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It was a sight to behold. Five drag queens and a drag king shared the stage with Scott Brown, the director of tourism for the Fancy Brigade Association; 1st District Councilman Mark F. Squilla; Leo Dignam, the Mummers Parade director; Bill Burke, vice president of the Philadelphia Fancy Brigade Association; and Councilman-at-Large Jim Kenney. Everyone was in attendance Tuesday morning at the Mummers Museum, 1100 S. Second St., to announce that the “Miss Fancy” Brigade, comprised of the city’s leading female impersonators, will be marching along South Broad Street on New Year’s Day for the second year in a row.
The 2014 Mummers Parade will celebrate more than 100 years of tradition in Philadelphia, an occasion that has garnered the phrase “the oldest folk parade in America,” and one that can cite cultural lineage that traces back to Sweden, Finland, the United Kingdom and Africa.
Female impersonation is a tradition that far predates the common notion that exists in Philadelphia today of a drag queen. Men and boys dressed as girls, women and wenches for decades before women were technically allowed to march for the first time in the 1970s. But that’s when the female impersonator category was eliminated.
Last year, in the 113th parade, Kenney invited the LGBT community to get back involved in an explicit attempt to diversify the parade.
“We believe that the more diverse the parade is, the stronger it gets,” he said. “The more it’s able to be funded, the stronger it is and the longer it lasts.”
In reviving the tradition that thrived long before the ’70s, Kenney and other officials, not to mention the performers, were a little anxious for the reception they would receive. But it was all extremely positive.
“We were a little bit concerned, but it was phenomenal,” Kenney admitted. “People were taking pictures and it was very celebratory.”
Attendees, it was said, threw their babies into the queens’ arms and police posed with them for a ripe Facebook post.
Brittany Lynn, the head queen and primary spokeswoman for the Mummers LGBT Liaison Committee, was elated at the response the performers got last year. And as a former Mummer and Second Street resident, the advocate was relieved and thrilled that the reception was so warm.
“The cheering was deafening. It was amazing,” Lynn said at the Pennsport site. “It was probably the best experience of my life.”
The components of the “Miss Fancy” Brigade were awarded in a series of pageants held at multiple bars and clubs throughout the city. The performers and their backing organization are Karen Vosay for L2; Mary D’Knight for iCandy; Satine Harlow for Voyeur; Crystal Electra for Tavern On Camac; Tamia Gisele Mykles for Fire and Ice; Morgan Wells for Bob and Barbara’s, 1509 South St; Omyra Lynn for Tabu Sports Bar & Lounge; Emily Valentine for the Bike Stop; Mistress M for Venture Inn; Mimi Imfurst as Miss Philly Pride; and Mrs. Pinklewinkle as Miss Gayborhood.
The brigade is actually set to perform as a collective at the grandstand and then will return to the Pennsylvania Convention Center to showcase themselves as individuals with performances that will result in the crowning of a “Miss Fancy” Brigade ’14.
As one of Philadelphia’s longstanding traditions, the Mummers Parade has seen, literally, hundreds of faces and phases. With gaps in the parade’s long-running history, primarily for World War I and the Depression, the parade has gone through route changes, division redefinitions and variations of broadcast.
One thing that’s been constant? Makeup, pageantry, outrageous outfits and even more outrageous personalities behind it all.
“Philadelphia’s my home – I grew up on Two Street,” Lynn explained. “I’ve always admired the costumes and pageantry. It made me the drag queen that I am today.”
Noting the appeal, even from a tourism perspective, Kenney revealed that for quite some time, the female impersonators were what drew hordes of admirers to Broad Street and beyond.
“People would come from around the country to see the female impersonators,” he divulged.
One of the “Miss Fancy” Brigade ’14 contestants, Mistress M, moved here from Venezuela 11 years ago. She’s honored to be a part of this longstanding tradition.
“Since my first year, I have been a spectator without fail!” she exclaimed. “This is why it is personally an honor for me.”
She also said it’s “the closing of a cycle. I made this city my home and by doing this, I think I am becoming a true Philadephian.”
When asked if she was concerned about her safety or if the reception for her and her Satin Slippers Brigade, 1444 S. Second St., would be violent or negative, she expressed faith in her city’s welcoming nature.
“I doubt it,” she said. “Philadelphians are really more inclusive than they let on.”
Staff Writer Bill Chenevert at bchenevert@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
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