Penn Forest Natural Burial Park

The 12th Annual Summer Picnic on June 13th is almost here and we have so much to offer to our wonderful community members!

Today we want to highlight sound artist Katie DeFiglio and ceramic artist Stephanie Flom. Katie and Stephanie will be providing a very lovely (and FREE) experience at Penn Forest’s Meditation Hut for the summer picnic.

Join them for Inner Stillness with Sound and Clay. Immerse yourself in a unique sensory experience and create a small intention-filled pinch pot to the soothing vibrations of crystal bowls and the sounds of the Penn Forest.

Scheduled times to jump into the fun will be 12 - 12:30, 1:00 - 1:30 and 3:00 - 3:30pm.

In addition to the summer picnic, Katie and Stephanie will be offering a summer program from June to August at Penn Forest.

To learn more about Katie and Stephanie’s program and to RSVP for the picnic, please visit our website’s Event page or sign up on Eventbrite.

We’re so grateful for Katie and Stephanie’s time and services to our annual picnic. We look forward to celebrating with all of you!

As if our 12th Annual Summer Picnic on June 13th wasn’t exciting enough, we’re also thrilled to announce another special gathering coming to Penn Forest in September 2026!

Join us for Slices & Spirits, an autumn pizza party under the stars featuring tasty food, delicious drinks, and live bluegrass music.

Driftwood Oven will be serving handcrafted pizzas from their mobile oven using fresh local produce from ColdCo Farm.

Hard cider refreshments provided by A Few Bad Apples

Live Bluegrass by WellStrung

Bring a friend, gather with community, and make it a night to remember beneath the autumn sky.

$55 per ticket (includes tax) + cash bar

Be the early bird that gets the worm!
Early bird tickets through June: $45 (includes tax)

Questions? Contact Laura at [email protected]

We have a fabulous lineup of artists, musicians, and creatives offering wonderful activities for our upcoming 12th annual summer picnic at Penn Forest on Saturday, June 13 from 12 to 4 PM.

Today we want to highlight Graeme Bowers! Graeme is a fabulous artist who’s providing free tie-dye offerings using cotton T-Shirts and bandanas for this year’s picnic.

When asked about his practice Graeme reflects, “ Most of the work I do, like sewing and knitting takes some practice and experience, but anyone can tie-dye a shirt and feel surprised and excited by the results! I have always been drawn to bright colors, so it feels like a natural way share what I love with others.”

We’re so grateful for Graeme’s time and services to our annual picnic and we look forward to celebrating with all of you!

What colors do you hope to see for this year’s tie-dye? Send us your favorite colors in the comments below and Graeme will try to accommodate!

RSVP to be part of the celebration at our Eventbrite Page or to learn more visit our website’s Event page.

You can also email [email protected]

See you there!!

** Cancelled** due to weather.

**Cancelled** Yoga With Goats, 10am Saturday May 23, 2026. Mother Nature is sending much rain now until morning. The goats do NOT like rain & are already huddling in the barn. Check our schedule at returninghomefarm.org as we have plenty more classes to appeal to your adventurous side!

All of us will experience grief many times throughout our lives, often alongside other emotions, responsibilities, and major life changes. Rarely is there space to simply notice that grief and hold it gently with others.

Whether you are grieving a person, a relationship, a life transition, or even a version of yourself, you are welcome at Penn Forest.

This summer, Artist, Yogi, Reiki practitioner, and educator Elizabeth Renfrew will be offering a special monthly gathering called Holding Grief Together on Mondays from 5 to 7 PM. The first meeting being held this coming Monday on May 18th.

Through breathwork, visualization, gentle movement, and working with Clay, participants will be invited to explore how grief lives within the body while connecting in a supportive and compassionate space. Clay will serve as a creative medium for channeling expression, energy, and reflection.

This offering will be free and inclusive to all.

To sign up and contact Elizabeth or to learn more please visit our website’s Event Page.

We hope you’ll join her for this meaningful offering!

 A gentle reminder about the special upcoming offering a Penn Forest 💫

Join Camp Goldenrod and Sol Refill on May 21st from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for an evening of creativity, gratitude, reverence, and resistance in honor of Mother Earth.

Participants will wander through the woods and engage with guided writing prompts designed to reconnect with our voices, our values and the living world around us.  

Whether you feel inspired to write to a person, a tree, yourself, your coffee, or even your senator, this gathering invites reflection, expression, and meaningful connection in a supportive and welcoming space.

To learn more and to RSVP visit our website’s Event page.

Dear Campers, Have you been craving time outdoors? Or longing for a moment to reset your nervous system? Perhaps you’ve been craving connection with other gentle souls? On Thursday, May 21st, we invite you to give yourself time, presence, and connection. We’ll gather to ground, to meander a restorative woodland, to write letters as acts of love, creativity, and mindfulness. We hope to see you there! @campgoldenrod & @solrefill P.S.: Ticket & scholarship links in bio. #campgoldenrod #pghevents #pittsburghevents #growthjourney #mindfulness

🌿 From Urn to Earth at Penn Forest 🌿

Many families keep cremated remains at home for years. Sometimes intentionally, sometimes because life gets busy, decisions feel overwhelming, or it’s simply hard to know what comes next.

But eventually, you may begin to ask yourself:

What’s the goal for holding onto my loved one in an urn?

What happens to them when it’s my time to go? And who will care for them then?

At Penn Forest, we believe cremated remains deserve a meaningful resting place where family, friends and future generations can return to visit and pay tribute to the people who mattered most.

We recently opened two new cremated remains burial sections and now offer even more options throughout our woods and meadow landscapes.

If this has been an unfinished task resting quietly on a shelf, perhaps this is an opportunity to gently take care of business, return your loved one to the Earth with care and intention, and consider Penn Forest as a forever home.

To learn more about our offerings and services and how you can find a special place in our community, we welcome you to call us or visit our website.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Laura and Deanna truly enjoy working together in the burial grounds, no matter the weather!

People often ask us what it’s like to provide burials during the winter months, and whether green burial is even possible when the ground is frozen, the snow is falling, and the temperatures drop.
The answer is yes!

We’ll be covering this and much more during our upcoming Planning a Green Burial group tour on May 23 at 1:00PM.

Join Penn Forest Manager Laura and Assistant Manager Deanna for an open and welcoming conversation about:
🌱 How to pre-plan a green burial
🌱 Land stewardship and sustainability practices
🌱 Creating a meaningful green legacy
🌱 Becoming more comfortable talking about death and dying with others

Bring your curiosity and your questions, no matter how unusual they may seem.

To RSVP, please contact Deanna at [email protected].

And don’t worry, our warm smiling faces will greet you without all the winter snow gear this time 😉

Happy Wednesday to all who celebrate Hump Day!

We’ve got a reminder to get you through the work week :)

Our 12th Annual Summer Picnic is just over a month away! Whoo hoo! We’ve got special guests, new activities and so much more! So keep a look out for special announcements in the coming weeks 👀

To learn more please visit our website’s Events page and make sure to RSVP to our Eventbrite.

Got questions? Email Deanna at [email protected].

We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 🎉 🎊

Yoga With Goats Season 9 starts NOW! Register at Returninghomefarm.org