Flint Hills. Fringe. Festivals.

I should have posted these things a month ago, and life (ie, producing a show for MN Fringe) has really gotten in the way.

A month ago I was stilt walking at the Flint Hills Family Festival at the Ordway in St Paul. As I greeted busload after busload of school children on a Friday morning, I started to get emotional. First it was a bunch of probably first-graders speaking Spanish, and I was intensely happy to see them all out, about, and safe and sound. I hope they felt that—they certainly enjoyed the spectacle I was making and the bubbles I was blowing. They were followed by a gaggle of even smaller babies who were speaking Hmong. My feelings intensified and I had to admonish myself that there’s no crying in stilt walking.

Later, the ballerina at Minnesota Ballet Collective booth and I exchanged pleasantries about walking tall, and she said she was amazed at my ability to stand nearly still on peg stilts amid a sea of moving children. High praise!

The final highlight of the day was the honor of dancing (and later chatting) with Larry Yazzie (Meskwaki), founder of Native American Pride Productions and one of the team of dancers who first brought traditional Native American dances to the Macy’s Parade in 2005 (and most recently in 2025).

After Flint Hills it was right into Fringe production (with a brief detour to St Paul Pride) for me. Our show (because it has been a wonderfully collaborative process) debuts on Aug 7 and closes on Aug 15, and the entire Fringe Festival runs Aug 6-16. Catch Happy Valley Regional’s Boot-Scootin’ Booty-Poppin’ Cuntry Ho-Down while you can!

Look, we’re in the Fringe blog!