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MARCELINE, Mo. --- Pirates and princesses
will be among the dignitaries leading the parade down Main Street USA in
Marceline Sept. 19 as Walt Disney's hometown celebrates the 11th Annual
Toonfest. The event pays tribute to Marceline's influence on Walt Disney and in
turn, Disney's influence on the cartooning medium and the world.
In addition to the parade, which begins at 10 a.m. and
passes along Main Street USA, not once, but twice, Toonfest includes live
musical performances, a silent auction, cartoon exhibits from more than 40
professional cartoonists and demonstrations from four guests cartoonists.
Guest cartoonists and parade marshals include Wiley
Miller, the pen behind Non Sequitur, a Universal Press Syndicate cartoon strip
published in more than 700 newspapers; Sam Viviano, the art director for Mad
Magazine; Mark Fiore, a freelance political cartoonist from San Francisco; and
Dave Mowder, an illustrator and designer for Hallmark Cards.
The cartoonists will offer insight to their creative
processes and demonstrate their techniques to the public starting at 12:30 p.m.
Sept. 19 at the UpTown Theatre in Marceline. The Uptown, which still shows first-run movies, is where Roy
and Walt Disney premiered "The Great Locomotive Chase" in 1956. The world
premiere of "The Spirit of Mickey" was held here in 1998.
A number of activities take place in Marceline's Ripley
Park, including the "Sketching Rupert" contest. Rupert was the name of a horse owned by a local doctor and
was the first horse ever sketched by Walt Disney. Paper, charcoal pencils and a live horse model will be
provided for participants. Cash
prizes will be awarded.
Kids or adults may also try their hands at milking a cow
in the Barnyard Olympics. Other
competitions include sack races, hammering a nail and finding candy corn in a
haystack. There will also be a
casting competition for young fishermen at the city park pond.
Marceline native Pat Henry, now of Columbia, and his sons
are among the musicians scheduled to perform throughout the day in the
gazebo. Santa Fe Railroad
engineers will be on hand to share the history of the railroad through
Marceline and in particular, the historic steam engine located in the park that
became the model for the train through Disneyland.
Across the street from Ripley Park, the Masonic Lodge on
Main Street USA will house an exhibit of cartoons. The submissions come from
more than 40 cartoonists around the world who send their work each year to pay
homage to Walt Disney and his influence on the cartooning medium. Autographed books and drawings by the
guest cartoonists are among dozens of items donated for a silent auction in the
Masonic Lodge. The auction,
which includes a number of Disney collectibles, raises funds to off-set costs
for more than 250 area high school and college art students to attend workshops
and other activities with the guest cartoonists in a private event the day
before Toonfest.
Other exhibits of interest in Marceline during Toonfest
include the paintings of artists David Garrison of Burlington, Iowa and his
wife, Cecile Howël, a native of France. Their work will be presented at the NOMO Art Center at 111 S. Main
Street USA. More than 150 pieces
of fiber art and hand-stitched quilts will be on display at the Marceline
United Methodist Church at 321 N. Kansas Avenue.
As always, the Disney Hometown Museum, located in the
former Santa Fe Railroad Depot, will be open. Exhibits tell the story of the
years Walt and Roy Disney lived in Marceline, how the town influenced their
creativity and what the future holds for the Disney magic in north central
Missouri. Admission is $5 for
adults; $2.50 for children 6-10 years old.
For a complete schedule of activities in Marceline and
more information, visit www.toonfest.net or call (660) 376-WALT (9258).
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