A passion for puppetry took hold of Jack Foreaker when he was 4 years old.
"Our mailman gave me a puppet for Christmas one year and I jumped into a clothes hamper, which was my first puppet theater, and did a rendition of `Purple People Eater,'" said the 55-year-old Foreaker. "And I've been doing it ever since."
Despite his enthusiasm, Foreaker had to improvise because puppets and accessories weren't widely available.
"Puppets were hard to come by in the '50s and '60s, so I had to make my own," said Foreaker, an accomplished figure in the world of puppetry who worked with Muppets creator Jim Henson. "I created my own characters, and each one needed a puppet. I started my own make-your-own process. Where else could I get a giant talking toilet?"
Next weekend, Foreaker and a host of other performers and artisans will vie for the attention of an expected 20,000 people at the 25th annual Havre de Grace Seafood Festival at Tydings Park. And they'll have their work cut out for them because much of the focus will be on an enviable assortment of seafood, as well as other food and drink.
In addition to food and performers, more than 250 artisans and craftspeople will show their work.
"Every year I go through hundreds of applications and choose the best of them," said festival coordinator Lori Maslin. "This year we'll have all sorts of artists, including a copper artist, painters, pottery, decoy carvers as well as local candlemakers."
New to the festival this year is a 15-foot climbing wall, face-painters and temporary-tattoo artists. Also, a silent auction will be held each day. The Chesapeake Hospice will host a raffle for a 2005 Ford Mustang.
All proceeds from the festival -- after expenses of about $15,000 -- will be donated to the Haven House Alcohol and Drug Treatment program. Hours for the event will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. There is no admission charge.
Maslin said Foreaker has become a crowd favorite. He was invited to entertain a few years ago when Maslin was looking for something new, and now he's back by popular demand.
"We come every year to the festival, but my friends and I will be watching the puppet shows," said Brittany Cordell, a 20-year-old Bel Air resident. "They're hilarious. Not at all what I think of when I think of a typical puppet show."
In addition to performing, Foreaker makes puppets, spending hours each day working on his creations.
