Features
Building Begins at Destiny!
Building Begins
at Destiny!
by
Michel DuBois
Ten
years ago, a small group of Radical Faeries roamed the countryside, hungry
for a home to host the seedling idea of a Radical Faerie Sanctuary in
the Northeast. This sanctuary would be the so called "fourth corner
of Faeriedom," completing the national circle of sanctuaries found
in Tennessee, New Mexico, and Oregon and joining the international constellation
of sanctuaries and faerie householdsthroughout Australia, Europe and Thailand.
That sanctuary would come to be called Faerie Camp Destiny.
Through the intervening years,
that seedling has developed deep roots and is now growing in astounding
ways, the most notable of which is that the long-awaited period of "barn-raising"
finally begins this spring.
In keeping with the educational mission
of its 501(c)3 nonprofit status, Faerie Camp Destiny (FCD) offers the
community at large the opportunity to learn sustainable building practices.
Participants get to experience Faerie culture firsthand through a variety
of workshops, including those on timber-framing and straw-bale construction.
"I would challenge those members
of the larger community who have heard rumors of who we are. We and you
are truly the same, and if you’ve been waiting for an invitation
to see for yourself, consider this your personal invite. Come learn about
Faerie culture (and) sustainable building practices, and get a taste of
what it means to be Faerie," says Tara Messier, a long-standing Faerie.
"What you learn about the truth of those rumors may leave you pleasantly
surprised."
FCD is achieving the goal of building
primarily through skilled volunteer labor - training provided. Of course,
while it sounds romantic, the notion of conducting a construction project
with 95% volunteer effort adds unique challenges to an already complex
and unpredictable building project.
"In this case, we have lots of
potential labor but little specific skill. So, we've chosen building techniques
that involve lots of labor: timber framing and straw bale. We'll be having
a couple of big days on the land where we raise the frame and later stack
up all the straw. It's going to be a lot of fun - and work!" says
designer and Faerie, Matt Bucy.
To help simplify the complexities
of scheduling, FCD's newly designed website is updated daily with current
project status information.
"We encourage everybody
who reads these words and who has an interest in helping us build our
community, in whatever way they think they can, to visit us online at
www.faeriecampdestiny.org,"
says Faerie Bambi Gauthier.
Throughout the process, Bambi will
be connecting volunteers and their interests with the construction coordinator,
Matt Bucy. He suggests that those interested in helping or donating (cash,
materials, expertise) to the project should visit the website or contact
Bambi directly at info@faeriecampdestiny.org
FCD’s first timber-framing
workshop will be held in White River Junction during the weekend of May
5th. Contact Bambi for more information at info@faeriecampdestiny.org
Michel DuBois is a former Operations Manager of Out in the Mountains
and calls himself a Radical Faerie. So far, no one has objected. He lives
in Burlington.