by Frank Schroth

The Mary M.B. Wakefield Trust in partnership with Artspace Milton held a Fairy Festival last Saturday and what a day it was! Fun, wonder, and active imaginations were if full force as children of all ages decorated cookies, made crowns and toad abodes, and creating an amazing array of fairy houses on the grounds of the Wakefield Estate.

The event was attended by ~25 families on a beautiful fall day, perfect for fairy house construction. Fairy houses are made completely of natural material found loose on the ground. They can house anywhere from 1 to lots of fairies. If you doubt that magic was in the air – just take a look at the slideshow below.

Children needed little or no direction on fairy house construction. “This is where she’ll sleep. This is her fireplace (filled with red leaves) and now I am going to build her garage,” one girl told me. A boy said, “I like elves better than fairies. Fairies are ok but elves are better. This is an elf house.” And then he place a small cookie on the clay bed he had made.

Houses sprung up all around and builders displayed a unique sense of ownership – essentially, there was none. Everyone freely added to everyone else’s and the fairies (and elves) will be the happier for it.

The fairy festival was conceived by Karen Hainline of Artspace Milton in collaboration with Mark Smith and Erica Max of the Mary M.B. Wakefield Trust. Supporting businesses and organizations included the Milton Outdoor Classrooms and The Plate. On their Facebook page Artspace calls out the following for their help, encouragement and assistance:

“Thanks to the Wakefield Estate, Mark Smith, Erica Max, our excellent High school helpers Adam, Lulu, Maddy and Lucy, Milton Outdoor Classrooms’ Ida Geering, Janet MacNeil, Molly Walker, Scott Hainline, Amy Link, Leesha Boylan, Amy Link and all of you wondrous fairy aficionados! We can’t wait till next year!”