Yesterday Philadelphia held its 112th Mummers Parade. The annual event held on January 1, fills the city streets with costumes, floats, string bands, feathers, sequins, and perhaps more polyester than anytime since the 1970s. 😉
Photography by: riekhavoc Source: Flickr
Check out some of the horns in the above shot by riekhavoc. There are some pretty interesting saxes being used in this band. BTW, does anyone know which band it is? Psst, Chris, are you out there? Do you know?
Unlike some previous years, in which both participants and audience members had to endure bone-chilling temperatures, this year’s temps were downright balmy. With glorious sunshine and temperatures in the low 50s—50°F = 10°C for all you metric thinkers out there—deniers of global warming should have been rethinking their positions yesterday. :devil2:
According to an article on the local ABC affiliate website, the Mummers Parade has its roots in a mix of European and Black immigrant cultures:
The Mummers Parade is believed to be the nation’s oldest folk festival. It mixes the immigrant traditions of the Scandinavians who welcomed the new year with gunfire, the English and Welsh who entertained with masquerade plays, and the Germans credited with introducing Santa Claus to their new surroundings.
Black residents arriving after the Civil War added the signature strut along with “Oh! Dem Golden Slippers,” the parade’s theme song. The parade became an official city-sponsored event in 1901.
The following YouTube video is of the Ferko String Band. You’ll notice around the :40 mark there is a bass saxophone on the right side of the frame.
Bass saxophones are staples in string bands. It has been suggested, I don’t remember by who anymore, that Philadelphia has the greatest concentration of bass saxophone players anywhere because of string bands, and the annual Mummers Parade. To that I can only say: Go Philly Go! 
If you’d like to find out more about the annual Mummers Parade, the Mummers and the rich history, be sure to check out their website.
