HEARTS Winter Wisdom ‘25 Recap

Winter came to Cedar Grove gently this year, bringing our HEARTS community together for our final HEARTS Happening of the 2025 season. Our December gathering centered on the arts, which is the “A” in HEARTS. Sharing stories, ecology, dance, and live music that touched on our theme of “winter wisdom.” A theme that asks us to slow down, to remember, to preserve, and to carry on the stories that get passed down through history.

The Mike Strauss Trio set the mood early, playing some Christmas-themed songs as our guests entered and found their seats. The Mike Strauss Trio is a compact version of The Mike Strauss Band, a staple in the Charlotte area for nearly two decades. Mike Strauss (Center) was joined by Jon Schigoda on upright bass and Troy Conn on guitar.

Once all of our guests had found their seats and settled in for a cozy evening, we were delighted to present Tamara Williams and Company. Tamara presented two choreographed pieces, “Rediscovering” and “Palo.” These two dances spoke to the audience through rhythm and repetition, through call and response, and through their bodies' movements, sharing that resistance and resilience can be expressed through the power of dance. 

After the powerful performance from Tamara Williams and her students, we welcomed Ramona Moore Big Eagle. She reminded us that “words can change the world,” and then showed us exactly how. In her telling of the creation story shared in her book, Turtle Island, she said that harmony and responsibility weren’t abstract ideas; they were lived truths. When Sky Woman fell through the world, it wasn’t strength or status that saved her, but cooperation and courage. As Ramona put it, when everyone else failed, “that little voice kept saying, ‘Let me do it.”

In that moment, wisdom revealed itself not as knowledge stored on a shelf, but as action taken with the heart of belief, as she said, that “I can make a difference,” even when no one expects you to.

HEARTS Eco-Minute with Abigail Jennings and Aaron Kampe shared amazing facts on native North American, yaupon holly. Abigail and Aaron reminded us that wisdom isn’t always grand or dramatic; sometimes it hides in the plants we’ve been walking past for years.

Yaupon holly, as Aaron explained, is one of the only native plants on this continent that gives an authentic caffeinated tea, a species long used and respected by the people who came before us. Hearing them describe how its flavor carries the character of the place where it grows made it suddenly feel less like a beverage and more like a conversation with the land.

Beyond its story, yaupon has a few qualities that really set it apart, such as:

• Brews smooth and clean with naturally low tannins, meaning it has no bitterness.

• Offers a steady, balanced lift from its mix of caffeine and theobromine.

• Rich in antioxidants and long valued for focus, clarity, and ceremony.

• It can be re-steeped without losing its gentle flavor.

• Used in this region for centuries, with archaeological evidence dating back to around 1050 AD.

Across the hall in the Pink Room, that conversation became something everyone could taste. Guests warmed their hands around cups of lightly spiced, gently sweetened mulled yaupon tea with enough spice to brighten it, not enough to hide it. In a program shaped by stories and memory, this little ecological lesson landed perfectly: pay attention. What we inherit is all around us, and sometimes all it takes to hear it is a cup in your hands and a moment to taste where you are.

Also featured in the Pink Room was our festive Pop Up Market, where you could get a head start on some holiday shopping. We had all sorts of offerings from Local Lavender to handmade bows, ornaments for your tree, and much more! All sales proceeds benefit the historic Hugh Torance House and Store. If you missed our pop-up shop at Cedar Grove, come see us this Sunday at the Hugh Torance House and Store from 1:00-4:00 PM. After Sunday, the store closes for the season. If you miss us this year, we look forward to seeing you in February 2026 when we’ll reopen for the New Year.

Next, we paused to celebrate another kind of storytelling, the kind shaped in paint, ink, mixed media, and time. Featuring the co-curator, Joanne Rogers, and two of the artists featured in the visual art exhibit, “Into the Fields.”

Joanne, curator of Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery, introduced the four artists featured in the current exhibit and invited two of them to share a little about their work that was on display.

Leigh B. Williams spoke about how inspiration follows her everywhere she goes in the form of small visual journals. One piece on display began as a quick garden sketch, later transformed into an acrylic diptych; another grew from a photograph of autumn light into a vibrant alcohol ink piece.

Doris Baharona reflected on what it means to paint from instinct, finally. For years, Doris felt drawn to specific colors and landscapes without knowing why, until going back to Patagonia revealed those same hues in the landscape itself. That discovery reminded her and all of us to trust the pull of what feels like home.

Joanne also acknowledged the two artists who couldn’t join us: John “Trey” Miles III, known for his photorealistic collages, and Bunny Gregory, a multi-disciplinary artist whose murals and mentorship have shaped the local arts community.

Following our artists' statements, Chris Simeral stepped up, winter wisdom arrived wrapped in laughter, and old memories. He told us about the Jack Tales his grandmother used to share, stories carried from Scots-Irish ancestors to Appalachia.

Chris explained that these tales came to Appalachia with Scots-Irish families who carried their storytelling traditions across the ocean. Over time, the stories settled into the mountains and took on a local flavor, but the spirit stayed the same.

At the center was always a boy named Jack who always tried to dodge hard work as best as he could by talking his way out of trouble, and yet somehow proved he had more heart and grit than anyone expected.

As for Chris, the magic wasn’t just in the stories themselves, but in how they lived inside families. His grandmother shared them from memory, keeping a piece of that Scots-Irish heritage alive with every telling.

The tale he shared set Jack against a biting northwest wind and a chain of “magical” gifts that promised shortcuts and delivered trouble. A tablecloth that could feed a household, a rooster that supposedly laid gold, a club that could knock down anything, each one stolen or undone, each one forcing Jack back out into the cold.

But as Chris spoke, it became clear the real lesson wasn’t in the magic at all. It was the fact that “Jack kept going,” Chris told us, and you could feel it in the room: that steady, almost ordinary courage to try again, to care for the people beside you, to meet whatever blows through your door with whatever strength you have to give.

Abigail and Aaron came back around for another Eco-minute, although this time it’s very “winter” themed, as it’s about mistletoe. 

Mistletoe, as Abigail and Aaron reminded us, is anything but ornamental in its native landscape. It is a natural winter resource when little else is blooming, a source of berries for birds, a small engine of life hanging where you might otherwise miss it entirely. Mistletoe is a hemiparasite, meaning it taps into tree branches for water and nutrients while still photosynthesizing on its own. It looks delicate, but it’s tough, thriving high in the canopy when the rest of the forest has gone still.

To close out the afternoon, we welcomed Betty Jane “Bee Jay” Caldwell. She wrapped up the afternoon by grounding everyone in the history of Huntersville and Pottstown, the places that shaped her, and the stories she’s carried on. Caldwell spoke about growing up in the Huntersville area and in Pottstown. She talked about what’s known as the “quarters” where families lived, worked, and created a life of their own together. She described them not just as physical spaces, but as tight-knit worlds where everyone knew everyone, where traditions were passed down hand to hand. 

Bee Jay pressed gently on the importance of value, the kind denied to her ancestors, and the kind society still warps today. “Everybody has value,” she reminded the room. “And you don’t want to put a dollar sign on your value.”

She closed with warmth, humor, and a storyteller’s ease, fielding questions and offered one last encouragement: “Treat people as you want to be treated; no one deserves to be a throwaway.”

Thank you to all our guests who joined us for HEARTS Winter Wisdom’25. Thank you to  Lake Norman Realty, Nine Eighteen Nine Studio Gallery, Tamara Williams and Company, and all of our  HEARTS Circle members for their continued support of HEARTS (history, ecology, art, reunion, trails, and store) and our mission to preserve and celebrate the importance of history and heritage within our region.  If you’re not yet a HEARTS Circle member, now’s a perfect time to join our growing community. Together, we’ll continue to preserve and connect the stories, people, and places that have shaped this land.

It’s not too late to join us for Deck the Soles for Pottstown - Friday, December 12th, from 6:00 - 9:00 PM at Cedar Grove, a festive evening of music, dancing, and holiday cheer — all while supporting the Pottstown Heritage Group’s Safety & Warmth initiative. Dress up in your favorite pair of sneakers and enjoy a laid-back, elegant night filled with good company, seasonal treats, raffles, and opportunities to give back to neighbors who need a little extra support this winter.

Your presence helps keep homes safe and warm across the Pottstown community.

Tickets are free, and donations are truly appreciated.

Click below to save your spot and celebrate the season with us!