ROOTS Rendezvous

Dates: September 5-7, 2026

Hours: Saturday 10am – Monday 4pm

Tuition: $250 For 14 yrs & Up.

$75 for 7-13 yr olds

Early Bird Discount: $225 before 1-15-26

Ages: All Ages

Roots Rendezvous

A gathering of people. A huge variety of workshops and skills to choose from. Bring family and friends to come have a great time with others who share a passion for the natural world. Leave knowing more about the beautiful world which we inhabit.

This gathering is grounded in the idea that we as people can become more conscious, stronger, effective, and capable stewards of the land by learning new and old skills of interacting with the natural world. These three days have multiple workshop blocks, ongoing demonstrations, and night time celebration.

Three Days of Workshops

People of all skill levels are welcome to come and participate! Come learn, share in the good times with like-minded folks, and camp under the stars.

The Rendezvous features three days of workshops offered by a diverse group of experienced teachers from all over the country.

There are a wide array of topics.

This is an all ages event of primarily adult classes. There are multiple class offerings that happen at the same time so you get to choose your own adventure. Some classes are limited in size, to which people sign up at a designated time the day of if on Saturday and the day before for Sunday and Monday. You will put your name on a list, and I will generate the class list via a random number generator and post those names. If you don’t make it onto the list for the class you want, we see it as an opportunity for you to explore something else, perhaps new to you that you may discover interest in. Come learn, share in the good times with like minded folks, and camp under the stars!

Kids workshops! There will be kids workshops morning and afternoon for ages 7-13. With experienced educators, there will be skills and games to learn.

Teens Teens 14 and older can attend adult workshops unless noted. Classes are geared towards adults and teens should come prepared to learn as one.

Youth need to be supervised at all times.

Limited attendance! We will have open rolling registration until we reach maximum capacity. Register soon! We won’t be selling single or two day tickets unless we don’t sell out two weeks prior.

Camping and Food

Camping

Camping is included in the cost of admission and is limited to tents and tarps. Please practice Leave No Trace Camping. There is a field and limited forested spots that are well marked and have plenty of space for you to lay out your tent/tarp/bivy. You are camping at your own responsibility and risk. The camping is five-to-ten-minute walk on a mostly flat logging road so pack accordingly. There is access to portable toilets and clean drinkable water in camp. There are no showers, but there is a private space to bring hot water and wash down and a river to dip into at your own risk. You are welcome to come the night before to camp (and we recommend it! get here before dark though) and camp the night after attending for ease of travel.

Please note that upon online registration you will receive an automatic reply that wrongly states that there is no camping, but rest assured there is.

Food

Meals are not included in the cost of the program. Students should bring their own food. The outdoor kitchen and fridge are limited to classes, instructors and volunteers. Folks will be slinging some delicious meals and/or treats during the weekend! They will be available Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday lunch and dinner. Cash.

No Dogs. We love dogs! Please don’t bring yours though as it adds a layer of complexity that we need to avoid.

2026 Schedule

Saturday

Morning Circle 9:00

Morning 9:30-12:30

Youth! Games! Emma Markowitz / Tim Swanson (age 7 and up)

Basswood; pound and peel post peeling season Barry Keegan (age 16 and up)

Pottery, Hand building Conrad Simas

Ninjutsu Ben Goodrich

Medicinal Plant Walk Betzy Bancroft

Green Wood Bending Kerry Lambertson

Fire by Friction; Bow Drill Bill Kaczor

Community Song Workshop Erica Martenson

Cattail, a Deep Dive Elliot Cluba

Tree Identification Micah Bernat

Carving; Wooden Propellers Luke Boushee (10/ages 10 and up)

Rawhide Containers Nick Neddo (20/$ per square ft.)

Leather Knife Sheath Making Coleen Butler (10/$30)

Steam Pit Eric Stone (12/$10)

Birch Bark Birds Penny Hewitt (10/$10)

Afternoon 2:00-5:00/6:00

Kids! Emma Markowitz / Tim Swanson (age 7 and up)

Plant ID and Ecology Dan Farrell

Mead Making Caleb O’Conner Genereaux

Herbal Medicine Making Betzy Bancroft

Pine Needle Coil Basketry Stephanie Niles ( 10/$10)

Pottery, Hand building Conrad Simas

Acorn Processing Workshop Ellie Fuller (14 and up)

Cheese Making; Alpine Kalyn Campbell

Mushroom Walk and Identification Bethany Beech (20)

We-Drill; Fire by Friction Eric Stone (20/$5)

Twined Cattail Baskets Penny Hewitt (10/$20)

Tarp Shelter Joshua Zaloga (20/12 and older)

Basswood Bark Weaving Barry Keegan (25/$25)

Get a Handle on it! Hang a Hammer/Maul Chris Knapp ($10/10/Bring your own hammer/maul head)

Blacksmithing Introduction; Wall Hooks Katie Morse-Gagne ($5/6)

Saturday Evening Activities

Star Navigation and Stories for families and youth Elliot Cluba

Sutartines: Ancient Ritual Rounds from Lithuania Maria Schumann

Mead (Homebrew) Circle! For adults, led by Caleb O’conner Genereaux

For the Mead Circle, bring out your home-brewed concoctions and celebrate with others.

Sunday

Morning Circle 9:00

Morning 9:30-12:30

Youth! Games! Emma Markowitz / Tim Swanson (age 7 and up)

Ninjutsu Ben Goodrich

Rawhide Containers Nick Neddo (20/$ per square ft.)

Pine Needle Coil Basketry Stephanie Niles ( 10/$10)

Basswood Rope Scogin

Tree Identification Micah Bernat

Mushroom Walk and Identification Bethany Beech (20)

Knife Sharpening Lucian Avery (8/Bring a blade)

Leather Knife Sheath Making Coleen Butler (10/$30)

Waxed Canvas and Leather fanny packs; part 1 Caleb O’Conner Genereaux (10/$60)

Basswood Bark Weaving cont… Barry Keegan ($25)

Bark Tan Rabbit Hides Emily Vinson (10/$30)

Black Ash Foraging Basket with Leather flap Penny Hewitt (10/$50)

Lunch craft Bazaar Bring your items and a blanket.

Afternoon 2:00-5:00/6:00

Youth! Crafting and trade Blanket Emma Markowitz and Tim Swanson

Plant ID and Ecology Dan Farrell

Tree Medicine Jamie Maloof

Fire by Friction; Bow Drill Bill Kaczor

Basswood Rope Scogin

Plant Kin Workshop Amy White Eyes (10)

Copper Cloak Pin/Penannular Brooch Dug North (10/$5)

Knots and lashings Joshua Zaloga (15/all ages, under 10 with a parent)

Pine Needle Coil Hair Pins Stephanie Niles ( 10/$10)

Get a Handle on it! Axes Session 1 Chris Knapp ($15/10/Bring your own Axe Head or Buy an Axe Head Fee_)

Bark Tanning Fish Skins Ellie Fuller (12/$10/14 and up)

Blacksmithing: Intermediate; Leaves Katie Morse-Gagne ($6/5)

Waxed Canvas and Leather fanny packs cont… Caleb O’Conner Genereaux (10/$60)

Basswood Bark Weaving cont… Barry Keegan ($25)

Bark Tan Rabbit Hides cont... Emily Vinson (10/$30)

Black Ash Foraging Basket with Leather flap cont… Penny Hewitt (10/$50)

Sunday Night
Trade Blanket! – Caleb
Music by Nora & Eliza
Fire

Monday

Morning Circle 9:00

Morning 9:30-12:30

Youth! Emma Markowitz / Tim Swanson (age 7 and up)

Blacksmithing Introduction; Wall Hooks Katie Morse-Gagne ($5/6)

Ninjutsu Ben Goodrich

Rice Processing Scogin

Pottery, Firing Conrad Simas

Fire: Flint & Steel Jamie Maloof

Bundle Bows and quick arrows Eric Stone ($/10)

Green Wood Bending Kerry Lambertson

Fire; Hand drill Nick Neddo

Herbal Alchemy Elliot Cluba

Water and the Medicine of Reciprocity Amy White Eyes (10)

Whittling; Carve a Bear Erica Martenson ($5/8)

Fire by from the landscape; Bow Drill Bill Kaczor

Get a Handle on it! Axes Session 2 Chris Knapp ($15/10/Bring your own Axe Head or Buy an Axe Head Fee_)

Flint knapping; Rhyolite and heat treatments Barry Keegan (15)

Afternoon 2:00- 4:00

Open Craft time!

There will be a number of experienced teachers working on skills and happy to chat about different crafts and the project you are working on. Bring your skill(s)! Lets learn from and work in the company of others. This is the meat of so much of what we do, working on skills in the good company of others. Sit on down and join on in!

Clean up and fare well!

Sunday Evening Activities

The Trade. Bring a blanket and a few things to trade. There are no limitations here, just guidelines. Nothing is too big or too small, we have seen bags of acorns to canoes. Trade for something unexpected and great. This will be a time where you can put your goods out, walk around to check out other goods, and barter in a light-hearted natural manner. This is easiest working in small groups. Raw materials are wonderful, wild edibles and medicine are fantastic, baskets are a plus, hides are always desirable, and really anything handmade is stellar …but leave that scratched cd that you found on the way here under the car seat where it was discovered though. For youth there is a trade blanket in the block beforehand. For this evening’s trade we are going to limit kids to initiating a trade, but they are welcome to put something out in response to someone else’s trade offered.

There will be Music! Nora and Eliza as old time fiddle and banjo duo

There will be Fire!