Birds and Bats at Camphill Kimberton

from Guest Blogger, Marilyn Michalski

This year’s birding season was successful.  Our nesting boxes were used by many pairs of Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.  The “Bird Team” of Marilyn Michalski and John Tower continued to improve box design and placement.  We also installed seven new boxes.  We counted up the number of baby bluebirds and tree swallows that were added to the world.   This year there are 127 new Eastern Bluebirds and 107 new Tree Swallows – all from boxes at Camphill Kimberton.  Make that 130 new Bluebirds –  we rescued three orphaned Bluebirds on Aug. 19, after both parents had been killed by predators.  We drove the week-old babies to the Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Chalfont, PA, where they are being fed and cared for.  This was a close call, as the babies were near death.  When we left the Rehab Center, they were already taking food.

Both Bluebirds and Tree Swallows help farmers.  The diet of Bluebirds is mostly grubs and crawling insects. Tree Swallows feed while flying – they catch insects in the air.  Together, Bluebirds and Tree Swallows improve crop yields.

We thank the residents of Camphill Kimberton for their support of the Bluebird Trail and their respect for our feathered friends. Charlene Roth gives us news about bird behavior, and Bill Lewis builds us nesting boxes.  Martha Cownap organized a “Nesting Bird Walk” last May – a popular event, which we plan to repeat in 2014.  Helen and Grace Ann permitted us to install a Bat Roost on Sassafras House, and Mimi Coleman feeds sugar-water to hummingbirds all summer.  Others give us encouragement and support. 

Bluebirds and Tree Swallows are “cavity nesters.” They build nests inside a cavity or protected box. We construct boxes with features they like, and we experiment with new locations every year. We discovered that some birds are willing to nest in boxes close to roadways in the village.

Another great achievement this year is the construction and installation of a large “Bat House” for Little Brown Bats. John Tower completed a “Four-Chambered Bat House” in August and, with the help of Maintenance Manager Jeff Whitman, mounted it on the East wall of the Bakery. It looks like a dark brown rectangle – up almost 15 feet, where bats like to sleep. Female bats like a large bat house in which they can move around, to find the right temperature for their babies. Bats are the only flying mammal, and they do not have feathers, just fur. Bat mothers nurse their babies the same way human mothers do. Bats eat hundreds of mosquitoes every night, as they dart around the sky after sunset, using echolocation to find food. There is no need to worry – bats do not fly into people’s hair. They have natural “radar” that prevents them from bumping into anything except the small bugs they catch for food.


by Marilyn Michalski with John Tower, AKA Bird Lady and Bat Man

Marilyn has been a volunteer with us since 1992, working to help American Kestrels, the smallest falcons. John Tower has brought his expertise and energy to the Bluebird Trail since early 2011.  His key role insures that birds and bats at Camphill Kimberton continue to thrive, adding joy and beauty to the village.

Thank you to Teresa S. Thompson for the bluebird box photos. 

Camphill Kimberton hosts art opening and community art day, featuring Zentangle

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills announces the Doodle Days Art Show, presented by Philadelphia Area Zentangle, whose works will be on display in the Camphill Café throughout September. All proceeds from art sales throughout the month are being donated by the artists to support Camphill Village Kimberton Hills’ arts activities. 

A gallery opening will be held Friday, September 6 from 2-7 p.m. in the Camphill Café.  Light dinner, beverages and desserts will be available for purchase and the artists will be present.  Live Native American flute music by Frank Henninger will be performed from 5-7 p.m.

There is also an interactive component to the show.  On Sunday, September 8 from noon- 4 p.m. in the Camphill Café, the community is invited to come and create Zentangle-inspired art and for a small donation, enjoy tables of activities for both children and adults. 

Zentangle is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.  Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity andprovides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal wellbeing. The Zentangle method is enjoyed all over the world across a wide range of skills, interests and ages.

"We tangle to reduce stress, form a bond with nature, enhance our consciousness, unblock negative energy, break bad habits, and share this creative healing art, worldwide,” says Karen Izzi, Ph.D. CZT, certified Zentangle teacher and organizer of the art show at Camphill Kimberton. “Each pattern allows us to unwind as an overall lightness enters the mind, relaxing the body at the same time. As a wellness practitioner, I share Zentangle with clients to help them enhance their own lives. With each stroke, anything is possible. We create art with Zentangle, but most of all, we breathe.”

Karen Izzi, PhD. CZT, is the author of a Zentangle journal called, One Tangle at a Time, A Daily Diary of Zentangle. Signed copies will be available at the opening reception and it is available on Amazon.com.

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills – home to the Camphill Café - is located at 1601 Pughtown Road, Kimberton, Pa. Many GPS systems cannot find our location. Please use Google Maps for directions.

Phone line problems

Unfortunately our phone lines are crossed and not all lines are functioning properly.  Should you need to reach someone, contact either bernadette@camphillkimberton.org or teri@camphillkimberton.org and we will assist you. By calling 610-935-0300, ext. 10 and reaching Teri, she may also be able to forward your call to another office.  Thank you for your patience.

Take the Camphill Challenge on October 20

Camphill communities in Chester County will host the seventh annual Camphill Challenge cycling event on Sunday, October 20, 2013. Camphill Special School, Camphill Village Kimberton Hills and Camphill Soltane provide life sharing, educational and vocational opportunities for children, youth, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Now in the seventh year of this event, the Camphill Challenge regularly attracts more than 400 cyclists. Several routes are offered, providing opportunities for riders of all ages and ability levels. The bike ride begins and ends at the Kimberton Waldorf School and offers well-marked 100, 50, 25, and 10-mile courses. A special two-mile Family Fun Ride takes riders to a working farm to visit with the livestock.

Cyclists will wend their ways through the rolling hills of Chester County during peak autumn foliage. Routes take cyclists past farms, historic homes, covered bridges and each of the three Camphill communities. Following the ride, cyclists will enjoy a delicious picnic lunch and live music.

Proceeds of the Camphill Challenge benefit the three Camphill communities in Chester County. To register, visit www.camphillchallenge.org. For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Bernadette Kovaleski at 610-935-8660 or bernadette@camphillkimberton.org.

Hootenanny! Saturday, July 20

Have you ever wanted to kick back in the sunshine, enjoy some cool refreshing lemonade with some friends while dipping your feet in a kiddie pool, listen to some honky tonk hoedown music, get your face painted, and participate in an epic ultimate frisbee match, all while doing it for a good cause?

Wow, us too! This is why our independent, not for profit, intentional community, Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, is throwing down a Hootenanny.

WHEN:
Date: Saturday, July 20th
Time: 2-9pm

WHERE:
Check us out on Google Maps:
https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=camphill+village+kimberton+hills&fb=1&gl=us&hq=camphill+village+kimberton+hills&hnear=0x89c691e30ecc5169%3A0x89622abe1935e9fa%2CPhoenixville%2C+PA&cid=0%2C0%2C17199377969536245020&ei=I5KuUfWIIbGz4APv8YDAAQ&ved=0CJMBEPwSMAA

Please note, most GPS systems do not recognize our location.  Some people have success using Phoenixville, PA 19460.  Google Maps is your best bet.

Ticket Prices:
$10
Kids under 10 years old are free

- BANDS:
(8-8.50pm) The Vulcans
(7-7.50pm) JD. Malone
(6-6.50pm) Joe Pescatore with The Run of the Mill String Band
(5-5.50pm) George Urgo
(4-4.50pm) Sidney Joseph & The Organic Reverb
(3-3.50pm) Ladybird
(2-2.50pm) The Four Squares
:: Plus some of our local local talent to play our acoustic stage

- FOOD:
-=- Hamburgers from our own community's biodynamic dairy farm
-=- Vegetables with Hummus plates; personally grown, weeded and picked from our very own festival planning team in our biodynamic garden
-=- Yummy summer salad
-=- PBJs
-=- Homemade Lemonade
-=- Sweet Water Baking Co cinnamon rolls for desert
-=- Vegan options and alternatives

Organic and Local food made and served by the Camphill Cafe.

- EVENTS and ACTIVITIES:
=- Tractor Rides
=- Face Painting
=- Water Games
=- Field Games
=- Henna Tattoos

- VENDORS:
-=- Camphill Kimberton Craft Shop
-=- Artisan Cafe
-=- Soltane Breads and Spreads
-=- Linny Loop's Hoops

And more...

- RAFFLES:
-=- So many prizes!

For more information about the Community, look here:
http://www.camphillkimberton.org/

By purchasing event, food and raffle tickets, you support our community and everything we aim to achieve. Thank you for your support.

Thank you also to our event sponsor Phoenixville Federal Bank and Trust!

Hootenanny Music Lineup - Saturday, July 20

The musical lineup has been announced for Camphill Kimberton's Hootenanny, set for Saturday, July 20 from 2-9 p.m. :


(2-2.50pm)   Sidney Joseph & Organic Reverb

(3-3.50pm)   LadyBird

(4-4.50pm)   The Four Squares

(5-5.50pm)   George Urgo

(6-6.50pm)   Joe Pescatore with The Run of the Mill String Band

(8-8.50pm)   The Vulcans


In addition to the great local music, our own organic food from the Camphill Café (grown in our CSA gardens or locally sourced) will be available for purchase. Children will have the chance to spot cows, chickens, sheep and more on the working dairy and vegetable farm. Games, raffles, face painting, vendors and other activities will be available throughout the day.

Ticket Prices:

$8 in advance 

$10 that day

Kids 10 and under are free

For advanced ticket reservations and questions, please contact Bernadette at bernadette@camphillkimberton.org.

Camphill Café announces "Pay As You Wish" Thursdays

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills’ Camphill Café announces a new program to encourage community and generosity while sharing delicious and nutritious food.

The Camphill Café will introduce Pay As You Wish Thursdays, beginning on July 11.  Patrons are encouraged to come and share a meal at the Café, and pay for the meal with any amount they want. Meals will cost whatever you want to pay, starting at zero.

“The Café is very unique compared to other restaurants and features collaborative work by village residents and volunteers,” says Hilla Haut, café manager. “We are surrounded by the beauty of the land around us and our eco-friendly designed building. By offering one day a week that visitors can come for a delicious, nutritious lunch where customers pay as they can, we are taking another step forward to welcome the larger community.

The potential benefit of this program is twofold: Above-the-cost proceeds go to cover meals for customers who cannot pay the full amount and to help support the residents of Camphill Kimberton; and for those in need, the healthy meal provides great nutrition at whatever price they can afford.

Haut’s decision was inspired by Karma Kitchen, a restaurant that opened in Berkeley in 2007, by several volunteers inspired to seed the value of a “gift economy.”  There are no prices for the meals, you give a donation of what you are able to help pay for others’ meals. Their motto is: Your meal is paid for by someone before you, and now it’s your chance to pay it forward.

Haut takes inspiration from Nipun Mehta, who with others imagined the concept of Karma Kitchen, and has said, “The more I smile, the more I do smile. The more I love, the more love I have to give. So, when you give externally, you receive internally. ... If you stay in touch with your inner truth, you will come alive with joy, purpose, and gratitude. You will tap into the law of abundance.  May you discover that to be truly selfish, you must be generous.  In giving, may you fully experience what it means to receive.”

The Camphill Café, in the heart of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, serves seasonal foods grown both biodynamically and organically in Camphill Kimberton’s CSA gardens. The Café was recently renovated and features geothermal heating and air conditioning, natural solar tube lighting and outdoor seating. The café is open Wednesdays – Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Camphill Kimberton and the Camphill Café are located at 1601 Pughtown Road, Kimberton, PA 19442.