Celebrating Joseph A. Ferko

Our Founder, The Legendary Musical Mummer

“Hey Joe, why don't you start your own band?”

Joe's pals Charlie and Walt had asked the question before, but on this crisp Philadelphia evening at Curran and Meade's Grill Room in 1922, as Parade Day approached, it suddenly seemed possible. Throughout the evening, the three friends continued to talk it over and by night's end the boys had convinced Joe to pursue this intriguing idea.

Several years earlier in 1914, Joe had convinced his employer, Dr. John J. Fralinger, to buy a parade banner so that he and his friends could march in the 1915 New Years Day parade. With that, the Fralinger String Band was created with Mr. Fralinger's former errand boy, Joe Ferko, as the captain. Why was Joe the captain? Because, as he would say many times over the years,

"I was the biggest kid in the group.”

Throughout the history of the mummers, the name Joe Ferko has been synonymous with "string bands". But, there were two sides to Mr. Ferko's life. A 1916 graduate of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, Joe was the proprietor of several drug stores, including "Ferko & Jones" Pharmacy, at the corner of 5' & Glenwood Ave. in North Philadelphia.

It was there in Joe Ferko's Drug Store that the band first met and rehearsed, and where he provided the fine people in his neighborhood with the kind of friendship and generosity that became the foundation of his life. As Joe advertised in his first and favorite motto, I am “ALWAYS AT YOUR SERVICE”.

On parade day in 1923, the idea, inspired by the three boys just a few months earlier, had become a reality. His own band, The Joseph A. Ferko String Band, made their Philadelphia Mummers Parade debut parading as "Valentino's Toreadors". This was to be the beginning of a musical fraternity, rich with tradition and unequalled history that would last throughout the 20'" century and continues today into the new millennium. 

Joe Ferko helped trumpet the unique and spectacular tradition of Philadelphia Mummery throughout the United States and to many parts of the world. Over the years, well over one thousand men have proudly marched behind the Joseph A. Ferko String Band banner. Each of them proud to be one of “Joe's Boys”.

On the evening of April 19, 1964, The Philadelphia String Band Association gathered together at Palumbo's Restaurant in South Philadelphia for their annual awards banquet.
Representatives from every String Band were in attendance to celebrate and to honor the participants and winners of the String Band division from the Mummers Parade of 1964.

There was also a special award to be presented that night, to the most famous mummer of them all, the man known as the "dancing captain"  ...  Joseph A. Ferko.

Joe, as he was affectionally known by everyone who knew him, was being presented with a plaque to commemorate his 50 years in mummery - as a mummer, as a friend and as the founder and captain of the prestigious Joseph A. Ferko String Band.

To the delight of 800 of Joe's friends, fellow mummers and his wife Mary, Joe was presented his award, accepted it with his familiar smile and said

"Thank you for this award, Thank God I was here to receive it and I hope that I'll be here for 50 more years"

As the audience cheered and clapped, Joe turned to walk from the stage, suffered a heart attack and died.

Joe's memory lives on along with his band.