The Fall Festival of Courage: Embracing Tradition, Community, and Apples
By Jan Lyndes and Amy Kleine
The Gathering Waters Fall Festival (a festival of courage), is a lovely expression of seasonal traditions that resonate with today’s communities. As autumn paints the landscape with vibrant hues, the festival mirrors this transformation, symbolizing a time for renewal. Just as trees shed their old leaves to welcome new growth, the Fall Festival encourages us to embrace our inner strength.
At the Turning
What happens when the balance breaks,
And summer leans into the fall?
Is stillness just the hush of sleep,
Or something deeper, after all?
The equinox stands at the gate—
A breath held long, a silent bell.
From golden dreams we rise anew,
As leaves drift down in soft farewell.
While nature folds her outer wings,
And light retreats from field and tree,
A hidden spark begins to glow—
A flame that only souls can see.
The world grows quiet, yet we wake,
Not lulled by dusk or slanted sun.
The work begins, the heart takes hold,
Its inward journey just begun.
Tasks once forgotten call us near,
With steady hands and sharpened sight.
For in the stillness, life renews—
Not in the dark, but in the light.
— By Jan Lyndes
Here at This Turning Point Comes the Fall Festival of Courage
As autumn’s crisp light casts stronger shadows, so too does it illuminate the darker corners of our inner world. The “dragon” symbolizes the parts of ourselves we often keep hidden—those aspects that emerge in the form harsh judgments, lack of commitment, unkind words, fear, greed, thoughtlessness, apathy to rear their heads.
Gathering Waters students tamed the dragon with a song after following the clues on their dragon hunt.
It is important to remember that the “dragon" is not our enemy. In fact, it is a messenger—bringing us important information about the “true human being” beneath layers, our spines and prickles. “By looking at the shadow, we can learn what direction to head to find our true selves. By shining the light of consciousness on the dragon we can be the vehicle for its transformation and take away its power over us.” ~Sherry Jennings
A Time of Community
The Fall Festival is a celebration of fortification, appreciation, and courage. It’s a time to honor the abundance of the harvest and to share this bounty with our community.
In our school, it marks the first major gathering of the academic year, offering a chance to welcome new families in an atmosphere of warmth and inclusion. A harvest of community, warmth, and courage to fortify us for the upcoming cold months of winter.
Seniors preparing for the Fall Festival play.
At Gathering Waters Charter School, we aim to blend the timeless elements of the Fall Festival with fresh, school community-driven activities. Music, storytelling, and games of challenge designed to evoke feelings of bravery and transformation, are central to this festival.
The Fall Festival takes place in the morning, set in the amphitheater of a local park, and our families and community are warmly invited to attend. Following the music and play, parent volunteers join faculty members in preparation of the afternoon activities as students eat their picnic lunches.
The afternoon of the Fall Festival are filled games of courage.
One of the children's favorite activities is pressing apple cider. The week of the Fall Festival, we set out baskets in the foyer of each campus to gratefully collect apple donations from families.. We also are thankful for the use of apple presses loaned by Sun Moon Farm in Rindge, NH, and Camp Glen Brook in Marlborough.
Pressing apples for cider is a beloved Gathering Waters tradition.
A celebration of courage, will, and inner light, the Gathering Waters Fall Festival brings together our school community as individuals embark on their inward journey during the winter months.