Anna with the Acorn Elf
We had a blast yesterday at the 24th Annual Elves’ Faire put on by the Pasadena Waldorf School.
The leather craftsman modeling one of his masks.
Really. Amazing.
Imagine a fair or carnival designed FOR KIDS, but with all natural materials, nature- and magic-oriented, and nearly everything handmade AND nearly 100% green. There was live music everywhere; not only where there at least four different bands (mostly folk and kid’s stuff, but one rock band) but there was also a drumming circle with real drums and tambourines and a musician helping people along. Christian loved that spot, especially because there was an old table top in the middle that kids were jumping on as a makeshift see-saw (he just stood there and kept his balance while OTHER kids jumped up and down).
At the drum circle
And lest you think that sounds too airy-fairy, the games for the kids at the back of the fair were brilliant and imaginative. There was JOUSTING FOR KIDS! Two kids got to stand on a low balance beam and knock eachother about with gaily colored long padded sticks. No blows to the head were allowed – and it seemed to be mainly a game of balance and you could see the kids having a great time.
Other great games:
Walking a maze on stilts.
Maneuvering through a “labryinth” blindfolded.
A jumpline rigged with a tire horse: the kid (or grown-up!) got to wear a knight’s helmet and carry a jousting stick and try and catch the grass ring on the way down. (And the volunteer parent running this ride? JOHN C. REILLY!)
And there were others I didn’t even get to.
There were cool rooms and areas to visit, like the Doll Room (all kinds of Waldorf dolls for sale), Pixie Town (play area for toddlers – with things like small hills to climb and a rowboat full of sand), the Wishing Well (the school store filled with beautiful treasures), the Bake Shoppe (great baked goods and coffee), the Silent Auction and on and on.
Anna and her favorite heavy baby.
The fair was peopled with elves in full regalia and when we arrived there was an jester elf sitting on the ground with his legs splayed at the entrance playing his pipe. It was a great image but I was so in wonder that I forgot to take a photograph. Other favorites were the Pocket Elf, who had on a multi-colored coat with huge pockets. If you gave him a ticket, you could reach in one of his pockets and pull out a prize wrapped in tissue paper and raffia. We also loved the Acorn Elf who carried a large staff and was covered with pins and necklaces made from large lovely real acorns.
Another highlight was the Elves and the Shoemaker puppet show put on by the teachers. It was very inspirational as we’ve been doing (shorter and simpler) puppet shows at our weekly Waldorf in the Woods playgroup. There was a lot of singing and the traditional candle-lighting at the start of the show. I was captivated.
We loved the whole thing and will definitely be back next year. YOU SHOULD COME TOO.
P.S. It was the kind of place where the honey vendor had a display of live bees. The queen has a blue dot on her thorax.
Can you find the queen bee?
P.P.S. There were tons of craft booths for the kids too.