EMBARK|Peekskill Presents 2nd Annual Midsummer Night’s Firefly & Fairy Festival

This information is from EMBARK|Peekskill: EMBARK|Peekskill– a coalition of performing and literary artists and companies from Peekskill and surrounding communities will host its 2nd Annual Midsummer Night’s Firefly & Fairy Festival on Saturday July 21 from 5-9 in Peekskill’s Depew Park.  The event is free to the public but there is a suggested donation of $5 per person.  Space in this part of the park is limited, please email a reservation with number of adults and children to embarkpeekskill@gmail.com.

Children are encouraged to don their favorite fairy or insect costume as they make wands and paper crowns, and create another craft at a table sponsored by Orange Splot Art Spot.  There will also be a woodland obstacle course and a fairy roundel dance. Food and drink can be enjoyed while harpist Elizabeth Ojeda fills the air with lilting melodies.

In conjunction with the Festival this year,  EMBARK Co-Founder and Executive Director Katie Schmidt Feder is directing two half-day week-long camps held at Energy Movement Center.  The participants of these camps will perform as part of the event.  A morning Firefly & Fairy camp for children 3-7 will have explored creative dance, drama, crafts through fairy tales and will present a little scene and dance. Older children and teens will be introduced to Shakespeare in an afternoon camp and will then be part of EMBARK’s “Rapidly Rehearsed Repertory” rendition of scenes from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed in English and a little Spanish.  Once again there will be a special guest appearance by Peekskill City Council member Andy Torres as “Nick Bottom” the actor/turned mule and other actors will be pulled from the audience to perform their “rolles”.

 For the second year in a row, Garrie Pest Control is the main and somewhat ironic sponsor of the Firefly and Fairy Festival (they don’t exterminate fireflies!)  Additional support has been provided by the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce and Peekskill Parks and Rec.

EMBARK | Peekskill is committed to the establishment and development of a Performing and Literary Arts Center for Peekskill as a home and venue.  It is the goal of EMBARK to partner and collaborate with artists, arts alliances, and supporters of the arts and to encourage understanding of the role the arts play in building community and in celebrating diversity.   For more information, visit the EMBARK website atwww.embarkpeekskill.com