Events

Bonfire and Music
* Friday, 7-9:30 in the Ecology Center
Join us for a bonfire and acoustic music on the opening night of the festival.
Please bring your own lawn chair as there will be limited seating available.

Cheesy Chick
* Friday, 5-7pm in the parking lot
* Saturday, 12-2pm and 5-7pm in the parking lot
The Cheesy Chick is the First and Only Grilled Cheese & Mac-n-cheese Buffalo Food Truck!
Vegan and gluten-free options will be available.

Chilly Billy
* Friday, 5-7pm in the parking lot
* Saturday, 5-7pm in the parking lot
Chilly Billy is WNY’s #1 ice cream vendor!

Citizens for Regional Transit Presentation
* Saturday, 2-3pm in the Chapel
Citizens for Regional Transit is committed to creating a broad base of support for the improvement and expansion of bus and rail transit for all citizens of the Niagara Frontier.
The purpose of the organization is to build an understanding of the benefits of transit by facilitating public participation through educational events, information sharing and other outreach efforts.

Eastern Monarch Butterfly Farm
* Saturday, 5-6pm in the chapel
Eastern Monarch Butterfly Farm is a self-funding organization dedicated to increasing the Monarch population. Through restoring and replacing indigenous natural habitat, releasing healthy butterflies and conducting educational presentations; together we are making a difference.

Folk Dancing with Martha Malkiewicz
* Saturday, 2:30-4pm in the Parking Lot Circle
(In the case of rain, this will be relocated to the Emerson Room)
Get your heartbeat up and have some fun learning traditional folk dancing.

Free Expression
* Saturday, 4-7pm at the Activities Tent
Continue your rock painting or naturalist drawing from earlier, or start something new! Let your creative self loose.

Free Room
* Saturday, 10am-4pm in the FD Wing
Come and look through the room of donated items and take home any item you could use, for free! Please note that the Free Room is up a short flight of stairs.

Gardening Presentation
* Saturday, 1-2:30 and 3-3:30pm in the chapel
Our own Angela Warren will present on our church vegetable garden, sharing information on the organic gardening techniques used and how the fresh produce grown is augmenting the offerings of The Amherst Little Free Pantry. The presentation will then move to the vegetable garden for an in-person experience.

Planting the vegetable garden

Goatscaping with Let’s Goat Buffalo
* All day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the Ecology Center
The term “goatscaping” means grazing goats to manage vegetation growth in an environmentally sound manner. Goatscaping greatly reduces the use of toxic herbicides, and because the goat digestive process effectively sterilizes seeds and reproductive plant matter, they are an ideal treatment for invasive plants.
Let’s Goat Buffalo offers grazing services within suburban, urban and rural environments. Whether it’s a small plot that needs to be cleared, a commercial property that has become overgrown and high-risk, or a park that has become less accessible to the public, our herd is prepared to help!

Rev. Michelle with goats from Let's Goat Buffalo

Indigenous Storytelling with Perry Ground
* Saturday, 4-5pm in the Chapel
Experience traditional storytelling by Perry Ground from the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation. The stories he shares promote understanding and appreciation of the history, culture, and beliefs of the Haudenosaunee.

Introduction to Sit Spot Practice for Youth (and others) with Mark Chaffin
* Saturday 12:30-1pm in the Ecology Center
Introduction to Sit Spot Practice for Youth (and others) will be a 20–30-minute period of mindfully exploring and actively engaging the many sounds, sights, scents, and tactile feedback observed while sitting in one “spot.” Sit spot practice counters the effects of “nature deficit disorder” and helps us become better observers of all that is present with us in the out-of-doors.
This practice will increase our sense of belonging and communing with the living world we share with the natural elements and non-human members (kin) of the place we live. Participants may want to bring a blanket or towel for sitting; a notebook or paper, as well as crayons, markers, pen, or pencil to record a map of their “spot.”

Itty Bitty Boutique
 * Saturday 10-4pm off the Lobby
Designer clothing and accessories, new with tags, at deeply discounted prices.

Keynote Speech with Petra Page-Mann from Fruition Seeds
* Friday 6-7pm outside by the Patio and Activity Tent

Naturalist Drawing, Wild Ways, and Ecological Next Steps
* Saturday, 2-4pm at the Activities Tent

Nature Meditation with Mark Chaffin
* Saturday, 10-11:30 and 2-3:30 in the Ecology Center
* Sunday, 9-10:30am in the Ecology Center
Nature Meditation Sessions are an opportunity to slow down and take in the present moment in the place we want to explore in an embodied and enhanced sensory way. Sometimes referred to as shinrin yoku, Japanese for “forest bathing,” it is the experience of taking in the ambiance of a natural setting through all the senses (no water or soap required!). Forest bathing participants who have been studied demonstrate improved immune response, mood and sleep; along with creating a greater sense of calm, vigor, and alertness.
Join for a brief time of preparation and instruction followed by a 20-30 minute “wander” to connect with the spirit of the land in a new way. Learn what Henry David Thoreau meant by becoming “alive to the extremities.” Participants may want to bring a journal to reflect on their experience or write a poem at the end of their session.

Reduce & Reuse Basket Raffle
* Friday, 5-7pm and Saturday, 10am-4pm in the Lobby and Living Room
Extensive basket raffle with over100 baskets, composed of donated new items in need of a new home. Raffle tickets will be available for sale starting Friday evening. There will be staggered end times, starting at 1pm on Saturday.

Many baskets for basket raffle

Rock painting
* Saturday, 10-11am and 12-1pm in the Activities Tent
Create your own painted rocks as part of The Kindness Project. The purpose of The Kindness Project is simple: to cultivate connections within communities and lift others up through simple acts of kindness. Paint a rock with a special message or picture and share it with the world!

Self-guided labyrinth walk & meditation
* Friday, 5-6pm in the Ecology Center
* Saturday, 9-10am, 11:30-12:30, 1-2:30pm, and 4-7pm in the Ecology Center
Enjoy self-guided walking meditation in our two labyrinths or find a shady spot to sit and commune with nature while settling your mind.

Outdoor walking meditation labyrinth

Skiffle Minstrels
* Saturday, 7-10pm in the Emerson Room
The Skiffle Minstrels is a Western Swing dance band. Over the last 15 years they have received multiple popularity and “best of” awards from local publications and music organizations, including “Best Band of 2018” from the Sportsmens Americana Music Foundation.
The music is a fun, upbeat mixture of country, jazz and blues. The band features the tunes of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Hank Williams, The Boogie Woogie of Louis Jordan, as well as big band tunes with a country kick from Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington.

Stories Near & Far with Lorna Czarnota
* Saturday, 1-2pm in the Activities Tent
Enjoy a mix of nature and multicultural stories as told by WNY storyteller, Lorna Czarnota.

Vendor Row
* Saturday, 10am-4pm on the Front Lawn
Visit our vendors to meet businesses and organizations that can help you to live green.

Where do the plants live?
* Saturday, 11-12noon in the Activities Tent
Learn about the plants in the garden and help place their new signs.