Mummer Blog

New Years Day is Over!!!

2008-01-14T14:43:00.000-05:00

Well I know that I havn't kept up with this site. But from now on I am going to try to. So NYD 2008 is over and everything is said and done. Uptown String Band preformed their routine "Infestation 08" and finished with 8th place. Not exacly what we were shooting for but it all comes down to what the judges like. Now we are waiting to go to the show of shows in Alantic city Feb 23, 2008 . Until then it is back to school and Tuesday night practices. There are many young mums who carry on a full school load, 40 hours of work a week and still are able to find time to participate in Mummery. I being one of those young mummers. I am trying to finish my pre-rec so that I can apply to nursing school. So until I am a nurse is will be tough to carry on. But my will is strong and I have alot of support from family and friends. They say that the greates revenge is to acomplish what others say you cannot do. Kudos to all the young Mums out there who have a lot on their plate and still find the time to participate in this great Philadelphia tradition of mummery.

2007 String Band Line Up

2006-11-05T16:58:00.000-05:00

2007 Mummer's Parade String Band Lineup
1-Broomall
2-Duffy
3-Irish American
4-Trilby
5-Greater Overbrook
6-UPTOWN
7-Hegeman
8-Aqua
9-Greater Kensington
10-Polish American
11-Woodland
12-South Philly
13-Quaker City
14-Avalon
15-Fralinger
16-Durning
17-Ferko

Is it REALLY that time of year again?

2006-11-05T16:49:00.000-05:00

Yes it is indeed MUM SEASON!!!!

Calling all mums calling all mums. The time has come yet again for early morning practice and late night prop building sessions. Hot glue gun burns, sequins and glitter in your hair and all over your face and feather's stuck to your shirt. Yes it is officially mum season. With only 60 some odd days left until New Year's Day many organizations are hard at work tweaking music and fine tuning the steps to their routine. For many a mum this tradition in Philadelphia is a hobby. But there are alot of men and women that participate in this tradition that give 110% everyday to their organization. Pretty soon the Countdown clocks in stringband club's will reach it's final days an we will officially ring in the NEW YEAR. But before we can do this we have sunday jams after practice and the hat day parade down 2 street * and no i didn't mean 2nd street I mean 2street* and let's not forget the drunken Santa Parade. Then on January 1st 2007 the working class of Philadelphia will rule the streets once again.Each organization will put on 4 and a half minute shows in front of judges and the clubs that put on the best shows will come out victoriously with top prizes. Then after the parade is over and everyones celebration ends it is back to work and back to the drawling board to start on next year's theme.

What an awesome time.

The Under 21 Band at The 2006 Show of Shows

2006-07-11T18:23:00.000-04:00

Photo taken By: Paula Harkin's Uptown String Band

This year at the annual Show of Shows, the next generation of Mummers was given the opportunity to shine. More than 50 members of the 17 string bands, ages 4 to 21, combined to form one band, which was featured as the opening of the second half of both shows. Under the direction of two young members of the Woodland String Band, A.J. Ford III and Chuck Graser Jr, the "Kids' Band" performed 3 selections, complete with the youngest mumms struttin' out front. The band rehearsed several times in the weeks preceding the shows, resulting in an inspiring performance that we are proud to feature on this site. Rick Tierno, also of Woodland, organized the youth band that performed at the shows several years ago, and was instrumental in the success of this ambitious undertaking, although he gives all the credit to the "kids."

2005 was a sad year in which we lost many beloved and long-time mummers, among them Jimmy King, George Stewart (Woodland), Dave Reiber (Woodland/Durning-retired), Al Carango (Uptown), Joe Venuto (GOSB), Tom Lafferty (GOSB), and a gentleman from Duffy. As a tribute to these men and all others we have lost through the years, A.J. and Chuck chose to play a spiritual tune, "You'll Never Walk Alone." The song was arranged by Ross Hoffnagle of Hegeman, who passed away suddenly in 2002 at the age of 35. A.J. directed the band while a white rose, one for each mummer we lost, was placed in the spotlight. It was a touching tribute that showed the amount of respect these young men and women have for those who came before them.

We applaud the "Kids' Band," and are proud to harbor such a mature and talented group within our own ranks. We hope that they will make this showcase an annual addition to the Show of Shows. Their performance that day was certainly anything BUT that of "kids," and it was great to see them take pride in it - they set a good example for us adults. It looks like we might just have another generation behind us that is as dedicated to preserving the tradition as we are, so please continue to promote, encourage, and mentor the young members in your bands.

Written By: Amanda "MummChic" Ettinger Uptown String Band

For more fasinating features on mums please take a look at www.stringbandarchives.com

Memorial Day Weekend

2006-05-19T17:50:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day that we the citizens of the United States honor those brave men and women who have served in the Military. This day is commemorated by many ceremonies, parades, parties, fireworks and a lot or other festivities. In the Mummer community we are honored to be included in the different parades held around the country to help celebrate this special day. Last weekend the Uptown String Band was invited to join in on 5 different parades. Despite the hot weather the crowds were out and there wasn't a person watching without a smile on his or her face. Other string bands also participated in different parades. The Uptown String Band also had the privilege of marching in various parades with other String bands as well and it was good to see some of my friends cheering us on at the end. I wanted to say THANK YOU to all the brave men and women who are who have served, who are serving and to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The Mummer Community along with myself send are prayers out to you and your families.

Mummers ride for a Cure

2006-05-04T17:02:00.000-04:00

This event, as well the Mummers Cancer Fund it benefits, is being run by members of two different string bands. Please come out and support it, whether you "ride" or not! You can stop by the Mummers Museum the morning of the event and drop off a toy or donation, or join us in North Wildwood at 2nd St. Annie's for the after party. Donations for the raffle are also still needed, so if you or your business can contribute something-gift certificates, tickets, whatever-please contact me ASAP. You may contact the two gentlemen listed on the flyer (George Balzer and Matt Gigliotti), or myself, for more information, or to make a donation.

Thanks for your support,
Amanda (Mummchick)
856-308-4132 *new number*
mummergirl98@yahoo.com

Woodland String Band Blood Drive

2006-04-17T16:23:00.000-04:00

Hello Mums!

Woodland String Band will be hosting our third annual Red Cross Blood Drive on May 13th from 9am to 2pm at our clubhouse at Third & Snyder. This is a very worthy cause and only takes a few minutes to donate. If you are interested, please email me at publicity@woodlandstringband.com.

Thanks,
Mike Dingler

Please Help Out

A truly shocking experiance

2006-04-03T20:20:00.000-04:00

Saturday, April 1st the lights went out in the city of Philadelphia, and it wasn't an April fool's joke.

The String Band serenade started off without a hitch, the bands lined up along 2st to perform for Fralinger String Band, the first place winners in the String Band Division. Band after band performed for Fralinger then continued down the street. After Uptown String Band went by * the band I am in* we decided to put our instruments away and continue to watch the rest of the bands play. Aqua was up followed by Polish American this is when the music really started to ignite the crowds. Polish American finished their tribute and shot off confetti cannons commonly used in the New Year's Day parade. What happened next was a bit shocking.

The streamers and confetti that they shot into the air became entangled in some electrical wire's. None really thought there was any danger so the show continued on with Avalon in the distance. When all of the sudden a transformer on 2nd and Mifflin blew. A white ball of fire erupted from the wires. I thought someone ignited some fire works but that wasn't the case. Not less than 2 minutes later the transformer on 2st where all the confetti was burst and another white ball of fire shot out into the night sky. Next thing I know people were screaming and running cause one of the wires was falling. I turned to head down 2st and felt the wire hit my arm, then I was pushed out of the way by a member of Woodland String Band * Greg* So as everyone filtered out of the street police officers secured the area and the serenade was over because the power turn off. But the party was still going on in the club houses who didn't have any power loss. There were no serious injuries.

The Philly Way

2006-03-30T23:37:00.000-05:00

The Philly Way

Struttin’ Up Broad Street on New Years Day,
Would I rather do anything else? No Way!
Playin’ my sax as hard as I can,
Making my way to Billy Penn.

We start off our march on Broad at Marconi,
The crowds are so big I think Holy Macaroni!
Through everything and across those 3 miles.
We do this to make people smile,

Mummers are a family, that’s plain to see,
For every year I have my dad along side of me.
As we continue our strut Billy Penn seems to grow,
And in past years I’ve marched through the snow.

The job of a Mummer is to drill and to dance,
Go into the crowd and show off my sequin pants.
For making people smile is what we do best,
Everyone loves a parade, and our fun is in jest.

We keep on Struttin’ and reach City Hall,
Give our best performance, we give it our all.
We play and we drill for the city we love,
To win first place would be our white dove.

We head back to Two Street and play for our brothers,
We play for our sisters, sons, and daughters, and mothers.
Now it is time to wait and to think,
What prize did we get? Its time for a drink!

We gave it our all, and played from our soul,
We made people smile, and accomplished our goal.
For I am a Mummer and I proudly wear my feathers,
I marched with my brothers, we’re in this thing together!

Woodland String Band in Port Arthur

2006-03-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

Port Arthur, Texas Mardi Gras 2006

Beads, and Floats, music, and food called Boudian. What could this be? Why, these are all things that are a part of the Mardi Gras celebration held in Port Arthur, Texas each year. In 2006, I was awarded the opportunity to travel to Port Arthur, Texas with my brothers from the Woodland String Band to be a part of their Mardi Gras celebrations.

Being the crazy mum-freak I am, when offered the opportunity to travel for this celebration, I immediately jumped on the chance. For weeks, there was excitement in the club. "I can’t believe we’re going to Texas the week after the shows," was a common phrase murmured continuously in the weeks leading up to our trip. After what felt like a leap year of waiting, it was finally here, the Tuesday rehearsal before our Friday morning flight. The club was bustling like the house of a child on Christmas Eve. As the members floated in the door for rehearsal, first order of business was to check your luggage onto the truck. Following this, it was time to rehearse for our long awaited event.

The 16 musicians and 2 marshals chosen for this trip all sat upstairs in the club rehearsing for our shows. The excitement was building. You could feel the energy reverberate through the music we were playing. Swannee, Floating Down to Cotton Town, I Saw the Light, and We Go Together, all songs that we would take to Texas with us. The band sounded great. As rehearsal neared ending, Tom Loomis, President of Woodland String Band reminded us that we are ambassadors of Philadelphia. We are taking Philly to Texas with us. "You represent the Woodland String Band, and the Philadelphia Mummers," he told us, " I know you will do us proud!"

Finally it was Friday, February 24, 2am, and my alarm clock rang. I jumped out of bed faster than I ever have before, mostly because I was excited, partially because my excitement kept me from sleeping. It was time to get in the car and make my way to Two Street, the home of the Woodland String Band.

At 4:30am, we loaded up our bus and went to the airport, boarded a plane, and were on our way to Mardi Gras. Funny thing about traveling with the Mummers, they will always make you feel better. A few band members were nervous about flying, so what do we do? Once the plane takes off, we all throw our arms into the air as if we were on a roller coaster ride. This made the entire airplane erupt into complete laughter.

Upon arriving in Port Arthur, it was now time to let the games begin. Look out cowboys, Woodland is here now! We immediately unpacked our luggage and took out our instruments. It was now time for an old fashioned Mummers Jam Secession! (Funny thing about mummers is that traditions mean everything. On this trip to Texas, the majority of members were primarily in their teens and twenties, with a few others mixed in. Here we are, taking part in one of the greatest traditions mummers has to offer) Following the Jam, someone had the bright idea to go swimming in the 55 degree weather. I remarked that it was cold and the pool was outside, but I was told that it was a heated pool. So becoming excited I immediately ran to my room to change into my swimsuit. So about 10 other band members and me proceeded to the pool and we all dove in. Well as fast as we were in, that’s how fast we came out. The water was probably 40 degrees, but who cares, it was all in good fun, and it is something that none of us will forget for a long time!

During the weekend we performed at many different functions. We played in parades (paraded through rain on Friday night), played concerts, and met with the people of Port Arthur. On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of being able to participate in the float parade, the biggest parade of the weekend. We were performing towards the end of the parade, so we were given the opportunity of watching as the floats went by us. Well we didn’t really watch. We actually were too busy catching the beads that were flying at us from the floats. This was probably one of the greatest times of the weekend. We all were having a blast taking part in this tradition, and the people of Port Arthur were laughing vigorously at us because we all looked like little children having fun. But hey, it was our first time at Mardi Gras, what were we supposed to do?
Aside from swimming and performing, we were also actively taking part in the celebrations that were taking place in the town. Many of us rode a mechanical bull, ate Boudain balls, tasted alligator, and even rode some carnival rides. All in all, it was an awesome weekend!

The people of Port Arthur, Texas were more than hospitable. They immediately welcomed us into their home, and made us feel a part of their culture. We as members of the Woodland String Band brought the gift of music and mummery to a place that never saw a mummer before. In return, they introduced us to a culture so close to our home that we never before experienced firsthand. For this, we are lucky. As mummers, we are awarded opportunities to travel to places, and do things that we wouldn’t be able to do if we weren’t active members of a string band. It is trips like this one that let us realize why we love this tradition so much. I love being a mummer!

2006-03-29T15:36:00.000-05:00

String Band Serenade

Every year on April 2nd the String Band Serenade is held on 2St. This year the Serenade is being held on April 1st and the rain date will be the 2nd. This tradition is held basically for bragging rights. The first place band shows off the trophy and parties while being serenaded by the other 16 string bands.

I will have Pictures to share at a later date

Pic of the Day

2006-03-25T15:05:00.000-05:00

Zack 2000

Picture of the Day!

2006-03-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

Bob Shannon Jr.
Quacker City String Band 1972

First Women in Uptown

2006-02-23T20:09:00.000-05:00

First women join Uptown String Band

By BARBARA J. ISENBERG
Bucks County Courier Times
Part of an occasional series.

Growing up, Amanda Ettinger had a rather unconventional answer to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I always answered, 'I want to be a Mummer,'" said Ettinger, who is from a family full of Mummers. "And unfortunately at the time, that wasn't a possibility, but I figured if I hung in there someday, someday [I could be a Mummer, too]."

The Uptown String Band in Hulmeville made that someday for Ettinger and three other women in late September when the band voted to accept women for the first time. Ettinger came from the Durning String Band in New Jersey. Kim Miller, Diana Miller and Laura Hopkins all transferred to Uptown from the Irish-American String Band.

Traditionally an all-male performance art, Mummery has been a Philadelphia tradition since Jan. 1, 1901, according to www.mummers.com. Even before the American Revolution, there were reports of "rowdy groups 'parading' on New Year's Day," the Web site says.

But those groups didn't include women until the late 1980s, when the first bands began opening their doors to both sexes. "At the turn of the century, I don't think anyone entertained the notion of allowing a woman to walk that far [up Broad Street for the New Year's Day Parade]," Ettinger, a dancer in the band, surmised. "I don't think they thought we had the fortitude."

On Saturday, women played instruments or danced in roughly half of the 16 string bands at the Philadelphia String Band Association's Show of Shows in Atlantic City. The top three bands in the New Year's Parade - Fralinger, Quaker City and Ferko - are still all-male. As they donned feathers, sequins and instruments to strut their stuff at Boardwalk Hall, Uptown members talked about the transition in the band over the past few months.

"The first time we had the girls on the bus it was like, 'Well, we all have to watch what we say'," Jim Gutekunst of Villanova said with a laugh. "That first trip was apprehensive, but it was fine after that. They just had to accept us."

The band's first vote in May on whether to accept women was voted down by one vote.
"Despite the fact that the band was literally split earlier in the year on whether they wanted women in the band, you would be hard pressed to find the 18 that voted against it," Ettinger said Saturday.

"The guys who voted against it in May, they're fine with it now," Gutekunst agreed. "Most of their objections were that they joined because it was all male and they just didn't want it to change." Declining membership in the band was the reason for the consideration, said band President Vince Sannelli.

"It got to the point where we were losing Mummers," Sannelli said. "We felt it was time to open the doors to everybody." Kim Miller, who is not related to Diana Miller, had waited for those doors to open. "I kept asking all year, 'When are you voting, when are you voting?'" she said. "I had helped them out a few times last year and really wanted to join as a playing member."

When that chance finally came, it was smooth sailing for the men to get acclimated to performing with women, band members said. "It was no big deal," Steve Schrader of Bensalem said. "It was easy to do." Mark Gallagher of Falls agreed. "It really hasn't made much of a difference," he said. "The more people here, the better."

Diana Miller, who plays the baritone saxophone, said for the women the transition has been easy, but maybe less so for the men. "The guys, I think, are really still getting used to it," she said. "But they've accepted us as one of the guys, which is what you gotta do in the Mummer world."

2006 Mummers Show of Shows

2006-02-20T21:49:00.000-05:00

2006 Mummers Show of Shows

Well I have come back from Atlantic City and have had time to recoup somewhat. The Show of Shows is basically the New Year's Day parade, but inside, and it only consists of the String Band division. Here is how the Show of Shows works. Friday, all the different bands show up and set their area for costumes and instruments, a place to rest in between shows, and also has a place to eat, drink, and socialize. After everything is set up, you are free to visit friends, socialize, and most importantly and arguably the highlight of the weekend, participate in the greatest Mum Jam Secessions in the world!

Saturday comes and everyone again arrives and is assigned a time to go out on the floor and do a practice run of their routine, working out any issues they might have such as spacing, missing props, and people forgetting a step or two. Then they head back to their areas and have some breakfast and are able to mingle with people from different string bands. The line up for the bands goes as follows the last place association band then the 5th place band, 15th place band then 6th place band and so on. The top four bands go last in order from 4th to 1st. The bands then have time to get ready and practice there music and routine in what we call the PIT (simply nothing more than a roped off area for rehearsal) before they go out and perform for the audience. After one band goes out of the pit and onto the floor another band is waiting to go in and this continues until all the bands have finished and the first show is history. The Top four bands have the privilege of marching down the center isle of the bands different areas; we affectionately call this "The Corn Fields". All the members come out from their areas and watch and cheer for the top 4 bands as they march down the cornfields, serenading their fellow mums. After you return from doing your routine, it's lunchtime, and then the real fun begins.

Everyone goes from area to area to say hello, take pictures, and sometimes if your lucky, a JAM SESSION will break out. Jam Secessions are a great and intrigal part of the Mummers Tradition. Since judging music on New Years Day deals with your blend of musicians, jam secessions are a chance for Mummers to really showcase their talent. Saxophone players adding runs to simple tunes showing little or no effort, banjo players making solos using a concept called chord melody shows their expertise of their instrument, drummers shine, and if you’re lucky enough, you may even see a bass player soloing while standing on top of his/her instrument, all during a typical Mummers Jam Secession! These are the times that we MUMS really cherish. Competitors all under one roof, getting along and playing in harmony together while the eyes of many young potential Mums look on. This proves that we are really brothers and sisters in this tradition. We are competitors only one day a year, and only for 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Before you know it, the second show is being prepped for. The process of playing your music and doing your routine in the PIT begins again. Then we all go back to are areas and get some more food and talk and party for the rest of the night.

You really have to be apart of a string band to get the full effect. After all is said and done, you talked to friends you haven't seen in a while, you make new ones, you come home with many memories, pictures, and video. The Show of Shows is just as important as New Years Day itself. Any mummer will tell you that. The Shows are a great part of this tradition we call Mummery. It is an experience that bonds you to your band, and makes your fellow Mummers more than band mates and friends. It is a weekend like this that allows you to invite new people into your family. Guaranteed, Mummers are great people to be related to, weather it be by blood or by music. The Show of Shows is truly a great time in the mummer community.

Musicians Tuning up again

2006-02-10T19:58:00.000-05:00

Musicians tuning up again
By Barbara J. Isenberg

Step, cross, step, heel. Back the other way: step, cross, step, heel. “But this time you're going to add a jump,” dance instructor Lorraine Speziale said to the dozen dancers behind her. “So it's jump, over, jump, heel.”

The group followed expertly, quickly adding on a variety of turns, claps and line changes. The dancers, members of the Hulmeville Uptown String Band, practiced Sunday morning for the annual Show of Shows in Atlantic City on Feb. 18.

Not two months after the Mummers Parade up Broad Street in Philadelphia on New Year's Day, the Uptown String Band is back at it again, adding more music and choreography to its “Bum's the Word” routine. “We get to add three and a half minutes of routine for the Show of Shows,” band president Vince Sannelli said as he watched the dancers practice. “We've got a total of three weeks to get ready for the show and we already did the music. This is our first weekend to do the dancing.”

Is three weeks enough time to get ready for the eight-minute performance?

“Absolutely,” Sannelli said. “We'll be ready.”

Every winter, the Show of Shows features all 16 Mummers string bands performing an expanded version of their New Year's routines. For the Uptown String Band's “Bum's the Word” theme this year, dancers and musicians dress in elaborate, colorful “rags” decorated with glitter, gold trimmings and flower pots for hats.

Steve Rapone, a Yardley resident who's been involved with the group for four years as a banjo player, was learning choreography for the first time Sunday. “This is my first time dancing, but it's OK,” he said. “(Speziale) is keeping it pretty simple, so it's good.”

Outside, in the parking lot of the William Penn Fire Co. on Trenton Avenue, the musicians practiced “Happy Days Are Here Again” on banjos, accordions, saxophones, drums, bass fiddles and tambourines. Amanda Ettinger, who plays the bass drum and is also a dancer, is one of the first four women the string band has ever accepted. She got some ribbing from the guys on Sunday, but she took it all in stride. “They were a little thrown by having a girl in the mix,” she said of her first practice last fall. “But they're treating me like one of the guys, which I guess is a good thing.”

Winter Fest Parade

2006-02-05T20:13:00.000-05:00

Saturday was our first parade of the New Year. The New Hope Winter Fest Parade. We arrived at the parade and quickly got dressed, tuned our instruments, and lined up in our parade formation. While waiting in line we taught a couple young girls how to do the mummers strut, needless to say they were naturals. Then it was time for us to move out of the parking lot and begin the parade. As we marched down the street there was a good crowd of people all along the parade route despite the rainy weather. As we marched along we came to a bridge, now Ireally don't do good with heights. I figured well I am going to be in the middle of the bridge with a whole group of people around me I will be fine.we get to the bride and the bottom of the bridge was nothing but a grate.Well my heart started pounding, my hands were shaking. This was the end all the guys started to make fun of me * they would not have made fun of me if they didn't like me*. Finally the bridge came to an end and I wanted to kiss the ground.Then before I knew it the parade was over and it was time to pack up and go back to the club. While on the bus we all joked around about different points in the parade especially me and the bridge. All in all I had a great time. Can't wait for the next one.

Mummers Show of Shows

2006-02-01T16:38:00.000-05:00

Did you miss the Mummers Parade on New Year's Day? Well here is your chance to see it. The Mummers Show of Shows is held on Saturday February 18th 2006 at Board Walk Hall Alantic City NJ. If you are interested here is the link to purchase tickets. Official Ticketmaster site. Philadelphia Mummers String Band Show of Shows tickets,dates Hope to see you there. If you have any questions feel free to E-Mail me at mummerblog@yahoo.com

Mummer History

2006-01-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

Who and What are Mummers?

To define them simply, Mummers are costumed entertainers welcoming in the New Year. And Mummery is as ancient as man's dream of getting outside of customary life and as old as his imagination. Some of the earliest mummers date back to early Egypt. Mummers would lead the burial procession of the Pharaohs in extravagant costumes, playing finger cymbals, tambourines and other rhythm instruments. Tracing back through the mazes of history that led to England and Germany, to ancient France, pagan Rome and Greece, we find mummery has influenced customs and perpetuated many interesting traditions. Every nation had its festivals at one time or another, each marked by parades and displays of fanciful costumes. As early as 400 BC, Roman laborers observed the feast of the Saturnalia in honor of their god, Saturn, and the reaping of the harvest. They made calls on friends, they exchanged gifts and it was customary for some of the gifts to bear greetings for a Happy New Year. Unrestrained merry-making marked the pagan Saturnalia and Carnival, the ancient Roman festival of Saturn that began on December 17th.

Slaves sported robes from their masters, and the patricians wearing fantastic costumes, roamed the streets with their slaves. Age and rank were forgotten for the fiesta and all persons were free for the day. There was a musical background for the capers of the multitude with songs and ballads befitting the joyous occasion. Another early custom was the Florentine Carnival usually held in the beginning of Lent - a day set aside by monks of the Middle Ages for the lords of misrule and the abbots of unreason. At this time, England and Germany celebrated their Christmas Mosque, resulting in riotous indulgence. This took the form of a dramatic entertainment popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, and following usually an allegorical theme, which embodied pageantry, music and dancing. The use of masks and different costumes were carried over from the Greek celebrations of King Momus, the Italian feast of Saturnalia, and the British Mummery Play.

The Philadelphia Tradition

The tradition of Philadelphia Mummery started in the late 17th century as a continuation of the Old World customs of ushering in the New Year. Mummery in America is as unique to Philadelphia as Mardi Gras is to New Orleans. The Swedes were Philadelphia's first settlers. When they came to Tinicum, just outside of Philadelphia, they brought their custom of visiting friends on "Second Day Christmas", December 26. Later they extended their period of celebration to include New Year's Day, and welcomed the New Year with masquerades and parades of noisy revelers. Masqueraders paraded the through the streets of Philadelphia. Most people carried firearms for protection in those early days of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and it did not take long before pistols and muskets joined with bells and noisemakers to create the sound of a New Year.

Those who "shot in" the New Year became New Year's Shooters, and thus the name much later evolved to officially become the New Year's Shooters and Mummers Association. Groups would travel from house to house, sing songs, and perform dances -- all to be rewarded with food and drink. The early Swedish Mummers appointed a leader, or "speech director", who had a little dance step and who recited a rhyme like this:

"Here we stand before your door,As we stood the year before;Give us whiskey; give us gin,Open the door and let us in." Even during the Revolutionary period, New Year's Day continued to be a day of carnival and friendly calls. General Howe, whose redcoats occupied the city, staged a farewell party for Howe called the "Meschianza" (Italian for melody) in the Wharton mansion in 1778. The party was truly a pageant that recreated a tournament of the Middle Ages, including decorated barges, heralds and trumpeters, a jousting field and the Knights of the Blended Rose. The costumes were made of more than $150,000 worth of silks ($2,250,000 in today's dollars), paid for by rich junior officers. Captain John Andre, who was the costume designer, described the event as a "delightful and gorgeous spectacle."

George Washington, following his inauguration, began the official custom of New Year's Day calls and continued it during the seven years he occupied the presidential mansion in Philadelphia, then the capital. The mummers continued to celebrate annually in their traditional way, reciting jokes, ill-conceived poems, and receiving in return cakes and ale. Groups of five to twenty would march from home to home, shooting and shouting, doing friendly impersonations of General Washington and burlesquing the fashionable English mummers' play of St. George and the Dragon. A character that always accompanied their "Washington" was Cooney Cracker, a clown whose costumes and antics, some historians believe, was the forerunner of Uncle Sam. This shooter impersonating Washington had several poems and speeches to recite, which still survive today. By 1808, the burlesquing of the Mummers' fashionable play with an increasing number of revelers began offending the social leaders of the day. An act was passed declaring that "masquerades, masquerade balls, and masked processions were public nuisances" with threat of fine and imprisonment. Nevertheless, the farmers, tradesmen, craftsmen, apprentices, laborers and members of fire fighting companies continued to stage clandestine masquerades on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

While the celebrations were quieted down, they were not stopped, and the law was abolished in the 1850's with no reports of convictions. The Mummers continued their own ideas of celebrating New Year's and clung to their rifles, pistols and friendly calls in "welcoming in the new year". In the 1870's, the nation was recuperating from the Civil War, and what had been an uncoordinated group of neighborhood celebrations turned into an area wide parade with two main groups of participants: Fancy Dress clubs and Comic clubs. Early forms of the parades were present in 1888. Official sponsorship by the City of Philadelphia began with the turn of the century in 1901.

The Phiadelphia Mummers of Today

The Philadelphia Mummers of today total over 10,000 marchers on New Year's Day. There are three distinct divisions of the parade: Comic, Fancy, and String Band. Comic division clubs lampoon modern day local and national political and social themes. The Fancy division clubs wear large, ornate costumes, carrying back pieces and performing with floats and props. The String Band division clubs not only wear elaborate costumes like the Fancy division, but also drill and perform playing musical instruments. The first String Band club was formed in 1901, and featured violins, banjos and guitars. A few years later, drums, saxophones, accordions and glockenspiels were introduced, giving the String Band a unique sound. Parade rules do not permit the use of brass instruments in a String Band. The instrumentation is exclusively saxophones, banjos, accordions, violins, bass violins, and percussion instruments. Mummers String Bands are known, not only for the unique sound, but also for their elaborate costumes. Brilliant materials, glitter, sequins and feathers are all combined to make the showy costumes. Traditionally, band members, wives and friends made the costumes.

Today, most bands contract them out to professional costumers. In Philadelphia, the cost of costuming an average 64-piece band is between $30,000 and $80,000, with the captain's costume costing as high as $10,000. There are eighteen String Band organizations in existence today. Every year, each String Band selects an annual theme, and debuts their new music and costumes in the Philadelphia New Year's Day parade. This parade is a fascinating annual tradition, brimming with dancers and marching units. The marching leader of the band or captain makes his elaborate debut doing the "2 Street Strut". People from the "City of Brotherly Love" know the excitement of a Mummers performance, and to them the Mummers also bring a sense of nostalgia. Commitment to the community has always been one of the basic principles of Mummers clubs, especially String Band clubs. It is from the entire Delaware Valley community where musicians and helpers (called Marshals) are recruited and trained. It is also from this community where the clubs derive the funds used for the costumes and operations of their clubhouses. It is to this community the String Bands return the gratitude expressed by making each New Year's Day theme performance more exciting than the last.

Compiled by Steve Coper, Fralinger String Band

About The Author

2006-01-21T16:29:00.000-05:00

Hello my name is Diana and I am 24 years old and I live in Philadelphia, The city of brotherly love. Home of the Phillies, Flyers, Eagles and the 76ers and also home to a tradition, that has been celebrated for over one hundred years, the Mummers Parade. I am proud to say that I am apart of this great tradition. I am a member of the Uptown String Band. Uptown was an all male organization but took a vote in September of 2005 to allow women into their band. A week later I made the move and joined Uptown along with four other women musicians. I started mumming with the Irish American String Band in the summer of 1999. I had many great memories while with Irish American but it was time for me to make a move.

I felt that by going to Uptown I would be able to enhance my musical skills. New Year's Day 2006 was my first time parading up the street with Uptown. Our theme was "Bums the Word" * a hobo theme*I had a blast. When I am not mumming I work full time for Wawa * a little conveniance store* I also attend school at Community College of Philadelphia and Hopefully from there I will continue my education and become a Nuse and finally start my career in a local hospital.

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2006-01-02T22:22:00.000-05:00

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Uptown String Band Kicks off in STYLE

2006-01-02T19:53:00.000-05:00

Mummers kick off new year in style

By: BARBARA J. ISENBERG COURIER TIMES
Date: January 2, 2006

"Bum's the Word" was this year's theme for the Hulmeville-based Uptown String Band. PHILADELPHIA-They strutted. They marched. They played. And they did it for almost 10 hours Sunday. Bucks County's own Uptown String Band, the only local Mummers group to perform in Philadelphia's annual New Year's Day parade, danced with the best of them to place ninth out of 17 entrants in the String Band Division. They placed ninth last year also.

"Bum's the Word" was the Hulmeville group's theme this year as performers, dressed as bums and hobos, played trumpets, banjos and accordions for three miles up Broad Street from Oregon Avenue to City Hall. The group of about 60 performers and 50 marshals performed their routine a total of nine times, not including the numerous times the band stopped to play a song.

Uptown Mummers dressed in elaborate, colorful "rags" decorated with glitter and gold trimmings were flanked by grocery carts filled with trashcan lids, empty liquor bottles and paper. Several huge props, including a Dumpster and a cityscape, provided the backdrop to their four and a half minute routine. Along Broad Street, Captain Jamie Caldwell of Penndel stopped to pose for pictures with spectators and wish young children a Happy New Year.

"Usually South Philly's filled," Caldwell remarked about a third of the way through the parade. "I don't think there are as many people especially since it's so warm." Despite fewer people in South Philly, Uptown was met with roaring approval at each performance along Broad Street. "We get better each time we do it," Paul Travisano, a dancer from Doylestown, said en route to the main judging area. "We should peak at City Hall." Ryan Radcliffe, one of the group's choreographers, said Uptown spent between $55,000 and $65,000 this year on costumes and props.
"We chose this theme because we thought it might help us save money, but we've ended up spending just as much as usual," Radcliffe said while eating a sandwich midway through the parade.

Lorraine Speziale of South Philly choreographed the specialty dancers' parts and said she considers the group her family. "They really are a special group of guys," she said. "Look at me, I get all teary about it." Closer to City Hall, the crowd grew larger- and more rowdy - as the Uptown Mummers hurried through some last-minute touch-ups before the big finale at City Hall. Mummers refreshed their makeup and rearranged their costumes, checked the props and tried to calm down before giving it their all for the judges.
"I'm a wreck," Speziale said before the group's last performance. "I just want them to do good. That's all I want."

The Uptown Mummers pulled out all the stops for the judges at 15th and Market streets. They sang louder, jumped higher and smiled broader than they had all along Broad Street. Dancers clanged trash can lids, threw bags of trash and twirled ratty umbrellas in style. "I think we did great," Travisano said after the group's performance as Uptown members breathed a sigh of relief. But the show wasn't over for Uptown. The Two Street parade and a party in Hulmeville awaited them.

Rick Conti (Woodland)

2006-01-01T17:15:00.000-05:00

Rick Conti began his Mummer career by joining the Irish American String Band in May of 1999, as a Freshman in high school. It was on January of 2000, that Rick marched in the Mummers parade for the first time, as Irish American made their inigural strut up the street. Since beginning his career in 1999, Rick has much mummers experience. He was appointed the assistant musical director of IASB in 2001, at the age of 17. After holding this office for 2 years, Rick moved on to become the bands musical director for the next 2 1/2 years. One of Rick's greatest accompolishments in IA was helping the band move to 12th place, the bands highest prize so far in 2004! In August of 2005, Rick decided that it was time to move on. In one of the most difficult decisions he had to make as a mummer, it was time for Rick to move to new things.
In September of 2005, Rick took up membership with the Woodland String Band. Marching along side of friends he grew up with, Rick could not be happier. Rick says he will die in Woodland String Band!

Mike Vogel (Greater Overbrook)

2005-12-01T18:32:00.000-05:00

Waiting on bio ...

Russell Coleman (Uptown)

2005-12-01T18:31:00.001-05:00

Waiting on bio ...

Jeff Kirby (Uptown)

2005-12-01T18:31:00.000-05:00

Waiting on bio ...

Laura Hopkins (Uptown)

2005-12-01T18:30:00.000-05:00

Waiting on bio ...