HOBT
The 35th Annual MayDay Parade and Festival will occur
on Sunday, May 2, 2010
MayDay Ceremony
The MayDay Ceremony in Powderhorn Park has become a joyous annual ritual
for nearly 50,000 people in the Twin Cities.
Each year, a 200-person pageant
re-tells the story of that year's parade,
with children and adult dancers, puppeteers, a live orchestra and four giant
serene puppets who represent the Prairie, Sky, River, and Woods.
It culminates in the Tree of Life Ceremony: to the steady beating of
drums, a resplendent red Sun Flotilla paddles the Sun from across the lake
to the shore where the Tree of Life sleeps, waiting to be reawakened.
Audio/Visual Assistance
The Tree of Life Ceremony is audio described and also presented in American
Sign Language (ASL). If you or someone in your party need these services, please
meet by the seating area next to the ceremony ring after the parade.
The Best Sign of Spring: MayDay
photo: Nick Lethert
Six months of relentless winter always leaves
us a little paranoid: It may snow again. It is only with In the Heart
of the Beast Puppet Theatre's annual May Day Parade that we can shed
our fears of winter and join in a communal celebration of rebirth
that is as joyous, giddy, and oversized as our emotions.
When those two-story-tall puppets begin their
haunting, wordless journey to Powderhorn Park, whatever remains of
our seasonal depression slips away.
The relief of it is enough to send spectators
into tears when, along with the tens of thousands of other attendees,
they begin to sing a song that finally banishes winter for another
six months: Gene Autry's "You Are My Sunshine." - City
Pages
Don't miss the 36th Annual MayDay Parade and Festival! Sunday, May 2,
2010

photos: David Welch, Liz Welch