ONGOING EVENTS:
QI GONG MONDAYS at The Kingsley folk school Farm (5022 Walton Rd Kingsley, MI) 9am-10am This gentle movement practice brings peace and tranquility to your day and moves energy and circulation in the body, helping ease pain and strengthen our muscles, joints, bones and spirits. Led by instructor Flora Biancalana, this class is very approachable for all experience and mobility levels. The class is done standing, or in a chair, and does not require any special equipment or ability. Suggested Donation: $10/class
EVERYONE HAS A STORY at The Kingsley Public Library (Every second Thursday of the month 5:30-7pm) Join people from all walks of life for this informal story sharing circle. The format is simple: Participants sit in chairs in a circle and are asked to submit a one-two word prompt (ie “picnics” or “winter driving”) to the hat. A topic is then pulled and each participant takes a turn sharing a brief (5+/- min) story from their life relating to the topic. We pick prompts until the event concludes. Participants are able to “pass” at any time if a story doesn’t come to them. The only rules: be kind, come with an open mind, and listen without comment or interruption when someone is sharing. This is a powerful experience and you’ll be surprised what you can learn about people’s lives. Free to all
No previous registration or rsvp is needed for these events. Just show up!
2026 Spring Classes are Here!
Scroll down the list below to see our spring offerings for this year! Registration is now open for all classes and events.
Wooden Spoon Making
Shape a wooden spoon from start to finish 🪵 in this hands-on class. You’ll learn safe knife skills, how to read the grain, and simple finishing techniques while working with green wood. This class combines traditional techniques and learning to use the creative process to select a section of wood with more modern tools to speed up the process of creating your own wooden spoon.
No experience is needed—just curiosity and a willingness to learn. Together, we’ll slow down and connect as we carry forward everyday folk craft in community. 🧰
Bring work gloves if you wish and carving tools if you have them (though not necessary).
Taught by Robert Fisher, experienced carpenter and woodworker
Fire by Friction Workshop
Join us at Boone Holler Farm in Kingsley for a hands on Fire by Friction workshop followed by an immersive and inspiring garden tour.
Learn all you need to know to make fire with nothing but a carving knife, shoestring and your hands! Instructor Boone Scharp will lead us in learning how to harvest and create the materials needed for making fire by friction and we will have the opportunity to practice and hopefully get our own embers glowing and growing with this process.
Fire making kits will be available for sale at the class should you want to purchase one.
The hands-on class will be followed by an evening tour of Boone Holler’s incredible gardens led by Nicole, the green thumb of the team.
Cost: $35/person, includes garden tour and materials during class
Qigong Workshop - Late Summer & Earth Element
Join us in a exploration of the season of late summer and the earth element through the ancient Daoist practice of Qigong. Based on the natural rhythms of nature qigong allows us to connect with our internal energy and the energy of the natural world we are part of. Through gentle movements/flows, breath work and meditation we begin to cultivate and move energy and circulation in our bodies helping to strengthen our muscles, joints, bones and spirits. We will learn about the Five Phases, yin and yang, the importance of intention, how to develop more balance and and health in our lives while focusing on the organs of Earth and the Late Summer Phase. We will have fun as we tune into our own life energy!
We recommend having breakfast before the workshop.
This class is very approachable for all experience and mobility levels. The class is done standing, or in a chair ,and does not require any special equipment or ability.
Lunch will be provided and will correspond with the Season of Late Summer and the Earth Element.
About our instructor:
Flora Biancalana has been practicing qigong for over 13 years and has been teaching qigong for over 10 years. As a retired family practice physician she has concentrated her study of qigong with the Five Phases and Organ Networks. As her teacher Mimi Kuo Deemer quotes “Qigong, the steady shaping and cultivation of nourishing life energy” for health and healing.
Cost: $80/person, includes lunch
RECESS - A play workshop for adults
Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped playing, or limited our sense of play as our responsibilities rose. Life has a way of filling in around the gaps that play leaves when busyness, complexity, and stress arise.
And yet if we give it a moment, something in us still remembers the absorption of following something interesting, the ease and resilience of a body that's moving just for the pleasure of moving, the particular delight that comes from slowing down.
Embodied play and creativity give us a way through the complexity we find ourselves in as adults. This workshop offers us the chance to reconnect with the playful, present one within us. We'll use movement, reflection, and a variety of approaches to reconnect with the joy, creativity and presence that play can offer. We'll tinker a bit with the one in us that might restrict or limit play, and give permission to the one who is seeking the resilience and capacity that play can bring. We'll slow down to discover what play might really feel like to us, now.
Research tells us that play is not frivolous — it is biological. It builds capacity, supports resilience, and activates the very chemicals in our bodies that help us feel more alive, connected, and present. This workshop draws on that science lightly, weaving awareness of our own inner experience into the play itself.
Play returns us to a source of energy and resource we can draw on in parenting, in the workplace, and in the face of challenge. You'll leave with new insights on what play means now, and practices for fueling a sense of play that can support you, even in the midst of complexity.
We hope you'll laugh as you try (no need to get play right), and leave feeling the essentialness of play in your bones. No experience necessary. No particular fitness level required; there will be options for folks with varied access to movement and to connect with play in a variety of ways. Just a willingness to show up, slow down, and remember something your body already knows.
What you can expect to leave with:
The opportunity to reconnect with play as an adult, and an honest exploration of what gets in the way.
A richer awareness of what play feels and looks like in the body — and what signals tell us we're open to it or closed off from it.
A practice to carry forward: a way of returning to play, curiosity, and presence when the world speeds back up.
A clearer sense of the value and role of play in a complex world — and what it makes possible in our daily lives.
About our Instructor:
Shani Feyen is an educator, facilitator and coach who is committed to remembering what it's like to play in order to be in full service to the world. She remembers flooding the sandbox and digging holes in her parents' backyard to create her own mini golf course (which they did not love), and has gotten shushed in the workplace for laughing too loudly.
She believes that play, curiosity and creativity are no longer "nice to have"; they are essential commitments for anyone who wants to show up more fully for themselves and others at home, in community and in the workplace. She facilitates professional development around emotional and physical intelligence in the workplace.
Cost: $35/person
Herb Fest 2026
Join us for a fun filled day of exploring herb-tastic activities, classes, and local vendors. Share in an allergen friendly, herbified lunch. Offerings include an Herb and Yoga Walk, Herbs for Pain and Inflammation Class, Make Own Herbal Remedies Station, and so much more!
Qigong Workshop - Autumn & Metal
Join us in a exploration of the season of Autumn and the Metal element through the ancient Daoist practice of Qigong. Based on the natural rhythms of nature qigong allows us to connect with our internal energy and the energy of the natural world we are part of. Through gentle movements/flows, breath work and meditation we begin to cultivate and move energy and circulation in our bodies helping to strengthen our muscles, joints, bones and spirits. We will learn about the Five Phases, yin and yang, the importance of intention, how to develop more balance and and health in our lives while exploring the Metal Phase within the Five Phase Daoist Practice. We will have fun as we tune into our own life energy!
We recommend eating breakfast before the workshop.
This class is very approachable for all experience and mobility levels. The class is done standing, or in a chair ,and does not require any special equipment or ability.
Lunch will be provided and will correspond with the Season of Autumn and the Element of Metal.
About the instructor:
Flora Biancalana has been practicing qigong for over 13 years and has been teaching qigong for over 10 years. As a retired family practice physician she has concentrated her study of qigong with the Five Phases and Organ Networks. As her teacher Mimi Kuo Deemer quotes “Qigong, the steady shaping and cultivation of nourishing life energy” for health and healing.
Cost: $80/person, includes lunch
Michigan's Medicinal Mushrooms
Michigan’s Medicinal Mushrooms is an interactive workshop led by Certified Michigan Mushroom Expert, nutritional therapist, and holistic health coach Tyler Davidson, exploring the healing potential of fungi native to Michigan. You’ll learn the basics of anatomy, taxonomy, safe use, and research-backed health applications. Each species includes foraging and identification guidance with field samples for hands-on learning. Additional topics cover traditional use, survival, and bushcraft. Resources for continued study and dedicated Q&A time are included. This workshop is ideal for those who want to advance their natural medicine journey with fungi and learning to forage for personal use.
About our Instructor:
Tyler Davidson is a board-certified holistic health coach and nutritional therapist with over a decade of experience helping people reverse chronic disease. Specializing in the therapeutic use of functional mushrooms, he combines modern research, hands-on foraging experience, and practical strategies to restore health and vitality.
He is the founder of Elden Medicinals, where he crafts small-batch, wild-foraged mushroom extracts, and the author of Wild Healing with Medicinal Mushrooms, a comprehensive guide to foraging and therapeutic use in the Midwest and Northeastern United States.
Tyler’s book is a required reading material for this class. The cost of the book is included in the class tuition. If you already own a copy of his book please let us know and we will refund you the cost of the book after registration.
Cost: $70/person (includes a copy of Tyler’s Book: Wild Healing with Medicinal Mushrooms)
Herb and Yoga Walk
Explore the medicinal and edible properties of local wild plants while tuning into your body through corresponding yoga poses and flows for each plant.
This unique offering is led by herbalist Sierra LaRose of Bear Earth Herbals and yoga instructor/herbalist Molly Moore of Daughter Corn Farm.
The yoga poses and flows will be done while standing, so no need to bring a mat. All poses can be adapted for a wide range of mobility and ability.
This event is outdoors so please dress for the weather. Bring layers!
Please note: this class will be held at Mayfield Pond Park - Mill St. Kingsley
Cost: $30/person
Step Stool Building Workshop
This workshop is just in time for Father’s Day and each participant walks away with their own foot stool! This would be a great class to attend with dad or you can surprise him with a hand built stool as a father’s day gift!
Build your own hardwood slab foot stool and learn some basics of woodworking, safe tool use, and simple construction principals.
Taught by Robert Fisher, local carpenter with many decades of experience in a wide variety of skill sets including large scale construction, instructing builders, carving, lathe work and custom woodworking.
3rd Annual Folk Day
🎉Join us for our 3rd Annual Folk Day! Learn new folk skills at a variety of free workshops, be part of community and help us grow at Kingsley Folk School's fundraising event. 🎉
Every registration to this event will bring us closer to achieving our mission. Together, we can create a brighter, more compassionate world for all.
Thank you for supporting our mission, your support is invaluable.
Native American Medicine Wheel Beadwork Class
Celebrate mindfulness with a truly meaningful and hands-on experience at our Native American Medicine Wheel Workshop. Inspired by traditional Indigenous beadwork and craftsmanship, this special workshop initiates participants to learn more about authentic techniques and materials passed down through generations. This workshop is the perfect way to connect with a rich and vibrant heritage and craft a handmade gift straight from the heart.
About our instructors
White Feathers Daughters is a collective of bead artists descended from Rita Gasco Shepard, a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. The work of White Feathers Daughters has been featured in the “Kindred” Art Exhibit shown at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, and the Michigan State University History Museum in East Lansing. Leading the class will be Sydney Kay, the granddaughter of Rita, and a third generation beader. Assisting will be Regina Brubacker-Carver and Stella Kay, both daughters of Rita.
Summer and Fire - A Qi Gong Workshop
Join us in a exploration of the season of summer and fire through the ancient Daoist practice of Qigong. Based on the natural rhythms of nature qigong allows us to connect with our internal energy and the energy of the natural world we are part of. Through gentle movements/flows, breath work and meditation we begin to cultivate and move energy and circulation in our bodies helping to strengthen our muscles, joints, bones and spirits. We will learn about the Five Phases, yin and yang, the importance of intention, how to develop more balance and and health in our lives. We will have fun as we tune into our own life energy!
This class is very approachable for all experience and mobility levels. The class is done standing, or in a chair ,and does not require any special equipment or ability.
Lunch will be provided and will correspond with the Summer and Season of Fire.
Flora biancalana has been practicing qigong for over 13 years and has been teaching qigong for over 10 years. As a retired family practice physician she has concentrated her study of qigong with the Five Phases and Organ Networks. As her teacher Mimi Kuo Deemer quotes “Qigong, the steady shaping and cultivation of nourishing life energy” for health and healing.
Cost: $80/person, includes lunch
Fly Fishing with Craig Schaaf - Aquatic Entomology and River Reading
Join us for a fly fishing seminar for any level of skill taught by Craig Schaaf of Golden Rule Farm in Kaleva. Craig is master of many skills, has been fly fishing and fly tying since he was a teenager and has won competitions and created his own flies.
If you have never casted a rod we recommend taking the fly casting workshop on May 16th Registration available under Classes + Events
This class will include instruction on aquatic entomology, reading a river, choosing flies, casting techniques, choosing and using different gear.
For those that are interested we will be having a potluck after class and staying to fish into the evening.
Waders and weather appropriate gear encouraged.
Please note the location of this event is at a private residence on River Road with access to the Boardman river. The address is 90 River Rd East Traverse City, MI 49696.
Cost: $50/person
Songwriting Workshop with Seth Bernard
Learn the process of songwriting from local songwriter, performer and activist Seth Bernard. Participants will have the opportunity to gain tools to write their own songs and the group will write a song together at the workshop.
This is a collaborative group songwriting experience. No need to bring instruments or anything but an open mind and listening ears.
Cost: $30/person
Fly Fishing with Craig Schaaf - Casting Basics
Come learn beginning techniques for fly casting with Craig Schaaf of Golden Rule Farm (Kaleva, MI). If you’re completely new to fly fishing, Craig will have some available rods to practice on or feel free to bring your own equipment should you have it. This class will take place near a small pond in Kingsley to help those practice the art of casting without having to commit to other fishing equipment (like waders, for instance). Dress for the weather and being outdoors.
WHEN: Sunday May 16th 2pm-4pm
COST: $30/person
This is part of a series, with a Fly Fishing Seminar on the river being offered the following week on May 23rd. We encourage participants to register for both classes for a full fly fishing experience.
3rd Annual International Tuba Day Parade
Kingsley is celebrating International Tuba Day with its 3rd Annual Tuba Day Parade through downtown! This fun, free, family friendly event is open to all, no experience needed. Everyone is invited to participate in the parade, enthusiasm, signs and all instruments are welcome and encouraged. The parade will go throughout downtown Kingsley and will be an improv jam in the key of Bb. Small percussion instruments will be available to loan.
Participants should plan to meet in the parking lot behind the Kingsley Public Library where the parade will begin, no registration needed.
An afterparty will follow at Kingsley Local Brewing with a live performance by Northern Lower Brass Quartet at 6:30pm.
Come join us!
Herb and Yoga Walk
Explore the medicinal and edible properties of local wild plants while tuning into your body through corresponding yoga poses and flows for each plant.
This unique offering is led by herbalist Sierra LaRose of Bear Earth Herbals and yoga instructor/herbalist Molly Moore of Daughter Corn Farm.
The yoga poses and flows will be done while standing, so no need to bring a mat. All poses can be adapted for a wide range of mobility and ability.
This event is outdoors so please dress for the weather. Bring layers!
Hot tea will be provided at the class.
Cost: $30/person
Cheesemaking 101 with Sue Kurta
Join us as Sue Kurta leads us through the steps to making fresh, tender mozzarella cheese from scratch. This class will teach you how to make fresh mozzarella in your own kitchen with just a few ingredients and equipment you have at home. We will be stretching the cheese by hand and enjoy sampling what we make! This class is for participants 12 years and older. A fun and delicious class is guaranteed!
Sue Kurta took up cheesemaking as a hobby while living on the East coast in the 00's. That hobby became a passion, and Sue founded her own cheese company, Boss Mouse Cheese, in 2012, specializing in aged cow's milk cheeses. Today Sue is an instructor for the MSU Dairy Division, as well as leading private group cheese making classes all over Michigan.
Cost: $35/person
This class will be held in our unheated barn so dress for the weather! We will have some propane heaters on site but come prepared with lots of layers and weather appropriate gear and clothing.
Herbal Tincture Making
Join us for an exploration into making your own herbal tinctures easily and effectively at home using plants from your garden or backyard! Herbalist Sierra LaRose of Bear Earth Herbals will teach participants the why’s, how’s what’s and when’s of tincture making including alcohol alternatives and how and when to use them. With an emphasis on local plants, Sierra will teach which wild plants we can safely identify and harvest from our backyards as well as a variety of easily grown garden herbs that can go into this season’s garden.
This is a make and take class so students will have the opportunity to make their own herbal tinctures to take home with them.
This class will be held in our unheated barn (though we do have some propane heaters placed around), so please dress for the weather with layers!
Cost: $35/person, includes all materials
Bring a notebook and writing utensil for note taking if you wish
Sauerkraut Making Class
Join us for a Sauerkraut workshop where participants will have the opportunity to learn the art of kraut making and take home a 5 gallon pail of kraut made with local cabbage. Enjoy munching on some bacon stewed cabbage while you work and connect with others who are enthused about sauerkraut!
This class will taught by Dave Panek, a retired sausage maker and farmers. It will be held at his farm on Center Rd, see event address for more details.
THIS IS AN ONGOING CLASS - YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE THERE FOR THE ENTIRETY OF IT. Come any time between 10-4 and plan to stay for at least an hour. You are welcome to stay as long as you’d like.
Participants should dress warmly for the weather and bring layers as this will be an outdoors event.
BRING A 5 GALLON BUCKET if you wish to make some to take home. There is no extra cost to make a bucket of kraut.
Herb Fest 2025
Join us for a fun filled day of exploring herb-tastic activities, classes, and local vendors. Share in an allergen friendly, herbified lunch. Offerings include an Herb and Yoga Walk, Herbal Energetics Tea Tasting Class, Make Own Herbal Remedies Station, and so much more!
Qi Gong Mondays
Do you want to develop a healing relationship with your body? Do you want to learn how to heal yourself from inside out through using movement, flow, sound and color? Then, this is the class for you.
What is qigong? Qigong means working with life energy. You will learn to know and access your healing energy AND have fun.
This is a free event in partnership with the Kingsley Library. $10 suggested donation. Please wear comfortable clothes. RSVP here, or feel free to drop in!
Everyone Has a Story
Everyone has a story is a free community gathering for the sake of sharing stories and building community. Participants sit in a circle and we pass a Petoskey stone around. At the beginning we announce a theme of the evening (ie winter, traveling, flowers..) and participants take turns telling a true story from their lives based on the theme. There is no need to prepare a story in advance, in fact, the more spontaneous, the better! Whoever has the stone has 5 minutes of uninterrupted sharing time. Passing or skipping and just listening is totally okay too!
No need to bring anything but yourself and maybe a friend! We will meet in the community room off of the main library at 5:30pm.
This is a free event. RSVP is not necessary but if you’d like to you can use the link below.
Qi Gong Mondays
Do you want to develop a healing relationship with your body? Do you want to learn how to heal yourself from inside out through using movement, flow, sound and color? Then, this is the class for you.
What is qigong? Qigong means working with life energy. You will learn to know and access your healing energy AND have fun.
This is a free event in partnership with the Kingsley Library. $10 suggested donation. Please wear comfortable clothes. RSVP here, or feel free to drop in!
Qi Gong Mondays
Do you want to develop a healing relationship with your body? Do you want to learn how to heal yourself from inside out through using movement, flow, sound and color? Then, this is the class for you.
What is qigong? Qigong means working with life energy. You will learn to know and access your healing energy AND have fun.
This is a free event in partnership with the Kingsley Library. $10 suggested donation. Please wear comfortable clothes. RSVP here, or feel free to drop in!
Qi Gong Mondays
Do you want to develop a healing relationship with your body? Do you want to learn how to heal yourself from inside out through using movement, flow, sound and color? Then, this is the class for you.
What is qigong? Qigong means working with life energy. You will learn to know and access your healing energy AND have fun.
This is a free event in partnership with the Kingsley Library. $10 suggested donation. Please wear comfortable clothes. RSVP here, or feel free to drop in!
Everyone Has a Story
Everyone has a story is a free community gathering for the sake of sharing stories and building community. Participants sit in a circle and we pass a Petoskey stone around. At the beginning we announce a theme of the evening (ie winter, traveling, flowers..) and participants take turns telling a true story from their lives based on the theme. There is no need to prepare a story in advance, in fact, the more spontaneous, the better! Whoever has the stone has 5 minutes of uninterrupted sharing time. Passing or skipping and just listening is totally okay too!
No need to bring anything but yourself and maybe a friend! We will meet in the community room off of the main library at 5:30pm.
This is a free event. RSVP is not necessary but if you’d like to you can use the link below.
Qi Gong Mondays
Do you want to develop a healing relationship with your body? Do you want to learn how to heal yourself from inside out through using movement, flow, sound and color? Then, this is the class for you.
What is qigong? Qigong means working with life energy. You will learn to know and access your healing energy AND have fun.
This is a free event in partnership with the Kingsley Library. $10 suggested donation. Please wear comfortable clothes. RSVP here, or feel free to drop in!
Qi Gong Mondays
Do you want to develop a healing relationship with your body? Do you want to learn how to heal yourself from inside out through using movement, flow, sound and color? Then, this is the class for you.
What is qigong? Qigong means working with life energy. You will learn to know and access your healing energy AND have fun.
This is a free event in partnership with the Kingsley Library. $10 suggested donation. Please wear comfortable clothes. RSVP here, or feel free to drop in!
Soapmaking 101
Ever wonder how to make your own soap? This course will show you step by step on how to make your own natural soap at home. Using modern tools and earthly materials, you'll feel good about the soap you make.
Upon completion of the course, you will receive a bar of soap to take home!
Come join us for a fun and educational experience.
Taught by Rachel Greilick, owner of Fishcreek Soapworks with decades of soap making experience.
Cost: $35/person (includes materials)
Space is limited.
Healing Sound Bath
Let go of your weekly stress with the healing vibrations of this relaxing sound bath. Honor your hard work by taking time to tune in and drift away...
What is a Sound Bath?
A sound bath is a meditative experience where you are “bathed” in sound waves of specific frequencies to promote deep relaxation and restoration. You will experience the soothing sounds of quartz crystal singing bowls, a crystal singing pyramid, an ocean drum, chimes, and a gong as they resonate with your body’s energetic centers allowing your own healing powers to activate.
Is a Sound Bath safe?
For most people, yes. It is important to check with your healthcare professional if you are being treated for a mental illness or chronic health condition, are pregnant, or if you have any type of implant or metal in your body. People with implanted electrical devices such as pacemakers or insulin pumps are not advised to participate in sound healing without permission from your healthcare provider. Some folks with tinnitus have experienced discomfort with some frequencies, simple ear plugs may help.
What to expect/ what to bring.
You will be lying or sitting in a comfortable position for approximately an hour. Feel free to change positions if necessary during the session. Bring anything you will need to bring your body into a relaxed position (yoga mat, cushion, pillow(s), blanket). Loose fitting, layered clothing is best.
During the session, many reactions may occur. You may fall asleep, cry, laugh, or experience a floating sensation. Emotional release may happen. It is important to give yourself permission to be open to the experience and all its possibilities.
After the session, you may feel calm and sleepy or energized. Depending on your individual concerns and possible transformation, varied reactions may occur.. It is important to drink plenty of water and give yourself permission to accept your personal reaction as what is needed for your body to heal itself. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.
Jill Mann peacefulvibrationsupnorth@gmail.com 231-357-3238
No medical claims are made about the use of crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, or other instruments. They are not an alternative to medical treatment.
Jill Mann and Peaceful Vibrations accepts no responsibility for any medical issues, we do not diagnose or give medical advice.
Jill Mann of Peaceful Vibrations, LLC, is a certified sound healer. She has completed the Life Changing Energy Expert Sound Healer Certification program accredited by the Complementary Medical Association as well as several other continuing education courses in sound healing. She is grateful to share the beneficial frequencies of her crystal singing bowls and other instruments.
Most recently, she completed a Laughter Yoga leader certificate course taught by Dr. Harish Rawat, founder of Lot of Laughter Yoga foundation. In June 2025, Jill started a laughter club in Benzie County.
Jill lives in Benzie County with her husband and dog. She enjoys sharing all the wonderful outdoor adventures this area has to offer with her family and friends.
PEACE - Practical Education Around Conflict Efficacy
An introduction to tools and techniques used for conflict resolution. We will explore different cultural modalities including the Hawaiian practice of ho’oponopono. Participants will have the opportunity to put these practices into real life examples with guided exercises during the class. These skills can be helpful in navigating life challenges and relationships and can help foster peaceful relations in our communities.
Taught by instructor Jami Bigham with 7+ years experience as a professional mediator and a student of nonviolent communication.
Cost: $25/person
Songwriting Workshop with Seth Bernard
Learn the process of songwriting from local songwriter, performer and activist Seth Bernard. Participants will have the opportunity to gain tools to write their own songs and the group will write a song together at the workshop.
Cost: $30/person
Cheesemaking 101
Join us as Sue Kurta leads us through the steps to making fresh, tender mozzarella cheese from scratch. This class will teach you how to make fresh mozzarella in your own kitchen with just a few ingredients and equipment you have at home. We will be stretching the cheese by hand and enjoy sampling what we make! This class is for participants 12 years and older. A fun and delicious class is guaranteed!
Sue Kurta took up cheesemaking as a hobby while living on the East coast in the 00's. That hobby became a passion, and Sue founded her own cheese company, Boss Mouse Cheese, in 2012, specializing in aged cow's milk cheeses. Today Sue is an instructor for the MSU Dairy Division, as well as leading private group cheese making classes all over Michigan.
Cost: $30/person
Piecrust & Pastry - the forgotten arts of the rolling pin
It’s been called a Lost Grandmother’s Art: but pie has been the food of the humble and hungry since time immemorial, so why would it be hard to make now?
In this class we will learn to make a pie crust starting with flour, butter, and water, talk about why different fats give different crusts, why marble rolling pins were a thing (science!), why “keep cool” has been the motto of piemakers since the dawn of time (science!), why some pies call for changing the temperature while baking, and why we use sometimes use such things as a pastry cutter, crust (and how to get by without one). Tips for rolling out your dough without tears will be demonstrated, we will talk about washes to make your crust pretty and we will finish with laying a puff pastry top on an apple pie and watching it bake. Students with the time available are welcome to stay to eat it.
Class Cost: $35/person
Age range: suitable for anyone with the dexterity to cut and core an apple and roll out play-doh (cutting apples will not be part of the class and play-doh will not be provided, but that is the amount of dexterity needed).
Time: 3 hours
Wilderness Exploration Walk at Mayfield Pond Park
Talk a walk through Mayfield Pond Park with wildlife expert Josh Green and explore flora and fauna along the way. Josh will point out trees, plants, animal signs and more that many of us may not notice in our everyday lives.
Wear comfortable, weather appropriate clothing and footwear. Be prepared for a moderate 1+ mile hike through the forest with some steps and hills. In case of rain the walk will be rescheduled.
Meet at the sign by the railroad tracks near the parking lot at Mayfield Pond Park at 2pm.
Cost: $15/person
iPhone Product Photography
Are you a maker looking to improve the photos you take of your product for online sales, your website, or social media? In this class we will go over how to use your iPhone to create better photos. Topics include phone settings, using available light, creating a flatlay, and incorporating objects from nature. You will have time to create your own setup with help from the instructor. Bring items you may want to incorporate. Best suited for small products (basketball-sized or smaller).
Taught by Christina LaMie, owner of LaMieMedia.com
Cost: $40/person
Space is limited