A Message from Victor....

WOOTEN WOODS WORK WEEKEND

JULY 9-11, 2010

Wooten Woods, the beautiful retreat that was build by your hands is calling on you for help once again. We are asking for your participation in our upcoming building weekend. The dates are July 9, 10, & 11 (Fri – Sun), 2010.

As you’ve probably heard, the Tennessee floods took three of our buildings, completely submerging two of them. We’ve been diligently working to get things back in order and ready for our upcoming 3-Week In Residency Camp. But, in order to meet our deadline, we need your help.

After completely “gutting” one of our houses (removing all furniture, appliances, walls, and floors), we’ve finally completed the process of raising the building about three feet higher. Now it’s time to refinish the inside making the house livable again. We also have to complete repairs in the barn, stage, bathhouse, and kitchen, clear trails, and make minor repairs to other parts of the property.

Although we will concentrate our unified efforts on the July 9 -11 weekend, Wooten Woods will be open to volunteers the week before (July 5 -10) as well as the week after (July 12 - 16). This will lead us right up to our Open House Weekend (July 17 & 18) that precedes the 3-Week Camp. Did that make sense? In short, feel free to drop in early or leave late.

We have lots to do, but with your help, we know that we can (and will) get it all done. How quickly and efficiently it happens depends on how much help we can get.

If you are interested in donating your time, please let us know by emailing: WootenWoods@aol.com.

LODGING: There are inexpensive hotels 5 miles away or you can sleep in the upstairs of our Classroom building or camp in our fields. We have military style cots available for your use.

FOOD: Not knowing how many will attend, we cannot promise to feed everyone, but we will do our best to provide drinks and snacks for all. Feel free to bring or donate cookout style foods (hotdogs, hamburgers, etc.) Grills will be available. Restaurants and stores are only five miles away. Large refrigerators are also available for food storage in our kitchen.

I (Victor) am currently on tour and won’t be able to arrive at the camp until sometime on Sunday July 11th. After that, I will be there joining in with the work right up until the Open House Weekend.

For directions and to RSVP, please email us at: WootenWoods@aol.com.

Thank you for your time, help, support, and consideration,

Victor L. Wooten

PLEASE NOTE:
Our Web Address is now www.WootenWoods.com!

Remember to UpDate your Bookmark!

 

Welcome to Wooten Woods.....

We have been offering the Bass/Nature Camp since the year 2000, and ever since that first camp, we’ve dreamed of having our own location to run these and other camps. In 2008, we purchased land and began reaching out to a few friends for help and information on how to build a camp. There was no way for us to know or even believe the amount of help we would immediately receive.

Past campers, friends, and strangers contacted us offering everything from ideas, construction help, furniture, and monetary contributions. With the help of these and other friends, Wooten Woods Retreat was born.

In April of 2008, after the final B/N Camp was held at Montgomery Bell State Park, (our original location in Burns, TN), many of the students, along with past students and friends, joined together at the newly purchased location for the first Wooten Woods Weekend.

On that weekend, about 130 people, from as far away as Singapore and Turkey, broke ground and started work on the new location.

With the help, love, and contributions of the people there, as well as those who couldn’t attend, buildings seemed to spring out of nowhere. A two-story classroom, a 1018 sq. ft. dome, walking trails, sanded & finished wood floors, a beautiful herb garden, fire pits, an outdoor sitting area built into a hillside, and more was constructed from the ground up.

The reality of all of these people working together (for free) towards a common goal created a magical experience that could be felt by all. When the dome frame was complete, about 50 of us, including my 75-year-old mother, joined together to lift it onto the newly constructed platform. Once the frame (which perfectly fit the platform) was fitted with the dome covering, (which was also a perfect fit,) cheers and screams were let out by all. All I can say is that it was a magical occurrence that most of us had never experienced before.

In the end, many tears were shed and shared, strangers had become best of friends, good food was eaten, music was played, and memories were made. We even found a wonderful caretaker to live on, manage, and supervise all of the projects happening on the land. And believe it or not, all of this happened in about two and a half days.

Since that time, with the continued help of those special people and more, Wooten Woods Retreat has continued to grow and become more complete. It is ironic and fitting that the first camp at this new location will be held in April 09, almost a year to the day from when we first broke ground.

Thanks to all of you, Wooten Woods Retreat is ready to serve its purpose.

Peace,
Vic

 

Please Note:
This site is under construction (just like the camp) !