HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Have you ever been in a moving front seat for a big parade? Hagerstown’s 99th Mummers Day Parade qualifies for “big” as one of the east coast’s largest nighttime parades of its kind. The parade features pre-parade activities, over 170 participants, 90 floats, walking groups, marching bands, fire engines and more.
The front seat came with a Dodge Ram towing float #58, the “Who-ville” float made by parade sponsor the Alsatia Club.
A truly enormous event, the parade draw ranges from 70,000 to over 170,000 people in most years, many from Hagerstown but many more from all over the region.
Although preliminary figures were not available at press time, a beautiful evening with mildly chilly temperatures favored a large draw.
The Who-Ville float featured a full cast of riders and walkers including a jailed Grinch who was in a characteristically foul mood since being thrown in jail. He was wired to an onboard sound system and was heard interacting with the crowds all evening.
The Grinch, played by Nick Kendle has been a participant in the parade since before COVID, doing what he could to help. He was quite animated about the parade in general. “The Alsatia Club is talking about redoing all their floats for the 100th anniversary next year,” he said.
Once underway, with darkness rapidly falling, many of the floats light up to show off their themes and colors.
With so many participants, they stage in multiple locations on and around Potomac Street. Alsatia Club officials man the key junctions as the groups gradually feed into Potomac Street in the proper locations at various points. A fire engine tucked in behind Who-Ville float.
It wasn’t long before small knots of people, most with folding chairs and blankets, began to show up along the curb and in their yards and front porches to see the spectacle passing before them.
This was the first time we began to see smaller children suddenly light up at the sight of the Grinch. It didn’t stop all night, while a good number of adults joined in.
The parade finally took its final shape as a large number of walking groups merged with the main parade off of Oak Hill Avenue. A group of gymnasts pulled in just ahead of Who-Ville.
Several of the younger members practiced cartwheels along almost the entire route, though some started running out of steam beyond the square.
At one point the crowd had moved into the street, narrowing the space parade participants could drive safely along the street. With so many parade participants to see, space was at a premium the closer you got to the square.
Even at two-thirds of the way back in the parade, kids on both sides of the street suddenly perked up when they saw the Grinch. Some simply looked up and waved, but others started jumping up and down, waving and screaming. Even parents’ eyes moved toward the float.
“We’re invisible,” commented driver Jeff Geesaman, noting all eyes were on the float as they should be.
“Politics” took a hand along the way, with some onlookers chanting “Free the Grinch” and “Freedom,” adding to the ever growing background noise of thousands of people.
At other points, people in the crowd wanted assurance the Grinch would not be released from jail until after Christmas, or at least would not steal Christmas this year.
The parade continued well past the downtown area through areas still teeming with local residents watching the parade from chairs and steps.
It continued along South Potomac where reviewing stands had been set up on the east side of the route near Bester Elementary. There, judges evaluated participants and decided who would win any of a number of awards and prizes.
As all parades do, when the crowds have seen all there is to see, even in as large and beautiful a parade as this, they head for home. Participants eventually get to the end of the route to disperse, in this case at East Howard Street.
Walkers and bands continued on to predetermined locations to catch a ride home with family and friends. Floats head to similar locations to disconnect and park for later storage and disassembly. Firefighters return to their stations. Cleanup crews get ready.
What’s left is the wonderful memories. From that moving front row seat, one recalls the sheer excitement of kids wide eyed at the sights and sounds, many adults as well and generally in a playful mood, sharing good spirits with thousands of strangers. Police watchful but in good humor as well. A terrific celebration of a season of good spirits is just beginning.
