On Oct. 26 The Cashore Marionettes came to Castleton State College’s Fine Art Center.
The Marionettes aren’t a dancing group, brave stunt performers, or musically talented; they’re all three combined and more.
They’re also not even people.
Marionettes are puppets that are controlled from above using either strings or wires.  The puppeteer controlling the puppets is known as the manipulator.
The Cashore Marionettes are a collaboration of different puppets all created from scratch by a man named Joseph Cashore, native to Colmar, PA.
In a New Jersey shore gift shop around the age of ten, Cashore said he first laid his eyes on a marionette puppet. Captured by the vibrantly dressed pirate dangling from the ceiling, his imagination ran wild. Years later, Cashore attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts to study portrait and figure painting and graduated from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Cashore didn’t let anyone in the mixed aged audience down that afternoon, as there was either constant applause or laughter of approval and satisfaction from start to finish.
“I loved it, it was wonderful…I saw him a few years ago and couldn’t wait to come back,” said Judy Robinson Castleton’ professor in economics.
Audience members were jaw-dropped by Cashore’s talents in the arts.
“The artistry was extremely high and the range of performance was expansive,” said Carole Hinnes, a resident of Castleton.
Robinson also explained how she had seen some of the same pieces from the time before but said she “loved seeing them again”.
Catching Richard Crowden, Director of Fine Arts Center on the way out for a comment he emphatically described how good it is too see children enjoying something that didn’t involve a computer screen, or “Disney”.
“Everyone’s lives are better now than they were an hour and a half ago,” said Crowden complimenting Cashore after the performance.
Cashore the very talented but modest man said after 30 years of performing across the globe with the Marionettes he’s very fortunate.