search
Donate

A fairy shrine decorated with handmade offerings sits among the trees at the Summer Solstice Festival, inviting visitors to pause, reflect and connect with nature.
A fairy shrine decorated with handmade offerings sits among the trees at the Summer Solstice Festival, inviting visitors to pause, reflect and connect with nature. [Viviana Frazini| WOUB Public Media]

A place that feels like home: Wisteria celebrated 30 years of Summer Solstice

By:
Posted on:

< < Back to

POMEROY, Ohio (WOUB) — A winding path through the woods leads visitors to a labyrinth carved into the grass. Nearby, candles wait to be lit, a stone circle stands among the trees, and an old rotary phone sits inside a small booth, inviting people to speak to loved ones who are no longer here.

For Zach Coonrad, those spaces were powerful enough to change his life.

Coonrad first visited Wisteria in 2012 while recovering from a serious illness. The experience left such a lasting impression he eventually moved from upstate New York to Columbus to be closer to the community he found there.

“When I leave, I’m exhausted, but I’m also revitalized,” Coonrad said. “I feel whole.”

This year, Wisteria is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Summer Solstice Festival. This event brings people together for music, workshops, food, spiritual practices and community on the organization’s 620-acre property in Meigs County.

According to Wisteria co-founder Gina Kruzel, the land was purchased by a group of 20 people who shared a dream of creating a gathering space of their own. What began as reclaimed strip-mining land has, over three decades, transformed into a place filled with trails, gathering spaces and sacred sites.

At the center of the property is a collection of landmarks that reflect the festival’s focus on reflection and connection. A stone circle hosts ceremonies throughout the year, while a turtle-shaped earth mound pays tribute to the region’s ancient mound-building traditions.

A black rotary phone sits on a wooden table next to a bench inside a small white tent, providing a quiet space for reflection at the Summer Solstice Festival.
A Japanese-inspired Wind Phone offers festivalgoers a quiet space to speak to loved ones who have passed away, creating a moment of reflection and remembrance at the Summer Solstice Festival. [Viviana Frazini| WOUB Public Media]
One of the most striking features is the wind phone, inspired by a telephone booth created in Japan after the 2011 tsunami. Visitors can step inside, pick up the receiver and speak to someone they have lost.

“It’s kind of a neat thing,” Kruzel said. “You just have a conversation.”

The festival’s theme of healing is something many attendees say keeps them returning year after year.

Coonrad now helps maintain the woodland labyrinth, a winding path designed for meditation and self-reflection. He sees it as a way to give back to a community that once helped him.

“People I didn’t know came together to help me heal,” he said. “Taking care of the labyrinth is my way of giving that healing back to the community.”

While some visitors come for the music or workshops, organizers say the festival’s greatest draw is the sense of belonging it creates.

“When people arrive, we tell them, ‘Welcome home,'” Kruzel said.