I always leave here feeling more peaceful, compassionate, and hopeful.
Circle of Light: A Summer Solstice Celebration
Pollinator Prairie
Olathe KS, United States
Description
Summer Solstice Fun-Raiser
Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Rain date: Sunday, June 21, 2026, same time
Location
Pollinator Prairie
320 S Blake St, Olathe, KS
Just west of I-35 and the Santa Fe / 135th Street exit
NOTE: Google Maps may show the incorrect location or directions for this event. The easiest directions are:
From the intersection of I-35 and Santa Fe (135th St.), go west on Santa Fe 0.3 miles to Blake St. (3 blocks past the railroad overpass). Turn left (south) at the Domino's Pizza on Blake and go 3 blocks to the dead-end circle.
Join us for The Resilient Activist's 2026 Fun-Raiser!
Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, donations to the Circle of Light fun-raiser will be matched until we reach our $10,000 goal. Your contribution will have double the impact, helping The Resilient Activist continue building resilience, connection, and support for environmental advocates and changemakers.
The Silent Auction IS LIVE! Check it out and start your bidding now!
Auction will remain open online until 8:30 pm CT June 20th.
You must be present or able to pick up your winning item in the Kansas City area after the event.
Circle of Light: A Summer Solstice Celebration
Celebrate the longest day of the year with The Resilient Activist at the beautiful Pollinator Prairie in Olathe, KS. This special summer solstice gathering is part community celebration, part nature experience, and part fundraiser in support of our programs.
Together, we’ll enjoy an evening of connection, reflection, learning, and wonder in a unique restored landscape. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about The Resilient Activist’s mission, hear the remarkable & checkered story of the Pollinator Prairie as a remediated Superfund site, and experience the beauty and biodiversity of the gardens at golden hour.
The evening will include a mix of scheduled and self-guided activities, light refreshments, and time to meander, connect, and celebrate the season.
What to Expect
General Agenda - subject to change. More details below!
6:30 pm Event Begins
6:30 pm Silent Auction continues online; ends at 8:30 pm.
7:00 pm Welcome and short presentation on the history and restoration of the site and the Summer Solstice
8:00 pm Guided meditation in a peaceful, natural setting
8:45 pm Silent Auction Winners announced
Ongoing Tours of the Prairie’s four gardens and restored woodland, with highlights of notable plants and ecological features
Ongoing Time to explore the space at your own pace - bring your yard games!
Ongoing Interactive nature-based activities, which may include a scavenger hunt, plant shadow drawings, temporary mandalas, flower crowns, music, and more ...
Good to Know Before You Come
Light desserts and beverages will be provided.
This is an outdoor event in a sunny location, so bring a hat or visor and sunscreen.
Guests are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and shoes suitable for walking around the site. Most of the site is wheelchair accessible, with paved sidewalks with a very slight grade. Some areas require walking through mowed grass or on mulched trails.
While there are a few benches, we recommend that you bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on during the crafts and presentations.
Children are welcome with an accompanying adult.
There is plenty of nearby free parking on the street and in designated off-street areas
Restroom access will be available via an on-site porta-potty
About The Resilient Activist
Your attendance helps bring The Resilient Activist community together while raising funds to support our ongoing programs. This evening is a chance to celebrate the summer solstice, connect with others who care about resilience and the natural world, and experience an inspiring local site with an important environmental story.
Our goal for this event is to raise $10,000 to help sustain our nonprofit’s work and expand opportunities for people to build resilience, find community, and stay engaged in the work they care about.
Want to donate an Auction item? Like to have your company sponsor the event? Email us at info@theresilientactivist.org
Image Gallery
Summer Solstice Agenda
- 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Fun-Raiser Silent Auction
Check out the LIVE! Auction at https://www.32auctions.com/circleoflight! Sales end at 8:30 pm sharp! You must be present to win or be able to pick up your winning item in the Kansas City area after the event! ~ Up to 4 Cubic Yards of Compost or Mulch from Missouri Organic. Value $400 ~ 4-Course Pre-Fixe Dinner for Two with Wine Pairings from Tannin Winebar + Kitchen. Value $270 ~ Gift Certificate from SandboxVR Leawood for their new Age of Dinosaurs virtual reality experience for up to 6 guests. Value $234.00 ~ Gift Certificate for Forest Therapy with Divine Nature Therapy. Value $200 ~ Gift Basket of Honey and Honey Products from Heartland Honey. Value: $175 ~ 2026 Membership in Botanical Belonging Value $150 ~Ceramic Basket by artist Peter Wilkin. Value $150 ~ and more ...watch this site for a listing of new silent auction items ...
- 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Welcome & History of The Pollinator Prairie
Welcome to the Olathe Pollinator Prairie, a former EPA Superfund site. Join us to learn about the fascinating history of the Pollinator Prairie. Here is a brief overview from the Pollinator Partnership (pollinator.org/pollinator-prairie): "The site where you are standing was once the Chemical Commodities, Inc. (CCI) Site, and it was operated as a chemical brokerage and recycling facility. During its 38 years of operation, CCI bought chemicals from dozens of companies and government agencies. Numerous companies ... shipped wastes to the site for recycling... Over time, contamination from chemicals shipped to CCI for treatment were spilled or leaked into soils and groundwater, requiring a comprehensive remediation program."
- 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Deep Nature Meditation
Guided by meditation teacher, Amy Zoe Schonhoff, with Mindfulness in the Heartland, you'll deepen your nature connection as you still your thoughts.
- 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Summer Solstice Crafts
Here are a few of the crafts we have planned, with gratitude to ScrapsKC for their support: Long Shadow Chalk Art: Celebrate the longest day of the year by tracing and decorating the dramatic shadows cast by the summer sun. Temporary Nature Mandalas: Create beautiful, impermanent mandalas using leaves, flower petals, and other natural materials. Prairie Plant Shadow Drawings: Use sunlight and prairie plants to create simple shadow-inspired drawings that honor the shapes and textures of the landscape. Woven Flower Crowns: Craft a wearable celebration of the season using flowers, greenery, and other materials. Sun Wheels: Create a symbolic sun wheel to honor the light, warmth, and energy of the solstice. Nature Wands: Design whimsical wands using sticks, ribbons, flowers, and other natural elements. Fresh Herb Sachets: Make a fragrant herb sachet to take home fresh and dry for later use, carrying a little piece of the day with you. NOTE: Items from nature will NOT be gathered in the Pollinator Prairie Gardens but will be brought in from other sites. As this is a restored site, we will not disturb or remove anything.
- 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Guided Tour of Pollinator Gardens
Take a tour of the many expansive gardens of the prairie and boost your knowledge of native plants and the pollinators who rely on them for their livelihoods. Several Missouri and Kansas Master Naturalists will be there to answer questions.
- 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Nature Discovery BioBlitz!
Put your curiosity to work with a community BioBlitz, a playful nature scavenger hunt where guests search for as many living species as they can find. A BioBlitz is a community effort to observe and record as many plants, insects, birds, fungi, and other living things as possible within a specific place and time. It’s a fun, hands-on way to slow down, look closely, and discover the abundance of life all around us. iNaturalist also helps turn these observations into useful data for science and conservation.
About The Resilient Activist
Testimonials
The Resilient Activist fills a critical role in our community at this time of converging crises... by making overt and intentional connections between system-level crises such as climate change.
We, as a species, evolved with nature, and [The Resilient Activist’s programming] shows just how important that connection is and how easy it is to incorporate into our daily lives, if we only will.
The Resilient Activist provides crucial support and services in a time of great need. Climate anxiety and disconnection from nature are at an all-time high...increasing rates of mental distress.
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