SHELBURNE FALLS — After a year’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the village’s annual Winter HooPla festivities return Saturday, complete with illuminated train cars and lighted figures, a shadow puppet play, ice sculptures and a total of about 15 art installations.
The Winter HooPla is hosted by The Art Garden, a nonprofit directed by Jane Wegscheider that puts on several community events throughout the year. Saturday’s event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. in the railyard at the Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum, located at 14 Depot St.
Laura Iveson, director of the event, explained that when Winter HooPla began in 2016, the original idea was to feature mainly frozen art pieces such as ice sculptures.
“It’s never been reliably frozen for us leading up to the event, so we switched to the idea of playing with light and shadow,” she said.
A number of this year’s installations will follow a floral theme, as many artists gravitated toward flowers as a concept for their pieces.
“We’re working on a lighthearted, whimsical installation involving brightly colored shovels and flowers that people helped make,” Iveson said.
Installation artists are looking for any broken snow shovels that can be donated to the construction of this piece.
The Winter HooPla will also feature a tribute to Polly Bartlett, a Shelburne Falls community fixture who died in April 2021 and who supported The Art Garden. One of the rail car installations will be in memoriam to her, entitled, “Life Well Lived: Tribute to Polly Bartlett,” by Janice Sorensen and Marie Bartlett.
This will mark the first Winter HooPla held since the February 2020 event, which about 200 people attended. Last year, The Art Garden displayed installations around the village, but did not bring people together in one spot.
“I think people are looking for things to do, because there isn’t much we can do out together now,” Iveson noted.
Attendees are encouraged to dress appropriately for cold winter weather as the event will be held outdoors. At night, there will be a fire pit where people can gather.
Parking will be somewhat limited, but is available at The Art Garden, or attendees can park in the village and walk up a clearly lit path.
This year, the event will be funded by the cultural councils of Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont/Hawley, Colrain, Conway, Heath, Leyden, Plainfield, Rowe and Shelburne.