HarvestFest in New London, Minnesota, to celebrate fall with community-made puppets

Sep. 20—NEW LONDON

— For the last few weeks, the

New London Little Theatre Auditorium

has been transformed into a puppet-making workshop, with larger-than-life watermelons, corn cobs and wood ducks only a few of the creative creations coming to life under the hands of both professional puppet artists and community members from the New London region.

"It is messy. The theater is really messy right now, which is kind of cool," said Bethany Lacktorin, director of the Little Theatre.

The puppet parade will be one of the crowning events of this year's

fall festivals

taking place around New London over the last few weeks. At 11 a.m. Sept. 23, these imaginative puppet, some of them several feet tall, will be walked and marched down the streets of New London for the

HarvestFest Puppet Parade

. At the end of the route, in Neer Park, the Little Crow Ski team will help the parade conclude with a special observance of the Autumn Equinox on Mill Pond.

"People can follow the parade as we march our way to Neer Park," Lacktorin said.

With rain possible on Saturday, Lacktorin said the Little Theatre will be playing it by ear. If it is just misting out when the parade is set to begin, the event will probably go ahead, but if it is a steady or heavy rain, the parade start may be delayed an hour. If the rain delay ends up longer than an hour, everyone will convene at the Gossman Memorial Stage for a puppet show and puppet selfies.

"I'd say for people to keep an eye on the website and socials for updates," Lacktorin said.

HarvestFest has been the Little Theatre's contribution to the annual fall festivals in the area.

On Sept. 16 at The Land, the Little Theatre, in partnership with organizations such as the New London Arts and Culture Alliance and Renewing the Countryside, held Harvest Star. This included a vendors market; the SOD House Theatre presenting TABLE, a dinner theater show with food by Krewe Resturant's Chef Mateo Mackbee; and live outdoor music with Good Time Gals and Mississippi Hot Club.

The idea to bring a puppet parade to New London started some time ago.

When she lived in Minneapolis, Lacktorin was a fan of the annual May Day parade in Minneapolis along Bloomington Avenue. She also got to know Steve Ackerman from the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre, which was involved with the parade for many years.

"I really fell in love with it, and loved puppets in general," Lacktorin said.

When Ackerman came out to New London a few years ago for

an artist in residency program

, Lacktorin discussed bringing a community-created puppet parade to New London.

"It's really magical to see larger-than-life giant birds, or be able to magnify smaller objects and make them bigger," Ackerman said. "Being able to animate them down the street is always so exciting."

The puppet process in New London started back in July, when community members were invited to attend story gathering events. The public were asked what they love best about New London and favorite stories about the New London community. A questionnaire was also available, asking questions like what color people see when they think of New London, and what kind of creature the city of New London would be.

"Certain patterns emerge, and those themes become sections in the parade," Lacktorin said.

The New London parade will be made up of three sections. One is commemorating and honoring important people in New London's story. The individuals will be represented as ducks, a nod to New London's connection with water and nature. The second section will focus on nature in and around the New London lakes region.

"People in the area really love nature, no big discovery right?" Lacktorin said. "We love our lakes, we love our grasslands, the prairie."

The final section will be all about food and the harvest. During the puppet-making workshop on Sept. 16, the theater was full of people creating larger-than-life vegetables and fruit — all of which combine into a puppet when completed.

"Anything is possible with puppets," said puppet artist Ollie Johnson. "You can make a giant watermelon if you want. Anything is possible."

Puppets are an interesting, surreal and magical art form, that can symbolize important themes and ideas in a very approachable and accessible way.

"You can take a big idea and turn into something fun. That is one of the strengths of puppetry, being playful with an idea," Johnson said.

To create the puppets for the parade, a team of puppet artists from the Twin Cities and community members of all ages from the New London region have been working over many hours and several days. All ages, abilities and artistic talents have put their creative muscles to use while building a menagerie of puppets.

"They're colorful and playful and we need more of that in the world," said puppet artist Dominique Herskind. "More people need to do art anyways. In this day and age it is so easy to be stuck in our phones. So to have something when you are actually around people making art together is really magical."

During the afternoon puppet-making session, several children did their part, painting squash masks, making tomatoes and creating a large carrot mask.

"I really like building puppets, I really like art and I think I'm really good at it," said Inez Hernandez, 7, who will be wearing the squash mask she made in the parade.

Michael Turbes, 10, will also be marching in the parade after he helped make some of the star attractions in it.

"I've never been in a parade before and I thought it would be fun," Turbes said while he helped make a tomato.

Adults got in on the fun as well. New London-Spicer English Learner teacher Teresa Depuydt found herself on the floor of the Little Theatre creating a leek mask. She wanted to be part of the puppet parade experience, saying it is important for people to participate in these kinds of community events so they continue to happen.

"What a great opportunity for kids, families and me to get involved," said Depuydt, who has never made a puppet before, let alone one that looks like a large leek. "It's neat to do different things."

Those community members and many more will also need to answer the call to be part of the parade itself. At least one of the puppets set to be in the parade will require six people to operate. There are also all the smaller puppets, masks and musical and sound aspects of the parade that will need human power to come alive.

Lacktorin said the parade will probably need around 50 individuals, and all are welcome to take part.

The final two days of the puppet-making workshop — from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 21 and 22 — will not only finish up making the puppets, but will finalize the layout of the parade itself. Anyone interested in being in the parade can show up at the workshops at the Little Theatre to find a place.

"They can show up the day of and we'll dress them frantically," before sending them down the parade route, Ackerman said.

The hope is this first puppet parade will be a success and start a tradition of annual parades.

"Hopefully through the years it will build and build," Ackerman said. "Come see it or be in it."

And for those still not convinced to come out to the HarvestFest Puppet Parade on Saturday, Lacktorin had one last surprise. An

old community favorite, Ole Knudsen

could just end up walking in the parade himself.

"Ole's long walk hasn't finished yet and he may be making an appearance," Lacktorin said.