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Since 1901, New Year’s Day in Philadelphia has been defined by brightly colored costumes, a steady stream of upbeat music pulsing through the early morning air, and crowds of locals, spectators and performers alike, gathering to share in the unique tradition characterized by the Mummers’ Parade.
When Cabrini College seniors Kerri Dougherty, of Second Street, and Gianna Shikitino, formerly of Front and Wolf streets and later 13th and Curtain streets, learned budget cutbacks in the City’s annual contribution to the parade might mean an end to the holiday staple, they decided to use their experience as communication majors to raise awareness of Mummers’ history and document the group’s recent struggles to gather funding.
Joined by classmate Joe Cahill, of Upper Darby, the three spent a year compiling behind-the-scenes information on the elaborate planning process the various clubs undergo each year. After two semesters of interviews and filming club practices, the students created the 25-minute audio documentary, “Behind the Strut: A Look Inside the World of the Philadelphia Mummers.”
Dougherty, 21, and Shikitino, 20, came up with the idea for the piece in fall 2009, when they were assigned to work on Cabrini’s radio station, 89.1 WYBF-FM, annual documentary project. The trio is receiving some well-earned notoriety as one of four Best Feature finalists in the 2010 College Broadcasters Inc. National Student Production Awards. The winners will be announced in the fall. Heather Fullerton, WYBF general manager, entered the students’ work into the competition.
As residents, Dougherty and Shikitino knew family members and friends involved in various brigades. Dougherty’s uncle, Brian, was a founding member of the Saints’ NYB Comic Wench Brigade. In turn, Shikitino has an uncle, Willy Adams, in the Jesters Comic Club. Cahill’s interest was immediately piqued when he heard about the project.
The students were able to use their personal ties to the Mummers to establish contact with Jim Julia, president of the Philadelphia Mummers Association. Julia provided the trio with backstage passes for the New Year’s Day performance at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. With the use of a Kodak HD flip camera, they captured visual and audio footage of the practices and routines, which they edited down. Additional time was spent creating artwork for the CD and its cover, as well as working on a five-minute demo of the piece.
The radio program explains the makeup of the Mummers’ four divisions — Fancy Brigades, Comics, String Bands and Fancies — along with an account of the origins of the parade. Interviews with members of the organization abound, including Julia, Jesse Foytik, Michael Haines, Lou Frattari and Sean Callan.
“It really is such a great Philadelphia tradition,” Dougherty, whose block is home to many of the Mummers’ clubhouses, as well as the site of after-parade celebrations on New Year’s Day. “People should be aware of … the dedication and the fact that the majority of the participants are blue-collared workers who come home, eat and go right to drill.”
From age 5, Dougherty recalls spending most of her time playing sports. Once she entered college, it seemed like a natural for her to enter the communication field and pursue a career as a sports broadcaster. Although her future plans may have changed, she still maintains a vested interest in the opportunities provided by her field of study.
Shikitino, on the other hand, knew which major she was going to pursue as early as high school. Her eventual goal is to become an entertainment anchor. Both credit their heritage as important influences in their personal and professional lives.
“I’ve never missed a parade,” Shikitino said. “[It] really symbolizes culture in the city. It doesn’t matter your heritage or if you’re male or female — everyone comes together in the city for one day to just let loose and have fun.”
By the time they graduate, the seniors hope to use the leftover footage to create a video documentary. In the meantime, the students hope the audio piece, which can be heard at www.wybf.podbean.com, will give individuals unfamiliar with the Mummers an insider’s understanding into the time and effort involved in the parade.
“It isn’t just something to look forward to,” Dougherty said. “It’s a tradition that’s lasted hundreds of years and it should continue for many hundreds of years to come.”
In past years, the Mummers’ parade cost the City anywhere from $800,000 to $1 million. As of ’09, Mayor Michael Nutter cut $350,000 from the annual contribution, while earlier this year, the clubs were forced to raise performance money on their own.
“The supporters are doing a great job with savethemummers.com and there are different events going on, like the Bacon Brothers concert,” Dougherty said of the singing duo of Kevin and Michael Bacon, whose proceeds from a song, DVD of the recording session and a benefit concert went towards the 2010 Mummers’ Parade.
Shikitino plans to continue furthering the Mummers’ cause.
“This is a topic I know in the future I’ll come back to,” she said. “Whether it be reporting live from the parade, or writing a piece for it, I’m always in to help out with the Mummers’ Association.” SPR
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