Having been only a sometime Philadelphian, and never brave enough to attend the Mummer's parade myself, I have only anecdotal evidence. But last year someone I know attended the parade, and on the walk back to his car after it was all over, he spied a nice banjo case sticking out of a garbage can. Knowing I had a banjo in need of a case, he plucked it out. (Oh... plucked...) Anyway, it turned out to contain an actual banjo. He attempted by means of newspaper advertising to reunite the banjo with its owner, to no avail, so now he is a fledgeling banjo player himself. It is a five string, no bluegrassy-fancy things on it. We have had many chuckles about how it might have ended up there: "... and if I EVER hear that stinkin' banjo again..." or "WHAT?! LAST place??!! That's it! I'm not dragging these feathers around one more year!"

Dani