…and The Ghosts of Mayor’s Christmas Parades Past
By Tom Warner (Baltimore Or Less)
No, that’s not the title of an old Rankin/Bass holiday TV special, but a lament for the 2013 Mayor’s Christmas Parade in Hampden, which was cancelled by the event organizers on December 8th due to a snow storm. It was the first-ever cancellation since the parade started in 1972.
Suzanne Muldowney wants to know: “Where is everyone?!?”
2013 was also The Year Without an Underdog, as the cancelled 41st annual Christmas Parade meant that Suzanne Muldowney could not continue her streak of appearing in the parade every year (and 24 consecutive times) since 1988 – almost always as 1960s canine cartoon superhero Underdog. (Suzanne’s only non-Underdog appearances here were her 2003 turn as The Ghost of Christmas Past and her 2006 and 2012 portrayal as The Fairy of the Golden Snow.) The canning of this year’s parade also meant audiences were deprived of seeing Suzanne celebrate the 170th anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (Chapman & Hall, 1843) by appearing once again as “The Ghost of Christmas Past.” But have no fear, Underdog fans! Suzanne will be sure to be back in character for the 42nd annual Mayor’s Christmas Parade in 2014, as it will mark the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Underdog TV cartoon show.
This year the crippled children walked alone.
And have no fear, holiday parade fans: Baltimore Or Less is here to help recall “The Ghosts of Mayor’s Parades” past, starting with coverage of last year’s 2012 Mayor’s Christmas Parade in Hampden.
Continue reading The Ghosts of Mayor’s Christmas Parades Past:
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2012 Mayor’s Christmas Parade in Hampden (Accelerated Decrepitude)
Animals on Parade @ 2010 Mayor’s Christmas Parade (YouTube)
Hampden Christmas Parade 2006 (Accelerated Decrepitude)
Suzanne Muldowney Overcomes Illness to March on Underdog’s 45th Anniversary (YouTube)
Bizarre Parade Floats Abound at Mayor’s Christmas Parade (BoL)
Underdog in 1998 Hampden Xmas Parade (YouTube)
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