WELCOME
Located at the Cedar Lake Outdoor Center in Chelsea, Michigan.
Address: 2500 Pierce Rd, Chelsea, Michigan (Map) |
Eleventh Annual
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We are so thrilled to welcome our 2025
Keynote Speakers
Lottie Spady and jim mcdonald!
Keynote Speakers
Lottie Spady and jim mcdonald!
Saturday Night Entertainment:
Serita's Black Rose
Serita Crowley, a self-proclaimed "Funkateer", recording artist, harmonica player and award-winning singer, leads Serita’s Black Rose, a dynamic project based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, featuring both the full electric band Serita’s Black Rose and the intimate acoustic duo Serita’s Black Rose Duo. For over two decades, Serita and her longtime partner Jon Hayes have been creating soulful, genre-defying music crafting a unique blend of funk, rock, blues, roots, neo-soul, and Americana, performing both original music and timeless hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Their 2012 self-titled EP Serita’s Black Rose Vol I. earned several accolades, including WYCE’s Jammie Award for Best Short Form Album, along with Three Eclipse Awards for Best Sound Design. The acoustic duo has also had the honor of sharing the stage with legendary music icons like Smokey Robinson, Kansas and many more.
Serita’s powerful vocals—bluesy, soulful, raw, and emotionally charged—captivate every audience, whether it's a small intimate room, sold-out concert, a packed taproom, or big music festival. Together they display an intuitive musical connection that creates a seamless flow between genres, bringing both covers and originals to life with infectious energy and deep heart. Together they deliver an unforgettable performance that moves the crowd, every time!
Serita's Black Rose
Serita Crowley, a self-proclaimed "Funkateer", recording artist, harmonica player and award-winning singer, leads Serita’s Black Rose, a dynamic project based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, featuring both the full electric band Serita’s Black Rose and the intimate acoustic duo Serita’s Black Rose Duo. For over two decades, Serita and her longtime partner Jon Hayes have been creating soulful, genre-defying music crafting a unique blend of funk, rock, blues, roots, neo-soul, and Americana, performing both original music and timeless hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Their 2012 self-titled EP Serita’s Black Rose Vol I. earned several accolades, including WYCE’s Jammie Award for Best Short Form Album, along with Three Eclipse Awards for Best Sound Design. The acoustic duo has also had the honor of sharing the stage with legendary music icons like Smokey Robinson, Kansas and many more.
Serita’s powerful vocals—bluesy, soulful, raw, and emotionally charged—captivate every audience, whether it's a small intimate room, sold-out concert, a packed taproom, or big music festival. Together they display an intuitive musical connection that creates a seamless flow between genres, bringing both covers and originals to life with infectious energy and deep heart. Together they deliver an unforgettable performance that moves the crowd, every time!
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2025 Silent Auction Fundraiser
This Year the Great Lakes Herb Faire will raise money through our Silent Auction for the
Sacred Waters Collective
Sacred Waters Collective is an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization that is working to reclaim traditional ways for Indigenous communities, cultivating traditional birth and parenting practices that build stronger families and communities from birth onward. Sacred Waters Collective was incorporated in 2023. In the first year of operation, the organization built capacity through organizing, planning, branding and public media, hosted one of our midwifery elders for women's teachings and instructions, provided scholarships to birthing people for birth support, secured a state grant to certify 19 Indigenous full spectrum doulas who can also accept medicaid (there was previously 1), fulfilled responsibilities and requests of our elders, supported two community caretakers to take the Lindera Herbal Intensive to improve our plant medicine knowledge, provided doula and lactation care to community members, wrote and gained support from Indigenous birth workers for the 2024 Milk Medicine Week Governor's proclamation, co-authored the medicaid reimbursement toolkit, provided Indigenous representation on the State of Michigan's Doula Advisory Council.
With the motivation gained from their accomplishments since starting, they have an incredible list of goals for the next year and beyond. You can read more about them here:
Sacred Waters Collective
This Year the Great Lakes Herb Faire will raise money through our Silent Auction for the
Sacred Waters Collective
Sacred Waters Collective is an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization that is working to reclaim traditional ways for Indigenous communities, cultivating traditional birth and parenting practices that build stronger families and communities from birth onward. Sacred Waters Collective was incorporated in 2023. In the first year of operation, the organization built capacity through organizing, planning, branding and public media, hosted one of our midwifery elders for women's teachings and instructions, provided scholarships to birthing people for birth support, secured a state grant to certify 19 Indigenous full spectrum doulas who can also accept medicaid (there was previously 1), fulfilled responsibilities and requests of our elders, supported two community caretakers to take the Lindera Herbal Intensive to improve our plant medicine knowledge, provided doula and lactation care to community members, wrote and gained support from Indigenous birth workers for the 2024 Milk Medicine Week Governor's proclamation, co-authored the medicaid reimbursement toolkit, provided Indigenous representation on the State of Michigan's Doula Advisory Council.
With the motivation gained from their accomplishments since starting, they have an incredible list of goals for the next year and beyond. You can read more about them here:
Sacred Waters Collective
Browse our Recordings from the past 9 years or scroll down for more information
An Overview of the Faire
For those of you who have not yet joined us for our in-person gatherings:
The weekend includes brilliant teachers, classes for all levels, fun evening activities, music and dance, a wonderful kids' program, creative vendors and, of course, phenomenal food. The grounds are gorgeous and expansive, encompassing several diverse ecosystems and a plethora of wild herbs, with connections to local parks and trails. The event takes place primarily outdoors and classes are under large tents. (So dress and pack accordingly). The Faire is a family-friendly event (with family pricing available). We believe herbs and natural well-being are an important part of our everyday home lives, as well as, for those who are inclined, a more in-depth discipline. For a few days, we can step into a world of our own creation: immersing ourselves in study and community and forging experiences and friendships that will sustain us long after the closing ceremony. Please join us!
Class Recordings
We are excited to announce that class recordings from past Faires are available! You can purchase desired classes separately or opt for the whole shebang in a heavily-discounted bundle. The bundle saves you nearly 50%! Check out the "Recordings" page to browse.
Past Faires
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In 2023, we returned to the Cedar Lake Outdoor Center for another magical weekend packed with plants, fresh air, good food and community. The weather was nicely mild with beautiful blue skies. We welcomed Rosemary Gladstar and Lucretia VanDyke as our keynote speakers. Children and adults covered in beautiful henna tattoos roamed the land. Together, we raised over $2000 for Black to the Land Coalition in our silent auction. On Saturday night, we partied to the sounds of Serita's Black Rose Duo while partaking in herbal switchel. We had too many great classes to mention them all - many popular herb walks, a wonderfully fun plant dye class, and more.
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In 2022, we were finally reunited in-person at the Cedar Lake Outdoor Center. It was a wonderful event filled with laughter and hugs. Our focus was on reunion, building community during difficult times, and processing our collective grief and isolation born from the last couple years. Our silent auction raised over $3,000 for Esstin McLeod's 7 Pines Medicine Lodge. It was wildly hot one day and many attendees were grateful for herbal popsicles brought by Leslie Alexander. The last day ended with a bang: a big thunderstorm that graced us with a beautiful rainbow.
The 2021 Faire was another virtual event, this time offering an improved platform for connecting with each other. We gathered together on-camera in Zoom and enjoyed a weekend of amazing classes, social tea time breaks, late night storytelling, and an entertaining "cook-along" hour where several participants live streamed making kitchari in their home kitchens.
In 2020, we were thrilled to host an offering of free classes for our herbal community. The virtual gathering of the sixth Great Lakes Herb Faire allowed us the space to connect and commune during a year of uncertainty and disconnect.
The 2019 in-person Faire was truly inspiring. The fifth year seemed extra special with a sense of community that is steadily growing. The teachers shared their wisdom, helping to pass the torch of herbal knowledge in a way that encouraged beginners and fed experienced herbalists.
And we cannot thank our teachers enough! Their knowledge is a true blessing to us all. Some great news is that we have most of the class recording available now. You can have access to this information as many times as you would like. While doing dishes, working in the garden, driving or lying on the couch and relaxing you will have access to the information conveyed at the Faire that encourages health and healing for yourself, your family and your community.
The 2021 Faire was another virtual event, this time offering an improved platform for connecting with each other. We gathered together on-camera in Zoom and enjoyed a weekend of amazing classes, social tea time breaks, late night storytelling, and an entertaining "cook-along" hour where several participants live streamed making kitchari in their home kitchens.
In 2020, we were thrilled to host an offering of free classes for our herbal community. The virtual gathering of the sixth Great Lakes Herb Faire allowed us the space to connect and commune during a year of uncertainty and disconnect.
The 2019 in-person Faire was truly inspiring. The fifth year seemed extra special with a sense of community that is steadily growing. The teachers shared their wisdom, helping to pass the torch of herbal knowledge in a way that encouraged beginners and fed experienced herbalists.
And we cannot thank our teachers enough! Their knowledge is a true blessing to us all. Some great news is that we have most of the class recording available now. You can have access to this information as many times as you would like. While doing dishes, working in the garden, driving or lying on the couch and relaxing you will have access to the information conveyed at the Faire that encourages health and healing for yourself, your family and your community.
What Attendees Are Saying
"You have no idea what this weekend means to me! It rekindles my vital essence and replenishes everything I give as an instructor throughout the year! I will always be a part of it! You all do fabulous work organizing. See you in September!"
"Every speaker I met was just off the charts for me. It was refreshing to see men and woman, LBGT and trans community all here together. It is one of the only conferences I have attended with such diversity and inclusivity."
"The Great Lakes Herb Faire is an incredible space where people come to give and not to take, and that creates a tremendous healing and recharging environment for us all"
"I am still flying high from this weekend! And I am really excited for next year! Thank you for putting this together!"
"It was an amazing conference. So awesome to connect in such a deep way with so many wonderful herbalists. Thank you."
"I've heard from several of my cohorts as to how this was one of the best/ or even THE BEST gathering ever. And that holds truth."
"You all bring such a beautiful spirit to the event, and it shines through everything. Thank you all so much for your work. I feel as if I picked up enough learning to keep me busy until next year's Faire."
"This was probably my favorite stop in my 2016 tour!!! SUCH a great event, amazing people (and the best conference food I've ever had! :) I'd be honored to be back."
"I was at the last In Person faire. I love everything you guys do and stand for. It’s one of the many events that launched me into my herbal and healing journey."
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