Parade-style Puppets for Phalen Freeze Fest

Urban Roots is collaborating with St. Paul Parks and Recreation to create parade-style puppets for the Phalen Freeze Fest. This festival is to be held outdoors at Lake Phalen on the evening of Saturday, February 7. Freeze Fest is a celebration of the Ojibwe legend of Shingebiss, a determined duck who refuses to be defeated by the Winter Maker.

Interns worked with younger children at a workshop held at the Hancock Recreation Center helping design paper-mâché masks of hibernating animals, while beginning construction of a full body costume of the event’s star character, Shingebiss. The puppet workshops are building excitement for the Freeze Fest event, where Shingebiss’s story will be acted out with all the puppets. A variety of fun winter activities will also be offered (based on Shingebiss’ actions in the story) including ice fishing, snow cave building, snowshoeing and cooking food over a fire.

We hope to see you there!