Well, after many weeks of thinking and strategizing and being hopeful we in fact have made the difficult decision to cancel Hand Camp for 2020.

While we are sad and disappointed we will not be holding our 5th annual Hand Camp, we know it’s the right thing to do. Our heart told us one thing and our head another. For everyone’s safety and frankly for our sanity we made the call.

Okay, only one virus. But what a virus, one who’s name we all know by now and has upset most all of our lives in ways we may not have been prepared to experience. At the Avon Hills Folk School it has put the brakes on plans for any classes or courses or experiences within the next 90 days. At least.

We’re excited to announce an Advanced Leather Working class by Dan Horan of Merchant Leather hosted by Milk and Honey Ciders.

Milk and Honey Ciders is situated between St. John’s University and St. Joseph, MN on the eastern flanks of the Avon Hills. It will be the perfect place and time to gather for some fun in the depths of winter. The class size is limited to 12 participants to ensure individualized attention and a positive experience.

This workshop was full of firsts. It was the first time almost all the participants had been to the Avon Hills Folk School. It was the first time Gaylord Schanilec and I had conducted a workshop together. And it was the first time we had tried to condense what we’d done over five years in working on My Mighty Journey into a two-day workshop. Despite all of these firsts, we were amazed how much the group of participants accomplished and how well they bonded together in such a short time. They all found objects in the woods that they made prints from. They all chose words directly connected to a specific place. And they all worked industriously to produce a book of images and text that they took home as a tangible object from this memorable weekend.

Over 40 people (our largest year by far!) gathered for a weekend at the Avon Hills Folk School to learn new artistic skills, explore the hills, walk along Spunk Brook, reunite with friends from last year, and to make new friendships.

The weather kept us on our toes with over an inch of rain on Saturday. This followed the seven inches of rain we had received in the Avon Hills over the previous week. With two new tents, the space in the Shed, and Dan the Leather Man at his usual space in the timber framed Sugar Shack the rain didn’t dampen any of the classes or spirit of the students and instructors.

Join us at the Avon Hills Folk School for the 4th Annual Hand Camp September 20 – 22, 2019. Another line-up of great classes and instructors are on tap for this year’s Hand Camp.

A crown jewel of the property where the Avon Hills Folk School resides is Spunk Creek. For nearly a half mile the creek meanders through our corner of the Avon Hills. Over and through the rocks of the glacial till left by the glaciers of the last ice age.

As a child (and an adult-child) some of my fondest memories involve Spunk Creek, or as we call it ‘the creek’. Invariably you need to cross the creek, or find a reason to cross the creek. It does not need to be a good reason because as the saying goes, “it’s the journey, not the destination.’ So goes the crossing of the creek. We cross the creek to cross it – not necessarily to get to the other side.

Avon Hills Folk School received a $7,000 Project Grant from Central MN Arts Board to expand the outreach and class offerings for Hand Camp 2019, held September 20-22, 2019, Avon, MN. Funding for these CMAB Grants is provided through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the state’s general fund, and its Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund created by the Voters of Minnesota.

“It is a happy talent to know how to play.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We’re not sure if Francis Schellinger ever read any Emerson, chances are that he did since he was an avid reader with a wide ranging interest. But what we do know is that Francis knew how to have fun – to play! He was known for appreciating the “event of it all”. In today’s business parlance it would be said his activities were “vertically integrated.”.

It’s Official!

Avon Hills Folk School is a certified 501c3 Non-profit organization in the eyes of the IRS!

We just received official response via US Mail last week letting us know that we are now a full-fledged non-profit.

Hand Camp far exceeded our expectations! Thanks to Kate, Chris and the Schellinger family for putting together a wonderful weekend.

This was our second event at the Avon Hills Folk School. The setting is bucolic: rolling wooded hills, burbling creek, crackling bonfires, chickens and a couple of roosters for background sound and entertainment. We took classes in spoon carving and leatherworking. The instructors were knowledgable, patient and helpful. We learned fun new skills and were pleased with the spoons, bags, wallets and belts we made. A delicious breakfast included maple syrup from the very maple trees that surrounded us, and for dinner we each made our own pizzas (complete with sautéed hen-of-the-woods and chanterelle mushrooms foraged from the property) and baked them in the 800-degree brick oven we had built at our first class earlier in the summer.

Join us at the Avon Hills Folk School for the 3rd Annual Hand Camp September 21st-23rd, 2018.

Campers (no extra fee) will arrive at the 64 acres of hills, woods and stream on Friday late afternoon/evening. Take a stroll around the property and explore the woods, stream and settle in. We will also have a meet and greet around the fire when everyone is settled in. Food is on your own Friday evening.

Our first Basic Timber Framing Class in April filled up! So we were able to add a second class August 17-19. Class begins Friday, August 17th at 3pm. On the 18th and 19th class will being around 8 or 9am and finish by around 5pm.

Clark Bremer, experienced Timber Framer and instructor will teach you the history of timber framing and provide you with a working knowledge of the basics. You’ll learn to plan, layout and cut the necessary joinery for a traditional timber frame as you work with others to construct and raise half of a small frame during the class.

Come join us for Kids Hand Camp! The classes offered at Hand Camp are a great opportunity to spend quality time with your child learning new crafting skills. (Each child must be accompanied by a parent or adult).

There will be hands on skills taught in each class. Kids 7 and up would be best suited for this event.

Total cost for the day for each Parent/Child Pair, together is $100. (If you have more than one child that you would like to attend, it will be an additional $40/child and they must take the same courses as their adult).

When is the last time you purposely stopped what you were doing in your life, to make room for trying something brand new? For me, it’s been a long time.

I have wanted to take a Timberframe course for at least four years, and likely more like six.

At one point, I was on a waiting list for a course a couple years ago–and when they called to tell me I was in, I declined. Too busy, too much to do, too many reasons why I couldn’t take the course.

Hope you all had a fun-filled “Woodchuck Day” on February 2nd. It’s -13 below zero today with -32 below zero windchill expected til noon. Just what you’d expect for early February.

While it’s freezing outside we are thinking of Spring and classes and events at the Folk School for 2018.

Coming up this weekend is the Living In The Avon Hills Conference held at St. John’s University Saturday, February 10th. Check it out here.

Dear Friends,

When you have your head down and your “leaning into the harness” it doesn’t seem like you’re making any progress. But if you occasionally look up you see that progress has been made.

There are many people to thank for the growth this year. I won’t even try to enumerate or name them here lest I forget someone. Which, due to the sheer numbers of people who have helped I’m certain to forget several.

You shoulda been there!

We had another great Hand Camp this year. Twenty some folks joined us for the weekend, students and instructors. The weather could have been better, but it could have been a whole lot worse! The rain held off during the daylight hours and did its thing at night.

This year we spread out from the Gazebo to the Shed (upstairs and down) and down the hill, into the woods and in the Sugar Shack to hold our classes.

Join us for three days of fun, fellowship and of course learning a new craft. Feel free to camp Friday and Saturday evenings. Friday there will be fellowship around the fire, Saturday will be classes with a group meal and gathering in the evening. Some classes conclude on Sunday morning.This year we’ll offer spoon carving, wood working, weaving, pottery, leather working, painting and more!

For more info and to sign up go to the link: https://www.handcampmn.com/.

Local writer Liz Vos came out to visit the Folk School several weeks ago and put together a wonderful article about our fledgling Folk School full of dreams and possibilities built upon history and memories.

Take a read – the article appears here in full: Preservation with a Mission