Along with the warming of the weather and the blossoming azaleas of early Springtime, comes the start of the Art Festivals here in Central Florida.   Winter Park kicks it off with the Art in the Park Sidewalk Festival, now holding its 51st Anniversary.

Haines City held its own Downtown Sidewalk art festival in early March, followed by a full Art Festival held in the lovely surroundings of the new Lake Eva lakeside park on the following weekend.  These two Art events were new developments for Haines City, and luckily the sun shone on both occasions, bringing a good crowd out to view the many arts and craft booths that were on show.  A live band played from the new bandstand, and food and drink vendors were on hand to top up refreshments for the onlookers and the artists themselves.

Last weekend was the occasion for the Downtown Winter Haven Art Festival, held in Central Park, and again the sun welcomed visitors to the various and varied stands.  Winter Haven also displays sculptures in Central Park, and they are there for visitors to enjoy even after the Festival is over.  Many people often consider Miami to be the heart of Art Deco buildings, but Winter Haven has its own Art Deco buildings in the central area.

This weekend, the 27th and 28th of March, sees the Lake Wales Art Festival, again attracting many visitors to the area, with stands and booths lined along the banks of Lake Wailes in the historic downtown area of Lake Wales.

Artists and visitors come from all over the world to display their talents at these Central Florida Venues and you might speak with a photographer from Minnesota and a sculptor from Scotland.

The local newspapers, the Ledger and the Orlando Sentinel give the various dates for all these festivals, and the newspapers also publish photos of the events for all  to see and enjoy.

Whether your interest lies in Photography , ceramics and pottery, jewellery making, needlework and quilting, paintings in oils, acrylics, pastel or watercolour, or just an enjoyable day out wandering around in lovely settings and enjoying what’s on view, you really shouldn’t miss these local events.

Green is the order of the day for March 17th;  if you don’t at the very least have a sprig of green somewhere about your person, then you will be in the minority.  St Patrick’s Day is a major event in the Irish calendar, and is celebrated heartily here in the United States as well as all over the world where Irish folk have made their home.

Originally the color associated with St. Patrick was blue, not green. However over the years the color green and its association with St. Patrick’s day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick’s Day as early as the 17th century. St. Patrick is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the  Holy Trinityto the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day. Then in 1798 in hopes of making a political statement Irish soldiers wore full green uniforms on March 17th in hopes of catching attention with their unusual fashion gimmick. The phrase “the wearing of the green“, meaning to wear a shamrock on one’s clothing, derives from  the song of the same name.

St Patrick was born in Britain, but was captured as a young lad and taken to Ireland as a slave.  While working as a shepherd , he discovered his vocation was to serve God, and used a Shamrock to illustrate to the somewhat pagan Irish people the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.

In the past, Saint Patrick’s Day was celebrated as a religious holiday. It started as a simple feast day to honour St. Patrick but developed into a holy day of obligation where people attended mass in the morning and celebrated for the rest of the day in the afternoon. During the Middle Ages, shops would close for the whole day as the celebration became longer and more enthusiastic. It was also during this time that St. Patrick’s Day became a one-day reprieve from the forty days of fasting during the season of Lent. For many Christians this included indulging in ale, a beer brewed from malted barley. Over the years drinking ale and other beer products became a tradition for the day.

Many cities all over the world celebrate St Patricks Day with parades and special occasions;  you may find a river running green; you may find a street parade;  the water in fountains may be green; there may be green ribbons in hats or on lapels, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth presents traditional bunches of shamrock to the Irish Regiments and  even the White House gets in on the act.  In 2009 , the White House fountain was running green.   No matter where in the world you are, you will find some form of celebration for this special day.

Central Florida holds its own special celebration on St. Patricks Day at the Youkey Theatre in Lakeland. You can go to see and hear the Regimental Band of the Irish Guards playing traditional marching tunes.  Performances take place at 2.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.   Tickets can be obtained through Ticketmaster.

The Irish Guards was formed on 1st April 1900 to commemorate of the bravery of Irish regiments that fought in the South African campaigns.