let's pretend i posted this in mid- August, okay? that's what i meant to do...
the love part: my man and I met 20 years ago this summer at the Bread and Puppet Theatre festival. (we've been together half our lives!)
(image via Bread and Puppet website)
(crappy image via me 20 years ago!! the rest are various photos i found elsewhere- all kosher i believe!)
Bread and Puppet are a theatre group/community in Vermont known for their giant puppets and their political message.
(image via this blog- a nice post describing what shows are like now)
I grew up going to Bread and Puppet every summer of the 1970s and 80s with my family. New York transplants from way back, Peter and Elke Schumann and their family have a year round farm/art/theatre community and museum in the very rural Northeast Kingdom in Vermont.
you may have seen their puppets at marches, or recognize their influence in the work of JulieTaymor- a B&P protege.
one of their philosophies is Cheap Art:
here's some nice cheap art.
image via More on the art here
for many years on one weekend in August, the Schumanns, their people, and the town of Glover, VT would host a free 2 day festival. (in 1998 they stopped the weekend event- it had gotten too large and unruly) The day started with the Domestic Resurrection Circus.
image via Bread and Puppet website
The audience sits around on the grass in a natural amphitheatre, and the B&P bus pulls in with most of the company sitting on top- dressed in white, waving large flags with prints of every day objects and and words underneath- "Brother Frying Pan," "Sister Toothbrush." A band accompanied the performers- and always Uncle Sam on sky high stilts and silly 'animal' (people in animal costumes) routines. (here's a good video of a recent Circus performance)
image via flickr
At dusk, there was the Pageant. Silent and serious- the audience would wait as performers would appear from over the hills with bird puppets. The theme was always serious and something always got burned at the end. (our Island Fire Parade organizers are Bread and Puppet alums- small world!- and we always burn something at the end of the Fire Parade.)
image via Bread and Puppet website
image via Chazz
i haven't gone back since they stopped doing the weekend festival- but i think we must next year.
and the garlic? it's puppets- and BREAD. a delicious part of the Bread and Puppet experience is the FREE hearty fresh baked bread with a raw garlic spread. my man and i met in the queue for bread-- love and bliss ever since!! :)
i've been growing garlic in my little garden.
i love to eat it spread on bread with oil, salt and pepper. I don't know what exactly they put in it at Bread and Puppet, but i find that my version reminds me of those days.
so- Love and Garlic- two of the best things I have going for me. i raise my garlic bread to you my man.