It is with profound sorrow that we mark the passing of Noreen Young, our founder and our friend, our artistic director and festival heartbeat, our mentor and our North Star.
Puppets Up! was started in 2004 by a group of fun people in Almonte, inspired and led by Noreen Young, who wanted to entertain and inform people about the varied and vibrant art of puppetry AND to increase the foot traffic in downtown Almonte and provide some economic development.
From 2005 until 2016, the Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival brought some of the best and most innovative puppetry from around the world to the streets of Almonte. During its initial run, the festival drew crowds from across the country and around the world to see puppeteers and street entertainers perform in intimate theatres and against the backdrop of Almonte’s historic main street. Sadly, suffering from volunteer burnout and low funds, the festival folded in 2016.
On March 21, 2021, with the pandemic dampening all spirits, Noreen Young posted an innocent post message on her Facebook page commemorating World Puppetry Day. Jane Torrance sent a message to Noreen asking if she was interested in reviving the festival to celebrate the end of the pandemic, and Noreen said (and please listen very hard to hear Noreen’s voice), “well, sure!” Jane and Noreen discussed it a bit, then gathered Kris Riendeau into the conversation, then issued an invitation through the Millstone News (https://millstonenews.com/want-to-help-pull-a-rabbit-out-of-a-hat-or-a-puppets-up-festival/ ) to see if anyone else was interested… and 75 people registered to attend the Zoom meeting! That was the start of the revival of Puppets Up! with Noreen Young as the Artistic Director. On August 12, 2022, we opened the festival and haven’t looked back.
Noreen was a generous spirit with a joyful presence, and she had an unassuming gentleness that inspired people. We saw it reflected in children’s faces when her puppet spoke to them; in audience members when they realized that their idol, Gloria Gopher, was in front of them; in puppeteers when their mentor was in the audience; in the awestruck expressions from her fans; and in the absolute dedication of her peers and volunteers. We loved Noreen and she loved us right back.
Noreen gave so much to us. We are mourning our mother who started the festival, our sister who walked with us through both the original and the revived iterations, our cousin who sat in the audience with us, our aunt who sometimes appeared on stage, and our daughter who loved to laugh. We mourn Noreen and we mourn Gloria.
Noreen left a mark on this town, and her legacy is Puppets Up!
Rest easy, Noreen. We will see you, under the umbrella tree.
With love from all your puppet pals.
Do you ever wonder
What could happen under,
Under an umbrella tree?
Sunny days or thunder,
Your friends are waiting under,
Under the Umbrella Tree!
So come on, everybody
See you up at Holly’s
‘Cause there’s no better place to be!
In your imagination,
You’ll find an invitation
Under the Umbrella Tree!
