You are invited to The 38th Annual Convening of the

Ozark Area Community Congress

@

Hammond Mill Camp, West Plains, MOzarks

Hi Friends,

All those who love and care about the Ozarks are invited to gather together once again to celebrate, appreciate, and learn from this phenomenal part of the Earth and each other…

Spread the word! We celebrate this year with the theme Compassion ~ Community ~ Ecology 

OACC IS....

-The first and longest-standing bioregional congress.

-An ecologically-aware child- and family-friendly community village where together we learn, play, relax, and take care of each other.

-A meeting place for ecologically-informed, creative, talented people, growers, activists, operators of small businesses, musicians, writers and innovators; where you can meet with others about what’s of interest to you. OACC is just plain useful, valuable, and often life-changing!

-A decades-long forum for a sustainable and regenerative economy for the Ozarks.

-A place to network and get informed about significant issues affecting our lives in the Ozarks, in an ecological context.

OACC is a celebration of the Ozarks and all things restorative and  ecological! 

WHAT TO EXPECT….

– Workshops and presentations on ecologically-related subjects, campfires, music, poetry and readings, and homegrown Ozarks culture in general.

-Good food, as locally grown and organic as possible. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free? No problem, we have food for most lifestyles.

–Please come ready to help out daily with your choice of volunteer, community-sustaining work, whether in the kitchen, child care, grounds cleanup, and whatever it takes to keep our little village going. It’s fun to work together as well as play, and this is one way OACC keeps its costs so low.  When you register we will sign you up for your choice of enjoyable volunteer opportunities. Your wholehearted volunteer help enables OACC to continue, and be so inexpensive to attend.

OACC 38 CO-SPONSORS….

For $160 (or more if you are able), you or your organization can be an OACC 36 Co-Sponsor.  Co-sponsorships help us keep our registration costs down while giving good people and organizations recognition.

Your co-sponsorship gets you-

• Two (2) adult admissions for the entire 2 1/2 days ($100 value)
• Exhibit space at the event ($25 value)
• Recognition at the OACC 38 event
• Recognition in the printed brochure
• Recognition on the website as a Co-Sponsor.
• Recognition on our highly visited Facebook page
• You will also be recognized in multiple OACC email updates between now and the event, giving you and your business or organization a wider exposure and more recognition than ever.

You can submit your co-sponsorship information to us online here or mail it to us using the Downloadable Co-Sponsor form here.

For more information, please contact Co-Sponsorship Coordinator Sasha Daucus at sashad@semo.net.

Check out this year’s Co-Sponsors*!

Alford Forest, Inc., Gainesville, MO

David Haenke, Brixey, MO

Gene Dunaway, Sustainable Strategies, Global

Mid MO Peaceworks/Peace Nook, Columbia MO

Planet Drum Foundation, Shasta Bioregion

Lessees of Hawk Hill Community Land Trust

Sasha Daucus, Golden Light Center, Doniphan & West Plains, MO

GREAT THANKS TO OUR WONDERFUL C0-SPONSORS!

(*become one and help us bring this amazing event alive again this year!)

Check out this year’s program, below! 

GENERAL SCHEDULE….

Friday

We highly encourage you to come to OACC on Friday afternoon, register and be a part of the Opening Circle at 6 PM.  The Opening Circle is our first chance to be together as a whole group, and one of the most important aspects of OACC. It gives everyone a chance to introduce themselves to each other, find out what others are doing and  what they are passionate about, where they are from, and start participating actively in OACC right away. It is at the opening circle that you get to see those who you most might want to get to know more and meet with during the rest of OACC. 

– Noon: set up begins

– 2 pm: registration opens

-3-5 pm: Workshops and/or meetings. OACC 101 talk.

– 5pm: Early dinner and potluck. (We will have some simple snack-type food, and if you could bring some potluck additions, we will save our food folks much work early on as we are getting set up.  Thanks in advance if you can bring something to share!)

– 6pm. OACC overview, Opening Circle. This is your chance to introduce yourself, meet all the other participants, and find out what they are doing. Very important! Tell us where you are from, especially your home watershed, and what you are passionate about!

– 7pm or just after Opening Circle, Open Space Process– for those who are not on the schedule and who want to give presentations at OACC.
What is Open Space Process? At any given OACC, people attend who are working in, for instance re-localization, organic gardening and agriculture, appropriate technology, alternative health, communities, land trusts, ecological protection, forestry, home schooling, conservation, responsible media, sustainable businesses, biodiversity preservation, ecological restoration, culture, music, arts, eco-villages, and the list goes on… OACC’s program will have pre-scheduled presenters PLUS time available for anyone who wants to conduct a session after arrival. These previously non-scheduled presentations will be scheduled during an Open Space process on Friday evening after the Opening Circle. Got something to say? Here’s the place to say it! If you want to be part of the Open Space, be sure to come on Friday.

-7:30 pm or so: Dance! Music by the amazing, foot stomping, Creek Stink band. Bring your dancing feet!

-Later. Fire circle and/or drum circle (conditions permitting)

-Throughout OACC: Vendors and kids activities

Saturday

– 7:30 to 9:00am: Breakfast

– 9:00am to noon: Workshops, presentations

–  10 am: State of the Ozarks.

– Noon to 1:30pm: Lunch

– 1:30pm to 6:oopm: Workshops, presentations, sessions

– 6:00 – 7:30 pm: Dinner

–  After Dinner:

Coffeehouse Talent Show—Major fun! Everyone, from the smallest child, is encouraged to perform, be it with music, poems, theatrics, dance, or jokes.

Sunday

-7:30-9 am: Breakfast

– 9 am: workshops, presentations, discussion groups

–10:30am: OACC 39 CONGRESS PLANNING SESSION.  All are encouraged to attend this session of the congress which determines the future of OACC, and even if we will have another OACC!

-12:30 pm: Lunch

– After lunch: Silent auction for leftover food (great bargains  possible!), Clean up

• After Auction and cleanup: Closing circle.

FOOD….

We serve mostly vegetarian meals from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch, prepared as much as possible with organic, local, or fair-trade ingredients.

Please help us keep registration costs low by donating food and/or bringing food to share. It could be a covered dish for Friday night’s potluck, if convenient, or perhaps your garden produce, or bulk food, or wholesome items like bread, fruit or cheese. This year, farm eggs, mushrooms, garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, etc. are permitted by the hosting site. An occasional dish of locally-sourced meat may also be included.  Visit the food donations page to see a list of foods that are particularly needed to fill out our menu for the weekend.

Food Coordinator: Pearl Schneider  –  Ozarkotter@yahoo.com

WHAT TO BRING….

• food donations
• cups and other eating utensils
• drums, musical instruments, your songs
• acts for the coffeehouse talent show
• swim gear and river shoes
• your kids, your friends

You will need

• your own soap, shampoo, towels
• sleeping bags and bedding
• Clothes suitable for being outside in the Ozark fall weather: Be prepared for Ozark fall weather, which can range from mild and dry to cool and wet.

Childcare will not be provided.  Parents are welcome to work together and with us to organize cooperative childcare during the Congress.

WHAT NOT TO BRING….

PLEASE DON’T BRING DOGS AND OTHER PETS

PLEASE DON’T BRING ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUGS

LODGING….

Hammond Mill Camp is a beautiful CCC-era camp surrounded by the Mark Twain National Forest. It’s located off CC Highway about 15 miles west of West Plains. For several years, starting in 1982, we had many wonderful OACCs there. It has cabins, bathrooms, showers, a dining-meeting hall, lots of outdoor play space, and the North Fork River can be reached by a 30 minute trail hike directly from the camp through National Forest land.

Plan for Ozark fall weather which can range from mild and dry to cool and wet. Bunks are provided in the cabins. Tent sites are also available. Bring your own BEDDING, SLEEPING BAGS, PILLOWS. Please, no dogs, other pets, drugs or alcohol.

Bunks and mattresses are provided in the dorm rooms.BRING YOUR OWN BEDDING, SLEEPING BAGS, PILLOWS…

Tent sites are also available.

DIRECTIONS….

From West Plains: Turning off of Hwy 63 (Jan Howard Express Way) and onto CC (Gibson Ave), go 15 miles to the turn into Hammond Mill Camp on the right. (5 miles before that Hwy AD goes off to the left from CC, as a landmark). Also, the turn off to Hammond Mill Camp is 1.6 miles into Ozark County.

Hammond Mill Camp Phone: (417) 256-2025

COSTS….

Registration fees for all three days, covering everything (meals, lodging, programs, etc.) are: cheaper than staying home

-Adults (ages 17 & up): $50

-Young ones (ages 5 to 16): $25

-Youngest ones, 4 and under: no cost

Attendance for the whole three days is encouraged, but day rates will be pro-rated. Please help us out and register as soon as you get to OACC, or pre-register here.

Attendees under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Registration Rates for Partial Attendance. For those of you who want to come for less than the whole time, such as a day, or part of a day, we will pro-rate in a fair and equitable way.

WHY IS OACC DIFFERENT AND EXCEPTIONAL? WHAT IS A “CONGRESS”?

OACC as a “congress” is distinguished clearly from a run-of-the-mill “conference” in that it is a gathering of peers (not just conference attendees passively consuming information from paid “experts” and “professionals”) who inexpensively and on a volunteer basis organize and conduct the event themselves as a temporary green “village,” take care of themselves (preparing food, providing their own entertainment and presentations from within the group itself, cleaning up, etc.), and decide among themselves by consensus the present and future directions and content of OACC as an informal “organization.”

HOW YOU CAN ENSURE A FRUITFUL AND INSPIRING OACC 37…

1)    Come to OACC and contribute your talents and energies to the community!

2)    Invite and bring one or more like-minded folks who you would like to be there with!

For Further Information:

Stuff We Need If You Can Bring It.

– We need a PA System for Coffee House on Saturday evening

-We need a portable projection screen

-We need Firewood

If you can bring any of these please contact David at the email below

OACC 38 Coordinator: David Haenke

dhaenke@webound.com