Spring Gathering
Spring Gathering
Cross Quarter Club’s 2024 Spring Gathering will be held Sunday, May 5th at 2:00pm at the pavilion at Yoe Park in Yoe Borough, Pennsylvania. Guest instructor Calyx Liddick from Northern Appalachia School of Herbalism will lead a plant walk and spring tonic oxymel workshop. Afterward, we’ll enjoy a spread of seasonal snacks and drinks along with a Sharing Table activity. Find more details below!
NEW! We are now offering a select number of free and reduced-price tickets to increase accessibility for our Midseason Gathers. This is a self-elected/honor system, intended for those for whom a full-price event ticket would be out of reach. This effort was inspired and funded by members of our community! If you would like to make a contribution, please send any amount to @steviestorck on Venmo, labeled “CQC Community Fund”.
Registration closes Wednesday, May 1st!
Location: The Pavilion at Yoe Park | 400 E Philadelphia Street, Yoe Borough, PA 17363
Plant Walk + Spring Tonic Oxymel Workshop
Let’s celebrate the spring season by deepening our knowledge of the wild plants in our area. We are thrilled to welcome Calyx Liddick, the bioregional herbalist behind Northern Appalachia School of Herbalism as our guest instructor! Calyx is based in Dillsburg, PA but travels all over the Mid-Atlantic to teach their unique approach to herbalism, which weaves together the study and practice of herbalism, ethnobotany, ecology, and decolonization. You can learn more about Northern Appalachia School of Herbalism’s powerful mission, here. At the Gathering, Calyx will introduce us to some common herbs for spring foraging in our bioregion and then we’ll get to meet a few on a walk through the park, with some brief discussion on wildcrafting and plant identification. When we return to the pavilion, we’ll learn some foundational elements and terminology of herbal medicine making and then each participant will get to make their own jar of oxymel (a vinegar and honey infusion - like “Fire Cider”!) with their choice of herb. All materials needed for the workshop will be provided, and you’ll be sent home with instructions for how to to finish the extract at home, along with some of Calyx’s favorite resources for further learning.
The Sharing Table Exchange
The sharing table has been a part of every Cross Quarter Club gathering since the start. It’s a practice that fits within our club values of reciprocity and community care. The “theme” of our Sharing Table this season will be seedlings and perennial divisions, but other items related to our club’s focus of nature, gardening and seasonal living are always welcome! Each participant is encouraged to bring 1 item for the Sharing Table, and then everyone will get a chance to “shop” the table before we leave. Learn more about this club tradition and how it came to be, here!
What’s Provided
All materials needed for the spring tonic oxymel workshop
Seasonally-inspired grazing board, drinks, and baked goods
What to Bring
Your own reusable water bottle - we’ll have a water dispenser for refills
Something for the Sharing Table *optional, but encouraged!
Additional Notes
The pavilion is semi-enclosed and this is a rain or shine event. Early May can be unpredictable so I suggest bringing an umbrella for the plant walk, if rain is in the forecast and an extra layer to wear if it gets chilly!
Link to Yoe Park on Google Maps
We will have the entire picnic pavilion, with use of the kitchen and bathrooms. When you arrive at the park, there is a parking lot at the top of the hill, and there is also a limited number of spaces right in front of the pavilion, which can be accessed by the gravel lane that bisects the park.