SP RI NG/ SUMMER 2017
The best reason to live here is the life here.
James Beard
New Shops Little Barn Apothecary opens
Leading the movement to connect nature and community
Breathing new life into Artistin-Residence program
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Boot Camp for Chef Advocacy at Serenbe
Biophilia
AIR
CELEBRATE SPRING
May Day Festival Honors Culture and Community
L
ocal and regional makers line the closed Selborne streets. Visual and performing artists stroll throughout the community sharing their work and whimsy. Grab your flower crowns and ready your best Maypole Dance, Serenbe’s May Day Festival is Sunday, May 7th. The annual artist festival began in 2006, just one year after the first residents moved in, and pays homage not only to arts & culture but to Steve and Marie Nygren’s shared familial history. “Steve remembered fun May Day festivals from his childhood in Colorado, where he grew up in a farming community founded by his Swedish ancestors,” said Marie Nygren. Sweden has been celebrating the holiday for
centuries. “And my mother, Margaret Lupo, attended May Day festivals as a child in Columbus, GA. She was the May Day queen at her elementary school.” That first year a few hundred people came to Serenbe for the new May Day Festival. Now, a few thousand spend sunny Sunday afternoons indulging in fantastical fun amongst nature. More than 30 curated artisans bring their handmade and homemade goods to share and sell while street performers such as “the bubble man,” a live statuary and a local chalk artist entertain, and food trucks offer everything from pizza to tacos to frozen sweets. The expansive children’s area, hosted by the Chattahoochee Hills Charter School, is also a treat not to be missed.
“As we have always loved bringing people together, a May Day festival was the perfect way to invite guests to experience the beauty, fun and magic of Serenbe,” said Marie Nygren. There are plenty of nods to ancient May Day traditions, including a Maypole dance performed by Serenbe children. And Marie acts as the Queen of May, welcoming all who retreat to Serenbe for merriment. Proceeds support local causes including the Chatt Hills Fire Department, Charter School, Community Library, and Art Farm at Serenbe.