ANNUAL CELEBRATION; VALYERMO FALL FESTIVAL SLATED AT ST. ANDREWS.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer 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. will open its doors to the public again for the 42nd annual Valyermo Fall Festival featuring 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. , rides and games, entertainment and a wide variety of food. More than 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, attended 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. ``This is the biggest and the best fall festival around,'' said volunteer Tim Benedict, whose brother is the abbot. ``It's a fantastic event. No one will be disappointed.'' Visitors will be able to explore 80 assorted attractions including arts and crafts demonstrations, quilt displays, jewelry, pottery, folk art folk art, the art works of a culturally homogeneous people produced by artists without formal training. The forms of such works are generally developed into a tradition that is either cut off from or tenuously connected to the contemporary cultural mainstream. , two juried art shows, a flea market See computer flea market. flea market yard sale of used items at low prices. [Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : Inexpensiveness , used- and new-book sellers, CDs and tapes, plus animals on display and a petting zoo. The festival is adding seating in rest areas because of the huge turnout last year. Shuttle buses will take visitors to and from the parking lots. Food will be provided at two sit-down restaurants: a Korean barbecue in the Tea Garden or Mexican food in Cafe Valyermo. Booths will offer 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 pavilions will offer continuous entertainment and evening concerts are planned in the cafe. The ``Nuns For Fun'' singing group, inspired by the movie ``Sister Act,'' will perform doo-wop songs with a religious twist. A section called Children's World Children's World is a charity based in the UK It is known internationally (as Children's World International). It was set up by Arabella Churchill in 1981 after the success of the Children's World area at the Glastonbury Festival. will include carnival-style games and rides. Free baby-sitting also is available. Mass will take place in the abbey's church - previously a stable until the monks bought the old ranch - at 9 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday and 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 a.m. and 12, 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday. ``It's also a very spiritual event,'' said Benedict. ``It gives people a chance to reintroduce themselves to the church or to become acquainted with the church for the first time.'' The abbey is home to 22 monks and offers spiritual retreats to the general public and youth groups. The grounds include a youth retreat center and an adult retreat house. The festival began as a celebration for giving thanks by monks who were driven from China after the communist takeover and settled at what was then Hidden Springs Ranch. Funds raised from the festival will go toward improving the abbey's facilities. The facility is located five miles south of Pearblossom Highway on Valyermo Road. For more information on the event, call (661) 944-2178 or visit the Web site at www.valyermo.com. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- AV edition only) Volunteer Frank Elling sets up a sign for the information booth at St. Andrews Abbey's annual Fall Festival in Valyermo this weekend. (2 -- color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour AV only) The Rev. Maur van Doorslaer prepares designs for his ceramic art pieces. (3) Artist-angel ceramic ornaments crafted by van Doorslaer can be purchased at St. Andrews Abbey's annual Fall Festival. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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