| 2001 Mummers Parade | |
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The 2001 Mummers Parade is history. This year's parade marked the second consecutive year that the parade was held on Market Street. Traditionally the parade has been held on Broad Street, but dwindling crowds in the 1990's encouraged the move last year. The various divisions were split on whether to return to Broad Street for this year's parade.
Quaker City String Band
Photo by John Fischer
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A combination of factors including a snowstorm on the previous Saturday and frigid temperatures resulted in smaller crowds along the parade route from 5th Street to City Hall. This is sure to reopen the debate about a return to the traditional Broad Street March in 2002.
The Quaker City String Band with its Captain Bob Shannon, Jr. made history again. By following up on their 1999 and 2000 victories with another victory this year, Quaker City has completed the three-peat, a goal established by the club back in February of 2000.
This year's theme "Jungle Jam" was a huge hit with the crowd which seemed to reach its peak as Quaker City strutted up Market Street in mid-afternoon. Quaker City solidified its position as the premier string band in the world.
This year's string band competition was one of the closest in history with only one point separating the top three clubs. Greater Kensington finished in second place with their rousing performance of "The Tribe With the Vibe". Finishing in third place, the Fralinger String Band presented "Box Car Willie and His Traveling Hobo Show."
This was definitely a year for repeat winners. The Jokers repeated their 2000 win in the Fancy Brigade Division by a mere one-tenth of a point. This division had a very busy day. An added noontime show was followed by a traditional march in the parade and a final 5:00 p.m. show for the judges. Both shows were held indoors at the PA Convention Center to sold out crowds.
Murray repeated their own 2000 win in the Comic Division by garnering over twice as many points as their closest rival, the Goodtimers. In the Fancy Costume Division, Golden Sunrise had a stellar day earning 2139 points. Their closest rival Hog Island came in second with 822 points.
While the weather was cold and downright frigid when the winds picked up and the sun went behind a building or a cloud, there still is no better place to be in Philadelphia on New Year's Day than on the street watching the Mummers.
One ingenious group of parade watchers discovered an excellent way to view the parade. Figuring that the ideal way to see the parade is from the comfort of your own sofa, they were faced with the drawback being that you don't get to see the parade live. Their answer to the dilemma is the only logical one - bring the couch to the parade!
Photo
by John Fischer
We invite you to take a look at our more than 100 photos of the 2001 Mummers Parade in our 2001 Mummers Parade Photo Galleries.
If you'd like to see the complete results in all divisions of this year's parade Mummers.com has several pages with the complete results of the 2001 Mummers Parade.
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