Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau

	VISITORS		EVENTS CALENDAR		TRAVEL TRADE		MEETING PLANNERS		MEMBERS		MEDIA
Hotels, attractions, restaurants, shopping, maps. Request visitor information and newsletter signup Festivals, exhibits, performances, sporting events, sightseeing tours Information for groups of 20 or more, tour operators, travel agents, bank clubs, student and church groups Information for meeting and event planners, convention services, meeting facilities, weddings. Submit an RFP For members of the Saint Paul RCVA, member login, convention calendar, benefits, advertising Press releases, photos, research information. Request Saint Paul media kit

convention center

membership directory

Select one or more categories or use the keyword search.

home : press room : press releases : archives : detail





Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau Welcomes International Puppet Festival July 24-30: Public Puppet Fest Set for Saturday, July 23 from 1-5 pm
(Saint Paul, MN) Saint Paul will bring sticks, strings and socks to life this summer as the Saint Paul Convention and Visitors Bureau welcomes members of Puppeteers of America to town for their bi-annual puppetry festival July 24-30 at Concordia University in Saint Paul. Over 700 professional puppeteers, librarians, teachers and puppet aficionados from around the world gather every other year to attend workshops, visit an amazing puppetry exhibit, shop in the puppetry store and network with each other. Registration for the entire week costs $380 but single day registration is also available for $95. For a complete schedule of workshops visit www.puppetfest2005.org. Public Puppet Festival July 23 Puppet Fest 2005 is pleased to announce "The Puppets are coming, The Puppets are Coming!" a celebration of performances, workshops and family-friendly puppet fun. Public performances include Harlequin's Cloak, a comedic pantomime by COAD CANADA PUPPETS inspired by the famous Commedia dell'Arte and Galapagos George, a whimsical puppet show by BAREFOOT PUPPETS of Virginia, which tells the story of the last giant tortoise found on Pinta Island in the Galapagos. Performances for both shows take place at 1 and 3 pm at Concordia University located at 75 Syndicate Street North and will be preceded by hands-on puppet activities for kids. Tickets for the Saturday performances cost $7.50 for children and $12 for adults and are available on site or by logging on to www.puppetfest2005.org and following the ticketing link. Festival Highlights For many Americans, puppets are synonymous with Muppets, thanks to the enormously popular characters created by Jim Henson and made famous by Sesame Street, the popular children's television series. In fact, Henson was a member of the Puppeteers of America and directed the festival back in 1963. Jerry Juhl, one of the founding members of the Muppets and head writer for the group for many years will be representing the Jim Henson Legacy and will also be conducting an intensive writing workshop during the conference. Another highlight will be the viewing of Strings the movie, an all-marionette film produced in Denmark. Bernd Ogrodnik, who was the master puppeteer for the film will be on hand to answer questions and share techniques he developed for the production. The Twin Cities area is home to a large concentration of professional puppet artists thanks in part to In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT), located on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Sandy Spieler, HOBT's artistic director and producer of the annual MayDay Festival, will produce a special pageant to close Puppet Fest on July 30. Puppetry Festival Background The first U.S. puppetry festival was organized by puppeteer Paul McPharlin in 1936 and led directly to the founding of the Puppeteers of America in 1937. National puppet festivals have been held since as a way to bring puppeteers together. The 2005 Puppet Fest is hosted by the Twin Cities Puppeteers Guild. The week-long conference will draw more than 700 members and guests from around the world. Festival attendees are expected to book 600 room nights in Saint Paul and will spend approximately $160,000 in the area during their stay.