As we look ahead to an exciting year for UU Saratoga, we invite everyone to join a special Zoom conversation at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 6, with educator and puppetry advocate Julie Holmberg.
Smartacus will brainstorm with Julie and all who join this 60-minute session ways we can collectively experience, enjoy, and cross-promote Julie’s new puppet troupe, Civility Puppets, and Stewart’s Civility Ice Cream.
Civility Ice Cream, sweet and creamy with hints of salty caramel and absolutely ‘no nuts.’
Civility is sweet and creamy with hints of salty caramel. And “there are absolutely ‘no nuts,’” says Stewart’s in its marketing. They announced exactly a year ago that they were bringing Civility back, having initially introduced it in 2018.
“We see this as an opportunity to ask everyone to take a moment to enjoy the sweeter things in life,” said Stewart’s Shops president Gary Dake. ‘We hope it’s a reminder that we may think differently but we still can respect each other and maybe even share an extra scoop or a smile.”
“At a time when the world has more than its fair share of unrest and economic uncertainty, let’s head into the New Year with an extra scoop of Civility!”
Amen to that.
Please join us here in Zoom here on Monday, January 6, at 10 a.m.:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5184870165?omn=86400995053
BACKGROUND FOR OUR CONVERSATION
Julie’s passion for puppetry began 20 years ago in New Hartford, New York, where she introduced puppets as a creative tool for teaching and storytelling. When Stewart’s Shops brought back its Civility Ice Cream last September, she decided to brand her puppet troupe similarly and reached out to Stewart’s for support, applying for a grant in their Holiday Match Program.
Julie Holmberg with Marigold
That resulted in a $200 contribution toward Julie’s purchase of four Muppet-like puppets on Etsy, with she and her husband Art and UU Saratoga members John and Sue Fisher kicking in the rest.
Thus far, Julie has introduced at UU Saratoga just one of the four characters she aims ultimately to bring to life: seven-year-old Marigold, which Julie voices in a high-pitched squeak that delights children and adults alike.
In this 60-minute conversation — which Smartacus will record and transcribe with Otter and edit with OpenAI’s GPT-4o as a demonstration of AI’s abilities — we’ll explore:
Marigold’s Story: How the endearing and wise Marigold became the heart and soul of the troupe.
The Puppetry Journey: Julie’s path from leading a church puppet ministry to her latest venture.
Character Creation: How Julie designs engaging puppet characters with unique personalities, voices, and relatable stories.
Future Plans: Julie’s vision for expanding Civility Puppets, including new characters, larger performances, and more opportunities for both adults and children to get involved.
MLK Weekend Performance. Details about the upcoming Civility Puppets performance on Saturday, January 18, in connection with MLK Saratoga’s offerings for families on MLK Weekend.