Transition Cadillac

Transition Cadillac Area's Mission is to Promote and Inspire Abundant, Local and Resilient Communities.

The Transition Cadillac Area Initiative is unleashing the collective genius of our community in Cadillac and surrounding areas, to create new ways of living that are more nourishing, fulfilling and ecologically sustainable.
Together, we are building resiliency to face the challenges of energy depletion, climate change and economic contraction.

SEED SAVING WORKSHOP with Craig Schaaf, Hosted by Transition Cadillac Area
Thursday, 7 May 2013 6-10pm
Congregational Fellowship Hall, 200 Harris Cadillac, MI.

SEED EXCHANGE and SEED SAVING workshop, with Craig Schaaf from Golden Rule Farm.
We are fortunate to have Craig offer this comprehensive workshop for those who are interested in learning how to save seeds. Two attempts last winter were foiled by a blizzard and the flu, so this one is a GO! Learn the importance of preserving our food crop heritage. Wet and dry seed saving techniques will be covered through this hands on demonstration. Go home with the skills to begin saving your own seeds season to season.A seed swap will be part of the workshop. Bring any untreated seed to share with the group and go home with some new varieties!

COST: $10.00 AT THE DOOR
BRING A SNACK FOR THE EVENING, AS THIS IS A BIT LONGER THAN OTHER WORKSHOPS.

Get ready to participate in this years 200 (yes 200!!!) YARDen Community DASH!!

This year we are not only encouraging expanded gardens, new gardens, but also community gardens! Several existing community gardens are involved in planning this year's fun community competition to promote gardens, as well as helping with our EARTH DAY Celebration on Sunday April 21st. Thanks to Cornerstone Community Garden, St. Ann's School Community Garden, Cadillac CRC Community Garden, and several other volunteers!! Thanks also to Rotary for funding the infamous Seth and May Bernard and the Earthwork Collective, who will once again perform and inspire at our the DASH Kickoff on EARTH DAY! Stay tuned for details of multiple workshops, and fun times!

You can begin to register this year's garden anytime now using the registration form.
We are encouraging participation at local community gardens this year as well as expanded gardens and more new gardens!

If you would like to be a vendor or do a demo at our Earth Day Celebration, please contact us and let us know! We are also looking for volunteers to help on Earth Day!

Many thanks to YouthBuild for hand painting our beautiful 200 YARDen DASH! signs for 2013

Gardening Workshops offered by Wexford Conservation District

The Wexford Conservation District has many workshops being offered during March, April, and May. Topics include seed starting, soil building, growing small fruits, beginning vegetable gardening and more! For details, check out their website's Workshops page:http://www.wexfordconservationdistrict.org/workshops.html
NB Advance registration is required.

ISLAND, Bellaire, Michigan, May 2013 Events

click here for details

harvest-vimeoupload from Edge Brussel on Vimeo.

Second Annual Transition Cadillac Area Harvest Celebration
Fun(d)-Raising Dinner & OOOOBY (Out Of Our Own Backyards) Potluck 2012

The day after the Harvest Moon, we were blessed with a gorgeous fall day; sunny, just the right temps and crisp, vibrant colors all around. Fox Hill Event Center was a lovely setting for our gathering!

We gathered to celebrate several things. We were highlighting and celebrating COMMUNITY and LOCAL FOOD. We celebrated FARMERS and GARDENERS. We were also celebrating the culmination of our first100 YARDen DASH, Transition Cadillac Area’s recent status as the 123rd OFFICIAL TRANSITION TOWN through Transition U.S., and the completion of our non-profit application.

One hundred seventeen people gathered for the afternoon activities....click here to see full blog entry

100 YARDen DASH! Earth Day Event April 2012

Our heartfelt thanks to the many contributors who made the Earth Day event a success.

It was a perfect late April day; sunny but cool with a breeze off the lake. Hundreds gathered to celebrate Earth Day 2012 at Cadillac’s Rotary pavilion with fantastic music by Seth and Mae and the Earthwork collective, to register food gardens for the 100 YARDen DASH, and to enjoy garden related demonstrations and vendors from the tri-county area. It seems the gardening bug hit hard, far exceeding expectations, but how could anyone resist? The event felt like a street fair, upbeat and energized by the wealth of things to see and do. Transition Cadillac Area had challenged our communities to register 100 new or expanded gardens—and far exceeded that number.

Young and old strolled through the park, where children’s activities mingled with displays of container gardening, Hundreds wandered through the displays, vendors and demonstrations raised beds, container gardening, chicken tractors and cold frames, fascinated by bee hives behind glass, or sat and listened to the sweet musical talents of the performers. The line for registering a new garden, or picking up a packet and hand painted sign for a previously registered garden, extended across the walkway; children happily created nature prints and transplanted flowers to take home; bouquets of flowers and pots of herbs and vegetables were ubiquitous in the hands of experienced and novice gardeners alike. When the dust settled, there were over 150 new food gardens signed up—a huge success that shows how hungry people are for local, fresh food.

Some came for the music, some to learn more about gardening and Transition, and others just to enjoy the sense of community so palpable in the air. One vendor remarked that there was never a slowdown of people at her booth. Attendees could buy raised beds or cold frames locally milled from surplus lumber, learn to grow potatoes in a crate, learn to make worm compost and seed balls or raise chickens in a portable coop, and purchase plants, garden art, honey, fresh flowers, and more from the many vendors. One woman proudly wore her pin from the first Earth Day in 1970, and there were stories told, ideas shared, and much laughter, singing and celebration. Thanks to all who made this day possible—the community groups, the vendors, demonstrators, musicians, businesses and the City of Cadillac.

- Anita Hunt

Many thanks to Dave Newhouse, Scott Bartlett and Frank Youngman for these fabulous photos.

Groups

2013 Workshop Dates for your calendar! - see Events page

Here are some photos of the 2012 100 YARDen DASH! participants' garden/ garden produce.

We're on the Map!

Transition Cadillac Area is now the 123rd "Official Status" Transition Initiative with Transition US!

"Homegrown Foods" Cookbook

What scrumptious dishes are you creating using your garden fruits and veggies, farmers' market produce or other local foods?
We are compiling submissions for a local foods cookbook, so we would love for you to send us your recipes using the contact form on our website.
Photos of some of the dishes to include in the fund-raiser cookbook would also be welcome.

Want to know more about what is going on in Transition?

Here is the April 2013 Roundup of Transition Initiatives around the World.

Transition Essentials No 1: Food shows some of the food based initiatives being taken by Transition Towns.

Transition Cadillac in the News!

The 100 YARDen DASH! was featured on the Transition US website in June 2012.
And wrote about us again in August 2012.

Thanks also to MI News 26 for running stories about Transition on the launch of the 100 YARDen DASH! and obtaining Official Transition Status.

Thanks to Cadillac News for getting the community enthused about timebanking. Also for publishing an article about the 2012 DASH and an article about us in their HOME section.

July 5th 2012
Wild Edible and Medicinal Walk/Talk

Brian and Karen Cool, owners of "Found In The Woods" took us on a guided foraging tour.
See Brian's blog entry for more about the event.

July 12th 2012
100 YARDen DASH! Garden Tour with Craig Schaaf

What a fun evening, touring three 100 YARDen DASH gardens! Tremendous effort, time and nurturing have been put into growing beautiful, nutritious, healthy veggies!

Thank you to Steve Cunningham / Ria Cunningham for the tour of their community garden, Renee Roda for the tour of St. Ann's school garden, and to Laurie Caldwell Kinney and her husband for letting us visit their true "YARDen". Like the original YARDen of Brooke Nichole Isham and Stephen R DeGoosh, they have transformed their entire front, side and back yard into an edible landscape. Laurie served purslane pesto and kale chips, harvested from her garden. A unique and tasty treat!! Thanks also to Craig Schaaf for sharing gems of gardening wisdom with us throughout the tour.
More photos on the 100 YARDen DASH! page.

Register your garden for the 100 YARDen DASH!

Register your new food garden, or garden expansion, for the
100 YARDen DASH!

See our
100 YARDen DASH! page for more information

Transition Cadillac's "100 Food Garden Challenge"!
Kick-Off Meeting January 12th 2012

The 100 Food Garden Challenge kick-off meeting was well attended, despite a generous fall of lake effect snow. The following teams were created: Outreach/promotion/media, materials and logistics, model projects, volunteer coordinator.
There was much brainstorming and an enthusiastic discussion of ideas.
There will be more opportunities to get involved for those who were unable to come.
The next meeting will be on January 26th 2012 at 7pm,
First Congregational Church, 200 Harris Street.
We were featured on the Transition US website, as well as in the Cadillac News!
Read more on 100 Garden page

The "Model Projects" Team discuss some interesting gardening techniques to demonstrate

Nicole Foss in Cadillac January 7 2012

It was an honor to have international speaker and futurist, Nicole Foss in our community, hosted by Transition Cadillac Area. Her talk was brilliant, enlightening, and very well received by the audience.

Fair Food

Several representatives of Transition Cadillac attended a Michigan Land Use Institute event at Traverse City State Theater on October 6th, entitled "Fair Food". Oran Hesterman has written a book called "Fair Food" in which he envisions a way forward for our broken food system. He emphasizes the importance of local food, which is a focus for Transition Cadillac, and cites Shetler Dairies as an example of good practice.
Oran Hesterman spoke on NPR's Points Live.
See also: http://www.mlui.org/pageview.asp?fileid=17521

Shelley Youngman with Dr Guy McPherson

Talk by Dr Guy McPherson during his September 2011 visit.

Here is a link to see the presentation that Guy McPherson gave in Michigan, regarding peak oil, climate chanage, and durable living.
Many thanks to Shelley Youngman for organizing Dr McPherson's tour of Michigan and for providing transport during his stay.

Transition Cadillac's FIRST 100 Mile Potluck and Really, Really FREE Swap! was held on Aug 11th

Transition Cadillac's FIRST 100 Mile Radius potluck / picnic was fantastic last night! About 35 friends and neighbors, aged from 4 months to 60 somethings, gathered in the park by the glistening waters of Lake Cadillac. We were fortunate to have clear skies and a balmy breeze.......[continued on blog]

Bakers Acres Farm Tour and Soil Fertility Workshop

A farm tour and soil fertility workshop were held in May 2011

"Transition Cadillac" is based in Cadillac, Michigan, USA