Art is a Verb: A My Town Monday Post
So there we were, driving up to Cleveland Saturday morning, hoping we’d find a parking spot. #2 daughter was already there; she’d been in Cleveland for a couple of days interning at the Cleveland Museum of Art. For 20 years, the 2nd Saturday of June has been devoted to the Parade the Circle celebration. If you’re thinking of politicos riding in old cars, waving and throwing bad candy to potential voters, you ain’t seen nothing!
Two thousand people joined in the celebration this year: musicians, dancers, stilt walkers, puppeteers, and just folks who came out to share in the magic that is Parade. This is the first time I have actually seen the Parade; I have always been in it, usually sporting a giant puppet. I was among about 70,000 other people who came out to celebrate the arts.
Parade the Circle is a living entity; it demonstrates that the arts transcend differences, and that they create connections between people who would otherwise probably never meet.
The creative energy is palpable, during the workshops that precede the event and before and during the celebration. The photo shows #2 daughter performing at Parade. Take a look at at a video, imagine yourself there, and smile. I’ll post some more photos as I have time to edit them.
My Town Monday’s main man is Travis Erwin, who, this week, writes about a county in his home state of Texas, that bears his name. Take a trip on over there to see links for sites of bloggers who live all over the place.
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savannah said,
June 15, 2009 @ 12:12 am
what a cool parade! thanks for sharing this, sugar. what a grand idea! xoxo
Barrie Summy said,
June 15, 2009 @ 1:41 am
Looks like a great day!
Laura/centerdownhome said,
June 15, 2009 @ 5:15 am
Debra, you’re always posting these uplifting photos, stories and videos.
I love this — I was chair-dancing as I watched it. And, hey, where can I get some of those bells? Just to wear around, you know?
David Cranmer said,
June 15, 2009 @ 7:11 am
Parade the Circle does indeed look like a ton of fun. A video says a million words because I was there. Thanks for posting.
Patti Abbott said,
June 15, 2009 @ 8:51 am
We need these festival especially now to remind us that art needs to be funded as much as other things.
Jenn Jilks said,
June 15, 2009 @ 8:51 am
What a blast! I’ve learned how to play the steel drums at a music camp. It puts smiles on everyone’s faces!
rudeek said,
June 15, 2009 @ 11:07 am
What a great weekend. I love steel drum bands. We had a Clay, Metal and Glass art show in town this weekend. I thought about you every time I passed a clay booth. I didn’t see anything as pretty as what you and your husband made for Duke.
Travis Erwin said,
June 15, 2009 @ 11:17 am
I love me some steel drums and they make an appearance or two in Plundered Booty.
LarramieG said,
June 15, 2009 @ 12:22 pm
Pure MAGIC!
Dusty said,
June 15, 2009 @ 2:38 pm
What’s great about this parade is that it includes folks who might not necessarily get into The Rose Parade. Love the big puppets–spooky! Love the steel drums, too. But what really sold this to me was the marching belly dancers. What a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing this with us!
MaryWitzl said,
June 16, 2009 @ 4:20 am
I’m not a huge fan of parades, but I do love marching bands.That lady on stilts is going to give me nightmares all week, though something tells me she’s not as scared as I would be in her position.
fromskilledhands said,
June 16, 2009 @ 7:41 am
The lady on stilts is my #2 daughter, Mary. She is as comfortable on stilts as she is on the ground, and has been performing since she was 9.
Hay said,
June 16, 2009 @ 1:17 pm
Wow, what amazing fun. I love soaking up the atmosphere at events like this.
Mary said,
June 19, 2009 @ 11:37 am
Love that photo of daughter #2 on the stilts. She is an amazing artist. Did she design her costume as well?