On my way home to south Florida, I stopped in Melbourne, Florida, to attend the Native Rhythms Festival so that I could see my friends that participate at the event, and also to hear the wonderful, talented musicians that perform, most of whom I have met and heard in previous years. The Native American Flute music to me is very calming and soothing, it also is inspiring and interesting especially when other instruments are played along with the flute. You can read more about the performers, their performance schedules, and this event at the Native Rhythms Festival website.
There was a mound of dirt near the outside of the area where the vendor tents were near the stage and performance area. We noticed that a gopher tortoise, and looking closely deep into her nest when she came out of it we saw a few eggs.
Jonny Lipford also performed here. I met Jonny many years ago at Musical Echoes Flute Festival when he was about 15 years old and just beginning to play the flute. He is now in his mid-20’s and the father of a two year old son. It has been a great experience to hear Jonny play over the past several years and see how he has now developed his own style of playing the flute and writing songs. He has become a nice, polite, and friendly young man.
It was extraordinary to hear such talented musicians and to hear their new music and see how their music and performances are changing from year to year. I took lots of pictures, and also this time I took some videos of a few performances, mostly when they jammed together informally which I find to be the most interesting. As always, I enjoyed my time at this event and seeing my friends that I see there every time I go, as well as meeting new musicians and people.
There was a man who had an incredible teepee, he said that all of the painting on it was done by him. He did an outstanding job painting all of the animals and designs, they were very realistic.
My friend Arvel Bird performed with his wife Kim and that was a nice treat. Arvel got a new fiddle and it’s painted very nicely and differently from his previous one. He explained what all of the different colors and patterns represent. I don’t remember the description enough to add it to this post, but it’s very symbolic to him and his Scottish and Native American heritage.
Florida Bat Conservancy had a booth with different types of live bats, and displays of educational materials to inform people about the important role that bats play with the environment. Check out their website to learn more information about the different types of bats and their importance.
They also had a few bat houses to show what they look like. I learned many interesting facts about bats from the lady who was stationed in the tent. Bat houses can also be placed in people’s yards and they will help keep the property and surrounding area free of some types of insects. One bat can eat up to 3,000 insects in one night. They also have a page on their website on how to build a bat house.
She had some orphaned bats who really are cute and she was telling visitors in her booth things most of us didn’t know. For example, there orphaned bats will not ever fly. Mother bats teach their babies how to fly. Because these bats were orphaned they didn’t have contact with their mother for any length of time and they have to be hand raised and fed and handled by a human. I would have thought that flying is something that would be ingrained in the bats DNA, but evidently not. These little critters are really cute, and very soft to touch. If you or neighbors are having trees trimmed, please be sure it’s not during the season when there are baby bats or birds. Bats will fly many miles to eat insects needed to keep them alive and bat houses can hold several hundreds of bats, even thousands depending on the size. They like to be huddled close together in small spaces.
When I was watching one of the final acts, I was standing to the side of the stage and I saw a woman and her bicycle standing nearby, she had on an interesting outfit. I took a few photos and as she rode away I was able to get a quick glance at her face. I have a feeling she had these clothes from when they were new. I wished I had a chance to talk with her. I liked her spirit and the fact that she was able to dress this way. You will see her in some of the pictures. I think she had a bike helmet on over her regular hat and they seemed to blend together.
As the festival was coming to a close on Sunday afternoon the Boy Scouts held a fundraising walk through Wickham Park where the festival was held. The holiday light display was lit for this walk which kicks off the holiday season and the holiday lights where people can drive through the display for several weeks. I walked the entire mile through the lights and I took pictures of the displays that I thought would come out the best in the pictures. There are more pictures in my album.
