I love parades and now that we have the equivalent of Tivo, I can record them and watch later when I’m free to skip over stuff that bores me. Turning those several hours-long things into something much more economical.
Anyway, this year I just searched on the word “parade” and set it to tape all of 'em and then later this evening, I caught my first ever Mummers. Holy shit, was that like the coolest thing ever!! So now I’ve run around all over the internet trying to read up on it and of course, I gotta hit the Other Half in the morning with my need to go next year. But I’ve already seen that it might be in trouble, therefore I’m turning to the Dope contingent to tell me more about it.
Philly folks, do you think there’ll be a parade in 2010? Can you regale us with stories of what it’s like being there first hand? Anyone wanna put up a poor starving fellow SDMBer for about a week so I can afford to attend? Okay not really, but I honestly do want to hear anything you all might wish to share. Thanks in advance.
< stands back in awe that all parades aren’t this awesome >
I’ll never listen to a regular band the same way again.
My dad took me to see the Mummers when I was a little kid – I still haven’t recovered. No fooling…they creep me completely the fuck out <shudder>. Know how some people are with clowns? That’s me with Mummers.
I was taken to see them when I was a little kid too and I thought the whole thing was amazing. My mom lives in NJ and she goes most years and still loves it at 80.
Of course there will be one in 2010 – there’s been one every year for over a century. They do sometimes move it to the first weekend in January if the weather is really vile on New Year’s Day.
I adore the Mummers – but the way to watch the parade is on TV, lounging on the sofa with knitting, cats, the phone, magazines, etc.
The string bands are the best – they are true Mummery: blue-collar men in sequins, plumes, and lame, marching up broad street playing banjos and saxophones. Bliss.
In Robert Heinlein’s story The Man Who Traveled in Elephants the protagonist attends a “national fair” and at the center of the celebration is The Big Parade. Mummers are one of the groups marching in the parade. If I can try and quote from memory. “Marching up Broad Street wearing capes worth a king’s ransom(or a mortgage on a rowhouse) with fifty pages to bear them.” He also mentions the string bands.
I caught a bit of it when it was on tv. The part with all the armed services dancing and such. I turned it off after watching the USO Girls dancing horribly and out of sync with each other lol But now I’m wondering if I should have given the thing more time before making up my mind.
Oh, I’d been going by the Save the Mummers section on their official website that explains, as alluded to by rocking chair, "*the City of Philadelphia has withdrawn support for the Parade: all prize money has been taken away and the City is now demanding payment FROM the Mummers for things like police and sanitation employees.
At a minimum, the Mummers are in the hole for $400,000! This is almost $50,000 for City services, and $355,000 for the cut in City funding, including prize money and a modest subsidy for the Mummers Museum.
Next year’s Parade is in even deeper trouble, as the City is threatening to withdraw all City services.*" I thought maybe there was some dire straights indeed. Glad to know I’m wrong and hope that by nationally televising it, their funds increase a thousand-fold.
Oh, by far you missed some of the most amazing stuff. My favorites were the Krewes, Jewish Tradition, Disco Horror and Barnyard themes. Plus some of the other costumes (that looked like an explosion in a Tim Burton factory! I mean the space one – whew!) were out of this world, not to mention several bands had incredibly intricate dancing. I adored it all!! You really should give them another go.
And Hal, I’m so disappointed. Anyone who can spend the night alone in a haunted place ought to be able to deal with a bit of mummering.
Finally, can anyone tell me who won by what theme? I’ve seen the names mentioned, but as I have no connection to which concept they performed, I’m a bit lost with that alone. Help!
Thanks everyone! I can’t believe I’ve missed this all these years and now I want to check out everything to do with it. I’m definitely jealous of you Philadelphia people. No fair.
In 1982 I had the pleasure of participating in the annual Mummer’s Parade. I was a member of the Polish American String Band for several years (saxaphone). I also got to play in Madison Square Garden for the tour of The Show of Shows.
The tradition is amazing. The people are genuine and passionate. If you get a chance, wherever you are, take a look. Open your mind, it’s not a typical event. I mean, the bands have saxophones, clarinets, upright basses, snare drums and banjos…banjos! Where would you ever see marching banjos?
By the way, the theme for 1982 was “Magic”. We did a medley of “magical” music. Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Old Black Magic, Witchcraft, etc. Straight marching with an occasional pause to do the routine. Great memories…unfortunately for Mummery, I moved from NJ to Indiana. No one’s ever heard of the Mummers out here.
At certain times of the year, I forget when, kids in Rochdale and Oldham, Lancs, UK dress up as adults circa 1800s.
They circle you making MMMMMMM! sounds, they are not allowed to speak and the only way to get rid of the little darlings is to give them either a few coins or some sweets.
I saw the parade live maybe 5-6 times growing up, and on TV every other year until I moved away. I miss the Mummers. String bands and fancy brigade are the best. And yes, you’re either a dance-&-clap-along-type person, or a furrowed-brow-WTF?-expression-type person.
Where I’m from, they used to be nothing like the Philly example - they were a small, costumed band of players that would come round the pubs around Christmas-time when I was younger, perform a set piece about St. George slaying the dragon, then get free drinks and bugger off to the next pub. Closely related to Morris Dancers I think.
As a mummer fan and parade goer, I’m a little let down it isn’t more widely appreciated, but I’m really not surprised.
A lot of it has to do with the fraternal nature of the bands, troupes and such. These are strongly regional-, neighborhood- and class-based organizations, and most of the interest in mumming comes from people of the same region and (often) class. Those New Jersey clubs are there because they were started by people who moved out of Philadelphia and wanted to keep ties with their neighbors who had done likewise. It’s not a cross section of Philadelphians by any means (for one thing, it’s about 99.9% White and pretty seriously male), and it’s not something you get into unless you grew up with people who belonged to the clubs.
The fact that it is a massive and unique civic spectacle really comes second to the localness of it all.
It shouldn’t be underestimated what a tough rep Philly still has; a lot of people in the Northeast really have no interest in what happens there.
But I’ve already seen that it might be in trouble, therefore I’m turning to the Dope contingent to tell me more about it.
