Last modified Friday, March 31, 2006 5:53 PM PST
Kailey Johnson and Deven Brawley of Patricia Rincon Dance Collective performing at the Encinitas Garden Festival in 2005.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Keyes
Moves, grooves and beauty and Encinitas Garden Festival

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer

ENCINITAS ---- Beautiful gardens, modern dance and music will intertwine at Saturday's Encinitas Garden Festival, an all-day salute to the city's botanical and artistic prowess.

Visitors will board double-decker buses at Cottonwood Creek Park and ride to neighborhoods in Leucadia, where gardeners at more than 20 private homes will display their creations.

Dancers will enliven some of the gardens with choreography that plays off of the exotic surroundings.

Tickets are required for the self-guided, self-paced garden tour.

At Cottonwood Creek Park, free dance performances at a gardeners marketplace are scheduled at noon and 1:30 p.m. The Patricia Rincon Dance Collective will perform with the Coast Consort music ensemble. Also appearing is the bk Soul dance company, Maria Cleary and Dancers and Tony Caligagan's Salsa Dancers.

Entertainment at the gardens includes dance creations by Yolande Snaith, Patricia and Alicia Rincon, Cleary, Deven Brawley and Natalia Valerdi.

"Building on the tremendous success of last year, the second annual Encinitas Garden Festival has something for everyone, from English cottage gardens to Asian-influenced and new California style," said organizer Nan Sterman. "As a completely volunteer-run event, our long-term goal is to support the beautification of the local community and raise funds for horticultural projects such as median planting and school gardens."

Tickets prices range from $10 to $20; children under 10 pay $7. Tickets are for sale at the Encinitas Visitors Center, 138 Encinitas Blvd.; Anderson's La Costa Nursery, 400 La Costa Ave.; Grangetto's Farm and Garden Supply, 203 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road; Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association, 216 N. Coast Hwy. 101; and Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association, 818 S. Coast Hwy. 101.

For information, call (760) 753-6041.

Contact staff writer Adam Kaye at (760) 943-2312 or akaye@nctimes.com.