Spring in their step as Mummers strut through Philadelphia
The unseasonably-warm temperatures helped Mummers and fans alike bask in Philadelphia's New Year's Day tradition.
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Members of Golden Sunrise rehearse their performance on Market St. prior to the start of the parade. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Ed Cox of Golden Sunrise called last years cold conditions the worst parade weather ever. This year he worried about controlling his costume with the winds gusts as he headed down Broad St. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Michael Caukin a member of the Wench Division's Cara Liom high fives the spectators on Broad St.(Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Brian Creamer struggles to keep his Golden Sunrise float stable as he heads into wind gusts on Broad St. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Amber Hawk's hair covers her face as she heads into wind gusts on Broad St. She is a member of the Fancy Division's Golden Sunrise.(Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Crowds hold their phones aloft at Broad and Walnut Streets. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Oregon's Ronnie Hood handed out beads to the crowd as he marched down Broad St. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Members of the Wench Division's Froggy Carr entertain the crowd as they wait for judging and the march down Broad St. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Carla Cowae of Newark DE gets her groove on as the Comic Division passes by on Broad St. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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The brass band of the Wench's Cara Liom play Sweet Caroline while brigade members dance. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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B Love Strutters paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing in alien costumes. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Jon Schrek plays his inflatable guitar with fellow member of Pop Adair who paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Members of the Sixers Stixers perform in front of the Merriam Theater. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Hedy Ordenker records her husband Jerry performing as Donald Trump. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Jerry Ordenker was a crowd favorite as he satirized Donald Trump. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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Members of Cara Leom sing along as their band plays Golden Slippers at Broad and Spruce Streets. (Jonathan Wilson for WHYY)
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2019 Mummers parade (Tom MacDonald/WHYY)
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Fran Masino takes his son Remington out for his first march in the Mummers Parade (Tom MacDonald/WHYY)
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Laura Galdo, right is marching with the Froggy Car Comics in 2019 Mummers parade. It's her first time in the parade. (Tom MacDonald/WHYY)
What a difference a year makes. January 1, 2018 saw the Mummers march down Broad St. with temperatures in the mid-teens, the coldest temperature ever in the history of the parade. 2019’s parade saw temperatures in the mid-fifties.
40- year parade veteran Ed Cox, a member of the Fancy Division’s Golden Sunrise called the 2018 parade the worst ever for marchers and spectators alike. Cox’s only concern this year was the wind which would occasionally gust along Broad St. and caused some challenges for marchers.
Along with the many traditional themes, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing and Woodstock commemorated by B Love N.Y.B. and Pop Adair Golden Slipper respectively.
Musically, strains of the Eagles fight song could be heard interspersed among traditional favorites Oh, Dem Golden Slippers and Happy Day Are Here Again.
Only in Philly a frog smoking a cigar at 9 am pic.twitter.com/ndfxHuGYUk
— Tom MacDonald–WHYY (@TMacDonaldWHYY) January 1, 2019
Check out these members of the O’Malley and Bryson Wench Brigades strutting their stuff! pic.twitter.com/a5MavPAbzB
— NBC10 Philadelphia (@NBCPhiladelphia) January 1, 2019
Fran Masino of South Philadelphia carefully cradled his son Remmington in his arms while marching in the parade. “He’s five months old, he’s a third-generation mummer, very emotional, very emotional,” he said.
Ed Lafferty from Springfield, Delaware County says he was up early and does some 100-proof preparation for the event. “We start our liquid diet all day since 4:30 in the morning, it’s a beautiful thing,” he joked.
The unseasonable weather also brought out big crowds to enjoy the more than century-old tradition of welcoming in the new year.
Laura Galdo is marching with the Froggy Car Comics, her first time strutting with the Mummers. She says this is something she’s always wanted to do.
“I love the weather because I’m not a cold-weather person, I love the atmosphere, it’s a great time,” she said, basking the spring-like weather.
Dave Frelini agrees. He’s been coming to the parade for nine years. He says 2019’s weather is the nicest he can remember.
“It is beautiful this year, anybody who had the opportunity to come down should be here, this is wonderful, no rain, not too sunny, beautiful temperature,” he said.
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