Sixty-seven years ago, on January 7, 1950, Christmas according to the Julian calendar, the Ukrainian American String Band won 13th place in the annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia.
With stunning costumes of sunrise green adorned with red and silver sequins, the Ukrainian band amazed the millions of spectators and millions more on radio and television broadcasts.
Joining the band were three former Ukrainian displaced persons – Peter Prus, Wolodimir Kit and Joseph Petrovych. Leading the event for the Ukrainian band were Charles Henik and Michael Elko, honorary president of the band. Others joining the band were Ukrainian American veterans, who served as a color guard for the Ukrainian and U.S. flags during the six mile march up Broad Street.
Following the parade, the band was invited to a hot meal and $100 each was awarded to Messrs. Prus, Kit and Petrovych at the Ukrainian American Citizens’ Association in South Philadelphia at 610 South American Street, founded in 1930. There were six other Ukrainian clubs in Philadelphia at the time. The seven clubs raised the $4,000 for the band project.
Reports stated that the Ukrainian String Band was so impressive that judges had rated them better than bands that had been playing at the parade for over 30 years. In 1950 there were 27 participating string bands.
Other marching groups included the Gallagher Fancy Club, which won $1,500 in the fancy division. Among their ranks was a Ukrainian DP group of Hutsul dancers from the Carpathian Mountain region of Ukraine. The Hutsul group won $50 and special mention, with rave comments from the videographers.
Having performed previously in 1949 at the Mummers Parade to rave reviews, the Ukrainian American String Band – made up of mostly high school-aged boys – sought to record some of its more popular selections, including the Ukrainian national anthem, “God Bless America” and others.
The string band was also invited to perform on January 14, 1950, at a second parade hosted by the Kensington Businessmen’s Association in Philadelphia. Other scheduled performances for the band included during Mardi Gras at the Convention Hall in Camden, N.J. The band’s performances spurred much interest in the local press and were a boon for the Ukrainian community in the area. The Ukrainian American String Band was based out of 1613 Mt. Vernon St., Philadelphia.
Source: “Ukrainian String Band and Hutsul DPs paraded in Philly’s Mummers Parade,” The Ukrainian Weekly, January 23, 1950.