Holden Village

06/27/2026

May all our followers have happiness and the causes of happiness🌞🌸

As Holden’s in-village staff continue to support the infrastructure and daily operations, other parts of community life have hit the road at the The Christine Center in Willard, WI!

Learning, gathering, and spiritual growth remain at the core of our mission, and while our usual summer programming of music and teaching faculty sessions is on pause, the spirit of this vision is alive and well. Holden staff collaborated with two teaching faculty who were previously scheduled this summer, for a fresh, rich experience in Loving Kindness and interfaith!

What a gift it is to continue to connect and widen the Holden community, creating spaces where everyone belong and are welcome, wherever we may go.

06/25/2026

Looking for some counterprogramming for Am*zon’s Prime Day(s)? Shop Small for a BIG Impact!

By shopping at The Holden Store, you are helping sustain Holden Village during its closure and supporting the only business in the Railroad Creek valley

Our partner organizations Bookshop.org and Libro.fm are offering special deals that allow customers to make values-driven purchases which make a BIG difference.

Choose small for a BIG impact when you shop online June 23-26.

Explore the Holden store here:

https://holdenvillagestore.com/

06/25/2026

The Holden Village Board of Directors gathered this week for two days of meetings at the Holden B&B! Most members joined in person, with others participating remotely. Together they heard reports from board committees and received updates from Holden's department leadership — all the important work that happens behind the scenes to keep this beloved community thriving.

We are deeply grateful for the time, care, and dedication these volunteers bring to Holden Village. Thank you, Board, for all you do!

[📷: Suzanne Olson]

06/24/2026

On Monday, the Holden Village operations team embarked on a major repair project to fix a leak in the penstock—the large pipe which directs water to the Village hydroelectric power plant.

Staff identified the leak back in May when they noticed water seeping from the ground. After turning off water at the diversion dam and shifting the Village to its backup diesel generator, the team started digging.

Roughly five feet underground and beneath a large boulder, the ops team located the elusive pipe and a small ⅛-inch hole. Staff were successfully able to weld a patch and get the Village back on Hydro power Tuesday morning.

Holden Village gets 74% of its energy from Hydroelectric annually. The current Penstock has served the Village faithfully since the 1960s and intermittent leaks are not unexpected. With regular maintenance, experts say it can continue to serve the Village for years to come.

Bravo to the operations team for excellent planning, knowhow, and Holden ingenuity!

[📷: Carl Norquist, Steve Johnson]

06/22/2026

Happy Summer Solstice! ☀

[📷: Carl Norquist]

06/20/2026

06/20/2026

Here are some SIGNS of Village Life.

Work of the Village continues, with the small In-Village crew sharing tasks like dish team (once a day), cooking, lawnmowing, and activating the rainbirds (divided into three zones).

In the dining hall, a weekly schedule shows some of the new rhythms of Village life.

Travel elsewhere in the Village, you might find signs from December, frozen in time...

[📷: Carl Norquist]

06/19/2026

Shop Small for a BIG Impact by choosing to buy from indie bookstores and local businesses during Am*zon’s Prime Day(s) – June 23-26.

By shopping at The Holden Store, you are supporting the only business in the Railroad Creek valley with purchases that help sustain the one-and-only Holden Village.

https://holdenvillagestore.com/

Our partner organizations Bookshop.org and Libro.fm are offering special deals that allow customers to make values-driven purchases which make a BIG difference.

Choose small for a BIG impact when you shop online June 23-26.

[📷: Nathan McClure, Carl Norquist]

06/17/2026

In December a series of mudslides shut down FS Road 8301. During this six-month anniversary of Holden's evacuation and closure, we’re sharing some new images of FS 8301. These pictures show a major washout near Mile-4 and a mudslide near Mile-9.

Holden is adapting to this new way of living in the world. In-Village, that means learning to operate with a small 10–person crew. With no road access, a limited staff, and wildfire season approaching, safety remains Holden's topmost priority. The crew meets weekly to discuss scenarios, run drills, and revise emergency plans to keep the crew safe and make the Village as defensible as possible.

This summer, the Village is much quieter than usual. While we wait for a full damage assessment and repair timeline for FS 8301, we remain thankful for the support that has been shown in many forms throughout these past six months. The road to recovery is a long one, and like all long journeys, it is best done together. We are grateful for your companionship in this season.

[📷: Carl Norquist]

06/16/2026

Holden Village will have a table at the Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts in Northfield, MN July 20-22.

Connect with Holden staff, sing Holden liturgies, and enjoy a picnic outdoors featuring sandwiches made with “Holden Bread.”

We are excited to announce and welcome Holden Village to CWTA 2026! We look forward to joining together for worship, fellowship, and spiritual renewal June 20-22nd!
To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To register, visit https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts