Celebrate the winter solstice in a parade of light! For another year, Minor Mishap Marching Band invites you and your family to meet for the Winter Solstice Lantern Parade where you can gather on the shortest day of the year to celebrate light, darkness, music, community, nature and other things of general awesomeness. The parade takes place at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21.
This is a very informal, homemade, free gathering of kindred spirits. Each person attending contributes their own handheld lantern to the beauty of the event. The parade is led by the Minor Mishap Marching Band, “a 25 piece renegade circus brass band — an absurd expression of boisterous pandemonium”. (Trust us, they are highly entertaining and kid-friendly!)
— Parade Details: There are several meeting spots this year. (see below.) All will gather in between 5:30 – 5:45 p.m. and each group will roll promptly at 6 p.m.
Go to the meeting spot that matches the first letter of your last name. (Don’t worry – each spot is as good as another spot, and the same thing is happening in each spot).
- IF YOUR NAME BEGINS WITH THE LETTERS A-G: Please meet at the “Open Room” W 2nd and Walter Seaholm Dr. by the Seaholm Power Plant. (There is a pay ($4/hour) public parking garage here for Trader Joes. This is the shortest route)
- IF YOUR NAME BEGINS WITH THE LETTERS H-P: Please gather at the baseball fields by the YMCA on Cesar Chavez. (there is free parking here, and this is the longest route (still only 0.5 mile) with mostly gravel path)
- IF YOUR NAME BEGINS WITH THE LETTERS Q-Z: Please meet on the south side of the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge, a little east on Riverside, under the trestle – (this is the most paved route, and probably easiest for someone in a wheelchair)
— Lanterns: Please make a lantern to carry in the parade! Here are a few links to give you ideas and get you started! Here are a few links to give you ideas and get you started on making your own lanterns to bring along:
- http://makezine.com/craft/how-to-paper-star-lantern/
- http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-paper-lantern-in-6-easy-steps/
- http://ingspirations.com/2013/09/07/10-lantern-making-ideas/
You can stay up-to-date with event details on the Minor Mishap Marching Band’s Facebook Page.
See you there!
