Procession of the Species organizers use pause to reimagine iconic Olympia event

Had it not been for COVID-19, Saturday would have been the 27th annual Procession of the Species, Olympia’s brilliantly colored celebration of the Earth and human creativity.

The streets, decorated with sidewalk chalk, would have been filled with bicycling bees, rolling rhinos, giant giraffes and, just maybe, dancing dodos.

The past year being what it’s been, none of that occurred. But longtime organizers and supporters of the strolling spectacle have visions of a rejuvenated and maybe reimagined Procession to come.

“I have missed the procession and the camaraderie that comes along with it, but the break has given some of us in the inner circle time to reflect and converse in a space that could not have manifested without Mother Nature throwing her creative monkey wrench in the gears,” said Dave Sederberg, a longtime volunteer with Earthbound Productions, the organization behind the procession.

“We have the opportunity for good change,” said procession founder Eli Sterling. “The procession was taken for granted. It was a tradition that in many ways had lost its way. There were fewer people participating and fewer large creations.”

Iconic pieces from processions past are in storage, and there are no plans at the moment to open another Procession Studio, an undertaking that requires a lot of funding.

The city of Olympia is exploring the possibility of repurposing the Armory as a space for the arts, and some have suggested that a Procession Studio could be among the uses, but Sterling is doubtful that the large space the procession would need could fit into a multi-use center serving many purposes year round.

“An arts center is a really complex undertaking,” he told The Olympian. “I hope that something comes of it. It would energize the community to have a studio like that, but I don’t know that it would benefit the procession directly.”

While at the moment the procession has neither a time nor a place, it seems that few are taking it for granted anymore.

For the past few months, regular participants have been flooding social media with memories of costumes, floats, music and more.

“Not having Procession of the Species now two years in a row has created a void in the community, and in my heart, in so many ways,” said Carol Riley, a dancer and costume designer with Samba Olywa, which traditionally serves as the procession’s grand finale.

“What I miss most is community engagement,” she told The Olympian. “It has been such a joy to … dance down the street in costume as a bird, fish, bug, snake, butterfly, frog, flower, etc., and make people happy.”

Riley has a trove of costume pieces in her home — including some never-worn pieces she made for the 2020 procession that didn’t happen.

Some of the floats and puppets that drew the most attention are still around, too, being saved for the day when it’s once again safe for thousands to crowd the downtown streets.

When the event returns, so will at least some of Jerry Berebitsky’s giant puppets, including the leaping tree frog and the peacock. The 22-foot-tall giraffe might or might not be able to make another appearance, he said, but he has plans to make a new one at some point, incorporating improvements in design and construction.

“I’m excited at the opportunity to create something new,” he told The Olympian. “I’m intrigued by creating something that flies, perhaps an insect. It is so much fun taking smaller species into this scale of puppet.”

Also ready to return are the drummers and dancers of Samba Olywa, who’ve been gathering via Zoom nearly every week throughout the pandemic and have resumed outdoor practices.

“It’s exciting to know that after all these years, the procession is something people do want to hold onto,” Sterling said.

He’s hoping to get people enthusiastic not just about the joy of the day but about the intention behind procession — an intention to not only celebrate the Earth but also inspire the community to respect and take responsibility for the environment.

“The procession is needed now as much as it’s ever been needed,” he said.