The parade singalong FOOTBEAT takes the stage, comprimsed of neighborhood kids and led by Celia.

"Ooh child things are gonna get easier / Right Now...." - The Pink Dragon sings along with the FOOTBEAT.

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Ever since I moved here in 2004 and the crack addicts would prophecy to me and follow me around while I shopped in Globe Drug, I grew the walking fantasy that We Are All All-ready Here.  I felt and sensed that this is it!, all the ancient kings and queens and crowned misfits returning to play a new game.  The dreams I’ve had since getting a studio at Lemp only amplified this imagined fun house reality – where the compound turns into a free school circus ecovillage from the rooftop gardens to rituals in caves.    When the empire fell (quite literally:  The Empire Sandwich shop was bulldozed in 2006) I took that as a cue for poetic license to activate the play further.  Walking down the street with a giant foam cutout of the ‘Cherokee man statue’, I’d greet shopkeepers and ask them to share a ‘mascot’ or character-image from their store.    The participatory mural we made had a life of its own that called into being dramatic performances from some of Cherokee Street’s real life characters.    At the same site, I facilitated  a Dia de los Muertos vigil, (Park)ing Day activities, and a proposal for a permanent plaza.

But my favorite playing and the most widespread has been the People’s Joy Parade.  In 2008, I invited friends to participate in a ‘play’ parade – it was a crew of twenty or so with toy instruments that led a small sidewalk procession into the Cinco festival.  In 2009, I supported Sarah Paulsen who had the vision, perseverance, and artistry to create a full-fledged parade on the street.     I had fun inviting the neighborhood girls to join me in creating The Pink Dragon, a symbol of the Baubo spirit – divinely playful and irreverant female wisdom.