Memphis Democrat
October 6, 2005

Rachel here, reporting on our weekend celebration of the anniversary of starting Dancing Rabbit. Five other people and myself moved out here nine years ago. One year later we'd purchased our land and started the project in earnest. Now we've got about thirty people and what is starting to look like a little village.

We began our day with a big community breakfast. Lots of folks contributed to the delicious spread and it was a nice start to the day. Then we had our annual time of remembrance. We gather together and tell stories about the early days. Even folks who weren't there have heard the stories enough times that they tell the stories, too. As usual, we laughed so hard our faces hurt!

After lunch we went on a walk around the land. It is a great way for new folks to get in touch with the plants and animals with which we share our land. Then we had a big kickball game. Finally it was time for the party. Friends came over for our potluck dinner. After eating, Penn, Tamar and Cecil played music, while our friend Betsy called the steps for a Contra Dance. I didn't think we could get so many people dancing in the Great Room of the Common House. When we got tired of dancing, we headed out to our fire pit, to close the evening with a bonfire, drumming and talking.

Several of our new residents arrived in time for the big event. Ron has been coming down on weekends from Chicago, moving some of his stuff each time. Jenn arrived this week, too. We also have a new animal resident. Laura decided to keep one of the puppies that were abandoned here. She is rarely seen without Chester. The other two puppies were brought to foster homes in Columbia.

We organized a cleanup of our land this week in preparation for Land Day and our Open House. It's looking pretty good! So, don't forget to come on by on Saturday. We look forward to getting the chance to show y'all around.

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