Tuesday, January 02, 2018

A Tale of Two Marches

There's some spark inside me that makes me want to march. Parades, protests, it's all the same to me. You close the roads, I'll walk 'em.

Most of my marching has been in Philadelphia. It's a pretty good place to march, mostly, as it's a grid and not hilly at all. The only thing adversely affecting a march in Philadelphia is the temperature.

In the summer of 2016 I participated in a march that was held at the time of the Democratic National Convention. The temperatures that day topped out in the mid-90s.

EXHIBIT A: 2016 SUMMER PROTEST MARCH, PHILADELPHIA


The "Michelle" thing is a long story. But this is me on a blistering hot day, with City Hall in the background.

What I chiefly remember about that day was that everyone was trying to find a speck of shade to stand in. People were clustered in the shadows of buildings. When we set out to march from City Hall to the stadiums, I aborted mission at Pine Street, dizzy from the heat.

Fast forward to January 1, 2017. Now, rather than hovering in the mid-90s, the temperature in Philadelphia was flirting with 15. The wind chill made it feel even colder.

EXHIBIT B: 2018 MUMMERS PARADE, PHILADELPHIA


Not only am I wearing exponentially more attire, you'll note that I'm standing in the sun. This was the funniest part, to me. In the summertime in Philly, everyone was looking for shade to stand in. On New Year's Day, we were all in search of the sunniest spot to keep our bones warm.

For those of you just joining the action here, I am a Philadelphia Mummer, a proud member of the Two Street Stompers Comic Brigade. Here's a better photo of this year's suit:

EXHIBIT C: ANNE IS FROM THE 1950s


Bad lighting. You can hardly see the poodle.

The Mummers Parade is a competition, and this year my club won! Our theme was "Back to the Philadelphia Future." We had a time machine, and the brigade was split into three groups (1950s, 1960s, and 1970s).

If you go to this link, you need to scroll down to the Two Street Stompers, and you can see a somewhat truncated version of our routine. It was a terrific routine, if I might brag a little bit. Shout out to the leader of my unit, Murph, who thought it might be nice to go shirtless in the subzero elements.

It was cold, but the sun was out, and the New Year got rung in with maximum craziness, and the Two Street Stompers emerged with another big victory. And today, the front page of the newspaper ...

EXHIBIT D: ANNE'S IN THE REAR IN A RED SKI HAT WITH POM POM


If you judge a girl by the company she keeps, I would say I hang out with an interesting crowd. Please note that, as in the first shot in this post, City Hall provides the backdrop.

Happy New Year!

6 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Congrats to the Two Street Stompers on your Big Win! I didn't think cold weather would really stop you crazy bunch of mummers! But yeah, Shirtless Murph deserves major kudos for bravery or foolhardiness, whichever!

anne marie in philly said...

great balls of fire, murph is crazy mad! but congrats on your big win! when I learned the parade was on despite the weather, I could not believe it. but there you are, living proof! HNY to you and your family and your schoolkids!

Davoh said...

um, 'Michelle'. yer, skipped though this post - but the word Michelle resonated. Was she one of your "First Ladies"?
Have seen a documentary here where she was instrumental in the rehabilitation of homeless Veterans of your endless, arrogant, merican "troop deployment" into countries that ... basically, do not need you.
Have also been watching the American national deficit.
Sheesh - Don the Trump managed (in his private business) to get away with at least two bankruptcies - relatively legally unscathed ...

It now seems that he is employing the same tactics on the Federal American populace.

Davoh said...

Oh ... Merry Festive Season ...
And wishing all of you Northern Hemisphere dingbats ..
.. some sort of prosperous, if not preposterous, and fruitful 2018

e said...

Wow! That's dedication! Big Congratulations to the Two Street!

Stephen Young said...

Anne - so glad you caught yourself in the cover photo in the Daily News and on Philly.com. Such a great photo of our club - and you! So proud of everyone for such a great day. This is what Mummers is all about. Family, friends and fun. All wrapped together. Even in sub zero temperatures. Glad to share it with you again. Looking forward to next year's parade already. All the best!

Captain Stephen