Central Florida Green Guide

Last night I attended the Summer Solstice Celebration at Dandelion Communitea Café.  It was the first drum circle I’ve been to so I thought I’d report on it from my first-timer’s point of view.  My three-year-old son went with me and we both had a blast.

While we were getting ready to leave, it was raining and I wasn’t sure if we were going to encounter wet grass or an abundance of bugs.  I dressed us both in long pants and tennis shoes and brought along a throw blanket for us to sit on.  My son picked out his lollypop drum and some shakers to bring and we were off.  We weren’t sure what to expect but we were hoping for some fun.

The drum circle gathered on the pavement outside Dandelion Communitea Café.  Everyone brought along their own drums or instruments in many unique styles.  Several people brought chairs to sit on while others sat on the ground.  It was very much a come-as-you-are and enjoy-as-you’d-like event.  Many people were dressed for the celebration in bright colors and flowing skirts.  The common themes that ran through everyone were community, friendship and celebration.  Personally, I ran into several old friends and also made a few new ones.  My son had the same experience and this was a great event for the whole family.

Jason of Giving Word Percussion facilitated the first hour of the drum circle and got the group going.  He started the circle copying various beats and moved on asking us to drum sounds that we thought corresponded to different movements he made.  It was very cool and a great start to the night.

Initially the center of the drum circle was fairly open with the kids drumming and dancing inside the ring.  As the night moved on, young gymnasts and belly dancers took turns inside the circle.  By the end of the evening so many people were up dancing that it was difficult to tell where the circle ran.

Dandelion Communitea Café is normally open until 11pm M-Sat so they were open for the whole event.  We stopped in for my son’s first Flutter Nutter sandwich (almond butter, bananas, and Ricemellow fluff).  There were also many vendors outside selling flutes, drums, bangles, henna body art and more.

It was a great celebration and such a positive gathering in the community.  I’d encourage you to go participate in a drum circle and hopefully this article will give you an idea of what to expect.  Drum circles are held on the full and new moons from 7-10pm.  Following is the schedule for the year but please check Dandelion’s website to confirm the event.

Fri, July 4th New
Fri, July 18 Full
Fri, August 1 New SOLAR ECLIPSE
Sat, August 16 Full Partial Lunar Eclipse
Sat, August 30 New
Mon, September 15 Full
Mon, September 29 New
Tues, October 14 Full
Tues, October 28 New
Thurs, November 13 Full
Sat, November 29 New
Fri, December 12 Full
Sat, December 20 - Winter Solstice Celebration

(no new moon circle Dec 27)

Kristy has one son and since his birth she’s been researching to find healthier ways to do things and live a life of less impact. In a city that is less than “crunchy” it has been an adventure and she hopes to share some of what she’s learned both here and at her store Wee Willie Winks where she offers cloth diapers and other earth/child friendly parenting solutions.