A key component of the Dancing Rabbit vision is the Society of Communities model, a village where many "entities" (meaning communities, family units, and individuals) live and work together. We've had a lot of discussion about how to move towards this goal, including the proposal to have entire existing communities join DR. That Dancing Rabbit dream got one step closer to reality the weekend of October 26 when two members of Fiddler's Green, a forming community in Chicago, came to visit us and Sandhill.
Fiddler's Green has a core group of four to six members living and working in Chicago. Members are in their 20's and mostly college educated. As a collection of friends, they hope to move to rural land and live the good life without sacrificing other goals, such as environmentalism and connectedness to each other.
Lauren and Jacob spent almost four days here in Missouri and we had a great time working and talking together. They were able to fit into almost every aspect of life at Sandhill. They were energetic from the start, which was fortunate because we shanghaied them into helping pick up sorghum cane from the field within moments of their arrival. They also helped to cook dinner, chop wood, make tempeh, mill and bottle sorghum, and many other tasks. It was a good opportunity for us to talk informally and get to know each other while sharing work, and we got along fabulously.
As it turned out, we already knew some people in common and had some shared interests other than community and sustainability (including the "Sandman" graphic novel series). Overall, it was very rewarding to discuss relationships, income ideas, and environmentalism with people outside of DR that have similar views but with their own unique take on things.
We also made time for some more formal meetings. Rabbit and Fiddler representatives kept in mind that this is just an exploratory stage for a possible DR-FG alliance. Since both groups run by consensus of the full membership and neither community had all its members present, much more talking needs to occur to decide how and if a collaboration might work. For instance, Rutledge may be too remote or our sustainability guidelines too strict for the Fiddlers. Nevertheless, our talks were generally very promising.
Together, we brainstormed ways our groups can help each other, from getting set up as incorporated non-profits to starting businesses and attracting new members. We brought Fiddler's Green up to speed on how we're doing in our land search and other pursuits. Since FG members probably aren't ready to move to rural land until spring of 1998, we have to time to work together on how DR's first two subcommunities (Skyhouse and FG) might interact. In addition, the Fiddlers will probably give us feedback on our social and economic structures as we begin to set them up, and give input on the land we purchase.
All in all, the weekend left everyone feeling energized and hopeful about our possible future together. As a working group, we found it easy to speak freely, get along, and resolve possible differences. Since we enjoy each others' company, we look forward to becoming friends. Be prepared for news of future collaboration!
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