Portsmouth tour offering glimpse into the world of fairies

from Citizen Online (New Hampshire USA)

PORTSMOUTH — Friends of the South End Neighborhood Association invites children and the young-at-heart to enter the whimsical world of fairies on an enchanting, self-guided walking tour of fairy house displays created by local residents and architects.

On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24 and 25, there will be a tour of fairy houses in four public and eight private gardens in the South End neighborhood. Following the tour, people can construct their own fairy houses with natural materials to create a fairy village.

The tour starts and ends on Peirce Island. The gardens on the tour include Strawbery Banke Museum's Victorian Garden, The Children's Museum's Urban Garden, Wentworth-Gardner Museum's Stone Wall Garden, Prescott Park's Seaside Garden, a "Kitchen Garden," a "Fairies Water Garden," and a "Container Garden." Tracey Kane, author of "The Fairy House Series," will be on hand throughout the weekend to sell and sign her books and inspire fairy house builders.

"The reason we decided to do this is because as a neighborhood organization, we feel it's important to support our nonprofits," said Susan Benefit, president of Friends of the South End. "It was a way to bring the neighborhood together, as well as financially support each of the nonprofits here."

Children are encouraged to dress for the day as fairies, butterflies, dragonflies or other whimsical things.

Area architects have entered a fairy house competition that will be displayed in the Storehouse on the grounds of the Wentworth-Gardner Museum. The houses will be judged by Kane, Superintendent Bob Lister and City Councilor Harold Whitehouse.

Tickets cost $5 in advance and on the day of the tour for children, $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the tour for adults, and $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the tour for seniors. Advance tickets can be purchased at G. Willikers Toy Store at RiverRun Bookstore and at The Flower Kiosk in Portsmouth and Drake Farm Books & Antiques in North Hampton. All proceeds will benefit Prescott Park, Strawbery Banke Museum, the Children's Museum and the Wentworth-Gardner/Tobias Lear Houses Association.

In addition to the tour, three fairy houses are going to be raffled off with proceeds to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The houses were constructed by Marsha Van Dyke from Drake Farm and her sister, Barbara Cararillo, and Betsy Scott from The Flower Kiosk. Raffle tickets will be available on the day of the tour, and they are also available in advance at Drake Farm and at G. Willikers. Tickets cost $1 each or $5 for six.