Photo by Larry Rippel

At just around 11:30 AM on Wednesday, March 21st, Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto declared the day Pittsburgh Day of Puppetry. The festive buildup of puppeteers in the Grand Lobby of the City-County building was a surprise to many strolling the thoroughfare on business. A delegation of marionettes, hand puppets, and giant wearable puppets (and their puppeteers) danced, jittered and made small talk as they anticipated the Mayor’s arrival. Mayor Peduto praised the efforts of the Puppetry Guild of Pittsburgh in making Pittsburgh a more vibrant and creative place. Dave English followed with some comments from the Guild and a gift for the Mayor, a hand crafted set of puppets representing members of Pittsburgh City Council (Created by Pittsburgh artist Kirsten Ervin). Stay tuned for a recap of all Pittsburgh Day of Puppetry events.