Sqaush for puppets

We had some errands to do yesterday, so we piled into the car and made a family day of it. We figured we would practice trying to move about the planet as a family, which we are finding is not as simple as it used to be before the baby.

One stop we made was to visit the puppet people, who are, in my humble opinion, probably the ninth or tenth wonder of the world. The Bread and Puppet Theater is a company of puppeteers, who all live on an old farm in Glover, VT, and who put on these grand puppet shows all summer. The shows feature these massive puppets, elaborate choreography, music, and left leaning political themes and metaphors. The Sunday afternoon summer shows take place on this huge hay field, are arranged on a spectacular scale, and feature epic conflicts between good and bad. The Friday night shows take place in the new barn, and are more like a variety show consisting of several skits. All of the work is beautiful, and full of hope and promise. There is also this massive museum and gallery in another barn, showcasing their puppet and graphic design work. Oh, and at the end of each show, the puppeteers serve bread to all the audience members, and everyone eats together, hence, the name.

Anyway, we had a few bushels of winter squash left over from our season, so we decided to drop them off for the puppet people to eat this winter. Despite the fact that all of their performances are free (except for a request for donations), the company is totally self supporting and does not solicit any grants or government funding. But they do depend on literally hundreds of volunteers, neighbors, and friends, who all help support their work. We have immensely enjoyed their shows, so it was nice to give something back.

Plus, as we were leaving, one of the puppet people gave us a loaf of bread.