Tara: [00:00:00] Welcome to Holy Shenanigans podcast, everyone. I'm your muse, Tara Lamont Eastman, a pastor, a podcaster, and practitioner of Holy Shenanigans. Here at HSP, we encourage the spiritual practice of looking and listening for the sacred in everyday life. And this is what we call Holy Shenanigans. In this episode of HSP, we're going to learn about the Wild Goose Festival coming to Union Grove, North Carolina, this July.
Tara: Long time listeners will recall the many times you've heard about the Wild Goose Festival, as we've visited people there. The shortest explanation and description is that the Wild Goose celebrates spirit, art, music, and faith inspired social justice. There are lots of reasons why people are drawn to attend the Wild Goose.[00:01:00]
Tara: It's as diverse as the people who come. And today we're going to hear from Tim Kerr, who has been a part of Wild Goose from its beginnings. So let's hear more from Tim as to why it's important in our lives today to take some time out and go to the wild goose festival. Hey there, Tim. It's great to have you here with us on the podcast.
Tim: Thank you, Tara. It's very honored to be on the show with you. You and I usually meet up on the golf cart at the festival, riding around somewhere, you know, right on the golf cart. It's a hot commodity there to get from one place to the other. I am a basic old white guy fortunate to be surrounded by a bunch of creative, incredible human beings.
Tim: My wife and I live in Jacksonville, Florida. I retired in 2021 from the regular world. And we have been fortunate to have attended all the wild goose festivals. We stumbled upon the [00:02:00] 1st 1 ever in 2011.
Tim: Back when Brian McLaren, Nadia Bowles Weber, Rachel Held Evans rest her soul, were all blogging, you know, when that deal was going on, and we were in that wave of deconstruction back then and, and stumbled upon the festival and thought, oh my goodness, we're not the only ones. So it's been a, mecca for us, really, a pilgrimage every summer since so once I retired, I was able to give back and do this, which is.
Tim: , reach out to folks whether it be individuals or church groups, sponsorships, and so on . That's a little about me. My wife and I've been married almost 40 years, 38 I think, have a son, three grandchildren, so. Very happy life, very fortunate.
Tara: Wonderful. I'm very excited to learn a little bit more about your perspective on the wild goose. Cause I admired it from afar through blogs and I had the privilege of knowing Phyllis personally. And what a [00:03:00] blessing that was. Phyllis tickle is who I'm, referring to for folks who don't know.
Tim: In the goose world, she has been sainted, Saint Phyllis, if you will.
Tara: For folks who don't know anything about wild goose festival, how would you explain it to them or invite them to be part of it?
Tim: it's absolutely impossible to explain it, so I invite you to come and see. All kidding aside, we gathered a few folks that were regulars and had an hour long brainstorming session, let's create an elevator speech for the goose. Didn't happen. We, it got, it got longer. It got longer. It's kind of like, what's the old judge a million years ago talking about when they were discussing pornography? He said, I know it when I see it, you know? Our tagline is what? Spirit, justice, music, art. It's all that and more. Kind of a hippie Christian festival.
Tim: It's really truly hard to describe it. It's a summer camp for adults, you [00:04:00] know, there's a million analogies. And I think you've obviously been there and say, yeah, all of those things.
Tim: is overwhelming. There's so many things to do and, see the majority of our speakers are self submits. I would like to talk about X, Y, or Z, and it's amazing the people that do this, the, wisdom and talent and passion that they have for these things.
Tim: And we usually get anywhere from 250 to 300 submissions, and we do everything in our power to make sure that everyone gets a seat at the table,
Tim: I didn't describe anything much, but maybe enough, who knows,
Tara: Maybe enough , to make folks curious. And with that invitation also come and
Tim: that's right, yes.
Tara: You know, Tim, you are so right. There are so many things about the wild goose festival and how vast it is. But I just want to pause for a minute and let you know some of the things that I'm [00:05:00] looking forward to attending this year. Like the Big Tent Theological Lectures with presenters like Reverend Jackie Lewis from New York's Middle Church, Jim Wallace from Sojourners Magazine, and Doug Padgett, who's an author, a social activist , and a dear friend.
Tara: I can't wait to see him again. As well as the Reverend Siobhan Cornell, who's an ordained elder in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. Can't wait to hear what he has to share. Also when it comes to the music offerings, I cannot wait to see Flamie Grant who's had the hit It's a Good Day that's topped the iTunes charts this year.
Tara: So there are concerts and lectures, but there's also those small venues and table talks. There's yoga class and poetry slams, the silent disco and the crowd favorite beer and hymns. And this is just a snapshot of what I'm looking forward to this year, Tim. So Tim, I wonder, what do you [00:06:00] love about the Wild Goose Festival?
Tim: One of the most favorite things we have and it gives me goose bumps. No, pun intended. Right. Dear friend of ours, Cody Burton, some people that listen, their goose people, everybody kind of knows Cody
Tim: but we started getting there a day early, then two days early. Then three, you know, we now get there Saturday or Sunday before the festival. We're there, we get the campers set up, people start trickling in, and then by Wednesday, watching the festival grow out nothing.
Tim: As our friend Phyllis would say, of whole cloth. There's nothing, And all of a sudden here down the lane comes somebody that you are closer than a brother to, that you see once a year. And you cry and hug.
Tara: Yeah,
Tim: So that, that's my thing. My very first wild goose. I was sitting in the tent with the order of Hildegard
Tara: I'm standing in there talking to Francis for the first time in person and [00:07:00] having a wonderful conversation.
Tara: And another woman walks up to us in the tent. And she's like, hi, Francis. My name is Karen Sloan. And I knew Karen back when she wrote her book, flirting with monasticism. And she came to my little Presbyterian church while Phyllis Tickle was here with us and was doing her tour with the book, the great emergence.
Tim: Yep.
Tara: And we're looking at each other, dumbfounded because we haven't seen each other for years. And over our shoulder was the memorial tent with Phyllis's portrait
Tim: that's beautiful, isn't it? I mean, that's why I say that's, that's just good stuff. That's, that's, that's holy shenanigans.
Tara: It is a holy man again, . And grown from there, opportunities to walk around that campground and to meet people that I had only read and to meet people that are just so gracious and so open to have a [00:08:00] conversation.
Tim: And think that's one of the beautiful things as well. It's, it's, it's at a campground. There's no green room per se. So, whoever it may be, Brian McLaren, Dinah Butler Bass, they're wandering around in the dust and the dirt with you as well. And they're just as likely to sit down at the picnic table next to you.
Tim: as the next person, you know, so, you will have conversations with folks that you'll be just like, wow, that was interesting,
Tara: I'm looking forward already to this summer to talk with more people and to learn more about their life and their relationship with God or the divine it'll be a wonderful time.
Tara: There are lots of reasons why perhaps folks are not involved with organized religion. And I know that there's lots of reasons for that. But there is something about the wild goose that I think is beautiful because it meets people where they are and is wildly celebratory of all peoples being part of that community and that conversation and that life.
Tara: [00:09:00] But I think it's really important to have those spaces where even if you have differing opinions people can gather in respect and love. And I really believe that while goose is that environment,
Tim: I'm very comfortable.
Tim: Inviting anyone that they'll be cared for and honored and respected for who they are, as you well know.
Tara: Yeah, can you think of an example of. One of those connections that you are, most excited about for this coming wild goose festival.
Tim: My wife and I are in Jacksonville, Florida, we have a pretty good group of folks from Jacksonville to come with us. Over the years We have created Almost a commune our camping area is almost a venue now.
Tim: We call it slippery slope we have One person I know from california at least two from Michigan, a couple from the Carolinas, we all come together we create a communal [00:10:00] kitchen it's kind of heaven on earth, if you will, there's probably always something to eat, there's definitely something to drink, you know.
Tim: it be coffee or other beverages, if you will. we do a lot of fun stuff. And that literally is beautiful part. This year at our little area, that's an unofficial, official venue. One friend of ours, Sherry Pallas, she's going to have her book launch there. Tooth Francis, who plays in the Beer and Hymns band, he's got an album, CD, I guess, he's gonna release there.
Tim: Our friend from here in Jacksonville, Patrick Young, does storytelling. We usually have a late night storytelling. that borders a little on the more risque side, you know, it's, it's a little later in the evening, so , the kids are gone to bed, so those things, that's magical to me,
Tara: Holy shenanigans is a term that I've been playing around here with [00:11:00] at the podcast for about three years, it is the movement of the divine or the Holy spirit in everyday life. The story that I told you about Phyllis's portrait over Karen in my shoulder is , an example of holy shenanigans in my life.
Tara: And I wonder if you have a story of a holy shenanigans that you would indulge our audience.
Tim: Ironically, it has to do with the vastness of the choices you have during the festival. When you check in, you get your, your paper program and it's, you know, Oh my God, I got to go to that. I got to go to that. And then invariably you get a line on Friday at two o'clock or whatever in the afternoon, that there's two things at the same time.
Tim: And you're like, well, I can't be at both of them. So you choose one. My wife chose her one, okay, went to it. She's like, I probably wish I had chosen the other one, but it is what it is. So later that evening, our [00:12:00] campsite, there's people mingling in and out and this, that, and the other thing, and I'm sitting across the table from this fellow.
Tim: He looked familiar. I said, Phil, by any chance? He said, yeah, it is. Because my wife had to make a decision today, and she chose the speaking thing to go to instead of yours.
Tim: We didn't know him from a door number. We Never met him. I just recognized him from the program picture. He literally gave her a one on one presentation of what she thought she had missed, and they are friends to this day. That was a holy shenanigan. I mean, it, just was,
Tara: I am always curious about folks who are drawn to the wild goose. And I keep thinking about those who might be wandering or on a sojourn in the wilderness. The systems that they are currently in, and I wonder if you could give a word of [00:13:00] encouragement to those folks who feeling like they're wandering or not knowing if the place they are is their spiritual tribe or family as best as it can be. What word of encouragement might you give?
Tim: Don't stay where you're not loved don't be less than yourself. You don't have to be in a space that you're not welcome in. Ask questions, ask questions, ask questions, and if somebody doesn't want to answer your questions, that's not the right place to be. When you're in the desert, you're in the desert, dry, you're thirsty and you're hungry. There's parched bones in the desert for a reason, you know, it's a dangerous place. So, do your best to holler at us. We'll bring you a drink of water if we can get there.
Tara: Yeah.
Tara: We need to be the goose for each other. We do. that's what I hope in sharing this conversation that people hear come and be part of that wonderful community.
Tara: Where can people find information about the wild goose?[00:14:00]
Tim: wildgoosefestival. org is the easiest place. I mean, got pretty much anything you would need to know. There's even a tab volunteers.
Tim: You can get up to a free ticket if you want it. You know, we hit with the ticket prices are staggered. So if finances are ever an issue, there's a way you can come.
Tara: Terrific.
Tim: and if you need a meal while you're there, find a slippery slope and somebody to feed you.
Tara: At the end of a worship service, I will give an invocation or a blessing. Sometimes I will sing the Lord bless you and keep you. But I wonder if you would be willing to give a blessing
Tim: What I usually sign off with, my normal go to when everybody leaves. Change the world.
Tara: change the world
Tara: and Be each other's
Tim: Be each other's goose. That's right.
Tara: Thank you so much, Tim, for being with us and helping us to learn more about the Wild Goose Festival. The festival is July 11 through 14, and the tickets [00:15:00] and campsites are available now. I'm so looking forward, Tim, to seeing you on the golf carts and at the slippery slope this summer at the Wild Goose Festival.
Tara: My name is Tara, and this is Holy Shenanigans. Thank you for joining us for this episode of unpredictable spiritual adventure that is always sacred, but never stuffy. Gratitude to Ian Eastman for sound editing. To support this podcast, go to www. buymeacoffee. com backslash Tara L Eastman. Ah, and one more thing I'm looking forward to at the wild goose festival this summer Transcribed Is that we are going to be there too.
Tara: So be sure to stop by the goose cast podcast booth and say hello to us at holy shenanigans podcast. I can't wait to see you this summer at the goose.
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