The Holden Village Podcast

Reflections from Outgoing Co-Director Mark Bach

In the spirit of renewal, we celebrate the transition of co-directors Stacy, Mark, and Kathie as they conclude their service to Holden Village. To honor this important moment in Holden history, Villagers gathered to celebrate with a weekend of music, dancing, and a blanket ceremony by Vance Blackfox. It was a joyful weekend of celebrating SMK’s leadership and love for the Village! To reflect on their time as directors of Holden Village, Stacy, Mark, and Kathie each sat down with Creative Tech Ellen Callender to record a special podcast episode. They shared their journey to Holden, favorite stories, hopes for the future, and more.  To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact socialmedia@holdenvillage.org.

Reflections from Outgoing Co-Director Kathie Bach

In the spirit of renewal, we celebrate the transition of co-directors Stacy, Mark, and Kathie as they conclude their service to Holden Village. To honor this important moment in Holden history, Villagers gathered to celebrate with a weekend of music, dancing, and a blanket ceremony by Vance Blackfox. It was a joyful weekend of celebrating SMK’s leadership and love for the Village! To reflect on their time as directors of Holden Village, Stacy, Mark, and Kathie each sat down with Creative Tech Ellen Callender to record a special podcast episode. They shared their journey to Holden, favorite stories, hopes for the future, and more.  To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact socialmedia@holdenvillage.org.

Reflections from Outgoing Co-Director Stacy Kitahata

In the spirit of renewal, we celebrate the transition of co-directors Stacy, Mark, and Kathie as they conclude their service to Holden Village. To honor this important moment in Holden history, Villagers gathered to celebrate with a weekend of music, dancing, and a blanket ceremony by Vance Blackfox. It was a joyful weekend of celebrating SMK’s leadership and love for the Village! To reflect on their time as directors of Holden Village, Stacy, Mark, and Kathie each sat down with Creative Tech Ellen Callender to record a special podcast episode. They shared their journey to Holden, favorite stories, hopes for the future, and more.  To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact socialmedia@holdenvillage.org.

Remembering the 2015 Wolverine Fire: Part One - Spark and Evacuation

The summer theme for 2025 is Life Anew, recognizing all the ways fire is part of a healthy ecosystem and prepares for the future forest. June 29 was the tenth anniversary of the lightning strike that started the 2015 Wolverine Fire six miles east of the Village. Over the next eight weeks the fire would consume 65,323 acres in the Entiat, Lake Chelan and Railroad Creek watersheds. By the end of July 2015, the Village itself was under threat, and the Forest Service ordered an evacuation.  Roughly 300 people fled the Village during the Wolverine fire. Thanks to determined hotshot crews and Holden's own preventative measures, the Village was spared.  We sat down with former Holden Village directors Chuck Hoffman and Peg Carlson-Hoffman, Incident Commanders Nancy and Marc Rerucha Borges, and current Holden Village Fire Marshal Jeff Pierce to hear their memories of the 2015 Wolverine Fire. Experience the story from the people who lived through it in part one of this three-part series.

Isaiah Vespers at Holden Village: With a performance by John Hermanson, Maren Haynes Marchesini, and Megan Makeever

Holden Village debuts a new vespers this summer. “Isaiah: Is This the Fast We Choose?” is a liturgy composed by John Hermanson [https://www.holdenvillage.org/faculty/john-hermanson/] and edited and arranged by Maren Haynes Marchesini. [https://www.holdenvillage.org/faculty/maren-haynes-marchesini/] The music draws from the Book of Isaiah, a collection of prophetic texts in the Jewish canon. The book is referenced frequently in the teaching of Jesus and reveals that justice, liberation, care for immigrants, release of prisoners, redistribution of wealth and critiques of power are at the heart of our theology.  During this episode of the Holden Village Podcast, we’re joined by the three musicians who recognized Isaiah’s unambiguous call to justice and brought the text to life.  John Hermanson is an award-winning songwriter and composer of the acclaimed acoustic duo Storyhill [https://www.storyhill.com/about], as well as projects spanning orchestral, world, pop, rock, and indie genres. Raised in the Lutheran church and rooted in prophetic and mystical traditions, his songs raise ancient yet urgent questions about radical love and mutual responsibility. Maren Haynes Marchesini serves as Director of Worship & Music at Hope Lutheran Church [https://hopebozeman.com/] in Bozeman, Montana. Maren is a choral director, cellist, vocalist, composer, and scholar with broad-ranging musical interests. She holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Washington where she focused on megachurches, gender, and ritual. And Megan Makeever [https://www.holdenvillage.org/faculty/megan-makeever/] lives a multi-pronged life as a professional flutist, multi-instrumentalist, award-winning singer/songwriter, recording artist, and music educator/collaborator. As a performer, Megan plays with various bands, groups, and ensembles in Bozeman, Montana such as the Bozeman Symphony, [https://www.bozemansymphony.org/] Montana Ballet Orchestra, [https://montanaballet.org/] Bozeman Chamber Music Project, [https://montanachambermusic.org/] and the Ellen Theatre Orchestra. [https://www.theellentheatre.com/] Isaiah was conceived in residencies and commissions in a variety of contexts including Holden Village. It’s available through the Holden store. [https://holdenvillagestore.com/products/isaiah-vespers?variant=51011493364031] You can also order your copies here [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc3qoA36rXP3GQQC8sSyTTokzKu8OJXFfB3Qavgid7lQ7uQNA/viewform]. To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact communications@holdenvillage.org [communications@holdenvillage.org].