The British Home in Sierra Madre opens its grounds to the public exactly once a year, and that day is Saturday. The June Faire — an English village fete transplanted to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains — returns for its annual run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., raising funds for the nonprofit retirement community that has been a quietly distinctive presence on Manzanita Avenue for nearly a century.
Founded in 1931 by a group of women from the Daughters of the British Empire, the British Home operates as a continuing life care community for senior residents and remains affiliated with the Daughters of the British Empire’s Western District. The Faire is the community’s signature event and its largest annual fundraiser. Visitors can expect traditional Scottish, Irish and Morris dancing, a Victorian Tea served on the patio, food booths featuring British bangers on buns and ploughman’s lunches, and stalls selling handmade goods, collectibles, books and British baked goods.
The Home’s cottage layout — clusters of small residential buildings set among open lawns, gardens and mature trees — makes for an unusually pleasant Faire setting. Children’s activities include a sticky wall and a bouncy house alongside game booths. Admission is free, and the public is welcome to wander the grounds throughout the morning.
The Faire is a particularly low-key fixture in the local calendar of community fundraisers, with most of the work done by volunteers and residents. Proceeds support resident programs and capital improvements at the Home.
The British Home’s June Faire will take place Saturday, June 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The British Home, 647 Manzanita Ave., in Sierra Madre. Admission is free. For more information, call (626) 355-7240
