Monday, March 24, 2014

CVKH takes a trip to see "The Hallman Legacy: Fine Art and Fiber Art"


Camphill Village Kimberton Hills recently visited the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville for "The Hallman Legacy: Fine Art and Fiber Art" exhibit, featuring the art of our friend Ted Hallman and his late father.  

Ted Hallman (center, kneeling) surrounded by friends from Kimberton Hills.


"The Hallman Legacy: Fine Art and Fiber Art" weaves together more than 30 works by two generations of nationally recognized artists. This is the first time the works have been shown together.

According to The Morning Call, "It seems perfectly natural to pair Hallman's fiber wall hangings and sculpture with paintings by an artist who shares similarity in range of palette, texture and theme. When that kindred spirit is none other than Hallman's father, Ted Hallman Sr., the juxtaposition becomes a legacy."







Read more about the exhibit here.  

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Bet Williams and John Hodian return to the U.S. with their “Family Circus Tour” stopping at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills




Camphill Village Kimberton Hills will host musicians Bet Williams and Jack and John Hodian as part of their upcoming Family Circus Tour throughout the United States. The concert will be held Saturday, April 12, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. in Rose Hall. Advance tickets are available for $15.00.

From ancient monasteries in Armenia to music festivals in France, Germany & Switzerland, Bet Williams and John Hodian have been creating and performing music together for over 20 years.  With both the world music ensemble “Epiphany Project” and the alt-rock-pop-blues based “Bet Williams Band” the music these two artists create is a vast quilt of influences and inspirations. With their growing success overseas, the duo (originally from New York) settled in Berlin five years ago where they have built a strong cult following throughout Europe. Now Bet and John will be bringing music from both their bands to venues (and living rooms) all across America for a series of intimate concerts. This American tour is particularly special as they will be performing with their 10-year-old son, Jack, on drums and percussion.

With influences ranging from Qawwali devotional songs to Appalachian Folk, acoustic blues and Tuvan throat singing, singer/songwriter Bet Williams uses her voice in an endless number of unusual ways. John Hodian’s piano playing features haunting melodies, intricate rhythms, and a soulful intensity that reflect his Armenian roots as well as his formal composition training and affinity for improvisation. Epiphany Project has been described by the Washington Post as “a unique hybrid of world music, art song, Americana and avant-garde folk; utterly uncategorizable but always transcendently beautiful.” Their music is a blend of ancient and modern cultures and musical styles, but the earthy, trance-like rhythms and chant melodies make it seem strangely familiar.



Bet Williams is a fearless vocalist and dynamic performer whose music combines intelligent lyrics and infectious hooks. She has been lauded by National Public Radio as, “a blues-roots, new folk, tone poet with a highly charismatic stage presence and an astonishing four-octave range voice.” With a gift for storytelling and spontaneous humor, her stage performances can go from the profound and poetic to wild and spontaneous, at times bordering on performance art.

The upcoming performance at Rose Hall is a chance to hear music from both Bet Williams Band and Epiphany Project, along with an excerpt from John’s magnum opus “Nagash” based on texts by a 14th century Armenian mystic poet and priest. Rose Hall, part of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, was voted the "Best Live Music Venue" in Chester County by readers of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Its excellent acoustics and intimate feeling make it an amazing place to experience live music.

The Camphill Café, adjacent to Rose Hall, will also be open for dinner prior to the concert and during intermission. Seating for the BYOB dinner at the Camphill Café will begin at 6 p.m. with the concert following at 8 p.m. Cost is $30 per person for both dinner and the concert. Reservations are required for dinner and can be made online or by calling 610-935-8660. The menu includes an entree from the sandwiches/salad menu or vegetarian quiche with salad, small soup, a drink and dessert. Concert-only tickets will be available online and at Rose Hall for $15. Visit www.camphillkimberton.org/FamilyCircus for more information and reservations.

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills – home to Rose Hall and the Camphill Café - is located at 1601 Pughtown Road, Kimberton, Pa. Many GPS systems have trouble finding the location; please use Google maps for directions.

The mission at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills is to create and maintain a land-based community together with adults with special needs. Members of the community support one another to contribute to the wider society through biodynamic agriculture, handcrafts, and other ecological, social, cultural and educational endeavors.

For more information on Kimberton Hills, visit www.camphillkimberton.org.
To find out more about Bet Williams Band, visit http://epiphanyrecords.com/bet-williams
For more information about Epiphany Project, visit: http://www.epiphany-project.com


Monday, March 17, 2014

Talkfest 6…Racing Towards You!



Camphill Village Kimberton Hills 6th Annual Talkfest!

Sunday April 27 at 5:04

I screwed up!  Last missive I sent out about Talkfest 6, I forgot to mention our fantastic sponsors!  I am so embarrassed. So…

A huge thanks to our two great sponsors:

Phoenixville Federal Bank & Trust…the Best Bank Ever

Tonbo Visual Promotions…the People With the Most Amazing Promotional Products

Give them a chance to make you happy. They really are great at what they do. And are wonderfully nice and helpful.

Whew…now I feel better. Still worried about my memory but we’ll talk about that at Talkfest.

Talkfest: an event filled with the most incredible people you can imagine. People who are friends and supporters of Camphill VillageKimberton Hills…an exceptional intentional lifesharing biodynamic community including people with special needs.

And the program? You know…it’s you. You and the rest of the most amazingly interesting conversationalists ever.

As usual---No speeches, No videos, No presentations, No nothing…except for:

The most scrumptious oardoors from the talented hands of Master Chef Francis Trzeciak and the other great people at the Birchrunville Store Café. The most delicious pressings of grapes, cactus, and sugar cane delightfully aged and bottled just for you.

And, a special treat. I have convinced a world famous wood artist to turn a piece or two of our very own wood into a work of art worthy of the most famous museum collection…and it will be raffled off to some lucky attendee.

Even better, I have ensured that each and every person who calls (610-935-8660) or emails (bernadette@camphillkimberton.org) Bernadette will get a chance to win. That’s right, I’ve included a raffle ticket right in the Talkfest donation. Well, actually Bernadette told me to do this. She is just so much cleverer than me. She also figured out a way you can register online by clicking here.  

But I figured out that it would be good to offer those of you who want extra chances the ability to purchase additional raffle tickets for a teeny tiny additional donation. By a bunch…they’re small.

The Artist at work. 

One small donation and you get an incredible time while supporting such a worthy cause. How can you stay home?  I am sure you can’t and will be at the Birchrunville Store Café on April 27 between 5:04 and 7:49.

The ridiculously low donation? $167.23 per each. Wow! To support such a great place as CamphillVillage Kimberton Hills. And at no extra charge you get a raffle ticket for a specially created artwork by The Artist.

Of course, 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
Board President
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.
Ask About Becoming A Sponsor

And Please, Please, Please Support Our Sponsors




Monday, March 10, 2014

It's March! Can you help Camphill Kimberton?




Who ends their fiscal year in March?

Most people don’t, but we do!

We tend to do a lot of things differently.

But it must be working.

We are healthy.
We are thriving.
We are happy.

But unfortunately, this year, we are a little bit short.

We still need to meet our Village Support Fund goal. The Village Support Fund is Kimberton Hills' annual operating money. It pays for all the things we need throughout the year: groceries, toilet paper, roof repairs, labels for our herb garden, paper for the office printers – all the things we need to keep our village going. It makes up about 25% of our operating budget.

To close the gap in our Village Support Fund, we need to raise $25,000 in 25 days.

That’s by March 31.

Why are we short, you might ask?  There are a few reasons why including:
  • less funds were raised via special events than we were expecting
  • some grant decisions have not been made yet, and some grant applications were not accepted 
  • some donors supported designated special funds, in lieu of giving undesignated operating support
Approximately ½ of Camphill Kimberton’s operating income is generated by fees (villager family support), ¼ comes from the sale of goods, services and rentals (craft shop sales, Rose Hall rentals, etc.), and we rely on approximately ¼ of our income to come from charitable contributions.

Kimberton Hills has always been a careful steward of donated funds.  This year has been a difficult one and so we are asking - will you help us close the gap?  
To make your tax-deductible contribution to Camphill Kimberton, please click here, or send your gift to CVKH Development Office, P.O. Box 1045, Kimberton, PA 19442. 

Thank you!






Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Talkfest 6... coming closer!




Talkfest 6…Coming Closer!

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills 6th Annual Talkfest!

Sunday April 27 at 5:04


Only six more weeks until Talkfest 6 arrives. Hard to believe that April is right around the corner as I look out on all the snow and notice my nose starts to freeze as soon as I step outside. Seems Puxatawney Phil was right…winter will endure for longer than we hoped.

Which is why it is so exciting that Talkfest 6 is just about here. I have it from a higher authority that it will get warmer, the snow will melt, and it is going to be a spectacular day to be wandering around the
Birchrunville Store Café, on the evening of April 27, 2014. Camphill Village Kimberton Hills’ great friend, the World Famous Master Chef Francis Trzeciak, tells me the food is going to even better than in previous years! I know this is hard to believe but he does have another year of practice and has developed some amazing new recipes.   

I’ve already found a few spectacular biodynamic and organic wines which I’m trying not to drink myself before you get your chance to fill a glass. There will be another bottle of that wonderful organic cactus juice which a number of you decided was great after we removed the sharp spears. Some of you asked what new treat I was going to find for this year’s event so imagine what just might be made from organic sugar cane in…France!

As you know it’s all in support of CamphillVillage Kimberton Hills…the most amazing intentional community including people with developmental disabilities. One small donation and you get an incredible time while supporting such a worthy cause. How can you stay home?

Just like the first 5 Talkfests, no program, no presentations, no videos, nothing at all but exceptional oardoors and wines…and a few of those other liquids I already mentioned…and you. You talking to the unbelievably interesting collection of people who assemble to wander around sharing ideas about this and that.

And all of them talking to you.

Let me repeat this: you will be at the Birchrunville Store Café on April 27 between 5:04 and 7:49.

New this year. We have a Universe Famous Artist creating a masterpiece that some lucky attendee will take home…if they win the raffle. That’s right, we are having a raffle at some point during Talkfest 6. The Artist has generously donated the piece he is right now creating just for this event in support of our most worthy cause: Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. Figuring you all will want a chance to own the work before some museum swoops in to steal it, I have cleverly included the price of a raffle ticket in the donation for the event.

We already have around a third of the slots filled. We are going to sell out. 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 register online here.

The ridiculously low donation? $167.23 per ticket. 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 artwork by The Artist.

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



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.

Ask About Becoming A Sponsor

Sunday, March 2, 2014

CVKH to be a part of Great Valley Arts and Culture Fair, April 10


Great Valley Arts and Culture Fair
Thursday, April 10, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
The Conference Center, Penn State Great Valley 





Penn State Great Valley unites a select group of the area's art, history and cultural treasures for a special evening. Local organizations (see list below) will display information about their mission, events and share opportunities to get involved. The evening will also include a cultural "sampling" when leaders from four of the organizations— Historic Yellow Springs, Wharton Esherick Museum, Colonial Theater and People's Light & Theater Company—will share what makes their organization unique.

The evening features opportunities to participate in hands-on activities and learn more about local arts and cultural organizations, volunteering, membership, events and more.

Participating Organizations
Willistown Okehocking Nature Center
People's Light & Theatre Company
Historic Yellow Springs
Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation
Wharton Esherick Museum
Friends of the Chester Valley Trail Schuylkill River Heritage Area
The Mill at Anselma
Paoli Battlefield Preservation Fund
The Colonial Theater
Friends of Valley Forge Park
Wayne Art Center
Camphill Village Kimberton Hills


FREE admission (Preregistration is required. Register at https://gvartsandculturefair.eventbrite.com)
6:30 - 7:30 p.m. Opportunities to participate in hands-on activities and learn more about local arts and cultural organizations, volunteering, membership, events and more.
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.: Special presentations celebrating four of the area's unique culture riches.