The Catskill Chronicle

Photos by Carol Montana

LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY (June 3, 2014) – The 11^th Annual Trout Parade, Sullivan County’s own version of Mardi Gras, will be held on Saturday, June  14 in Livingston Manor, rain or shine. Attendees can expect to find lots of fishy fun along Main Street from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., including an arts-and-crafts fair, children’s activities, and specialty foods from local vendors. Entertainment will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Main Street, including a musical performance by Karen Hudson, face painting by Miss Sunshine the Clown, and stilt walking by Brett Keyser and Tannis Kowalchuk of the NaCl Theatre.

The parade will step-off promptly at 1:00 p.m., led by the 2014 Grand Marshals Bud and Marlene Wertheim. Designer and builder of puppets, including the famous Giant Brook Trout Puppet and beloved local legend Johnny Darling, the  Wertheims have been a core part of the parade’s spirit from the very beginning. Bud’s puppets are big in scale, drawing on regional lore and requiring several people to operate, making his artwork a public community effort.

They will be followed by a wide variety of antique and classic cars, music, entertainment, and floats representing local businesses, organizations and performance groups from this area and beyond, including the magnificent puppets of Catskill Puppet Theater and Bud Wertheim’s famous Giant Brook Trout. Sullivan County citizens and benefactors such as Roscoe Beer Company, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center, and the Livingston Manor Rotary will march and enter floats, while cultural organizations and shows like NACL Theatre’s “The Weather Project” will turn heads with spectacular costumes and showmanship.

This year’s event has a "steampunk" theme, with a wild combo of retro 19th-century style, old-school science fiction, and crazy design that is only limited by your imagination. (Think Jules Verne on Mars, or Sherlock Holmes with a steam-powered robot sidekick.) Feel free to run with it–whatever you do, let your mind run amok! Tally-ho!

All during the festivities, Wilkes and Bernard Photography will provide instant portraits at the CAS Arts Center, located at 48 Main Street. All proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Catskill Art Society and support its exhibits, classes, and cultural programming. Professional photographs will be taken and prints made on the spot. Also at CAS, the Livingston Manor Library will hold its Services Auction, filled with useful bids donated by local businesses and vendors.

T he Catskill Art Society is producing this year’s Trout Parade in partnership with the Livingston Manor Chamber of Commerce and with support from businesses and individuals from around the community. Proceeds from the parade will benefit the Arts and Music Programs at the Livingston Manor Central School and the nonprofit Catskill Art Society.

For more information and details on how to become a sponsor or to participate in the Trout Parade, contact the Catskill Art Society at 845-436-4227, email info@catskillartsociety.org, or visitwww.troutparade.com. You can also find the Trout Parade on Facebook at www.facebook.com/troutparade.