2024 Winter Faire Festival

December 6, 2024: Winter Faire Community Holiday “Sip & Shop” Night
December 7, 2024: SWSF Winter Faire Family Day

Our 2024 Winter Faire Festival opened by welcoming back local artists with their beautiful handmade wares for the “Holiday Sip & Shop” event on the Friday evening. For our family day on Saturday, it was a perfect December day–cool but with bright sunshine–for our 41st annual event. This much-anticipated yearly gathering showcased our student fundraisers, crafts and entertainment for the children, and our talented Circus Waldissima circus arts program under the big top.

On Friday, December 6, 2024…..

A curated collection of artisan producers filled Sophia Hall with thoughtful, beautifully made one-of-a-kind gifts for a holiday-inspired “Sip & Shop” community event. Our own Summerfield faculty and students along with local Sonoma County artisans presented their gift-giving items while the Summerfield community and public guests sipped sparkling wine and enjoyed some holiday cheer. 

Our Pottery Program teacher, Angie Brown, displayed a lovely selection of hand-thrown bowls, mugs, plates, vases, and our Summerfield Shop tables were overflowing with books, candles, handcrafted ornaments, art supplies, and a collection of playsilks, costumes and wooden toys–all to promote imaginative and open-ended play. 

Sieglinde Basmajian in our Eurythmy and Circus Program featured a large collection of pre-loved cashmere apparel, from cozy hats and scarves, to a rainbow colored offering of cashmere sweaters.

Our Student Entrepreneurial Club displayed beautiful upcycled clothing along with herbal selfcare products and Nettle Baby, a baby shampoo, at their Roots & Rituals table. Woodworker Lucas Kaiser presented his hand-turned wood items. Using his father’s old woodworking tools as inspiration, Lucas taught himself over the past summer how to craft his pieces from various wood species to create both functional and stylish works of art. 

Here’s a full list of participating artists and images of their inspiring handmade goods who joined us on Friday night, and again on Saturday for the family day of Winter Faire. Please seek them out at other local craft fairs or on their social pages and #shopsmall this holiday season. The more we support our local artists, the more we can give meaningful tokens of love and gratitude to family and friends, and fill our homes with unique works…all handmade with love.

Inner Light  | skincare & candles @innerlightbyanais
Wild Kind | jewelry @wildkindjewelry
West County Designs | jewelry  @westcountydesigns
Angie Brown Art | pottery @pacotruck
Botanical Activations | flower essence & natural perfume @botanical_activations
Alice Reva Designs | botanical dye artist @alicerevadesigns
Tarasance | colored pencil illustrated gifts @tarasance
Chef Tom Schmidt | woodworking @SoCotradingcompany
Jodi Rea Pure Simple | Dolls @Jodi-Rae-Pure-Simple-100069411129558
Wilde Works | sewn & dyed homegoods @lisawildworks
Lucas Kaiser | woodworking
Botanical Bounty | hand-dipped candles

On Saturday, December 7, 2024….

Our family day of Winter Faire was a full day of craft activities, eating, shopping, playing, warming by the bonfire, and coming together to enjoy the community spirit of Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm! King Winter read the children stories under the redwood trees, and Queen Winter and her princess passed out bright beads to children passing by. Our Carolers strolled the grounds singing festive favorites we could all sing along with. In the ECE Village, our Preschool & Kindergarten teachers presented a puppet show featuring the classic tale, “The Shoemaker and the Elves”. The little ones in the audience were mesmerized by the puppets’ life-like movements and the lyrical songs. It was truly a beautifully performed piece. The teachers’ expert puppetry skills, singing, and storytelling made it simply a magical experience for children and adults. 

There were several tents featuring simple-to-make handcrafted ornaments and gifts which kept the younger students’ hands, hearts, and heads engaged for hours. There was a sweet Gnome Peg Doll craft made from peg dolls, felt and bells; a white clay Candle Holder decorated with paint and paper stars; beeswax Candle Dipping (the warm beeswax smelled divine); Dried Orange Slice Ornament making complete with wooden beads and ribbon; and a clever Paper Bag Snowflake craft using white and brown paper bags. 

Fundraisers…
Throughout the day, our community generously supported various student fundraisers located around campus. From a tummy-warming Tortilla Soup and a selection of Tamales with all the fixings prepared by Grade 12 in the Polar Bear Cafe, to decadent peppermint brownies, seasonal cookies, and marshmallow treats in Grade 11’s Sweet Shoppe. There was no chance of leaving the event hungry! Our Grade 10 class offered buttered popcorn and hot cider around the memorial fountain, and kids of all ages enjoyed the Gingerbread Cookie Decorating fundraiser held by Grade 7. The Grade 9 class fundraised with a Face Painting station, and out in front of Sophia Hall, Grade 8 sold festive fresh greenery wreaths and poinsettias to raise money for their class.

Circus Waldissima….
At 3:30, Circus Waldissima presented a whimsical winter-themed show called ‘Ice Fishing’. As always, the caliber of the students’ aerial silks, bar, and floor routines was outstanding. Dressed as penguins and polar bears, the children’s thirty minute performance included tumbling, unicycling, pyramid formations, springboard acrobatics, and more as the clever penguins skillfully managed to outwit the hungry polar bears in a series of laugh-filled catch-me-if-you-can chases. 

The entire performance was a delight for all to watch. Thanks to the generous donations from our beloved community, especially during the Annual Giving Campaign, our Circus Arts program perfectly illustrates why Summerfield Waldorf’s specialized programs and unique curriculum consistently set us apart from all other private schools. We appreciate all financial support and encourage you to continue giving, no matter how small, all season long to help these important educational experiences here thrive.

 

A heartfelt Thank You!

Thank you to all the families and friends of SWSF who attended Winter Faire and helped support our school through their ticket fees, vendor purchases, and fundraiser donations. Most importantly, we offer our deepest gratitude and a heartfelt THANK YOU to Camille Hedges and Hayden Terstegge in Development, the Festival Committee, all the parent/family volunteers and staff & faculty members who came together and worked incredibly hard for months to make this weekend so special for our community. 

Winter Faire, like all our festivals, offers the gift of celebrating the passage of one season to the next. They remind us of the gift we give each other when we connect as one, and show our support for each student’s incredible educational journey here. 

And now, we have bid ‘so long’ to Autumn’s long days and warm, golden light and have welcomed Winter with its cooler weather and darker presence in the shortened days leading up to Solstice. Over the next few busy weeks, we encourage everyone to slow in pace, pause for renewal, and honor Light, and its ever-present spark inside each one of us. The beautiful collective glow of this light and our connectedness as a community illuminates our hearts with a warmth which nurtures and sustains us. As we celebrate the ever-changing rhythms of Nature, we wish the entire Summerfield Community a joyous and love-filled holiday season.