Marlene: I ran into this thread early this morning, when I was looking for some information on another topic...so since no one else provided any info, I thought I might enlighten the group.
My grandfather, Cyril Daly, is actually in the Mummers hall of fame (yes, they do have a museum in Philadelphia) He is the oldest living Mummer at age 94, and up until last year, when he suffered a stroke, he was marching in every New Years Parade, and all other events they do each year. No small feat for a man, wearing a 50-60 pound costume made up of plummage, rhinestones, and glitter, while playing the accordian, and marching in freezing weather for the better part of 12 hours. I believe that he has been a member since 1931 (approx).
I have very fond memories of going to parades and "The Show of Shows" competitions with my grandparents. It was always such a treat and all the grandchildren would fight over whose turn it was to go. And of course you can image all the Halloween Costumes that could have been built from the remnants.
If you are so inclines, the history of how it got started can be found at
http://www.mummersonnationaltv.com/history.htmThanks for the memories. NB