The Fulton Street Fair starts today, and one of the new additions to this year's entertainment lineup is giant puppet troupe Astral Gypsies.
Based out of Farmington, troupe founder Sheena Cox said the group started building puppets about four years ago after being inspired by a friend's troupe in Oregon.
"I thought the Midwest really needed art like this," Cox said. "It's just something we enjoy and thought the people of the Midwest would enjoy."
She said their menagerie of puppets - some of the larger ones range in size from 12 to 18 feet tall - includes a 30-foot-long octopus, a caterpillar that morphs into a butterfly and a wizard bear among other "fanciful creatures."
"It's a really family-friendly form of entertainment and really fun for kids," Cox said.
Because the size of the puppets makes it hard to vocalize the characters, she said they do not do a traditional, scripted show.
"It's more an interactive, roaming thing, with the characters doing their own thing," Cox said. "It's about audience participation and getting people to interact with the creatures, dance with them."
The Astral Gypsies will be at the Kiddie Corral and in the parade on Saturday, but also will be out performing and interacting with the crowd throughout the weekend.
"We're always happy to answer questions," Cox said, noting visitors should feel free to stop and talk to the characters they encounter.
She said the group plans to bring 10 giant creatures and a few smaller pieces for children and other attendees to try on as well, but didn't want to share exactly which characters would be making an appearance at the fair.
"It's kind of more fun when people don't know what to expect," Cox said.
Katherine Cummins can be reached at (573) 826-2418 or [email protected].