When you think of Baltimore, "whimsical" isn't the first word that comes to mind. For Halloween, though, even Charm City can become quite festive. A week before the costumed masses were to descend upon Fells Point, Patterson Park played host to the 10th Annual Great Halloween Lantern Festival and Parade.
The Festival was a collaborative effort between Baltimore-based groups. One such organization is the Creative Alliance, a local group that serves to support Baltimore artists, spread awareness and support about the arts in general and organize artistic events. The Creative Alliance opened the Patterson, an arts center in which most of their events are held, in 2003.
Although the date of the Festival was pushed from Saturday to Sunday due to rain, the size and quality of the festival was not diminished in any way. Before nightfall, Patterson Park was bustling with activities, with rows of booths selling a variety of treats, goodies and services.
The Festival featured the usual culinary fare, and because Bluebird Coffee and Magic Hat sponsored the event, a thirsty Festival-goer never had to look very far for an eye-opener, or any alternative beverages. Local businesses, too, took advantage of the large gathering of Baltimoreans. Blue Star Realty, the Loading Dock and Baltimore's Finest Row Homes all had booths in Patterson Park.
Hayrides and lantern-making workshops created an atmosphere of excitement and constant movement. Similarly, crowds of locals - many consisting of children accompanied by parents - generated an air of anticipation leading up to the parade. Then, at last, it was 7:30 p.m. As the crowd murmured and yelled - depending on how drunk the respective members were - a low drumming could be heard in the distance. The percussion grew louder and louder until an enormous form emerged from the crowd - members of the Rhythm Workers Union, strung together by an 8-foot-tall apparatus that held their drums as they played.With the advent of these drummers, the parade began. For the next 15 minutes, Tim Burton was directing Baltimore.
Boys and girls, draped in white feathers and sporting black leotards, led the procession from atop their stilts. Artists held a variety of artwork above their heads. Some of these constructs were creatures, some were symbols or likenesses of buildings, but all were lit by an inner light source. This was the '"lantern" portion of the Festival: Everyone in the Parade had to hold an object illuminated by an inner light.
Holding a lantern, however, was the only criterion for entering the Parade. As a result, the procession was not limited to professional artists or members of specific organizations but rather encompassed anyone who wanted to participate.
While the Parade featured open entry, the show still belonged to those professional artists who built their own sculptures-turned-lanterns. The Parade was, in many ways, a scaled-down, macabre version of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As the parade came to a close, those who lasted out the night were treated to a "Magic Lantern Show," put on by Molly Ross. Ross is the director of Nana Projects, Inc., a group consisting of self-proclaimed "visual alchemists" and lanterneers. The Show was entitled "Eureka" and loosely followed the plot of Edgar Allen Poe's non-fiction work of the same name. Ross employed puppets and projectors to create the story, which appeared on a large screen towards the middle of the gathering. The Parade was undoubtedly a notable achievement for everyone involved. Hard work and planning - with a little inspiration - has let the Festival and Parade blossom over the last 10 years.
What made the experience phenomenal, though, was not the technical aspect of the event, but rather the ambiance that the Parade created. It's not often that a parade, party or festival can affect its members on an ethereal level. For just a moment, though, both kids and adults who frequented the Festival and Parade knew exactly what Halloween is supposed to feel like.
