The Holden Village Podcast

Building the Society We Deserve with Pastor Terry Kyllo

As we navigate this unpredictable time, we are working hard to continue to offer safe, creative spaces for learning, play, and building community! Holden Village is excited to announce three spring 2026 facilitator sessions. The first of these sessions will invite participants to explore how faith, courage, and love of neighbor can help us move towards a society where everyone belongs and everyone can thrive. Building the Society We Deserve is presented by Paths to Understanding executive director Pastor Terry Kyllo and program director Hannah Hochkeppel. Paths to Understanding is an interfaith nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering community connections and promoting understanding across diverse backgrounds.Holden Village Advancement Partner Carl Norquist sits down with Terry Kyllo to discuss why working with people of different cultures is a central part of the Christian tradition and strategies for blocking injustice, bridging divides, and building new sustainable systems. The first of these virtual sessions will take place on April 16. Registration is FREE! You can sign up to participate here.

Reflections from Outgoing Co-Director Stacy Kitahata

In the spirit of renewal, we celebrate the transition of co-directors Stacy, Mark, and Kathie as they conclude their service to Holden Village. To honor this important moment in Holden history, Villagers gathered to celebrate with a weekend of music, dancing, and a blanket ceremony by Vance Blackfox. It was a joyful weekend of celebrating SMK’s leadership and love for the Village!To reflect on their time as directors of Holden Village, Stacy, Mark, and Kathie each sat down with Creative Tech Ellen Callender to record a special podcast episode. They shared their journey to Holden, favorite stories, hopes for the future, and more. To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact socialmedia@holdenvillage.org.

Reflections from Outgoing Co-Director Kathie Bach

In the spirit of renewal, we celebrate the transition of co-directors Stacy, Mark, and Kathie as they conclude their service to Holden Village. To honor this important moment in Holden history, Villagers gathered to celebrate with a weekend of music, dancing, and a blanket ceremony by Vance Blackfox. It was a joyful weekend of celebrating SMK’s leadership and love for the Village!To reflect on their time as directors of Holden Village, Stacy, Mark, and Kathie each sat down with Creative Tech Ellen Callender to record a special podcast episode. They shared their journey to Holden, favorite stories, hopes for the future, and more. To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact socialmedia@holdenvillage.org.

Reflections from Outgoing Co-Director Mark Bach

In the spirit of renewal, we celebrate the transition of co-directors Stacy, Mark, and Kathie as they conclude their service to Holden Village. To honor this important moment in Holden history, Villagers gathered to celebrate with a weekend of music, dancing, and a blanket ceremony by Vance Blackfox. It was a joyful weekend of celebrating SMK’s leadership and love for the Village!To reflect on their time as directors of Holden Village, Stacy, Mark, and Kathie each sat down with Creative Tech Ellen Callender to record a special podcast episode. They shared their journey to Holden, favorite stories, hopes for the future, and more. To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. For questions and inquiries, contact socialmedia@holdenvillage.org.

Remembering the 2015 Wolverine Fire: Part One - Spark and Evacuation

The summer theme for 2025 is Life Anew, recognizing all the ways fire is part of a healthy ecosystem and prepares for the future forest. June 29 was the tenth anniversary of the lightning strike that started the 2015 Wolverine Fire six miles east of the Village. Over the next eight weeks the fire would consume 65,323 acres in the Entiat, Lake Chelan and Railroad Creek watersheds. By the end of July 2015, the Village itself was under threat, and the Forest Service ordered an evacuation. Roughly 300 people fled the Village during the Wolverine fire. Thanks to determined hotshot crews and Holden's own preventative measures, the Village was spared. We sat down with former Holden Village directors Chuck Hoffman and Peg Carlson-Hoffman, Incident Commanders Nancy and Marc Rerucha Borges, and current Holden Village Fire Marshal Jeff Pierce to hear their memories of the 2015 Wolverine Fire.Experience the story from the people who lived through it in part one of this three-part series.