Celtic Fringe wins KC Parade Grand Prize

On Wednesday we said we were looking forward to seeing the Celtic Fringe float as it is always a parade highlight, but this year, after thirteen years of entering an array of entertaining floats, it was officially the highlight.

Steeped in the dark humour so beloved of the Irish, and a tradition for the Celtic Fringe itself, Disney On Ice presented the head of a deceased Walt Disney rising as a slow Walt-in-the-Box from surrounding dry-ice. And yes that is very much in keeping with this year's theme.

More than a mere punchline, the Celtic Fringe prizewinner had an excellence of presentation and engineering. It is to these standards that I argued participants should aspire and the Parade Committee should encourage (if not enforce) - when I praised the inclusion of the balloon characters this year. A big Congratulations to the Celtic Fringe

In the warehouse downtown where Disney on Ice was crafted, I was at the Fringe After-Parade Party when the call came through, and the Creative Team were deservedly ecstatic. Walt even popped his head up to see what all the fuss was about, and plastic cups were raised in honour of a Kansas City legend, and a Kansas City organization that leads the way in taking chances and delivering entertainment.

The Grand Prize is a trip for two to Ireland