Seattle Press on Line - Trash Angels will Watch Over Solstice Parade

Trash Angels will Watch Over Solstice Parade

Sonia Telesco and Thaddeus Jurczynski on Beatrice, the Caribou Death Mother.

Jun 13, 2001 -- The 13th Annual Fremont Solstice Parade starts at noon on June 16. Lars Henrikson, chairman of parade activities for 2001, says the spirit and energy are high in the magical 13th year. Sixty percent of parade marchers will just show up on Saturday morning, but at press time dozens of floats, masks, puppets and costumes are under construction at parade central, located at the Red Hook Brewery warehouse at 34th and Phinney. Many of the floats and projects under construction were created using techniques taught at spring workshops by British artists Julien Beere and Sofie Layton. These include custom fiberglass backpacks and huge puppet heads.

Among the floats and special features of the 2001 parade are:

Giant Caribou
Created by visiting Minneapolis designer Andy Kim, the 18" x 36" caribou heads are made with papier-mache in a clay mold.

The Gates of Hell
Designed by Kathleen Greco, Master Costumer at the Fremont Arts Council, "The Gates of Hell" consists of two huge fiberglass face masks, custom-fit to the person carrying the puppet and costume.

The Ogress
Barbara Bowen is the head designer of this figure, which is based on a Native American spirit called Zunugwa.

The Road Hog
A cross between an RV and a pig, the Road Hog will be dragging the dead Earth in the parade. It is 16 feet long and 10 feet high, and was designed by Frank Zucker.

Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
This float is being built by tenants from South Greenlake Apartments, and comes complete with a chocolate mountain and a waterfall made from recycled celluloid film.

Trash Angels
The Trash Angels are something new, and will be the final group in the parade line. Robin Worley, one of the angels, says the troupe will collect trash from parade-goers in their chicken-wire wings. These "interactive" angels will develop beautiful wings as they help the clean-up effort.

The Pageant
In a post-parade pageant, held at 3:30 p.m. on the Adobe lawn (under the Aurora Bridge), giant puppets Orpheus and Eurydice will make their journey through the underworld. Other pageant characters include the Giant Caribou, the Flock of Birds, Root Woman, Owl/Bird People and the Wood Troll, along with the traditional Sun Puppet and Sun Banners.

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