On a fine and blustery Sunday afternoon in Coconut Grove the annual King Mango Strut Parade went off with a bang. This year's communal satire felt a little, how should I say, lacking in specificity. The Red Hot Chile Peppers commemorated the mining disaster in Chile. The TSA touched some ass. But my taste floated toward the skewering of specific local sacred cows. So, EOM Best of Show goes to (drumroll, readers...) "Emerge Miami, Organizing Chaos Since 2005". Why quibble on the year when the target, "Diversity In Public Art", so accurately pins the tail on that Most Happy Icon of Miami Throw Up Art: Romero Britto. Here are photos of your first place winner. Runner-up and third place to come. And yes, I wholeheartedly agree: Impeach Britto! (click 'read more' for more fun and excellent photo gallery)
12 comments:
What happened behind the scenes of the Strut this year was very ugly. Many long time strutters sat out this year, including its founder, Glenn Terry. The new group is about money and is in bed with BID. Very sad. The parade that we Grovites thought we would be handing down to our children is becoming just another Chamber of Commerce event. Ironic and sad.
FYI: Glenn Terry had been issued the permit for the parade this year. After about a month, the city manager "changed his mind" and reissued the permit to Baldwin and her lawyer husband, which was supported by BID. The Strut, as we grew up knowing it, is no more.
tom
Thanks for the info. This is one of the stranger Miami stories.
Baldwin's husband is an architect. Gail Baldwin is also the owner of one of the remaining 7 Stiltsville houses- still closed to the public although our taxes now pay for their repairs via the National Parks -- thank you Iliana Ros- Lehtinen for the mess. He is a nice enough guy. The worst of the stiltsville owners shoots with Dexter-- that is why Iliana stuck her big fat nose into it.
You're right, he is an architect. Still, connections, connections. The BID wanted it and they got it.They have ruined the parade for many people. Sell outs! The MC sounded like a chamber commercial. (How do I know? My husband and I walked down to it. Many familiar faces and friends were missing. They stole our parade.)
tom
Yeah it all seemed like it was canned fun.
"Please refrain from posting your personal vendettas here."HAHAHA
MC is same as shared with Glenn in previous years...Most of peeps who strutted stayed out of the bs no matter who's 'side' we were on...we just wanted a parade...we missed Glenn...but not your anon sour grapes whining!
I've lived here 10 years (when I started UM in 2000)and I've never been to the parade and none of my friends have either (both the ones who are still here or the ones that have left).
I don't know what I'm missing, because this just doesn't seem interesting to me, but then again, the Grove itself doesn't appeal to me beyond a few restaurants and the art festival. In fact, I can probably count on hand how many times I've been to Coconut Grove in 2010.
I don't like the faux "hippieness" that people keep trying to resurrect; it just doesn't resonate with the late 20's, early 30's young professional crowd. Enough rambling...
The Grove was once a very special place, and typical bad Florida commerce wrecked it. Just like the Taurus. Replaced with serial failed restaurants. This is the story of Florida: take what is of value and turn it to dreck. Coconut Grove merchants wonder what they have to do to get the charm back. They can't. Go to South Miami, I guess. Maybe they'll tear down Sunset Place. Oh well. Have another cafe con leche.
Should have been a float on David Rivera and Marco Rubio.
I never went to the King Mango Strut Parade, It odes not interest me, but if all of you that like it and want to conserve it the way it was structured and with the people that star it then you need to fight. You give up very easy; organize yourself starting now so the parade can not be stolen again. You can not just shrug your shoulders and let it pass and feel victimized. The only way not to be victimized is just not to let it happen.
Thanks for covering us. We had a lot of fun!
Is it true Al Crespo was kicked out the Mango Strut?
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