The King Mango Strut

11/30/2024

Donate to North Florida's version of the King Mango Strut!

Last December we created the World's First Flying Pig Parade in historic downtow… glenn terry needs your support for DONATE TO GAINESVILLE'S FLYING PIG PARADE

12/06/2023

Words to live by: “They who shun whimsy shall suffer rigor mortis before death.”

“I grew up in Miami and came here to the University of Florida, and ended up with a law degree. I practiced for a number of years before realizing I was meant to be an art teacher. So I went back to school and at 44 I switched careers."

“I’ve always enjoyed creating events that bring people together. I love parades and in the 70's formed the 'The Mango Marching Band'. As non-musicians playing kazoos and conch shells we had a gas performing in local parades. We tried to get into the big one, the annual King Orange Bowl Parade, but were turned down (they said we were too silly), so we said, 'To heck with you' and started our own parade. ‘The King Mango Strut', a zany, light-hearted parody of a holiday parade, became a huge success and is now in its 41st year.”

“When my wife and I moved up here in 2019, I wanted to start something similar. Three years ago I put on a the King Mango Christmas show at Heartwood, every year we have a neighborhood Halloween parade, and last year I produced our city's 'Essential Worker Appreciation Month'. Then I started working on my big parade ideas again. At last year's Halloween procession Heidi Stein showed up with her friends as "The Flying Pig Brigade". I thought, 'Flying Pigs... Hogtown... that's perfect for a Gainesville parade!’ And thus, the world's first Flying Pig Parade was conceived, with its birthdate scheduled for Saturday, December 30th.”

“I later found out that airborne oinkers have been around since Roman times. John Steinbeck stamped his correspondence with a flying pig and these words: 'Reaching for the stars on the wings of a pig'. The critters represent achieving the impossible. It's like saying, 'Glenn Terry will become Gainesville's mayor when pigs fly".

“Eight months ago I posted a flyer around town with King Mango coming to Gainesville on the back of a flying pig. Last June I formed a parade committee. We managed to raise the $12,000 necessary to take over the streets for a few hours. Now we are looking for North Florida's most exuberant people to march with us. Amateur actors, musicians, dancers, retired fire-eaters, stilt walkers, puppeteers...all those folks to help bring King Mango's spirit to Gainesville and celebrate all that is wild and wonderful about Gainesville. To be in our parade you just have to be funny, entertaining, and/or inspiring' (we make an exceptions for kids, they only have to be cute). We want our participants to be amazing, to defy the audience’s expectations, and for the whole parade to be over the top - in a good way - and in the process, create a new Gainesville tradition.”

“Our parade's purpose is to create laughter. Pickleballers will play with real pickles We're also going to poke fun at the crazy stuff that happened during this past year. For instance, they are making it harder to vote – less polling places and so forth. In our parade we’re going to have a ballot box in the middle of the road. When people approach it to cast their ballots it will run away.”

“Our committee, which meets twice a month to drink beer and share ideas, is surprisingly organized. We invite potential participants: performers, groups, and volunteers, to apply through our website (see below) to be a part of 'The Pig'."

“What I appreciate about living in Gainesville is being close to nature and far from the maddening Miami crowd. I tell my friends there, 'In Gainesville I can go anywhere in 10 minutes and park - most likely for free - in 10 seconds.' Making money drives Miami and here it is secondary. Education seems to be the main thing, much more worthy than running a hedge fund.”

- Glenn Terry is Top Banana of December 30th's Flying Pig Parade. It begins at 2 PM on Dec. 30th at Bo Diddley Plaza. Connect with the parade via FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/619570883232508, the web: https://flyingpigparade.org/ or email Glenn: [email protected]

12/06/2023

King Mango is flying into North Florida on the wings of a pig this month. He will present the world's first FLYING PIG PARADE in downtown G'ville at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30th. Info at www.flyingpigparade.org.

05/27/2023

The King is creating more fun, the Flying Pig Parade will step out onto the streets of Gainesville, Florida, on Saturday, December 30th, at 2 p.m. Together we can REACH FOR THE STARS ON THE WINGS OF A PIG!

01/12/2023

Sunday's KING MANGO STRUT Parade was another big success in Coconut Grove. 41 years ago my buddy Bill and I started this crazy procession. For the first time since Covid, King Mango marched again and it seems everyone had a jammin' good time.
See the cool photos my friends took at http://thegroveguy.blogspot.com

12/10/2022

The King led his Gainesville Halloween Parade once again this year. He was joined by Mr. Bones, Nine-Foot Fauci, flying pigs, and a host of many North Florida Mangoheads.

12/27/2021

KING MANGO TURNS FORTY- The King Mango Strutters took over Coconut Grove's Fuller Street yesterday.
They were celebrating the four decades since the wacky procession got its start.
Prominent were the "BUST" astronuts (Billionaires United for Space Travel). That's them boogalooing below.

12/22/2021

https://www.islandernews.com/local/king-mango-strut-parade-s-former-top-banana-reminisces-talks-40-year-anniversary-celebration/article_92c08c48-631d-11ec-bcd8-23d6bf980809.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=user-share

Everyone loves a parade but Glenn Terry, co-founder of Coconut Grove’s zany King Mango Strut Parade, seems to love a parade more than most. For 28 years he served as

12/07/2021

The King is throwing a party!

12/02/2021

Sunday, December 26, 2021 – 2 PM

Fuller Street & All Over – Coconut Grove

“Something like the King Mango Strut”

ü * “Pop Up” / Flash mob your current weirdness !

ü * Ready to party, shock, laugh, dance !

ü * Tell friends, neighbors, fun folks !

· Be vaccinated, healthy, safe !

(We could not get permission, or the money, to put on a parade this year so we are celebrating the King's 40th birthday with a party on Fuller Street and costumed Mangoheads on the sidewalks of Coconut Grove)

11/11/2021

DOES ANYONE WANT TO STRUT NEXT MONTH? Sunday, December 26th marks the 40th anniversary of the Grove's signature event, the King Mango Strut. The parade's organizers tell us the pandemic has made it impossible to take over the streets this year. Assuming this is true (holiday parades will be happening in other cities this year) perhaps we should celebrate this occasion with a grand gathering in Peacock Park, or, a "secret" mini-Strut in one of our hidden neighborhoods.
What do you think about having a virtual gathering to share ideas? I can host a half-hour discussion on Zoom. If you'd like to participate in this virtual gathering next week let me ("Glenn") know, at [email protected].

11/03/2021

King Mango's lil' Halloween Strut was a big success last Sunday. About 160 of us took to the streets with spirit, sun and spooky fun. That's the King himself leading the Mango Marching Band!

This is a parade around the Florida Park neighborhood in Gainesville, FL led by King Mango. Great job of organizing Glenn Terry!