Hundreds of luminaries built by artists young and old will fill the streets of downtown Waterbury for the fifth annual River of Light Lantern Parade starting at 5 p.m., Saturday, December 6. This year's theme is "Our Town: Faces, Places and Buildings from Your Hometown."
Over the past several weeks, Thatcher Brook Primary School students from kindergarten through fourth grade constructed lanterns using willow branches and tissue paper during art classes. The younger classes experimented with adding colors to their lanterns this year, while third- and fourth-graders learned about architecture to influence their creations, explained TBPS art teacher MK Monley, parade organizer. Norwich University art and architecture professor Angelo Arnold and some of his students introduced architectural themes to the students. Visual artist Gowri Savoor, another parade organizer, then spent two weeks at TBPS with the third- and fourth-graders as they tapped their new knowledge to create lanterns. Arnold teaches a 3-D college course in large-scale lantern making and some of his students' creations will be in the Waterbury parade.
Most lanterns are carried by individuals while larger creations require several people to transport them along the parade route. Tiny battery-operated LED lights mounted inside provide the bling.
On Saturday, December 6, parade participants will gather around 4 p.m. at Thatcher Brook Primary School on Stowe Street. The procession begins at 5 p.m. led by the Burlington street samba band Sambatucada. The parade will also include Burlington-based West African drummers and dancers Jeh Kulu and the Crossett Brook Middle School Junk Band. The parade will travel down Stowe Street, turn right onto Main Street and end at Dac Rowe Park with a bonfire, hot chocolate and a fiery finale by the Mad River Valley's fire-dance troupe, Ignis Solus.
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