Manayunk strut: New Mummers tradition?

Cars still were barred from Main Street an hour after the first-ever Mummers Parade in Manayunk concluded. The crowd inside Pitcher's Pub swelled at noon Saturday, and the Pennsport String Band had an idea to engage the revelers.

One strut. Outside. Three contestants. Winner collects $100.

"Everyone points at me," said Kate O'Reilly, a Mummer's daughter and Manayunk resident. "I say: 'Done. It's in the bag. I dare you.' The rest is history."

There was something different about this intimate Mummers gathering. For 90 minutes, 17 string bands marched. The audience favored coffee over light beer.

This Mardi Gras celebration, albeit 11 days late, could evolve into an annual Mummers fund-raiser. The test run drew an estimated 4,000 people, organizers said. Complaints were limited to the cold temperatures.

"We can bring it up close and personal to our fan base," said Dan Marakowski, a member of the Fralinger String Band, who marched in his 46th parade. "We're walking by, we're posing for pictures, and we're talking to people. On New Year's Day, besides the parade, there is the competition. Here, we all get together and have a good time."

There were two components: The parade, billed as friendly to families, and the after-parties at 11 bars in Manayunk. Beer flowed all afternoon while the string bands performed inside.

"People are enjoying it," Tom Loomis, president of the Philadelphia String Band Association, said. "We have something we can build upon."

Jane Lipton, executive director of the Manayunk Development Corp., watched from the company's elevated steps. Her group underwrote parade costs and secured support from local businesses.

She announced each band's presence at Cotton Street.

"It was everything I ever hoped or dreamed it could be," Lipton said. "I had this moment: 'Yes, yes. This is why we do it.' "

Proceeds went to the Philadelphia String Band Association and the bands that participated. The Manayunk Development Corp. arranged for volunteers to solicit donations along the parade route. Someone put a $100 bill in one of the cans, Lipton said.

Brian McCollum, 38, of Broomall, brought his three children. He owns an insurance agency on Main Street, and had attended Mummers Parades on New Year's before.

"This seems more family-friendly," he said. "Definitely. For the first year, it's a good turnout. I'm sure if they do it again, each year it'll keep growing. But I think it's perfect."

Across the street, where the sun was not as abundant, Carol Roby and Patricia Gragilla arranged two folding chairs and bundled underneath a Penn State blanket. They had not been to a Mummers Parade in years.

"It's more personal, I think, here on Main Street," Roby, 55, said.

The parade, which began at Shurs Lane and ended at Green Lane, was postponed Feb. 22 because rain threatened. There were stretches of the route without spectators, and most viewing areas were no more than two people deep. Several dozen police officers patrolled the area.

Later, in front of Pitcher's Pub, O'Reilly basked in her triumph. The 25-year-old described this day as "low-key" compared with the typical Mummers bashes.

The basics never change.

"It is just a very, very natural dance for me," she said. "When I hear the music, the arm goes up, and the feet go."

A Pennsport Mummer congratulated her.

"This girl has experience," he said. "She's had South Philly water."

Someone gave O'Reilly her $100 prize. She stared at Pitcher's, where a fun Saturday beckoned. "This," she said, "is all going back in there."