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Harvest Moon Day (well, night, really)

 
Apprentice Rocket Scientist
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So, this is what country bumpkins do for fun. πŸ˜†

Celebrate the harvest! A school mascot in the district next to ours literally has The Russet for their mascot. And they get 2 weeks off of school in late September to work their guts out in the fields.

So its definitely a theme in the boonies. And I LOVE it! This is my favorite time of year 😍 Trees absolutely loaded, musky earth in the air as the tubers climb out of their beds, vibrant leaves piling up like patchwork quilts on lawns... and sweaters!! What's not to love?

So when I discovered that the full moon in October is called the Harvest Moon, I had to set up an excuse to enjoy it. πŸŒ•

This is the third time I've hosted a gathering on the evening that the full Harvest Moon rises. This time, I went all out for the BB.
20251006_191653.jpg
The Harvest Moon, rising above my garden
The Harvest Moon, rising above my garden
 
Rebekah Harmon
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Create a holiday (that would become annual)
- 1 more point if it’s a winter holiday
- 1 more point if crafting is involved
- 1 more point if physical activity is involved
- 1 more point for a theme related meal
- 6 more points if the holiday is even better on year #2 (submit to the same BB thread for these points on year 2)
- orchestrate the holiday to be fun for everybody
- thread with lots of pics of the event
- be the master of ceremonies
- 3 hour minimum
- at least 8 people for all events throughout the period
- Needs 4 or more unique events/activities/traditions
 
Rebekah Harmon
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I invited other country gals to visit me in the she shed.

We danced outside with the full moon!

We made seasonal dishes with ingredients we harvested, and shared them with eachother in our potluck dinner.

We made fall wreaths together.

And swaped recipes.
 
Rebekah Harmon
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We started the party at 6pm. We just had 8 of us at first. More came later. Check out the amazing food!!

I made two batches of soup, one gluten-free, on account of one of the guests, Cherish, not being able to eat gluten foods.
20251006_181800.jpg
I made lasagna soup, bread and fresh-pressed apple cider, spiced to yumminess! Linda made pumpkin snickers oodles, and Tara brought salsa from her farm
I made lasagna soup, bread and fresh-pressed apple cider, spiced to yumminess! Linda made pumpkin snickers oodles, and Tara brought salsa from her farm
Screenshot_20251006_223156_Gallery.jpg
Let's get this party started!
Let's get this party started!
 
Rebekah Harmon
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Late commers brought more food! Including irish soda bread, chokecherry jelly, pears, apple slices with delicious dip and baked bree with fancy bread slices!
20251006_190815.jpg
Baked brie and fancy sliced bread
Baked brie and fancy sliced bread
 
Rebekah Harmon
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Can you see those colors in the sky!!? So beautiful! The moon rose as blues and lilacs adorned the joining of earth and sky.
20251006_191639.jpg
Enjoying the beautiful sunset and full moon
Enjoying the beautiful sunset and full moon
 
Rebekah Harmon
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Next, we made wreaths. I'm pretty proud of these crafts!! The foundation of the project were grape vines I cut earlier in the day. They were just the right amount of pliable to form into circles. We used hemp twine to secure them.

Some gals removed the leaves. Others left them on.

The pine and spruce cones were gathered by my mother and I the same afternoon. We also found yellow and red leaves as well as hawthorn berries for decoration.

One of the guests, Linda, brought fun fabric scraps to add to the ribbon I had ready for crafting.

I LOVE how many of the elements were natural. I enjoyed seeing the different combinations each lady put together. Large, small, simple, elaborate. Almost all of it can be composted at rhe end of its usefulness.

In case anybody felt uncomfortable with wreaths making, I also provided pumpkins to carve. But nobody selected this option.
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Some of the wreaths
Some of the wreaths
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A few guests leave early, just after their wreaths were done
A few guests leave early, just after their wreaths were done
 
Rebekah Harmon
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We made our wreaths outside as the full moon rose. Im holding the camera. A few ladies were finishing dinner and not outside yet.
20251006_191853.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20251006_191853.jpg]
I
 
Rebekah Harmon
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As the celebrations wound down, we took extra nibbles of the dishes that were brought. Many recipes were shared, notification sounding as texts and pictures zoomed from phone to phone. It struck me that this is one way we communicate love to one another; by preparing satisfying food and sharing our successful dinnertime solutions.

Screenshot_20251006_223221_Gallery.jpg
The holiday ended at 9pm as all of us moms started turning into pumpkins.... a little early for Cinderella! Ah... the life of parents!
The holiday ended at 9pm as all of us moms started turning into pumpkins.... a little early for Cinderella! Ah... the life of parents!
 
Rebekah Harmon
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What a great time!! My friends and family are now used to my strange hobbies and nerdy badges. They patiently wait for the right photos with time stamps!! πŸ˜…πŸ€ͺ the feedback was positive, despite the photogenic interruptions of festivities.

Thanks to all of them who put up with me and my BBs!
 
rocket scientist
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What a great and inspiring thread!
There's a conversation going on about community and how to build it at Substack.
Would you mind me sharing your thread there?

Your Harvest Moon Celebration looks awesome!
Now I'm inspired to make a wreath, too
 
Nina Surya
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Here's the post where the conversation about community is happening in the comments: Where did all our third places go?  
 
Rebekah Harmon
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Shre, Nina! Thats good with me

I would add that, in order to get as many guests that I wanted at the gathering, I used some of my network marketing skills. I wanted 8 people. I invited 24, a week in advance. I kept a list of their RSVPs. I followed up with potential guests a few days later. I reminded the YES list the evening before, giving details about the party.

Also, this wasn't my first party. My husband and I often host Sunday dinner potlucks. I would say 5 times a summer, for years now. So I have a community built up, which takes time.
 
Rebekah Harmon
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My lovely wreath, now hanging on my front door, reminds me of our fun new Holiday!😁
20251007_153758.jpg
[Thumbnail for 20251007_153758.jpg]
 
master steward
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We've had such clear skies that for the last 2 nights, the moon shadows have been incredible! Cat Stevens song about being followed by a moon shadow would be a perfect dance music choice for next year's party!
 
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Rebekah Harmon wrote:What a great time!! My friends and family are now used to my strange hobbies and nerdy badges. They patiently wait for the right photos with time stamps!! πŸ˜…πŸ€ͺ the feedback was positive, despite the photogenic interruptions of festivities.

Thanks to all of them who put up with me and my BBs!



Dude! That was a lot of work for 2 points!! Or was it more than 2 points? Btw I love your eco scout group BB!!
 
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