Greater Kensington (string band)
Encyclopedia
Greater Kensington is a string band in Philadelphia's annual Mummers Parade
.
The Greater Kensington String Band was organized in 1946 and first marched in the New Year’s Day Mummers Parade
in 1948. The band, known as "GKSB", has taken first prize on two occasions, 1979 and 1988, and has finished in the top ten forty one times including seventeen years in the top five.
GKSB started in 1946 on Front Street below Lehigh Avenue and moved to a location atop the Cumberland Sho-bar at Kensington Avenue and "A" Street beneath the Market–Frankford Line. In 1960 the band relocated and established its headquarters at 2444 "D" Street. The band is a charter member of the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association and, as such, can never change its name. So when the band moved in 1966 to Tacony, it still carried the name of Greater Kensington String Band.
The band owns its headquarters on Edmund Street in Northeast Philadelphia. The band has joined with the Mayfair Optimist Club and the Mayfair-Holmesburg Merchants Association to sponsor and help organize the Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Frankford Avenue since 1974. In 1975 the band acquired a catering club license making the hall available for rentals.
While New Year’s Day is the band’s big event of the year, the group has performed nationally, with past performances in Tennessee
, Minnesota
, Wisconsin
, Illinois
, the New England
states, New Jersey
, Maryland
, Delaware
and throughout Pennsylvania
. They have also performed at the Quebec Winter Carnival, the Carnival de Libertad in Cuba
, Oktoberfest
in Kitchener
-Waterloo
, Ontario
, the P. T. Barnum Festival in Connecticut
and the Nebraska State Fair
. The band has also marched in the Miss America
Parade, performed on the Merv Griffin Show and in a command performance at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
with Charlie Daniels
and the Rockettes
in 1991. In 2004, the band performed in front of a live crowd of 280,000 people in the Chinese New Year
Parade in Hong Kong
. They have also performed in the Grand Opera House
, appeared on the same bill with the Philadelphia Orchestra
, and played across the Brooklyn Bridge
when it was re-dedicated.
In 1983, the band was selected to represent the East Coast
and was one of only four bands to perform at the National Sports Festival held at the United States Air Force Academy
in Colorado Springs. The group was named the championship band and was personally congratulated by Bob Hope
who was the Olympic Committee Co-Chairman.
In September 2007, the Tacony
warehouse that they were renting was destroyed by arson. The band lost thousands of dollars worth of tools, set pieces and an inventory of thousands of ostrich
feathers. The total loss was estimated at $20,000, with $6,000 of that being feathers alone. As of December 2007, they are unsure if their insurance will cover the loss.
While bands typically spend most of the year preparing for the parade on New Years Day, the band was able to rebuild most of their planned sets and props in time for the 2008 parade. The band publicly cited help from supporters and their competitors in the parade, with help coming from every other string band in the city and critically needed feathers from South Philadelphia, Avalon, Woodland and Trilby.
Mummers Parade
The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Local clubs compete in one of four categories . They prepare elaborate costumes and moveable scenery, which take months to complete...
.
The Greater Kensington String Band was organized in 1946 and first marched in the New Year’s Day Mummers Parade
Mummers Parade
The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Local clubs compete in one of four categories . They prepare elaborate costumes and moveable scenery, which take months to complete...
in 1948. The band, known as "GKSB", has taken first prize on two occasions, 1979 and 1988, and has finished in the top ten forty one times including seventeen years in the top five.
GKSB started in 1946 on Front Street below Lehigh Avenue and moved to a location atop the Cumberland Sho-bar at Kensington Avenue and "A" Street beneath the Market–Frankford Line. In 1960 the band relocated and established its headquarters at 2444 "D" Street. The band is a charter member of the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association and, as such, can never change its name. So when the band moved in 1966 to Tacony, it still carried the name of Greater Kensington String Band.
The band owns its headquarters on Edmund Street in Northeast Philadelphia. The band has joined with the Mayfair Optimist Club and the Mayfair-Holmesburg Merchants Association to sponsor and help organize the Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade on Frankford Avenue since 1974. In 1975 the band acquired a catering club license making the hall available for rentals.
While New Year’s Day is the band’s big event of the year, the group has performed nationally, with past performances in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
states, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and throughout Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. They have also performed at the Quebec Winter Carnival, the Carnival de Libertad in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
in Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
-Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, the P. T. Barnum Festival in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and the Nebraska State Fair
Nebraska State Fair
The Nebraska State Fair is a state fair held annually in Grand Island. It is an approximately ten-day event; since the early 1990s, the fair ends on Labor Day. Prior to 2010, the fair was held in Lincoln, Nebraska.-History:...
. The band has also marched in the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Parade, performed on the Merv Griffin Show and in a command performance at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
with Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
and the Rockettes
The Rockettes
The Rockettes are a precision dance company performing out of the Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, New York City. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes have performed five shows a day, seven days a week, for 77 years...
in 1991. In 2004, the band performed in front of a live crowd of 280,000 people in the Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
Parade in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. They have also performed in the Grand Opera House
Grand Opera House (Wilmington, Delaware)
The Grand Opera House, also known as The Grand or Masonic Hall and Grand Theater, is a 1,208-seat theater for the performing arts in Wilmington, Delaware. The four-story building was built in 1871 by the Delaware Grand Lodge of Masons to serve as a Masonic Temple and auditorium. The construction...
, appeared on the same bill with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, and played across the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
when it was re-dedicated.
In 1983, the band was selected to represent the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
and was one of only four bands to perform at the National Sports Festival held at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
in Colorado Springs. The group was named the championship band and was personally congratulated by Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
who was the Olympic Committee Co-Chairman.
In September 2007, the Tacony
Tacony, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tacony is a historic neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, about from downtown Philadelphia. It is the oldest continuously occupied neighborhood in Philadelphia. It is bounded by Frankford Avenue on the northwest, Cottman Avenue on the northeast, Levick Street on the southwest, and the...
warehouse that they were renting was destroyed by arson. The band lost thousands of dollars worth of tools, set pieces and an inventory of thousands of ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
feathers. The total loss was estimated at $20,000, with $6,000 of that being feathers alone. As of December 2007, they are unsure if their insurance will cover the loss.
While bands typically spend most of the year preparing for the parade on New Years Day, the band was able to rebuild most of their planned sets and props in time for the 2008 parade. The band publicly cited help from supporters and their competitors in the parade, with help coming from every other string band in the city and critically needed feathers from South Philadelphia, Avalon, Woodland and Trilby.