Hi Puppet Pals,
Well, this is not shaping up to be the December we’d all hoped it would be but despite some challenges we’ve still got good news to report and share! Time to dive into the news:
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Sketchy Santa
So firstly, obviously, this weekend should have been the second weekend of the hilarious and entertaining Sketchy Santa, an original series of skits put together by our friends at Humm Team Productions as a fundraiser for Puppets Up. But, as I am sure you already know, the show had to be postponed.
It’s tough to miss out on a fundraiser but, even more than that, this was a huge loss for Almonte’s wonderful arts community. The cast and crew worked so hard to put this show together and we were all so excited to be able to come together as a community to celebrate the return of the performing arts.
But we know this isn’t the end of the line for Sketchy Santa! The amazing folks at Humm Team Productions have already said they’ll find a way to bring the show back when things are more predictable and stable from a public health perspective. And heck, after nearly two years of pandemic, who is going to say no to Christmas in March or whatever, right?
Fundraising updates
And secondly, the fundraising efforts continue to roll along. In fact, just this week we had two pieces of incredible news!
We hit the $10,000 mark on our online fundraising site. We’re absolutely blown away by the incredible generosity of our community! This money isn’t just useful as we start to put the festival together, it’s also a tangible sign of community support for our festival, which strengthens our case when we approach sponsors and funders. You can follow the progress or make a donation yourself at https://www.gofundme.com/f/
Which leads me to incredible piece of news number two.
Lanark County has selected Puppets Up as one of the organizations to fund through its Lanark County Community Grants Program! We all know that Puppets Up doesn’t just benefit Almonte. The economic benefits of the festival are spread throughout the county and this grant will go a long way in helping us ensure we bring visitors to the area in 2022 to not just enjoy the puppets but also shop at local businesses, dine at local restaurants and stimulate the local economy.
Are you counting down with us?
Christmas is just over a week away but, of course, you already know that if you’re following the festival on Instagram (@puppetsup) and Twitter (@puppetsup2022)! A couple dozen of our puppet pals have generously fired up their smartphones to help us count down to the big day but you have to follow us to get the goods delivered right to your timelines every morning. It’s like an advent calendar but without all that pesky chocolate!
Oh and don’t worry if you’re only on Facebook, we’re sprinkling a few videos to mark some special days on our page there too. And to think, I didn’t even know there was a National Maple Syrup Day!
Now on to 2022!
We’ll have more exciting news to share in the coming weeks and months, including the debut of an amazing festival theme song and the release of the hotly anticipated lineup of performers and troupes, but for now, from all of us at Puppets Up, we hope you have a healthy, restful and safe holiday season. Your support thus far has been the best gift we could ask for and we can’t wait to return the favour with more puppet fun in the months to come.
All the best to you and yours,
Jane Torrance, Executive Director
Puppets Up! 2022
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