Harvest Moon Newsletter

June 2026

We have hit full speed here in Clearwater with visits, tours, field trips and more!

This newsletter is jam-packed with information regarding our new membership program (with Festival pre-sale!) and announcements and registrations.

Harvest Moon Scholarship

The Harvest Moon Scholarship has been running for four years now, providing assistance to youth aged 17-21 who reside within the boundaries of Manitoba for furthering their knowledge or education related to regenerative agriculture, sustainable food systems, and environmental stewardship.

Our first recipient this year is Alinka van Donkelaar, whose family farms sheep near Grunthal, MB. Alinka is interested in polycrops and bringing more sustainability to the farm. It was great to tour Alinka and her mum around the Harvest Moon Learning Centre and we look forward to seeing her again at the Festival in September.

Harvest Moon Membership Program

Harvest Moon is introducing a simple membership structure to help us stay connected as our community grows.

If you currently receive our newsletter, you’ll automatically become a Crescent Moon Member — our free, stay‑connected tier. This includes newsletters, updates, invitations, and a voice at our Annual General Meeting.

You don’t need to do anything to stay in Crescent Moon. If you prefer not to be included, you can unsubscribe at any time.

For those who want to support Harvest Moon more deeply, we’re also introducing Full Moon Membership, which includes early presale access and discounts on workshops and events.

CRESCENT MOON — Free
This is the default membership for anyone who wants to stay connected with Harvest Moon.

Crescent Mooners receive:

• Harvest Moon newsletter + updates

• Invitations to workshops, events, and community gatherings 

• Eligibility to join HMS committees 

• Eligibility to stand for election to the Board 

• A voice at the Annual General Meeting

Annual renewal: Crescent Moon membership is free, but we ask members to renew each year so we can keep our records current and maintain an active, engaged membership base.

FULL MOON — $50 (Annual)
For those who want to take a deeper step into the Harvest Moon community.

Full Mooners receive Crescent Moon benefits plus:

• Early access to Harvest Moon Festival presale

• Discounts on workshops and events

• Discounted merchandise

• Access to facility rentals (with discounted rates)

A note about presale access: This year’s presale is a trial run with a limited number of tickets. We’re keeping the rollout small and community‑focused to make sure the system works smoothly.

Purchase your full moon membership by Saturday June 13th for access to next week's presale.

So Many Field Trips!

We are in the midst of field trip season and this year has been phenomenal. This season, we’ve hosted:

• a grade 10 class from Maples Met for an overnight visit.

• the grade 1s, 2s, and 3s from Crystal City Early Years for a combined event with Finn and Dave at Prairie Ojibwe Environmental

• grade 1s and 4s from Manitou Elementary

And we’re prepping for:

• grade 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s from Cartwright School

• two classes of kindergarteners from CCEY

We couldn’t host these events without our awesome volunteers. A great big thank you to everyone who has pitched in these last few weeks; it’s been a lot of fun.

Manitoba Hiking Club

June’s hike saw the group overheat, get lost, and still have a great time! In the end, the Rae Trail north of Holland was conquered and the hiking club lives on.

For the first Saturday of July, the group is hoping to incorporate a body of water to provide a post hike cooldown option. The vote is between:

• The Devil’s Punchbowl + river dip (Spruce Woods)

• Lake Minnewasta + lake swim (Morden)

• Kingfisher Lake Trail + beach cool-off (Bird’s Hill)

If you’re in the WhatsApp group, go vote. If you want in the group, let us know!

Artist Residency Season

In addition to it being field trip season, May has also bene chock full of artist residencies. Writer Zoë Mills from Winnipeg was here for a week at the same time as our Emerging Artist Residents, Juca Aquino and EB Akinbo. EB did an amazing found object interactive multimedia activity with the students from the Clearwater Nursery School, and we all went for a tour of The Dogs Run Farm and they held Artist Talks where we learned about what they do and why they do it.

It was sad to see them go but David Martinello from Mill Bay, BC arrived shortly thereafter. David works with wood and thinks about wood and sees wood in ways unlike anyone we’ve ever met. David communed with the beavers and made Food Miles cookies with Jo-Lene and the students at Indian Springs School and went to hiking club and spent time in the forest with Elder Dave. David’s one-week stay had his cup overflowing and I can’t wait to see how it informs his art.

Currently in residence at the Harvest Moon Learning Centre is multidisciplinary artist Olivia de Fleuriot Perry from southern Ontario Olivia has been swept up in the plants and nature she’s found in Clearwater and she’s creating and producing a ton of art. Olivia will be hosting an artist talk for us Thursday evening.

Coming up, we’re excited for a couple of longer stays:

• landscape painter Rachel Prins from Vernon, BC will be here at the end of June and will be hosting an artist talk on July 2

• multimedia artist and illustrator Emily Fyfe from Rich Valley, AB will be here for ten days in July; you can catch her as a vendor at the Wooden Gate Cider Market on July 19, hosting a workshop at United Community Arts in Pilot Mound on July 21, or at her Artist Talk (date TBA - July 23?)

Harvest Moon Festival Market Vendor Application Form Now Available

Applications are now being accepted for vendors at the Harvevst Moon Festivla Market Saturday (September 19) and/or Sunday (September 20).

Summer Programming Plans

Last but most absolutely not least, we are very, very excited to have Elise Gardiner on board as our Land Based Learning Interpreter for this summer. Elise has Clearwater roots (she’ll be staying in Grandma Gardiner’s house for the summer) and she’s been a great help at the EcoChallenge in the past. She’s already mastered the riding mower and is hard at work planning our summer activities.

This year we’re hosting our New Moon Kids Camp for ages 7 - 11 on July 14, 15, and 16. Registration is now open! First dibs go to those who read to the end of the newsletter, public announcement coming Monday.