Fairyland in Oakland -- After Hours

The Jolly Trolley waits patiently in the train garage for the next day's event.

Two soldiers stand guard.  -- Vivian Aldridge

Meantime, 'the old woman in the shoe' went shopping (I think.) 

No one was home when I knocked on the door

Fairyland Sketching - What a delight to have this special place available for a relaxed and peaceful afternoon of sketching

Fairy Music Farm Exhibit

Crooked Man

New Mural with Monkey

Fairly Adult in Fairyland

Me three! Another view of The Lucky Dragon and a crooked house and Oswald the Bubble Elf. Second drawing is looking back toward the entrance with a sketcher under a tree. I first came to Fairyland when I was 4 years old and remember being very impressed with the water-fountain lion, who was much taller than I. He doesn't look so big any more (but he's a lot more colorful!). I hope to go back and sketch him next time.

Sketching at Fairyland in Oakland

In 1950, Children's Fairyland, a storybook theme park, featuring fairy-tale sets, farm animals, and live entertainment opened in Oakland. It is still there today, the original child-size buildings and rides lovingly maintained. A popular throwback to a simpler time. Fairyland is usually bustling with kids but our group was able to go after hours and had the place almost all to our selves. (I say almost because besides us the resident squirrels were out in force "cleaning" up all popcorn dropped by those kids!) I loved the buildings that looked like 3D sketches. Each was donated by an appropriate sponsor, The Brick House by The Associated Home Builders of Alameda County and Gepetto's Workshop by The Italian American Federation of the East Bay.

Children's Fairyland Oakland

Two special sketching nights at Children's Fairyland back-to-back, tonight the Urban Sketchers, and tomorrow a sketching event, Drawn Together, benefitting Fairyland — read more about it here http://oaklandlocal.com/2014/09/illustrating-community-at-childrens-fairyland/

When I was a child, my mother brought my brother and I to visit Fairyland. I was about 3 years old, and Fairyland was just a few years older. The sculpture I remembered the most vividly was the Alice in Wonderland tunnel, with the card maze at the end. I wasn't tall enough to see through the "windows", so I could only see the tippy-tops of the figures in the garden.

the deck of cards who were tossed into the air

The Crooked Man and his crooked house

Oswald the Bubble Elf