The Spirit of SOAR: 40 Years of Community

Editor’s Note: 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of SOAR, the Spin Off Autumn Retreat. In digging through the archives, we found several fun photos of the events that took place, along with photos of a T-shirt worn at the inaugural event in 1983. That T-shirt has inspired the logo for this year’s SOAR event.

In recognition of the 40th anniversary, we asked the individual who has been to more SOAR events over the last four decades than anyone else to give us an idea of what the early events were like.

Here’s Jeannine Glaves . . .

Many years ago, a good friend told me all about a new spinning get-together that I should attend. It was called the Spin Off Autumn Retreat, or “SOAR,” and would be held at Pingree Park at the Colorado State University forestry facility in the mountains. A trip to Colorado and spinning sounded like my idea of a great vacation, so I applied for, and received, the Individual Artist Grant from the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa. “SOAR 1984” here I come.

Having a tight budget, my husband and I packed up the car and planned to camp. We arrived Thursday afternoon, set up camp, and signed in for the conference. The snow arrived later that night. Friday and Saturday were magical: three daytime sessions and an evening session each. There were eleven outstanding experienced spinners as mentors for the small informal spinning sessions. On Sunday there was a sunrise meditation with breathtaking scenery, then a wrap-up and we said our goodbyes.

From left to right: The author camping out at her first SOAR event (courtesy of the author); 1983’s instructors included Brucie Adams, Louise Bradley, Romedy Murrow, Anne Bliss, Beverly Royce, Celia Quinn, Doris d'Avila, Harry Linder, Oliver Linder, Lee Raven, and Linda Berry Walker; a student enjoys spinning in the Colorado outdoors.

During one of the evening show-and-tell sessions at the 1985 SOAR event, two ladies shared some cotton dyeing they had done. They were asked what process they had used to prep the fibers to take the dye. They answered, “We carded the ginned fiber, spun it, made a skein, and put it in the dye pot.” Someone in the room commented, “But that won’t work,” to which the ladies replied, “But we didn’t know it wouldn’t work, so we did it, and it worked!” This brought a chuckle from the group and led to a discussion on why and how it worked. For me, that set the tone for SOAR—share, ask questions, and learn.

Dale Pettigrew, the conference coordinator for many SOAR events, is shown at the inaugural event in 1983. With a nod to how it all began, we’ve brought back the original SOAR logo for this year’s goodies.

The venue for SOAR has changed over the years, but the quality and depth of teaching has always been excellent. The sharing by teachers and fellow students alike has made me a more confident teacher who’s able to solve problems. If you have never been to a SOAR event, you should add it to the top of your bucket list.

This year’s event will be held in beautiful Loveland, Colorado, October 29–November 3. If you’re interested in purchasing a ticket and would like a list of available classes, please reach out to our support team via email here. The merchandise pictured above can be found here; if you’re attending this year’s event and would like to purchase swag, be sure to make your purchase by the end of September to receive it in time for SOAR. —Editors

Jeannine Glaves has been spinning and weaving for a long, long time and has received numerous awards and recognitions. She feels handspun, handwoven bands are the natural way for her to journal. Creating and teaching is her way of paying rent for her time on earth.