BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Firefly Gathering - ECPv6.18.0//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Firefly Gathering X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.fireflygathering.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Firefly Gathering REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261010T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261010T140000 DTSTAMP:20260227T021411Z CREATED:20260227T021411Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260227T021411Z UID:10000106-1791626400-1791640800@www.fireflygathering.org SUMMARY:Appalachian Folk Medicine w/ Byron Ballard DESCRIPTION:About the Workshop: Appalachian Folk Medicine w/ Byron Ballard\n\n\n\nJust in time for Samhain\, step into the wild heart of southern Appalachia and explore its vibrant folk traditions through the wisdom of Appalachian magic practitioner and beloved storyteller\, Byron Ballard. \n\n\n\nCarried across oceans in the hearts of immigrants and woven together with local Indigenous plant knowledge\, Appalachian folk medicine is a unique living\, breathing tradition: practical\, powerful\, ancestral. In this hands-on workshop\, we’ll trace the twisty history of these old medicines and discover how culture\, land\, and spirit shaped a distinctly Appalachian healing practice. \n\n\n\nTogether\, we’ll roll up our sleeves and work with the plants themselves — crafting tinctures and poultices\, and creating traditional asfidity (protection) bags from up-cycled fabric. These humble tools carry generations of knowledge about protection\, restoration\, and care of both body\, spirit and the land. \n\n\n\nMidway through\, we’ll break bread and share a warming bowl of soup\, nourishing body and spirit in good company. \n\n\n\nParticipants will also spend time with the Seven Sovereign Sisters of the Appalachian mountains\, learning the stories and healing relationships surrounding these beloved plant allies. Alongside the herbal work\, Byron will guide deep relaxation techniques rooted in traditional practice — reminding us that healing has always been about tending the whole person. \n\n\n\nThroughout the day\, we’ll explore the culture and heritage behind these practices\, dispelling stereotypes and gaining a fuller\, truer understanding of Appalachian people and their ways. These traditions are not relics — they are vital threads in the living fabric of the region. \n\n\n\nIn this workshop\, you will: \n\n\n\n\nLearn the history and cultural roots of Appalachian folk medicine\n\n\n\nExplore the blending of British Isles traditions and native plant wisdom\n\n\n\nWork hands-on with tinctures\, poultices\, and traditional protection bags\n\n\n\nMeet the Seven Sovereign Sisters and their healing uses\n\n\n\nPractice deep relaxation techniques grounded in folk tradition\n\n\n\nGain a richer\, more nuanced understanding of Appalachian people and culture\n\n\n\n\nCome spend the day in the old ways — practical\, grounded\, generous — and leave with skills\, stories\, and a deeper connection to mountain folk medicine. \n\n\n\nThis class will be held indoors on Saturday\, Octber 10th\, 2026\, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in Asheville\, NC. \n\n\n\nThis class is suitable for all – from folklore & folkways enthusiasts to those new to these traditions! The minimum age is 10 with maturity level to understand the content. Participants under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. \n\n\n\nAbout the Instructor: Byron Ballard\nH. Byron Ballard\, BA\, MFA\, is a native of Western NC. She is a writer\, amateur folklorist with a specialty in Appalachian folk magic & healing. She tours extensively in the US & Great Britain. Her books include four on mountain folk magic. The first was Staubs and Ditchwater (2017)\, and the most recent is A Feral Church (2025). She lives in Asheville\, NC.You can find out more about Byron through her website myvillagewitch.com \n\n\n\n\nEquitable Pricing Model $30 – $80\n\n\n\n* Please click here to learn about your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events\, so you only need to do it once!\nIn order to make our workshops more accessible\, we offer two price options for each class\, with an additional Equity Discount for qualifying individuals. Please consider these options and select your price at checkout. \n\n\n\n\nSponsor Price $80: For those who have enough to share\, thank you for being a Sponsor. This is an opportunity to contribute towards the cost of the class for someone else.\n\n\n\nStandard Price $55: The Standard reflects one person’s share of what it costs to produce the class and cover basic expenses.\n\n\n\nEquity Discount $30: We offer an additional Equity Discount for those from the following communities who support reparations and/or an equitable redistribution of wealth and would not have access to this workshop without this discount:\n\nIndigenous or Native American\, Black\, Latino/a/x\n\n\n\nOther peoples of the global majority\, or racialized communities\n\n\n\nEthnicities underrepresented in the Southeastern earthskills community\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThank you for helping transform the world into a culture of abundance\, resilience\, and opportunity for all. \n\n\n\nWhich Price Option is Right for You?*\n\n\n\n\nFind your Pricing Option\n\n\n\n\n*Please check your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events\, so you only need to do it once! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nClass Price includes all Materials for the Class\n\n\n\nRegistration closes at 8am on October 10th \n\n\n\nEnter the HTML code for Eventbrite’s embedded checkout in the Custom HTML box below. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWant to support our Equity Fund but not able to upgrade to Sponsor Price? Donate below!\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Equity Fund Donation – Sliding Scale\n \n \n \n Choose price\n \n \n \n \n Friend of Firefly ($5/month)\n \n \n \n Add to cart\n \n \n \n \n Donation – Choose your amount\n \n \n \n Choose price URL:https://www.fireflygathering.org/event/appalachian-folk-medicine-w-byron-ballard CATEGORIES:Farmsteading,Perennial Workshop,Wild Foods ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.fireflygathering.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/BB-600x400-1.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261114T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261114T140000 DTSTAMP:20260227T143850Z CREATED:20260227T143850Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260227T143850Z UID:10000107-1794650400-1794664800@www.fireflygathering.org SUMMARY:Rawhide Lanterns w/ Josh Barnwell DESCRIPTION:About the Workshop: Rawhide Lanterns w/ Josh Barnwell\n\n\n\nAs the leaves fall and the diminishing days lead to long November nights\, we turn toward one of the oldest human instincts: to tend a small fire and lean in towards the light. Before glass was common\, before hardware stores and headlamps\, people depended on candles\, shaping the materials around them into vessels to protect the light. Rawhide has been meeting this need across continents and cultures since time immemorial. When held to a flame\, its translucent surface softens and amplifies candlelight like nothing else\, glowing beautifully and coming to life with the flame. \n\n\n\nIn this hands-on workshop\, we’ll join beloved Firefly Gathering friend & instructor\, Josh Barnwell\, in crafting our own individual rawhide candle lantern rooted in European designs dating back to the Iron Age. \n\n\n\nDuring this workshop\, you will:\n\n\n\n\nLearn how rawhide is made and why it behaves so differently from leather\n\n\n\nExplore its unique properties as a natural material\n\n\n\nSelect and assess hides for your project\n\n\n\nCreate and pattern your own lantern design\n\n\n\nClean and prepare the lantern body\n\n\n\nPractice basic rawhide stitching\n\n\n\nAssemble your own working candle lantern\n\n\n\n\nThis class is open to all skill levels\, whether you’re brand new to handcraft or already comfortable with natural materials\, you’ll find something here: a new medium\, a new technique\, a new way of being with the light. Each participant will take home your finished rawhide candle lantern\, as well as the knowledge and skill to continue experimenting\, adapting and following your inspiration wherever it leads. \n\n\n\nThis class will be held indoors on Saturday\, November 14th\, 2026\, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in Asheville\, NC. \n\n\n\nThis class is suitable for all levels of experience! Moderate hand strength is helpful.The minimum age is 12 and participants under 16 must attend with an accompanying adult. \n\n\n\nAbout the Instructor: Josh Barnwell\nJosh Barnwell has been a lifelong student of traditional and endangered skills\, starting with learning the plants and wildlife from the woods around his home and growing from there. With over 20 years of experience under his belt\, he leads classes with enthusiasm and the philosophy that by learning these skills to directly meet our needs from the natural world and attaining a connection to and appreciation of that world\, we connect and align ourselves to what it truly is to be a human living on this planet. \n\n\n\nJosh teaches for various gatherings\, camps\, and nature programs around the southeast and beyond. When he is not leading a workshop or teaching for a gathering he is participating in the highly seasonal\, cyclical crafts that make up the wheel of his year. \n\n\n\n✨ “My favorite part of teaching is seeing the joy and enthusiasm of my students as they connect with the natural world in a tangible way. My goal is to share skills that people can carry into their daily lives\, deepening their relationship with nature.” \n\n\n\nYou can find out more about Josh on his website bewelloutdoors.com. \n\n\n\n\nEquitable Pricing Model $60 – $110\n\n\n\n* Please click here to learn about your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events\, so you only need to do it once!\nIn order to make our workshops more accessible\, we offer two price options for each class\, with an additional Equity Discount for qualifying individuals. Please consider these options and select your price at checkout. \n\n\n\n\nSponsor Price $110: For those who have enough to share\, thank you for being a Sponsor. This is an opportunity to contribute towards the cost of the class for someone else.\n\n\n\nStandard Price $85: The Standard reflects one person’s share of what it costs to produce the class and cover basic expenses.\n\n\n\nEquity Discount $60: We offer an additional Equity Discount for those from the following communities who support reparations and/or an equitable redistribution of wealth and would not have access to this workshop without this discount:\n\nIndigenous or Native American\, Black\, Latino/a/x\n\n\n\nOther peoples of the global majority\, or racialized communities\n\n\n\nEthnicities underrepresented in the Southeastern earthskills community\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThank you for helping transform the world into a culture of abundance\, resilience\, and opportunity for all. \n\n\n\nWhich Price Option is Right for You?*\n\n\n\n\nFind your Pricing Option\n\n\n\n\n*Please check your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events\, so you only need to do it once! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nClass Price includes all Materials for the Class\n\n\n\nRegistration closes at 8am on November 14th \n\n\n\nEnter the HTML code for Eventbrite’s embedded checkout in the Custom HTML box below. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWant to support our Equity Fund but not able to upgrade to Sponsor Price? Donate below!\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Equity Fund Donation – Sliding Scale\n \n \n \n Choose price\n \n \n \n \n Friend of Firefly ($5/month)\n \n \n \n Add to cart\n \n \n \n \n Donation – Choose your amount\n \n \n \n Choose price URL:https://www.fireflygathering.org/event/rawhide-lanterns-w-josh-barnwell CATEGORIES:Perennial Workshop ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.fireflygathering.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/600x400.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261122T162000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261122T230000 DTSTAMP:20260924T172118Z CREATED:20260924T171610Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260924T172118Z UID:10000112-1795364400-1795388400@www.fireflygathering.org SUMMARY:Firefly Gathering: GRATIFLY Hoedown Throwdown DESCRIPTION:Firefly Gathering: GRATIFLY Hoedown Throwdow\n\n\n\nThe Firefly Gathering invites you for an evening of communal connection and medicine for the heart and soul! As the nights lengthen and the world often feels like too much to hold\, we’re curating a liminal space of awareness and release\, where we can acknowledge the reality we’re collectively in\, and give ourselves over to the healing power of movement through dancing\, singing and play. \n\n\n\nSo bust out your feral finery and get ready to come together on November 22 (location TBA) to move through the madness into joy! In addition to Holy River\, we’ll have other local musical performances\, the Holiday Craft Bazaar & Skills Demos\, a playful Sock Wrestling tournament\, Bigwitch’s Native Cultural Offerings & Food\, Street Creature Puppet Collective and more! \n\n\n\nThis is a Community Building Event : Ticket Tiers Reflect This \n\n\n\nThe Firefly Gathering believes in the power of community above all else. Humans are animals and communal ones at that\, having evolved in a landscape of mutual aid and reciprocity. We’re all feeling the economic impacts of the times\, so we’ve priced this FUNdraiser to be accessible to as many folks as possible! And there’s options to give a little – or A LOT – more\, according to your abilities. So plan to join us for this family friendly event\, choose the critter that represents your needs\, and get your tickets today! We can’t wait to celebrate with you on November 22nd! \n\n\n\n~Why The Date Change: \n\n\n\nHave you wondered why we changed the date of our Fall FUNdraising event? Well\, we have a GREAT reason: HOLY RIVER! This amazing musical duo fills our hearts with hope and magic\, and we dearly missed them at the Annual Firefly Gathering this year\, as they were touring communities in Europe! \n\n\n\nWe are collectively experiencing times of unprecedented division\, fear and uncertainty as the world we’ve known changes faster than we can keep pace with. As capitalism consumes freedom worldwide and our democracy crumbles before our eyes\, we MUST continue to come together and uplift each other\, strengthen our networks of support and build resilience into the fabric of our beings. \n\n\n\nSo we changed the date to accommodate our beloveds\, knowing that our hearts need the medicine their music brings. Mark your calendars\, buy your tickets and plan to join us for an evening of unity\, music & fun! \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWant to support our Equity Fund but not able to upgrade to Sponsor Price? Donate below!\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Equity Fund Donation – Sliding Scale\n \n \n \n Choose price\n \n \n \n \n Friend of Firefly ($5/month)\n \n \n \n Add to cart\n \n \n \n \n Donation – Choose your amount\n \n \n \n Choose price URL:https://www.fireflygathering.org/event/firefly-gathering-gratifly-hoedown-throwdown CATEGORIES:Fundraisers,Perennial Workshop ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.fireflygathering.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eventbrite-fallfundraiser-2026-v3.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261219T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261219T150000 DTSTAMP:20260914T140041Z CREATED:20260305T015631Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T140041Z UID:10000108-1797681600-1797692400@www.fireflygathering.org SUMMARY:Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candle Making w/ Jess Kaufman DESCRIPTION:About the Workshop: Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candle Making w/ Jess Kaufman\n\n\n\nOn the longest nights of the year\, we’ll come together in warmth and good company for this age-old Solstice tradition: hand-dipping beeswax candles\, a timeless practice that invites patience\, presence and a quiet resilience. \n\n\n\nIn the 5th Annual cozy\, hands-on workshop\, you’ll gather around the “fire” of gently simmering cauldrons of golden beeswax\, the earthy-sweet smell filling the air. Settle into the calming rhythm of dip\, cool\, and repeat as your tapers slowly take shape. Jess Kaufman\, local batik artist and founder of WAXON\, will guide you through the candle-making process while sharing the deeper story of beeswax—an increasingly rare and precious gift from our pollinator kin. \n\n\n\nYou’ll also learn how WAXON’s zero-waste batik studio reclaims and reuses every drop of wax\, honoring this sacred material through careful stewardship and creative reuse. The result is a practice rooted not only in craft\, but in sustainability and care. \n\n\n\nParticipants will leave with: \n\n\n\n\nTwo pairs of hand-dipped beeswax taper candles (four total\, with the option to make more)\n\n\n\nPractical candle-making skills\, from wick selection to tapering\, trimming\, and shaping\, along with tricks learned over time\n\n\n\nA shared sense of connection and joy as we honor the darkness and welcome the returning light in the 5th Annual Solstice Beeswax Candle Dipping Workshop\n\n\n\n\nJess says her favorite part of the class is “watching the joy on people’s faces as their candles grow.” Come celebrate the Solstice\, kindle your own light\, and take part in a tradition that weaves together community\, craft\, and reverence for the natural world. \n\n\n\nThis class will be held indoors on Saturday\, December 19th\, 2026\, from 12:00pm – 3:00 pm in Asheville\, NC. \n\n\n\nThis class is suitable both for experienced crafters and beginners alike! The minimum age is 10 accompanied by an adult or 16 unaccompanied. Please be prepared for long periods of standing. \n\n\n\nAbout the Instructor: Jess Kaufman\nJessica Kaufman (she/her) has an MA in crafts education and is the owner of WAXON Batik & Dye Studio in Asheville\, NC.  With over 22 years of teaching experience\, Jess has taught a wide variety of fiber and textile arts to summer campers\, school children\, high schoolers\, and adult workshops up and down the East Coast.  Her enthusiasm for teaching is apparent in every class she leads.  Jess maintains over 80 free knitting videos at HappyGoCrafty.com.Find out more about Jess and her offerings at waxonstudio.com. \n\n\n\n\nEquitable Pricing Model $37 – $77\n\n\n\n* Please click here to learn about your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events\, so you only need to do it once!\nIn order to make our workshops more accessible\, we offer two price options for each class\, with an additional Equity Discount for qualifying individuals. Please consider these options and select your price at checkout. \n\n\n\n\nSponsor Price $77: For those who have enough to share\, thank you for being a Sponsor. This is an opportunity to contribute towards the cost of the class for someone else.\n\n\n\nStandard Price $57: The Standard reflects one person’s share of what it costs to produce the class and cover basic expenses.\n\n\n\nEquity Discount $37: We offer an additional Equity Discount for those from the following communities who support reparations and/or an equitable redistribution of wealth and would not have access to this workshop without this discount:\n\nIndigenous or Native American\, Black\, Latino/a/x\n\n\n\nOther peoples of the global majority\, or racialized communities\n\n\n\nEthnicities underrepresented in the Southeastern earthskills community\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThank you for helping transform the world into a culture of abundance\, resilience\, and opportunity for all. \n\n\n\nWhich Price Option is Right for You?*\n\n\n\n\nFind your Pricing Option\n\n\n\n\n*Please check your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events\, so you only need to do it once! \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nClass Price includes all Materials for the Class\n\n\n\nRegistration closes at 12pm on December 19th \n\n\n\nEnter the HTML code for Eventbrite’s embedded checkout in the Custom HTML box below. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWant to support our Equity Fund but not able to upgrade to Sponsor Price? Donate below!\n\n\n\n \n \n \n Equity Fund Donation – Sliding Scale\n \n \n \n Choose price\n \n \n \n \n Friend of Firefly ($5/month)\n \n \n \n Add to cart\n \n \n \n \n Donation – Choose your amount\n \n \n \n Choose price URL:https://www.fireflygathering.org/event/hand-dipped-beeswax-candle-making-w-jess-kaufman CATEGORIES:Perennial Workshop ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.fireflygathering.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/FB-Beeswax-1.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR