March 23, 2005
Earth Day parade takes root
Spring Variety Show and dinner kicks off Earth Day events
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Grounding in sustainable activism, the Earth Day committee launched their effort for this year's parade with a Bring in the Spring Variety Show and Community Dinner.
Held Friday evening at the Art Center of Traverse City, the event drew nearly 150 attendees for an evening of music, sharing, drumming and fun. People brought food, shared ideas for helping the environment and stoked their enthusiasm for the upcoming Earth Day parade, scheduled this year for April 23 in Traverse City.
Stacy Dever attended the event with her two sons, Maya, 4 « and Soren, 2. They have previously attended the Earth Day parades but this is the first time they've participated in the process leading up to the public parade. Now that her sons are getting older, she wants them to help create as well as enjoy the festivities on Earth Day.
"The Earth Day parade is fun, the kids just love seeing the puppets and I love having the kids be part of something that is celebrating and honoring the Earth," Dever said. "I want to start getting them aware of what it means when they are little and having it be part of their lives."
Dever also enjoyed the evening's camaraderie, which stemmed from being surrounded by people with the same interests and commitments.
"I love being around the community who cares for the Earth," she said. "I think that year after year, it just becomes something that people can look forward to and I think that it spirals out into the greater community."
This year's theme for the parade is Earth's Paths and Patterns, with five sections planned: air, water, earth, fire and center. Members of the community can help create puppets and masks during a series of public workshops at the Art Center through April 21 (see sidebar.)
This will be the 16th year that Traverse City has hosted an Earth Day parade, said Penny Krebiehl, one of the organizers of the event. Krebiehl has been involved in creating the story, masks, puppets and other related events surrounding the parade for the past five years. She believes the Earth Day parade has been gaining momentum in the community for the past few years.
"I've personally tried hard to create a wider base of organization, getting more people involved," she said. "And it's been hard because some of the people who have been involved in Earth Day celebrations in the past have moved on to do other things. So this is really a new guard, a younger crowd, of college age kids and young families."
Friday evening's public kick-off was geared to get the word out about the event and workshops as well as raise awareness about ecological issues.
This year, the Earth Day season will include a series of workshops and potlucks on Sunday evenings leading up to April 23. The focus of these events will be a discussion of permaculture as it relates to ecological gardening practices and sustainable living.
"As a council, we decided that we want to expand into practical areas, kind of make it fun to get together and do it," Krebiehl noted.
- Public workshops to make puppets and masks will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-9 p.m. at the Art Center of Traverse City. Weekend sessions will be held on Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30-5:30 p.m. The sessions begin the week of March 22 and run through April 21. The Art Center of Traverse City is situated at 11th & Elmwood Streets. Organizers suggest a donation of $5 for each mask and costume.
- Each week of the workshops has a theme; for a list of the themes or more information on the parade or activities leading up to it, contact Penny Krebiehl at 228-3493 or DeDe Alderman at 276-2328. Or visit online at www.littleartshram.org and select the Earth Day option.