Harvest Moon Society Newsletter
Winter 2023/24

After a busy fall, we jumped right into a busy winter here in Clearwater. We’ve got our AGM coming up and we really hope to see you out at our Agrarian After Dark event at The Park Theatre at the end of the month.

Fall Recap

Slow Spirit Festival Residency

Our Artist Residency program continues to grow as we added a Festival Residency, inviting a musical act to come spend some time at the Harvest Moon Learning Center (HMLC) ahead of the Festival. Our inaugural invitees were Natalie Bohrn and Eric Roberts, otherwise know as Slow Spirit. Natalie and Eric spent ten days learning from the land and our network of farmers and gardeners while making music and shooting videos throughout the valley. They hosted a Songwriting Workshop at United Community Arts in Pilot Mound, which they also presented at the Festival, in addition to playing multiple sets on the Festival stages.

Eco Challenge

This year’s Eco Challenge saw almost 50 volunteers (chaperones and experts) leading 120 students from 5 schools through a day of experiential learning along our Lessons From the Land trail. Grade 7 and 8 students from Thomas Greenway Middle School (Crystal City), Glenboro School, Nellie McClung Collegiate (Manitou), St. Claude School Complex, Prairie Mountain Elementary (Swan Lake) and Indian Springs School (Swan Lake First Nation) learned about birds, bats, climate change, forestry, and so much more along with a presentation on Indigenous Perspectives from Swan lake First Nation Knowledge Keeper David Scott. A huge thank you to our partners Pembina Valley Watershed District (PVWD) and Border Agricultural Services Association (BASA) and all of the volunteers that made the day possible.

22nd Perennial Harvest Moon Fest

It was another spectacular Harvest Moon Festival in Clearwater, Manitoba back in September. The weather was great, the music was amazing, and the Educational Workshops were very well attended. From all of the volunteers and organizers and the boards of the Harvest Moon Society and the Harvest Moon Festival we thank you very much for coming out and can’t wait tom have you back for the 23rd Perennial Festival on the weekend of September 13-15, 2024!

Architecture Studio

In October, University of Manitoba Architecture students from the class of Lianne Veness spent the week in Clearwater, using the HMLC as a base while they focused on living sustainably/ecologically on and with the land – acting as stewards of the land rather than trespassers. Their studio also had a continuous emphasis on hand-made or hand-craft which was carried through into their physical models and drawings. We hope to have them back in spring to see how they applied their knowledge.

Astronomy Club

While those Architecture Students were out we also had a visit from Kenton Dyck and Darcy Lemieux who brought out a computerized 12" dobsonian telescope and showed us how to use our 8” dobsonian. We invited the community to join us and the architecture students to look into the night sky and see some amazing sights. We had an excellent turnout and hope to have these guys out again.

South Door Accessibility

A big thank-you to the Municipality of Louise and their Accessibility Fund for helping us replace our south doors with an accessible entrance. This project (along with our washroom renovation) has helped make the HMLC a much more inclusive space.

Board Training Series

Our board training series funded through the Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF) has been a big success so far. Our first four workshops have been very well attended by representatives from such organizations as Fireweed Food Co-op, St. Norbert Farmers Market, Miami Arts Association, and Westman Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Association. There are still four online workshops left in the series; if you’d like to attend, let us know!

Looking Forward

Annual General Meeting

The Harvest Moon Society Hybrid Annual General Meeting will be held in-person in Clearwater on Saturday, January 27 at 1pm. We have a fancy new Meeting Owl that has allowed us to improve our hybrid meeting abilities so feel free to join us virtually. Anyone interested in attending in-person or via Zoom is asked to contact info@harvestmoonsociety.org.

Agrarian After Dark

Harvest Moon Society, Fireweed Food Co-op, and The Dogs Run Farm have put together an evening to build connections between rural producers and urban consumers in the local food and fiber community. Featuring presentations by active producers and members of the ecological agricultural community, and allowing for conversation and connection in a fun, informal setting including food and refreshments at the Park Theatre.

This event is open to everyone and we hope to see you there!

Tickets: General $15 • Silver Sponsor $25 • Gold Sponsor $50

Tickets available at myparktheatre.com

For more info and bios on all the presenters visit www.harvestmoonsociety.org/agrarian-after-dark

Fibre Arts Retreat - Feb 2/3

Last year’s Fibre Arts Retreat was weather-affected but still a big success so we’re going to do it again! Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 3 are shaping up to be busy days in Clearwater. If you’re looking to learn new skills, share your knowledge, or meet like-minded folks then you should contact us to register!

Clearwater Valley Trails

With winter finally arriving for real, the cross country ski and hiking trails are finally rounding into shape. If you’d like to contribute to the maintenance of the trails, we can issue a tax receipt.