September 3-5, 2010 (optional: Stay until September 6)
Click on this button to download a printable registration form
Labor Day weekend, beginning Friday, September 3, kicks off the Annual Parish Retreat at Kanuga, North Carolina.
To ensure your spot, please complete the registration and make your check to Grace Church with “Kanuga weekend” on the memo line, and return to the church office.
For additional details, contact Julie Walters at childrensministries@gracesc.org. More information will be sent out concerning programming details in the weeks to come.
Kanuga, a conference center affiliated with the Episcopal Church is located outside of Hendersonville, NC. Driving up I-26 for about approximately 4 hours, you’re transplanted into a lush, green, cool and peaceful place that has hosted our annual Grace Church Labor Day Weekend Parish Retreat for several years. Their website is www.kanuga.org
What do you do there?
You can do as much, or as little, as desired. A Grace Church committee usually selects a speaker and coordinates worship services as well as some social and recreational activities, but the choice is yours as to how you spend your time. There is usually a block of several hours on Saturday to take advantage of Kanuga’s offerings or the surrounding area, on your own. The North Carolina Apple Festival will be in downtown Hendersonville September 1-3, with Main Street becoming a venue for booths and the local apple orchards offering the bounty of the season. Antique stores, the Carl Sandburg Home (a National Historic Site), whitewater rafting, outlet shopping, Chimney Rock, Biltmore Estate, and a host of other activities may tempt you off the grounds. If you prefer to stay put, Kanuga offers a labyrinth to walk, porches to rock on, several trails for hiking (with varying difficulty), canoeing, lake-swimming, a ropes course (advance registration and an additional fee required), tennis and basketball courts, a small library, a game room, and a gift shop.
Scheduled activities usually begin on Friday evening with a social hour before dinner, and conclude on Sunday morning with a worship service followed by lunch. For an additional fee, there is the option to stay over on Sunday night. Sunday supper and Monday breakfast are provided with that option.
What are the accommodations like? Kanuga has two offerings: a private room in the Inn or a cabin/cottage with two to four bedrooms (or more). Linens and towels are provided and housekeepers come daily to straighten up and provide fresh towels. Cribs and linens are available, upon request, for a small fee. Both options provide single beds (two to a room). The Inn’s rooms have private baths, while the cabins have two private baths to be shared by the cabin. Additionally, the cabins offer a small refrigerator, a living room area, a screened porch and the best way to enjoy additional fellowship over a board game or a nightcap (or whatever you choose). The rooms do not have central air, but it’s usually not necessary.
There are no phones, TVs, etc. Cell phone reception may not be dependable because of the mountain terrain. The Lodge’s front desk can receive messages on your behalf. When you register, you may choose to be housed randomly, or you may state who you would like to “cabin” with. Every effort is made to honor your request, but ultimately Kanuga decides which cabins you’re assigned, thus affecting the number of folks per cabin. You will share meals, attend programs, worship and be housed in cabins with Grace parishioners, but we do usually share the grounds with other groups having their own programs.
How about meals? Meals are served either at a buffet, or “family style” in large bowls brought to tables that seat eight (high chairs are available). The meals are a wonderful opportunity to meet or get reacquainted with fellow Grace-ites randomly throughout the weekend. The fare is hearty and home-style, but most diets can be accommodated and there is usually bread, yogurt, cereal, fruit, etc., in addition to the main meal being served.
What does it cost? Prices vary according to the age of each participant and how long you plan to stay. The registration form includes all these figures and will help you determine the total cost of your stay. Meals, lodging and all programs are included in the price.
What do I need to bring?
Clothes for hot weather AND cold weather AND wet weather (this is a mountain climate.) Comfortable shoes. Flashlights. Optional: Needlepoint Kneeler projects, books, tennis racquet, basketball, hiking shoes, snacks and beverages for your cabin’s mini-fridge (but Kanuga’s hearty meals will fill you up!)
Who attends?
Our group includes 8 o’clockers, 9 o’clockers and 11 o’clockers. We have every age group represented, every marital status, babies, kids of all ages, those who like to “join in,” those who prefer to “check out,” a group of “regulars” and lots of people who are “trying it for the first year.” Pets are not allowed. If you’d like to know specific names of who has attended in the past, see the contact information below.
