Fremont Solstice 2024
Wow! Big CREATIVE Energy for This Year’s Parade.
We had a terrific turnout for the Fremont Solstice Parade and all the prep leading up to it. Over two art builds, we made 15 solar panels, repainted 40 bolts of electricity, upgraded our Green housing, decorated our bike cart to travel our imagined world, and repaired the sun. How many people can say that with a straight face? And all this in only two art builds.
Making art with folx is clarifying! It’s the best feeling to work on distinct projects with people sharing a vision. Some of them you’re just meeting, others you kinda know, and some are your dearest friends. This kind of work is so different from the work that occupies other days. There are no keyboards, no sorting through ambiguities, no calendaring—we’re just in our bodies painting and building with tangible results.
At the parade, we brought the vision of clean energy to Seattle. The sun refracted bolts of electricity that fed our solar panels, which collectively danced around our beautifully painted world. CAF Youth, Gillian A., age 5, was our parade lead and blazed the front of our procession with a wildly present ribbon dance for the entire parade. The crowd was unrestrained in their enthusiasm for Gillian so clearly living her perfect self.
With smiles that hurt your face, we floated our painted world for kids and adults to run under. Parade-goers are hesitant to leave the curb at first, but with hearty entreaties, they create waves of increasing fervor they join. Some littles inevitably travel along the parade route with the parachute, and it’s dear to see the parents run after them, all mixed up with the conflicting feelings of joy and fear of losing their toddler at the parade. We kept the audience captivated until the Solstice organizers were like, “Ok, the parade is done, y’all :)”
Extra shouts to the folks at 350 Seattle, who coordinated planning, art, resources, and energy to bring Solstice to fruition. For organizers, there’s always the question of, “Are we gonna pull this off?” And then! A bunch of extra hands and capable people join to create something beautiful, and we’re breathless, reflecting on the remarkable depth of our shared commitments and strength in our mutual efforts.
And, THIS is the energy that fuels our souls!
