A sad goodbye...Bellport Children's Festival (2015-2020)
Founded by me, and in collaboration with Isabella Rossellini, our English-style storytelling festival was tiny, whimsical, and immersive, set in the charming seaside town of Bellport, New York. Working with local educators, we aimed to inspire reluctant readers and help address the summer reading loss. Why were we different? We not only invited children to dive inside stories - as budding listeners, readers, actors, musicians, illustrators and writers - we gave them the support and creative space to tell their own amazing tales.
Festival map of Isabella Rossellini's MAMA Farm, Bellport, NY.
Our storytelling programme was awesome! The Gateway Acting School and StoryStock put on child-led immersive theatre, Hansel & Gretel had a real House of Sweets. Master storyteller Isabella Rossellini and other authors and illustrators kept the children spell bound. Aishling Forest School designed an adventure playground, Quogue Wildlife Rescue brought live owls, Michael Hearst's Brooklyn band sang Songs About Unusual Creatures, Parrish Art Museum conducted art classes, WonderSparks put on a cracking puppet show, and Ranger Eric Powers & CEED put on live animal show. My favourite spot was The Runcible Spoon, a kids-only café helped by Andrew Tarlow, while adults ate fresh wood-fire pizza. And to wrap it up, who was better to judge the Quangle-Wangle Story Contest than children's author, Judi Barrett?
See how much talent joined in?
Well, this tiny festival became so popular the local fire department had to do crowd control. To recognize our great work working with local educators within the Bellport and Brookhaven communities, the New York State Assembly awarded us the 2019 Award of Service.
All the festival artwork was generously created probono by author & illustrator, Jessie Hartland. And throughout the years we were kindly supported by sponsors such as Tola New York and Copper Beech. But nothing could've happened without our exquisite host and most avid fan Isabella Rossellini and MAMA Farm.
Early in 2020 we began to plan how to expand, either to take it on the road, or perhaps bring it to Brooklyn, which has yet to host a children's storytelling festival. But like everything else that stopped due to the epidemic of Covid-19, sadly, that year was the end of it all. Festivals this creative require an enormous effort. Even Port Eliot Festival, which had so inspired me, closed its doors in 2019. But just like their reincarnations today, MAMA Farm and my creative spirit live on.
So go forth and write your own wild adventure. And send it to me to read. Please!
