Join us for the 4th annual Death Fest! Come out for a day of education, self-reflection, and creative expression focused on the experience of being mortal humans who love and grieve together.
Learn about choices regarding the dying process, after-death body care, and green burial. Connect with ancient, inner, and collective wisdom around dying and grief. Experience the art and songs, knowledge and skills of members of our community who regularly tend the hearth of death and dying.
SCHEDULE: 11:00 – 12:00 — Event Opens (arrive and explore) 12:00 – 12:30 — Opening Circle 12:30 – 4:30 — Workshops and Other Activities 4:45 – 7:00 — Closing Circle, Music, and Shared Meal
– Conversations That Shape Care: An Introduction to Advance Care Planning
Cryst’l Scheer – Summit Care Partners
Advance care planning is about more than completing an advance directive. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the values, goals, relationships, and preferences that can help guide healthcare decisions when they are unable to speak for themselves. We will consider the role of a healthcare agent, reflect on what matters most to us, and practice having some of the conversations that make our wishes easier for others to understand and honor. Participants will also learn how to translate these conversations into a meaningful advance directive, along with options for creating or updating one. This workshop is designed for adults at any stage of life and offers a practical, reflective starting point for planning before a medical crisis occurs.
Participants are encouraged to stay for the full event, but are welcome to come and go as needed.
We will open and close in a circle of communion. In between, there will be a rich array of opportunities to learn, restore, and grow. We will expand our knowledge and awareness, reflect on our experiences, hold grief close, sing, connect, and create. We will share a meal, honor our ancestors, listen, open, celebrate, and breathe, all in the embrace of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
SHARED MEAL: Following the day of workshops and activities, we’ll share in a nourishing meal of soup and salad prepared by the team at Rodeo Catering! (Gluten-free and vegan options will be available)
This event is a shared endeavor among Woven Roots Collective, Hospice of the Piedmont, and Panorama Natural Burial.
TICKETS: As space is limited, advance registration is required for this event. Admission is by pay-what-you-can donation (consider a sliding scale of $20-$100 depending on your financial flexibility). Your donation helps cover event costs and supports this work continuing in the community.
At Summit Care Partners, we believe compassionate end-of-life planning belongs to everyone. Death doesn’t discriminate, and neither do we.
We welcome LGBTQ+ individuals and families, people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities, non-religious individuals, and every community in between.
With a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive approach, we meet you where you are to create meaningful plans that honor your values, beliefs, and wishes.
