History and Testimonials
In the summer of 2025, members of the Lawrence Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet came together at The Lodge! for the first time. As we took the place started to feel like home, we knew we had something special and we knew we wanted to share it. The Parallel Play Retreat is our way of sharing this beautiful space and all its amazing possibilities for community, healing, and queer joy with the world.
Last year, summer 2026, we hosted our first public retreat and welcomed a host of new faces to The Lodge. It rained and shined, the fire burned bright and hot, and we made a lot of silly music. We laughed and laughed and laughed. We hiked and hiked and… dear God, we’re still hiking?! James Hampson somehow fit a lot of large instruments into a very small car, and helped us all learn about ourselves and the history of our instrument. The costume boxes came out and the talent show got a little out of hand. What more to say other than, it was a smashing success.
Here are some anonymous testimonials from our participants following the retreat:
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience this beautiful space and amazing people. I have never felt such a sense of love and community. I will look back at this week as one of the best of my life.”
“Never before have I felt such love and understanding. This is truly the epitome of queer joy.”
“…more than a vacation, it’s a trans…formative experience that is impossible to leave without having shifts in mood, mind, and being. In other words, it’s magical.”
“…here I felt a rare feeling. Like I could truly let myself exhale, un-tense, and feel in a way I hadn’t been comfortable enough to allow myself in…ever? The community I felt here, the family, is something I’ll take with me and cherish forever.”
“I truly feel fierce, empowered and loved. And the older I get, the less I get to feel this way, but the more life-changing it feels. Thank you.”
“This was the highlight of my year so far and really helped open my eyes to music and nature again after a brief hiatus. To be aware is to be alive, and to be at the lodge is to be loved.”
We are truly honored by this feedback, and we can’t wait for another summer of Parallel Play at The Lodge! See you then!
