Tag: events

Skillshare 2026 – Because No One Survives Alone

Posted on by Event Coordinator

Imagine this…

It’s a regular morning in the Illinois Valley. Coffee’s brewing. The mountains are still holding onto that early mist. Everything feels… normal.

Until it doesn’t.

The power flickers.
Your phone loses signal.
The grocery store shelves empty faster than anyone expected.

No alarms. No announcements. Just a quiet realization spreading from neighbor to neighbor:

Something’s off.

And suddenly, the question isn’t “What’s happening?”
It’s…

👉 “What do I actually know how to do?”

🔥 The Shift

In moments like this, something interesting happens.

The world doesn’t end in chaos.
It reorganizes.

  • The person who knows how to grow food becomes essential.
  • The one who can fix a generator becomes invaluable.
  • The one who can cook from scratch, preserve food, build, mend, organize, teach…
    becomes the center of a very important circle.

And just as quickly, another truth becomes clear:

No one survives alone.

🌿 Enter: Skillshare 2026

This is where Spiral Living Center steps in—not with fear, but with something far more powerful:

Preparation. Community. Shared knowledge.

Skillshare 2026: Build Your Survival Skill Set isn’t about zombies (though let’s be honest… we’re borrowing the vibe 🧟‍♂️).

It’s about asking a better question:

👉 If things get weird… what role do you play?

🛠️ What This Event Really Is

Skillshare is a community-powered day of hands-on learning, where everyday people step forward and say:

✨ “Here’s what I know.”
✨ “Here’s what I can teach.”
✨ “Here’s how we help each other.”

You might learn:

  • How to grow and preserve your own food
  • Basic repair and tool skills
  • Herbal remedies and natural wellness
  • Cooking from scratch
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Creative problem-solving
  • And the kinds of skills that don’t show up in textbooks—but absolutely matter when life gets unpredictable

🧭 The Real Survival Strategy

Let’s be honest.

If the world ever does tilt sideways…
The people who thrive won’t be the ones who panic.

They’ll be the ones who:

  • Know something useful
  • Stay connected
  • And can look at a challenge and say,
    “Okay… we can figure this out.”

That’s what Skillshare is building.

Not fear.
Capability.

Not isolation.
Community.

🌌 Closing: Your Role in the Story

So here’s the real question:

If things got weird tomorrow…

👉 Would you know what to do?
👉 Would you know who to turn to?
👉 Would someone else be glad you were there?

Skillshare 2026 is your chance to step into that answer.

Come learn.
Come teach.
Come connect.

Because when things get weird…

Useful people matter.
And no one survives alone.

📣 Call to Action

👉 Interested in teaching or participating?
Fill out the Skillshare Interest Form:
https://tinyurl.com/2026-skillshare-interest-form

👉 Stay tuned—class offerings will be announced on the Spiral Living Center website as they’re confirmed.

What Is a Scion? (And Why You Might Want One)

Posted on by Event Coordinator

“Do you have scions?”

If you’ve never been to a seed swap before, that word might sound like something from a fantasy novel.

But it’s actually one of the most magical tools in a gardener’s kit.

🌿 A Scion, Simply Explained

A scion is a cutting from a fruit tree — typically taken while the tree is dormant.

It contains the exact genetic blueprint of that tree.

When you graft a scion onto compatible rootstock, you create a new tree that produces the same fruit as the original.

Same apples.
Same pears.
Same plums.

It’s cloning, but the wholesome orchard version.

Cutting and Storing Scionwood — Out on a Limb Apples

🌳 Why Grafting Matters

Let’s say your grandmother had an apple tree that produced the crispest, sweetest fruit you’ve ever tasted.

Instead of planting seeds and hoping for something similar, you can take a scion from that exact tree and graft it.

You preserve the variety.
You preserve the flavor.
You preserve the lineage.

Grafting keeps heritage trees alive — especially older varieties that aren’t sold commercially.

🍎 Why You’ll See Scions at the Seed Swap

Seed swaps are about more than seeds.

They’re about preserving plant genetics, local adaptation, and community knowledge.

At Spiral Living’s Seed Swap, you may find scion exchanges happening alongside seeds. It’s a chance to:

  • Diversify your orchard

  • Preserve rare fruit varieties

  • Learn about grafting from experienced growers

Even if you’re brand new to fruit trees, it’s a fascinating window into how orchards are built.

🌱 Don’t Know How to Graft Yet?

That’s okay.

The Seed Swap is a place to ask questions, observe, and learn. And our Flash Skillshares offer short, approachable sessions on practical skills — a preview of our full Skillshare gathering coming in June.

Learning happens in layers.

First curiosity.
Then conversation.
Then confidence.

🌼 Grow Something That Lasts

A scion is small. Just a stick, really.

But given the right rootstock and a little care, it becomes fruit for decades.

That’s what this gathering is about.

Planting things that last.

Call for Flash Skillshare Leaders

Posted on by Event Coordinator

Share What You Know in 15 Minutes or Less

What if learning felt like a spark instead of a seminar?

Spiral Living Center is inviting community members to lead Flash Skillshares at our upcoming event — short, engaging, hands-on mini sessions that plant seeds of knowledge in just 10–15 minutes.

No long lectures.
No PowerPoints required.
Just real people sharing real skills.

We believe our valley is full of quiet brilliance — gardeners, herbalists, homesteaders, artists, repair wizards, storytellers, seed savers, soil builders, bread bakers, fermenters, fixers, and lifelong learners.

Now we’re making space for you to teach.

🌱 What Is a Flash Skillshare?

A Flash Skillshare is:

  • 10–15 minutes long
  • Simple and practical
  • Interactive or demonstration-based
  • Beginner-friendly
  • Rooted in community resilience, creativity, or sustainability

Think of it as a knowledge spark. Small, bright, and contagious.

🌻 What Could You Share?

Here are just a few ideas to get your gears turning:

  • Composting with red wigglers
  • Starting seeds successfully
  • Herbal salve basics
  • Backyard mushroom cultivation
  • Fermentation 101
  • Tool sharpening
  • Creative mending
  • Native plant identification
  • Soil health basics
  • DIY pollinator habitats
  • Quick garden planning tips

If you’ve ever said,
“Oh, it’s simple, I could show someone how to do that…”

Yes. That’s exactly what we’re looking for.

🌾 Why Participate?

  • Contribute to community knowledge
  • Connect with like-minded neighbors
  • Promote your project, farm, or small business
  • Build confidence as a teacher
  • Help make this year’s event unforgettable

You don’t need to be an “expert.” You just need to be willing.

🌞 What We Provide

Spiral Living will:

  • Schedule your session
  • Promote your topic on social media
  • Provide a designated teaching space
  • Include you in the event program

You bring your passion, any small demo materials, and your willingness to share.

🌿 Ready to Lead a Flash Skillshare?

We’d love to hear from you.

If you feel that little nudge — that “I could teach this” whisper — follow it.

👉 Sign up here to lead a Flash Skillshare:
https://forms.gle/izX9bkX8JjubAS3U9

Spots are limited, and we’ll be curating a balanced lineup of topics, so we encourage early submissions.

Let’s build a culture where knowledge moves hand-to-hand, like seeds passed across a table.

⚡ Small sparks. Big community.

🌱 5 Reasons You Should Attend a Seed Exchange in the Illinois Valley

Posted on by Event Coordinator

There’s something timeless about a seed exchange.

Small envelopes. Handwritten labels. Stories tucked inside paper folds.

On March 21, Spiral Living Center will host the 20th Annual Seed Swap at Jubilee Park, continuing a tradition that has connected Illinois Valley gardeners for two decades.

If you’ve never attended a seed exchange before, here are five reasons to come see what it’s all about.

1. Preserve Heirloom & Local Varieties

Seed exchanges help protect plant varieties that may not be available in big-box stores.

Many of the seeds shared at local swaps have been grown in the Illinois Valley for years — sometimes decades. These plants are adapted to our climate, our soil, and our seasons.

When you attend a seed swap, you’re participating in local food resilience.

2. Save Money While Growing More

Gardening can get expensive.

A seed exchange allows you to trade what you have for something new — often at no cost. Whether you’re starting your first raised bed or expanding your garden this year, seed swaps make growing more accessible.

3. Learn From Experienced Gardeners

Seed exchanges are living classrooms.

You’ll meet orchardists who can explain scion wood and grafting, experienced growers who understand what thrives in Southern Oregon, and neighbors who have experimented season after season.

It’s knowledge passed hand to hand.

4. Connect With the Illinois Valley Gardening Community

The Annual Seed Swap at Jubilee Park isn’t just about seeds. It’s about community.

Gardeners of all experience levels gather to share ideas, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate the growing season ahead.

Whether you’re a homesteader, backyard gardener, or curious beginner, there’s room for you.

5. Be Part of a 20-Year Tradition

For twenty years, this event has brought the Illinois Valley together each spring.

That kind of consistency matters.

When you attend, you’re not just picking up seeds — you’re participating in a local tradition that strengthens community ties year after year.

🌿 Join Us

20th Annual Seed Swap
📍 Jubilee Park – Illinois Valley, Oregon
📅 March 21
⏰ 11 AM – 3 PM

Bring seeds, scion wood, plant starts — or simply bring your curiosity.

🌱 Planning to attend? Let us know and invite a friend!
Visit and share our official Facebook event page for updates, vendor highlights, and reminders:

👉 https://www.facebook.com/events/1456494229151248

Mark yourself as “Going” or “Interested” to stay in the loop — and help us spread the word as we celebrate 20 years of growing together.

🌱 Volunteer at Spiral Living’s 20th Annual Seed Swap

Posted on by Event Coordinator

For twenty years, the Annual Seed Swap has brought the Illinois Valley together to share seeds, scion wood, plant starts, and stories.

On March 21 from 12 PM – 3 PM at Jubilee Park, we’ll celebrate the 20th Annual Seed Swap, and we’re inviting volunteers to help make it happen.

This event runs on generosity — not just in the seeds we exchange, but in the hands that help set up tables, welcome guests, and guide the flow of the day.

If you love gardens, community events, or simply being part of something meaningful, we would love to have you join us.

🌿 Why Volunteer at the Illinois Valley Seed Swap?

Volunteering at the Seed Swap is more than event support. It’s a chance to:

• Connect with local gardeners and growers
• Support food resilience in Southern Oregon
• Be part of a 20-year Illinois Valley tradition
• Help create a welcoming, inclusive community event

Whether you’re a master gardener or someone who just enjoys being around good people and growing things, there’s a place for you.

🌱 Volunteer Roles – 20th Annual Seed Swap

We’re building a team of friendly, grounded, community-minded helpers to make this year’s Seed Swap our best yet. Shifts are available in 1.5-hour increments.

Below are the current open roles:

🌿 Garden Gate – Greeter

Welcome guests as they arrive, answer basic questions, and help direct traffic at the check-in table. This role sets the tone for the entire event — warm, organized, and welcoming.

🌾 Seed Steward

Support the Seed Exchange tables by helping organize packets and guiding participants through the swapping process. If you enjoy order and helping others navigate systems, this is a great fit.

🌳 Scion Steward

Assist at the Scion Exchange area. Help ensure fruit tree cuttings are clearly labeled and organized for smooth distribution.

🌀 Spiral Guide (Stamp Quest Support)

Help participants engage in the Spiral Stamp Quest by guiding them through the activity and collecting completed cards. Great for someone who enjoys interacting with families and encouraging participation.

🌻 Harvest Helper (Vendor Support / Float)

Check in with vendors throughout the event, help problem-solve, and assist where needed. This is a flexible role for someone who likes being responsive and adaptable.

🎱 Bingo Host

Help facilitate Community Bingo. You’ll assist with calling numbers, organizing participants, and keeping the energy light and fun.

📸 Event Photographer

Capture candid moments, activity highlights, and wide shots throughout the event. These photos help us document and promote future Seed Swaps.

🌿 Event Details

20th Annual Seed Swap
📍 Jubilee Park – Illinois Valley, Oregon
📅 March 21
⏰ 12 PM – 3 PM

Volunteer shifts will be scheduled before, during, and after the main event window.

🌿 Stay Connected

Want to see updates, vendor announcements, and event reminders?

Follow and share the official Facebook event page for the 20th Annual Seed Swap:

👉 View the Facebook Event Here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1456494229151248

We’ll be posting updates about participating garden groups, volunteer highlights, and what to bring as the event approaches.

Inviting friends and sharing the event helps our community continue growing for another 20 years.

🌱 Ready to Join Us?

If you’d like to volunteer at this year’s Seed Swap, please complete the registration form below.

 

We’ll follow up with details about roles, timing, and next steps.

Together, we’re not just exchanging seeds.
We’re cultivating connection.


🌿 Join Us: Vendor & Garden Group Registration Now Open

Posted on by Event Coordinator

20th Annual Seed Swap | March 21 | Jubilee Park | 12 PM – 3 PM

For 20 years, Spiral Living Center’s Annual Seed Swap has brought together growers, gardeners, orchardists, and neighbors to exchange more than seeds.

We exchange knowledge.
We exchange stories.
We exchange resilience.

This year marks our 20th Annual Seed Swap, and we’re inviting local garden groups, plant vendors, orchard educators, sustainability advocates, and community organizations to be part of this long-standing tradition.

If your work connects to growing food, preserving heirloom varieties, native plants, soil health, or community resilience, we would love to hear from you.

🌱 Who Should Participate?

We’re welcoming:

• Garden clubs & community groups
• Native plant & pollinator advocates
• Orchardists & grafting educators
• Plant and start vendors
• Sustainability & food resilience organizations
• Local nonprofits connected to land, food, or environment

If you help our valley grow — you belong here.

🌿 What to Expect

The Seed Swap includes:

• Seed Exchange Tables
• Scion Exchange (fruit tree cuttings for grafting)
• Plant & Start Exchange
• Kids Corner
• The Spiral Stamp Quest (an interactive booth activity for attendees)

This is a family-friendly, outdoor event at Jubilee Park and has become a seasonal gathering for the Illinois Valley community.

Booth spaces are limited and subject to approval to ensure a balanced mix of educational and vendor participation.

🌳 Why Participate?

✔ Connect with experienced and beginning gardeners
✔ Share your expertise and resources
✔ Build visibility within the Illinois Valley community
✔ Be part of a 20-year local tradition

We aim to create an environment that is welcoming, collaborative, and rooted in shared knowledge.

🌼 Event Details

📍 Jubilee Park
📅 March 21
⏰ 12 PM – 3 PM

Participants are responsible for their own setup and cleanup. Additional details will be shared upon acceptance.

🌿 Ready to Join Us?

Complete the Vendor & Garden Group Registration Form below to be considered for a booth space:


14th Annual Local Foods Dinner & Virtual Auction

The Spiral Living Center invites you to join us for our biggest fundraiser of the year: The 14th Annual Local Foods Dinner TO-GO Event on Saturday November 12, 2022! This evening of community and locally grown organic food in the Illinois Valley features a multi-course to-go meal and a virtual auction. We are once again creating multi-course meals bagged for pick-up to be enjoyed at home. All food is made by cooks in commercial kitchens and features ingredients from within a 100 mile radius. We do our best to source organically grown food and grassfed animal products processed without antibiotics, hormones, or GMO feed. All dinner packaging used is recyclable, compostable, or can be reused! Celebrate harvest season with us! All proceeds from this event will allow us to continue to offer free and low-cost programs and projects in the IV.

2022 MENU:
Meat Meal Ticket:
Chicken Chile Verde Soup
Hopi Blue Cornbread
Sauteed Greens & Garlic
Smoked & Home-raised Pork
1 Raspberry Crisp Bar

Veggie* Meal Ticket:
Creamy Zucchini Soup
Hopi Blue Cornbread
Sauteed Greens & Garlic
Fried Green Tomato Casserole
1 Raspberry Crisp Bar


*Veggie Meal DOES include dairy, butter, eggs, cheese. All meals include gluten. Child portions are roughly 1/2 of the adult. Physical meal tickets are available at Frog Farm at 9044 Takilma Rd. Cave Junction, 97523 or online at www.spiralliving.org. If you would like to pay with cash or check, please make checks payable to Spiral Living Center and mail to Frog Farm at the address above.


EVENT SCHEDULE: 4PM-5PM: Meal Box Pick-up at Takilma Community Building or Jubilee Park in Cave Junction (choose your location). If you cannot pickup your meal by 5PM, please coordinate with a friend or neighbor. We cannot hold your meal after the pick-up window is done. 6PM: Virtual Auction OPENS! Get your bids in all week long as the the LFD Virtual Auction will close on Friday November 18 at 8PM! The auction features locally handmade art, food, craft items, and gift certificates from local business.Fundraiser/Auction link: http://www.givebutter.com/LFD2022

13th Annual Local Foods Dinner

Our 13th Annual Local Foods Dinner is going TO-GO style again this year! Join us for our biggest fundraiser of the year, Saturday November 20th, 2021 for a one-of-a-kind event featuring local food, a virtual auction, and radio entertainment. Come celebrate harvest season with us! We are creating multi-course meals bagged for pick-up to be enjoyed at home. All food is made in cooks and/or commercial kitchens and features ingredients from within a 100 mile radius of the Illinois Valley. We do our best to source organically grown food and grassfed animal products processed without antibiotics, hormones, or GMO feed. All dinner packaging used is recyclable, compostable, or can be reused! The “Child Ticket” portion will be roughly 1/2 of the adult meal (below).

1 Adult Meat Meal Ticket Includes:
•1 Slice Seeded Sourdough Bread
•1 Cup of Hearty Lemongrass Chicken Soup
•6oz Serving of Meatloaf
• Side of Mashed Winter Squash & Potato with Goat Chevre
•1 Serving of Peach Crumb Dessert

1 Adult Vegetarian Ticket Includes:
•1 Slice of Seeded Sourdough Bread
•1 Cup of Creamy Potato Leek Soup
•6oz Serving of Lentil Mushroom Walnut Loaf
•Side of Mashed Winter Squash & Potato with Goat Chevre
•1 Serving of Peach Crumb Dessert

When ordering, please specify where you will be picking up your box.
Meal boxes will be available for pick up at two different locations:

• Takilma Community Building, 9367 Takilma Road
• Jubilee Park, 307 South Junction Ave. Cave Junction, OR 97523

EVENT SCHEDULE: NOVEMBER 20, 2021

4PM-5PM: Meal Box Pick-up window in Takilma or Cave Junction (choose your location). If you cannot pickup your meal by 5PM, please coordinate with a friend or neighbor. We cannot guarantee to hold your meal after the pick-up is done.

7PM-8PM: “Dinner Hour” Radio Show hosted by Kate & Mark Dwyer featuring local music by Connor Flowe and interviews featuring SLC Staff and local farmers who contributed to this year’s Local Foods Dinner! Learn more about what went into your meal! This program is a part of the 12 hour on-air FUNdraiser Drive for KXCJ. Broadcasted locally on KXCJ-LP 105.7fm or available for streaming at www.kxcj.org. Let’s support our local radio station in their 2021 fundraising goal. See below!

9PM: Virtual Auction CLOSES! Get your bids in before 9PM. The Virtual Auction is open for bidding at www.32auctions.com/SLCKXCJ2021!

All proceeds from this event will allow us to continue to offer free and low-cost programs and projects in the Illinois Valley. Any questions before or after purchase? Email us at spirallivingcenter@gmail.com.