Puppets are people with strings

Nancy Mitchell and Jack Gebhardt with some of thei
Nancy Mitchell and Jack Gebhardt with some of their puppet friends.
MPR Photo/Molly Bloom

The Anoka County Fair gets underway this week. Fairgoers will encounter the usual food, livestock judging and rides on the midway. The entertainment will include demolition derbys, tractor pulls, and a very popular puppet show.

For three generations, the California-based Mitchell Family Showboat Marionettes have been touring the country in their miniature Mississippi River showboat, performing 700 shows a year.

Earlier this month, Nancy Mitchell and her husband, Jack Gebhardt, made a stop at the Ramsey County Fair in Maplewood. American RadioWorks intern Molly Bloom checked it out and put together this audio postcard.

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