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The Stone Family Gathering

Locations:

Buffalo Gap Retreat in Capon Bridge, WV

Zoom and GatherTown in virtual space

Dates:

Main Event: Aug 29, 2024 - Sep 2, 2024

Intensive: Aug 26, 2024 - Aug 29, 2024

How to Register

For anyone looking to reserve a private cabin or dormitory room, register here:

Cabins & Dorms

For all other registration types, including camping, commuter and virtual, click here:

EZ Reg

The Stone Family Intensive

If you'd like to come early and help setup at the Intensive - no extra charge! - you can sign up for that here:

Intensive

Even when it is battered, broken and smoking, if we work together it will stand tall!

We stand together as tribe.

Warrior and tribe by torchlight.

The candle for the absent, for you are always with us in our hearts.

Tigre - Drum Mage

A child of our tribe honoring the spirit of the badger.

Sharing bread and smiles.

What is the Stone Family Gathering?

The Stone Family Gathering (SFG) is one of several annual festivals put on by Stone Circle Council, an interfaith Pagan organization. The Gathering typically takes place over 4-6 days at one of several venues in the DMV area. Each year we raise a new standing-stone structure by using ropes & rollers, ceremony, and a whole lot of people-power.

Like the rest of our events, the Stone Family Gathering is nomadic in nature, meaning we move from venue to venue, raising new stones as we go. Since 2021, the festival has also been a hybrid virtual event, meaning we hold both in-person and virtual programming. Our community spans far and wide - worldwide, in fact! - and we share these experiences with one another whether we stand hand in hand, or stand with each other in spirit.

The central work of this gathering is building community through shared and sacred work. Raising stones together, we leave a lasting monument to the fact that what we can do together is more than what we might accomplish alone. It takes people from all walks of life, sharing innumerable skills and talents, to do this work in a good way.

It takes a village to raise a Stone.

About the Venue:

Buffalo Gap Retreat sits in the valley (gap) between two large mountains - Sandy Ridge and Slane's Knob. As a result of being in the gap, the property is teaming with spring fed creeks and streams which form both their upper pond and sandy bottom lake.

Activities to Expect:

Thursday:
Welcomes and on-site Registration
Opening Ceremony

Friday:
Workshops, Classes, and Preparations
Ceremony
Night Pull

Saturday:
Day-time Stone Pull
Workshops, Classes, and Preparations
SCC Meeting of Members
Ceremony

Sunday:
Stone RAISING
Fun, Food, Family
A Blessing of the Stones

Monday:
Closing Ceremony
Venue Clean Up and Clean Out

COVID-19 and our Community Health Policy:

We require all attendees to adhere to SCC's health policy, which is outlined here

The Story of SFG

In 2019 we raised our first Trilithon in Flintstone, Maryland.

In 2020 we met in an all-virtual format and raised almost 100 stones in a stone circle that spans 3 continents.

In 2021 we successfully raised 2 stones that now flank the Trilithon on the hill in Flintstone, MD. We gathered as safely as we could and added new standing stones and a fairy cairn to our family of stones.

In 2022 we successfully raised 2 additional stones on the hill in Flintstone, MD. The youth also re-homed the seed stones nearby.

In 2023 we began a circle on new land by raising another Trilithon at Buffalo Gap Retreat in Capon Bridge, WV.

In 2024 we added two new stones flanking our Trilithon at Buffalo Gap, including a pulling and raising led by our youth.