May Day Family Festivals

It is that time of year again!

Mayday Celebration

Wednesday May 1, 2019

O’Hara Commons

111 S. 4th st. Hamilton, Mt.

4-6pm

• Flower Head Garland
• Ribbon wand making
• May Pole dance

A small pole for the children

Tall pole for adults to weave

$10 suggested donation

Please rsvp to aroundthesunfamilyfestivals@gmail.com

Hamilton Farmers Market Co-op

Bedford & Third Streets

PO Box 844, Hamilton, MT 59840

Terri Frost, Manager, 360-0616 managerhfm@cybernet1.com

     

Children’s Celebration,Parade and Maypole Dance

Saturday, May 4th

Legion park at 11am

Come dressed as your favorite part of our diverse world.  All beasts, birds, insects, large and small are welcome.

Biodiversity!

Celebrating the variety of life on planet earth.

“I turned to the teeming small creatures that can be held between the thumb and forefinger: the little things that compose the foundation of our ecosystems, the little things, as I like to say, who run the world.”                   E. O. Wilson

Celebrating all the children of our community and their families!

11:00 Meet at Legion Park in costume

11:05 Yoga on the grass

11:15 Line up for parade

11:30 Parade through market to lawn of Ravalli Museum

11:40 Join in Maypole dancing

Call Dulcie with any questions 381-4029

or email aroundthesunfamilyfestivals@gmail.com

Imbolc Family Festival

Hello all,

The end of this week brings us half way between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.  It is a time when even though temperatures are low and ice flows down the river the days are growing longer.  January tricks us with a few warm days and kindles an awareness of the coming of spring. We look to the groundhog on February 2nd wondering if he'll see his shadow or not.  We may feel the urge to clean our homes, and we feel a quickening within ourselves.

As we near the midway point of winter I've gathered a few ideas for the young and not so young to cherish this time of year and honor the change of the season around us.

Enjoy a nature walk.  Looking for swelling buds on the trees and listening for new bird songs.

Turn on some music at home and spend an afternoon cleaning your house.  Children have fun helping with dust brooms and buckets of warm soapy water.

Make A Brigit's Cross.  Bridig, the Goddess of Imbolc teaches us to nature the seeds of healing and hew growth before their actual emergence in these dark days.

Create paper sheep shapes and wrap with wool yarn or roving.  Baby sheep and calves beginning to show themselves around the valley remind us that spring is on its way.

Begin to plan your garden.  What will you grow this summer?

Spend some time thinking about the seeds you want to plant in your life this spring.  Feel the inspiration of the goddess Brigid and write down what you plan to grow for yourself and your community.

Create a nature table, altar or place of prayer.  Perhaps snipping a branch from a bush outside to bring inside and force the blossoms in the warmth of your home.  Adding candles to honor the fire of the returning sun.

Grow some sprouts to eat.

Verses for this time of year:

Candle, Candle, burning bright;

Winters halfway done tonight

With a glowing, were are knowing

Spring will come again.

If Candlemas be fair and bright,

Winter will have another flight

If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,

Go winter and come not again.

Friday morning I will join the tadpoles at The O'Hara Commons to share a puppet show about the coming of spring.  I hope you can join me.

Thank you and happy turning of the seasons.

XO

Dulcie

Winter Solstice Family Festival

Winter Solstice Advent Workshop

With Dulcie Belanger

Create an interactive tabletop wreath for the weeks leading up to the longest night of the year

Sunday, November 18th 1-3pm

The Historic Oliver Blood House

524 South 1st Street, Hamilton. Parking in back

$25 per family

Includes supplies for wreath, dipping candles and making an object for each week.

Workshop is more enjoyable for children five and up shared

and accompanied by an adult.

• Candle dipping
• Sculpting with wax and paperclay
• Lantern making
• Learn verses, songs & stories

To register call Dulcie Belanger 406 381 4029

Space is limited to 15 families

2017

Look out!  Here we come!

New Work

The holidays brought opportunity to make and share new work.

Last minute gifts to get?  Check out a few new things fresh out of my kiln at Sams Spade and Art City

Snatching Raven?

Feeling Foxy?

Quiet little bird?

Or a lovely little rabbit?

Lots of little lovelies!

XO

I have taken a leap while holding the very strong and loving hand of a talented and inspiring woman.  Ms. Katie pushed and pulled me into getting a website out there!  She did all the work and I just had to muster up the guts and push the publish button.  It could have taken many more years if not for her encouragement.  Thank you, dear friend.  I will never be able to thank you enough.

So many people to thank, really!  Samantha, at samsspade.com in Hamilton, Montana is taking very good care of a few of us local artists for the month of December.   She generously opened the bird room to celebrate local artists, such as Jen Ogden, Annie Allen, Lisa Classen and Carol LaCroix and we had a wonderful first Friday reception with a lot of incredible members of our community in attendance.  We were feeling the love.

And my thanks would never be complete without mentioning my boys.  All three of them. Living with an artist mother can't always be easy but they continue to surround me with love and support.  I am a lucky girl.  That is for sure.