Parade the Circle in Wade Oval this weekend

You've probably heard of Christmas in July, but what about Halloween in June? In Wade Oval tomorrow, Parade the Circle gives paraders the chance to don their own colorful, handmade -- but not frightening -- costumes and masks.

The parade, started by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 1990, is "meant to showcase for the community what happens in the Circle in any given week," says Chris Ronayne, president of University Circle Inc. "It's a way to get people to realize that everybody has an artist within them."

For the past month, the art museum has been running costume-creating workshops and even stilt-walking training.

The theme of this year's Parade the Circle is "Branches Become Roots," emphasizing the idea of regeneration and the cycle of life within a city.

Many of the family-friendly activities in Circle Village -- the half of Parade the Circle organized by University Circle Inc. -- teach kids about environmental awareness. The activities, at a conglomerate of booths run by local organizations, include making jewelry out of recycled pop tabs, creating wearable leaf and flower crafts and fashioning face masks inspired by portraits found in the art museum.

"Our intention with Parade is to whet the appetite, and then hope that people will continue to come back and visit," Ronayne says.

The festivities begin in Wade Oval at 11 am tomorrow with music by Revolution Brass Band. But it's best to get there at 10 or 10:30 to save your spot to watch the noon parade. More than 50,000 spectators come each year to watch the 2,000 paraders.

For a preview of nine more summer festivals, check out this article from the Summer Fun Guide in our June issue.