Patricia Pagnotta hopes to spread magic and mystery in Sooke.
Over the last month, Pagnotta has created a fairy village on a walking path between Grant and Haywood roads.
The mystical tiny village includes several fairy doors, a post office, an information centre, a Royal Fairy Mounted Police station, a wand shop, a town hall, and more, all lit up with twinkling little fairy lights.
The idea to create the village came after a trip to Salt Spring Island, where on a hike Pagnotta found a fairy door that sparked her interest.
“I thought it was so cool, and wondered about how I could do something like that in Sooke,” Pagnotta said.
“And then COVID-19 hit, and I suffered from some pretty severe anxiety. I work at Costco, and would come home and create, and paint. So creating the fairy village has been healing for me, and is helping me cope with all the madness.”
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The fairy village has grown in popularity, as Pagnotta adds to the project regularly and shares her creations on Sooke Facebook groups. She noted that some people have even begun adding their own creations to the project.
“Someone added a spa and a school. Someone else added a house and a wheelbarrow, and someone even made a Fairy 14 like Route 14,” laughed Pagnotta. “I think it’s so amazing, and I put some lights around theirs as well.”
The project is featured on a virtual fairy map, which an Oak Bay woman recently created to feature various fairy villages around Greater Victoria.
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Almost everything in the village is handmade, aside from some decorations that Pagnotta has acquired. She said her hope for the fairy village is to bring a sense of magic into residents’ hearts, youth or adult, and to bring positivity to the community in a difficult time.
“Seeing people’s faces, and hearing their voices as they walk through just gives me goosebumps. This project has been so much fun, and has helped keep me sane,” Pagnotta said.
“It is so touching to see that my coping is creating magic out there. People can go for a walk outside, have something to look at, and I hope it gives them a piece of happiness.”
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