Lusscroft Farm to host Medicine Wheel celebration
WANTAGE — The Medicine Wheel volunteer group will host its fifth annual Medicine Wheel Celebration on May 18-19 in conjunction with the Heritage and Agriculture Association, a friends group of Lusscroft Farm.
The two-day event features an array of local music, gardening workshops, tours, perennial plant sale, craft and food vendors, community discussions and more to support the continued growth and preservation of the gardens and historical buildings.
The Medicine Wheel is a circular garden sliced into twelve sections, each featuring three medicinal and deer resistant companion perennials. The gardens' use permaculture or permanent agriculture, a method of farming with natural cycles and interconnection. In 2010, a crescent shape moon garden was added. It's silvery, white and fuzzy foliage and flowers, reflect the moonlight on summer evenings. In 2012, period plantings were installed at the the historical Manor house and managers' dwelling by the Medicine Wheel group.
May 18 activities will include a garden meditation, dedication of the wood-carved owl in the Sister Moon Garden, Spirit Hoopers Performance, Garden Tours, a Plant Walk, workshops on Gardening and Mushroom Propagation.
There will be a morning Round Table Discussions on water quality and Community Food Protection with Sister Miriam McGillis of Genesis Farm and Dr. William Thomas of Montclair State University's N.J. School of Conservation. There will be an afternoon Open Mic with Poetry and Music hosted by the musical duo Morning Door.
Sunday, May 19, there will be a panel discussion on Living Art and Culture in Northwest New Jersey featuring internationally acclaimed artist France Garrido and chainsaw sculpture Brett McLain. Sunday workshops include Soil Fertility and Sustainability with Brian Hennessey, Biology and Structure of Mushrooms with Ian Blanchard, Garlic as Medicine Roman Osadca, Organic Fruit Orchards and Propagation with Pete Tischler. Throughout the weekend there will be tours of the Medicine Wheel Gardens with designer Paul Cardillo.
An afternoon of local music features Alex Phillips, Maribyrd, Jordan Koza, Maura Glynn, the Hawk Owls, Eric Waldman, Mike Lawlor, Joe Biglin with Friends. The Matty Carle Band will finished the Sunday musical lineup.
The Medicine Wheel Gardens are located in Lusscroft Farm at 50 Neilson Road and 4-H Trail, Wantage, NJ 07461. The suggested donation for the Medicine Wheel Celebration is $5 per person, kids free.