Now in its seventh year, the 2010 Celebrate Puppetry Festival on June 5^th was undoubtedly the largest yet, more than doubling last year’s attendance and drawing record crowds from Los Angeles County, Ventura, and San Diego.  Children and adults alike came to enjoy performances by our stellar lineup of professional puppeteers, including Greg Williams's "Mr. Fabulous," Bob Baker's Marionettes, ventriloquist Nancy Mitchell, and Johanna Smith's "Oh So Silly Animal Stories."  Between puppetry performances, our guests were treated to live music, dance, poetry readings, and free activities.

As one of the only puppetry festivals in the region, this event is often the first encounter participants have with the unique art form of puppetry.  By combining live performances with the opportunity to participate in workshops on puppet building and manipulation, spoken word, and visual arts, attendees are given an in-depth look into the world of puppetry and performance.  Celebrate Puppetry is one of only a handful of festivals in Sunland-Tujunga.  

The phenomenal increase in attendance is credited, in part, to a new marketing approach that garnered coverage in Westways Magazine, LAist blog, La Opinion, and channel 7 ABC News among others.  The 2010 festival grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of LA to support Celebrate Puppetry was also larger than in previous years, allowing for increased outreach through print and online advertising.  Though McGroarty Arts Center has hosted this festival for many years, the festival was previously produced by an outside organization.  2010 marks the first year that McGroarty staff took over the production of the festival by partnering directly with artists and vendors.  Continued growth of this event is planned for future years, which may include running the festival for multiple days and expanding booths and performances into additional areas of the McGroarty Arts Center grounds and McGroarty Park.