By Mary-Justine Lanyon
The community garden in Green Valley Lake was the scene on Saturday, June 22 for a Midsummer Faire – a celebration of the season with music, dance and more with a Scandinavian flair.
Silvana performing lyra with a hoop.
The day began with a sound bath meditative experience, performed by Crystal Nieblas, followed by “The Swans of Asgard,” an aerial ballet on silks featuring two young women – Silvana, who lives in Green Valley Lake, and Wren, a Lake Arrowhead resident.
The two met in a class where they learned the basics of climbing and performing on the silks. They have continued to meet and hone their skills; Silvana and Wren choreographed their routine, which brought thunderous applause from the audience. Then, Silvana performed with a hoop in a routine called lyra.
Wake the Bard – Patrick Huckaby, Sandi Huckaby and Chris Chesney – played folk and Celtic music.
Wake the Bard then took the stage, playing folk and Celtic music, with Sandi Huckaby on hammered dulcimer; Patrick Huckaby on guitar, harmonica and vocals; and Chris Chesney on bodhran, mandolin and fiddle.
The band continued to play as the chairs were moved to the side and folks gathered to dance, first in a circle dance, then a contra dance and finally a line dance that hails from Scandinavia.
Guests then became part of the show as they learned to do several dances.
Guests had been invited to bring picnic lunches, which they enjoyed in the shade of the garden with lemonade and iced tea provided by the Mountain Community Alliance, the sponsors of the fair. There was also a bake sale with such treats as carrot cake, raspberry tarts, a variety of cookies and strawberry rhubarb pie.
Following the picnic, Raven Womack presented a program on identifying and harvesting edible weeds from the forest. And the event concluded with the music of the Gilbert Louie Ray Trio.
An additional Summer Faire is scheduled at the community garden in Green Valley Lake on July 20. That will be followed by the annual Woodstock celebration on Aug. 17.
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