Join us for a rich day of celebration and remembrance! This event is an actual fair….an attempt at changing our culture around death, dying, and ultimately living well.

There’s a little something for everyone! Workshops. Vendors. DED Talks. Kid’s Activities. Interactive Altar. Meditation. Fire Spinning. Live music. Delicious Food. Cash Bar. Candles everywhere. Music. Dance and celebrate. Art Show. This does not have to be a deep dive into the darkest corners of your soul. But if you want to go there, we welcome you! Come curious. Leave with peace of mind.

Tix Available Now
$15 in advance, $30 at the door
Kids 12 and Under $5
held @ The Plant 220 Lorax Lane
Pittsboro, North Carolina

Join the event! . ..please, sign up through our JOT form to become a vendor, volunteer, sponsor! https://www.jotform.com/AbundanceNC/deathfaire

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Charles Eisenstein, author

Charles Eisenstein is a teacher, public speaker, gift economy advocate, and the author of several books including The Ascent of Humanity, Sacred Economics, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible and Climate - A New Story.

“What we observe to be happening in the world says as much about ourselves as it does about the world. It reveals what we think is important, significant, valuable, and sacred, and what is irrelevant or useless too. Put another way, what we see reveals how we see.”

From his book, Climate: A New Story.

Join us to hear Charles speak of civilization, consciousness, death, climate, and the human cultural evolution. You will see things in a different way. A way that might help you and humanity.
Charles will be speaking on the Main Stage @ 2pm-3pm, Saturday November 2nd.

Join us the night before Death Faire for AN EVENING WITH CHARLES EISENSTEIN – SERVING A MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD

Friday, November 1, 2019 5:00 - 8:00 Pm @Smelt , 213 Lorax Lane, Pittsboro

SOLD OUT

Doors open @ 5.00pm. Come grab a beverage from Fair Game and uber local food from Copeland Springs Farm Kitchen.

5.30pm-6pm: Enjoy the music of local musician, Jimmy Magoo, singer, songwriter, actor, educator, playwright, poet, and puppeteer. A mix of all original music – gentle, reflective and generally uplifting songs around the themes of living, loving, and loss.

Join us in welcoming Charles Eisenstein to Abundance NC for a special evening of learning and discussion around the spiritual work of our times, as we explore how we might navigate grief, endings, beauty amid the shifting consciousness emergent in our modern world.

Performances & Readings

Heartspace - Real Life Stories on Death and Dying Book Launch & Reading

Join the community in celebrating the soft launch of Heartspace, a 260-page anthology of personal stories relating to death and curated by Cathy Brooksie Edwards of heart2heart. With great honor, contributors will read selections of their stories. Heart2heart provides holistic services for living and dying by helping individuals, families and communities navigate the living experiences around death, dying and beyond. All proceeds from the sale of Heartspace – Real Life Stories on Death and Dying will go to our non-profit to provide much-needed financial support.
Brooksie and others will be reading and launching Heartspace in the SMELT ANNEX @ 3.30-4.30pm, Saturday, November 2nd.

The Strings of our Hearts - a conversation about the important things

In this 2019 original dance production of “Strings Of Our Heart - a conversation about the important things,” Studio A Dancers lead the audience through explorations of love, life, and death, with the goal of creating the space for the audience to reflect on the important things in life - that we truly are the authors of our own experiences. To that end, themes of life and death are explored through dance, and each dancer (aged 8 - 16) performs their own eulogy. Throughout this interactive show, the audience is invited to contemplate their own eulogy and to discover for themselves what is important. Please join us in this community gathering; this is a fabulous opportunity to explore a very basic premise: We will all die eventually, so let’s think about how we live!
Melody and troupe will be performing in the SMELT ANNEX @ 12.45-1.45pm on Saturday, Nov. 2nd.

Poet’s Corner - Poems about loss, grief, death and love

Join us upstairs in the big building at Death Faire for readings by eight local poets: 5 Lorax Poets: Doug Lorie, Joanie McLean, Tom Dow, Lewis Caraganis, Roxanne Henderson, the poetry debut of Ally DeJong and Karen Howard, with a reading by Lyle Estill.
The poets will read in Building 2, Control Room (look for signs) from 1-1.45pm.

ENTERTAINMENT

The OUSIA Journey: Essence Within (oo-see-ahh) with Living Arts Collective

Join renowned movement leader Aubrey Griffith-Zill and a collection of local musicians in a 90-minute movement ritual. This collaborative experience will weave poetry, sacred sound, ecstatic dance, and meditation into an unforgettable ceremony with Living Arts Collective.

Facilitators: Aubrey Griffith-Zill + Bruce Rozeboom

Featuring Music by: John Westmoreland + Will Ridenour + Crystal Bright + Tim Smith + Donovan Moran + Eddie Rubio + Jahde Justad + Gareth Dicker + Morgan Fleming + Mary Frank + Wolf Ferrell + Matt Watersong

The Living Arts Collective will be moving on the Main Stage and in the Courtyard from 3-4:30pm on Saturday, Nov. 2nd.

The Music of Angela Winter

Second Line Funeral Procession with the Bulltown Strutters

The Durham-based Bulltown Strutters take the New Orleans brass band tradition, singalong-worthy vocals, colorful presentation, and add an inclusive community spirit that reflects the entire Triangle. Equally at home on stage or leading a people’s second line parade, they have been uplifting audiences with joyful, affirmative music since 2010. We are honored to represent the New Orleans jazz funeral tradition here in North Carolina, with its focus on mournful music for grieving, and danceable music to celebrate the life of the departed.
The Bulltown Strutters will be strutting and marching beginning @4.30 throughout the Faire and ending on the Main Stage until 6pm on Saturday, November 2nd.

Special Thanks to our Death Faire Emcee:

Jimmy Magoo, a singer, songwriter, actor, educator, playwright, poet, and puppeteer. He has been playing in and around the Triangle for over 25 years.

DED TALKS & WORKSHOPS

LIFESTORY - WALKING IN THE WAY OF THE STORYTELLER with Rich Gwaltney

Together we will explore and discover how the power of story can restore order with imagination and bring hope to your journey. Based on a resource by Rich Gwaltney from Transitions LifeCare, together we will embark on a quest for those hidden treasures concealed deeply within our lives by viewing them from the vantage point of different story elements.

Rich Gwaltney serves as the Community Engagement Representative for Transitions LifeCare (founded as Hospice of Wake County in 1979). He has over twenty-seven years of experience serving in non-profit organizations in both education and spiritual care. Rich received his graduate degree in Educational Leadership from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio in 2000. Most recently he and his family returned from a five year adventure in Malaysia where he served as the Spiritual Life Director at an international school. Rich has a lifelong passion to engage people of all ages concerning the issues that matter the most in life.
Rich will be in the Cidery: 1.15pm to 2.00pm

Helping children with loss with Michele Woodall

In life, we are taught how to acquire things, not what to do when we lose them. And yet loss is inevitable. Grief is a heart issue not a brain issue - there is nothing wrong with you and grief is normal. But society has taught us to believe so many myths about the grieving process. As a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist, Michele’s passion is to specifically help people heal from loss; not to ignore or dismiss the loss, but to find the peace that healing brings to be able to live well.

In her own life, Michele has experienced many losses. In particular, she was present when her Dad died. She was there to perform CPR and call 911. Twelve years later she went through that same experience when her fiance died, making Michele keenly aware that life is really a series of changes – of seasons – that test us. And we are left with two options at the end of the day: grow or stop blooming. Her workshops provide the education and practical tools that enable true healing and recovery for people grieving the loss of a loved one.
Michele will be in the Cidery 3.15pm to 4.00pm

Flowers, Bones and Butterflies: An Exploration in the Cultural and Natural Magic of the Monarch Butterly - with Pepe Caudillo and Alisa Esposito

Come learn about the importance of the Monarch butterfly in the mythic imagination of Mexican indigenous Day of the Dead ritual, ceremony and funeral rites, as well as the magical, mysterious life cycle of North and Central America’s shared, imperiled lepidopterid.

Pepe Caudillo was born in Mexico. He moved to the US twenty-two years ago, and like thousands of immigrants he found his first job in a Mexican restaurant.Pepe learned English in 3 years. For the past 15 years he has managed the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake County. Art, photography and writing are three of his passions. He’s also an amateur Aztec anthropologist and Day of the Dead celebrant. Check him out at www.pepestation.com

Alisa Esposito is a child of Ellis Island immigrant European grandparents. She worked most of her life in wildlife and conservation biology. Her perceptions of soul and reality were blown open in the mythic rupture of her life, and she picked up oil painting to give life to dreamlike images of the wild world, culture, alchemy, sentimental beauty, magic and ancestry. A dedicated traveler of Western Society’s many shadowed, winding rabbit holes, when she’s not painting you can find her diving into myth and psyche, studying culture and psychology, popping seeds in the garden and planning renegade shenanigans between fits of writing at her 120 year old renovated farmhouse. She founded and manages Sparkroot and Noble Orphan Art.

Alisa and Pepe will be in the Cidery from 12:15 - 1:00 pm.

Advance Directives with Anne Weston

This one-hour workshop covers two of the NC state advance directive forms—the “Living Will” and the “Health Care Power of Attorney”—as well as the popular booklet “Five Wishes.” We will also discuss additional documents to start the thinking and conversation around our wishes for care if we develop dementia.

Anne Weston is a happy resident of Hillsborough and a graduate of Duke University with a BA in English and a Masters degree in Liberal Studies. In addition to founding Green Burial Project, she is a director of Green Burial Council International and serves as secretary to that organization. She has spent her adult life desensitizing herself to her own mortality and in the last few years just decided—What the heck! Why not embrace it? Green Burial Project is a 501(c)3 educational nonprofit with no product to sell. Its sole aim is to educate the community about the environmental, financial, and spiritual benefits of returning our bodies to the earth in a manner consistent with our values and our heritage.
Anne will be in the Abundance office 1.15pm to 2.00pm

Creating a legacy project with Neidra L. Clark

For this empowering Death Faire DED Talk, I will provide guidelines to attendees for creating their own Legacy and how to create these with loved ones who are dying (or even if they have already died). A Legacy Project can take many forms such as: memory books or boxes, letters, pictures, videos, audios, quilts, songs and poems, crafted objects, and scrolls. A Legacy’s content can include: cherished memories, life lessons, values and beliefs, spiritual seeking stories, goals sought, successes and failures, interviews, quotes, letters to the future, and/or a collection of recipes. Along with guidelines, I will provide ideas, examples, and checklists for immediate use so participants can begin creating their Legacy Project.

Neidra L. Clark is an End Of Life Doula (EOLD), a Death Café host and facilitator, and an advocate for conscious dying. When she was 28 years old, her husband received a stage IV cancer diagnosis. That set of profound experiences provided firsthand knowledge which shaped her future and helped her discover a passion for helping people. Neidra began training in June, 2017, to become an End Of Life Doula. In this role, she supports the dying and their families through legacy creation, vigil planning, funeral preparations including in-home funerals (she is also an Ordained Celebrant), caregiver support, and early grief work. Along with participating in regional and local Death Expos, Death Fairs, and Death Cafés, a significant portion of Neidra’s time has been dedicated to public presentations such as for the Orange County Department of Aging, and providing interviews for numerous journalists’ articles and graduate students’ thesis projects. Neidra is a current member of INELDA (International End of Life Doula Association), NEDA (National End-of-life Doula Alliance), NHFA (National Home Funeral Alliance), and the NC chapter of the FCA (Funeral Consumers Alliance).
Neidra will be in the Abundance office from 3.15 to 4.00pm

She said, “I know what it’s like to be dead” with Josh Mitteldorf

In this workshop, we will relax with guided meditation, then invite memories or insights into the experience of dying and of being dead. There will be time for each of us to share our experience with a partner, followed by a wider sharing of highlights with the whole group.

Reincarnation - There are now many thousands of documented cases where young children remember details of a “past life” that they could not have learned in this life.
Near-death experiences - There are even more thousands of cases where people report memories of what they experienced while their brains were flat-lined due to an accident or medical emergency. It may be that at some subconscious level, most of us have memories or presentiments of what it is like to be dead.

ACTIVITIES

Collective Art Show @ SMELT

Death-themed art from local artists, including Scott Latimore, Michael Benson, Michael Galinsky, Colleen Pugh, Marlee Hassell, Schell Simpson, Connie Samorano, Marcela Slade, and Adrian Moreno!

To submit your art to the Collective ART SHOW @ Smelt Art Gallery, apply at: https://www.jotform.com/AbundanceNC/deathfaire

Death Faire 2018 Portraits by Cathy Martin

INTERACTIVE ANCESTOR ALTAR

Every sanctuary has one. Every home is filled with them. Children build them in the woods. They appear all around us. End cap displays in the aisles of the grocery store. Photo collages in our social media feeds. Grandma’s vanity, where every keepsake has a specific place and memory attached. Your own bedroom – each family photo lined up to perfection. Every culture has them. Every person makes them, whether they are cognizant of it or not. Little altars are everywhere… informing our daily rituals of living.

The Death Faire Altar is both an interactive exhibit and a tribute to those we have lost. Feel free to adorn it with anything you wish. Ashes. Flowers. Poems. Wishes. Photos of your loved ones. Tokens of remembrance. Your great grandmother’s favorite pie… Anything goes. Commune with your ancestors. Connect with your cultural traditions.

Birds of Death by The American Wildlife Refuge

The American wildlife refuge is the only all volunteer nonprofit Raptor center in the state. We rescue nearly 200 birds every year and do 150 Live bird presentations each year! We face death every day …

‘BEFORE I DIE…’ WALL

Before I Die is a global art project that invites people to contemplate death and reflect on their lives. Originally created by the artist Candy Chang on an abandoned house in New Orleans after she lost someone she loved, today there are over 2,000 walls around the world.

COFFIN PHOTO BOOTH

What’s a Death Faire without a bit of the macabre? Lay back in a beautiful plain pine box by Aldergrove Caskets, grab your bouquet, and play dead….

THE PHONE OF THE WIND

There is beauty in simplicity. The Phone of the Wind is simply a rotary phone… where you may pick up the receiver and recall your loved ones lost. What would you say to them? What memories would you share? Inspired by a phone booth in the town of Otsuchi, Japan – used as a place of remembrance for those lost in the wake of a devastating tsunami. To read more about the story of the The Phone of the Wind, visit here!

Vendors

Carolina Casket Makers Collective believes in the beauty and simplicity of a ‘plain pine box’. We strive to provide all wood caskets directly to families for greener and more natural burials. We believe families should have choices and reclaim end-of-life ceremonies, whether they’re at home by the garden or in a funeral home. We also believe families shouldn’t spend enormous amounts on bells and whistles, if all they want is a plain pine box. Our handcrafted vessels are simple, but they are made to respect the Earth and honor each departing Life with dignity.

Dudley’s Apothecary’s aromatherapy blends were inspired by my great-great grandparents, Clairborne and Martha Jane Dudley, who were formerly enslaved African Americans who built a life for themselves and their descendants in Callaway County, MO. They were farmers, herbalists and rootworkers who passed their wisdom down to my great-grandfather, Caleb Dudley. I honor their legacy by passing down their wisdom through this line of healing sprays.

Heart2heart supports individuals diagnosed with a serious illness by offering heart-centered massage, bodywork therapy, gentle guidance, energy healing and music.

Certified Grief Recovery Specialist Michele Woodall’s passion is to specifically help people heal from loss; not to ignore or dismiss the loss, but to find the peace that healing brings to be able to live well. In her own life, Michele has experienced many losses. In particular, she was present when her Dad died. She was there to perform CPR and call 911. Twelve years later she went through that same experience when her fiance died, making Michele keenly aware that life is really a series of changes – of seasons – that test us. And we are left with two options at the end of the day: grow or stop blooming. Her workshops provide the education and practical tools that enable true healing and recovery for people grieving the loss of a loved one.

Food, Drink, and Merriment

Carolina Hemp Tours, Inc. promotes the North Carolina Industrial Hemp culture as a progressive, and positive movement. We accomplish this by providing resources in all legal states as well as a behind the scenes perspective of the North Carolina Hemp Industry and the Culture in local cities. Our tours educate the public on the benefits of Cannabis, and we show how Cannabis has integrated with North Carolina culture. Our strategy is to provide a hands-on experience where we introduce you to the masters who create textiles, the chefs who cook the perfect meal and the horticulture specialists who grow the stickiest buds. The tour is informational, interactive and a one of a kind experience.

Chatham Cider Works makes small-batch hard cider in Pittsboro from North Carolina apples. We work with local apple growers to source the apples that give us the complex, satisfying flavor of a traditional hard cider. The cider is available in keg and in bottles.

If you’d like to visit, we’re happy to open the cidery for a tour. Contact us at lashleyroad@yahoo.com

Copeland Springs Farm & Kitchen is located right on our Certified Naturally Grown farm In the heart of the Chatham beverage district at The Plant in Pittsboro. We have counter service only, meaning you order & pick up your food at our kitchen and are welcome to enjoy anywhere on the 17 acre campus. We use produce from our farm (and occasionally from other local sustainable farms we know & Trust!) to create delicious food that nourishes and satisfies!

Fair Game Beverage Company is a Chatham County distillery, featuring NC grown and produced craft cocktails and spirits. Look for our products featuring apples, peaches, sugarcane, blackberries, tobago peppers, and more – all grown in the South!

We at Oak City Hemp are excited and determined to supply the people of NC with any and all hemp extracted products they may need or be interested in. The founding of this company is a work of passion for us, the staff, and everyone else that has assisted us along the way. It is our mission statement to ensure that Raleigh and the rest of the triangle area has access to reliable and trustworthy cannabinoid products. Come with us on this journey as we step into a brave new world of vocation, education, and legislation.

Mead… Not just for vikings! Call it mead or honey wine. At Starrlight Mead, we invite you to discover your new favorite drink.

WildFire Pizza has a mobile wood fired pizza oven and full mobile kitchen with all stainless steel surfaces and two work sinks. We offer a variety of pizzas, desserts and other foods upon request. Some of our favorite pizzas include spinach and mozzarella and a dessert pizza featuring raspberries, pears and pineapple on whipped cream cheese. Hungry yet?