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When we moved to a dot on the map in 1966, what was I hoping to find? Probably a city of artists and activists. And more and more over the years, that’s what Milwaukee has become.

 For the past few months these artists and activists have been working together to create the Third Annual All-City People’s Parade, a dream parade. It’s our dream of metamorphosis from the present rancorous and roiling world to a happier, more habitable, more charitable planet. The grubby grub becomes a butterfly. But can the hard-working, community-oriented ants repel the greedy grasshoppers? Will the grains of respect for ourselves and each other increase their flow in the hourglass of time?

Milwaukee Public Theatre, the Mask & Puppet Theatre, community groups, hundreds of volunteers of all ages and races are transforming the many images on the story-board, (which you can find in this week's Shepherd Express or on the Public Theatre web site, http://www.milwaukeepublictheatre.org/ ) into extravagant floats that on September 5 will flow along Wisconsin Avenue behind the Labor Day Parade.

In the end we can only reach the dream for ourselves and the world by responsible decisions. And with that hope, we’ll celebrate and metamorphose into a grand samba drum band and samba dancers. That, in fact, is where I’ll be!

The details: Third Annual ALL-CITY PEOPLE’S PARADE

Labor Day: Monday, September 5, 2011

11:00 am: Parade Kick Off

Wisconsin Avenue to Meier Festival Park

1:00 pm: “Metamorphosis” Parade Review

in front of the Miller Stage with Laborfest