March into March Parade Entertains Spectators
February 29, 2008 at 9:41 p.m.
The organizers of the True/False Film Festival described the March into March on their website as “the craziest parade Columbia has ever seen” and the scene that took over downtown Broadway lived up to its billing.
A half hour prior to the parade’s start, Eighth St. just north of Broadway was blocked off as roller-bladers, sword-balancing gypsy belly dancers and a self-described “circus punk” marching band fell into line. Glen David Andrews and the Lazy Six, an authentic New Orleans brass band, entertained a growing crowd of onlookers. After enthusiastic but restrained applause from spectators, Andrews, a charismatic front man, beckoned for the audience to step off the sidewalk and get close before he started conducting them in a chorus of “You are my Sunshine.” The crowd’s singing was shortly swallowed up by the sound of Andrews’s raucous trombone playing and the Lazy Six’s distinctive New Orleans sound that reverberated off the downtown shops.
Glen David Andrews and the Lazy Six lead the crowd in chanting as the parade starts. (Rachel Schroeder)
By the time the parade started, the handful of curious onlookers had grown into a sizeable throng. Swarms of cameras did their best to capture the spectacle of the procession but in an event where a man in a bear suit riding on the back of a bicycle built for two was overlookable, the crowd started to follow the parade down Broadway to get a second look.
Balancing a sword on her head while swaying with beat of the drum. (Rachel Schroeder)
Mucca Pazza, featuring traditional marching band instruments, a cheerleader and marching accordion and electric guitar players with speakers strapped to their helmets, were the center of attention.
(Rachel Schroeder)
The line between spectator and marcher was blurred as Mucca Pazza’s trumpet and trombone players darted in and out of the audience to climb on top of whatever they could find. The procession came to a halt and the crowd was surrounded as three of the band’s brass players stood atop the steps of Stephen’s College and played a fanfare while three more stood on a bench across the street belted a response.
The extraordinary parade and audience marched together down Broadway before finally coming to a stop at Wallis Avenue. Once there, spectators enjoyed fire blowers and spinners while both Mucca Plaza and Glen David Andrews and the Lazy Six continued to play to entertain the audience who followed them.
-Ricky O'Bannon
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