Barebones Halloween celebration grows but stays true to its roots!

I tend to bookend my year between two events: Heart of the Beast's Mayday Parade in South Minneapolis and the Bedlam Theater-connected Barebones Halloween celebration down by Hidden Falls.

The Mayday parade is the perfect event for spring; the whole neighborhood is out; it's bright and loud and festive. Whereas Barebones, which usually takes place down by the Mississippi River just as a chill starts to creep into the air, is the best conceivable venue to watch people on stilts battle with swinging chains of fire against the backdrop of burning leaf piles - a sign of autumn after all.

Both events make you realize that there are tons of good people that live in Minneapolis. Both events give you a sense of community.

With Barebones, you sit outside and take nips from a flask so you don't freeze. You watch gigantic puppets meander across the clearing, and you barely follow the surrealist plot. It's an addictive ritual.

Usually, being there gives you a sense of community with the hundreds of people who somehow knew enough to show up. In recent years though, it's grown much larger. This season even the Star Tribune and KSTP promoted it. I was a little worried that publicity might dilute the intimacy of the event with ringing cell phones and suburban families guzzling bottled water.

But it turned out all right. Barebones still has its DIY, community-based, aesthetic. It still has its politics and creepy music. It’s still almost impossible to discern the plot. I'm happy to report the event is intact.

The only problem I have, however, is that at my favorite part, where people shout out the names of their recently departed loved ones, more idiots yell Tupac every year.