Imagination extravaganza

By Molly Gilmore | For The Olympian • Published April 19, 2009

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For nearly a generation in South Sound, Arts Walk and Procession of the Species have been part of the fabric of the community.

Coming up: Get more details about Arts Walk and Procession of the Species celebrations — including a feature on the Arts Walk cover artist and entertainment options — in Thursday's Weekend section. Look for coverage of both events in The Olympian and at www.theolympian.com.

Arts Walk XXXVIII

• What: The free twice-yearly festival's spring outing features a lively mix of visual art by everyone from schoolchildren to professionals, plus entertainment and great people-watching.

• When: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday

• Where: Throughout downtown Olympia

• More information: 360-753-8380. City of Olympia-produced programs with maps and listings of venues and artists are available at participating businesses and at The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. N.W.

Luminary Procession

• What: In celebration of the Procession of the Species' 15th year, a Luminary Procession, celebrating the element of spirit, is being added to the weekend's festivities.

• When: 9:30 p.m. Friday

• Where: Begins in front of Capitol Theater, 206 Fifth Ave. S.E., and proceeds to Capitol Lake.

• More information: 360-705-1087 or www.procession.org

• Weather alert: This event is weather-dependent because the luminary art can't withstand heavy rain.

Procession of the Species

• What: The 15th annual procession celebrates the natural world through music, art and dance. Spectators are invited to create chalk art in the streets before the procession.

• When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday

• Where: Downtown Olympia. Registration begins at 3:30 p.m. Participants assemble on Legion Way and Cherry Street between Jefferson and Chestnut, and the parade route, which ends at Heritage Park, is on Arts Walk maps available free at local businesses and The Olympia Center.

• Tickets: Participants donate two cans of food to Thurston County Food Bank. Spectators also are asked to donate a can of food.

• Also: No motorized vehicles, except wheelchairs; no live animals, except service animals; and no words on signs, shirts, etc., are permitted in Procession.

The twice-yearly walk — when downtown shops double as vibrant galleries and schoolkids become celebrated artists — is in its 18th year. Procession of the Species — when normally buttoned-down people don makeup and tights and strut with grandmothers in skimpy, sparkling costumes — is turning 15.

The excitement of creativity, community and self-expression (not to mention face painting and balloons) has made its way from parent to child.

• • •

Sage Johnson, 4, has been in Procession of the Species five times — including once riding in a front pack on mom's belly, and once riding inside her belly.

"I was in it when I was pregnant with him," said his mom, Amber Johnson of Lacey. "I was big and pregnant."

And wearing wings. "I always wanted to be a fairy when I grew up. The procession is my chance."

This year, Sage and his classmates at Lacey Parent Cooperative Preschool will be dressed as the ocean in the annual celebration of Earth Day, endangered species and the dignity of the human spirit.

"They have tie-dyed shirts, and they are stamping them with sea creatures," Johnson said. "They are making fish from used CDs decorated with glitter and sparkles and shells.

"My son's has something like 10 googly eyes on it. It's hilarious."

The children, who range in age from 21/2 to 5 years, also will carry windsocks and have fabric "seaweed" trailing from their shirts.

Aren't they a little young to walk the whole procession? Parents are there to help, but Johnson said they had little trouble last year.

"There's that wall of people on both sides, so they can't really go anywhere," she said. "They just follow the people in front of them.

"My little guy loves to walk," she added. "He likes looking at everyone and everything."

Johnson moved to Olympia in April 2001. She saw her first procession a few weeks later and was hooked immediately. After watching a few times, she and her family — including her husband, Chris, and daughter Devina, 8 — jumped in.

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