1o — OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — NOVEMBER 1997 Holiday Harvest AT THE ONION RIVER 95:1’. § Our Turkeys Don't do Drugs! Misty Knoll Farms _ 3 Fresh Native Thanksgiving Turkeys , 1 Free range. grain fed, hand processed. Order in advance. Local Red Potatoes Lewis Creek Farm Ecologically Grown Apples fiom Sltelburne 8 Waltliam Orchards delicious for pies, sauces, eating Winter Squashes ""1. ;_ I, p§(_ Z ‘‘ Excellent variety — locally grown. 5,9’? ~5-(_-figlw While supplies last! __.¢__g- .: . The Onion River Co-op has the area's best selection offresh local and organic produce and natural foods. We also carry gourmet specialties. bulk herbs, spices, teas, rice. beans, pasta and everything you need for holiday baking. Come check us out! A connnnnity-owned natural foods market CL7LEI3RATlI\’G 25 YEARS 274 North Winooski Avenue. Burlington 863-3659 Mon-Sat. 9:308:00 - Sun: 1 1-7 VISA/MASTERO\RD ACCEPTED Lori ll. Dow" Dmpnk -tor iv ldi L O W E R 5 /u /1//or-tram.» “lowers, lo: all ».iv.v:asion.~;. We welcome your l)ll.F~lllLT‘-*'- 802-863-2300 3 Fax 302-[658-2l9l 350 Dorset Srrccr ‘ South Burlington. Vermont 05403 . THREE OLD BATS Anliqucs, Collccliblcs 8L Uscful Things 207 FLYNN AVE. BURLINGTON, VT 802-860-I488 BY THE TRACKS Hours: Tues - Sat, I0-6. Sun I-5, Closed Monday Out of town holiday relatives? Get ready with soothing stuff gathered by the Bats to instill familial harmony. . ’RED7SH,,0VEL Christmas Tree 597 Westford Rd. - Mi1ton,V'l‘ as-_:5s3622 , .4 A 302 r893-4811 " I A I A A Lois Farnhamy Holly Puterbaugh Welcome to Faerie Camp Destiny continued from front page and annoying passersbys, in truth, the Radical Faeries are made up of a wide variety of Bohemians: artists, queer farm- ers, radical activists, witches and atheists, dykes, artists and accountants, drag queens, ur- ban queens and country queens, healers and hairdress- ers, social workers and sacred sluts, environmentalists. They are opposites and everything in between — anyone who finds in being queer a spark of some- thing greater. Faerie core beliefs are in the right to self-discovery and the right to freedom from au- thority. Faeries work to create a culture where everyone has an equal voice and in which all decisions are based on consen- sus. Central to this culture is the faerie talking circle,iwhere each speaks from the heart for as long as he or she wishes, and others honor by listening. ' I called Bambi, the Des- tiny Board President, or as I call him (since the notion of a President is antithetical to faeries, and yet required by state law)the Disco Heirophant, and asked, ”what is the purpose of Faerie Camp Destiny?” He responded, ”Read the damned Articles of Incorporation,” and so I now quote. ”The purpose of Faerie Camp Destiny is: to manage a Faerie sanctuary as a cultural learning center and spiritual oasis for those who call them- selves Radical Faeries, to honor our natural environment as we do our own sacred Faerie na- tures, to provide a residence for a limited number of Faeries, to operate a retreat center and occasional gathering site for the larger Faerie community, to care for and nurture elder Faeries and those incapaci- tated by illness or grief, to sponsor creative projects that reflect and support the Faeries and Faerie culture, and, spon- sor and assist in the creation of other sanctuaries.” Thank you Bambi. _ These goals were not easy to wrestle out of a disor- ganized and anarchistic, largely poor quiver of queens. Destiny (named after the van- ity plate of the real estate agent that showed us the first lodge in Northfield) raised over $40,000 to buy this land — and C we still owe plenty! And imag- ine the scene, shopping for a bank with a name like Faerie Camp Destiny, and a list of of- ficers that included Bambi, Endora and Constance Crav- ing - a bunch of men signing a mortgage with nail polish. Faerie Camp Destiny is one of several Faerie Sanctuar- ies in the US and Canada. Oth- ers are located in Tennessee, New Mexico, Ontario, Oregon, and Minnesota. Most have permanent residents that act as a community of caretakers for the land — land that is held in trust for the entire Faerie com- munity. In the next few years, Faerie Camp Destiny will be- gin construction of a lodge and cabins for year-round resi- dents. However, there are no structures yet. At the gather- ing, the brand new gas stove sat under a blue tarp and dished out an orgy of cheeses during Lasagna Arabiatta Night! However, by the end of the gathering we did erect one structure - the outhouse. And why Vermont? The Northeast Faerie Circle has long been one of the largest circles, and yet creating sanc- tuary always seemed out of grasp. Then, two larger than life faeries, Gabriel Q and Agnes de Garron moved from New York to thebucolic quiet of Vermont (where Agnes was born and raised. Once in Ver- mont, they realized it was the perfect place for a faerie sanc- tuary. Faeries aim to return to A a close relationship with na- ture, and where could be more beautiful, or more quirky than Vermont? These two then found a huge house in Northfield Vermont, named it Destiny after the vanity plate on the realtor’s car, and soon Yolanda, Endora, Sticky, and Constance Craving and others moved in. The aim of the house was to begin the process of creating a Northeast sanc- tuary in Vermont, . This house was eventually sold, and Des- tiny at Large continued to raise money and look for land. Af- ter a few years, the land near Grafton was consensed upon, funds were raised, and this July, the land was purchased» and consecrated with a grand ritual to honor the elements at the fire circle, and a circle jerk on the mountain top. Faerie Camp Destiny is open to any queer men or women who are interested in faeries and faerie culture. The Radical Faeries are clearly pre- dominantly made up of gay men, but Destiny welcomes women faeries that would join them in the vision of creating a fey culture. If you are inter- ested in learning more, getting involved, would like to attend a gathering, or get Destiny mailings, simple write to Faerie Camp Destiny, PO Box 8175, Burlington, VT 05402, or email Endora, at endora@together.net. Faerie Camp Destiny also needs whatever contributions you could make so that this sanc- tuary, owned by and for all queer folk, can develop into a treasure for our entire commu- ’ nity. Bless Aunt Bea. MOQA (Mlddlebury College Open Queer Alliance) celebrated National Coming Out Day with a week of events including a lecture by lesbian author Sarah Schulman, a student poetry reading/speak out, a film called "A Beautiful Thing", and a huge Montréal-style dance party hosted by Cherie Tartt. MOQA members, together with youth from Outright VT and other VT area college students, constructed a symbolic closet to rep- resent the loneliness and fear associated with living "in the closet". Community members were welcomed inside to experi- ence images of life in the closet such as: alcoholism, drug use, suicide, familial homophobia, discrimination, alienation, and fear. Three days after the closet was’ placed in McCuHough Green it was tipped over. After 6 days, the closet was completely ‘ destroyed by un— . known vandals in the middle of the night. Later that — day, MOQA mem- bers burnt the closet in a public bonfire, in a sym- bolic attempt to . .''kill the closet".