FALMOUTH – 2015 in Falmouth ended with the beat of the popular song “Uptown Funk” as young and old—perhaps more than 50 in all—paraded up and down Main Street.
There were five drummers drumming, four jugglers juggling, three giant seagulls flying, two unicyclists biking, and a blue florescent fish swooping along the route. The festive walk culminated in a fire-juggling display.
Most participants had noise-makers of some sort, be they long colorful horns, bells, cymbals or tambourines. Many wore colorful hats provided for the occasion by artist Jon Goldman of Woods Hole.
An already imposing Horst Marschall of Falmouth wore a menacing lion’s head that made him seem 10-feet-tall, as he marched amid the revelers. In the spirit of the noisy group, he blew on a long blue horn as he walked up the street with the group.
“I couldn’t see anything but it sounded good,” Marshall said, after taking off the giant mask.
His wife, Angela Helbling, joined the drum corps along with her daughter, Yolanda, 10. Her daughter, Helena, 13, also blew a long horn.
“I think this is a great little community event,” Heibling said when it was all over. She added that both her daughters enjoy making noise.
Lisa Esperson led the drum corps in the catchy beat, and as the parade passed restaurant windows, children and adults watched with what appeared to be wide-eyed envy.
For the second year in a row, Al Moniz organized the walk with Esperson as a family-friendly and fun way to say goodbye to 2015.
Moniz decided to kick the event up a notch this year, and that’s why this year’s parade included giant puppets, including the seagulls, lion’s head and fish.
Tom Pucci, who brought the puppets, said he ran into Moniz in the supermarket earlier this year and was talked into helping with the event.
Pucci, who had been one of the organizers of Falmouth’s “Last Night” celebration, which has not been held for more than 15 years, knew that puppets made for that event were being stored in the basement of the North Falmouth Library. Pucci and Brian Prindle had made the puppets years ago, Pucci said. Finding them in the basement had brought back memories of the earlier events and thoughts of sprucing them up for future occasions, Pucci said.
After the parade, participants gathered on Academy Lane in front of the festively-lit Falmouth Chamber of Commerce to dance to a frenetic drumbeat and watch a short skit featuring the new year chasing off the old year. Then a final burst of excitement as Jonoah Bailin proved that fire, juggling and a unicycle can mix.
