Turtleducks are oddities, there’s no getting around that. Awesome as they are, they don’t quite fit in. I would hold that they are awesome partly because they don’t fit in.
As is natural for such odd creatures, Turtleducks turn up in odd places. Normal places may see them too, but odd places bring them in flocks.
One such place this Turtleduck likes to flock is Valley of the Moon (on Facebook here). Billed as “an historic fantasyland,” it’s a great place to go and act odd and have people like it.
Here I am trying out my manliness as the King of Hearts.
Fun fact: the second time I played the King, I added a lovely twirly mustache with black face-paint. I don’t know if I used the wrong stuff or what, but when the show was over, I couldn’t get it off! I had to go to work the next day wearing my twirly mustache. At a middle school. Talk about standing out!
When asked to explain the Valley of the Moon, I fumble. Oh, I can start easily enough. Valley of the Moon was built in the 1920s by a man who believed that kindness to all is the key to happiness. George Phar Legler believed that if he could plant the seeds of kindness and imagination in children, he could change their lives for the better. With wizard towers and fairy grottoes, secret paths and hidden wonders and a magical secret garden, he created a place removed from the Roaring Twenties and even more separate from the 21st century.
But what is it? A theater. A curiosity. A relic. A national historic place.
To me it’s a piece of magic to cherish in this sometimes tired, so-cynical world. On a small plot of land on a residential (then desert) street, George Phar Legler created a haven for all things magical and mystical, and that haven endures. Nearly a hundred years later, Valley of the Moon goes on, cared for and supported by a small (too small sometimes!) army of volunteers. Some clear brush. Some paint peeling buildings. Some clear weeds from the pond in the Magic Garden. And most of us, in one way or another, contribute to the shows that pay the bills so Valley of the Moon can go on bringing magic to all who visit.
I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m rather in love with Valley of the Moon. It’s an amazing place. Built by one determined man and such volunteers as he could find, VotM invokes the magic and brings it close. I love being a volunteer because I have access most don’t. Though the tours are fascinating and the shows are much fun, my favorite times at “the Moon” are when I can wander the paths alone, preferably in the evening, and let the magic speak to me.
“Old George” wanted the magic to be shared, and that’s why I volunteer. But I get so much more than I give when I do. Not least of the Valley’s gift to me is the fact that I get to meet a lot of odd birds, many of whom become good friends.
So strong is the magic, it even pulled in the amazing Wendy and Richard Pini, personal heroes of mine and two people who, I think, believe in standing out.
If you’ve read this far, I imagine you’re a bit of an odd duck yourself, so if you’re ever in Tucson, let me know. I’ll be glad to show you around my beloved Valley. In costume, preferably, because I love any excuse to wear a swirly cloak.
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| From Valley of the Moon |