UES Lantern Parade - Wednesday February 18th @ 6:00pm

Union Elementary School invites the entire Montpelier community to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of our school building!  Please join us for an evening lantern procession on Wednesday, February 18^th.  

Our lantern procession will begin at 6:00 pm at Union Elementary School.  Led by the samba band Sambatucada, we will parade from the school to the Vermont College of Fine Arts, where we will celebrate on the VCFA Green with rainbow ice sculptures, live music by Sambatucada, and hot cider and cocoa. This is the main event of our first-ever UES Winter Carnival, which will take place the week of Monday, February 16 through Friday, February 20.  

Sambatucada leading the Waterbury River of Light Parade.  Photo courtesy of Gowri Savoor

Local artist Gowri Savoor is guiding UES students in making their lanterns during a ten day art residency, thanks to the “Artists in Schools” grant awarded by the Vermont Arts Council as well as the support of the UES Parents’ Group and The River of Light in Waterbury.  All K-5 students will create a hand-made lantern from sustainable materials including willow and tissue paper. Lanterns will be suspended from bamboo poles and lit with battery operated LED lights. 

Our parade is made possible with the support of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and Coldwell-Banker Classic Properties.  The event is funded in part by a “Community Arts Grant” awarded by Montpelier Alive and funded by the Downtown Improvement District Assessment.  We thank Diamond & Robinson P.C. Attorneys at Law for their support.  We also thank Lake Champlain Chocolates and Champlain Orchards for their donations. 

To learn more about Gowri Savoor and her residencies, visit her website:
 http://www.gowrisavoor.com/  

Rainbow Ice Sculptures at Vermont College of Fine Arts Green!

Rainbow Ice Sculptures

to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of UES

We need the entire UES community to help create the building blocks, literally, for a day of colorful construction on February 15. It’s easy! Please save your ½ gallon milk and juice cartons, rinse them out, fill with water and a dash or two of food coloring, and leave outside to freeze. Save and freeze as many blocks as you can between now and February 15th. Ask your neighbors to help, get your grandmother to make colorful ice blocks too! On February 15th, we will be building colorful ice sculptures and functional outdoor furniture on the Vermont College of Fine Arts green, where the parade and winter festival will culminate the following week. You will be able to drop your ice blocks off the day before and that morning, and we would love you to stay to help build if you can. Dan Clar will be our construction and engineering leader. Building will be an all day project, with lots of hot cocoa and hot cider breaks in College Hall, so feel free to drop ice blocks and go, come back later if your Sunday schedule allows. The plan is to make tables and benches, to function at the celebration, and other fantastic colorful forms to celebrate UES. All community members are invited to participate. Our inspiration is the 2012 Edmonton Rainbow Igloo, and while we won’t be making covered structures that can be entered, we will be making hollow forms that we will light up from within! Our sculptures will glow colorfully as the lantern procession reaches the College Green on February 18th. The sculptures will remain as long as nature allows, and will be useful surrounding the College Green skating rink.

What you can do:

1.    Save and rinse as many ½ gallon milk and juice cartons as you can between now and Feb.15

2.    Open up tops, fill with water and some food coloring, place outside to freeze

3.    Bring frozen blocks to the College Green starting Saturday February 14th through Sunday morning, February 15th (drop off location will be obvious)

4.    If you want to make colored ice spheres with balloons, any size will be welcome. Its easy, use the same method as above, but with a balloon instead of milk carton:-)

Please email with any questions and/or if you know you definitely want to help build: marni.leikin@gmail.com

Thanks in advance!

Marni

Lantern Making Art Workshops

LANTERN MAKING ART WORKSHOPS!

Join us for FREE workshops with artist Gowri Savoor.  Each participant will create their own magical hand-made lantern from willow branches and tissue paper! 

February 7^th @ THE MONTPELIER SENIOR 

ACTIVITY CENTER

February 14^th @ UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

10:00 – 3:00 (with an hour break for lunch)

Everyone is invited to join us for a lantern parade in Montpelier

at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18^th to  

CELEBRATE 
THE 75^th BIRTHDAY OF

UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Waterbury's River of Light Lantern Parade. Photo by Gordon Miller

      ·         Workshops are free to attend for all.  Donations will be welcome.

All tools and materials will be provided. 

If you have a pair of hand-held
pruning shears, please bring them along,

 you’ll find it useful to have a pair of your own.

·         Children must be accompanied by an adult. 
Not suitable for children under six.  

·         There will be a limit of 20 participants per workshop.

For more information and to book your place, 
please contact Gowri Savoor at info@gowrisavoor.com 
or call 802-778-0334

These workshops are made possible by the generous support of …

HUNGER MOUNTAIN COOP

MONTPELIER ALIVE
THE RIVER OF LIGHT IN WATERBURY

COLDWELL BANKER CLASSIC PROPERTIES

THE MONTPELIER SENIOR ACTIVITY CENTER

Winter Carnival @ Union Elementary!

Please mark your calendars for these special events:

Date	What	Where	Time
Monday 2/3-Friday 2/13	K-5 Lantern Making Art Residency	UES Art Room	Schedule to follow
Saturday 2/7	Free Community Lantern Making Workshop	Montpelier Senior Center	10:00-3:00 *preregistration required*
Saturday 2/14	Free Community Lantern Making Workshop	UES Art Room	10:00-3:00 *preregistration required*
Sunday 2/15	Snow + Ice Sculpting Family Event	Vermont College of Fine Arts Green	10:00-3:00
UES WINTER CARNIVAL WEEK! Monday 2/16 - Friday 2/20
Monday 2/16	Time Capsule Ceremonies + Winter Carnival Kick-off	UES Auditorium	Grades K-2 8:30-9:00 Grades 3-5 1:30-2:00
Tuesday 2/17	UES Stories Day	UES Classrooms	During school day
Wednesday 2/18	UES 75th Birthday Celebration and Montpelier Community Lantern Parade	Parade Route from UES to VCFA Green	5:00 Dinner in Cafeteria 5:40 Line up for Parade 6:00-7:00 Lantern Parade from UES to VCFA Green
Thursday 2/19	UES History Lessons	Classrooms	During school day
Friday 2/20	Dress Up as 1939 Day	UES	During school day