Party in the Park in Monroe Park on Jan.15

The All the Saints Theater Company will host Party in the Park in support of the Monroe Park Campaign on Saturday, January 15, from noon-4PM. It will be open to all ages and completely free of charge. Families are encouraged to attend. From the press release: Party in the Park is an afternoon-long festival. The […]

December 21, 2010; 5:54 PM • by Fan of the Fan

From the press release:

Party in the Park is an afternoon-long festival. The Campaign has received its 1000th petition signature in its quest to keep the park open during renovations. All the Saints plans on celebrating by throwing a party the likes of which the old park hasn’t seen in years. Like all good parties, there will be plenty of food and music but most importantly, there will be a very tangible sense of solidarity. Groups and businesses from all across Richmond have come together to support the Campaign as well as to celebrate spending a nice afternoon in the park. All the Saints will set the scene by parading around with their iconic larger-than-life puppets, boats and dragons, while a diverse mash-up of local artists perform a series of powerful unplugged sets. A face painting station and a market offering tons of free clothing, toys and books will also be available. While old man winter may not be so accommodating, attendees can expect a delicious spread of warm food and drinks to keep them going during the course of the day.

The Monroe Park Campaign is a coalition of churches, feeding groups, radical organizations, as well as concerned citizens that have come together upon hearing about the Monroe Park Advisory Council’s plans to shut down Monroe Park during renovations. For a period of 9-18 months, the council plans on fencing off all 8 acres of the park making it inaccessible for students, homeless people currently living and socializing there, weekly feeding programs as well as anyone else who may use the park. The Campaign is working to keep at least 25-50% of the park open during the entire duration of construction and to prevent the hiring of any private security task force to police the park after renovations, especially since the master plan calls for reducing the “apparently homeless population” as one of its goals. Ultimately, the Campaign hopes to influence the type of renovations that are being planned for the park, in the hopes of making it a friendlier place for everyone.

The All the Saints Theater Company is an experimental art and theater group, responsible for puppet parades, spaghetti dinners, circuses and endless subversive street theater in Richmond.