Muppets, puppets, magic and stilts

Winter Lights - Festival of the Arts packs a week full of family fun Milford — As the Winter Lights - Festival of the Arts, draws nearer, the Marie Zimmerman Center for the Arts is proud to announce the many free, family-friendly events that will go on during the week-long festivities at the Good Shepherd Church on the corner of 5th Street and West Catharine Street in Milford. Winter Lights - Celebrating the Arts, invites you to celebrate the arts in a week-long festival starting Saturday, Jan. 24. Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this unique free winter experience. All weeknight events will begin at 7 p.m. in Fellowship Hall at the Good Shepherd Church. The entry fee to each of these events is a donation for the food pantry. Monday: Kicking off the festivities on Jan. 26 is a performance by the Delaware Valley High School Jazz Band. Tuesday: The evening features a swash-buckling show and tell complete with pirates, swords, eye patches and Muppet, Toby Mug. A showing of “Muppet Treasure Island” will start the evening, which will be followed by a presentation with Fred Buchholz, special effects and prop designer extraordinaire, and Muppet Toby Mug. “Muppet Treasure Island,” a Jim Henson production adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson’s book Treasure Island, originally aired in 1996 and features puppet props and F/X supervision by part-time local, Fred Buchholz. After the “Muppet Treasure Island,” there will be a showing of the original, 1934 “Treasure Island” movie. Seventy-five years ago this film was directed by Victor Fleming, who also directed other classic films such as “Gone With the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz.” Wednesday: An enchanting performance of “City that Drinks the Mountain Sky,” , Hudson Valley’s very own mask and puppet theater, will bring excitement to the audience with their original, thought-provoking presentation. One of the greatest cities in the world, New York City, has managed an ingenious system of aqueducts and reservoirs that provides clear mountain water from the Catskills to nine million downstate residents; which has actually become heralded as one of the wonders of the world. “City that Drinks the Mountain Sky,” illustrates this wonderment through a shimmering tapestry of poetry, puppetry and evocative music, bringing the lyrical landscape of the Catskills alive. Thursday: Bond Street Theatre’s the Shinbone Alley Stilt Band will perform their unique brass combo on stilts, bringing music to new heights proving musical and physical dexterity. Founded in 1976 by a group of physically skilled and socially concerned actors and musicians, Bond Street Theatre’s methods have been shaped by their diversity of techniques and their mission motivated by their passion to be useful in this world. The Shinbone Alley Stilt Band has delighted audiences in Japan, Brazil, Israel, Venezuela, Colombia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, and the USA. Friday: An interactive, fun-for-all-ages magic show, Magic for a Winter’s Eve, will be performed by the amazing magician Mark Mitton. Focusing on perception and how we see, it’s the perfect way to warm up on a cold winter’s night. An international delight, magician and special effects consultant, Mark Mitton has made Will Smith appear in the middle of Times Square, directed a freak-show opening circus for Aerosmith, and taught sleight-of-hand and created special effects for Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, John Travolta and John Lithgow. For additional information, schedules and contact info, visit www.winterlightsfest.com. A key focus of the Marie Zimmermann Center for the Arts mission (located within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area off 209), is to enhance the economic and cultural life of the communities, towns and cities within Pike and its adjoining counties, by attracting tourism through events such as “Winter Lights,” and to the on-going restoration of the Zimmermann “green” farm, whose barns will house environmental, educational, visual and performing workshops.