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| Burning of the Phoenix (and my face. Ouch.) |
A pretty cool hot annual event takes place not too far from where I live.
It has been one of those bucket list items I can finally cross off the list.
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| Street Activities on Bridge Street |
It is the Firebird Festival named appropriately for the Phoenix -
the namesake of the borough of Phoenixville.
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| Morris Dancers - The Best Thing on Bridge Street |
Phoenixville drew its name from the Phoenix Iron Works
which was the business around which the borough grew in the early 1800s.
Once the iron industry in the United States began closing,
that was also the end of the Phoenix Iron Works.
Phoenixville declined.
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| A Member of the Playing Mantis Fire Performers |
But like every good suburban town,
Phoenixville has re invented itself
with unique shops, restaurants and a historic district...
and a Firebird Festival.
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| The Fire Dancers and The Phoenix |
Each year for 13 years, Phoenixville builds a huge bird from wood -
and then burns it down.
Each year the design of the bird is different.
Think of all the symbolism you can make from that.
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| A Member of the Playing Mantis Fire Performers |
Phoenixville is located in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
My two cents...if you go:
The buskars were supposed to be "up and down"
bridge street, but basically we found only 2
and they performed in one location on Bridge St.
I never found two of the fire performing groups.
There were no maps to help you find locations -
as an outsider just telling me where something will be held is of little help.
Handout maps would have been helpful.
The vendors should have moved their cars so as not to obstruct views
and help with pedestrian flow.
I bought a pulled pork sandwich and it was...cold!
The best part of the night - medieval battle, the fire dancers and the fire -
are held at a park 1 mile from the street activities.
Having to hang in a shop to listen to music was a little awkward.
If I went again I would just go to Friendship Field...
maybe after getting something to eat in town from a restaurant.
Park in a location to make your exit easy so you will not have closed streets in your path.
I lucked out with this one!
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| Dancing To The Very End |
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