FAQ – SisterSpace of the Delaware Valley

FAQs

Our Most Frequently Asked Questions!

Here are the answers to questions we get asked most often. If whatever you’re looking for isn’t covered below, contact us at info@sisterspace.org.

When is the SisterSpace Weekend Women’s Festival? What are the hours?

SisterSpace always takes place during the weekend after Labor Day. The 2023 Weekend starts on Friday, September 8th –gates open at 10 a.m.— and ends on Sunday, September 10th. All campers must be off the land by 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Can I arrive early (or stay late)? I’d like to get there on Thursday (or leave on Monday).

Sorry, but unless you are a registered SisterSpace Volunteer, we cannot accommodate any arrivals before 10 a.m. on Friday or departures after 5 p.m. on Sunday. There are hotels and motels in nearby Aberdeen, and campgrounds and RV parks within driving distance of the SisterSpace land.

Where is the camp? What’s the address and phone number?

The SisterSpace Weekend Women’s Festival is held at Camp Ramblewood, 2564 Silver Road, Darlington, MD 21034. Check their website at www.ramblewood.com.

If you need to reach someone from SisterSpace, or an attendee, while the festival is in progress, call the camp at (410) 457- 4160.

What should I bring?

If you’re staying in a tent or RV, you must bring your own tent or RV. If you’re staying in a cabin, beds are provided with comfortable Tempurpedic mattresses, but you must bring your own bedding, pillows and linens. Other suggested items include sleeping bags, warm blankets, warm clothes (it can get cold at night in the country in September!), Toiletries, Flashlight/lantern, Rain gear, Allergy & other medications, Special dietary items, Spending money (buy your holiday gifts early – our Vendor Village will have what you need!), Games, Sports equipment (softball gloves, etc.), tennis racquet, yoga mat, Bathing suit, Drums and other musical instruments, folding/beach chair and/or picnic blanket/groundcloth for outdoor concerts and activities (Note: tall chairs will be placed in back, low chairs and blankets may sit closer to stage), Binoculars, Suntan Lotion, Bug Spray, Water Bottles, Comfortable shoes, and Earplugs. A list will be sent to you when you receive your Registration Packet.

Can I bring my dog (or cat or hamster or ferret, etc.)?

Sorry, pets aren’t permitted. Please don’t bring them, as you and your pets will be asked to leave. If you are traveling with your pet and need boarding info, Ramblewood recommends contacting Hickory Animal Hospital in Hickory, Maryland (approx. 11 miles from camp).

Can I bring my kids?

Girls/NB AFAB children and teens of any age are welcome. Boys/NB AMAB children ages 7 and under are welcome. Child care is not currently available at camp. Children are expected to be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Please be aware that certain workshops are not appropriate for youth; kids will not be admitted to those. There are lots of other workshops and fun things for kids to do with their Moms, Aunties, Grandmothers, etc.

If you would like to organize a workshop/ activities especially for kids, please sign up here.

I see that meals are included with my registration! Please tell me more.

Yes! Home-cooked meals are included in your registration! Meals will be served for Friday: lunch and dinner, Saturday: all meals; and an extended brunch on Sunday. Vegetarian, vegan, and meat options are offered at every meal.

A more detailed meal schedule and menu will be posted on this site before the event.

Many women say SisterSpace has the best (and most affordable!) food of any festival they’ve ever attended!

See additional info below.

I am a vegetarian or vegan. What are my options?

Vegetarian and vegan options are available at every meal. Additionally, there is a full salad bar available at all lunches and dinners.

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to contact us.

I have other special dietary needs. Can you accommodate me?

If you have particular dietary needs outside of what we provide, you must come prepared to provide for yourself. We will not be able to prepare individualized meals, nor to serve food outside of posted mealtimes.

Frequent snackers, and late-night noshers, can find fun foods at the SisterSpace General Store, open til late on Friday and Saturday nights. Check the posted hours and menu. Our pierogis are famous!

Regretfully, SisterSpace cannot provide food storage or cooking facilities for individual campers, due to state and county sanitary laws.

You are welcome to bring your own cooler (we recommend you keep any food inside your car, or inside a heavy-duty plastic or metal-clad cooler. Food kept in styrofoam coolers is subject to devious and clever woodland creatures who’ve learned how to chew them open!).

We do not recommend storing food inside your tent at any time. Bambi, Thumper, and their less adorable friends might just invite themselves inside.

Ice can be purchased at the SisterSpace General Store to keep your perishable items and beverages cold.

Can I bring a grill or camp stove to cook my own food?

Sorry, but unapproved open flames are prohibited at the camp, so please leave all grills, camp stoves, etc. at home. You are welcome to bring foods that you can enjoy “as is” from the package or from your cooler. Other festie-goers might be able to share info about options that can work for various food restricted-diets; feel free to reach out to them and join discussions on the SisterSpace Weekend Facebook page.

I have limited physical mobility…how can I get around the land at SisterSpace?

For mobility concerns anywhere in camp, we offer a golf cart shuttle, piloted by our friendly accessibility crew! Festival volunteers equipped with walkie-talkies can “radio a ride” for you, from many locations on the land.

What about wheelchair accessibility?

The camp is situated on a large slope, some parts steeper than others. There are flatter areas as well. Blacktop roads and paths lead to the major event buildings, as well as to several grassy areas. Event buildings are accessible via ramps, the occasional short gravel driveway, and sometimes a few feet of grass. The Hannah Senesh Arts Pavilion (where Arts & Crafts, and some workshops take place) is accessed via a fairly steep grassy hill. The Vendor Village is located mostly indoors (wheelchair accessible) in the same building as Alice’s Restaurant (camp dining hall/kitchen). Outdoor vendors are located on the grass adjacent to blacktop.

Concerts are held in several locations around the camp. Daytime “showcase” concerts and live comedy events (Saturday & Sunday) may be held poolside, in the Video Lounge, or on the dining hall porch; all are wheelchair accessible. If the weather is poor, these events may be moved into the Bessie Smith Barn (wheelchair accessible).

Night Stage (Friday and Saturday) concerts will be held in the Whoopi Goldberg Theater, which is ramped and has a wheelchair-accessible bathroom inside the building.

Late Night Jazz and Blues Club will be held on the dining hall porch (wheelchair-accessible), or if the weather is inclement, inside the Bessie Smith Barn (wheelchair-accessible).

Roving SisterSpace Troubadours might show up anywhere, ready to sing you a song or two. If you are not inclined to leave your cabin or campsite, let us know and a Troubadour might bring some music to you!

There are wheelchair accessible port-o-janes in several locations around the camp.

Wheelchair accessible cabins are comprised of 2 cabin areas under a single roof, each sleeping 7-10 persons. Each cabin area has a bathroom with two toilet stalls, one of which is larger/accessible; and two shower stalls, one of which is larger/accessible. The larger shower stall has a bench installed, however, it is strongly suggested that you bring your own bench if you need one. (The bench that is installed is slippery and sub-optimal.) The two sinks in each cabin area are on a closed cabinet with no space underneath the sinks for footrests.

Other residence cabins mostly have stairs. If you require a wheelchair accessible cabin, please specify that when you register; and please register your partner/child(ren) and any others who need to stay with you, at the same time.

What about deaf/hard of hearing accessibility?

ASL interpretation is available for scheduled on-stage performances; and for workshops and other special events with prior notice. Contact us if you’re planning to attend and need ASL interpretation. We will do our best to accommodate your particular needs.

IF YOU ARE AN ASL INTERPRETER, we would love to include you in our Accessibility Team! Please email us at info@sisterspace.org and let us know your experience and skill level.

Volunteers with moderate to high levels of ASL proficiency are also needed for things like Registration/Welcome and Camper Services/Information , Art Space and Health Space, throughout the festival. Please contact us well in advance to join our team! Discounted festival admission is available for those willing to help out in this important area of the festival.

Who attends SisterSpace Weekend Women’s Festival? Who is welcome?

SisterSpace draws an incredibly diverse crowd in terms of age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and identity. Anyone who identifies/lives their life as a woman or a non binary person assigned female at birth (nb-AFAB) is welcome. We encourage anyone interested in attending SisterSpace Weekend Women’s Festival to ask any questions about the organization and the event, so that each person can make the best decision for herself/themself and the space we’ve created.

It’s the hope of SisterSpace that everyone who attends feels comfortable in an extraordinarily freeing, encouraging, and safe environment. Each person who enters the space is asked to do so with an enormous amount of respect, understanding and appreciation. We trust that each woman/nb AFAB person is capable of evaluating her/their own potential presence at SisterSpace with regard to these guidelines.

I can’t afford the festival registration fee…are there any scholarships?

SisterSpace has always advocated making the weekend as accessible to as many people as possible, including those facing financial challenges. We are happy to be able to offer the Linda Bacon-Bass Memorial Send-A-Sister Fund to help defray the costs of attending SisterSpace. The amount available varies from year to year, and is dependent upon contributions. For more information about scholarships, click here.

Do you sell alcohol?

SisterSpace does not sell alcohol. You are welcome to bring your own. All applicable Maryland laws still apply – you must be 21 or over to consume alcohol at camp. (Please note that anyone found to be selling alcohol to others will be asked to leave, with no refund.)

It’s a private camp, right? Can I bring other “substances”…?

No. Note that illegal drugs are just that – ILLEGAL. Even though SisterSpace takes place in a private space, all federal and state laws still apply. Please leave the “stash” at home.

I sleep with a CPAP. Can I bring it?

Cabins at the camp have electricity. CPAP users are encouraged to choose cabin accommodations and to arrive early to facilitate choosing a bed that’s suitably close to an outlet.

RV users and tenters: If you bring a CPAP, please buy or rent a battery power pack for it. No electrical hookups are provided for RVs or tents. You can, however, recharge the battery inside a cabin during the daytime.

I am just not a camping type person, not even in a cabin. But I really want to come to SisterSpace! What are my options?

Glad you asked! You aren’t the only one.

Register as a “tenter” for all 3 days if you want to enjoy all the amazing things happening Friday through Sunday; or for Saturday and Sunday (2 day pass) depending when you can arrive. Then book yourself accommodations in nearby Port Deposit or Aberdeen. Notify the parking volunteers when you arrive, that you’ll be leaving each evening. They will put you in short-term parking so you can leave after the last concert, the last dance, or the last late-night karaoke song has been sung… whenever you are ready to go back to your hotel room in town. Keep your festival wristband on for the weekend! Keep your festival ID/lanyard in your car, so you can be re-admitted to festival grounds the next morning.

With your festival wristband and lanyard, you’ll be welcome at all meals and at every event and activity during the festival, to enjoy time with the wonderful sisters of SisterSpace!

What are mass transit options for getting to and from the camp?

We will run a shuttle from the Aberdeen, MD station to the camp (about a 20 minute drive). Based on the Amtrak schedule, we will have our van at the terminal several times on Friday; pickup times will be listed in the letter acknowledging your registration. We will provide Sunday transportation back to Aberdeen with shuttles running periodically between noon and 5 pm.

Please try to schedule your arrival to meet one of the scheduled shuttles. If you miss the shuttle, call us at camp.

If you are flying into BWI (Baltimore airport), D.C., or Philadelphia, take the Amtrak train to Aberdeen, Maryland, and we’ll pick you up from there.

I registered and paid, but now I’m unable to attend. Can I get a refund?

You may request a refund up until the Aug 15th refund deadline. Only 50% of your festival registration fee is eligible for refund. You will receive 100% of your workshift deposit.

SisterSpace is unable to refund any processing fees at any time.

No refunds of any kind will be issued after Aug 15. NO EXCEPTIONS.