. In the environment of a natural wildlife preserve, outdoor activities at Sailing on the Sea of Dreams will include a dream hike along the Bay and a sunset sail on the Sea of Dreams - a special Dessert Cruise on San Francisco Bay.

The International Association for the Study of Dreams is a non-profit, international, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the pure and applied investigation of dreams and dreaming. Our purposes are to promote an awareness and appreciation of dreams in both professional and public arenas; to encourage research into the nature, function, and significance of dreaming; to advance the application of the study of dreams; and to provide a forum for the eclectic and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and information.”
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San Francisco Pride
Saturday-Sunday, June 23-24
see website for parade route and detailed schedule
http://www.sfpride.org

“2012 marks the 42nd anniversary of the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade. The theme is Global Equality and the event will be held over the weekend of June 23 and 24, 2012. With over 200 parade contingents, 300 exhibitors, and more than twenty community-run stages and venues, the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest gathering of LGBT people and allies in the nation.

The two-day celebration takes place in Civic Center Plaza in downtown San Francisco the last full weekend of June each year. The Parade, which takes place the Sunday morning of the event, kicks off from Beale Street along Market and ends at Market and 8th St. in the heart of downtown San Francisco.”
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Born to Drum
Women’s Drum Camp
Friday-Monday, June 29-July 1
Walker Creek Ranch, 1700 Marshall-Petaluma Road, Petaluma
see website for registration information
http://www.womendrummers.dreamhosters.com/?p=120
http://www.walkercreekranch.org

“The Born to Drum Women’s Drum Camp is a 4-day camp for women and girls 15 and older. Born To Drum takes place June 29-July 1 at Walker Creek Ranch, on 1700 acres in the beautiful rolling hills of Northern California, about an hour’s drive from San Francisco or Oakland.

The 7th annual Born To Drum Camp features an international faculty of over 20 women drummers and dancers, workshops, concerts, dance, healing circle, fireside drumming, and cultural exchange in a beautiful setting. There will be a marketplace, organic food great accommodations, inspiration and FUN!

Whether you are brand new to drumming or have been playing for years, you will find classes that will challenge you. We welcome women new to drumming and have scheduled basic skills classes to help you build a strong foundation. Other classes range from beginning to advanced intermediate, with many all-levels classes. Class descriptions and the schedule (available closer to camp) will indicate the level of the class.

Accommodations: There is something for everyone in the choice of accommodations - camping, dormitory style housing, and semi-private or private rooms in small lodges with lounge and kitchen areas. The food is delicious, with fresh organic vegetables from the Ranch garden supplemented by offerings from local farms.

Classes and Activities: During the day, you can choose from a variety classes featuring drum, dance, and song from many cultural traditions as well as drum jams and practice sessions. We will also enjoy outdoor activities with swimming at Turtle Pond, a naturalist led hike, special workshops, and time to enjoy our beautiful environment. Evenings are devoted to making music, with drum jams and programs featuring faculty and attendees.”
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The Fellowship of the Spiral Path invites CAYA members to attend
Spiral’s Midsummer Celebration
Sunday, July 1, 1:00PM
Madrone Picnic Area, Roberts Regional Park, 10570 Skyline Boulevard, Oakland
for more information, please contact Lupa at lupamoon@earthlink.net
http://www.thespiralpath.org
http://www.ebparks.org/parks/roberts

The Fellowship of the Spiral Path is having a Board Meeting which will be followed by a barbeque, pot luck, ritual and celebration of Spiral’s anniversary. The social part of the day will start at about 1:00PM, and CAYA is invited to join the celebration!
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Bay Area Country Dance Society Family Week
Sunday, July 1- Saturday, July 7
Foothill Horizons Outdoor School, 21925 Lyons Bald Mountain Road, Sonora
see website for detailed schedule and registration information
activities for ages from preschool through adult
http://www.bacds.org/wordpress
http://www.bacds.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/BACDSFWk2012_8.5x11.pdf
http://www.stancoe.org/SCOE/tlr/outdoorEd/site_rental.html

“Join us for six days full of dancing, music, crafts, swimming, games, storytelling, and too much fun…

Family Dance Camp is about the time-honored tradition of movement and music, and the camp will be filled with fun folk-dancing for the whole family. There will be something for all ages, including English Country dance, square dances, contra dances, sword dancing, step dancing, couples dances, and daily community dances that bring the entire camp together.

The music at camp is the best! The extremely talented musical staff will make your toes tap for dancing and your ears happy from listening. The staff will provide music for all kinds of dancing, will lead workshops for new and experienced musicians alike, and will lead the camp in joyous song. Instruction will be offered for many instruments, including fiddle, guitar, piano, and mandolin.

Enjoy the eternal art of storytelling. Our professional storyteller will enchant children and adults alike with storytelling sessions every day and a bedtime story as well. After the evening story the children will be serenaded off to bed with our traditional pied-piper parade.

Family Dance Camp craft classes offer adults and children a chance to make things with their hands. Our talented and knowledgeable artists will help all ages take pride in what they create.”

Thanks to Vicki Solomon for letting me know about this event!
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Time Travel Weekends
in Historic Old Sacramento
Saturday-Sunday, July 7-8, and every weekend through August 26
Historic Old Sacramento, 101 I Street, Sacramento
http://www.historicoldsac.org/programs/programs-street-theatre.asp

“Get ready to step back in time when the past mingles with the present once again in Old Sacramento! Visitors to Old Sacramento will enjoy lively and interactive street theatre as part of the hugely popular Time Travel Weekends that debuted last year to much applause. The streets of Old Sacramento will come alive with talented performers who put on spontaneous and elaborate skits and performances. Plus, visitors won’t want to miss the highly entertaining Old West stage shows happening daily including the much acclaimed Golden Melodeon Review in the Eagle Theatre.

As you stroll through Old Sacramento on weekends July through August, you might just chance upon historic re-enactments complete with wagons, wild characters with heroes and villains, children’s pioneer craft activities, historic gambling, bowling, juggling, singing, dancing and other forms of musical mastery, military encampments, mining camps, parades, historic events, medicine shows, Civil War cannon firings, and much, much more!”

A lot of the performers in this program are Renaissance Faire and/or Dickens Fair folk!

Director Robert Young, who may look familiar to you if you’ve ever met Mr. Dickens himself, or attended a Mysterium Om ritual at PantheaCon, says:
“THE CURTAIN'S GOING UP - on a new season of Time Travel Weekends in Sacramento City. The very first melodrama to open the Eagle Theatre in 1849, 'The Bandit Chief', will be reborn on that stage every afternoon. An entertaining show of variety acts will also take stage - jugglers, Shakespearean actors, medicine show, can can, music hall and much more - concluding in the stirring pageant 'Triumph of Eureka'. Mr. Mark Twain himself will hold forth with his droll humor and entertaining tales. The streets will be bustling with wagons, carriages, parades, music and lively characters. Will you be there?”
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Flashlight Tours of the Winchester Mystery House
Friday, July 13, first tour at 6:30PM, last tour at 9:50PM
tours last 65 minutes
Winchester Mystery House, 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, 408-247-2101
$45 - purchase tickets in advance from the website
http://winchestermysteryhouse.com/specialevents.cfm

“Since her death, millions of people have visited her home and many report the sightings of ghosts. Was the house built solely as a monument to the dead or do the phantoms Sarah communed with in life, or perhaps Sarah herself, still lurk nightly in the maze-like corridors of the Winchester Mystery House?
The tradition of Sarah Winchester’s bizarre legacy continues...

Flashlight Tours
Special 65 minute Flashlight Tours of the Winchester Mansion are given every Friday the 13th and at Halloween. You'll tour the rambling, mysterious mansion at night with only the moonlight, a souvenir flashlight, and your imagination to provide illumination through the bewildering maze of rooms and stairways. But watch your back, Sarah could be waiting around any turn. This is one open house you’ll never forget.

Due to the popularity of the Flashlight Tours, we highly recommend you purchase your tickets ahead of time. This event WILL sell out and when it does, tickets will not be available at Box Office on the night of the event.”
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Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Darkside Tours
Friday, July 13, 7:30PM, 8:00PM, 8:30PM, 9:00PM, 9:30PM
tours start at Franklin Gate, 1600 Franklin Avenue, Santa Rosa
$25
For additional information, please call 707-543-3292
Space is limited, please pre-register - see website below:
http://www.srcity.org/ruralcemetery

“Experience the dark side of Santa Rosa's history. Hear and see true tales of murder, suicide and other ghastly tragedies of past Santa Rosa residents.

Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery was established as the result of an accident. In November of 1854 a young father, who had arrived from Missouri only a matter of weeks before, drowned in a pond near the center of town. He was buried on land that was part of a Mexican grant given to one of the earliest settlers of Santa Rosa, Doña Maria Ignacia Lopez de Carrillo. Soon other families needed burial places, and the area became an unofficial cemetery. In 1867 the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Association was formed and burial plots in the 17-acre site were formally offered for sale.

Sales of plots continued through 1930, through records of these transactions have been lost. During this period of 70-plus years, parts of the land were sold off, and three separate but adjacent cemeteries were established: the Stanley, Moke, and Fulkerson Cemeteries. Today the four cemeteries combined are owned by the City of Santa Rosa and known collectively as Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery. The only burials permitted today are those of descendants of families who held deeds to cemetery plots. The total number of burials is over 5200.

Neglect and vandalism took their toll on the cemetery through years of unclear ownership and sporadic maintenance. A Restoration Committee organized by dedicated volunteers in 1994 and operating under the aegis of the City of Recreation and Parks Department has made great strides in repairing damage, clearing overgrowth, and planning for permanent maintenance. In 1997, the City of Santa Rosa awarded Historical Landmark status to the Rural Cemetery.

Docent-led tours during the summer months acquaint visitors with the history of the town and the many town pioneers who are buried here. Lamplight Tours, conducted in September as fund-raising events, present dramatic vignettes from the lives of the famous and not-so-famous people buried in the Rural Cemetery.”
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Fabulosa Fest
Friday-Sunday, July 20-22
Walker Creek Ranch Retreat and Conference Center, 1700 Marshall Petaluma Road, Petaluma
Registration due by July 15 - see website for registration details
http://fabulosafest.com

“Fabulosa 2012 is July 20-22 at Walker Creek Ranch - an amazing women-centered camping, music, fundraiser, swimming, community building experience on a ranch!

Fabulosa Fest is a non-profit fundraiser on a beautiful 1700 acre ranch, just 45 miles North of San Francisco. Attendees have the time of their lives swimming, canoeing, hiking, attending yoga and other classes and workshops, shopping in the craft market, jamming around the campfire and dancing in the barn. Health practitioners offer massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic services.

Fabulosa Fest is an inclusive retreat for women, their families and friends of all ages and genders. Our collective distributes all proceeds to LGBTQ charities that serve youth in Northern California.

Options for lodging include camping, bunkhouses, and private rooms in a range of prices. Meals are provided by the Walker Creek kitchen, stocked by the Walker Creek organic garden, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Single Day Passes are also available - they include entrance to the main stage performances, the film fest, classes, health and healing fair and use of the property for the day (swimming, canoeing, hiking) but do not include entrance to the the campfire jam or the Boogie Barn dance party. Meals are optional with day passes but it becomes cheaper to buy a weekend pass if you plan to purchase meals.

Join us for an unforgettable time!”
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Rivertown Revival
Saturday, July 21, 11:30AM-7:00PM
Steamer Landing Park, 6 Copeland Street, Petaluma
Free
http://rivertownrevival.com

“Like you, we love Sonoma County and all of the bounty that it has to offer. For this reason, and many more, we’ve celebrating the 3rd year of this local, arts-based, community festival that highlights the Petaluma River and all of the amazing artists who call our county home.   The event includes an art boat race and parade, floating art barges and an all-day festival, which includes local music, art, food and drink and over 40 fabulous local vendors. The Rivertown Revival is sure to be 2012′s most unique and creative summer festival!”
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Renegade Craft Fair
Saturday-Sunday, July 21-22, 11:00AM-7:00PM
Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, 99 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco
Free
http://www.renegadecraft.com/sanfrancisco-info

“We’ll be kicking off the West Coast leg of our Summer RCF tour with the 5th Annual Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco on July 21-22, 2012! We’ll return to the beautiful Fort Mason Center from 1:00AM-7:00PM each day, where you’ll find 250+ of today’s very best indie crafters, fun and creative hands-on workshops, music, food, booze + plenty more. Get ready, San Francisco, it’s gonna be a great time!

At the Renegade Craft Fair you can expect to find only the best indie-craft and DIY artisans! Featuring both local and national talent, shoppers can anticipate a vast array of independently designed jewelry, clothing, paper goods, home and garden goods, posters, artwork, plush objects, bath and body products, and so much more!!”
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ConjureCon
Friday-Sunday, July 27-29
The Serpent's Kiss, 2015 N Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz
see website for detailed schedule and registration information
http://www.conjurecon.com

“The first ever ConjureCon will be held at Serpent's Kiss in Santa Cruz, California on July 27-29, 2012!

Building on the successes of the Folk Magic Festival in New Orleans in 2010 and 2011, your favorite conjurers are coming to Santa Cruz.

Organized by Susan Diamond, Orion Foxwood, Sindy Todo and Starr Casas, featuring special guest Cat Yronwode!”
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Women's Visionary Congress
Friday-Monday, July 27-29
EarthRise Retreat Center, Institute of Noetic Sciences, 101 San Antonio Road, Petaluma
see website for detailed schedule and registration information
http://www.visionarycongress.org
http://www.noetic.org/earthrise

"The Women's Visionary Congress (WVC) is an annual gathering of visionary women healers, scholars, activists and artists who study consciousness and altered states. The WVC supports the transfer of knowledge among women who apply the insights of their research and spiritual path. We gather on beautiful land in Northern California to renew our community of adventurers and visionaries.

The WVC welcomes interested women and men to join us as we create a temporary community, dance, eat delicious food and engage in a series of conversations with wise women. The Women's Visionary Congress is a benefit for the V Fund which makes grants to visionary women."
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Faerie Barter Market and Harvest Ritual
presented by Wytchwood
Saturday, July 28, 11:00AM-7:30PM
40 Thieves Picnic Area, DeLaveaga Park, 850 Branciforte Drive, Santa Cruz
Admission is free - donations for costs accepted
https://sites.google.com/site/faeriebartermarket
http://www.wytchwood.com
http://sacredgrovesantacruz.com

“Faerie Barter Market and Harvest Ritual
Open to the Pagan public

Free parking!

Please come wearing your most wylde, fun outfits!
Masks, ears, wings, tails and ribbons especially encouraged!!!
Play Area for parent-attended small kiddies

Hosted by
FireDrake Grove, Greenheart Grove, Sacred Grove and many other folk

Event Schedule

Faerie Barter Market 11:00AM-6:00PM

Bring your ‘stuff’ to barter for other people’s ‘stuff’! Market is located at the upper picnic area next to the parking lot of 40 Thieves Picnic Area

Barter Booth offerings include: handicrafts, fun clothing, mask-making, face painting, Gypsy Tarot readings, 10 minute chair massage, healing practices, ritual items, mathoms and other small items

Barter Booths are for bartering - no money is allowed to change hands.
Shoppe vendors will take donations for non-barter items.

Performances during market
Sharon Knight, Jafar Thorne, Dancing, Live Music, Irish Singing, Minstrels and more!

FireDrake Grove and Greenheart Grove present:
Harvest Ritual and Lughnasadh Games
6:30-7:30PM

A Pagan ritual to celebrate 1st Harvest
Bring Harvest food to share during the ritual in the Market center of 40 Thieves Picnic Area”
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Gaia Festival
Friday-Sunday, August 3-5
Black Oak Ranch, 50350 Highway 101, Laytonville
See website for detailed schedule and registration information
http://www.thegaiafestival.com

“The Gaia Festival is a three-day music and sustainable-living fair, featuring world-class artists of many genres, with a positive message for our time.

More than a music festival, the Gaia Festival is serving a growing community of people who are coming together to create sustainable and resilient lifestyles, in our neighborhoods and around the world. It is a celebration of our interconnection to each other and to Mother Earth.

The Gaia Festival is an interactive forum for people and organizations to share ideas, information and inspiration. Through workshops and presentations we will host discussions on topics such as: permaculture, renewable energy, green building, communal living, environmental stewardship, human rights, healing arts, indigenous cultures, shamanism and spirituality.

Celebrating the bounty of Northern California, the Gaia Festival will offer great food and crafts, provided by local non-profits and artisans, featuring local, organic and sustainable products.
Five stages, four directions, three days, too much fun, one love.”
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San Jose Renaissance Faire
Saturday-Sunday, August 4-5, 10:00AM-6:00PM
Guadalupe River Park, 494 West Santa Clara Street, San Jose
Adults $17, ages 13-17, seniors and military $12, ages 6-12 $7, under 6 free
Parking $5.00 at HP Pavilion
http://www.sanjosefaire.com
http://www.renaissanceproductions.com

“If you love Renaissance Faires, this full scale, interactive experience is not to be missed. San Jose Renaissance Faire offers you a chance to visit the days of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I!

See about 800 costumed performers bring Shakespeare’s England to life with parades, pageants, and fun townsfolke, offering continuous entertainment of spectacular variety spread throughout the village. You’ll enjoy musicians, jugglers, and the ribaldry of actors drawing you even deeper into the Renaissance.

Around 100 artisans display beautifully crafted masterpieces in the village, plenty of variety for even the most discerning shopper.

See brave and bold knights competing for the favor of the Her Majesty’s Court and for their lady’s affection during any one of two full-contact jousts held in the Queen’s Tiltyard each day!

Whether you thirst or hunger for a Turkey leg or a chocolate dipped strawberries on a stick, an amazing gourmet foods and a dozen delicious drinks will satisfy your taste buds to give them a try.

Support the Community! Bring a can of food and get $2.00 off adult admission!”
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WomenSpirit Elderflower Festival
Thursday-Sunday, August 9-12
Mendocino Woodlands, 39350 Little Lake Road, Mendocino
see website for registration details
http://www.elderflower.org
http://www.mendocinowoodlands.org

“The theme for 2012 is Sharing the Spirit

Elderflower Womenspirit is a women’s spirituality festival that takes place every August, in the Mendocino Woodlands of Northern California. Since 1988, women have gathered together to create this festival, to create a time and space for healing and growth, as well as a growing community of empowered women.

Elderflower Womenspirit gives you four days of rest and relaxation, camping in cabins or tents by a creek in a beautiful redwood forest. Enjoy gourmet catered meals, with vegetarian options. Camp amenities include hot showers!

Elderflower Womenspirit is a grassroots volunteer event. There are no paid staff, presenters or entertainers. It is a participatory spiritual experience; the rituals, workshops, entertainment and other activities are created by the women who attend. Every woman is encouraged to bring her own unique talents and contribute to the diversity of the festival by leading and participating in workshops, rituals and other activities.

Elderflower Womenspirit is a non-denominational gathering, women of any spiritual path are welcome to participate. We honor the Divine Feminine, however She chooses to manifest in our lives. Our rituals celebrate the Goddess and the sacredness of nature.

Elderflower Womenspirit workshops have included a wide range of topics: Drumming, songs and chants, movement and dance, crafts, writing, divination, ritual, herbal magic and medicine, tarot, psychic skills, astrology, Reiki, herbal medicine, bodywork, yoga, meditation, Goddess lore, various spiritual traditions, crystals, sexuality and gender issues, political topics.

Elderflower Womenspirit activities include hiking, sports, massage, an open air market, our Friday Night Performing Arts Show, 12 Step Meetings, Silent Auction and our Treasure Table.”
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Bay Area Tarot Symposium
Saturday-Sunday, August 25-26
Golden Gateway Holiday Inn, 1500 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
see website for detailed schedule and registration information
http://www.dodivination.com
http://www.facebook.com/SFBATS

“The first, the original, the only... There is NOTHING like a BATS!

Two days of Tarot-drenched fun and frolic including workshops, presentations, readings in the Pagan Science Reading Room, fabulous schmoozery, and the legendary Tarot Bazaar, featuring Tarot Garden (your source for all things Tarot) and the Millard Fillmore Memorial Spiritualist Temple Garage Sale (the retail arm of the DoD)
Plus! the Raffle of Fabulous Prizes!

The BATS in the Belfry Magickal, Mystical Mixer on Saturday night will feature the Michael Kenny jazz combo and special guest performers.

SF BATS is held at San Francisco's Golden Gateway Holiday Inn. The location sets you in the middle of the City by the Bay with every imaginable delight to eat, drink and experience right outside the door, including cable cars!”
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Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium
Session 2: Friday - Monday, August 31-September 3
Black Oak Ranch, 50350 Highway 101, Laytonville
see website for detailed schedule and registration details
http://www.womensherbalsymposium.org/pages/symposium.html

“PlantWomen gather! The Tribe comes together!

Now, two times a year, women from many backgrounds of life gather together in great celebration for four full days of inspiring Herbal and Sustainability classes, gourmet vegetarian meals, talented campfire capers, amazing handcrafted marketplace items, Rites-of-Passage Ceremonies, powerful campfire drumming and dancing, refreshing swimming hole dips, and conversations with remarkable and inspiring women!

We meet together under the ancient oaks, douglas firs, and bay trees of Northern California. Our main gathering area is encircled by sixteen tipis with a large firepit in the center. All classes are held sitting on the ground under these majestic trees, or under shade tarps that we have set-up. At night we camp together, either in the tipis or in tents that we each bring.

During the days we are a gathering of women and children studying, teaching, learning, networking, and talking about plants, healing, and healthy lifestyles. When the sun goes down we become a playful and celebratory group, chatting, chanting, singing, showing off our talents, drumming and dancing into the night around the campfire.

We are a group of 350-400 women and children and we gather to learn from each other, to nurture and nourish each other, to take a break from our daily lives, to regenerate, refresh, dance, frolic, talk plants, and most of all, to have a REALLY GOOD THYME together!

Each session is a separate event. Do join us for one or both sessions!”
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Gold Rush Days
Friday-Monday, August 31-September 3, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Historic Old Sacramento, 101 I Street, Sacramento
Free
http://www.sacramentogoldrushdays.com

“Hitch up the team to your buckboard and come on down! Bring the young'uns and the in-laws, the neighbors and the new folk just off the stage from Back East. Heck, bring your sweetheart along for a thrill… During Labor Day Weekend in Old Sacramento you’ll find yourself transported back to the days of Gold and Glory, when California was a brand-new state with brand-new ideas. Join in the truly old-time fun in the world of Yesterday!

More than 200 tons of dirt will pave the streets of Old Sacramento as this annual festival "turns back the clock," transforming Sacramento's historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. Hundreds of costumed performers take on the roles of celebrities, personalities and just plain folks, bringing history to life while bluegrass pickers and old-timey Musicians perform on several stages, evoking the vivid tunes of the times.

Featuring Dancers, Street Dramas, Wagon Rides, Gold Panning, Period Artifacts, Storytelling, Craft Making, Embarcadero Tent City, Period Musicians, Horse-Drawn Carriages and much more!”
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Capitola Begonia Festival
Friday-Monday, August 31-September 3
the beautiful seaside Village of Capitola, near Santa Cruz
http://www.begoniafestival.com

"The homespun Capitola Begonia Festival has its roots in the moist, cool coastal climate of Santa Cruz County, California, which is eminently hospitable to the tuberous begonia. Major begonia growers were located in Capitola and Santa Cruz in the mid-20th Century, and a festival in late summer--when the begonias are in spectacular bloom--was a natural way to extend the late-summer coastal tourist season.

The 'Pacific Begonia', as it is known, was hybridized in Capitola. At the turn of the Century, the Brown family immigrated to Capitola. They tried for years to develop some sort of sustainable agriculture to assure their survival in this sparsely populated, primarily tourist area called 'Camp Capitol'. Obtaining Begonia bulbs from Germany, who bragged of 'the best flowers', and Begonia tubers from Belgium, who claimed 'the strongest tubers', the Browns cross-bred the 2 varieties, and developed the Pacific Begonia. From the 1930s to the 1970s, approx 90% of the worlds Begonias came from the Brown Bulb Ranch in Capitola.

Peggy Matthews was a local resident who taught swimming. She staged the Capitola Water Follies every fall, to showcase her swimmers. Peggy couldn't help but notice all the Begonia flowers going to waste on the Brown Bulb Ranch (where the Capitola Mall is today). Of course, she was not aware that the growers had no interest whatsoever in the flowers; they were propagating bulbs. The death of the flowers signified that it was time to dig up the bulbs and send them to market. Begonias are not a 'cut flower'.

So, in 1951, Peggy was given permission to pick as many flowers as she wanted. That year the Capitola Water Follies featured paddleboards decorated with Begonias, and that is basically how the Begonia Festival got its start. The next year was the first year of actual 'floats', and even though the real "Capitola Begonia Festival' was not official until 1954, we have always used 1952 as the starting date. Today, the Begonia fields are in Marina, which is Monterey County, and the Golden State Bulb Growers Association maintains a very large area of many types of bulbs. There are 43 acres dedicated to Begonias, over 3 million blooms, come late summer. A spectacular sight!!!"
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Scottish Highland Games
Saturday-Sunday, September 1-2
Pleasanton Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Avenue, Pleasanton
see website for schedule and ticket details
http://www.caledonian.org/games.html

Taber tossing! Bagpipes! Whiskey! Kilts!
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King's Mountain Art Fair
Saturday-Monday, September 1-3, 10:00AM-5:00PM
Kings Mountain Community Center, 13889 Skyline Boulevard, Woodside (on the Peninsula)
http://www.kingsmountainartfair.org

"The Kings Mountain Art Fair is an annual event, held every Labor Day weekend. The Art Fair benefits the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade and other community activities, including the Kings Mountain Elementary School, and is staffed completely by volunteers from the local community.

Known for its stunning location among the redwoods and for its unique and varied artists (selected by jury), the Kings Mountain Art Fair celebrates over 40 years of art and ambiance. Come visit!

Fair admission and parking are free."
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Oakland Pride
Sunday, September 2, 11:00AM-7:00PM
19th Street and Franklin Street, Oakland
see website for detailed map and schedule
$10 General Admission, $5 Seniors over 65/Youth under 12
http://www.oaklandpride.org

“Oakland Pride exploded onto the pride scene in 2010 with a first year event so large and fabulous that it has been branded Northern California’s second largest pride. 2012 marks the 3rd year of Oakland’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride celebration and we have gone the extra mile to ensure there is something for everyone. In additional to four stages featuring a diverse lineup of over 75 wonderful artists, Oakland Pride will host pavilions for seniors, HIV/AIDS Health, and the Asian Pacific Islander (API) Community. Our Family Coalition, Children’s Fairyland and The Oakland Public Library have teamed up to host a fun-filled Family Garden with live entertainment and interactive activities for children of all ages. With all of this plus almost 200 vendors and exhibitors providing a wide variety of food, merchandise, and information. Oakland Pride is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Come celebrate a proud day on the sunny side of the Bay!!”
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Goddess Festival
Friday-Sunday, September 7-9
Redwood Forest in Santa Cruz area
see website for detailed registration information
http://goddess-festival.com

“Goddess Festival 2012 - Women and Trees

Please join us for Z Budapest’s women-only Goddess Festival 2012!Women are gathering again in the Redwood Forest of the Northern California Santa Cruz Mountains, September 7th-9th.
Entertainment will include a wide array of Goddess music and musical performances. We will have rituals lead by Z Budapest happening every day.

We have two days of powerfully sacred workshops lead by some of the most spiritually focused women of our times. We have ordination rituals. Initiation rituals. Musical Goddess sing-a-longs! Drum-a-longs! And a swimming pool for the heat of the day! Endless forests to explore as you commune with the ancient Redwoods! All of Nature is just a step outside your cabin door… and wonderful Sisters to share the whole experience with.

All meals are prepared for us. There is no work duty. No food to cook. No dishes to do. The Camp’s staff does it all for us.

This year’s presenters include:
Susun Weed
Diana Paxson
Max Dashu
M. Flora Peterson

You can attend the workshops, listen to music, you can shop with the vendors, you can walk amongst the redwoods or you can rest. What you do when is up to you.
At night we light a huge bonfire in the center of our sacred ritual space deep in the heart of the redwood forest and then, we gather round. We sing. We dance. We worship the Goddess. We recognize the goddess in each other. We celebrate life!”
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Second Annual Conference on Earth-Based, Nature-Centered, Polytheistic and Indigenous Faiths
2012 Theme: Gender and Earth-Based Spiritualities
Presented by the Pagan Alliance
Saturday, September 8, 9:00AM-5:00PM (Special Mixer with the Presenters 6-8)
First Unitarian Universalist Church and Center, 1187 Franklin Street, San Francisco
see website below for ticket information
http://genderandpaganismconference.eventbrite.com/
http://thepaganalliance.org
http://circleofdionysos.org
http://www.solarcrosstemple.org

“The Pagan Alliance’s second annual on Earth-Based, Nature-Centered, Polytheistic and Indigenous Faiths, co-sponsored by Circle of Dionysos, and Solar Cross Temple, in 2012 will examine the interrelationship of Earth-based spirituality and gender. Presentations, workshops and panels will address the Construct of Dualism, Transgender Issues, Men's Mysteries, Queer Mysteries, Womyn's Mysteries, Gender and Indigenous Beliefs, Gender in the Spiral of Life, Genderqueer Thealogy, Gender and Minority Faith Parenting.

The conference will include presenters who grapple with issues relating to gender in their academic scholarship, as well as those who are leaders within their spiritual communities.

We will also be including more breakout sessions where folks can discuss issues and actions to address them.

Speakers will include:
joi wolfwomyn of the Holy Order of the Epicene http://epiceneorder.org/site/en/
Lady Yeshe Rabbit of CAYA Coven http://www.cayacoven.org
T. Thorne Coyle http://www.thorncoyle.com
Derik Cowan and Dr. Hayden Reynolds of the Circle of Dionysos http://circleofdionysos.org

Work-Trade Available.
for more info please email:
JoHanna White, Pagan Alliance President at johanna@thepaganalliance.org”
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Lamplight Tours of Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery
Friday-Saturday, September 14-15,
7:30PM, 7:50PM, 8:10PM, 8:30PM, 8:50PM, 9:10PM, 9:30PM, 9:50PM
Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, 1600 Franklin Avenue, Santa Rosa
$30
For additional information, please call 707-543-3292
Space is limited, please pre-register - see website below:
http://www.srcity.org/ruralcemetery

“Walk at night through Santa Rosa’s oldest cemetery to see and hear all new dramatic portrayals of some of our city’s early settlers. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a flashlight.

Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery was established as the result of an accident. In November of 1854 a young father, who had arrived from Missouri only a matter of weeks before, drowned in a pond near the center of town. He was buried on land that was part of a Mexican grant given to one of the earliest settlers of Santa Rosa, Dona Maria Ignacia Lopez de Carrillo. Soon other families needed burial places, and the area became an unofficial cemetery. In 1867 the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Association was formed and burial plots in the 17-acre site were formally offered for sale.

Sales of plots continued through 1930, through records of these transactions have been lost. During this period of 70-plus years, parts of the land were sold off, and three separate but adjacent cemeteries were established: the Stanley, Moke, and Fulkerson Cemeteries. Today the four cemeteries combined are owned by the City of Santa Rosa and known collectively as Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery. The only burials permitted today are those of descendants of families who held deeds to cemetery plots. The total number of burials is over 5200.

Neglect and vandalism took their toll on the cemetery through years of unclear ownership and sporadic maintenance. A Restoration Committee organized by dedicated volunteers in 1994 and operating under the aegis of the City of Recreation and Parks Department has made great strides in repairing damage, clearing overgrowth, and planning for permanent maintenance. In 1997, the City of Santa Rosa awarded Historical Landmark status to the Rural Cemetery.

Docent-led tours during the summer months acquaint visitors with the history of the town and the many town pioneers who are buried here. Lamplight Tours, conducted in September as fund-raising events, present dramatic vignettes from the lives of the famous and not-so-famous people buried in the Rural Cemetery.”
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Ardenwood Shakespeare Festival and Renaissance Faire
Saturday-Sunday, September 15-16, Saturday 10:00AM-6:00PM, Sunday 10:00AM-5:00PM
Ardenwood Historic Farm, 34600 Ardenwood Boulevard, Fremont
$17 for adults, $13 for seniors (62 and over), $8 for children and teens 4-17, under four free
http://www.ardenwoodfaire.com
http://www.renaissanceproductions.com

“Shakespeare's Muse Returns to Ardenwood Historic Farm
Experience a spectacle of fun and excitement!

The rising young star of London's theater scene, Will Shakespeare, faces a scourge like no other: a paralyzing bout of writer’s block while the great Elizabethan age of entertainment unfolds around him. Will is without inspiration on material. What Will needs is a muse and in an extraordinary town whilst on progress with Her Most Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, he finds himself surrounded by numerous quirky characters who draw him into an amazing, dramatic adventure of action and love. Their stories make their way into his plays and into our hearts. The theme of the Faire is Shakespeare's Muse.

Over September 15-16, 2012 Ardenwood Historic Farm will be transformed to a delightful Elizabethan town filled with myriad characters and vignettes resembling those of Shakespeare's plays we so dearly love. In addition, over 900 costumed entertainers and over 100 shopkeepers and artisans will add to the ambiance of the Faire.The Festival will be the ultimate Renaissance bash, a lively Dionysian party, where the guests enjoy turkey legs, exotic food, and drink as they banter with the myriad performers filling the streets. The event sports one-of-a-kind shows, music, and comedy.

The Joust!
The Weekend’s highlight will be a full contact joust. The onlookers will be astounded by the action of the hard-hitting jousting and the humorous interplay. Check out Imperial Knights!

Support the Community! Bring a can of food and get $2.00 off adult admission - limit one per customer.”
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Katmandu Fall Festival
Saturday-Sunday, September 15-16, 11:00AM-5:00PM
Veterans Memorial Hall, 126 First Street West, Sonoma
$10 suggested donation
http://www.childrensmedaid.org/katmandu-festival

“The Katmandu Festival is a celebration of the diverse cultures of Nepal, Tibet and India featuring Himalayan cuisine, music and lively dance performances. Festival-goers shop in a colorful marketplace with jewelry, clothing, art, antiques and crafts for sale; enjoy mouth-watering momos and other traditional fresh-cooked foods; and relax with yoga classes and healing arts demonstrations. A photo gallery displays the unique places and faces of Nepal, home to Mount Everest.

A silent auction and hourly raffles will be held for fine dining, weekend getaways and other prizes from some of the Sonoma Wine Country’s best venues. All proceeds from the event benefit Children’s Medical Aid Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing corrective surgery for Nepalese children with birth defects, and building medical clinics to serve impoverished families in rural areas of Nepal.

For more information about the Festival, including exhibitor and volunteer info, please contact Children’s Medical Aid Foundation at (707) 938-1807.”
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Casa de Fruta Renaissance Faire
Saturdays-Sundays, September 15-October 14, 10:00AM-6:00PM
10021 Pacheco Pass Hwy 152, Gate 6, Hollister (south of Gilroy)
$25 Adults, Children under 12 Free! Parking $5
Discounted tickets available through the website
http://www.norcalrenfaire.org

This is the big one! Check the website for details about theme weekends and Saturday evening concerts so you can choose which day to go!
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Sacramento Pagan Pride Harvest Festival
Saturday-Sunday, September 22-23
Fair Oaks VFW Hall, 8990 Kruithof Way, Fair Oaks
Free
http://www.sacpaganpride.org

“Pagan Pride Day and Harvest Festival is place where magic is afoot, and fairies dance. It is where you can learn the ways of old or learn just enjoy life.

Pagan Pride Day and Harvest Festival goal is to educate the masses, those who are looking for fellowship, and bring the community together. And of course, this is all done with fun and mayhem.”
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Birthing Your Soul’s Calling
A Three-Day Initiatory Journey Into A Greater Than Imagined Life
with Devaa Haley Mitchell and Elayne Kalila Doughty
Friday-Monday, September 28-October 1
Earth Rise Retreat Center at IONS, 101 San Antonio Road, Petaluma
see website for registration information
Women only
http://soulfulwomen.com/Retreats

“You’re a soulful woman. You’re self-aware, motivated, talented, and you’ve been successful in many undertakings and important projects. And yet…

You sense even greater possibilities for your life. You yearn to move beyond a vanilla life that is working ‘fine’ to a life that is filled with passion and greater meaning. You want to touch people and be the brightest light you can be. And you’re willing to die to an old way of being so that something new and much more soul aligned can be born.

But you’re hesitant, maybe even afraid, to venture into this unknown territory. You don’t know how to move beyond your comfort zone - especially since you haven’t been taught how to navigate the terrain, and you haven’t been given a map for where you’re going.
We truly understand. We were once there ourselves.

Together we will stretch our collective mind out of its slumbering predictability and help you invite in miracles for your personal story - and for our planet as a whole.

As our world is also preparing for a major shift, we see a deep need for what we call ‘planetary soulful midwives’ who can skillfully help hospice out a dying world and usher in the new. These midwives are needed for the larger collective birth process that’s underway. But they are also needed to help each of us to find our own unique piece in this bigger puzzle.

These soul midwives are among us. In fact, we (Devaa and Elayne) know that playing this role is part of our sacred function in this lifetime. You may be a soul midwife yourself.

And as midwives, we are here to show you a way through and provide you with a safe container in which to birth the bigger story of your life-and your soul’s true calling.

We are calling you to imagine beyond the confines of what you think is possible and stand in the truth of YOUR MAGNIFICENCE. Join us, and we will lift you into your greater than imagined life!”
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Earth Medicine Alliance Annual Conference
Celebrating Ancestral Wisdom
Saturday-Sunday, October 20-21
First Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin Street, San Francisco
see Brown Paper Tickets link for registration details
http://www.earthmedicine.org/2012-conference
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/234237

“Our 2012 conference will be the weekend of Oct 20-21st in San Francisco. We'll follow basically the same format as the previous two years. We are open to suggestions for presenters who have a solid background in ritual work with the ancestors and who are comfortable working in an interfaith/multi-cultural setting. We're looking forward to a great third annual conference and hope you can join us!”
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Folsom Renaissance Faire
Saturday-Sunday, October 20-21, Saturday 10:00AM-6:00PM, Sunday 10:00AM-5:00PM
Folsom City Lions Park, 50 Natoma Street, Folsom
$14.00 adults, $9.00 students, seniors (55+) and children 6-12, under six free
http://www.folsomfaire.com
http://www.renaissanceproductions.com

“Experience the Magic and The Merriment of The Renaissance in Folsom!

The rising young star of London's theater scene, Will Shakespeare, faces a scourge like no other: a paralyzing bout of writer’s block while the great Elizabethan age of entertainment unfolds around him. Will is without inspiration on material. What Will needs is a muse and in an extraordinary town whilst on progress with Her Most Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, he finds himself surrounded by numerous quirky characters who draw him into an amazing, dramatic adventure of action and love. Their stories make their way into his plays and into our hearts. The theme of the Faire is Shakespeare's Muse.

Over October 20-21, the Folsom City Lions Park will be transformed to a delightful Elizabethan town filled with myriad characters and vignettes resembling those of Shakespeare's plays we so dearly love. In addition, over 900 costumed entertainers and over 100 shopkeepers and artisans will add to the ambiance of the Faire.The Festival will be the ultimate Renaissance bash, a lively Dionysian party, where the guests enjoy turkey legs, exotic food, and drink as they banter with the myriad performers filling the streets. The event sports one-of-a-kind shows, music, and comedy.

The Joust!
The Weekend’s highlight will be a full contact joust. Men and horse collide and do battle right before your eyes.Say hello to Imperial Knights!

Proceeds of the Faire, and from some of the booths, goes to benefit:

The Folsom CAVE Teen Centers
Located at each of the middle schools in Folsom, they provide over 700 students a week with a supervised drop-in after school program that is free to the participants.

The Friends of the Folsom Public Library
A nonprofit, volunteer organization that supports the Folsom Library and literacy programs for adults and children in the Folsom area.

The Folsom Rotary Club.

Support the Community! Bring a can of food and get $2.00 off adult admission.”
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Sacred Forest Spiritual Retreat
with Mbali Creazzo and Mahealani Uchiyama
Saturday-Sunday, October 27-28
Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street, Oakland
for registration details, contact Iya Mahea at 510-827-3997 or iyamahea@thesacredforest.org
http://thesacredforest.org/events

“Mbali Creazzo - voice for the ancestors, Medicine Woman, Ceremonial and Ritual leader joins with Mahealani Uchiyama - priestess of Ifa, dancer and musician, in a unique and exciting collaboration that will draw from the healing wisdom of Africa, with dance, ritual drumming and song, and ceremony as we answer the earth’s call for us to reawaken ancient aspects of ourselves…

This date and location are confirmed. Please save and be on the look out for more details.”
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San Francisco Green Festival
Saturday-Sunday, November 10-11
SF Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 8th Street, San Francisco
http://www.greenfestivals.org/coming-soon#sanfrancisco

“This is the first and original ‘Party with a Purpose’; don't miss the celebration, education and rejuvenation, all yours for the taking at San Francisco Green Festival 2012. As a city winning awards for inspiring green living and alternative power programs, it's no surprise that San Francisco is the home of the original Green Festival. Celebrated in San Francisco since 2002, it is the largest Green Festival of the five cities. The San Francisco Green Festival captures the mood and festivities as a ‘Party with a Purpose.’ Expect both inspiring and pragmatic programming reflecting the Bay Area’s diversity of interests with over 125 informative workshops, sessions, demonstrations and talks. Great live music, all-weekend film installation, a fun and engaging Green Kids' Zone, mouthwatering vegan, raw and vegetarian food vendors, top local organic beer makers and wine vintners and the best responsible shopping found anywhere.”
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The Wishbringer

What do you wish for?

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

CAYA Events for June 2012

Molly Blue Dawn's List of Events for June 2012 and beyond - Mark Your Calendars!

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