Community and Fremont Arts Council volunteers work on crafting a dragon at the Fremont Powerhouse for the B. F. Day Elementary school's castle float for the Solstice Parade.

The CascadiaNow! Sasquatch patiently awaits its new fur and forest props for the Solstice Parade.

Community members Michelle Senechal (left) and Norma Baum (right) create a caterpillar wagon for the Solstice Parade. Senechal will be dressed as a butterfly and her son will ride in the caterpillar wagon as a part of the garden ensemble. &nbsp

Executive Director of CascadiaNow! Brandon Letsinger explains the concept of the sasquatch float during his acceptance speech for the McKay Grant. During the parade a sasquatch denier will be searching for the sasquatch and whenever he looks at the

Community volunteers John Brewer (left) and Melanie Steehler (right) make a grassy floor for the Sasquatch float. Brewer and Steehlerer heard about the parade and the workshop from friends and decided to join in.

Everyone from community members to Fremont Arts Council members, CascadiaNow! members, and members of Mythica village came together at the Fremont Powerhouse to help create a magical experience for the Solstice Parade.

CascadiaNow! volunteers Chris Rivera (left), Morgaine Escudero (middle), and Lisa Bade (right) work on the paper mache leaves that will be used to disguise the Sasquatch from the Sasquatch denier during the Fremont Solstice parade.

Decorative weaved cloths hung on the fences outside the Fremont Powerhouse for the Solstice Parade community workshop.

In preparation of the Fremont Arts Council’s (FAC) annual Solstice Parade, the council announced the recipients of their $500 McKay Grant at a council meeting and parade participant workshop Tuesday night at the Fremont Powerhouse. CascadiaNow! is honored and excited to announce our acceptance of our first ever grant.

"I think what's really exciting is that we really are working to empower individuals, organizations and people to really actively engage in what they find is important,” Executive Director of CascadiaNow! Brandon Letsinger said at the award reception. “We do that through really focusing on building a vibrant culture that’s really based on grassroots community involvement. So for us, the Fremont arts council solstice parade is really the perfect example of everything that we would like to be a part of and also encourage here in Seattle as well as across the Northwest."

CascadiaNow! members, and Mythica Village volunteers teamed up to work on the giant Sasquatch float in preparation for the parade on Saturday, June 18th. Volunteers made paper mache leaves which will hide the Sasquatch from a Sasquatch denier searching for the mythical creature. Mythica Village volunteers also made colorful mushrooms and mythical forest props for the Sasquatch to sit in. The CascadiaNow! Sasquatch and all it's mythical props will be reused at the Cascadia NW Festival in July and Cascadia Rainingman in September.

Mythica Village Mayors Crystal Cheairs and Felica Hollenbeck were inspired to help with the Sasquatch float this year after seeing its debut in the Fremont Solstice Parade last year. Chearis says that Mythica Village focuses on "bringing a magical experience to people in the dance community” and hopes to create that experience during the parade and the Cascadia NW festival.

All are welcome to join our Fremont Solstice Parade Ensemble with the Sasquatch on June 18th! Get all the details here.

Taylor McAvoy is a Junior at the University of Washington pursuing a bachelors degree in Journalism. She has been a writer and photographer for the university's newspaper The Daily for a year focusing on editorial reporting and arts event coverage.

Twitter: @TaylorMcAvoy105