Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship for Waterbury Roundabout
WATERBURY – It’s getting cold and snowy on the streets of downtown Waterbury, which means it’s the busiest time of the year for MakerSphere co-founder and River of Light parade organizer MK Monley.
The former elementary school art teacher founded this parade 16 years ago, alongside fellow educator and visual artist Gowri Savoor.
In 2010, then-principal Don Schneider, along with Savoor and Monley joined forces to bring the parade to life at what was then known as Thatcher Brook Primary School. (The school was renamed in 2021.) Inspired by her upbringing in India and England, Savoor introduced the idea of the River of Light Parade to the town.
What started as a musical and artistic celebration at the elementary school soon expanded to become one of the biggest events of the year for Waterbury. Organizers estimate more than 2,000 spectators and 700 participants of all ages will attend this year’s parade on Saturday, Dec. 6.
On a recent weekday, four of the parade organizers gathered at Stowe Street Cafe to reminisce about the event – Monley, Schneider, Waterbury Sarah-Lee Terrat, and Mame McKee.
They cited one of the most memorable years being the 2011 parade after the devastating flood from Tropical Storm Irene. The organizers weren’t sure it could happen, but they said the community needed it.
“It was remarkable how much it meant to the community to do it that second year,” Monley said.
One of the larger lighted lantern figures that year was a giant phoenix bird that floated at the front of the parade. It was a symbol of the town’s resilience to recover from the disaster and was used in many parades since.
Another memorable year was 2020 when the event faced the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of a traditional parade with people walking as a giant group, the organizers set up several locations where lanterns were put on display, and the community was invited to drive past in their vehicles, enjoying the lighted art while staying safely apart.
Dac Rowe Park in downtown Waterbury had the largest lantern display. People drove through and then headed over the Winooski Street bridge, decorated with lights and a giant lantern mask honoring health care workers, to Duxbury to see the lantern display along the driveway at Crossett Brook Middle School. Other displays filled the front porch of Red Hen Bakery at Camp Meade in Middlesex and lined the front entryway at Waitsfield Elementary School.
In 2021, when Monley retired from 20 years of teaching in Waterbury, she wanted to find a way to continue the tradition. That desire dovetailed with the fledgling project that Monley and fellow artists Terrat and McKee had just launched in 2018.
Along with a group of volunteers, they created MakerSphere – a nonprofit community arts and maker organization established to be a creative hub for arts education and practice for all ages. Moving the annual River of Light lantern parade organizing and the creative lantern-making efforts to MakerSphere seemed like a good fit.
Starting in a space on Foundry Street in downtown Waterbury, MakerSphere has evolved to operate out of multiple locations today. It offers classes and workshops for all ages in art, handicrafts, pottery, woodworking and stained glass. The Foundry Street location has studio space that artists can lease.
MakerSphere is now the creative and organizational force behind the River of Light lantern parade. It works closely with Brookside Primary School art teacher Rachael Wells to continue the involvement of the school’s preschool-through-fourth graders each year. It also provides the materials and workshops for community members to make lanterns for the parade each fall.
Meanwhile, the event in Waterbury continues to grow. This year, the organizers say they will try something new to address the challenge of how to line up an increasing number of participants.
“We can have them line up on High Street,” Schneider said, while the others nodded in agreement. Schneider, Monley’s spouse, takes on the role of lead parade marshal, corralling the dozens of children and their parents excitedly getting in place to march in the parade. “The middle school kids will line up on High Street on the sidewalk, and then cut in in the middle.”
In addition to the many pre-k-4 students and their families from Brookside Primary School in the parade, Crossett Brook Middle School will have a sizable contingent, too, Monley said. Co-Principal Duane Pierson will be leading a small middle school drum corps this year and about 45 Crossett Brook students will be marching with lanterns they made in art class.
“It’s going to be quite the scene,” Pierson said.
This year, the River of Light Parade will continue its tradition on Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. The theme “Wheels and Wings” will be evident in many of the lanterns created this fall. The parade will assemble and start at Brookside Primary School and make its way up Main Street to Dascomb Rowe Field, lighting up the dark streets of Waterbury on the way.
At the park, there will be bands and fire spinners providing live entertainment, a warming fire (if conditions allow), and treats for marchers and viewers alike to enjoy.
The Waterbury Public Library will also be open on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. around the parade time offering the public a place to warm up, spend time doing a puzzle or craft, use restrooms, etc.
Monley noted that although the parade and its finale last for just a couple of hours on one night in December, the event stops traffic for a short time on town streets, and comes together thanks to the efforts of volunteers from many partner groups.
They include the Waterbury Rotary Club, Waterbury Winterfest, Revitalizing Waterbury, the Vermont State Police, as well as cadets from Norwich University and Harwood Union High School National Honor Society students. Waterbury town staff also play a key role in the logistics. Monley gives credit to this community effort for why the event has gained so much success over the years.
The other organizers agreed that it takes a village to put this on. But if it weren’t for Monley, they said, the River of Light Parade wouldn’t be half the success it is now.
“MK is the beating heart, and we could not do this without her,” Terrat said. “All her connections and her endless thinking of what to do next and who to include and how to write grants and everything she does.”
Monley responded, saying that the run-up to the annual event is exhausting, but so worth it. “It’s just so heartwarming to see people loving it,” she said.
More information about Waterbury’s River of Light lantern parade can be found on the MakerSphere website here.