Kicking Horse Culture’s annual Masqueparade is set for February 15, and planning is already underway for the fantastic winter festival.
Despite being just over a month away, Melanie Stolz, the event’s creative head and liaison, says that this year’s Masqueparade already has a theme: water.
“With all the things happening around town, with the water bottling facility and being at the consolidation of three rivers and all the different things in the winter which are water related, we thought it would be a cool theme,” said Stolz.
The parade is a years old tradition that was born of a desire to have the community come together for the sake of planning an event everyone could enjoy. Stolz likens it to a bloke party, or a barbecue, where everyone comes together just for the sake of being together.
“There was a desire for the people of Golden to come together to celebrate creation,” said Stolz. “It slowly evolved into more of a pageant, but it’s still a community event, no matter how large and beautiful it becomes.”
There’s a role to be played by everyone in Golden. While there is still a lot of planning to do, community members who want to get involved are encouraged to come out to some of the planning meetings that are happening bi-weekly.
Those who aren’t sure what kind of role they would like to play in the Masqueparade are still encouraged to come out to meetings. In fact, it’s the perfect way to come up with ideas for how to get involved.
“We want people to get their friends together, their family together, and just come together and create something cool, and if they need help, that’s what I’m here for,” said Stolz. “We want people to not be scared and to come out and try something different, or something small, and ask for help; we have plenty of resources to get them started on something amazing.”
Planning meetings are usually broadcast on the marquee outside of the Civic Centre, according to Stolz. Those who are looking for information on how they can attend meetings can look there for their first step.
People who don’t want to get involved can still participate in the event by showing up and enjoying the festivities on February 15.
“Without people to watch, this event is nothing,” said Stolz. “However your participation looks, it doesn’t have to be big, you don’t have to eat fire or any of those things. It can be as simple as towing around your grandkids who are dressed as pumpkins around the fire in a little sled.”
Now that planning is underway, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. The planning committee is searching for anyone who wants to be creative to come to meetings and get involved, in order to continue growing the Masqueparade and upholding a tradition of grandeur and excellence.
