Beltane 2012

Beltane 2012 will be held on Saturday April 28th!

Gates open at noon, with music starting at 1pm.

Pageant begins at 4 pm

Theme and more information coming soon! The pageant will enchant you, the music will move you, a magical time is promised to all!

The Pageant:

In recent years over 1200 people have joined in the fun as CSS opens its beautiful grounds to host local performers, fine craftspeople, colorfully dressed revelers, and May Pole dancers. Again this year we will have dancing, music, games, and theater all day and an exciting line-up of guest artists, Livia & Bill Vanaver with members of the Vanaver Caravan and Youth Dance Company, and the many talented young dancers in their classes; our own Stone Mountain Masquers & Festival Singers — as well as a rollicking band of other Musicians, Magicians, Dancers, Artisans, Food Vendors, Giant Puppets, Dancing Dragons, Dancing Horses, Clowns, Jongleurs, Players & Kid’s Area!

We love and honor our animal companions,and would love to welcome your pets, but serious concern for wildlife and other animals that are part of our show prevent this. Also, please be warned that stray dogs sometimes slip past our Security staff, and can pose a danger to your–and our–own animal friends. If you have special pet considerations please call well ahead of time to make arrangements.

Special thanks

to the Town of Rosendale (especially the Rosendale Police and the Fire Department) for all their assistance and encouragement throughout the history of our Festival!

Please remember that our Beltane Festival is a non-alcoholic event. Our gates will be closing at 10 PM; the last shuttle leaves at 12 Midnight. Please do not pollute–whatever you bring in, take out with you as you leave. You are also encouraged, in true Beltane tradition, to bring your own drinking vessel; or to continue to use your disposable cups or glasses throughout the day. We will have dispensers of our excellent Stone Mountain water at the Information Table, but will be able to provide only a limited number of cups.

As our festival has grown considerably over the years, we’ve had to limit camping to long distance folks and those who would like to volunteer for the clean up of our land on the following day. If you would like to camp, call ahead (845-658-8540) to let us know; and as soon as you arrive, check in at the CSS Information Booth for your permit (we ask that all campers sign our Waiver; we also have a parking permit for those who wish to park cars on the farm after closing time).

BeltaneFire 2006

Our Beltane Festival is a fund-raiser to help the Center for Symbolic Studies continue its programs for youth, and for the general public. Please remember that everyone you see working is a volunteer who is contributing because they value the Center’s work–the money you pay for admission is your contribution to help cover the festival’s costs, and to fund our programs for the coming season. CSS Memberships* will be available at the Information Booth, and direct contributions can also be made to DrumHorse for Youth and the OutdoorStage projects, as well as the new Sophia Project. (*MEMBERS: Please bring your CSS ID with you; if you’ve lost it, come by and pick one up, or call our office for assistance.)

We celebrate Beltane to share our joy and gratitude for life renewed and human community continuing in all its painful, passionate and glorious diversity. Thank you for participating with us!

Volunteering

Our Beltane Volunteers enjoy not only get to see the inner workings of the festival, but become part of a larger community and are many times act as introductions for long term projects here at the Center. Beyond that, volunteers receive perks based on their involvement.

Volunteers get:

2 hours = Free Admission
4 hours = Free Admission + Free Parking
6 hours = Free Admission + Free Parking + Free Camping
8 hours = Free Admission + Free Parking + Free Camping + Two Free Meals from our vendors.

To Volunteer, please fill out our Beltane 2012 Volunteer Form

We are in need of help in many areas, starting immediately or working on the day of the festival. If you would like to come and help out, please use our contact form on the main page or call 845 658 8540. Many helpers will of course be needed the week before the Festival.

Vendoring

There are two ways to get in touch if you’d like to sell your goods at Beltane.

Use our Vendor Form: which is the easiest and best way of getting in touch with us.

Or, by phone, please leave messages for our Vendor Coordinator at CSS, 845-658-8540; select Seasonal Festivals and leave your phone number clearly.

Be sure to let us know your phone number, your email, what you want to sell and any questions you’ll have.

Core Meetings

Our core planning team will start meeting in January & meet weekly throughout March & April. Check the CSS Calendar for specific dates. Meetings will address volunteer issues, so come to one even if you have to do most of your communicating by phone or e-mail.

On the day of the meeting you can call 845-658-8083 for directions(this is the number of Stone Mountain Counseling Center, at the Seminar Center, where we meet; SMC staff will not have specific information about the festival or the evening meeting). Sign-painters, puppet & prop makers: We start work in February—mostly on weekdays and Saturdays after 12pm—look for us in the Puppet Shop (the garage) at Owlcliff House (by the HorseBarn)!