ABBEY TO OPEN DOORS TO HOLD 2-DAY FESTIVAL IN VALYERMO.Byline: Karen Thacker Community Columnist A foothill ranch with activities to keep the family busy for two days describes this weekend's fall festival at St. Andrew's Abbey St. Andrew's Abbey is a Benedictine monastery of men located in Valyermo, California. In 1929, St. Andrew's Abbey in Bruges, Belgium founded St. Andrew's Priory in China. Until 1953, the monks of St. Andrew's Priory conducted missionary work among the Chinese. . New rides and games for teen-agers are included this year, as well as the return of the local singing group Nuns for Fun, a petting zoo, art exhibits, new and used books for sale, a flea market See computer flea market. flea market yard sale of used items at low prices. [Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Inexpensiveness , musical entertainment and, of course, a wide variety of food. ``There's something for everyone,'' said festival spokesman Paul Marsh. Nearly 40,000 people from throughout Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, filed through last year's festival at the abbey, a Benedictine monastery A Benedictine monastery is a monastery that follows the Rule of St Benedict on monastic living, written by the founder of western monasticism Saint Benedict of Nursia/Italy (fl. 6th century). The Benedictine Order has been active since that time. established more than 40 years ago by Roman Catholic monks expelled from China. Activities will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the abbey, which is located south of Pearblossom Highway at Valyermo and Pallet Creek roads. Direction signs will be posted leading south from the highway at Longview Road. Admission is free, and parking is $4 a vehicle. Visitors will be able to explore 80 assorted attractions: arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. demonstrations, two juried art exhibits, boutiques, apples from the abbey's orchard, wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. on display by Cougar cougar: see puma. cougar or puma or mountain lion or panther Species (Puma concolor) of large, graceful cat that lives in a wide variety of habitats in the Americas, from southern Alaska to Patagonia. Hills Ranch and 1,500 ceramic pieces of whimsical artwork - like ``Jesus Rollerskating with Friends in Venice'' - by the Rev. Maur van Doorslaer, a Belgian monk who will be there to sign them. Food will be provided by two sit-down restaurants - one serving roast beef, the other Mexican cuisine - and booths offering beverages, watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. , corn on the cob and barbecued meats. Two tent pavilions will offer continuous entertainment, and the audience is invited to participate in the dancing. The Nuns for Fun group, inspired by the movie ``Sister Act,'' consists of Antelope Valley lay people costumed as nuns, priests and monks, performing doo-wop songs with a religious twist. Free baby-sitting is provided. Mass will take place several times each day. This is the 41st festival at the abbey, which is home to 22 monks and serves as a spiritual retreat center for lay people and youth groups. The festival started as a celebration for giving thanks by monks who were driven from China after the communist takeover and settled at what was then the Hidden Springs Ranch. Funds raised from the festival will go toward improving the abbey's facilities. ``It needs to be totally rebuilt and repaired, and we need a new sewer system,'' Marsh said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Benedictine monks at St. Andrew's Abbey join in a vesper dance celebration. The Valyermo abbey will hold its 41st fall festival Saturday and Sunday. |
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