Volunteer Appreciation: a Night to Remember <3
Puppets Up! held its inaugural Volunteer Appreciation Night on September 24 at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte and an outstanding time was had by all! Volunteers were toasted and feted by a series of speakers, while puppets commented on all throughout the evening. The core message was one of deep appreciation that so […]
Chautauqua talent & tickets on tap now!
Talent came out of the woodwork for our auditions in September and we have a dozen amazing acts booked for our two fundraising shows on November 15 at Almonte Old Town Hall. Click on the links below for some tasters: Our as-yet-unnamed barbershop quartet (pictured above)Singer Maggie Boughner Comedian Bobby Knauff and his puppet […]
Bobby and Andre the Alien on their chances for Chautauqua audition success
Kris Answers 7 Questions About the Chautauqua ‘Tryouts’
Puppets Up! is putting on a fundraising Fall Chautauqua (aka variety show) on Saturday, November 15 with matinée and evening performances at the Almonte Old Town Hall. Tickets will be available soon from TicketsPlease.ca Auditions will take place Sunday, September 14 from 1-4 pm and Monday, September 15 from 7-9 pm in the conference room […]
Livestream of the Noreen Young Memorial Service
Noreen’s contributions to Puppets Up! and the puppetry community touched people far and wide. For those who can’t attend the memorial service in person, we invite you to join us via livestream on the Puppets Up! Facebook page as we celebrate her remarkable life. Date: Saturday, May 24th, 2025Time: 2:30 PM Join the event on […]
The Noreen Young Award for the Arts
The Noreen Young Award for the Arts celebrates the life and legacy of Noreen Young, OC (1939–2025)—a visionary puppeteer, television creator, and noted Almonte resident. Her whimsical characters, seen on Under the Umbrella Tree and beyond, shaped Canadian childhoods, while her founding of the Puppets Up! festival brought international acclaim to her hometown. For decades, Noreen continued to […]
Noreen Young, May 10, 1939 – April 18, 2025
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 […]
Supporting Puppets Up! Is As Easy As 1-2-3!
The school year is almost over, minds are turning to summer plans and here at Puppets Up! Headquarters we’re counting down the days until the festival returns to the friendly streets of Almonte! (It’s 64 days, by the way). With that in mind, here are three things you can do right now to show your support and spread […]
Early birds, come get your worms! And by worms we mean tickets!
Big news, puppet pals, tickets are now available for Puppets Up! 2024 – and if you act now you can save big on festival wristbands and single-event tickets to our evening, adults-only shows! As always, the core of the festival will be shows running all day August 10 and 11 in various venues in Almonte’s […]
Puppets are coming to TVO!
Hankering for a puppet fix as the darkness of fall sets in? Well, tune in to TVO this Sunday, November 5, at 8:00 pm to see Puppets Up! and Almonte featured on Main Street Ontario! You’ll see plenty of familiar faces!