Patty Farber is an artist and an ethnic dance specialist.

"Either fall of 72 or summer of 73 was my first Sweet's Mill. I think I went with Pat Vasilaros. I had met her at the Renaissance Faire and we were buddys. We had matching half-ton pickup trucks. We caravaned with our two trucks. At the faire we built this gypsy camp heaven. Nothing was simple. It was incredibly ornate and you shlepped, stuffed, gigantic campers filled with stuff. We built a three room abode at the far end of the lake at Sweet's Mill.

I started hearing this kaval music floating down from the bushes. This is all in the first ten minutes of arriving. I said, 'What's that? And they said that's Hank Bradley playing the kaval.' We unloaded. I was very impressed with Virgil telling us to 'park our machines out of site of the eyes.' I thought, 'That's pretty impressive.' I remember meeting people who I became very good friends with. My first impressions were very mind blowing.

Patty, performing a Yemenite Camel Dance. She directed her dance troupe, designed and made many of the costumes.

 The thing that was the most magical was just hanging out with friends. I remember when I was kid, if there was a party I didn't want to go home. This was a party where you didn't have to go home for days and days. You could get really close to people.
Mark Levy on kaval, Stewart Mennin on gajda, and David Skuse on fiddle.

I think we got very close to each other. We let our guard down. When I hear stories about what kinds of upbringing people have had, I realize what a priceless gift it was to have that feeling of community. The music which to me was the spritual element, was the common language that bound people together. That brought them together rather than it being drugs or just getting together and hanging out. It brought people together on a spiritual level. Ideas were going like mad. We'd do everything from Andrews Sisters reviews, silly shows. Somehow there ended up being sewing machines and I would sew things up there. My friend Yerba came one year and we did this insane decoration of the coffeehouse when it was above the lodge. We made this magical beaded curtain. It was the magic of smells and the fact that we felt safe there. You are with your friends in this sort of wonderful fantasy world where there wasn't crime or arguing or bills due." --Patty Farber
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