Max Keeping will no longer be puppet-less after the recent loss of his
celebrity look-alike friend, Mini Max the puppet.
Keeping, CTV community ambassador and well-known face in the
region, was honoured to receive his Mini Max 2 puppet on July 29 during a
community picnic, after his original puppet was lost in the CTV fire earlier
this year.
“Noreen, you are very gracious,” Keeping said to puppet
creator Noreen Young, one of the driving forces behind the Puppets Up!
International Puppet Festival.
Young said she was quite distressed to hear about the loss
of “mini Max,” which was given to Keeping as a token of the large amount of
support he has shown the community over the years.
The puppeteer said the last celebrity look-alike puppet that
needed replacing was Wayne Rostad’s, which was on display at the Iron Works and
was stolen.
As Keeping accepted his new puppet, with an updated
hairstyle to boot, he said Almonte has always stuck out in his mind as a
community that celebrates its diverse culture.
“I admire the people who live in this community,” he said.
“I salute you.”
The park was filled with music and arts, families, food, puppets,
belly dancers and more during the picnic, which was a lead-up to the Puppets Up
festival, taking place in downtown Almonte Aug. 7 and 8. The evening kicked off
with a special guest appearance by Sir John A. MacDonald, the puppet, and Mayor
Al Lunney’s puppet, who spoke about plans for retirement from politics.
For festival tickets, schedules and information, visit
puppetsup.ca
Carleton Place Almonte Canadian Gazette