Calaveras Enterprise

Tuolumne Talk: Get creative and join the fun in Jamestown




Hawthorne Baumbay works on his frog costume at the Summer KASA Kamp.Photo by Patricia Harrelson

Hawthorne Baumbay works on his frog costume at the Summer KASA Kamp.Photo by Patricia Harrelson

Billed as a “Mardi Gras celebration in the Mother Lode,” the Handmade Parade is one of the most innovative community events to hit the foothills in a while. Scheduled for Oct. 2 at dusk on Main Street, Jamestown, the inaugural Handmade Parade intends to “celebrate creativity and diversity that fosters community involvement and creative expression.” Described as a “walking theatrical performance,” the parade will also glow after dark.

So let’s get specific. Everyone is invited to participate. The rules: create your costume, prop or small float alone or with family or friends. Be advised: no live animals, no written words, logos or motorized vehicles are allowed. However, motorized wheelchairs are acceptable, as are things on wheels like bikes, trikes and strollers. Parade participants are expected to be in costume or dressed to complement their artistic expressions.

Remember, this parade is about creativity, hence the title “Handmade.”

The Handmade Parade is a collaborative effort. It originated with the Tuolumne County Arts Alliance (TCAA) and its partner the Mother Lode Makers, who are working in conjunction with the Jamestown Promotion Club. The purpose of the parade is to foster community involvement in the arts. To that end, TCAA and Maker’s Lab have many options to assist potential parade participants in making costumes, masks, giant puppets or flags on poles.

Kids Arts Studies Academy participants created animals from Yosemite National Park in preparation for the Handmade Parade.Courtesy photo

Kids Arts Studies Academy participants created animals from Yosemite National Park in preparation for the Handmade Parade.Courtesy photo

The Mother Lode Makers has opened its lab two days a week to help those preparing for the Handmade Parade.

“We have tools for communal use – such as 3-D printers and other cool technology,” said Jen Fletcher, “and our members will be on hand to work with anyone who needs help realizing an idea.”

Fletcher is particularly focused on using recycled materials to make creations, and she likes to assist kids. Her own creation for the parade is what she calls an airship, which her young son Sam clarifies “goes into space.”

On Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the lab is open to the public with a focus on poles, flags and fabric puppets. Thursdays, the lab is geared toward lanterns. After talking with Fletcher and Laurie Livingston, one of the event organizers, I realized that the word lantern refers more broadly to illumination.

Lauren Hughes is a great gray owl.Courtesy photo

Lauren Hughes is a great gray owl.Courtesy photo

For you see, the Handmade Parade is unique in that it will make two passes down Main Street, Jamestown. The first occurs at dusk and heads west. As night falls, the parade will reassemble and come back up the street heading east toward Rocca Park. This time, participants will be illuminated, “electrified; lit up,” exclaimed Livingston.

So on Thursdays at the Maker’s Lab, members help people with lighting their creations.

“We can give them ideas about how to integrate solar, battery or LEDs to a headdress, bicycle helmet, shopping cart or whatever,” Fletcher explained.

On Saturdays and Sundays, the Kids Arts Studies Academy classroom at the Sonora Dome – home to the arts alliance – is also open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for people to work on regalia for the parade. Theresa Desy and her children, Opal and Hawthorne, were there one Saturday. Nine-year-old Hawthorne worked on the frog mask he will wear. When asked about his choice, Hawthorne said he saw another frog mask and it “looked super cool.”

Elizabeth Encoyand crouches into her western pond turtle suit.Courtesy photo

Elizabeth Encoyand crouches into her western pond turtle suit.Courtesy photo

Earlier this summer, 11 children who attended KASA Kamp made creations from scratch for the Handmade Parade.

“The theme was ‘Yosemite Creatures,’” said Livingston, “to acknowledge the centennial” of the national park.

Imagination abounds in the children’s creations of a turtle, fox, bluebird and more.

“We don’t have a theme for the inaugural parade,” Livingston noted, “but other such parades around the country do. For instance, the parade in Olympia, Wash., is called ‘Procession of the Species.’”

“But we simply want to encourage a display of creativity. For instance, we invite people who have made costumes for the Celtic Faire or are preparing a Halloween costume to showcase those creations. We are also reaching out to schools to enter.”

 

 

LuAnne Tillman is building a giant microphone with the call letters KAAD, the soon-to-be-launched community radio station, which, by the way, has a kickoff party and benefit scheduled for Sept. 24 at Coffill Park in Sonora. Catered by Mi Pueblo, the fiesta promises “fancy food, fun, frolic and fanfare” in support of a good cause – assistance with licensing fees and equipping the broadcast studio.

Under the umbrella of TCAA, the new radio station – KAAD-LP 103.5 FM – is another example of the way in which our community is using its collective creative energy to energize community participation and harmony.

The hands-on character of the parade encourages the community to work directly with artists and each other while gaining confidence in their own abilities. The Handmade Parade – and the Radio Kickoff Party – are two marvelous ways to come together as a community and have fun.

Send word on your Tuolumne County event to mtaylor@sierralodestar.com.

WHEN: 5 p.m. Sept. 25

WHERE: Coffill Park, Washington Street, Sonora

TICKETS: $35 at 532-2787

WHEN: Twilight, Oct. 2

WHERE: Main Street, Jamestown

COST: Free

MORE INFO: tuolumnecountyarts.org/handmade-parade or 532-2787

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *