King Mango Strut Grand Marshal to be Named Tomorrow at the Grove Spot

Kingmangostrut.org

Don Robertson bought his way into grand marshal history.

​There is no group of Miami celebrities, or pseudo-celebrities, more revered than the list of grand marshals at the end-of-the-year farcical King Mango Strut in Coconut Grove. Actually, that list is kind of hard to come by. Some of the organizers can't event locate such a list, if one actually exists. You might have to sit back and coax the names out of the original organizers over a beer or several at one of their "organizational" gatherings in Coconut Grove.

Luckily, the last such meeting for this year's King Mango Strut on December 26 is coming up tomorrow night at The Grove Spot at 7 p.m. At the meeting, organizers will announce this year's grand marshal. His, her, or its name will be added to annals of Grove lore--alongside such notables as Janet Reno, Mr. Clucky the Chicken, Don Robertson (who? He bid $5,600 for the honor on Ebay) and former New Times and Miami Herald scribe Jim DeFede.

Kingmangostrut.org

Are those shriners?

​Those unfamiliar with the King Mango Strut parade should know it's a parade only in the loosest possible definition of the word--kind of how its makeshift floats are put together: usually with duct tape and only hours before the procession winds its way through the Grove. But what the parade lacks in structure or fine tuning it more than makes up for with energy and originality. And that's how organizers aim to keep it. "This is not a sleek production. The day it is and the day we stop using duct tape to put it together is the day it is over," says Antoinette Baldwin, one of the volunteers who helps organize the strut.

Part of what makes the strut so popular--besides its low maintenance roots--is that it manages to be simultaneously consistent and unpredictable. "It's the same event every year. What changes is what happened during the year. The material is always fresh," Baldwin says. "The corruption is the same. All we have to do is change the faces."

Kingmangostrut.com

Top class floats and signs are common.

​As well as naming this year's grand marshal, the Wednesday meeting is also a fundraiser for the strut with attendees encouraged to buy $5 raffle tickets for a 7-day cruise and other prizes. And if you have a funny idea for a float or to strut your stuff along the procession it's not too late. Show up at the meeting and put it forth. If the group likes it your in. If you want to volunteer to help, they'll take you.

The King Mango Strut has been doing its thing since 1982 when the original organizers Glen Terry and Bill Dobson had an idea for a marching band of kazooist to perform at the King Orange Parade. The organizers of the now defunct event wouldn't have it. So Terry and Dobson started their own parade. For 29 years it has made fun of just about everything and anybody, including itself.

The King Mango Fun and FUNDraiser is at 7 p.m. at the Grove Spot (3324 Virginia St., Miami). The King Mango Strut will take place on December 26 at 2 p.m. Parade route includes Commodore Plaza, Main Highway and Grand Avenue.