(Formerly Queen City Sovereignty Salon)

A community place for real conversation in uncertain times.
The Salon brings people together to examine how small cities can stay strong, adaptable, and connected.

Our focus is practical resiliency, the everyday capacities that help communities weather disruption and support one another.

For a concise explanation of the Salon’s ideas and current projects, you can download the overview flyer.

Next Gatherings

What-the-Node Wednesdays: Let’s Mesh Around!

Wednesday May 6th, 13th, and 20th, 2026 · Staunton Innovation Hub · 6:00–8:00 PM

Where are you at: curious, confused, or connected?

Curious about mesh networks? Got a Meshtastic device you’re still figuring out? Or just want to see what it’s all about?

Join us for What-the-Node Wednesdays: Let’s Mesh Around! a beginner-friendly, low-pressure space to tinker, learn, and connect. No experience needed, seriously. Whether you’re totally new or already experimenting, you’re welcome here.

Bring your device, your questions, or just your curiosity. We’ll troubleshoot together, share what we’re learning, and celebrate the little wins (yes, blinking lights count).

What to expect:

• Hands-on help getting started with Meshtastic
• Friendly folks learning and experimenting together
• Plenty of “wait… that worked?!” moments

Come hang out, try things out, and mesh around with us.

Grants, Gigs & Good Neighbors: The EQIP + Time Bank Social

Wednesday May 27th, 2026 · Staunton Public Library · 6:00–8:30 PM

Join us for our May Resiliency Salon, a welcoming community gathering focused on strengthening local connection, skills-sharing, and neighbor-to-neighbor support.

🕒 Schedule

5:45–6:00 PM — Room Setup

Arrive early if you'd like to chat while I get the space ready.

6:00–6:15 PM — Resiliency Salon Projects

We’ll kick things off with a quick 15-minute update on our first 6+ months as the Resiliency Salon: celebrating what we’ve built together, reflecting on the momentum we’ve created, and grounding ourselves in the shared effort it will take to sustain and grow these projects into something even bigger.

6:15-7:00 PM — Official Meeting Begins

Join us for a casual, community-focused session on the EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) grant and how it can support your projects; especially if you're a small farmer or land steward. Our member Caleb will share insights on how to access funding for things like high tunnels and other improvements.

7:00-7:30 PM — Needs & Wants: Let’s Make the Time Bank Work

We’ll shift into a short, guided workshop on how to identify what you can offer and what you need and how to plug that into the time bank effectively. This is where we connect the dots: EQIP can help fund projects, and the time bank can help you find people to actually get the work done.

7:30–8:30 PM — Salon Hour (Time Banking Social!)

Mix, mingle, and open discussion with neighbors. This time we're focusing on a time-banking social where you can connect with neighbors, trade skills, and line up the hands-on help to bring projects to life.

Who Should Attend?

• Curious neighbors
• People interested in community resilience
• Skill-sharers & repair enthusiasts
• Anyone who wants to connect locally

Everyone is welcome.

Current Focus

The Resiliency Salon is an ongoing, participatory process. Notes from each meeting including photos of working boards, transcribed ideas, and action items are captured and updated as capacity allows.
→ See what’s underway

Have thoughts to share?
Questions, ideas, or follow-ups related to the Resiliency Salon can be emailed to: s i g n a l @ k a m r e s e a r c h . g l o b a l

Messages may inform future discussion or action items.

How to Join / What to Expect

Attendance is open. No membership, no fees.
Each gathering typically includes:

• Thoughtful, facilitated conversation
• A brief educational segment
• Collaborative work toward practical initiatives, such as repair networks, time banking, or local economic literacy

Come as you are. Curiosity and goodwill are the only requirements.

Why Resiliency?

Modern life depends on systems that are powerful but fragile.
When a single authority or server controls a basic need, the whole community feels the impact when that system falters.

Recent examples make this plain:

• When centralized agencies handle food assistance, a shutdown can interrupt support for thousands of families.
• When our internet depends on large corporate servers, an AWS outage can disrupt businesses, schools, and emergency communication.
• Network shutdowns, whether accidental or intentional, can isolate entire regions at once

These moments reveal a simple truth: centralization concentrates both capability and vulnerability.

A Practical Alternative

Resiliency is not isolation; it is independence supported by community.

An individual can’t thrive alone and doesn’t need to. What matters is cultivating a community that:

• Trades locally
• Repairs rather than replaces
• Shares skills and resources
• Maintains multiple channels for communication
• Can function even when larger systems stumble

A community with its own capacity is a community that endures.

Resiliency is the practice of building that capacity together: steadily, cooperatively, and with confidence in our shared resilience.

Stay Connected

Email: s i g n a l @ k a m r e s e a r c h . g l o b a l