Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series 2024 presents another incredible line up of speakers, poets, and musicians in a series of public events during the High Sierra summer. All events are free and open to the public.
Important note for anyone who is interested in attending for the first time: Parsons Memorial Lodge is about a half hour stroll from the closest parking lot.
Once you have made your way across scenic Tuolumne Meadows, Parsons Memorial Lodge awaits you on the other side of the Tuolumne River. Inside the doorway, sunshine spills across the large open room.
It is inside this historic rock structure that groups have gathered to discuss topics of natural and cultural history for decades. And that tradition continues through the Conservancy funded Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series.
Below is the list of speakers, musicians, and poets who are scheduled to present during the Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series 2024.
Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series 2024
Saturday, July 27
Alpine Inspiration: A Wellness Retreat in the Meadows
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Mindfulness practice with Heather Sullivan, Executive Director and co-founder of Balanced Rock; bring a yoga mat or blanket, pen and paper, water, and appropriate layers of clothing.
Blooming on the Edge: Alpine Plants in a Changing Climate
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
A presentation by Rachel Friesen, Brooke Wallasch, and Dr. Dena Grossenbacher, alpine plant researchers from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Sunday, July 28
From Trout to Grasslands: Naming and Drawing Nature
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Artist, writer, and naturalist James Prosek talks about his art while addressing contemporary environmental concerns.
Saturday, August 3
The Future of Forests and All the Life Connected
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Scientist and award-winning author Lauren E. Oakes shares stories from In Search of the Canary Tree (2018) and her forthcoming book Treekeepers (2024).
Sunday, August 4
Wahhoga Village: A Heritage of Grief and Healing
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
National Park Service archeologist and storyteller Erin Davenport chronicles the removal, resilience, and return of indigenous people to the ancestral village of Wahhoga in Yosemite Valley.
Saturday, August 10
Birding to Change the World
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Author Trish O’Kane talks about her book and the story behind it.
Songs for Tuolumne
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
An evening of mountain bluegrass music with the Tioga Ramblers.
Sunday, August 11
Summer Bloom: A Collection of Songs Found in a Meadow
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
An afternoon of music with the locally cultivated singer-songwriter group White Bark Pine.
Saturday & Sunday, August 17 & 18
28th Annual Tuolumne Meadows Poetry Festival
Morning workshops and afternoon readings with music featuring poets Nickole Brown, Lee Herrick, Cintia Santana, and musician Shira Kammen.
Saturday, August 17
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Poetry workshop with Nickole Brown.
2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Featured poets and music.
Sunday, August 18
10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Poetry workshop with Cintia Santana.
2:00 – 3:30 p.m. Featured poets and music.
Parsons Memorial Lodge
The lodge was originally built by the Sierra Club in 1915 to honor Sierra Club member Edward Taylor Parsons and then later transferred to the National Park Service. The architects were Mark White, Walter Huber, and Bernard Maybeck. The stone of the lodge is locally sourced.
The original intent for the lodge was to be a meeting space, reading room, and a place to venture out into the High Sierra from. The building is centrally located between some of the most iconic trailheads in Tuolumne Meadows.
When Parsons Memorial Lodge is not busy hosting the summer series, the space often open for visitors to explore a small exhibit about the history of the lodge and Sierra Club and to peruse a small library of resources.
Featured artwork on the Parsons Memorial Lodge Summer Series flyer (and this webpage) created by Annie Barrett Cashner.
