Parades
Don’t let the parades pass you by!
Avatar. 1st Place winner,
2021 Mount Holly Lantern Parade
The Theme for 2021 was “Take Me To The Movies”. As the movie Avatar had Avatars side by side with humans, I thought it a wonderful opportunity to make a life-size Avatar to walk in the parade with me. She is over 12 feet tall. Her head was free to move back and forth in the same range as ours can. Her joints work as ours as well. Her toes can even bend for walking. With the use of the long poles, she was able to wave to everyone as we walked by.
Avatar, Mount Holly, NC Lantern Parade.(photo by Bob Leverone)
The Ice Dragon. 1st Place winner,
2019 Mount Holly Lantern Parade
This dragon is 19 feet long and 9 feet tall.He has a wingspan of 12 feet. His eyes open and close.
His mouth opens and closes, and he can “breathe” fire-ice out when his mouth is open.
His front arms move, as well as his wings. His tail is designed to sway back and forth.
Six people are needed to carry this lantern. We enjoyed “high-five-ing” the children who were brave enough!
Worth Living. Green Snake. 2st Place winner,
2018 Mount Holly Lantern Parade
This Green snake is 13 feet long and had four people carry it in the parade. My incentive for this lantern is the black snake because it is good to have around.
It eats things that we do not want to have near our homes, such as mice and baby copperhead snakes.
I made it green as it is a lantern and this makes a brighter color to view. I did, however, add mice and a baby copperhead to his wire framework. His mouth opens and closes.
Female Blue Crab
2022 and 2023 Hilton Head Lantern Parade
She is 6 foot diameter with claws that open and close. A lot of fun walking down the beach with her, although she can really catch any wind that is blowing!
The King – lion head
2022 Mount Holly Lantern Parade
Following the parade’s them of “It’s Written In The Stars”, I thought of Mufasa from The Lion King and the scene where he speaks to Simba from the stars. The lighting within the head changed back and forth from blue to white as it does in the production
Madame Drabardi, The fortune telling gypsy with her magic ball.
2020 Mount Holly Lantern Parade
The 2020 lantern parade was a circus theme. Because of Covid restrictions and protections, it was a “reverse parade”.
The lanterns were positioned along the path at a local park, and the spectators walked through.
The gypsy had her hand resting on the crystal ball, and the fortunes spun around within the ball.
I also provided fortune cards for the spectators to be able to take. Each fortune was unique.
In 2022, The gypsy and I traveled to Sandy Springs, Georgia to participate in the “Take It To The River” parade. Armed with a bamboo fishing pole that she held tightly with her hand, she soon had a (rainbow) Large Mouth Bass at the end of her line.
