Crones Counsel XXV
Salt Lake City, Utah
October 4-8, 2017
25th Anniversary Jubilee
“Weaving The Silver Threads Of Past, Present and Future”
Pre-Gathering Information
For your reading enjoyment, this email contains information you will need to know before arriving for the gathering. If you have any questions, please email kayechatterton@gmail or lindakaytaylor@gmail.com.
Download the Pre-Gathering Guide in PDF format.
Welcome “First Timers”
If you are new to our gatherings, we offer you special greetings and a warm welcome! Paula Ashcraft and local Salt Lake Crones will greet you at registration and answer any questions. Greeters will be looking for you when you register. Feel free to ask them or any Board Member any questions you may have.
Hotel Reservations- Check-In 3:00 p.m.
University Guest House and Conference Center
110 South Fort Douglas Blvd.
Salt Lake City, UT 84113-5036
Call 888-416-4075 for your reservations
www.universityguesthouse.com
Rate is $120/night for 2 queens or 1 king + full breakfast
If you haven’t made your hotel reservation, please do that soon. The University Guest House has given us special rates for our gathering. There are still some rooms available, you may call the hotel at 801-587-1000 or toll free at 1-800-416-4075.
Gathering Registration: 3-6:00 p.m. Wednesday, Oct.4, Conference Level Lobby
Conference registration will be held just inside the conference center located in the lower portion of the hotel at the west end of the building. There is an outside entrance for the conference center from the hotel parking lot which is in the rear of the building. The opening ceremony begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Douglas Ballroom.
Weather
Salt Lake City is beautiful this time of year! The average daytime temperature ranges from the high 60’s to low 70’s. Nighttime temperature is typically in the mid 40-degree range. The weather is changeable this time of year so be prepared for sun, rain or even an early snow.
Transportation to/from The University Guest House and Conference Center
TRAX
Trax is Salt Lake City’s light rail system. It takes about an hour to ride from the airport to the Fort Douglas stop, which is just west of the University Guest House.
The fare is $2.50 one way for an adult ticket and $1.25 for seniors. Take the GREEN Line located at the south end of airport terminal one, to the Courthouse station. Exit at the Courthouse station and take the RED line (across the platform) designated to the University Medical Center. Exit at the Fort Douglas stop. Take the stairs or the ramp down to ground level. From there you can walk to the parking lot of the Student Life Center, just north of the stairs and call the hotel shuttle for pick up. (Bell desk number 801-587-0629) Or, you may take the stairs or the elevator across the overhead bridge, walk east until you come to a cross street, turn left, walk past the chapel and you’ll see the sign for the University Guest House Hotel. Just a note, there is little room for luggage on TRAX. You may find an empty seat but there are no luggage racks available.
TAXI
SLC City Taxi: 801-260-2760
City Cab: 801-363-5550
UTE Cab: 801-359-7788
Taxi fare ranges from $30.23 to $47.92. The ride is approximately 23 minutes
UBER
The ride is about 23 minutes.
UberX: $16-$21
UberXL: $23-$30
Uber Select: $47-61
UberSUV: $63-$79
LYFT
LYFT ride is approximately $16.35, Lyft Plus approximately $23.94. The ride is about 23 minutes.
EXPRESS SHUTTLE
The first passenger fare is $15.00, each additional passenger for the same ride is $8.00. You must make a reservation for this service at least 16 hours in advance. You will need to provide the airline, flight number, and city of origin for your reservation. The driver will accept cash or checks or you can pay online with a credit card. Discounts are available for groups but you must go through an Express Shuttle representative. You may call 1-800-596-1600 or register online at expressshuttleutah.com.
Questions re: transportation options can be sent to Paula Ashcraft, ashcraft.paula@yahoo.com
Meals
A generous breakfast with fresh fruit and hot entrees is provided for participants registered at the hotel. There is no actual restaurant in the hotel, so we will be catering meals that Crones Counsel will provide during the event. We will serve appetizers at the Meet and Greet on Wednesday evening. The 25th year Jubilee Banquet meal will be provided on Thursday evening and a salad bar for Saturday lunch will be provided.
All other meals are “on your own”. Heritage Dining Hall is on campus and within a short walking distance from the hotel. The meals at Heritage Hall are delicious, usually cost between $9-10.00, and offer Vegan and many other healthy choices.
There are multiple restaurants located nearby. A list of accessible restaurants will be provided in the Welcome Packet. The hotel shuttle will be available for transportation to local restaurants.
Follies
One of the delightful events of Crones Counsel involves you and your talents! It’s the annual Crone Follies, a venue where you can perform! If you sing, play an instrument, have a stand-up comedy routine, dance or anything else, sign up at registration. We will have a sound system, cassette player, and CD player available for the performances. Bring any other materials. This fun event is on Saturday night. See the Gathering Schedule listed below for times and places.
Empty Chair
If there is an individual you wish to honor who has made her transition, bring her spirit with you. And if you wish, bring her picture or something that reminds you of her to place on the empty chair.
Share Table
In the past we have provided a table where you can put information that you wish to share with the whole group. This includes handouts, brochures or info for other conferences. This sharing table will be located in a central place for participants to peruse. Location TBD.
Altar
It is the tradition at our gatherings to create an Altar to signify that there is a spiritual component to our gathering. Everyone is invited to bring an object to place on the Altar if you chose. Your object can be whatever you are called to bring, and can symbolize your connection to Crones or to our theme, Weaving the Silver Threads of Past, Present, and Future. When you take your object home, it will be imbued with the sacred energy of our gathering.
Artisan’s Bazaar- Grand Opening Wednesday night after the Opening Session
Come see the wonderful creations of our sister artisans. Treasures of all types will be located in the Alpine room. To be a vendor, please submit your requests via this online form:
https://www.cronescounsel.org/artisan-bazaar-application/
If you have questions about the Artisan’s Bazaar, you may contact Marta Quest at rrandart12@gmail.com
Opening and Closing Ceremony
Our opening ceremony will be Wednesday evening beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Douglas Ballroom. The closing ceremony will be held Sunday at 9 am, ending around 11:00 a.m. Hotel checkout is 12 noon.
Grant Fund/Scholarships- Please Pass the Hat
Another tradition at our gatherings was started by co-founder/wise woman Shauna Adix. It’s simple; we pass the hat for donations toward the grants/scholarship fund for our sisters who require some of their counsel expenses deferred. Over the years, the recipients of this fund have created a stronger counsel through their creative and enthusiastic participation.
Counsel Outreach
Every year we also ask for a voluntary donation is that is given to an organization that supports women in the community where the gathering is being held. This year outreach donations will be given to Women of the Future, sponsored by the University of Utah Women’s Resource Center. This organization is a special outreach to refugee women who want to attend or are attending the University. The intent of the Community Outreach fund is to leave something behind in the communities in which we gather each year. We will pass the hat on Sunday after a brief presentation by the group.
Give Away Table
We will once again have a Give Away Table. The intention of this offering is for you to share ( If you would like to), a small gift for the give-away. It doesn’t have to be new, but please no white elephants. Your gift should mean something special to you, whether it’s a rock picked up in a special place or something more valuable that was given to you sometime in your life. We give to each other our personal energy and blessing with a token item. Our elders will select from the offerings first after the honoring ceremony. This sharing is done on Friday evening this year
What to Bring
• A sense of humor…an opening heart.
• A photo of yourself as a “maiden” for the Wisdom Circles.
• Hiking gear, good walking shoes if you’d like to explore the trails near the University.
• Reuseable drinking cups and water bottles.
• Any brochures, handouts or information you want to bring for the Crone Share Table.
• Anything you might need for the Follies-costumes, music, instruments, etc.
• Dressy or “Crone Garb” for the Celebration Banquet, and Honoring Ceremony
• Drums, rattles, etc.
• Something for the Give Away table if you wish. An item for the Altar, if you wish.
• A remembrance for the Empty Chair if you want to honor someone who has passed.
Pre-Register for a Special Workshop at CC25: Family History/Genealogy- Who Am I?
Have you ever considered looking into who your ancestors are and where they came from? You have probably seen a variety of television programs that show certain celebrities tracing the history of their families. It really is fascinating to see how a family search reveals new information and unknown connections to stories of courage, risk, change, talents, accomplishments that represent ancestors on a family tree. Understanding the lives of your progenitors seems to broaden the answers to “who am I?” Read more.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, October 4th- Arrival
Hotel Check-In 3:00 p.m.
Gathering Registration 3-6 p.m. Conference Center Lobby
Meet and Greet- 6-6:45 p.m. Douglas Ballroom
Opening Session- 7:00 p.m.
Crone Artisan Bazaar- Doors open immediately after end of Opening Session
Thursday, October 5th
Early Morning Offerings 7 a.m.-8: a.m.
Meditation
Yoga/Tai Chi
Nature Walk – Experience Awe
Raising our Voices Together- Group Singing 8:10 a.m.- 8:30 Douglas West
Daily Opening- 8:30-9:00 a.m.
Story Telling Session- 9:00-10:30 a.m. Douglas West
Wisdom Circles-(to be assigned) Small group locations TBD- 10:45-12:15 p.m.
Lunch- 12:15- 2:00 p.m. On your own
Workshops- multiple choices, two sessions, 2:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m
25th year Banquet Celebration- 6:30- 9:00 p.m. at the Utah Fine Arts Museum
Note: Full Moon
9:00- 10:00 – Fireside Drumming on the Conference Center Patio
Friday, October 6th- same schedule as Thursday Morning (above)
Workshops- 2:00- 5:00
INTERGENERATIONAL DANCE/HONORING THE ELDERS- 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.
Light desserts served
Fireside Drumming- Conference Center Patio 9:00 -10:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 7th- same morning schedule as before
Buffet Salad Bar 12: 30 – Douglas East Ballroom
Afternoon – Free Time
Crone Follies- 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Douglas West
Fireside Drumming 9:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Sunday Morning, October 8th
Closing Ceremony 9:00 a.m.
Closing Dance 10:30- 11:45 a.m.
Hotel Checkout by noon
Schedule Change note * The popular program “Crones Poets Rising” has been moved to the workshop time frame on Thursday afternoon due to the special celebration for the Crones Counsel 25th year commemorative banquet. The full workshop offerings will be shared in September. (Psst….we have some wonderful workshops lined up!)