This year the Sugarloaf Community Association (SCA), which supports seven vibrant acres of community land in downtown Williams, is celebrating our 20th anniversary. Founded by folks seeking a sanctuary for grassroots education for their children, the SCA has always been a center for both education and recreation. Previously home to several generations of students, the land now houses a Waldorf-inspired kindergarten, an outdoor after-school program for young children, and a newly opened Resource Center.
SCA has several playgrounds, a playing field and track, a community garden, and an outdoor amphitheater for events—including the recent Earth Day Celebration, marking the first Williams Farmers’ Market of the year. The Monday-afternoon market, open from 4 – 6:30 pm through October, brings the community together, and the land provides an expansive green setting where kids love to run and play while adults shop, mingle, and support our local farmers and artisans. The land is open to the public during daytime hours, excluding the upper classroom area while classes are in session.
Our most active programs on the land at the moment are the Forever Flowering Children’s Garden, with the Friends of the Forest after-school program, and the new Resource Center. Here are a few notes from the directors of those programs.
The Forever Flowering Children’s Garden offers a Waldorf kindergarten curriculum that is inspired with a nature-based approach for ages four to seven. Daily and seasonal rhythms are created with circle movement, free play, gardening, wholesome handmade snacks, nature crafting, forest exploration, earth skills, watercolor painting, storytelling, puppetry, woodworking, early handwork arts, and much more. For more information, contact lead teacher, Misti, at [email protected] or 707-921-9694.
The Sugarloaf Resource Center, an all-ages space for culture and learning, welcomes public visitors to SCA land on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30 – 6:30 pm and Sundays from 1:30 – 6:30 pm. The resource center provides a cozy environment for self-directed and social learning and hosts a collection of educational materials, including books, zines, games, arts and crafts supplies, computers, and more. The center is also available to host classes, meetings, and events. For more information, to book an event, or to find out about how you can get involved with this exciting new project, visit sugarloafcenter.org.
SCA has received grants to provide low-cost or free preschool at the Williams Elementary School and also supports an after-school Strings Music Program for community children there. Both programs are in high demand, with SCA volunteers administering them.
We are also excitedly preparing for our 20th Anniversary Celebration, which will be held outdoors on the SCA land on Saturday, June 22, from 4 – 10 pm. Games and activities for children and adults begin at 4 pm, with live music, dinner, and drinks available from 5 – 7 pm. This will be followed by a lively live auction and more fun live music and dancing, with drinks and treats available. The silent auction will be an opportunity for amazing scores! SCA is an inspiring haven in our community, and everyone is invited to join the party! We are especially calling on all past board members, teachers, students, and many volunteers to join us in celebrating all we have created together. Let’s see what we can do with the next 20 years!
For more information about Sugarloaf Community Association, go to sugarloafcommunityassociation.org or visit [email protected].
Jenny Van Winkle l [email protected]
[from ApplegaterSummer 2019]
