There’s never been anything like it in Grand Forks before. Already something like 250 people have lent a hand (or two) to help create the World Peace Pageant set for Sept. 15 presented by the Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre.

The unique theatrical event will be dominated by a 14-foot-tall Mother Earth puppet and a masked cast of 50. The masks and props have been produced by area children and community members this spring and summer.

Expect lots of drumming, music, dancing and storytelling on the Greenway downtown. In short, a spectacle! Part theater, part parade, part festival, it will tell a simple story for all ages and celebrate nothing less than our shared humanity.

Writer and director Kathy Coudle-King says the pageant will be nonpolitical. “Politics have divided us,” she says. “This project is about uniting us. It emphasizes what we have in common: Our love of nature, life, children, music, dance, art. Every parent wants their child to grow up in a time of peace. Every individual wants peace for him/her self.”

The project has been in the works for months, already accomplishing one of its goals, to bring people together.

Mark your calendar for 4:15 p.m. Sept. 15 (it’s a Saturday), part of the Greenway Takeover Festival, produced by HB Sound and Light.

Brings the kids, bring a blanket, bring some chairs, but whatever you do, do not miss Grand Forks’ very first World Peace Day Celebration!