Lynn Museum holds holiday puppetry

LYNN – As a soft snow fell on the first day of December, about 75 parents and their children stayed warm inside the Lynn Museum, entranced by glittery puppets wiggling onstage.A 30-minute puppet show was just one feature of a winter family fun day at the Lynn Museum, a seasonal event that museum officials put together for the community every quarter, said Lynn Museum Director Kate Luchini. On Saturday, children toured the museum, created elf shoe Christmas tree ornaments and made their own puppets. “Father Christmas” made an appearance, as did “Randall the Robot” from St. John’s Prep robotics team.View a photo galleryLuchini said family friendly events like Saturday’s are aimed at opening up the museum to the greater Lynn community.”We really try to create a family event and bring people downtown and let them know we’re a resource,” she said.That’s exactly why David and Aimee Moore brought their 3-year-old son, Lucian, and 1?-year-old son, Harlan, to the puppet show.The family moved to East Lynn two years ago from the South Shore and have been impressed by the amount of community events available to them.”We love good community outreach,” David Moore said, as his son Lucian peered over his father’s shoulder into the nearby puppet stage, curious to see what his favorite characters from the show looked like behind the now-open purple curtains.Cindy Rodriguez and her 4-year-old niece Jiana Defranzo were also poking behind the scenes, stepping out of the arts and crafts room to tour the second floor of the museum. Defranzo said she loved seeing the giant shoe, which she commented looked nothing like her white Mary Janes.Rodriguez said she brought her niece to the museum to encourage a blossoming creative mind.”She really likes art and is always singing and dancing,” she said. “I thought it was a nice way to expose her to the arts and to different cultures.”Even some of the performers were inspired by the Lynn Museum.Puppeteer Deborah Costine, who co-owns Southborough-based Gerwick Puppets with Len Gerwick, said she plans to visit Lynn again to spend more time in it.”It’s very impressive,” she said as she packed up her puppets. “It’s one of those things, until you get inside, you don’t realize how much there is to see.”For more information on Lynn Museum family days, visit lynnmuseum.org.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].