It’s been a busy April so far. We started the Sacred Women’s Circle and weekly meditation classes. Tux fittings for prom and rentals for graduation. But something fun that’s happening this weekend. The Ottawa County Arts & Humanities council is hosting Homegrown Voices: A poetry and music celebration! Saturday April 19th at 7:00 pm.
There was a time when women naturally gathered—on porches, in kitchens, at quilting bees, and after church services. We showed up for each other, not because it was scheduled or organized, but because it was simply part of life. We listened, shared, laughed, and sometimes just sat together in the quiet, knowing we weren’t alone. Somewhere along the way, that kind of connection became harder to find. Life got busier, distractions multiplied, and little by little, the spaces where women once gathered began to disappear. But the need for them never did.
Women’s circle is a way to bring that back—not as something new, but as something deeply familiar. It’s a space where we can talk honestly, without judgment or the need to have it all figured out. It’s a place where wisdom is passed down through shared storytelling and experiences. In Sacred Circle we take time to take care of ourselves, we ground into moments of breathing and feeling. So often we are in charge of taking care of everyone else first and being too busy to check in with what we need or want. This group’s goal is to give that time and energy to ourselves. Where we can speak, without interruption. Be heard with open arms. A place where support is freely given, and no one has to carry their burdens alone.
Our main goal with Sacred Women’s Circle is for women to have time to take care of their inner space in the company of supportive women. We can learn from and lean into each other. We are going to be meeting on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm. If you would like to join send us a text or an email (our contact information is found in the Contact Us section) and we will make sure your spot is saved.
We are so excited to introduce two new opportunities.
Meditation & Mindfulness will be a weekly class featuring guided meditations. We will work through a variety of ways to meditate and bring mindfulness into your week. This is a great mid-week reset. We will provide floor cushions and chair options. This class will start March 26th at 5:45-6:30 pm every Wednesday. The cost is $5 per class. If you would like to attend but are unable to pay please contact us and ask about our scholarship options.
Sacred Circle for Women is a gathering where women come together in a supportive, intentional space to share, reflect, and connect on a deeper level. Imagine it as a blend between a supportive community meeting and a reflective, soulful retreat.
This circle group will focus on genuine connection, celebrate individual and collective strengths, and empower participants through shared wisdom and support. Utilizing guided meditations, storytelling, journaling, in a non-judgmental environment we can express freely, share personal experiences, and feel heard. Even if you haven’t participated in a spiritual or community gathering before, the circle is welcoming to all women who are curious about exploring their inner selves and building meaningful connections.
Details:
📅 Date: Starting April 2nd
🕖 Time:Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
📍 Location: 214 W 2nd St, Minneapolis KS
Bring your authentic self and come as you are. Let’s create a circle of love, empowerment, and transformation.
Spaces are limited – reserve your spot today! astoriacreativecommunity@gmail.com
I’m so excited to announce I have finally finished all the required course work to be able to start teaching meditation and mindfulness classes! This means once the weather gets a little warmer we can begin starting regular classes. These classes will be a way for all of us to connect deeper within ourselves and find time to slow down. I’ll be posting more information as spring gets closer.
We have also added a projector to our inventory and have some really fun community events planned for the spring and summer! We will be keeping everyone updated on our Facebook, flyers around town, and through here!
We are working on gathering artists, creators, makers, & crafters to participate in our 2nd annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Market. We love being able to connect our local creators with our local shoppers to give people a variety of shopping and gift options for the holidays. We are also participating in this years Gingerbread Festival. We will have children’s activities all day. From 10-12 Farm Bureau will be having Christmas Story and Craft Time. A free event for kids to come, listen to a story and make a fun craft. In the afternoon Choose Ottawa County is hosting Santa’s Workshop for kids to come and make a variety of Christmas crafts.
Sometimes time just gets away from me and getting the blog updated doesn’t go as smoothly as I would like. Life is just like that sometimes. We are spending this fall working on a couple of projects and events. First event of fall is our line up in October. October 18th Oak Grove Radio 98.5 is bringing The Blackout Tour to our space. This is a Kansas Punk/Hip-hop show. A first for us. You can visit OakGroveRadio.com for more information. They are asking for a $10 donation at the door for this show. On October 19th we are hosting a 90’s Halloween party for friends and community. This is just a fun get together. There will be a costume contest, all the 90’s music you could ask for, karaoke, and snacks. Visit the Facebook event Here for all the details.
We are moving forward with our back patio urban garden project with the Ottawa County Conservation District. For the winter we are putting down straw and compost manure to start getting the ground ready for next year! we are pretty excited for this project to start taking place.
I can’t express how cool May ended up being. Oak Grove Radio used the space for the first State Of Punk event. This show was so much fun. It was an open-to-the-public show that also served as a secondary live recording studio. These artists brought so much energy to the space. Their music wall all different kinds of punk and all kinds of fantastic! Oak Grove Radio is a wonderful addition to our little town and if you would like to hear more out of them tune your FM dial to 98.5 or listen online at www.oakgroveradio.com
We had a little bit of downtime at the end of the month and took the opportunity to spruce up the inside a little bit. We know that our floors had a whole lot of character to them and as much as we wanted to refinish them into their original glory that is just not much of an option with the level of damage, they had to them in their last 110 years. We made the decision to go ahead and paint them as a temporary upgrade until we can have new flooring put in. It’s a great improvement! Our next project coming up is to finally get the front façade painted and getting some bigger signage. If you see me up on a ladder, give me a wave!
Upcoming Events-
June 7th Ottawa County Arts & Humanities Pinot and Pallet group painting event
June 10th Ottawa County Arts & Humanities Monthly Meeting 7pm
June 30th Open Studio 2-5 pm
July 6th Electric Sandbox EDM Show
July 11th Start of the Youth Summer Art Progam. Visit their site for more information
July 20th The Ephinji’s Live Band- More Details to come
Oak Grove Radio is bringing an incredible show with State Of Punk! Five bands will be coming in with music across the punk genre. This show will be a first for us and we can’t wait to see you there!
We are jumping on board with poetry month and opening up our space for The Ottawa County Arts & Humanities Council to host their project Immersion. This will be an evening of readings, open mic, and live music. Snacks and refreshments. From poets.org
Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month is a special occasion that celebrates poets’ integral role in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and—of course—poets, marking poetry’s important place in our lives.
I am so happy that I can feel spring in the air. Even on cold days and the random snow, there is a little green, a few flowers, the sun just feels warmer. That means we are getting ramped back up for spring events! We are kicking things off by opening up our formal wear! As a venue, we want to ensure that even if you aren’t having an event here, we can have you looking amazing wherever you go. We can get you fitted and set up with a suit or tux from Jim’s Formal Wear for your wedding, prom, or other event. We don’t want you to have to leave town if you don’t have to. We provide flexible by appointment hours to fit your schedule. We also give all Ottawa County Residents a 10% discount off the retail price! And book Astoria now for your graduation parties before that week is completely full!
Upcoming events
April 6th—Merry’s Boutique hosts a Spring Shopping Pop-up and Ladies’ Night! She will have daytime shopping and ladies’ night with FREE lingerie (FCFS), drinks, snacks, and even more SHOPPING!
April 26th—Immersion: Poetry, Open Mic, Live Music. Presented by The Ottawa County Arts & Humanities Council. Join us for an evening where we explore the world through immersive poetry readings, unleash your creativity on the open mic, and explore the harmony of poetry and rhythms together with live music. A suggested donation of $5 is requested.
May 18th – State Of Punk: Presented by Oak Grove Radio. Five Bands from across the state and across the genre. $10 suggested donation. All Ages. Byob
