Philadelphia Mummers © Jim MacMillan

I had never been to Philadelphia but was working in my native Boston on election night in 1984, on my way to cover John Kerry, who was celebrating his first election to the U.S. Senate.

Gratuitously old photograph: John Kerry, 1984 © Jim MacMillan

I went to the right hotel but opened a door to the wrong ballroom, at which point I first laid eyes upon a group of choreographed men playing accordions, banjos and glockenspiels while wearing sequins, feathers and golden slippers. Another young colleague somehow recognized them and simply told me they were Philadelphia Mummers. I didn’t ask questions.

Philadelphia Mummers © Jim MacMillan

I was assigned to cover my first Mummers parade in 1992, a few months after I came to City of Brotherly Love. Co-workers tried to explain, but failed. Almost nobody in Philadelphia can tell you about Mummers without interjecting their opinions, but that hardly matters because there isn’t one person who understands all of the Mummers anyway.

With two esteemed newspaper colleagues in Froggy Carr suits. 2006.

Years later, I signed up with Froggy Carr in 2006, a group later identified to me as one-percenters by a friend who spent years on his own Mummers book. I re-upped in in 2007, but the parade was delayed by windy weather and I had to leave town before it could be rescheduled.

Samarra, Iraq. 2005.

In 2008, I tried to pass it the adventure off as immersion journalism, something like that kid that went to Iraq or one of my own Iraq embedments – but in a dress.

Shooting video. 2007.

For 2009, I made the mistake of scheduling travel on January 2nd, which is an irreconcilable conflict because – as all Frogs know – the parade requires a 3-day recovery period. I hope I get another chance.

Until then – WATCH MY FROGGY CARR VIDEO – and have a Happy New Year!