Welcome to Uplifting Puppet Co.
For the last two years the Drake Neighborhood Association has hosted the Magic of the Night Lantern Parade and Night Market. We’re excited for it to return again in 2026!
Here are some highlights from years past. Thanks again to our evemt sponsors, Invest DSM, Group Creatives, and the Polk County Board of Supervisors, as well as our Drake Neighborhood Sponsors.
Lantern making work shops and volunteer opportunities
Members of the community are invited to create their own lanterns to carry in the parade. We will be hosting three workshops in the week leading up to the parade. They will be:
Sunday, July 5 at Lucky Horse Tavern, 2:00 – 4:30 pm
Tuesday, July 7 at xBk Live, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Wednesday, July 8 at Dough Co. Pizza, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Sign up here to register for a lantern making workshop. This will help us make sure we have adequate supplies on hand.
We also need a few volunteers to make this event a success. Volunteer shifts last as little as an hour and are crucial to making sure our community can enjoy the parade and market. Check out our volunteer needs or email spencer.richardsonjones@gmail.com for more.
Who makes the big puppets?
Brant Bollman, the director of Theatre Arts at William Penn University and puppetmaster at Uplifting Puppet Co., is the lead creative of the event. Bollman and Group Creatives collaborated with members of the Drake neighborhood in Des Moines to create additional creatures of the night puppets to participate in the parade. The evening also featured another Night Market with an eclectic mix of vendors, culinary delights, and captivating entertainment, culminating in a mesmerizing lantern puppet parade down Kingman Boulevard. Here are some photos of the event:
The Parade
Central to the parade is the magnificent Moon Goddess puppet crafted by Bollman and his team of students and neighborhood creatives. This stunning focal point of last year’s parade was joined by additional creatures of the night: moths, owls, and more, all created in the Drake Neighborhood by residents. Music, dancers, and members of the community are invited to join in this shared endeavor.
Learn more here: https://dna.wildapricot.org/art-night
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Uplifting Puppet Festival Expands to Two Parades for 2026
“Out of This World” Celebration Brings Giant Puppets, UFOs, Lanterns, and Community Artmaking to Downtown Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa, Iowa — The Uplifting Puppet Festival returns June 1–13, 2026, with this year’s theme: “Out of This World.” Organized by Brant Bollman and featuring the return of Minneapolis-based artist Piper Smith, this year’s festival expands into two weeks of community artmaking experiences culminating in two giant puppet parades in downtown Oskaloosa.
“This year we wanted to go even bigger and stranger,” said Bollman. “We’re creating an immersive extraterrestrial experience filled with glowing puppets, interactive performance, music, movement, and community participation.”
The first Uplifting Puppet Parade takes place Friday, June 12 at 9:00 p.m. following the Friday After Five concert on the Oskaloosa square featuring rock band Wicked Ways. The nighttime lantern parade will transform downtown into an interactive glowing spectacle featuring illuminated giant puppets, dancing creatures, a UFO landing, and an alien puppet encounter inspired by science fiction, folk art, and community-built performance traditions from around the world.
The second parade experience takes place Saturday, June 13 at 2:00 p.m. during Art on the Square, presented by Oskaloosa Main Street. This daytime puppet march gives audiences a chance to see the giant puppets in the light of day as they parade around the downtown square. Community members are encouraged to bring puppets, costumes, masks, or noise makers and join the procession.
Want to make a puppet? The Uplifting Puppet Festival includes numerous hands-on workshops and community artmaking opportunities for all ages throughout the festival period. Public puppetmaking events will be hosted at Studio Osky, the FACE Oskaloosa Art Center, and on the downtown square.
The festival also partners with the George Daily Youth Theatre for a special youth workshop experience:
Glow-in-the-Dark-Sky Puppet Festival
June 3–5, 2026
Half-Week Camp • 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
K–12th Grade • $50
“Wonder. Glimmer. Glow.”
Led by GDYT Teaching Artist and Uplifting Puppet Company founder Brant Bollman, students will create illuminated lantern puppets inspired by puppet traditions from cultures around the world. Camp participants will explore designing, building, painting, movement, and storytelling while creating glowing creatures and characters of the night.
The camp emphasizes the George Daily Youth Theatre’s hands-on, game-based approach to creative learning.
“Here’s the thing about theatre camp at the George Daily Youth Theatre — it doesn’t always look like memorizing lines and standing on stage,” organizers explain. “Every week, theatre camps nurture Thinkers, Makers, Performers, and Leaders through imaginative, hands-on creative experiences.”
Participants and families are invited to join the Friday night lantern parade on June 12, though parade participation is optional.
Recommended for students who enjoy:
- Designing and building
- Painting and crafting
- Writing Sci-Fi stories
- Silly dancing aliens
- Creative movement and performance
The Uplifting Puppet Festivals and Parades are sponsored in part through funding from the Mahaska County Community Foundation, Arts Midwest, and support from partner organizations throughout the community.
For more information, workshop schedules, or media inquiries:
Brant Bollman
Uplifting Puppet Co.
UpliftingPuppetCo@gmail.com
www.upliftingpuppetco.com
