Brushwood Folklore Center L.L.C. is a family-operated spiritual center that runs events such as festivals, concerts and seminars, and hosts such events held by other organizations. It is a campground which accepts day passes, night passes, and seasonal camping sites. The facility is located in Sherman, New York. It is owned by Frank and Darlene Barney, their daughter Teresa and her husband David Guzman. The campground is on 180 acres (0.73 km2) of mostly developed land, with many permanent structures.
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Notable features of the campground include the "Roundhouse" (a fire circle openwork structure reserved for all-night drumming), a labyrinth, an outdoor Neo-Druidic temple called the "Nemeton", the "Runestead", a playground area, walking trails, and two ponds, one with an island. There are 3 pavilions with electricity: the "Main Pavilion" (with a working stage), the "Northern Pavilion", and the "Field Stage". It also features a food court, an indoor showerhouse, a lounge with kitchen facilities called "The Studio", a four-seat bathroom building called "The Four Flushers", and a pool-house with a heated pool, hot tub and hot showers. It is a clothing optional facility, and nude participants are common.
During the month of July there are two weeks of festivals at Brushwood starting with Sirius Rising. Sirius Rising is a seven day long festival and the primary event at Brushwood promoting creativity and spiritual growth in a community setting. It is a festival of eclectic & hands-on workshops, arts & crafts, nightly rituals, fires, drumming & dancing and live musical entertainment in the evenings. The following week is the sister event Brushwood Summerfest.
Brushwood presents a number of events celebrating Neopagan holidays during its May through September season, including Beltane, Summer Solstice, and Samhain, and hosts both a Summer Woman's weekend and the Heartsong Harvest Festival.
Brushwood is also the site for several events organized by outside groups including the O.U.R. Music Festival, held the first weekend of June and headlined by the band Hypnotic Clambake. Others include the Ar nDraiocht Fein Wellspring Gathering (run by Stone Creed Grove), Erie Hash House Harriers annual gathering, DAGORHIR, and a new joint effort for a men's weekend with the percussion ensemble Dragon Ritual Drummers.
Some notable festivals that have been held at Brushwood Folklore Center include the Starwood Festival from 1990 through 2009 (run by the Association for Consciousness Exploration), X-Day from 1996 to 2010 (run by the Church of the SubGenius), the World Magic Festival created by Jeff McBride (held there both years it ran [1][2]), and several smaller community events including Lumensgate, Strange Days, and the Association for Consciousness Exploration events Opening Inner Doorways, The Thing in the Woods, and the SpiritDrum Festival.
On July 21, 2007 the Guinness World Record for most bodies painted of 264 was achieved as part of the American Body Arts Festival [3] during Sirius Rising.