Offerings for Opening & Transformation
Evolving practices invite us to listen, open, heal and feel our way into stillness and mindful being—with ourselves and with the world. Healing Walks, Woods Music, Placemaking, and Seasonal Celebrations have grown Our Story; new ways of conscious partnering with the land are now emerging. Recently developed offerings, others in the works, and an old favorite are described briefly below. See Calendar for schedule of upcoming activities and programs.
“There is just one question. How to love this world.” —Mary Oliver
Ben Cosgrove at Manitou, then West River Cafe Standing Stone Reception Sun. Sept. 20, 4PM
Ken Burns-commissioned pianist Ben Cosgrove, the globally acclaimed, nature-inspired composer, is playing the Manitou Woods concert venue on Sunday September 20th, 4:00PM at 300 Sunset Lake Rd Williamsville. Following will be a reception with Ben at West River Cafe, catered in collaboration with Valley Craft Ales of Wilmington, and Dummerstone's own Gravitas, "The Original Stone Standing Game", that's taken the gaming industry by storm as the response of Nature, sculptors, and creatives of all sorts to digital screens. If rain looms, the venue will be West Dummerston Grange Building , on West St., just off Rt. 30.
The Boston Globe describes Ben Cosgrove as “a sonic plein-air painter… [with] his piano as a paintbrush,” exploring themes of landscape, place and environment. His collaborations run the gamut from rock bands to research scientists and film projects that include the recent Ken Burns documentary "The American Buffalo". He has held residencies and fellowships with NASA, Acadia National Park, White Mountain National Forest, Isle Royale National Park, Harvard University and Middlebury College, among others.
Ben's music has been called "deeply impressive" (Independent Clauses) and "immediately evocative and fully arresting... brimming with technical mastery and emotional capital" (Seven Days). Sound of Boston has described him as "an expert at painting sonic portraits of curious, unexpected places." His latest album, Topograph, a collection of sixteen new pieces inspired by land-shaping processes around the country, was released in January 2026.
Playing in Nature, at Manitou, follows his recent yearlong project in southern Vermont with the Landmark Trust USA and the Brattleboro Music Center, which involved exploring and writing music evokecd by the Whetstone Brook and the Dutton Farmhouse/Scott Farm. He's also been working the last year with the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, CT, as their first-ever artist-in-residence, with the assignment of "poking around all 410 miles of New England's mightiest river throughout the year and composing four new songs inspired by different moments along its course."
Concert and non-concertgoers alike are invited to the reception at 485 West River Rd (rte 30) at 6PM, where West River Cafe is pleased to announce extended hours Thursday - Saturday till 9PM, with enhanced menu and beer, wine, hard cider and elixirs.
The Manitou Project is thrilled to be sponsoring this multi-faceted celebration of and Community with Nature. Rain or Shine: $20 tickets at the gate: Directions: 300 Sunset Lake Rd, Williamsville:,1.4 miles up Sunset Lake Rd. from Williamsville Village, sign on right. Or approximately 5.6 miles over the top of Sunset Lake Rd. from Rt. 9. For more, contact [email protected], call 802-258-8598, or go to bencosgrove.com.
Creating Sacred SpaceMarianna Jacobs is a local energy healer grounded in years of Shamanic Transformational Energy Healing and training through healing modalities from Peru, Bali and India. She has a full-time healing practice with individual clients and leads workshops, retreats and classes for healing and Yoga. Her love and connection with the outdoors fuels her passion to share the knowledge and healing tools she’s acquired from Andean cosmology, Ancient Chinese wisdom and Indian Vedas.
For more on Marianna, visit Lightnstone.com. |
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Co-Creating a Life of PurposeCo-creating a life of purpose through release into our full selves, retelling our story in attunement to who we are called to be today. Workshops in the making draw on Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects and others.
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Releasing into our shared future
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Healing Walks
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Healing walks on the land have long been a favorite of locals and visitors taking the short drive up Sunset Lake Road—2nd and 4th Fridays, Spring through Fall—to gather beneath the tall oak and pine for the stroll to the In-between Place to breathe and listen; first to the stillness and teeming life of forest and fen, then to shared reflections from the walk held in silence.
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Earth Day walk with friends
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