Olympia’s Procession Of The Species–Better Than Pot Leaves And Steam Powered Cars

procession of the species
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By Jake Luplow

I went to Hemp Fest once when I was living elsewhere. I walked away with some cheesy sunglasses–lenses displaying holographic pot leaves that were less than “all the rave.” The man lied to me.

A few weeks later, my friend dragged me to an “old car” show; it drove me to a state of depression. I went home that night and recovered via an episode of the Kardashians and chocolate ice cream.

It would seem I have been conditioned to hate social outings, but things are not always so, and on April 28, I, along with thousands of others, gathered on the streets of downtown Olympia to celebrate the Procession of the Species. Passion for arts and nature showed through brilliantly crafted costumes and dances, and thus through the distillation of creative, personal expression.

According to the Procession website, the Procession of the Species was created by the community and for the community: “The program facilitates seven weeks of art, music, and dance workshops that inspire personal understanding of and local action for wildlife protection.”

Procession day is a chance for each individual to display what they have learned and what they have crafted.

When I walked away from this celebration, I didn’t feel deceived with a pair of sunglasses, and I didn’t feel as though I was living in an era of steam powered cars and poodle skirts: I felt a certain inner expansion that can only be felt through sharing in expansion with others.

Many of you have felt the same, but for those of you who have never been, check out the above photos, and then go have yourselves a blast next year!

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