You Can Be a Part of Solstice!

COME ON BY THE WORKSHOP AND CHECK IT OUT! YOU CAN BE A PART OF SOLSTICE!

Santa Barbara Summer Solstice is in the final stretch to get everything built and ready for the parade on June 21! Everyone is welcome and help is very much needed! You can stop by and take a look at the Workshop at the corner of Ortega Street and Garden Street.

Here I am posting my workshop photos of progress arranged in galleries by day.

The theme this year is “Wild Things”, but that can cover a wide range of meanings.

Polly and Emily Carey are back with family and friends for another huge paper mâché creation. Paper mâché is a lot of work, but it is also the most expressive art form in Solstice. This one involves giant mushrooms.

These guys rushed by with a frame for an especially big mushroom. They were rushing to lay it down and glue it before it came apart!

Emma-Jane Huerta is the ever-creative and energetic queen of the Mask Shop. She posed with one of her many creations in the process of creation.

Here is just one section of the Mask Shop where you can get an idea of what you can be if you join in!

Dragon has brought new energy to the Workshop in recent years and he posed with Emma-Jane.

I should note that Emma-Jane’s husband Rich McLaughlin is another long time Solstice creator, but he was not at the Workshop on this occasion.

Carlos Cuellar is another long time Solstice artist and it was good to see him working with a young artist in training. Solstice is all about bringing in new people and letting them thrive and create!

Space is tight and artists are very creative at finding nooks to work in!

This guy is working out of the back of the trailer that holds everything during off season.

Jessie Altstatt is a wildlife biologist so she is excited to create her own float and ensemble around the Wild Things theme.

Cheryl (at right) and her boys and her team are creating a “Buckle” ensemble with country line dancers.

Costumes are essential for Solstice and this year Jennifer (left) is running the Costume Shop for the first time. Next to her is long time costume creator Barbara Logan. Her daughter Mae will have her own ensemble once again. At right is long time volunteer Richard.

Here Richard showed off his own creation for Solstice.

Michelle Marrone is one of the new costume makers this year.

Pali thought he might retire, but he is back with an especially ambitious project for the Grand Finale of Solstice. A giant inflatable elephant with aerial dancers inside! Here Pali posed with his very helpful wife Raven and a model of the giant elephant. Pali is also getting huge help from Jeremy, who hopes to take over the entire Grand Finale in the future.

This young woman is helping to create one of the many head pieces and masks for Pali’s ensemble. This particular elephant head piece may be worn by me. But it may prove to be too challenging for me to wear while riding my unicycle. So, long time costume creator Phyllis Chiu fitted me with this alternative head piece that is more manageable.

My wife Merlie got this photo of me trying it out in our driveway when I got home.

Phyliss is another long time costume creator who has her own ensemble this year, centered around this robot she is building.

Riccardo Morrison (left) is a key Solstice figure. He has decades of experience building things and also organizing the parade. At right is Jonathan Smith of the Environment Makers. Jonathan creates many of the special lighting effects you see at events around town. He also makes 3-D videos of the parade.

Claudia Bratton was Solstice Executive Director for many years and she is back creating her own nautical ensemble and float involving a ship and a giant octopus, shark and other sea creatures. Ships are big in her family history.

Get on over to the Workshop and Bo or one of the other registrars will help you register with a smile.

AGAIN: COME ON BY THE WORKSHOP AND CHECK IT OUT! YOU CAN BE A PART OF SOLSTICE!

Again, there are many ways to get involved in Solstice. If you have a big idea, you can create your own ensemble. An ensemble does not necessarily involve a float. It can be a group of people in costume doing a performance. Many ensembles are dance groups. Others provide music. Some years ago several of us unicyclists played a game with several other people dressed as traffic cones, forming a slalom course that made its way up the street!

An ensemble can even be just one person inside some interesting float.

Most people prefer to join an ensemble that is already underway. You can help build floats, sew costumes and help with painting, carving, gluing or making paper mâché. If you don’t know how, you can learn new skills! I already knew how to do construction with power tools, painting and paper mâché. But I decided to learn something new. The costume shop people were very patient with teaching me to use the sewing machines and cut out patterns in fabric.

Pullers are needed to pull the floats up the parade route and back afterwards. In some cases that pays money and you get to be in the parade!

There truly is a place for everyone in the community to be a part of this community event!

The Workshop is at the corner of Ortega and Garden Street. It is open every day as it gets closer to parade time. Come by and see the excitement, energy and creativity! And feel free to lend a hand! Everyone is welcome! Here is the Solstice web site to register or for more information!

https://www.solsticeparade.com/

I will end with a few more Workshop photos.