I live not too far (in midwest terms) from the Charles MacNider Museum which happens to house "Bil Baird’s World of Puppets" in its permanent collection. Bil Baird wrote *"The Art of the Puppet" and is known for creating and performing the marionettes in "The Sound of Music" along with his wife Cora (watch The Lonely Goatherd.) If you are unfamiliar with Bil, that's ok. Time has not been kind to his legacy, but he was a pioneer.

There's a great documentary you can watch at the MacNider, but unfortunately they don't sell copies. If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, and you're a puppeteer, drop me a line. Perhaps we can make the pilgrimage to Mason City together and you can see the Baird collection for the first time, and I can see it again.

Here's some related randomness:

PUPPET MASTER: Iowan Created ‘Sound Of Music’ Props

And a letter I wrote to the MacNider after my first visit: Dear Charles MacNider Museum

I'll may do a longer post about Bil at some point, but his wikipedia page is a decent place to start if you have interest: Bil Baird.

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• Christopher