I just found out a little while ago that Thistledown’s very own Mr. Toad made it as one of the 10 finalists in the Project Puppet Once Upon a Puppet contest! He was so fun to build. I’ll post some more photos of him soon. He is up against some amazing puppets. Congratulations to all the other finalists! You can go and vote for your favorite puppet here.
Believe it or not, Christmas is coming around the corner and will be here before you know it. It’s my absolute favorite time of year. I am excited because Thistledown will yet again be performing our Christmas Carol show outdoors in Downtown Roanoke at the Dickens of a Christmas festival. The festival takes place every Friday night in December, and there are lots of vendors from street performers to roasted chestnuts to horse-drawn carriage rides. Last year we nearly froze to death one night, but it was worth it–all of those smiling faces watching our show was priceless.
The photo above is of Scrooge’s door with the Marley knocker. Yes, Marley is played by a goat, as are most of the characters. We’ve stayed fairly true to the story with a couple of minor deviations, for humor of course. Below is another shot from the show.
Here Scrooge is talking to Mr. Cratchit(a sheep). This year, however, the old Scrooge is retiring, and a new Mr. Scrooge will make his debut!
Well after a long week I am back at home, refreshed and ready to get back to work. I couldn’t completely take my mind off of things so I made a sculpture of Francis, my pig puppet, relaxing in the sand. Note his book and something even more important for a pig with fair skin–a bottle of sunblock. It’s great to be home and I’ll post more project pics in the days to come!
After a busy but extremely productive summer, I am off on vacation for a week to recharge. I hope to take some time to reflect on all that has happened and do some much needed day-dreaming. I am also going to make plans for some exciting future events, including preparations for the holiday season at Thistledown Puppets. I’ll be back in a week…
