Report on the ninth annual
Procession of the Species Celebration

"Diverse crowd honors Earth:
over 30,000 spectators participate
in annual celebration of community and nature."

This front-page headline in The Olympian captured the scope of the ninth annual Procession of the Species Celebration held on April 26, 2003, in downtown Olympia, Washington.

Some 2,500 Procession participants joyously shared their artistic expression, while over 30,000 people lined the 16-block Procession route through downtown Olympia.

More than 100 dedicated volunteers donated 5,325 hours of time and talent to produce and organize Procession 2003, the heartfelt community celebration defined as the "jewel in Olympia’s crown." (The Olympian, 4/12/02)

Donors contributing to the success of 2003 included 180 individuals and 27 businesses, foundations, and government agencies.

For the fourth year in a row, Earthbound Productions continued its successful partnership with the Olympia School District by maintaining the old James Madison Elementary School in exchange for its use as the Procession Community Art Studio. Additionally, Earthbound has paid the school district payments totaling $11,000 ($6,000 in cash, $5,000 in direct services) for use of the building.

School and educational groups included over 30 different classrooms from preschools, a tribal youth center, art and environmental clubs, six scout groups, three churches, the YMCA, the Refugee Center, and Even Start.

The Procession launched its new website with extremely positive reviews. Professionally designed and managed, it resides under our domain: http://www.procession.org The site serves as an organizing and networking site, an archive of photos and comments, a fundraising/ development tool, and more. It also encourages correspondence locally, nationally, and internationally--and even inspired a school in Managua, Nicaragua to hold their first Procession on May 15, 2003.

Business Comments--2003

"Hard to quantify, yes. Important to the vitality of downtown, absolutely."
-- Chris Clough, business editor, "Downtown banks on Procession," The Olympian, 4/25/03

"It is such a unique event in this region. Folks who don't normally go downtown or have never been to Olympia come for this day."
-- Tamara Garcia, Thurston County Visitor and Convention Bureau, The Olympian, 4/25/03

"There are any number of things that make Olympia exceptional. There's the farmer's market, Capitol and Harlequin theaters, and the Procession itself is an institution we are fortunate to have. It's an artistic, economic, and environmentally focused aesthetic. It's in the top three busiest days we'll have, for sure."
-- Crayne Horton, Fish Brewing Company, The Olympian, 4/25/03

"It's really fun for everyone downtown and we, like most everyone, really support it. It's fun for Olympia; it's fun for our staff. It's probably in our top 15 busiest days."
--Adam Adrian, Ramblin Jack's, The Olympian, 4/25/03

"Part of the cultural celebration is to encourage participants and onlookers to bring a can of food for the local food bank to get across the understanding that by taking care of nature we likewise are taking care of ourselves."
--Jeannette Susor, South Sound Green Pages, April 2003

"We're kind of on the periphery of Arts Walk here on the west end of downtown, so it's nice to have the Procession though it can be a little overwhelming! It's the busiest of anytime for the café."
--Dick Meyer, Traditions Fair Trade, The Olympian, 4/25/03

"This is a critical tourist event. It gets national attention and is held up as an example of building communities. It's a huge tourist draw--not to eat cotton candy, but as a cultural community exchange."
--Eli Sterling, Earthbound Productions, The Olympian, 4/25/03

"In awarding the Procession of the Species as a Founder of a New Northwest in 2003, we recognize you as an organization that has found a way to reconcile economic vitality with environmental health and social equity by refusing to sacrifice the good of the land for the good of the people or the good of the people for the good of the land."
--Sustainable Northwest--Oregon Solutions, Portland Oregon, 5/31/03