New Year's at the Mummers' Parade

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Yesterday, I rang in 2014 the Philly way. 

Well, first, right at Midnight, I went outside with my trumpet to play Auld Lang Syne. Our house had 2 trumpet players, and friends with tin whistles. Other neighbors set off fireworks. It's always very noisy.

In Philly, the real party is on New Year's Day!

I go every year I can, so you probably saw my post about the Mummers last year, too: http://cassiesalmanac.blogspot.com/2013/01/mummers-parade.html

This year, we made it the parade route just in time to see my favorite Wench brigade, Froggy Carr. 

That is a sea of people dressed in orange, green, frog umbrellas, fish hats, shiny gold shoes, Phillies and Flyers gear, beads, and just plain awesome craziness.

I even got a picture with two Frogs after their turn in the parade!

(One is a kid I don't know, so I blocked his face out so I could share this picture. If you think that's the silliest part of this photo.. well... that's on you.)

I wanted to take a break from the cold to go back to Macy's to see the Dickens Village and the Light Show - but they stopped them early this year! It was disappointing, because I wanted to show my friends who came to visit just for the parade. They're getting an indignant letter from me!

Ok, now back to the Mummers!

After the Wench brigades, there are the Fancies. Because, their costumes are fancy!

This makes me want to wear my fairy wings and vinok (flower headpiece) to the parade next year:

Would you believe that guy has to be able to pull that big float for the whole parade?

One of my favorite Fancy costumes this year. A bumblebee and beehive, part of a Fancy Trio.

A giant butterfly.

Even the advertisements got dressed up.

Here's the cow from one of my favorite ice cream brands, dressed up like a Mummer!

Finally, it was the string bands.

Some awesome costumes were: 

The Yeti from Polish American String Band

And their banjo penguins.

And this group that had a Viking ship!

Complete with very sparkly Vikings.

I usually like to see Fralinger, especially since they practice at my church hall. But, their circus clowns were creepy. I still love the Zombie Scotsmen they did a couple years ago.

Avalon's was really cool, too. They did a farm theme. Their cheerful yellow sunflowers reminded me of when I used to live in Central PA. There was even a moving combine, and an ENORMOUS moving blackbird "flew" in for their finale. 

I got to watch the parade near some family members of a member of the band. They were so proud!

I'd link to all the awesome string bands if I could. But, here's Avalon's show:

Then, to get warm again, we went to the Visitors' Center. They had some Mummers' costumes on display.

If you like costuming like I do, you should take a look at these.

I don't think you'll ever see anything else like them - they're so over the top sparkly and HUGE.

Can you imagine how long it would take to make these?

Especially to add all the sparkles and feathers?

Would you believe this is a hat?!? 

Look how TALL it is!

If I could join the Mummers, I'd be in Froggy's brass band, or in a string band.

If I could make my own costume, it would be either lots of shades of purple, or blues and greens. 

I think I'd want to do an ocean-themed show. There would be lots of fish, including some that were sparkly blues and greens, all at a pretty orange coral reef. And then giant-person-octopus-sea-monster Cthulu would attack. Because nobody would expect Cthulu. I don't know what would happen next, but I can come up with that later. 

I'd have the band play fun songs like "Under the Sea," something silly like "Row, Row, Row your Boat," and use the scary monster song from Fantasia - "Night on Bald Mountain" - for Cthulu. It would be AWESOME.

If you could make up your own crazy awesome, sparkly, Mummers' show, what would you come up with?

We went home and watched some of the Fancy Brigades on TV this year.

I love seeing what they come up with. I think South Philly Vikings are one of my favorites (last year I got to see their AMAZING Jumanji show live!)

This year, they did STEAMPUNK!!!
You've gotta see it!

You can find links to other performances here:

http://phl17.com/mummers/#axzz2pJ6TDVWy

and maybe here: http://video.phl17.com/

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!