Great Mother Marchers join in puppet-making for Earth Day celebration
On April 3, the regular group of crafters was joined by a group of road-worn but enthusiastic women who were taking a break from the Great Mother March - A Women's Empowerment Pilgrimage. The march is a 32-day trip completed mostly on foot from Asheville, North Carolina, to Washington D.C.
This past Friday afternoon, the back room of Finn Graphics in Floyd was packed with people of all ages working on an ever-growing project. Local community members hunched over tables and sprawled on the floor with pieces of bamboo, wire, cardboard, and foam covering their work areas.
The group of less than 20 people gathered from 4:30-7 p.m. to build costumes and giant puppets for the annual Procession of Appalachian Species, which is set to make its way through town on April 18.
On April 3, the regular group of crafters was joined by a group of road-worn but enthusiastic women who were taking a break from the Great Mother March - A Women's Empowerment Pilgrimage. The march is a 32-day trip completed mostly on foot from Asheville, North Carolina, to Washington D.C.
"We are marching not in protest, but for what we are for," said one of the marchers, Katie White. "We're marching to be the change we want to see in the world — with every step being just love, infusing love into the ground and the communities around us."
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The group was founded by Whitney Freya, who is making the trek alongside her two children. The march started in Asheville with over 150 participants and now consists of about 25 core members with many more Mothers joining in for short distances. Four women are committed to taking every single step and arriving in D.C. on Earth Day, April 22.
Their stop in Floyd, which was purposefully planned and not a simple detour, came together through a small web of connections. Freya had been in touch with the owners of the The Floyd Country Store, and the women were all excited to join the dancers for the Friday Night Jamboree.
White explained that she “had been speaking with Springhouse Community School and learned about their puppet-making workshop,” which is part of the school's annual Procession of Appalachian Species parade. "It was just a nice, happy space for us to land and just really take a load off," White said.
Puppet-making sessions, which are being hosted in Finn Graphics' downtown space, are free and open to the community. For the marchers, stepping into a room full of people crafting large-scale puppets from recycled materials felt like a part of everything they are walking and working toward, members of the march said.
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"When we arrived in a place like this and got to join this really cool Procession of Appalachian Species," White said. "It was just really evident that the love is already there in every community."
The Procession of Appalachian Species itself is a celebration of belonging and connection, and to showcase the local environment's biodiversity. Now in its fourth year, the Springhouse-organized event is joined by hundreds of community members. This year's theme highlights the life of the Little River.
Ian Stabler, who leads the puppet-making sessions and the procession for Springhouse School, described the philosophy behind the procession in terms that resonated with the marchers' own mission. "Our hope really is that you connect with these species," he said, "and then the things we're connected to are the things we take care of. All these different creatures that are able to thrive here create a thriving ecosystem which supports itself. And all of the creatures matter.”
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Stabler said that “part of what Springhouse does is engage with the community," and added that he hopes participants take the time to learn about the species that they will see in the march.
“It's like you become the puppet. I'm the bee, right? And then all of a sudden I'm seeing a bee and it's like, oh, cool. I'm connected with this thing. I'm not different from the thing," he said. "When I think about education, it's less about facts and figures and more about story, so I'm not separate from this ecosystem. I'm not separate from these creatures. I'm not separate from the Little River. I live here. I'm a part of this ecosystem, whether I want to be or not, whether I'm doing so as a thoughtful member or just taking... I'm a part of it. And the rest of the ecosystem is affected by me and my actions.”
Stabler noted that the parade is an opportunity to teach us to be better members of this local ecosystem.
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For the Great Mother March, the journey itself has become the teacher. White described learning to surrender when a kidney stone struck three days earlier — discovering “when to accept help,” when to “ride in a support vehicle,” and when to let her fellow marchers carry some of the load. These are all valuable lessons when one is a part of a true community.
"We're learning to ask for help and support when we need it," she said, "and really to cheer each other on and celebrate the wins of each individual, as part of the collective."
As the marchers joyfully picked up puppets and did a small march around town handing out invitation flyers for the upcoming event, they walked alongside Floyd residents. The two journeys — one measured in miles, one in foam, cardboard and bamboo — found themselves moving in the same direction “each foot step with love.”
Join Springhouse for the Procession of Appalachian Species on Saturday, April 18, at Warren G. Lineberry Park 10 a.m.
There are also two upcoming puppet-making workshops set for 4:30-7 p.m. on Friday, April 10, and Friday, April 17, at Finn Graphics (110 Main St.).
Call us today to schedule (540) 235-3095
