Fertile Ground 2008 - Plant a seed of unity with ShadowGrove!

Among the trees, beneath the stars, we came together, and celebrated Beltane in the spirit of days long past.

Fertile Ground Gathering 2008 has come and gone. To the many people who came out to join us for our first attempt at a major event, the staff would like to say:

Thank you for making Fertile Ground an overwhelming success!

While we were not able to make the weekend perfect for everyone, the response that we have received from you, our guests, has been overwhelmingly positive. And while it's true that the staff put months of planning and effort into the Gathering, that's only half of the equation; the other half, and the reason for all of that effort, is you, the people who came to celebrate with us. You came and shared your energy, your work, your good-natured spirits, and your time with us, and with one another.

It was the Fertile Ground staff that provided the venue, but it was the combination of staff, guests, presenters, and Nature that all combined to create a weekend that was as good as any of the planners could have hoped for.

At closing ritual, SpiritHawk asked everyone to remember our goal of leaving the park in better shape than we had found it; people listened. At check-out, the Ranger told us that in the many years he's been doing this, no other group has left the park in better shape! That's an amazing thing, and it's a great first impression to make on the National Park Service!

Several of you turned in your exit surveys before you left, and we're thankful for that. Because this was our first Gathering, we didn't do everything right, and your comments will help us to make Fertile Ground 2009 even better. If you did not turn in your survey (or you did, but have more to say), please send your comments via e-mail. Even though the Gathering has only been finished for a few days, many of us are already thinking of things to do for next year, so get your comments to us soon, so that we can take your opinions and thoughts into account!

Many of you had cameras at the Gathering, and we're sure that you have some great photos! We would love to see them, if you're willing to share. If you send them to us, we will include some or all of them on the upcoming Fertile Ground photo gallery page.

We would like to give special thanks to our friends, the members of DragonSong, who came and played for us, provided rhythm for our rituals and dancing, and filled the silent spaces of the day with their drumming, the heartbeat of the Earth. So for DragonSong, a cheer: hip-hip, huzzah!

Fertile Ground Gathering would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our Safety Staff (the people in neon-yellow vests and blue glowsticks, who made sure that everything was secure while we were all off at rituals and workshops). They deserve a special thank-you as well!

If you would like to stay in touch with us, and with the other new friends you made at Fertile Ground Gathering, we encourage you to sign up on the ShadowGrove forums, or on the NVPN Yahoo group (or both!)

Thank you one last time for helping to plant a seed of unity at Fertile Ground Gathering 2008! We hope to see your familiar faces, as well as a bunch of new faces, at Fertile Ground Gathering 2009! Until then, may peace be upon your path!

- The Fertile Ground Gathering staff and organizers.