King Mango Strut

Reason for Impeachment? 

The weather has been off and on rainy, mostly on, for the past week, but that didn't stop the 38th Annual King Mango Strut from strutting in Coconut Grove. An impertinent parade started when a kazoo band organizer was not allowed to participate in the glorious Orange Bowl Parade, it includes anyone who wants to march, mostly political satire, local and national.

One year, a colleague of Grant received a citation for having too many yard sales at his Coconut Grove home. Incensed, he printed t-shirts for his friends to strut as the Yard Sale Police, blowing whistles and issuing tickets to parade watchers. We brought our German Shepard Mitzi who loved the attention.

This year's theme, Just Impeachy Keen, continued the tradition, however the satire was fairly mild. I fear the hippies of Coconut Grove and their creativity and dislike of government are disappearing. The effects of years of pot use are coming home.

Another Bullet Train Victim 

Several groups referenced the $120,000 banana duct taped to the wall at Art Basel, but it's hard to parody an ironic subject. The Marching Freds were down to 3 participants. I liked the Fake Nudes walking in t-shirts imprinted with naked torsos. Groups (covens?) of witches hunted Trump, and bees of all shapes and size buzzed around a flatbed with a band playing "Let it Be". Another band played fairly clever lyrics describing climate change and bad tides rising to Credence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising".

And The Winners Are...

Clara now can add winning Little Miss (or Mister) Mango Strut to her list of accomplishments, as can every other kid who showed up in time to get a crown and climb on the float. Learning to pad their resumes early.

Many years ago after attending a Strut, we were walking back to our car, a 9-passenger Suburban. Grant, with his long gray hair flowing, followed by me and our 3 young children, my sister and her 2 little ones, and a female friend, was asked if we had been part of the parade. I said, "Yes, we are the Polygamist Society of South Florida". And so we became it. In name only, with much talk, little action, about designing a flag. We went to other Struts, Orange Bowl Parades, Starlight Musicals, rarely with other husbands attending, but Grant always a sport.