It was the second go at what is now an annual event –“Faeriefest” hit the Solvang Festival Theater on Oct. 13 – bringing with it a “gathering of artists in the magical spirit of Fae.”
“Who needs an excuse to come to Solvang in October?” queried Richard O’Steen, who spent the day volunteering, with his pet bird Ruffles on his shoulder. “I want to see it take off,” he says of the event. Flyers were posted from San Luis Obispo to Ventura, but the group’s Facebook page netted an audience from further afield.
“It was packed pretty much from the time it opened, says True Thomas, who spent most of the day story-telling and sharing fairy folklore from around the world. “Almost every culture has their version of the fairy. I think we broke the role of Disney’s Tinkerbelle.”
In attendance were pixies of all ages, sizes, shapes and decor with a surprising number of grandparent/grandchild groupings – most clad in costumes, though the younger ones disposed their wings far sooner than their elder counterparts. Five-year-old Solomia came with her grandmother and mom, who was busy performing. Solomia likes the face-painting the best, she says, and enjoys belly dancing – taking weekly classes at Judeen’s in Santa Ynez.
Kaia also was spending the day with grandma and discovering: “It’s hard to decide what to buy.” Teens Samantha and Rose, decked out in hues of chocolate and sparkle, seemed to agree as they wandered the grounds checking out the jewelry and other shopping opportunities.
Littler ones were mesmerized by Jeannie Teplansky’s silver-lined skirt as she twirled on a knoll above a vibrant toadstool patch, while other fairies tried their hand with colorful hula hoops. “You burn 100 calories in just six minutes,” the adults who gave it a try were told.
The Danish background provided the perfect fairytale background for the myriad of musicians, dancers, artisans, earth dwellers, enchanting fairies, mischievous trolls, courageous warriors, clever time travelers and magical creatures who came to the only fantasy-festival of its kind within 200 miles, says Claudia Orona, who is the brainchild and driving force behind the day.
“She’s a fireball,” says Thomas, with a telling laugh.
The theater and the town make the perfect host for this event, concluded Thomas. “Hans Christian Andersen wrote fairytales, after all.”
For more information, visit www.solvangfae.com