The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut, in partnership with the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, will host Community Puppet-Building Workshops for area residents on Saturday, September 6 and Saturday, September 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ballard Institute workshop space (1 Royce Circle, Storrs, CT). The workshops will be led by the Director of Boston’s Puppeteers Cooperative, Sara Peattie, and the Director of the Ballard Institute, Dr. John Bell, in collaboration with the UConn Co-op Bookstore.

Workshop attendees will make oversized masks of their favorite Connecticut authors. Participants will be invited to parade with their puppets in the Celebrate Mansfield Parade on September 21, beginning at noon. After the parade, the masks will be displayed at the UConn Co-op Bookstore in Storrs Center.

These mask-making workshops are free and open to all who would like to participate. Attendees are not required to attend both workshops and can drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to take part in the workshops. No prior puppet-building experience is necessary.

Pre-registration is recommended. Contact Emily Wicks at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at 860.486.8585 or emily.wicks@uconn.edu.These workshops are supported in part by the Downtown Mansfield Partnership. For more information, visit bimp.uconn.edu.