BETHEL – On Sunday, June 20, Bethel will celebrate its Summer Solstice Sculpture Race and Midsummer Festival.
Celtic duo Kristin Tescher and Nick Apollonio will perform a mix of Celtic and traditional music on harp, fiddle, cittern (a medieval stringed instrument) and 12-string guitar. A duo since 1990, they also play with their Celtic quartet, Bally kelty, and have released a number of CDs. They have performed throughout New England as well as in Ireland. Their instruments are made by Apollonio, a respected luthier.
The afternoon portion of the Midsummer Festival will begin at 2 p.m. in “The Meadow,” half a mile west of town on Route 2.
Special activities for Father’s Day, which is also June 20, include a presentation by the Neville Companye, which is part of the British Plate Armour Society.
These knights of the society will wear armor and demonstrate swordsmanship from the time of the War of the Roses.
Highland Mary Morris dancers will perform traditional dances of the British Isles, and there will be arts and crafts activities for all ages: face painting, giant bubble blowing, instant poetry, play-sword making, costume decoration, flower-garland making and a traditional “Midsummer Pole,” a maypole-like dance, organizers said.
The Midsummer Festival follows the Summer Solstice Sculpture Race, which will be at noon on the Bethel Common. All are invited to come watch these crazy creations race around the common, organizers said.
Entry forms and information are available on the Web site at www.midsummerfestival.org. A complete schedule of activities also is listed on that Web site; people may also call 824-3246 or 824-3170 for more information.
All events are free and open to the public. Events held in “The Meadow” will be handicapped accessible.
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