PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, once again, led the string bands down Market Street Thursday afternoon for the Mummers Parade. It’s a tradition she revived last year and plans to continue.
The mayor leading the string bands was a mummers tradition for years, but Jim Kenney, though a former mummer himself, ended the practice when, just after his election, the parade included a routine he called hurtful and insulting to transgender people. String band Association President Sam Regalbuto said the group is delighted to be back in Mayor Parker’s good graces.
“There’s been some ups and downs, and you have some individuals who do some things that are not what the mummer’s stand for, and we eliminate those things, and you learn, you grow, you evolve,” he said…