Tryon Life Community Farm

TLC Farm is a place to
connect. As a forum
for community sustainability, opportunities are endless!

A
meeting, retreat, celebration, private class, spiritual event or other
gathering at TLC Farm is something special. Here, the life of nature is woven
into human experience: this place merges indoor and outdoor, living and
artificial, wild and domestic. This program supports our work in bringing
various communities and organizations into deeper relation with this beautiful place of the earth, and through it, each other.

You are welcome to hold your own
event at TLC Farm; by bringing your own group here, you contribute to the
fabric of the farm—sustainability to us is linking the many networks and
threads of our social, ecological, political, economic and cultural ecology.
Each group brings its own story, sometimes transforming a piece of TLC Farm,
sometimes leaving information, sometimes getting others involved.

We are particularly interested in
hosting multiple groups at the same time that can informally interact with each
other, or gatherings that are focused on bringing different constituencies into
closer and more meaningful interconnection. Let us know your ideas and needs!

Below is logistical information
about sharing TLC Farm. Please contact
the Forum Working Group at 503-245-3847 or forum@tryonfarm.org
if you are interesting in hosting an event.

Spaces

Village Green: On the
north end of the land is our lovely Village Green. This sloped, grassy area is surrounded by the sauna, fire circle,
composting toilets, T-Whale, Outdoor Kitchen and stage. It's a great spot for picnics and games.

Sauna: A
beautiful, handmade earthen sauna, this sacred space fits 15-25 people. Wood must be provided by event host, or
otherwise arranged. The sauna takes
about two hours to heat (and it does get hot!); a farm host must be
present. The sauna can also be used as
a "cave room" -- a cozy space without lots of light, great for
healing practices or meditation gatherings.
It naturally stays wonderfully cool in the summer and warm in the
winter.

Outdoor
Kitchen: Facilities include an earthen, wood-fired oven (perfect for
pizzas and other baked goods); a two wood-fired, super-efficient "rocket
stoves"; another rocket stove built for a large pot; a two-burner propane
stove; running water and sink; various counters; and electricity. There is also a heated earthen bench, and
picnic tables are nearby. We have a
stack of washable plates and cups available.
Wood must be provided by event host, or otherwise arranged. Depending on the amount of propane you use,
we may ask for reimbursement. The Outdoor Kitchen will be undergoing
improvements throughout the fall of 2008, and at times may not be available.

T-Whale: This
whimsical teahouse was originally built for the Earth Day Celebration at
Sunnyside Elementary School, and was soon thereafter adopted by TLC Farm. Made into the shape of a whale, the body
provides an organic space for 10 people to sit and the tail is a fun spiral
tower, great for kids! Between the body
and tail is a small tea serving area.

Stage: Our 144
sq. ft. carpeted and covered stage is the perfect place for bands, theater, or
just a nice flat spot to sit!

Yome: This
rustic yurt/dome (16-17 ft. diameter) is nestled into the forest on the west
end of the land. It comfortably holds
10-20 people for a gathering, and is a versatile space that can be set up to
fit many needs. There is electricity
and a wood stove; wood must be provided by event host, or otherwise arranged.

Barn: Built in the 1920s, this rustic space
provides a covered, versatile area for many activities. The barn has electricity. In the fall of 2008, the barn will be
undergoing remodels and may not be available.
Afterwards, however, the barn will be insulated for winter gatherings.

Maple Grove: Eight big
leaf maple trees in a circle form this sacred space, and a wonderful spot for
intentional conversations, meetings or ceremony. Bring special items for the two alter areas.

Lower garden areas/edge of forest: The
eastern edge of the land is the wild boundary between farm and forest, and
contains many niches for gathering.

Forest: TLC Farm
is surrounded by Tryon Creek State Park, with 700-acres of secondary forest and
miles of trails. TLC Farm's trails
connected directly into the Park.

The residences and other
structures on the land are not available for use (they are part of Cedar Moon,
the intentional community at TLC Farm).
Composting toilets are available in the Village Green.

Services

Services are offered by our talented community members based
on availability, and therefore may not be available at all times. We pay our service providers a living wage
stipend of $13/hour, and ask that you cover this cost.

The following are typical services
we offer, though we are also open to new ideas!

Building/maintaining
fires for the yome, sauna or outdoor kitchen: Please
provide your own wood or reimburse us for ours.

Making pizzas in the earthen
ovens: We can help with
the logistics of baking the perfect cob pizza!
We will teach you how to build the fire, bake the dough and cook the
pizzas, or we can do it all for you and your group.

Catered Food: We have a
variety of on-call cooks who can create fabulous menus for your group. We specialize in vegetarian, vegan, raw, or
local/in season meals. And/or, we can
arrange to have your event catered by local restaurants in our community.

Childcare: We have a
group of on-call childcare hosts and lots of fun places for children of all
ages to play! We even have a pack of
small children (under ten years old) living at the Farm who are often welcoming
hosts for other kids.

Meeting facilitation: Our
facilitators specialize in consensus-based processes and can facilitate groups
of all sizes.

Shuttle driving: See the
section on transportation for details.

Publicity: If
appropriate, you are welcome to post your event on our online events calendar
and/or list it in our monthly update, going out to 3000 people. (free)

Farm Tour: Guided
tours are a great way to learn about TLC Farm's sustainability demonstrations,
inspiring history, and ongoing community success stories. Tours can be from a half hour to two hours
in length; recommended time is one hour. (free)

Workparty facilitation: If your
group wants to get down and dirty, we can facilitate workparties in the garden,
native habitat restoration or a building project.

Educational Programs: TLC Farm
offers a variety of educational opportunities -- please see our website for
details.

Farm Host and CoCreated
Agreement

Your link to TLC Farm is the Farm
Host, and is coordinated through the Forum Working Group. You and the Farm Host
will work out all necessary details for your gathering. If your event is
ongoing, than your host might only need to be there just the first few times,
or until you “learn the ropes”. Alternatively, we can train you to be your own
Farm Host.

The
CoCreated Agreement is a written document that outlines the details of the
event, our agreed upon exchange, and TLC Farm’s guidelines. We will ask you to
sign this (we will too).

Parking and Transportation

Parking provides us with our biggest opportunity for
creative fossil fuel independence. We encourage people to get to TLC Farm via
bikes, public transit, hikes through the park or carpooling. As an
incentive, we will reduce the per hour rate of using the farm by $5/hour if you
use zero or one parking spot! Directions for bus, biking, hiking and
driving are on our website.

Bike: Definitely the most fun way to get
to TLC Farm, biking takes about 45-55 minutes from downtown and only 30-40
minutes back!

Hike: During the day, you can park at
Tryon Creek State Park Visitor’s Center on Terwilliger Blvd. and hike
15-minutes across to TLC Farm.
Beautiful!

Bus: The #38 bus has a stop at our
doorstep, but only runs M-F during rush hours. The #12 bus runs up Barbur Blvd,
within two miles of TLC Farm. And the #39 runs from the #12 to Lewis and Clark
College, a 25-minute hike through the woods from the farm.

Cars: We have four parking spots for
visitors, and if your gathering will require more parking areas then we suggest
carpooling or shuttling. Want to know our secrets for these successful car
dances? Read on:

Shuttles: Have people park in a nearby lot
and then jump into a shuttle vehicle (usually someone’s personal car or van).
The shuttle can drop of/pick up at the top of the driveway. We like to think of
the shuttle as a great way to begin and end a gathering–an enjoyable few
moments to make new friends and prepare for or relax after an event. You can
run a shuttle throughout the event or set specific times. Riverdale High School
is 3/4 mile away and if your event is large (20+ cars) we can help you arrange
a permit to use their parking lot; otherwise, we would suggest using the Barbur
Transit Center.

If you want us to run a shuttle for you, we would
charge the cost of a van rental (we rent from a partner group that provides a
veggie-oil powered vehicle), plus $.45/mile, plus a stipend of $13/hr for the
driver.

Carpools: Arrange to have your group meet
at someone’s house or the Barbur Transit Center (two miles away) and then share
cars. It’s fun to carpool!

Absolutely NO ONE should park in
our neighborhood or in the State Park parking lot. We are
very respectful of our impact in the surrounding area and ask that you be as
well. As an event host, we will expect you to ensure that your event
participants respect this request.

Guidelines

Animals: Friendly dogs are allowed but must be kept
on leash at all times (we often have children, chickens or goats
browsing the land).

Cleanup: All cleanup from should be done immediately following
the event. The Outdoor Kitchen sink may
be used to wash dishes. Recycling and compost containers will be provided by
TLC Farm; please plan to carry out your trash.

Noise: Part of
TLC Farm’s work is to be a good neighbor, and as such, we do not allow extended
drumming or amplified music without prior consent of our closest neighbors. Quiet
hours begin at 10pm.

Smoking: There are two places to smoke cigarettes at TLC Farm: at the top of
the driveway and at the bottom of the driveway, in the parking lots.

Alcohol: If kept to a central area, alcohol can be consumed in a respectful
manner (and of course, for over 21 only). Alcohol cannot be sold without an OLCC
permit.

TLC Farm facilitates a diversity of movements, communitiues and individuals in the metropolitan Portland region to:

• educate ourselves and each other regarding skills, values, and paradigms for holistic human integration into our ecosystems;

TLC Farm exists because of the commitment and energy of Portland's broad network of organizations, movements, and citizens committed to a transformation of our urban ecology. It is already living proof of the potential we hold when we work together. Now, we have an opportunity to actualize that potential, to use this place and project as a catalyst for the emergence of deeper and more collaborative relations among varied communities with a common goal for sustainable urban density to become more than a slogan: a living ecosystem of change.

Tryon Life Community Farm grows community learning while preserving common green space, restoring native ecosystems, and demonstrating sustainable urban density living.