Monday, January 27, 2014

SAVE THE DATE: Camphill Kimberton's 6th Annual Talkfest, April 27




When I first got the idea for this little event I figured I’d only have to do it once. Stupid me. It was such a hit that we are now planning Talkfest6! Worst of all is that many of you start harassing me about when it will be as soon as January 1 arrives.

I ran into a few people since Francis Trzeciak, our great friend and the world famous Chef and Proprietor of the Birchrunville Store Café, confirmed April 27, 2014 as the day. And…we already have some reservations even before they know anything about this year’s event…including the teeny tiny donation in support of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills…where I am still President of the Board of Directors.

So…to those of you who have complained in the past that you did not get enough notice, here it is. Block out from 5:04 to 7:49 on Sunday, April 27 in all of your calendars. Don’t forget the big paper one on the back of the cabinet door in the kitchen.

Let me repeat this: you will be at the Birchrunville Store Café on April 27 at 5:04.

This means move your daughter’s (or your) wedding date, postpone your vacation, ignore any other invitation that arrives, and plan on attending the most spectacular event ever, starring…you. And some other most interesting people in the world.

One last thing.  New this year. We have a world famous artist creating something just for us to be raffled off at some point during Talkfest. He has generously donated this in support of our most worthy cause: Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. Figuring you all will want a chance to own this museum-worthy object, I have cleverly included the price of a raffle ticket in the donation for the event.

Yes, we are definitely going to fill up all 60 or so spots so to ensure you’re not disappointed, block out the day in all your calendars and them immediately email your reservation to our most excellent Bernadette Kovaleski, bernadette@camphillkimberton.org, or call her, 610-935-8660. Or both.  Or this year you can even register online by clicking here.  

The ridiculously low donation? $167.23 per person. Wow! To support such a great place as Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. And at no extra charge you get a raffle ticket for a specially-created piece of art by that world famous artist I mentioned. He’s a bit shy but I think I can get him to let me announce his name in my next missive. Hopefully we’ll even have a picture to share before too long.

Of course, for those who really want to win, I encourage you to purchase additional raffle tickets for $22.87 each. Remember…the more tickets you have, the better your chances. Only those of you clever enough to make a reservation for Talkfest 6 will be part of the raffle.


Steve Smolinsky
President, Board of Directors, Camphill Village Kimberton Hills


6th Annual Talkfest, April 27, 5:04-7:49, Birchrunville Store Café, $167.23 per person
Extra raffle tickets…$22.87. Buy several…they’re small.
Be there! You’ll have a great time while supporting an exceptional place.

Register here

Ask About Becoming A Sponsor

Monday, January 20, 2014

Shares available at Camphill Kimberton's Sankanac CSA




Camphill Village Kimberton Hills announces that shares are available for Sankanac CSA’s 2014 season.

Part of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, the biodynamic 15-acre garden operates as the 200-member Sankanac CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.  Typically a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public which includes a set amount of vegetables or other farm products, based on the harvest.  Participants purchase a share and in return receive seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

The gardens of Sankanac CSA, which are organic and biodynamically farmed, are harvested each week, and shareholders can pick up their produce either on Tuesdays or Fridays for 24 weeks.  There are also U-pick crops, including flowers and berries.

Members can choose to purchase either a full or partial share depending on their personal needs. A full share is designed to feed a family of about four; a partial share to feed a couple, or a veggie-loving individual. The cost for a full share is $765 and a partial is $440.

Sankanac CSA grows a diverse seasonal mix of vegetables, flowers, herbs, and berries and also tends a small herd of mixed livestock (sheep, goats, donkeys).  The head gardener, Todd Newlin, and his wife, Mary, oversee this enterprise with a crew of over 10 gardeners (including individuals with special needs, apprentices, service volunteers, and interns).



The crew is deeply committed to the use of biodynamic methods, which allows them to strengthen the fragile ecosystem as well as provide food of the highest quality to our local community. Activities in the CSA include plant propagation, greenhouse management, pruning, crop cultivation, harvesting, tractor and equipment operation and maintenance, irrigation, livestock management, composting, and making/using the biodynamic preparations.

The group warmly welcomes new members, and does have available shares for the upcoming season. Please email SankanacCSA@gmail.com for more information or to request a share.

For more information on Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, please visit www.camphillkimberton.org.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, where can we recycle you?




Although we hate to say goodbye to the holiday season, it's time to take down the Christmas tree.  Here are some suggestions for ways and places to recycle or compost your tree.


In general

AJ Blosenski Trash and Recycling Service has a list of local townships that are offering either curbside Christmas tree collection or a drop off location to their residents. 

Tips for composting your Christmas tree yourself, from Organic Gardening:  http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/recycle-your-christmas-tree

Some suggestions on what to do with your used Christmas tree, from Networx: 


SECCRA (Southeastern Chester County Refuse Authority) will accept your Christmas trees for composting after the holidays. The compost will be used for landscaping and beautification around the landfill.
Call the office at 610-869-2452 ahead of time if you need directions. Remember to tarp your load.



Local to Camphill Kimberton

East Pikeland Township Residents
According to the township website: 
Residents have two choices on how to recycle their tree:
Township Public Works Crew will conduct a curbside pickup of trees Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 2 p.m. OR drop the tree off yourself at the Township's Recycling Yard, Location B, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Whether you participate in the drop-off or curbside tree recycling program please remember to remove all tinsel and ornaments from the tree, do not wrap the tree in plastic (it will not be picked up).  Also, do not place the tree at your curbside with your trash, your hauler will take it and it will not be recycled.  Any questions, call 610-933-1770.  The trees we collect will be recycled into wood mulch that is available to Township residents in the Spring.

East Vincent Township
According to the township website:
Christmas trees will not be picked up Monday, January 6 as previously scheduled. Trees will be picked up January 13 & 20.  Trees must be at the curb and have all decorations removed.

Phoenixville Borough
According to the borough:
Christmas trees should be free of all decorations. Trees should be put out for collection on your trash day and will be collected and composted from now until February 28, 2014.

Schuylkill Township
It is recommended that residents talk to their individual trash haulers for details.  Contact information for all trash haulers registered in the township can be found here.

Upper Uwchlan Township
According to the township website:
Christmas Tree and Yard Waste Collection: January 8 and 22, 2014


Other locations

East Bradford Township
According to the township website:
Curbside Christmas Tree Collection
Saturday, January 11th
Saturday, January 25th
Please place cut tree curbside by 6 a.m..  Please make sure to remove all lights, decoration and tinsel!
If we have snow, please make sure the tree is visible at the curb.

Philadelphia
According to the Philadelphia Streets website: 
The City of Philadelphia Streets Department will be offering Christmas tree recycling. Here's how you can do your part to renew the earth by recycling your tree:
Make sure your tree is free of all decorations
Make sure your tree is not in a plastic bag and is untied
Drop your tree off at one of our three Sanitation Convenience Centers:
3033 South 63rd Street
Domino Lane & Umbria Street
State Road & Ashburner Street
The residential Christmas Tree Recycling Program will run from Monday, January 3 through Saturday, January 14 (closed on Sunday, January 8) between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm.
Remember, there will be no curbside collection of Christmas trees for recycling purposes. Trees left at the curb will be treated as trash, which means they will not be recycled.

West Bradford Township
Info here: http://www.westbradford.org/ChristmasTrees.pdf

West Chester Borough
According to the borough website:
Christmas tree collection remains the same (first two weeks following New Year's Day).

West Goshen Township
According to the township website:
Township homeowners can place their trees at the curb for removal on Saturday, January 18, 2014. For those living in apartments or residents wishing to dispose of their trees earlier, West Goshen will continue its tradition of accepting Christmas trees to be mulched. Township residents may bring Christmas trees to the West Goshen Community Park at the lower end of the main parking lot (next to Fern Hill Road) between December 26th and January 20th.

No other trash or yard waste will be accepted at this special collection. Do not leave trees in plastic bags. Make sure all decorations, wire, tinsel, and stands are removed. Wreaths will not be accepted. This service is for Township residents only. Anyone illegally dumping additional trees will be prosecuted.
Remember - mulching your tree saves valuable landfill space and takes advantage of a natural, renewable resource!

Westtown Township
According to the township website:
Christmas Tree Pick up - Saturday, January 11, 2014.  Have curbside by 7 AM, completely undecorated, including tinsel, and not in a bag. 

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Posie Huston Fund for Aging Villagers - Thank you!

The Posie Huston Fund for Aging Villagers was recently started by Priscilla Huston, mother of Posie (pictured, left, in early 2000), in honor of her daughter and the other villagers living at Camphill Kimberton who are getting older. This restricted fund will help support current and immediate needs specifically for aging villagers, which may include nursing care, therapy, mobility assistance (walkers, canes, etc.) and health and hygiene products.

In Mrs. Huston’s words:  “It seems like only yesterday that Posie’s father and I sat in Hubert and Helen Zipperlen’s garden sipping lemonade and discussing the possibility of our daughter coming to live in community at Camphill Kimberton. We hoped very much that this would come to pass.

Priscilla Huston reading to a group of villagers and coworkers in the early 2000s. 

Posie was accepted and now, years later, I am remembering those early days. They were happy days of adjusting to a new life: making friends, having a roommate and houseparents, learning how to bake bread and make cookies, how to pick apples and work with Martha in the orchard, how to ring a handbell in the Bell Choir, how to ride a horse, how to bowl and hit a home run. It was altogether a new and wonderful world that opened up for our daughter.

As she grew, she learned to take responsibilities seriously: to be on time for work and to work with other people. She was encouraged to be as independent as she could be, and to be proud of a job well done. All the while, Posie and her peers were and still are cared for by wonderfully wise houseparents and coworkers, who dedicate their lives to our very special children.

The years slip by too quickly and suddenly those young people are beginning to age. My daughter can no longer run like a deer, swim or bowl. Working in the orchard has become increasingly difficult. She has problems with balance and depth perception. Posie now needs help with dressing, bathing and expressing herself verbally.

Posie’s wonderful houseparents and coworkers look after my daughter and try their very best to keep her safe. For all of this, we as a family are very, very grateful. As time goes by and the community ages, our vibrant children are slowing down and it is our responsibility to look to the future for villagers when they can no longer work in the garden, the barn, the orchard, or the weavery.

Serena House is certainly part of the answer for now, but will it be enough as more and more villagers need individual attention? Surely we will need to expand. There will also be a need for more nursing care and more health care supplies. I see the need right now with my own daughter and think of all the other villagers going down the same path.

We must move ahead to prepare for the next stage of life at Camphill Kimberton. We must provide funding that will enable our villagers to continue to live out their lives as happily and peacefully as possible in the wonderful place that has been their home for so many years.”


Posie (pictured below, in 2012) is only 52 years old, however, she and her peers with developmental disabilities begin the aging process earlier than many other adults. Currently 2/3 of our residents are over the age of 50.




Ms. Huston has generously contributed $5,000 to begin the fund and had volunteered to match the first $10,000 in contributions to this fund that were raised in the next calendar year.

Because of several generous donations made from September to December, we have met the goal of raising $10,000 and also raised an additional $10,570!  Combined with Ms. Huston's match and original contribution, as of January 8, 2014 now have $35,892.92 in the Posie Huston Fund for Aging Villagers.  Thank you to all who contributed.  

To contribute to this special fund, please make your check out to CVKH, with the memo “Posie Huston Fund for Aging Villagers” and send it to PO Box 1045, Kimberton, PA 19442 or make a secure gift online here, noting it is for this fund.

If you’d like to discuss this opportunity or any other way to contribute, please contact Bernadette Kovaleski, Director of Development, at 610-935-8660 or bernadette@camphillkimberton.org. Thank you!






For more information about Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, visit our website:



Thursday, January 2, 2014

Pin it! Camphill Kimberton is now on Pinterest.


Visit Camphill Kimberton's new Pinterest Boards for inspiration for a happy and healthy new year!


We hope to share a little bit about what keeps us busy - organic, biodynamic gardening and cooking, crafts and handwork - and what makes us feel happy and inspired - great quotes, beautiful images and caring for each other and our Earth.

Please follow us - we wish you a great year ahead!