Run, Smelt, Run! Parade photo via Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe Facebook page.
Dressing up as a silver fish in late spring could become weird again. After eleven years of marches normalizing smelt fashion on the Lake Superior boardwalk, the annual Run, Smelt, Run! Parade could be making its final march on May 26.
Explore Minnesota’s love affair with smelt, the shimmering silver fish that’s easy to catch and fun to eat. Now that Lake Superior’s smelt population is in decline, an annual parade in downtown Duluth keeps that love alive.
Minnesota Historia is a PBS North web series dedicated to Minnesota’s quirky past. It is hosted by Hailey Eidenschink and produced/edited/written by Mike Scholtz.
Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe brought back its smelt-themed second-line parade and fish fry in 2022 after a two-year absence due to COVID-19. The WDSE-TV clip above is from The Slice, a series that presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Select Instagram images from day eight of the Homegrown Music Festival and the annual Run, Smelt, Run! Parade and Party.
The eighth annual Run, Smelt, Run! Parade featured music by the Brass Messengers, antics by Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe, costumes and stilt walkers.
In its series The Slice, WDSE-TV presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Select Instagram photos from the Run, Smelt, Run! Parade and Party.
Sunday, May 13, is the annual Run Smelt Run Parade. If you’ve never witnessed or been a part of the parade, it’s a blend of art, absurdity, puppets, community, ecology, humor, music, dancing and things that sparkle.
The festivities begin at 3:30 p.m. near the Aerial Lift Bridge and north pier, on the lawn in front of the Maritime Museum. Look for the people on stilts.
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The smelt are coming!
The Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe is pleased to announce the opening of our 2013 Smelt Run Puppet Parade workshop, at 134 W. 1st St, between Pineapple Arts and Bella Flora!
Last week, Neptune was spotted by a PDD contributor making various proclomations. If you were wondering what was up, it’s this video. The Magic Smelt Puppet Troupe has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to put on free workshops for people to build puppets, masks and costumes for the Smelt Parade on April 21st.
I saw a commercial being made for the upcoming Smelt Festival while walking in Canal Park today. The sea creature character was booming out a pretty funny pronouncement from the Smelt Queen promising puppetry, puppet making and smelt-y fun in exchange for funding.
It’s stuff like this that makes me love this town.
