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Hallowed Oaks Grove, ADF

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Hallowed Oaks Grove welcomes you to our event and we look forward to meeting you!  We have a few rules for attendees, basically just common courtesies. As our grove has become more and more successful and our numbers have grown, it has become necessary to formally set down some rules that we previously had no need to state.  As always, we love having people come and try to show the most warm hospitality that we can.  Please make sure that you and any guests that you invite are familiar with these rule.

Thanks,
          Hallowed Oaks Grove

1)  Guests:  Please feel free to bring guests.  However if you bring guests you are responsible for their behavior.  As they may not have access to this list, make sure that they are aware of the rules.

2)  Firewood:  We view the fire as part of our festival ritual.  The fire is a sacrifice to the gods and a warming gift to the grove and it's guest.  it is not just polite to bring firewood, it is part of the celebration.  Please do your part and bring at least a few pieces of firewood for the fire.  This is getting very expensive for some of us.  In a similar vein, do not put any wood in the fire.  There will be a few fire tenders appointed by the leadership, they are in charge of rationing what we have and only they should put wood into the fire.

3)  Feast:  If you want to eat with us, then you need to bring food!  The feast is a potluck dinner and part of ritual, a symbolic coming together as a community.  It is however, a potluck feast, not a grove provided feast.  If you would like to be included in this part of ritual (and eat some really good food!), then you must contribute a dish to the feast.  The normal rule of thumb for a potluck feast is to bring twice the amount of food that you and your party will consume.  That does not mean twice the amount of potato salad that you would eat (if you brought potato salad) but twice the total amount of food that you intend to consume.  This makes sure that there is plenty for everyone and enough for people to get a taste of everything.  We put no restrictions on what you bring, but we prefer it to be homemade.  We do not discriminate against people who may have fallen on hard times.  If you cannot afford to bring a dish, feel free to contact a grove member and we can arrange for you to substitute trash duty, dish washing, etc.

4)  Second helpings or big first helpings:  There will be anywhere from 20 to 60 people wanting to eat.  Please consider this when you get your first helping, and don't go for seconds until the announcement is made that everyone has eaten.

5) Coolers/Refrigerators:  The YO in BYOB is 'Your Own'!  Do not go into someone else's cooler or refrigerator and take something without asking first!  Also remember that permission to take one beer or girly drink out of someones cooler is not permission to take a second.  Ask each time and every time.  This is just common courtesy.

6)  Camping chairs:  Please bring a camping chair or something to sit on, there may be a few extras or that empty chair may be the one someone else brought so they would have a place to sit.

7)  Tables:  There will be a table or maybe two designated for potluck dishes.  The other tables are brought by people who probably intend to use them to cook food for you.  They might also have brought it for gaming or crafts or a workshop.  Either way, with the exception of your covered dish on the feast table, do not put things on a table that does not belong to you.

8)  Ritual:  Please be silent once we have started the procession, whether you are watching or participating.  We welcome people to participate and we welcome people to watch if they feel more comfortable.  You may set your chair just outside the ritual area if you like so that you can see and hear.  Just remember that we can see and hear also. If you are feeling conversational please make sure you are out of earshot.

9)  Cellphones:  Make sure all cell phones are OFF before the ritual starts.  Cell phones on vibrate can still be heard by those around them.  The leadership understands that there are people with sick relatives in the hospital, people who work in emergency services and the like.  If you must have your cellphone on vibrate, talk to one of the group leaders and we can make special arrangements for you.