Can you explain this festival/event a little bit more.....I'm confused by the monkey people and giant gods. Great photos btw......

yea- these are great! do tell us the story Donald on how this came to be- or was it all just a grand illusion? & how was the turn out, did it get good coverage? you said it had been raining? these puppets couldn't have come too cheap- did some eccentric finance it?

Thank you. This is an event that takes place every year in the Fremont area of Seattle. it's funded by the Fremont Arts Council and the public; even during the event they have a BIG GREEN HAT that is in the parade and people are asked to donate to help defray the costs. I think they've been in the black every year they've had it. The parade is watched by 10's of thousands of people. as it winds it way through Fremont. After the parade, they have the Summer Solstice Pageant. I've scanned these in reverse, starting with the pageant and then going to do the parade. The Arts Council is a collective of all kinds of artists (sculpters, dancers, musicians, painters, puppeteers, photographers, etc.). All of the puppets and props you see are made by the participants. The parade is open to the public and they have workshops during the year where you can go and make stuff for the parade. The monkey's were not an integral part of the story, but it seemed appropriate after the unprecidented war coverage we had to have the monkey newspeople break into the middle of the pageant just as the war was about to start. As for the photos posted so far, the story goes something like this (I am interpreting what I got out of it and I may be a little or completely off on the true story). Every year, the pageant tells a different story but with one common ending ... the rebirth of the sun. This one began with the awakening of the old wise women. They slowly make their way down to the cauldron, what I took to be a metaphor for that place from which all things come. After paying homage to the cauldron (nature?) they move out from the cauldron and begin planting. They tend the crops, watering and watching over them; but nothing grows. They wait a little longer and then they don't know what to do, so they beseech the cauldron. And from it comes the small sun (you can see her laying on the ground in one of the photos). She dances over to each planted crop and they begin to grow (dancers holding crops come out from under cover). The very first crop grows and the harvest is taken in. But with the crops come the crows. Circling menacingly towards the groups of women ... threatening the first harvest. Just as they are about to take the food, the scarecrows come storming out from behind the hills (it was really cool, couldn't see them at first) and onto the fields. The crows and scarecrows face off, each side posturing and taunting. Just as the music builds, this is when the monkeys run into the fray to report on everything. After that, the story continues. The battle is joined. The scarecrows at first are winning easily, but then the crows learn that working together they can take down the scarecrows. One by one, all combatants on the field eventually fall until all of the crows and scarecrows lay slain. Then you see amongst the bodies that the sun has also fallen in the battle. The wise women are grief stricken at the horrible scene before them (the photo with "the aftermath" under it shows this part). They drop to their knees, tear at their clothing, claw the ground. As they grieve, the God of change (death? nature?) walks out and looks over the field littered with bodies. He calls forth the great bear spirit-cloud which comes out and moves slowly over the battlefield. It circles twice and when it leaves, the field is empty except for the clothing that the scarecrows wore. The wise women, now stunned by what has happened, slowly pick up the body of the sun and agonizingly take it back to the cauldron. That's the story so far ... as I finish and post the rest, you should be able to follow the story. What's great is that the way Gasworks park is, the performers were out of view until they walked onto the field (natural hills block the view) so you're sitting there and the God is on a hill about 100 yards away and the music changes to a slow rumbling, almost funeral like rhythm and then you notice this huge bear-cloud moving down onto the field. Pretty sweet. -=>Donald

oh wow- how wonderful & impressive- this is what i miss the most in not living in a big city- art & culture thank you donald for the story, i do appretiate you taking the time in explaining it, now i can look foward to viewing more of your photos from the pagent & parade & have a better ideal what it's all about

Oh kewlness, now I can follow along and have it make a bit os sense..... Great story so far!

This thread and the pics were so touching... thank you for enlarging my knowledge with boths.

This is sooo kewl, Don. I dig these kinds of things. :-D (*