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The show will go on — but shorter.
Instead of the usual eight-hour New Year’s Day parade, the Mummers will strut for six-and-a-half hours beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m. The route, Washington Avenue and Broad Street to City Hall, remains the same with the Comics kicking things off at 10 at Broad and Washington, followed at 10:30 a.m. by two divisions, the Fancies at Broad and Snyder Avenue, and the String Bands at Broad and Oregon Avenue.
Hours after meeting with Mayor Michael Nutter and city officials Dec. 17 in a continuation of talks from the previous day that went unfinished because Nutter had a Town Hall meeting, the merry men agreed to the City’s "final and best offer," according to Nutter spokesman Doug Oliver. That offer was $300,000 to cover expenses related to the annual bacchanal. The funds will pay for street cleanup and police with nothing allocated for prizes for the Comics, String Bands and Fancy Brigades.
"Anything beyond that [$300,000], the Mummers would be responsible to pay for," Oliver told the Review after the Dec. 16 meeting. "That is the best offer we can provide in these difficult economic times that we’re facing."
Nov. 6, Nutter released a list of budget cuts and the performers were on it because the annual spectacle costs the City north of $1 million: $700,000 for street cleaning, fire/police and other city services and $350,000 for prize money.
String Band Association President John Pignotti, a 40-year member and president of Hegeman String Band, told the Review he’s grateful the City came through albeit not all the way.
"Two weeks ago we had nothing, now we have $300,000," he said.
With the restoration of less than half of the $700,000, that means the Mummers will have to come up with at least $47,000, deemed as such because the route has been shortened, for the 109th event. The Web site www.savethemummers.com has been established to accept funds to support the parade for this year and in the future.
"We really need the donations to make this work. We’re responsible for $47,000-plus. We don’t know what that plus part will be. If we’re longer than six-and-a-half-hours it will cost more. If something happens and more fire and police are needed it will cost more. This is all stuff that can affect how much we owe," Pignotti said.
Less time to strut their stuff means the performers need to be on the ball and keep things rolling albeit Pignotti sees no change to the flow of the parade.
"What it means is we have to be a little more stacked up around City Hall at the judges’ station. Once you get everybody stacked up, they move through the judging area. It takes a little on our part to make it work," Pignotti said.
As difficult as it will be raising money for this year’s event, the string band president has even greater concerns because the City made it clear absolutely no money will be forthcoming for 2010.
"One-hundred-eight years this parade was funded and handled by the City of Philadelphia. The 109th will be partially funded by the City and the Mummers. The 110th parade, we don’t know what is going to happen. We are the greatest parade in the world. There is no parade in the world like us," Pignotti said.
Oliver said the $300,000 is coming from the City’s general fund and officials made a concession for the Mummers because of the timing of the announcement and the parade.
"Essentially, they had only six weeks to figure out how they could pay for a parade that they have been preparing for since last year. The City thought it made some sense to provide some concession for them," Oliver told the Review, adding no other parade participants should expect any concession in 2009 since the Mummers were in a unique position.
After the City withdrew the money last month, Mummers Association Publicity Chairman George Badey submitted to Nutter an impact study outlining the economic assets the Comics, Strings and Fancies bring to the city. Badey did not return several calls for comment by press time.
"Nine million we bring in. We bring in more than what they offer us back," Pignotti said, adding he could not say what the money generated was from but that Badey had those answers.
"We really understand where the City and mayor are coming from. We’re totally sympathetic. We understand that the libraries are important, the children need the pools in the summer and of course we need the firehouses because God forbid something like 9/11 happens again. But all we wanted to do is be fair," he said referring to the city not leaving the time-honored entertainers high and dry.
