This event will be held as scheduled as long as the weather is reasonably good. We will be outdoors as we stand and watch the sunrise. If the weather is bad (i.e. winter storm), we will cancel – watch for cancellation updates (if any) by 10pm the night before the event.
Come acknowledge the Winter Solstice by watching the sunrise with us and standing in the alignment in the Great Stone Circle. This will be a quiet, meditative event with a short opening rite and reading to help us welcome Winter and send Autumn on its way with blessings. Join us to celebrate as Autumn passes the seasonal “baton” to Winter.
COST: admission to Kinstone (pay in advance online OR pay in person at the Kinstone Visitor Center upon arrival); No Registration Required
Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024 Time: 7:00am – 8:00am
WHAT TO BRING: feel free to bring a poem about winter, winter solstice, snow, or other winter theme to share.
IMPORTANT: We will gather at 7am in the Kinstone Visitor Center. Depending on snow levels and weather we will determine exactly where we will hold the short program that is scheduled to start at 7:10am. If possible, we will gather around a blazing fire in the Stargazer Circle. If it is too cold and/or there is too much snow on the ground, we may instead gather inside the building or around a smaller fire near the Porch of the Visitor Center. Thank you in advance for your patience as we figure out exactly where to be for the program portion.
Weather and snow conditions permitting, we will proceed together from the short program area to the center of the Great Stone Circle. Given fair weather and clear skies, we will watch the sun as it crests the ridge and beams through the Chair Stones into the center of the Circle.
Note: Actual sunrise is at 7:38am and given the topography at Kinstone it will be closer to 7:50am when we can see the sun from the center of the circle on a clear day.
Dress in layers! We may be indoors for part of this and then proceed outdoors later. Bring what winter gear you need for the weather and wear appropriate footwear, boots, scarves, hats, extra layers and gloves. Expect it to be colder and windier than you think. In snowy years, be prepared to walk some distance through snow and on uneven (perhaps icy – or muddy, slippery) paths to get to the circle.
Parking may be very limited if there is snow on the ground. If there is not much snow, please park in the grassy parking area known as the Riverview Parking Area. If there is a lot of snow, we will be limited to parking in the small lot by the Visitor Center (Staff Parking area). If this is the case, please park as closely to others as possible to make enough room for all. Note: we highly discourage parking along the road, however; if you absolutely must park along the road due to snow in our Staff and Visitor Parking areas, please make sure you put on your 4-way flashing lights while parked there for this short event and do not park in front of any neighbors’ property or driveways.
This event is planned to be held outdoors. It will be cancelled in case of snow storm or bad weather. Please note that we will not see the alignment if it is cloudy or if the horizon is obstructed by morning mist, fog, rain, snow or clouds. If it is raining or snowing heavily we will cancel. Cancellations will be posted on this event page and on the corresponding Facebook event page as soon as we can reasonably decide based on weather reports – but at least 1 hour before the scheduled start time for this event.
Interesting fact: The exact time of the astronomical Winter Solstice this year is Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 3:20am CST.
(Photo credit: Kristine Beck, Winter Solstice Sunrise Observance, Dec 21, 2023. No snow!)
