Puppets Up! Day 2

Well, on the second day I got to do some more balcony puppeteering. Both of these puppets were built by Noreen Young and I performed the little grey OPP dog on the right (that is a scarecrow on the left). I am surprised how much I enjoyed doing the balcony puppeteering.

We were even able to get a few passing cheerleaders to stop and do some cheers. I made it a point to challenge their spelling skills. No simple "Gimme' a W-I-N here!". They were great. In fact moments later I had the puppet complaining about being hot and wanting a "freezee" (these are really called MrFreeze ice pops, but all my life I have known them as "freezees") and these young ladies happened to be selling them in their blue cooler. Well wouldn't you know it, a kind little boy came out of the crowd and brought one up for me. He ended up doing some puppeteering for a while himself. It was a very memorable moment.

During my (and my wife's) stay in Almonte, we shared accommodation with one of the puppet troupes. I was told that a couple of puppeteers from Vermont would be in the same bed and breakfast as my wife and I (Menzies House B & B). I knew nothing about the pair so I decided to go and see their show at the end of day 1.














Their names are Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall and they are amazing performers. Their company is called The Crabgrass Puppet Theatre. Hands down their show was one of the most entertaining puppet stage shows I have ever seen. Done using shadow puppets and marionettes (all created by Jaime and Bonny). Their show was called The Breman Town Musicians and it was awesome!

The music was top notch (new lyrics to oldies favourites) and each show they did was live. No pre-recorded stuff here. They are true artistic professionals and after talking with them it is clear that they are as passionate about puppetry as they are talented. It was great meeting them and I wish them continued success.

As the day came to an end, their was a final parade down main street. Many of the people who had been keeping the buzz around town came together and showed some of the wonderful puppets and costumes that they used. This was a time for me to sit back and take in all of the craziness that had been around me for the past two days. As well as some of the amazing artists that I had the pleasure of seeing perform over those two delightful days.

There was/were...














Shop owners with their look-a-like puppet counterparts.














Bob Stutt and Iggy the Iguana...







Jacob Blue Jay and Stephen Brathwaite...
















...aliens...
















...clowns...











...and dogs.





Dogs?














And flying bicycles?!







But that's not all! There was/were...














...local television personalities...














...the town mayor in shorts...














...children...









...stilt walkers...








...and...














...Noreen Young with Gloria Gopher, news media, mascots...














...more mascots, and cheerleaders...














...and a pair of fuzzy dice.

It was a beautiful day and a wondeful little parade. As the festival started to come to and end and the streets began to empty I was able to reflect on the day and catch up with other performers.














One last picture of myself, Matt Ficner and ZipE the clown (a.k.a. Adam Zimmerman).

I was honoured to be a part of such a great first ever event like Puppets Up! I highly recommend attending this event in the future and I hope to see more new faces next year.