There is Much More at Orange Blossom Jamboree – Beyond the Music!
With more than 60 bands on the schedule, it’s easy to regard Orange Blossom Jamboree as just a music festival. But, of course, there is much going on the grounds at Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville next week (May 16-20) for you and your family to enjoy and to enhance your festival experience.
RISING LIGHT
Any discussion of extracurricular activities at a Hometeam event MUST begin with the remarkable RISING LIGHT schedule. Awesome barely begins to cover the wonderful work that Liza and Hal Balstein do in assembling their incredible programs through Rising Light and The Illumi-Nation Project. This year, in and around the unmistakable Rising Light dome, you will discover 19 separate workshops, talks, nature walks, meditation and yoga. Let’s look at the daily breakdown:
THURSDAY: meditation, fermentation, multi-level yoga, arts and crafts, and parachute playtime
FRIDAY: edible herbs walk, crystal healing, write-a-song/wing-along, instrument petting zoo, multi-level yoga
SATURDAY: morning yoga, natural healing, spoken work/open mic, flow arts, macro yoga
SUNDAY: meditation, natural women’s healthcare, family yoga, parachute playtime
This video is from Hometeam New Year’s Rally:
https://www.facebook.com/RisingLightStPete/videos/1531462916948959/
Liza adds:
We also like to note that we have an arts and crafts tent for teens and adults. And when classes aren’t going on, the dome is open for meditation and peaceful timeout to get your head and heart together. We also have free coffee and water. So bring a mug and refillable water bottle!
We’ve just screen-printed our own shirts will have them for sale at the festival. $20 or two for $30. And we can now accept cards!
BECAUSE OF THE LOTUS
Because of the Lotus is a ground-breaking art installation that symbiotically fuses fine art with digital art and biofeedback to bring paintings to life. Moe Angelo and Dan Morris handle biofeedback, projections, 3D animation, and lasers to dazzle viewers.
Angelo told us:
Because of the Lotus is extremely happy to be back at OBJ! Since last year, I jumped on the road to tour manage Zach Deputy for about eight months or so, and I have returned from tour to expand the Because of the Lotus Biofeedback program. Completing the continuing education portion of certification requirements, Moe is now mentoring with a doctor in Palm City through the rest of the BCIA board certification process. Dan has since moved to Costa Rica but will be back in town for OBJ.
This is an interactive project. You can be involved with the creation of amazing images and color variations — be sure to get “hooked up!”
ART with STEPHEN BARRY
As we have come to expect at great festivals such as OBJ, there will be live painters all around. Stephen Barry has curated a great list of artists, including: Jerry Cahill, Mary Williams, John Suarez, Nicholas K Tarr, Drake Arnold, Aleisha Prather, and Stephen Barry. Megan Poppins will be beautifying the fest with flora stage enhancements.
Barry adds:
In addition to painting live near the stages, we will be doing something a bit bigger this year by setting up a few large format substrates in different locations for murals to be painted live throughout the weekend! Also, Adam Danger Smith and I will be hosting an Open Your Art workshop with Rising Light from 2:00-2:45 pm Thursday near the stages, where participants can come and create with us (materials will be available)!
Don’t forget to stop and say hi, appreciate, support, and take some art home with you to commemorate the experience!
KID ROW
Ashlyn Greene and her amazing group of volunteers provide a fun place for the family with Kid Row. Kid Row is a place where parents can bring the little ones to have fun together making art and crafts, participate in activities and workshops, and be entertained by talented artists and performers. She and Robert Greene have been doing Kid Row for six years.
Robert points out:
It is her brain child, she has been the organizer and supervisor, and I have been her faithful minion, working with her behind the scenes with organization and doing the installation. Next year we will switch rolls and I will be taking over as the organizer and she will be working as the Head Minion. All credit is hers, as she has made all of this a reality… the finest family and kid area at any festival anywhere!
We are calling on our awesome music community to reach into their hearts and see what they might have to bring to this very special place at OBJ. Children need to have opportunities to meet loving, creative, and talented adults and see them doing what they do best: Making art, music, and merriment in a fun and safe environment. We are looking for performers to entertain and amaze the kids with kids’ songs, magic tricks, stories, dance lessons, kids’ yoga, hula hoop lessons, arts and crafts, balloon art, noise-makers, poi lessons, and anything else to inspire the kids and make them smile. Please contact Ashlyn Greene if you might be interested in bringing something fun to share with the kids of our OBJ family.
We are also always looking for donations of art supplies, costumes, and other treasures. We need things like paint, glue, play dough, glitter, feathers, beads, string, markers, yarn, games, costumes, bubbles, body paint, wax, henna tattoos, white t-shirts, tie dye supplies, banners, hats, temporary hair dye, hula hoops, burlap bags, hammocks, balls, Frisbees, badminton, hacky sacs, paint brushes, sponges… the possibilities are endless. Please contact Ashlyn Greene to arrange pick-up of your treasures and donations.
THE BRIDGE Teen Area
Ashlyn and Robert Greene are also excited about The Bridge.
In the past couple years, we noticed that the kids who had been coming back year after year had outgrown Kid Row, so The Bridge was born, a teens-only hang-out area. Ultimately the concept will be for the teens to take over the organization and development of their area… to make of it what they envision. They need their own place to meet up and chill. We have purchased a beautiful new 20×20 pole tent for the area and plan to deck it out with lighting and decorations. Spread the word to OBJ family with teenagers, and feel free to share this!
PS- We are gratefully accepting donations of camp chairs and bean-bag chairs, as well as coolers, drinks and snacks, extension cords, fans, sunscreen and bug repellent, and, of course, monetary donations would be accepted gladly.
