By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey
Reader Staff
Sandpoint’s Granary District, located between Church and Oak streets and home to Matchwood Brewing and Evans Brothers Coffee, has become a popular hub for community gatherings in recent years.
Brietta Leader, dancer and owner of the local Embody Center for the Healing Arts studio, recognized the opportunity for a community-wide solstice celebration, and decided the Granary District would be the perfect place to make it happen.
The Gypsy Divas dance troupe. Courtesy photo.
With support from the district’s businesses and Mattox Farm Productions, Leader is bringing Sandpoint its inaugural Winter Solstice Full Moon Gathering, slated for Saturday, Dec. 18 from 4-10:30 p.m. following Evans Brothers’ annual Procrastinator’s Market, happening 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
“It feels like we’re just a little hungry for gathering in larger groups,” Leader said, noting that the event’s outdoor nature makes it relatively COVID safe. “Just to honor the seasonal shift, bring back the light — also bring the snow.”
The Granary District’s Winter Solstice event will feature live music, dance performances, raffles and more. Leader said the theme is a “celebration of our mountain culture.”
“Art is our culture,” she said, adding that the purpose of such gatherings is “to remind ourselves that that is super important.”
A schedule for the Winter Solstice gathering kicks off with music from local band BareGrass — going by new name Headwaters — from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Next, there will be dance performances from 5:30-6:30 p.m. featuring Fusion Belly Dance with Julie and Lacey, fire spinners and a ballroom dance lesson with Morgan Douglas.
Heading into the 6:30-8 p.m. time slot, Portland, Ore.-based band Cedar Teeth will rock the Granary District with the group’s distinct blend of stomp grass, indie rock and folk. Following Cedar Teeth will be more belly dancing, a slideshow from photographer Woods Wheatcroft and a candle dance from Leader’s dance troupe Gypsy Divas, all happening 8-8:30 p.m. From 8:30-10:30 p.m., DJ Frost will spin the tunes.
Mandala Pizza will also be there, slinging wood-fired pies, and attendees are encouraged to “dress in your favorite fur wear” and bring a nonperishable food item for the Bonner Community Food Bank. There will also be raffle items benefiting the food bank, with winners announced around 8:30 p.m.
“I’m looking forward to being in this collective of community — people that I’ve known for a long time, people I don’t know — just to share in this way,” Leader said, adding that hosting events is something she loves. “I’m excited to share the Gypsy Diva dance. I don’t know if there’s one word that would sum it up — it’s more about just sharing a little spark of love through the arts.”
For a complete schedule of events, visit the Embody studio website: embodysandpoint.love. Also see event updates and learn more by following Embody’s Facebook page: facebook.com/embodiedsouls. Listen to Cedar Teeth, the Oregon band coming to the Winter Solstice gathering, at cedarteethband.com.
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