Gala will reinforce the message behind Procession of the Species

The Procession of the Species is a fun day downtown, where you can see — or join — your friends and neighbors walking or dancing down the street, wearing costumes, playing music, celebrating animals, birds, flowers and more.

But there’s a serious purpose behind the joyful celebration, and organizers are hoping to put the focus there at the second annual Procession Gala Fundraiser, set for Saturday night.

The Procession gives people a chance to learn about and fall in love with some of the world’s natural wonders, from giraffes to butterflies and from rhinos to dandelions.

That affection will inspire people to want to protect nature, organizers say — and that could have long-term repercussions on the health of all creatures living on Earth.

“Right now, there is no science that can deny climate change, but there is a culture of deniers,” said Procession founder Eli Sterling. “We’re trying to create a culture of accepters. Global warming exists, and the beauty of nature exists, and we can acknowledge both.”

What he’s seeking, he said, is a change in the human climate.

That’s why the gala will include a talk by Maia Bellon, director of the state Department of Ecology, and a video about children helping make a giant whale out of plastic bags.

It will also include dinner, champagne, a silent auction, and performances by procession bands Samba Olywa, Artesian Rumble Arkestra and the Crow Drummers.

And there’ll be ample opportunities to pose for photos with some of the large animals that draw oohs and ahhs from Procession watchers — and with a new one, a life-size Pacific Northwest giant octopus that will be part of procession this year. It’s another way to bond with the animals.

But if their long-term goal is create a connection between humans and the rest of the natural world, Sterling and the rest of the board of Earthbound Productions have a short-term aim, too. They’re trying to raise the funds needed to sustain the Procession and the studio that serves as a focal point for participants who want to create batik flags or papier-mache masks or even more large animals.

There’s rent to be paid for the new Procession Studio on Water Street. Sterling also hopes to rent warehouse space to be used as a temporary adjunct studio for the next month.

The Water Street studio, which will open to the public for selected days in April, is currently focused on serving groups. Even with that narrow focus, there are more groups clamoring for space than there is room to accommodate them at peak times, Sterling said, and some people are making big projects that demand more space.

“We definitely have an uptick in interest over last year,” he said.

As of Monday, the gala had not yet followed suit, Sterling and gala organizer Dave Sederberg said. Last year, about 100 tickets were sold.

“It’s looking like it could be about the same or just a little bit bigger than last year’s,” Sederberg said.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 3:27 AM with the headline "Gala will reinforce the message behind Procession of the Species."