Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

If any on this list have moved to the Ozarks--or just like to hang with 
cool folks--and are not yet aware of OACC, here is the official invite from 
friend and founder, David Haenke. October in the Ozarks is about as good as 
it gets, and these are very good people to spend time with.

-You are invited to OACC 25 --The Twenty-Fifth Annual Convening of the 
Ozark Area Community Congress!
OACC XXV - TWENTY-FIVE YEARS ON...TO THE SEVENTH GENERATION...
This is a special OACC. You are most enthusiastically invited to join us in
celebrating the quarter-century anniversary of the founding of the Earth's 
first and longest-standing bioregional congress - OACC (OAK).
OACC is a celebration of the Ozarks and all things ecological - 25 Years On!
All those who love and care about the Ozarks are invited to gather together 
once again to celebrate, appreciate, and learn from this amazing part of the
Earth and each other.
WHEN AND WHERE: October 8-11, 2002, at the Ananda Kanan Ozark Retreat 
Center, Willow Springs, MOzarks.
Arrival and set-up from 2 PM Friday; OACC 25 continues all day Saturday, 
and Sunday afternoon.
READ ON FOR ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED TO ATTEND OACC 25...
OACC IS...
-The first and longest-standing bioregional congress in North America.
-An ecologically-aware, child- and family-friendly community village where 
together we learn, play, relax, and take care of each other.
-A meeting place for exceptionally creative people, growers, activists, 
small business folk, musicians, writers, innovators.
-A place to network and get informed about significant issues affecting our 
lives in the Ozarks, in an ecological context.
WHAT TO EXPECT....
-Informative and useful workshops and presentations.
-Good vegetarian food, as locally grown and organic as possible.
-Campfires, music, poetry and readings, and homegrown Ozarks culture in 
general.
-Participants please come ready to help out daily with their choice of 
volunteer, community-sustaining work, whether in the kitchen, child care, 
grounds cleanup, and whatever it takes to keep our little village going. 
It's fun to work together as well as play, and this is one way OACC keeps 
its costs so low.
-Be prepared for Ozark fall weather, which can range from mild and dry to 
cool and wet. Bring clothes to cover these possible weather conditions.
THE PLACE...
The Ananda Kanan Ozark Retreat Center has been OACC's meeting place several 
times starting in the 80's, with dormitories, showers, bathrooms, a dining 
hall, excellent group meeting places, play area, large pond with canoes, 
and more...
DIRECTIONS TO ANANDA KANAN...(make in smaller print...)
Ananda Kanan is approximately 5 miles southwest of Willow Springs, and 18 
miles north of West Plains, Missouri.
On a Missouri map locate the junction of Highways 60 and 63 (about 2 miles 
east of Willow Springs). From this junction, take Highway 63 south four 
miles to "UU" Highway. (Coming in a northerly direction from West Plains, 
turn right on 'UU.)
Turn left/east on "UU" and go about 1.5 miles to County Road 1670, turn 
left/north on this dirt road and go about 1 mile. Look for the Ananda Kanan 
gate on the left, and turn left here on the driveway up to the Retreat Center.
We will have "OACC" signs at the Junction of Hwys 63/"UU", "UU"/Co. Rd. 
1670, and at the Ananda Kanan gate.
(CAUTION: If you go too far east on Hwy. "UU" you will come to Hwy. "U". If 
you come to "U", turn around and retrace to Co. Rd. 1670. Don't take "U" 
highway. Obviously it could be easy to confuse these similarly-named roads.)
Ananda Kanan's phone number is: 417-469-4713. The address is: 3157 County 
Road 1670, Willow Springs, MO.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GET TO ANANDA KANAN...
When you get to Ananda Kanan, please go directly to the registration table 
in the dining hall. Here is the place to get oriented, register, secure 
your accommodations, get the program schedule, pay registration fees, etc.
LODGING...(Don't let rain dissuade you: we're covered!)
- Dormitory-style, with bathrooms and hot showers, with bunks and 
mattresses provided in the rooms. BRING YOUR OWN BEDDING, SLEEPING BAGS, 
PILLOWS...Tent sites are also available.
1). No pets, please.
2) Childcare will not be provided. Parents are welcome to work with us to 
organize cooperative childcare.
3). If you have special needs for accommodations, please contact 
coordinator, Michelle Gurley (contact listed below).
FOOD...
-Vegetarian meals, prepared as much as we can with organic and local 
ingredients, start with a Friday supper; breakfast, lunch, and dinner 
Saturday; breakfast and brunch Sunday. YOUR DONATIONS OF WHOLESOME PRODUCE, 
BREAD, FRUIT, AND OTHER GOOD FOOD - ORGANIC and/or FAIR TRADE WHEN POSSIBLE 
-- FOR THE KITCHEN ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND HELP LOWER COSTS FOR ALL OF 
US. Dishes, trays, silverware provided. (But not cups: please bring your own.)
PLEASE LET US KNOW AS FAR AHEAD OF TIME AS POSSIBLE IF YOU ARE DONATING 
FOOD, ESPECIALLY IN BULK, so we know what to expect. Contact Scott Hamlet 
at 417-207-5723 or thundar27 AT hotmail.com for donations, questions.
WHAT TO BRING...
-Your kids, musical instruments, games, outdoor toys, music, songs, talents 
to share, food donations...
-Toiletries, soap, shampoo, towels, washcloths, sleeping bags and/or 
bedding, pillows
-YOUR OWN CUPS
WHAT NOT TO BRING...
-PLEASE DON'T BRING DOGS AND OTHER PETS
-PLEASE DON'T BRING ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUGS
COSTS...
Registration costs for all 3 days, covering everything (food, lodging, 
programs, etc.) are: ADULTS -- $35; COUPLES, $60; KIDS, $15. (FAMILY, $100 
MAXIMUM.) Attendance for the whole 2 and 1/2 days is encouraged, but day 
rates will be pro-rated. (PLEASE REGISTER AND PAY FEES ON FIRST 
ARRIVING...THANKS!)...
CO-SPONSORS...
For $100, your organization, or you, can be an OACC 23 Co-Sponsor. 
Co-Sponsors get: 1) one display space (additional, $10 each); 2) two adult 
admissions; 3) the opportunity to significantly support OACC!
MAKE CO-SPONSORSHIP CHECKS OUT TO:
THE OZARKS RESOURCE CENTER
P.O. BOX 1226
WEST PLAINS, MO 65775
CO-SPONSORS TO-DATE...
-Beatrice Briggs (Tepoztlan, Morales, Mexico)
-Planet Drum Foundation (San Francisco, CA)
-The National Water Center (Eureka Springs, OzArkansas)
-The Ozark Mountain Center for Environmental Education (Doniphan, MOzarks)
-Sancta Sophia Seminary/ Sparrow Hawk Village (Tahlequah, OK)
-Mid-Missouri Peaceworks/The Peace Nook (Columbia, MOzarks)
-Renaissance Books and Gifts (Springfield, MO)
-Douglas County Household Hazardous Waste and Recycling Committee (Ava, 
MOzarks)
-Miriam Ella Alford (Fayetteville, OzArkansas)
-Sasha Daucus & Mau Blossom, Golden Light Center (Doniphan, MOzarks)
-Leslie and Geoffrey Oelsner (Fayetteville, OzArkansas)
-South Central Solid Waste Management District (Eunice, MOzarks)
-Thomas Hubbard (place?????)
-Alford Forest, Inc. (Brixey, MOzarks)
-Paul Wickersham (place?????)
-Springfield Counseling Services: Kris Hamilton, Cherice Sommer, and Paul 
Wickersham; Springfield, MO
-Heart Haven (Willow Springs, MOzarks)
-Gee Wong (place?????)
-Michele Wich (place?????)
-Ozark Regional Land Trust/Sweetwater CLT (Carthage/Mansfield, MOzarks)
-Missouri Farmers Union (place?????)
-Peter Callaway (Brixey, MOzarks)
ALSO GREATLY APPRECIATED ARE DONATIONS FROM THE
FOLLOWING:
-Missouri Botanical Gardens (St. Louis, MO.) has donated 5 free passes good 
for two people each, to be given away at OACC 25.
-Serenity Farms Bread (Leslie, AR) has donated $100 worth of free bread to 
OACC.
GENERAL SCHEDULE...
-MEALS: FRIDAY & SATURDAY DINNER, 6-8 PM; BREAKFASTS FROM 7-9 AM ON 
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY; LUNCHES SAT. AND SUN., AT NOON; SUNDAY BRUNCH, 11 AM.
FRIDAY GENERAL SCHEDULE, EVENT...
-2 PM on...Arrival, registration, settling in, set-up.
-Dinner, 5 to 6:30 PM
- At Sunset, Hawk Walker, a traditional native man, will speak on Medicines 
of the Heart.
(Note: While we have a number of pre-scheduled events and presentations, at 
all OACC's there is a lot of spontaneous information and music sharing that 
just happens because we have so many creative, knowledgeable folks in 
attendance. Below is a list of presently-scheduled events and programs. If 
you have something to share, come prepared to do so and we will work it 
into the overall program.)
SATURDAY-GENERAL SCHEDULE AND EVENTS...
-BREAKFAST, 7 TO 9 AM
-OPENING CIRCLE, 10 AM. (TRY TO BE HERE FOR THIS IF YOU POSSIBLY CAN!) All 
attendees will be invited to circle up for introductions, orientation, and 
brief OACC history. HERE IS YOUR CHANCE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF, SAY 
SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF, TO ALL THE OACC FOLKS, AND BE INTRODUCED TO THEM. 
VERY IMPORTATANT!
-Workshops & Presentations, before and after lunch, till dinner...
-LUNCH, NOON
- DINNER, 6 to 8 PM.
-COFFEEHOUSE, 8 PM, Saturday. The ever-popular coffeehouse, our own 
extraordinary talent show, where everyone from the littlest kids on up the 
age gradient is encouraged to perform. Songs, poems, readings, theatrics, 
jokes, dances...who knows!?
SUNDAY GENERAL SCHEDULE...
-Breakfast, 7 to 9 AM
-Morning programs, 9 to 10 AM
-OACC 26/2005 PLANNING SESSION. 10 AM to 11 AM. All are encouraged to 
attend, as the decisions about what the next OACC will be are based on a 
consensus of those who are present at this planning meeting.
-Brunch, 11 AM
-Closing Circle, 2 PM
-Clean Up, 2 PM and on... All who can asked to stay and help...thanks!
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS...
(Except for the Opening Circle, and the Coffeehouse, the following 
presentations and events have not yet been given definite time placements 
in the overall schedule. The list below is in no particular order.)
-GREASEL CONVERSIONS, Inc./Greasel.com (presenter not yet determined), 
North America's premier vegetable oil diesel fuel conversion company will 
present on this renewable, recycled, eco-friendly fuel -- a vegetarian diet 
for your petroleum engine -- that can help shake our dependence on fossil 
fuels!
-Paul Wickersham will facilitate a circle discussion about intentional 
community, with particular emphasis on the possibility of forming an 
eco-village/ intentional community here in the Ozarks.
-Zenia Richler N.D., presenting on ecological resolution for geo-pathic 
stress, bio-solids, and other environmental issues.
-Cindy Becker, botanist, of NATURE'S KEEPER ECOLOGICAL SERVICES presents 
on: "Land Stewardship: Blending History and Conservation." Wise land 
stewardship begins with understanding the legacy of the many generations 
have walked (and moved mountains) before us.
-Tony Barnicle, former head of the Missouri Department of Economic 
Development, on "Neighbor Economics and Community Development Through 
Cooperative Credit Unions".
-Stan Slaughter: "The Whole Trash Thing" An experience in rapid-fire 
musical survey of our problems and opportunities with composting, recycling 
and waste reduction.
-Steven Foster, internationally-recognized herbalist, author, and 
photographer, will speak on 1) medicinal and other beneficial plants of the 
Ozarks; and 2) the new organization One Garden, a concept borne of an 
intention to explore - in the context of this Ozark Bioregion and its 
watersheds -- the beneficial plants or related species that can (or do) 
grow here.
-Katie Auman, coordinator of ForestWatch, will talk about the impacts of 
clearcut logging in the Ozarks, the role ForestWatch is taking to curb the 
problem, and ForestWatch's lasting solutions that promote healthy, 
sustainable forests, watersheds, and Ozark communities.
-PEACE NETWORK OF THE OZARKS will show the documentary, "The Great 
Deception", which asks over 140 questions that 9/11 families are asking, 
90% of which remain unanswered. Afterwards, a moderator will lead 
participants in an open discussion.
-Macleod Fitzgerald presents on Air Wells: Create your water source and 
purify the air without breaking ground. More than half the world's 
population thirsts for an adequate supply of water. Condensation offers a 
practical solution with
the emergence of newer forms of power production.
- Marie DeArmon, herbalist, and Cindy Becker, botanist, take us on an HERB 
WALK. Gain a better understanding of how to identify the medicinal, edible 
and the simply beautiful plants around you; learn about individual plant 
preferences for different habitats, compare and discern between look-alike 
plants.
-Lawrence Lewis will speak on "Living Generations-Deep on the Ozarks' 
Western Edge: Crater Critters." Larry speaks from the impact zone. He will 
describe the Western Ozarks Osage Plains Interface and the 
340,000,000-year-old meteor crater where he lives in Osceola MO.
-David Haenke. Future of OACC Session. Beginning with a brief history of 
OACC by its co-founder, David Haenke, this session will lead into a 
discussion on what we envision might be OACC's future direction and 
evolution for the next 25 years and beyond (...to the seventh generation...?)
-THE WHOLE CHILD COMMUNITY SCHOOL A Dialogue With, a local Ozarks one-room 
school house. Please bring your favorite
educational resources for sharing and discussion.
-The OZARK REGIONAL LAND TRUST/ORLT will conduct a workshop on land trusts 
and conservation easements.
-Kathy Kisida will teach a Nature Spirit Dance. Its origins are in the 
ancient art of belly dancing. This is a dance to honor the Earth. You are 
encouraged to bring along drums and instruments.
SPEICIAL EVENTS...
SPECIAL PRE-OACC EVENT! OACC FLOAT TRIP!
Thursday evening through Friday, Oct. 7&8, North Fork River. As a part of 
the 25th annual OACC event, friends, family and especially our youth are 
invited to join a float trip. We will meet Thursday, Oct. 7, at 10 AM, at 
Hammond Mill Camp on Hwy. CC, between West Plains and Dora. For a cost of 
$36/canoe, canoes, gear, and shuttling, and lifejackets will be provided 
though Riverside Canoe Rental. (Your own canoe or kayak is welcome, but 
come earlier if you plan to do your own shuttle, and will need to provide 
your own life jacket for each person.) Bring your own lunch, drinks, water 
toys, and sunscreen. We will float about 12 miles to Riverside's takeout. 
The North Fork is beautiful, clear, unspoiled, and fed by many springs. We 
will have time to be lazy and curious as we make our trip.
OACC is offering $25 scholarships to each of four school age float trippers 
who write a winning 250 word essay on the topic: "What the Ozarks means to 
me".
Also, you are invited to camp Thurs. night at Camp Hammond for music and 
stories around the campfire with Stan Slaughter, our tour leader. Stan has 
been floating the North Fork for 30 years and is a fine naturalist.
For more details, answers to questions, contact float leader Stan Slaughter 
at stanslaugh AT aol.com; tel.: 816-537-9878.
AQUAEST RAFFLE: Special Event #2!
We are pleased to once again be raffling a day retreat ($100 value) from 
Aquaest Spa Retreat near Twin Bridges in Douglas County. This retreat 
includes a Water Journey (aquatic massage) or Streamliner (salt-glow 
massage). For more information see www.aquaest.com or call Sara/Ralph Pitt 
at: 417-256-2588.
HOW YOU CAN ENSURE A FRUITFUL AND INSPIRING OACC 23...
1) Come to OACC! 2) You yourself invite and bring one or more like-minded 
folks who you would like to be there with!
FOR QUESTIONS AND FURTHER INFORMATION: OACC coordinator Michelle Gurley can 
be reached at OACC25 AT yahoo.com or 417-881-3947.
(The end of the "nuts and bolts" part)
(Now, a little background information and history...)
WHY DO WE CALL IT OACC/"OAK".?
The Oak Family of trees loves the Ozarks, and the Ozarks loves the Oaks. 
The Ozarks, despite the relatively low soil fertility (and most of that 
fertility has been provided over the thousands of years by its forests), 
has a profound desire to be clothed in forest (and variations on the theme, 
like savanna, with the occasional prairie), of the type known as 
"Oak/Pine/Hickory". In sheer quantity and distribution, the Oak family is 
the most numerous and pervasive of all the tree species of the Ozarks: the 
land of the Oaks. Up to and through 1977
some of us re-inhabitants were becoming more aware by the year of the 
amazing nature of the Oaks, the Ozark forests, waters, plants, animals, and the
unique human culture, the Ozarks as a naturally-defined region, and how 
this place was under siege from dysfunctional human systems. In response, 
we were
searching for responsible, ecologically-based alternatives, while pondering 
a different kind of(informal) organization rooted in its ethos and being in 
the nature of the Ozark as represented by the Oaks, looking for a name and 
acronym for such an entity. In 1978 we came up with "Ozark Area Community 
Congress/OACC/OAK", something rising from the nature of the acorn and the 
Oak. Organizing for OACC started essentially in 1977, and came to fruition 
with OACC I, 25 years ago this coming October.
WHY IS OACC DIFFERENT AND EXCEPTIONAL? WHAT IS A "CONGRESS"?
OACC as a "congress" is distinguished clearly from a run-of-the-mill 
"conference" in that it is a gathering of peers (not just conference
attendees passively consuming information from paid "experts" and 
"professionals") who inexpensively and on a volunteer basis organize and 
conduct the event themselves as a temporary green "village", take care of 
themselves (preparing food, providing their own entertainment and 
presentations from within the group itself, cleaning up, etc.), and decide 
among themselves by consensus the present and future directions and content 
of OACC as an informal "organization".
A Special Wide Invitation For a Special OACC.
For OACC XXV we are putting the invitational call to ecological people out 
far and wide, just as we did for OACC I in 1980, all over North America and to
friends and allies around the Earth. From its 1980 birth OAK has been a 
seed for bioregional organizing, with a resolution passed at the first OACC 
calling for a "congress of congresses", which convened in May, 1984 with 
the first North
American Bioregional Congress/NABC I on the tall-grass prairie near Kansas 
City. That organizing effort came primarily (with essential support and 
collaboration from the Kansas Area Watershed Council/KAW; KAW celebrated 
its 23rd year this
May) out of OACC and the Bioregional Project of New Life Farm, Inc. (The 
9th Continental Bioregional Congress is planned for July, 2005.)