This is a series of four workshops on Tuesday afternoons in October where kids, ages 8 and up, will have an opportunity to learn how to carve little animals out of wood. We will start with learning some essential knife safety and carving techniques and make a new creature from wood each week. The kids can then bring home the animals they make and be inspired to continue carving with the skills they have learned. Parents are welcome to stay and observe to glean some carving safety tips for assisting their children when at home. No prior carving experience necessary. All tools and materials will be provided along with a kevlar safety glove.

Cost: $80

Ages: 8-15yrs. old

Learn to positively identify local herbs with clinical and field herbalist, Meryl Kastin. We will also discuss the best times for gathering for the most potent medicines, how to prepare the herbs into various remedies, as well as where and when to use them. Meryl has over 40 years of experience working with herbs.

Families Welcome.

Cost: $45

Historic Sled Hill Grand Opening

Come celebrate a place that has been part of our community’s story for generations, and a future that now belongs to all of us.

For decades, families have climbed this hill, raced sleds to the bottom, explored the woods, and made memories here. Thanks to an incredible outpouring of community support, this beloved property is now a community forest, protected forever and open for everyone to enjoy.

Join us in celebrating The Sled Hill’s journey from a treasured local tradition to a place truly held for the community. Wander the new trails, listen to live music, press apples into cider, watch local craftspeople at work, find a pumpkin, enjoy a community meal together*, and let the kids run and play. Come for an hour or stay for the afternoon. This is your chance to experience what our community made possible. Let’s celebrate the beginning of The Sled Hill’s next chapter together!

• The Longest Table*; a community meal supported by Innovia Foundation

• Live music

• Food truck

• Drinks

• Community Cider Press — bring your own apples!

• Guided trail hikes

• Folk School demonstrations

• Kaniksu Lumber demos

• Silent auction

• Pumpkin patch

• Muskrat Hide & Seek

• Kids games

• Kids crafts

• KLT and commemorative Sled Hill merch pre-order pickup

Bring your family, tell your friends, and come celebrate a place that belongs to all of us, today, tomorrow, and forever.

*This open-ended community meal is served at no charge thanks to generous support from Innovia Foundation.

Learn how to weave this intricate copper wire chain to make a beautiful necklace or bracelet. The method used to make this jewelry is a style of knotless netting which is also used to make textiles.
Cost: $35

Ages: 15+

This is a series of four workshops on Tuesday afternoons in October where kids, ages 8 and up, will have an opportunity to learn how to carve little animals out of wood. We will start with learning some essential knife safety and carving techniques and make a new creature from wood each week. The kids can then bring home the animals they make and be inspired to continue carving with the skills they have learned. Parents are welcome to stay and observe to glean some carving safety tips for assisting their children when at home. No prior carving experience necessary. All tools and materials will be provided along with a kevlar safety glove.

Cost: $80

Ages: 8-15yrs. old

Tune In: KLT on the KRFY Morning Show

Tuesday, October 20 | 8:00 a.m. | KRFY 88.5 FM

Grab your coffee or tea and tune in to the KRFY Morning Show for a packed conversation with KLT’s Katie Cox, Gabriella Maglesson-Barbieri, and Emerson Kanning.

Sit in with them as they talk about the latest developments in

• the KLT/LPOSD partnership project, reWilding the Play Yards - including an announcement you'll hear first on The Morning Show,

• the soon-to-be-published Lake Pend Oreille Water Trail access report and how you can be part of shaping the future of Sand Creek,

• and why October has become the unofficial events season at KLT!

Add a reminder to your calendar, then tune your radio to KRFY 88.5 FM at 8:00 a.m. We’ll meet you on the airwaves!

Dig deeper! Get your hands dirty and discover the hidden layers beneath Pine Street Woods. Learn to read soil like a scientist—and uncover the story it tells. Come join us in the meadow of Pine Street Woods and get down in the dirt.

Cost: Free
All ages welcome!

Get ready for Halloween or your next game of Quidditch by making your very own “riding broom”.

Participants will have the option to use dyed or undyed broom corn to create a one-of-a-kind broom. A variety of colors of broom corn and nylon twine will be available. A basic straight broom stick will be provided but students have the option to bring their own unique, curvy broom stick. Ideal diameter for the stick is 1” - 1 ½” diameter.

A partial refund on the materials fee can be given if students bring their own broom stick or choose to use only undyed broom corn.

Cost: $50 ($30 + $20 material fee)

Ages 15+

You’ve made a life. Have you made a plan for it?

WHAT GROWS AFTER US

A Conversation About Estate Planning

We spend our lives caring for people, places, and causes that matter to us. A will is one simple way to make sure that care continues — and to make things easier for the people we love.

If making a will has been sitting somewhere on your “I really should do that someday” list, this conversation is for you.

Join us for a relaxed, practical discussion about estate planning: what you need, why it matters, and how to get started. We’ll also talk about simple ways you can leave a gift to the nonprofits and causes you love, without taking away from the people you love.

Dale Miller, Managing Partner of Pacific Wealth Management Group and former Palouse Land Trust board member, and Lisa Moline of Sandpoint Law PC will help make a sometimes-intimidating topic feel a whole lot more approachable.

We’ll talk about:

• Why having a will matters at almost any age

• What happens when you don’t have one

• Simple ways to include a nonprofit in your estate

• Gifts of a percentage of your estate, property, stocks, or other assets

• Questions to ask as you begin, or update, your own plan

No sales pitch. No expectation that you leave KLT a gift. Just good information, good conversation, and a chance to think about the people and places you love and what you’d like to keep growing after you.

Free to attend

This is a series of four workshops on Tuesday afternoons in October where kids, ages 8 and up, will have an opportunity to learn how to carve little animals out of wood. We will start with learning some essential knife safety and carving techniques and make a new creature from wood each week. The kids can then bring home the animals they make and be inspired to continue carving with the skills they have learned. Parents are welcome to stay and observe to glean some carving safety tips for assisting their children when at home. No prior carving experience necessary. All tools and materials will be provided along with a kevlar safety glove.

Cost: $80

Ages: 8-15yrs. old

Tablet weaving is an ancient textile technique used across many cultures to create strong, patterned bands. Make an adjustable strap for your favorite bag that accents it with color and style. In this one-day workshop, students will learn how to warp a project, thread it through cards to create a pattern, weave a band, and then add hardware to the strap so it attaches to any bag. 

All hardware and materials included. No prior weaving experience is required.

Ages 15+

What a first season it has been!

Stop by one last time to get your fall plants and find something special in the little gift shop before Aster hibernates for the season.

Last call for Aster After Hours this season!

Join us for Aster After Hours, an evening gathering designed to bring our community together around good food, local art, music, conversation, and the simple joy of spending time outdoors. Wander through the gardens with a drink in hand, listen to music drifting through the nursery, share a meal from local food trucks, and discover a rotating collection of artists, makers, growers, and vendors from around our region.

• Local food by OPA! Greek Food Truck and Little Munich.

• Beer, wine, and refreshing beverages.

• Live Music by Heat Speak.

• Artisans, food makers, and garden vendors with a festive harvest theme.

• Open gardens and gathering spaces. Last chance to buy plants at Aster this year!

• A welcoming atmosphere for all ages.

Unlock the beauty of hand embroidery and give a favorite garment new life. In this engaging, beginner-friendly class, you’ll learn essential embroidery stitches and techniques for adding thoughtful, artful embellishments to your clothing. 

Cost: $30

This is a series of four workshops on Tuesday afternoons in October where kids, ages 8 and up, will have an opportunity to learn how to carve little animals out of wood. We will start with learning some essential knife safety and carving techniques and make a new creature from wood each week. The kids can then bring home the animals they make and be inspired to continue carving with the skills they have learned. Parents are welcome to stay and observe to glean some carving safety tips for assisting their children when at home. No prior carving experience necessary. All tools and materials will be provided along with a kevlar safety glove.

Cost: $80

Ages: 8-15yrs. old

The annual Winter Ridge Neighborhood Fair is a day to celebrate this community WITH this incredible community!

We look forward to tabling at this event every year because you’re there! Come catch up with us at our booth and enjoy live music, food, drinks, samples, raffles, freebies, and a big neighborhood block party hosted by the amazing Winter Ridge Natural Foods Market (which happens to be one of our Partner Sponsors)!

Learn to positively identify local herbs with clinical and field herbalist, Meryl Kastin. We will also discuss the best times for gathering for the most potent medicines, how to prepare the herbs into various remedies, as well as where and when to use them. Meryl has over 40 years of experience working with herbs.

Families Welcome.

Cost: $45

A hands-on introduction to Sashiko, the traditional Japanese stitching technique celebrated for its beauty, strength, and rhythm. In this workshop, you’ll learn foundational patterns and discover how to use Sashiko to transform everyday mending into something both functional and beautiful.

Perfect for beginners and seasoned stitchers alike, this class offers a chance to slow down, connect, and create with intention. All materials are provided.

Ages 12 and up welcome.

Cost: $45

Play bingo to win plants while you learn more about native plants and trees.

Cost: $4

Join us for Aster After Hours, an evening gathering designed to bring our community together around good food, local art, music, conversation, and the simple joy of spending time outdoors. Wander through the gardens with a drink in hand, listen to music drifting through the nursery, share a meal from local food trucks, and discover a rotating collection of artists, makers, growers, and vendors from around our region.

Aster After Hours September - 

   Help name our little gift shop! Put your idea in the jar!

   Live Music - Travis Harmon and full string ensemble plus saxophone, & percussion!

   Hoodie Coffee Trailer, lemonade from Jupiter Jane and 2 food trucks: OPA! (greek) and Little Munich (german)

Flash Plant Sale! 30% OFF

   Last week of summer before school begins.  Lets share one more summer evening of music, food, friendships

This is more than an event. It is a place to slow down, reconnect, and enjoy the people and creativity that make this community special.

Whether you come to meet friends, bring the family, browse the vendors, or simply sit among the flowers and take in the evening, there is a place for you here.

Expect:

• Local food trucks

• Beer, wine, and refreshing beverages

• Live Music

• Artisans, food makers, and garden vendors

• Open gardens and gathering spaces

• A welcoming atmosphere for all ages

Come stay awhile. Wander the gardens. Meet your neighbors. Celebrate summer with us at Aster.

Feast in the Forest is a celebration of gratitude for the amazing support of our donors. This invitational gala takes place under the boughs of the cedars and twinkling evening lights on the land our donors helped protect. Guests savor forest-themed cuisine and cocktails crafted and sourced locally.

Our major fundraiser of the year, it is our pleasure to host a casual-formal event consisting of live music, delightful mingling, and a multiple-course meal served on a table winding through the woods.

If you are interested in receiving an invitation, contact us for pricing and details for the 2026 Feast in the Forest.

Spend a day making a broom that you can use daily and pass on to your kids someday. This one-of-a-kind broom will be ready for years of service in your home or to give to that special person in your life. Moderate hand and arm strength required.

Cost: $60

Join us as we launch what could become one of the Panhandle's most unique community growing projects.

During this engaging evening, you'll:

• Discover the fascinating history of North America's forgotten fruit.

• Learn why pawpaws once played an important role in American life, and why they're making a comeback.

• Hear how a community-led citizen science project could help establish pawpaw trees across the Panhandle and simple ways you can support this!

• Explore other unique and delicious fruits that can thrive in our northern climate.

Have you ever heard of a pawpaw?

It's the largest fruit native to North America, and our only native custard fruit. Rich, creamy, tropical, and fragrant, a ripe pawpaw has been compared to a blend of banana, mango, and vanilla custard. It's delicious fresh and equally at home in breads, pies, muffins, ice cream, sorbets, fruit leather, even beer and mead. Once you taste one, you're hooked.

Pawpaws were abundant across the American landscape.  Lewis & Clark referenced their importance as a food source. For centuries, pawpaws nourished Indigenous communities, early explorers, and settlers. Today, they're making a comeback, and local seed and plant breeder Joseph Zarr believes the Idaho Panhandle could become part of their next chapter.

Over the past four years, Joseph has been growing and selecting northern-hardy pawpaws that can survive and thrive in our climate. Now he's ready to officially launch the Panhandle Pawpaw Project, a citizen-powered effort to establish breeding populations of pawpaw trees across our region and bring this remarkable fruit back into our modern food system. 

Whether you're a foodie, gardener, fruit grower, food forest enthusiast, plant nerd, history buff, or simply love discovering something new, this promises to be a fun and fascinating evening.

Make a handmade natural broom, great for cleaning cobwebs from tall ceilings. Wrap one layer of broom corn onto a long light stick, then weave the stems and sew the brush part. This style of broom uses the same skills as making a sweeper broom but is much easier and quicker to make. Moderate hand and arm strength is required.

Cost: $40

Learn about Idaho's native plants and test your knowledge while competing to win plant prizes!
Door prizes will be given to all who show up to play!

Summer Wednesdays at Aster are always a win!

Learn the basics of carving functional and beautiful wooden spoons. Instruction will be given in how-to source and select the best woods for carving, how to safely use a knife, gouge and/or hook knife and how to rough out, carve and finish a spoon.
No prior experience required.

Cost: $35

Compost tea is a low-cost, high effective way to improve plant vigor and garden health.  At this workshop, you will learn how to easily and affordably make a home brewer from a trash can or 5-gallon bucket!

One of the best ways to support vibrant, resilient soil is through a simple, living brew made by steeping high quality compost, along with other natural components, in water that is highly oxygenated in a vortex shape for ~19 hours.  This controlled brewing process multiplies the diverse community of beneficial microorganisms. The result is microbe-filled liquid that you can apply as a drench or foliar spray.  

How it Helps Soil and Plants:

• Breaks down organic matter: excelerates decomposition of leaves, compost and other organic matter in your soil

• Boosts Nutrient Availability: microbes unlock and deliver more nutrients to plants, leading to stronger growth from a full spectrum of nutrition.

• Builds Soil Vitality:  Introduces a thriving microbial population that adds diverse beneficial life to tired or compact soils, improving structure, water retention, and overall biological acitivity.

• Promotes Balance & Disease Resistance:  Oxygen-loving (aerobic) microbes outcompete less desirable organisms, reducing issues from fungus and other non-beneficial microbes.

Aster Garden will brew a batch of Compost Tea that workshop participants can take home. 

BYO bucket!

Workshop taught by Paul Mahara of Spokane Organics

Trails & Tales is a great way to get the family outside in the summer. With a children’s story and kid-friendly nature walk, you’ll meet other families with littles who love to enjoy the outdoors together.

We will walk about 1 mile of the Powerhouse Loop Trail, taking breaks to read books from the Thompson Falls Public Library.
The trail is primarily dirt, and stroller friendly.

Outhouses are located at the Park and a short way down the trail. Drinking water is also located at the Park. The walk typically takes around an hour.

NOTE: Located in the Mountain time zone at 10 a.m. (9 a..m. Pacific)