Alvie Hearren, a volunteer with Lancaster Skill Share Collective, readies handlebars to be put on the Fuji bike frame he was working on at Stahr Armory.
In a basement room at Stahr Armory, a stack of bikes in a sad state of disrepair cries out for intervention, like an Island of Misfit Toys.
But every discard should have its day, and through frugal hands-on recycling and reuse — the nuts and bolts of the North Queen Street Armory-based all-volunteer Lancaster Skill Share Collective — the "sick" bikes will soon get a second chance, said LSSC organizer David Fraile.
Do-it-yourself bike restoration and repair is just one spoke in the wheels of change put into motion by the recently formed LSSC, which is dedicated to teaching self-sufficiency skills.
The dozen or so organizers, in collaboration with a host of community presenters, are gearing up for a series of free workshops and a weekend-long event in July. Everything from canning and printmaking, to urban gardening and homemade baby foods are on the programming list.
The LSSC project, which exists under the umbrella of the Lancaster Mutual Aid Coalition along with Lancaster Food Not Bombs and the Lancaster Free Market, was launched with a weekend event in November at Kevin Lehman's Pottery. A subsequent weekend was held in April.
Weekly workshops now are planned at the Armory (see below).
"The LSSC exists to teach people how to be more resource-conscious, basically, and … learn skills that allow them to save money and act in a way that's more environmentally conscious," said Fraile, a personal care attendant with United Disabilities Services of Lancaster.
"I think people are really out of touch with things they use — the way that they are produced and what happens to them after they are sent away to a landfill."
Consciousness-raising Robin Hoods
Think of Fraile and his fellow largely 20-something organizer/activists as community-minded Robin Hoods — minus the robbing — eager to share their wealth of knowledge on waste avoidance with those less in the know.
"We hope to reach as wide an audience as possible because in these times of financial uncertainty the knowledge that we are offering to the Lancaster community is of greater need than ever," Fraile said.
Being in the know can be fun, too, he said.
"People can be creative and personalize things, instead of being into the consumer culture that can be so wasteful and labor-unfriendly."
For those involved in the LSSC, as organizers or presenters, it's basically about making a difference.
That desire to ignite change was sparked early for workshop leaders like Rob Seitz, who will teach printmaking, and Elisabeth "Eli" Weaver, who hopes to educate people on the benefits of local plants and herbs.
Seitz remembers learning about rainforest destruction and oil spills in elementary school, and doing highway cleanup as a Boy Scout.
"That sort of planted a seed for me," said Seitz, who teaches arts and crafts through the Heads Up after-school initiative.
Weaver has vivid memories of visiting trash-ridden burial grounds during a vacation when she was in middle school.
"It just broke my heart," she said.
Seitz wants to introduce printmaking as a hobby and as an option for organizations concerned with conservation and buying locally.
"(They) can have their money (for shirts) go to local labor and also reuse shirts from (places like) Goodwill versus paying for shirts manufactured overseas using questionable labor practices," he said.
Weaver is part of Lancaster Farmacy, which is dedicated to the use of local and organic herbs. She wants to get people tuned in to the simplicity of foraging for their own food and medicinal plants.
"These can be herbs and plants you can find in your own backyard and you can make salves and tonics, old-fashioned remedies," said Weaver, who also works for Heads Up.
"Instead of peppermint Tums, people can make their own peppermint tea."
Kyle Ciccocioppo, who will offer tips on bike maintenance, is a stay-at-home dad and the owner of nine bikes.
Even a near-death experience riding a bike didn't deter his love affair with two-wheeled transport.
"The first day I got out of the hospital, all I wanted was to get back on my bike," he said. "I never liked driving cars."
Fraile believes there's a growing fascination for older, simpler things, as life becomes more complicated and immersed in technology.
"We can teach people that you can do a lot of things yourself, like grow your own food, brew your own beer, or make your own shirts," Fraile said.
"But I also think it feels good for people to be in touch with those things and be grounded in that way."
WHAT: Free workshops sponsored by the all-volunteer Lancaster Skill Share Collective.
WHEN: Noon-8 p.m., July 24-25.
WHERE: Kevin Lehman Pottery, 560 S. Prince St.
IN ADDITION: Earlier workshops on plant identification, medicinal herbs and primitive skills, Lancaster County Park. See thelancasterskillsharecollective.wordpress.com for details.
FUTURE EVENTS: Ongoing workshops are being planned at Stahr Armory, 438 N. Queen St.
CONTACT: Call David Fraile, 725-4891, visit the website or e-mail lancasterskillshare@gmail.com.