"And, of course, how could you turn that down?" said Barton, who'd been teaching in elementary schools for almost seven years.

Barton now calls herself "the other half of the Sassafrass Junction," a puppet theater that opened in November at 74 Olde Main St. in downtown St. Albans. Along with Barton and Lilly, the theater's other core staff members include puppet maker and puppeteer Benjamin Levesque and puppeteer Courtney Gleason. 

Royal purple curtains line the Junction's storefront windows, promising a show behind them just like curtains on a stage. A long purple sign above the door features the smiling, furry face of a blueberry-colored Muppet-style creature, one of the theater's resident "Creek Critters," who welcomes you to the Junction.

Lilly, the Sassafras Junction's other founding half, said the name popped in his head one night at 3 or 4 in the morning. "Usually, that's when the best ideas come up."

He and some friends had crafted an elaborate puppet show for an annual party for some nieces and nephews, he recalled. "But when the party's over what do you with this set-up and this stage and everything?"

They thought first of doing a mobile show, driving to family birthday parties and the like. "But we found a little piece of real estate," Lilly said.

"They made us an offer couldn't refuse," Barton chimed in.

What they'd also found was a mayor keen to spur the arts on Olde Main Street. Across the street, the Alban Arts and Conference Center was the first fruit of that enthusiasm in 2008.

They began "dabbling" in decorating the space, Lilly said. Now, if he does say so himself, "it's quite a place of wonderment."

Their initial stock of characters -- which they named the Creek Critters -- came from Luna's Puppets based near Portland, Ore., plus some that were purchased through NuttyPuppets.com.

This was before they met puppet maker and puppeteer Benjamin Levesque. He'd gotten a degree in puppetry and children's entertainment through the West Virginia University theater department.

"So, now, " said Lilly with relish, "we'll be able to build our own."

A Massachusetts native, Levesque got hooked on puppetry by TV. "It was just something I always enjoyed as a kid. I loved watching 'Sesame Street', 'The Muppet Show,' all that stuff. One day, I realized that somebody actually had to do this kind of stuff. It seemed like something I could really excel in."

He generally makes Muppet-style puppets, but can also make marionettes, hand puppets and papier-mâché puppets.

The puppets all live in a place called Sassafrass Junction (there's a map on their website), which includes such attractions as the Octopus Gardens Amusement Park, Dr. Tottlebottom's Exotic Bird Aviary, Bait's Bait Shop, the Sassafras Falls and more.

Dr. Ophelia Tottlebottom is about the only non-puppet character you encounter in the junction. She bears a distinct resemblance to Barton on a poster advertising the doctor's "exotic Bird Show."

"She is the bird aviary expert and the only live person at Sassafras Junction. She has a husband, Capt. Charles Spurlock, 'the Crusty Barnacle,' that she never sees," Barton said. "He makes his appearances every once in awhile."

Dr. Tottlebottom was birthed after the group moved into the Olde Main space. "We decided we needed someone to be in a -- is this the nicest word for it? -- kid-wrangling position."

Theatergoers are advised to show up a half-hour before showtime as there are two pre-show puppet appearances as well as Dr. Tottlebottom. Levesque also appears as a costumed character and there's a song and dance with the kids "so we get their jitters out," she said.

Then, come shows like a current one in which the Creek Critters attempt to retell the classic tale of "The Three Pigs."

Audience response has been gratifying, Barton said. "It is absolutely amazing, from children that are 18 months to 82-years-old. Well, 88. My grandmother's 88 and she's been three times. I have been absolutely floored at the response."

The Junction opened Nov. 27, 2010 "and I just booked our 26th birthday party. I just booked our seventh field trip," she said.

The Junction also recently began partnering with Capitol Nannies ies out of Teays Valley, run by Dawn Hong.

"She does child care at large events -- well, when there's a black tie going on, what do you do with your kids? You bring them and Capitol Nannies takes care of them. And we will be her premiere entertainment," Barton said.

Show times are 11 a.m. and 1 p. m Wednesdays and 1 and 3 p.m. Saturdays. "We're praying things keep going as well as they are because our goal is to have the theater open six days a week," she said.

Shows run 45 minutes along with the half-hour pre-show. Admission is $5 for both adults and children, free to children 1 and younger.

"So, you're looking at an hour and 15 minutes of entertainment for five bucks," Barton said. "I mean, how can you go wrong with that?"

Both Lilly and Barton remember what Olde Main used to be like as kids. "When I was young growing up here, this was the Plaza and they had the little kid's area with the slide," Lilly said.

"And the toy store was here," added Barton.

"I just always loved this area," Lilly said.

He spoke with Mayor Dick Calloway and the people running the Alban. "They have such huge hopes for the area to be an arts community. That excited me. Why not be as close to that as possible with what we're doing?"

They've been able to dream a bit with lots of help, such as Gleason, who also works at the Alban, taking on a second job as a puppeteer. "If we have been able to dream it imagination-wise, then we have put it into play," Barton said.

"So, hey, Jim Henson, here we come!" she added, laughing. "We hope!"

For more on Sassafrass Junction, call 304-395-5373 or visit www.sassafrassjunction.com.

Reach Douglas Imbrogno at doug...@cnpapers.com or 304-348-3017.