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Members Rachel Katz and Tony Sirna had their commitment ceremony at Dancing Rabbit on June 17th. It was the biggest party Dancing Rabbit had ever hosted, with about 80 folks, including lots of visiting family and friends.
It started the night before when both families gathered in Rutledge to eat dinner at Zimmerman's Store, catered by the Zimmerman family (1). It was a delicious traditional Menonnite meal, except for it being almost entirely vegan. It was a great opportunity for cross-cultural understanding and bridge-building.
In fact, the whole weekend was an educational opportunity. Guests arrived early for tours of the farm (2), so they could see in person this place they had been hearing about for years. In some ways it was a traditional party, with a caterer and a rented tent. But it was all done Dancing Rabbit style. The food was catered by a former Sandhill member who made it all vegan with local organic vegetables. The party was thrown community style, complete with our usual circling before dinner (3) and everyone was expected to chip in to help set up and clean up. And everyone got to use the composting toilets.
We value creating a culture and rituals that are meaningful to us. The ceremony itself was created by Rachel and Tony to reflect the values they hold and to incorporate their loved ones. It was kicked off with a performance by the Dancing Rabbit band, featuring Cecil Scheib and Jacob Stevens (4). They sang a version of John Denver's "Annie's Song", modified to have prairie imagery. Then came speech-making and symbolic candle lighting. But Rachel and Tony didn't take themselves too seriously to throw in a little bit of spectacle, ending the ceremony with a fire-eating stunt (5).
All in all it was a glimpse of the town to come, when births, coming of age rituals, and celebrations of people joining their lives will regularly take place. And it's a reminder that our whole lives are a demonstration of our values.
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