1000s of Jolly Germans March Up 5th Avenue: Auf die Freundschaft!

Fifth Avenue came alive to the sights and sounds of the annual German-American Steuben Day Parade on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 68th to 86th streets. This year’s grand marshals were Till Knorn, German consul general in New York, and Gerhard Rossbach, a businessman and passionate photographer. While a joyous time was had by all, city politics watchers left the event oddly empty-handed.

Held annually since 1957, the event is named after Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-1794), aka “Baron von Steuben,” a highly accomplished Prussian-born general who helped George Washington turn the ragtag Continental Army into a disciplined fighting force.

Germans played an important role in the American Civil War as well, including General Carl Schurz, best known today for his eponymous Upper East Side park.

Saturday’s parade was preceded on Friday by a remarkable warm-up event at Foley Square. If from a distance the gathering looked like a protest, it was actually a celebration with perhaps 1,000 people, with marching bands, dance groups, an old-timers rock band, and various German-American dignitaries. All that was missing was bratwurst and beer to make it the perfect pre-Oktoberfest lunch break.

Pretty much all of the same groups and more featured on Fifth Avenue the following day, with the parade kicking off around noon.

This reporter, whose German is sadly limited, had spent some time with a phrase book and so took the opportunity to share such thoughts as “Du siehst in Lederhosen gut aus!” (You look good in Lederhosen!) and, of course, “Auf die Freundschaft!” (To friendship!).

As for the lack of local politicians present, this was curious, but the next day’s parade double-header would reveal more.

Harlem State of Mind

As it turned out, Sunday was revelatory, not least for the fact that Hizzoner was still missing at the African-American Day Parade, though a cordon of Adams supporters did march in the event. (As this issue was going to press, Adams, known for attending almost all NYC parades, dropped out of the mayoral race.)

Held on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard (Seventh Avenue), the parade was first held in 1969, a watershed year for myriad reasons, including life after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

While Powell’s best-known catchphrase was “Keep the faith, baby!” the parade’s theme this year was the exclamatory if less stylish, “Education Is Our #1 Priority!”

Among the solons who were present were Borough President Mark Levine; Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who urged to the crowd to celebrate Black history, resilience and joy; leading the City Council delegation Speaker Adrienne Adams.

Also present were Council Members Yousef Salaam; Kevin Riley; and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark; Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson; and New York Attorney General Letitia James and Comptroller Brad Lander.

Mexican Independence on Madison Avenue

Mayor Adams had one more shot at parade redemption this weekend and failed to take it at the Mexican Independence Day Parade, which ran down Madison Avenue from 41st to 27th streets.

Despite the plethora of Mexican-themed parades on the city calendar, including the long march from Chelsea to St. Patrick’s Cathedral that accompanies the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the event was very well attended. Indeed, with bodies four and five deep at some points, it may be the most well attended of all of Madison Avenue parades.

First among the politicos for this event was Council Member Alexa Avilés, chair of that body’s immigration committee. Though she herself is Boricuan (Brooklyn/Puerto Rican), her Brooklyn district contains both substantial Mexican and Chinese populations.

Interestingly, while Avilés, a Democratic Socialist, used the event to help promote her chosen party and mayoral candiate, Zohran Mamdani, one can hardly complain. Besides the absent Adams, neither mayoral candidates Andrew Cuomo nor Curtis Sliwa showed up.

As the old New York state lottery slogan went, “You gotta be in it to win it!”

Highlights of the parade included the incredible human costumery, a stunning array of low-rider cars, and Mexican national volleyball team player Madelyn Dennis Castillo.

Two unfortunate lowlights came after the parade, when a 24-year-old man was stabbed, and a 17-year-old girl was hit by a stray bullet. Both victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

In the former incident, a 14-year-old boy was charged with gang assault. In the latter, the recidivist Joel Nieves is facing attempted murder and other charges.