A NEW HOME FOR KING MANGO

King Mango got a new home on Sunday,

(1/30/11)

when he and his friends marched through the streets of South Miami.

Almost a hundred happy souls in twelve units strutted their stuff on Sunset Drive.

The King Mango Strut parade's original group from 1982, the Mango Marching Band, was there, sponsored by Shell Lumber.

They played buckets, kazoos, and didgeridoos.

They serenaded Little Miss Mango and her court.

The Miami Heat's new superstar, LeBron James, could not attend so he sent his cousin, DJ Kool.

South Miami's new red light camera gave out over 400 tickets to people who had run lights on their way to the parade.

Frowns turned to grins when violators discovered their citations were good for half-priced beer at the Sunset Tavern.

BP's Next Oil Slick oozed its way down the road. The kids swimming in it seemed to be having a delightful time.

The Green Man stopped to give advice to one of his young admirers.

Then, he spotted,

The Redwing Blackbird of the Apocalypse!

The big bird should have known better than to tangle with the Green Man.

He told the winged warrior, "Hit the road or I'll bean you with this mango!"

The Messenger of Doom knew better than to argue with a 16-year-old dressed in lime green spandex. He let out one more "Caw!" then took to the sky.

(I thank my sons, Ian and Dylan, for doing this in Sunday's show).

While others watched the altercation

Josh and Michelle Billig reminded us that bananas have feeling too.

At the end of the parade the young Rose Cope confessed,

What a prankster that Rose.

The true Strut lives on as living theater in the streets.

It was a spontaneous combustion of fun.

-Pierre Blanchet, Gainesville

This was a great idea.

Something different! I thought it was grand. I like a freak show. -Mississippi John

-Lucy Boszko, Perrine

I thought it distracted from the VW show. I liked the element of spontinaity, like

-Hershel Burden guerilla theater. - Deborah Starbuck