"Fox Festival Parade" : w/giant puppets, Second Line Brass Band, & more; via APA on 6/18/16

ARLINGTON, Mass. - June 4, 2016 - PRLog -- Fox Festival Parade, organized by Arlington Public Art, featuring giant puppets, the Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band, and more. Saturday, June 18, noon. Starting in Capitol Square on Mass. Ave., East Arlington, MA 02474. Free and open to all to participate in.

Arlington's first ever Fox Festival Parade will kick off this year's 18th annual Feast of the East, which takes placeon Saturday June 18th, in the Capitol Square neighborhood of East Arlington. Organized by Arlington Public Art (APA), the noon time parade will feature whimsical animals puppets created by the community, extraordinary creatures fashioned out of ordinary materials - recycled cardboard and colored paper.

The initial inspiration for the parade was a tribute to the much-loved Edith M. Fox branch library - known affectionately as "The Fox."  However, it has grown into a celebration of the urban wildlife that lives in Arlington's lush green spaces. Oversized foxes will be joined by other animal mascots; rabbits, possums, raccoons, turtles, red cardinals, and even a wild turkey will prance down Massachusetts Avenue with the New Orleans-style Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band leading the charge.

Since early May 2016, over 20 neighborhood children have congregated at the Thompson School in East Arlington to participate in APA's series of puppet-building workshops led by master puppeteer Sara Peattie.  More parade-making workshops open to children and families are scheduled at the Fox Library, and people are also encouraged to make their own costumes or banners at home and join the parade on June 18.

Free drop-in workshops will be held at the Edith M. Fox Branch Library on Wednesdays, June 8th and 15th, from 4-7 pm.  An additional flag-making workshop will be held on the sidewalk in front of the Fox Library during Arlington's first Porchfest on Saturday, June 11th, from noon to 4 pm. For more information: www.arlingtonpublicart.org/the-fox-festival, 781-819-4278.

The Fox Festival Parade is the latest in a series of pop-up public art happenings organized by APA, this time teaming up with the Fox Library, Friends of the Fox, Thompson School, and the Capitol Square Business Association to create a festive community pageant that will coincide with the Feast of the East, an annual food and entertainment festival. The parade is supported in part by grants from the Arlington Cultural Council, Friends of the Fox Library, Vision 2020, & the Town of Arlington. (Details on the parade can be found at www.arlingtonpublicart.org/the-fox-festival; visit www.capitolsq.com/feast-of-the-east for the overall Feast of the East schedule.)

Further background on the origins of the Fox Festival Parade and the forces behind it can be found at the following links:

Arlington Public Art (APA) and the Fox Festival Parade: www.arlingtonpublicart.org/the-fox-festival

Edith M. Fox Branch Library (Fox Library):
www.mln.lib.ma.us/info/arlington.htm#1

Sara Peattie, master puppeteer: www.puppetco-op.org

Second Line Social Aid & Pleasure Society Brass Band (Second Line Brass Band): www.secondlinebrassband.org