Illustration of a green plant with roots, a stem, leaves, and a budding flower.

Community Education

Rooted in the mountains, growing together — learning doesn’t stop with childhood.

Group of twelve adults and two children standing and sitting on a porch with a wood railing, smiling and holding drinks and jars, with a house in the background.

 Learning at MCCLC extends far beyond childhood. Our community education programs invite adults, elders, and youth to engage in lifelong, intergenerational learning—reviving Appalachian traditions while acquiring practical, modern skills. We believe that thriving communities are built through collaboration, creativity, and shared knowledge.

Are you interested in volunteering at MCCLC? We’d love to have you! Explore the ways you can support at our Volunteer page.

A person wearing a cap and black shirt is chopping a log with an axe, with chopped wood and logs around, in a grassy outdoor area with trees and a hill in the background, under a blue sky.
Group of women holding broomsticks made of straw, celebrating on a wooden deck.
Group of fifteen people standing outdoors in front of a green forest and a dirt path, under partly cloudy sky.
Group of women sitting at wooden picnic tables outdoors under blue umbrellas, enjoying food and drinks on a sunny day with green hills and trees in the background.
Woman taking a selfie with a flower crown, smiling, outdoors at an art event. Behind her, a woman kneels on the grass with painting supplies, next to a table with art supplies and drinks. Several people are in the background near a building with stai
Group of nine women standing outdoors in a forested area, smiling and posing for a photo.
A group of nine women standing outdoors in a wooded area, holding woven baskets.
A group of people participating in a discussion or workshop in a classroom setting. There is a man standing and speaking at the front, with four women seated in chairs facing him. Some participants are taking notes or holding objects, and the room ha
Group of women chopping vegetables and preparing food around a large table in a cozy kitchen. The table is filled with various ingredients, cutting boards, jars, and notebooks. The background features colorful educational posters on the walls and kit
People gather in a cozy wooden community room with bookshelves, engaging in various activities such as reading, browsing, and chatting around a large central table and in a kitchen area.
Two people preparing to make pizzas outdoors under a canopy. The woman on the left is holding a can of black beans and a bag of shredded cheese, smiling and speaking. The man on the right is smiling, wearing glasses and a green striped polo, and is p
Group of people outdoors in front of a large wooden barn, some kneeling, some standing, smiling, dressed casually with outdoor gear and backpacks, on a dirt ground.
A group of seven women around a wooden table in a cozy kitchen, some wearing blue gloves, preparing vegetables. There are bowls of chopped vegetables on the table, including potatoes, carrots, and onions, along with flowers in a vase as centerpieces.
Person wearing a hat uses a straightedge to level freshly poured concrete in a wooden frame. Several people stand nearby on gravel ground.
Group of people on a forest trail, listening to guide, surrounded by trees and greenery.
A man wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a blue raincoat, and shorts, holding a muddy rock, standing outdoors near a white building with a fan and an air conditioning unit. A woman in a plaid shirt and brown pants stands behind him, holding a smaller muddy
A person wearing a wide-brimmed hat and gloves is working on building a stone outdoor oven or fireplace, placing bricks and mortar inside the structure.
Group of people outdoors in a grassy area, some sitting, some standing, with a wooden shed and trees in the background on a partly cloudy day.
People working on shaping a large stone sculpture outdoors, smiling and wearing gloves, with woodworking and sculpting tools nearby.
A man with glasses, a beard, and a hat inspecting a green leafy plant in a forested area.
A stylized logo of a plant with three leaves in different shades of green and yellow.

Community Education Opportunities

Two people working together to construction a large, rounded oven with clay or mud, outdoors in a wooded area.

Hands-On Workshops

Whether crafting a cob oven from local clay, designing a 3D-printed prototype in a STEAM for adults class, or assembling a herbal apothecary in plant medicine-making, our workshops empower participants to step away from screens and rekindle their innate curiosity.


Sign up to hear first when workshops launch

A rustic barn interior decorated with colorful yellow, green, orange, and red paper banners hanging from the ceiling. A table covered with a checkered cloth displays various gourds and pumpkins. In the background, three people are standing near the open barn entrance with some farm equipment and a mural of a swan visible on the wall.

Seasonal Festivals

The Appalachian Harvest Festival is our signature event—celebrating ballad singing, porch music, natural dyeing, quilt displays, and seasonal food preservation. Families come together to swap knowledge, chop wood, throw axes, and prepare produce for the winter pantry, fostering intergenerational bonds and cultural continuity.

Check out our upcoming events

A group of twelve women holding broomsticks and smiling on a wooden deck outdoors.

Community Hosted Events

At MCCLC, our spaces are designed to bring people together. We proudly host a variety of community-led workshops, events, parties, and gatherings that keep our community connected, inspired, and learning from one another. If you’re looking for a welcoming space to share your skills, celebrate, or bring people together.

Learn how to host your event at MCCLC

A group of people working together outdoors, sealing a greenhouse covered in plastic on a sunny day with blue sky, in a grassy yard with trees and a house in the background.

Stewardship and Civic Engagement

From community garden workdays to collaborative land stewardship projects, these programs cultivate civic responsibility. Participants learn to plan crop rotations, maintain pollinator gardens, and restore native habitats—gaining skills that benefit both their own homesteads and the broader ecosystem.

Learn how to Get Involved at MCCLC

A large vertical banner hanging inside a wooden barn with a stylized silhouette of a woman with raised arms, roots extending from her feet into the ground, representing growth and connection to nature. Below the banner is a sign that reads "Woodson Ranch."

Accessibility

All community education programs operate on a sliding-scale fee structure. We ensure that income is never a barrier to participation—because when whole communities learn together, they become stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to face shared challenges.

Learn about Accessibility at MCCLC

Group of children and teenagers posing in an indoor amusement or activity center with a wall decorated with notes, cards, and paper strips in the background.

Outcomes

Graduates of these programs leave with practical skills—cob building, medicinal herbcraft, permaculture design—and a renewed sense of belonging. They forge relationships across generations, share local knowledge, and contribute to a culture of lifelong learning.

Schedule a visit