PRACTICAL DETAILS
Our location is ~12 miles from Corvallis; by car it’s ~90 minutes from Portland, and ~65 minutes from Chanchifin (aka Eugene). The nearest train station is Albany. The registration process includes support for carpooling.
Event attendance: we expect about 150 people.
Venue: We’ll be camping out. See more info below.
Kids & teens: We like families. Children and teens are welcome at song circles so long as they don’t impact others’ experience (either join in, or do another activity quietly nearby). Depending on how many and what ages of young people enroll, we expect to arrange some kid care support with activity options led by one or more caring adults during the main workshop times. However, we are not necessarily promising a full program or constant coverage, so parents will be basically responsible for their own kids.
Group meals will be provided (along with snacks and hot beverages), from Thursday dinner through Sunday lunch. Group meals will be vegetarian and primarily organic. You are welcome to bring along some personal meat or fish to supplement your diet; if personal food needs to be kept cold then bring your own cooler and ice. Vegan and gluten-free options will be included for all meals.
Venue
Place in progress: The land where we are gathering is a farm in the process of becoming an event venue. This will be the first multi-day event of this size being held at this land under its current tenure. Its stewards are relying on our song community to show up ahead of time at work parties to help ready the place, and also to work adaptively with what’s available at the time this event happens. Please contact us if you would like to come to work parties on the land! We are starting to build community now and anticipate having fun and singing as we work to help prepare the space. Also please be prepared to pack out any extra trash you bring, there is not a dumpster on site.
Bathrooms: We expect there to be a few shower and toilet trailers, possibly supplemented by a few portapotties or other facilities.
Accommodations: Bring a tent, and be ready for rain just in case, ‘cause it’s Oregon in spring (part of the reason we chose this date is to avoid fire season). If you really prefer to camp inside your own vehicle, there is space set aside for that. If you are an elder/disabled person who will be unable to attend without some form of indoor accommodations, it’s possible there will be just a very few spaces available for an extra cost. Please let us know if this is needed, but we cannot guarantee this and may not know for sure until a few weeks before the gathering. Corvallis is a small university town with hotels, should you need to rent a room.
The workshop spaces are roofed, so even if it’s raining we will stay dry while we sing and eat. However, most of the gathering spaces don’t have walls, so we strongly recommend dressing in layers and being ready for a range of temperatures. We strongly suggest bringing camp chairs, pillows and/or backjacks, and some to share with others too if you can. There will probably be some sitting space available (for example on strawbales, and some folding chairs) but we can’t necessarily provide enough for every person at every spot.
Collective Guidelines
Covid policy: Please do not come if you are sick or have symptoms of Covid. Wait at least 5 days from onset or initial positive test (and no fever within past 24 hours). If you were exposed to Covid within 5 days of the event, test before coming! We will issue a refund if you need to cancel last-minute due to Covid.
We highly encourage being extra cautious (for example, refraining from large crowds or enclosed spaces and taking some time by yourself) for the 5-6 days before–both for yourself so you can come healthy and well, and to avoid exposing others. There is an inherent risk we are taking by gathering in groups. The newer Covid variants are much more transmissible, so can easily be passed even outdoors. We suggest assessing for yourself if you are willing to take this risk at this time without expecting certain behaviors from others, as participants will not be required to mask or distance. Masks are optional; we presume most folks probably won’t be wearing them, however we certainly support your decision to wear them if you choose to.
Substance use: We are here to be clear and connected with each other and the music, so use of mind altering substances is not encouraged. As part of our agreement with the site, no alcohol is permitted. Other substances are allowed so long as they are used with discretion and engaged with in a manner that does not impact other people.
Pets: While we love animals, pets are not permitted by the steward of the site. If you show up with your dog and we send you (or your critter) home, no refund will be issued.
Photography: Let’s prioritize present moment experiences, and minimize intrusions. Explicit permission is required to photograph any person during the event, unless it’s from far enough away that faces cannot be distinguished. If someone gives consent for a photograph, further explicit permission is needed to post any picture of them online. The exception is that we will have at least one official event photographer on site who will be taking photos for use by song leaders and potentially for promotion of future Cascadia Song Rise events. Any such person will be clearly identified, and if you prefer not to have your picture taken by them, we’ll ask you as a participant to wear an insignia so that we can ensure your request is honored.
Recordings: Our present moment experience of singing together takes priority over technological preservation. That said, we know many folks like to record to help remember and learn the songs later. Thus we will have a visual sign at each workshop to indicate whether or not it’s ok to record for your own personal use. The song leader is empowered to position the indicator to yes or no. Beyond that, do not share your recordings via social media without explicit consent from the song leader. At open sharing times (such as evening fire circles), the presumption is that it is ok to record (for personal use only) unless the person leading or sharing at that moment requests others not to–and we expect any such request to be honored without hassle. Thank you!