Bringing in the May volunteers are busily preparing for this year’s festivities, to be held on May 16-17 in Berkeley Springs State Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.. One very important thing, though, needs to be done. The fairies have no homes.
This Saturday, March 28, at the MAC Ice House from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the first-floor wet classroom, the public can come and build a fairy house from all-natural materials. This isn’t a workshop where you learn “how,” it’s a workshop to build from your imagination.
A dried-up squash could be the very best home! Maybe all those acorn caps could build a roof…. Anything goes! The only requirement is that your house must be made from natural materials. The fairies think the ones made of plastic or resin that you can buy at craft stores are cute, but they really prefer the smell of oak leaves, moss, and rock. 
Once the houses are built, the builder has the option of taking them home with them, or leaving them to be displayed at an area business. On the weekend of Bringing in the May, organizers will display them at the Merchandise tent, where patrons can vote (with money) for their favorite dwelling. If you’d like a habitat for display at your business, email wvbibi@icloud.com.
This project is supported by financial assistance from the West Virginia Department of Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, and local hotel/motel taxes.
The MAC Ice House is at the corner of Independence and Mercer Streets in downtown Berkeley Springs. For more information on this and other MAC activities, call 304-258-2300 or visit www.macicehouse.org.
