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Locals prepare for Earth Day, parade

Ann Arbor residents Gene Darnell and Kevin Newman stand at a table covered with nature books, leafing through the pages.

"I'm deciding between a cheetah and an electric eel," Darnell said.

But Newman has already decided.

"I'm going to be a mudskipper," he said. "It's just the coolest thing. It can breathe on land or in water."

Darnell and Newman are two of about 15 people who participated in a mask-making workshop at the YMCA yesterday in preparation for the All-Species Parade.

The parade is scheduled to be held April 21 in celebration of Earth Day, which is April 22. Parade participants dress in animal or plant costumes.

"It's a parade where people dress up as their favorite species," said Lisa Yee, endangered species organizer for the National Wildlife Federation's Midwest branch.

"(The parade) is a celebration of the diversity of life," she said.

One of three mask-making workshops was held yesterday for people planning to participate in the parade. Supplies, including cardboard, feathers and colored paper, were provided and participants were asked to give a $5 donation.

A majority of the participants made plaster masks. After the face is covered with lotion and vaseline, plaster strips are placed across the face. In about 15 minutes, the plaster dries and the mask can be removed.

At the workshop, 6-year-old Trevor Mallett waited while his parents cover his face in the plaster to form his eagle mask.

"It feels a little wet," he said.

Later, when his parents removed the mask, Trevor smiled. "That's cool," he said.

Across the room, Newman covered Darnell's face in plaster as well. Darnell finally decided to create a viper fish.

"It's indescribable," Darnell said of the feeling of plaster on his face. "I can't say it's like something else because I haven't had something like this before."

But not everyone decided to make a mask from plaster.

Five-year-old Noah Linsk decided to make an eagle because, "It's my favorite animal that there is. It can fly."

But his mask will be constructed from cardboard.

"We're going to skip the plaster and make attachments like beaks and wings," said Ann Arbor resident Elena Takaki, while she cut a beak from a paper towel tube.

"I'm going to make tail feathers too," Noah added.

Two more workshops are scheduled to be held March 31 and April 14. Both workshops are scheduled to run from 2 to 3:30 p.m.