Dearest swappers,

By now you’ve seen the tantalizing workshop schedule and workshop descriptions for Epic Skill Swap 2014, held from May 23-26 this year at Camp Wilmot! If you want to carpool or need to be picked up from public transit, please indicate so when you register. Rideboard deets will be forthcoming.

This post has a bunch of important stuff about the weekend in it; please take the time to read it carefully. So without further ado:

Registration: If you’ve not yet registered, you can do so here! Please register by May 9. It helps us a lot with our planning to know if you’re coming, and we will be able to give you a more accurate idea of the weekend’s costs, sooner.

Volunteering: In order to make a small village like this run, we ask that everyone pitch in on a volunteer crew of their choice, which will entail between 1-4 hours of work over the course of the weekend. This volunteering is what lets us keep our participation costs so low. When you register, you will have an opportunity to indicate which crew you would like to be on. We’ll do our best to match you to your preferred crew, and you’ll sign up for your volunteer shift(s) when you check in. The final amount of volunteering will depend on the number of participants that we have (ps: we heard from a bunch of folks last year that hanging with their volunteer crews was a highlight of Skill Swap. Just sayin’). If you are interested in being a volunteer coordinator (fondly known in these parts as an ‘octopus’), please email us at epicskillswap@gmail.com.

The Facilities: Camp Wilmot has a commercial kitchen, which we use for meal preparation. We also have access to a dining room, a pond for swimming, a few indoor spaces for workshops, and a barn. The spacious Camp offers two sleeping options: cabins for those who prefer a roof over their heads, or open fields for those who prefer stars. On your registration form, you will be asked about your sleeping preferences. There are designated “quiet areas” for campers and cabin-ers alike who are protective of their shut-eye. Please also bear in mind that Wilmot is an outdoor summer camp with rough surfaces. If you are a wheelchair rider, you may prefer to get in touch with the organizers (epicskillswap@gmail.com) so that we can best accommodate you.

Food: Please bring a dish Friday night for a potluck dinner. We will provide vegetarian meals three times a day on Saturday and Sunday, and breakfast on Monday. Feel free to supplement this bounty with your own ready-to-eat snackies. If you have specific dietary needs: you can opt out of group food and use the kitchen to prepare food by yourself or with a group of others with similar needs, and your price will be reduced accordingly. A small refrigerator will be reserved for those who fall into this category. Please note, however, that group meal prep will take priority in the hours directly before meals. If you are preparing your own food, please take that into consideration. You may want to consider bringing a camp stove.

The Fine Print:

• Dogs: We love our furry friends, but there is a no-dogs policy in place at Epic Skill Swap (except for service animals).

• WiFi: There is wireless internet at Camp Wilmot and the password will be available; however, please be conscious of helping us cultivate mindful interactions between people, and limit your web use to the physical spaces we’ve set aside for it.

• Kids: We love kids! Kids are the future! They should teach and learn with the best of ‘em, and we will do our best to indicate which workshops are particularly kid-friendly! However, we are not set up to provide childcare at this juncture. You are welcome to bring your children–we love it when people do–but if you do, they remain solely your responsibility. If you are under 18, you must attend Epic Skill Swap with a parent or guardian.

• Alcohol: Alcohol is permitted at Epic Skill Swap due to a gracious flexibility in policy on Wilmot’s part, but please drink responsibly.

• Drugs: Illegal drugs are absolutely not allowed at Epic Skill Swap. If you use illegal drugs, you will be asked to leave. Please understand that failing to observe this puts the organizers in a very awkward position, and there will be no exceptions here.

• Legal Stuff: When you check in, you will be asked to sign a standard liability form. This basically indicates you understand what you’re getting into and you won’t hold the organizers or Camp Wilmot responsible should something go amiss. We will also have event insurance for the weekend.

Epic Skill Swap is a socially inclusive, non religiously-affiliated event open to people of all backgrounds, religions, ages, abilities, genders, and orientations.

A complete packing list and some other fun details will be forthcoming as we get closer. Thank you all for being part of such an amazing community; we are so very much looking forward to sharing the weekend with you again. In the meantime, and with great anticipation, we are epically and lovingly yours,

Meghan, Alison, Charis, Jamie, and Jay