The Austinites Behind the Curtain: Lumber Society
We love spotlighting local creatives who are responsible for the events that we list. Remember, there would be no pig parades, facial hair competitions, dance shows in quarries, or sound installations in tree houses without the individual people who organize and promote them.
In July 2026, we spoke with Jason Sabala (Buzz Mill owner and Lumber Society founder) and Mark Fagan (Buzz Mill Events Manager). Lumber Society is Austin’s adult version of Boy/Girl Scouts, offering hands-on classes on basic survival skills. Here’s how the folks at Buzz Mill make it happen…
Lite + Brite: Can you describe the Lumber Society for our readers?
Jason Sabala, Buzz Mill owner and Lumber Society founder: Lumber Society is our version of modern-day adult scouts where people get the outdoor education and skillset they need to sustain and thrive out in the wild. All while sharing this knowledge with their community, and maybe even with a tasty beverage!
L+B: What’s the Lumber Society’s origin story? And why is it based out of Buzz Mill? A 24/7 bar + coffeeshop is not the most obvious venue for survival skill workshops…
JS: Lumber Society originated in 2013, before Buzz Mill acquired its liquor license. For a brief two-month period, we gave away booze ONE HOUR a day EVERY DAY until we actually were issued a license to legally sell it. Back then the “FREEGANS” were killing us because they knew to come from 5-6pm every day. We devised a plan to change the time every day BUT YOU HAD TO BE ON THE EMAIL LIST to know the time for that day. That list ballooned to over 3,000 members. We eventually had to purge EVERY email and start over, rebuilding the membership with folks who were interested in the outdoor skills and not just free beer.
Early years had many different classes and workshops with emphasis on building things like boats and birdhouses, and making your own beer. Once we brought in Chris Hyde, our naturalist, we were able to hone in more of the bushcraft and outdoor skills that make Lumber Society so special.
As for why I started it: I just was not happy with just creating a space where people drank and smoked. I figured if you were going to do that, then you should at least learn a couple skills that might save your life some day. Buzz Mill is its home but we have also done a few classes at our sister brand Squatch Fitness on the East Side.
L+B: How do you come up with the topics for the various Lumber Society workshops?
JS: We started by looking through the lens of “zombie apocalypse or plane crashes.” What do we need to know to survive three to four days (e.g. fire, shelter, water)? That evolved into surviving three to four months (e.g. fermentation, trapping, pickling and smoking your food). In year 10, we are even getting into long-term comforts like earth paints, pine needle baskets, and bone jewelry.
L+B: What’s the deal with the Lumber Society troops?
JS: We wanted to create a team atmosphere and encourage folks who came with friends to mix it up in the crowd by sitting with their teams. In the early days, a camp speaker would announce which troop had the special at that time, and sometimes it required competition or feats of strength by each troop to win the special. It has evolved over time, and it is now more prominent during nature trivia, or boat builds where troops must use items only built by their troop, etc. The basic personality quiz essentially puts people into a troop. I can tell you that anyone who ended up as an owl answered the questions how I personally would.
L+B: Roughly how many members does the Lumber Society have in total? Who would you recommend it to?
Mark Fagan, Buzz Mill Events Manager: The Lumber Society is open to anyone! The capacity for our workshops is usually 25-35 people. Lumber Society participants range from folks looking to have fun on a casual date to people wanting to improve their survival skills on a more serious level. The concept works perfectly and people are always surprised to see a survival skills workshop happening at a bar on East Riverside!
L+B What’s the most memorable or unexpected thing to ever happen at a Lumber Society event?
MF: For me, it’s always the look on someone’s face the first time they create fire using their own hands! It really is a magical moment.
L+B: If cost and logistics were no issues, what would be your dream Lumber Society event to run?
JS: A full-blown weeklong summer camp in cabins that mirrored traditional summer camp, leaving you with all the knowledge you needed to survive the apocalypse!
L+B: What’s up next for the Lumber Society?
MF:We’ve got a lot of great stuff on the calendar for 2026! There are currently tickets available for five upcoming workshops, including mushroom cultivation, soap making, and more. You can always see and register for our upcoming workshops here.